February 28, 2012 - Overhead

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Clean and Push Presses (1 clean)
100x5
150x5
180x2
205x2
230x2
250x2
270x2
285x2 PR+10lbs
295x1 PR+15lbs

12” Log Push Presses
190x1
240x1
280x1
280x2
280x3 PR+5lbs

Rope Cable Face Pulls
120x12
120x12
120x12
120x12
120x12

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Whatever is going on with my left side hasn’t gone away. Really annoying. Very happy with how log clean and pressing went today. Cleans felt good and I think I have my form with a belt on down now. 270lbs felt a ton easier than 275lbs did last week. Two reps was definitely a max effort with 285lbs, 5lbs over my one rep max. Decided to be bold and threw on 10lbs more. Got it for a single and didn’t bother attempting another rep. Progress. I felt like such crap doing the rack work. 190lbs felt heavy as crap and I was thinking perhaps I added 50lbs to 240lbs by mistake or something. First set with 280lbs in the rack, I almost fell over unracking it. Such suck. Barely got a single with it. Very surprised I managed a double on the next set, let alone a triple on the third. Not sure what was going on there. Weird. Nice and easy with the face pulls.

February 26, 2012 – Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

BiggDogg Strongg Husafell Stone Carries (turns at 50')
250x100'
365x86'
365x121'
365x150'
300x217'

Uphill Sled Drags
200x35' (downhill)
615x35'
200x35' (downhill)
475x35'

Comments: Today did not go as planned. Had short notice that event training was cancelled but luckily found a group that was training today. I couldn't do all the things that I had planned but I was able to get the main work in on the husafell carry. Never trained at Jerry and Kim's so it was new place for me. Supposedly the husafell I used today is the same type as the one at the contest but I'm not positive. Bought some latex gardening gloves to help with my grip. First run with the working weight sucked. Too many layers of clothes. I got better as I warmed up and removed layers. It was windy and cold out despite the sunshine. It felt easy to pick it up and light on my chest but still grip is an issue, especially since this one is slick. Took a big break to help the other guys with atlas stones before doing some sled dragging. Not really the best place to do them. Took the sled down empty and loaded it up at the bottom. Pick too much weight for the first run and perhaps not enough for the second.

February 24, 2012 - Squat & February 25, 2012 - Press

Past two days of lifting have been good.

February 24, 2012 - Squat

Dynamic Warm-ups

21" Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
315x5
365x5
405x5 PR+2 reps

Cable Hip Belt Squats
255x3
290x3
330x8
350x8
370x8

Glute Ham Raises
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12

25 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Squatting felt good. Really pleased to get 405 for five. I was thinking of doing leg press but figured I'd try the warm-up thing for cable hip belt squats and it worked for them as well. Felt it was better to do my week of 8's for them and decide from there. Felt good for a little more. Glute hams continue to improve but not yet at the point I want to be yet with them. Lots of stretching for my legs.



February 25, 2012 - Press

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Strict Presses
90x5
130x5
160x5
190x5
220x5
250x3 PR+3lbs

Swiss Bar Incline Bench Presses
145x3
185x3
215x8
230x8
245x8 PR+2 reps
260x4 (+1 forced) PR+5lbs & 2 reps

EZ Curl Bar Skull Crushers
110x12
110x12
110x12
110x12

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Felt better than last week going in to this workout. 220lbs felt better than last time. Tough but not like oh crap, this next set will be horrible tough. 250lbs flew up on the first rep, surprising me and I got out of position on the second rep so I wasted a lot of energy. Manged to get things sorted and got a third rep but nothing for any more reps. Incline went really well. It started out feeling off so I did triples instead of singles to warm-up. Good decision. Crushed my PR from last week. Getting better. Upped the weight quite a bit on skull crushers. Quite challenging, first set felt awful but my joints warmed up for the following sets. Feeling good.

February 23, 2012

Walking – 33 minutes

Comments: Lower back tenderness/tightness on my left side still present. Walking seemed to alieviate it a little (more so during than after). Hoping chiro session will help some more. Swelling in right thumb is gone.

February 22, 2012 - Deadlift

Lower back on my left side was tender and sore. Need to keep an eye on that. Thumb is getting better, cuts almost healed and swelling is down. Weight is back down however, under 265lbs again.

