February 28, 2010 - Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

Crucifix's Holds
10'sx30 seconds
20'sx30 seconds
30'sx30 seconds
40'sx30.88 seconds PR+5 lbs

18" Farmer's Picks
140x5
190x3
230x3
280x3
320x3
350x1 PR+15lbs

Atlas Stone Loads
No Tacky
240x5 to 51"
290x3 to 51"
324x3 to 51"
354x1 to 51" PR+24lbs
Add Tacky
385x1 to 51" PR+55lbs
425x0 to 51"
425x1 to 51" PR+20lbs & 3"
290x2 to 51"/324x1 to 51"/354x1 to 51"/385x0 to 44"

39 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Training was at the Stable in Chambersburg today. I had mixed feelings coming in to today's training. While had still been hitting PR's all week, the misses with the axle jerks against bands and how my lower back had felt all week had me slightly concerned. Went for over contest weight on the crucifix holds and surprisingly got over 30 seconds, I was thinking maybe 20 or 23 seconds at the most with the increased weight. Next up was farmer's picks from 18". Unlike last week, I didn't do big jumps or put on straps. These felt much better than last week too. I wanted to go for 370lbs for the last set but my dad and Joe thought a smaller jump would be better so I settled on 350lbs. I may have only got one but it was still a PR and it lets me know that I can hold on to the frame come contest day. Picking up is still another matter. Finally it was time for stones. I haven't had a chance to go heavy on these in a while, if you don't include contests, it's been since late September. I warmed up without tacky and that felt pretty good. Managed to do a 354lbs stone sans tacky. I added tacky and got ready to go heavy. I was going to go by feel on the 385lbs stone. If it felt really light and easy, I was going to go up to the heaviest stone, the 425lbs stone and give it a ride. Otherwise, it was going to be reps. It went up smoothly so it was time for the 425lbs stone. To be honest, I was concerned. See the last time I tried this stone back in September of '09, I was supremely confident as earlier that year I had loaded a 405lbs stone for three at the York Barbell show. Of course when it came time to do the 425lbs stone, it took me about half a dozen tries to even lap it and when I got it there, it was going no where. This really made me doubt myself. Had that stone at York between a true 405lbs stone? This nagged me and today became the day I would slay that demon. My first attempt I missed it by like a half inch. The pick was easy but I knew that I would have be firing on all cylinders if I was going to be loading it today. I got it and I just felt a wave of euphoria wash over me. I was too distracted by this feeling to take enough rest or re-tacky or put on extra tacky for my stone run afterward. I wasn't particularly fast (most of it due to low tacky) but it felt pretty good. I know in the future I'll need to work on series and heavy reps more frequently. Had a lot of stretching to do when I got home.

February 27, 2010 - DE UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

12″ Log Presses
90x5
126x2
156x2
186x2
186x2
186x2
186x2
186x2
186x2
186x2
186x2

2 3/8” Dumbbell Two-Arm Clean One-Arm Presses
75x6/6
100x6/6
125x6/6
150x6/6 PR+5lbs

One Arm 2 3/8” Dumbbell Rows
70x8/8
90x8/8
105x8/8
105x8/8

Barbell JM Presses
150x15 PR+5lbs
150x15
150x15

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Pretty good, didn't really feel exhausted this workout. My right wrist has been bugging me a little since Wednesday and doing board pressing against IW#2's doubled. Shoulders were feeling the log pressing. I had some sloppy form on dumbbell pressing but still got all the reps I needed. Definitely had some in the tank. Pretty ho-hum for the rest of the workout. Planning on hitting events hard tomorrow, especially stones.

February 26, 2010 - DE LB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5” Box Squats w/IW#3’s & #2's clinched
No Bands
45x10
95x2
135x2
Add Bands
45x2
95x2
135x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2

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

Farmer's Walk (turns at 50')
141x100'
191x100'
231x100'
281x100' PR+15lbs

Dimel Deadlifts
170x20 PR+5lbs
170x20
170x20

39 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I felt a little bit more rested today. I think my lower back was still a bit fatigued. Some sets on box squats were good and others were bad. I lost my footing on the last one and had to reposition on the box making for a slow, slow rep. Not sure how much tension is on it but it felt like a lot, more than 170lbs but less than 240lbs. On yoke it felt a little tough on the left side of my lower back for the pick but it was easy, albeit slow for the first set. It took about 18 seconds. I felt better and faster as the sets went on and managed to get just under 12 seconds for the last set. Picks on farmers were slow and the weight felt heavy, even on the first set. Lucky for me my grip held in strong. The turns were slow but they were probably some of my better ones as far as not getting off balance from overcompensation. Finished up with dimels and a lot of stretching.

