June 29, 2019 – Week 4, Day 3

5 Minutes Elliptical Trainer

Mobility Prep

Yoke

200x50’ in 5.19 seconds

300x50’ in 5.81 seconds

400x50’ in 6.10 seconds

500x50’ in 7.32 seconds

550x50’ in 7.39 seconds

600x50’ in 7.98 seconds

Stone of Steel to Platform (60”, no support)

138x1

182x1

225.5x1

276x1

323.5x1

Atlas Stone to Platform (59”, tacky)

330x0 no lap

330x0 no lap

330x1

383x0 (22”) no lap

383x0 (22”) no lap

365x0 (22”) no lap

Comments: Today didn’t go well. It was like everything was conspiring against me. 90 degrees today and very humid. My dad was helping me with moving the new stone to the gym too. Traffic to the exit was backed up with construction. Like gridlock for the next 40 miles so this meant I had to take the turnpike to get to the gym. Travel time was about an hour and a half so nearly double from being in traffic for 1 mile to get to an exit to avoid the gridlock. So not happy about the increased drive time or spending money I didn’t expect to be spending. It was really hot. Open air even with fans wasn’t helping. I did my warm-up on the elliptical with the lights off and a fan going so I didn’t overheat. I was feeling like I’d need to switch out my shirt after I was done due to the sweat. Trying my best to stay hydrated. First up for today was yoke. Last time had been three runs with 500lbs for 50’. This time I was to do 500lbs, 550lbs and 600lbs. I had the yoke height 1 notch too high at the start. I had it this high last time but I knew then it was too high. It was going to have weight dragging on the ground if I took too long of a stride. Took a bit longer to feel ready to move fast. False started on the 200lbs as the pickup felt wrong. I didn’t feel very fast today. Only two sets (200lbs and 400lbs) were faster than last time. 500lbs was about a 3/4ths of a second  off my best time and about half a second from last time’s best run with 500lbs. I had a little bit of break between that and 550lbs helping with training partners. My breathing was off and I almost passed out near the end but I fought through it. Ended up only being .07 of a second slower than 500lbs. Better but not great. 600lbs for the last run. Couldn’t be blacking out on this run. Barely finished in under 8 seconds. Half a second off my best here. Then it was stones. Plan was stone of steel up to about 330lbs and then tacky up for the real stones and try to either lift the new stone (383lbs) or do 3-5 EMOM singles with the 365lbs stone. I was hoping for good things on the real stones. I knew combating the sweat factor was going to be key. This had me concerned with the stone of steel. Loading to the crash pad tower again. I had it moved to be free standing as the big tires had been moved inside and I wanted to be able to get the air moving inside from the left and have the industrial fan blowing on me from the right. Knee and hips were a little stiff to start but I felt good on the SOS today despite dealing with sweat. I just knew I had to really crush the thing today. Plate jumps to start and then I went to try and do 50lbs jumps after that so that I got close to 330lbs for the last one. I had setup the crash pad to the side of the tower to hopefully make it so I didn’t have to worry about leaving the tower by itself to bring it over and then deload the SOS. It didn’t work out so good though. 323.5lbs was a hard lift. It was slipping in my arms on the extension so I barely got it on the tower. Trying to deload it to the side was a mistake as it took the tower with it and totally missed the crash pad. I just left everything where it was as I knew I had more to do and I didn’t want to become exhausted from being in this heat before I did the hard work. So next up stones. Plan was to do 330lbs for a single and then my new stone and depending on how that felt, go from there. Probably just the 330lbs and then my new stone as I was wilting in this heat. Wanted to do some soft tissue work on my left hamstring as it was feeling tight but couldn’t find the stick tool and I didn’t want to get on the floor for foam rolling as I’d probably just take a nap. I noticed that the tacky was spreading a bit too easy today. I knew there was a problem when the 330lbs didn’t come up right away. The tacky was too hot from sitting in the gym. Damn it. Took two more tries to commit to the lift to get the stone in my lap. Once there, extension with it was easy. This sucked. My new stone with sealant would hopefully stick to the tacky better, even if it was too warm and viscous. Too well as the bottom of it was sticking to the tacky on the mat that was older and not as hot and my tacky was too easy to spread. I tried it once more after it was unstuck but it just kept sliding as I stood up with it so I couldn’t keep it close to lap it without pulling with my arms and that is a no-no here. I tried the 365lbs just to see if I could salvage the stone session but no go. Just overheated, sweaty and frustrated. Took a long time to clean off all the tacky. By that point, it was really late in the afternoon. It was storming outside and there was maybe 50’ total of space to use inside for dragging due to all the equipment and people still here. I was kind of tempted to do the sled dragging/vehicle dragging when I got home but that was before I got to my SOS to clean up. The top wouldn’t come off. Must have been from falling from about 5’ off the ground on to the turf. Required three people to pin it down and use a 4’ bar to get enough leverage to get the bolt out. It appears that I may have dented the bottom hemisphere as it doesn’t really want to lock on tight anymore. Has to be in a certain spot now for it to seal. Not sure if the seal is tight enough for me to go heavy on it without the halves spinning but that was not the time to mess it to figure it out. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open driving home even though the sun was back out in full force and dried up all the rain from the storm. I just needed the day to end so I waited until I cooled down enough to shower and went to bed early. I’ll need to be ready for next time better. Nothing hurt so there’s that at least.

