tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20879475585059003992024-03-19T04:48:28.059-04:00Just Get StrongAll that’s really keeping me sane.Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.comBlogger2526125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-90953096057379805252024-03-17T14:19:00.004-04:002024-03-17T14:21:10.274-04:00March 10, 2024 - March 16, 2024 - Week 13<p>March 11, 2024 – Week 13, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses<br />Clean Every Rep<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />Clean Once<br />150x2<br />180x2<br />210x2<br /><br />12” Log Push Presses<br />210x2<br />210x2<br />210x2<br />210x5<br /><br />Chest Supported Barbell Rows<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x5<br />Added Straps<br />265x5<br />310x5<br /><br />Bench Presses<br />45x15<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x2<br />225x2<br />260x5<br />260x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Taking off for the shifts in time for DST is probably going to be an ongoing thing for me while I work. I know that I’d have been off all day with the “losing” of an hour over the weekend. Body wants to wake up at what would be the normal time even without an alarm set. Another day to not be forced into a rigid timing is hopefully enough for me to acclimate. So besides swapping out training with walking and rehab stuff, this was going to be darn close to a repeat of Sunday. Weight is holding above 285lbs still so it wasn’t a fluke with last week. Some training is hopefully getting back to the normal routine from the minor hamstring tear a month ago. I didn’t want to make the mistake I did last time I was off on a Monday and ended up training a little later in the morning/afternoon and just having it mess up all the meal timing to not be full/uncomfortable. March weather is unpredictable so it was both sunny and very windy today. Warming up routine was fine. I think this is the first time since making the modifications that I wasn’t having a thought in the back of my head that my hamstring would reinjure doing stuff. Maybe because I got the achy right knee to preoccupy me. It honestly didn’t really affect anything warming up. My left shoulder started aching for no reason when I was done and disappeared as quickly as it happened. I hadn’t worn warm ups while doing my warming up but figured I’d wear them to keep warm as I was setting up stuff in the garage and outside to try and streamline the training session a little. I probably didn’t need them with how it was sunny outside and the wind was apparently higher up compared to where people be at. Unlike the current rotation with the axle week, not everything benefits from being done outside. Log to start things off. Back to cleaning the log. I was some what uncertain here. On one hand, I did do the same weight from the floor (lower pick) with the axle. And that requires a bit more power right away. And I had done sandbag stuff on Saturday. But this was out in front of the centerline and the movement was a bit different. This was also changed in that the first two sets working up were to be clean every rep. I’m definitely a bit out of practice on that but it was light. The recovering hamstring was feeling a little tight/crampy. I think it was more just the weight load (out front) and the ROM (full squat and driving up) that was causing the issue there. Not a lack of strength, more that the right hamstring is still recovering and fatigues quicker. One of the downsides with pressing outside earlier in the day with nice weather is getting the sun right in my eyes. Yes, facing the other way does solve that but the plan was to do most of the sets out of the rack like I’ve been doing so it didn’t really make sense to do one way and swap the other. So there was some visual issues as well as the knee aching causing me to be cautious with the lower body drive here. I’d say besides those two things, these were feeling pretty good. I could tell that getting weights out in front of the center of gravity were putting similar strain on the hamstrings as the hyper bench holds (I had noticed with the yoke walk hold Saturday). So it is probably a good idea to keep those in and build as well as continue with isometrics in the rehabbing for the moment. Out of the rack was next with the same weight. You know the drill at this point with the doubles and then doing 2-5 reps on the last set. Again, besides the hesitancy caused with the achy right knee and the sun, I feel that these went well. Not panicking with weight on my chest and rushing it. Bar path feels better and the weight doesn’t feel darn heavy on my chest like it was a month or so back. I put some weights away before moving on to chest supported rows in the garage. It seems I’m at a 5 sets of 5 reps to a top set for the day place for these right now. I felt that last time I had been a little too greedy on these. Can’t blame me for how well they had gone the time before that. My plan was the same working up sets and then for the top weight giving myself the option if feeling good to do 3 plates. Last week, the right biceps had been the one that had felt tight. Now it is the left. I’m more used to the left feeling tight when it is after a session of sandbag to shoulder. So I guess back to normal with the exercise rotation. Outside of the first two warming up sets, it was feeling heavy today. Like maybe do less weight than last time kind of deal. But as is sometimes the case, all these indicators can be misleading. So I stuff with just doing the minimum to add (2lbs) and got myself set. And it went well to the point that I was annoyed that I hadn’t done 315lbs instead. Oh well, I guess I better do it next time. Bench last thing for the session. These are still indicated as “speed” work but I try to not let myself get upset if I don’t feel like they are moving fast enough. I feel fast with the incline log benching now that my shoulders seem to be able to handle the adjusted workload. But regular bench has never really seemed to feel speedy for me. Close grip I get with the long arms and the stretch reflex but not so much here. Still as working up to 2x5. It looks that the jumps are going to be 10lbs on these. So same warm ups as last time and then the top sets. I think these felt a little better compared to last time. The weights above 135lbs do feel heavier than I’d like but not as much if that makes sense. With the working weight, I did try to not feel like I need to rush here. First set was ok. Second set the weight felt light on the unrack but I didn’t have quite the right/secure grip on it so I was a little off I think. The bar path was a bit more forward than usual. But this was fine and plenty of reps in the tank. It was a mixture of eating/drinking stuff and putting away things. Then eating/drinking some more and stretching out.<br /><br />March 13, 2024 – Week 13, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x2<br />275x2<br />315x2<br />350x2<br /><br />18” Jack Pulls (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x2<br />405x2<br />495x2<br />545x1<br />605x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+20x30 seconds<br /><br />Crunches<br />bw+20x30<br /><br />Lying Leg Raises<br />bwx30<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: The day off work to get a little more adjusted to the time shift was helpful I think. Meal timing feels a little off but I am working on getting to bed at the right time. I got distracted Tuesday evening and missed a meal (just bowl of oatmeal). It has been quite warm this week. Right knee is achy still but thankfully it isn’t something where it is always that case so I can exist and walk without it being an issue. But it was slightly concerning with the planned stuff. Mobility stuff feeling fine. No hamstring issues for two sessions in a row so I’d say that is a good sign. Right knee barely aching on stuff so I was hopeful that it wouldn’t be a major issue or hamper training and continue to improve. Front squats starting things off with the plan being to work up to a top set of 2 reps again. It had been raining last time so I had gone inside for this rather than using the sturdier rack where I can put safeties that would actually do something. The plan was 15lbs more than last time on these. It is hard to gauge as a weight can be really difficult for me if I’m not really serious and have myself with elevated focus and breathing. The idea with these to work up to something good and to not have it be that bad. It is hard to keep things low key when nervous about stuff. I was nervous about the right knee. Nervous about the weight. Nervous about my right hamstring. Nervous about failing. Not helpful thoughts. I’ve done sessions where my knees have been really achy and still did well. The issue comes when there is pain or the weight feels heavy everywhere when it shouldn’t. So warming up was normal with 40-50lbs jumps, swapping to doubles at 225lbs. I knew how rough the first set with the hard belt feels so I knew to expect that with 275lbs. It didn’t feel like something I should be able to do for a decent amount of reps really. I think part of it was just getting enough to warm up and feel a solid double but not to exhaust what I felt was needed for the top planned set. Similar to not running every set warming up on moving events at full tilt from the get go. 315lbs I got set and it felt about the same. So 40lbs more and feeling about the same was a good sign. But still super nervous for the top weight of 350lbs. If successful, 15lbs under my best double on front squats. 35lbs under my best single lift. Anxiety was pretty bad worrying about failure and injury that I dry heaved twice before I could get things settled to lift. I’m thankful that I’ve gotten much better at not panicking with weights on my shoulders and take my time to brace and breath. I had gotten pretty hyped here and it went up for what looked like a comfortable double. And I likely had at least 2 more reps in me. It’s stuff like that where it’s like what was the worry even about? But then if I hadn’t been that amped would’ve I been able to do it and make it look as good as it did? I think what I was most pleased with here was I didn’t feel any tightness in the right hamstring which was something I had felt the last two times I did these. So another check that hamstring is getting better. Right knee was probably going to be achy but the rest of the workout wasn’t really going to stress things out that much I felt. Stripped down the stuff so that I had time to come back down and get some fluids in me as it was warm and I was having issues trying to keep fluids down at the moment. Jack stand pulls in the garage. No hip circle for these I guess going forward. That honestly wasn’t doing that much with my usual stance but are great with the wide stance pulls. It would appear the plan is to be lowering the pulls each time to get closer to the ground. Now these “rack pulls” were replacing the rdls so only the wide pulls were really pulls from the floor as the stopping point was always about 2” below the knees or so. So I’d say these are closer to getting back to the normal compared to the wide pulls. These had been 21” last time so advised to drop them down to 18”, which was expected. I did ask for clarification on the position here as indication was to pull these as if this is where I’d be during this part of the pull and then try and keep a hips back groove for the subsequent reps with pause at the bottom. The clarification coming to be where I “should” be in this part of the pull on a good pull rather than where I might end up being. Plan working up here was plate jumps to 495lbs and then a single at 545lbs before doing 585lbs for the top set. These are harsher on the lower back compared to the wide grip pulls but I was hopeful that I would be feeling better this time around with the hamstring improving. I had gone up over 25lbs on the wide pulls going down 2” and still felt like I left a good bit in the tank. But these were certainly a bit different of a situation with the higher start and not really being able to get lower body drive into these. I wanted to do 600lbs again so I told myself I could do it and put 605lbs on the bar for the set of 5 reps. After that rough first rep, I felt good to do quite a bit more as far as reps. So that felt good to be pushing weights on both deadlift variations and front squats. I did want to eat a quick meal but with seeing how the pace was going and what was to come, I realized it wasn’t worth it to make a risk and rather just start prepping dinner to be able to eat as soon as I finished and perhaps do a small meal between that time and when I went to bed. Hyper bench work as per usual but back to getting to use more than just bodyweight for resistance. The usual back extensions to warm up. The plan for progression here was to pick a resistance (combo or neck harness and holding weight) that I felt I could hold for 60 seconds and do just 30 seconds with the plan to progress by 10-15 seconds each time I guess. I know stuff is still recovering and that I’m actually hitting heavier stuff overall now. I made a guess at 10lbs for the harness and 20lbs holding. I was feeling the effects of the other lifting on my body and there is still noticeable fatigue in posterior chain in the hamstrings and glutes. The resistance is potentially a little much but perhaps not that far off considering I was counting slower in my head then the timer for the 30 seconds that came and went. See how it goes next time. Since I wasn’t rushing to finish to eat a small meal and then wait for dinner but rather go right to eating dinner, I did take a little bit of time to let myself rest before finishing up with abdominal work. Same setup as the last time with the weight crunches being with 20lbs for 30 reps. This actually felt better than when I did these last time. Easier, maybe my breaking down the reps in my head as I did them helped. The lying leg raises were about the same. Put stuff away as I finished up with preparing dinner. I ended feeling quite stuffed from dinner and didn’t bother with oatmeal before bed. Stretched out after eating.<br /><br />March 16, 2024 – Week 13, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />45x1<br />45x1<br />45x1<br />45x1<br />45x1<br /><br />Frame Carries<br />(16” pick)<br />180x50’<br />(18” pick)<br />276x50’<br />376x50’<br />476x50’<br />(20” pick)<br />568x11’<br />568x50’<br />640x50’<br />568x6’<br /><br />Sandbag Rows<br />150x5<br /><br />Sandbag to Shoulders<br />150x1 R<br />150x1 L<br />200x1 R<br />200x1 L<br />225x1 R<br />225x1 L<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Surprisingly I guess, it would appear that sometimes the aches and such just need time and more weight. With the weights moved on Wednesday and concerns with the achy knee, I wasn’t expecting things to feel “good” shortly after that. Oh well. Not going to complain about that. Not to say it is feeling 100% but about a million times better. I was able to also get in walking both days despite spotty rain. It was getting a little uncomfortable with the temperature increasing to the low 70’s for a few days and was going to be equally annoying that it will be dipping back down to the 40’s in the next few days and towards the end of the month with possible snow still. Ugh. With how the lower body static stuff has felt, I think I’m finally feeling like I’m able to utilize the added bulk to my advantage in things. I mean, haven’t pushed the overhead stuff yet but I think coupled with recovery that stuff is feeling light on the shoulders and my core is a good bit sturdier with weights and bracing. Plan for this day was to get out to train somewhat early to get used to it as I may need to travel out of state to train next weekend and the week after that I need to make sure I get training done early so that I can be available for a planned event. I think I only had to hit the snooze button once or twice from my usual work wake up time so I’d say that was a bit of win there. But I think I was a bit slow with getting a move on to actually get out to train though. Drive out was fine. The gym doors were open when I got there. I was not really expecting some people to be there as a good number of the people that have been coming are competing next weekend. But there were still some of those people there training. I mean, nice to seem them but I kind of feel like they might not be able to peak as well as they could for the show. Or perhaps they don’t really need it. Got the warming up stuff done and felt pretty good on everything and then it was time to train. So while bag toss was to start things off, there has been some adjustments to the training at this time at least for the next few weeks. We are on the second half of the training towards Regionals at this point. So far, bag toss has been every other week with the working weight being for 10 EMOM singles. Going forward, it will be every week for 5 EMOM singles and the focus not on adding weight so much as getting form focused. This increased frequency and lower volume is also being applied to sandbag to shoulder for the end of the workouts. But I’ll get to that when I get to that. With bag toss, I had asked Mr. Westerling what he felt would be a good weight here with not aiming to go up in weight every session, keeping in mind I was going a foot higher than contest and like three sessions have been in inclement weather. Suggested was to either keep it the same weight or go up to 3lbs more as long as I felt it was safe. Anything over 43lbs was going to be a PR for this height. So of course, I decided to make it 45lbs. Did some warming up with the 30lbs sandbag with different styles of swings and extension drills before doing the “clean pull” tosses. Actual tosses the first one I got a lot of height on it but my arc was way too narrow and I was too far away so it went almost straight up and down. Corrected that for the second toss. I felt that was enough warming up but maybe I should’ve done one more. First toss with the 45lbs bag had similar issue as the first toss with 30lbs. I figured that I’d just tack an attempt on at the end to make up for it. I think I was a little surprised that the increase in weight was that noticeable as this was feeling like how 42.6lbs had felt last year in that final session before Nationals but I’d say with a bit more consistency in getting the needed height. If anything, most of them were hitting the target on the way down as my arc was a bit too shallow for what is needed. But should be fine for actual contest as I can get closer with the setup at Regionals. Also taking the feeling that a toss isn’t a PR unless I can hit it for multiple attempts because of how these can be. The expected last rep didn’t go as planned as I got a little off balance and didn’t get the usual power so I had to redo that one and got it. It is possible that some of this was from me already thinking I’d done this in my head as well as picturing how it would look in a video clip later (the walk up and the Arnold double biceps and twist lol). But got to have some fun with this. So bag toss done and then time for frame carry stuff. Again, I was a little nervous here. Now last time it had been from still getting back to things with the hamstrings and having seen a few hamstring injuries at the Arnold. Also planning for big weights to be moved in a way I’ve not really pushed (casual pace stuff). This time was only some of that (hamstring stuff) but in a different way. Walking slow was fine and all but how would the hamstrings do with me trying to go fast? I’ve been very deliberate with my picks on both yoke and frame since as well as for the elevated deadlifts. I was allowed to go as fast as I felt comfortable with so the restrictions had been lifted essentially. Plan was work up in 50’ runs with pretty much 100lbs jumps up until the end with goal being 640lbs. So hopefully 20lbs more than last time but at actual moving speed and going from where I left off really. This was easier said then done. Because the competition is happening next weekend, the lanes were a bit occupied. Not sure because of placement but repainting and marking stuff as well as some concrete work being done to try and fix a divot. So that meant that I couldn’t warm up in the usual spot and I’d have to move stuff with the handtrucks to another spot. This also meant figuring out where I wanted stuff to stop so that putting it away wasn’t such a chore. I’d need to warm up on lighter stuff since the empty big frame is 568lbs. I was able to do the lightest setup just on the turf lane and then moved on to the beefier setup in the wind tunnel before moving outside. I was still being a cautious with the picks here. I didn’t feel any issues with going fast thankfully. I did have a little bit of a weird occurrence with 376lbs. It was perhaps a combination of holding my breath as well as the bright sunlight in my eyes as I went from inside to outside as I kind of slowed down a lot about halfway. I didn’t have that issue for anything else. It was nice to be outside running with the frame again. Not having to worry about setting down gently and just going fast. With the bigger frame, I tried to not be so deliberate on the pick. It was a higher pick and I know I need to move fast here. There was some hesitancy with that so I’d repeat the process a few times before I’d actually go. 640lbs felt just fine and moved well as it should. I got 80lbs to add to this before show time. Not too concerned with speed timing at this point as I’ll need to be more on point when it comes to putting both yoke and frame together. Put some stuff away before putting the frame back. I didn’t quite put everything away as I still had another event to get ready for. Sandbag to shoulder for the last thing. As mentioned, it appears to be a weekly thing with low volume. At least compared to what I was doing before the hamstring pull/tear. But first, very light sandbag rows. Idea being to do a set of 5 reps to warm up. Similar to how I do some back extensions to warm up for the hyper holds (as well as get things to not be so tight after heavy pulls). I’ve done rows with sandbag before and various styles. I know that it ends up being used as a warm up for stuff like sandbag as well as for stones. If I know this is for warming up for something vs on its own, I’ll do them differently. I don’t pick up sandbags in a row way by itself. It is a rowing and standing up all at once. So I felt that doing that made more sense if I was to be getting the feeling of how the sandbag pick would be and would hopefully have me feeling better about the motion in general with the lingering worries about the hamstring. I should add that I had modified the rehab stuff as I’ve been doing every Thursday going into the following week. Dropping stuff and modifying other stuff to try and cut down on fluff but keep working what needs work. One change did put a bit more stress on the hamstrings (switching from double leg isos to single leg isos) so that was possibly weighing on my mind there. The sandbags were also kind of sorted between ones that were going to be used at the contest and those not. The ones not being used were the not so good ones but that didn’t matter. I had taped my wrists for the rows and the working plan here was literally just singles to a top weight and stop there. Suggested was 150, 200 and then 225-250. I had planned on the 250lbs but with that also being the plan for next time and I’m actually not sure where I’m going to be training next weekend, I figured it was smarter to do 225lbs. I had to remind myself that I’ve only done 150lbs since the injury and that was just last week. I took my time with these and making sure I wasn’t rushing. These felt good. The top knot on the 225lbs bag was distracting but I didn’t let that get to me. I know I could do the 250lbs no issues but the one I was able to use was really sandwiched between stuff and I was already going a bit later than I would’ve liked with having to move a bunch of stuff around to get the work done with frame carry. I can do more next week. I ate the I brought to get food and drink down and put stuff away. I did stretch a little bit as I stayed to help someone finish up their last bit of training (with timing and commands) before I packed up and drove home to eat and stretch.</p><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S9fshgoVo3E?si=D5c5y32G49UD_nVF" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-3489014966174759912024-03-09T22:18:00.005-05:002024-03-09T22:18:26.615-05:00March 3, 2024 - March 9, 2024 - Week 12<p> March 4, 2024 – Week 12, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Axle Clean and Overhead (1 clean)<br />Strict Presses + Push Presses + Jerks<br />26x5+5+5<br />51x3+3+2<br />Push Press + Jerks<br />80x1+1<br />110x1+1<br />140x1+1<br />170x1+1<br />190x1+1<br />210x1+1<br /><br />Axle Push Presses + Jerks <br />210x1+1<br />210x1+1<br />210x1+1<br />210x4+1<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />sb+lbx5 at pin 16<br />sbx5 at pin 16<br />ab+lbx5 at pin 16<br />abx5 at pin 16<br />lbx8 at pin 16<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x10<br />120x5<br />150x3<br />180x2<br />210x5<br />210x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I saw a fair number of people saying how happy they were that February is over. I feel like anyone saying that seems to forget what March is like around here. Cold and rainy Saturday and then 60 degrees Sunday. There is also potentially snow expected near the end of the month. February at least seems to be consistent. In other news, I reached the goal (285lbs or more) bodyweight by my self imposed deadline of first week of March. Being at 284.6lbs for three weeks and then 285.8lbs this week. I’m not sure where I got the “289lbs” number as my heaviest as I looked back when I thought I weight that and it turns out it was 269lbs (and shortly after that I got over 270lbs for the first time). So this is the heaviest I’ve ever been for certain. Usually when I set some kind of goal like this, I seem to fall short. But this time I did the thing. Now whether this was a good thing or not (adding over 30lbs to my bodyweight in about 6 months). I do feel like my frame is carrying it well and I’m moving/existing with little difference (other than some belts and underwear being too snug). It was another unseasonably warm day as it almost got up to 70 degrees. But it was not humid so it didn’t feel like bad weather. Going to be like 20 degrees and rainy tomorrow. I was slightly stressed with the planned training but it was stuff I was going to have to come to terms with at some point. My right biceps was feeling a little tight from Saturday (I think the heavy frame work) and I wasn’t too sure how pick things up from the “standard” height for a barbell weight would feel. Warming up stuff felt fine. I noticed that I hadn’t really felt a lower back pump on Saturday warming up compared to the previous two days in the week after how things were and I figured likely because I got stuff in the back to shift doing some decompression. Noticed it a little bit but only on the dynamic leg swinging stuff for my lower back mobility and hips. Everything else seemed to be fine and good. I still get slight anxiety with some things because of slight tension and whatnot (because there was no warning I feel for when the hamstring went). Axle to start off the training after all the warming up. Determination for training was to attempt stuff from the floor again. Plan was to work up to a certain weight before switching to out of the rack but hopefully be able to work up to the top weight and then do the rest of the sets out of the rack as planned. Axle is going to be set lower for the pick and require a bit more power right from the start compared to log which will sit a little higher and can afford to be slower (but is also further away from center of gravity). I did apply chalk because there was a possibility with the increased temperature, my tendency to be a space heater (temperature in my house went up 1 degree between sets while I was pacing lol) that I might end up sweating a good bit. That didn’t really seem to be an issue thankfully. But I really wasn’t sure with how axle cleans would be. My hands were feeling a bit worked (frame carry and hold) and I was not sure with the right biceps (though that was going to be my pronated side) on top of the uncertainty of my hamstring when applying force. It thankfully did not end up being an issue in any way. Just a bit of time prepping before I lifted each time. But I’ve kind of been that way with axle in the first place because of how important the start. Suffice it to say that I do miss the pleasant “thunk” of the stall mat landing compared to the more scattered sounding drop on concrete. Initially plan was to just work up 170lbs for the clean and overhead stuff and then go to the rack from there but things were feeling good and rather find out. This is feeling crisper even if say my lower body isn’t feeling as fresh. Like not expecting the weights to be moving as quick as they by feel upon reviewing video. I am taking my time between switching of push pressing into jerking. Trying to transfer over stuff from front squats with my breathing and bracing in the rack position and not rushing. I have rushed in the past with going right from the rack out of worry (and maybe using slight stretch reflex). Cleans are feeling good but again, I’m about 90lbs off where I’ll need to be game day. But hey, into 70% of contest weight finally. Out of the after that top double with 210lbs. Compared to last time with feeling weight on my ribcage, no issue this time, just lower legs feeling a bit worn. Trying to unrack with purpose and use the steps back to ground myself and get a powerful stance. Felt good and like it was getting better each time. On the last set where I could do more reps, I knew that I needed to calm down and not rush things. Make these very solid reps and treat them like singles I don’t rerack on. The first rep was great and then I relaxed too much for the second and it went forward and I had to take a step forward to catch it. Then did two more reps real easy. I took a moment before going for the jerk. I’m noticing that the jerks tend to be very much effected by fatigue. It seemed fine enough though my right knee definitely felt sore after that rep. Nothing some rest won’t help. Ate a bowl of oatmeal before moving on to band assisted pull-ups. I kept the knee sleeves just because again. These are still to be done as working up in 5 reps to the top set of 5-15 reps. But I was advised that I should be pulling up higher and lower with better control. I felt in order to that, I’d need to adjust the band tension and where I was placing it rather than working with one band and lowering the pin height for the increase in resistance. The first two pin heights I was using I knew were a bit too high for my purposes (and a pain to get into without a step) so I went slightly lower and just swapped out different band tensions. I was a little worried with these because I’ve had biceps strains before on this exercise in the last training cycle when working the no tacky stone stuff hard and I was on edge with it from just how it was feeling from after Saturday session. Thankfully again, no issues. Now it might be that some sets felt harder/easier because of “motivation” but it is likely that the method of stacking the bands with more than one is not working out the math how I thought it would so I may need to adjust the band stuff for next time. But that top set was definitely the lightest of the resistances and seemed to work out just fine. Aim to pull myself up higher and control the eccentric better. I think I accomplished that. Last thing was log incline benching. Same as last time with 2x5 continuing. 10lbs increase from last time. Last time, it had felt a little daunting with how it was feeling at that point. And it ended up being really good. So only slightly apprehensive that last time was a “fluke” and that I was back to feeling like myself on this movement. And I was. I’d say it felt the same or easier than last time. The changes in the training made for upper body stuff seems to have worked and got me feeling like how I usually do and for several weeks now. I knew there was an issue and it could have a solution. Just have to keep an eye on things and monitor and report. Triceps feeling a little sore. Put stuff away before stretching and then eating dinner.<br /><br />March 6, 2024 – Week 12, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />16” Wide Grip Jack Pulls w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x3<br />275x3<br />315x2<br />365x2<br />405x1<br />455x1<br />495x1<br />527x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds<br />bwx60 seconds<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+53x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Right knee still a bit achy/stiff from Monday but no hampering of my normal activities. I was tempted to ice it but seeing how things go. I don’t expect this session to bother anything. It kind of dawned on me that this potential competition is now getting kind of close. It’s not something far off. 12 weeks to go. Assuming no further injury related setbacks, I should be on track with my current progress. But even if I come into this in good/great shape, I don’t think I’ll be able to get a Nats qualification if the people that show up are also in good/great shape. I’m starting to look at Plan B’s in the event I don’t do enough to qualify outright here. Ideally qualify and be able to take a little break before training for Nationals. Not sure about sandbag to shoulder and still waiting on the new deadlift suit. But really, not sure if I’m 100% comfortable with doing a max from the floor (especially with a suit) so I guess I’m ok for now. I feel that all be cutting it close with the overhead stuff and moving medley and sandbag will be just fine. It had rained a little bit yesterday and today so it was a little cooler compared to the earlier in the week. Warming up. There is still some hesitancy with some movements but it could just be mental thing and me just being hyper focused on anything that “feels off” while I’m doing it. Stuff seemed to be ok. Back to wide pulls. Still elevated. Plan was to again work up to a top set of 5 reps but have it be 2-3” lower than last time. Last time had been 18” with my jack stands so I figured going to the second highest notch of 16” would fit the bill here. I wasn’t sure with how things would go. I had a feeling that I left weight in the tank last time not just because of unfamiliarity with the movement but also because hamstring was still recovering so strength endurance was impeded. I felt I had called things about 50lbs too early for my actual strength but right on the money as far as what my hamstrings would’ve handled. I’ve been asking more of the hamstrings each session. My thinking was that with recovery and familiarization that hopefully I could do the same weights as last time at this lower height. The suggested was to do 455lbs top set as opposed to 500lbs like last time. Figured I’d play it by ear/feel. I was also thinking about the one women’s competitor that uses a wide stance on deadlifts that tore the hamstring at the Arnold but tried to push that image out of my head. I know to have my pull be controlled in this style and not rushing it or trying to pull explosively off the ground. At the start, I wasn’t too keen on things but it was feeling pretty good as I went. I didn’t want to have my back spasm on me like it did at the end of the last session of these. I had done doubles last time but decided to swap to singles as that seemed to be the suggested this time. That first single with 405lbs felt the best that this style of pull with this weight has ever felt so I knew that I was going to be doing 500lbs and likely more for the top set. I was also entertaining 545lbs for the top set. I was feeling some fatigue in the right hamstring after the single I did with 495lbs and figured it was best to not go up another 50lbs. I’m not too sure why I did 527lbs but I guess I didn’t want to do 525lbs. This felt comfortable. It felt better than last time with less weight and higher start height. I definitely had 545lbs there today. Moving down in height might be the best way to go about this with keeping up strength and building confidence. At least with this exercise. I felt strong here. Got a little rest putting the weights away before finishing up the session with the core work. Hyper bench stuff back but no weights again. No changes to what I did last time per notes. Set of 10 reps to warm up and loosen up the back and then a 60 seconds hold. Not sure if it is because I’ve been doing the hamstring work rehab stuff or that the big jump in weight on the wide pulls with hip circle were a factor but my hamstrings were getting cooked here this time around. Like maybe they are firing right and getting more engagement and able to support my increasing bodyweight. I think for them to recover that I’m going to need to be getting this sensation in them with a sense of fatigue. Planks after that. I may have rushed moving from one thing to the other so that I could eat a bowl of oatmeal and then have a enough time to relax and decompress and digest before making dinner. As I mentioned, keeping it at 53lbs in the backpack. I didn’t quite get the left shoulder strap fixed right so it was feeling a little wonky. But I was also taking not as much rest to get things done. I think I’m getting better at being able to breath with a lot of pressure. Side planks were fine. Still noticing the leg work requirement in holding the position but less so this time so hopefully meaning recovery is continuing. With those done, I ate some oatmeal and then put stuff away before stretching and then cooking up dinner.<br /><br />March 9, 2024 – Week 12, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Yoke (casual pace, turf)<br />180x50’<br />300x50’<br />350x50’<br />400x50’<br />450x50’<br />500x50’<br />550x50’<br />600x50’<br />650x50’<br />700x50’<br /><br />Sandbag to Shoulders<br />100x1/1<br />125x1/1<br />150x5 R<br />150x5 L<br />150x5 R<br />150x5 L<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Work ended up being a bit more of how I was expecting it to be with planning to take a day off work. I fought against my normal instincts of working through lunch to make sure that I was getting in walking middle of the day rather than after work. As one was to just have time after work to do stuff and rehab exercises and try and get used to the hour shift coming up Sunday. Right knee still achy but manageable. Not feeling as sore I guess compared to last time I did elevated wide pulls going into this session. Potentially some compression symptoms lingering. Family was celebrating birthdays this weekend so I did want to try and get out to train earlier so I could be back at a reasonable time. Set my alarm an hour early (which will be regular time tomorrow ugh) and that was just plain unpleasant getting up so went back to bed for 30 minutes before getting up. I had stuff ready to go pretty much from the night before so I did get on the road much sooner than I usually would. Drive out took a little bit due to rain. I actually got out there to train when the earlier group was finishing up and the next group had not yet started. Warming up stuff felt fine. I was expecting more discomfort on some things but thankfully not the case. As far as the actual session, I did take time between some stuff to assist with people training. Most everyone there in the second group is training for the local comp at the gym in two weeks so this is likely the last heavy session for things. And it was probably a good idea for me to take some longer breaks with things since it was just yoke and sandbag session. Yoke was still being done at casual pace and for 50’. I was initially doing it on the concrete but then the people using the yoke on the turf from the first group were done so I went back to that. 50lbs jumps here was going to add up to a lot of work pretty quick and just putting 50lbs on wasn’t taking a lot of time either. My right knee was a little achy and I think I might have had the pick height one notch lower than I might end up using. But I think that as I got used to this and kind of made my whole body brace on the picks that I got better with it. It was more that pick that the knee was feeling crabby about. I was trying to do these not just casual as far as pace but also in attitude until I got closer to the goal for the day. The plan was pretty much like last time I did these with top weight and then when I felt I was done to do holds from there. But I figured I was probably going to pull what I did last week with every set being a run and a hold at the end of the last one. I had done 550lbs last time so 700lbs was going to be a big jump but I figured I better have that in me. The first session on the frame stuff was 470lbs and I did 620lbs second time. So this should work out just fine. My body was definitely aligned better in that it was feeling like a muscular effort with my lower back to stay braced. Also didn’t feel like my right calf was a tight as last time. The weight I did on these last time where I stopped was really comfortable so I just kept going with again the plan to stop at 700lbs as contest weight. It did start to feel like something above 600lbs. It is strange getting hyped up to go slow essentially. 700lbs felt ok. I got to the end and the plan was to hold it for 15 seconds but it felt too easy when I locked my legs so I unlocked them slightly to make it challenging and I guess doing that had it swing forward a little and get me off balance. So rather than fighting it, I just set it down at about 5 seconds. I don’t feel the long holds are as beneficial for yoke compared to the frame. So able to do contest weight on the yoke as slow as possible so good on that. I took a bit of time to kind of rest/prep for what came next; sandbag to shoulder. The thing I strained the hamstring on about a month ago. Plan was to do some light weight for reps. Now I read this as 2x5 as that was what I did last week with a light sandbag but apparently I misread and this was to be 5 reps each side. I could do them as EMOM or all together. I figured I’d rather do them all together as less time and get and idea how things feel doing lifts in quick succession. I was advised to stick between 100-150lbs. Which meant I was going to do 150lbs. I had done the 150lbs sandbag no issues (I think) last week so I knew I could pick this bag up with no issues. But still some mental hesitation to overcome. Did a single each side with 100lbs and then 125lbs. No chalk or belts here. I did apply some athletic tape around my wrists to help support a little. 150lbs is still a pretty darn small and easy bag to move. Difficult to move it how I’d treat a heavy bag. But I did my best. Got 5 reps to the right and took a brief walk to come back for 5 more on the left. This should’ve been where I stopped but like I said, I thought it was 2x5 so I took a little more rest and repeated. And everything seemed to hold up. Left wrist, right biceps and right hamstring. But will keep monitoring. I was planning on heading out when I was done here but I stayed to do some stretching after eating and drinking what I brought and do commands and cues for someone there. Drove home and had to take a slight detour due to an accident near the exit near my home. So I was bit behind my schedule and had to pack in the calories before going over for dinner and stretching out.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vs-WsSgx5qU?si=CFoqBbIcr1WgOD1d" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-2541148799939473222024-03-03T12:51:00.001-05:002024-03-03T12:51:54.699-05:00February 25. 