Sunday, January 31, 2010

January 30, 2010 - Battle at the Barn

Going to contests combines something I love with something I hate. I love lifting things but I hate traveling. I loathe traveling as I can never really get comfortable. I welcome the day when we can just teleport somewhere. A man can dream...

The day before my dad and I left, I got a text from my occasional training partner Lou Costa and he wanted to know if he could get a ride up to the contest. So we three amigos left for West Coxsackie, NY, listening to the comedic stylings of Patton Oswalt and his ilk. For dinner we stopped at Outback Steakhouse. We got a table at about 7:30 but we didn't start getting food until after 8:30. I blame Lou for charming the waitress with his debonair under armour cap. The food was good so that almost made up for the long wait. We didn't make it to the hotel until after 10:30PM. Then again, there's nothing to do there anyway besides sleep. I slept like a log, a loud log, but a log nonetheless.

I was tired upon rising and took a nap in the shower to wake up. I had planned on eating a full breakfast of pancakes and yogurt but that was apparently too complex for me that morning. Luckily the quality programming on the CW for Kids! kept me occupied. I had no idea we had such great shows on at 7:00AM like The Winx Club and King of the Dinosaurs. The news channel said it was 4 degrees outside so I dressed accordingly: shorts and two sweatpants, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt and jacket, gloves and a hat.

We drove up to the Barn and tested out the implements. I had to weigh in but I didn't feel like taking off the warmth providing armor of clothes so I just took off my thick jacket, shoes, gloves and hat. I came it at 263lbs, so I probably was about 260lbs without the rest of them. I was having mixed feelings: on one hand I wasn't a walking zombie like I was at Clash of the Titans but on the other, I didn't feel like I was going to kick ass. First event was the press medley.

The press medley consisted of a 145lbs one arm dumbbell clean and press, a 130lbs 2" handle dumbbell clean and press, two circus dumbbells (150lbs and 170lbs), a 175lbs keg (had to be pressed parallel grip style) and a 200lbs steel block. I knew I'd do okay in this event as I'm quite good with circus dumbbells. I made sure I tried out the circus dumbbells, the keg and the block before going. I didn't want any surprises. The implement I was most worried about was actually the one hand clean with the regular dumbbell followed by the block. I was up last as I had sent in my form the earliest in my group. The number to beat was four lifts in 60 some seconds I think. I went for the regular dumbbell first, fairly easy clean, a little slow on the press. I moved on to the 2" dumbbell. Again a somewhat easy clean but I missed the press, brought it back down to my shoulder and then jammed it up to lockout. Next was the first circus dumbbell. Pretty easy on to the second circus dumbbell. I heard Rob Agnoli yell all day so I knew I had to yell it back as I rocketed the 170lbs dumbbell overhead. I moved on to the keg had an easy clean and got it overhead. At this point I had won the event but I wanted to try the block. I had pressed the 185lbs block during warm-ups but I couldn't get my hands into position to press this one. I gave it another go and got my hands in to position but I was too winded from fighting with it to get any higher than my eyes. First out of five.

The next event was the yoke with 750lbs. The course was 60' with a 60 second time limit. These were some wide yokes. I did work up to some picks with 625lbs on the warm-up yoke and that seemed to bother my mid back. I knew two things going into this event: 1) I would finish and 2) I would lose some ground. I've done this weight before and then some but I knew that at least two of my competitors were going to be faster than me. I was last to go again and since there were five competitors and we were going head to head, I got to go against Lou in the other lane (he had 800lbs). It didn't feel that heavy and I was making a decent pace, for me at least, but then I dropped it. I had drifted to the left a little and I think I was worried about hitting the posts. I just couldn't stay tight under it. I had four drops total and was the slowest to finish. Third out of five.

Up next was a the car deadlift. At this point it was a three way tie for first. I knew this was going to be a tough pull. It was most likely over 700lbs in hand at 18" which is a lot over what I can do. Only one person, Andrew Mangan, had gotten reps with the car. Everyone else had bombed. I gave it my all for three attempts but it refused to budge. I need to get stronger. Tied for last with everyone but Andrew.