June 26, 2019 – Week 4, Day 2

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

18” Jack Stand Pulls

135x5

225x3

315x2

Added Suit

405x1

495x1

Added Straps

585x1

635x1

675x1

725x1

Kettlebell Goblet Squats

53x10

53x10

Hanging Leg Raises

BWx25

BWx25

Stretching

Comments: Still got some back tightness on the right side. Maybe obliques too. Taking Tylenol seems to shut it up for a good part of the day but don’t want it to be a band-aid.  I didn’t walk yesterday to give it a rest as moving around a lot seemed to make it get tight. Bodies are stupid, especially backs. Not ideal for training but I doubt pushing out the training would make too much difference at this point and it would make other plans not viable. So to the gym it I went. Getting into the 90’s again so just uncomfortably hot. AMT to warm-up. Try to loosen things up. Heart rate was up to 159bpm at the end. Definitely sweating a bit more today on the movement prep and stretches. To be expected with the heat, even with the AC on. Repeating this workout with starting off on 18” deadlifts for today. Plan was a heavy single with weight jump suggestions. Qualifier of “if it felt good” being the basis on if I did more. Nothing indicating to leave something in the tank today.  Starting off with plate jumps and then getting into the quarter, plate, quarter stuff. I’d be disappointed if I didn’t go about 635lbs today. The bar I had today was a lot like last week in that the knurling is worn down. Doesn’t really matter as I would be putting on straps eventually. But I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t neglecting the grip. At least not missing the double overhand work. I needed 495lbs to go up and it did. Not with enough gusto to suggest that 585lbs was there. 495lbs might be the most I’ve done double overhand grip since the reboot of 2016. Straps on for 585lbs. Felt like I had weight but I’d say about that same as 565lbs felt last time so not feeling that funky fresh I guess. 50lbs more on the bar. I guess technically anything over 615lbs was going to be a PR for the 18” jack stand pulls since it’s not a rack pull. Feels different. Different in a difficult way so hopefully that helps for the actual event. Didn’t have that feeling as much with the thick bar stuff as there really was no flex. With the barbell, the stands move and kind of grip the ground as the weight comes up so the start is slightly harder. I got 635lbs but if it had been like last time, I would’ve stopped here as I didn’t feel like there was a lot left there in the tank. I had said that 715lbs was probably my limit last time. I really needed 675lbs to go up. I think that was going to be the minimum I’d accept to feel like I was on a good pace. I think I got my position a little bit better on it as it felt only slightly harder than 635lbs. I initially thought that I should stop here as I couldn’t guarantee the next jump was going to happen with how it felt. But each time I watched the video playback, I became more convinced that I could. The suit doesn’t get tired, but the driver can. If this had been a raw deadlift workout, I’d have been going on to the next thing. And probably would’ve at 635lbs haha. But I figured that if I get my positioning right and use the figure 8 straps to have the bar in my fingers for this last one at 725lbs, it would happen. Slow start and I took the strain but it moved and I knew it was going to lockout, albeit slowly. Had some hamstring shaking but no hitching. Some relief getting that lift. I’d have been depressed if I had missed it I know. After that was lighter stuff. As last time, the kettlebell squats followed. Same weight and reps. Just something to keep the ROM and flexibility. Second set was much easier than the first. My joints felt achy on that first set and I was warm for the second set. Didn’t take much rest. The bracing and stiffness of the jack stand suited pulls didn’t complement warming up for the atg nature of the kettlebell squats haha. Final thing was hanging leg raises. Two sets again but goal of 20-25 reps. I wasn’t sure how these would go. My left shoulder didn’t really care for them that first time and with my right side midsection/lower back this could be terrible feeling. But it wasn’t so I did the reps  and sets. I just knew my hip flexors and lower abs would be tight later and tomorrow. I had worries about stuff acting up or injuries but the only thing that hurt was my right index finger that got pinched putting on weights for the jack stand pulls. I wanted to get to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour so I just went and got burritos for dinner and then stretched.

June 24, 2019 – Week 4, Day 1

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

12” Log Clean and Strict Presses (1 clean)
90x5
110x3
130x2

150x2

170x2

190x2

210x2

230x2

240x2

Pulldowns
70x15
100x10
130x5
160x5

190x5

220x5

250x21 PR+10lbs & 1 rep

Precor Pec Flyes
95x10

135x7

175x7

215x30 PR+3 reps

Stretching

Comments: So first mini cycle done and I seem no worse for wear. At least right now. Not exactly restful last week. I was definitely not getting the best sleep and I don’t seem to be learning that lesson to prioritize it. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Or I guess night in this instance. This week and next get a little complicated as far as training days. I’d rather stick to my schedule or give more rest but I need to adjust so that I can accommodate things. Next week is a holiday on one of my training days and I had forgotten that and had schedule a massage the day before so I’ll have to push out that week’s training a few days for Day 2 and Day 3. For this week, I have plans on one of my training days and have things already setup so that really I need to move Day 1 and Day 2 up a day. Not ideal, especially since my right side of my lower back (possibly the QL) is tight. Doing yard work the day before probably not helping matters.  If this was a deadlift session, I’d reconsider but this was to be upper body so not as bad.  AMT to start off the session. 155bpm highest reading. Not bad. I was hoping that this and the mobility prep and stretches would help with the lower back tightness on the right side. Felt good here. Nothing really ached. I’m not going to break down the movement prep. Some old, some new stuff. Dynamic stuff as well as short static stretches. The sequence is getting easier to remember and feels easier. I typically don’t like training on Monday as it is crowded and it was. The big platform was in use and I was kind of in cramped quarters to start. Workout the same as last time this came up (log, pulldowns, pec dec) just more weight. Set weights for the log to warm-up. I did some really light dumbbells before log just so that first rep wasn’t such a shock to the shoulder like last time. I could tell right away that my log press wasn’t feeling as fresh as last time. Plan was warm-up and do doubles up to 20lbs more than last time and do another set with slightly more if that felt good. But only if I knew there would be something left in the tank and there was no pain. Going into this, I had hoped that things would feel as crisp and smooth as last time. I got fatigue from being detrained but the power was there and I didn’t push it. This time, I could match things but it wasn’t as easy. The EMOM stuff from Saturday must have taken a bit out of me. People started to give me some distance after my first two sets. It felt like 170lbs or 190lbs were about same as how 210lbs felt last time. Erring closer to 170lbs. Adding bits each set. My ego wouldn’t let me stop at 230lbs but I could at least tell it that 250lbs wasn’t a good idea. 240lbs was ok, definitely tougher than I would’ve liked. I know I could’ve done 250x3 today but it would’ve been ugly and a max effort. But it was done. Just means I have something for next time hopefully. Pulldowns after that. Regular shoulder width grip. Didn’t feel as off-putting this time around. Felt like I needed to do a few more to get loose and used to the movement. I figured that things would even out. I was not ready for the back work last time and now that I’ve done a few weeks I would be. But I also did that EMOM with a lot of keg and sandbag carrying so who knows. I had to wait a little to get on the pulldowns so thankful the workout wasn’t as involved as in the past cycle. Pleased to manage getting +20 reps this time. Last thing for the day was pec flyes. My choice on weights for the warm-ups but 10lbs more for the top set. Chest has felt strong on stuff. Log had felt heavy so I thought maybe this would be down a little. Like the pulldowns, I had to wait a little for this machine to open up. This was definitely to failure on these reps as 30 was definitely my limit. Home to stretch, eat and recover. Hopefully I can get to feeling good for the next session as those previous three weeks were going to be the easiest ones for some time.

