May 31, 2010

Walking – 32.5 minutes

Sled Drags
250x85' (downhill)
340x100' (uphill)
440x100' (downhill)
440x115' (uphill)

Comments: Last day of May. Still not 100% but feeling tons better. Gym closed for Memorial day so I did some walking listening to music and then pulled out the terrible sled for some drags. I knew that loading it up all the way with plates wouldn't be near enough to get a good workout so I attached a kiddie toboggan to it and put my sandbag in it. The amount of friction on this thing was just plan awful. The slight incline made going uphill brutal. I forget how much I hate doing sled drags until I start doing them. Such a pump in the thighs. Felt awful after the last set and had to cool off in the basement. Starting deload tomorrow.

May 30, 2010

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: Feeling better but definitely not 100%. Pain kept me up most of the night. I didn't do event training due to lack of sleep and getting only about 1000 calories in me yesterday. Kind of bummed about that. Went for a walk and kind of vegged out today. I need to be at 100% for this contest as the competition will be tough. I'll be going against my training partner as well as two NAS pro strongmen.

May 29, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Woke up with stomach pain. Thought I was hungry but I was wrong. Not painful enough to make me vomit but too much to risk lifting or eating. I did force myself to go for a walk. Pretty much means that I won't be working out tomorrow either to recover. I guess I should be glad this happened this week rather than last week or next week. I made a video of my training for the Summit Sports Strength Show and Pro/Am.

May 28, 2010 - DE LB

Walking – 30.5 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5” Box Squats w/IW#3’s dbl clinched
No Bands
45x10
Add Bands (+175lbs)
45x2
95x2
135x2
185x2
225x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2

Yoke
440x75'
550x75'
660x75' (1 drop)
660x75'

Farmer's Walk
166x100'
206x100'
246x100' (1 drop)
246x100'

Dimel Deadlifts
225x20 PR+3lbs
225x20
225x20

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Tough day. Upped the weights I use for box squats since I made a big improvement in my max on those so these were a little slow. I accidentally lifted up the rack when I was trying to rack the weight on the third set so I slowed them down at the top a little to avoid doing that again. Very humid outside today. Had a misstep and had to set down 660lbs the first set. First time I've dropped this light of a weight (didn't feel light). My dad helped me stay motivated even though I was tired by reminding me that I had done 200lbs more on a Conan's Wheel six days ago and I believe I made it in a little over 16 seconds on the next set. Farmers felt good and then my grip gave out on the first set of 246lbs. I've never lost my grip on that light of a weight. Maybe it was the humid but I think it's just fatigue. Really focused and squeezed the life out of them on the next run and did them in about 14.5 seconds. Finished up with Dimels and then weren't too easy. Stretching and rest.

May 27, 2010

Walking – 33 minutes

Comments: Why is it so hot all of a sudden? Hit 90 today. Walking felt good. I think I have my new plan of attack figured out, may have some tweaks and bugs to work out but it should be good. Need to relax and get some quality z's then next few days.

May 26, 2010 - ME UB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Clean and Presses
90x5
90x5
120x3
150x3
180x3
205x1
225x1
240x1
255x1
270x1
285x1
300x0
300x0
261x4 PR+1 rep

12" Log Floor Presses
160x3
200x3
250x3
290x3
340x1 PR+30lbs

Neutral Grip Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses
55'sx12
55'sx12
55'sx12

Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises
55'sx15 PR+2.5lbs
55'sx15
55'sx15

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Ugh. Sore from the day before and it was hotter too. I did a bit more sets than I had planned on doing working up in weight (my plan was just 295lbs). Dissappointed to still not hit 300lbs on this. At least I got a one rep PR on the down set. Cleans feel awful but my form looked much better than the last time I did these. Does not bode well for next weeks contest (300lbs log clean and press for reps) or the Plat Plus show (320lbs log clean and press for reps). Didn't feel too strong on log floor press. Maybe it's because the last time I started about 50lbs lighter on the first set. Really had to fight to get that single with 340lbs. With over a year of big gains, it's weird to see stagnation and small gains again. After the floor presses, I sat and stood around for at least 20 minutes contemplating what I was going to do next. That included both the current workout and this year. My whole body was sore and I was thinking of packing it in for the day. Perhaps I had pushed my body too hard this month. It's going to take some more thinking but I won't be making any changes until after I deload from the this upcoming contest. My arms were hurting and I figured that my upper back was pretty strong so I did incline presses with dumbbells in a neutral grip. Easy weight but I haven't done these before. Going to have to gear my training towards making log pressing my favorite. Rear delt raises were great and easy, probably because I didn't do the sloppy rows I usually do. Now I must enter my mind temple and figure out where to go from here.

