February 18, 2023 – Week 17, Day 4

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

Paused Cossack Squats (5 seconds)
bwx5/5

Safety Squat Bar Squats w/ bands (+28lbs/+58lbs)
No Bands
85x3
Add Bands
85x3
135x3
175x3
225x3
265x3
265x3
265x3
265x3
265x3

Paused Sandbag Rows (3 seconds, short ways)
205x3
250x3
300x3

Atlas Stone Loads (51”, tacky)
310x1
375x1 (egg)
440x1,0 (22”) (2 laps, one successful load)
440x0 (22”) (1 lap)
425x2 (21”)

Atlas Stone Roll Ups into Loads (55”, tacky)
375x2 (egg)
375x2 (egg)
375x2 (egg)

Belt Squat Harness Backward Sled Drags (concrete)
435x100’
435x100’

Stretching
 
Comments: Getting out to train early just to try and have more people be there I guess but also to get used to contest start time. Been off the anti-inflammatories for a few days now. Weather continues to be fluctuating thing. So like two weeks ago, again being cold. Not as cold but high winds making it feel like 20 degrees colder than it was. I was a bit nervous with the planned stuff for stones. The new hip thing and just how heavy stuff felt last time on picks. Had a bruise that showed up right after stones last time on right biceps and wasn’t sure what that was about. Hope was that some of those mobility things would have stuff feeling better. I did manage to get out to train earlier this time and got to see people using the car deadlift. However, no clue if that will be the setup as promoter hasn’t confirmed anything. So really not worth checking. They were just using the same setup as when they last did the car deadlift. There has been less involvement I think with the promoter and contestants compared to when my friend Brian was a bit more involved with things. Which might also explain the delay with posting stuff initially. Starting things out was the usual mobility stuff of hip airplanes and Cossack squats. Hip airplanes were fine. Didn’t quite hit the issue I was hoping they would with the hip but they did feel good. Got a little distracted on reps as far as how long I was holding positions. Tried to move on quickly to the next thing to keep the flow going. Everything kind of being just prepping for stones. Cossack squats were just for one set this time around. Feeling fine I guess. I was kind of trying to get my stretched leg to touch the ground over the course of the set. On the other side, I lost my balance on the fifth rep trying to do that and decided to redo the rep. Squats with ssb up next. The progression has essentially been lowering the amount of time on the pauses (2ct, 1ct, none) and keeping the reps and band tension the same and adjusting weight (10-20lbs suggested). I did 20lbs last time so figured another 20lbs was fine here. Even though it wasn’t the squat rack I wanted to use, it didn’t seem to be that off putting this time around. Trying to move at a brisk pace here and onto sandbag rows. I think by this point it actually was close to 50 minutes. I think that I had spent some time between exercises or working up observing people and cheering them on with stone lifting or getting caught up in conversation. Also, there was a new sound system and I was able to attach my iPod to that thankfully haha. For the sandbags, it was the same as last time. Essentially 50lbs jumps and sets of 3 reps with 2-3ct holds. Unlike last time, I didn’t take my time, I was trying to get these done to attack stones. These felt ok. I’d say the first two sets felt better than last time and the third set didn’t feel quite as good since I didn’t quite get the balance point right on the sandbag. Then stones. I was anxious here as Drew was expecting big things of me and so was I. Last time I had gone for 440lbs on the 22” stone and missed it the first time due to a technique error and came back after a rest to get it comfortably. Picks on stones working up had felt heavy and I was feeling like I was lucky to get the 440lbs stone lapped both times. It had felt substantial in my arms breaking it off the ground. So the goal for the day was doing a 1-3RM. Worst case being 3 singles I guess. Depends on how the stones were feeling. Suggested was 440x2. I’ve done that before but it was a 21” diameter stone. After this session, I realized I’ve never attempted to lift the 440lbs stone more than once in a session and been successful with getting it more than once. I took the same warm ups as last time. 310lbs I bullied up. 375lbs was way too sticky today as it was picking up the floor with it. It had me second guessing myself today. Like lowering my goal to 425lbs for a double. But I was kind of worried that wouldn’t be good with how the stone is really dusty on one side. And that the bigger stones are the ones that I’d need to lift to secure the win. So I took the gamble of doing the 440lbs stone again. I should note I was trying out some things as well. I made sure to wrap my arms with two layers of tape since it has been tearing the past few sessions with the new tacky. I also applied tacky towel to my chest and hands to see if that helped with the tacky sticking there as had not been able to get it to really spread there when I got sweaty. Minimally successful. I went for the 440lbs stone and it was super easy to pick. Lap was like a forgone conclusion but I did rush it a little and went forward and had to push off the platform for balance. I got set and went to extend and the tacky didn’t really stick well and almost lost it. Regrouped and extended for a rough load. Not how I wanted this to start off. But I was encouraged by how easy the lap was. So I did go for it again and this time it was much better but I again had that balance issue where I went up and not forward. If this had been 50”, it would’ve gone. But it was like half an inch shy and I missed. I did retack and give it another go (I added Spider Tack to my chest). I got another easy pick and lap but just couldn’t get the full extension. Just seem to be stuck at that point with getting the stone to roll up my body more. This was like the easiest it has felt to pick this stone up in years (grant it had been years since I last attempted it). I did try again after that but I stopped after I broke it a few inches as it finally was feeling heavy and called it there. I didn’t like having only one good lift so I decided I’d get the double in with 425lbs. That was a lot easier but I feeling beat and had to deep lap this bad boy. First lift the extension sucked and had to shove it on. Second one was good with plenty left. Like easiest that stone has felt. Despite it feeling good, my left hip/inner thigh wasn’t enjoying things much. Last bit for the stones was the roll ups into extension. This was to be 15% drop from what I did for the heavy stone. Which was the 375lbs. 3x2 here. I was beat so these kind of sucked. Especially with how sticky the stone was that it was like I had to do an isometric to break it off the ground. I had to really deep lap that first pick. Got off balance on the initial roll up (I’ve not attempted roll ups with this weight). I had to work for the extensions to get these loaded. Second set the pick on the first rep went better. Last set the stone was really stuck and had to collect myself and pry it off rather than rip it up. But got it done. My stomach was red and raw and lord did putting hand sanitizer on it sting like the dickens. My left hip/inner thigh was not enjoying stuff much and thankfully only one last thing for the session. Backward sled drag but using squat belt harness so not hands. You’d think it would feel easier but it didn’t. Plan was to do 2x100-150’. I elected to go 100’ and heavier. Longer rests between the sets compared to what I’ve been doing. Probably for the best as I was dragging slow. Like close to a minute both times. Put stuff away and had protein shake. Decided it was better to get home and take anti-inflammtories and do some decompression with the dip stand and clean up the stone stuff sooner rather than later. There was some discomfort getting into the car to drive home. Stretched after I cleaned up. Hopefully resting will help and I’ll need to assess how things feel when I wake up to see what I need to do. I can definitely work through it but I’d rather not have this become yet another thing I have.