June 22, 2019 – Week 3, Day 3

5 Minutes NordicTrack Elliptical

Mobility Prep

Sandbag Tosses (over 15’)

30x1

30x1

30x1

30x1

30x1

Sandbag Rows

150x10

200x8

EMOM Medley (20)

Sandbag Carry – 200x50’

Keg Carry – 200x50’

Prowler 2 Push (turf) – 165x50’

Prowler 2 Drag (turf) – 165x50’

Sandbag Carry – 200x50’

Keg Carry – 200x50’

Prowler 2 Push (turf) – 165x50’

Prowler 2 Drag (turf) – 165x50’

Sandbag Carry – 200x50’

Keg Carry – 200x50’

Prowler 2 Push (turf) – 165x50’

Prowler 2 Drag (turf) – 165x50’

Sandbag Carry – 200x50’

Keg Carry – 200x50’

Prowler 2 Push (turf) – 165x50’

Prowler 2 Drag (turf) – 165x50’

Sandbag Carry – 200x50’

Keg Carry – 200x50’

Prowler 2 Push (turf) – 165x50’

Prowler 2 Drag (turf) – 165x50’

Stretching

Comments: Another training day in Lancaster. Got a little more sleep the night before and there wasn’t really a rush to get out there today. Not because I didn’t have stuff to do later but because this was going to be a shorter workout and it was going to take time to set things up for sure but after it was, it would move quickly. So I could afford to move at a casual pace today. Both getting out to train and between exercises. I got out there later than expected due to traffic near my home and near the airport. Ugh. Used the newer elliptical machine again. It actually can get to max elevation even quicker if it doesn’t get reset to flat. The other one always reverts to flat when you are done. Removing the ceiling tile is easier said than done so just left it there. Movement prep stuff felt good despite how achy some of my joints were. Keeping an eye on my abdominals. Didn’t need to do any foam rolling today. Shoulder was actually not barking at me today. Today’s workout was really to just be a light warm-up and then nonstop medley work. But I wanted to do some sandbag tosses. I’ve done a similar workout sequence before and it had been keg toss then so I figured I should keep a toss in the works, especially since the sandbag feels a little more technique than the keg toss. Also less collateral clanging and banging. I also don’t want to get anxious with the implement that injured me. I also don’t want to be mad or angry with it. Initially advised to do no more than 10 (including misses) but revised to 5 after I accidentally did double the reps I was supposed to for circus dumbbell this week. Oopsie. Just trying to launch the bag and get triple extension. No running up to it like prep for USS Nats. A little out of practice but still felt fine on my shoulder and body. Hard to get my body and the bag in the shot fully as the camera stand at the gym has been broken even more. I may just need to buy my own to keep with me. After that was some sandbag rows to prep for the majority of the workout. Light and medium. With the sandbag stuff from last week and sandbag prep for USS Nats, this was feeling pretty good. Just not in the center on the first rep of both sets. Rowing them short ways versus long ways. The rest of the workout was a giant set EMOM. Sandbag carry into keg carry into prowler push into prowler drag. 50’ each implement. Using the prowler on the turf as it would mean less weight and I wouldn’t have to worry about not having enough room if I used the concrete lane. I had wanted to use matching weights on the prowler to the keg stuff but the turf makes it a lot harder so only put a pair of plates on it. I was a little anxious about the keg part. Felt heavy moving it around at the start. But once I was into it, it was pretty light. I enjoy the EMOM stuff but I am definitely not in my usual shape. Sweating a fair amount. I was worried I’d lose my grip on the keg on the transition. The push felt harder than the drag but apparently I was moving faster on the push verses the drag. As is usually the case, I tend to get better up until the third set and then there is a decline. I was beginning to get tired on that last round as my legs felt heavy. But I got it done. Lower back and hips were tight and my abdominals were sore. Keg carries are unforgiving on the midsection. They don’t give like sandbags. Stretched out before driving home to do some recovery work and eat steaks. Survived the first three week cycle. Just going to get harder from here but I should be ok.

