December 30, 2017 – Week 5, Day 3

5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Farmer’s Walk
117xpick
With Turns (at 50’)
170x200’ in 35.58 seconds
220x100’ in 18.09 seconds

Frame Carries (1.5” handles, drops at 58’3”)
600x204’7”

Sandbag Rows
101x10
205.5x8
303.5x4

Keg Load to Height (58”)
275x10

H-Stone Carry (off floor)
Turns at 50’
239x100’
300x209’3” PR+22’6”
325x167’11”
350x122’2” PR+16’10”

Stretching

Comments: Got out early from work again due to New Year’s. This was unexpected but needed. I had not been going to sleep at a reasonable time. And the strongman gym was only going to be open for half the normal hours. So to bed real early (got a walk in) to be well rested and be able to get up early to go. But winter had other plans. A fair amount of snow meant I had to shovel the driveway. I made sure the gym was in fact open as I didn’t want to drive in winter advisory conditions for an hour after shoveling snow for 20 minutes to find no one there. It was a tricky drive out there but I got there safely. Airdyne bike as I have been doing. Legs feeling it. Could be from not doing as much walking to recover this week as I usually do. Calf raise stuff was good with mobility of ankles. Much less tightness. Had some pressure in my right palm. Wide box touches were crisp as were box squats. Even regular style box touches felt better, not like I was trying to hyperextend anything to get full ROM. Band rows were stupid easy and push ups were pretty good too. Again, some pressure in the palm. Hip airplanes were also good. Then event stuff. Way too much snow to shovel the entire back area of the gym and I was on a time limit with the gym closing 3 hours earlier than usual. So I was limited to what I could do with the farmer’s walk stuff. Plan was originally the same as last time with first set 200’ with turn at 100’ and the next set 100’ with turn at 50’. But I only had 50’ course. So I went the same distance but just did a bunch of turns. Tight quarters so these were not pretty turns. I felt slow on the first leg and tried to make up for it. I was about 4 second slower than last time but again, a lot more slowing down with all the turns. I put on the copper sleeve on my right biceps as the tight turns weren’t feeling so good. Second set was the same as last time but even with the same distance, the tight turn was tough. I did this without a hard belt or wrist wrap and I was almost 3 seconds faster than last time. Last set was to be max distance straight shot. That wasn’t going to work today. Turns would tax the grip but not allow me to get the leg work I wanted. Multiple picks with the farmer’s handles also no bueno. But Jenkins’ old frame was high pick and had slightly thicker handles. So I upped the weight due to the increased pick height and set to work. Really hard to control this thing to the ground. Like last time with the farmer’s walk, my grip held strong, just my legs got tired quicker and I slowed down. Ended up doing four picks and a bit over 200’. I was beat from that haha. I moved quickly on to sandbag rows. I had a plan here. Light set, medium set, heavy set. I was to do either 5lbs more than last time or add one more rep to the heavy set. I got greedy. I had 50lbs of lead shot in 25lbs bags that I had brought in to make loading the husafel stone easier/quicker and I figured they would be easy to just put on top of the heaviest sandbag. I also wanted to go heavy and go lower rep with the crushing strength. Light bag was really light. Medium bag was definitely making me do some work. Making the sandbag over 300lbs was a bridge too far right now. Only managed four reps. It was heavy. A bit of a change up from last time in replacing sandbag load with keg load. Challenging keg weight for ten reps in my own time. I set it up to not quite as high as I did the sandbag last time but I was using a keg heavier than the sandbag. I wasn’t looking forward to this. Getting it to the lap was the hardest part as it dragged across my shins. I took my time after the first four reps. I’m sure I could probably make this go faster was far as getting the keg to the lap but probably not repeatedly. The load itself is pretty easy with how the keg rolls. I didn’t want it going over the bar as it would roll away from me. Shins weren’t bleeding by the end, just red. Only one more thing to go, cutting it close. Husafel carries to end the session. Three working sets. I did the empty one for a quick run to drill in the idea of moving fast. Having seen Zydrunas Savickas sprinting with 180kgs on a similar implement, I knew I needed to keep thinking speed on this event for the show. Allegedly at the contest we will be starting away from the implement to start. For now, I want to stay close a secure with the implement with heavier weights. Goal for the working sets was to move fast but also go max distance. Also did the empty husafel as first working set was much heavier this time. I felt good with the first set. I felt like I went a good deal further over last time. Turns out I was right. Top set to be contest weight again but jumps were 25lbs instead of 50lbs with lighter start weight. Still felt strong with 325lbs but boy does that little bit of weight added cause a drop in the distance. Loaded up to contest weight for the last thing of the day. Felt secure and knew I had down and back in me. I didn’t have that feeling when I did this last time. Not sure if I could get this moving quicker. Legs were quite beat from today. Drive home much smoother with the roads mostly cleared. Stretched before decompressing the rest of the day.

December 28, 2017 – Week 5, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

16” Box Squats
45x10
115x5
185x5
260x5
340x5
420x5
380x8

18” Axle Rack Pulls
142x2
232x2
322x2
412x2
Added Straps
502x8

Smith Machine Weighted Planks
BW+104x30 seconds
BW+104x30 seconds

Side Plank
BWx60/60 seconds

Stretching

Comments: Still tired. Own fault not getting to sleep timely. Upper body pretty tight. Haven’t gone for a walk on my off days this week due to family functions. Lower back still a little achy. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate peaked at 157bpm again. Getting close to single digits in temperature right now. Again, pretty packed when I got there but clearing out pretty quick. Calf raise work after that. Felt good, not nearly as tight as it has been. Some pressure on my hand. Box touches, box squats and box touches again. These felt good today. Band rows were easy. Push ups after those and feeling ok. Continuing to improve as far as hand pressure. Hip airplanes were needed again. Little tougher on the right side as far as balance but still sturdy. Hamstrings were tight. Then on to the workout. Same but more from last time this workout popped up. Box squats had the same setup as last time but an added set of five. Still basing off percentages. I was a little worried that not doing recovery walks and having maybe six hours sleep would negatively effect this to an extreme. It certainly felt like that when 340lbs felt stupidly heavy. It made me doubt that I could get the next set of five with 420lbs for even a double with how it felt. But I think it had more to do with belt position and things clicked. I feel I could’ve done maybe another two reps as an all out effort for this weight. Then it was time to do set of eight. I had the option of doing 5-10lbs more than last time. I went with five as last time it was pretty tough and I was already feeling the previous sets. I kind of regretted going for just 5lbs more as it went up pretty easy. Probably easier than the previous sessions set of eight. Lower back was pretty pumped from all this. Then on to axle rack pulls. Doubles up to a top set of eight like last time. I had an idea of what I could hit for 8rm so I made plate jumps. Alternating grip up to the top set and then bringing out the straps for the set of eight. 50lbs more on the bar from last time for both the set before and the working set. Good as the grip felt better this time. I felt a slight “sting” in my right upper side of my glute insert on that first rep of the last double. Definitely caught my attention. Legs were slightly pumped and I was little concerned going for the rep set. I had doubts, I was feeling queasy as I knew this was going to be hard. But it went up. The controlled lowering for these reps is so tough, especially not resetting each rep to get the good leg drive. The eighth rep was too much and I felt my form break so I had to stop. I took a breather before I went for the rep again to finish the set. I then took my time putting stuff away before moving on to the abdominal work. I had a brain fart on how to setup the smith machine planks I did last time. Took me a bit to figure out what I did last time. I swore it was self-explanatory but I guess not haha. You’d think this would be easier this time but nope. I swear it felt harder this time. I was glad to be done with those and getting to do the bodyweight side planks. Still harder to the right side versus left side. Home to stretch and eat. Plan to catch up on the sleep for early event work on Saturday.

