February 9, 2019 – Week 22, 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

Log Clean and Push Presses
(Miscellaneous Log 12”)

95x1
115x1
135x1
155x1
(Beast Metals Log 13”)

176.5x1
196.5x1
216.5x1
236.5x1
256.5x1

18” I-Beam Farmer’s Walk (on turf)

122x60’ in 6.71 seconds

192x60’ in 7.73 seconds

262x60’ in 9.63 seconds

28” I-Beam Farmer’s Walk (on turf)

302.5x60’ in 10.30 seconds

342.5x60’ in 12.98 seconds

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

171x60’/165x60’ in 30.65 seconds

220.5x60’/215x60’ in 33.57 seconds

309.5x60’/305x60’ in 42.63 seconds

Stretching

Comments: Another traveling day for the event work. Out to Lancaster for the heaviest event specific session yet. Up early as chiro session beforehand (they were booked during the week besides Monday). Body is still holding up. Shoulders ache, knees ache and right biceps a little tender near the shoulder insert on the inside of the arm. Despite being up early, I had to wait a bit at the chiro so it was about 30 minutes later than I expected to be out to training. Still packed gym but not as many people as last week (some people still training for the contest next weekend which kind of baffles me going 100% this close). Elliptical felt good, I wasn’t breathing hard by then end. No knee issues. Calf work was good. I felt like I was able to get in a deeper stretch position to start. 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. I think that things are finally close to equal each side. Or as close as they are going to get. Band rows and modified push-ups after that. Felt good. Biceps stretching was good. Log to start up the day. No strict pressing today, everything was singles with competition style. Singles, taking 20lbs jumps. I set things up on the light log so that my jumps would have me hit at least 65% (214.5lbs) as one of the singles and be able to gauge from there where to go. I’ve been making it a point to wear my contest shirts from Nats so that I’m used to how slick they can be on implements for event days and any days that have event related stuff. Granted I should be able to wear a grip shirt underneath it I’ll save that for the day so that I’m getting as much training in as possible. The light log went well but the big heavy log sucked. It is exhausting moving that thing around to lift so I generally have to take a minute or two after doing that to recover so that my lower back and hamstrings don’t get angry. It’s important that I use this log though as it is closer to the competition implement and with the rest of 2019, looks to be similar to those implements too. Bigger diameter, slightly thicker handles, rough texture and uneven weight distribution. I wish I had more time on this to practice. This is literally my fourth time using this kind of log in my many years of strongman. It’s not a smooth clean to the chest like my balanced, hollow logs are. I’ve also been dropping the log from waist height rather than following the weight down. Saves my back and I remember from Nats in 2017 when the inside of the log was too shallow and it injured my wrist following it down. I have no grand illusions of repping this log at the show with my current state anyways. Will just have to see how this is setup though as allegedly the log will be 250lbs empty. Weights above 200lbs felt heavy on the pick-up to the lap. Hit my bare minimum goal weight and added another 20lbs to it. I was told I could go heavier but needed to save something in the tank for next time to keep building. Got a little off balance initially going for the lower body drive but corrected it and launched it up there. Not the confidence builder with how it felt. Still over 90lbs under contest weight. So I kind of had to debate what to do next. I really didn’t want to end on that note as while the press went up fine, the misstep getting it ready to press wasn’t where I wanted to end the session. Thankfully, I got my next weeks’ workouts sent during that time and aiming for just 5lbs more next session let me know that another 20lbs jump was doable to have enough left for next week to build. This felt heavy on the pick-up. I feel the form was good on this one but it felt slow on the press. Doesn’t look like it on video though. It was slow and hard enough that I was able to tell myself to call it there and aim for more next time. End on a good note. Now is not the time to peak. Next was farmer’s walk. This time, I was making it a point t do both regular pick height and the super high pick height. Three runs regular height and 1-2 runs super high. With it from the regular height, goal was at least 65% (221lbs) of contest weight. Seeing as how I did it last week, I figured I’d space things so that I’d hit something just under 80% (272lbs). I started at the same weight for the first set as I wanted to see if I improved