June 20, 2019 – Week 3, Day 2

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

16” Front Box Squats w/ Chains

No Chains

45x10

Added Chains (+50lbs)

45x3

95x3

135x3

185x3

185x3

185x3

Wide Grip Deadlifts (straps)

135x1

205x1

255x1

297x1

297x1

297x1

297x1

297x1

Back Raise Bench Sit-ups

BWx10

BWx10

Stretching

Comments: Feeling not as stressed but still stressed. Been going to sleep later and I don’t want to be but it feels like I need the time to get everything done in the day before hitting the sheets. Had DOMS in my hands from the thick handle of the circus dumbbell. I forgot that was something that happened if I didn’t do it for a long time haha. The slightly less stress made me less anxious about my shoulder and biceps. But I still craved sleep. AMT to warm-up.  Heart rate only got up to 149bpm so that seems good. Forgot one item on the movement prep at the very end but I remember later and did it. Granted it was hours later but I still did it (forearm stretch).  Today’s workout didn’t look very intense on paper. I actually thought I was going to be doing more sets based off assumption. Front box squats first thing. Plan was to do 3 sets of 3 with accommodating resistance of 40-50lbs. My choice of bands or chains and I went with chains as I haven’t done them in a while and easier to setup than bands. Chains tend to stay the same weight regardless of wear and tear or how fast you move. Knees were a little achy but to be expected. I was prepared for 5 sets of 3. Knees ached but not as much as they have or will on front box squats, especially considering I don’t think I’ve done these longer back then circus dumbbell and bench press. These were a bit rough. Left a stich in my left lower abdomen after that first working set so I figured I needed to have my core control on the rest of them. Really hope I start to get used to this stuff again and pick up the weights and pace. After that was wide grip deadlifts. I like these usually. I know my raw deadlift is down a good bit and these bars at the Y don’t help matters. I misplaced my one compression sock (it was in my bag but hidden inside my extra shirt) so I ended up taping my sweaty shins so that I didn’t have to worry about bleeding everywhere. 135lbs felt really easy but weight felt like something after that. This didn’t feel as easy as it used to. Still fast but I felt like some power is still missing. I finally realized that I could set an extra interval on the timer for the EMOMs so that I don’t have to rush my setup on the first one. Can’t believe it took that long. After that was abdominal work. Doing these on the back raise bench. Little tentative at first (I didn’t know if it would flip over) and then more confident each rep. Finished up the session and headed home to stretch and eat Mississippi roast.

June 18, 2019 – Week 3, Day 1

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses

Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme

(2 stage 2 second pauses)

20x1/1

45x1/1

70x1/1

90x1/1

110x1/1

Circus Dumbbell

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 R

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

130x1 L

Neutral Grip Precor Chest Supported Rows

130x5

180x5

230x5

280x21

Narrow Grip Bench Presses w/ Chains

No Chains

45x10

85x5

Added Chains (28lbs)

95x3

135x3

185x3

185x3

185x3

185x3

185x3

Stretching

Comments: I had been sore. Almost like something was hurt sore but it appears it was just really, really sore. Frame hold and farmer’s walk took it out of me. Didn’t help matters work with concrete the following day. Get those forearms sore too. Shoulder is still crappy. It has good days. Hard to tell if my upper back and traps being tight from farmer’s walk and frame holds is doing anything. I feel I have full ROM in the shoulder, just some motions there is hesitancy and slight pain. Kind of hoped it would be all better by now. Lifting is probably not helping matters. I’m not sure what if anything I could do by seeing a doctor about it other than being told rest. Nothing would appear to be torn. It’s annoying is what it is. Biceps have been feeling worked. A little paranoid about how they feel at times. Worrying that I’ve had minor tears or pulls. Like 18 months from that first one (pull) so still dodgy with that. Checking for deformity. Work was stressful and I knew this was going to be a longer workout compared to the last two weeks. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate peaked at 151bpm. Mobility work went well. On to weights. First thing on the docket being circus dumbbell work. Push press style with holds. Plan was 60-70% for 20 minute EMOM singles, ten for each side. This was going to be interesting with my left shoulder. Usually my strong side. Seemed to be okay with the lighter weights. The tricky part would be when I got to the big bell. See, 60% would’ve been the plateloadable dumbbell handle whereas 70% would be the empty dumbbell (I’d need to add a pound but I figured just empty was fine for coming back). Right side had no issues. Usually the first rep is terrible on that side and then I get the groove. I didn’t remember until half way in to stop looking at the mirror and look at the dumbbell. Then it was the left side. That side had cooled off a little from doing all the singles on the right side. Almost missed that first rep with the left side. Shoulder was tight and pressed it way out. I was really feeling these in my hip flexors when stabilizing the lockout. It got better on the left side but shoulder was kind of achy. Hard to tell if it just the ache from what I did with the sandbag over a month ago or if this is just how it feels after not doing dumbbell for like 6 months and having the deltoid bruises. Next was chest supported rows. Originally going to be the Cybex Eagle machine rows but I lobbied for the plateloaded machine. I feel this one is better (not as safe for the lower back) as I can go above 305lbs and it feels like a more smooth movement. Well usually a smooth movement. It felt alien today. Like dumbbell, been over six months. Back was quite sore. Three light sets and then a max rep set. I had honestly expected more reps with how I’ve done on these in the past but today this was what I had in me. Last thing was benching. Another oldie coming back. This had been dropped when my right shoulder had been bothering me and I had thought it was overly tight traps and using the manta ray bar attachment but it appears it was bicep tendonitis from the “no assistance” stone of steel training. But it seems safe again so it is back with a twist. As this is my speed , technique and work capacity week, this was for speed and had chains added. Forgot how those feel on pressing. Wrists weren’t expecting the extra weight. Took me a bit of tinkering to remember how to setup the leader chains to get it to be at the right height to be just barely touching at the top. Went pretty quick through these to end the night. I figure I’ll be sore tomorrow in new places that I didn’t think would be sore with being detrained. Home for stretching, food and recovery.