February 25, 2010

Walking – 30.5 minutes

Comments: Just some walking today. Stiff, achy and tired. I'm going to try moving some lifting days together to make Friday through Monday not so brutal. Need to get a good night's sleep.

February 24, 2010 - ME UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Jerks w/IW#2's
No Bands
95x5
135x3
Add Bands
75x3
105x3
130x3
155x1
175x1
195x1
215x0 (WTF)
215x1
235x0
235x0
184x5 PR+11lbs & 1 rep

Close Grip Barbell 6-Board Presses w/ IW#2’s dbl
105x3
135x3
165x3
195x3

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
280x12 PR+5lbs
280x10
280x10

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

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: A dookie of a workout. Really not sure what was up with me today. Just no power. I actually missed 215 which is 17lbs under my best. Going for a 3lbs PR should not have been this tough. I tried out my new 6-board but my bungee cord couldn't fit around it so the thing kept going into my throat. That made me miss the board on the second rep of 165lbs. Also the band tension was much harder than I thought it would be. My estimate was 145lbs but the bands were pulling up the 75lbs dumbbells when the bar was racked so it has to be close to 170lbs instead. The camera batteries ran out so I couldn't film those. I'm probably going to use IW#1's instead and I'll need to get a bigger bungee cord. Rows were tough. I need to do some more thinking and apparently get more rest to recover.

February 23, 2010

Walking – 34 minutes

Comments: Just some walking today. Felt good to take a day off. Lower back was incredibly stiff yesterday but it does feel better today. Hopefully back to the grindstone tomorrow.

February 22, 2010 - ME LB

Walking – 32.5 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5" Box Squats w/ IW#4's
No Bands
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
Add Bands
80x3
125x3
165x1
215x1
255x1
Increase Tension
295x1
325x1 PR+10lbs
345x1 PR+30lbs
365x1 PR+50lbs
315x3 PR+2 reps

18" Rack Deadlifts w/IW#4's dbl
255x3
305x3
Add Straps
345x3
395x3
435x3

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
195x9 PR+10lbs
195x8
195x7

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
30x20 PR+5lbs
30x20
30x20

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I wasn't sure how today would go. My lower back was incredibly sore from event training. I started box squats with my oly shoes but they started to bother my knees so I switched back to my wrestling ones and had to issues. Guess I'm sticking with them from now on. I haven't done this type of squat since March of last year with a slightly different set-up. I noticed that the bands were going slack at the bottom so I adjusted the dumbbells to make the anchor base bigger which really increased the band tension. It was good to hit a big pr on these. After looking at the video, it seems that even with this change there was a little slack in the bands, at least on the right side. Damn. I may need to use doubled IW#2's instead to insure there is tension throughout. Or not. I took my time on rack pulls since my back was so tight. I got the first rep of 435 clean but the other two were hitched, especially the last one. The weight for the gm's wasn't heavy but my back was having none of it. I need to get it used to the pain as two events at Viking Fest are going to push me to the limit (deadlift and frame carry).

February 21, 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
35'sx35.5 seconds PR+2.5 seconds
35'sx35.37 seconds

Tire Flip/Sled Drag
550x70'/Sledx70'
860x70'/Sled+115x70'

