May 14, 2022 – Week 9, Day 4

ATG Split Squats (12” box, lb ankle distraction)
bwx15/15
bwx15/15
bwx15/15

Safety Squat Bar Squats to 19” Box w/ bands (+60lbs bottom/+86lbs top)
65x3
115x3
155x3
205x3
245x3
295x3
345x3
345x3
345x3
345x3
345x3

Yoke (5’ run ups)
Casual Pace
200x50’
200x50’
Normal
290x50’
380x25’
470x25’
560x25’ in 5.39 seconds
650x25’ in 6.11 seconds
720x50’ in 12.58 seconds
720x50’ in 11.32 seconds
670x50’ in 8.32 seconds (no run up)

Hercules Holds
170 for 10 seconds
260 for 5 seconds
350 for 15 seconds
290 for 39.41 seconds
190 for 85.35 seconds

Paused GHD Back Extensions (5 seconds)
bwx3
bw+20x12
bw+20x12

Band Assisted Teardrop Squats (sb assist)
bwx25
bwx25
bwx25

Axle Wrist Curls (5-0-0-3 tempo)/Tibialis Anterior Raises/Standing Calf Raises
85x10/bwx15/bwx15
85x10/bwx15/bwx15

Stretching

Comments: I am hard on myself with my pursuit of strongman. But not so hard that I put myself into the pits of despair. For how I truly feel as far as my grade to what I want in comparison to what I allow I am being soft. A balance as too much would be complete discouragement. I feel that at this point, I've reached the absolute bare minimum to feel like I can compete at Nationals but I don't know if I can sustain that seeing how worn I'm feeling from doing two shows one cycle after the other. Training today was going to be a little complicated. My younger sister was going to be training at the gym with me so that would require some effort to make sure that I’m getting my stuff done but she gets the attention and focus needed. She moved recently so it wasn’t going to be nearly as bad as far as picking up and driving out. But work kind of beat me down more than I was expecting so things I had planned to do earlier didn’t happen and meant I’d need to do them in the morning. Also dealing with a little bit of sciatica. Happens when I work lower back hard sometimes. Reminders of the disc issues in my back and that my physiology (per chiropractor) is prone to issues with slight deviations due to narrow openings for the nerve bundles in spine. So just having inflamed muscles can sometimes be enough to add pressure. So that was something I wasn’t too thrilled about having come up Friday into Saturday. Had to meal prep breakfast for next week (and today) and get dinner prepped as well as it was going to be a long day. Probably only person training with gravy on their shorts. I did try to do some dip station lower back compression to see if that helped any as that has been my go-to for this. My belt I used to use broke last training cycle so I had to makeshift something. Not as effective but it was something. Plan was to try and do some more when I got the gym. Driving out was fine. Caught up with her (we talk but mostly just sharing memes back and forth). Good bit of people in the gym but didn’t really seem like it was the large group of people usually there that past few times. Some things did clear out a little bit after we got there. I did some more dip station decompression and it helped a little bit more. I was still nervous it would flare up on stuff today but have to see and not assume. We are both doing the same show (which hadn’t been the case the last time we were out there together) so I had to plan things to keep to my routine but also keep her stuff in a good way and not cool down too much (I do a lot more exercises then she does). Initially didn’t have to worry about cooling down as the gym fans weren’t on and while not hot outside, it was beastly humid inside and I was soaking through my shirt early on. Should’ve brought more sweat towels. ATG split squats to a high box with band distraction again. I felt I could use thicker band this time around and didn’t need to do any mobility stuff to be ready to go. Same as last time as far as reps and sets (3x8-15 and add holds and pauses). These felt fine though it does appear that I’m not quite anchoring the band right. Or at least not on the right part of my body. Too high and not on the talus. I will have to correct that next time by angling the anchor point down so that it doesn’t try to ride up and wear low cut shoes or be barefoot (socks). Did these all back to back like last time with only rest being between sides just switching position and band. Squats with the ssb to box again after that. Again, not right away. I had to wait. Which annoyed me because I how things went. Someone had “claimed” one of the squat racks and they were talking a long time with someone that was leaving before actually starting. And then they had to use one of those massage therapy guns on their legs before even getting under the bar to squat. And they weren’t even using the power rack part of it, just the outside so he could’ve been anywhere else really. But also there was issues with the bands. I’ve been using mini bands (2 pairs) a side and people break them or they get used for stuff. So since I need 4 bands, this happens where I don’t have them. So this was one of those days. I had switched to the mini bands as the light bands from before had issues with people using them to get traction on benching and there is a huge discrepancy between them as far as which ones are good or not. So no issues with getting the light bands but I have a feeling that these were more tension then I had planned on. I had done a rough check and they seemed to match what I was doing. But this tension felt heavy and was trying to crumple me forward. I was also sweating like crazy and this weight felt heavy on my knees. 