Lateral Stepdowns
bwx3/3 20”
bwx8/8 32”
bwx8/8 32”
bwx8/8 32”
bwx3/3 20”
bwx8/8 32”
bwx8/8 32”
bwx8/8 32”
Safety Squat Bar Squats (5 second eccentrics)
75x3
125x3
175x3
225x3
275x3
325x8
325x8
325x6
75x3
125x3
175x3
225x3
275x3
325x8
325x8
325x6
Titan Fitness Frame Deadlifts (16” pick)
115x3
185x3
255x3
325x3
400x3
400x3
400x3
400x3
400x3
115x3
185x3
255x3
325x3
400x3
400x3
400x3
400x3
400x3
Titan Fitness Frame Holds (20” pick)
485 for 5 seconds
575 for 5 seconds
630 for 60 seconds
485 for 5 seconds
575 for 5 seconds
630 for 60 seconds
Sandbag Over Bar (56”)
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
225x2
Bearhug Step Ups (12”)
100x12/12
100x12/12
100x12/12
100x12/12
100x12/12
100x12/12
Glute Ham Raise Negatives (8 seconds)
bwx7 (miscounted)
bwx8
bwx8
bwx7 (miscounted)
bwx8
bwx8
Stretching
Comments: Another not quite normal end of the week training session for this particular prep. Last week had involved a lot more driving around and diverted focus with having my younger sister training with me. Update on that front is that she got into the Battle At The Bridge show off the waitlist so now we will both be competing at the same show. Only second time ever and last time was PA Dutch Strong 6yrs ago. So that is something. As far the changes for today’s session was that I had to go a lot later in the day to train. Gym was closed until 6PM due to running another strongman show. I had kept track at home and it looked like a lot less people at this one compared to the show two weeks prior. Honestly, it looked like everything was done by 3PM but I didn’t get any updates about things opening up earlier so I stuck with that plan. I had slept in (I took anti-inflammatories as my neck was still tense so I could sleep well enough) to one feel rested and two to hopefully not feel the crash of training essentially 7hrs later than usual for event work heavy session after 45 minutes drive. I did some soft tissue work on my calves and neck a few hours before leaving. I could feel myself not being so full of pep in my step. A few people there when I got there but they weren’t training. I think they had helped out at the contest. I noticed there was only one port-a-potty when there were three at the last show. Some people looked to be finishing up their workouts as well. So pretty much going to be by myself. With how late it was going to be when I got home, that was fine as I needed no distractions today. So starting things off was lateral stepdowns. Advised here to do 3x8 at RPE 7. Some same as last week. I was a little leery about the right knee as it was feeling a little of an upswing the past few days. Took what I learned from last week as far as warming up. Was feeling slightly better. Right knee was fussy that first set. I was trying to figure out why it was harder for me to seeming touch the floor on the one side vs the other and I think I realized that my legs were angling differently (left leg more forward when using right, right leg more backward when using left). Once I got them both on the same page, things seemed to be a bit better. Consistent with the rest breaks this time around and didn’t feel like I needed much rest between sides. From there it was on to ssb squats. I didn’t want to do these. Already had done squats this week (both with ssb and tortuous tempo goblet squats) and what was planned wasn’t fun. 3-5ct eccentrics with 325 for 3x8. 2-3 minutes rest. I knew I was going to need 3 minutes rests or more on these. I know I don’t recover well from tempo squats between sets. And this was going to be tough as I haven’t done more than 7 reps on these kinds of squats before. Considering how rough these were for me last week with less reps, I felt this was a big ask. I had thought I had been through with my packing for the gym but it appears that I took out a hard belt thinking I wouldn’t need it (only had the soft belts and the ratchet belt). Ratchet belt is too thick and too much for full squats. So I ended up borrowing a thinner leather belt off the rack. For this kind of weight, it was fine. Just thinner than I usually use (right width, not right thickness). I could tell this was going to be tough with the first rep. I got through the first set and was ok. Rest was closer to 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Second set was tough but still felt I could do a third set. I was sucking wind a good bit. Rest for this one was 3 minutes and 40 seconds because I had taken off all the support belt stuff to breath better and kept fumbling with it. I had contemplated asking the other people for spot but more to keep count so that I could focus on just one series of numbers but I didn’t as I figured that that would make things easy for me and I couldn’t really compare the other two sets then. I was feeling like my bracing was going better this time around. On the fifth rep of the third set I lost my air in the descent and that shifted me forward a good bit coming out of the hole. It was like I was on my tippy toes and had to catch myself and get back on stable footing. That was exhausting. Going for the sixth rep I felt like I had no power. My hamstrings were just gone. I got it up and racked the weight. I was really breathing hard and annoyed that I couldn’t do 3x8 with this in the parameters set. Thinking about how I’m struggling with squats while guys out there today getting “pro status”. I contemplated getting back under the bar to do those last two reps but it was taking more than a minute to get my breathing under control and I figured it wasn’t a good idea to continue the folly. Especially since this wasn’t to be something I didn’t finish as far as the intent since I was to report back RIR on the last set. So -2RIR I guess lol. From there it was on to more event specific things. Frame deadlift. Same as last week with 5x3 EMOM style but 40lbs heavier and no hold on the last rep. Right knee a little achy but these are still moving really fast. When it comes to contest, I’ll have to think on if I should remain strapped in or if I should be standing up and getting my air each time with the weight changes being done. There isn’t any split times. I guess have to play around with things depending on how long it takes for the weight changes. So with the hold dropped from the last rep, that part was made its own thing. 