April 29, 2014 – Week 15, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
95x5
145x3
145x3
195x1
195x1
235x5
255x5
275x5
295x5
315x5
335x4

Standing Dumbbell Presses
85'sx10
85'sx10
85'sx9
85'sx7

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I was hoping for big things but I was also guarded as my left hamstring was tight and it was possible it would seize up on me during a lift. Did the warm-ups a little different this time. Shoulder has been good but it was definitely aching on bench. I kept checking my hand after every set to make sure my callus was still there. I felt good with 315lbs but just wasn't to be with 335lbs. I hit a triple good but just not there for more really. Ugly last rep and spotter touched the bar. Moved on to dumbbells. Shoulders disagreed with my discussion to do them. Really odd how these went as the first few I felt really lightheaded from keeping tight and then once I got my air, I could keep going. First set just felt awful and I was surprised I got more than 5 reps. I felt pretty good strength wise here and just issues with staying stable to push through. Power had been sapped by the last set.

April 26, 2014 – Week 14, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

15" Pick Farmer's Walk/Keg Carry Medleys
225xpick
225xpick
265x60'/240x120'
285x60'/240x120'
305x60'/240x120'
325x60'/240x120'
345x51'4"/240x120' (right hand tore open)

Prowler Pushes
545x59'6"

35 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I didn't want to train today and I was looking for every excuse to sleep in and delay the inevitable. Hamstrings, glutes and back were incredibly sore from Thursdays squats and dumbbell work. Spent a good 2 hours talking myself into going out to Ironmill to train. I was thinking about how many weights I'd need to carry outside, the chance that rain would ruin stuff and a bunch of other minutiae that was just me being a coward to fatigue. I think the turning point was seeing that I just needed to do one all out set of prowler as opposed to five like last time and the fact that I'd need to sweep the whole street since the heavy rain from Friday night brought in many gravel treasures. This was going to be a tough one as even the picks to warm-up felt heavy. I felt slow and the video backs this up as my times on the farmer's were any where from 1 second to 3 seconds slower. I started light than last time so I could make 20lbs jumps and hit a big PR. It was not to be as my right hand tore open just a little under 9' from the end. I tried to repick it but no go. I was supposed to do a hold at the end like last time but it happens so I finished the keg portion of the medley. It was after that that I noticed my right hand felt wet and I looked down to see that a I had a flap of skin the size of a quarter hanging loose under my middle finger. I guess blood would make it hard to hold on the handle haha. Spent a lot of time cleaning it out and having to make due with tape and paper towels to bandage up everything until I could get home to properly repair my hand. But I wasn't done as I had one last thing to do with the prowler. I loaded it up with the 100's and a pair of 45's and just pushed. It was heavy and the start was quite rough. Just shy of 60' on this. Tons of stretching to end this. As for the hand tear, I had a choice between cut it or glue it. I didn't feel comfortable cutting it with the tiny scissors in my left hand so I went the super glue route. That was a mess but I got the skin secured. I was beat, ate burritos and sleep for 12 hours. Training is coming to an end.

April 24, 2014 – Week 14, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Squats
45x10
100x5
100x5
155x3
205x3
255x3
295x3
335x3
375x3
415x3
455x3
495x1

Stiff-legged Dumbbell Deadlifts (straps)
140'sx12
140'sx12
140'sx12
140'sx12

Cable Side Bends
135x15/15

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Little bit of disappointment on squats. Something just felt off the whole session. Knees ached, I felt like my hips and stance were not aligned. Also had issues with bar placement on my back. I had the bar way too far down on 415lbs so it was really awkward and then the bar rolled to far forward on the set with 455lbs. I thought I was staying tight and the chalk on my back would help. Still hit my 1rm max for a single but I should be able to hit that weight for a triple by now.  Got to stay positive about the progress, I was doing 120lbs a dumbbell 13 weeks ago. Made up for it on dumbbell sldls. Most weight I can fit with just 10's on the loadable dumbbell handles is 140lbs so I used that. If I want to go heavier, I need to use 25's. Brutal on the hamstrings and glutes. About midway through, I had to fight every rep to keep in all the gatorade and water I was drinking during the workout. Didn't spew haha. For abs, I threw on a bit more weight for the side bends. Could really feel the hips and abs fighting to keep from being pulled back into the weight stack.