June 15, 2019 – Week 2, Day 3

5 Minutes NordicTrack Elliptical

Mobility Prep

18” I-Beam Farmer’s Walk
Turns at 50’

117x150’ in 20.21 seconds
207x150’ in 27.20 seconds
No Turns
277x100’ in 17.03 seconds

BiggDoggStrongg Frame Hold
570 for 63.96 seconds 

Sandbag to Platform (60”)
Extension Only

150x1

175x1

Loads

200x10

Vehicle Push (uphill)
carx105’9”’

Stretching

Comments: Out to Lancaster for event work again. Dealing with a good deal of DOMS in my legs from box squats on Thursday. Despite how tired I felt, I made myself go for a walk after work Friday and eat a big eye round roast. Get some blood moving in the legs. Still sore the following morning haha. WSM has been going on the past few days so keeping track with the unofficial spreadsheets and social media postings. Both good and bad stuff. I wanted to sleep in but I needed to train today and to get it done earlier than usual for family obligations. Had plans for Sunday so it had to be today. Drive out was pretty good. Not as much traffic this morning. People were there training so a little slower start as I socialized a little. People were going to ask since I hadn’t been there in close to a month. New elliptical was in the gym. This one was NordicTrack brand. The old one (still there) is PreCor. So I figured I’d test that out. It gets to the max elevation in about 30 seconds and there is cushioning for the feet. I reversed stride every 30 seconds. My head hits the ceiling if I stand up. One of the gym owners told me it was okay to move the ceiling tile in the future. Movement prep stuff felt good despite how achy some of my joints were and how tight my posterior chain felt. Some stuff is definitely feeling more solid. I ended up doing some foam rolling on my hamstrings before I started. Today’s workout was starting off with farmer’s walk. Reps is the focus this week so time under tension and distance play a factor. So of course farmer’s walks with a turn made an appearance. Previously with this training, it would be light stuff for longer distance with a single turn. Not this time. Lighter weight but multiple turns. Adding to that, turning each way in the same run. This could be an interesting event to have in competition.  First two runs were 50’, turn left, 50’ turn right and then 50’ to finish. Did two empty runs of just 50’ and then walked the course to get an idea of the turns. I was a little worried I’d just do two turns the same way. Legs were tight so I knew that I’d not be at my fastest this week. Going to have to get used to the training. First run wasn’t too bad. Second run was definitely taxing and harder to do with the weights being out with the plates on it and controlling with the wrists. Last set was a 100’ straight shot. Indoors I have 50’ on concrete and 100’ on turf. Since I was out of practice, I had no idea how the grip would do so I figured it was better to try and do this outside on concrete so if I had a case of the dropsies, I wouldn’t run the expense turf flooring. Usually this is a max distance run but not this time so thankful for that as I knew I’d be moving slow. Option was 250-275lbs. I just added 70lbs to the handles. Really, I was using 7lbs more per hand on what I was supposed to be doing on the other sets. Easier this way. Felt ok on this run. Definitely not my strongest but I was able to keep moving, no issues with the pick up or grip. Just not 100% of what I’ve been able to do. So after that was to be farmer’s holds. I prefer to use the thicker handle frame for holds as the handles on the farmer’s walk are pretty thin and the frame allows me to a higher pick height, less worry of tearing calluses and I don’t have to worry about my feet if I drop it. But the downside is it is heavy empty. 568lbs empty so I put on the .5kgs plates (IPF certified haha) to get it to be 570lbs. Plan here was a weight that I can hit for at least a minute. Normally no problem. I’ve held 600lbs on this for a minute and 280lbs farmer’s walk handles for nearly 75 seconds. But this has not been a focus. Normally this just feels heavy but I’m able to hold on and not really have my body shaking until about halfway. This time it felt heavy and my whole body was quivering right from the start. Just had to keep holding on. This might be the first time I didn’t follow the frame down on the drop as I was so desperate to get over a minute. I thought I was short but luckily I was a little over so success. Next was sandbag loads. Ugh. Only 200lbs for a set of ten but I knew this was going to be exhausting. This bending over and extending has been limited since December as the plan was to avoid multiple repetitions as my back recovered. Plan was a steady pace and take my time getting my grip secure on the pick. Don’t need to injure a biceps. I did two full extensions with lighter sandbags to make sure the movement didn’t bother anything and get an idea of how much suck I was going to be dealing with. I felt ok but it was going to be a fair amount of suck with how fried my posterior chain was. I really didn’t want to have to get down into a full squat with how tight and sore I felt. I used the same setup of the crash mats for stone of steel last week for this. Covered my arms in chalk and went at it. Not breathing that heavy thankfully but I was slow. I think it was more so that I have to be careful on the extension so that I fully clear the pads. If I don’t it moves. I didn’t want to have to deal with the yoke and moving around it but I had to control the sandbag coming back down so my tower of pads didn’t fall down. I just had to laugh at the end when it all came down after the last rep. Almost done. Last thing for the day was vehicle push. Mike was there and I knew he had a heavier vehicle than my Nissan Versa to push. It also had grill that had hand holds so no denting a bumper or fender.  Setup down the street so that I’d start flat and then it would go uphill right away. I really had no idea if I was going to be able to budge it. I was also thinking about the injuries at WSM from calf muscles, plantar fascia and Achilles tendons from truck pull so I was joking about it too keep that out of my head. A little hard to start but it moved and I knew that I could keep going for the full minute. It worked out just perfectly. I knew that I was going to be beat up tomorrow from this workout. Stretched before driving home.