2024 - March 2, 2024 - Week 11<p> February 26, 2024 – Week 11, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Push Presses<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />175x2<br />200x2<br />200x2<br />200x2<br />200x2<br />200x5<br /><br />Chest Supported Barbell Rows<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x5<br />Added Straps<br />265x5<br />308x5<br /><br />Bench Presses<br />45x15<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x2<br />225x2<br />250x5<br />250x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Seemed to be fine after the Saturday session. Same body weight as the past two weeks at just under 285lbs. I was hoping it would increase slightly with diet back on track. I may not be able to eek out the last .5lbs before March weigh-in time. I’ll need to see if worth staying this heavy and trying to push/grow from here. I will say that I’m definitely feeling more comfortable at this weight in general. But not feeling like anything I did on Saturday irritated anything in the injured leg. But I can tell I did some work. And slightly annoyed that this coming Tuesday was going to be the day in office for the month, so a disruption to my schedule. And the left side of my neck was a little stiff (but not like pained or anything). Warming up routine I think I got it memorized at this point. I guess fine. I’m mostly seeing how the dynamic movements for the hamstrings with a stretch are feeling to probe recovery. My walking gait is unencumbered at this point. The elevated wide pulls and the yoke work last week apparently were harder on my body than I thought as I got quite a lower back pump doing the warming up for the lower body. I did want to try to move through things smoothly while also making sure I was getting fluids in. And have it be early enough to get in a bowl of oatmeal before dinner. Log to start things off. Push pressing working out of the rack this week again to a working weight for 4x2 and then final set of up to 5 reps. I hadn’t exactly felt 100% pleased with how log had gone last time and had been a big reason for me moving the stall mat off the patio so I didn’t feel limited. I didn’t want to end up pressing out in front like I was doing last time. While axle was real good for the most part (besides the last push press really), I was still thinking on that one press and how things had felt last time. I wanted to not have that and try and think on what I actually want the weight to be doing here. We weren’t off to a great start. My lower back was feeling pretty stiff so it was probably a good thing no cleans this week. My knees were feeling terribly achy at the start and had to kind of take my time with the reps. Thinking about how I want my lower body drive to be here and try to visualize so that I do put all that power into it. I think I was a little better with treating the unrack of the weight better in a way that it would be like if I did clean it and be in position to press. But still feel like the first rep goes a little forward and I can adjust and correct for the subsequent reps. Hard to gauge between axle and log with same weight as axle had felt heavy initially and was really crisp and I feel similar with log. But a little tougher. I was feeling like I was getting my stance and drive better as the sets went (reason I like low rep and lots of sets for myself). When it came time for the last set, I seemed to not have the first rep be as crisp as I wanted and I got a little worried but managed to launch up the reps comfortably so that was a good note to end on. The weight never felt “heavy” on my shoulders and I can tell they are recovering better as I was never feeling like I had trouble with them staying stable. I put away the weights mostly before going inside the garage to do the rest of the workout. Chest supported rows again. Same 5 sets of 5 reps to a top set for the day. I had surprised myself with going up 25lbs more than I had expected to so I knew I’d likely be good for just a little bump this time around. Especially after doing all those partial sandbag rows. I set things up so that I was doing the 40-50lbs jumps up to 225lbs and then from there decide if I wanted to continue or make smaller jumps. I had already decided really to just aim for 305-315lbs and that likely not doing 275lbs would be the best bet to be feeling good enough for that kind of weight. So 40lbs jumps. I was set for 305lbs but I guess I wanted to do 140kgs because of reason so I added 3lbs to it. This was definitely the limit as far as the more “bodybuilder” style or row and likely stick to around this weight if continuing to push. But maybe I’ll be back to normal training and I might feel fresher for rows. Or not. But I am getting close to 3 plates on a stricter variation of the chest supported stuff. And I know how much I can get out of these and when I go to “heave” styles. Bench last thing for the session. These are still indicated as “speed” work but I guess not really as we add weight. Like the incline log last week, the working weight for the 2x5 was increased 20lbs. It had been fine with the incline log stuff but I know that log overhead ends up being more emphasis on the upper body stuff compared to axle (especially with jerks). I did notice that feeling better with pressing and that shoulders are feeling stable and not “tucking” inadvertently mid-press. So even with that alone, I can tell recovery is improved from the sessions. I was trying to pace things a little as the weight changes were pretty quick at this point (I had stuff to put away or set up between sets for the other exercises). Weights over 135lbs for some reason just feel heavier than expected for me. Like adding that 50lbs for 185lbs feels like “a lot” but I know it isn’t. There does just seem to be that one weight jump on exercises where it goes from feeling “easy warming up” weight to “you need to pay attention to me” weight. I also know that the feeling can be a lie; feeling heavy or light. What matters is action when called upon. So got things set for those working sets. That first set wasn’t my best work but it was done reasonably enough. Second set overall felt much better where most of the reps felt in the groove. Triceps feeling pretty sore after this session and back still feeling last week’s sessions. Ate a bowl of oatmeal and stretched before cooking up dinner.<br /><br />February 28, 2024 – Week 11, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x2<br />265x2<br />305x2<br />335x2<br /><br />21” Jack Pulls w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x2<br />405x2<br />495x2<br />545x2<br />600x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds<br />bwx60 seconds<br /><br />Crunches<br />bw+20x30<br /><br />Lying Leg Raises<br />bwx30<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Another dumb day of having to go into the office for meetings. Never been to a meeting that couldn’t have just been an e-mail. So maybe a little annoyed with that. But as far as myself, lower back was still feeling a little stiff. I didn’t get a chance to do a walk Tuesday since in office (only did rehab stuff and soft tissue work). Things had been busy and I had finally gotten around to send something about how I’m feeling as far as my hamstring injury to Mr. Westerling to see what the plan was as far as integrating back to full ROM and other changes. Things do seem to be improving but I don’t want to just go right back with those little twinges of concern in my mind. So some of that has been adjusted for this week and next week but could potentially be adjusted further depending on how this week goes. As for the lower back, I had a feeling that I probably needed to do some decompression but waiting to see if needed or not. I’m eating a bit more food then I used to when I’d regularly do it so not often I don’t have something in my stomach so holding off until later in the evening. Mobility stuff continues. I’m not sure if this is how my hamstrings are or if there is still some discomfort sensations with some movements. I can tolerate it and it is very minimal but I do want to be careful. The hamstring thing didn’t appear to have any warning when it happened anyways. Got a bit of lower back pump but not as much as it was Monday. Front squats starting things off with the plan being to work up to a top set of 2 reps. So the plan was to do 10lbs more than last time on these. I know I had said about using the sturdier rack for these but the weather today made it so that I was an indoor lifter. If it was just light rain, I think no problem but with it being thunderstorms and high winds (parts of my toss tower got knocked down), any safety was getting cancelled out. Things were feeling fine enough. I had been a little worried the lower back stiffness would be an issue but it wasn’t. I felt a little better as far as mobility wise compared to last time. There was also probably some more hesitancy with the hamstring issue being fresh and worrying my leg would go at any time potentially. As I got up in weight, I did modify things a little. The written suggestions was to go 275lbs and then 315lbs and 335lbs for doubles after 225lbs. I felt that was spacing things a bit at the end and I recall how last time the jump from 225lbs to 275lbs had felt a bit rough and then going to the top weight. So I did 265lbs, 305lbs and then 335lbs. I got a bit more excited for the top double vs the penultimate one. So they felt about the same. Which may be a good thing in doing some weights without hyping up and the like. Make them routine. But it does throw me off sometimes when I expect a tough double and then I probably had 2-3 reps there because of how much anxiety I get about messing it up and not getting the lifts. But if I can save it for just a few times a session and not all the time, I think it is manageable. I mean, it is how I’ve done it for all these years. Anything over 315lbs so far on front squats has been the heaviest I’ve gone since 2016. So pushing closer to my actual PRs here. 30lbs off my lifetime best double. It is good to be getting these front squats. The more I get used to 300lbs and over on these, the better I think confidence wise with my overhead as well. So why I feel that building this up like with bench is important. So good like work with the front squats. Then some pulling. So initially the modification was to do rack work from just above the knee for a top set of 5 reps but changed to just below the knee after how last week had gone and my status report on progress. These “rack pulls” with the hip circle were to be done in a specific way. I was to not treat them as if I was trying to lift to the best advantaged lift but to lift it as if I was lifting through this movement. I had recalled Bill Kazmaier mentioned this as “round back” rack work to mimic where he’d actually be at that point in the lift when pulling from the floor. But this was similar but not quite. So hips back and not “quad pressing” to initiate the lift. This was to replace the rdls so this to that like the elevated wide grip pulls were for last week. Now because the rack was in the middle of storm and I don’t really want to bang up my bars, I needed to improvise a little. My jack stands max out at 18”. So I ended up using the crash pads and the jack stands to get it at about 21” which is right below my knee (very pronounced tibial tubercle). And I say about because there was some compression of the pads as I added several hundreds of pounds. Unlike the elevated wide pulls, I was instructed to take bigger jumps working up. Suggested was 545lbs but I had a feeling I’d exceed that but it really depended on how I was feeling. As mentioned, I wasn’t to be pulling from an advantaged position so it was a lot of strain to initiate the lift applied to the lower back and hamstrings. The subsequent reps were a lot easier than that first rep (also why I stuck to doubles working up). But I was prepared for 545lbs to be where I called it. After 495lbs, I took a break to see if my lower back would chill if I did some dip station compression. It seemed to do it a little bit immediately but over the course of the night it definitely did something to help. Because of how things were feeling initially, I had gone with 545lbs rather than another plate jump to 585lbs. With how good 545lbs had felt, I felt I needed to go heavier and I didn’t really want to do a 40lbs jump and then possibly have to go heavier and “miss” because of that initial rep. So I settled on 600lbs. Do 600lbs on this and did 500lbs on the other variation. 600lbs for reps had been the next step on the rdls after doing 585lbs for reps anyways. I got set and that first rep went up and I could feel the weight pulling down on me and making it hard to breath efficiently. But the movement after that felt automatic and I had to slow it down a little so that I wasn’t making it too easy. I know I can go heavier but this was probably the right call for this time. The first rep felt about right but the other reps felt pretty darn comfortable. I didn’t put away the weights as I was trying to get through the rest of the training so I could get in a bowl of oatmeal before eating a later dinner. Hyper bench stuff back but no weights. I had mentioned that I was planning on doing 90 seconds as the limit here and was advised to stop at 60 seconds. So this wasn’t really going to be a max effort anymore. Warming up with hyper extensions and then the hold. I had almost been tempted to just go right from one to the other but thought better on it. Hamstrings were definitely feeling these elevated stiff legged pulls. 60 seconds came and went. So abdominal work to follow. Tried to move on to that relatively quick. Set of crunches with some weight. I think because of the “ease” of the hyper bench stuff that I wanted to push these more so I added 10lbs. I was slightly concerned only in that these might may my abdominals sore when it would come time to do sandbag toss this weekend. But got the reps done. Leg raises felt better I think this time around. Didn’t feel like forever. One of the better ones as far as how the lower back “traction” situation felt. Got that done and ate some oatmeal and then put everything away before stretching and then making dinner.<br /><br />March 2, 2024 – Week 11, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br />42x1<br /><br />Frame Carries (casual pace)<br />(18” pick)<br />180x50’<br />280x50’<br />380x50’<br />480x50’<br />(20” pick, turf)<br />568x6’<br />568x50’<br />620x50’ and 19 seconds hold<br />568x6’<br /><br />Sandbag Rows<br />150x5<br />150x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Managed to have the weather and my workload not be such that I could get in walks both Thursday and Friday. I was worried I’d need to work through lunch breaks to not have things go overdue. For this year, I’ve elected to use personal days for both when DLS starts and ends so that I can let myself get a little more time to adjust to the change. So for this month, I have one less work day then I’d normally have for scheduling stuff. I’ve dropped some of the rehab exercises as the workouts get back to normal stuff and with greater intensity. I don’t want to take away from recovery. Likely drop a few more next week assuming things continue to progress well. As for this planned session for Saturday, I was going back and forth in my head on whether this was a stay at home session or a go out to train at the gym session. Before the midweek adjustment in training based on my feedback, this was going to be the same as last time with bag toss and then frame walk (casual pace) and end on frame holds. Just adding a little more to what I did last time. The modification change was that I could potentially do all the sets of frame as walks at casual pace if I felt good rather than stop and do holds. As well as some light sandbag work tacked on at the end to see if I can handle that as far as hamstring stress picking things up off the ground. I could do the workout at home and it would probably be less issues putting stuff away. But there was also the weather aspect. It was to rain most of the day. At my house, there were to be some gaps in it whereas the gym there wasn’t really going to be any. In either case, bag toss would be in not ideal conditions. I think the deciding factor here was that I could do frame work inside at the gym and that footing for the bag toss would be more secure at the gym (and bag wouldn’t be landing in wet grass). Also the thunderstorm with high winds Wednesday knocked down parts of my toss tower and I wasn’t keen of using a ladder in the rain to set it back up. There was a good bit of people there when I showed up but I think most were near the middle or end of their sessions. I did end up getting myself talking about tips and training stuff so I ended up taking longer than I planned to with being at the gym as well as warming up. Warming up things felt pretty good as far as joints and muscles. I think I’ve got the new warming up routine down without needing to reference anything. Besides I think wanting to talk to people with same interest was trying to see if the rain let up any before having to go and do bag toss stuff. It wasn’t that I wasn’t confident in myself. Last time with training these I felt like I had got something to click in the form where it was going up even better. And I’ve done bag toss in worse rain conditions (but I wasn’t aiming as high or with short rests). I think it was that I kind of wanted to go heavier on the bag after last time where I was cautious and with the rain, I couldn’t really chance going up that much again. Warming up felt good here. Plan was 42lbs for the 10 singles EMOM style. Technically the bag was 42.2lbs (for some reason, I can’t get my scale to be 42lbs). This was very close to the weight that I did five tosses with at the end of my Nats prep where I was just barely getting over the height. Rain has its own challenges. It isn’t as visually distracting as say snow but it definitely makes things slick quicker and adds weight. The first toss went over well enough. Usually I have some issues with the first toss. Second toss I saw the band target wobble and with the rain visibility, I couldn’t tell if that was from coming back down and clearing it or if my trajectory was off and I had missed. So I kept that as a “maybe” and figured that if I wasn’t seeing a decrease in performance as I went that I’d do an extra just to make sure I had 10 “good” tosses. The water getting into the bag definitely was noticeable as I went and kind of changed the balance a good bit so that required some adjustments during the swing. I had another band hit toss and again, I wasn’t sure if it went or not. So two to add at the end. I had not more questionable ones and actually had some tosses go even better. So added two more tosses at the end. Reviewing the video I found that all my tosses were good tosses so 12 good tosses. Just for my own curiosity, weighed the sandbag at the end of it and it gained weight so that it was 43lbs. So at the very least, some of those tosses were over 42.6lbs so this is a technical PR for this height. Bag toss is looking good and hopefully I can keep going with the 3 months left to train. After drying myself off, it was time for frame carry stuff. I was a little nervous here. The Arnold is happening this weekend and it the one strongman show at the pro level I look forward to and can watch for free (as well as having an amateur world championship). I’d add the Rouge Invitational to that but it was quite a miss last year. But with the high level of competition, injuries will happen. So seeing some people suffer the same injury I got a few weeks ago after taking months to recover or getting injured on an exercise I was about to do adds to thinking. The higher pick I-beam farmers were both broken as the pins keep breaking off. The welds are not great and rusted. The owner thinks it is because people keep pulling on the pins to move the implements. I think it’s just people not handling the implements with respect as I’ve used more weight then what the people training for this upcoming show are doing regularly. If Evan Singleton never broke them when he trained on them when he used to live up here, it is obviously something else. So that meant I’d need to use a different setup. The lower pick handles I could elevate slightly to get to 18”, not exactly the 22” I had last time. But I figured this would be safe as I was able to do 18” pulls with the wide stance and I’d be doing less than what I worked up to on those warming up to the big frame with a higher pick (20”). Things were feeling pretty comfortable. The issue was more putting the weights down to land on the mats with how these farmer’s handles are made. But no issues with the hamstrings here. Then the big frame. Now the initial plan was to work up to 500lbs or so as the casual pace stuff and then do 600lbs or so for the hold. If the plan was to be like last time, I would’ve done that and likely done about 670lbs for the hold considering I did 650lbs last time. But I could do all the weights as carries if I felt good. My hope was that the empty frame would feel good. The sliding doors can now be opened but with it raining, it didn’t make sense to go outside if I could safely do it inside as long as I had rubber mats for the drop points. I really hoped that I could do more than the empty frame for this as I’d be 50’ away from where it needed to be for putting away. I should be good for this height I told myself, I had done 600lbs for 5 reps comfortably earlier this week with bar as opposed to side handle. This went well enough so I knew that I could do my goal of 620lbs. This had been the plan for the next frame session before the hammy pull. It would be a big jump for me as far as casual pace frame/farmer’s walk stuff. I got set and took my time. I was able to keep my breathing quite relaxed after the initial pick. This felt quite good compared to 650lbs two week’s prior. I had already thought to add a hold at the end assuming that the slow pace and time under tension hadn’t already fatigued things (that was what I was most worried about beyond the initial pick). Held for about 20 seconds and set it down. I could’ve kept going. Stripped the weights down and put the empty frame away. Goals hit for the session. Last thing was very light sandbag rows. These were added to essentially get used to the sandbag pick again. Advised to do 2 sets of 5 reps with 100-150lbs. I made sure to find out if that was a hard limit. Took a little rest between these sets and just keeping an eye on where I was feeling things. These were ok. Put stuff away, ate/drank what I brought in the cooler bag before heading home. Which took a bit longer do to an accident a few miles out from the city so had to take a detour through farmlands. I had been calling it close with my gas tank so had to also refuel when I got back home before finally getting home to eat, stretch and catch up on Day 2 of the Arnold.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AOJ238cK150?si=gAWBvE9oWMxFiiwa" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-2011370791253755772024-02-24T20:18:00.002-05:002024-02-24T20:18:24.383-05:00February 18, 2024 - February 24, 2024 - Week 10 <p>February 19, 2024 – Week 10, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Axle Overhead<br />Strict Presses + Push Presses + Jerks<br />26x5+5+5<br />51x3+3+2<br />Push Press + Jerks<br />80x1+1<br />110x1+1<br />140x1+1<br />170x1+1<br />200x1+1<br />200x1+1<br />200x1+1<br />200x1+1<br />200x4+1<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />abx5 at pin 12<br />abx5 at pin 15<br />abx5 at pin 18<br />abx5 at pin 21<br />abx8 at pin 24<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x10<br />120x5<br />150x3<br />180x2<br />200x5<br />200x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: So weight is the same as last week, which honestly is quite surprising considering the caloric deficit I had for two of those days last week. I guess refeeding Saturday got me back up (I was weighing less that morning even with my shoes on). I think I’ve also got myself in a better mental state with things in that while I still want to do Regionals and qualify for Nationals, I’m accepting that it could be on hold while letting things heal up and just focus on getting stronger and better. And if things end up working out for me then they do. Hopefully I will be back to things in three weeks’ time and treat this as a one-month detour essentially. Having a three-day weekend to get things sorted helps too. With today being off from work, I could train when I wanted as opposed to waiting until the evening. At least that is what I would say if I didn’t accidentally sleep until noon. So that kind of limited my choices while also cutting down on meal timing. I pretty much decided early on in the session that I was going to have to drop one of the weight gain shakes or I’d not be able to stomach dinner (which was going to be the most calories and most filling). As I mentioned on Saturday, there had been modification to the “dynamic warm ups” and that going forward there would be a change. The most of the exercises added on Saturday became part of it. Nothing was dropped but there were some decreases in reps/time for some exercises, increases for others and some modifications to previous exercises. It is certainly a bit more of a workload but I think necessary. Even if not a permanent change, this will at least let me gauge the hamstring progress with some good feedback and hopefully continue to contribute to body movements feeling better. Going into this workout, I was feeling some stiffness/soreness/achiness in the right knee. But didn’t seem to be an issue for training or warming up. Starting things off with axle. I had removed the stall mat from the patio and swept the dirt/dust that was under it. I felt that while I like the “thud” sound of the bumper plates on it with the axle, it was limiting the area I could be pressing from in different aspects. Now it is back where it was previously for bag toss and viking press stuff. One of the issues with pressing at this time of day is that sun is literally right in my eyes facing the house to unrack. Everything out of the rack at this time with the hamstring. As with last time I did axle, the first two warming up sets had me start with strict presses, then push presses and finally jerks. Things were feeling fairly comfortable I guess. Light stuff was good to get my body used to things and figure where I was putting too much stress (like knees to far forward vs spreading out). Then going to the expected of first rep a push press and then the second rep a jerk. I eventually decided to move out of the rack fully as I was likely to nip the rack going for the jerk drive. Working weight being 10lbs more than last time. At this rate of progression, I’ll likely be at about 85% of contest weight come contest time for reps. There was some concerns that the jerks could cause some hamstring issues here but I figured I’d be good if I was able to do 325lbs for a triple on front squats. Plan was do four sets and then decide on the fifth set if I wanted to do more reps or not. Like last time, allowed to go up to 4 push presses (as a treat) but make sure to end with a jerk that was crisp and easy. These took a little longer as far as time under tension since I was walking these out and walking them back in. Also slight hesitancy with the sun in my eyes haha. My wrists and knees weren’t really bothering me on these. That first unrack with 200lbs did feel like something on my ribcage but it felt crisper as I went. Not attempting any split stance stuff while hamstring heals up. Push pressing felt fine and dandy although I got a little off balance on the fourth one of that last set, so jerk just felt ok. At this point, I got down a few food items that would get some calories in but wouldn’t really add much weight or get me gassy (bowl of oatmeal, glass of whole milk, a little Icelandic yogurt). I didn’t want to eat/drink anything substantial doing overhead with the belt on and nothing else would require a belt or a ton of core bracing. Up next being band assisted pull-ups. I kept the knee sleeves just because. Still doing sets of 5 reps to the top set (though expanded to 5-15 reps). I was slightly tempted to increase the band assistance to aim higher rep range but I figured I’d just stick to what I’ve been doing for the past few sessions and stick to the “add reps when I feel like it”. Things were feeling pretty good here so I had a feeling that I’d probably be adding reps to my top set. Managed to add 2 reps to this while still feeling like there are reps there. Last thing was log incline benching. I was a bit nervous with this with the continuing of work up to 2x5 and do “speed” work with that weight. I had questions about the “speed work” protocol with the workout updates. Initially, this was to be 10lbs increase while regular bench was 5lbs. But then with the adjustments made with having to work around the current hamstring concern/issue, the next jumps seemed to be a lot. 20lbs jumps for both (then a 10lbs). This was correct and the rational was that it was smaller/lighter to deal with the shoulder overtraining and that I should be recovered enough at this point that these jumps would be doable and still be strong. I could see the evidence for that with the bench last week but I wasn’t 100% sold on the log incline stuff as still was a feeling a little off last time. But trusting what I have here so here we go. Starting nothing special but I did feel like I was doing better as far as form and how it felt. A double with the weight I did last time felt really good and I felt that only if I screwed this up would these be any issue. First set felt really good. Second set was ok and I did hit the rack arms so that through me off a bit. But I’d say these felt stronger than 180lbs had felt last time. I think these changes were the right call as I feel that shoulders are recovering better. Doesn’t feel like a ton and I feel I can keep my shoulders stable better. Downed a weight gainer shake immediately after and put stuff away before stretching and then eating some more food to get as caught up as I was going to with meals before dinner later in the evening.<br /><br />February 21, 2024 – Week 10, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />18” Wide Grip Jack Pulls w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x3<br />275x3<br />315x3<br />365x2<br />405x2<br />455x2<br />500x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds<br />bwx83 seconds<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+53x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: There had been no issues with Monday training and I have to reflect on where I am at as far as the competition. I’m in a mostly good spot prior to the injury. One that I’m hopeful will resolve enough to push full bore by start of next month. Overhead is in the mid 60%’s at the lowest as far as actual competition comparison (with actual set weights). But have over 3 months still to progress there and it isn’t like these working weights are max efforts right now. The yoke/frame medley stuff I was at low 90%’s/high 80%’s and the sandbag shouldering mid80%’s. Can’t really say with deadlift as haven’t done competition style but was feeling strong for myself. Also still waiting on the new deadlift suit. Bag toss is only like 3% off what I was doing the last workout before Nationals and I’m doing it for double the volume I did then. So again, not that far off with plenty of time. Assuming injury heals from the rehab stuff and workout modifications. This session, similar to the moving event training sessions, had some additional modifications made in the form of the deadlift work. But first warming up. Attempted to go off memory for the dynamic warming up stuff but I missed two exercises upon review and had to go back to do them. The dynamic moving stuff is kind of where I can test things and I get nervous with them but I know that I need to be able to confront that if I’m to get back to competing and training for the stuff I need to. Deadlift training is similar but different right now. So for now, that is elevating the pull height to where I’m hopefully not exacerbating things. Also having to temper things as hamstrings are known for “feeling good” before truly healed to handle the stress. So with this week being the “wide pull” week, I knew that it wasn’t a good idea to do these from the floor. So the modification was to do the same thing I’d been doing but from just below the knee. Still doing the sit back and using the hip circle. I went with using my jack stands at the top height to pull from, which is 18” or so. With how my knees are, I probably could’ve gone higher and still be ok but I felt that it would become a hassle with adding stuff and I wasn’t sure how the style of the wider pull would go for say not as stable a start if I did add anything besides the jack stands. I feel I don’t just lift up when I do these wide pulls. Plan here was to work up to a top set of five reps to what felt right/safe this day. Initially the plan was for 365lbs but when Mr. Westerling realized I had been able to do 585lbs for a double on the rdls last week with the tear and not make the injury worse, he increased the weight suggestion. But just suggestions as no clue what would be too much here and hopefully recovery was improving. But in either case, it was advised for 40-50lbs jumps so as to be able to fine tune but take bigger jumps. This was something that if it wasn’t bothering my hamstring, I was likely going to go a good bit over the suggested. The updated suggested top set was 405lbs. Even going for that weight, I felt it wasn’t going to be enough but I treated it as if it might be. The notes said 1-5 reps working up but I felt that it was best to do no less than doubles so that I got that initial pull and saw how things felt for the slight paused rep as those tended to be harder on the hamstring and body when I was doing these from the floor. So ended up with 500lbs for the top set. I felt I could do more but I didn’t want to risk it at this point with a new variation and pull height for me. These did feel comfortable but I could tell that my hamstring isn’t 100% yet. I could feel it fatigued quicker than the left side. A similar sensation when I was coming back from previous tears in my right biceps and right oblique. It will come back and soon but it does let me know not yet ready for all that I can bear on it. It was good to move this kind of weight though and I likely have another 50lbs there for sure. Got a little rest putting the weights away before finishing up the session with the core work. Hyper bench stuff back but no weights. I had worked the hamstring but it wasn’t in a state like it was last week after I had stressed it out with the rdls. So I could do them this week. Just bodyweight warming up with hyper extensions and then an unweighted hold. I wasn’t exactly sure on how long here but I could tell that my hamstring was ok but it would be the thing that fatigued first. This was one of those times that I miscounted at some point and dropped about 10 seconds off. I didn’t realize I was that close to 90 seconds here. I definitely could’ve done that. I just wasn’t sure if I should be going that long. That will probably be where I stop next time assuming doing them again with no weight. Put stuff away before the abdominal work. I did take some time as I was going to be done fairly early here and still get in a bowl of oatmeal before dinner in a few hours’ time. Regular planks to start with 53lbs in the backpack. These didn’t bother the hamstring at all so this was good. Felt fairly comfortable besides the sensation from the heavy elevated pulls. Flexing everything and breathing as I can. I’m noticing that my quads feel decently sore the day after these haha. Then a little rest before finishing up with the side planks. No weight. I switched sides I started on here. I notice I can’t full body brace nearly as hard as I can with prone planks. I did notice when doing the right side that I could feel some stress in that supporting leg. Not discomfort but I could feel fatigue there. Ate oatmeal before stretching. Hopefully this is a good sign and potentially I am back to normal training sooner than expected/planned.<br /><br />February 24, 2024 – Week 10, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Yoke (casual pace, turf)<br />175x50’<br />300x50’<br />350x50’<br />400x50’<br />450x50’<br />500x50’<br />550x50’<br /><br />Yoke Picks<br />600x5 seconds<br />650x5 seconds<br />700x64 seconds<br /><br />Chest Supported Sandbag Rows<br />Slight Pauses<br />200x5<br />250x5<br />300x10<br />300x10<br />No Pauses<br />325x6<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Been feeling better about the hamstring. I’m not feeling the “resistance” I was the week before when it comes to walking and my normal gait. I’m surprised that the walking seems to be my best indicator for how the muscle endurance and feelings of pushing off with the legs for a sprint are feeling rather than any of the exercises for rehab. Not saying fixing things but the best indicators. I was feeling somewhat tempted to do the original workout but I know I should be sticking to things for this week and likely next week at least. Hamstrings can be deceptive with feeling good and coming back to it. Actually kind of surprised how stiff/sore I was feeling in my inner thighs and lower back from the elevated wide pulls. Plan was to go out to train at the gym. I did set my alarm for when I usually get up for work. Got food ready for travel and went to bed slightly earlier. But I decided to hit snooze until it was about 40 minutes later than the alarm originally wanted me to get up. Drive out was fine. A fair number of people when I showed up but they were winding down essentially at this point. I did check the warming up protocol to make sure I didn’t miss anything or do anything out of order. Yoke and sandbag session but with a good bit of modification. Yoke up first. Similar to frame carry last week, the plan was work up to a 50’ run of what I thought would be safe at the “casual” pace and then go up some more for a pick and hold. The jumps were smaller compared to the frame carry so there was going to be a good bit more volume here. Ended up using the turf lane again here. Left side lower back was feeling sore/tense from the elevated pulls. It hadn’t been feeling like enough to resort to a decompression with the dip belt. Also some tension in the right leg but not in the hamstring. It was more the calf and back of the knee. Not pain, just tension that had me a little hesitant. Both sensations went away as I did more walks and added weight. The suggested had been 500lbs but that had been when thinking that 400lbs or so was going to be it for the frame carry. So plan here was 550lbs. Which would be 50lbs more than the most weight I had done the last time I was instructed to do casual pace stuff coming back from an injury. This was fine and I could’ve kept going up. But don’t think there would be much sense in doing contest weight at casual pace. I know the hamstring is doing better as unlike with the frame carry, I wasn’t feeling the injured side getting fatigued. From there, it was pick and holds. Plan was initially the weight I did for the yoke runs last time but I felt that was too easy so contest weight. Like the yoke walks, these were 50lbs jumps. Left side chest/shoulder were feeling the strain on the first two picks so I thought perhaps these would be tougher than I was expecting. Unlike with the grip, it wasn’t like I was going to lose the hold here for the top set. I had decided to just aim for 45 seconds as that is about the time it took me to finish a 50’ run one time with no drops with 850lbs or so. I figure that holding that time would be about all I need. There was no tension issue for this one. It felt a little rough for 20 seconds but that is sometimes the threshold for holds where it doesn’t feel that great and then things just kind of set and I can tolerate it for a lot longer. It started to feel easier after 30 seconds and as I was getting closer to 45 seconds, I felt I should just do a minute and then stop there. I was also trying to brace everything so like a standing plank rather than the more relaxed state for a frame hold. My slow counting had it a little over that. I probably could’ve gone until boredom as I was feeling like I was locked in at close to a minute and not really feeling any weight at all. Sandbag stuff to finish up the session. Couldn’t really do the movement I got the tear on or really in any meaningful way. So work what we could. I had two options for this with the second option only being if I couldn’t get the setup to work for the first. That first option was something I’d never done before; chest supported sandbag rows. Look, I’ve done chest supported rows and sandbag rows, not together. I was advised this was going to be short ROM exercise and focus was for the gripping of the sandbag and building the wrists. I’ve been away from sandbags for a good bit and that kind of explains the left wrist not really enjoying the shouldering at this time with the heavier weights. What would make this tricky was going to be if I could safely get the sandbags in place (as well as having a bench that this would work with). If not, the backup would be double overhand axle rows using a chest supported bench setup. I figured the sandbag option was workable and that I’d be able to move sandbags around with the handtruck and be able to get into position. I had a feeling I’d likely need a heavy sandbag for this but worked up in 50lbs jumps. Plan was to do 3 sets of 5-10 reps with 1-2 of those sets having slight holds/pauses. I was able to use 300lbs for the paused sets and then attempted to do no pause set with 325lbs. I guess those two sets with slight pauses sapped me. But it was good to get to have my hands on the 325lbs sandbag in some capacity. I may need to reinforce my wrists with some athletic tape next time I do sandbag stuff but I could tell that this was something that I had been missing/neglecting. I know the hamstring isn’t 100% just yet but it is damn close. Have to think of the strategy of integrating back to full ROM and contest condition events going forward as that could be happening sooner than I was expecting (which is good news). Cleaned up and downed all the sustenance I had packed before driving home to put some more nutrients down and then stretching.