December 26, 2017 – Week 5, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Axle Clean and Push Presses (1 clean)
92x3
143x3
187x3
231x3
280x5

Chest Supported Rows
200x6
250x6
300x6
350x6
400x6 PR+1 rep
(1 second holds)
310x8 PR+10lbs

Seated 12” Log Lockouts
180x5
220x5
260x5 PR+10lbs

Band Resisted Push-ups
SB+MMBx12 PR+1 reps
SB+MMBx12
SB+MMBx8

Stretching

Comments: Had a bad case of the blahs. Granted I had some good sleeping with the holiday and family over I was still dealing with a cold. Back is achy, arms are tight. Felt really unmotivated and felt like just packing it in for the rest of the year. I knew that was crazy talk so drove to the gym, fighting yawns. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate peaked at 157bpm. Not bad. Gym was packed again when I got there. It did clear out a good bit by the time I got to weights. Calf raise work after that. Calves were tight still but not as bad as it was all last week after tire flipping. Box touches into box squats into more box touches was bit more broken up than usual since I had to make a different box for the touches and then squats I had to wait for a bench. But all three felt good. Regular style box touches are still the odd man out but I’m persistent. Band rows felt good. Making sure everything is nice, warm and loose. Push ups after those and still going well. Continuing to improve as far as hand pressure. Hip airplanes were needed again. Little tougher on the right side as far as balance. Then the weights. First item for today was axle clean and push presses again. Lower reps with plan of a top set of being 6rm. I had an idea of a weight but I kept increasing it in my head. Cautious with the clean. Felt good with the weights, going up 20kgs jumps. Last set before the top set felt pretty good still so of course I went up more than 20kgs. Clean was a bit rougher (I’m out of practice) but it went up to the shoulders. Left hand didn’t feel as stable as I would like in the rack but I didn’t want to fiddle around with it and possibly sap some of my strength from the reps. Three reps went up pretty smooth. Fourth rep was a bit tougher. Fifth was a tough one, really had to fight to lock it out. I held it at the top to get my air and recompose myself. Didn’t work as the weight stalled and went out in front of me. I tried to reclean the weight but couldn’t get it past my belt. Still a very good session of push press for me as this is a 15lbs PR from a barbell push press out of the rack. Hopefully good things with this as a starting base. Rows followed. Plan this time a bit more open-ended with 6-8rm with a last set for holds each rep (same range). I felt that lower reps would be best with the regular style and higher reps for the holds. I started heavier than I did last time and took smaller jumps. Wrist was holding up better than last time. I did feel the need to wrap my wrist at 350lbs to make sure that my wrist was safe. These were tough at the higher weights. Shoulders were feeling the holds. Then on to more pressing. Well, I had to wait a bit for the power rack to open up but then on to lockout work. Same idea as last time, aiming for a 5-10lbs increase over last time. I felt the log was too high last time so I adjusted the height, lowering the rack pins about 1.5”. I feel this is better representation of the sticking point. Plan was just three sets with big jumps, possibly lowering the weight if I just made this infinitely harder. I also didn’t want to stay out later than I had to. First set felt a little rough and I worried I had made it too hard. But the next set was better. I knew 260lbs was doable but it was going to be very, very tough. Had a little trouble getting the first rep but I got it into the groove and I was off. Last rep I had to take a bit of a breather and it was a tough one to lockout but I got it. Happy to have progress with the ROM being increased and from a tougher spot. Last exercise was those darn banded push-ups again. Aim being 8-12 reps for the sets again for three sets. I learned my lesson from last time about setting up the dumbbells with the bumper plates. Don’t need any more bloody fingers. Wrist wrap on for these. Managed to get 12 on the first two sets. Last set was going to be the test. Last time I only eeked out four. Gutted out eight this time, stalling on a ninth. PRS on everything is a good sign. Home to stretch and eat.

December 23, 2017 – Week 4, Day 3

5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Yoke
180x50’ in 5.56 seconds
360x50’ in 6.37 seconds
500x50’ in 6.88 seconds
600x50’ in 7.88 seconds
700x50’ in 8.85 seconds
800x25’ in 6.93 seconds
850x25’ in 8.04 seconds
900x25’ in 10.11 seconds
950x25’ in 13.85 seconds

Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x1
182x1
225x1
275.5x1
330x1
Added Grip Stuff
379x0
379x0
379x0
379x1
414x0
414x0
414x0
414x0
414x0
414x0

Sled Drags
325x100’
415x100’
565x21’8”
505x100’

Stretching

Comments: Really wasn’t sure how this workout was going to go. Sleep wasn’t great this week and a lot of work stress. Got some cold symptoms. They closed the office 4hrs early on Friday. Usually a bad thing for me with all the work but it appears in my haste that I had forgotten my medication that morning so it was a good thing I could get home early. Ended up going to bed at 9:00PM to try and get a good nights sleep. My stomach was cramping up in the afternoon. Raining outside so that was going to make things a little difficult. Airdyne bike to start things off. Felt good. Calf raise work after that. Easy stuff but still pretty stiff. I mean it is less tight and stiff than it was the beginning of the week. Box touches with a wide stance after that. These feel just right. Then regular body weight box squats. Best they’ve felt this week as they usually do during the week. Not sure why, maybe it’s because I’m doing this earlier in the day versus the other times. Regular stance still is tougher than wide stance. Band rows after that felt good on my back. My back was tight. Push ups were good. Least amount of pain I’ve felt in my palm so far on these. Hip airplanes were good. Didn’t feel like much and they were easy. Then the event work. First thing being yoke. Same as last time this popped up. 50’ runs up to contest weight (700lbs) and then going for a top 25’ run with no drops. It was bit cramped inside so I took the yoke out in the rain. Only did one run before it was strongly suggested I bring it back inside so it didn’t rust. Not my equipment so I obliged. Had to move some stuff around to get a full 50’ with enough stopping room. I felt hot, like the humidity was high. My times working up to 700lbs were slower than the previous time by a little bit. However, my set with 700lbs I was faster than last time by almost half a second so sub 9 seconds which is good for me. Then on to heavy stuff. The strength building portion. Same jumps as last time, aim being to give 950lbs a shot depending on how I feel. I took off all the bumper plates I was using for the longer runs and put on metal plates so there was more room. Also to give me a little rest. My runs with 800lbs and 850lbs were slightly slower than last time. However, my run with 900lbs was much better this time. Over 3 seconds faster. I knew I had to go for 950lbs. But I was nervous. My back was sore and tight. My hamstrings were still feeling the deadlift suit. It was slow but I was in control and I knew I had it. Slow and steady. About half a second slower than 900lbs last time. Added bonus of beating the gym record for sub 300lbs. Pleased with myself with this. Stone of steel was next. Same as last time here as well but aim for more weight on both the naked lift and the armed to the teeth lift. Working up didn’t feel so bad. Taking plate jumps and then adding some more to get to 330lbs. This was tough without assistance. But I got it over. I then got the grip shirt, the gloves and tacky towel on for heavier stuff. It appears that there is a smaller margin of error as the weights get higher for the stone of steel. I got the 379lbs into my lap and I was little off balance and I grabbed the yoke crossbar to stabilize. I went for what I thought would be an easy load but I hit the crossbar and pushed the yoke back. I then failed to lap it giving it another go. I figured the tacky towel was used up (it was an old one from August) so I got another one. Same thing with missing the load by hitting the yoke and moving it. Now I was pissed. I got it lapped again and got it just right to go over. Things weren’t looking good for more. But I had to try. I’ve had misses and come back to hit them and then heavier weights so it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Loaded it up to 417lbs and gave it a shot. It came up but I couldn’t get it high enough to roll into my lap. Or I wasn’t squeezing it enough. I felt like it was stuck on the ground. I kept trying and trying and trying. It was starting to look pathetic. I finally gave up on it. A lot of the things that I need for stone of steel were increased in weight a lot this week. Not happy but not going to go into a murderous rage on the next living thing that crosses my path. Finally the sled dragging. Also like last time in that I was to work up to a top 100’ run and try to add weight to it. It had stopped raining but the friction between the road and the sled was insane. It felt like it added a good 150lbs to the weight I was pulling. When 130lbs less than my best last time almost killed me, I figured that I was going to be running on fumes if I did too many sets. I went up stupidly to 565lbs and just moved it about 20’. Could never get traction in my feet. I wouldn’t have moved any of these weights without my rock climbing shoes. My pride allowed me to drop the weight down to 505lbs and go from there. I made it 60’ before I had to stop and breathe. Went another 20’ and stopped again before finally finishing the last 20’. Exhausted. Stretched and drove home to decompress. Felt like I needed a nap so I had the air conditioner going in my car to stay awake.