June 13, 2019 – Week 2, Day 2

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

18” Box Squats

45x10

95x5

135x5

185x5

225x21

Back Extensions

BWx10

BW+25x10

BW+45x10

Planks

BWx60 Seconds

BW+45x33 Seconds

Stretching

Comments: I know I need to get back on a better sleep schedule. Been sleeping in but then leaving early to get to work to do stuff before I start. Definitely feeling tired. Had some DOMS from training on Tuesday. To be expected when doing reps and I have done nothing but walk for three weeks. I had evening plans so I had to try and expedite this workout. AMT felt good. Better than Tuesday. Heart rate was up to 153bpm. Managed to get through the warm-up stuff without looking at my sheet so getting it figured out. Much like last week, this workout was going to start intense and end pretty easy. No heavy singles today. Reps and so squats. No squats for many months and even then it was light or speed work with bands. So relatively light for box squats. Only working up to 225lbs but for max reps I want to do. Box was to be 1” above parallel. Since they got rid of the larger bumper plates, I’m only able to adjust my box to squat to by 2” so I figured that I was already below parallel on my regular box height of 16” so 18” should be the ticket. Looking at the video after the fact (I was in a rush so just kept it rolling the whole workout to save time) it might be at parallel for me with the 18” box. Only rest working up was just whatever time it took to put on or take off weights until I got to my working weight. I had asked if there was a set number of reps I should stop at (like 50 for the rotary hip stuff) and I was told no. So no idea how this would go. I was feeling a little fatiguing and breathing a little just working up to 225lbs. I took a bit more rest after that was ready as I knew this would be sucky. Wore a belt for this. Not my thick ratchet belt as I felt that was going to be overkill and I’d probably get out of breath before my lower back would fatigue. I had initially thought 30 reps but after like 8 I knew better. It felt easy but it was exhausting. Left inner thigh/hamstring felt weird in an odd way. Not sure what that was. I made a decision that I needed to get at least 20 reps here. Other than bar or bodyweight, I’ve not done this kind of reps on a set of squats. I then said let me do 21 and if my form doesn’t feel crisp, call it there. Video says I still had more there and power to spare. But I was sweating hard and breathing a bit after that. Had quite the lower back pump going. Made the next few things afterwards harder than they would be. Back extensions and planks felt good but man were my legs and lower back fatigued. Again, I was not taking a lot of rest. Only rest was taking down everything from the box squat setup and then it was back to back sets to get the work done. I know that I’ll have DOMS from this tomorrow. I also know that I’m going to need to be moving around tomorrow or I won’t be able to get up on Saturday to train. Stretching was split up and I had to wait until later to finish before bed. Recovery burritos and a relaxing evening to end the day.

June 11, 2019 – Week 2, Day 1

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

Axle Clean and Strict Presses (1 clean)

82x3

102x3

122x3

142x3

162x15

One Arm Dumbbell Rows (supported, tripod)

50x10/10

75x10/10

100x10/10

Added Straps

125x17/17

Push-ups (1 second pauses)

BWx10

BW+25x5

BW+45x20 PR+20lbs

Stretching

Comments: Survived that first week back. Starting the recovery stuff up again to keep from being stiff and sore and beat up. Last week was still holding back on stuff. Still kind of supposed do that this week too but not on as many things. Scheduled chiro and massage therapy sessions once a month. Have schedule all the way out to November set. Chiro less frequent and massage more frequent. Still got some niggles in the lower back that pop up every once in a while. Probably to be expected doing heavy stone work with extensions. Left shoulder is still wonky but I can do things. AMT to start off the session. 162bpm highest reading. A little stressed at work with trying to get stuff done but higher than I was expecting it to get there. It has been many months since it got over 160bpm on this. Movement prep stuff was good. Some joints ache from getting used again. But the stuff is becoming less of a hassle. Not quite ingrained in my mind yet like past warm-up stuff. Then gym time. First up was axle. Like log last week, staying light and doing one clean followed by strict presses. Keeping the clean technique like I would for a competition style or heavy weight. Difference this time was going to be more reps. Trying a 3 wave of max effort, repetition effort and dynamic effort. Less apparent on this day as only the first exercise is that while the rest of the workout is usual high rep stuff. At least for now. In either case, the plan was to do 20lbs jumps with triples and then work up to a weight that was easy and do 10-15 perfect smooth reps. The composed plan had me doing light stuff to start and topping out at 120ish for the rep set. Not pushing things, just making sure that everything felt ok and my shoulders could handle it. But my axle is 72lbs empty. And I had this notion of doing the axle plus the 45lbs bumper plates for my top set. Shoulder ached on that very first set. I was hoping it was more that I needed to get warmed up than it being a bad exercise. Next set felt better on the shoulder, but I screwed up my breathing and semi-blacked out at the end and took a knee until I stopped convulsing. You stop lifting for 3 weeks and you just seem to forget simple things. No issues after that. No Steve Kirit for today but a fun song was playing on the radio so I knew it was going to be a good set. Probably little tougher than I should’ve gone but I at least had 2 more reps there. Maybe 5 if I had worn hard belt, wrist wraps and went berserk. But not needed. So I guess I still did ok? Next was one arm rows. I figured since I’ve been doing these weekly that this wouldn’t be so bad. Wrong. Stone work from Saturday had my biceps really sore. Usually I feel it on the axle cleans but not so much today. No escaping it on the rows. Plan here was working up to a set weight with straps and repping out each side. Higher reps on the work up sets got my arms pumped up. I don’t need straps for 125lbs but goal was reps at this point. Besides, I have grip stuff for later this week and I plan on working with concrete to make another atlas stone so might as well save the grip. Got my old, old straps for these as the figure 8s and my long straps are too much. I just knew my upper back was going to be sore after these. Last thing was paused push-ups. Again, something I had been doing weekly last cycle. Cautious with the shoulder. Once I saw I could do them without pain, I was ready. I felt I was close to getting 20 reps with the 45lbs plate on my back if my endurance held up. Definitely feeling the fatigue and burn here. And will definitely feel it tomorrow. Got the 20 and that was a wrap. Home to stretch, recover and eat another tasty Mississippi Roast. With the workouts being a bit shorter, I don’t have to worry about it getting dried out so I can do it more frequently. The work week needs to calm down though.