Next was the farmer's walk. These were with oxygen tank cylinders so it made them a bit tougher to walk with. 325lbs per hand for 60' in 60 seconds. I was in a three way tie for second at this point. I went second to last and everyone was having issues with these in my weight class. I had to beat 20 some feet to if I wanted to regain the lead. I was also worried with this event since my lower back was just killing me from essentially doing three isometric max pulls and that doing picks with just 200lbs earlier in the day bothered the middle of my back. Luckily that wasn't the case as I made decent pick (for me) and started to pick up speed. I felt like I could finish the course. Then my grip said oh yeah and I dropped them. I some how able to refocus and repick them, something I've never been able to do with heavy farmers, and made a few more steps. I made it 30'6". Surprisingly, first out of five on this one.

Finally it was time for the keg load medley. The kegs were 230lbs and 230lbs to 54", 250 and 275lbs to 48" and 300lbs and 320lbs to 38". Also there was a power step at the end of it. It was a loading pin with a carabiner and a handle. This makes it hard to get a good amount of swing into it to load. This was 375lbs and had to be put on a 18" step. I was in first by one point and in order to win I had to do better than third and beat Kevin Cronin in this event. I've never been in this position where I had a chance to win a contest. I felt that I would do really well on this event as I had trained keg loads at Joe's the previous two weeks. Kevin went and up to this point, no one had done the 320lbs keg. Kevin had a little hiccup on the it but got it and then got the power step. It was on. Everything just kind of went silent as I knew what I had to do. I had to destroy the medley. I attacked the kegs. I one motioned the first four kegs and pounced on the 300lber, lapping and loading like I had trained at Joe's. I moved on to his ugly older brother the 320lbs keg and go it much the same. Now it was just me and the power stair, get it and I win. I got it most of the way it one lift and then shoved on the remain few inches. Victory! First place on the final event.

I ended up in in first place in the 265lbs and under class. It felt good. I know I still need to work on my pulling strength; that's a given really. Since I won three events, I got three new jars of Jack Tacky. I also got a big engraved glass mug for a trophy. My younger brother and sister were disappointed I didn't get a sword. You hear that Curtis, the children were upset I didn't get a dangerous weapon. I had good time hanging out with Brett and Lou. Got to put faces to names from message boards too. We had much better service at Outback on the way home. Victory steaks are so good. Going to take it easy this week and get ready to go for Viking Fest.



Thursday, January 28, 2010

January 27, 2010 - Pre-Contest Deload & January 28, 2010

January 27, 2010 - Pre-Contest Deload

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Squats
45x10
115x5
165x5
205x5
245x5

Barbell Jerks
45x10
85x5
115x5
140x5
170x5

Deadlifts
155x5
205x5
255x5
305x5

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Even with how my mid back was feeling, I just had to do some kind of lifting. My new bands from Pro-Wrist Straps came today (really fast) and I tested them out. I'm going to be doing banded rack pulls differently, adjusting the strength curve so I'm lifting more weight at the bottom then I was before. The workout pace was brisk and I noticed that the overhead stuff bothered my back more than the squats and deadlifts. It's manageable.

January 28, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Just went walking today. Felt good outside with the cold wind. I'll be leaving immediately after work for Battle at the Barn. I've been looking forward to this contest since I competed at it last year.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

January 26, 2010

Walking – 33 minutes

Comments: Just went walking today. Still have something in the middle of my back that's bothering me. It felt better than yesterday but I didn't want to test it out on anything this close to the show. Better safe than sorry.

Monday, January 25, 2010

January 25, 2010

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: Just went walking today. Something was bothering me in the right side of my back.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

January 24, 2010 - Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

Crucifix's Holds
5'sx30 seconds
10'sx30 seconds
15'sx30 seconds
20'sx30 seconds
25'sx30 seconds
30'sx30 seconds PR+4lbs
35'sx24.97 seconds PR+9lbs

35'sx22.15 seconds

15.5" 2.5" Thick Bar Deadlifts
Double Overhand
130x5
180x5
220x3
270x5
310x0
Added Straps
310x5
400x5
500x2

Keg Loads
180x5 to 56"
240x4 to 56" PR+2 reps & 4"
260x3 to 56" PR+1 reps & 4"/260x1 to 64" PR+12"
300x4 to 56" PR+2 reps & 4"