December 21, 2017 – Week 4, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Deadlifts
135x1
185x1
Added Suit
225x1
275x1
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x1
495x1
545x1
585x1

16” Rack Pulls (straps/suit)
185x1
275x1
365x1
455x1
545x1
635x1
725x0,0
675x1

Barbell Shrugs
365x18
Added Straps
455x22

Stretching

Comments: Cold like symptoms aren’t letting up. Getting maybe six hours of sleep a night. Lots of work stress and just trying my best to manage. Body felt a little beat from the log and pulldowns. Warmed up on the AMT. Up to 152bpm. Machine felt like it wasn’t moving as efficiently as it should but not enough to make me change machines. Calf raise work after that. They are still pretty tight. Box touches with a wide stance after that. Nice and easy. Feeling good. Then regular body weight box squats. Also good, some knee aches. Then regular stance box touches. Still have some getting used to on them to have them be as good as the wide stance variation. Band rows and push ups were good. Still light pressure in the hands and fingers. Hip airplanes were needed again. Little tougher on the right side as far as balance. Then on to the workout. Pretty much the same workout as three weeks ago. Starting off with deadlift to a single. Plan being a conservative max single. But throwing in the deadlift suit. I’ve used it before but only for elevated pulls and really not much practice. Like I’ve used it fives before tonight and two of those times were in contest. I’d rather not use one but it is allowed at the contest and I need any edge I can to make up on points for the event. Even if it only ends up being 20lbs more. I was advised to start using it at two plates a side. Same idea as last time deadlifts were on the menu with plate-quarter-plate jumps. Suit is tricky to figure out with the adjustable Velcro straps. I think my first mistake was assuming that I could get fully set without doing the goofy hanging from a bar thing to get it all the way up the leg and hips. Really trial and error. Too tight and I would be barely touching the bar with my finger tips and too loose and the straps would fall off my shoulders at lockout. I’m able to keep a better back position without the suit. I proceeded to make the straps tighter each set. No issues with my grip other than it was an effort to get my hands on the bar and be able to lift. I honestly lost track of which hand was over and under each set. 315lbs the bar cut open my shin and I just pulled my socks up over it. 405lbs felt like death at the bottom. It was no fun. Frustrating how it was feeling. The bar was moving fast. Doesn’t make it lighter or easier, I’m just able to do it. Overloading I guess. Then add a belt to the mix and it becomes something else. Suit too tight it makes the midsection stick out more and harder to get the belt on. I got the bright idea to use the smith machine to hang the straps on to get more into the suit. This in turn made the straps looser and I felt better able to get my normal deadlift position. I then proceeded to make the straps a little tighter after that. Goal for the day had been 550lbs and if that felt easy, go for 585lbs. I didn’t feel easy but it moved very well so I went for 585lbs. The bar hesitated for a moment and I thought oh crap but then it broke the floor and glided to knee level before it felt tough again and locked it out. I’m definitely getting something out of the suit but it remains to be seen if it is worth it to keep trying for the contest with how hard it is to get into position (and my back isn’t in the best position) and if just going raw with straps (I plan to use straps with the suit too, just haven’t gotten heavy enough yet and I want to keep building) makes the most sense. I don’t think 635lbs to 655lbs is out of the question if I keep at it at the show. Then on to rack pulls. Already had the suit on so advised to keep going. Singles with 90lbs jumps up to a 1rm. No holding back this time. I’m much better at using the suit for elevated pulls. Able to keep better back position and really get it tight. Lots of pressure but I knew what to expect. 635lbs hesitated and felt heavy. I watched the video and it looked like it flew up so I thought I could do another 90lbs. But I was wrong. Couldn’t budge it off the pins and I gave it two good tries in the span of about a minute or two. I didn’t want to end it there as 635lbs was too easy so I went for 675lbs. That was hard but I got it. I had to wait a bit to find someplace to take off the darn suit as I didn’t want/need it for shrugs. I had gone too light on these last time. But I was playing it safe. So I went up 90lbs on the first set. Still not 100% with the right hand as my grip in the pinky and ring fingers weren’t up to snuff. Ended up getting just 18 reps. May need to wear the wrist wrap next time just to be on the safe side. Added another 90lbs and put on the straps. Did 22 reps here before my tarps got too tired to do the movement right. The suit stuff made essentially the same workout much longer. But it was still good work and I got some more suit experience. Home to stretch, eat recovery burritos and maybe fall asleep.

December 19, 2017 – Week 4, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

12” Log Clean Strict Presses + Push Presses
90x3+2
120x3+2
150x3+2
180x3+2
210x3+2
Clean Strict Presses
240x3
Clean and Push Presses
240x2
265x2
290x2 PR+5lbs

12” Log Clean and Holds
315x1 (10 seconds)
340x1 (10 seconds)

Pulldowns
100x15
130x8
160x8
190x8
220x7 (miscounted)
250x8

Narrow Grip Bench Presses
45x15
95x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
335x3
Pauses (1 second)
275x5