360lbs is nothing and 400lbs was not going to register either. The plan was to do a frame hold of RPE 7.5-8 for 45-60 seconds. I asked for clarification on the focus here as I can hold on to things real good but pick could be a limiting factor and considering that I’m essentially squatting and deadlifting twice a week this training cycle currently, I wanted to make sure. The response was to work for both the frame deadlift event and grip for Hercules hold (something that didn’t stretch the shoulders out). So I figured raising things up 4” would be perfect to cover both things. Now initially I had planned to use the frame from PA Dutch but that behemoth got put away back in the corner it was in before and has a bunch of stuff in it and on it for storage. So didn’t make sense to mess with that for just this. So I elevated that frame with rubber mats. I think I didn’t really want to use this frame because it has knurling and don’t really want to tear my hands up. I did some short holds to warm-up. I set a timer for 75 seconds and picked it up right before it hit 60 seconds. I was really surprised how this felt as I still could hold longer once I got a minute but I set it down. My grip endurance seems good. I wasn’t expecting that much time and I’d probably had gone up 20-30lbs more if I knew how easily I hit 60 seconds and aim for a lower time with that weight. But it might be best to prepare for both scenarios as I know there are two people at least that can hold stuff for days as well. Sandbag after that. Contest is 265lbs over 52” in 60 seconds. Have to run around (or under) the yoke to get to the bag after each rep. It’s a light sandbag so this is going to be rough building up the conditioning for this. I’m thankful that the promoter has been posting up videos of the events and how they will be performed so I can practice the skills that mean the difference between victory and defeat. It’s not enough to be strong. The plan for today was 225lbs for 8x2 done EMOM style. I adjusted how I probably would’ve done this if I hadn’t seen the example video. Usually, I set my grip on sandbags for loads when done EMOM and go around the yoke in circle fashion. However, we will have to start off the bag and there will be someone on the one side of the yoke. So I will need to work on getting a good pick on the sandbag and have to alternate directions (as I’m too tall to make going under it feasible). Additionally, they are using the same yoke I have access to and indicated it would be loaded with 25’s to weigh it down. It’s not a lot but it does compromise how much space is there. As has been the case with load events, doing 4” higher than contest. Since light, no support gear this session. That first set I was frustrated how long it was taking me to get the bag up that first rep which lead me to rushing things on the second double with trying to just curl it over the bar. I’m not sure what the best way to go about this as far as the load on whether I should violently toss it over or just plop and let it fall. Chucking it could let it get outside the confines of the yoke footprint but can lead to odd landings. I did move the sandbag at the start to a more favorable position earlier on but I figured I should play by golf rules of where it lies type thing. Practice the side load style of Phil Pfister. Be ready for anything. So these started out ok and felt good by the end. I was averaging a little over 12 seconds each double. So potentially looking at 9 reps (+or- 2) depending on fatigue factor at that pace (bag counts when it hits ground otherwise I’d bump it to 10). After this was step ups. Anterior load held in a bearhug and do to 3x12-15. I confirmed that all load was to be anterior and that it was probably best to alternate legs rather and all one side then the other. I thought these wouldn’t be so bad. I was wrong. I was horribly horribly wrong. I immediately realized that I was going to have to go quite light here to even hit the minimum reps. Used the lightest sandbag so I still felt like I was doing something. I’m not sure what specifically is being worked here but I hate it. The proprioception needed is new since with the sandbag in front, I can’t see my feet or where I’m stepping. So there was some CNS excitement from that. Similar to the activation from standing on one foot and then closing your eyes. These were tough and I was counting down the reps until freedom when I could safely let go of the sandbag. I think this was the moment when I realized that this might end up being the toughest training cycle of my strongman career and it is just starting. Last thing for the session was glute ham raises. But just negatives. Its sad when this is seen as a break from the madness. Relaxing almost. My stomach had been in knots the whole workout so I was gassy and not able to stomach as much liquids as I wanted/needed. These were fine but I apparently miscounted the first set as these were to be 3x8. Put stuff away and got ready for a late night drive home. I hate driving at night, especially going in and out of busy city areas. My right knee didn’t bother me nearly as much as it has been and some of the things I learned from having to drive a lot last weekend helped too. I had pot roast when I got home and then stretched. I knew it was going to be a late night when I started eating dinner after 10PM. Iced knees before bed.