</p><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zdksaIZ9xGU?si=PzoCUmCHjdb8lVWz" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-90731587539229433022024-02-17T19:58:00.007-05:002024-02-27T23:02:43.922-05:00February 11, 2024 - February 17, 2024 - Week 9 <p> February 12, 2024 – Week 9, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Push Presses<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />170x2<br />190x2<br />190x2<br />190x2<br />190x2<br />190x5<br /><br />Chest Supported Barbell Rows<br />95x5<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />Added Straps<br />225x5<br />275x5<br />300x5<br /><br />Bench Presses<br />45x15<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />230x5<br />230x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Last week didn’t end the best way with pulling my right hamstring at the end of the workout. I don’t really notice it if I’m just walking around my house or just “existing” but definitely notice an issue if I’m trying to walk at a brisk pace or uneven ground and longer stride length. Sensation of like a slight cramp. Tolerable and I was able to get through my usual neighborhood 2 mile walk on my off day but at a slower pace. My body decided that I should add to that by straining something in my neck while drying my head off after a shower on Sunday evening. So ended up needing to take anti-inflammatories to get to sleep. It didn’t help that there are some stressful family stuff this week and then finding out getting a snow storm tomorrow. Ugh. Body weight just under 285lbs now so I guess on track for that goal. I had been able to get some soft tissue massage work on the hamstring Sunday and there is no bruising at this point. For training, obviously concerns about how things would go here. With this particular session, there was honestly more concern with the warming up stuff. There were thankfully no issues here. I did have some trepidation with initiating bodyweight box squats but got over that. I know there is the physical issues but I think the mental is going to be harder. Especially at this training age and point. As I feel I got only so many workouts left in me to be at somewhat top form. This workout did require some adjustments and I was fully expecting that. Doesn’t mean I don’t initially take it as me not being good enough for the original plan. I know that I’m going to think that and I try to rationalize it away with the reality of things. Anyways, the start of things was log work. Similar to how axle last week was with these being lower body drive movements now. Unlike axle, only doing push pressing. No strict pressing or jerks with working up in weight. The contingency plans here had been that if my hamstring was acting up to not do the beginning as clean and presses and do all work out of the rack and then if initiating lower body drive bother hamstring to do strict pressing instead. Mr. Westerling felt it was best to not attempt the cleans this time around to let the hamstring rest more so it was all out of the rack work. I had hoped to use the clean to test things for the more intensive stuff that would be coming later in the week. Unlike say when I’ve overworked my biceps or neck, I can usually get away with not putting direct work on them. But I’m always doing something with the legs. So the good with the log work today was that it didn’t bother my hamstring at all and the log felt light on my shoulders and chest. Working up to a top double (same weight as the axle last week) and then doing more doubles before having the option to do up to 5 reps on the last set before calling it. Neck wasn’t bothering me either. But the log wasn’t feeling as good as the axle felt last week. I mean, axle has always felt better on my shoulders/chest besides the breaking in period with the wrist stress. I think part of it is that I’ve not felt comfortable with log out of the rack for push pressing since I had to start training from home. The only time it has ever felt good had been that one tiered squat rack at the YMCA. No where else seems to get it right. I don’t seem to have issues with strict pressing like I do with the push pressing out of the rack. Potentially it is that I feel like my vision is obscured and that I don’t have as much space to maneuver. I’m not helping things with having the rubber stall mat on the patio that isn’t under the power rack. My foot stance doesn’t change with a strict press but I know I might move around with lower body drive. Which kind of ended up being the case for the last set as I could feel my heels had moved onto the rubber mat. There were some reps that I felt good about and others I didn’t. The ones I didn’t like the most were that last set with the last two reps. I felt more triceps and the fatigue with pressing out in front instead of up and back. I’m going to have to adjust my workout area in the back when it isn’t so risky with dampness so that I can give myself the opportunity to do my best here. Lesson for next time. It looked like some precipitation was happening so I tried to get stuff from outside inside. I had already spent rest periods warming up for log having the next thing setup. Which was chest supported rows. 5 sets of 5 reps to a top set for the day. I had lowered the weight a good bit based off of how things had been feeling last time and trying to get things more “locked in”. I was also feeling a bit off mentally after how much my overhead was struggling and that could’ve affected things. But I felt that I had undershot this last time so that doing 40-50lbs jumps with having 275lbs would work out just fine. I was also considering the neck strain and how that might affect things. Also didn’t want to inadvertently pull with the biceps too much considering that I had gone up 25lbs on the sandbag from last time. However, I was apparently feeling pretty good. 275lbs for the top set ended up feeling really easy. Like I had left way too much in the tank. So it was a bit odd compared to how things had felt last time but again, I was a bit in my own head with the pressing and just wanted to be done and not decrease my recovery. I was contemplating 295lbs but decided screw it and do 300lbs. And for once, the gamble paid off and I got it done. So that was neat. Then time for bench. This was to be “speed” work. 230lbs for 2x5 working up this time. As shoulders were feeling better, I did end up doing more reps working up as originally written rather than just sets of five reps. I still feel like I'm getting used to this style of benching and this grip. The reps that click really click and the reps that don't do feel tough on my triceps. Overall, I'd say these felt better than last time. Put stuff away and stretched.<br /><br />February 14, 2024 – Week 9, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x5<br />135x3<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x3<br />325x3<br /><br />Romanian Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x3<br />405x3<br />495x2<br />585x2<br /><br />Crunches<br />bw+10x30<br /><br />Lying Leg Raises<br />bwx30<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: This week was becoming even more stressful. The things that were mentioned at the beginning of the week were getting closer to happening and then there was my own concerns about my hamstring. I didn’t get to walk on Tuesday as it snowed in the morning into the early afternoon. But it got warm enough that I only had to worry about doing a little bit as the temperature increased and melted most of it. I was really stressing and worrying about how this workout would go. The only thing that could’ve really bothered things for Monday would’ve been if I had done cleans with the log. But there wasn’t really any avoiding it with this workout without not doing the workout. I was equal parts curious what I could do as well as fearful that I’d do too much. The good news I guess is that mobility work warming up hadn’t bothered anything for me. But then it was time for weights. Front squats starting things off with the plan being to work up to a top set of 3 reps. Plan was warm up with 40-50lbs jumps and see how things were going. Goal was to do 325lbs since I didn’t go for 315lbs last time for set of 5 reps. I felt I could do this even if not feeling 100%. Something I had thought on since the last session was about having safeties. I was pushing the weight on these and there was starting to be a risk of getting lightheaded and potentially missing the rack. Now that I’ve figured out the belt situation, that seems less likely but I feel I need to keep that in check. So I decided I’d use the sturdier rack outside on the patio rather than then the flimsy one I initially got with the 2020 quarantine stuff. The safeties on that thing weren’t helping anyone. It would also save time swapping over to the rdls afterwards. There was trepidation here as I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. Knees were probably a little achy from my calf and hamstrings being tight from the acute injury. But things seemed to be fine. I was a bit annoyed that 275lbs felt heavier than I would’ve liked it to be. I was hoping that the top set would feel like this haha. The top set I was nervous but I’d say it was a fairly comfortable triple. Potentially for a set of five reps here. So I guess that was a good sign. I also thought I had gone heavier then this weight since 2016 injury but apparently not. 315lbs has been the most I’ve done for a front squat. Time for rdls. This was what I was most concerned about. I didn’t really want to back down if I could but I also didn’t want to tear my hamstring off the bone. The plan had been to do 585lbs for a PR set for rdls. I’m annoyed with myself for having the hamstring pull/tear as I was feeling strong here. The working up sets felt easier compared to last time, albeit with a more labored walking the weight out. But pretty much every first rep I was worried that it would be the one to claim the hamstring. It is hard to tell with things like that, especially when a movement itself doesn’t necessarily feel painful or restrictive. My hamstring was able to tolerate 495lbs but 585lbs was a bridge too far. I felt it on the first rep but did a double to see if perhaps I could adjust the position and nope. I knew if I kept going I was at risk of greater injury. At this point, I was able to get away without making things worse but I definitely irritated things. So any progress I had made from Saturday was back to square one really. But I try to take information from things like this. Standing up with the weight at this height did not bother the hamstring and lowering didn’t either. It was the concentric where it was the issue and at essentially top end weight. I can handle I guess about 85% right now. As I mentioned, the hamstring was irritated from my prideful folly and I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to do some things I probably could’ve if I didn’t as well as realize that I’m going to have to adjust future workouts for a bit. And probably longer than I was wanting to. I should be glad that I got off this easy as far as an injury. I attempted to get the hyper bench stuff in but my hamstring was not having it with my leg in the stretched position so had to scrap this from the session. Which meant I only had abdominal stuff to do then. This was the same as last time with it being a set of crunches (with weight) and lying leg raises. This was thankfully not an issue for my hamstring with either exercise. Crunches about the same with the weight and 30 reps. Leg raises felt like they took forever but this seemed to be the least issues I felt with spinal compression on these after a session. But to be fair, the lower back stuff was at a minimum this time around. I started cooking up dinner and put stuff away before eating. Stretched afterwards but was bit lost on what I was going to be doing.<br /><br />February 17, 2024 – Week 9, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br />41x1<br /><br />Titan Fitness Frame Carries (22” pick, casual pace)<br />110x50’<br />200x50’<br />290x50’<br />380x50’<br />470x50’<br /><br />Titan Fitness Frame Holds (22” pick)<br />560x5 seconds<br />650x30 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was not feeling good the past two days. Kind of shutdown in a way to I guess protect myself. I felt that I needed to rest as walking would probably hamper that after I pushed things Wednesday. I ended up cutting my meals from 10 to 3 and just focusing on my office work and going to bed early enough that I was getting 11hrs of sleep. I think this was my way of “clearing my system” in a way as I wasn’t feeling like walking and I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with my own stress of expectations as well as the issues affecting those close to me this week. I did hamstring rehab stuff both days and ended up typing up an e-mail for Mr. Westerling about how I was feeling for potential adjustments. I had pretty much decided Friday that I wasn’t going to the gym for Saturday training as it would likely be modified so I could do stuff at home and I didn’t really want to be 40 miles away from home where I could reinjury things. I was also probably putting myself at a bit of disadvantage with not eating nearly the amount I was used to (or drinking). I got a modified plan for the training on Saturday. Having a plan to go forward but then saw a warning that 3-6” of snow was expected overnight. So potentially even those plans could be screwed. I got up eventually and looked outside. The sun had been up and out and melted most of the snow. So the street and driveway were clear. The back patio would need to be cleared off so that it wouldn’t melt and refreeze overnight. I would need that for Monday. The warming up was changed. More things added for the hamstrings that had a dynamic nature to it. Those kinds of movements had me concerned as I felt that those would be too much (hence hesitation on bag toss). But these actually went pretty well with minor tension in the hamstrings. This was also on top of the normal stuff I was doing (the whole warm up is being adjusted going forward). Foam rolling for a little bit on the hamstrings also part of it. But before this, I did shovel the snow off the patio (as well as some other things). When that was done, I took a detour. So the modified plan was to do frame/farmer’s carry stuff only as I had expressed concern that I couldn’t handle the explosive nature of the bag toss. However, I had felt it wasn’t going to be an issue after doing box touches and leg swings. I tested some bag swings in the garage and I felt it was worth a shot. So part of my warming up had been to dig a path in the snow to have a walkway and a place to throw from. I also had to setup the toss tower as the heavy snow had actually knocked the setup down. I did a few tosses with 30lbs (had to empty the bag a good bit) and then went for 41lbs for the 10 singles EMOM style. I was going to do 42lbs before the injury here but this was still good. I actually had planned to do a jump in-between but this was what I got and figured I wouldn’t jinx it. I had towels setup for me to wipe my feet off between tosses. First toss went over fine. I was kind of surprised how vertical the bags were going those first few. The second one was cutting it close coming back down on the setup and the third came down on my side rather than over. I didn’t repeat because it had the height. The fourth one I tried to correct that and ended up whacking the back of my head on the yoke crossbar trying to extend. That woke me up. That coupled with worry of potentially overdoing the hamstring actually might have lead me to having a better release point. Cutting it a little shy was actually having the bag go over the 16’ height easily. So it seems that injury has potentially lead to improvement. It was good to do something and have it be good even with the recent injury. Then it was time for frame carry stuff. Plan here was to work up to comfortable weight from an elevated pick height and then work up to even heavier for hold. We had found back when I had the disc bulge that I could pick up stuff from elevated position without pain. Side handle from higher up will be less hamstring. Used the frame at home with the wooden planks. I set it on the 6” drop pads I had so that I could pick from about 22” (I say about as they are foam and compress under weight). Goal was to do 50’ runs. But I guess not runs. Casual pace. So slow walking with the frame so time under tension. My hamstring fatigues walking and I know I can’t put full trust that I can run/sprint at this point. This is actually going to be the hardest thing I think to mentally get back into besides the pick things up off the ground. I’ve done this before when coming back from back injury. But never really went higher than 500lbs I think on yoke or similar. I had thought it was even lower for some reason but I guess I have to give myself some credit. Did 90lbs jumps for 50’ up to 470lbs. The recommended had been like 400lbs. I was prepared for 380lbs to be where I stopped. The pick was fine, it was more the walking (especially the first step) that I could tell that my hamstring is not ready. After that, I did holds. The plan was to work up to close to what I was to be doing as far as my frame carry top set. Goal had been 620lbs for this week. But I felt like I needed to do more. I think mostly because this frame is slightly wider and has knurling. I just remember the last time I did a pick and hold (much higher height) that I was surprised how tough it was. So I did 90lbs jumps again starting at 5 seconds at 560lbs and then going all in for 650lbs. I was a little worried the pick would be hamstring stress but it was not thankfully. I don’t like the knurling on these handles but I held it for a little over 30 seconds before putting it down with control. I don’t want to tear any callouses. Started eating/drinking to get in meals and calories as well as put stuff away. I ended up stretching later in the evening after letting my stomach settle.</p><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_0rK_ljNArg?si=7p06sKsds4VMpsgm" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-30240751157382789692024-02-10T18:20:00.002-05:002024-02-10T18:20:51.289-05:00February 4, 2024 - February 10, 2024 - Week 8<p>February 5, 2024 – Week 8, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Axle Clean and Overhead (one clean)<br />Strict Presses + Push Presses + Jerks<br />26x5+5+5<br />76x3+3+3<br />Push Press + Jerks<br />120x1+1<br />160x1+1<br />190x1+1<br /><br />Axle Push Presses + Jerks<br />190x1+1<br />190x1+1<br />190x1+1<br />190x4+1<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />abx5 at pin 12<br />abx5 at pin 15<br />abx5 at pin 18<br />abx5 at pin 21<br />abx6 at pin 24<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x10<br />120x8<br />150x5<br />180x5<br />180x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I think I’m getting used to the extra bulk. I don’t feel uncomfortable and I seem to be sleeping more soundly then I had. Up another lb in weight (and this is with getting full and not eating all my dinner Saturday). I was a little anxious with this session because it was another upper body session and I was already on edge because of how things have been feeling that past two sessions. There had been some drastic adjustments made to the pressing portion on top of the change in exercise priority made for last week. Have to hope that the change last week and calling where I did helped with recovery somewhat and that this will continue that trend. I wasn’t feeling that achy with my joints doing warming up. Did about half of it outside to get used to the temperature as it was going to be all outside. And rather not have layers that could screw with things. Starting things off with axle. I should note that for the time being, the overhead supports for both the log and axle are on hold as those could be the culprit. So like last time with the axle, starting with clean into press. But not exactly. With the shoulders, the thinking was to do push press but warming up with some strict pressing mixed in. At least for axle. I had mentioned that I might try and do jerks for axle so that also added something to the mix as well. I knew there would be a trade off with this in that while less shoulder stress, there would be more knee stress. Hope being that my knees are in better shape and can handle this ask. The first two warming up sets had me start with strict presses, then push presses and finally jerks. Empty bar so 5 reps of each. Definitely out of practice with jerks. But if there was a time to test and build, it would be now with this relatively light weight and having about 4 months to fix things. Short movements with needing to do knee extension never seem to be comfortable right away, regardless of warming up. It just seems that doing it enough times warming up resolves the issue. Similar to the bag tossing. The next set being 3 for each (though it looks like I was only to do 2 jerks). As far as the clean and pull from the floor with the axle, I felt really comfortable. I’m not sure if I’m just feeling more “solid” and “compact” but I feel like I’m a ball of tension and not having any slack like I sometimes feel. It could be doing it from the floor or all the wide stance pulls with the hip circle too. After those first two warming up sets, it became something I’m familiar with from my early days with working with Mr. Westerling in that doing one style of overhead followed by another in the same set. So first rep a push press and then the second rep a jerk. As I was working up in weight, the push presses and jerks were feeling better. The push press groove feels similar to my strict press groove with the jerk being a bit more stressful on the knees and wrists at the moment. Still enjoying the “thud” when dropping the bumper plates on the rubber matt. Had to make sure I didn’t do that on the top double since to save time I’d be putting it in the rack for the next part of the workout. This moved easy, like it should. The rest of the overhead was then rack work. Using the 190lbs weight and doing 1+1 sets. Plan was do three sets and then decide on the fourth set if I wanted to do more reps or not. Allowed to go up to 4 push presses but make sure to end with a jerk that was crisp and easy. This was a little tricky in that not my usual setup for push press/jerks. Usually, I like to walk out the weight but that isn’t really feasible right now with the rubber mat. I also am not going to be able to “walk out” a clean and press so it makes sense to try and pick from the rack and let it settle and then go. My jerks tend to be push jerks and sometimes with a little splay to the side like a bicycle kickstand. I found when trying a full split that spine not so happy with that and inner thigh/groin takes on a good bit of strain with that motion. So for the moment, sticking with the push jerk and potentially doing the short stroke slide split/sploot jerk. The first set I had some expected hiccups. I got off balance launching on the push press like how I’d for a more stable based strict press and had to catch myself and wait a moment before going for the jerk. I had no further issues with the balance here. Four reps was pretty easy for the last set with an easy jerk to finish as well. Overhead stuff was moving good, like it should. But it is really light compared to what I need to be doing for contest so likely working up to 90% of contest if sticking to this rate of progression. And hopefully knees tolerate the increased demand. Band assisted pull-ups followed. I kept the knee sleeves on to keep things warm but also to provide some comfort with all the knee bending to launch weight overhead. The band assisted pull-ups following the plan of same working weight, Doing sets of 5 reps to the top set of 5-10 reps. Add reps when I feel like it and adjust as needed. I’m fine with this staying the same as it isn’t really with me still adding weight to my frame at this time. So it is slightly more than last time I did these. I could tell as I was warming up that things were feeling a little tougher than I’d like and that I wasn’t likely pushing for a new rep PR here. It was kind of last minute decision on that top set whether I only did 5 reps or hit a 6th rep to match last time. I’m really trying to do these with a full ROM and pulling powerfully with the lats. Then time for the last thing; log incline benching. This did not go well last time. So still leery about it. The benching protocol right now being work up to 2x5 and do “speed” work with that weight. For this, that would be 180lbs and working up in 30lbs jumps. With bench, I had just done sets of 5 reps last week working up as I felt pressing was warmed up enough from the strict pressing. With doing jerks and push presses this time, it felt like a good idea to do suggested reps working up. The good news is that this didn’t feel as heavy as it had two weeks prior. But still not quite feeling 100%. The first two working up sets I was trying to get the chest into more. I found that wasn’t really working on the last working up set and reverted to more of a triceps and tucked. I think I was worried as last time doing that my shoulders weren’t really feeling strong and stable and I was pressing out away from myself. The movement still feels unnerving in that sense that there is a “dead zone” sticking point that I know will hit hard. Using a bit of momentum with these on the eccentric, which seems to be keeping the shoulders happy. So this went well enough but not like super awesome feeling. But again, shoulders are recovering still but this is a good sign. Cooked up dinner and while it was cooking down, I put stuff away. Stretched after dinner.<br /><br />February 7, 2024 – Week 8, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Wide Grip Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x2<br />315x2<br />365x1<br />410x1<br />460x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+65x42 seconds<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+53x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Compared to coming into this session last time, I was feeling a bit fresher feeling. At least when talking about it muscularly. Knees were feeling a little more achy but I was expecting that considering things. And the aches aren’t even that much above what I get from doing the previous training. Mobility stuff to start things off. The temperature keeps going up and down around that level where for me it can be short weather or warm ups needed to stay warm. This was a short weather kind of day. Only thing that stood out was the knee joint aches on the squat motions but again, minor. I also did ankle/knee/hip stuff for getting set for the wide pulls. I was somewhat nervous here. I had been sore last time I did these and it had gone better than expected considering. I think with this it was because I had done more knee based things for overhead (and these can be knee intense) and that I had miscounted doing the rdls and essentially went to failure on those. So worries of having taken too much out of recovery going into this and having some discomfort in joints. Again, the plan here is continuing with a slightly heavier then last time top set of 5 reps wearing the hip circle. Still sticking to 40-50lbs jumps and dropping reps as I go. The suggested for this week was 455lbs for a 10lbs jump. However, I felt that doing 15lbs so that I could do that for next time as well to get into the 475lbs range had me feeling like 460lbs was fine. The knee aches were having me feel like I wasn’t in the best position on these and I never really felt like things were moving stupid easy like sometimes sets of this go warming up. That really doesn’t mean anything but the bar moving fast and crisp can certainly have you feeling confident. I know that’s not always the case. Bar was scraping the shins again but not but not taking hair off my knee caps like last time. I wasn’t exactly feeling that these were locked in but I trusted that I was stronger and able to keep having the weight be close to the same difficulty each session and improving. It has worked for adding 40lbs to this already. The holding off until after training for oatmeal seems to be a good idea here with keeping my midsection from being too cramped with the hard belt (at least for pulls that is). Got set and went to work. Made sure I didn’t miscount this time. This is technically the most weight I’ve done for a set of five with a “snatch grip” style. But I don’t really call them that with the wider stance and the movement. I also tend to not do many reps when it comes to these kind of exercises. Feeling a bit more comfortable with the eccentric on these but still a bit cautious about making sure that I don’t lose my brace. So added 55lbs and still having it feel like the 405lbs did that first week. Not getting easier but getting stronger. This was a bit taxing but not as much so on the upper back and forearms compared to the rdls with it being 110lbs difference. I’d like to get to five plates on this for these kind of reps. Doing the most I’ve hit for a single (never truly maxed this) for reps would definitely make it clear I’ve gotten stronger in my mind. But it might not come to that in this particular cycle. From there it was time for the hyper bench hold with the neck harness and plate. Warming up for it with hyper extensions and they felt rough. My posterior chain was feeling pretty darn cooked from the wide pulls. I took my time putting stuff away and setting things up so that I could get some fluids in and give some time for the lower back and to recover some. I had surprised myself last week with not feeling the best after the rdls and ended up hitting a second more than the week before. I wasn’t expecting that this time around. I felt like I was struggling on this and made myself hold out to get over 30 seconds. But it seems that this again was one of those times where I must’ve lost count and dropped like 10 seconds from my count as this ended up being over 40 seconds. That was my target goal to determine adding more weight here. Likely adding to the harness this time as opposed to the hold to the chest with plates. I didn’t take a ton of rest after this to get things ready for the bracing abdominal stuff. I had to get oatmeal ready so I could eat it when I finished up and be able to give myself enough time for my stomach to settle to eat dinner later. Regular planks to start with 53lbs in the backpack. As mentioned, don’t feel need to go above this as this seems to be enough training stimulus. Also my weight increasing little by little also adds to this. Using this time to focus on braced breathing and really getting everything tight, not just the core. It can be a bit exhausting essentially flexing everything for a minute straight. A little rest before finishing up with the side planks. Again, no weight. These felt a little tougher but it could be that was from me being able to really focus and brace even harder. No strange pressure on the left elbow this time. I ate oatmeal and put stuff away before stretching.<br /><br />February 10, 2024 – Week 8, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Yoke (turf)<br />180x50’<br />350x50’<br />450x50’<br />550x50’<br />650x50’/50’<br /><br />Sandbag to Shoulders<br />200x1/1<br />225x1/1<br />250x1/1<br />EMOM<br />275x1 R<br />275x1 L<br />275x1 R<br />275x1 L<br />275x1 R<br />275x1 L<br />275x1 R<br />275x1 L<br />275x1 R<br />275x1 L<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was hopeful that with the adjustments in shoulder recovery and just I guess handling stress bit better as of late that this would go better than it had felt the last time I did this particular session. I had managed to get myself to sleep at a somewhat reasonable time but still felt like I should sleep in 30 minutes from when I was planning to get up. Noticed in the last week or two that my heels are cracked and I don’t recall that being a thing before. Maybe the increased walking plus my added bodyweight has something to do with that. Don’t want to get any infections so started lotion treatment and it does seem that even after one night that there are improvements. Warmish out but the sky just gray so it just felt hazy to me. There wasn’t very many people there this time around for training. Started out with the warming up routine. Things felt fine. Some knee joint stiffness (can’t really classify as aches) and the usual with shoulders (left one). Yoke and shouldering session. There was only one person doing the yoke and farmer’s medley but that does take up both lanes and I didn’t really want to wait 10 minutes to start so I decided to use the turf again for this time. As mentioned last time, doing every other session adding weight to this. Work up in 50’ runs and do top set of 100’ with the 50’ down and back. I should note that after weighing out the yokes, it made me realize that there were times I was 15lbs under what I thought I was doing and other times I was 25lbs over. But now I know for all the yokes so won’t have that issue here again. Just did the empty yoke before getting the weight up to 350lbs, followed by 100lbs jumps to 650lbs. Not sure what it was about the training but I was feeling very relaxed working to the top weight. Almost like it came about suddenly and I was forcing myself to not just rush through things. No knee discomfort on these this week. I also experimented with having the pick height on more notch higher. Trying to see if I can handle this kind of weight at my weight and not have myself get compressed so much. Save my back and knees a bit on the pick up. It does seem I can get away with it at 650lbs but not sure with 700lbs. I felt I was slower on the first leg but I think that was more to do with making sure that I controlled the first drop and didn’t go too far and make it awkward to repick. I definitely hesitated more than I would’ve liked here on that repick and didn’t quite have it where I wanted but I felt like I was moving better, even with it not exactly where I wanted it. I’m going to have to be used to that as I will most likely be running up to the yoke at Regionals. Felt similar to how 600lbs felt last time so that is good that 50lbs isn’t feeling like much more here. Ideally doing contest weight in two more sessions on this. Putting the weights away was a good break and active rest before the next bit. Which was sandbag shouldering. I decided to do these this time on the concrete instead of on turf. I don’t know, maybe to change it up and not have to move the bags so much. I was pretty much the only person there as far as strongman stuff at this point so I was free to use the space. Plan here still 5 singles alternating sides done EMOM style. Goal was 275lbs. After how last time went, I had to reconcile and realize that this is already at a challenging point for this exercise for me. Over shoulder and to shoulder are different. And stone to shoulder is different as well. I’ve done 336lbs over shoulder and 306lbs to shoulder with sandbags. So I should probably be wearing similar to what I’d be using when I’m doing 250lbs. I had not been thrilled with how 250lbs had felt last time with how my left wrist had felt and with myself losing focus and screwing up which side I was doing. Things did not start off well with 200lbs feeling way tougher than I would like and having my wrist feel tender already. But I kept at it and added support gear as I went for my midsection. I was not feeling terribly confident as I got done with 250lbs. It was at this moment I realized I had not done the 275lbs bag that was at the gym now. I’d done the old bag that is no longer there and my bag I had brought (which burst I think). This was an underfilled bag so it was looking a little on the floppy side. I also didn’t realize until I got home that I’ve technically not done over 250lbs to my right shoulder for sandbag. So this was going to be a PR. The bag was floppy so I took a different tactic when it didn’t really want to listen to me on the initial pick and then it went up fine. My wrist wasn’t bothering me either. So I guess this will be fine. I let the bag where it lay for the first rep to the left side as that was essentially how I had to have it for the right to feel solid. But that does put it out a little more in front. I got it but it was a little more strain so I reverted to resetting the bag upright as if I was approaching the bag new each time. Right side seemed to be more consistent but when the left side was on, it was super easy. It was however, not super easy the second rep or the third rep. I almost lost it on the second rep. I think it was getting my wrist comfortable and keeping the bag tighter when going for the extension. After having the fourth rep with the left side feel the easiest of them so far, I felt I was going to get through this without and issues. I was wrong. Last one best one indeed. Going for the fifth rep for the right side I felt something “shift” in my right hamstring as I lapped the bag. On video, it is a momentary pause but in that moment I was going through a lot of thoughts. Had I torn something? Was this an injury that would put me out for months? I assessed in that moment and felt that I would continue. I didn’t collapse like the time I tore something in the left hamstring like 14yrs ago and it wasn’t immediate pain like when I tore something in my right biceps 7yrs ago. It felt like when I “pulled” stuff in my biceps and I can work through and around that. So I went forward with the hope that I could finish and I wouldn’t feel more pain or find that the pain stopped me. It did not and I got the rep. My hamstring felt tight and like it was cramping from flexing too hard. But I had to see if I could get this last one. Tried to take as much stress as I could off the right side and managed to finish up with no missed reps. But it was tender and the cramping sensation was making it hard to do my normal gait (especially going uphill). I ate some prepacked food and took some ibuprofen before driving home. Tense while driving but not pain. I messaged Mr. Westerling before I left the gym advising that I pulled my right hamstring but was in good spirits and hopeful it will be ok and that I’d update if anything came up. Ate some more when I got home and stretched out. Thankfully no painful ROM and only discomfort in some parts of the hamstring when in stretched state. Hopefully this is like with my biceps and I’m good to go with rest.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lxJE4vRsopw?si=7xDO3cwnq8fv26hr" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-91859308338669483112024-02-03T18:32:00.001-05:002024-02-03T18:32:29.638-05:00January 28, 2024 - February 3, 2024 - Week 7 <p> January 29, 2024 – Week 7, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Strict Presses (1 clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x2<br /><br />12” Log Strict Presses<br />180x2<br />180x2<br />180x2<br /><br />Chest Supported Barbell Rows<br />95x6<br />135x6<br />185x6<br />Added Straps<br />225x6<br />260x6<br /><br />Bench Presses<br />45x5<br />95x5<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x5<br />225x5<br /><br />Standing 12” Log Lockouts<br />180x3 seconds<br />210x3 seconds<br />240x3 seconds<br />270x3 seconds<br />300x3 seconds<br />330x3 seconds<br />360x9 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was a bit surprised how fatigued stuff had felt on Saturday training and made sure to sleep in for Sunday and hopefully get feeling rested for the coming week. Weight is continuing upward trend with the tweaks made. I don’t plan to add anything further at this point as it is becoming a chore to make sure that I’m eating and it does seem like I will get to where I would like to be weight wise to see how my body handles things. Over 280lbs again which would make it the heaviest I’ve been in about 2yrs. I’ve been doing some changes with eating timing to see if it helps with some issues. Such as midsection being a little bloated from food so close to training as well as seeing if saving carbs until after training so that not feeling lightheaded on some things. So testing that hypothesis this week. Needed the walking on Sunday and got my wrist to “adjust” so the discomfort is vanishing. This workout was adjusted to hopefully get my shoulder recovery on track as it became clear last week that something was off. Warming up with warm ups on in the garage to start things off. Things felt fine. So the initial changes here was swapping order of the pressing. It has been bench and then strict pressing as far as order of operations. Plan being to give more priority to the event specific stuff and have the benching secondary and lighter for speed work. So like axle last week, working up to the working weight clean and press (one clean) and then the rest of the sets out of the rack. Same weight as axle so goal being 180lbs. I was feeling ready for this. But I guess my shoulders thought otherwise. Just never felt comfortable and I felt like I had no power in my shoulders and was trying to get my chest and triceps to do the work. It felt like I just had joints for shoulders, no muscles and no strength. Right side was having issues with the shoulder wanting to stabilize. There was no pain or discomfort here besides some minor aches. But it was very frustrating when I was doing 15 reps with 30lbs less not that long ago and that wasn’t even for a max. This felt like a top double. Out of the rack didn’t go much better. It actually was worse. The number of sets reduced to three from four. Last set still max reps but I knew that it was just going to be doubles today. I was only able to get the first set for a true double. The other two I missed the second rep and had to rerack the weight and then go for it again to get the rep. I was feeling really disgusted with my performance here and messaged Mr. Westerling to see if he wanted me to continue to workout or stop. He indicated to continue to make sure that nothing else was feeling off. I knew that this workout wouldn’t feel 100% since this was the first one with adjustments and last week hadn’t really been changed. But I wasn’t expecting it to feel worse. It was going to be tough to keep the session going with that mental load. Anyways, inside to do chest supported rows up next. 5 sets of 6 reps to a top set for the day. I was advised to keep these more locked in and strict like bodybuilder style as I was heaving things a bit last time. So adjusted my mindset and reduced the weight accordingly. I get a lot of the heaving on rows and strict really cuts down the weight. Both have their place. The strict stuff is light but it tends to help the heaving style in the long run with enough time to adapt to it. I was keeping track of things here. Of note, my biceps weren’t feeling nearly as sore as they’ve felt the past two row sessions after doing sandbag to shoulder. Upper back was feeling tense, as well as lats. It was feeling tough. I knew that 275lbs wasn’t going to be a safe bet and that 265lbs might be too much as well considering the feeling and mindset. But I didn’t want to do 255lbs again so I added 5lbs to that. I probably was safe with doing 265lbs. Then time for bench. If anything was going to bother the wrist, this was it due to the angle. This was to be “speed” work. 225lbs for 2x5 working up. Since things were feeling as they were with my shoulders, I did just sets of 5 reps to warm up rather than a bunch a reps. Especially since I’d already did a bunch of pressing beforehand. Even if feeling off or not recovered, this would be doable. But it wasn’t feeling like speed work. Chest and triceps were fine but shoulders felt weak. I felt like pressing out and away to stay strong and load the pecs and not have the shoulders that involved. I wasn’t thrilled with how these felt for what was to be speed work. I could tell that I needed to fix stuff some more with my shoulders and recovery between sessions. The last thing was log lockout holds. I wasn’t really thrilled with doing these after the other stuff with how I was feeling mentally. Needing to move a lot of weight around. My thinking is that perhaps doing these every week is part of what is sapping my recovery with how heavy these are compared to what I can press and they require a lot of effort. 30lbs jumps on these so that I’m not here forever. I began to have issues with finding the balance point after 300lbs. So a false start or two when attempting to lockout those attempts. Also got a slight ab cramp from having the belt too tight (I adjusted it). 360lbs was tough (I had thought about calling it at 330lbs as warm-up) but figured I needed to give a true full effort. I felt like I had things solidly but it got too far forward on me and I couldn’t hold it up there and it came down just under 10 seconds. So I got through the session but I wasn’t too pleased with things. Doubting myself and what I can do. Going to need to rest a bit and try to get the thoughts to quiet down as this is the only aspect that is suffering. Can’t let the negative talk creep in and make me think that all my training is bad. Ate oatmeal as I put stuff away and then stretched before eating pot roast. <br /><br />January 31, 2024 – Week 7, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x5<br />135x3<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />265x3<br />305x5<br /><br />Romanian Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x3<br />405x3<br />495x2<br />570x6 (miscounted)<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+65x38 seconds<br /><br />Crunches<br />bw+10x30<br /><br />Lying Leg Raises<br />bwx30<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Shoulders had felt tense after training into Tuesday. Needed the walking to clear my head as well. Get the thought that this workout would suffer from things as well out of my head. But that doesn’t mean it alleviates things for me trying to say that. Still going to stress about it. On the plus side, I wasn’t feeling like my knees were aching or tender like last time this workout came around. No snow shoveling so that helps. Again, saving later afternoon meal until after training to see if that helps with belt placement and tightness as well as feelings with stuff on my chest. Mobility stuff was fine. No warm ups needed for this evening training. Front squats starting things off. Nervous here because worrying that I’d have issues with weight on my chest and that it would feel heavy as well and that upper back was fatigued. A bunch of little bullshit things that don’t matter. Plan was warm up with 40-50lbs jumps and see how things were going. Plan being to do 305-315lbs for the top set of 5 reps. Triples up to that. I was feeling ok. 265lbs was the last set before the top set. Depending on how that felt would determine if I do 305lbs or more. I didn’t feel comfortable with doing a triple at 275lbs and feeling like I could do 315lbs and have it be powerful. 