32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Training was at the Stable in Chambersburg today. I got lost since I forgot the address and the GPS took me in the opposite direction and I made it there about a half hour late. A lot people training this weekend. My main plan was to hit the keg loads again. I figured I'd also try out some of the events for Viking Fest in March. I did a lot of volume for the crucifix hold. I did much better than I thought I would with the contest weight of 35lbs. I would like to get that closer to 40 seconds. Some of the other guys were doing pulls off of blocks with the bar height being about 15.5". I figured it would be a good time to try out the thick bar IronMind straps. The thick bar there is 2.5", thicker than any other bar I've worked on. I worked up to 270 double overhand for a few but couldn't hold on to 310lbs. My grip was still fatigued from one arm thick dumbbell rows from yesterday. Strapped up and I think they worked well. Then again I only went up to 500lbs and the contest weight is 660lbs. A lot of back in my two pulls with 500lbs. I could have done another one or two. Pulls still need a lot of work. My plan for the kegs was to do some warm-ups and then do a heavy series of say 260,300 and then 320. It turns out that the next keg up from 300 is 360, so I did some rep loads instead. I was planning on doing just three reps with 240lbs but then Joe plopped a tire on top of the platform and told me to load over it. I couldn't quite get it over it without compressing it. I liked the idea and tried it on the 260lbs keg. Three loads to 56" and then a single to the tire. This time I cleared it, making it a 64" load. I almost got it with the 300lbs keg too but I bumped the tire on my first attempt and it pushed it back. So even though I got it high enough to clear it, the keg smooshed it because it was back about half a foot. Regardless, it's good progress on my extension. I feel ready for the contest.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

January 23, 2010 - DE UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

12″ Log Presses w/ IW#1’s clinched
No Bands
90x5
Add Bands
90x2
120x2
150x2
175x2
175x2
175x2
175x2
175x2
175x2
175x2
175x2

2 3/8” Dumbbell Two-Arm Clean One-Arm Presses
82.5x6/6
104x6/6
124x6/6
124x6/6

One Arm 2 3/8” Dumbbell Rows
65x8/8
90x8/8
115x8/8
140x3/3 PR+10lbs

Barbell JM Presses
125x15 PR+5lbs
125x15
125x15

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Pretty good day, log pressing was quite easy. I got a little winded doing one arm presses but it was still easy breezy. Rows were good but my grip just couldn't hold on to the dumbbell with 140lbs in my right hand. I got three with the left with some effort. JM's felt good, I think I'll go for 135lbs next time.

January 22, 2010 - DE LB

Walking – 31.5 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5” Box Squats w/IW#3’s clinched
No Bands
45x10
Add Bands
45x2
95x2
135x2
185x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2

Yoke
440x75'
560x75'
680x75'
800x75' (5 drops) PR+30lbs

Farmer's Walk
161x100'
201x100'
241x100'
241x100'

Dimel Deadlifts
145x20
145x20
145x20

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I felt better today as far as my lower back and glute/hamstring. Squats went well, some were slow and some were fast. First set of yoke was pretty good. Next set was a bit slow. The set with 680lbs was really slow and it felt like the yoke was going to slide off my back. It was tough enough that I wasn't sure if I'd get very far with 800lbs. I got it up and it didn't feel terrible but I didn't get far. My dad briefly turned off the camera since he thought I was done. I told him I was going to try again and I got the bar much higher on my back and I made it a lot farther. I knew I had to finish all 75' at that point. After the fourth drop, my dad turned off the camera again. He didn't think I could make it. I told him again to turn it on. I was going to finish it, even if it took me another four drops. I managed to finish up with one last effort. It may have took five drops and over two minutes to finish, but I did it. Farmer's were quite tough after that. It didn't help that this lost car drove by four times. Dimel's were pretty good as well.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

January 21, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Just some walking today. Lower back is feeling better. Left hamstring is still tender and my right forearm is a little sore. Depends on how I feel tomorrow if I'm doing yoke and farmer's.

