May 30, 2017 – Week 1, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx43/43

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Incline Bench Presses
45x10
90x5
130x5
170x5
210x5
250x5
225x5
1 Second Pauses
200x5

Chest Supported Rows (1 second holds)
100x10
230x8
230x8
230x8

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
(3 stage 2 second pauses)
40x1 R
40x1 L
77x1 R
77x1 L
87x1 R
87x1 L
97x1 R
97x1 L
107x1 R
107x1 L
117x1 R
117x1 L
127x1 R
127x1 L
Circus Dumbbell
137x1 R
137x1 L
(competition style)
147x1 R
147x1 L
157x0 R
157x1 R
157x1 L
167x1 R
167x1 L
177x1 R
177x1 L
187x0 R
187x1 R
187x1 L
197x0 R
197x0 R
197x0 L
197x0 L

Stretching

Comments: Start of a new cycle. Contest is starting to get real to me now. Event work on Saturday must have taken a lot out of me as my head was in a fog the past two days. Maybe it was the humidity as just walking around the neighborhood was exhausting. Definitely needed a day of rest to get things in order and catch up on sleep. Warmed up as per usual on the AMT. Heart rate got to 156bpm. Calf work followed. Set reps again based off of what I did last time. Definitely easier on the one side versus the other but definitely not as bad as I was doing the previous week with the lagging leg keeping up. Box touches and band rows with biceps stretch again. No aches on box touches. Some shoulder tightness on the stretch but seemed uniform between both sides. Gym was pretty packed so I had to use the cable crossover station for hip airplanes. Lost balance on one rep so I did another to ensure I got solid reps. Then weights after that. Incline bench up on deck. Working up in sets of five to a top set where I had good form (no egregious air humping). Big jumps to keep from taking away from the top set. I had looked at my videos from last cycle to try and determine a good point to aim for on these and I think I got it just right. I relaxed on the last rep and I brought the bar down too far on the chest so that made lockout a lot tougher than it needed to be. Dropped 10% and did another set of five. Also good. Another 10% off that for five with 1 second pauses. Quite a bit easier compared to the 2 second pauses haha. Chest supported rows with static holds after that. I was planning on a smaller increase in weight but went for the bigger jump and that seemed to be fine. Smooth and controlled. Circus dumbbell after that. Again, I knew this was going to be a late, late night session. Plan this time to be working up in 10lbs jumps to 1rm on each side, aiming for just a small PR over last session. A change being to work up with the push press pause and hold method until I felt it would hamper my competition style (jerk) lift. Additionally, the aim was at least ten single each side so that meant starting fairly light. Good to see I didn’t forget how to do the push press style from doing competition style for the past month. Went for just a little under my best push press style before switching to jerks. I had a little form issue with the first one on the switch with the right side. I think I hadn’t decided if I was going to try and beat my PR on the push press with holds or go with the jerk until I had it to my shoulder. Ended up pushing away from my head too much. But it was light enough to correct. Next set I again had issues with the right side. This time, I forgot to squeeze the handle as I launched it up but it wanted to roll out of my hand from the speed. Can’t forget to actively be holding the bell on the side. Quick breather and smashed it. Left side had no issues really other than some shifting on the shoulders. And the hits kept coming. Hit the 5lbs goal weight and kept going. 15lbs over went as well. 25lbs I barely missed so I took another, longer breather and came back and crushed it. Really happy with that as it matches my PR for my right side. Left side matched it (some wrist instability) for a small increase on that side. So I added more weight to try for 197lbs. At this point, the cleaning of the bell was taking a bit out of me. So very close to locking out the weight on the first attempt with the right side. I tried again but it was too alive on my shoulder that time so just put it back down. Gave it two attempts on the left side as well. Neither attempt was a close as my first attempt on the right side but the second attempt was closer. I generally don’t like to miss lifts but I know it is a bit different with circus dumbbell with how technical it is for me that even these misses are more or less “partial attempts” as each time I’ve come back to it since returning to training I’ve hit the misses and then some the next session. Got it to give it a try to make sure the weight isn’t a form issue and is truly too heavy. So I’m hitting above contest weight with both arms so I’m very pleased with where I am and knowing I got a little over two months to go is encouraging. Home to stretch and eat.

May 27, 2017 – Week 12, Day 3

5 Minutes Concept 2 Rower

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx48/48

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 13.33 seconds
Straight Runs
202x50’ in 7.61 seconds
Max Distance
282x172’7” in 30.91 seconds