Dynamic Warm-ups

18” Trap Bar Block Pulls (straps)
280x5
370x5
480x5
570x5
660x5
750x2

Cambered Squat Bar Goodmornings
240x3
290x3
330x8
350x8
370x8 PR+5lbs & 5 reps

Pull-ups
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Got to use my new trap bar today. Now that I think about it, I don’t believe I have ever used one before. I couldn’t grip with my right hand since my thumb was wrapped up and bandaged so I just used straps the whole time. Might do this even when my thumb is 100% to make the warm-ups closer to what my heavy sets will be setup wise. This was much tougher than I thought it would be. Granted I was going off of my farmer’s picks (this would be a 9lbs increase per hand from the previous session) I didn’t expect it to be so tough. Perhaps it’s balance or the width or I’m tired from this new split or a combination of factors. 660lbs was a bear to get five reps and my goal for the day was 750lbs for at least a triple. I actually altered my sets after how tough 570lbs felt. I did get 750lbs for a solid double but couldn’t get a third rep started. Warmed-up a bit differently on gm’s and it seemed to work like a charm and I hit three heavy sets. Pull-ups are getting better (though the last set was really tough). Stretched and called it a day.

February 21, 2012 - Overhead

The day didn’t start well. New carpet being added to my house had made the sleeping arrangements not so nice and the heater malfunctioned at work so it was a cold day until it came back online around lunch time.

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Clean and Push Presses (1 clean)
100x5
150x5
200x3
235x3
255x3
275x2 PR+1 rep

12” Log Push Presses
245x1
275x2
275x2

Rope Cable Face Pulls
110x12
110x12
110x12
110x12
110x12

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I was kind of excited for this workout but things didn’t go as I’d hoped they would. Started out with my belt from the get go to get used to it. Still not something I like. Really only going to use it for training for a max single in a contest. Otherwise, just rehband back support. Left arm felt slow on lockout. I felt I had at least a triple in me for 275lbs but apparently not. It’s still a PR but it isn’t good enough. After missing a third rep, I tried to do another but the second clean took a lot out of me. I felt like such crap going in to rack work and felt like I was going to bomb just doing a single with 245lbs. Rough two sets of two with 275lbs (although the second set was smoother). Just angry and embarrassed at how weak I am on these. Got to stay positive though. It was a PR, consistency is improving, I’m feeling much more comfortable with the log and it was six lifts that are 90% of what my best from the rack for a single is (and 98%of my best clean and press). Just did my thing on face pulls and stretched.

February 20, 2012

I need to be smarter with my training, especially with my warm-ups. More working sets rather than working up to a big set on the secondary exercises. Glad I had the day off for the holiday as it helped me get some stuff done and refocus. Trap bar arrived so I can put it into my workouts. Right thumb is fubar for now.

Walking – 31 minutes

Comments: Left knee has been a little sore. Walking felt good and it was nice outside. Usually don’t get a chance to walk outside when it is still light out. Quite sore in my back and legs from event training.

February 19, 2012 – Events

Dynamic Warm-ups

Play Stone Carries
313x35'
333x191' (turns at 50')
313X35'

Sled Drags
255x20'
345X50'
345X50'
595x50'
645x50'
775x15'/595x16'/345x19'

Atlas Stone Loads
No Tacky
240(18")x3 to 52"
290(18")x2 to 57"
324(20")x2 to 52"
350(20")x1 to 52"
Added Tacky
290(18")x1 to 57"/324(20")x1 to 52"/350(20")x1 to 52"/354(20")x1 to 52"/385(20")x1 to 44"
290(18")x1 to 57"/324(20")x1 to 52"/350(20")x1 to 52"/385(20")x1 to 52"/427(20")x1 to 44"