18" Farmer's Picks (straps)
230x3
320x3
370x0

Keg Loads
180x5 to 51"
240x3 to 51"
300x3 to 51"
350x3 to 51" PR+50lbs

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Training was at the Stable in Chambersburg today. I did a lot of sets with the crucifix holds to get my shoulders and arms used to it. Still managed to improve on my time by almost 3 seconds. Heck, both holds at 35lbs were better than last times best time. It was nice and sunny out and I figured it would be good to do a medley involving a tire and sled. My light run through was kind of tiring and I knew that doing another run with more weight was going to be tough so I jumped right up to the max weights I was planning. My flipping was a good speed but I was out of practice so a bit slow on the transition. I haven't done tire flipping since October. I was tired and the sled drag, though pretty light, killed me. My legs were pumped for several minutes and I wasn't sure what other training, if any, I was going to be able to do. My legs finally calmed down and I did some heavy picks with the farmer's handles. In retrospect, I should have done a set with 280lbs to get in some more volume. I did them with straps because I wanted to make sure I could move the weights. I was still pretty fatigued from the medley and I had done really heavy yoke this week. 320lbs was pretty tough so I knew that it was going to be insanely tough to budge 370lbs. I did manage to break it from the ground but not even close. A bit disappointing but I know that it's still a weak point. I didn't bring any of my stuff for stone loading since I thought we wouldn't be able to do any with the floor still curing but apparently I could have done some outside. I figured I might as well try the heaviest keg at the stable. It's a concrete filled keg (the others are sand or water) and the weight is in one end so it's awkward to balance. It was tough to settle and lap it but really easy to load. It was a goal of mine this year to load it and I was hoping for an epic struggle. It was anticlimactic for it to go so easy. Two more weeks of hard training.

February 20, 2010 - DE UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

12″ Log Presses w/ IW#1’s clinched
No Bands
90x5
Add Bands
90x2
127x2
157x2
187x2
217x2
217x2
217x2
217x2
217x2
217x2
217x2
217x2

2 3/8” Dumbbell Two-Arm Clean One-Arm Presses
85x8/8
85x8/8
85x8/8
85x8/8

One Arm 2 3/8” Dumbbell Rows
70x8/8
90x8/8
110x8/8
130x8/8 PR+2 reps

Barbell JM Presses
145x15 PR+10lbs
145x15
145x15

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Good workout. I thought my legs would be dead from yesterday but apparently not. Log pressing was good. Technically my previous best with this band set-up for two reps was 216lbs and I just did eight sets of doubles with a lb more. Pressing has come a long way haha. Dumbbell pressing stuff was cake, I probably could have done it all in one set if I really wanted to. Grip was a little off but I still managed to get all the reps on rows. JM's were finally tough again, won't be making a 10lbs jump on these for a bit now.

February 19, 2010 - DE LB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5” Box Squats w/IW#3’s & #1's clinched
No Bands
45x10
95x2
Add Bands
45x2
95x2
135x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2

Yoke
430x50'
570x50'
710x50'
850x50' (2 drops) PR+40'6"

Farmer's Walk (turns at 75')
166x150'
166x150'
166x150'
166x150'

Dimel Deadlifts
165x20
165x20
165x20

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Oof is all I can really say. I did box squats with my oly shoes again. Still not sure if they are better, same or worse than my wrestling ones for squats. I added mini bands to the light bands. I'm going to keep the weight the same at 40% or so and just wave the bands and see how that goes. This week is mini and light, next will be monster mini and light and after that is all three bands then no bands with 50% or so. Knees were a little achy today. 430lbs felt light on my back and not painful like it was two weeks ago. 570lbs was easy but it started to slide down and it made it a bit wobbly. 710lbs was slow but much better than last time I did it. 850lbs was haunting me. I knew I had to do better than my pitiful under 10' attempt from last time, especially since I had done 800lbs for 75'. I listened to some Slayer, psyched up and gave it hell. I try to take a step and boom it goes down as I lose my balance. Now I'm angry. I set right under it again and walk ever so slowly with it, each step saying one more. I made it past the 25' mark and had to drop it. At this point, finishing all 50' was a distinct possibility. I re-picked and marched on. Another drop and I'm so close. With one final pick up, I make it. Awesome. I was pretty beat even with the light farmer's. I haven't done any turns since the first week of January. Finished up with Dimel's.

February 18, 2010

Walking – 32 minutes

Comments: Just some walking today. Lower body is starting to feel a lot better. I think for my supplemental lifts for UB ME days I'll be doing something similar to my varying rack pull heights but do it with board presses with bands. I'll rotate between a 6-board, 5-board and 4-board. Still making some tweaks.