May 25, 2010 - ME LB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Rack Assisted Safety Squat Bar Squats w/IW#1's dbl
No Bands
60x10
105x5
145x5
185x5
Add Bands (+130lbs)
105x3
145x3
185x3
235x3
275x1
325x1
365x1
415x1
455x1
505x1
545x1
600x0 (scary)
600x0
480x5

3" Platform Sumo Stiff-legged Deadlifts
315x3
365x3
405x3
Add Straps
455x3
495x3 PR+20lbs

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
275x12 PR+5lbs
275x12
275x12

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
55x20
55x20
55x20

40 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Ok workout today, trained with Lou at the Y. 80 degrees today and humid. Didn't exactly stick with my planned jumps with the rack assisted ssb squats. Should have gone for 575lbs instead of 600lbs but I was in a competitve spirit and manly men make only quarter or plate jumps. In the confusion of switching in safety pins and rack height (Lou's about 6" shorter than me) one of the safety pins was missing on the first attempt with 600lbs. That was a bit scary. Got a small gash on my left palm but nothing serious. Obviously not too happy getting stapled twice but I did do much better than my goal weight of 475lbs. Need to stick to the planned jumps next time. Sumo stuff felt good, the 495lbs set was a bit tough, especially the last rep. GM's felt rusty on the first set but much more fluid on the following sets. Abs were good and explosive but I'll be sticking with this weight for another session since the last set was hard. Lots of stretching to finish up the day.

May 24, 2010

Walking – 33 minutes

Comments: Got a good amount of sleep so I'm feeling fairly rested. Nothing feels too bad and walking went well. Ordered some chalk and tacky towels for the next few weeks of training.

May 23, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Lots of sleep today, spent most of my dad working on stuff on my computer and doing some chores. Felt good to just relax and take it easy today. Walking felt good once I started moving around for a bit. My left foot joint was a little achy but the blood pumping from walking made it feel better. Taking tomorrow off too and then back to the grind for another hard week of training and then deloading for the Sports Summit Pro/Am.

Battle of the Bad Ass VII - Wallkill, NY - 05/22/2010

I am not a morning person. Left to my own devices, I’d remain in my bed sheet cocoon until I got hungry or I got bored. I felt like punching someone when I got up at 4:50AM but it came out more as a groan and a yawn. Lucky for me, my dad/chaperon/cameraman/assistant requires no sleep what so ever. So on the first part of the journey, I reclined my seat back and donned my sunglasses and took a nap. This is the third time we’ve gone up to New York for a contest, but this is the first time I’ve made the trip the day of and actually saw what everything looked like in the daytime. We had built in an extra halfhour in case of traffic and there was traffic. Apparently the road workers are making some lovely orange dust for the one side of the highway. I also got stopped, briefly, by some Jehovah’s Witnesses at one of the roadside restrooms.

It was very nice outside and I signed in with Joe Farino. It was heavyweight open class so it they didn’t bother weighing me in this time. Six competitors were in the heavyweight class including myself. I walked around and took photos of all the equipment as per usual. I also tested out the Conan’s Wheel while it was empty to see what would be the best height for me (all the way up) and did the same with the viking press. I also eyed the infamous 405lbs stone, looked at it and mouthed “you” and walked away to warm-up. Joe runs a tight ship so I knew that the day was going to go by fast. First event was the viking press.

This had been an event I had been trying to simulate at Joe’s with moderate success. I didn’t get to do much in the way of warming up as I had wanted to do some singles with 280lbs as I proceeded to put on shoes, belt and wrist wraps to get used to them as I’ve never used the wrist wraps for overhead. So I went from 255lbs to contest weight of 310lbs. I knew I had to do well on this one with all of the good pressers I was going up against. I got four reps and didn’t have enough pop for another. Not a bad effort for me but I got sixth out of six here.

Up next was my most hated of events, the Conan’s Wheel. I’m sure after today that I have some new converts to the “burn all Conan’s Wheels in a chemical fire” cause. It is the exact opposite of fun to go into a 850lbs Conan’s Wheel with no warm-ups, let alone with ample time. Two competitors went before me (we stayed in the same order all day until stones) and went pretty far so I knew I had to not pass out. That was actually my main goal, not time traveling to a point where I’m on the ground and the Conan’s Wheel as moved less than three meters. After some harsh and hushed words from Johnny W. and Brett Somerville, I approached the damned wheel and attacked. My new style of holding it makes it hard to keep it from sliding out of my arms and with this weight that didn’t last very long. I made it 26’ before it slid out but I didn’t pass out so I was happy for that. It’s a big PR since this is the same type of Conan’s Wheel that was at PA’s Strongest Man where I had issues with 200lbs less. While it wasn’t anything special, the Conan’s Wheel was not done its murderous spree of crushing other’s dreams. It made another competitor black out (scary to see that from a third person point of view compared to a first person) and another lose it going forward. Surprisingly, a fourth out of six here.