April 22, 2014 – Week 14, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Clean & Strict Presses (clean every rep)
72x5
72x5
116x3
116x3
160x3
180x3
200x3
220x3
240x3
260x3
270x3

Axle Chest Supports
370x38 seconds
390x45 seconds
410x46 seconds
430x42 seconds

25 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Second time doing the strict clean and presses. Getting much more efficient with the cleans. I kept the bumper plates on for all sets as I knew it would simulate contest conditions more with the tires. No issues with shoulders, which was surprising considering that it has been bugging me for weeks now. I kind of knew that 260lbs was going to happen but I think I could have done more than 270lbs. I stopped short as I caught my belt on my last rep with 260lbs and it threw me off. From there, I took a bit of rest while setting up axle supports. Easy stuff compared to what I have done. Some tenderness in my lower back with the supports but holding strong.

April 19, 2014 – Week 13, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

15" Rack Pulls
135x5
135x5
225x3
225x3
315x1
315x1
Add Straps
365x5
405x5
445x5
485x5
520x5 PR+20lbs
555x5 PR+55lbs

Keg Carries
240x90'
240x180'
240x370'6"
240x166'6"

Comments: I think I'm getting my deadlift groove back. Used the bent bar with no knurling. I did a few warm-ups and then put on straps as soon as I started my work sets. I knew I'd be taxing my grip later and it would hopefully make the rack pulls more consistent. Last time I did these, I took 50lbs jumps and felt like death after 500x5 and hit a wall with 550x3. This time went much better with 40lbs jumps (then 35lbs near the end). I also played around with belt positioning and that also seem to be a positive as well. The switch to every other week seems to be doing me some good as well as not having weekly chiro sessions. Working on keg carries too. Legs were not bending as I'd like due to soreness from glute ham raises. It was to be expected, I'm surprised it didn't hamper my rack pulls. I was going to do a 60' course but I figured I'd go big. First run of 90' was easy and 180' was work. I was going to do 270' for a third and then go for max on my fourth but had to speed things up for family plans. So set three became the death set. Three legs in and I was tired in my upperbody and I couldn't keep the keg off my legs. I still managed to get four lengths and a little bit. Last set was just a little fun with putting the keg away. No time to stretch.

April 17, 2014 – Week 13, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Safety Squat Bar Squats
60x10
104x3
126x3
148x10
170x10
192x10
214x10
236x10

Makeshift Glute Ham Raises (partials)
bwx5
bwx4
bwx4
bwx3

Cable Side Bends
110x25/25

27 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Some aches going into this one. Plan was to do light sets of ten for squats. I was initially going to do straight sets but decided to add 10kgs a set. Lots of reps with squats, some knee aches but felt good for the leg muscles and no issues with the back. I had to make some adjustments for the next exercises. I don't have my ghr at the Y and last few times I've done back extensions. But I felt it was important to do the movement as best as I can so I made one out of a back extension, dumbbells and bumper plates. Painful right above knees due to lack of cushioning but good work for the hamstrings. Tried to go down as far as I can but still not all the way so can't count them as full reps. Low reps here as I lack the strength. Finished up with abs for sidebends.

April 15, 2014 – Week 13, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x5
245x5
265x5
285x5
305x5
325x5
340x3 PR+7lbs

Banded Push-ups
ABx25 PR+8 reps
ABx14
ABx13

26 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Still leery about the shoulder when it comes to upperbody stuff. Didn't bother me benching so that's good. Started out lighter than I have in the past with benching for my working sets as the last two times I started out at about 275lbs and only got in three sets. Did well and hit 5lbs more for my set of five than last time. I went for more with plans of getting just a triple. Got a big cramp in my right hips and glute area unracking the bar so I was kind of hamstrung that set, all wobbly and unstable. Spotter tried to help on the third rep but stopped short. Last time I attempted this weight, a spotter yanked it up while I was still grinding through the lift. Lightened the band tension back to just an Average band for the push-ups. That monster mini band makes a difference haha. I got a lot on the first set but couldn't recover to get anywhere close to that first set on the following sets. Only issues I had with my shoulder was putting band on to my back.

