August 20, 2023 - August 26, 2023 - Week 9

 August 21, 2023 – Week 9, Day 1

12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)
90x5
110x3
130x2
150x2
150x2
150x2
150x2
150x2

Stretching
 
Comments: So part of the new strategy here was to not do workouts the rest of the week. And try to not think about training during that time. Get sleep and eat good food. Thinking about it would add stress. Granted, I have a hard time not thinking about training. Read books, watch television, something. So did chores on top of that stuff. Watched strongman stuff as well. Also thought about training. But more logistics of setup than actual training. Like what I’d need and time frame. Only hiccup to the week was when I decided to mow my parent’s lawn. I tried to use their electric mower and it was temperamental and I finally ended up finishing with my gas mower but I was outside for so long without shade that I got sun burn on my shoulders and traps. So that’s not fun but I guess I’m not putting anything on my traps and applying lotion to help the skin heal. Trying to come back to this slightly refreshed. And if not refreshed, anxious to get back to it. Part of my thinking was that some of these workouts are going to be quite short and basic that I could probably end up doing them during my lunch break, which would give me more time after work to do things. So I may do that. Will see how things feel and judging by weather. Speaking of weather, again it was looking like a thunder storm for this session if I wanted until after work. So lunch it was. Despite log not going great last week and kind of causing this revamping, log was going to be the first workout back. Just log. And light for doubles. Notes indicated it should feel like I didn’t really do anything. 150lbs for five doubles. Looking ahead, it would seem I’d doing this every Monday with 20lbs increases. Those appear to leave the option to rep out the last set (up to a limit). Not the case for this week. The option to do reps on when I’m feeling good will be helpful to gauge if I’m going to be ready for the bare minimum. I hit the minimum I feel I need on the fourth week (assuming things are going well and on point still by that point) then Nats is 100% on. If not, then reassess. Any ways, on to the training. What little there is for the day. I was advised to do the minimum I feel I need to be ready and raring to go. Honestly, it hasn’t really been much of anything most of the time besides the occasional mobility stuff. Lapped the log and sat with it for a bit to get that sorted. Lower back was feeling a bit stiff. Not sure sense haven’t done anything since Wednesday besides walking and chores. Maybe just letting my guard down is letting me feel how fatigued stuff is/has been. I went with only knee sleeves on. No grip shirt or belts or elbow sleeves. I shouldn’t need them for this. My thinking on the grip shirt was it would be a hassle and I think that with how humid and hot it has been that I’m overheating in the material that it is causing me to sweat a ton. In a temperature controlled place like a convention center it shouldn’t be an issue. But again, this weight should be fine and not be needing to push things at this point. The good thing here was that the pick and cleans with the log today felt easy, as they should. But as soon as I got it racked, I realized there was another reason besides time as to why not usually doing workouts at lunch. No cloud cover and staring right into the sun. So that was uncomfortable and really messed with my balance. Knees were a bit achy, especially the right one. I had not gotten a chance to do soft tissue work as I didn’t want to irritate the sunburn. I’d say the second set was the worst of the bunch as the sun got me good and I got too far forward the first rep and ended up pretty much strict pressing it. Fourth set I got a little lightheaded as I was trying to keep my breath to keep from getting off balance. I guess first and last sets were probably the best. Well last set my body was feeling the best. Speed of the movement looked good though. I had felt like wasn’t powerful and slow but video isn’t lying. Put stuff away. Save the stretching for after work. So I guess off the races with a start here.

August 23, 2023 – Week 9, Day 2

13” Trap Bar Deadlifts (Versa Gripps, briefs)
145x5
235x3
285x3
325x2
375x2
415x1
465x1
510x5

