06/05/2026
DAY 180: 40 YEARS YOUNG 💪🏿💪🏿
Today is Friday, June 5th. Today I am officially 40 years young. And today is Day 180 of my 40th Birthday Bulk Challenge. I started this journey on Monday, December 8th with two goals:
Number one, become the heaviest I have ever been while still maintaining my conditioning. Mission accomplished.
Number two, deadlift 405 pounds for a minimum of 20 reps. And that is what you are watching right now. But I almost failed this goal. This was actually my second attempt.
On my first attempt, I made a few mistakes. I shortened my warm-up to conserve energy, which was a bad idea. Then my planned 5-minute rest after 365 turned into 25 minutes, so I was pretty cold by the time I pulled 405. And once I got tired, I changed my usual strategy.
Normally, I rest at the top of the deadlift because mentally, I have not let go of the weight yet. But on the first attempt, I rested at the bottom, psyched myself out, and stopped at 16 reps. I almost called it quits. But I had told everybody my goal was 405 for 20. So I sucked it up and tried again. And that is the lesson.
Put your goals out there because accountability matters. And never change your strategy on PR day. Do not change your warm-up. Do not change your rest. Do not change the mental approach that got you there. Run trial attempts first. When it is time to perform, you should be executing, not experimenting.
405 for 20 reps is done. The 180-day birthday bulk is complete. The 40th Birthday Bulk Challenge is complete.