January 20, 2010 - ME UB

Walking – 33 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Clean and Jerks
95x5
135x3
165x3
195x3
225x1
245x1
265x1 PR (+5lbs for power clean)
285x0,1
300x0,0
300x0
263x1,0 (suck)

Rack Suspended 12” Log Bench Presses
150x3
190x3
240x3
280x3
330x2 PR+1 rep

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
265x12 PR+5lbs
265x12
265x12

Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises
50'sx15
50'sx15
50'sx15

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Kind of a sucky workout. All my hidden boo-boo's came out to play. My lower back was still incredibly sore and during dynamic warm-ups my left hamstring started to bother me. Also my right forearm. Even so, I thought I would do okay. I managed to power clean 265lbs on the axle. I had a slight hiccup with 285lbs, missing the clean the first attempt. First attempt with 300lbs it came out of my hands. I just couldn't get under the bar. This axle feels a whole lot tougher to clean than the hollow IronMind one. My grip was spent by the time I came to my down set and got only one with 263. Pathetic. I was thinking about calling it a day since my lower back but I figured since my pressing was good and log bench shouldn't bother it I'd keep going. That went ok, improved by one rep. I again was contemplating calling it a day when it came to rows since 1) upper back work is always tough after a deload and 2) my lower back soreness. I blame the ssb gm's for it. I decided to push through it and found it wasn't too bad. Raises were tough, they're always really tough coming back from a deload. It looks like I need to invest some considerable time into axle cleans.


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

January 19, 2010

Walking – 32 minutes

Comments: My body is sore today, especially my lower back. Walking seemed to at least loosen it up a bit.

Monday, January 18, 2010

January 18, 2010 - ME LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5" Safety Squat Bar Box Squats
60x10
105x5
135x3
165x3
195x3
225x3
255x1
285x1
305x1
325x1
345x1
365x1
380x1
342x4

16" Rack Deadlifts w/IW#3’s & #1's dbl
255x3
305x3
Add Straps
345x3
395x3
435x2

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
165x12 PR+20lbs
165x12
165x12

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
20x20 PR+5lbs
20x20
20x20

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I wasn't sure if I'd lift today considering this was the first heavy week back since the contest and I had done some tough event work yesterday. I wasn't feeling too bad so I went for it. I haven't done squats with the ssb to a box before so I was quite pleased to get 5lbs less than my free squat with the same bar. I was estimating between 325lbs and 365lbs as a possible max. Grip was not 100% (due to farmer's holds the day before) but I was still able to get the first two sets sans straps although just barely. 345lbs felt real good but 395lbs was tough so I knew it would be a bear to do 435lbs for more than a single. I got the one fairly well and then hitched up another. I couldn't get a third rep very far off the pins. The 16" pull position is going to be the toughest one for me from now on since I'm pulling from a 5" platform (as opposed to the 3" for the other two weeks) so the band tension is slightly more than the other two weeks and the starting tension is the same as the 18" position week. Upped the weight a bit on the ssb gm's. It felt pretty good. Abs and hips were hit hard too. It looks like I didn't miss a beat. Not entirely sure what I'll be doing the week before Battle at the Barn since I've just gone through a contest deload cycle.


Sunday, January 17, 2010

January 17, 2010 - Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

Keg Presses
35x10 (Staggered Grip)/35x5 (Parallel Grip)/35x5 (Vertical Grip)
180x12 (Staggered Grip) PR+4 reps
180x3 (Parallel Grip)
180x5 (Parallel Grip) PR+2 reps
180x6 (Parallel Grip) PR+3 reps


Farmer's Holds
140x30 seconds
230x30 seconds
280x54 seconds

Keg Loads
180x5 to 56"
180x3 to 56"/240x2 to 52"/260x2 to 52"
240x2 to 52"/260x2 to 52"/300x2 to 52" PR+30lbs & 1 rep