15lbs more than last week for what is probably the end of the 3 week wave. About half way into these the fans got turned on and what a relief that was. Yoke was next but not right away. Had my sister do all her yoke runs first before I went on to do my. So this is likely the last heavy one of the training cycle here. Plan was short runs up to contest weight for 2 full runs and then drop down 50lbs and try to beat my time from two week’s prior. One of the things for the yoke that I had not been training up until this point was the run up. So this show is having competitors stand 5’ back. Time starts and you have to run up to the yoke and go. So that doesn’t sound like much but it is a speed factor and trying to figure out things as far as is taking more time to settle and brace going to pay out better than rushing it? Unlike with the previous show where things like “strap in own time” and “run up to implement” were mentioned 3 weeks prior to show (and some were dropped at the show), this is a known thing from at least a month or so back. I didn’t focus on it up until now as I was trying to get back some yoke confidence. That very first week, 500lbs felt terrible on my knees and the work had been beltless work so I really wanted to work on the start and brace. Last session I felt I had gotten the start where I could take my time was down perfect. But I needed to see how this would feel. It certainly adds a level of difficulty. Rushing I can’t get as tight or brace things or balance the position 100%. It does remind me a bit of drop and go back yoke but with that I feel that the initial run before the drop and the repick isn’t as “cold” as this. 5’ isn’t that far and I’m pretty much able to reach the yoke in a single step. Warming up with the shorter runs felt ok but I could feel I wasn’t as fast. Last 25’ run I got the yoke way too high on my back so it felt like it was on my neck. First set with contest weight it felt heavy and I didn’t feel like I could pick up my speed. I didn’t think this little change would result in that much of a drop in speed. I took a little longer to setup on the pick for the second set and was over a second faster. The last set I didn’t do the run up as I wanted to have an accurate check with last time. I think doing run ups and then going to no run-up had my timing a little off with the pick. I was about a second slower compared to last time with this weight. I don’t feel like I get a faster time on a lighter weight after a heavy weight with yoke compared to some other things. Hercules hold was the next thing. Weight posted and for the show and that really doesn’t answer much. Only 150lbs per hand but uncertain on what that will actually feel on this setup. So continuing to test the low times (under 30 seconds), mid times (30-60 seconds) and the long times (+60 seconds). Last time with these went really well despite not feeling like I was going to. Trying to warm up in an efficient way and not take forever. Plan here was 350lbs per hand for 15 seconds to do some PAP before the longer sets. Seeing as how my first try with 320lbs was just about 12 seconds, this could be a big ask. Took 90lbs jumps and gave it my best shot. This was tough. I do feel that I’m getting better at this event. Hook grip made it too easy at that one show so this is really making me have to control things as far as the shoulder girdle and forearms and back muscles. Get a few more moments into it. The heavier set was challenging and I feel that it kind of made things a bit tougher than for the other sets. Just shy of 40 seconds on the 290lbs set and only barely beating my time with 200lbs with 190lbs. But it was still good work and I was happy with the heavy hold. Accessory stuff for the rest of the workout. Back extensions on the GHD. Hold for 3-5ct (you know I did 5 seconds) at max contraction and keep the chin tucked. Work on bracing and flexing the glutes. These felt good enough. Actually felt good and my back wasn’t bothered by them. But being inverted for so long makes things a little dizzy haha. The band assisted tear drop squats after that. Same as last time with 3 sets of 20-25 reps at RPE 6-7. I do like how these feel on the ankles. My arms and upper back seem to get more of a workout holding the band for this many reps. Last thing was a triset; wrist curls and stuff for the front and back of the lower legs. Axle wrist curls again with the tempo stuff and bodyweight for the leg stuff (with control and pauses). I went up too much with the wrist curls as it was to be RPE 8 and really I probably should’ve used the same weight as last time as that had been too much for 3x10 at RPE 7. It was a bit deceptive though in that first set was fine and then the second set it felt easier at the start but then 5 reps in it started to crush me and I had to rest pause the last two reps. The leg exercises I feel are needed just from how things went. Tib stuff I was able to do better I think since less balance issues. Good control I think relatively but I do fatigue fast seeing how the second set went. The calf raises were kind of embarrassing. I tend to do these at home with the dip station handles for balance. Without balance these make it look like a newborn giraffe trying to walk. So perhaps I need these more with the balance aspect. Put stuff away so as not staying another hour to stretch out to get my sister home and me back home to finish up.