June 8, 2019 – Week 1, Day 3

5 Minutes Elliptical Trainer

Mobility Prep

Yoke
200x50’ in 5.42 seconds
300x50’ in 5.70 seconds
400x50’ in 6.33 seconds
500x50’ in 6.87 seconds
500x50’ in 6.79 seconds

500x50’ in 6.93 seconds

Stone of Steel to Platform (60”, no support)
138x1

182x1

225.5x1

270.5x1

314x1

Atlas Stone to Platform (59”, tacky)
290x1
330x1
365x1 (22”)

Prowler 2 Drags (uphill)
405x152’

Stretching

Comments: First event session of new training with lower volume. I figured no one would really be there as a lot of people from the gym were competing this weekend. I was tired. I didn’t fall asleep until like after 12:30am so made my alarm two hours later. That wasn’t enough sleep. A bit slow going in the morning. Traffic was a little rough near Harrisburg but fine after that. This work was going to be a lot shorter than the usual stuff from USS Nats prep but it was still going to take a lot of time due to setup and tear down as I expected no one was really going to be there. As I mentioned, trying to do the short cardio stuff standing up with how much sitting down I do at work and since I’m in the car for 40 minutes to get there. So elliptical it was. Took about 40 seconds for the machine to get to max incline and then reversed stride about every minute after that. Movement prep stuff felt good. Yoke was up first. I went with the slightly lighter yoke as the weights for today were going to be really light relative to what I usually have for yoke. I also forgot my gloves for yoke and the lighter one doesn’t have sharp edges.  I was by myself and it is tough to get times when it is a longer course in a confined space. Loading it up with 25lbs plates also helped as I could see the skids easier. Figured out a way to load up the hand truck with 25lbs plates without them slipping through the back. Knees were really bothering me so that’s good. I think I had my yoke height too high as well but again, light stuff. Did two empty runs. Hamstrings were tight so I did some foam rolling before I got serious. Plan for yoke was just to do five working sets with the last three being 500lbs. Easy and work on speed. Having a set spot for the camera, I figured I’d just reset the yoke each time. Give me a little rest. I was sweating a fair amount. I’m just thankful it wasn’t that humid, there were fans going and the open air was helping. Only set that was faster than my best was 300lbs. Trying to go as fast as I can with the 500lbs sets and trying to beat my time each time. Second run was my fastest of the day. Closest I got to my PR time was .23 seconds. Next was stone work. The plan here was work up in singles to 80% of my best no tacky stone and then put on stone stuff and work up to 80% of my best  with stuff on. Or I should say, the percentages were to be based off what I felt I could hit today. I tend to focus on my best and not where I’m at it seems. Seemed that it would make more sense to do stone of steel  for the no tacky stuff and then go to real atlas stones for tacky. Real stones are filthy. I’m also out of practice. Haven’t done a real atlas stone in almost 14 months. Anyways, back to the workout. The bar I usually use for stone over bar has been used heavily so I don’t want to get anything on the stone of steel. I had the idea of using the soft crash boxes stacked for loads instead. I was worried that my shoulder and the sweat would be a problem today. They weren’t. Took plate jumps on the stone of steel. 80% of my best without any equipment would be about 286lbs and that wouldn’t be an easy plate configuration to get to. I figured I’d see how 270.5lbs went (3 plates) and go from there. The picks and laps were easy but my extension isn’t feeling as strong. No real extension work for like 6 months. I also made sure to try and get my ankles involved for triple extension. 270.5lbs felt too light to stop at so another plate in the SOS. Felt like I had some weight in there this time. Still comfortable but like the 18” pull earlier this week, not quite 80%. Then it was atlas stones. I’m out of practice with the little things. Like applying tacky and putting on a good tape wrap. My form is a little different on the pick compared to a no assistance SOS so I did a single with a stone lighter than my last single on the SOS. I can see why Brian said sealing them will be a summer project. No issues with the picks or laps here as well. Just my core on the extensions wasn’t as solid. There is a big jump from 375lbs to 430lbs in the stones. Going to have to make an in-between stone soon. The 365lbs atlas stone was going to make me work more for that extension being 22” diameter so I went for it. Got it. Real stones should come back to me quick. I do not miss the clean up afterwards.  Goo Gone and a scouring pad. Luckily I brought extra clothes. Last thing was to be a vehicle drag. But no one was here by that point. So sled drag it was. Loaded up a prowler with all the 25lbs I had from yoke and had it set up in the alley out front. Steep incline so I figured the weight would be enough  and I wouldn’t get to the end by the time 60 seconds was up. Just trying to budge it as a test felt rough but doable. I guess I took it more seriously when it was time to do it as I moved it quite easily. Like there wasn’t an incline. I was very close to finishing the length before time expired. Going to need to put more weight on it next time if I got to use a sled. Put stuff away and got ready for the drive home. I needed a hot shower before I started trying to stretch. Need to get all this stone mess off me.