Comments: Felt achy waking up today. Plan today was to do an all out set on the husafell stone with light weight, followed by sled drags and stones. The Play Stone let me know it was in a feisty mood today by opening up the cut on my hand just getting it outside. I felt good and wasn't tired at all on my run but my bottom hand just wasn't holding on well today. I really wanted 200' but it was not to be. Stone took some of my right thumb with it as it came down. Blood pumping didn't make matters any easier. Nothing tape can't handle. Decided to do the mini sled rather than get the giant one out for today. I figured after last time where I was having friction issues and I wasn't going as heavy as I thought, the mini sled would work well. Quads just pumped up like crazy doing these. Felt breakfast coming back up and I tell you, Gatorade and waffles is not a good combo. I hit a wall with like a meter to go on the set with 645lbs. Up to that point, I was flying. Decided for the last set to really push it hard by doing a drop set. Sled was loaded to 345lbs, put the 250lbs sandbag on top and then had Wes (180lbs) sit on the sandbag. Quite surprised to get that moving. Fell down near the end and had to get back up to finish the course. Brutal, legs were dead. I didn't think I'd have anything left for stones. Joe had me do light stones for a few reps to at least get me used to the fatigue. Didn't bother taping up or anything. I started to feel good and decided I could go for some series work. Joe had me do the series I did the last time but didn't add the tire to the last platform so that one was quite low. I only had issues on the first stone as I didn't have good tacky. Training blend slid off like butter. I think we went with this series (Joe set it up, I didn't really know what it was) because of my leg fatigue, that I'm down a gear on series in training and that my right thumb was bandaged up. Well, it was easy so I decided to go for the planned series (sort of). I haven't hit the 427lbs stone in a series yet so if I got it, it would be a series PR for training. This was tough. Had some issues getting the 385lbs stone off the ground and then there was a bit of tacky under the 427lbs stone so it was sticking to the mat. My abs cramped up real bad picking that one up. Just exhausted after this workout.

February 17, 2012 - Squat & February 18, 2012 - Press

Well, supposedly the trap bar shipped Friday so it could be here sooner than I expected. That would be great if it arrived before my next deadlift workout. Neck has been feeling better the last two days.

February 17, 2012 - Squat

Dynamic Warm-ups

21" Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
315x5
345x5
375x5
405x3

Cable Hip Belt Squats
255x10
285x10
315x10
345x10

Glute Ham Raises
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Mike had some more tweaks for me this workout. He wanted me to squat to a higher box. I jokingly suggested 3" higher than parallel and he said yes. The idea behind it is to continue emphasizing the leg drive for overhead and the increased weight should continue to build the torso strength. These felt nice and I did a bit more than I was expecting. Decided to try for a triple with 405lbs and just got it. Cable hip belt squatting was weird but most likely due to starting out with a lot more weight than last time (similar to csb gms). I wasn't expecting to move that kind of weight but I guess I'm just adapting to it. Glute hams are getting better but still not good enough.



February 18, 2012 - Press

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Strict Presses
90x5
90x5
130x5
160x5
190x5
220x5
245x4

Swiss Bar Incline Bench Presses
175x8
205x8
235x8 PR+5lbs
245x6 PR+1 rep

EZ Curl Bar Skull Crushers
90x12
90x12
90x12
90x12

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Mike wanted me to aim for heavier weights this time around. The goal weights he had suggested for the strict pressing was going to be tough, especially with the jumps. 220lbs felt tough today so I knew it was going to take a lot of effort to get anything with 245lbs. Manged to eek out four reps with that. Had to use fear adrenaline for incline since I had no one to spot me for the first three sets. The plan was to reach failure on the top two sets. Happy with the improvements but wished the last rep of the last two sets were cleaner. Finished up the workout with skull crushers. Haven't done these in a long while. First set, my elbows were quite achy but no real issues on the other sets. Hopefully I'll be making some increases in these weights next week.

February 15, 2012 - Deadlift

More talking about overhead training with Mike. Need to work on my form more as far as getting more hips into my log clean and getting my timing down better. Right now I’m pressing too soon and loosing valuable leg drive. Also need to get used to heavier weights on my chest. Just got to force the issue with my body on this. Also need to stop using the rebound from the previous rep for the next. Makes the pressing sloppy. I do see this training as helping. Body weight back up over 268lbs. So up 7lbs in two weeks.

Dynamic Warm-ups

17” Farmers Picks
145x5
185x5
235x5
275x5
Added Straps
315x5
366x3,2

Cambered Squat Bar Goodmornings
270x10
300x10
330x10

Pull-ups
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: With how my neck was feeling, wasn’t too thrilled going in to this workout. Luckily nothing I did bother it. Form felt good on farmer’s picks and 315lbs felt super easy. Biggest energy and time waster was finding plates that fit the thick end of the farmer’s handles. I was ready with 366lbs (had to use bolted collars as the one mini collar wasn’t staying tight) but my strap for my left hand kept slipping, so the weight in my left hand was two inches lower than my right hand. I tried to correct it but stopped after three reps. Really pissed off about this. Walked over to chalk up the straps and came back to hit two more reps. Should have been a set of five. Really the last straw (awkward setup, plates not fitting, lots of time, slick handles) so I bought a trap bar that can hold about 1130lbs. Hoping that arrives before next deadlift session but unlikely. Moved on to csb gms. Had another “grip” issue as my shirt was a bit slick. Almost lost the bar on the last rep with 300lbs as I was racking it. Chalked up the bar for the last set. Felt good, a bit rough starting at the weight I did since I was using 65lbs more than last week. Felt strong but definitely noticed fatigue in my hips on the last few reps. Didn’t have to deal with anyone using the power rack for benching today so I did all of the pull-ups regular style. Kind of surprised how little stretching I’ve had to do these past few workouts.