Stretching
 
Comments: Not sure how I feel at this point. While it was nice to get in a workout session that was quick and simple I don’t know how I feel about it. Positives was that it meant I only needed like 40 minutes total to setup, train and tear down and then I’d be having a meal and back to work. Then having a lot more time after work to get other stuff done and have a somewhat more reasonable dinner time. Trying to stay positive. Sleep isn’t quite where I want it. Weight is a bit down still. Hard to tell right now as there was the anxiety with having to come into the office the next day so having to get up an hour earlier and then not having time to do anything when I got home. Stuff is booked for Nationals but I’m not sure on that. Not 100%. I’m mostly for it with the plan in place and feeling like if I hit the numbers I will be ok to go in a month. It is not helping things with me seeing other people that I will be competing against progressing well with training. Doing this just to do it isn’t that enticing to me. I like to have a goal and competition appears to be important to that being entertaining enough. I find myself spinning my wheels if I’m not leading up to something. Feeling like those not set in stone dates and such let me be a coward with moving the goal posts and if I focus on how many goals I’ve not reached, it would be unproductive and devasting. I was eager to do this workout. Like wanting to do it the very next day. But not sure if it was because I wanted to lift or if it was to get it over with and get to a definite conclusion sooner rather than later. Similar to the first workout in that it was just a single exercise. So it would work in being done during my lunch break. This was to be trap bar deadlifts. And unlike the log pressing, this was working up to a top set and that was it. Top set of 5 reps and working up after warming up in sets of 1-3 reps. And by top set, I was to do a weight I felt I could do for 10 reps, so leaving 5RIR. The suggested was just doing plate jumps. I figured that I’d probably need to do more sets to kind of get warmed up here. I have a trap bar at home and it isn’t the same as what will be at Nationals. But honestly, the one at the gym may not be exactly like Nationals either in that it might be more narrow compared to the competition conditions. The one at home has taken a beating and I likely won’t get up to the weights that made dents in it when pulling from higher and with a suit. I had to get out the tape measurer to make sure I had the height correct. Or as close as I could and erroring on lower than higher. This trap bar is as wide or slightly wider than contest. So with how the plan was, I was told to wear what I plan on wearing for competition here. So that meant the multiply gateway briefs and knee sleeves. I don’t know exactly what I expected here. I had run numbers and it seemed that this was to be 75% of my 1rm that I felt I could do at this time. 510lbs would be about 680lbs with would be the 310kgs or so. I really would prefer to get above 700lbs and 330kgs would be 727lbs. But I need to accept where I’m at. So plate quarter jumps. Plate jump at first and then the 40-50lbs jumps after that. I don’t remember the briefs feeling so uncomfortable. Maybe the slightly higher pick position from last year on axle didn’t have the teste crushing sensation. Maybe it did. It has been almost a year since I last used this anyways. I could tell that this wasn’t a day that I’d be crushing things and going above and beyond. I had kind of wanted to work up to 545-555lbs range instead and have it so that I was doing 330kgs 1rm but it is definitely not there right now. This stuff was feeling heavy. The uncomfortable sensation of the briefs was probably not helping. Had to get a bit more hyped up than I was planning for 510lbs. Spine was feeling a bit achy. No touch and go here. I was kind of hoping that the lower would get the legs into it a bit with how it felt when I did the pause pulls vs the higher pick that seemed to stress the lower back a good bit two weeks ago. I do feel that if gun to the head that I’d get 10 reps with this weight. Three more reps would’ve been tough but doable. It can be hard to gauge with deadlifts as sometimes I can feel like absolute crap and the weights feel heavy but I can keep gutting out reps. But it wasn’t a sense of victory with completing the workout. Just felt like I’m feeling my age and this is work. Pulling down that upbeat balloon thinking that I could be repping 600lbs for a set of 10 reps when that is very much not case right now. Put stuff away and again saved the stretching for after work.

August 26, 2023 – Week 9, Day 3

Sandbag Tosses (16’)
EMOM
30x1
30x1
30x1
30x1
30x1
EMOM
35x1
35x1
35x1
35x1
35x1

Stone Carry and Loads
Stone of Steel
140x10’ to 50”
140x10’ to 50”
140x10’ to 50”
Atlas Stone
235x10’ to 50”
EMOM
265x10’ to 50”
265x10’ to 50”
265x10’ to 50”
265x10’ to 50”
265x10’ to 50”

