December 24, 2022 – Week 9, Day 4

Hip Airplanes (0-10-0-10 tempo)
bwx5/5
bwx5/5
bwx5/5

Paused Safety Squat Bar Squats (2 seconds, beltless)
65x5
115x2
155x2
205x2
245x5
245x5
245x5

One Leg Deadlifts
65x3/3
105x3/3
145x3/3
175x3/3
200x3/3
225x8/8

Sandbag Load Over Bar (58.5”)
175x1
175x1
225x1
225x1
EMOM
265x1
265x1
265x1
265x1
265x1
265x1
265x1
265x1

Sandbag Bear Hug Carries
225x50’
225x50’
(turns at 50’)
225x251’

Stretching
 
Comments: With Christmas and having family visiting, it adds a certain element to the usual routine where stuff can get askew. Meal timing and such being different. Trying to make the appropriate appearances but still do the things I feel I need/want to do and hoping that everyone else is understanding of this being how I am. And that I’m not being misunderstood. Had to have the house warmer than usual to make sure pipes didn’t freeze during the night since it was nearly 0 degrees. Training in the garage and it was going to be the first time I think where it has been this cold since I’ve started doing the home gym stuff. Luckily, only one thing for the session was going to require being outside in the wind. Until I was warmed up, warm up and gloves were required. First thing was hip airplanes and same as it has been since the second week they popped up. These felt fine enough. Again, I feel like two sets feels like enough with how these are being done. Felt the left hip shift a little that first set. Right side always seems a little tighter. I wasn’t quite toasty yet at this point so kept everything on for the next thing, which was squats with the ssb. No belt again and indication was that this was a pulling back week for these. Plan to be top set next week without belt and then add belt and change variation. Hopefully that is the switch to strongman gym as I’m kind of treating the beltless stuff with my ssb different from the ssb at that gym due to difficulty. So it would be nice to have the change happen like that too. I do have records for both so even if the switch happens sooner (as in stuff required needs that facility vs home) I am ready. In either case, this back off week was lighter weight but still keeping some intensity with it being paused squats. 2 second pauses in the bottom of the lift. Suggested was 225lbs – 245lbs for 3x5. Same rests as I was doing for the past few sessions and report RIR on that last set. I knew this would be doable with the higher end once I got used to things and was warm. Pauses are hard on the knees compared to normal tempo. I generally don’t do as many reps warming up with pauses if they are longer as that additional time seems to be enough to warm me up. But I could tell I was moving a little slower out of the hole on squats those first two sets. Knee aches and such. Left knee has stability issues in the lower leg as indicated since middle of 2021 and the right knee just has funky stuff since end of 2020. These haven’t gotten worse, just have to maintain and dance the fine line of the razor’s edge. I was finally warmed up I guess for the last set as that was when things were firing for me and it was easy. The rest of the workout was not pulled back in the same sense. One leg deadlifts were again to be tested. It would appear this was perhaps the last workout of them. Indication being the volume would go elsewhere (either events or secondary deadlift). These do seem to have been beneficial. It was helpful to know the plan was to work on helping with moving events. The plan for today was a top set of 6-10 with 2RIR (so RPE 8-8.5). Notes said to “check off a box” here. I was feeling warm but figured I’d keep everything but the gloves on considering I’d need less layers for the rest of the workout to be productive. I was initially thinking I’d do 40lbs jumps and YOLO 225lbs but I reconsidered that thinking back to how last week had felt with 205lbs. So thought I’d aim for 205lbs for 10 reps instead and did the same jumps working up as I did for that last week. However, 175lbs felt quite easy so I thought maybe 225lbs wasn’t something that would be terrible. 200lbs felt smoother than 205lbs had so I went for 225lbs. I was really surprised how well it moved for me. I was expecting a struggle to get 6 reps but got 8 reps fairly comfortably. I did lose my balance on the 7th rep for the left side and had to catch myself midway through the lift but made sure the last rep was solid. I didn’t have any issues with my right side which was a bit surprising as I was expecting a struggle with how it was last week (and generally how it seems to be when I do the first rep that side). I was pleased to be repping 225lbs so easily on this variation. I’d say the box was checked. The rest of the workout was sandbag. It didn’t have to be but I felt it made the most sense to keep things consistent and not deviate so much with it seeming more likely that PA Dutch is what I’m doing vs Arnold. So this next exercise was to do loading of choice a bit heavier than last week to same height and for 8x1 EMOM style. My options being sandbag or keg at home. Obviously more options if at strongman gym but no real reason to go yet (anything under 330lbs is a warm up on atlas stones with tacky). I could do keg but there is more setup required compared to sandbag (something to cushion the drop area, have to retrieve it and bruising on arms) but this also meant I needed to make a new sandbag as 363lbs was not going to be a slight increase (and I’ve not even attempted to lift it before). Luckily I had ordered a 265lbs canvas to replace on at the strongman gym but I haven’t been back since three weeks before Nationals to drop it off. It was fortuitous to have it now. I already posted about how much I complained about filling said bag. I took off the top for the warm-ups but left the bottoms on. I did two singles with the lighter bags to get used to things before going to the new bag. I stuck to no support stuff on and not setting my grip as well as picking where the bag landed. Make it tougher and more stone training like as I don’t wear anything for stones with tacky. This felt better than last time. Not quite perfect but it was going well. I was content with how well things were moving here. The last thing was sandbag carries. Wasn’t really looking forward to this. Not because of how these felt last time but because it was damn cold and windy. 15 degrees with 22mph winds. And it was an event where I’d need less layers on to hold it. Same weight as last time with it being 225lbs with two sets of 50’ to get used to moving and then do a max distance set with aim being 150-300’. But not to max effort, stop when I felt that my stride was slowing down from what my controlled pace was. I had to adjust where I would usually position things for street work as there were leaves that had frozen to the road. I got out the winter jacket and put that one between sets. Bear hug style on these. I could tell on that first set that I wasn’t going to have the same issue as I did last time with feeling like my power was gone. I did the first two short runs with kind of a short rest but took a longer rest before the last set run. Not so much for catching my air but more so that my body was feeling warm again and using that as when I was recovered enough (winter jacket inside house). Feeling some fatigue in lower back but walking was smooth here. I could tell at the 150’ mark that I could do 300’ if needed. The thing is that with the street slant, the uphill portion really saps energy. So near the end of the 250’ leg I could feel my lower back and glutes starting to hit the point where it was more shuffling vs walking so I decided I’d call it there at 250’ after turning around. I know that I can go further on flat surface and that I probably don’t need to go this far with contest weight to win this event at PA Dutch. Put stuff away quickly (keeping the janky yoke in the garage rather than taking it back around for now) and drank a protein shake before being summoned over for more family time. Ended up stretching when I got back home a few hours later and iced my right knee.