May 22, 2022 – Week 10, Day 4

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

Safety Squat Bar Squats to 19” Box
95x3
145x3
195x3
245x3
295x3
345x3
345x3
345x3
345x3
345x3

Sandbag Over Bar
(58”)
250x1
275x1
300x1
(54”)
250x12 (75 seconds)

Yoke (5’ run ups, with band tow, drops at 15’)/Belt Squat Marches
200x30’/200x30
300x30’/300x30
400x45’/400x40
400x45’/400x40

Paused GHD Back Extensions (5 seconds)
bwx3
bw+35x11 (miscounted)
bw+35x10

Tibialis Anterior Raises/Standing Calf Raises
bwx15/bwx15
bwx15/bwx15

Stretching

Comments: I don’t like to be out of my routine. It gives me comfort. But things happen that require adjustments and changes. As long as I have enough time to prepare for said change and adjustment, I can cope with the change. I just try to get as much time in advance so I can adjust. It’s my issue, no one else’s and I understand that. This change had to happen due to the needs of others in celebration of life with the passing of my grandmother. She was the last of my four grandparents. Everything was off and the heat wasn’t helping matters so I just did what I could and pretty much just spent the time after everything was done to kind of mentally recover and cool off. So no walking that day for recovery work as hottest day of the year so far. Sunday was the same in that it was also the hottest day of the year so far. So for training purposes, it doesn’t seem to have mattered which day I did training on, it was going to be terrible. I can get used to the heat with a bit of a break in period. But not like this with it being low 90’s after being roughly 15-20 degrees cooler most of the month. I hadn’t used the fan for most of the workouts this month. My younger sister was also going to be training with me for this workout. Last workout for her to do events for the show and kind of do a test run of things as a show. I don’t find that ideal for myself with things but with the limited event work that could really be done, this was kind of the best option here for her to have a feel for things and to hopefully put any lingering confidence issues at bay. But that also meant I’d be busy as handler and doing my workout. I wasn’t too sure if anyone would be there on Sunday. Uneventful drive other than just talking and kind of going over the day before. We got to the gym and it was hot as balls outside in the parking lot. We were both thinking just go back home and try and lie we did the workout. But it wouldn’t work because I’m the one doing her training and for me, it would be suspect that I don’t record a workout for like the first time in over a decade (though I did forget my camera one time last year but it was a light workout). There were people here. A good bit of people so that meant I could do the things I needed and could get help for the things that needed more than one person for my sister to get the competition style treatment. So there was some distraction on my part which I don’t feel really affected me too much. Only one item on the docket for me was going to be truly challenging so this kind of worked out. But damn it was hot and muggy. Even with the ceiling fans going. I had told my sister to bring change of shirts to have a dry shirt for different events and bring something with salt and sugar to have with water as she hasn’t had a workout in this hot of a setup since returning to training strongman and probably hasn’t before. I should’ve heeded my advice as far as bringing a change of shirt as I thought I could handle it but I guess not. First thing was mobility based stuff to get the ankles and knees feeling ok. Same setup as last week but one less set. Advised to stick to 12-15 rep range which wasn’t a problem. I did these barefoot and I hopefully got the band on the right part of the foot/ankle area for these. I was a bit better I think with being able to switch legs. From there it was on to ssb squats to soft box. No bands this week. What had been the plan here was 5x3 with same weight as last week without the bands and to keep rests to 75 seconds. Knees were feeling a bit achy and  I was trying to move things along with the events with my sister and keep my own stuff going. Which lead to me forgetting how time passes and taking only 45 seconds rests from pacing faster than I usually do lol. But I didn’t know I was going double time until I got home to check as I was focusing on getting stuff done and not so much the wonkiness in my perception of the passage of time. This then lead to the main event of the session for me. Kind of the last heavy go at things. A final checkpoint of no return. Already did these for yoke and Hercules hold last weekend. Frame deadlift and axle will have their final pitstops this week. Sandbag was today. The plan here was warm up with three increasingly heavier singles and then rest and drop down to either 250lbs or something lighter for an AMRAP of 75 seconds. Indication was 2” above contest because why not. I did ask for clarification on that as I’ve been training these 4” above contest the whole time already. So my thoughts here was with the ok given was for the singles go 2” higher than what I was doing and then do 2” higher than contest for the AMRAP with 250lbs. Even though I had sweated through this shirt like twice already, I wasn’t too worried about that as not really experiencing any slippage on this event with my shirt. I was somewhat hesitant though as my upper forearms have been tight the past few weeks. To be expected I guess with all the axle work and focusing on grip aspects. Taking a bit of beating. I think noticing it on Monday last week doing light band stuff like pull-aparts was what got me a bit nervous and some of that was present I think on the axle cleans (the hesitancy that is) and maybe why I started with the cleans from hang that day. But I needed to push and not hesitate. Sometimes going slow makes things