26 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I wasn't sure how today would go being the first heavy day back into lifting. It was pretty much the opposite of the day before. Yesterday was just gorgeous outside and today it was like a fire-sale for rain. Training was going be at the Stable in Chambersburg. I had to check to make sure event training was still on and luckily it was. I was actually a little nervous (not entirely sure why). I knew that I wanted to mess with the kegs. Other than that, I wasn't really sure what else to do. I warmed up with the empty keg for a bunch of reps and then went staggered grip and got 12 with minimal leg drive. I felt good when I switched to the parallel grip style. It felt easy on the first set, not sure what happened after the second rep. I came back and got five on the next set, felt easier than the first. On my last set I tried to muscle up the first and then banged out three more quick but on the four I relaxed my core too much when it came back down to my chest and got into a bad position and had to bail after the next rep. Re-cleaned and got one more smooth. Since I was going to be doing a whole show before I got to the keg loading at Battle at the Barn, I figured I'd try out some farmer's holds. I had been meaning to try these out. First two were easy. 280lbs was hellacious. It felt like my forearms were going to rip right off the bone near the end. So close to getting a minute. Then with my grip fried, went on to the keg load. I warmed up with the lightest keg to the high platform for a few reps to get used to loading. It's a lot different than a stone. It's hard to pick up and lap but easy to load, at least with the heavier ones that is. I deloaded every rep to the upright position to get used to how they'll be set up at the contest. Joe's kegs are really slick and only the empty ones have handles which makes them really tough. I had a bit of trouble with the 260lbs keg the first go around. I was trying to get a staggered grip on it like the other kegs but it wasn't working so well so I had to go parallel style. The last run through I did that with the 260 and 300 and it worked well. The 300 was a bear to pick up and lap but the load was manageable. I was beat after this session. It was a good one.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

January 16, 2010 - DE UB - Deload

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Clean and Presses
105x5
130x5
160x5

2 3/8” Dumbbell Two-Arm Clean One-Arm Presses
82.5x4/4
82.5x4/4
82.5x4/4

One Arm 2 3/8” Dumbbell Rows
70x4/4
70x4/4
70x4/4

Barbell JM Presses
85x12
85x12
85x12

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Smooth and easy lifting today. It's has become a lot warmer outside and most of the snow is gone.

Friday, January 15, 2010

January 15, 2010

Walking – 30.5 minutes

Comments: Just walking, felt good.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

January 14, 2010 - DE LB - Deload

Walking – 33.5 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Squats
45x10
115x5
165x5
205x5
245x5

Yoke
430x50'
430x50'
430x50'

Farmer's Walk
161x50'
161x50'
161x50'

Dimel Deadlifts
105x20
105x20
105x20

25 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Okay, felt a little off on the squats (then again the bar at home isn't the best one to use). First set of yoke felt terrible, the next was better and the last one was very good. All the sets of farmer's were good and easy. Did more reps than I was planning on doing with dimels (was supposed to do only 15).

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

January 13, 2010 - ME UB - Deload

Walking – 31.5 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Jerks
72x5
113x5
142x5
170x5

Rack Suspended 12” Log Bench Presses
115x3
165x3
205x3
255x3

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
185x10
185x10
185x10

Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises
35'sx15
35'sx15
35'sx15

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Okay day, upper body is still a little achy as is my lower back. Hips are feeling fine now. My straps and tacky arrived today. I wasn't expecting them so soon. The tacky looks good and the straps should be plenty long for an axle.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

January 12, 2010

Walking – 34 minutes

Comments: Just walking, felt good.

Monday, January 11, 2010

January 11, 2010 - ME LB - Deload

Walking – 34 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Deadlifts
135x5
195x5
245x5
295x5

29" Rack Suspended Axle Zercher Lifts
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
115x10
115x10
115x10

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
bwx15
bwx15
bwx15

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Pretty good workout. Hips are still stiff/sore. The zerchers did a number on my forearms. They're still sensitive/bruised from the contest. I actually got a cramp in my left biceps muscle during my set with 315lbs. Still got to workout the lactic acid from the contest. Arms always take the biggest beating followed close by hips and back. Sent my entry form for Viking Fest this morning.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

January 10, 2010

Walking – 35 minutes

Comments: Slept in late today, I was bushed after the contest yesterday. Yesterday my knees were sore but no problems today. Hips were tight and so was my upper back. Walking felt good and helped loosen my hips up a bit. I also ordered some PR tacky and those new straps from IronMind made for thick bars (allowed for Viking Fest). Time to deload to reload.

January 09, 2010 - Clash of the Titans II Strongman Battle

Let me start off and say I do not like these Sports Extravaganza Expos (This contest and New Jersey's Strongest Man) since we always get hassled by the owners of the establishment. I also don't like walking around for the restroom to then be bombarded with sales pitches. Like wadding through an interactive pop-up ad. Anyway, on to the contest write-up.