265lbs didn’t go how I’d have liked. Powerful but I was feeling lightheaded and almost missed the rack reracking. This had me realize that I can’t have this belt that tight going forward and loosened it one notch. I was nervous for 305lbs but it went much the same as 295lbs did last time. Just had to get my air at the top of the reps. I’m getting better at that. I probably could’ve done 315lbs today with how that set had felt. Oh well. Keep progressing. I know that that weight is there for those reps. Which is a good place to be for now. I do have to consider if I need to get new belts but I’m not 100% certain I will stick at this weight going forward or if this will just be an offseason thing I do. Time for rdls. So with the weight I’m moving on these, I didn’t feel comfortable with using the flimsy rack for them anymore. I couldn’t really keep trusting those j-hooks with that very thin metal. So that meant I needed to do these outside on the beefier rack. Suggested after the last session was to work up in plate jumps and then go up to 570lbs for the top set if I felt good. Set of 5 at 135lbs (feels like nothing) and triples after that up to 495lbs (double there). I actually like the walkout situation for this rack better than the other one for these. The ground is also “grippier”. I was feeling good here but then 405lbs felt like a ton of weight. Like, a lot more than the previous weights. So I might have an issue with these today. The double was tough but ok. I got set for this top set of 570lbs and I was feeling ok. I was a little worried here that this was too much for me with how the last two working up sets felt but while it felt heavy, I felt like my form was strong and I wasn’t having issues with feeling lightheaded like last time. However, that doesn’t mean this wasn’t problem free. The first issue was that this was heavy and even being strapped into the bar with these kind of straps, fatigue can cause issues such as upper back and forearms and having the bar sit a little lower from not being able to squeeze. The other was that I got distracted by that sensation that I forgot what rep I was on and I didn’t want to call it early. That last rep wasn’t a great rep. The weight was slipping from the straps and I reached my limit was far as holding my brace under this weight and tension. The j-hooks are bit more harsh with the groove so when I got to lockout due to the aforementioned things, the bar was too low for me to get back into the j-hooks and I was starting to get lightheaded holding my breath to keep stable. So I ended up having to release the weight from the top. Thankfully no damage to myself or equipment but I felt a bit embarrassed. Also my back, hamstrings and glutes were really sore and pumped. Lower back pumped up the most. I reviewed the video and saw I ended up going for a sixth rep. That fifth rep had felt solid. I can only hope that going to failure here doesn’t negatively affect the next few workouts from a recovery standpoint. I need to remember for next time to chalk up the hands and my straps when I go for that top set on these at this kind of weight (which ties the most I’ve done for any rdl variation). From there it was time for the hyper bench hold with the neck harness and plate. Warming up for it with hyper extensions again. I took my time with this to let the lower back pump subside as much as I could. I was definitely feeling more sore compared to last week. Lower back was feeling tight as expected after the effort on the warming up. Again, doing 10lbs on the harness and 65lbs weight to chest. I wasn’t expecting much here and I was hesitating with initiating the exercise at the start because of how fatigued my lower back was feeling. But I got it and actually managed to suffer through it to get slightly more than last time. I was shocked by that as my count had it being less. Again, I must’ve missed a number or something. I’ll stick here until I get into the 40’s and likely adjust things with adding weight to the neck harness next. As I had taken time with putting stuff away for the other stuff, I went into the abdominals stuff without much delay. Same as last time but the rep range increased so I could do up to 30 reps for each. I wasn’t sure with the crunches if I should stick to bodyweight or keep 10lbs and aim for 30 reps. I decided to keep the weight and do 30 reps and managed to get that done. The lying leg raises I didn’t get the choice with adding weight. I was focused on not getting an ab cramp immediately like last time (success) and try to minimize the discomfort with the movement when I got too far with the ROM. I feel that there still seems to be no rhyme or reason with that but this felt better compared to the last session in that regard. Put stuff away while dinner was cooking. Ate and then stretched out.<br /><br />February 3, 2024 – Week 7, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br /><br />Frame Carries<br />(16” pick)<br />180x50’<br />(18” pick)<br />276x50’<br />376x50’<br />476x50’<br />(20” pick)<br />568x6’<br />600x50’/50’ (turf)<br />568x6’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: No winter weather to contend with this time around. I did take a moment to pause when I saw rain mentioned but it was only from Thursday evening into Friday morning. Ended up having to walk after work Thursday instead of during lunch break. I needed to make sure I got in the soft tissue work and the two walking sessions before today due to pushing the rdls a little too much with miscounting and then missing the re-rack. I think that was really the only thing that I was stressing about for this session was that I was recovered enough. I intended to wake up at my work time to get out to train earlier than last week but I was finding it difficult to fall asleep so I slept in about 30 minutes until I was feeling rested enough. I also took my time with packing up post workout meals before heading out. Cold but the snow was out so meant it was pretty much short weather for me. Some people there training today but they were pretty much finishing up stuff. I just can’t seem to get the timing right when I want it to be. Warming up was fine. Not really much in the way of aches in the knees or shoulders. What gets tricky is getting the knees to feel good with the bounding nature of the bag toss. And that was what I think I was nervous about was the bag toss with thinking that my lower back would be too stiff from the rdls and I was getting close to my top end for this height. But I had to tell myself I was good as last time I did it in icy conditions with wind and snow as well as having to shovel snow three times before I even got started. As it has been this training prep, do 10 tosses done EMOM style. Did similar warming up to what I did last time with doing the usual things and then three tosses with the lighter bag (and not throwing max height). For whatever reason, I just never got comfortable with my stance with this. Just felt like I wasn’t stable and feeling it in the knee and ankle joints. Which lead to me fidgeting and tweaking things slightly each toss. I feel that if I just stuck to how I did it the first two tosses, that it wouldn’t have been so up and down. I don’t think there was a mobility issue or any issues with stiffness. But it can be hard to gauge these until later and even then, have to review with previous stuff to tell if good or not. Some tosses I got off balance or timed things wrong. Worst toss was the 8th and the best was the 5th. No misses still and I’m being able to hit double the volume with this weight bag compared to the lead up to Nationals. But this was good. I took a bit of time putting stuff back but also getting things ready for the frame carries. This was going to be essentially a repeat of last time as well. Not yet the time of year to be taking the big frame outside so have to do that on turf with rubber and be more controlled. Plan was to do the top run with 600lbs. Unlike yoke, this appears to be increasing each time and having the bumps decrease going forward. I’m pretty much in the same spot for both the yoke and frame really. Lower back and glute on the left side was tight/tense compared to the right. It is the side with the disc bulge so not surprising that I’d notice things there more so when stuff is pumped from training. The notes for training did have me doing like 100lbs jumps which I kind of did but due to the frame I was using, I did deviate. The frame is 568lbs empty and I have to take it out of it’s corner to use. It’s not really something you walk up to cold. And can’t really warm up with it (which is why using the other stuff). It didn’t really make sense to add 25lbs or so to the working up weights considering the lower pick heights and wider grip compared to the actual frame. Especially since I had to move the frame into position for the top run. Even with the lower back and worries about fatigue, it didn’t feel like such a bear getting it out of the corner this time so I was feeling a bit of relief. Same weight as the yoke for the past two weeks. Obviously the pick on this is harder. Can’t quite go full speed here with the turf and having to make sure that I drop it as controlled as I can on the rubber. There was someone doing conditioning work so I had to have the 50’ landing strip a little off center so that also affected things. It was comfortable I guess. I felt that the second leg was a bit smoother as I didn’t need to worry about a small target. Took off the weight before having to lug the frame back where it belongs. Put stuff away before eating and drinking my meals and then driving home to stretch.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JrbPrzmNdM?si=6Covr8WDe5Z6zL8P" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-17827649803238845372024-01-28T16:04:00.002-05:002024-01-28T16:04:38.866-05:00January 21, 2024 - January 27, 2024 - Week 6<p> January 22, 2024 – Week 6, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />87x10<br />127x8<br />157x5<br />187x3<br />217x2<br />247x0<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />abx5 at pin 12<br />abx5 at pin 15<br />abx5 at pin 18<br />abx5 at pin 21<br />abx6 at pin 24<br /><br />Axle Clean and Strict Presses (one clean)<br />46x5<br />80x4<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x2<br /><br />Axle Strict Presses<br />180x2<br />180x2<br />180x2<br />180x2<br /><br />Standing Axle Lockouts<br />180x3 seconds<br />210x3 seconds<br />240x3 seconds<br />270x3 seconds<br />300x3 seconds<br />330x3 seconds<br />360x33 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Still cold but it is to be warming up this week to probably be enough to melt the snow all over again. But not yet. I needed to get in a walk Sunday as I was feeling the Saturday session (coupled with the snow shoveling) and with the return to the office once a month happening again the 4th Tuesday of each month, I wasn’t going to get to do any walking that day. It does seem that the adjustments to the diet have me adding weight again. Surprisingly so with over 3lbs jump. The addition of another piece of bread (I was doing one slice for sandwiches) and the big one I think being a cup of whole milk (lactose free). I just kind of forgot that lactose free milk was a thing and was getting hung up on milk substitutes to try and get digestible calories in that wouldn’t screw with my stomach. It has been so long since I’ve had milk that I wasn’t too sure if this is how it is supposed to taste haha. But it does appear to be how it is these days. With the work in office day, I was taking stuff to boost immune system as that would be where I’d catch something. It is possible that subconscious stress as well as having to shovel snow more in the month than I was expecting for the winter potentially had something to do with how some aspects of training went. Had some knee joint aches with the warming up. Not exactly more or less than I was feeling Saturday after shoveling snow three times in less than 24hrs. But I knew there was some recovery stuff (why I made sure to walk Sunday). Other stuff felt. Cold didn’t really seem to bother me. There was snow and condensation outside so it wasn’t ideal with moving stuff around. Starting off with log incline benching. This did not go well. If anything wasn’t going to be good, this was it. Seems to be a barometer for things. The canary in the mine. This can be tricky warming up at times as it usually will feel good and then just make too big a jump and then ugh. So the goal here was to do a little more than last time’s set of 5 reps (247lbs suggested) and then drop to triples and doubles as we went. Fair enough. Right away, shoulders were feeling achy with the empty log. That isn’t terribly unusual but usually these feel good and even if the first few reps suck, gets better as I go. Just wasn’t feeling it with the next weight either. Weight was feeling heavy on my shoulder joints but fine for my wrists and elbows as well as the weight in my hands. I think I was at about 190lbs when I kept double checking to make sure I didn’t have like 30-50lbs more than I had meant to on it. The double before the top set kind of told me this wasn’t happening as felt like garbage if I attempted to press near my face but seemed less and issue if I pressed out away. But of course that is away from the center of gravity and misgrooves. But I guess I needed to confirm it with the top weight. Ended up just being a controlled negative and barely getting it off my chest and immediately bailing on it. No sense trying to drop down to do a set of five reps. Accept it and move on. I knew what this meant and I just had to get through the workout and see how stuff felt and report. It is frustrating that it seems my shoulders can handle less and less volume and frequency in the last 2yrs or so. I was having no issues the first two full weeks of training. I know when my body is on point and recovered that I’m not this far off the mark. But it does seem to come suddenly. Unfortunate since I like to keep pushing. So having to walk it off and keep the session going. Band assisted pull-ups. Sets of 5 reps like last time. Well sort of. Same working up in sets of 5 reps but the top set I was to do 5-10 reps. And this is how it is to be for the next six sessions or so. The philosophy being to working a sweet spot range on this exercise and add reps when feels good. But making sure that things are feeling powerful and good with perfect form and ROM. I decided to use the setup from last time with the average band. Upper back was feeling everything really so I wasn’t really expecting to push things here. I was also trying to not freak out over the incline log stuff and let it affect things. These were feeling a little harder. But again, I’m 3.5lbs heavier from last time, did a lot of shoveling and increased the frame carry by 68lbs from last time. By the end, it was feeling similar to last time anyways. I did one extra rep just because so 6 reps here. Then a change in the program with the strict pressing. It has been rack work but need to work on the clean and might as well start light. So work up to the working weight with one clean and strict pressing and then do the remaining sets with it out of the rack. So work up to a top double (70%) and then do 4x2 with it in the rack (with the rep out option on the last set). I was curious to see how things were feeling. And I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be feeling 100% judging by how the incline stuff was. But this was a low enough percentage that I should finish stuff with no issue. The platform being wet was not ideal. The axle at the show is going to be off bumper plates rather than crash pads so get used to that (log will be crash pads). I’m glad I got 25lbs bumper plates so I can work things like this was better without having the 10lbs folding over getting enough weight to use the 45lbs. I kind of forgot what I was doing initially on the first set warming up and remember I was to be strict pressing. Not having the weight on bumper plates also had things making a satisfying “thud” when dropped as well. The added weight has definitely added to the girth of my midsection so I may now be back to where just one notch is required as opposed to two notches to allow me to brace and breath when doing clean and presses. Not terrible but could tell this wasn’t 100%. Out of the rack stuff I could tell that it wasn’t a good idea to try repping out the last set considering my thinking was I was overtraining the shoulders. I did keep it in my back pocket if that last set, best set, mentality came in. But I could tell it wasn’t good on that last set and went on to the lockout holds to end the session. Leaving right where the strict pressing left off. Log holds had been good last time once I got my head in the game. Axle I had pushed a bit too much last time. Plan was 30lbs jumps and then 20lbs and try for 370lbs. I thought better of it and elected to just do 30lbs so that I’d do 360lbs. Slightly less than last time but more than the first week (350lbs). This didn’t seem to be affected by what seemed to be fatigued and overtrained. I did have to retake the top weight as I misgrooved it and needed to rebrace. I felt much better under this weight this time around. I actually ended up getting over 30 seconds. I had done 31 seconds with 340lbs with the log and then 20 seconds with 353lbs last week. Axle had been 350lbs for 20 seconds and 366lbs for 16 seconds. So this was a big jump. So it would seem that not everything is beat to hell in my upper body. Just shoulders (and maybe chest, though doubt that). Started cooking up dinner while putting stuff away. Stretched after eating and made sure I had things ready for work as I’d need to wake up an hour early for the commute. Need to make sure I send Mr. Westerling something about the possible shoulder overtraining in case that affects future workouts (not likely for the remainder this week).<br /><br />January 24, 2023 – Week 6, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Wide Grip Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x2<br />315x2<br />365x1<br />405x1<br />445x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+65x37 seconds<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+53x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: No walking the day before. Because of having to be at the office all day. As far as being made to go in for dumb stuff, it was probably the least stupid time I’ve had to be there. I’d still have gotten more done at home. My neck was feeling a bit tense and my hope was that sleep would resolve that (it did). I was definitely not 100% in to things. Lower back was feeling a little stiff (understandable not getting in a long walk and bringing back axle cleans) and despite my best efforts, the shoulder recovery issue was plaguing me. It is good we are so far out that I can afford to tweak things. But of the events, only the pressing medley stuff are feeling like issues with how things stand. I’ve no doubts I’ll be ready with everything else. The pressing needs the most work I fear and it seems they can’t handle frequency and intensity they used to. So that is weighing on me. The “what ifs” and I have to recognize the negative focus and try to use reframing and flip it around with positive “what ifs”. Which can be difficult. Anyways, I felt justified in that I’ve identified the issue as my entire shoulder girdle was feeling tense and worked. Not like lactic acid soreness. Just worked. Also needing to keep track of the food intake. I’ve not missed any but I’ll sometimes forget and need to adjust the rest of the times to make sure I can stomach everything comfortably. Mobility stuff to start things off. Wore the warm ups even though it was going to be warming up. I think just to get stuff feeling warm in general as unlike a lot of what I do, the warm ups would get in the way on the wide pulls, even at light weights. Also did ankle/knee/hip stuff as I felt needed as joints a bit achy from the snow related stuff (and not getting in a walk). Needed to do it more than once. As I mentioned, wide pulls for this workout. Again, the plan here is continuing with a slightly heavier then last time top set of 5 reps wearing the hip circle. Last time, 40-50lbs jumps and dropping reps off every two sets seemed to work out well for me. I felt like I finally got these to click for me in a way that I felt like it wasn’t bothering my knees. The suggested for this time based off last time was 440-445lbs. I was thinking of 455lbs felt it was best to go with the suggested as I was feeling that blahs a bit and trying to keep my intent and focus on the here and now and make sure I can do the next workout. This was probably the best that 135lbs felt on these which is saying something I guess. Bar knurling was scraping skin off my knees this week. Really no rhyme or reason for it. I was little worried with the hard belt as one notch seemed to be what was comfortable for clean and press but two notches was doable and fine here. I could tell that 445lbs was happening unless I screwed up with how 405lbs went. Felt tough, like last time. But it is the same tough as what 405lbs felt a month ago so adding 40lbs is good. What’s the saying, it won’t get easier but you will get stronger? I definitely feel more comfortable with the eccentric and not fearing I’ll lose my brace and round. That had been why I was doing it slower at the start. Controlling a much as I need at this point. From there it was time for the hyper bench hold with the neck harness and plate. Warming up for it with hyper extensions and they felt surprisingly good. Usually I feel beat from the deadlift variation and then these just tell me to expect suck when it comes to the hold. I was advised that I could add weight to this exercise assuming it would be at least 30 seconds. Suggested was to add where the weight would feel “easiest” so since holding the plate was feeling like an afterthought, that would be where we start. So same weight on the neck harness and 20lbs added to the chest hold. Yep, that was noticed doing these. I was worried I was going to crap out before 20 seconds. But lessons from last time with appropriate bracing helped and I was able to get a good bit over 30 seconds here. So things going well here. Last thing then being abdominal work. On to the carpeted area for the planks. Regular weighted plank. I added a bit more weight compared to last time. 53lbs in the backpack. I don’t see there being really any reason to go above this weight as this should be sufficient as a training stimulus and I can really brace and flex everything as well. I’ve done heavier in the past. I’m trying to also focus on my braced breathing as I’ve been having issues with that with the added bulk and I do think that I’m getting that in check. Then side planks. Again, no weight. I switched the sides I started with here as the elbow swelling issue last time seemed to be fixed. I was also trying to go through these with not as much rest so that I could cook dinner and hopefully eat it early enough to fit in a missed meal before eating before bed. The left side did feel a little bit of stress on the posted elbow. But again, I was being hypersensitive with the shoulders and recovery. I fixate. Got finished and cooked dinner while putting stuff away. Stretched afterwards.<br /><br />January 27, 2024 – Week 6, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Yoke<br />200x50’<br />300x50’<br />400x50’<br />500x50’<br />600x50’/50’<br /><br />Sandbag to Shoulders<br />175x1/1<br />200x1/1<br />225x1/1<br />EMOM<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I didn’t have delusions of thinking that this would be an outstanding training session. I had stressed myself out with needing to adjust the upper body sessions and fixating on that. I could also tell that I was feeling a little worn with those thoughts. I did get to walk Thursday and Friday. But I could tell that I was delaying things as I was feeling tired Friday evening and was yawning before I even got to eat dinner. So I knew that recovery wasn’t the best. Plan was then to sleep in. I was even debating staying local and do the workout here to help that but it didn’t make sense for this time. I wasn’t worrying about weather and I didn’t have to be available for anything. Considering last time I showed up for this particular set of training, it was packed and I had to wait so showing up later than usual made sense. Driving out was fine but I was finding myself more introspective and not really singing to my music like I tend to do. I think that was needed though. Dealing with envious feelings of other competitors’ progress and success and my own feelings that that I’m not able to handle the work necessary to be the best. Coming to accept myself more in that I’m not one of those people that will be able to walk up to something and lift it right away. I need time and I have to tap into reserves. I can do things but it takes a lot out of me and have to recover. My training is more to build up tolerance so that my baseline is higher and that I hopefully don’t have to dig so deep to achieve that is needed every time. If I have enough time to prep, I should be good. But enough of that. I was kind of surprised that there were people there when I showed up. I guess that other people ended up showing up later than usual too. Great. Started out with the warming up routine. These actually felt the best they’ve felt all week. So hopefully recovering in the knees and shoulders from this past week and all the dumb snow shoveling the week prior. For this workout, I was essentially doing a repeat of the last time I did it. Yoke and sandbag and doing the same weights. It makes sense in recovery purposes. I don’t need to push the yoke as hard as I was expecting to for this show as already within 100lbs of the event weight and feeling fine. But it can be hard to quantify things when repeating a workout to try and make it better or have it feel easier. And it can suck when it actually feels tougher. But to training. First thing for this session was yoke. Work up in 50’ runs and do top set of 100’ with the 50’ down and back. 100lbs jumps here. 600lbs is what I did last time so that was what the plan was here. However, both lanes were in use by someone training for the local show happening in about 2 months. He didn’t have a lot of sets but considering the group of people here and how he was looking with warming up, it was going to take a while and I’d be done my sets before he got done. I was already at the gym like a hour later than I usually would be. So I decided to just do the yoke work on the turf instead. So I already was having some adjustment here and couldn’t really compare to last time as I moving on turf is harder than the concrete. Knees were aching a bit more than I’d have liked here. I didn’t feel like I was taxed too much with doing the heavy frame carry on turf last week but I guess that was only the top set and not all the working sets. I was just feeling ok here. But I did seem to be able to get myself to convince my knees they weren’t achy for that top set. I was definitely moving a little slower but purposely as I needed to make sure I didn’t damage the turf when I set the yoke down. My repick felt really good. My legs were feeling pretty fatigued as I was getting to the end of the run. I went a good bit past the line. It does seem that my time was similar to last time but slightly slower. It took a moment to catch my breath after that. My legs were feeling it. Kind of hoping this has more to do with it being the turf then me not being recovered from Wednesday wide pulls. Next was sandbag shouldering. Put away stuff for the yoke and took a little time here to get ready. I was waiting for the guy using the lanes to finish. This had been 250lbs for 5 singles to each side, alternating for EMOM style. I hoped this would feel better this time as I felt that these were rougher than I would’ve liked considering how easy 225lbs had moved last time. But it is a bit of jump on this all things considered. I’ve done 336lbs over shoulder (probably could hold it there) and 306lbs to shoulder so this kind of close percentage wise to my top end that I’ve pushed here compared to say frame and yoke with the larger jumps. The ease with 225lbs two sessions prior of this had me feeling like I was going well here. I did the same warm ups and I could tell that the picking up wasn’t feeling so bad but that last pop to the shoulders was not feeling as strong. That feeling had me not going so quickly between the reps warming up when swapping side to side. 250lbs at the gym has two options; more compact bag for one brand and the bag I used last time that has straps on it. I elected to use the compact bag this time. Neither bag is the style being used at Regionals. The first rep each side didn’t feel that bad. But the chalk came off immediately on those first two reps. I didn’t end up reapplying. At some point, I got distracted and completely lost where I was in the universe. And when I came back, I was apparently in the middle of a rep. This was to be the third rep with the going to the left shoulder but I forgot where I was and hesitated middle of the pop from the hips and had to recatch it and just assumed I was to go to the right side. So that meant I had to even things out by doing the next two reps to the left side to get back on track and make sure I was doing the same reps each side. So not too happy with myself for letting that happen. Kind of tossed the bag on the very last rep. Left wrist I managed to “jam” on one of the reps. Just going to be sore for a day or two. Put the sandbag away and ate several things I brought with me. I did a little stretching (I was waiting to use the restroom) before driving home and eating some more and then stretching. I’m going to need to make sure I sleep in a lot to help with recovery.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c7ODee4ky5E?si=0g_WaWfTqVEhJl-H" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-36088213271266591552024-01-20T19:46:00.001-05:002024-01-20T19:46:16.071-05:00January 14, 2024 - January 20, 2024 - Week 5<p>January 15, 2024 – Week 5, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Bench Presses<br />45x15<br />95x8<br />145x5<br />195x5<br />245x5<br />295x5<br /><br />Chest Supported Barbell Rows<br />95x8<br />145x8<br />195x8<br />Added Straps<br />245x8<br />285x8<br /><br />12” Log Strict Presses<br />90x2<br />115x2<br />140x2<br />165x2<br />165x2<br />165x2<br />165x2<br />165x6<br /><br />Standing 12” Log Lockouts<br />165x3 seconds<br />195x3 seconds<br />225x3 seconds<br />255x3 seconds<br />285x3 seconds<br />305x3 seconds<br />325x3 seconds<br />353x20 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: It was probably a good thing off work this day. I kind of used Sunday to recover from Saturday and then with the expectation of Monday off stayed up later Sunday before falling asleep. I didn’t realize I guess how much Saturday had taken out of me with the those two exercises on top of pushing the wide pulls. I woke up earlier on Sunday to use the restroom and felt stiff and dehydrated. My left wrist was achy too. Fell back asleep and felt better when I did wake up. But lower back was feeling pretty stiff so I knew I needed to move around. Thankfully it was windy as a bastard out so there was a lot of dead branches and such that I had to pick up and that seemed so I got some movement in that way in before walking. Weight the same as last week. Continuing to tweak the diet and get the calorie count right. I’m going to attempt adding some more small calorie changes as the addition of just 130 calories of yogurt seemed to be a push that got me up 10lbs over 6 weeks’ time. There has also been periods of stagnation where I’ve finally bumped up but 3 weeks in a row seems to be the longest at this point. I’m giving myself until middle of March to get to 285lbs. If I can’t get there with forcing food down, it isn’t sustainable and I may just need to stick to 265lbs class. I got 2 months to get that sorted I guess. Monday woke up a little earlier but still some stiffness. Not painful, just been unexpected to have stiffness in my back for quite some time. I should note that I’ve not really had much in the way of discomfort since returning to training with Mr. Westerling and I’ve only iced my knees after the first day of Nationals before bed to help with getting tendons to calm down so I could sleep. So I think noticing when other stuff is off because joint discomfort is no longer the norm here. Being off work seemed to be a good thing for rest but also with weather. Snow was the plan apparently for later in the day but I had only thought there was to be snow tomorrow. Guess both. I wasn’t aware of this until later anyways as I had intended to train around lunch time in the first place. Cold as the day before but not windy. So tolerable. Mobility stuff per usual was fine. Wore my warmups to help with warming up faster and did everything in the garage. Starting off with bench. Plan for the session was work up in 5’s to a top set of 5 with this not being a max. There wasn’t really a suggested here like the first week with 275lbs. I figured that high end would be 20lbs increase. I was somewhat uncertain with that seeing as how incline log work went last week. There was no real aches in my shoulders here. I was kind of expecting some since this motion seemed to have that as well as the impact stress from a 250lbs sandbag on each side of my neck. I should be able to do that. I set things up so that I was doing 50lbs jumps and then decide how the last set feels and either go with 10lbs to 20lbs. 245lbs felt ok. Not amazing but it certainly felt a bit better than how 225lbs was initially feeling last time. But I was still waffling between 290lbs and 295lbs and just went with 295lbs. I’d feel real stupid if I messed this up. I feel I’m still getting used to this grip and form as I seem to need to adjust things at times. I got the set done. Not an absolute max but likely need to do 10lbs at the most for next time. I do feel it is important that if I’m to be doing 300lbs or more log and axle that I need to be doing 300lbs or more on bench and front squats for reps to facilitate that. Chest supported rows up next. 5 sets of 8 reps to a top set for the day. Compared to last time, notes said to aim for something challenging. So I figured I could get closer to what I’ve done on these before. Same as bench with doing 50lbs jumps. I had tried to do the same weight as the bench last time but found that my arms and such were not up to it at this time. It would seem that I’m still not quite used to it after doing the sandbag lifting. Probably because I jumped up 25lbs on that and not repeating the session like how I did with stone of steel stuff for the last prep. It didn’t feel like a good idea to push this so I went up 40lbs for the last set. Hopefully I get used to these in this session. But I may need to lower expectations here at this time. The lighter weight stuff is feeling easy. That was enough of in the garage unfortunately and it was now time to go outside. Log strict pressing was up next. Warm up as needed and do 5x2 at 65%. Axle had been surprisingly good last time after the screw up with log incline. It hadn’t felt the greatest as far as pressing at the start. Log had felt good last time besides the initial pressure on the chest. Things were feeling pretty good. The second reps weren’t feeling as I guess crisp as I wanted them but it didn’t seem off. Usually I get better as I go and then the rep set I kind of surprise myself with how I’m feeling. I was surprised this time but not with how well. It was feeling tough and I called it at 6 reps there. I mean, this was just bonus reps really. But it was a little concerning considering 15lbs less I got more than double this rep output quite convincingly. But I did push the benching and rowing this time around and the sandbag work required more effort compared to the time before. But it was enough that I was wondering if I misloaded by like 20lbs. Also not wearing a belt yet at this point (hard belt that is). So a little bit of a damper there. Last thing was lockout workout. Following from axle with starting with log press weight and then doing 30lbs jumps up to 285lbs and then 20lbs jumps. I could tell this might be tough today. Initially thinking when I had this planned was to match the axle weight but I concluded that was likely not smart considering how tough that had been on the axle and last time I did the log I misloaded the top set by 10lbs. It had started to snow a little at this point. I really needed to focus on this as being lackadaisical in any part of the bracing was going to be not a good time. I actually messed that up initially going for 305lbs. That was a bit embarrassing. And I’m to be pressing that in June if I hope to do well. That miss made it clear that I needed to not go for 365lbs here. Judge how 325lbs went. That I didn’t screw up so I figured I’d do 353lbs (160kgs) just because. I almost lost it right away but I fought like hell for balance in my everywhere and managed to get it. Held for what I thought was 24 seconds before putting down but was 20 seconds. Oh well, just at the limit. I then had to eat like 5 meals at once to get caught up on food intake before putting stuff away and stretching.<br /><br />January 17, 2024 – Week 5, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x5<br />145x3<br />195x3<br />245x3<br />295x5<br /><br />Romanian Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x3<br />405x3<br />495x3<br />551x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+45x45 seconds<br /><br />Crunches<br />bw+10x25<br /><br />Lying Leg Raises<br />bwx25<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Even with a day off work on Monday, still feeling like a long week where nothing is going to get done as far as work. I guess me also thinking on things. Thinking on how log press that I didn’t feel like I had many reps there on the strict pressing last set as well as the weight gain and trying to stay in the SHW class. Kind of set myself that if I’m not able to get close to 285lbs by March with the most recent diet adjustments (and feel comfortable at that weight) then I will need to stick with weight my body seems to want to be at. Even if this doesn’t necessarily work out, this increased food consumption may be something to consider for an actual “bulking” offseason plan. My lower back had been feeling pretty stiff from Saturday training as mentioned Monday and it seemed to be easing up. My upper back and shoulders were really feeling the training on Monday. Then got another snow storm Tuesday so had to do some more shoveling. So not really getting much rest to those areas. This was tougher than the first snow this year since it was staying frigid temperatures so I didn’t have the luxury of warmer weather and sun to help with melting stuff. It was cold enough that stuff heated up by the friction of the shovel against the pavement that melted stuff was then refreezing. Ended up using the rock salt stuff I had saved and needed to put that down at times rather than at the very end when I was done due to the risk of slipping. My knees were feeling pretty tender even coming to Wednesday. Partially that and maybe due to the big drop in temperature as well as moving heavier weights every session. My meal timing was off on Wednesday and I think I was also realizing there was another snow storm for the end of the week. So I started training a little later to allow for my stomach to rest and I guess get my head into it. Mobility warming up wasn’t bad. Just cold and slight joint aches. But thankfully not as bad as I was expecting doing the movements. First thing for this session was front squats. Warm up as needed and do triples up to a top set of five reps. As with last time, notes said to make sure that it was smooth and powerful. Similar to bench and rows, I set things up so that if feeling good, it was 50lbs jumps all the way up with allowing myself to do 295lbs as the top set. If not feeling great then I could do less but at least 285lbs. 275lbs had felt pretty good other than the breathing issue on the last rep. I know that that will continue to be something until I get used to heavier front squats again. But I also know that as long as my knees are feeling good, this weight will feel less compressive and restrictive. Which is good for my overhead pressing. I was not really feeling like this was going to be a good session with my knees and hips aching. The way I do these with the straps tends to work for me but today it just wasn’t. Not sure what it was with how I set them but they kept getting in my face. I swapped them around and that seemed to take care of that issue but they then felt weird in my hands. So I went back to how I had them and hoped for the best. 245lbs felt fine as far as moving the weight but it did feel hard on the breathing. Which isn’t a good confidence booster when planning to do more weight and more reps. Again, I was having those little doubts with thinking the choice I had set for myself was going to be too much. Bargaining and then finally biting the bullet and putting 295lbs on like I intended. Really tell a difference from how this kind of weight felt on my body now compared to how it felt on the deload for the last show. The breathing was an issue but the weight felt easy on my lower body. I got two reps before I had to stop and get a breath and rebrace and that ended up being what I needed to do to get through the set. I guess I’ll need to be more mindful of this as I try to put on weight but also just in general. Been noticing that I need to control my breathing more with how tight I’m bracing I guess now. The right side strap I got a little loose on the last rep but still fine. Arms looking huge in the video on these haha. Then the deadlift portion of the session. The heavier of the two variations that are making up the off season. The wide pulls to work the start and build up the hips and these rdls to work the top range. With how these feel, I’m trying to treat them as TUT floating rack pulls. I knew from last time and how the wide pulls went that I probably had a big jump in weight still before I got to the point where gradual progress would make more sense as far as increase. The warming up seemed to indicate plate jumps as opposed to 40-50lbs jumps so I went for that this time. I initially was thinking 515lbs to 545lbs for the top set of 5 reps after working up in plate jump triples to 495lbs. I was being mindful of my midsection and making sure I didn’t get a cramping sensation like I did last time with these. 495lbs felt comfortable and I kind of knew that I needed to expand the range to 545lbs as the low end to go for. I knew that 585lbs would be too much at this time (would also be the most I’ve attempted for an rdl) to safely get the set done but I wanted to do a little more than 545lbs. So I settled on 551lbs or 250kgs. Just because (I think I like swapping to a kilo goal for things). I’ve only been in this weight territory once before with the rdls and I had been using sawhorses at the time. I’m actually not sure if the dinky rack I got can really handle much more than this going forward. I guess a good but bad problem finally being strong enough for safety concerns. But man was this feeling heavy on my body. A bit different with how these are with breathing compared to regular pulls. So a lot of pressure built up. I was a little worried that I’d get lightheaded similar to the front squats. But I took what I had learned from the wide pulls and the front squats with rebracing and breathing at the top of the motion and got it done. I believe I’ve got these feeling about the same difficulty as the wide pulls now. From there it was time for the hyper bench hold with the neck harness and plate. Warming up for it with hyper extensions again. I wasn’t expecting much here as this tends to be tougher to hold compared to the wide pull days. And this had been a tough session weight wise. But I guess I had something click for me on these finally with not only getting the hold but also with getting the midsection to brace in a way that was supporting but not fatiguing. Got to my goal of 45 seconds on these. So that was a nice feeling. I’m not sure if I should stick to this again for another session (assuming these continue) to make sure I’m consistent (and this wasn’t a fluke) or to increase the weight on the neck harness and build up again (assuming I can get 30 seconds). The abdominals stuff was next. The moving vs the bracing of the alternative week session. The crunches the same with a set of 25 reps with option of weight. These had been a little tougher than I would’ve like last time with the weight but that could’ve been from the stomach cramp from earlier as well. I moved the weight placement a bit further from where I held it last time a few reps into the set and this increased difficulty as well as allow for more ROM on the bottom of the lift so I could have my thoracic spine moving as well with flexion and extension. I tried to move to the lying leg raises quickly (I had already started cooking dinner) but got an ab cramp as I was about to start and get into position. Oh bother. But it wasn’t something that would keep me from doing these (it was an upper ab cramp and these were lower ab). As I noted last time, these do tend to feel a little rough at times after doing heavy pulls that can compress the spine. My lower back tends to not like traction kind of exercises. Some reps it feels it and others it doesn’t. Doesn’t seem to be rhyme or reason. Just slow down and adjust. Put stuff away while dinner was cooking. Ate and then stretched out.