Stretching

Comments: Not feeling the best. Feel like I have a minor cold all the time. Not sure if the humidifier is helping. Not liking the slightly warmer weather this week. Stressful day at work, missed one of my breaks so didn’t get to eat all my food I usually do during the work day. So not much confidence going into this workout. Wanted to go home and sleep. But if I used the metric to predict how training goes, I’d never train I think haha. Warmed up on the AMT. My dad was at the gym so I got to vent a little about work. Only checked my heartrate once at the end and it was only up to 146bpm. I felt relaxed haha. Gym was super packed so I had to maneuver around a lot of bodies at the start but numbers thinned as the session went on. Calf raise work after that. Calves really tight from all the tire flipping and carrying Saturday, especially my right one (support leg for tire flip). But still easy. Box touches with a wide stance after that. Nice and easy. Full ROM is feeling natural with these now. Then regular body weight box squats. Used the bench like last time I was at the Y. Felt good. Allowed me to go right from box touches to box squats to box touches in a circuit. Then regular stance box touches. These still feel weird going to completion at the top but getting better. Definitely a bit more exhausting than the wider stance. Band rows felt good. Upper back was pretty darn tight from event work Saturday so felt good to get things moving. Push ups were good. Feeling pressure in my hand less and less with these and no wrist issues. Hip airplanes were needed. Little tougher on the right side as far as balance. But hips were tight for sure. Then the weights. First thing being log. I kind of wanted revenge on the log from missing 305lbs last time for the push press. But that wasn’t the plan this time. Complexes with the log at the start. Strict press triples followed by doubles on push press. Last time it was just a single followed by another single on jerks. Strict seems to flow into push press better. Goal to work up to a top triple on the strict press and then go up to a decent (not max) double with the push press. Not terribly optimistic though with how this went last time. My arms looked like roughly handled produce with the bruises from tire flips Saturday and from husafell the week before. Forearms were sore as hell too. Luckily, I didn’t have a much a probably with my wrist and gripping the log handles so I was able to work up without a wrist wrap and keep my tilted forward style better. I felt I left a little in the tank on the strict press portion but not so much that it would be an appreciable jump in weight. I took less aggressive jumps after the top triple for the strict for the push presses. Playing in by how it felt and reviewing video. I didn’t feel terrible so I went for 290lbs. There was the possibility in my mind that I could biff this big time. But I got the first rep up and I knew I had it. Second rep didn’t require much effort either. To borrow a phrase from across the pond (Sugden Barbell is a bad influence on me haha) I was right chuffed with how the double felt. Definitely conservative today and a PR. I’m terrible for reps from the chest on log and this is the most I’ve doubled in training on log. So very happy with that and on to the log cleans. These were harder to clean than I would have liked. I felt perhaps the first set, I wasn’t giving the weight respect after how I put up 290lbs. I think it might have even been a little short of ten seconds. I wanted to make sure I made up that on the next set. Weight now tying the most weight I’ve ever successfully log cleaned. Muscled this one up and got it. Bruises on my arms had me a little concerned with the cleans today but all good. Then pulldowns again. Work plan being 5 sets of 6-8 reps up to a heavy set. I increased the weight a bit from last time. No need for a wrist wrap this time. I went up to the full stack on the last set. I had thought that I was going only a little more than last time as I misremembered how much I had done last time. I had only done 200lbs and ended up doing 250lbs. Good power, but maybe not my best form. Certainly the strongest I’ve felt on these in a long time. Close grip bench to end the night. This time, going for a 3rm. Only expecting a little increase on last time. Pressure still on the right hand but no wrist pain or feeling like it won’t hold. Plate-quarter-plate jumps up to three plates. I was expecting this to be my top set but it felt way too easy. I took a gamble and put another 20lbs on. Much closer to a 3rm this time. Dropped down to 275lbs for a set of five with pauses. Good control here. Felt good all-around this workout. Home to stretch.

December 16, 2017 – Week 3, Day 3

5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Keg Tosses
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1
28.5x1

Tire Flips
425x1
650x0
650x1
Added Tacky Towel
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1
900x1

EMOM Medley (20)
Keg Carry – 225x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Sandbag Carry – 230x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Keg Carry – 225x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Sandbag Carry – 230x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Keg Carry – 225x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Sandbag Carry – 230x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Keg Carry – 225x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Sandbag Carry – 230x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
(final series not EMOM)
Keg Carry – 225x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’
Sandbag Carry – 230x100’
Prowler Push – 235x100’

Stretching

Comments: Not optimal sleep this week. Maybe getting 6hrs a night. Maybe. Lots of work stress, trying to get in early to get more work done. Really wanted to just eat and go to sleep after work Friday but I knew I’d be super sore if I didn’t do some activity to get blood moving in my legs. Hamstring tendons were feeling pretty sore from all the band work and it helps relax me going for a brisk walk. I compromised by sleeping in an extra half hour as the workout wasn’t going to be as long as event days usually end up being. I knew I’d be pretty much solo even if I came in normal time as two guys were competing at the Official Strongman Games and a good portion of the crew was there spectating. The rest were gone before I got too serious into the workout. Airdyne bike again. I’m really starting to like this for warm-ups. Not sure why I had been avoiding it in the past. Maybe stigma of reminding me of high school or that most bike machines aren’t adjustable for me and bother my knees. Calf raise work was super easy. Barely noticing the pressure on my palm. It’s a little worrisome that I still have issues but I am hitting things hard since Nats and it’s probably a miracle that it isn’t getting worse but getting better with all the goofy shit I’m doing. Box touches with box squats in between the two variations again. I think I used a lower box height this session (the actual squat box was in use as bag holder haha) but it felt fine and I think my hips liked the increased movement. Both styles of box touches felt good. The conventional stance I considered what I was having issues with last workout as far as the first rep and I think concentrating on that helped this session. Band rows after that felt good on my back. I made sure to fully grip the band right from the start to get the full hand engaged. Push-ups ok, more pressure on the palm of my hand than the calf work. But I’m used to it. It isn’t getting worse. Like having pressure on a bruise really. Hip airplanes felt good. Then on to the event work. No accessory stuff, this all purely strongman stuff. First up being keg toss. Plan being to do my empty keg (which I finally weighed haha) and toss it higher and higher each set with 20 seconds rest between throw. I had to clean a lot of spiders off this thing before packing it in the car to go out to train which gives you idea of how long it has been since I’ve used it. I was legitimately agonizing over having a way to measure the heights of the throws without a gauge like I have at home (too cumbersome and heavy to transport) but I was told that was ok and just throw it for working the movement and explosive out. Snow on the ground so I wore leather gloves. From experience working this event in the snow as the snow gets stuck to it as well as the condensation and mud/dirt. With my camera setup and no one to actively move the video, I couldn’t really see the apex of the throw. Wind was blowing something fierce and kept knocking the camera down too (missed my fifth throw). Only throw that I felt was off trajectory wise was the third throw with went back more than the others. It was getting tough to get maximal height after the first half. The wind was an annoyance all day actually, shut the door one time and I had to walk all the way around to the other side of the complex to get back inside. I ended up finding a way to keep the wind off the camera for the rest of the workout. Up next was tire flips. This is a good event for me usually. But I’ve been out of practice and the heaviest I’ve done was the 425lbs one from Spring 2016 before my injury. Never had issues with my biceps on tire but it is a concern as I get more stress on the arms and get older. Tires available were 175lbs, 425lbs, 650lbs and 900lbs. I initially had no plans to even attempt the 900lbs tire but as the day got closer, I started to reconsider it. I thought that 650lbs may be too light for the EMOM workout. But every tire is unique and I’ve never attempted this particular tire. So I told myself I would do the first two tires and if they felt fine, give 900lbs a shot and go from there. 425lbs was super easy, was able to do it with no hands once I got it to my lap. Haven’t missed a step I guess haha. So on to the 650lbs tire. I guess it doesn’t get much use as it had a bunch of water bottles inside it. But I was too cocky when my grip slipped on my first attempt with 650lbs. It was light though so I tried again and got it up. The 900lbs one was unfortunately outside. So I had to get snow off the outside and pick out the ice chunk in the inside. The thread was not a good grip and only parts of it were dry. Not a tire to attempt without tacky towel. I got set and was able to bump it up without much effort. So I was going to do this for all the sets. Got ready and went for it. Normally I would fully flip the tire but since there was limited dry area, I just brought the tire back in place so that I ensured I had a good place to grip it. Used my interval timer and it was an eternity waiting for the timer to go to signal the next set. I was worried I set it up wrong with how long it felt it took to ring. It felt fine the entire series of singles but my grip on the tread was getting harder in the second half. I think it was harder to put it back against the wall at the end then any of the lifts haha. Last thing for the day was more of the second half of the workout. EMOM workout alternating between keg carry, prowler push, sandbag carry and prowler push again with the plan being five rounds in a row of the those four exercises. Each for 100’. I was initially going to go heavier than I ended up doing but then I realized that that was a tall order and planned on lowering it. I split the difference for weights I ended up using. Even moving the 225lbs keg to the start was a bear and I began questioning how I did this kind of weight and my own sanity. The long setup gave me plenty of time to realize how much this was going to suck. First run of the keg I felt I was moving slow and I knew it was a bad idea. I felt I was making a good show of it into the second round (even with a bad pick of the sandbag) as I was moving slightly faster. But I hit a wall with third set as I started moving a slower. The prowler pushes were taking up almost half my rest time and the last one I had to walk back to the other side to start the keg. The fourth round I knew I had reached my limits. I was out of breath and it was struggle to walk straight. I didn’t bother turning the prowlers around for another round. I looked at the timer after the last prowler push and it was just over 20 seconds, no way to even walk back to the keg in that time to start the next round. I felt shame not being able to finish. I thought I was in good condition but I got work to do. But I realized after that that just because I couldn’t do the last round in the parameters didn’t mean I should just pack up for the day. So did that last round at my own pace. I was so beat from this workout. I was rushed to put the stuff away which lead me to having my knuckles get nicked and bleed again. Home to stretch, decompress, eat lots and hopefully get a good night’s sleep.