Sandbag Rows
100x5
150x5
200x5

Sandbag Load to Platform (58”)
250x10

Sandbag Bearhug Carry (turns at 50’)
250x100’ in 22.76 seconds

Stretching

Comments: Out to Lancaster to train this time. Nice out which was good considering some of the programed stuff for today. I went to bed later than I wanted too. Caught up with people a bit before getting on with the workout. I don’t know if I genuinely wanted to talk with people or if I was just trying to put off the workout haha. Warmed up on the rower again. Felt better this time, even with the week break from it. Calf work went well. Whatever issue I was having with my one side I got sorted out so I wasn’t fatiguing as bad. Would have liked to have gotten to 50 but this is good. Box touches, band rows and biceps stretch after that. Felt good. Nothing felt achy or tight. Hip airplanes were mostly good. Lost my balance on one rep so I did another to make up for it. Then on to the stuff I was dreading. It didn’t look like much on paper but numbers don’t tell everything. Farmer’s walk to start things off. Outside with the metal plates. Same warm-up as last session. The different shaped plates made things interesting. Some of the plates had larger holes than others so some give in the handles that I usually don’t have when I’m using all the same style of plates. Knocked over the cone on the warm-up set with a turn but still improving my time. I put on the rehband belt for the straight run to get used to it for the working set. Faster than last time but I feel I can do even better. I was hesitant at the start of the run with the pick-up as I felt the plates shift and I was worried it was going bail on me (still haven’t got a perfect clip situation figured out). Once I knew it wasn’t going to slide off, I was picking up speed by the end. My stopping caused the plates in the right hand implement to slide forward a few inches. The thing that was worrying me was the next set. Max distance farmer’s walk run. My grip is one of my strengths with farmer’s walk but I still had doubts swirling in my head. Mostly just variations of “what if I fail?” so it took a bit to get those thoughts quiet and give it a shot. Not my fastest run but the name of the game was distance. Got a pretty good distance. If I can go faster with less fatigue, I feel I can go much further. After that (a relief to be done), I had sandbag work to do. Sandbag rows for sets of fives with the last set being the next bag up from last time. More of prep/warm-up for the next two exercises. Sandbag loads followed the rows. I wasn’t too sure how to setup this one at the gym. Both yokes were being used (I didn’t want to be running around them anyways) so I eventually ended up using box jump boxes and some rubber mats. I couldn’t get it to the same height as in my garage but it would have to do (I didn’t realize until I was done there were more mats). Plan being the 250lbs sandbag for a set of ten as I did several weeks ago. No time limit, just get the reps at my own pace. Even though it was just a little bit higher than what I did last time, this felt really tough. I got five within 60 seconds but it took a bit longer to get the remaining five. Last rep wasn’t as convincing as I would have liked but I got the height and the platform wasn’t very stable. Got the strength but conditioning needs to improve. I took my sweet time getting the last exercise setup after that one. Final item of the day was a sandbag bearhug carry. Same sandbag as the loads but doing a course with a turn. Chalked myself up pretty good and squeezed. First half of the course I was slow and my breathing was off. Forget how breathing can be effected on these front carries. Once I made the turn, I got my breathing under control and picked up speed. Satisfying end to this cycle and going right into the next one.

May 25, 2017 – Week 12, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx47/47

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

16” Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x2
365x1
405x1
425x3

Deadlifts
45x20 (bar on bumper plates)
135x3
135x3
135x3
225x1
225x1
225x1
315x1
345x2
345x2
345x2

Leg Raises
BWx50

Band Side Bends
ABx30/30

Stretching

Comments: Not getting as much sleep as I would have wanted this week but still feeling alright. Funny how beat a deep tissue massage can make you feel some times haha. Gym parking lot was sparse but inside the weight room was packed. Warm-up on the AMT. Heartrate up to just 148bpm. Calf raises followed. Still having issues with the lagging side keeping up with performances from last week without interruption. Just aiming for one rep more each time now. Other side makes it look like nothing. Box touches started things off (regular style) and they felt good with the band rows and biceps stretch. Stretch felt ok, no noticeable tightness in either shoulder like last few sessions. Squat therapy was alright. Knee aching was present but not as bad as last week where it took a while to get things to feel good. Then sumo box touches and another round of band rows and biceps stretch. Hip airplanes felt good. I had one rep where I lost my balance so I did another one to make up for it. After that, I had to wait about 20 minutes for the power rack to open up. Weights for box squat are getting to the point where using that tiered rack to half squat the weight up would be detrimental to the workout. I didn’t really cool off from that long of a wait as I was pretty warm just sitting there. Always running hot on this workout it seems. Felt even more so than last week when it was 90. Then it was time for box squats. I had hit my goal last time of four plates with no support equipment so like the deadlift, that will be the last weight without a hard belt going forward. As with previous heavy box squat sessions, working up to goal weight and aiming for 1-3 reps. As I have been doing with other exercises these past two weeks, I’ve been getting used to using my hard belt for lifts. I figured that squats wouldn’t be that bad as it would be more of a breathing issue but I’ve been working the bracing on these. Rehband belt on for the last single and then time to work on the top set. Belt didn’t make this any easier on my legs but I definitely noticed the increased stability in the lifts and being able to go for that next lift with less hesitation after locking out the previous rep. Had a decent lower back pump going into deadlifts. A little bit different from the last time but similar enough. Grip changing sets and during sets to work the musculature in supporting structures from all the different positions. Back was pretty toasty by this point. Working weight was for three sets of doubles and I did them EOMOM style as I have been doing to keep a consistent pace going. The increased weight was definitely noticed on that first set. Abdominal work to end the session. High reps on the leg raises (felt good on my back) and band obliques to end the workout and then home to stretch and eat.