At this point, I’m thinking that I’m not completely out of this contest. Plus I was having a good time taking shop or whatever with the other competitors. Up next was the tire flip medley into power stair loads. 750lbs tire for five flips and two 390lbs power stair implements to be loaded once on to an 18” box. Now most heavy weight competitors would look at that and think “pfft, that’s easy” but in this instance it was not. Lots of factors go into this kind of event and most of them were against the competitor. The floor for the pavilion was certainly a big issue. It was smooth and slightly dusty which meant if you didn’t have good traction on your feet, the flips would be slow, deadlift like affairs. Another was the grip of the tires, very tough to find decent tread to hold on to which added to the floor problem. Then on top of that was the time limit of 60 seconds. I think I had a slight edge over the other competitors since I was shamed by a 725lbs tire the week before, so I was mentally prepared for a tough flip at this weight. I put on two shirts (protect my scabbed shoulders), dusted off the bottom of my shoes and squeezed the life out of my tacky towel and went to work. I got the first two flips easy but on the other three I had issues finding a good grip. I beat feet over to the power stairs and loaded both and raised my fist in triumph (no one had finished it at this point in the under 231lbs and over 231lbs). My time was 43.53 seconds. My victory was short lived as the next competitor did it in 4 seconds less time. Oh well, second out of six.

I’m feeling good at this point, having a blast. This was also when I noticed that I was bleeding through both of my shirts as the shoulder scabs on my left side had reopened on the tire flip. Then I remember what was next: Farmer’s walk. 335lbs implements to be carried 60’ in 60 seconds. Now I have improved greatly on this event but I was concerned since I’ve never picked up this weight from this height before (16” pick). This is no problem from 18”. No one was having a good time with these particular farmer’s handles and I thought at first that it was because they were cylinders and that them hitting the back of the calf muscles was causing everyone to drop them. However, when it was my turn, I knew my theory was dead wrong. They were incredibly tough to hold on to. I made an easy pick (for me) and then my grip gave out a ways down the course. I re-gripped and made another pick and this time got close to the finish line. I yelled (I was so close) and picked them once more but staggered a few steps. ARGH! I attempted to repick them and got locked out as they dropped once more. I made it 54’9” which compared to last year where I got 5’7” from an 18” pick on easier handles, it’s a huge improvement. Nobody else got close as the demon handles made their will be known. My run was good enough for first out of six.

The final event was atlas stones. 280lbs and 300lbs to 52” and 330lbs, 350lbs and the infamous 405lbs 22” diameter stone to 48”. This event was the one that I knew quite a few people were looking forward to as they had heard about me finishing the series at Viking Fest in March. Throughout the day I’d been hearing about it. The stones were set up in a circle instead of a row and I thought that was cool or as Nick K. called it “The Circle of Death.” For the heavies, we were unsure of the placings as the subtotals were not added up yet so I did them and let the other competitors know so they could get ready. I was in fourth overall at this point and well enough ahead to place, two points behind Mike M. and three points behind Nick A. I do stones shirtless (as manly man do) and I had a lot of questions and looks, and no, it wasn’t because of my chest soul patch or baby nips as Brett Somerville would say but, because of the bleeding scabs on my shoulders. I wish I could have said something awesome like it was from dinosaur wrestling or something. I used up the last of my first jar of PR Tacky and it was a tad hard so I was worried I wouldn’t have enough stick for that 405lbs stone again. So I told my dad to ditch the jar and bring out the prototype that I had been sent with my latest order. I put just a dab on but I knew it was a winner. It is easy to spread and has crazy stick. It actually took a piece off the 280lbs stone when I put my palm on it and that was just with a little of it on. I set up and attacked the stones. I one motioned the first three stones and had to slightly lap the 350lbs stone. I got a good handful of the prototype PR Tacky Champion Blend from my dad to finish off the 405lbs legend. I only had it on my hands and I thought I’d miss the lap but my body instinctively dipped down and rolled the massive stone on to my lap like a bowling ball return machine. It was go time. I got it up and the stone bobbled a little and it wasn’t high enough. NO! I WILL NOT BE DENIED! I leaned back more and more and muscled it up on to the platform. Victory! I improved my time from Viking Fest on this series by nine seconds by completing it in 35.30 seconds. No one else was able to budge the 405lbs stone. First place on the final event.

The top three spots were close but I was able to pick up enough points from the stones to nudge out Mike M. for second place in the Heavyweight Open class. I’d say the day was worth waking up at 4:50AM as I had fun, made some new friends, hung out with some old friends, conquered my Conan’s Wheel demon and embarrassed that 405lbs stone again. I also got a trophy that’s heavy enough to crack open coconuts or turtle shells if I ever find myself stranded on a tropical island. I napped on the ride home. It was a good day. Of course there is no rest for me as up next is my real test. The Summit Sports Pro/Am is June 6th is fast approaching and it may just be my toughest contest yet.

May 21, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Waited until after work for it to cool down outside for walking. Not really thinking about tomorrow too much. Just trying to relax, enjoy myself and get some rest. Early start tomorrow.

May 20, 2010

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: Blarrgh! Actually I didn't feel too bad but my left foot aches a little (did something to it on that 250lbs axle band jerk yesterday) but nothing I can't handle. It was a warm one today which really threw me off since it's been cool and nice the rest of the week. Rest is what my body needs. One more day.