April 12, 2014 – Week 12, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

Yoke
215x180'
395x40'
485x40'
575xpick
625xpick
675xpick
725xpick
775xpick
825x40' 12.37 seconds
850x40' 17.13 seconds (one drop)
215x180'

Prowler Pushes
365x100'
365x100'
365x100'
365x100'

38 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Stayed home for this training session. I figure my yoke is going to be harder than most I'll do in a contest. I knew that I was going to be having issues as my midsection was still feeling all kinds of suck from Tuesday still. Thursday didn't help haha. Goal was to work up to a heavy run for 40' but keep it under 15 seconds. Working things a little different by only doing a few warm-up runs and then doing the rest of it as picks until getting to the weight I want. Not sure how I like it but it probably would work better for contests as there isn't really time to do a lot of warming up on the yoke. I felt the best on my run with 485lbs and my pick with 725lbs. They felt perfect in execution. My heavy runs suffered from floppy midsection as my legs felt strong but I felt my core was wobbling a ton. 825lbs was not a good run even though I got under 15 seconds as I doubt I could have gone any further as I just about passed out after dropping it. Held my breath trying to stay stable. Rookie mistake and stupid as this is what I did back at Maryland's Strongest Man last year. I was about 3 seconds under the max time so I figured I'd go up a little more and give it another shot and hopefully not suck. I lost my balance and the yoke went too far forward and I had to drop it. It was at the 10 second mark when I dropped it and if I had stayed the course, I think it would have been under 15 seconds too. Nobody died so all is good. Swept the street and did longer prowler pushes, working on quick feet and sprinting, rather than the slow grind to hell like last week. Tons of stretching. I can only hope to improve.

April 10, 2014 – Week 12, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Bent Over Rows (strict)
45x10
95x5
95x5
135x3
135x3
185x5
205x5
225x5
245x5
265x5
Add Straps
285x5
305x5
320x5
335x4

Pulldowns (straps)
250x10
260x10
270x10
280x9

Cable Side Bends
90x30/30

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: I had no idea what I was doing until I got of work for this workout so I packed everything into my bag so that I was covered if it was deadlifts or squats. Turned out to be rows. Tried to keep these as strict as I could. I can heave a lot of weight for a lot of reps if need be. Felt pretty good, no pain in my lower back on any of it. Just had to watch the shoulder and biceps. Kind of surprised myself getting over 315lbs on this. Not enough strength to get 335lbs though. Rows took a bit out of my back going into pulldowns. Shoulder and biceps touchy but still did good work. Close but no cigar on getting 10 reps with 280lbs. Abs is where I wasted a good bit of time. I had no idea how wrecked my upper abs were from supports two days ago. I tried cable abs like usually and I immediately had stunning tightness and soreness in my abs trying to bring it down. Lowering the weight didn't help matter so I went with a side bend variation. Took a bit of troubleshooting but it was enough.

April 08, 2014 – Week 12, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Axle Jerks
72x5
72x5
116x3
116x3
160x3
195x3
225x5
245x5
265x5
285x5
305x5 PR+5lbs

Axle Chest Supports
405x43 seconds
405x47 seconds
405x46 seconds
405x49 seconds

Banded Push-ups
AB+MMBx15

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Feeling pretty beat at this point between the knee and the shoulder. Weight felt heavy in my hands so that is never a good sign, I just had to trust that my legs were strong enough. Had a little bit of a hiccup with 285lbs on the fourth rep. I got mad at 305lbs as it should have been a solid five reps instead of a sloppy five. Just misgrooved the fifth rep and missed it. I thought about going again but my shoulders were saying no. I racked it shook them out, took a deep breath and threw it up there. Went on to the chest supports with the axle for punishment. Kept the weight the same at 405lbs. Same thing as last time with my slow 30 second counts. Really feeling it in the core and worked extra hard to keep it tight and keep my lower back happy. Wonky shoulder did not help with the band pushups. I thought I had hit 16 solid lifts but really it looks like only 15. Out of practice on these perhaps or too tired from everything else. Felt good to stretch though.