February 14, 2012 - Overhead

I had been concerned the day before that all of the bruises and cuts would make lifting difficult. My neck had other plans and decided to tense up on the right side as soon as I got up in the morning. Also fell on my rear missing a chair at work. Just wasn’t a good day. Chiro and massage after work helped a little bit but not much.

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Clean and Push Presses (1 clean)
100x5
150x3
200x3
225x5
245x5
265x5 PR+1 rep

12” Log Push Presses
275x3 PR+1 rep
275x1
275x1
250x4

Rope Cable Face Pulls
100x12
100x12
100x12
100x12
100x12

24 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: After the day I was having, I was not looking forward to this. Altered my warm-ups for the clean and press. Kind of jarring going with 50lbs jumps at the start. Didn’t feel so great pressing either. I was actually concerned that I would fall short of the PR goal for the session and had to fight myself from adding weight so that any reps over one would be a PR. Quite pleased I resisted and got the planned set of five. Rack stuff didn’t go so well. Mike wanted me to do two sets above the weight I had done for the clean and pressing. First set started out good but only got three reps, far short of goal rep range but still a rep PR for me. Second set the first rep flew up but I got out of position on the second rep and just blew it. Nothing left to get anymore reps. Tried again but only attempted a single as my upper body was toast. Did another set with lighter weight to get some reps in but even that was far below what I wanted. Just dead tired in the pressing muscles. Added a bit of weight to face pulls to make up for it. First two sets were easy (keeping my mind my neck was killing me) and the rest actually felt like work. Stretched and went home. Slathered Icy Hot on my neck and shoulder as well as took some anti-inflammatories. Finally started to relax around 10:30.

February 13, 2012

Working with Mike to fine tune the pressing day for this coming week. Aiming for more weight and less reps for swiss bar incline presses this week and increasing the squat box height by 2".

Walking – 31.5 minutes

Comments: Got bruises on my left thigh from stone carries. Also cuts on my hands. The cold weather isn't helping those heal one bit. Legs and hips were achy but walking felt good. Hopefully these minor discomforts don't mess with lifting tomorrow.

February 12, 2012 – Events

So first week of the new training is done. Working with Mike to fine tune the pressing day for this coming week.

Dynamic Warm-ups

Play Stone Carries
313x30'
363xpick
413x100' PR+50lbs & 40' (turns at 50')
413x76' (turns at 50')
313x50'

Sled Drags
550x50'
600x50'
650x50'
700x50'

Comments: I was not looking forward to playing with the "play stone" today. Little over year ago was the last time I tried it out and was bleeding quite a bit from all the cuts on my leg and wrists. Took my scale out to weigh it. The low range I was guessing 275lbs and high range 300lbs. Turns out it was 313.6lbs. I wasn't sure if I could pick it with 413lbs because it is so awkward and the plates make it top heavy. Very pleased to get 100' with it. My top hand started to slip on that run. Pick really sapped my energy on both runs. Bottom hand gave out on me on the second run. Happened really sudden. Got make sure the damn thing falls away due to the jagged edges and the rebar "loading pins" on top. Still managed to tear my sweatpants. Good thing I had on layers or that would have been skin. Hands were bloody from nicks and scrapes so I taped them up for drags. 550lbs was supposed to be a light warm-up but it felt just awful so I had to change my plans. None of these drags were easy. I'd be blazing one moment and then lurching the next to keep the momentum. Got to hope this giant sled dragging is tougher than the chain (it has to be). Since I was the last one to leave, had mini workout putting everything away.