Prepping for this show was odd. Never did I feel excited thinking about it. My mind was thinking about Battle at the Barn, Viking Fest and Battle on the Bayou. With some prodding, I committed to this show the week before. The morning of I was kind of nervous, I actually only ate half of my usual breakfast, going with only pancakes and skipping the yogurt. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to keep it down. It was an uneventful drive and I signed in and everything. Weighted in at 256lbs. First event was axle clean and press.

Originally the event was 265lbs but the weight was bumped up to 276lbs. I was having the toughest time waking up. I managed to get a little psyched and was raring to go when people in charge of the expo came over to complain about the floor (the person ahead of me had dropped a lift on an uncovered part of the floor). So had to wait a little bit for them to cool down and for more mats to be added to the lifting area. By this time I had chilled a little. I sucked big time. I struggled with every continental and only got one lift locked out. I kind of gave up in disgust after my failed second attempt and started to walk away. However, since there was still a lot of time left, I tried again and missed another jerk. A lot of people tied for second so really I didn't get put terrible far into a hole. Tied for ninth out of thirteen.

The next event was the chain yoke with 675lbs. Well it was supposed to be but it was probably closer to 585lbs (didn't find that out until I got home). The tough part was that for the 80' course, no drops were allowed. This is one of the few events I'm pretty good at. I've done this weight before and then some and if I hadn't done chain yoke on Andy Deck's long, crooked one, I would have had supreme confidence. But that would be when I'm feeling good mentally at least. Really at this point I was feeling awful and tired. I was seriously considering calling it a day and just watching. Right before I headed down to get set my dad grabbed me and sternly said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "get it together and stop being a pussy" and slapped my back hard. That got me amped. It was an easy pick and the yoke didn't feel too bad. I was focused. I got close to what I thought was the end line and paused before putting it down. It turns out that the end was actually the mat and not the yellow line I had stopped at. I was credited with 77'3". I was kind of pissed about it since I could have finished the course. It didn't matter though since only one person finished the course and they did it in a faster time than me. Second out of thirteen.

Up next was a medley. 300lbs farmer's in to a 700lbs anchor chain drag and finally a 280lbs keg carry all for 50'. The main part of this I was worried about was the chain drag since I'm typically not that good at drags (I have been now since I went heavy) and I've never done it with a chain. The farmer's had a high pick (19") which was very good for me. Easy pick and I flew with them. Transitioned to the chain next and once I got it in my hands and started moving, I had no doubts about finishing. I rushed the keg and went with a low carry instead of a high one since I figured I'd save time. My privates wish I had reconsidered my options. Fifth out of thirteen.

Next was the Conan's Wheel. I thought I would do better than my last contest effort where I passed out. I mean I had done some training a about two weeks ago and did decent with a good amount of weight. My main worry was that it was a really low pick and not adjustable. After a really tough pick, I knew I wouldn't get very far. And then I passed out, getting only 10'. I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong with this event on contest days. Surprisingly not the worst this time, almost everyone had issues with it. Eighth out of thirteen on this one.

Finally it was time for the atlas stone medley. The stones were 310lbs, 340lbs and 380lbs. They had to be loaded over a 50" yoke. The first stone had to be loaded three times, the second one twice and the final one for one time. Since I wasn't planning on doing this show and the next one with stones wasn't until mid March, I hadn't ordered any new tacky so I was stuck with my Elite Tacky. Once again it was hard, even had to use a pocket knife to open the lid. There wasn't microwave so I wasn't sure what to do. Luckily Christina Lafex told me to use a cup of hot water to soak the container in to loosen it up. It was a lot softer but a bit hard for my tastes, just like at the PA's Strongest Man, but I figured it would be good enough. I didn't have enough to put on the back of my hand like I usually do. The 310lbs stone was easy for all three reps and at this point I don't think anyone had loaded the 340lbs stone. The first rep was a little tough on the load (the pick is always easy now) so I made sure I cleared the bar by a good margin on the second rep. I beleive that is the best extension I've ever done with a stone. The last stone was even dirtier than the last one. It ate my tacky on my first attempt with it. Luckily I was able to re-tacky and tired again but I missed lapping it. I took a breath, got real low and lapped the stone again. I focused and tried to put as much hip thrust and extension as I could but it wasn't nearly high enough. No one got the 380lbs stone although Andy Deck was so freaking close. I was the fastest with the first five (I was the only one to have enough time to try the 380 three times). First place on the final event.