February 17, 2010 - ME UB

Walking – 32 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
125x3
155x3
185x3
215x3
245x1
275x1
305x1
325x1 PR+10lbs
340x1 PR+25lbs
350x0
350x0
306x3

Barbell Strict Presses
95x3
125x3
155x3
185x3
215x3 PR+2 reps

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
275x12 PR+5lbs
275x12
275x12

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

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Did something a little different today. My original plan was to work up to a max axle strict press and then do 4-boards for triples. I changed my mind when I got to the gym and my new plan was to switch them around. Then I thought log viper presses would be better. I then through both ideas out and did floor presses and barbell strict presses. I'm still thinking about various tweaks to my lifting for overhead and upper body strength. Floor pressing went surprisingly well. I would have liked 350 but a 25lbs PR is still great. I also tripled my best strict press with a barbell so that was also good. Rows and raises were really tough.

February 16, 2010

Walking – 36 minutes

Comments: Just walking today. Hips and glutes are very sore still from event training (the oil drum) and yesterday's workout. I also have a fair amount of bruises on my legs and arms (events and zerchers). I did some thinking and I'm going to try some new things. I'm going to ditch the axle pulls in place of 5" platform deadlifts. I'm also going to ditch chain suspended squats and do banded box squats instead. Also, I'm going to replace zerchers with front squats. Hopefully these changes will allow me to keep improving.

February 15, 2010 - ME LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Deadlifts
155x5
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x1
455x1
495x1
525x1
560x0 (didn't come up)
500x1 (suck)

Axle Zercher Squats
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x3 PR+2 reps

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
185x12 PR+10lbs
185x12
185x12

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
25x20
25x20
25x20

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Another mixed bag of lifting. I probably should have taken today off. Really I had no legs or grip on deadlifts with the axle. I might switch this out for a high platform pull instead. Switched up things and did full zercher squats instead of the rack variation I've been doing. GM's went well and so did abs. Much like last week with squatting, besides the axle pulls, it was okay. More fine tuning and tinkering.

February 14, 2010 - Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

2 3/8" Thick Bar Power Cleans
45x10
95x5
125x3
155x3
185x3
205x1
225x1
245x1 PR+3 lbs
255x0
255x1 PR+13lbs

Zercher Yoke Holds
160x30 seconds
250x30 seconds
340x30 seconds
430x30 seconds
520x60 seconds

Sandbag/55 Gal Oil Drum Carry
194x100'/227x50'
241x100'/319x50'

39 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: The Iron Horse Stable has a new floor so no loading events for this week. I figured it would be easier to just do events at my house instead. I figured I'd do some power cleans with my crappy thick bar. I wasn't feeling terribly explosive but still manged to improve my PR by 13lbs. I then did zercher holds on my yoke. Since I didn't want to mess with the height, I stood on my squat boxes, making for a very short range of motion. I figured these would get good to help with breathing doing conan's wheel and for pain tolerance in general. I didn't think I was going to get much longer than 30 seconds on the last set since it felt really heavy. I should have gone for 610lbs instead of going for a minute with 520lbs. Then I finally got to do something I have been wanting to do for some time; the 55 gallon oil drum. I've had it for about two years but it just sat there and became a ball holder. Today it got to shine. The first run was really just a test to see if in fact I could even move it when it had some weight in it. The sandbag was really light (194lbs) so I went for 100' instead of my planned 50'. Plopped it in the empty oil drum and then carried the combined weight (227lbs) 50'. It went well and I thought lets load this thing up. Threw a 47lbs weight ball in the sand bag and a 45lbs plate in the keg. It took a while for my brain to realize how much suck I had just obligated myself to. The sandbag was still relatively light at 241lbs but the oil drum was now going to be a monstrous 319lbs. So I go through the sandbag carry easy and then plop it in the drum. I tilt it and attempt to pick it up. It doesn't yield. In my mind I'm thinking "FUUUUUUUUUU" but my dad just calmly says squeeze, like that would help, and I try again. It comes up and I start walking. Every step is hamstring and finger torture. I dropped about five feet from the finish. I repick it and side shuffle it across. I was dead after this and spent a lot of time stretching. That oil drum carry has to be near the top of the toughest things I've done.

February 13, 2010 - DE UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

12″ Log Presses w/ IW#1’s clinched
No Bands
90x5
Add Bands
90x2
126x2
151x2
176x2
201x2
201x2
201x2
201x2
201x2
201x2
201x2
201x2

2 3/8” Dumbbell Two-Arm Clean One-Arm Presses
90x6/6
110x6/6
130x6/6
130x6/6

One Arm 2 3/8” Dumbbell Rows
70x8/8
87.5x8/8
105x8/8
105x8/8

Barbell JM Presses
135x15 PR+10lbs
135x15
135x15

37 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Good workout. Even though my triceps were really sore, they were strong. Upped the weight on the log presses since I have a new max. Where was this triceps lockout prowess at Clash of the Titans? I took my time with both presses and rows with the thick dumbbell. I did moderate loads, just like I did with yoke and farmer's yesterday. JM pressing was really good, again strong. Since the Iron Horse Stable has new flooring, no loading events this weekend so I'm just going to do events at home. I'll try out some new ones.