February 10, 2012 - Squat & February 11, 2012 - Press

February 10, 2012 - Squat

Dynamic Warm-ups

18" Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
175x5
215x5
245x5
275x5
305x5
335x5 PR+20lbs

Cable Hip Belt Squats
200x12
230x12
260x12
290x12

Glute Ham Raises
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12

36 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Definitely interesting to see how squatting would go with my deadlifting day so close. I thought I'd be good for more on front squat but I was wrong. Just went til my form started to break down and then called it there. Still good progress. Tried out something new for the next exercise. I wanted to find another quad exercise to alternate with the leg press, similar to how I have a heavy and light exercise for the deadlift and press day (csb gm's/sumo sldl's, floor press/incline). Awkward to start but I think I got used to it. Good range of motion and I have to push back so this could help me on drags. Did all the sets of glute hams with bodyweight this time. It is still tough to do. Just got to keep sticking to it and make those hamstrings work.



February 11, 2012 - Press

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Strict Presses
90x5
110x5
130x5
150x5
170x5
190x5
210x5
230x5

Swiss Bar Incline Bench Presses
140x12
170x12 PR+20lbs
200x12 PR+20lbs & 1rep

Seated Overhead Cable Triceps
110x12
110x11
110x11
110x9

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Did this workout a little earlier in the day than I planned as I had to get some errands done. The log felt comfortable on my chest today. Happy to hit 20lbs over my goal for this workout. Haven't done incline swiss bar stuff for a bit. Last time I did these for sets of 12, I sucked. I didn't suck this time. Might have used too much weight for the triceps stuff as I could only get 12 reps on the first set.

February 09, 2012

Walking – 33 minutes

Comments: Sore but not nearly as sore as I was expecting. Been trying to get in more real food in my diet. Midsection was sore from pull-ups. Ought to be interesting to see how a squat day goes after having the deadlift day just the other day.

February 08, 2012 - Deadlift

Dynamic Warm-ups

17” Farmers Picks
125x5
175x5
215x5
265x5
Added Straps
305x5
355x5 PR+35lbs

Cambered Squat Bar Goodmornings
215x12
245x12
275x12
305x12 PR+4 reps & 5lbs

Pull-ups
bwx12 (pronated)
bwx12 (neutral)
bwx12 (pronated)
bwx12 (neutral)

26 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I really wasn’t sure how this workout was going to go. Elbows had been sore from the pressing as well as biceps from the cleans. I had just done farmers picks heavy on Sunday and on top of that was going to be whether I could even do the exercise at all. The one loading end on my farmer’s implements are thicker than the norm so not all plates fit. Luckily, some of the plates could fit that end at the gym so the session was on. Another issue was the setup as I had to elevate the handles to get close to the height I’m working at for the contest. Pulling from blocks meant I had to change my form from gripping the back of the handles to gripping the middle as they would tilt and get out of position. The weight falling off the one end on my warm-ups helped emphasis that issue haha. Left side of my upper back was in pain and it seems to get that way when I’m pulling heavy (also apparently where I fractured my back). It was tough, but I hit my goal weight. I’ll aim for 10lbs more each hand next time. Goodmornings felt really good. My traps were sore with the bar on them but the movement was easy and I went really deep with them. I felt good for more. Pull-ups were odd. My biggest concern was that they would bother my biceps (they have in the past) but no issues today. I can get the first 6-7 reps super easy and then have trouble with the last few reps. I’m out of practice. I decided to alternate between regular and neutral grip (training partner was using the one rack for reverse band benching). My plan is to treat these like the ghr; wait until I can do these in my sleep before moving up in weight. Surprised I didn’t have to do more stretching.

February 07, 2012 - Overhead

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Log Clean and Push Presses (1 clean)
120x5
150x5
180x5
205x5
225x5
245x5
255x5 PR+5lbs

12” Log Push Presses
210x8
240x6
260x4 PR+8lbs

Rope Cable Face Pulls
80x12
80x12
80x12
80x12
80x12

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: First workout of the new training is on the books. I didn’t feel good until my last set of clean and presses to be honest. Biceps were cramping up but I expected that to happen since I haven’t done events the past two weeks. The plan for this workout was to see how it went but the three main things I wanted to see wanted to test was working with the hard belt on the clean, see how more volume would impact my pressing and also see if I could put up decent numbers from the rack after heavy clean and presses. I’m happy to see that I’ve gotten better at pressing with the log on my chest for an extended period of time. The belt is still going to be an issue. It gets in the way when I clean the log, making it tougher and slowing the movement down, but it allows for increased stability for the press. If this was a timed event for reps and a lighter weight, I’d not use the belt but this instance definitely calls for it. My set with 255lbs felt the best of the clean and presses. I felt good for maybe another rep. I screwed up on log work from the rack as I was supposed to do only two sets but misloaded the weight. Since I was supposed to be using more than the clean and press weight, I did another set. Finished up with easy face pulls and some stretching. This felt like a good start.