May 23, 2017 – Week 12, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx46/46

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

12” Log Viper Presses
Dumbbells
10’sx10
20’sx5
30’sx5
40’sx5
Log
100x3
130x1
160x1
190x1
220x1
240x1
255x1

Chest Supported Rows
100x10
150x5
200x5
250x5
300x5
350x5

Dead Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x1
225x1
275x1
315x1
365x1 PR+20lbs
2 Second Pauses
275x7

Stretching

Comments: Last week of this training block. Had to have my usual end of training cycle deep tissue massage a week early with the holiday next Monday. Burritos and massage should get me ready for training hard. Temperature has thankfully cooled a bit for now. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate got up to 160bpm this time. It has lower but shot up by a bit right at the end. Calf work after that. My one leg had issues with reps this time and I had a few false starts. Other side easily got the reps when I was done. Hopefully my lagging side does a better job next session. Then a short circuit of box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. First time regular box touches and second time sumo box touches as I have been doing. Shoulder tightness on the biceps stretch was evened out and I think that had to do with the massage the day before. Hip airplanes still a work in progress. Balance was better and I think this was the first time I really felt like I was getting the hip on the standing leg to “open” while doing these. Weighted exercises followed. Warm-ups with dumbbells for log viper pressing as has been the case. Using the tilted forward style on the log as last session. Goal for this workout was to work up to at least 240lbs with set weight jumps and then if feeling froggy, make up to two more small jumps in weight to a conservative max for the day. No super grinders or helicoptering lockouts were the instructions. Light weights were flying up this session (despite the dumbbells feeling slow). I knew that if I wanted to put in a max single, I’d need to reintroduce the support gear like I have been doing. Can’t just throw it on for the top weight as the belt could make things tougher with breathing and getting into position to have it even benefit me when I would need it. Reacclimation to the belts and wrist wraps was a success. 240lbs went up without much of a struggle but I felt that I really only had one more lift there above that weight unless I took really tiny jumps. I finally settled on going for 255lbs for the last lift of the day. I hesitated on starting the clean from the lapped position but it did go up. Slight hitch in the drive through with the upper body taking over but it wasn’t a grinder or sloppy rotating disaterpiece. So a success there. Strength not quite there to make this a viable alternative for log for reps but the framework is there as I get better. Then on to chest supported rows, working up to a heavy set of five over five sets after a light warm-up set. Bigger jumps up to the top weight so I started out a lot lighter to ensure that the top weight wasn’t a massive jump from what I was doing. Top set was 20lbs more than last time but still doable. Most I’ve done on these weight stricter form (not just using heaving motions). Last exercise for the session was dead floor presses. I had to wait about 20 minutes after I finished rows (I was taking my time putting the weights away before that too) for the power rack to be available and it was getting late. I did the bare minimum I needed to warm-up and went “quarter-plate-quarter” for singles to get to a max single for the day. Stuff felt heavier than I would have liked but I had a goal in mind for a minimum increase with how these have been going and I wouldn’t be denied. 365lbs was very slow but it finally went up to lockout. I wasn’t done just yet as I had to do a down set with pauses like I have been doing for incline pressing. Drop a plate off the weight from each side and went for 5-7 reps. I always aim for the higher rep range with the weights. Definitely not explosive like incline version but putting in the work. Home to stretch and eat a large burrito and a dozen eggs.

May 20, 2017 – Week 11, Day 3

5 Minutes Sled Drag (55lbs for .25 miles)

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx44/44

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Yoke
217x50’ in 6.14 seconds
217x50’ in 6.66 seconds
307x50’ in 6.08 seconds
402x50’ in 6.92 seconds
502x50’ in 7.25 seconds
602x50’ in 8.57 seconds

Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x5
201x2
263x10

Vehicle Push
2,693lbs + 2 peoplex230’4” in 60 seconds

Stretching

Comments: Workout for events at home this time. No having to wake up early and pack the car the night before. Sleep wasn’t as good as I would have liked this week. But I woke up rested. Left biceps was a little tight so that was a little concerning. Little slow getting ready for the day as WSM is happening so catching up on the action. Probably going to be watching that stuff like crazy until it is done next week. Thankfully, the weather was much cooler at only 60 compared to the 90 the past two days. Warm-up with the sled drag around the block. Calf work after that. Good thing I switched the leg that is behind as my “uninjured side” is struggling on these higher reps while my “injured side” had little trouble matching the reps. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. No issues there. Right shoulder didn’t feel as tight this time on the biceps stretch compared to last workout. Hip airplanes were tough again. Even with the balance before the set. I stumbled on the first set going for rep two so I started over. Did better on the other side but lost balance on the last rep so I did another. Then event work. Yoke to start things off. Working up in 50’ runs to a top set. Pretty big jumps in weight. I figured I’d have no issues with the yoke but I had to keep my thoughts on it than thinking about stone of steel later. Speed with lighter weights is getting better but I need to make sure that I can transfer that to the heavier stuff on yoke. I haven’t used belt on the yoke so far but I figured this would be a session to break that in as I know that abruptly bringing in the belt can mean issues (had experience doing no belt in training and messing up with breathing at contest). Soft belt added for set with 502lbs. Been doing half the distance the past month so need to be ready for that. Added the hard belt for the set with 602lbs. I was getting nervous under it so that is good. Means I’m taking it seriously. I was right about the belt as I will need to work on breathing and running with the increased pressure. I slowed down about half way into the run and I got angry at myself for that and picked up the pace. Felt lightheaded after putting down the yoke. Need more practice with belt and heavier yoke. Other than that, pretty good speed for me. Then into the garage for stone of steel. This implement/event gives me such trepidation. I can’t be calm when it is new territory on this as my heart beats out of my chest. I was floored with how easy I was picking the thing off the ground but surprised how tough it was to extend compared to previous times. I blame the heavy rack pulls haha. The stone of steel training was another change up after a month of doubles with EMOM and EOMOM. Back to the basics with a set of 5-10, depending on how I feel. If I got this thing with the planned working weight for a single, it would be a PR for the most I’ve lifted on this thing since I got it. Heavier than the weight I injured myself with last year by 9lbs and loading it to 9” higher. Worries that I couldn’t grip it also present. Took a bit to prepare myself. I has truly shocked with how easy it was to pull the stone of steel off the ground an into my lap. Extension was a bit harder and I was definitely not clearing the bar by a large margin like in previous sessions. I got five in under a minute and kept going. Conditioning will improve I’m certain but I was definitely gasping for air. Strength and endurance was there as I could keep going taking deep breathes. I wasn’t sure if I had done 9 or 10 by the end. Thankfully it was 10 haha. Last thing for the day was a little conditioning. Lung buster that would work the lower body and not put a pounding on my knees. Essentially, pushing my car for max distance in 60 seconds and making sure I was working the full time. Haven’t done car pushing for maybe five years. My younger sister and her friend steered my car as I pushed it up the street. Short choppy steps on a slightly uphill course. Took a bit to cool off before I put away my toys and stretching. One more week of this cycle left.

May 18, 2017 – Week 11, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx43/43

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

16” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
250x3

16” Rack Pulls
45x20
135x3
135x3
135x3
225x1
225x1
225x1
315x1
315x1
315x1
405x1
455x1
Added Straps
500x5

Crunches
BWx45

Band Side Bends
ABx30/30

Stretching

Comments: Body felt good. Other than it being hot. Up to 90. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 144bpm. Felt relaxed doing it. Calf raises were good. Improved the number of reps by a good bit. May need to switch sides with the one I start with next time as the “strong side” was struggling to match the reps. Box touches felt good with both styles. No aches doing regular style but some doing the sumo style. Rows felt good on the upper back and stretching helped my tight shoulders. Right shoulder felt a lot tighter than the left. Squat therapy was only so-so. Knees just kept aching and that didn’t really stop until I got about 20 reps into the set. Not sure what that was all about. Hip airplanes were pretty good. The balancing on one leg to prep my body for the exercise seem to help. I stumbled a little on one rep so I did another to have a good rep. Then time for squats and pulls. Front box squats were a bit different from usual. Got to use the squat rack so I could unrack from much higher. More sets to warm-up, working up to 250lbs for a triple. Trying to move fast on these. Big breath of air and staying tight in the midsection. Then rack pulls. Continuing to increase the weight and aiming for 1-5 reps on a top set. Another change on these. Back to using the bar for the first set but double the reps with changing grips. First half double overhand and the second half double underhand. Felt weird doing rack pulls with that grip. A lot more sets working up to the top weight, changing grip each set (doh,o/u,u/o). Second to last set, I put on my belts (rehband and hard belt). Still using the smaller belt for now as it can take some getting used to the big ratchet belt. Either my midsection or my lowerback have gotten thicker as I have definitely lost a notch on the belt. The working set was with straps and was to just be five plates but that is so close to 500lbs so I added the chips on the bar. Bar speed looked good up until the last one. Lower body still doing a lot of work but my back didn’t feel compromised so that was good. 55lbs off my 5rm on these. Abdominal work followed that. Easy set of crunches into easy obliques with bands. Stretched and then home to eat.

May 16, 2017 – Week 11, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30/30

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Incline Bench Presses
45x10
85x5
125x3
165x1
195x1
225x1
255x1
285x1
305x1
320x1
2 Second Pauses
225x7

Chest Supported Rows (1 second holds)
150x10
220x8
220x8
220x8

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
40x1 R
40x1 L
70x1 R
70x1 L
90x1 R
90x1 L
110x1 R
110x1 L
Circus Dumbbell
130x1 R
130x1 L
142x1 R
142x1 L
152x1 R
152x1 L
157x1 R
162x1 L
162x0 R
162x1 R
172x1 L
182x0 L
182x1 L