June 6, 2019 – Week 1, Day 2

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

18” Jack Stand Pulls

135x5

225x3

Added Suit

315x1

365x1

415x1

465x1

515x0

Added Straps

515x1

565x1

615x1

Kettlebell Goblet Squats
53x10

53x10

Hanging Leg Raises
BWx15

BWx15

Stretching

Comments: Survived the first workout. Shouldn’t be an accomplishment but you never really know. Definitely feeling soreness from the workout from not doing stuff for about a month. To be expected. Feeling a little tired from a little bit of staying up later than I should. AMT felt good. I’d usually do the bike this day but I figure with how much I sit during the day, I should stick to upright stuff for the warm-ups. Heart rate was up to 153bpm. So I think this will get better. The new warm-up stuff isn’t quite sticking yet. I got to keep looking at the list of things but I’m sure I’ll get it memorized in short order. Only thing of note from this was the squats had the muscles in my legs screaming. This happened when I first got back to training in 2016 from the injury and when I took off two weeks due to the flu in 2017. Not a good feeling but I know it will pass. Today’s session was going to have an intense part to it but afterwards would be smooth sailing. 18” deadlifts for today. Plan was to work up in 50lbs jumps after warming up and do singles up to 80%. Working on getting used to heavy weight again in a safer position for my lower back. I had asked if these were to be raw or not and answer was kind of up to me. I figured I’d do the suit work since that meant more weight and I’d be using one at NY Record Breakers and Fullkester. My best every is 765lbs in the gym so I set that and 612lbs was 80% so I went with 615lbs as it was easier math as that meant I could start my singles at 315lbs. Not getting as much pop from 18” compared to 16” or 13”. Out of practice. Literally the second time I’ve done this this year. My form was garbage last time but at least I knew my back could hold up to deadlifts at that time. Using a barbell in the jack stands so didn’t have to wear straps to start. Not the best knurling on the one I was using. Felt tempted to see how my grip was on these. A little out of practice. I think with chalk I’d have got 515lbs my first attempt without the straps. Straps on after that. It can be hard to tell how much the percentage feels with the suit as the weight still feels heavy but moves faster. I’ve said that before. I’m not at my best here. Might have been heavier than what was anticipated for 80%. I definitely feel that 100lbs more was doable but not 150lbs. So probably closer to 85%. I didn’t wreck myself or get stupid and do a max single. I set a limit and stuck to it. After that was lighter stuff. Kettlebell goblet squats for two sets. Easy stuff. Goal was to focus on the form. Keep chest up and push knees out to open up the hips and groin. I paused these in the hole a breath just because I felt like moving really fast wouldn’t be great for form. Especially since I’ve done very little squatting since the reinjury in December and the fact that all of my squatting since 2016 has been to a parallel box or higher. I got the ROM and the strength but control might not be the best right now. It was easy though so that is good. Last thing was hanging leg raises. Seemed to be a distinction between these and what I was doing with the knee raises. I wanted to try them so I hogged the lifting station where I was doing the 18” pulls so that no one used it so that I could use the pull-up bar to try these out. Not quite tall enough for me to hang and doing leg lifts but better. Still have to reset each rep to keep from swaying and having momentum help me. A bit awkward but they definitely helped deload my spine a bit. Home after that for stretching, food and icing my knees.

June 4, 2019 – Week 1, Day 1

So I took a break. I needed it. Got frustrated and depressed with myself. My shoulder hurt from the sandbag and my motivation was just gone. I had overtrained. Trying to do too much. I had assumed I was ok from the injury in December but really, I was just burning the wick at both ends and continuing to push it with the compressed timeframe. I should’ve just taken a step back after the Arnold to get healthy. But I didn’t think that right after the fact so I lost 15.5lbs in a few days, dropped out of US Nats and kind of quit. I had messaged my coach and said I was done. This was tough. I was upset for days and it took a while to get out of the funk. I was going to try it on my own. I needed to find the joy in this again. A week later I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to do it alone. Trying to plan one training program was ungainly and it was not workable if I wanted to do another competition. I didn’t know if I wanted to compete again. Plan is to go back to things that were working so I don’t overtrain. 14 weeks of training and then compete in three competitions; NY Record Breakers on 9/8/19 in New York, Krank’d on 10/5/19 in Pennsylvania and Fullkerster on 11/3/19 in Maryland. All for fun contests with chances to qualify for both USS and SC if I want to do them next year.

5 Minutes Precor AMT

Mobility Prep

12” Log Clean and Strict Presses (1 clean)
90x3
110x3
130x3

150x3

170x3

190x3

210x3

Pulldowns
90x10
120x5
150x5

180x5

210x5

240x20

Precor Pec Flyes
85x10

125x7

165x7

205x32 PR+20lbs & 2 reps

Stretching

Comments: It’s been about 3 weeks since I had my little pity party. I finally wanted to get back to training and lifting. So I fully expected things to be a little rough. AMT to start off the session. 157bpm highest reading. A little expected to be honest with just doing brisk walks since I took the break. I’m glad my shoulder wasn’t really acting up on this. Felt good here. Nothing really ached. I’m not going to break down the movement prep. Some old, some new stuff. Dynamic stuff as well as short static stretches. Keeps the heartrate up so kind of like a continuation of the warm-ups. Idea being to get my body used to whatever I’m going to be doing for the day in the workout and make sure stuff isn’t bothering it. I knew that some of this stuff was going to make me sore from being detrained. After that was done, it was time to train. Not a lot of volume for right now. First up log press. Clean once and strict press for triples. Plan here was to work up to a decent weight. Don’t want any pain here. If it hurt, I was going to stop. Empty log and taking 20lbs jumps. Left shoulder was a little achy that first set and I was a little off balance but I got my groove down after that. Felt comfortable. I forgot my rehband belt so I just used the copper back wrap. I ran into Steve Kirit at the Y. Competitor in IFSA, WSM and Arnold in the early 2000’s. Also two-time America’s Strongest Man. And he kind of knew who I was. That was kind of surreal. Put me in a good mood. Maybe this was good sign. What are the chances? Topped out at 210lbs because my reps slowed down a little and wasn’t as automatic. Slightly over 85% of my best triple so good stuff and exactly what I needed to hit. Pulldowns after that. Regular shoulder width grip. Felt so weird compared to the wide grip that I was doing. Plan was to work up to 240lbs for max reps if everything felt good. It did but this was harder than I thought it would be. You’d think the shoulder width grip would be easier but I guess not. Goal had been 15-20 reps and I got 20. After that was pec flyes to end the night. I was a little leery of how these would go. I figured that these might be the thing that bothered my shoulder and I’d have to lower weight or not do them. But no, these felt ok. I wasn’t expecting a rep PR here as I was assuming my conditioning was a little down from not training (endurance seems to drop off faster than strength) but nope. Felt good with the workout and that I had left something to spare. I think that’s the idea for now. Home to stretch. Made sure to add stretches for my hip adductors and tibialis anterior as these have been tight and neglected with my stretching. Tasty Mississippi roast and bed.