May 19, 2010 - ME UB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Jerks w/IW#2's
No Bands
75x5
105x5
135x3
Add Bands (+100lbs)
75x3
105x3
130x3
155x1
175x1
195x1
215x1
235x1 PR+3lbs
250x1 PR+18lbs
215x4 PR+16lbs

Close Grip Barbell Incline Bench Presses
115x3
145x3
175x3
205x3
235x3 PR+1 rep

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
320x12 PR+5lbs
320x11
320x10

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

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Today went well, good workout. I was slightly apprehensive since the last time I did this variation of jerk with the axle, I felt awful and couldn't get my legs into it. This turned out to be a good session and I really got my legs in to in on the last few sets. Although it did suck during warm-ups when I brought the bar down hard on my scabby deltoids. Really pleased to get 250lbs against this tension (beats my PR against IW#1's by 5lbs so expect big things on that one). Incline press is still a mess but I managed to get another rep with 235lbs. Sad but it's progress. Rows were tough and I didn't force them. Probably fatigued from doing heavy snatch grip deadlifts the day before. Rear delt stuff was solid enough that I'll be upping the weight next session. Now I rest until Saturday.

May 18, 2010 - ME LB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5" Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x3
235x3
275x3
315x1
355x1
385x1
415x1
445x1 PR+10lbs
460x1 PR+25lbs
475x1 PR+40lbs
428x3 PR+36lbs

Snatch Grip Deadlifts
295x3
335x3
Add Straps
385x3
425x3
475x3 PR+20lbs

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
270x12 PR+5lbs
270x12
270x12

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
55x20 PR+5lbs
55x20
55x20

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Good workout today. I was a little anxious due to the horrible event training day I had on Saturday. My anterior deltoids are covered in scabs and they tear every time I move my arms so that kind of sucks. Also I've been apparently having anger for breakfast the past two days and producing a layer of sweat, much like the Waxy Tree Frog of South America. Those worries were mostly unsubstantiated as I murdered my previous PR's on box squats. Looks like my form is improving, my legs are getting stronger and I am closing in on the elusive 500lbs squat. Snatch grip deadlifts went smoothly but my forearms are incredibly sore still from flipping that evil tire on Saturday so I had to strap up to save them from further pain. GM's were manageable but tough, esepecially the last set. That was a real grinder. Abs were abs, not much to say there.

May 17, 2010

Walking – 31.5 minutes

Comments: Nothing to see here, move along. Besides feeling a little ornery in the morning, I felt pretty good. Good enough to seriously contemplate lifting today. Saving it for tomorrow. Wish this had been around on Saturday morning haha.

May 16, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Rest day, just walking. Slept in late today. I figured it would be mental to do speed pressing with my shoulders covered in tire burns and having not done it in a few weeks and starting out with my heaviest weight. Yesterday certainly put things into perspective. It let me know that I can't just assume things based on weights of objects as that 725lbs tire humbled me. Sometimes you need that to keep from getting a big head. While a painful lesson (baby skin shoulders) it should get me in the right frame of mind coming into the contest. Forearms are really sore, it's a deep burn (probably because I just did so many). Hopefully I can get in two good workouts before Saturday. We'll see.

May 15, 2010 - Events/DE LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Tire Flips
725x4
600x6
600x6
725x6
725x8

Low Handle Prowler Pushes
270x100'
270x100'
270x100'
270x100'

13.5” Box Squats
No Bands
45x10
95x2
135x2
185x2
215x2
215x2
215x2
215x2
215x2
215x2
215x2
215x2

Chain Yoke
442x100'
442x100'
442x100'
442x100'

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

Dimel Deadlifts
221x20 PR+11lbs
221x20
221x20

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Remember how I said that I would rest and hit events hard today? Well about that... it didn't happen. I had big plans today but man was I not into it today. After the first flip with the tire I wanted to go home. Last time I felt like this was after that simulated truck pull but that time I felt like death. This time I'm not sure what was going on with me. I spent most of the time helping the other guys. Two of my training partners hit PR's with a 910lbs yoke. The tire 725lbs tire just mutilated the flesh on my shoulders. Going to have some nice scabbing there once it heals. I joined in on the prowler pushes (it was an I go you go with three/four people). Easy until the last one. I felt like I let the other guys down by being a mopey downer so after thinking for a bit after getting home, I decided to do the workout I was supposed to do yesterday. Took short rests with box squats and chain yoke. Long rests for farmers as I had to load and unload them and move them when cars came by and stuff. Grip wasn't the best and the farmers felt heavy. Felt lazy so I just rigged up some therabands and chains to add weight to dimels. Eh, I'll take it. Do work.

May 14, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Feeling lazy and tired today. Going to get some sleep and hit it hard tomorrow on events.

May 13, 2010

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: Just walking today, pretty sore from the lower back up to the base of my skull. Walking felt good, helped to get the blood flowing. Not entirely sure how I want to proceed with training this weekend.