<br /><br />January 20, 2024 – Week 5, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br />38x1<br /><br />Frame Carries<br />(16” pick)<br />180x50’<br />(18” pick)<br />276x50’<br />376x50’<br />476x50’<br />(20” pick)<br />568x6’<br />568x50’/50’ (turf)<br />568x6’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Again, winter weather decided to play havoc with my event training. And it has been on the day that I seem to enjoy more. Last time it was an option to train before it hit and stay home and I got through it without incident. This was not going to be one of those avoidable scenarios. I had initially known of the snow but was only expecting 1” at most based off the predictions. But then it became a thing with it being up to 6” so a possibility of being snowed in. So had a backup plan. But you know I don’t like deviations from the original plan. I at least got to get in some walking Thursday which felt good. Been windy and cold so wearing thicker coat. The threat of snow caused work to close but due to teleworking, means I was still to work. Which was fine. At least it would be if my cellphone hadn’t decided to stop working as a phone. Combination of work stuff and trying to fix the phone and eventually realizing that was a lost cause and having to get a new one. Which was its own headache with having to move stuff and revalidate and login to everything. Odds are I’ll be finding things that still need to be resolved in the coming days as I they pop up. I waited until the plows came by and spent Friday shoveling snow and putting down rock salt (got from my parents as I used up all mine). I kind of knew that I’d be able to get out to train on Saturday but I’d probably have to go later. One to get some rest but also to hopefully give time for roads to clear. There was some more snow so I had to do some more shoveling before I went out to train. I guess it was light enough to leave but I didn’t want to compact it or have the walkway hazardous for mail deliveries. It should hopefully be warm enough to start melting tomorrow. So a slower start to the day and packed up three meals worth of food for the gym as well as getting gas (because I have to go into the office Tuesday all day ugh). Once on the main roads, conditions were good. The real test would be what condition the walkway and parking lot were for the gym. I knew they were open from seeing Instagram stories from people that go in earlier. The parking lot and walkway weren’t really that clean. The walkway not for a lack of trying. The snow on the roof of the buildings with the high wind kept blowing down. The toss tower was also not dug out. It had the snow from not only this snow but also Tuesday. So I had to do a bit of shoveling here as well before I got started with warming up. There were people at the gym but they were kind of doing the tail end of their stuff. I wore my warm ups for the warming up to get my body warm because I’d be outside for a good bit. Knees were feeling achier than I would’ve liked. But kind of expected having to shovel snow three times in less than 24hrs. I did the ankle and knee mobility stretching as well as my calves were tight. Starting things off was bag toss. Assuming I felt it was safe enough to do it. Light bag for 10 tosses done EMOM style. I felt that the working weight had gotten heavy enough that I should and could do warming up tosses beyond just swings, upright rows and high pulls. I put down a rubber mat and did 3 tosses with 30lbs. I was initially going to do only 1 but it felt like a good idea to do a few with the unique conditions. I was a little nervous with the EMOM because of the weather conditions. I’ve done stuff in a downpour but this was a little different in that footing wasn’t guaranteed to be sure. I had put down some rock salt but didn’t really help with the shade and the fresh snow getting blown down from the roofs. While the snow and wind weren’t helpful for the training, it was pretty badass looking/feeling haha. All the tosses cleared the height marker but it wasn’t the perfect toss session with the slippery conditions. Two that didn’t go well had been when I apparently sunk too low and scraped the bag on the ground and another I got a bunch of snow in my face from a wind gust and I essentially just used upper body to chuck it as my feet didn’t feel sturdy. But I was ok with most of those and glad that no misses in these kind of conditions. I’ve not done much in the way of above 30lbs for more than 10 tosses EMOM style as of late from the last training cycle with them so encouraging to see that I can keep up the pace for double the usual. Took a bit of time to put the stuff back in the place and clean up before moving on to the frame carry. Frame carry was going to be a little different. I could’ve stuck to what I had been doing as far as doing 50lbs jumps. But I also wanted to get to working on the big heavy frame as early as I could. So what was 18lbs more on that with a higher pick height? I had gotten permission to use that frame indoors as long as I controlled the drops on rubber. No one really uses this old frame because it isn’t really for everyone at 568lbs empty. I like to work up to it on other stuff rather than go cold. But this also meant that I had to clear a lot of things that were being stored in it. I had a plan with warming up but found that the Titan Fitness frames were apparently taken by someone who wields to fix them up so I went with the other setups to start. I was feeling the breathing was a little off but that issue seemed to clear up with 476lbs with the hard belt oddly enough. The big frame is heavy enough that I can’t really not count moving it to get into place as a set of some sort. It was probably a good thing to get a short pick and carry with it to kind of get used to what was to come. As rest before the working set (50’/50’) I weighed the yokes for my own curiosity and to confirm some things (one yoke was 15lbs lighter than thought and the other was 25lbs heavier). Then time for the frame run. I knew this wouldn’t be the “best” run I’ve done because been away from this frame for a bit and I was going to be running on turf with it for the first time. I also had to be mindful of the turf when I did the drops. I knew that if things felt like they should, this was going to be comfortable. That first pick to move it usually feels the roughest of the picks (perhaps as bad as the one putting it away haha). Things actually seemed to go well here. Moving well and the repick was pretty quick. No damage to the turf either. Took a few moments to get myself recovered before putting it back in the corner. I had some food before stretching out and then ate after that before driving home to eat some more.</p><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gw771sOTZMc?si=rNoml4SDEIrm0nCv" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-53535883721329505152024-01-13T18:10:00.001-05:002024-01-13T18:10:27.853-05:00January 7, 2024 - January 13, 2024 - Week 4<p>January 8, 2024 – Week 4, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x10<br />130x8<br />160x5<br />190x3<br />220x2<br />255x3<br />242x5<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />abx5 at pin 12<br />abx5 at pin 15<br />abx5 at pin 18<br />abx5 at pin 21<br />abx5 at pin 24<br /><br />Axle Strict Presses<br />90x2<br />112x2<br />139x2<br />166x2<br />166x2<br />166x2<br />166x2<br />166x10<br /><br />Standing Axle Lockouts<br />166x3 seconds<br />193x3 seconds<br />226x3 seconds<br />256x3 seconds<br />286x3 seconds<br />306x3 seconds<br />326x3 seconds<br />346x3 seconds<br />366x16 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Over cold but still dealing with some stuff from being sick. Weight down slightly from the week before. But still over 276lbs. First decrease in about 3 months at this point. Not even half a pound so not really worried about that. Just noting. Sunday I let the weather do the work for me as far as waiting until it was the warmest part of the day to shovel snow so most of it had melted already. Still meant I had to do some stuff though with the packed snow from the heavy rain. Work continues to be dumb and I’m potentially stressing about things but not realizing it. Hard to tell if stuff from being sick or stress. Felt a little odd with training as it was dark out and I guess remembering this is the first session true upper body session where I wasn’t doing stuff during the daytime. Another holiday coming up next Monday so I’ll be back to that again but then nothing but darkness going forward. Mobility stuff per usual was fine. Was feeling surprisingly good. Wore my warm ups at the start of things. I did end up doing some of this outside rather than all inside as I didn’t need the rack inside for anything this session. Starting off with log incline benching. This is where I made mistakes this session. I knew from last time that I was perhaps going to aggressive at this. My hope I guess had been to do 15lbs jumps each session on this as that does seem to be workable for some exercises when I’m coming back to it or peaking. I need to know this is not the case with pressing. Plan had even been to do more reps at the start and pyramid up and do 10lbs more than last time. I don’t what it was here but I wasn’t feeling like that would be a bridge too far for me. I actually went up 5lbs from the plan. Which in hindsight was dumb. I was feeling decent warming up but that is a false sense of security I’m finding with incline type benching exercises. First rep was tough but then I seemed to be having things move smoother for the next rep and I thought maybe I got this. Third rep about the same. Fourth rep went out in front and nope. Had to bail and set it down. Damn it. Awkward to get it off and then having to pick it back up with 180lbs on it to rack it. That felt heavy. Because I didn’t want to end things here. I was to do a top set of 5 that wasn’t a max and that is what I was going to do. So 2lbs more than last time. I got it but obviously it was tougher than it should’ve been after all is said and done. I will likely need to aim for 245lbs next time. I don’t like failing weights at any time. Another reminder that just putting on weight isn’t going to magically fix the upper body pressing situation. This is going to take time and be a struggle it seems. In further hindsight, I probably should’ve started with 220lbs the first week and I could be progressing at a better pace. Lesson learned going forward. I tend to feel better when I’m not grinding any lifts. So this was not an ideal start to the training session for sure. The other stuff should be better for me. There has always been that “dead zone” situation on incline benching, just less apparent with log compared to other styles. Keep going, stay focused and don’t let it wear you down. You are already feeling that from getting over illness. After that mild disappointment, it was band assisted pull-ups. Sets of 5 reps like last time. This one I had listened when it came to that first workout back from the competition so I shouldn’t have an issue here with improving. What I’ve been doing has been the 3 pin jumps to the essentially the bottom of the rack for the last set. I was advised that I could even keep these the same as I did last time or make things a little tougher. With how these are, I felt what made the most sense as far as adding difficulty would be to decrease the strength of the band. Been using a strong band so using an average band would be the next level really. Left shoulder was feeling slightly achy but actually ended up feeling better on these as I went. Using the crash pad at the higher settings until not as tricky to step into the setup. These do feel a bit weird in that how the bands assist and help does seem to change as you lower the band height. I do tend to try and move through these a bit quicker due to the setup but make sure I give that top set the attention it needs. Definitely could notice on the last set the lower band assistance. But I still feel this was within the parameters. Likely lower the tension again if this pops up to light band but no further. Bands get too thin at that point and cut into the legs at my weight. Axle strict pressing was up next. The second half the pressing for the workout. Warm up as needed and do 5x2 at 65%. This was at least the plan here. I ended up using a little more than that as it was easier platemathwise with things to go like 3lbs heavier. There was a little bit of a thought in my head about the incline stuff (as well as the log feeling heavy when I racked it after I had to bail) and tried my best to blot that out but I know it was there. These had been ok like time albeit with lighter weight. My shoulders hadn’t been quite used to things and it showed in the soreness going into the rest of the week. No hard belt again at this point. Things felt a little more comfortable as far as bracing/grounding and unracking the weight. It was definitely noticeable that there was fatigue here and that this was more weight than last time. Again, on the last set, I was allowed to rep it out if I was feeling good. And again, I don’t know if I was necessarily feeling good. If I did, leave 1 rep in the tank. I was almost worried that 5 reps would feel tough and thankfully it did not. This was tougher than that first session and definitely stopped at closer to the limit than the last time. 10 reps was not a max here. Last thing was lockout workout. Leaving right where the strict pressing left off. Not quite I guess as I did have to adjust the rack for these. I had done 20lbs jumps doing 3 second holds up to the top weight. And I had ended up using a bit more than I was expecting. I did ask for some clarification on this because I had done about 350lbs for both and that is well over my current maxes for both (also more than 10% over lifetime bests). As the notes was to be aiming for a minute with a heavy weight. Should I be still pushing the weight and time or just focus on time. Answer is kind of both. This goal isn’t specific to this competition or this offseason. So as long as I can still do 20-30 seconds, I should be increasing for now and then work from there. I didn’t want to be here all night so I did 30lbs jumps until I got to 286lbs and then back to 20lbs. My lower legs were feeling a little stiff and I could tell that sometimes my balance wasn’t the best. Like I’d struggle and add 30lbs and feel solid and so on. I did remember from the last time about my breathing. I need to brace to lock it out but I need to be able to breath or I will get lightheaded. I had a goal with 366lbs as that is the weight of the Apollon’s Axle. I got set for this and it seemed to go up solidly and my breathing wasn’t off. But I guess that isn’t the only thing. This is heavy for me. I just couldn’t keep my upper back and shoulders and whatnot tight enough and the weight started to lower. So calling it about 4 seconds shy. I guess understandable considering the big increase in the weights being used for the deadlifts and the frame carry (as feeling those still in upper back). I’ll have to see how the cards lie I guess next time to see if I reduce weight to try and get back into that range. Put stuff away and stretched before eating pot roast. Need to rest.<br /><br />January 10, 2023 – Week 4, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Wide Grip Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x2<br />315x2<br />365x1<br />405x1<br />430x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+45x39 seconds<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+42x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: No walking the day before. It rained hard all day. There was to be a brief break in it but I never saw it haha. My time was better spent working through lunch to try and get caught up on things. I was slightly concerned after the previous workout as it seemed like my left elbow bursitis was acting up but it seems to be fine the morning after and into today. Still got some remnants from the stress on my body from the cold with fever blisters still fading away as well as some fluttering eye twitches. I did purchase a new deadlift suit but likely won’t be months until I see it knowing the manufacturer’s reputation. I still have my other suit which will be fine. Especially since likely won’t be needing to work that until March if my assumptions are correct. Mobility stuff to start things off. Similar to how it felt yesterday. Minus being outside in the cold. It was warm enough yesterday and today that almost all the snow is gone. So no warm ups needed in the garage to get warm. No tight or inflamed shoulder tendons so that is a positive. Not so say that I’m not having soreness in the upper body from Monday. Also did ankle/knee/hip stuff because that seems to help with floor pulls and especially things like these wide grip pulls. I only needed to do one drill each side to feel as good a limber as I was going to. So that was nice. As I mentioned, wide pulls for this workout. Goal was to go slightly heavier then last time as far as the top set of 5 reps. But given a little more leeway here as far as doing sets of 1-3 reps to work up to that. Last time I did these, 135lbs did not feel comfortable. It felt awkward and difficult. Essentially being the first time using the hip circle on top of not doing this movement in many years. Today was not much better haha. Knees were aching so it was not the best start to things. Didn’t help still somewhat fixated on the incline log and being shy of 20 seconds on the overhead lockout hold from Monday. But I knew last time it didn’t feel that great and then it felt pretty good after that before getting difficult again. My plan was to do 40-50lbs jumps and dropping reps off every two sets. Something seemed to finally click for me on these on that very next set. Why don’t I angle my feet out with my knees? Duh. Seemed to take the knee discomfort away and I felt like I was getting the hips loaded. Up to two plates for the triples and then up to three plates for doubles. I kind of knew what to expect getting above that weight and that this could feel uncomfortable with the position and getting setup (learned from last time put the hip circle on first, then hard belt). The top weight was to be 20-50lbs more than last time. I had a feeling that I’d be doing the lower end because of how challenging 405lbs had felt last time. Singles seemed to go pretty well for me. I elected to do a 25lbs jump for the top set. So that next time I guess I have the option to go for 455lbs and not have it seem so daunting. I got set for this and went for it. Felt tough but it was about the same as last time, maybe slightly better. The open hips seemed to help me lower these better and keep the form and not end up with it being off balance. Obviously the first rep was the fastest as the other reps are essentially time under tension with slight pauses. No feeling of my knees wanting to buckle or knee discomfort. Definitely felt the hamstrings and back on this. I was pleased with how this went as it felt like this could go up this amount next time this comes around (assuming here). From there it was time for the hyper bench hold with the neck harness and plate. Warming up for it with hyper extensions. I knew this was going to be tough for the actual hold as things were feeling a bit toasty in the posterior chain. And I had seen how tough this had been the last time I did these after the wide pulls. Not to mention the hold time went down slightly when I did these last week. Not changing the weight on this until I’ve gotten over 40 seconds on this. I got set and I could tell that this was going to be a tougher time than last week. And last week had been tough and so had the last week. I think that I got distracted by my position and just how this was already feeling that at some point I miscounted my time. And I was kind of panicking because I was struggling to keep holding and was feeling like I was going to lose the brace at 20 seconds and was worried that I was under 30 seconds when it finally went. I think I held out just to potentially keep this above 30 seconds. I must have started my count late and repeated some numbers because this ended up being almost 40 seconds. Huh. So that was good. But man these are tough and not getting any easier with the increased demand from these moving events and deadlift variations. But I like it as lot of effort but low stress. Last thing then being abdominal work. On to the carpeted area for the planks. Regular weighted plank. I didn’t make the mistake of last time by drinking anything so soon to this. Swapped the dumbbells for chains and that seemed to be more comfortable on my back. No issues here with anything. Then side planks. Again, no weight. I was a little concerned here with things as last time I had kind of rushed position for the left elbow and had put a bit more pressure on there than usual. So that was kind of in the forefront of my mind after the slightly swelling in the bursitis after Monday’s session. So I started with that side and made sure I had the support where I needed it to not have any stress on it. No issues on these either. Started cooking up dinner and put stuff away. Stretched out after dinner. This was a good training session and I really need to keep my thoughts on the fact that everything is feeling good other than a single set of two assistance exercises. I have a lot of time to work out any issues.<br /><br />January 13, 2024 – Week 4, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Yoke<br />200x50’<br />300x50’<br />400x50’<br />500x50’<br />600x50’/50’<br /><br />Sandbag to Shoulders<br />175x1/1<br />200x1/1<br />225x1/1<br />EMOM<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br />250x1 R<br />250x1 L<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was feeling a bit better mentally after how things had gone Wednesday workout. No issues with the lower legs on either Thursday or Friday so it was nice to get in walking without feeling like shin splints were coming. Got through another dumb week of work. Maybe knowing I had a day off Monday helped. Plan was to make it out to train a bit earlier so no hitting snooze. It rained a lot in the evening. Drive out was fine, just a good bit of water on the road as I got closer to the gym. Both owners ended up being at the gym at times and I was able to ask them about using the big frame in the coming weeks. Short of it is yes and no as they don’t want to take the winter insulation down at this time. But go ahead for inside on turf as long as I don’t damage the floor. I’ll have to see if I can make that work. But that’s for next week a the earliest. I wasn’t in last week due to the threat of the snow and it had looked a like a good bit of people were there. There had been a decent amount of people two weeks ago as well. But I don’t think I was quite expecting the turnout that was there today. There was like three separate groups of people training strongman events for stuff (either specific shows or general) with then a smattering of people training solo. One of those things with popularity increasing means more people and having to share space. Maybe avoided this by coming later but I did want to see people after missing out last week and I had wanted to potentially talk to the owners about the frame and such. This just meant waiting. Started out with the warming up routine. No real issues warming up. I’m starting to notice that the shoulders are seeming to not ache as much. The left does when doing stuff (it has been a muted thing) but like even more so. As in barely registers. First thing for this session was yoke. Work up in 50’ runs and do top set of 100’ with the 50’ down and back. 100lbs jumps here. When I did this two weeks ago, I didn’t have the weights for Regionals so I was kind of surprised that the yoke portion of the medley was going to be only 700lbs. So wasn’t quite expecting to already be in striking distance of this. I thought I’d need to be getting closer to 800lbs. Maybe I will in training as overload and in general to get used to that again (as not done above 750lbs on yoke since late 2018 in training). The people doing stuff were to do farmer’s into yoke and they seemed to be warming up with the yoke first and then doing farmer’s. I took advantage of that and used the light yoke and did runs in the other lane that was to be used for the farmer’s walk. It felt like I needed a higher pick this time around. Looked like I had the clearance as long as I didn’t go too far forward with the tilt. I feel like I went a little quicker between the sets so as to get it done and clear up the other lane for use. I did offer people to work in with me but no takers. They I guess wanted to use the bigger and sturdier yoke. I wasn’t feeling the fastest today. But I know that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I’m not timing stuff like this at the moment. Just getting the work done. It might have been the number of people there but it felt warmer and harder to breath in a way. 600lbs for the top set. This seemed to be ok. I hesitated a bit longer than I would’ve liked with the repick but I had it in a better position compared to last time where it ended up a bit higher on cervical spine. So I was done with my yoke work before just about the other five people had gotten above the warm up stage. Next was sandbag shouldering. I got to this a bit quicker I guess compared to last time as I didn’t have to put away the yoke stuff. While I was feeling a bit warm in general, I didn’t really have a good reason to take my time. As with yoke, I had just rough idea of things for this for Regionals. It will be 5 bags. Same as last time with it being light to moderate bag for form work. 5 singles each side, alternating them EMOM style. I had done 150lbs and then 25lbs jumps last time and ended up doing 225lbs when I was kind of expecting 200lbs. So it made sense since the suggested for this time was 225lbs while last time was 200lbs was to do 250lbs. I started at 175lbs and did 25lbs jumps. Looking at the bags, there is likely not many duplicates beyond 175lbs. Maybe another 250lbs bag. There are my odd weight bags of 306lbs and 336lbs there as well besides the usual 25lbs jumps from 75lbs to 350lbs. I could potentially bring my 265lbs in for next time if needed. I felt like doing the same thing as last time with doing chalk and no support gear besides knee sleeves. This was certainly harder compared to last time with 225lbs. It felt warmer so I was losing chalk pretty quick. I also was not a fan of the straps on the bags. They hadn’t bother me on the other, lighter bags last time. But they seemed to be enough of a distraction to me tactilely that it was slowing me down. You could tell there were reps where things lined up right and it was nice and explosive and others where it messed up the timing. But much like yoke, I knew this was work. I mean, I’m already doing the first bag of the series comfortably and about 4.5 months out at this point. Spun and chucked the bag when I was done on the last single. I ended up sticking around a little longer than I had planned to see two of my friends do their top runs of the medley for the March show (I also drank a shake and ate some food) and then drove home. Ate some more stretched out and then ate some more.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3X90nMfE3iA?si=u0zpeDadZ_glIlBN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-180741754961583892024-01-06T14:39:00.001-05:002024-01-06T14:39:41.768-05:00December 31, 2023 - January 6, 2024 - Week 3<p>January 1, 2024 – Week 3, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Bench Presses<br />45x15<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x5<br />275x5<br /><br />Chest Supported Barbell Rows<br />95x10<br />135x10<br />185x10<br />Added Straps<br />225x10<br />255x10<br /><br />12” Log Strict Presses<br />90x2<br />120x2<br />150x2<br />150x2<br />150x2<br />150x2<br />150x15<br /><br />Standing 12” Log Lockouts<br />150x3 seconds<br />170x3 seconds<br />190x3 seconds<br />210x3 seconds<br />230x3 seconds<br />250x3 seconds<br />270x3 seconds<br />290x3 seconds<br />310x3 seconds<br />320x3 seconds<br />340x31 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Hopefully on the healing side of things as far as this cold goes. I’m at the stage where it seems to be just in my nose/sinuses and it has been a while since I’ve had that. But at this point, pretty much means only Dayquil type stuff is going to do anything and I’m saving that for bed. Still doing the other stuff minus airborne. Going through tissues a lot these past two days. Lower legs were really sore walking yesterday. Not as bad as they had felt this time last week so that is at least a plus. Weight gain still happening despite thinking that the cold would have impacted things for me. Right shoulder feeling a little wonky from bag to shoulder. The left side is used to it I guess. Regardless of how “soft”, it is still dropping something that weighs more than the average adult male on my shoulder. Got the details for Regionals and already a lot of stiff competition has signed up for it. Everything besides the yoke (lighter than I expected) was what I was thinking. Some of the events a little different rules wise from what I had pictured but that’s fine, got plenty of time. At least I hope it is to get some things back up to where they were and build other things. As off work for New Year’s Day, this meant another training upper body session while there was daylight. Can’t say the sun was out as it was cloudy and sometimes there was precipitation. I wiped down stuff outside before getting started with training. Mobility stuff per usual was fine. Not really achy. After figuring out I can do the entire warm up inside my garage, I did just that so as I didn’t need to be outside in the cold until I would need to. Starting off with bench. Plan for the session was work up in 5’s to a top set of 5. But not a max. Same as the log incline stuff from last week. This time being the start, then more and then a true 5rm lift on the third time. At least that seems to be the plan for now. The suggested for this was starting with the bar and then alternating 40-50lbs jumps to 275lbs for the top set. I should be able to do that. I did 275lbs for a 6 reps with a somewhat close grip. I’ve just not really been doing regular benching or with a normal grip style for a good while. So there are PRs and then there are “PRs”. I was feeling ok with the bar like last time. Adding weight I was feeling the aches in the left shoulder. I think I was worried about the right side being off from the bag to shoulder but nope. 185lbs felt darn heavy in my hands so any plans to try and go heavier than 275lbs evaporated at that moment. I still need to get used to this grip. 275lbs felt ok I guess. Looks like it moved well on video. Looked better than it felt. I may be able to go up on these a bit more aggressively compared to the log incline stuff. As is usually the case after benching, some back work followed. Chest supported rows. Barbell setup I’ve used has served me well since the switch to garage gym for most trainings. I’m really not sure how I was screwing it up when I first started and it was feeling awful on my biceps. The script for the day had work up over 5 sets of 10 reps to a top set for the day, with note to start light. 40-50lbs jumps seemed to be good here and started with 95lbs. Things were feeling pretty good. Added straps at 225lbs not because of need but knowing that I generally need a set or two to get used to them on this kind of row. Probably was a good thing as this did feel tougher than I was expecting. My biceps started to feel sore. I guess the sandbag work was finally rearing its head in the form of soreness. So while I had planned to do 275lbs here for the top set, it didn’t seem like the best thing to do considering this was to be “smooth” and I couldn’t guarantee that with how that 225lbs felt. It does seem for this time that 255lbs was the right call. But I should be able to bump this up for next time. Outside for the rest of the workout. Log strict pressing was up next. As I mentioned, this is alternating with axle at this point. Warm up as needed and do 5x2 at 60%. These tend to feel a bit different compared to say axle/barbell pressing. These feel comfortable for me with getting a solid base. Was feeling quite powerful on these but I was worried that with the pressure on the chest coupled with the respiratory restrictions and medication that could increase blood pressure how things would go on the last set (as allowed to rep it out). Again, wearing just soft belts and wrist wraps not fully cranked. I was feeling pretty good. I was fully ready to call things at like 8 reps if needed but I was feeling good and the bar speed wasn’t really slowing down. I’m allowed to until 1 rep shy of failure but I’m going until the weight slows down at this point. I was quite surprised that I did more reps compared to axle from last week. Guess the ROM and just doing this more often has a way of doing that. Last thing was lockout workout. Leaving right where the strict pressing left off. As will axle, same with log. Goal was to work up to a top weight that I could do a 6” ROM lockout and hold that weight for 20-30 seconds. I was expecting similar to axle. But that kind of didn’t end up being the case. With axle, I had set the bar on top of the rack and elevated the rack 3.5” so as to shorten the ROM. I figured that standing on 3.5” or so would even out with the diameter of the log. Not exactly. Something felt off but I didn’t really adjust things until near the end. By that I mean I checked to see the ROM and it was larger than axle so I changed the height to 1.5” and that seemed to be more inline with things. Last time it was helpful with seeing how I need to brace the lower body hard before the pressing to lock out as well as making sure I don’t get too excited (especially with the meds and cold) so that I can keep control of my breathing. Log lockout is a bit different with axle as I do more lean back with log so there is something of a shoulder lift flexion. I apparently misloaded when I got over 310lbs as I meant to keep the 20lbs jumps going. But it did seem to work out for me with getting just over 30 seconds with 10lbs less compared to the axle. I feel like the log I can get the balance point better with the lower body and the lean back. Really ground myself. No neck issues I think from this. Cooked up a few things to eat as I put stuff away and then stretched.<br /><br />January 3, 2024 – Week 3, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x5<br />135x3<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x5<br /><br />Romanian Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x3<br />315x3<br />365x3<br />405x3<br />455x3<br />507x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+45x36 seconds<br /><br />Crunches<br />bw+10x25<br /><br />Lying Leg Raises<br />bwx25<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Still dealing with the cold but hopefully it is on its last legs. Walking yesterday was good as no shin splint issues at all. Some shoulder tendon soreness but not as much as last week after that first strict pressing session. Maybe due to be used to it or perhaps the ROM being less with log vs axle. More so the right side this time around (left for the axle). This could also still be from the sandbag to shoulder stuff. The new year with work has been stupid. A very important system stopped working about 90 minutes before my shift ended and it was no working all of today. So meant I couldn’t do most of my usual work, have to reschedule things and then having to help outside of my area on stuff that I isn’t going to be mine. Also we now have to have daily morning meetings. Who knows why. Seeing as it took longer to get everyone on the meeting then the meeting itself, it just shows a good use of time. Makes sense it is scheduled around the time I need to use the restroom after eating breakfast. So that was a slog of a day and finally time to do some training. I wasn’t able to eat all the meals beforehand (missed one) due to having to talk with my supervisor at the end of the day (frustrating as they weren’t reading the important e-mails coming in and were responding to e-mails I had first sent 12/18/23). So I’d have to sneak that last meal in after training but before dinner I guess. Mobility warming up wasn’t bad. Slight joint aches but nothing that was noteworthy. Shoulders actually seemed to be balanced as far as the aches as usually it is primarily the left side. First thing for this session was front squats. Warm up as needed and do triples up to a top set of five reps. Make sure that it is smooth and powerful. I decided to do 40-50lbs jumps like has been done with front squats but cut down on the reps that I had been doing for warming up. One I think just to not fatigue too much but also because breathing with weight on the chest like that is a bit tricky with the cold. My initial plan when I saw this programmed was to do 275lbs for the top set. But I did start to reconsider seeing as how top doubles had felt fast but heavy when I did them for the deload for Puller Express. Thinking back to how that felt, 275lbs for 5 could be a tough one. So then thinking maybe smarter to do 255lbs but felt sticking to 40-50lbs jumps that 265lbs. 255lbs would make more sense if I did 30lbs jumps and triples all the way up. I was feeling ok with warming up. Hard belt on for 225lbs. Maybe just doing the metal plates had things feel better. But 225lbs felt comfortable so I said screw it, I’ll do 275lbs. Had a bit of indigestion leading up to things so need to burp to get air caught out. When I got set and unracked it for the start, I knew I had this unless something went screwy with my breathing. This was feeling like it should. Breathing did end up being a little hard for the last rep so I had to quickly rack it to make sure that I didn’t drop it. So 40lbs off my best 5rm on these that I’ve done in recent memory. I know I’ve had the strength to do more in the past but didn’t. But that doesn’t really matter. I’m getting back into a good place here with the important gym lifts for my chosen sport. Then the deadlift portion of the session. Last week had been the wide pulls as I call them. Those had been the only real compound lift that session as Mr. Westerling feels that that style of deadlift hits stuff similar to a back squat and to save the knees a little and be fresh for the front squats on this week. And then making up for it with a hamstring focused pull. So I’ve done a good bit of Romanian deadlifts. The ones I’ve liked the most have been these start from the top and go style. These were to also be with a hip circle. Not as noticeable with a more conventional stance compared to the wide pulls. But I know that there was that factor there. This was to be like the wide pulls in that I was to warm up and do sets of 3 reps to a top set of 5 reps for the day. Notes were to keep back fixed and to lower to about 2 inches below my knee caps. It can be hard for me to do that as I think I tend to go more ROM then that but it doesn’t feel like I am. I think I was also worried if I was doing these right because the suggested weight for these was the same as the wide pulls and I knew that I was going to be going heavier than that just from experience. The suggested weights have generally been spot on for stuff and this was likely going to be 100lbs over suggested. I will say that not having done these in a bit takes some getting used to with heavier weights as it is a lot of pressure on the body as far as the lift off and then slight walk out and then breathing. Breathing being compromised slightly at this time with the cold. I was also noticing my abdominals were feeling quite sore. I’m thinking this has to do with the overhead support holds with the log. I was doing the 40-50lbs jumps but once I got past 455lbs, I just went with my offweight 25’s. 507lbs did feel heavy but not the limit. It could be the breathing thing and just not being used to the pressure on the body but this was not the limit for me and didn’t feel as difficult as the wide pulls did the week before. Could also be me getting used to the routine. From there it was time for the hyper bench hold with the neck harness and plate. Warming up for it with hyper extensions again. My back wasn’t feeling as fatigued as last time (same with the glutes) but my hamstrings were definitely feeling it. Warming up I didn’t feel as worn out so I figured maybe this would be a good day on these. Nope. I could feel the difficulty in holding the position almost immediately. Not feeling like that at the neck or my upper back/arms where the weight is being held but the glutes and lower back were fighting hard. I pushed this about as much as I could to try and match/beat last week’s time. I was not successful in that attempt as about 2 seconds shy. Not concerned unless I should be concerned. I think that as long as I can consistently stay in the 30 seconds realm, I should be good and any increase from that will be good progress. This does seem to be a good way to work this aspect without stressing the lower back out from a ton of flexion/extension work. Last thing then being abdominal work. A set of crunches and a set of lying leg lifts again. It would seem this is what will be alternated with the planks at this time. So sets of 25 reps again. The crunches I was allowed to add weight if I wanted. I figured I might as well. I elected to use the big 10lbs rubber plate rather than small plates as it would be the same size plate if I need to go up in weight from there. This was fine. Slight decrease in the ROM with the plate as far as stretch reflex with the abs and upper back at the bottom. Tried to move quickly to the leg lifts so I could eat a bowl of oatmeal to get back on the meals quota. I knew with the leg lifts that I’d likely have these feeling a bit tight in the lower back. Last time had been fine but the heaviest thing I had done was 95lbs for rdls so not really taxing anything. This is the second week of several hundred pounds on my back being lifted so there was that tightness there. But the lifting itself was easy. Ate some food before putting stuff away and stretching before making some more food.<br /><br />January 6, 2024 – Week 3, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />35x1<br />EMOM<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br />35x1<br /><br />Titan Frame Carries (16” pick)<br />140x50’<br />220x50’<br />320x50’<br />400x50’<br />500x50’/50’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was somewhat looking forward to training this weekend. But that kind of changed once I realized what weather was in store. I’m pretty much over the cold at this point but still have some remnants from it as well as dealing with fallout of it (fever blisters and such). At least walking had felt decent enough in the cold weather and a welcome distraction from work. Training plan had been just go and train as usual. But then I realized that there was going to be a snow storm this weekend. 