February 06, 2012 - Routine Stuff

Lifting and thinking. More thinking than lifting the past few days though. It is taking some time to mentally digest it but I think I’m starting to get it. The contest I’m training for has the following events:

Max 12” Log Clean and Press (3 attempts)
18” Pick Side Handle Car Deadlift (facing car)
900lbs Tire Flip (5)/800lbs Chain Drag (50’)
400lbs Husafell Stone (turns at 50’)
Atlas Stone Series to 54” (330,355,370,405,420)

My new training schedule looks like this:

Monday – Off
Tuesday – Event Specific Pressing
Wednesday – Deadlift
Thursday – Off
Friday – Squat
Saturday – Pressing
Sunday – Events

I’ll attempt to explain the reasoning behind these days.

The event specific pressing day is really the low volume, heavy weight day or the clean and press day. Since I have a max log clean and press, I won’t go above 5 reps and I will only do a clean once and then press away. The secondary exercise would then be rack work. Generally, one can press more from the rack then what they can clean and press. For me, it would be log press from the rack. Since I should be already warm from clean and press and since I’m aiming for max weight, only two sets or so. Finishing up the day with light upper back work.

The deadlift day should be fairly straight forward. If there is a deadlift event in the upcoming contest, attempt to mimic it. In my case, I have a heavy car deadlift. The pick height is 18”, it is a side handle pull and I will be facing the car so the form is different than the usual car deadlift. I do not have access to a car deadlift setup during the week so the next best solution is farmer’s picks. This might be an issue as not all plates fit on my farmer’s handles. I’ll find out Wednesday if this is workable. If a contest doesn’t have a deadlift, the goal is to use the time to build up my max through the Coan/Phillipi routine, albeit slightly modified in that I’d stick to my own assistance work and use a 7-week cycle (a la Ostlund). Assistance work would be high rep posterior chain stuff (gms, sumo stiff-legs) and then pull-ups to work the back, arms and deload the spine.

The squat day will generally be sets of five reps of front box squats. Most contests do not have a squat event and in event of that, this day would be altered to suit that situation. The idea behind this is that most events in strongman involve objects in front of the body. Maintaining an upright torso should improve my torso strength and carryover to my deadlift off the floor. The front squats should also help with getting used to implements on the throat/clavicle/chest as well as leg drive for overhead lifts. If for instance, I have an axle event, I might swap in an axle instead of a barbell for the front squats. The rest is just higher reps for the legs (leg press and glute hams).

The second press day is like the squat day in that the idea is sets of five, followed by high rep stuff. The main exercise is a strict press, followed by horizontal press and then triceps stuff. For this contest, it would be log strict press, followed by either swiss bar floor press or swiss bar incline (for greater range of motion but same hand position).

Event day is the rest of it. I will not try to simulate a contest but this will be the day that I put the work on the events not covered by the gym work. In this case, two events are covered by the gym work (log, car dead), leaving three (medley, husafell, stones). Thus my event days will center around these three events, varying the intensity of the three for the remaining weeks of training.

I apologize with this post was a bit lengthy, had a lot swimming in my head and needed to put it into something concrete, if only for my own reference.

Walking – 31.5 minutes

Comments: Midsection was sore from event training and my traps were really tight. Since I’ll be lifting with greater volume and frequency, I’ve decided to forgo the extra workout stuff for the time being. My triceps will get enough work and walking also loosens up my upper back as well. Fun starts tomorrow.

February 05, 2012 – Events

And the hits keep coming. In this case, brain and ego hits. Continuing to tap the Ogallala Aquifer of strongman training knowledge that is The Jenkins. On top of the stuff previously discussed, the big ones are the emphasis on this being a sport. Ergo, no extraneous events. Pick a show and focus on those events. I'm most definitely guilty of letting my mind wander to bigger and better things and that has to stop. All training needs to be geared toward the show so each training cycle should be different. I've kind of been going by feel, trying to be well rounded and ready for any event. That has however left me a Jack of all Trades; master of none (except maybe stones). I had said last time that I was looking forward to the Plat Plus but the big problem is that it is only six weeks after Viking Fest. I've already committed to Viking Fest so the Plat Plus show is on the back burner. There is another one that is at the end of June that I'll aim for after Viking Fest.