on my speed as there was hesitancy on this light weight last week. Slight improvement so good there. I took 70lbs jumps this time compared to the 50lbs jumps from last time. My shoulder joints definitely noticed this increase haha. These felt good and I was satisfied with how they felt. So then it was time for the super high runs. This took time as I actually had to switch out the farmer’s handles I was using for the lower pick pair of I-Beams and then load those on to blocks with the weights. The plan as written was to initially be that these were at least 80% (272lbs) but it did also say it was fine to do contest weight if I felt that doing so wouldn’t hamper next week’s training. Seeing as next week had no super high block work I felt that going for about contest weight was there and I set things up to hit it. First run with the high farmer’s was the same weight I did last time with the sled. Big enough jump in weight, from what I did from the floor to be the half way point and it would allow me to compare to how the sled added to the resistance. I was a little concerned about my grip going into this with how fatigued it felt on the hanging knee raises. These handles are thin (like WSM) so they can be quite painful as the weight increases. Can’t be tearing a callus this close. Actually felt good. The sled appears to have added about 2.5 seconds to the time. So it was time for the heavy weight. 342.5lbs for a smidge over contest weight. This would be the heaviest thing I’ve held in my hands and tried to walk with since my back injury in 2016. I was just worried that it would tear open my hands and I’d drop them on the turf. The turf is expensive to replace. I’ve been doing my due diligence in keeping it safe with the controlled lowerings of the weights. A little slow at the start but I knew after few feet in that I had this and my grip was secured. I managed to get myself to move a little faster in the last quarter of the run, grunting “I got this!” and set the weights down calmly. This was exactly what I needed. Just under 13 seconds. Comparable to my run with 40lbs less per hand with the 100lbs sled. So give me an idea on how that compares to it as well for future programming. This was a lot of weight to put away and the next event was going to be a time vampire to setup too. Block carry and arm-over-arm medley again. Three runs, adding a little to what I did last time. Average increase per set I made about 25lbs but that’s not really the whole story. I was a little concerned with how this would feel on my right biceps. It always seems to act up ever since that slight pull from December two years ago. This event is very much biceps intensive. But really, the first two sets were more of weight setup due to convenience. Put 50lbs in the mouser block and put 90lbs on the prowler for the first set. Last week the weights were really light for this set. Then the second set, just added 50lbs to those weights. Putting the weight on the second set for the prowler I misjudged how high off the ground the weight would end up being and accidentally dropped in on my left inside of the ankle. That smarted. Think I’ve gotten the tape on the wrist just right now. I made sure to wear my copper knee sleeves on my biceps to keep them warm and to cut down on the bruising from catching the block. I definitely think my footspeed is improving with the block carry. Really just that pick-up that is where I have any hesitancy. Arm-over-arm pull is hard. Every set was over 30 seconds this time. But I think I’m finding the most optimal method to do this on the arm-over-arm and getting my whole body into it better. But that really only shows when it gets close or in excess of my bodyweight where it becomes a viable method. Top set for both I went up over 30lbs on the block and 40lbs on the sled. I wanted to do this session with both over 300lbs. Block is just a little less than 20lbs under what I did back in December and the pick-up was a ton better. I didn’t botch the catch this time. Hopefully I can do this with heavier weight next session. Then it was the arm-over-arm part. Whole body is moving, trying to not give into the temptation to let things slowdown and trying for a lower pull. That is more of a last resort and I think the short, choppy will work better on the convention floor. My motion on the arch of the pull is essentially slamming the rope onto the ground, trying to prevent it from swaying, making the rope have to restart the swaying each time and I’m cutting it off. I’m forcing it to follow my tempo and not vice versa. Took over 42 seconds but I felt good about it with how I didn’t stop moving once. Stretched a good bit and then put everything away since I was the last person there. Put on the TENS Unit and drove home. I’ll have one more session to get these three events right.