Stretching

Comments: Last two weeks of this workout cycle. Got excited seeing the workouts but I also knew they wouldn’t be easy. While Saturday’s event work had been tough, I wasn’t as beat up as I was from the previous session of farmer’s walk and sandbag. Got to mow my lawn for the first time. Didn’t get to do that until now due to my injury. Allergies starting to act up but I felt ready. Warm up on the AMT. Knnes and hip ached a little but went away within 30 seconds. Heart rate got to 152bpm. Then calf work. Change in that instead of multiple sets it was one max rep set each leg after the initial warm-up set with both legs. Max with lagging leg and then match it with the other. Managed 30 reps. Box touches and band rows with biceps stretch again. No aches on box touches. Hip airplanes are still a challenge but I’m continuing to make adjustments. Last session, I had done a practice balance with both sides before starting the actual set and it seemed to help me with balancing during the actual set. So I did that again this time and it definitely seemed to help. Trying to rely less on the supporting structure for balance. Then weights after that. Incline up first with the plan being to go for a new 1rm. I felt good and I knew I would exceed my previous 1rm. However, it can be hard to tell as the weight increases. I did the previous 1rm to see where I was. Not as easy as I had hoped it would be but form was better from last time. Butt still came off the bench slightly. I resigned myself that I wouldn’t be hitting an all-time PR this session so I went up 20lbs. Again, butt came off the bench but I felt I had more there to lockout. Initially just added 10lbs more for three plates a side but I got antsy waiting for someone to spot me and put on a little more. It was tough (butt came off the bench again) but I got it. Matches my PR on this lift (I had similar form when I hit it too) so I can definitely say my pressing is back to where it was preinjury (not including overhead events). Down set with pauses with two plates a side. Felt good here. Then the lighter variation of chest supported rows after that. Almost active rest. But not really, just a lot less taxing than the incline pressing and the circus dumbbell work to come. Reps feel better as I go on these rows. Circus dumbbell after that. I knew this was going to be a late session again. Same warm-ups as last time up to the empty big dumbbell. I wasn’t feeling like my shoulders were up to it this session. One of regular gymgoers stated he was happy to see me back to lifting that thing (he had been aware of my injury) so that certainly filled me with a little bit of pride in my efforts. I try to learn what I can from the previous sessions so that I can make the most out of the next session. I added the support stuff (wraps, chalk, belts) in layers so not all at once to get adjusted to how it changes things and I have to move and use it. I think this was better than what I did last time but I haven’t been using these for almost a year now haha. I always have two goals with going for a max; realist goal and optimist goal. For the circus dumbbell, I was telling myself to hit just a tiny bit more than last time while really planning on hitting even more weight than I had missed the last session. With my weaker side, I did hit the little increase and then went up in smaller jumps while keeping the bigger jumps with the strong side. With 157lbs, the weight went up fine but it tried to roll out of my hand. I knew I had to not just passively hold the dumbbell to correct that. I misfired my first attempt at 162lbs but got it after a quick breather to refocus. Same with the strong side as I got up to 182lbs. I noticed that I wasn’t feeling these in my hamstrings as much as last time. Also noticed my clean is becoming more efficient on my strong side and increased flexibility getting the weight to the shoulder. Biceps really feeling it this time around. Happy to have hit over contest weight with so much time still left. I know I got a ways to go still. Home to stretch, eat several pounds of bbq and sleep.

May 13, 2017 – Week 10, Day 3

5 Minutes Concept 2 Rower

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 13.97 seconds
Straight Runs
202x50’ in 7.72 seconds

Sandbag Rows
100x5
150x5
150+25x5

EOMOM (Farmer’s Walk & Sandbag Over Bar)
272x50’ in 9.24 seconds/250x3 to 57”
272x50’ in 8.97 seconds/250x3 to 57”
272x50’ in 9.48 seconds/250x3 to 57”
272x50’ in 9.48 seconds/250x3 to 57”
272x50’ in 9.32 seconds/250x3 to 57”

Stretching

Comments: I know last time this workout came up I said that session was the toughest. Well now this one replaces that. Went out to Lancaster to train so that meant packing stuff into the car the night before and getting up early. I got up early, just not as early as last week (I hit snooze three times). Rainy but no issues getting out there. Warmed up on the rower again. Felt better this time. Could also just be that my left side of my back and hip was feeling better this time. Calf work felt pretty easy, despite doing the rower. Box touches, band rows and biceps stretch followed that up nicely. Little achiness in the left hip on the sumo style but just a little. Hip airplanes continue to be trial and error. Trying to work all the different aspects. Balance more on my leg than using the supporting structure to hold myself. Sometimes I feel I make progress but other times it feels like I have a ways to go. Event work followed. Much like last week, this was going to have warm-ups of two parts of the main EOMOM workout. The pairing this time being farmer’s walk and sandbag loads. Warm-up was modified a little in that the second run was another plate jump for a 50’ run. Not bad. Prep for sandbag with the rows again. Felt quite easy this time around. Then the hard stuff. The stuff I was dreading. Heavy farmer’s walk for 50’ into sandbag load for a triple. Repeat five times. Last time I attempted this, the clips on the farmer’s walk had other plans. Tried something different using rubber pipe tubing with a way to tighten it. Even put a cut-up piece of one in it to try and make it tighter. It took a good while to tighten all four with a screw driver. Seemed to be secure by then. First run with the farmer’s walk was alright. Felt a little rough. On the fourth run with the farmer’s walk, I noticed that I didn’t pull hard enough and stay tight so my pick-up was not so good but I managed to pick up speed on the run. I tried to fix that on the last run and it went better. The rubber pipe stuff wasn’t cutting it and I had to shove on the spring collars with it to ensure I could complete the workout without any unintentional quick dropsets. Sandbag work was good for the most part. Different yoke so I was trying to shove the sandbag over to get outside the loading pins around the base of the yoke. I only had one slip-up on the very last rep where I got a bad hold with my left hand. I recovered and got the rep but it wasn’t to the standard of the other reps on sandbag. I was breathing hard and heavy during this. I was worried I wouldn’t finish after the second pairing but I knew I had to do it after I got the third set down. Sometimes the work needs to make you feel something. Felt good to be done though. After coming down from the strongman high, my knees were so achy and tight haha. Stretched and helped out a bit before heading home. Going to eat and sleep well tonight.