3-8” of snow, which is not nothing. Initially thinking it would be Sunday but I should know better by now that storms tend to move faster than anticipated so it did look like I’d need to get up early to get out to the gym and train to get on the way back before it started. So planning for that until I got alerts that it would be Saturday morning. I had also forgotten that I was checking the weather for the gym and not where I was starting and ending at. It would be too risky to chance driving back in the potentially 8” of snow. So I needed to still wake up early and get things setup to train at home. Need to make sure I was finished up before 10AM to avoid the snow for certain. Lot of weird stress dreams. I knew they were dreams but didn’t want to wake up as I needed rest and obviously my mind was working some things out I guess haha. Lot of cloud cover so it felt colder than it actually was. I mean, it was already below freezing and the ground was frozen. Wore my warm ups for warming up to try and use my body heat to get warm so it would last during the actual lifting stuff for the day. Thankfully joints weren’t too creaky working out this early in the day. Starting things off was bag toss. Light bag for 10 tosses done EMOM style. Same as last time I did these. Except doing them at home. So mentioning that, I had to make some adjustments because of course I do with my focus. The setup as it has been is 15’7”. But the setup at the gym is 16’. You can see my problem (see it but not make sense of why haha). It even makes less sense when it is actually 15’ height for the show. But I want to be clearing that height by a lot so that I know that I’m keeping things the right focus to improve. As this seemed to help with Nats prep after it seemed to have gone downhill. So I spent time the day before getting wood blocks to increase it 5”. Doing that had jostled things a bit so the connections came apart at the top and needed to use a ladder to fix that. This setup is more fragile compared to the gym and it has to be considering the material. It has to be able to break at points in the event I screw up so that it can be reassembled. I also had to move the rubber mat I had on the patio so that I had something firm and flat under my feet. That was frozen to the patio so it took a little more effort to get setup. As far as progression, I was told to do 2-5lbs jumps each time with the sandbag. I was aiming for 3lbs but I was having issues with getting that to be exact and 5lbs added seemed to be pretty quick to get without much messing around. Optimism for the 35lbs had been with the impression of training at the gym and having the 30lbs bag to warm up a little. I think I kind of forgot that my training had been 5x1 with a 5-7 minute break and then another 5x1 with more weight for Nats training. So I’ve not done 35lbs for 10x1 recently. Warming up with it doing upright rows, high pulls, swings and high pull tosses. I was a little paranoid with the tight right side since sandbag shouldering thinking this would do something to it. As if all the other things that haven’t would. I took off the warm ups when I was done. I was warm enough at this point and didn’t want extra layers of clothing affecting my movement in any way. Then ready to go. Or so I thought. Position to the toss tower is a bit different from the gym. Feels taller, claustrophobic almost. My first toss was garbage in that I arced it too hard back. So it actually went under the cross bar (grazed it) and kept going upward. So it got plenty of height but not when and where I wanted it to. So I adjusted and decided I’d just treat that as a warm up and restart the clock. That seemed to fix things. Then the fourth toss I made the arc too narrow and the bag went up and down, grazing on the way down. Knocking the cross bar off the setup slightly. I didn’t know that the one I had messed up at the beginning had gotten enough height until after I reviewed the video but I knew this one had so I just went with it. I got no more issues but the dangling crossbar was bothering me so over the course of a few sets I got the ladder out of the garage and closer to the setup until I felt I had it close enough to have enough time to scurry up and fix things and get back down before the timer went. Last toss might have been the best one for the session. Put stuff away and put other stuff back where it was so that it wouldn’t get buried in the wrong spot by the coming snow. The last thing for the session was frame carry. Same as last time in that working up to a top set of 50’ down and back working up with 50’ runs. I was making good time as had about 30 minutes before the snow was expected. My options were limited at home but I knew what I had would work in a pitch, though not ideal. And would have to understand that the setup at home was likely going to feel tougher than say at the gym. One being the “frame”. I can do the Titan Fitness upright farmer’s with attachment to make a frame but it is really narrow for both the side to side and front to back. Only really works if doing frame picks/deadlifts with my body type. So I had made stuff back in 2017 until I could get a frame setup with wooden boards with holes drilled into them. This made for a wider grip situation. The other thing I don’t like is how the handles are with the grips in that part is smooth and part is knurled. Neither are great and the knurling cuts into the hands. So these were going to be factors. The other thing would be training in the street would mean uphill and downhill. Slight yes, but noticeable. Especially when I’ve compared how things go in street training vs flat floor at the gym. I setup the course and swept the debris out of the way. You see things with people training in harsh or bad weather conditions and them being “tough”. Been there, done that. Better to put in the effort to avoid that and be able to have things ideal in a way that works towards the goal. If I had waited until it snowed, I could still do this but there would be issues and I’d likely not be able to go as fast as possible due to the lack of sure footing. I did the same weight jumps as last time here. Wore my warm ups as I adjusted the weights and took them off partially when I did the runs. Save the no warm up stuff for the top set run. I think I was a little worried about just “dropping” the frame as it was wooden board setup. I could tell my hamstrings and lower back were still feeling deadlift work. 400lbs felt a little heavier than I would’ve liked. Top set 50lbs more than last time. As I was getting chalk applied, a little old lady walking her cocker spaniel stopped to inquire what I was doing and I explained. She congratulated me and I thanked her and she was on her way. Then right into the mind set. Probably feel heavy but will move ok and likely look better on video. It did feel like the picks were slow but didn’t seem like it on video. I think slight slow down on the drop as hard to gauge where the front of the frame is with how it is shorter and didn’t want to drop on myself. Turn and repick I guess kind of quick. Downhill the first 50’and then uphill the last 50’. So no slacking. I could hear the wood creaking near the end of the run. Went well past before dropping it. Good enough for today. This is further off then the yoke for contest but really this is with a much lower pick and the pick is always the issue with farmer’s/frame stuff for me anyways. As luck would have it, the snow started after I had finished the run and I put away stuff quickly before it picked up. It would’ve been close if I had gone out to train so this was the right call. Ate some food and then stretched.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/efZhB9LV93Y?si=dQcXEOtwSxQqWrFq" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-28533918183057945512023-12-30T17:19:00.002-05:002023-12-31T11:12:16.886-05:00December 24, 2023 - December 30, 2023 - Week 2<p>December 25, 2023 – Week 2, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x5<br />120x5<br />150x5<br />180x5<br />210x5<br />240x5<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />sbx5 at pin 12<br />sbx5 at pin 15<br />sbx5 at pin 18<br />sbx5 at pin 21<br />sbx5 at pin 24<br /><br />Axle Strict Presses<br />90x2<br />120x2<br />150x2<br />150x2<br />150x2<br />150x2<br />150x12<br /><br />Standing Axle Lockouts<br />150x3 seconds<br />170x3 seconds<br />190x3 seconds<br />210x3 seconds<br />230x3 seconds<br />250x3 seconds<br />270x3 seconds<br />290x3 seconds<br />310x3 seconds<br />330x3 seconds<br />350x20 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: The winter and fall with lots of people around. Risk of catching something increases dramatically. Especially with small children. Immune system already seems a little frayed just with how I seem to handle stress. Took allergy meds the day before as well as today. Lower legs were really sore walking yesterday. I was debating doing anything because they were feeling quite sore walking. I thought perhaps replacing the insoles would solve that but it did not. I had also thought I had either dropped or stayed the same as far as weight. Nope, broke the latest stagnation with getting just above 275lbs after several weeks at 272ish. Allergies have been bad as lot of pollen this week which would normally be not a thing with the colder weather having it be snow rather than rain. I know that I’ll be paying for it taking allergy meds and the like to keep up and about and doing what I want to do. Upper back was quite sore from frame carry. Over for a little bit in the morning for Christmas and then plan to be back for dinner. So training in the sunlight for once as far as an upper body session since the longer workouts and the DLS ending. I’ll be off work similarly next week which is probably a good thing for the first go around with this particular workout. See what I’m doing. I ended up taking some Airborne with allergy meds before starting the session. So I wasn’t too sure what I’d actually be doing with medication. Mobility stuff per usual was fine. Some times knees and shoulders ached but this is pretty standard at this point. I was a bit surprised just how warm out it was. Then time for the weight training. Starting off with log incline benching. It would seem that focus for the moment is benching variations followed up with strict pressing. Competition has alternating axle and log for the press event so I need to get both of those to be on point. Can handle more weight on the benching so makes sense to start off training with them at the moment and then adjust things as stuff starts to come together. Plan for the session was work up in 5’s to a top set of 5. But not a max. Make sure to leave something in the tank so that over the course of the next workouts to be able to hit a 5rm next time and then improve on that next time. So plan accordingly. I had wanted to do 240lbs. 220lbs was what was listed/suggested. I had done this exact workout the week before the deload for the last show. I had thought I’d have the shot at 240lbs at that time as well. Going lighter was the right call at that time. But I want to try and get myself into the frame of pressing heavier stuff again. I wasn’t treating it like I’m back at my max anyways. More like a little over 90% of what I can do. So this would be like 30lbs under my 5rm weight, give or take, for my lifetime best. Warming up was just feeling ok. Again, I had taken stuff so it was hard to tell what I was actually feeling like at this point. 30lbs jumps seemed fine. Just feeling the weight on my wrists and shoulders. I was second guessing myself for that top set. Wondering if the set before was too hard to really add weight on (after I had made a mental note to record a work up set or two on overhead based pressing going forward when challenging). I put 230lbs on but then I convinced myself to do 240lbs like I had planned. It did move quite well but not as well as it should be if I’m expecting to add 15lbs a session. May have to see how things go and perhaps just do something like 10lbs. From there it was band assisted pull-ups. Sets of 5 reps, like the incline log pressing. This was also suggested as a repeat of last session I did these with it being 3 pin jumps to the essentially the bottom of the rack for the last set. I didn’t make sense for this one to jump up a notch in difficulty. This can be temperamental and I’d rather save it for next time. Especially since this would be the first of these since the competition. Upper back is sore from frame and hopefully my arms don’t react negatively. I feel it has been enough of a rest from the competition at this point. I was moving through these sets fairly quick until I got to the last one where I rested a little bit (mostly to setup and testing out something as an option). Left shoulder was feeling slightly achy on these today but I know that is more from not doing stuff rather than irritation from doing these. I can look back through earlier sessions from the previous cycle where I mention similar. I think next time I will reduce the band assistance from the strong band to the average band. Axle strict pressing was up next. This will be alternating with log weekly at this point. Warm up as needed and do 5x2 at 60%. Which I’m treating my max for both log and axle as the same at this point. So 150lbs. Did 30lbs jumps from 90lbs (as that will be where I start with log). I was allowed to wear all gear but I wore just my wrist wraps loose and just soft belt combo. I didn’t feel like this was heavy enough to really be needing the belt and rather not constrict things if not needed with the allergy and other breathing related stuff. I was trying my best here to stand up fully and not use the momentum of the lifting off the rack to cheat the first rep. Or use the rebound of the first rep for the second rep. Trying to just anchor myself and use my hips and shoulders as far as being a fast movement. Left shoulder a little achy on these initially. I’ve been doing mostly log press and the axle pressing I was doing for the last cycle was at chin level so a bit of ROM that wasn’t really hit for a bit. But it will come back to me and feel fine shortly. I was pleased with how powerful these were feeling. I recall sessions last year where a strict press felt so heavy and terrible in my hands that I chucked the weight out of the rack when I was done. Don’t wish to have that feeling again. I took maybe 90 seconds rests here. On the last set, I was allowed to rep it out if I was feeling good. I don’t know if necessarily feeling good, but I was feeling better than I did at the start of the workout and it was probably a good idea to get in some higher reps on strict pressing since been a lot of singles and doubles lately. I made it a point to keep the reps like I was doing and stop when I felt like I was slowing down a lot from the start. Notes were to leave 1 rep in the tank. I feel I left more than that. So happy with the comfortable 12 reps here. Last thing was lockout workout. Leaving right where the strict pressing left off. Goal was to work up to a top weight that I could do a 6” ROM lockout and hold that weight for 20-30 seconds. Lot of TUT for upper back structure for this off season is planned. The long term goal being well over my press max for a minute. Which might be tricky with the training plan being to add time and/or weight to this each time. I did 3 second holds going up 20lbs. I was hoping to use over my life time bests in push press here. I wasn’t too sure what I’ve done on these really as I think it has been short holds in the past. I did have to raise up the rack a bit so that the ROM wasn’t too large pressing right off the top of the rack (I’ll have to stand on something for log though haha). I was planning on 330lbs as the absolute top weight but it felt fine enough so I said screw it, do 350lbs. I usually face the house on these but due to the sun, I was facing the other way. It might be better to do this going forward as well as I think that I use the reflection when facing the house when I won’t have that visual guide at a competition. I think I got a little more nervous or excited for this set as 350lbs felt a lot tougher as far as balancing. The lockout was easy. Really working on rooting myself and bracing and segments before putting in the effort to lockout with the arms. I almost dropped it like 3 seconds in but recovered. I forgot how tough this can be with heavy enough weight. I feel like I can hold weights I normally can press out for a long time. I imagine my upper back feeling sore from Saturday probably planned a factor here. But I managed to eek out a little over 20 seconds before I put it down. I wasn’t to go to failure here. I ended up having to put away weights while also eating four of my meals to make up for time. Stretched after that.<br /><br />December 27, 2023 – Week 2, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Wide Grip Deadlifts w/ Hip Circle (straps)<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x3<br />315x3<br />365x3<br />405x5<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+45x38 seconds<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+40x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Still feeling under the weather from how I was feeling beginning of the week. It has been a while since I’ve not felt fine and dandy. Trying my best to boost the immune system by not staying up as late as I’d normally do and taking several meds in a cocktail (Nasonex, Claritin, Dayquil, Airborne). I should hopefully feel better as I won’t need to really be socializing until next week. But it is still annoying. Work will be dumb this week as well. Lower legs felt better walking this time around and didn’t get shin splints so I guess the issue had to do with the park fun from Saturday. Neck feels tense as well as shoulders. Left shoulder more so and right side of neck. Neck I think is more to do with the overhead support based stuff. There is a lot more neck based stuff with the harness thing as well. Shoulders I think just from not doing full ROM strict pressing with this kind of bar in a while. Feeling some tendons being sore in the shoulders. Also was feeling some golfer’s elbow stuff but worked that out with some mobility stuff I learned to deal with that from before. Rainy today and I’d probably prefer if I wasn’t needing to take meds to do this kind of workout. But here we are. Mobility stuff to start things off. I got the order for some of these wrong as I was focused on the one floor to overhead drill that I do. Apparently I can do that one inside the garage and not hit the ceiling. So that’s good to know. Also did ankle/knee/hip stuff on top of that as I was to be doing some floor based pulling today. The start of the lifting part of the workout was a variation on something I’ve done before. Written as “snatch grip deadlifts” I indicate them as wide grip deadlifts. I can go much wider for a “snatch grip” but I like to differentiate these as well because these deadlifts aren’t just a wide grip. They are also a wider stance. So I kind of like to keep a normal stance with the snatch grip to keep track of what I’m doing. As they feel quite different. I’ve done snatch grip in the last year but it has been likely three years or so since I did the wide grip. And these weren’t just going to be that unfortunately. Added flavor of a hip circle, which is just a stretchy material that provides resistance when you try and spread your legs apart. So I’d need to be working hard to keep my legs in the wider stance as well as not having them bend in with the hip circle. And then finally, I was to do these with control after the first rep to keep the arch and sit back and pause briefly on the floor. Take a breath at the top. I’ve done this before with regular deadlifts and sometimes with these but there was more of a pronounced stop to reset rather than hold it for the duration. So this was probably going to be terrible. Which is kind of how off season deadlift training needs to be. There was some troubleshooting on my part with the hip circle, especially as I added more core support gear. Hard to get it on after putting on hard belt. So ended up putting it on but keeping narrow stance until I put on the belts and then got setup. I guess I should be glad things didn’t feel awkward to get down to the bar and strap in for the wide grip. 135lbs didn’t feel great. It was a bit awkward feeling doing the movement. Luckily for me, 135lbs doesn’t generally mean that is how things are going to be for the day. The plan after that was 40-50lbs doing triples to a top set of 5 reps, which was suggested as 405lbs. I figured that should work and maybe I could do more if feeling good as I’ve done 495lbs on these for a single before with some in the tank. It was hard to say working up in weight as things were feeling pretty good up to 315lbs. Then it started to feel tough and I knew after 365lbs that 405lbs was going to be it for the day. Glutes were feeling sore and my lower back too. Knees were feeling a little achy I think from fighting against the hip circle as well. I got this done but it was tough. Got a bit of the stanky legs going on the last two reps. Could feel my left knee wanting to go inward rather than stay out/inline. I think I did well as keeping the brace here. Hopefully this is what I was to be doing. Looking at my notes, I’ve apparently not really done these for reps like this beyond warming up, usually has been singles and doubles. So not just me on this. From there it was time for the hyper bench hold with the neck harness and plate. Warming up for it with hyper extensions. I could tell this wasn’t going to be a time to try and add weight to the neck harness with how I was feeling. My lower back was feeling pretty fatigued from the pulls already. I had been pretty darn fresh last week when I did these. Bunch of high rep stuff. So my hope was to just beat the time from last week. This could be tough going forward with this as weekly thing as these sessions are going to get tougher as I go. I was advised that what I did last time was correct so that is good. I got set and I could tell that this was going to be a tougher time than last week to get to the time I did. I did manage to hold and stopped when I felt like I was going to start failing on this. My posterior chain was twitching like crazy on this. Last thing then being abdominal work. On to the carpeted area for the planks. Regular weighted plank to start things off. Last time I had done 40lbs added and it had felt a good bit tougher than I was expecting compared to 20lbs the session before. So I think I knew this could be sucky. It was but not in the way I was expecting. I had a bit too much liquid in my stomach so I felt like I was going to belch or spew at the start but then that subsided after a bit and this was tolerable. No problem with it for 60 seconds. Then side planks. No weight added for these. Felt easy enough that I was tempted to just swap from one side to the next without rest. Left elbow (the one with the bursitis) was feeling a little sore perhaps from how I was positioning the pillow. But tolerable. Doesn’t look like anything inflamed from that (I’d hate to have to worry about drainage stuff again after last time). Put stuff away before cooking up dinner and then stretching.<br /><br />December 30, 2023 – Week 2, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Yoke<br />200x50’<br />300x50’<br />400x50’<br />500x50’<br />550x50’/50’<br /><br />Sandbag to Shoulders<br />150x1/1<br />175x1/1<br />200x1/1<br />EMOM<br />225x1 R<br />225x1 L<br />225x1 R<br />225x1 L<br />225x1 R<br />225x1 L<br />225x1 R<br />225x1 L<br />225x1 R<br />225x1 L<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: So at this point, safe to say I got a cold. Nothing I’m doing seems to be kicking it. So quite annoying. I guess thankful that only had a half day of work Friday as I was losing my voice and I doubt my patience would’ve tolerated being on the clock for another second. It has been a mixture of nasal spray, Dayquil, Airborne and Claritin. Slight shin splints near the end of the walk Friday after no issues Thursday. Ended up taking Nyquil before bed as I needed to sleep and be rested. This helped a little bit. I did end up sleeping in like a half hour from the planned time. Skipped the Dayquil for the meds since I had taken Nyquil but brought some with me to take afterwards (which I decided against as I couldn’t tell if it was truly nondrowsy as not brand name). So a bit muted driving out. Drive was fine but I wasn’t really in the singing mood with my throat as it was. Gym day didn’t start off great as I picked up my bag and saw there was a damp spot in my trunk and I could feel dampness in my bag. Which meant my jug full of intraworkout had leaked. I could feel it dripping hitting the back of my legs as I walked to the gym. It got everywhere so I had to completely empty the bag out to air things out. The must not get wet stuff remained dry thankfully. Likely saved because I had towels in my bag that were just soaked up with liquid. There was at least enough liquid for me to be able to drink. So despite there being people there that I enjoy being around, I was understandably miffed. I also didn’t want to get too close to anyone with how I was feeling. Warming up felt fine. I had to take it a little slow as the stuff I wanted to use were in use by people so I had to wait a bit. No real issues warming up. Ended up doing that mobility drill for the knees, hips and ankles while waiting. Yoke was the first of the two things to do on this day (which seems to be how these Saturday workouts will be for now). Similar to the farmer’s walk/frame in that work up in 50’ runs to a top set that will be 50’ with drop and turn for the 100’ course. Weight should feel almost too easy. What was written was 500lbs, so 50lbs more than the frame carry last week. 100lbs jumps here. I already had it in my head to do 550lbs so that it was similar to the frame and that this would be more the “overload” week compared to the frame with the lower pick. I also feel like yoke tends to be something I need to really build up whereas frame and farmer’s kind of comes pretty quick and convenient to me. Just loading 25’s on the yoke for the 100lbs jumps. Would allow me a little more clearance with the running space compared to 45’s or 100’s. With the cold and such, I knew that it would be harder with breathing, especially with the antihistamines from the meds likely raising blood pressure as well. Knees weren’t bothering me on the picks today so happy with that. I wasn’t too sure after the wide deadlifts with how much those were working things. I think that if I wasn’t already annoyed with the cold and the jug spilling all over my workout bag that I’d have been content with 500lbs as a start. 550lbs felt a little unbalanced with the loading initially but it was pretty easy. I did rush things on the repick and had the yoke a bit higher up than I’d normally have it. But this is a start. Next was sandbag shouldering. Contest is going to be allegedly 6 bags shouldered with the last one being repped out. If 60 seconds, seems like a tall order. I should have most the event details by Monday if the promoter sticks to their timeline so I’ll have a better idea what I’m in for. So plan here was work up to a light to moderate bag for form work. 5 singles each side, alternating them EMOM style. So 10 minutes total. 200lbs was what was suggested. My original thought was to do 150lbs for a single each side and then go right into it. I’ve not done sandbag to shoulder in some fashion in over a year and it has been since early 2021 that I’ve done any shouldering to the right side after I found the left side was the more efficient and stronger side. The gym has also procured a good amount of sandbags since this was a last a thing I was doing so there are sometimes doubles of weights and 25lbs jumps to 350lbs from 50lbs. Though I’m not a fan of some of the bags that have straps on them. Thankfully most of them have had them cut off. So I got ready with 150lbs and it felt like nothing. So I did 175lbs and much the same. Ok, I guess that 200lbs might be so light as to be meaningless. Yep, it was about the same. So I decided to do 225lbs for the EMOM. Chalked myself up. I felt no support gear this time around. Only place I had any issue was the right side with completion of the movement at the start. I mean, I’ve not done it in close to 4yrs at this point for that side and I never tried more than 250lbs for it. Left side it was clicking for me almost immediately. I guess doing the stone of steel stuff helped with keeping the pick up strong as well as working with no to little tacky keeping the needed stuff strong. I think that the training prep for the stone to shoulder earlier this year also helped me with getting better all-round with this kind of movement. It was quite easy for both sides by the end. Put stuff away and downed what remained of the jug before pitching it and then eating a yogurt and a protein shake before driving home. Stretched after eating some more when I got back.</p><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/35JlnQYLQMI?si=6bp-hHWgLjoCPHYt" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-89302559675416651812023-12-24T11:58:00.002-05:002023-12-24T11:58:36.420-05:00December 16, 2023 - December 23, 2023 - Week 1<p>December 17, 2023 – Week 1, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Bench Presses<br />45x25<br />45x25<br /><br />Band Rows<br />lb’sx25<br />lb’sx25<br /><br />Band Triceps Pushdowns<br />lbx25<br />lbx25<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Wasn’t exactly expecting to get right back in the swing of things. I needed the day after the contest to decompress for sure and with the weather as it was by the time I felt I had emptied my thoughts on the page (and took care of household stuff), I ended up not doing anything physical. It would probably be easier to say what wasn’t feeling the competition then what was feeling sore. Hamstrings were twitching, entire back was feeling soreness in the way that said I had done something. Glutes feeling like they were used as well as my calves. Shoulders were feeling tense from I feel mostly the heavy conan’s wheel but also all the upper body stress of the particular set of contested events. Bruising just above the crook of my arms and inside of my knees. I had kind of figured that I was taking off this week as that ended up being the case for Nationals. Honestly, I was worried about committing to the plan of off season and giving myself 6 months until the next competition. Just from seeing how difficult things are and was looking at a maybe show to try and make sure I got qualified for Nationals. But I put that idea to rest as I need to take the time, even if the result at the end of it doesn’t lead to Nationals again. It’s not supposed to be an easy thing. Almost nuts how after a competition if I was feeling like I was “sick”, the feelings go away the day after. So I know that the stress weighs on me. I went for a walk and came back and seeing messages about how I was feeling and I said I felt pretty good all things considered and was fine with doing light work with increasing intensity. So it would look like off season is in full swing already but with event focus on the stuff I know will mostly likely be at Regionals (won’t have I guess 99% confirmation until January). Some familiar things and some new things. This first workout was listed as “optional” but I felt it was important to do some moving around as even taking an off week from Nationals makes even the mobility warming up feel like I’ll get DOMS from it haha. Did the warming up that has been the “wake up” routine since the reup with Mr. Westerling. Feeling fine. First thing was just regular benching. Barbell for 2 sets of 25 reps. Everything today was just light and for 2x25. I usually just stop at 10 reps when I do the bar with stuff anyways. Not usually these high of reps. Not that this is going to be a regular thing. This was to just get blood flow and feel the motion as it will be something that is going to be worked on. I remember one time doing the bar for 100 reps in a set in I want to say high school for gym. Chest was sore for a while after that. Was thinking about that a little with how this was feeling. Trying to treat each rep with control. Get the shoulders feeling good with it. Working on the brace. Second set I feel I had a bit more control with my lats and upper back as well as being able to actively tuck the elbows. So for that alone, this was beneficial. The remaining two exercises were band exercises. Band rows are a part of the warming up I do and have been a staple for me to do as bigger player exercises in training as well as just keeping warm at competitions. So I had already done these with the mini bands and that is easy stuff. So I used light bands as I figured that would still be “light” effort. Due to the higher reps on these, I like to adjust every few reps to a different point of pull to kind of get all the different intricacies of the rowing motion and everything involved with it. Loosen up the back and shoulders. I was a little worried I cut my rep count too early the first set as I got to 25 reps quicker than I was anticipating. A little more deliberate for the second set. Really trying to get that “3D” sensation on the last few reps with a stretch as well as the rowing. Triceps push downs to end things. I was thinking more band tension but went with a light band just because sometimes the triceps fatigue fast at times and can sneak up on me. Well turns out it was way too light to start. Rather than change the band, I gripped higher up on the band and that worked to make things acceptable as far as what I was looking for. At least evening things out between the first and second set for overall effect. Upper body was certainly feeling less sore after that. So that was good. Stretched before making dinner.<br /><br />December 20, 2023 – Week 1, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Calf Raises<br />bwx25<br />bwx25<br /><br />Box Touches (12”)<br />bwx25 (sumo stance)<br />bwx25 (conventional stance)<br /><br />Squats to Box (18”)<br />bwx25<br />bwx25<br /><br />Band Seated Leg Curls<br />ab’sx25<br />ab’sx25<br /><br />Band Hip Circle Side Monster Walks<br />mbx25/25<br /><br />Romanian Deadlifts (straps)<br />95x25<br /><br />Hyper Extensions<br />bwx10<br /><br />Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)<br />10+45x34 seconds<br /><br />Crunches<br />bwx25<br /><br />Lying Leg Raises<br />bwx25<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: So bit more but not quite a normal training session. This week of work and the next are going to be weird with holidays and such. As in off early Fridays and off on Mondays. Dentist Tuesday was thankfully uneventful but didn’t prevent from having weird things said at me. Like “god must love you best” in reference to my teeth. I swear, I can’t go anywhere and have not weird things said. I understand myself thinking or saying them. I hadn’t intended to be training really this week as I had mentioned but I think it is good to get myself moving. And that is essentially what this workout was going to be. But not expecting to be training meant there were family dinner plans that I had to be aware of. This workout was going to have some things that are more just to keep moving and fluff up the program but has some of the actual planned things going forward in some capacity. But that was like half the workout. Half lots of reps of moving body through space and the other half being somewhat stuff that will be progressing on. Mobility stuff was fine. This was probably a good idea to do this and not full stop on training with not feeling so sore or having movement feel like it is taxing. First thing was calf raises. Bodyweight to just work the range of motion. This first half was going to be like the first workout this week with it being 2x25 for everything before switching over to light version of what I’ll be doing going forward. I don’t consistently do reps of 25 in most cases. And I know that my calves can struggle with balance wise. Using the setup of my dip station and a wooden platform. Trying to get as much out of it as I could. And hopefully not having really sore calves later. Got done with that and then it was box touches. These have been something that have been part of the Westerling toolbox since 2016 with rehabbing my back so they have sentimental place for me as far as a mobility exercise goes. I’ve been good with not having my doo-rag come off on them but can’t trust with my glasses. I’ve mostly done them when at home with couch cushions so some squish to it but now I have a hard box from Nats prep to use. Deadlift stances for these with first set sumo and then second set conventional. I feel the wide is more hips and the conventional hamstrings. Then squats to box. I’ve just been treating these as box squats really. Trying to keep shins vertical and sitting back. These are part of the warming up I do but not for this many reps. This was likely going to be the most taxing of these 2x25 exercises I was going to be doing. I’d almost prefer having some weight on these just so that I have a “valid” reason for feeling like I did something or when I get DOMS in my thighs later. From there on to seated band leg curls. Done these a good bit over the years either as warm up or as some assistance work. I had a general idea of what I could be doing to have these get the reps and be light. I was debating between light and average bands. I went with average bands as I would likely not need to setup too far back. Maybe I could’ve done the lighter tension but just further back. But not too picky here with things as they go as this is just to get my joints and muscles flushed. The last of these kinds of exercises was something I’ve done a variation of before. Lateral monster walks. Which I guess is walking as if joints are stiff in the knees. I was to use a hip circle for resistance but don’t have that (yet). So used a mini band doubled up around my knees. The hip circle will apparently be a part of my lower body sessions for this offseason it would appear. I’ve done what is called “x band walks” which I think is probably similar in the outer thigh stuff and hips as well as “glute activation”. Whether it is actually that or not (I’ve seen debate on it). But if gets you to notice those muscles firing, then I’d say it is worth doing for mind muscle connection. 50 total steps with it being 25 each side. The suggested way being to do one way however much space I had and then the same reps the other. So that ended up being like 5-6 steps each side in the garage. This was quite easy. And that was that for the 2x25 stuff and on to I guess what will be a taste of things to come with this session. Romanian deadlifts were next. This will be one of two primary exercises for the deadlift. Just 95lbs for a set of 25 reps. No support gear other than straps. It’s a lot of reps and I have frame carry later this week and figure not overly tax the arms here as I just competed and my forearms were what was fatiguing on the no tacky stone lifting. This was quite easy. As it should. Next thing was a new one for me. Warming up for it was just some back extensions with bodyweight. The actual exercise being a hyper bench hold with weight. The weight being in the form of weight held in a row position (45lbs plate or light dumbbells) and weight attached to a neck harness (that came very quick surprisingly). I wasn’t sure what to expect with this. Hold for time until I felt like it was good enough. Not kill myself as this was the first session (and it seems like this is going to be a weekly thing). I guess this is being done to work on my bracing more with deadlifts and add more time under tension to the entire back structure without a ton of compression. I went a little over 30 seconds and called it there. Hopefully I did these to specifications. Last thing then being abdominal work. A set of crunches and a set of lying leg lifts. Both with bodyweight this time and for 25 reps. It has been a bit since I’ve done abdominal work that was higher reps as usually been lower reps with tempo involved or plank type stuff. I think I was a little worried that these would be tougher considering not doing these as well as having the abdominal cramp at the competition. These actually went well. Just midsection feels full and sturdy at the moment. Put stuff away and stretched before joining family for dinner.<br /><br />December 23, 2023 – Week 1, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />EMOM<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br /><br />Frame Carries (16” pick)<br />140x50’<br />220x50’<br />320x50’<br />400x50’<br />450x50’/50’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I guess I’ve been carrying some stress with me that I wasn’t noticing with feeling irritated about minor inconveniences. Thankfully, this is one of those things where I can recognize this is happening and I’m able to take steps to mitigate it. Almost like a scenario where having a bad dream and something happens that lets me know it is a dream and it ends and I go on about my night or day. Even though this is a holiday with time off from work at times, I have to remember that constant social interactions do tire me out in a way and even if I’m willing to continue, I need to know my limits so that I don’t burn out. I wish that wasn’t the case but it is a reality for me. I think I understand the reason why my father’s mother’s cats would flee when we came to visit haha. Planning out meals around other people’s schedules was tricky enough during holiday times or when visiting but with the added meals I’ve had to put in to try and bump up my weight has been a new puzzle. Been mostly managing. Saturday was going to be the first “normal” session back. As in that this was not high rep things and this was going to be how it would be for the next month at least. I could technically do this workout at home but not quite the same and while still more than 5 months out from the competition, I want to be taking things seriously and not treating this as a “break” from the training. Need to use this time wisely. Build up the press and pulls with concentrated gym work and keeping the “events” fresh. I had every intention of getting up at my normal work time to get out to train early. Mostly because I was to be back in the early afternoon for babysitting duties for a few hours so that sisters could have a “girls’ day”. But I found that I was not able to get up at that time. I did but I was too tired. I ended up staying later than I had planned with doing family games as well as expended a bit of energy chasing children around the house while I acted like a large, deranged primate. So I hit snooze 9-10 times before getting up. So like 90 minutes behind schedule. Should still be fine as this was not a lot of stuff to do training wise. With my time after the gym to myself being limited, I had to pack some food so I could eat immediately afterwards. So had to clean out the little cooler I had as it has been sitting in the garage for many months. Had to evict some spiders from it. Drive out was ok besides the usual spot heading out. Not a lot of cars on the road. Even though it was fairly cold, I had a feeling that I’d be pretty warm so just wore regular clothes. A lot of people in the gym for strongman stuff. I kind of wish I was in there early like I had planned. Warmed up for the day. Knees slightly achy. Shoulders weren’t exactly achy but had been twitching on me the past two days. Starting things off was bag toss. Light bag for 10 tosses done EMOM style. One of the events for Regionals is going to be max bag toss over 15’. This style of training done for Nationals to 16’ had been very good for me and I ended up matching my lifetime PR at contest without going above 45lbs. So felt no reason to change that and just go for 16’ the whole time. Warming up for this being some swings with emphasis on getting stretch as well as some upright rows with the bag and then two high pull tosses. Even though there is a 30lbs bag at the gym, I brought my own. I will need to adjust it bit by bit as I progress here. No support gear here as just trying to get loose. Knees I knew would be a little achy at the start because this is essentially a bounding exercise when I leave the ground. These felt good. First being a little off as expected and mostly good from there. Put stuff away and got some fluids in me before moving on to the next thing. Pretty much everyone had left at this point. The last thing for the session was frame carry. Well, it was listed as farmer’s walk but I figured it was better to do frame carry as the event for the show will be this. Event is going to be yoke into frame. So to train that this far out, the plan is to alternate while the effort isn’t that taxing between yoke and frame carries doing down and back for the top set to build up tolerance. Then have them be both together at some point down the line. There is certainly some increased mobility stuff with farmer’s walk with being to have the shoulders moving independently as well as stride changes and using the body and angle. But I feel the way the handles are in the hand with the wider grip stresses the hands a different way and controlling the balance is trickier. So those reasons being why I went with frame. Plan was to work up with the “empty” handles and do 40-50lbs jumps most of the way. Really plan was to do 450lbs total weight. There are several different farmer’s handles at the gym. The highest pick (18”) had one of the pins break off and needs to be welded so all the others are 16”. The contest frame is a 19” pick. I might stick with 16” pick for this prep because the start is tougher and likely better to get used to fatigue as the contest goes on considering two of the other events will be quite lower back taxing for me. The big frame is 568lbs empty at 20” pick with slightly thicker handles but that is an “outside” implement and I don’t know I can get it moved at the moment or if the gym owners will let me use the large door as usually they put insulation up on it at this time of year until Spring. But not a concern at this time as I got bit before I get into that territory as far as weights. So using the thin handled farmer’s that were light (50lbs empty) and very long (frame for show is like 8’) got me 140lbs for my makeshift frame using the metal attachments. After that, I worked up in the proposed jumps as written for farmer’s walk. Made sure to try and balance out the sides as I know that off loading like say with a solid piece like a yoke that it isn’t that bad but something like this it can become askew. I hadn’t intended to chalk up for the final set but it seemed warranted. I didn’t bother with timing it at this point in the training cycle. I didn’t have anyone there really. I feel like this went well. I felt I had quick starts but not quite the best speed. This is probably partly due to not exactly going super-fast with the only moving event for Puller Express and the weights for the medley at Nationals kind of being a bit heavy for me and not really being able to accelerate. I got in the meals I packed and put stuff away before driving home. Ate some more before being spirited away for babysitting which was a bit over 2hrs at playgrounds (yes, multiple). Ended up stretching late in the evening when I had felt worn out from the day.