December 14, 2017 – Week 3, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

16” Front Box Squats w/ bands
No Bands
45x10
Add Bands (+44lbs)
45x3
Add Bands (+80lbs)
65x3
115x3
155x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3

Wide Grip Deadlifts w/ bands (straps)
No Bands
135x2
Add Bands (+99lbs)
135x2
185x2
225x2
275x2
275x2
275x2
275x2
275x2

Angled Leg Presses w/ bands (+259lbs)
emptyx20
+90x20
+180x20
+270x20

Three-way Pulldown Abs
75x9/9/9 (miscounted)
85x11/11/11

Stretching

Comments: Work is stressful. Not getting the sleep I want. Need to start using a humidifier again as it has been twice I’ve woken up and had a nose bleed. Despite feeling tired and heavy head, I felt I could do the work. Warmed up on the AMT. 148bpm highest reading. I think the reading was off as it was initially saying only 136bpm. I’m starting to care less and less about getting this information for my records. Calf raise followed. Calves were very tight, especially my right one. Feeling pressure in my palm on the right hand a bit but nothing to write home about. Gym was busy where I wanted/needed to be so I had to improvise some setups for the usually movements. Box touches with a wide stance felt good. Used a bench for the box squats. It had cushioning and was at just the right height. Might be easier to do this if not in use rather than setting up the bumper plates. Then regular stance box touches. It’s usually the first rep that I have trouble with getting everything to do what I want it to and then it’s fine after that. Band rows after that. Adjusted grip mid set to make sure I was gripping and not holding without my ring and pinkie fingers. Push-ups okay. Upper body a little tight in the shoulders still. Hip airplanes were next and pretty good. No balance issues and nothing felt like it was resisting movement. This workout with weight was going to be a bit different from past trainings. I was getting to use bands again. I of course went and got a hanging scale so I could measure band tensions at different points in a lift and movement. I had ways to know the top end but never really the bottom end. I wanted to make sure I was getting things close. First exercise was front box squats. Plan working up to about 50% for five triples. With my height, I could get the top range right (80lbs) but I think I’m too tall and the bottom was a bit more tension (38lbs). Missed the feeling of bands on lifts. I felt I got better at moving the weight each set. Next up was deadlift with bands. Wider stance and wide grip with straps on all sets. Not necessarily snatch grip for me with my long arms. Shaw style deadlifts I guess haha. I got the band tensions setup (took some time) about right (99lbs/8lbs). Did one set without the bands to get the feel for the movement. Doubles with 50% of my max deadlift from two weeks prior for five doubles. Felt very strong on these. The controlled lowering against bands is a unique feeling haha. Next up was a really new one for me; banded leg presses. I’ve thought about it before but never implemented it. What really made it interesting was that I was to put a lot of band tension on it but still have it be fairly easy. And start with no weight, just the sled with bands. Bands were something (259lbs/60lbs) and it felt really weird that first set. Started to feel closer to normal as I added weight. Still pretty easy by the end (I wasn’t taking much rest) and really it was more a feeling of fatigue from all the reps of twenty. I imagine the DOMS will hit me in about a week from that exercise. Last exercise of the night for abs. Pulldown abdominal work going front, side and side for a total of thirty reps each set. I started light. Felt my hand having some tension holding the rope attachment for the duration. I got distracted and lost count on the first set and ended up three reps short. I added more weight and did an extra three to make up on the next set. Home to stretch and eat.

December 12, 2017 – Week 3, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
(2 stage 2 second pauses)
40x1/1
70x1/1
90x1/1
110x1/1
Circus Dumbbell
130x1/1
150x1 R
150x1 R
150x1 R
150x1 R
150x1 R
150x1 L
150x1 L
150x1 L
150x1 L
150x1 L

One Arm Dumbbell Rows (supported, tripod)
35x10/10
65x10/10
95x10/10
125x10/10
140x12/12
Added Straps
155x12/12

Seated Axle Lockouts
160x8
180x8
200x8
220x8

Dumbbell Bench Presses
30’sx10
50’sx10
75’sx10
95’sx10
120’sx11

Stretching

Comments: New movements, new stresses. This workout was going to have technique and reps on reps on reps. Got bruises on forearms from the husafell carries. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate peaked at 151bpm. Felt my glutes working each stride. Calf raise work after that. Super easy, barely noticed any pressure in my hand. Box touches with a wide stance after that. Good. Then regular body weight box squats. Felt lower than Saturday’s box. Maybe that had been a half inch high. But ok. Then regular stance box touches. Had to use a slightly different setup as the thing I used usually was obstructed by someone deadlifting. Band rows after that. No issues. Push-ups were alright. Still some pressure in my hand. Hip airplanes were pretty easy. On to weights. First thing on the docket being circus dumbbell work. Push press style with holds with plan being 75-80% of my best I’ve hit in training since return from injury. EMOM style for singles. Now I didn’t have to go straight from one arm to the other but I did since it felt more efficient that ways since I was using the same weight throughout. It was going to be telling if my right hand would hold up. My right thumb makes it tough normally so this was going to be interesting. When the light work didn’t bother me I felt that was going to be good to go for the heavy stuff. Hold for two in the bottom of the dip and hold for two at lockout. It was pretty rough for my right side. Felt better as I did it. Shoulder felt tight with the big circus bell. Last one was my worst as it went too far out from me on the press and I had to redo it. The extra second adds up on these haha. Left side was great and smooth, just as it should be. Night and day difference from my right side as far as mobility, comfort and ease. From there on to something from the first training cycle, one arm dumbbell rows. I was going to go heavy one these as I was going to be using a belt and my back has gotten a lot stronger and stable versus back then. Plan being a rep set with a decent weight and then another set with more weight with straps. I did sets of ten with fairly big jumps, keeping an eye on my right wrist. I didn’t think that 125lbs would feel this easy so I went up heavier. Chalked up my hands and got to rowing. I was pretty beat from that rep set. My grip is good so adding straps wasn’t going to give me super strength here so I only went up a little bit. Figure 8’s not working on this dumbbell so regular style it is. This was hard. My back felt pumped up big time from the reps and heavy weight. The next lift was axle stuff. Same exercise as the log lockouts but with an axle and for higher reps. Power rack in use so I had to use the tiered squat rack. I raised it up with bumper plates so that it was higher. Not quite at the point where I stick on axle but that is with a jerk. I feel I got it just right for push press. I had a better idea of what I could hit on these versus log. Really felt this in my anterior deltoids (in a good way). Then dumbbell bench. Kind of like the rows in that the plan was to work up to a rep set. I had wanted to do 20lbs jumps but it appears that more dumbbells are missing a matching pair at the gym. I really didn’t want to pull out the long dumbbell handles if I didn’t have to today. I noticed on the set with 95lbs that my right shoulder was behind with locking out the weight. I knew that was going to make the next set tough. I debated on doing 110lbs or 120lbs. I went heavier. I managed 11 reps which was a big increase from last time but short of the goal of at least 12. Probably should have done 110lbs. I know that I will get the uneven lockout sorted with more sessions on dumbbell. Upper body felt pumped up and sore from all of this. Home to stretch and eat pulled pork.