worse rather than moving fast as I should. For the singles, I didn’t want to use the sandbag I would be doing for the AMRAP. I figured I’d benefit from using the larger, floppier style bags to get used to things. Forearm issue seemed to go away after the first one or two lifts. Hard to say which but leaning more towards the first. That 275lbs sandbag I swear feels heavier than the 300lbs bag. It’s that darn lead shot in it as every time it seems tougher to pick it and I feel more hamstrings. It’s not always the weight of things. I was a bit nervous for the rep set. Heat was oppressive and I wasn’t feeling 100%. I could last the whole time but I may need to slow down to not have a missed rep as that would suck. Got set and was off. Too much power at the start. Part of why I make sure I bring the bar height down a little if light weights at the end of the cycle. While extension work is good, I can misjudge where the target is and lose control of said implement. Atlas stones roll and don’t really got a front or back or side so can be more careless in that regard. Not so much with things like sandbag or kegs and especially not when you have to chase them down yourself rather than having them returned to you. Yes tossing the equivalent of the endangered giant panda like nothing over a post is fun but I got to do this for reps and do it with efficiency. A powerful engine is no good if it can’t handle it’s own power. So first rep went over too high and hard so it didn’t land nice and flat but to the side and out a bit. But I’m ok with that and did a pick from the side and load. I did it but I didn’t do it mindfully with the intent to course correct so I had it plop over in the same position so that would require another side load to minimize time lost but this also means I’m not doing this optimally. So by this time, I had gotten the skull meat to focus and didn’t launch the bag over this time so that it landed with a satisfying plop in perfect position. So even with that, I was still getting 6 reps in under 30 seconds time (actually getting around to the 7th before 30 seconds). But then the fatigue started to hit and I slowed down considerably to where I went from 3 in under 15 seconds to 2 in under 15 seconds after that first 30 seconds. The good news is my goal was double digits with this weight in under a minute but I was hoping I could get another rep or two before that point. Still I think it was good I was able to maintain the 2 in 15 seconds for 45 seconds after the 3 in 15 seconds for 30 seconds on the hottest day of the year so far. The rest then was accessory work. Kind of. See the next thing was to be for yoke and it was kind of left up to me. My options here had been to either do 3x50’ with 5’ run ups of 500lbs (and use a band on my belt for hip cue if I wanted to) or to do run ups and hop under yoke and do 2x40 steps on belt squat marches instead. I had to think on this a bit. I felt that 500lbs by itself was going to not really do much for me as far as load and running at this point and the practice of getting under the weight and running up would. Still having some sciatica stuff so idea here was speed and recovery. If I wanted more leg work, the belt squat marches could do that for the hips and glutes and maybe provide some traction that could feel good on the discs in my back. I didn’t really want to load my back that much with last heavy deadlift session coming up. I was curious about the band towing as I’ve kind of viewed it as gimmicky and hard to really have it be consistent without having the same person assist each time. So what did I want to focus on? Speed, recovery, timing, hips, traction and some reps for the legs. So I made up my own thing. Borrowing from last training cycle when I was practicing starts on frame after the surprise rule change (and subsequent alteration/rescission), I would do the run ups and a short run and then drop. But treat as a set rather than a single. And try it with the band towing. So 5’ run up and then walk with the yoke 15’ and drop. Walk back 5’ and go again and so on for however many. Band tow the entire time and giving a cue for the person assisting so they are ready each time I’m preparing to move forward. The band on the belt is definitely something as far as getting me to lean forward and focus on hips. Immediately after that, I would then go over the belt squat machine and do the same weight for the steps there. This worked out well I think as my right knee was getting only a little achy after this. Back extensions on the GHD after that. Same as last time with the holds and chin tucked. Plan was more weight and 2x10 this time. I think I had the bench setup in not the right spot for the first set as it felt a lot harder with just bodyweight (more like a sorsen hold). I adjusted it and went with a somewhat decent increase in weight and it ended up being too easy I fear as I miscounted the first set. But these do feel good. Last thing was a superset for the front and back of the lower legs. Like last week. 2x15 for each with bodyweight. Not terribly difficult but challenging enough in that these are exercises I’m not great at. As previously mentioned, I usually have something in front of me for balance (and probably to take some of my bodyweight off) for calf stuff so it doesn’t feel like a lot, the balancing required is difficult and perhaps beneficial in getting things in the lower leg to wake up. At this point, I was kind of done with the workout with the heat and wanting to get out of there. I wouldn’t have a day to sleep-in and recover like usual here. Did these back to back and got out to drive home. My sister hit all the goals and felt good enough to try above that stuff on some. Maybe it will be there for contest day for the more for her. Stretched and tried to cool off and rehydrate. Had burritos for dinner and iced knees before bed.