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/08AYNwkfw0A?si=5sGbW39metrfipMv" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-68602436009504581042023-12-17T15:04:00.002-05:002023-12-17T15:04:31.951-05:00December 16, 2023 – Puller Express<p>In all this time I’ve been doing this, I’ve not done a December competition. Apparently the only month I’ve not done. Not adverse to training in cold weather, I tend to prefer it since don’t have to deal with so much sweat. Some of the first shows I did had been in January in upstate New York. I think usually December was avoided as far as competitions and usually only Christmas themed stuff. Which is what this contest was going to be. I’m not sure if this was me trying to get an early start on the 2024 season or trying to get in some extra innings for 2023 season. Maybe it’s both. I generally like to have more of a break between competitions after my first 2 years of competing, with 2018 being the year I planned it out to do a bunch of shows in short succession (and that almost didn’t happen when I pulled a biceps late 2017). My plans for doing this was because at the time I signed up, I needed to requalify to be able to compete in a Regional show for 2024. But that appears to have been dropped (though I don’t recall seeing anything official posted to that effect). So try to get qualification out of the way early. That seems unnecessary now but I don’t drop out of shows unless it is injury related. And even then it has to be pretty serve as I’m reluctant to quit. But this was a show being put on by a good group of people that ran smooth competitions (to the point where I give their shows priority over even the local shows).<br /><br />Another first for me was in regards to prepping. I’ve never done a competition where I was actively trying to gain weight. At least since I decided I was just going to do HW (back when it was just over and under 231lbs). Way back then I was doing that intermittent fasting style stuff and was staying around 228lbs and then started eating like a normal person with weight gainer added and got up to 250lbs pretty quick. Heaviest being 290lbs when I came back from a hamstring injury. But diet had remained about the same and I just kind of went with the ebb and flow of my weight with sometimes being about 265lbs to 280lbs. I had to switch to a new PCP beginning of this year as my doctor since I was a child moved his practice to an inconvenient place. The new PCP gave me a bit of a health scare over liver levels (which appear to be nothing after testing) and one change to my diet was to not have beef almost every dinner. Swap in chicken (which I was already eating once day to begin with). I never tracked the scale except when I’d go to the doctor and that rarely (like once a year for physical). I’ve mentioned before that this change lead me to dropping down to under 255lbs when I was just under 275lbs at the March competition and I only noticed that halfway into my Nationals prep. I made some dietary changes (namely more small meals and carbs) and got up to close to 265lbs the week after Nationals. Stagnated there for a few weeks and added another meal and that seemed to be the push needed to get the scale moving again. Week before the competition was 272.2lbs. Keeping track along the way as far as how I was handling things as far as fitness with walking and exercising. Seemed to be handling it ok.<br /><br />This would be the third time out to this particular venue in the same amount of years and it made sense to rest up by driving up the day before and getting a good meal and sleeping in a hotel bed rather than wake up before like 3hrs prior to the crack of dawn. So took a day off work for that for peace of mind even though didn’t exactly need the whole day to get out there. Honestly, this might be the most stressed out I’ve felt for a competition this year. Maybe because I know this is going to be a hard fought affair and due to the short prep. No real rhyme or reason sometimes for what feels like the most pressure. Spent the drive out talking with my dad as well as trying to hurry through the most recent book I had so that I could lend it back to my brother so he could lend it to a friend visiting for Christmas. Talk about pressure haha. Drive out wasn’t bad, made sure to avoid the route guidance that in June had us drive through Pittsburgh due to road work. Never again. Saw a man putting a diaper on a Bichon Frisé at the one rest area. So I guess I’ve now seen that. Even with avoiding Pittsburgh, the route guidance didn’t help. A closed road is not a “traffic incident”. Checked in at the venue first before going to the hotel this time around. No weigh in for me. Got contest shirt and a placard and tested out the arm over arm setup and touched the stones before heading out to check in at the hotel. Different hotel this time around. After the last year with losing my Tempur-Pedic pillow and encounter with the woman trying to get me to pay for a hotel room because her teenage daughter locked her out and just the fact a lot of the “amenities” didn’t work, it was the right call. It was the largest hotel room I’ve ever had. Could live in it if necessary. Went to the same place my dad and I had gone to after the first day of Regionals for dinner and it was amazing again. They had a wagyu beef steak and I can see what the hype is about. Had a hard time falling asleep due to nerves and stayed up to finish the book. Woke up at 7:00AM to get ready for the day. I felt ok but stiff. Not great but not terrible. But worried I’d suck and feeling like I was going to puke from nerves. I didn’t puke but I did end up using the restroom three times before the rules meeting. This was the “smaller” show that they run with it capped at 60 people this year. Seven in the HW open class and I only really knew of two to three of the competitors from past competitions and competing with them.<br /><br />The first event was log clean and press, for max. Starting weight of 200lbs with 20lbs jumps. No grip shirts allowed (not allowed on anything this show). Three attempts and number of attempts mattered. So say I get just an opener and someone else matches that weight on their second attempt and then neither of us get anything after that. I’d place higher for being successful at that weight with less attempts to reach it. So it would probably be in my best interest with the people I know are here to get a high opener if feeling good. I knew that this was likely going to be something where I was going to be 4th at best. And this was before coming to the realization that my overhead pressing is still not at 100%. This is something that is going to require an offseason rebuild for sure to get that back to where it was and be smart about it. I’ve not used the Bartos style logs since they were first introduced in 2017. I don’t recall any issues I had (beyond failing to lift the 320lbs weight at Nationals that year) other than the cut out depth was quite shallow and I had ended up jamming my wrist following the log down. Will need to be mindful of that I guess. With the 265lbs and under class going with the SHW class in the same lane, it can be difficult to figure out who all is there competing with me considering I look like I could be in either really. I got in the warm ups I was planning to get mostly (I had to make a 40lbs jump near the end) to see how I was feeling. The Bartos log feels really dense on the pick and the clean but then feels comfortable for the press. So I had to keep that in mind. My last warm up was 240lbs and my hope here was to get 280lbs if not for points, to at least get better than what I did in training the last two cycles and know an actual number where my pressing was at to use to figure out for next season. I decided to gamble for 260lbs as the opener. It went up well enough but not with 100% confidence in 280lbs as the next jump. At this point, I knew I wasn’t in last place as one of the SHW had missed a second attempt at 220lbs. Apparently another missed their opener at 280lbs. So getting this would get me at least 5th place. This went up much the same. Less balance issues at lockout with the way I pressed this one. It actually felt good enough that I figured I’d give 300lbs a shot to see how that felt and went. One of the issues with not being able to press as much as your contemporaries is often having to do close to your max really fast succession. So not a ton of rest between my attempts here. Even at 300lbs there were some who had not yet done their openers. This weight did feel like something but I managed the clean well enough without expending a lot of energy. But did stumble a bit with it in the rack. It was not there today and I got it a few inches off the chest and bailed on it. My opener here would’ve gotten me the same points. Needed to do 300lbs to get a half point more. 5th place on this one.<br /><br />The next event for the day was a deadlift event. Dubbed the “naughty or nice” deadlift. Two weights, a heavy (675lbs) and a light (585lbs) bar loaded. 60 seconds, strap in own time, with most reps winning. Of course, a single lift at the heavy beats any number at the light. No suits allowed. And on power bars, which didn’t really affect me since that’s how I train all the time. Deadlift is not a strong suit for me, especially without a suit. 675lbs is my PR on a deadlift bar with a suit so expecting to get to that on a stiff bar without a suit was not a realistic goal. Especially seeing as 8 weeks prior I had pulled 683bs on a slightly elevated trap bar. Training had to be a bit aggressive considering the time frame. Eye opening how difficult standard height pulls are for me as inadvertently been doing slightly elevated stuff for a good bit now and that does feel better for me positioning wise. It is something that needs to be in training a good part of the training year going forward. I hit the numbers that I needed to get to where I felt a single at the light weight was there with hopefully the ability to do up to a triple if needed. Again, this was going to be like log in that the best I could hope for was likely 4th. They would be doing the heavy weight so maybe I could save myself if it wasn’t needed here for my best possible placing. At least this is what I was thinking but apparently it was going to be reverse order of entry all day besides the last event. So since I was the second to last to sign up for this, I was going to be second all day. So I’d need to be going all in all day. Warming up on deadlifts went exactly how I needed it to. Like training, doing plate jumps with low reps since I’d be doing low reps. 585lbs is my best on a deadlift bar no suit in competition from 2018. It was very likely that I’d be the only one doing the mercy weigh here (or I guess the naughty weight). I took my time here as this was going to be a maximum effort. Got my grip set and pulled. Abs cramped up on me immediately. Very rarely has this happened on a deadlift. Or at all. I got the down call and I took a bit longer than I’d have wanted to initiate the second lift as I was making sure that my abs weren’t going to spasm further. I think I braced a bit too hard and held my breath a bit too long on this second rep as I got lightheaded and had to let go of the bar to stand up for a second to get my vision to return to normal. Judges and handlers were a little concerned and cautious. This is one of the reasons I prefer the regular style straps is the ability to bail if needed (other being I feel less lat engagement with figure 8’s). I again took my time as I felt I had just one more good shot at another rep with the ab cramp and what not so I paced out the timing so that I had a little over 10 seconds left in the event that I got stuck and had to hitch and ramp it. I ended up not needing to do that to get my third lift. A little smack talk to myself out loud saying “I got this”. This ends up being a PR for me and ties my deadlift bar reps in training from over 12 years ago. I got notifications on Instagram and text messages from people that were watching the livestream indicating they saw the deadlifts and the commentary so that was a pleasant surprise. That third rep was crucial for not getting tied for last place here. 6th on the deadlift as everybody but one pulled 675lbs.<br /><br />Up next was conan’s wheel. 680lbs added to the implement. No drops and a 60 seconds time limit. I’m not a fan of this event. Just about every competition where I’ve done this event, I’ve essentially blacked out doing it almost immediately after the pick up. And it is infuriating. Such much so that I’ve said I’d be fine if every conan’s wheel was tossed into a burning pile like they did in Sleeping Beauty with all those spindles. But never shying away from doing this event if things lined up. But it was definitely not in the “pro” column when picking out a show. Most shows that ended up having this in it also had like another 1-2 events that I didn’t like (either just bad or boring) so it didn’t really work out. Not going to avoid it. Get back up and give it another try. Training for this had been pretty brutal. Log and deadlift is pretty standard stuff. Conan’s wheel is one of those embrace the suck events. Most of the training ended up being zercher yoke carries with working up to a 50’ top set and then dropping 100lbs and doing max distance in 2 minutes. I did end up setting up a conan’s wheel for one session just to see how things were and while it took forever to setup and put away, it was valuable in what I needed to be aware of for the actual time. This event left me with the most bruises and scars for this. My hope is my training paid off but this could really be something where I could get first or last one. I could tell this was not going to be one of the better times I had with this implement. The lightheadedness on deadlift (which is rare for me) not a good sign when this event I’ve pretty much also go to sleep on it very early on. There was only about 450lbs added to the thing and it was already feeling tremendously heavy for the weight in hand. The pick up height was not as adjustable as a yoke would be so my options were to either have it really low or too high that I’d be likely touching the ground if I took a step. My hope was that I could at least move with it if I could recover from the brutal start. I got about as much warm up as I could expect on this apparatus. It was a tough pick up with 540lbs added I still had another 140lbs to go. I did setup a yoke with 300lbs added to do some walking in place, which felt a good bit better with a much higher pick up. But all the preparation fell to the wayside as history repeated itself. I struggle mightily to pick it up. I try and zercher shrug it up to try and give myself a chance to fight the feeling of passing out and I feel like I’ve done so but I start walking and it is apparent I don’t got it. Even with a repick allowed, I don’t think I have the strength to repeat the effort a second time. I get 17’ before I bail. Maybe I could’ve gone a few more feet but I’d have been unconscious. I was seeing how this was catching and digging into the rubber flooring so I didn’t want to increase the risk of injury as I knew I was going down. I catch myself but I am convulsing and a bunch of people surround me to steady me and get my belt off. If I had gotten 4 more feet I’d have not gotten last place here. But even if the pick height situation could have been in my favor, I’d still at best have gotten 5th place likely with how heavy this was feeling in my arms compared to what I was doing in training. Likely need to adjust training if this comes up again and just generally avoid it most of the time. 7th place here and any shot of Nationals qualifying was completely gone. A little girl did make me a sign of support so that did lessen the sting a little.<br /><br />The fourth event was arm-over-arm pull. This was TBD as the promoter felt like a weight listing wouldn’t really make sense as far as people training for it. Going to be based on surface and other factors. The apparatus was a Rogue Dog Sled outfitted to look like a sleigh with Christmas lights on it. 651lbs of weight was added to it. The sled schematics without the added material on it is 103lbs so over 754lbs and likely about 800lbs considering the construction. 50’ course with a run up and 60 second time limit. Sled on turf but the section that would be where the athlete positioned would be smooth floor. This was an event I was very confident on. I’ve only gotten second on this kind of event my very first show and the rest I’ve won by a good bit. Granted that is only a total of four times but one of those times was Nationals last year. So I was the best rope tugger in the nation at time. It feels weird to have something where I feel really confident about but then don’t want to have a big head about it. But my notes the past two times this has come up as far as a game plan has just been “win”. Very low volume training for this. Which seems to work well for me on this and let me give priority to other things in training. This was something I had tested out the day before the contest empty. My thinking with how the sled seemed to be moving on the turf was go with the short arm strokes and use the slick floor with warm up pants to slide and use mostly lower body drive. Keep the momentum going. Warm ups were done with a bit over half the weight and I did only a few pulls to see if that added weight would change my approach and to see what running up option and grabbing the rope made the most sense time wise and keeping tension. I decided to stick to my plan. I wasn’t too sure the time that went before me because I was focused on myself. I got set and was off to what I felt was a good start. I tend not like the thinner ropes as they tend to bite into my ring and pinky fingers with how I grip ropes. This was a thinner rope then what I was training on (I guess I have 2” and 1.75”). I had sense that this was taking longer than I was expecting but got the notification I was close (the sandbags obstructed view of the finish mark) and pulled a long pull to finish. Just over 30 seconds. I felt that was good enough. The person that had gone ahead of me was about 5 seconds slower and the person that went after me 3 seconds. Then the guy in fourth place was 10 seconds. So it seemed like an ok run. Then the guy in second ended up being just 2 seconds slower and I got worried that I had screwed up with my plan as far as technique on this setup. The guy in first who is not known for his grip ended up beating me by less than a second. I was not expecting that. He has obviously put in the work. So a second place here.<br /><br />Final event for the first day was a stone event. The stone off that was popularized as the elimination determination for the second seed out of the groups at WSM. At least the early iteration of it. Also seems to be a thing for the paid light weight shows going on as far as an event. 277lbs stone over 52” bar. No sticky stuff allowed, only chalk. 30 seconds to get a lift. Back and forth until someone fails and then the next person comes in and it continues. Time period to reduce to 15 seconds once the athlete reaches 10 reps. Assuming the last person standing is still feeling themselves, they can keep lifting the stone under those interval times as the most reps total wins it. I’m good with stones but if there is a weakness I have, it is that I get a lot out of tacky and no tacky stones require a good bit of upper body strength. So this definitely puts me at level that would have other people that wouldn’t be that close with tackied stones be able to beat me. Training had to be both tough but limited. As I felt this would definitely be something where the winning reps would be at least 20 reps. So ended up doing two sessions with a stone of steel to slightly higher load height and slightly heavier weight for prepping. My biceps cramped up bad two days later after that first session and then no issues at all after the second time. Maybe it would’ve have been a good idea to try contest conditions with the rests but have to hope that my overall conditioning will prevail there. But I knew this was going to be a tough one and this was going to be a long day. Like grab a Snickers long time. I elected to tape up for this as while it could cause an issue with my hands later on if too tight, I was sweating a good bit in the crowded gym. Warming up I got a chance to touch the stones and see if I could pick up the contest one regardless of how it landed as that would be helpful. Obviously one position was much easier than the others. I was in 5th place overall after getting out of 7th by my placing on the penultimate event. I had a feeling that with the two athletes starting that I would be in really quick so I was ready. One of them couldn’t lift the stone and I was in. I put my chalk by the side of the yoke. My plan wasn’t necessarily to win as winning this I was still way too far out of podium. Best I could get would be 4th place overall and I just would need to beat the guy in fourth place on this event to do that. So my plan was to not pace myself initially and just pick the stone as it lay to put pressure on the competitor I was going against while showing no emotion. First guy got two reps before failing. Fourth place guy out next and is out after one rep. So at this point, I could go no higher and the guy in third would need the win to get second place. He was also the guy I expected would push me on the stones with this setup. It got difficult with the time limit then dropping after 10 reps was reached. The stone landing weird each time with the mats moving made things challenging too as it became more important to have the stone the right way for me to pick it up as my arms were fatiguing. There were times I did grab the stone at a not advantaged position because I felt it would break the momentum and that would take more energy out of me. Going for a 15th rep the stone slid on me as I was about to lap it. I called it there at that point as I had my fill and didn’t want to potentially strain my biceps at this point as it is when stones start sliding that that happens with me. However, I don’t think I’d have beaten him on the day with the conditions and format as they were. Guy in 2nd place tapped out a 5 reps and 1st place stopped after getting 3 reps to secure the win. So another second place here.<br /><br />So in the end (which ended up being done by 3PM with 10AM start), I got 4th out of 7 at the competition. This not the outcome I’d have liked but it is the outcome. I knew it would be this tough with the level of competition these days that go to this shows. The top three are people that have beaten me before and put in great performances overall. I perhaps didn’t go all in on those last two events after the bombing I did on the conan’s wheel that nuked my chances. But it was always a possibility with my track record on that event. But I like doing well run shows, even if not best events and I won’t shy away from trying out stuff again and again until I get it right. Even if say everything had gone my way within expectations, I’d still be out of contention with how well they did. No injuries and I have numbers for my overhead and deadlift to build from for the 2024 competitive season. Really sore on the drive back home after eating at seafood restaurant on the way and ended up taking a nap. Plan at this point is to take a few months for an offseason prep and hopefully bring in an improved athlete for summer.</p><br /><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PQ8MqS6kdnA?si=Rq4wRxhjt3VsKcjb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-25532084840661947052023-12-09T17:36:00.001-05:002023-12-09T17:36:52.319-05:00December 3, 2023 - December 9, 2023 - Week 6<p> December 4, 2023 – Week 6, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x2<br />210x1<br />240x1<br />260x1<br />275x0<br />275x0<br />275x0<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was fully expecting weight to decrease or stagnate this week considering that last week with the “eating” holiday and that was feeling full and ended up missing a meal the day before. But I’m probably at my heaviest I’ve been this year that I know of. I say that as weighing myself wasn’t a thing until middle of last cycle when I noticed I was dropping weight. I had weighed in at 275lbs with my shoes and contest wear back in middle of March and starting this week off at 272.2lbs without wearing my shoes (which are substantial at size 17). This is not the heaviest I’ve been since the 2016 back injury or the heaviest I’ve ever been. I think I was actually like 10lbs heavier March of last year. I was hoping that this progress would be reflected in what I was aiming for with more mass to fill out and improve leverages for pressing. But I guess not. Too soon to tell. I’ll get to it. Perhaps work and the last workout session was more stressful than I had thought. Warming up stuff felt fine. Felt no worse for wear. Just cold outside and I had some bruises on my forearms from the zercher yoke stuff. Darkness for the log lifting. Again, the plan for this was 5x1. And that was it with it being the deload week. 275lbs being the plan so 10lbs more than last time I did log and would be 5lbs more than what I ended the previous cycle on. 5 minutes rests between singles. I was honestly thinking maybe this should be 280lbs with the progression but I knew I should stick to what was written. After last time with the bad choice of shirt, I picked out a shirt that had a large decal on it and I’ve done sets of log clean and press with it in the past with similar conditions of no grip shirt. Warming up was feeling fine until I got to 240lbs. Up to that point, stuff was feeling easy. This felt hard. Like it was heavy on the pick and then it rolled slow from the clean to the shoulders. I had elected to use metal plates at this point instead of all bumper plates so I figured it was due to having both big metal plates and bumpers on it. It felt similar to how the log was moving when I did 250lbs the first week and also how 270lbs had felt end of last cycle. So it took a moment for me to feel comfortable to press it and it seemed to go up good despite feeling heavy on the shoulders. That hasn’t always been a bad thing. It sometimes just means not used to it. So 20lbs more added and it felt similar but still pressing felt good. I wasn’t liking how the clean was getting into position as I was rotating under it to the shoulders so I did make the weights all bumper plates for the planned working sets. This did not go well. I was not expecting to be missing here. First attempt it felt ok but I just seemed to not want to immediately go off the lap and paused momentarily before I went. Maybe that through me off but when I went for the press it went out in front and as it got the point I’d usually be able to press it through, it wouldn’t and I dropped it. The workout was already ruined at this point. I shouldn’t be missing lifts at all, let alone at this point in the training cycle. I wondered if the elbow sleeves were causing an issue for me and came back about 2 minutes later (I was treating this missed attempt more like a partial attempt) and gave it another shot. The clean was smoother and I went for the press and it seemed to be much like the previous attempt but it started to go up and I assumed a done deal. But apparently the elbow sleeves have been helping at that point as it was not just going up and I was fighting and the log started to go forward. I just let it go at this point as while I could probably have truly locked out this weight, I was at a risk of injury and this wasn’t helping matters. Again, the planned session was ruined and at this point I was trying to test other things. I had questions about footwear as I’ve always just done lifters for overhead in strongman. I swapped out a new shirt and put on my regular moving event shoes and gave that a shot. The balance was very different and I just ended up lapping it and then put it down as it was too weird and I was not balanced in a good way. Put back on the lifters and elbow sleeves for one more test to see if it was really the case. I was spent as the clean sucked and the attempt at the press did as well. Really hard to keep motivated to put down the food when it seems to not be helping things that are the reason for trying to actively put on the weight. But I stuck to the meals and put the weights away. Stretched afterwards (I usually don’t after I screw up a workout) and then made dinner. Frustrated but I know I need to sleep on it and figure out what I learned.<br /><br />December 6, 2023 – Week 6, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x2<br />275x2<br />300x2<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Body was feeling this training cycle. So I was nervous about every ache and sensation. Because I know this will be a tough contest. It will require a lot of grit. Sleep and walking as well as talking with my dad about things did seem to help with perspective. And I also have to adjust things mentally and accept where I’m at right now. 275lbs was the most I’ve actually tried to press this year. The most recent overhead press that was successful at or above was the 286lbs axle press at Nationals last year which was already a low. Objectively, I’m at 90% of my best as far as overhead post 2016 back injury. I was hoping I was back at 100% already with Nationals but even looking at the numbers I hit, the 275lbs max roughly does seem to fit. Additionally, this competition has been very upper body taxing with the zercher yoke (I think that was rougher to recover from then conan’s wheel) as well as arm over arm and no tacky stone lifting (and for a lot of reps) probably taxed my arms and shoulders a good bit more than I was used to from the previous cycle (as well as adding in new exercises). Also my dad reminded me I had a similar thing with a short prep and missing weights at the end and ending up hitting well above at the competition. So just have to plan accordingly after this one with concrete numbers and build from there. I also don’t think I’ve ever done Nationals and then done contest so soon afterwards. But on to the actual training. I was tempted to do this one during my lunch break (I was tempted with log Monday too) but stuck to the after work because it gave me the freedom to take longer rests if needed and I could keep my work focus flow going as I have to consider that I’m taking off Friday next week as well as work around back to back holidays coming up too. Warming up seemed to go well. I didn’t bother with the ankle/shin mobility stuff as Wasn’t feeling like I needed it. Shins/ankles had felt a little stiff on Monday with the pick and lap. Anyways, this was to be front squats and with it being a bit of deviation in that this wasn’t exactly light or speed work. Granted, last training cycle had me do singles with the first implement weight of the power stairs for the lower body session so I guess that tracks. Plan was top double on front squats. The notes initially said 300-315lbs for the double but after mentioning what I had actually done as far as the front squats, it was lowered to 275-300lbs. Idea was this was to be powerful double that would help with priming for lower body drive on overhead. Same warming up as it has been for front squats. I elected to use bumper plates for all of it. Because. Maybe it will look like one of those Olympic hall training sessions. Maybe it will make the weight feel more alive with the flex. It wasn’t necessary but It was something I wanted to do. 40-50lbs jumps in weight. It has been those kind of bumps up in weight each week with this short cycle. Front squats have been feeling somewhat decent. There is less knee aches compared to when I have a bar on my back. I was fully prepared for 275lbs to be it for the session and those reps did go up quite powerfully. The 40-50lbs jumps can start to feel like a big jump once above 135lbs. So it was a little bit of shock with 275lbs considering 225lbs most in many months. The thoughts in my head said do 300lbs. At least feel what that feels like so that it isn’t a shock. Since likely log will top out at 280lbs at show and with the number of attempts mattering, 300lbs would be a third attempt really with 20lbs jumps. So took my time with setting up. Yep, this felt like something. Still pretty powerful but not quite as easy. Talking hundredths of a second difference in finishing. This is 65lbs off my best lifetime double on this exercise. I do hope that I can push assistance gym lift stuff up for this planned offseason I have in mind. Chest, upper back and neck were feeling a bit tense after these. I’ve not had this kind of weight on the body in that position in a long time. Too long really. Got some more thoughts I need to put down at some point about the plan for next year. One more training session left.<br /><br />December 9, 2023 – Week 6, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Tank M4 Sled Pushes/Sled Drags (minute rests)<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br />+100 (L1)x50’/50’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: It hasn’t quite sunk in I guess that I won’t be doing weight lifting workouts next week and I have to keep reminding myself of that. And also that the year is almost up as well. And that next week isn’t Christmas. Just trying to relax and not let things stress me out. Thinking of what to work on and resolve for the next season, rather than focus so much on the now. The now is just rest and thinking on things and putting words down seems to help with that. Next week is when I have to actually do stuff and put into action. Some of the aches and such seem to migrate. My lower legs were feeling quite heavy Friday while out walking. It isn’t like I did a ton at all. At least I didn’t feel that I had. But usually I do seem to feel not the best during a deload. Like catching up on what I’ve been doing to myself the past few weeks and letting the consequences reach me. The reward usually being that I perform well when it matters. The finishing off for this prep was to again be sled work. That seems in my experience to be a hallmark of the Westerling trainings. So initially the plan here was the same as the end of the last cycle minus bag toss at the start. Also not moving things a day early due to weather. I was going to just do the same weight on my sled at home in the street but I had a change of mind. Kind of two things. One was that my father had come over Tuesday and blew a lot of leaves from my yard and my roof (I have a tree that holds out dropping leaves until the last minute) while I was working. But the leave collection wasn’t going to come for these in time. I had not enjoyed it last time (my knees that is) when I did the sled work with all the acorns. So I’d rather not deal with that. But I wasn’t going to drive all the way out to Lancaster to do about 15 minutes of a workout that I could do at home. Which was the second reason. The powerlifting gym with some strongman stuff that I went to last week has a resistance sled (among other novelties) and I had been planning to try that out last week under the assumption that I was to do sled work after the zercher yoke carries. That was dropped however to save my legs for log (which didn’t really matter in the end). It is a pricey piece of equipment ($1600 no attachments) and I was curious how it would feel. So this meant I could sleep in as needed and drive out to the gym a little bit away and get in a quick workout and then back home to eat and stretch out. I could make sense of going a little ways for this kind of workout to test a new piece of exercise equipment. There were several powerlifters training. Found out from the owner that the account for the drop-in fees got hacked so this week and last week’s monies didn’t get to the gym. A little annoyed with that but it’s only $20. There was a all-around lifter (strongman, highlands games, powerlifting) who had moved to PA from UT and noticed my shirt for Nationals. Stung a little when the assumption was it was Master’s Nationals. I’m close to 40 but not yet. That is the first where I’ve had it assumed that was my age or more. Usually I get younger haha. But despite that initial introduction, he indicated he had found that PA had “famous” stones to lift. I have lived here over 30yrs and didn’t know. Upon review after the fact, it seems more like some guys have found some stones and trying to have them be “lifting stones” like they have in Scotland. Still interesting and maybe I will go and try my hand at them as some are within 30 minutes of where I live. Back to what I was doing. Mobility warming up felt fine. The wheeled sled was a bit of a pain to move around to where I wanted it (198lbs empty) but rolls smooth forward and backward. Tested and inflated the tires to 30PSI. There is option to add weight to it (website states no more than 270lbs) as well as adjust the resistance 3 levels from neutral. Website states that the resistance increases as you go faster. I’m not sure I buy that but I don’t really understand the magnetic resistance the device claims. I didn’t want to take off all the weight already on it (200lbs) so I took half of it off and put it on the 1st level of resistance as that seemed to be moving in a way that it would be fast and light. As the plan here was 10 sets of 50’/50’ with a minute rest. This was definitely an interesting stimulus. Knees didn’t ache as much as they had compared to when I did this workout with my sled like 8 weeks ago. But my knees have been feeling better in generally really and having some kind of resistance and drag from friction seemed to be good for my knees on sled work. With how this was feeling, it made more sense to not have my arms out straight like I’d been doing with the prowler type sleds. Arms bent and getting more of a fast foot sprint turnover. The backwards drag was about what I’d expect. I messed up grabbing the handles on the third set but even with that, wasn’t the slowest. The time of runs varied from just under 22 seconds to just under 25 seconds. I was breathing heavy in the cold air and my legs were definitely feeling the fatigue and getting full of lactic acid. Good sweat too. I liked it but I don’t see it as $1600 worth for a purchase for things. More needing to have it available for easy use and a wide range of people working at the same time to be worth it I think. Put stuff away before driving home to get some food and then stretch.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_tUesk80j5A?si=tdg1TNtvin4RY7Dc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-727935608408369862023-12-02T19:28:00.005-05:002023-12-02T19:28:47.809-05:00November 26, 2023 - December 2, 2023 - Week 5<p> November 27, 2023 – Week 5, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Seated Reverse Band Axle Presses (back support, chin height, 110lbs assistance)<br />131x5<br />161x3<br />191x2<br />221x1<br />251x1<br />281x1<br />311x1<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />sbx5 at pin 12<br />sbx5 at pin 15<br />sbx5 at pin 18<br />sbx5 at pin 21<br />sbx5 at pin 24<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x10<br />130x5<br />160x5<br />190x5<br />220x5<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Winding down. Saturday had been the last touches for two of the events and with the remaining three to come. It appears that finally found a caloric intake that is pushing the scale up now. But perhaps this is a outlier considering it was Thanksgiving. If anything, that made it harder to get my usual meals in. But not the usual foods. Back above 270lbs so I’m about the weight I was in March. And all it took was adding 800 calories to my daily intake. Kind of frightening to think that I was losing weight on over 4200 calories a day (on a lower day). But apparently that 4oz of yogurt a day got me over the 3 week plateau. Keep monitoring and make sure that I’m adapting to the changes. Work was surprisingly not as stressful as I was expecting it to be. It was weighing on me with stress stuff because of the stress related dreams. Either from eating foods I usually don’t allowing me to remember them or just enough stress that those particular dreams happen. Felt full most of the day (I also been feeling full since Saturday evening haha). Cold outside but not so much I needed to wear warm ups to warm up. Movement stuff to start things off. Joints felt surprisingly ok with warming up. I knew there would be some soreness in biceps, quads and hamstrings. Wore the warm ups setting things up because it was a little windy and I didn’t want my hands numb. Starting things off with reverse band work with the axle again. As expected, to a single. But a little different. 30lbs jumps as expected but indication was to only go up 5lbs more than my top double and stop there. There was even notes that if I didn’t feel like that would go to call it at 281lbs (the last jump). I was feeling pretty good but again, hard to gauge on this particular lift since dead stop and the 30lbs jumps can be a bit rough. Had to keep myself from wanting to deviate and do 316lbs and line things up for that. It was odd in that it like every other set my right shoulder felt achy. Noticing the power belly is in effect now with the belt and bracing. I had to make myself take a little more rest with it just being singles after a few sets. Especially because these get tough quick and misgrooving the lift is costly. 