May 12, 2010 - ME UB

Walking – 32 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Reverse Band 12" Log Presses w/IW#3's dbl
No Bands
90x5
90x5
130x3
160x3
190x3
Add Bands (-180lbs)
220x3
250x1
280x1
310x1
330x1
350x1
370x1
385x0
385x1
347x5

Rack 12" Log Half Presses
115x3
145x3
185x3
215x3
255x3 PR+15lbs

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
315x12 PR+10lbs
315x12
315x12

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

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Good workout even though my quads and back were sore. I felt a little off getting warmed up on the log (maybe from the low start position) but I seemed to get it together for the later sets. Never used this band setup with these bands. About 180lbs taken off at chest height and 90lbs at forehead height so assistance went away quickly. Speed is the name of the game and lockouts are insanely tough. It's easy to over do it on reverse bands since if feels so light on the chest but I'm learning when enough is enough. For instance with 385lbs, I knew I should only give it one more try and call it a day where before I might try it a lot of times and burn myself out. Hopefully I'll be doing 400lbs or more next time I do these. Got five reps on the down set, might have had another but like I said above, I'm learning when enough is enough on reverse band lifts. Rack log half presses felt a little off at the start (possibly from not doing them since February or doing them right after reverse band presses) but i found my groove by 185lbs. Really had to struggle to get all the reps with 255lbs. I thought it was just a 10lbs PR but it turned out to be a 15lbs PR which is fantastic for this lift. Felt lazy strong when it came to rows. My left arm was a little sore still from Conan's wheel so I was contemplating doing something else. Anyway instead of doing 310lbs, I just went with three plates since it was easier to load up. Got the reps pretty convincingly, a bit tougher on the last two sets though. Getting the upperback back into it. It's going to be super sore tomorrow.

May 11, 2010 - ME LB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

High-Bar Squats
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
215x3
245x3
275x1
305x1
335x1
365x1
390x1 PR+5lbs
405x1 PR+20lbs
425x1 PR+40lbs
440x1 PR+55lbs
396x5 PR+46lbs & 1 rep

18" Rack Deadlifts w/IW#1's quad (straps)
235x3
285x3
325x3
375x3
415x3 PR+10lbs

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
265x12 PR+10lbs
265x12
265x12

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
50x20
50x20
50x20

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Great workout today. I was planning on crushing 405lbs on olympic/high-bar squats (calling them high-bar now since I get too many Rippletoe fanatics viewing the videos when I call them olympic). I didn't feel that good during warm-ups so I was a little worried that 405lbs would be really really tough today. My left knee was kind of achy but as I warmed up, the aches went away. After I hit 365lbs, I got into a groove and blasted away some great squats (for me). My dad said I was in the zone after 425lbs so he thought I should go for 440lbs. A bit tougher but nailed it. I then gutted out five reps with 396lbs. On fire today. Rack pulls went well. Felt heavy but looked smooth on film. 415lbs wasn't too bad, much better/easier than 405lbs was last time I did these. I've developed a little Joe Snavely voice in my head on pulls now that yells "HIPS!" that's been helping me on locking out the weights. Joe looks like Brad Pitt in Inglorious Basterds. GM's were insanesly tough, I should have just done a 5lbs increase but I was lazy and just put on 265lbs. Abs went nicely.

May 10, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: I took today off to let my bruising and sunburn heal another day. I was seriously considering lifting today to catch up but I figured it would be smarter to just skip that day and go on as usual. It was a comeback workout anyway. Really nice outside, sunny but cool with a little wind. Seven more workouts until Battle of the Bad Ass, hope to make them strong and productive sessions.

May 09, 2010

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: I took today off, my forearms are pretty bruised and I got a nasty sunburn on my shoulders. I figure it would be better to rest a little. Did some chores around the house for Mother's Day and then went for a walk. Really nice outside.

May 08, 2010 - Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

Conan's Wheel
270x120'
360x120'
450x120'
540x60'
630x60'
680xNo Lift
680x60' PR+10lbs & 50'

Makeshift Frame Carries
270x80'
270x80'
450x80'
450x80'
500x80'

High Handle Prowler Pushes
180x50'
270x50'
360x50'
450x50'
540x50'
630x50'