May 11, 2017 – Week 10, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

16” Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x2
365x1
405x3

Deadlifts
45x15 (bar on bumper plates)
135x3
135x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
325x2
325x2
325x2
325x2
325x2

Leg Raises
BWx50

Band Side Bends
ABx25/25

Stretching

Comments: Workout didn’t start off great as I got to the gym and realized that I didn’t bring my gym bag so had to turn around and go home to get it. Hoping that nothing from digging the garden was going to pop up while lifting this session. Not that there would be anything but never know. Warm-ups felt good on AMT. Heartrate up to 153bpm. Calf raises were good. Probably closest the leg difference has felt the same. Box touches started things off (regular style) and they felt good but then band rows and biceps stretch followed. Stretch felt ok. Squat therapy went well. No real fatigue in the lower back. Trying to adjust position so knees didn’t act up on me. Then sumo box touches and another round of band rows and biceps stretch. Hip airplanes are funny. I switched the side I started with to see if that perhaps woke up my other side. Maybe it worked. I feel like I need to redouble my efforts on these though to get a crisp and controlled movement. Box squats after that. Trying to put max force into each rep while staying controlled with the form. Bar felt light on my back until I got over two plates. Top set per usual going for 1-3 reps. Put my best effort into those three reps. Definitely getting harder. No knee aches this time thankfully. Happy to be repping four plates now. Deadlifts after that. Same as last time with the grips changing up on the warm-ups. Felt more comfortable this time doing these. Alternated grip still feels weird but I felt tighter and better with my form and my body. Weight increased on the deadlifts for the working sets a little but more sets and less reps. Still treating these as EOMOM style to keep a good pace but not too short or too long. Abdominal work to end the session. 50 reps felt like it was going to be a tall order but my endurance on these is getting better and I was definitely good for a fair bit more. About twice as many reps as I did when I started doing these. Band oblique stuff still pretty easy. Home to stretch and eat.

May 9, 2017 – Week 10, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

12” Log Viper Presses
Dumbbells
10’sx10
20’sx5
30’sx5
40’sx5
Log
100x3
130x1
160x1
190x1
220x1
220x1
220x1
220x1
220x1
220x1
220x1
220x1
220x1
220x1

Chest Supported Rows
150x10
210x5
240x5
270x5
300x5
330x5

Dead Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
137.5x3
190x3
240x3
292.5x1
310x7 PR+15lbs

Stretching

Comments: This was going to be an interesting one. Not because I didn’t think I could do, just a matter of if I could put in my best effort. On Sunday, I spent about 2.5hrs digging a decent size garden with a shovel and hoe for my mother. Kind of lost track of time and a blister or two on my hands. With my injury (pretty much three days from that date last year) I wasn’t able to do any yard work. I like being able to do things like that with my body. Especially frustrating when I’m trying to always improve on the day before. So good bit of effort that day but I made sure I ate a healthy amount of excess food and a massage haha. Upper back and triceps were sore so who knows what was going to happen with this workout. Warmed up on the AMT. My right kneed didn’t like it at first but that went away within 20 seconds. Heart rate only up to 147bpm. Calf work went well. The difference in difficulty between the two sides felt quite present this session. Then a short circuit of box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. First time regular box touches and second time sumo box touches. Biceps stretch felt good and upper back liked the band rows. More hip aches in the regular style box touches versus the sumo style this time. Hip airplanes still a work in progress. I was better with balance on my weak side this time and only lost my balance once. Strong side I still try to stand up too much. I thought I had fixed that. Weight work followed. Essentially the same session as last time but more weight. Started with viper press work with light dumbbells before going to the log. Still some hesitation on these after the biceps thing from several weeks ago but probably for the best that I don’t lift the weight without purpose. Haven’t had the biceps issue for about a week now so that is good. Slight adjustment with the log once I got to it. Rather than having the handles facing straight up to the ceiling, I had them tilted away from my body. This is the same way I did log work working for Nationals two years ago with the log that didn’t have cut-outs that allowed for people to brace the log on the forearms. The rational for doing it this way was different as the plan was to try and get the log to hit higher on the body as I roll my body under it for the drive to lockout with the hips. Definitely felt like I was getting a good bit of power through the lifts on the sets up to the working weight. Working weight for ten singles done EMOM style. I was not a sweaty mess this session and I had no doubts I wouldn’t get the sets. Pretty tough, can’t really pinpoint which ones were the best. Maybe the fourth set. Then on to chest supported rows, working up to a heavy set of five over five sets after a light warm-up set. Continuing to just add 10lbs to this each time. Still going strong. Less hesitation going for the weights. Finally for the session, time for dead floor presses. I had to wait a little bit so I did another set to warm-up for the first working set. Same sets with slightly higher percents as last time. Last set before the max set was slightly less than the max rep set weight from last time. Did that with no wraps and it went up easy so I knew I had to put in the work on the max set. Took to heart that I need to start getting a little “excited” with the lifts and since this is a max rep set and I don’t need to worry about a spotter, it was a good opportunity. Surprised myself with matching previous sessions reps with 15lbs more. Legitimately a PR which has been a long time coming since this is the first that is counting towards my pre-injury lifts. Got way to end the session. Home to stretch and eat.