February 12, 2010 - DE LB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5” Box Squats
45x10
95x2
135x2
185x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2

Yoke
430x75'
540x75'
650x75'
650x75'

Farmer's Walk
166x100'
206x100'
246x100'
246x100'

Dimel Deadlifts
155x20
155x20
155x20

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: The sun came out today and melted the ice sheet that was once my the street so I was able to do yoke and farmer's today. I did box squats with my oly shoes. My knees were a little stiff today. I'm not sure if the shoes are better, same or worse than my wrestling ones for squats. I'll have to try out heavier weights with them. I deviated from my usual routine since I didn't want to jump right back into super heavy events so I did both with about 75% of my best. This week I would have gone used this weight for yoke but also tried for a new max farmer's. I am slow on the yoke. The second set with 650 felt better than the first. I think it took me about 21 seconds. Farmer's were really nice and fast.

February 11, 2010 - ME UB

Walking – 32 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Presses
90x5
135x3
165x3
195x3
225x1
245x1
265x1
285x1
300x1 PR+5lbs
310x1 PR+15lbs
280x1,0 (no legs haha)

Rack 12” Log Half Presses
120x3
150x3
180x3
210x3
240x3 PR+1 rep

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
270x12 PR+5lbs
270x12
270x12

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

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments:Good workout. I was a little anxious for this workout, especially with how squats went on Monday. Overhead with the log is always a fickle mistress. My legs weren't as springy as they usually are but luckily my triceps and shoulders brought their A game. Finally got 300 on the log, now I need to get it from the floor. I think 310 might have went up smoother than 300. A little peeved with not repping 280 but it's hard to be mad when I've pressed over 300lbs for the first time on the log. Triceps were experiencing soreness already at this point. I guess that's what happens when you don't press anything over 285lbs since December. Finally got all the reps with the log half presses, time to move on up in weight. Rows were great, felt good and I felt powerful. This is not how I usually feel on the first heavy week back from a contest. I'm hoping the sun melts the sheets of ice known as the streets by my house so I can do some yoke and farmers.

February 10, 2010

Shoveling Snow – 51 minutes

Comments: More snow, pretty bad but nothing like farther south like in Maryland and Virginia. The wind isn't helping either. Pretty much had to re-shovel the same stuff I did Saturday. I also dug out my yoke too.

February 09, 2010

Walking – 34 minutes

Comments: Just walking today. I'm thinking about working on my triceps and strict pressing this cycle and see how it goes. I'm also going to see if squatting with my oly shoes feels better. While my wrestling shoes are great for me since I can get closer to the implements for say farmer's and deadlift, I don't feel the stable in them when doing squats. Looks like we're going to be pounded with more snow.

February 08, 2010 - ME LB

Walking – 32 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Squats
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x1
365x1
405x1
435x1
465x0
395x3

14" Rack Deadlifts w/IW#4's dbl
225x3
275x3
Add Straps
315x3
365x3
405x3
455x1

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
175x12 PR+10lbs
175x12
175x12

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
25x20 PR+5lbs
25x20
25x20

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Mixed bag lifting. My legs felt strong warming up with light weight but my form was horrible when I got up in weight. 435 didn't even feel that bad but I got pitched forward in the bottom and it made it tough. Kind of dissappointing not getting 465lbs and barely got three with 395lbs. Looks like I may need to rethink things when it comes to squats. Honestly I was thinking about calling it a day at this point. This was a new setup for the rack pulls. No tension at the start ,which allows me to get into posistion and work on keeping the bar close to the body, and a lot at the top. Since the pull is just in one plane as opposed to the other setup which dispersed the band tension horizontally and vertically, all of the tension goes to the top of the lift. So even though the previous setup was "325lbs" added (this one is 280lbs), this setup feels harder at the top. I think this setup will work better for me in the long run. 405lbs felt good enough that I tried 455lbs and I had to hitch that for a tough single. GM's went well and so did abs. So besides the squatting, it was okay. But it looks like I need to do some more fine tuning and tinkering.