Comments: Training was down in York at Jon P's storage unit. First time I've been there. Really nice set-up with lots of room for medleys and carries. Really there were just three things I wanted to do today; face my demons on the Conan's wheel, try out Jon's makeshift frame and try out a Prowler, which I've been hearing/reading so much about. This particular Conan's Wheel has some meaning to me as it the evil one from "Clash of the Titans II" show that I did January of this year. It was time for revenge. I experimented with different bar positions on the pick and worked really hard on my breathing through the teeth and leaning into the apparatus (thanks Cronin). I had a little trouble with the pick on 630lbs but made it the whole way. The next set was 680lbs, 10lbs more than the contest weight from that show where I passed out 10' into it. I tired twice to lift it but it barely budged. I was going to pack it in but through the encouragement of the others, I went back at it and attacked it. It's slowly came up and I stood up with it. I worked on everything I had been practicing and finished a lap. I was overjoyed to have done it. I then dropped down to do a light set for some distance work and went three laps with 450lbs (this felt like the weight we did at Iron City in hand). I stopped since it was sliding down and I wanted to do other stuff. Tried out Jon's frame carry thingy, essentially some 2x6's with holes drilled in them. Worked well, besides the set where I purposely loaded it up uneven. It's wide and about the right height for a frame carry. Did these light just to try it out. The biggest thing I noticed was that the angle of the handles is something that feels a lot different than farmer's on the grip. I also noticed that I may have to alternate training moving events between my wrestling shoes and my cross-trainers. The picks feel easier with the wrestling shoes and they have better traction but I feel I can move faster in the cross-trainers. It's always something new when it comes to training. After that, got to try out a Prowler for the first time. There wasn't enough traction to get low and do the low handles so I stuck with the high handles. I worked up to 630lbs including the weight of the Prowler, not too bad. I didn't really feel that much until that last set. The high handle feels a lot like pushing a truck and I guess a lot of has to do with the terrain you're pushing on and what your goal with it is. I think I'll stick with pushing a car when I feel the urge but it is fun. I was done for the day but I went over to Jon's house with the others to help out with stones in the Basement of Destiny. Jon's stone loading has improved ten-fold since I last saw him. I was very tempted to do stones today but I knew I had to rest up since I got heavy schedule coming up with both Battle of the Bad Ass and the Summit Sports Strongman Show.

May 07, 2010 - DE LB

Walking – 31 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

13.5” Box Squats w/IW#3’s dbl clinched
No Bands
45x10
Add Bands (+175lbs)
45x2
95x2
135x2
185x2
225x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2
261x2

Yoke
440x75'
550x75'
660x75'
660x75'

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

Dimel Deadlifts
210x20 PR+5lbs
210x20
210x20

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Ok workout, never really feel motivated on Friday workouts. Maybe it's because they're usually tough. This took some time setting up today. This may have been the most bar weight I've used for speed work. Wasn't exactly speedy but I don't care. Yoke felt good, for a post contest workout that is. Usually 400-some-lbs feels like crushing me and this time only the 660lbs sets felt like that. The first set of farmer's was very slow and felt terrible. Luckily each set felt easier, faster and smoother. Dimels went great, finished up with stretching.

May 06, 2010

Walking – 30 minutes

Comments: Rest day, just walking. Felt good to take today off and heal. Sent out my entry form for Battle of the Bad Ass today.

May 05, 2010 - ME UB

Walking – 32 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
165x3
195x3
225x3
255x1
285x1
310x1
330x1
350x1 PR+10lbs
365x0
315x4 PR+30lbs

Barbell Strict Presses
105x3
135x3
165x3
195x3
225x3 PR+5lbs

Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows (straps)
305x12
305x12
305x12

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

32 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Pretty good workout, no where near as awesome as yesterday's but still good. First time trying out my new wrist wraps from APT and they are great, really took the pressure off my wrists. Missed 365lbs at the bottom, I also screwed up getting it out of the rack. I feel like I have a deadzone in my floor press, nothing like the one I have with incline, that makes it a little frustrating. It feels easy out of the rack but once it goes down it feels awkward. I wasn't terribly pleased with this until I checked my records at home to find I had made some decent PR's on this lift. Still getting comfortable with this lift. Strict presses felt great the first set but the second set I slightly missed reracking the weight and that made my one shoulder tight. Didn't seem to matter as I was able to get three tough reps with 225lbs. Always wanted to strict press two plates so that felt good. Upper back stuff was a little rough, it always is after a contest/deload. The first set for both rows and raises were really tough and then the following ones got better and more rapid. Finished up with stretching.

May 04, 2010 - ME LB

Walking – 30.5 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

6" Platform Deadlifts
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x1
405x1
435x1 PR+30lbs
465x1 PR+60lbs
495x1 PR+90lbs
525x1 PR+120lbs
545x1 PR+140lbs
495x4 PR+90lbs & 3 reps

Front Squats
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3 PR+10lbs
365x2 PR+45lbs & 1 rep

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
255x12 PR+5lbs
255x12
255x12

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
50x20 PR+5lbs
50x20
50x20

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Outstanding workout. This was supposed to be my post contest deload week but by Monday I felt ready to attack the weights (after a slight nap haha). Might have been from seeing Don Pope destroy that truck pull in his sleep on Saturday but I felt aggressive and amped. My plan, besides taking it easy this week, had been to do deadlifts off a 5" platform but I said screw it, let's make it 6". I haven't done pulls from this height since mid 2007 so a little less than three years (back when my deadlift was 515lbs) and I could only manage 405lbs. I knew I'd get more than that today but I didn't expect to go over 500lbs. It's really hard to get into position with this height and with a belt. I started with rolling the bar in and pull. A little tricky to do and get the timing right. I did a modified grip and rip for 525lbs and 545lbs (had to pause to get my grip tight) and that worked alright. I went back to the roll for my down set with 495lbs. I really didn't think the fourth rep would budge off the ground but I went for it and got an ugly rep. Front squats felt great, really explosive. 315lbs went well so I went for 365lbs. I got pitched forward a bit on the second rep and really had to fight to keep from dumping it but I got it, nothing left for a third so I racked it. GM's were pretty tough but got all the reps. Abs were hard on my arms holding the weight up the whole time. Stretching felt good.