April 05, 2014 – Week 11, Day 3

Dynamic Warm-ups

15" Pick Farmer's Walk/Keg Carry Medleys
225xpick
225xpick
275x60'/240x120'
290x60'/240x120'
305x60'/240x120'
320x60'/240x120'
335x60'/240x120' (held farmer's for 11 seconds)

Prowler Pushes
405x83'
405x83'
405x83'
405x83'
405x83'

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: With the shoulder and now the knee on top of the glass back, confidence has been kind of shot. The other two workouts were good but not really stuff that reflected event training. Packed up my farmer's handles and my prowler and drove out to Ironmill to train. I knew this would a touch session as I don't think my grip is at its best and my legs were already pissed off about all the reps from Thursday. This was going to be a tough one. Used my Rouge Fitness handles as they are lower pick height and have somewhat smooth and thicker handles. About a 5" difference in height from the competition handles and the pick-up is the toughest part for me. 60' down with the handles, run back and get the keg and then go down and back with the keg. Heaviest keg was 240lbs and I was initially concerned that it would be enough to go down one way. Just needed to get into it as it became quite a bit lighter once I was moving haha. I was going to start out light and make 20lbs jumps (225lbs) but I figured that I did 275lbs for 100' a few weeks ago with no really issues that I would be wasting it doing anything under that weight to start. I immediately regretted that decision as that meant that this would be the easiest set of the day and it wasn't super easy and each set after that would be heavier. But I kept going and going. 325lbs is actually the most I've gone over 50' with on these particular handles (I've picked 355lbs but got less than 30') so kind of a PR here as part of a medley. Slowed down quite a bit near the end with 335lbs but I was able to finish and hold. Prowler felt like death halfway through each set. Legs and lungs were burning and I had to keep unloading it every set since it was kind of uphill one way. Put away all the toys and weights before stretching and then driving home.

April 03, 2014 – Week 11, Day 2

Dynamic Warm-ups

Angled Leg Presses
+200x3
+350x3
+440x3
+530x3
+600x12
+615x12
+630x12
+645x12
+660x12

Leg Extensions
275x8
285x8
295x8
305x8

Lying Leg Curls
175x8
180x8
185x8
190x8

Standing Cable Rope Abs
180x19

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: This workout had been altered from the original plan as I was supposed to wait another week before doing it but with how my deadlift and squat have been feeling, this was put in to give the lower back a break. Then the night before, I got really bad bursitis in my left knee. I haven't had bursitis in at least 13 years so not sure what caused it. Muscle rub and ibuprofen it is. So now I had a all leg workout with a knee that didn't appreciate bending. Gritted my teeth and pushed through. I knew it was going to be painful but I knew it wasn't getting worse. The reps for the workout were 12-15 for leg presses so I just went with the lower rep range and kept adding weight; less knee bending. Leg extensions really sucked with the pain because I knew I could easily do more reps. Good weights picked for the leg curls, right at the limit. Went with the lower rep range (8-12) and pushed the weights again. Abs and then a lot of stretching. Hoping the knee and shoulder get their act together soon. Can't be falling apart this close.

April 01, 2014 – Week 11, Day 1

Dynamic Warm-ups

Barbell Incline Bench Presses (2 count pauses)
45x10
80x5
110x5
140x3
160x3
180x3
200x3
220x3
240x3
260x3
280x3

Standing Dumbbell Presses
80'sx10
80'sx10
80'sx10
80'sx10

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Apprehensive going into this workout with the achenes in my right shoulder. Did something to it last week strict pressing and probably aggravated by repetitive motions as work. My main thoughts were would it make me weaker, would it get worse lifting and would it prevent me from get full range of movement. I think it passed all those parameters. Even with the shoulder thing, workout went well. Hit what I wanted to hit. Still finding that what I can hit solid without wrist wraps is about 20lbs under what I can hit with them (plus a lot of slop on top). Standing presses with the dumbbells were a bit more touch and go. The gym (or someone who lifts there) bought some new 85lbs dumbbells and I was tempted to use those. However, I did 80's because I wasn't sure how the shoulder would feel and I wasn't confident in my double dumbbell clean abilities. I think the last time I tried with 85's (couple years ago), I barely got them to my shoulders. Other than some unpleasantness with the shoulder, these were pretty good. Without a back support, I could really feel my upper back working hard to stabilize. It felt like my traps were fighting me the whole time with the presses. Another good one, just got to keep a watchful eye on the shoulder.