Comments: Another not quite normal end of the week training session for this particular prep. Last week had involved a lot more driving around and diverted focus with having my younger sister training with me. Update on that front is that she got into the Battle At The Bridge show off the waitlist so now we will both be competing at the same show. Only second time ever and last time was PA Dutch Strong 6yrs ago. So that is something. As far the changes for today’s session was that I had to go a lot later in the day to train. Gym was closed until 6PM due to running another strongman show. I had kept track at home and it looked like a lot less people at this one compared to the show two weeks prior. Honestly, it looked like everything was done by 3PM but I didn’t get any updates about things opening up earlier so I stuck with that plan. I had slept in (I took anti-inflammatories as my neck was still tense so I could sleep well enough) to one feel rested and two to hopefully not feel the crash of training essentially 7hrs later than usual for event work heavy session after 45 minutes drive. I did some soft tissue work on my calves and neck a few hours before leaving. I could feel myself not being so full of pep in my step. A few people there when I got there but they weren’t training. I think they had helped out at the contest. I noticed there was only one port-a-potty when there were three at the last show. Some people looked to be finishing up their workouts as well. So pretty much going to be by myself. With how late it was going to be when I got home, that was fine as I needed no distractions today. So starting things off was lateral stepdowns. Advised here to do 3x8 at RPE 7. Some same as last week. I was a little leery about the right knee as it was feeling a little of an upswing the past few days. Took what I learned from last week as far as warming up. Was feeling slightly better. Right knee was fussy that first set. I was trying to figure out why it was harder for me to seeming touch the floor on the one side vs the other and I think I realized that my legs were angling differently (left leg more forward when using right, right leg more backward when using left). Once I got them both on the same page, things seemed to be a bit better. Consistent with the rest breaks this time around and didn’t feel like I needed much rest between sides. From there it was on to ssb squats. I didn’t want to do these. Already had done squats this week (both with ssb and tortuous tempo goblet squats) and what was planned wasn’t fun. 3-5ct eccentrics with 325 for 3x8. 2-3 minutes rest. I knew I was going to need 3 minutes rests or more on these. I know I don’t recover well from tempo squats between sets. And this was going to be tough as I haven’t done more than 7 reps on these kinds of squats before. Considering how rough these were for me last week with less reps, I felt this was a big ask. I had thought I had been through with my packing for the gym but it appears that I took out a hard belt thinking I wouldn’t need it (only had the soft belts and the ratchet belt). Ratchet belt is too thick and too much for full squats. So I ended up borrowing a thinner leather belt off the rack. For this kind of weight, it was fine. Just thinner than I usually use (right width, not right thickness). I could tell this was going to be tough with the first rep. I got through the first set and was ok. Rest was closer to 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Second set was tough but still felt I could do a third set. I was sucking wind a good bit. Rest for this one was 3 minutes and 40 seconds because I had taken off all the support belt stuff to breath better and kept fumbling with it. I had contemplated asking the other people for spot but more to keep count so that I could focus on just one series of numbers but I didn’t as I figured that that would make things easy for me and I couldn’t really compare the other two sets then. I was feeling like my bracing was going better this time around. On the fifth rep of the third set I lost my air in the descent and that shifted me forward a good bit coming out of the hole. It was like I was on my tippy toes and had to catch myself and get back on stable footing. That was exhausting. Going for the sixth rep I felt like I had no power. My hamstrings were just gone. I got it up and racked the weight. I was really breathing hard and annoyed that I couldn’t do 3x8 with this in the parameters set. Thinking about how I’m struggling with squats while guys out there today getting “pro status”. I contemplated getting back under the bar to do those last two reps but it was taking more than a minute to get my breathing under control and I figured it wasn’t a good idea to continue the folly. Especially since this wasn’t to be something I didn’t finish as far as the intent since I was to report back RIR on the last set. So -2RIR I guess lol. From there it was on to more event specific things. Frame deadlift. Same as last week with 5x3 EMOM style but 40lbs heavier and no hold on the last rep. Right knee a little achy but these are still moving really fast. When it comes to contest, I’ll have to think on if I should remain strapped in or if I should be standing up and getting my air each time with the weight changes being done. There isn’t any split times. I guess have to play around with things depending on how long it takes for the weight changes. So with the hold dropped from the last rep, that part was made its own thing. 