December 9, 2017 – Week 2, Day 3

5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Farmer’s Walk
112xpick
112xpick
170xpick
With Turns (at 100’)
170x200’ in 31.89 seconds
With Turns (at 50’)
220x100’ in 21.03 seconds
Max Distance
270x196’7”

Sandbag Rows
101x10
193.5x8
288.5x7 PR+2 reps

Sandbag Load to Height (59.5”)
253.5x9

H-Stone Carry (off floor)
Turns at 50’
250x250’
300x186’9”
350x105’4”

Stretching

Comments: Meant to go to sleep early. I was going to come home, walk and then eat. But that didn’t happen so I was grumpy getting up to go drive out to Lancaster for training. Some uncertainty and I imagine I will have that until I’ve done every movement possible with weight on my hand and wrist. Upper back soreness from whatever I did last workout is pretty much gone. Airdyne bike like last week. Legs were very stiff and sore just walking into the gym so I definitely needed something to get the blood flowing. Calf raise work after that. Easy stuff here on the legs. I was expecting some resistance as my left calf had tightened up a bit at the end of last workout. Box touches with box squats in between the two variations again. Legs felt pumped on squats. Both styles of box touches felt good. No hamstring tightness so that is good. Band rows after that felt good on my back. Push-up ok, more pressure on the palm of my hand than the calf work. Hip airplanes felt good. Then on to the event work. Farmer’s walk for distance. Backup plan only for if the snow was too much. I was more concerned with my wrist holding up to the weights I needed to hit. I had trouble with gripping a 110lbs dumbbell on Tuesday and my grip felt taxed with the 362lbs axle rack pull. I had to make sure that it was worth it. I did picks to see how it felt. I put on the wrist wrap for the second attempt and figured it would work. I went up to the first work set just to make sure I was good. I figured out how to get the wrap on without having it looped around my thumb so that is a plus if I need to do gripping with the wrap in the future. Snow coming down but not sticking to the street. But it would to anything else. Had to cover the handles (first a shirt, then two doo-rags) to keep them dry. First set was a long distance walk with a turn. Had no idea how the turn would feel on the wrist. Turn sucked but I’ve been only doing it with 112lbs since I’ve come back from the back injury. It was definitely a long walk but got it. More weight and half the distance for the next set. I had brought my good clamps and collars. Perhaps too good as I nicked my knuckles trying to take them off to change weights. Felt alright the next set but the turn was awkward. I had to deviate a little from a straight shot so I didn’t drop the handles on my doo-rags. Had to take a breather to get myself ready for the last run. 80% of what I’ve done for 50’ for max distance. The other sets were based off of percentages too. I honestly wasn’t sure I could stand up with this weight with how little confidence I had in my grip after this week. I got set and went. I was surprised how relatively quick it went up. I was thinking that any second the handle would slide out of my right hand but it didn’t. I just kept walking. My legs got tried before my grip did. Just shy of 200’. Wrist was bit sore after this. Inside and out of the snow for the rest of the workout. Sandbag work followed. I weighed the sandbags I was using rather than assume the weights. Turns out they were slightly heavier so that’s good. Sandbag rows to a top set. I had bought a new sandbag to get something heavier for training (putting weights on top for now) but it isn’t ready yet. I had a few options with these. I could do a pyramid or same reps. I decided to pyramid it and then try and get more reps with my top weight from last cycle. That was tough. Weight shifted a little after I put down the sixth rep so I readjusted it and went for one more. I was really only to do one more rep than last time. Then up next was something I hate doing, sandbag loads. Ten reps in my own time with a challenging bag. The fatigue and heavy breathing by the end gets me. I took the heaviest bag and set it up in front of the yoke. The area I used with the rack and axle was in use for deadlifts so this would have to do. I figured for added difficulty to raise up the height too. Fatigue was definitely setting in by rep seven. Nine was ugly. I would have done ten but I lost count and thought I had done ten reps. Counting is hard. Last torture of the day was husafel carries. I had jokingly said that I was done with these after Nats but they keep pulling me back. Goal for today was max distance with increasing weights up to contest weight. Contested event is from the floor and timed for a set distance. My usual style is good for max distance but it isn’t speedy with setup. So I’m trying out a normal front carry style that lets my legs move freely and use this training to build up the muscle in the upper body to hold it this way. This was tough. I’m hitting distances that I was hitting with my staggered grip with 100lbs more. Humbling but I knew that it would be going into this. It feels very sudden when it goes on me this style. I took my time in between sets. To give my mind a break and because I was by myself and it was a pain moving that thing around and filling it with chains. Finished and stretched before leaving. Car covered in snow. Lots of accidents on the way home so my commute was about twice as long as it usually is. Need to rest up.