Dynamic Warm-ups

18" Farmer's Picks
140x5
190x5
230x5
280x5
Added Straps
320x5 PR+2 reps
370x4 PR+3 reps

Sandbag Carries (turns at 50')
250x200'
250x226'

Atlas Stone Loads
No Tacky
240(18")x3 to 57"
290(18")x1 to 57"
Added Tacky
290(18")x1 to 57"/324(20")x1 to 52"/350(20")x1 to 52"/354(20")x1 to 52"/385(20")x1 to 52"
290(18")x1 to 57"/324(20")x1 to 52"/350(20")x1 to 52"/354(20")x1 to 52"/385(20")x1 to 52"

Comments: Not bad. I was going to do moving events (before I talked with Jenkins) and elected to stick with contest specific training and went with farmer's picks. Figured sets of five would be good. Weight felt good. I felt like my condition has been off prepping for this contest (and from not doing much medley work since my injuries) so I took the sandbag for some carries. Really surprised with how poorly I did. Well under my PR on this. Tried giving the Shaw sleeves another shot but I just couldn't get them as tight as I wanted. They still felt loose. I'm done with them. Went back to taping up my arms and it felt so much better. Decided to go for some series work. This might be the best series I've done at the Stable. I try not to get amped when I train stone series or reps in training. Adrenaline tends to kick in pretty hard come contest time. Hopefully I can push it these next five weeks and really put on a good show at Viking Fest.

February 03, 2012 - DE LB & February 04, 2012

First off I want to congratulate my friend Zach Gallmann on finally hitting 400lbs on a log clean and press. Which in turn, brings me back to my own pressing situation. I've been pestering Jenkins on pressing stuff for few days now. The essence of the last correspondence was aim for strength building; not strength testing and to ditch the bands and chains. In considering that, I realize that may also apply to the rest of my training. Looks like I'll be in the 5-3 rep range for my heavy stuff from now on it seems. Still getting things sorted though. Also the opening weight for the axle at the Plat Plus was posted and it is 300lbs, which has me very happy. As long as my job situation stays about the same and the hotel pricing isn't outrageous, I could be doing my first pro-qualifier show.

February 03, 2012 - DE LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

18” Box Front Squats w/IW#3's
No Bands
45x10
95x2
Add Bands (+95lbs)
45x2
85x2
125x2
165x2
195x2
228x2
228x2
228x2
228x2
228x2
228x2
228x2
228x2
228x2
228x2

Hammer Strength Uni-Lateral Leg Presses
375x12
465x12
555x12
645x10 PR+30lbs & 2 reps

Glute Ham Raises
bwx12
bw+5x12
bw+10x2
bwx12
bwx12
bwx12

36 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Felt good today, wasn't trying to really force anything. Didn't do any filming as I wasn't too sure what I would actually be doing other than speed work and leg pressing. I messed up on leg pressing by starting way too light and figured I'd just work up in big jumps instead. Managed to hit a big PR on them by doing that. May need to work in some way of cycling the intensities of the sets around so I don't get stale. Maybe make 1 in 3 weeks or something a PR attempt week on the reps and the others being volume stuff. Decided to go with real glute ham raises over the modified. I think the modified version has lived out its usefulness. I'm going to be sticking with body weight on these until I can do 5x12 in my sleep. Stretching felt good.

February 04, 2012

Walking - 32 minutes

Comments: Glorious sleep. Very much an easy day of relaxing and doing some thinking and chores. Events in the morning.

February 01, 2012 - Extra Workout & February 02, 2012 - ME UB

Got a lot on my mind as of late.

For starters, I was incredibly sore after Tuesday’s workout. Hamstring scar tissue was acting up and my upper back was sore to the touch. Nothing rest, recovery work and food can’t handle.

I think I now know why my deadlifting didn’t go so well that workout. The 12” block pull and my pull off the floor are too similar. Instead of going for a max deadlift once a cycle, it’s twice a cycle and that is far too frequent. I’m going to count that 12” block pull session as my “max deadlift attempt” for that cycle in order to allow more time to get recovered for my real attempt. Also, upon realizing the absolute beating wide grip rdls laid down on my hamstrings, glutes and upper back, I’m going to be doing a deadlift supplementary exercise every ME LB workout. I feel them way more than gms and I find risks outweigh the benefits with them.