I ended up in fifth place in the 231lbs and over class (the 265lbers and unlimited classes were combined). Considering I was competing against some people outweighing me by 50lbs, that's pretty damn good. This is better than what I did at PA's Strongest Man. I have improved a lot on my farmer's and drag events. I still need to get better at overhead lifts. I need enough of a surplus in strength that I can still do well when it's the first event and I'm not as warmed up as I usually can get training at the gym. As far as the Conan's Wheel, I know I need to work on it. I could only get in one training session using it in the weeks since my last contest. However, I've also figured out what I need to do differently when it comes to training it. Rarely do competitors (unless they go first aka light weights) get a chance to warm up on the apparatus. So in training, I'll try to do it after at least two events and go right to the contest weight. I'll drop it down for laps after that. I was very nervous (and tired for the first two events) this contest and I need to work on combating that by getting in my group event training. I hope to get in at least two sessions in before my next contest at the end of the month: Battle at the Barn.

Friday, January 8, 2010

January 08, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Just walking. Hope I'm ready.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

January 07, 2010

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: Nothing to report, just trying to relax, rest and eat plenty of food.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

January 06, 2010 - Pre-Contest Deload Workout 2

Walking – 32 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Squats
45x10
115x5
165x5
205x5
245x5

12" Log Clean & Presses
105x5
130x5
165x5

Dimel Deadlifts
105x20
105x20
105x20

Barbell JM Presses
85x15
85x15
85x15

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Didn't feel as ho hum as my last workout. With the merged weight classes, it's going to be tough one for sure.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

January 05, 2010

Walking – 33.5 minutes

Comments: These past few days have been really cold. Due to the small number of entries, the under 200 class is being combined with the under 231 class and the the under 265 class is being combined with the unlimited class. More competition for me I guess although I don't know how many competitors there were to begin with. Just have to wait and see.

Monday, January 4, 2010

January 04, 2010 - Pre-Contest Deload Workout 1

Walking – 32 minutes

Axle Jerks
72x5
113x5
142x5
170x5

Deadlifts
135x5
195x5
245x5
295x5

Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises
35'sx15
35'sx15
35'sx15

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
bwx20
bwx20
bwx20

35 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Nothing to get excited about. It's the start of the deload doldrums.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

January 03, 2010

Walking – 40 minutes

Comments: I felt it was a better idea to rest the upper body for the contest so I just did walking today. Cold but not as windy as yesterday. Just two easy gym workouts and five days to visualize and mentally prepare. I also made a video of my training for this contest.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

January 02, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Really cold and windy today. Finally decided to do the Clash of the Titans II Strongman Battle on January 9th. Tomorrow will be my last workout and then I'll deload for this week. I also tallied up my PR total for the year and it came out to 447 (including 1st-3rd placings at contests). Unfortunately, doing a dollar per PR for charity isn't feasible so I had to downgrade it to a quarter per PR. That's still $111.75 that's going towards Action Against Hunger. Even with this quarter per PR restriction, I hope to raise some more for Action Against Hunger in 2010.

Friday, January 1, 2010

January 01, 2010 - DE LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5” Box Squats w/IW#3’s clinched
No Bands
45x10
Add Bands
45x2
95x2
145x2
175x2
205x2
205x2
205x2
205x2
205x2
205x2
205x2
205x2

Yoke
430x100'
430x100'
430x100'
430x100'

Farmer's Walk (turns at 50')
126x100'
176x100'
216x100'
266x100' PR+15lbs

Dimel Deadlifts
135x20
135x20
135x20

25 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Everything felt good today. Mike was over and did a bunch of sets on the yoke and several sets of carrying the 194lbs sandbag around 200'. Box squats were really good. Sit back, deload on box and push hips through. I felt a little wobbly on yoke on the first set. I've been trying out yoke by holding the crossbar instead of the sides. Mike said I should do the next set holding the sides instead since he felt that holding the crossbar leads to more swinging of the yoke. It felt so much easier with that switch. I'm really happy with how much better my farmer's are getting. Grip was phenomenal today. I really screwed up on the turn with 266lbs but my grip was like a wrench and I was able to recover. I actually held it for about ten seconds after the set and then put them down. I could have held on to them all day. Dimels hit the glutes hard and surprisingly the abs as well.