May 03, 2010

Walking – 32 minutes

Comments: Rest day, just walking. A bit tired but not really sore or anything besides my knees and that may have to do with either the heavy stone lapping or driving seven hours in one day. Very humid today, like instantly enveloped in sweat walking outside. May be from the mild sun burn too. Besides feeling tired, I do feel an itching to get back in the gym and hit it hard. May do that tomorrow, just depends on how I feel.

I will say that after seeing the events for the Pro Qualifier show in CT and seeing Don Pope literally sprint with a fire truck 50' in under 23 seconds, I've been intimidated. In fact, it took me about a day to think it over with both instances to to come to the conclusion that I don't care if they seem out of my reach, I will got at it with my all. Shooting for the stars.

May 02, 2010

Walking – 30.5 minutes

Comments: Slept in late, lots of boo-boos and aches upon waking up. It started to rain half way through my walk today. Taking it easy this week.

The Iron City Classic - Pittsburgh, PA - 05/01/2010

The last time I was in Pittsburgh was probably seven years ago when my older sister was looking at colleges. This is the first contest I’ve gone to where I didn’t have my dad along and it was also the one where I have driven the farthest the day of the contest. Woke up at 5:50AM and left around 6:20AM with Lou “Hollywood” Costa. We spent most of the drive talking about contests, training, strongman and listening to music. We made great time with only one casualty (sorry mountain squirrel) and only getting slightly lost getting into downtown Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has a distinct smell of ash tray, cheeseburger and Vaseline, at least that’s what it was like when we were lost. We found the contest sight and unloaded everything.

It was very warm, in the 80’s and sunny. I immediately switched to a shirt with sleeves since I didn’t have sun tan lotion and I wanted to minimize how burnt I got. I signed in and I came in at 257lbs with my shoes on so. Seven competitors were in the heavyweight class including myself. I walked around and took photos of all the equipment. I was already itching to lift the 460lbs stone. Rules were at 10:30 and we started at 11:00. First event was the fire truck pull.

This had been an event I had been trying to simulate at Joe’s with a sled and a lot of weight. The truck was 37,000lbs and the course was originally 65’ but was shortened to 50’ when no one but two 231lbers had made it 50’. I had thought it would be light when John, the promoter, had said everyone would use it. I later found out on the drive there that it was really tough from Lou since he had been told that only two people in practice had finished it and one was Steve Macdonald, from America’s Strongest Man and the first person to load a +500lbs atlas stone in competition. It was well over and hour before it was close to get ready for the truck pull so I had to warm up again. Before I went, Andy Deck and Jeff Sweet had finished the course so I was hoping to do well. Not the case, I felt awful the whole time. I couldn’t get low and it got stuck at the dip at about 29’ (I made it 29’9”) which was the sticking point, you either got over it and finished or you didn’t. I was disappointed with this and started to have doubts. I got fourth out of seven here.

Up next was an axle press was clean and press for a max. Well that’s what we had thought but it turned out to be a 2.5” diameter fixed bar instead for the heavyweight competitors. In other words, tough as hell to clean and the lightweights were giving us a hard time. In fact, the heavyweight unanimously agreed to a blood pact that this event never happened. Everyone picked a low opener for this. My plan was 285lbs if it had been a 2” revolving bar but I dropped it to 245lbs when I had issues with it for a warm-up single. I dropped it down to 225lbs when I found out from Andy that my “245lbs single” was only 205lbs. My thoughts were “ugh, I don’t feel like a strongman” at this point. My opener went smoothly at 225lbs but I was still uncertain and went for conservative increase to 245lbs. As I stepped up the bar for this attempt, Don Pope, 3rd place at WSM 2006 who was judging asked me if I was from West Virginia (Phil Pfister’s home) and I said nope, no relation to Phil. He said “Good, otherwise I’d have to judge you real strict”. So I picked up 245lbs and that went up like butter too, I held it for a bit and then did the Marunde leg raise. I then went for a big jump of 275lbs, which would give me second place in the 265lbers. It was slightly tougher to clean but went up again easy. I did the Marunde leg raise again (I wanted to get the crowd involved and I always wanted to do it). I was kicking myself for not sticking with the plan of 245lbs as I believe 305lbs would have gone which would be huge on the kind of bar as my best is only 250lbs on a 2 3/8” bar for a clean. This is the best my clean and press has ever felt in a contest. A second out of seven here.