February 07, 2010 - Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

Crucifix's Holds
5'sx30 seconds
15'sx30 seconds
25'sx30 seconds
35'sx33 seconds PR+8 seconds

2.5" Thick Bar Power Snatches
40x10
70x5
90x3
110x3
120x3
150x3 (Slight Press-outs)
170x1 (Press-out)

Power Step Loads - 21"
145x5
190x5
235x5
280x5
325x5

Atlas Stone Loads - 64"
240x1
240x1
240x1
240x1
240x1
290x0
290x1 PR+50lbs
290x1
290x1

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Training was at the Stable in Chambersburg today. It was a good workout. I brought my loading pins for the crucifix hold since that's what is going to be used at Viking Fest and it's a bit different than using plates or a dumbbell. Glad to improve my time on this, closing in on my goal. I wanted to do some thick bar work but didn't want to do anything that would heavy and since everyone else had been doing power snatches with the barbell, I figured I'd do them with the thick bar. Felt good but I'm not very good at the snatch. I had to press out a little on the last two sets. I used a tire as a step for power stairs. That was the only thing that felt awkward, besides the block, at Battle at the Barn and wanted to do some tinkering. It's really tough when it's not a solid piece as the swing loses some power. The last set with 325lbs was pretty sloppy but I wasn't really going for style points. Then I got to do want I had been really waiting for, stone loading to 64". Stones are easy for me as most contests have short platforms, for me that is, and I never get to work on extension. I did five singles with the lightest stone (240lbs), one motioning every time. Then I tried that with the 290lbs and it rejected me. I refocused and lapped and loaded it. I did it two more times and each one was better than the last. Next time I do form work I'll go for the 324lbs stone.

February 06, 2010

Shoveling Snow – 48 minutes

Comments: Lots of snow, about 18". Shoveled all day and shoveled all night, shoveled, shoveled, shoveled everything thing in sight. Too bad the gym was closed today though.

February 05, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Walking felt pretty good, much better than yesterday. My left forearm had a little pain (not sure what that's from) so I didn't want to go and do a workout that might exacerbate it. Hopefully the gym will open sometime Saturday when the snow gets cleared.

February 04, 2010 - DE LB - Deload

Walking – 32 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Squats
45x10
115x5
165x5
205x5
245x5

Yoke
430x50'
430x50'
430x50'

Farmer's Walk
166x50'
166x50'
166x50'

Dimel Deadlifts
115x15
115x15
115x15

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I guess it was an okay workout. Did it today since PA is supposed to get hammered with snow tomorrow and Saturday. Squats were similar to last deload workout; some sets felt good and others felt iffy. Yoke was similar to last time but it felt like ton on my back the first two sets. Farmer's were nice and easy.

Having some time to reflect on these past two contests I've come to realize a few things. It is possible for me to do two contests in the same month but it is very stressful and I'm not talking about just the physical aches. Each contest day is a series of adrenaline peaks and troughs over several hours as opposed to an event training day where the peak is maintained for a short period. The final test will be to see how long it takes to fully recover from this one too. Obviously this would be something done sparingly. I figure the ultimate test in this regard for an amateur competitor would be two two-day contests with four weeks of each other.

February 03, 2010 - ME UB - Deload

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)
190x10
190x10
190x10

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

35 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Okay, still getting back into it. Arms and upper back didn't feel beat up. Still have some aches in the lower back but no real soreness. Been doing quite a bit of stretching for the calves and hamstrings these past two workouts.

February 02, 2010

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: Still getting back into it this week. Walking felt pretty good. I plan on sorting out my training for the next couple weeks on Saturday.

January 31, 2010 & February 01, 2010 - ME LB - Deload

January 31, 2010

Walking – 32.5 minutes

Comments: Slept in late today, needed to catch up on sleep. My whole back was sore. Other than that I felt pretty good.

February 11, 2010 - ME LB - Deload

Dynamic Warm-ups

Deadlifts
155x5
205x5
255x5
305x5

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

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
115x10
115x10
115x10

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
2.5x15
2.5x15
2.5x15

38 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Besides my lower back whining, pretty good. Legs felt strong and arms weren't too bad either. Upper back was also tight.