December 7, 2017 – Week 2, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

16” Box Squats
45x10
115x5
185x5
260x5
340x5
375x8

18” Axle Rack Pulls
92x2
182x2
272x2
362x2
Added Straps
452x8

Smith Machine Weighted Planks
BW+104x30 seconds
BW+104x30 seconds

Side Plank
BWx60/60 seconds

Stretching

Comments: A little tight and beat from Tuesday’s workout. Been noticing my midsection becoming quite sore after these past two first workouts of the week. Wrist and hand thing kind of flairs up at times but not at rest. Warmed up on the AMT. 160bpm highest reading. Calf raise followed. Calves were very tight but still easy. Feeling pressure in my palm on the right hand. Box touches with a wide stance after that. These felt good. Then regular body weight box squats. Knees a little achy but ok. Felt like the platform was wobbling slightly on me. Might have just been an odd setup this time. Then regular stance box touches. Getting better at the full movement. Band rows after that felt good on my back. Trying to get my full hand around the band on the right side. I’ve been lax in having my pinky finger around the band. Need to consciously engage it. No wrist wraps for push-ups again. Most pressure is in the palm of the hand. No wrist strain. Hip airplanes felt good on my tight hips. Then on to the workout. Pretty simple plans. Only potential changes to what I was doing was changing up bars if my hand didn’t like something as I was confident with the movements. First thing being box squats. Three sets with set percentages of my estimated 1rm (as I haven’t done one yet) for fives and then go by feel after that for a good set of eight. Can be tough to gauge. I feel that gun to the head scenario I could do four plates now for eight but it wouldn’t be a “safe and solid” set. There would be breakdown in form, there would be blood. Very happy that the bar on my back didn’t bother my wrist or hand at all so big relief there. 340lbs felt pretty good but I could tell that more reps was going to be tough. I eventually went with 375lbs as it was 100lbs more than my post injury best of 275lbs for these reps. Granted that was no belt and during the first training cycle, it still shows a good improvement in lower body from where I started. Definitely got hard on those last two reps but not max. I think I had at least two more reps at this weight if I went full ugly but that isn’t the plan. Next up was a rack pull variation. 18” height with the axle. Working up in doubles to a decent set of eight with some in the tank. The usual controlled and slow negative but a bit different in execution. First rep normal but then going for the subsequent reps from where I stop it on the pins and going again. No resetting my stance. Feel the idea is similar to something I read Bill Kazmaier did with rack pulls in doing them from the position you’d be in at that point and not that optimal position to pull more weight. Requires a bit more control throughout the movement. Working up sets were the alternated grip, switching each set. Got to say that my right hand was having a hard time with the last set without straps. Little concerned that it isn’t back to normal. But I didn’t have any chalk so maybe that explains some of it. Got to watch it. Strapped in for the last set. Christ that was rough. Left side of my upper back cramped up and feels like a slight pull almost immediately. Good to know my figure 8 straps work on the axle. Not as easy as I would have liked but I think I got done. Then abs after that. I didn’t see anyone in the gym that I knew well enough to trust putting weights on my back for planks but then I got an idea. I could just put weight on the smith machine and place that at the spot where it would be toughest and hold that weight. Little tricky setting up (I put a bar pad on so I didn’t have a single stress point so narrow) but it worked well. This was harder than when I was doing it with 153lbs. Might be a keeper since I don’t have to rely on anyone for assistance with the weight. Finished up with side planks. Kind of missed these, kind of not missed these. Left side is harder to hold but that really hasn’t changed much. Just glad to be done with the workout so I could go home, put some Icy Hot on my upper back, stretch and eat some of my mom’s turkey meatloaf she made me.

December 5, 2017 – Week 2, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Axle Clean and Push Presses (1 clean)
72x5
116x5
160x5
204x5
248x8

Chest Supported Rows
100x8
190x8
280x8
370x8
(1 second holds)
300x8

Seated 12” Log Lockouts
150x5
175x5
200x5
225x5
250x5
275x2

Band Resisted Push-ups
SB+MMBx11
SB+MMBx10
SB+MMBx4

Stretching

Comments: Wasn’t sure how this workout was going to go. First week felt like I started slow and picked up steam as the week went on. Hoping to keep that going but again, hard to say with different and new movements that I haven’t tested my hand and wrist on yet. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate peaked at 154bpm. I only checked it twice rather than every minute like I have been doing. Calf raise work after that. Super easy, some pressure on the right palm. Box touches with a wide stance after that. Felt good. Then regular body weight box squats. Not as crisp as Saturday’s but still okay. Then regular stance box touches. These a little trickier at getting them to be fast and full movement but I manage. Band rows after that felt good on my back. No wrist wrap for push ups this time. Felt about the same as when I had it on as far as pressure on the palm of my hand. No wrist pain. Hip airplanes were good too. Felt some things shift in my hips so I guess I needed them today. Might have been from heavy yoke and stone of steel haha. Workout with weights now. First item for today was axle clean and push presses. No idea how the clean was going to feel so possible replacements were just push pressing out of the rack. But the cleans felt good and no wrist issues. Plan for the day was to work up to a good set of eight. Not done axle in about 21 months. But it is usually easier to put overhead just sticking point is higher than log. Good to get a slight break from log for a minute. But as always is the case, cautious with how biceps feel with this movement. Never injured on axle but got to be cautious. Can’t be careless. Took 20kgs jumps each set. Nicked one of my fingers getting my hard belt on for the last set so I had to take a short blood time break. They gave my two Band-Aids at the front desk. I was anxious as my biceps were feeling pretty tight now. Weight didn’t feel bad on my chest. I had to fight the urge to jerk the weight. Working on building muscle and getting the push pressing up. Very close to a max effort with the last two reps. I really haven’t tried going this high on push presses with the axle for this many reps. So technically a PR but again, never really pushed it in the past. Always trying to get weight up for contest to get a rep or two at the big shows. Then chest supported rows. Plan here work up to an 8rm followed by a lighter set with the usual holds. Something told me to take big jumps and I did. Probably good idea as the angle put a bit more stress on the wrist and fingers of the right hand then I was expecting. So wrist wrap on for the remaining sets. Heavy and hard set for that last one. The set with holds felt better with the light weight but still tough with holds. Then on to more pressing. Log work. Not going away. This exercise was seated in the rack and setting the log at the height where I missed the log at Nationals height wise. Working that sticking point. I started light but it felt easy. Maybe it is too high? It looks almost spot on with the video clip. I did somewhat small jumps as I know that these concentric lifts can get deceptively tough in an instant if you misgroove. But it didn’t happen and three sets became five sets and even that set was just starting to feel the strain. So up one more and those first two reps felt perfect as far as difficulty. But then the third rep was stuck. I tried moving it at least four times before calling it there. Last exercise was those darn banded push-ups. Aim being 8-12 reps for the sets. Hard to gauge as I can usually put out a good output on the first set but when I don’t do these for a bit, my endurance over sets fades quickly. I didn’t want to use any chains this time so I setup another pair of dumbbells with another band. I thought this would be anchored well. My second bloody finger of the night says otherwise as the 120lbs dumbbell became dislodged on the first rep. So had to use that second band-aid and reset and add 25kgs on top of the two pairs of dumbbells to keep the bands down. Such a strain on the upper back with those bands. Managed to get with the rep threshold for those first two sets but my power was gone by the last set as I tapped out at four. A lot of work done this session. Putting away the dumbbells, I definitely noticed that my grip with the right hand is not 100%. Going to have to keep checking and monitoring it. Home to stretch and eat.

December 2, 2017 – Week 11, Day 3

5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Yoke
180x50’ in 5.34 seconds
360x50’ in 5.93 seconds
500x50’ in 6.80 seconds
600x50’ in 7.94 seconds
700x50’ in 9.20 seconds
800x25’ in 6.07 seconds
850x25’ in 7.74 seconds
900x25’ in 13.49 seconds

Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x1
182x1
225x1
275.5x1
315x1
Added Tacky Towel and Grip Shirt
364.5x1
Added Receiver Gloves
414x1

Sled Drags
275x100’
365x100’
455x100’
545x100’

