February 2, 2019 – Week 21, Day 3

5 Minutes Elliptical

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (10” Box)
BWx25

Regular Box Touches (10” Box)
BWx25

Bird Dogs (1 second holds)

BWx10/10

Superset: Band Rows/ Modified Angle Push-ups
MMBx20/BWx15
MMBx20/BWx15

Biceps Stretches

20 Seconds

20 Seconds

12” Log Strict Presses
(Miscellaneous Log 12”)

85x1
105x1
125x1
145x1
165x1
185x1
205x1
225x1
245x1

Log Clean and Push Presses
(Miscellaneous Log 12”)

85x1
105x1
125x1
145x1
165x1
(Beast Metals Log 13”)

181.5x1
201.5x1

18” I-Beam Farmer’s Walk (on turf)

122x60’ in 6.84 seconds

172x60’ in 7.46 seconds

222x60’ in 8.82 seconds

Mouser Block Carry/Standing Arm-Over-Arm Pulls (on turf)

141.5x60’/140x60’ in 26.52 seconds

195x60’/200x60’ in 30.92 seconds

279x60’/265x60’ in 36.41 seconds

Stretching

Comments: Another event training day in Lancaster. The training day I am most leery about and excited about. I want to do the events but I also worry that I’ll do something to cause a relapse and set me back to square one. I selpt in a little as I didn’t have chiro session this morning and I needed some more sleep. It had been crowded last weekend so I figured if I waited, it would calm down some there. I was moving around a bit slow with this stupid cold. They always linger when I get them. But I felt less uncomfortable so that’s a plus I guess. I had to shovel snow before I could leave anyways so I had to make sure my body was nice and warm. There were still a lot of people when I got to the gym (I left at noon). Seeing everyone lift and train at 100% has me wanting to be back at it 100% too. But I’m still delicate at this point, like a softshell crab. Well, probably more like a glass canon. Elliptical felt good, I wasn’t breathing hard by then end. I felt tempted to just do like 2-3 minutes since I shoveled snow but I figured I should stick with the 5 minutes due to the car ride. Calf work was easy, nice and springy. Box touches both styles felt ok. I just used a strongman log for the box today as the other setups would take too much effort. Birddogs were ok. Band rows and modified push-ups after that. I found a little bit better a setup for the modified push-ups. Will have to see if that area is also free next week and so on. Biceps stretching was good. Log to start up the day. Plan was a top heavy single on the log strict press. My head cold had other ideas. I modified the setup a little bit so I didn’t have to quarter front squat things. I figured I’d just stick with the lighter empty log rather than having to switch out to the bigger log as I worked up. Singles taking 20lbs jumps. I was feeling ok at the start but I noticed after a bit that my balance was not there today. I had to let the weight settle with 165lbs before I could press. 245lbs was ugly and I knew I had to stop there, despite really wanting a small PR on this with the next jump. This wasn’t the main contest lift, I had gone too heavy the last two weeks anyways and it was still over 90%. Don’t do something stupid. The next part of the log workout was to practice clean and press with contest style. Singles with 20lbs jumps, going no heavier than about 200lbs as the goal today. Really, 165lbs would’ve been the minimum to stop at (50% contest weight) but I really wanted to do the next weight so that I could practice with the bigger unbalanced log as it will be much closer to competition implement. I used a different empty light log. This is the one from the previous gym. It’s shorter but it has big openings with no place to brace the forearms so it is very similar to the bigger red log in that regard. My balance was just not there today. I actually hit my head bringing down the empty log that first rep. At least my clean mechanics felt good. I was really working on using my legs to break the log off the ground. I’m glad my body was holding up on these and that I had the chance to clean the big log as it definitely felt different getting it up to the shoulders. I forgot that the log I was using before switching was 5lbs heavier so the jump in weight wasn’t right. I got off balance and I didn’t want to drop this one on my head because I couldn’t figure out where I was so that was a bit of a drop from the top. The next lift was much better with more weight. But I need to add almost 130lbs in just under 4 weeks. Next was farmer’s walk. No drag sled for today. Originally it was written for me to do stuff from regular height (18”) and then some more higher stuff (28”) but I had done 15lbs more per hand than I was “supposed” to do last week that I was told that I could just work the low pick stuff this week if I wanted to focus more on the rest of the workout. I was anxious about the normal pick stuff and it would be the first time doing the full medley later in the workout so I figured I’d just do the regular farmer’s walk as it would be less setup and resetting. So the planned lifts were to do a little over 35%, little over 50% and finally a little over 65%. I’m glad that I had gone down to train at Barry’s back when I was prepping for Beast of the Bluegrass as I had the opportunity to do event work on turf. It was much tougher. At the gym, BA was still open and I didn’t really know about McMillian’s so I didn’t think it would be a training tool to really monitor. But now I have access to it all the time on event days. I made sure to a set or two of empty handed sprints as well as a pick with the first weight. No issues with the movement. There was still hesitancy on that first run with the pick-up and I slowed down at the finish as I had to set the handles down gently to not ruin the turf. I fixed that for the next set and I felt better. Slight hold at the end and then lowering under control. I’m actually quite pleased with how the last run went with the increased weight. Small potatoes but no pain from that lower pick-up. Just got to be smart and careful bridging the gap. Last item for the day was the block carry and arm pull. This was a bit annoying setting things up. Had to figure out distances where the sled would finish and I’d have it be 60’ and then spacing the block so that it would be 60’ where I stopped and assumed the position for the rope. And making it so the block didn’t wreck the floor on the setdown. I was most anxious about the block pick-up. On wrong move and it would be snap city. Granted I was able to do over 320lbs when I had the disc bulge in the same workout but I don’t want to be in pain when I do this. Not the point. I wrapped athletic tape around my wrists as last time the pick-up style I’m doing to be fast is putting pressure there and the weight is tearing the skin a little. Block run down felt good. I felt fast. Not “toddler with something they’re not supposed to have running from their parent” fast but decent. Arm-over-arm felt harder this time. I thought perhaps the tape was cutting off circulation and making my hands fatigue but I don’t think that is it. Picking and carrying the block just makes this harder. I missed the rope once or twice. I just wasn’t prepared for the tiredness I guess. First run was about 35% as well. Hard to get exact weights on the block as spacers and weights being off by a little. I’m treating 400lbs as the contest weight for on the turf for the sled. Next set was about 50%. Also good here. Didn’t miss the rope on the pulls this time. Just over 30 seconds, so not a terrible increase in the time with the bumps up in weight. I did graze my left knee on the block pick-up so that is bruising nicely. I could stop here but it took so long to set up this medley that I might as well do another run. Plan here being 65-70%. I figured I’d go with closer to the lower limit for the sled since that is what is kicking my butt on this and higher end for the block so that I can build confidence in my back again. Ended up a little heavy on the block. Still moving well on the block. It has been so long since I’ve done regular front carries I forgot about putting the copper sleeves on to keep the bruising down on my biceps from the violent catching. I’ll have reminders for the rest of this week. The arm-over-arm part was tough. Trying to just focus on the hands and not missing the rope. I looked up once and it was still so far away from the finish. As I got tired, I switched to a “1-2-pull” almost like a seated arm-over-arm but still trying to keep it quick and fast. Trying to keep it so that there is no stopping in the momentum on this. This was a bit harder. Took a bit to put stuff away and cooldown before stretching. I had brought the TENS unit with me so that I could put it on while driving so that I didn’t have to worry about doing it when I got back. Hopefully this cold passes, my back holds up and I can continue to ramp things up for the Arnold as it looks like I’m in the clear.