May 6, 2017 – Week 9, Day 3

5 Minutes Concept 2 Rower

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Yoke
175x50’ in 6.21 seconds
175x50’ in 5.33 seconds
300x50’ in 6.11 seconds
400x25’ in 3.89 seconds
500x25’ in 4.26 seconds

Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x5
244x1

EOMOM (Yoke & Stone of Steel Over Bar)
550x25’ in 4.94 seconds/244x2 to 57”
550x25’ in 4.41 seconds/244x2 to 57”
550x25’ in 4.43 seconds/244x2 to 57”
550x25’ in 4.55 seconds/244x2 to 57”
550x25’ in 4.37 seconds/244x2 to 57”

Stretching

Comments: I had committed to going to the gym in Lancaster to train events. Weather wasn’t looking good and other competitors could use my stone of steel. I loaded the stone of steel into my car the night before as I didn’t want to have to worry about that first thing in the morning. Even though I’m feeling better (piriformis irritation still present) I was apprehensive. Last time I drove a longer distance, I ended up getting lost, aggravating my injury taking a sharp exit and ended up having to have my back in traction later. So not the best thoughts. Got up early to make sure I was ready to travel. No real issues with discomfort so that was good. No aerobic machines with heart rate monitors and I really didn’t want to sit down on a bike and the elliptical was fixed in a small ROM so I did my warm-up on a rower. Heart rate monitor wasn’t working so I pitched it. Hips felt pretty tight after that but body felt warm. Calf work was little tough but went well. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. No aches on box touches. Actually used a solid box for these (rather than the wood blocks in my garage or the plastic steps at the Y). Back and biceps like the rows and stretch. Hip airplanes were really tough this time for my injured side to balance. I did ten reps but lost balance three times so I didn’t count those reps. I wanted seven good ones. Better control with the strong side. Event work after that. Similar to last time this session came up. Yoke to start things off. Different yoke than I have at home and it is lighter empty with a thicker cross bar. Started slow that first set with the empty yoke. Wanted to make sure everything was feeling ok and then put in the speed. Maybe the thicker crossbar made me feel like it was more forward than usual. Knees were a little achy at first but no issues. Stone of steel after that. This thing empty can be a bear when I’m not thinking about it but when I am it is easy peasy. Added two plates and two tens to it for a single that would be my working weight for the rest of the workout. Always a process with getting myself ready to attack the weight each time I increase it. A bit tougher feeling than 225lbs did last time but not dreadfully so. The next part was EOMOM workout. Start with yoke and the next minute is rest and then the second minute starts with stone of steel. Alternating back and forth until five sets of each. About 18 minutes with 1.5 minutes of actual lifting haha. I was not nearly as nervous as I had been last time even with the increased weights due to the increased rest. Yoke didn’t feel the best on that first run. Stone of steel still had me anxious. I got it for one but would I be able to do it for multiple doubles? I was able to quiet most of those concerns. Yoke felt better as I went (though I was surprised my last run was my fastest). On the stone of steel, I had a little bit of an equipment malfunction with placing the crash pad in the right spot so I had to do a bit more work than expected those first two sets until I put a sandbag in place to keep it from moving. On the third set, my second rep I was having issues with my forearms being too sweaty. So I had a few misfires with the pick but I didn’t panic and I got it up. Need to keep an eye on that and have some kind of towel ready. Other than rolling it on to my finger on the fourth set and catching it a bit far out on the fifth set, I had no issues with my lower back and the other structures. No doubts I was going to finish things after the first set. Drank a shake and stretched before packing up my things and driving home. Knees ached about 10 minutes away from home. I forgot that happens driving after event work haha. It was also nice to have other competitors around and be able to talk shop or about strongman events.