Stretching

Comments: Again, not sure how things would go for this workout. With how things have felt the past two workouts, most everything should be doable if wrist is acting up. Out to Lancaster for training. Medication for the inflammation still wreaking havoc on my digestive system. Had to go three times before leaving and three times while I was training. But it was good to be back in the strongman gym. Changed things up and warmed up on the airdyne bike. I don’t think I’ve touched one of those since I was a little kid messing around. I figured it would be better than rowing with the wrist and better warm-up for the event work I had. A lot more muscular fatigue than say the precor AMT in the legs. But probably good to deal with the DOMS from this first week back. Felt good. Calf raise work after that. Easy stuff here. Feeling more soreness in my one palm from bruising rather than any strain on the wrist so that is good. Box touches with a wide stance after that. Getting better at full movement and increasing speed as the set goes on. Then regular body weight box squats. Best they’ve felt this week. This usually does feel the best on the knees. Then regular stance box touches. No feeling over too much quad emphasis this time. Band rows after that felt good on my back. Push ups were good. Still using a wrist wrap for now. I think I may be good without one next week. Hip airplanes were good. Didn’t feel like much and they were easy. I almost do more reps by mistake. Then on to the event work. Also had backup plan for this one but it wasn’t drastically different from the original. But I really hoped I didn’t have to deviate. First up was yoke. Hitting speed and strength here. Big jumps in weight for 50’ up to contest weight for the next show. Warm-up sets last cycle helped me get better at the start with the short runs. But I need to get better at moving. A little concerned with right knee (no pain, just feels off and has since the last heavy week before Nationals). A little slower than I would like but it was under 10 seconds so that’s good. I looked at my old numbers for time and apparently this is a speed PR for this weight haha. Then on to strength building with half the distance. Another 100lbs jump for the next set. Definitely felt heavy. Then 50lbs jumps from there. I had a fantastical number in mind but I knew I needed to treat each run with respect. 850lbs felt tough. But I’ve done this weight since coming back on this yoke so I knew I had it. Uncharted territory since back injury. Haven’t been into 900s in a little over 3 years. I had to have my mind right for 900lbs. This was really tough. I felt I started off well then I got off balance. Pretty much stopped and then baby steps to the end. I’m good at grinding out yoke. Wanted more but called it there. Goal was to do a solid run and I couldn’t guarantee I could finish 950lbs with no drops. Stone of steel was next. This was the one I had a big question mark against. Wrist seemed to be fine braced and straight but nothing where I had to spread my hand and have the wrist in flexion. Those fears went away when I pulled up the empty implement and no pain. This stone of steel session was essentially the same as the last workout right before Nats. Go up to a good single with nothing to assist with grip and then anything goes up to a conservative single for the day. I knew the minimum that I wanted to attempt with no assistance so I took “plate jumps” up to it. Didn’t feel like my best work working up to 315lbs. Maybe I was still thinking about my wrist, maybe I do better with small jumps or maybe the stupid heavy yoke earlier and the max deadlift from Thursday might have affected performance. It was a bit hard to break it off the ground as I felt like my grip was slipping. But I got it to my lap and wrapped my arms around it like an amorous octopus and made short work of the load. Couldn’t guarantee the next lift so on to anything goes time. I did have the option to go with tacky on concrete stones but I felt it wasn’t worth the hassle at this point and just stick with the stone of steel until I max it out. The stones at the gym jump from a 20” 375lbs to a 22” 453lbs. I plan on making some once I know what weights are going to be for some upcoming big shows. So I put on grip shirt and tacky towel to start things off. I used the same weight that I had missed twice before getting. This was tough. Probably where I should have called it. But I wanted to test something. I had not worn my gloves as I didn’t think they would make much of a difference with a tacky towel. I was also not happy with the slipping at Nats. I figured I’d try more with the gloves this time. I loaded up the stone of steel with an unknown weight (about 50lbs more) and figured I’d give it a shot and if I horribly missed off the ground, I’d know the gloves aren’t worth if tacky towel is allowed at a show. But yeah, that came up off the ground easier than the previous weight. Managed to extend and load it over the bar. Ended up being 414lbs on the scale. Certainly gave me pause. I may have to keep track of lifts with and without certain gear. Be interesting to see if regular tacky on concrete feels like gloves and tacky towel. Last thing for the session was sled dragging. Three to five sets of 100’ up to a heavy but conservative max. I keep skipping to max it seems. But I had the bright idea to wear my rock climbing shoes for these to increase my ability to grip the asphalt. I certainly could do that but man did it hurt my feet. One way is slightly downhill and the other slightly uphill. 90lbs jumps per set. 545lbs was a bear to even break the inertia and get moving. Almost took a minute but I was able to get it done. Legs were pretty tired from that set. I think putting on plates and putting stuff away bothered my hand and wrist more than any actual training today. Stretched and drove home to decompress.

November 30, 2017 – Week 1, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Deadlifts
135x1
185x1
225x1
275x1
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x1
495x1
545x1

16” Rack Pulls (straps)
135x1
225x1
315x1
405x1
495x1
585x1

Barbell Shrugs
275x20
Added Straps
315x10

Stretching

Comments: Still eager to train but with the wrist and hand issues, it is hard to say if my body will cooperate with what I want to do or not. Anti-inflammatories are working but side effect is wrecking hell on my stomach and digestive systems. Not pain, just discomfort and having to use the restroom more frequently than I would like. But I can deal with it. Coworkers surprised I’m already training hard again and stating that that I shouldn’t complain if my wrist doesn’t heal if I’m training. It is what it is. Muscle soreness in quads, triceps and upper back from last workout. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate not as high as last time. Palm of right hand a little sore. 164bpm highest reading. Getting better. Calf raise work after that. Super easy. Box touches with a wide stance after that. Trying to get everything to go together with full ROM and trying to get each rep faster. Then regular body weight box squats. Quads sore so noticed these quite a bit haha. Then regular stance box touches. Much like the wide style but feeling a lot more in the quads at completion. Band rows after that felt good on my back. Put wrist wrap on my right wrist for the push ups. Felt good but my serratus muscles cramped up immediately after the first rep. Hip airplanes were ok. Little balance issue on my strong side but recovered and no missed reps. Then on to the workout. Like previous workout, I had a backup workout to try and work around the wrist and hand issues if I couldn’t handle the pain. First item of the day was deadlifts. Plan being to work up in plate-quarter-plate jumps to a near max single. Alternating grip, switching sides every set until it got heavy and then use straps. I figured that my grip would hold up to anything I attempted so I didn’t think straps would be needed unless I physically couldn’t support the weight with my right hand due to pain. I started out without needing the wrist wrap on the right wrist but noticed early on that there was more discomfort when my right hand was supinated versus pronated so added that as needed. This was going to be interesting as most I’ve pulled from the floor since my back injury was 350lbs. Things were holding up pretty well. Lower weights were quite speedy so that was good. Past 350lbs mark and kept going. At 455lbs, I felt I had another 90lbs there today which while not really my best (605lbs on a regular bar no straps and 645lbs on deadlift bar with straps) it wasn’t beyond terrible. 495lbs was a little slower but still moved well enough that I felt I could do reps with it. Good feeling to hit four plates and five plates a side with no issues. 545lbs on the bar and got set. Much tougher pull. But I wasn’t going to miss this lift. Slow to lockout but no hitching and grip held up with no issues. Slowly lowered it like all the other lifts. Maybe left 10lbs there. So good to have a deadlift over 500lbs again and it is a start. Hopefully I can improve upon this this year. Next on to rack pulls. Plan here to work up in plate jumps to very conservative single. Advised to use straps from the start. Figure 8 straps took a lot of the tension off my wrist and hands which is a good sign. Weight felt like nothing until I got up to 495lbs. That was also pretty easy so I figured another plate a side would go up pretty well. Maybe not super easy but should still be plenty in the tank. Got set and little hesitation off the pins but it went up pretty smooth. Definitely could rep this weight for a triple I think. Probably 50lbs there on the day still. Then on to the last item of the day, barbell shrugs. I’ve done these for really high reps the last time they were in the programming but I was advised to go light so that I could build up over this training. First set no straps for twenty and then more weight with straps for a set of ten. Time under tension for the ring and pinky finger was hard with no straps but the weight was still pretty easy and definitely could do close to double the reps if needed. Usually when I did the next set, I only put 20lbs more on the bar but that was more because I was still coming back and monitoring pain. But I knew that a 40lbs jump should still be super easy and it was. Got finished this workout about an hour sooner than my usual workouts take so I was able to go home and stretch while I cooked dinner. Got to keep monitoring the wrist and my stress. Rough start to this training cycle but it looks like I should be competition ready by February if things continue to improve.