360lbs is nothing and 400lbs was not going to register either. The plan was to do a frame hold of RPE 7.5-8 for 45-60 seconds. I asked for clarification on the focus here as I can hold on to things real good but pick could be a limiting factor and considering that I’m essentially squatting and deadlifting twice a week this training cycle currently, I wanted to make sure. The response was to work for both the frame deadlift event and grip for Hercules hold (something that didn’t stretch the shoulders out). So I figured raising things up 4” would be perfect to cover both things. Now initially I had planned to use the frame from PA Dutch but that behemoth got put away back in the corner it was in before and has a bunch of stuff in it and on it for storage. So didn’t make sense to mess with that for just this. So I elevated that frame with rubber mats. I think I didn’t really want to use this frame because it has knurling and don’t really want to tear my hands up. I did some short holds to warm-up. I set a timer for 75 seconds and picked it up right before it hit 60 seconds. I was really surprised how this felt as I still could hold longer once I got a minute but I set it down. My grip endurance seems good. I wasn’t expecting that much time and I’d probably had gone up 20-30lbs more if I knew how easily I hit 60 seconds and aim for a lower time with that weight. But it might be best to prepare for both scenarios as I know there are two people at least that can hold stuff for days as well. Sandbag after that. Contest is 265lbs over 52” in 60 seconds. Have to run around (or under) the yoke to get to the bag after each rep. It’s a light sandbag so this is going to be rough building up the conditioning for this. I’m thankful that the promoter has been posting up videos of the events and how they will be performed so I can practice the skills that mean the difference between victory and defeat. It’s not enough to be strong. The plan for today was 225lbs for 8x2 done EMOM style. I adjusted how I probably would’ve done this if I hadn’t seen the example video. Usually, I set my grip on sandbags for loads when done EMOM and go around the yoke in circle fashion. However, we will have to start off the bag and there will be someone on the one side of the yoke. So I will need to work on getting a good pick on the sandbag and have to alternate directions (as I’m too tall to make going under it feasible). Additionally, they are using the same yoke I have access to and indicated it would be loaded with 25’s to weigh it down. It’s not a lot but it does compromise how much space is there. As has been the case with load events, doing 4” higher than contest. Since light, no support gear this session. That first set I was frustrated how long it was taking me to get the bag up that first rep which lead me to rushing things on the second double with trying to just curl it over the bar. I’m not sure what the best way to go about this as far as the load on whether I should violently toss it over or just plop and let it fall. Chucking it could let it get outside the confines of the yoke footprint but can lead to odd landings. I did move the sandbag at the start to a more favorable position earlier on but I figured I should play by golf rules of where it lies type thing. Practice the side load style of Phil Pfister. Be ready for anything. So these started out ok and felt good by the end. I was averaging a little over 12 seconds each double. So potentially looking at 9 reps (+or- 2) depending on fatigue factor at that pace (bag counts when it hits ground otherwise I’d bump it to 10). After this was step ups. Anterior load held in a bearhug and do to 3x12-15. I confirmed that all load was to be anterior and that it was probably best to alternate legs rather and all one side then the other. I thought these wouldn’t be so bad. I was wrong. I was horribly horribly wrong. I immediately realized that I was going to have to go quite light here to even hit the minimum reps. Used the lightest sandbag so I still felt like I was doing something. I’m not sure what specifically is being worked here but I hate it. The proprioception needed is new since with the sandbag in front, I can’t see my feet or where I’m stepping. So there was some CNS excitement from that. Similar to the activation from standing on one foot and then closing your eyes. These were tough and I was counting down the reps until freedom when I could safely let go of the sandbag. I think this was the moment when I realized that this might end up being the toughest training cycle of my strongman career and it is just starting. Last thing for the session was glute ham raises. But just negatives. Its sad when this is seen as a break from the madness. Relaxing almost. My stomach had been in knots the whole workout so I was gassy and not able to stomach as much liquids as I wanted/needed. These were fine but I apparently miscounted the first set as these were to be 3x8. Put stuff away and got ready for a late night drive home. I hate driving at night, especially going in and out of busy city areas. My right knee didn’t bother me nearly as much as it has been and some of the things I learned from having to drive a lot last weekend helped too. I had pot roast when I got home and then stretched. I knew it was going to be a late night when I started eating dinner after 10PM. Iced knees before bed.
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