May 4, 2017 – Week 9, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

16” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
225x3
225x3
225x3

16” Rack Pulls
135x9
225x3
315x3
405x3
455x1
Added Straps
475x5

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Crunches
BWx40

Band Side Bends
ABx25/25

Comments: Knee is feeling better. Left side of lower back still tender. Slightly better from Saturday but present. Feel it the most upon getting out of bed but it lessens after I’m up and moving around for a bit. Got to continue to keep an eye on it and see how it responds to activities. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 151bpm. No issues in either tender area here. Calf raises felt good albeit a bit tougher than last session. Box touches felt good with both styles. No aches doing regular style but some doing the sumo style. Rows felt good on the upper back and stretching helped my tight shoulders. Squat therapy was alright. No concerns this time. Kept working the form to make sure my knees didn’t feel achy. Then time for weights. The adjustable squat rack was in use so I went with the tiered squat rack for the front box squats. Weight is still relatively light so I didn’t have an issue with doing them from the low unrack height or walking back a bit. Light warm-ups were pretty easy. The jump to the working weight is still a bear. Two plates a side for three sets of three going EOMOM style to keep a pace going. That first unrack was rough on my knee but that went away quick. Definitely a lot tougher than last time I did these. Felt these a decent amount in my tender area in the lower back. Then rack pulls. Continuing to increase the weight and aiming for 1-5 reps on a top set. This time quite a bit different from the usual work up in weight. Starting right at a plate a side and doing alternating grip reps. First three double overhand, next three over-under and the last three under-over. Then sets of three alternating each rep, adding a plate each time. Getting the body used to it. My plan then was to do the last accumulation set single double overhand and then do the working set with straps. I was feeling some aches in my SI joint after each set but it wasn’t getting worse (or unbearable). 475lbs felt ridiculously tough. Didn’t thing 20lbs would feel like so much more. It was tough but I got five reps. Wasn’t expecting how the figure 8 straps pull at an angle (compared to just straight down with normal straps) would feel on my forearms and wrists (most I’ve done with them before this was 305lbs) so it was a good learning experience. I had realized in my haste when I was about halfway through rack pulls I had forgot hip airplanes so I waited until I was done to do them. Injured side has greater issues with balance still but I have better control of the movement. Abdominal work followed that. Easy set of crunches into easy obliques with bands. Stretched and then home for recovery burritos. Need to continue making sleep a priority to help with recovery.

May 2, 2017 – Week 9, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7
BWx7/7

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Incline Bench Presses
45x10
80x5
115x3
155x3
200x3
240x1
255x7
2 Second Pauses
215x7

Chest Supported Rows (1 second holds)
110x10
210x8
210x8
210x8

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
40x1 R
40x1 L
70x1 R
70x1 L
90x1 R
90x1 L
110x1 R
110x1 L
Circus Dumbbell
130x1 R
130x1 L
140x1 R
140x1 L
150x1 R
150x1 L
160x0 R
160x1 L
172x1 L
180x0 L

Stretching

Comments: Little apprehensive going into this workout. Body took a beating from the previous workout. Left side of lower back still tender and right knee is as well. Feeling a little better each day but it is enough to give me pause. It was a lot of effort on Saturday with the farmer’s walk mishaps. I put in entry for the contest in August and I’m always a little worried when I commit this far out as things can happen. Been working on getting good amount of sleep to help recovery. So on to the workout. Warm up on the AMT. Not noticing the biceps tugging like previous weeks so that is a positive. Heart rate did get up to 160bpm. Then calf work. Slight increase in the reps for the one leg style. Not much difference with the rep increase but still the disparity between the sides. Box touches and band rows with biceps stretch again. First time with regular and second with sumo. Aches in the hip on the first style but nothing really on the second run. May just have been from getting warm. Rows and stretch felt good. Hip airplanes are still a challenge. Another rep per side. I think these helped a little with the lower back tenderness. Possibly irritated nerve. Then weights. Same plan with incline as last time but higher percentage of 1rm for the last set. Felt good, just shy of what I hit last time for reps with a good bit more weight. Happy about that. Just added a little bit of weight to the paused set to ensure it was controlled and moving quick. Then the lighter variation of chest supported rows after that. Still feeling good on these. Then on to circus dumbbell work. Plan being to work up to a conservative max with each arm with contest style. So wrist wraps, belts, jerk and chalk on shoulders and hands. I was worried my knee was going to hold me back but it didn’t. Bigger jumps to get to the big bell quicker. Pretty obvious that my left side is better with dumbbell. Put on full gear for 150lbs. That just rocked my body that first go with it. Hard to stabilize it. I haven’t really gone this heavy with this positioning of the dumbbell for my right side before. Always tucked due to weakness holding it there. Went up pretty easy with my left. 150lbs is probably the conservative max I needed for the right side but I thought that maybe I was just shaking off the rust and tried more. Almost but not there yet. Had a little bit of a struggle stabilizing lockout with 160lbs with the left. Definitely something I was lacking in training as I had been in the past just getting the weight locked out briefly and then returning to the ground without squaring my stance. I knew I could do better and put more weight on. I mimicking the motion of the lift before lifting it and while it felt heavy on the shoulder, I launched it up and stood up with no issues. It felt so much easier than 160lbs did. I was happy and wanted to review it so see what it looked like on camera but apparently the video card memory had filled just as I was starting to drive it off my shoulders. I’ve ordered a new memory card with four times as much space so this won’t happen again. With how 172lbs went up, I thought that 180lbs was going up with some in the tank. I deleted a video to get room and gave it an attempt. I lost tightness and it shifted on my shoulder and I couldn’t recover. Still happy to be this close to contest weight. Hopefully I continue to recover and play it smart. This ended up being a late night with all the changing of weights with the dumbbell. Home to stretch, drink some weight gainer shakes and hit the hay.