By now it was 2:00 PM and up next was the Conan’s wheel, my arch nemesis. I hate it so much. Hate is not strong enough. I dream of them being stacked in mound and burned. The point is, I wish for it’s destruction. Honestly, I don’t know what’s wrong with me on this. I did yoke zercher carries but it’s just not the same. It was fairly light this contest. Not sure of the weight as the weights were four girls and two 45lbs plates, which started the joke of all weights being measured in girls. So the Conan’s wheel will be listed as five girls for this write-up. We got to do some warm-ups, not a lot but some. I got to be weight for some laps and I will say that it is the worst ride I’ve been on, it’s slow and stops frequently. I went up and picked it up and I was already feeling dizzy so I moved as fast as I could to cover some distance before I dropped it. I didn’t want to black out so I dropped it at 69’9”. Not a bomb but awful when the next closet guy is 40’ ahead of me. It didn’t even feel heavy. I have got to fix this as the next two contest have it. Seventh out of seven.

So at this point I’m back to thinking “ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” with the pitiful Conan’s wheel performance. But up next was medley that could get me back in it. It was light farmer’s 50’ into tire flip for 50’ in 60 seconds. The farmer’s were 240lbs (supposedly, I didn’t check) and the tire was 822lbs (was listed as 900lbs). Got the farmer’s up easy and beat feet to the tire. I felt slow on the farmer’s but the video shows I was moving pretty fast. I knew the tire was going to suck as it had rain water in it and some spots had no good place to grip it. I was using my tacky towel between flips. I got two good flips in but the others were bad and that ate up time. I got five flips in the time limit (about a foot away from the finish) but I did a sixth flip just to finish it off even though it didn’t count. A bit peeved that the tire gave me so much of a problem. My run was good enough for third out of seven however.

There was a long lull in the action as the light weights/novice/masters/teens were taking a long time (the Conan’s wheel was still going and the medley had to be done one at a time due to lack of plat weight). Lots of down time which actually became a fun time as a bunch of the heavies were inside the fire house hall just talking, joking and what not for a while. It was late (may be 6:00) when the final event started. This event was what I was looking forward to all day. Max stone load to 46”. Really it was a last man standing but you could jump in at any time but then you had to do every stone after that point. I think the first stone was 170lbs so we had a bit of time waiting. I was using PR tacky that I had bought back in January for the first time and it seemed to work well in the 80 degree temperature. I shared it with a bunch of heavy weight lifters. The fun from inside carried on to outside too making this a really fun event, joking between lifts and all. I was contemplating going to 385lbs off the bat because I thought I’d have to do 370lbs and 380lbs if I went early on but when I found out it would be either or for the 380/385lbs I jumped in at 335lbs with most of the other heavies. I had a little trouble with getting it lapped but it went up easy. 350lbs went up even easier, I guess I was getting warmed up. I had no issues with 370lbs or 385lbs. The crazy thing was that there were still ten people going at this point. 404lbs wasn’t too bad to lap and it flew off my lap. After Andy Deck got this one, I told him if he got up to 460lbs, I’d quit the sport. 430lbs was the divider of men, leaving just me and Andy. 430lbs actually felt heavy to load. It was time for the 460lbs stone. I focused, dived down and put it on the platform no problem. Andy came after me and did much the same. We were joking afterward about going through the series again sans tacky to break the tie as they didn’t have any heavier stones. I told Andy I could still do strongman since I also loaded the 460lbs stone. He allowed this but told me I’m on borrowed time. I actually wouldn’t have minded if I had to go to a much higher platform than the other competitors as I was having a lot of fun with this. Tied for first place on the final event.

I ended up in third place in the under 265lbs class. Well that actual has a story to it too as I was given fourth place at the awards ceremony. I wanted to see the scores for my records and for my write-up and as I was looking over them I noticed that the scores for the tire/farmer’s medley were wrong. It had me in last place and the guy who had gotten last place had gotten first place points. After John and Willie sorted it out, I ended up getting third place but since third place had already left with the trophy, I got an extra trophy that was for third place women’s division. John told me to send him an e-mail so I can get a plaque to put on it that says 265lbs class. As I was walking to the car with Lou, I noticed that the figurine on top of the trophy was a female bodybuilder. Haha. It was after 8:00 by the time Lou and I hit the road. Ended up stopping at someplace on the PA Turnpike for “dinner” and drove home. I got home after 12:00AM and luckily my Dad was up so I was able to regale him with stories and videos of the day. Went to bed after 1:00AM and slept until 11:00 AM the next day.

As everyone else who was there has said, John was very generous and nice, just few first time hiccups for a promotion that can be smoothed out easy next time. I had great fun talking with my fellow competitors and I would like to thank Mary “Strongestmary” Jacobson for filming the stone loads for me. So I was sun-burnt, dehydrated with chapped lips and up for 18 hours straight. Up next is Battle of the Bad Ass May 22nd. Such is my life.