As I mentioned last time, I’ve been talking with Jenkins about overhead training. It is my worst “static” event (along with deadlift) and Jenkins is kind of good at it. As far as my typical training, I like to keep both axle and log in my routine to have a constant familiarity with them. Jenkins suggestions that I drop the one if it is not in a contest. In this case, it would mean do log. One day of log clean and press (as well as rack push press work) and another day of strict pressing with supplemental exercises. A change from three gym workouts and events to four gym workouts and events. The clean and press day would actually be the event specific pressing day. I am concerned my recovery will take a hit and it would require me to move my lifting days around to accommodate it. If I do make the changes, it will be starting next week.

Finally, the events for the Orlando Plat Plus are listed. Well most of them are. Really the big “IF” for me is what the opening/starting weight is going to be for the last man standing axle. 300lbs to 310lbs range would leave the door open for me. I feel I can do the farmer’s walk now, a few weeks to get used to a heavy and a few sessions to get used to higher rep stone stuff. The big plus is that there isn’t a deadlift event. On the downside, I don’t have much access to circus dumbbells and the weight is up 20lbs from last year. I’m really out of practice with circus dumbbell but since it is so heavy, I won’t have to worry about much in the way of reps. Another issue is actually body weight related. That may be a problem with the medley on the last day which is going to be 875lbs not including the sled weight. I’ll make a definite decision once all of the details are released. On to my workouts.

February 01, 2012 - Extra Workout

Walking - 32.5 minutes

Band Face Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Band Press Downs
IW#1'sx100

Band Straight Arm Lat Pulls
IW#1'sx100

Comments: Scar tissue in my left hamstring was acting up a lot and my upper back was just beyond tender. Walking felt good though. Waited until later at night for the bands.

February 02, 2012 - ME UB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Reverse Band 12” Log Push Presses w/ IW#3’s dbl
No Bands
90x5
90x5
130x3
160x3
Add Bands (-185lbs)
190x3
220x3
250x1
280x1
310x1
340x1
370x1
390x0
390x1

Close Grip Barbell 4-Board Presses
215x12
245x12
275x12 PR+25lbs
305x12 PR+55lbs

Seated Overhead Cable Triceps
80x12
95x12
110x12
125x9 PR+5lbs

34 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I feel this workout went better than Tuesday. Haven’t done reverse band log work in a while and when I did, it was jerks and not push pressing. Used a lot of band assistance to really overload the top of the lift. Little bit of a double dip on the second attempt with 390lbs. I wanted it and I wasn’t going to stop. Went on to do 4-board work. I haven’t done higher reps on these in a long time so I was very happy to be making quick work with 55lbs more than I’ve done in the past. Cable triceps went well. Some other guys who lift at the Y had switched over from doing skull crushers to the cable triceps setup and they actually came up with a better linking system than I had so I switched to that. Much easier to setup. Lot of hamstring stretching.

January 31, 2012 – ME LB

I’ve done nothing since Friday. This class has way more work to do than any of the other’s I’ve had. No excuse though. Been talking with Jenkins about overhead training the past day or so. What he proposes would be some big changes to my routine. We’ll see. I need to get it all down and worked out first.

Dynamic Warm-ups

12” Block Pulls
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x3
455x1
495x1
545x1
Added Straps
595x1
655x0
655x0

Wide Grip Romanian Deadlifts
345x12
375x12
Added Straps
405x12 PR+2 reps

Seated Cable Rows (straps)
235x12
265x12
295x12
325x8 PR+5lbs

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Ehh. I felt good at the start of this workout. Grip felt good as 545lbs was very easy to hold on to and I might have given 585lbs a ride. I felt good, and went for a big lift and missed it. Man does that suck. I was close too, which made it worse. I think that was visibly the most anger I’ve shown at missing a lift. I tried again but barely got off the blocks. I had to sit down and contemplate for a good while, mostly to convince myself it was “ok” and to continue the workout. I realize I made a gamble going for more weight and lost. The childish and impatient side of me wants to be stronger and stronger now! On the positive, this was very close and since my position at this pull height isn’t so good, my pull from the floor could be over 650lbs now. Just got to be smarter next time. I was eventually able to shake the funk off and continue the workout. I decided to not film it to ease my mind some more as I was feeling like crap. Wide grip rdls just killed me today. Hamstrings and glutes were toasted and I was out of breath. Not sure if it is because it has been a while since I did them last or if it is doing them for sets of 12. Every rep on the last set sucked, especially are the sixth rep. I felt like I was going to retch going into rows and my entire back was just cramping up along with my hamstrings. Took long rests between sets so I could calm down and make sure I didn’t throw up or anything. Considering how awful the first two sets were, these went quite well. Stretched and called it a night.