Stretching
 
Comments: Finding it a little tough to find use for the extra time I have now with not having multi-hour long training sessions. Being able to do them during my lunch break during the week do give me more time after work. But to do what exactly? I’ve already had things cut to the bare minimum I think as far as activities to work around that. I don’t watch a lot of television and it is more when I have the time or need something to provide some white noise. Multitasking I guess with playing something while I’m stretching (that has been after work) or while I’m eating my biggest meal at dinner. I know this is likely to be this way for the four weeks planned. So probably more reading. Find uses for the time. After the last session, can’t say I had any confidence boost. Medial deltoids were sore and I think that had to do with the trap bar I have being wider (confirmed today). I was feeling like I should be training rather than having two days rest. But not sure if it was because I felt I could or if I wanted to just get myself certain on if this is lost cause or not with seeing how I felt. So more walking as 3 vs 4 days. Though I guess not quite with not doing anything Tuesday because of going in to work. I had ordered some plyo boxes (for power stair stuff) that I didn’t realize were coming unassembled and requiring power tools to assemble securely so that took up a good bit of Friday evening. I had already gotten things together for Saturday training Thursday so ahead of schedule. I wasn’t too sure if I was going to be discouraged or motivated with training. A bit more involved compared to the first two workouts this week with it being two events; sandbag toss and stones. But should still be fairly quick compared to past trainings. Got up at work time (ok, I hit snooze once or twice) as I’ve been waking up early anyways as of late. Had to get gas but no issues there and the drive out was pretty smooth. Competition today that a few were expected to be at so I was fully expected a muted training session as far as people being there. Got some measurements for the trap bar to make sure that I was correct and ensure that I have the height right. First thing was bag toss. Ole reliable with the EMOM stuff. Plan was after warming up was to do 5 tosses with 30lbs and then rest as I felt I needed to and then do 35lbs for 5 more tosses. So two 5 minute EMOMs. Even though there is a 35lbs sandbag at the gym, it is a different brand bag and felt it made more sense to use the one I just got and bring that back and forth to the gym and adjust it as needed. But first I needed to setup the toss tower. The setup was too low where the rope/string was and I needed it to be at 16’ for Nationals. This lead to an unfortunate discovery. Every toss that I’ve done this year at the gym has been a foot lower than I thought it was. So the top of this tower is actually 16’ and not 17’. So that is a bit annoying. More trust issues with listening to what people say or what is written on stuff that I’ve not personally weighed, measured or made. But that does seem to explain why I felt I underperformed at Regionals and why that first week back to tosses in my backyard felt so high and me being off target. So I was a bit nervous that I’d biff these with needing to go completely over the setup for 16’. Did some swings (some to stretch the bottom range and to feel at the top) as well as 2-3 high pull tosses. These seemed to go well. Third toss was a little shallow on the arc and grazed the band on the way down. Can’t say I was clearing it by a little bit more each toss here. Took a slight break to setup some things for the next thing and cool down. So about 7 minutes and then it was the second set of tosses. The first toss grazed the band at some point (I think on the way up). I made sure that didn’t happen on the other tosses. I was starting to feel good and excited. So I guess I’m not completely out of it. Then time for stones. This required some trial and error after last time. I was also nervous with how stones would feel. I was feeling agitated the day before by specific sounds and the thought of a stone against my forearm skin was having me feel unnerved. This does seem to be related to stress and sensory stuff with autism. I made sure to mitigate issues from last time I was having. I setup right in front of an industrial fan to keep cool as well as having separate towels for wiping sweat and washing hands. Also wrapped my forearms in athletic tape. These things all seemed to help with combating the sweat issue from last time. The plan was to warm up to 275lbs or so for 5 singles done EMOM style again. Carry 10’ and load it. Contest height is 48” but I got 54”, 50” and 47”. So did to 50”. I also was testing out different sticky stuff. The atlas spray from Cerberus had been hot garbage on my bare skin as I just run to hot and sweat too much. I’ve not done tacky towel on taped forearms so that was also something to test. I also got two new sprays to try out (have one more that I got approval for use this week that should be here for next time). To warm up, I tested each spray application on the empty stone of steel. I did the pick and run and then did another pick after that to see how much stuck around after that first effort. The tape does make the atlas spray work better but it is not as good as the other two sprays which seem about equal to me. Stones for the show could be concrete or something else (maybe rubber) so I needed to see how things went with that as well. 235lbs felt heavier than I was expecting or wanting it to. I was finding that the low carry from last time wasn’t ideal and a bit higher I can just walk it right into the platform with a little belly bump. The sticky spray was pulling a lot of dirt and grime off the atlas stones. I had been playing with the idea of going heavier if things were feeling easy (like trap bar) but it seems that I’m where I’m at and need to accept that. I found I needed to apply tacky towel and that seemed to work. I won’t be able to reapply spray during the run like I can with a tacky towel. The spray is good for one stone and then it is almost gone. I’ll need to incorporate tacky towel a bit more I think but still got one more product to test out next time. These were tougher than I would’ve liked as far as how they felt. Last one I don’t know what happened. The pick felt really easy and I just kept standing up with it. I never one motion stones but just went with it. Cleaned up and stretched out before heading home. This did seem to be enjoyable but I feel way off the mark. Effort required, not super easy, going through the motions stuff. Like stuff that should be easy but is tough as in rehabilitation stuff. I may need to think of things in those terms for right now. One week, see how this next one goes.