281lbs was almost that. It didn’t feel like I had a lot of power when I was setup to press but then something clicked and it just went up easy. Last time, my first rep with 306lbs went up fine but then I got stuck for forever at the sticking point on the second. This should be no problem for a single if it is like that first rep. I got set and gave it a push. And it stalled before it could event get above my head. I was shocked but I didn’t let it get to me. Something had felt off. I decided I’d try again immediately (like 15 seconds rest) and this time I had it a little more forward and actively compressed my shoulder girdle. And voilà, goes up with not that much effort. Felt similar to the first rep with 306lbs last time. I kind of was dumbstruck with the result (a complete miss and then an easy lift). I really need to be more consistent with my overhead. But I will make sure for next time (assuming this continues as an assistance lift after this competition) to do this going forward. So that I feel tight and don’t feel like I have no power. So again, not the most ideal way for things to go but I hadn’t put in a full effort on that first miss so more just a partial attempt warming up for the real thing moments later. A little bit of rest putting that setup away before moving on to band assisted pull-ups. Sets of five reps this time and indication was to start up higher (pin 12) but take bigger jumps (3 pins vs 2 pins). This would have me doing the last set at the bottom pin I can use for this setup (pin 24). Really the next step from there is no band assistance really but can still play around with different band tensions up and down the rack. As there seems to be more control as not swaying as much and can lower my bodyweight to get in more reps in this plane as well as work on the full ROM. My only concern really was the biceps. I didn’t want to strain/pull them at all this time around. It had happened near the beginning last time and perhaps that had to do with having to pull myself up slightly to get my legs on to the band. So I stood on a 6” pad for the first few sets to help get on to the band and then removed it as the band was lowered. No issues. At least not for the biceps. Left shoulder was feeling pretty tight and tense. Similar to how it had felt the very first week. Not something to be concerned about. Moved through this fairly quickly but made myself rest for the last two sets. I’m always surprised when the top set I aim for on these ends up feeling really easy. This happened for this as well. Definitely good for more but calling it because this is what I was to do for the day and let my arms recover. Log on incline to finish up the session. I had expected these to be like 6rm with the same progression but it was listed for 5rm and it only indicated to go up 10lbs from last time. Maybe that was the right call as things were feeling a little heavier than I would’ve liked. That could also be from me seeing that it was a slight increase and was perhaps not attacking things if it was closer to what my abilities would be. I was also letting the log linger for a bit longer on the chest with the lower reps (besides the first set) and knowing not pushing the limit here. But this could also be the reason for the taper. I need to keep that in mind that the competition is where things are going to matter in the scheme of things. This is to get things peaked for a big log press and the idea should be that this be the heaviest these exercises should be so far but also be with the least volume and fatigue. To stimulate and not annihilate. Put stuff away before stretching and then cooking up dinner.<br /><br />November 29, 2023 – Week 5, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Deadlifts (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x2<br />405x2<br />495x2<br />565x2<br /><br />Sandbag Squats (to 18” box)<br />112x7<br />175x7<br />225x7<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+40x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Really seems like the temperature and weather really doesn’t care about an easing in period. It’s like for fall it was decently warm and then uncomfortably warm and the appropriate for like two weeks and then busting down the doors and saying “it’s winter now!” as it has been windy and below freezing this week. Enough of a squall that got some snow flurries while out walking yesterday. Moisture on face was freezing while out walking and spots you wouldn’t think would get cold (like bottoms of feet) were. If there was maybe a week to break into this, but it is like a switch. I was a bit nervous for the session. Last deadlift before competition and it was going to be tough, despite how it was written. Expectation had been that it would be work up to a “conservative single” with that being 585lbs for what was likely going to be a challenging single. It make senses with how the trap bar pulls went with it being 5’s then a triple and a single. But this is to be a rep event and I’m expecting like 1-3 here. So doing a top single probably not the best thing so that meant it was going to be a top double. Suggested was 565-585lbs for a conservative double. Seeing as how my best double post 2016 injury is 585lbs and that was for essentially a touch and go double (with the second rep being a real fight), 565lbs was where my head and plan was at. Especially because more reps were being asked working up compared to the past few times. Anyways, warming up felt fine as far as the mobility stuff. Besides the stuff I had to do outside in the freezing cold. It was colder than it was Monday evening. Did the mobility ankle/hip stuff. Had been watching deadlift videos and trying to get things to be better for me to initiate the lift. 135lbs felt ok. No knee aches like last time. Trying to start with the weight a little bit away from me rather than right on my shin. See if that lets me get better drive and not be so far forward. So far so good. 225lbs felt fast as per usual. Maybe not the fastest it has felt. But that isn’t always indicative of how things will go. Same as aches and such during mobility work. 315lbs felt ok. I was feeling somewhat better about the odds in my favor on this. Maybe this will feel amazing. This is where the workout deviated from the past two standard pull sessions. At this point, it switches to singles. This time nope, sticking with doubles all the way up. This isn’t that unusual as something I’ve done before (2018) but it is a way to add more volume and fatigue prior to the top set. I know, sounds a bit ridiculous to say “fatigue” with a total of 16 lifts total for the deadlifts with only 6 of them requiring a hard belt. 405lbs felt pretty good for that first rep but felt not so much the second. I was a little concerned about my lower back on the left side feeling a little achy, coupled with my left calf being twitchy all day. Sometimes that is symptoms of disc compression stuff. Also left side lower abdominals were feeling tense. But can’t imagine what I’d have done to cause that in the past 3 days. Push thoughts that I’m fragile out of my head. 495lbs didn’t feel great. Maybe it moved well but I didn’t record it. It was not having me feel confident for the top set. 565lbs it was then. Used bumper plates for the remaining weight to be added so the bar was full. Again, more for my own amusement and make it look like more weight on the bar so not in my own head about things. I could tell as the weight was getting added I was feeling more comfortable with having the bar closer. I think worry that too far away would strain my lower back as I’ve done that before trying to get the right position. I had this I told myself. Only way I didn’t is if I screwed up something. And I did have it. First rep went up as fine as I can manage it at this point. The second rep seemed to come up good speed wise off the floor but did slow down a good bit. I’d give myself 50/50 for another rep here. Survived the deadlift for this prep. 585lbs should happen for at least a single unless I screw up. Peak, rest and excitement hopefully will mean reps. After being done with deadlifts, I took a break for oatmeal and to collect myself. I had skipped my last meal of the work day as I was nervous that I’d end up throwing up if I ate so close to training when max effort pulls and I’ve been feeling a bit full in general since Thanksgiving holiday as well. Get some food and drink in me before finishing up the session. Ended up taking longer than I was expecting to but the rest of the workout moves pretty quickly once deads are done and the weights are put away. Sandbag squats to a parallel box. Plan same as last time with it being three sets of 5 progressively getting heavier but this time sets of 7 reps. I had been expecting to have this go up to the next weight sandbag (265lbs) but I wasn’t too bummed about this staying the same. Front squats were pushed more last week and I had been stressed last time with my right biceps after the cramp and such last time these came up. Thankfully my biceps were much better at dealing with the strain I put upon them this go around so there was not issues with Monday session that lingered over to this session. But I was feeling fatigue. Quads were feeling stiff/sore which would be a bit surprisingly looking at how I deadlift. You’d think it was all lower back haha. Knees were a bit achy. Not as comfy feeling as last time but a ton better compared to that very first session on these. There is never issues with the small light bag on these with keeping it high and off my legs. It gets tricky with the bigger and floppier bags. These added reps also add up too. 175lbs bag I went a little different in how I held it compared to last time. I felt I was fiddling around with it too much before I got to the meat and potatoes. Just tried my best to pull it into myself and keep it off my thighs as much as I could. At least make sure it was off them when I started the lift. 225lbs is firmer so I can do that one a bit better as far as keeping it upright and off my thighs. I could tell my biceps were getting a little worked here (especially the right one). Just slow and methodical with these. Not rushing and controlling the lift. It isn’t like this is the limit for me but it is good work and tough work with not a lot of weight and using the leverage to make it tough. That was pretty much it for the garage training. The planks work better on the soft carpet as opposed to the hard concrete as far as the stress on my elbows. I feel like I can also “feel” my feet and toes more with a substrate with give to it. As the idea is not just to hold but to be tense. 20lbs on the regular planks last time had felt easy. I don’t think I considered what scaling wise would be with weight but I figured 20lbs was an easy adjustment so another 20lbs wouldn’t be that bad. It was a lot tougher than I was expecting it to be. Could also be from the heavier pulls and the sandbag reps and from having a belly full of oatmeal as well (ok, not full but not an empty stomach). Could also be because the dumbbells I added are more centered in one spot vs the ankle/leg weights. But it was fine, just harder than I was expecting. 60 seconds fine. I had already put all the sandbags away so that I could just go into the side planks after putting away the backpack and the weights. Side planks no weight added again. Felt comfortable really. No sweating really this time because of how cold it was. These were needed to balance out how stiff my midsection was feeling after the previous exercises. Cooked up dinner and ate before stretching out. Not many sessions left. I have a general idea of where I am at but not sure where I stack up at the competition.<br /><br />December 2, 2023 – Week 5, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Zercher Yoke Carries<br />150x50’<br />250x50’<br />300x50’<br />350x50’<br />400x50’<br />450x50’<br />500x50’<br />550x50’<br />450x207’2” (2 minutes, 85’ course)<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Weather and temperature is now seeming to be bouncing around. Thursday fine enough that I was feeling warm wearing the long sleeves walking. Too dicey to do stuff Friday as it was raining but the rain was freezing as it fell. Don’t want to be slipping and it got even more rain as the day went on. Got some slight aches here and there. Looking forward to the deload it seems. That’s the issue with shorter training cycles is that they get to the point quick but also means the build up is less gradual and gets taxing. After Wednesday, the remaining workouts until competition are just one main exercise after warming up. The strongman gym was closed for a powerlifting meet so my options were to either train at home or go to the powerlifting gym. It wasn’t really up for debate. I was going to the powerlifting gym. This had been planned out and I had scoped things when I was going there during Nats prep to see what was there depending on when this workout would fall during the training cycle. Ended up on the conan’s wheel week. I have yokes at home but one is bolted and currently an eyesore in the backyard for when I want to do tosses or viking press. The other is light and it could work but the thin crossbar didn’t prepare me well for this kind of event in the past when I was prepping for it. The powerlifting gym had a yoke and that would work for me. I had every intention of waking up as if I was going to work but I felt tired and turned it off and hoped for the best as far as when I’d rouse from my slumber. About 90 minutes later appeared to be the answer. The gym is like 15 minutes away and I had just one thing to do so it wasn’t really an issue. Just meant that I’d have to wait a little later in the evening to eat my dinner with the pot roast. I had already gotten most everything ready the night before. Fog because it was cold yesterday and now warmer and evaporating all the icy rain. The owner wasn’t there at the gym as he was competing. Some people there. No music and it smelled a little funky. Before I started warming up, I had to figure out where I was going to be doing stuff. There wasn’t enough space inside to do 50’ runs and it wasn’t exactly clutter free. I know I can become wobbly and uncoordinated on this. Thankfully, I don’t need nearly as much weight as I would for regular yoke on this so I didn’t need a pallet to move things or have to keep the sliding door open for very long. Mobility stuff inside. Stuff had been moved around so I did have to get creative with some of the things (like the bar hang). I do prefer the environment at the Lancaster gym. Reminds me why I tend to not be with the powerlifting people all the time (granted some of them were previously doing strongman). I can blend in if I want to but I’d rather not. Just focus on what I’m doing and move on. Zercher yoke carries were the only thing on the docket. No sled work afterwards as indication was to save legs for the last long workout on Monday. Last time, I had done a modified workout with blessing from Mr. Westerling with testing out the actual conan’s wheel. What I was originally supposed to do was this workout which had been same as week one; work up to a top set of 50’ and then take off 100lbs for more fun. The blacktop seemed to be more even where I had done the yoke and wheelbarrow stuff last time but the gate seemed to be stuck so could only really move my body through it so that left me with the spot I had done it the first time which was uneven. Which was fine. I knew this would be a tougher session with the unstable yoke and the footing. Yoke is lighter empty but felt fine to start. It might have a slightly thicker crossbar from the one at the gym. No tape on the crossbar so plan was to wrap my arms partially for this. The longer “feet” and with how they weren’t exactly secured did have me wonder if I should lower the pick height more but it seemed to work out. I seem to have gotten over the wanting to pass out feeling on this but really going to be on the day to see if that is truly the case. Because I’ve not actually gone night night in training. Always at the competition. But it does seem to be not go right away. Pick it up and then try to shrug it up again and brace and then go. Like mentally grit my teeth for the gut punch. I honestly think this lightbulb moment actually came from PA’s Strongest last year when I felt like I was going to black out when I picked up the keg for the max carry and willed myself to stay awake. So goal for the top weight was to be 20-50lbs more than what I did last time. First week I did 500lbs (goal had been like 450lbs) but then did the conan’s wheel workout instead the next time when that was to be the same workout at that time. So really, I was thinking about maybe doing a set after the 550lbs I had planned. It was going to depend on how things went. And it was a little tough to figure out how I was feeling as the slant of the course. It’s a good thing that I slowed down and thought about what I was doing when adjusting weight as I almost misloaded 100lbs warming up. 500lbs felt pretty good so I knew 550lbs should happen here. The pick felt a bit more labored than I would’ve liked. I felt I was going well but near the end it was definitely lower in my arms and I was moving quite slow to finish out the run. Well, that’s the answer there; this be where we stop. So took off 100lbs for the last part of this. The options being to do 2 minutes of back and forth with whatever space I had available or to do 2 max distance sets (second set matching distance with however many drops needed). I just don’t have the space like I used to in the past for the max distance stuff straight shots. So it was going to be the 2 minutes of it. I had learned from the conan’s wheel session that I am missing something with doing only 50’ runs in that I let my upper body recover. Longer runs weight was sliding down as I went and I need to work on that. The revolution on the setup at the gym was about 80’ so I wanted to try and have a length of at least that and I was able to get things setup with moving stuff around to get a little bit longer than that. I had to temper my expectations because this was not as stable a setup as the other gym nor was the footing stable. This would be like at my house with mix of uphill and downhill. First run went fine if a little slow. I think that I rushed my start once I got around to do the second pick up and I ended up having the weight low in my arms way too early. I ended up having to drop short as I was dragging it. I had hoped to not have drops except in the 85’ drop zones. So a short walk to the finished spot. Better pick third time but I was definitely feeling the fatigue and ended up dropping again. I knew I had one more in me and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t drop again before time went. This was tough and my legs and glutes were just as shot as the upper body. I knew that I had gotten over 200’ on this so that was the goal (the low end of it). Again, I have high expectations of myself. Slammed a protein shake before putting all the stuff away before getting back home to eat some more and then stretch out. A week left to go.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lfIbG0mOytY?si=MWQE6WPnsLHN82qd" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-53950749559984475172023-11-25T20:56:00.000-05:002023-11-25T20:56:32.247-05:00November 19, 2023 - November 25, 2023 - Week 4<p> November 20, 2023 – Week 4, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x1<br />210x1<br />240x1<br />265x1<br />265x1<br />265x1 (had to reclean twice)<br />265x1<br />265x1<br /><br />Bent Over Rows<br />45x10<br />95x5<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x5<br />Added Straps<br />275x5<br />315x5<br /><br />Close Grip Bench Presses (18” spacing)<br />45x10<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x3<br />275x6<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: The scale is starting to go up again with the new additional meal. Definitely a riskier food item and potentially is changing up the gut biome as well. But finally above 265lbs again. This eating almost every hour during the day has become a chore. But need to see if this helps with things. This is a short cycle and I feel at this point that I’m about as ready for this competition as I can reasonably be but I know I got like 2 more weeks of tough workouts. This is definitely feeling like a contest Magnus Samuelsson would do decent at. Arms and abs covered in bruises from the conan’s wheel stuff. Probably didn’t help matters to need to saw apart a pallet to fit in the trash (I had left it out for scrapers to take, no bites). So that was a bit of effort I wasn’t expecting to be needing to do. And weather finally getting to be cold as well. So some worries I guess that I had fatigued things too much with the Saturday work and Sunday chores. But onward. Warming up stuff felt fine. Not really feeling that sore all things considered but needing to move around to get warm for lifting outside in the cold. Darkness for the log lifting. Again, the plan for this was 5x1. 85% with 3 minutes rest. So 265lbs. Going off the projected 310lbs since that seemed to be approved as ok. But there is a slight change in that competition opener is starting at 200lbs instead of 170lbs so with the 20lbs jumps, I won’t really have an option to hit a PR unless I get really good, real fast and hit 320lbs. Likely 300lbs being the aim as I’ve only hit that or above in competition twice in my career. From last time I did these, my left hip had been feeling achy and thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case this time around. Warming up with 30lbs jumps was feeling ok. I reneged on the smaller metal plates as looking at the videos of people training on the log, it would seem that it is actually 45lbs plates being used and not using my bumpers or supporting the log body on 25’s puts a risk at bending this log that they don’t make anymore. So back to bumpers until I end up using enough weight to use more than one plate on this. As I’ve mentioned, this contest isn’t allowing grip shirts. So I’ve been trying to test different shirts from local shows to see what I’m dealing with as far as competition day. For this session, my choice apparently was a poor one. The fabric and the log texture aren’t a good match. It initially slid on me going for the first lift but even with the bad clean I was able to press it. But it wasn’t a great rep. I’d want this to be going better. Second rep I corrected for the clean (pull into myself more) and that went up much better but then the press My one foot slid and the log wasn’t centered so I had to walk it forward to lockout. Third rep had problems. The momentum on the press had the log going over my head too quickly and I ended up having to bail as I lost tightness in my brace. I set the log back down rather than try and press after that. Which wasn’t great as I was too lackadaisical with pulling the log into myself and the log just slid down on my shirt. I was beginning to remember how much my hamstrings had been sore after the Conan’s wheel on Saturday and the leg effort of the all the sled stuff. I regrouped and got it back up but I was definitely feeling the previous efforts and my shoulders lowered and I really got bad lower body drive. Kind of surprised I got the lift honestly. Managed to get it done within a minute so that was something. Because of that hassle, I doubled my rest break to recover before going for another single. And I say double what I was doing as I was actually doing like 130 seconds rest when I checked the camera. So a 4 minute rest and got the fourth rep up no real problem. But not perfect. Normal rest for the fifth and again, good but not perfect. Flexed to show dominance as one does. But at least those last two made me feel like I could actual press stuff over this. But this is only 5lbs less than the last log workout before Nats and I had been really worried and was taking like 5 minutes rests to get those singles. This was more comfortable and hopefully means I’m getting a better handle on things here. Also didn’t feel like throwing up with nerves, even with eating more meals. So despite the ugliness of the 3 set, I was content. For now. Just need to remember to wear a shirt with a good decal for next time (log at competition will have “grippier” texture). I left the log outside so I could move on to the other stuff. Into the garage for the barbell work. I didn’t exactly have things setup as I did want to take my time with things as far as getting fluids in me. First up bent over rows. Warm up in 5’s to a moderate set. Same as last time and kind of turned out like last time. 25-50lbs more than last time was what was suggested. Since example last time was 225lbs and this time indicating 250-275lbs, I figured I’d do 300-315lbs depending on how things were feeling. I was a little leery with the biceps from that cramping I got last Monday on the pull ups. And it didn’t help with again sore forearms. Finding new bruises on them after conan’s wheel training each time. Really trying to figure out where some of them came from. Like back of my one hand has a bruise and I think that might be from putting away the dumbbells I used to anchor the conan’s wheel when it slid on my hand. And let’s not forget the sawing I did the day before haha. So things were feeling a bit heavy on my wrists and in my hands but moving well. Plan was to strap up after 225lbs. 275lbs felt ok but I wasn’t really sure about the next jump as didn’t feel amazing. Say dilemma as last time with 265lbs or 275lbs and I just went with 315lbs and figured if I was wrong then it would be obvious. The only issue really I had was that the weight and not really being used to it as far as breathing as I was able to move it comfortably. So that was something. Benching again to finish up the session. 18” grip spacing. Same warming up but indicating a moderate set of 6-8 reps. Suggested being 250-275lbs. Now I know that my benching won’t make the same kind of jumps as my rowing will. 250lbs would’ve been a safe bet really for the 8 reps and leaving something in the tank. Notes did state to make sure smooth and powerful. I’ve not really done benching above 225lbs for a good bit and I had felt deflated/defeated when I was last doing it as I was struggling with 315lbs. And with how short this cycle is, I think I wanted to do the less reps as the effort needed for the log work probably took a toll. This particular grip is not as easy for me to use the stretch reflex for the reps like an even closer grip allows. But for this particular time, this grip seems to be the right idea. Wrists were feeling it here too. Left shoulder slightly achy. I knew to expect that. When it was time for the top set, I elected to go with 275lbs with the aim being 6 reps. Had to reset my brace after the fourth rep. This wasn’t an absolute max, I feel I could have done 2 more reps and it would be close and probably ugly rep at that. I just needed to feel this but fine with dropping back if needed. I do hope that benching does stick around. I see a lot of stuff I’m doing as well as the events for this particular show as things to build on even after this show. Cooked dinner between putting stuff away. Stretched afterwards.<br /><br />November 22, 2023 – Week 4, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x10<br /><br />18” Jack Stand Pulls w/ bands (straps, +50/+100)<br />No Bands<br />135x5<br />Added Bands<br />155x5<br />245x3<br />335x2<br />EMOM<br />425x1<br />425x1<br />425x1<br />425x1<br />425x1<br /><br />Ab Wheel<br />bwx10<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Again with another short week with work, feeling like just done with the week almost immediately. Left side of my jaw felt sore as if I was clenching it hard all night or something. Perhaps feeling the strain on my body finally from the training session. I wasn’t able to get in a walk due to the weather. Very cold and rainy with more rain as the day went on. I felt I had too much work to do as off two days and I didn’t want to risk injury slipping while icy conditions. Shoulders feeling pretty sore from Monday session it would seem. I did a lot of soft tissue work to make up for not being able to walk Tuesday. Work hectic this day before rush to make sure stuff processed before Thanksgiving. But on top of that was an issue regarding office politics that the outcome likely means even more work for me to be doing. The work environment has become more hostile as of late. Seriously considering bidding out for another job or just resigning and try to be self-employed rather than deal with this aggravation further. I got a four-day weekend I guess to contemplate that. I know not to act upon something until I’m dead certain. Ended up with a little silent protest by not doing any real work the last hour of the shift. Not that that mattered with getting work I wasn’t supposed to be assigned once my supervisor left for the day by another supervisor. Things like that. Anyways. Family plans obviously with the holiday weekend so it was good that this workout was on the shorter side of things. A repeat from last time this came up but more weight really. This had been a comfortable workout last time and had been the least taxing of things so far. Because of plans after work, I had contemplated doing this during lunch break but stuck to plan after the work crap and making sure I got enough stuff done. Warming up seemed to go well. I did a little more mobility work to get my ankles mobile enough that my tight lower legs weren’t hampering things. As this does seem to be helpful when doing lower body stuff like floor pulls and full squats. The squats to box don’t really get these parts with the upright shins. But it isn’t an every session thing. Front squats to start things off. Work up after warming up to set of 8-10 reps with a little more than last time. Suggested was 225lbs after the 185lbs last time. There had been some nerves with that mostly seeing how the knees felt as well as initial uncertainty about what effort the squats should be feeling with percentage and other nonsense I’ve self-imposed I guess. 40-50lbs jumps again and with another set added to the mix, it meant I could adjust things a bit as far as how I added support gear for the midsection for bracing. I think I went for the top set being both sets of bumper plates because it was interesting and maybe there would be a difference in the flex on the bar. I guess to kind of keep things fun for me. I do think I messed up a little bit with my breathing at first as I kind of just held my breath and went right into the first rep rather than perhaps taking a breath and rebracing before starting. I have to remember that the floor in the garage isn’t perfect either as some spots are worn more than others. 225lbs for 10 reps was not a problem but it definitely was tougher than 185lbs was last time. Which makes sense with a 40lbs jump in weight. Felt like knees and ankles were less stiff this time around at least. Some fidgeting with my position as far as getting efficient leg drive. Like a few of the exercises with a barbell that have been part of this training cycle (deadlift, bench), these are a work in progress that hopefully I can continue to improve so that my baseline isn’t as down going forward and perhaps makes things easier to swap from one track to another. Jack stand pulls against bands (75-100lbs tension) again for 5x1 EMOM style. 20lbs more weight from last time. I did another warm up set so as I wasn’t just jumping in right away with big plate jumps on this. Especially since the plate jumps on this was quite noticeable as far as back effort. My hope here was that the increase in weight wouldn’t be noticeable from the previous session. I think I was successful in that endeavor. Got a bit silly with things as the Mortal Kombat techno remix theme came on and I just went with the vibing and stimming for this. Might have worked myself up a bit with the constant moving around and just enjoying the moment. This was only for the first three pulls as different music was one for the last two so the pace was a bit slower. Last pull ended up feeling the best like with log Monday. Held it for a bit before putting it down. Last thing was just a single set of ab wheel. 5-10 reps with bodyweight and not to overdo it on the ROM. I did 10 reps last time and initially was going full ROM and then pulled back slightly when I noticed these were tougher than I remembered. And even with pulling back, the DOMS in my lower abs was there for many days. So having been inoculated, I figured that it wouldn’t be so bad this time. I seemed to immediately go into full ROM and I feel that was the case for most of the reps but I was noticing immediate soreness just three reps into it. Maybe the added bodyweight (less than 2lbs) was being noticed here. Just hope this is immediate soreness and not delayed that last for a few days. Put stuff away and headed over for dinner and movie with family before returning home to stretch out before cleaning up for bed. Hopefully no expectation of work tomorrow will let me relax and sleep and potentially process some stuff in my sleep.<br /><br />November 25, 2023 – Week 4, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Arm-Over-Arm Pulls (turf)<br />(standing, arms only) 230x50’<br />(seated, arms only) 355x50’<br />(seated, competition style) 715x50’ in 30.33 Seconds<br /><br />Stone of Steel Loads (54”)<br />140x1<br />210x1<br />EMOM<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br />280x1<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Just felt a little off. Work had been stressful so part of that I guess leading to feelings after that. Stomach was a little upset but that could very well be from eating 6 burgers for dinner Wednesday. Took allergy meds to try and keep things ok. Took NyQuil Thursday night as I was feeling stressed and this has been a similar situation where things felt like I was going to get sick and I just needed to just get a good bit of sleep. Which ended up being the case for Friday. Woke up to my left wrist being sore for no reason. Got a bit late before I started doing things and ended up not walking and did the one time I’m raking leaves this year. I ended up staying later than I had planned but still decided to wake up early so as to get training done and be available for a family dinner. Left wrist was feeling much better upon waking up. Drive out was easy going. Again, good bit of people at the gym. I wasn’t too sure about what was going to be used or not and what was in use. Warming up felt fine with the mobility stuff. The people there had appeared to have solidify what they were doing so I was able to get things setup for the arm over arm. Same as last time in that I used the 1.5” manila rope and the Jenkins sled. Difference in that I used kegs for the weight rather than just sandbags and other random weights. Especially as lot of people were using sandbags and last time someone had wanted to use sandbags. Plan was to do more than last time. I had initially planned for that top set to be like 630lbs to be about 90% of what I figured the contest weight would be. However, Mr. Westerling had indicated that it could be heavier even then that for me as the goal was to get something that I could finish strong but have me breathing a bit heavy. And I hadn’t really expected even with how much time off from it that I’d already be doing sub 25 seconds with that kind of weight. But I didn’t really want to push the working up sets that much more than I already was. Because those were more arm dependent and I was still a little cautious about my biceps. So first set was the bent over style with just the arms. I went 5lbs heavier than last time and that seemed to go better compared to last time. I think because I knew what to expect and how I needed to anchor myself. Setup for the second set with it being seated but just rowing with the arms I had to put down heavier kegs to anchor the board I was going to be pushing off of. Took a little bit of time as the usual suspects for helping with this kind of thing weren’t there today and a lot people were doing stone stuff at this point. Don’t want tacky on the manila rope. Just needing to keep the rope out of the way. Again, just 5lbs more than last time. I did notice near the end that my right hand was slipping slightly. So would need to adjust that for the heavy top set. Chalk up and go heavy. I don’t think I’ve actually done over 700lbs on this movement with it on turf. I was still thinking about doing 630lbs or so but just said screw it and put 360lbs of kegs in the sled. Pinched my left index finger moving them around in the sled so that will be swollen for a little while. Hoping no biceps issues and that this would be sub 40 seconds. This setup isn’t really one where I seem to be able to scoot with the lower body and get more reach and momentum but I make good work of it. This was comfortable. Only felt my grip in the right side slip slight once. I was kind of surprised that I was just over 30 seconds on this. But happy about that as this is the most I’ve done and it was decently fast. Got help getting up by one of the new guys at the gym who is gigantic and lifted me up like I was gallon of milk. Be interesting to see what he starts doing as I think he’s new to lifting weights in general. Help putting away stuff made the transition from one thing to the next go by a bit quicker and with less effort on my part. This was just a two day things but both things required a time commitment. The arm over arm for setup purposes and rest breaks, the stones because it was 20 minutes of stone lifting. Plan here was again to do the stone of steel for 20 minutes EMOM. 2” higher and with only chalk. I had done just over contest weight last time and only had an issue really on the second rep when I didn’t reset the stone. I know I can do this but seeing as how my right biceps cramped up hard on me the Monday after last time, it is definitely stressful on the body. I was initially going to just repeat what I did last time just to condition things and compare how no tape vs tape felt. Suggestion had been to perhaps do the first 10 stones lifts EMOM style and then the next 10 stones 45 seconds to lift and rest since the contest will have the time limit go from 30 seconds to 15 seconds once an athlete reaches 10 reps. But feelings on this were to not really worry on that part of things and potentially work heavier. So I added 2.5lbs which was likely 2lbs more than last time. I didn’t bring a full roll of athletic tape so I ended up having to use several small rolls to wrap up my left arm. The tape setup was good at the start. I didn’t feel like I needed to reapply any chalk until I was 13 reps in. However, there does appear to be a downside. The wrapping of the arms does constrict blood flow some and I was finding it harder to get my hands to cooperate as things progressed. There was no issues with extension at all. I don’t think I’ve noticed this before because I don’t usually do this long of stone work without tacky (as usually I work up to a top single or light weight in the past) or any sticky stuff at all. And it’s not as noticeable when you can just use tacky. So this is potentially something. Sweat and skin wear factor vs the fatigue factor. Always learning something doing events I’ve done for years. But there is always different ways to play the games. I also noticed that while I don’t feel like I’m exerting myself, I found it was hard to try and sing half way into the set so that would seem to indicate this is taxing. I can only hope that I recover from the taxing nature of things better than I did last time these two events were paired together. Put stuff away and drank a shake before driving home to eat some more food and then stretch and clean up.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I6Xl7N5nkYs?si=9THps68Urld-3LUc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-52005698852229150312023-11-18T18:50:00.005-05:002023-12-02T20:11:34.454-05:00November 12, 2023 - November 18, 2023 - Week 3<p> November 13, 2023 – Week 3, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Seated Reverse Band Axle Presses (back support, chin height, 110lbs assistance)<br />116x5<br />146x3<br />176x2<br />206x2<br />236x2<br />266x2<br />286x2<br />306x2<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />sbx10 at pin 13<br />sbx8 at pin 15<br />sbx8 at pin 17<br />sbx8 at pin 19<br />sbx8 at pin 21<br />sbx8 at pin 23<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x8<br />120x8<br />150x8<br />180x8<br />210x8<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I had been wanting to train since Sunday but knew I needed the rest. Also wanted to do it while it was light outside but again couldn’t do that either. I was proper annoyed by time I could train from getting a lot of work assigned in the last 25 minutes of my day that had no way of getting done so means I got stuff from yesterday to do first thing in the morning on top of other stuff. Joy. Made it through the first two weeks of prep, which is kind of the first true workouts and it will be a question of how the fatigue builds from each session going forward. Arms sore from stones because of course they are. Going to happen when you do 20 reps with no tacky. Also part of why just because you can do something doesn’t mean that body is fully conditioned for it and able to recover. Which is why I wanted to make sure I could do it and hopefully have it be repeatable. Also raw skin from no tape. The arm soreness had me glad that I wasn’t doing log clean and press every week this time around. Weight has been holding steady at 264.8lbs for three weeks now. Good in that I can maintain at this but I do want to see if I can get the scale to go up some more so as to fill out things a bit more. So adding in an additional small meal to see how that goes. Movement stuff to start things off. I forgot that last time I did this workout was before DLS stuff so there was still light outside for most of the workout. Now it is just darkness. Joints felt surprisingly ok with warming up. Then it was time for the lifting of weights. Starting things off with reverse band work with the axle again. Seated with back support at chin height with the same band assistance. Goal was warm up in triples with 20-30lbs jumps to a top double that wasn’t feeling like I was grinding out reps. I was surprised with how tough things go with the jumps as I got up in weight. Like the 30lbs at the start felt like nothing really. But I knew it was deceptive as the weight climbed with the ratio of the weight at the bottom becoming greater with more weight. Suggested was to do 315lbs but I knew that wasn’t going to happen with just how things had felt last time when I gave that an attempt and it felt like it wasn’t going to go. And that is despite 296lbs feeling pretty good for the triple. Done a lot more pressing since last did these so shoulders didn’t seem to have any discomfort. I made sure that I applied the support gear appropriately as I went about doing these. Trying to get things into the right position for how it would feel for log pressing (opening up chest). Did 30lbs jumps up to 266lbs and then did 20lbs. This was potentially a gamble as I wasn’t feeling like it was going to be so easy. Honestly, I’m wondering if misloaded the weight last time with how things were feeling (but know I couldn’t have misloaded it by 30lbs). I was aiming for just 10lbs more than last time. The weight is a good bit at the bottom percentage wise over last time compared to the full weight at lockout. 286lbs didn’t feel super amazing like 306lbs would go up really. But got set and built up tension within myself and gave it a shot. And the first rep went up and I felt for sure no issue the second rep. Well it felt like not issue until I hit the sticking point where the full weight is in my hands. Just wasn’t going up but I wasn’t going to miss a rep or let my form breakdown. No exaggeration it took me 4 seconds to get through that sticking point. Happy I didn’t miss or breakdown in form but not too thrilled that I ended up having a grinder of a rep. But I know that this work is needed for me to get my pressing to continue on the upward trend. I’m not sure what is in store for the next time this is likely to pop up but I imagine it will need to potentially be pulled back some or make even smaller jump in weight for top weight over the previous session. But enough of that, on to the rest of the workout. The substitution of band assisted pull-ups for the lat pulldowns was next. This time sets of 8 reps up to a top set. Again a moderate set but leaving less in the tank. Considering how exhausted my arms felt last time I did these (not used to it) and the beating they took with arm-over-arm and no tacky stones, I was only expecting to go a little bit more than last time. Plan was pin 21 for the support working down in 2 pin jumps from pin 13. My right biceps cramped up on me at the shoulder insertion on the second set of pull-ups so that wasn’t too fun. I’m just glad it is just that and not something that will derail training. And also that not doing any log cleans this session. So kept going, just trying to not have my biceps pulling too much of the movement that should be for the back. I was expecting pin 21 to be tougher than it ended up being. It was too easy to stop there so ended up going down 2 more pins for another set. That was the right one for this time. Log on incline to finish up the session. Gingerly moving this around to get it into the setup. Like the pull ups, this was to be sets of 8 reps warming up to a top set of 8 reps. I’d have had problems if I was doing dumbbell pressing with having to curl/clean/shoulder those weights with my sore arms. Suggested was to do 30-40lbs more than last time. 30lbs seemed about right to me, especially considering how much effort I needed to expend on the top double for the reverse band stuff. Feeling the pressing from the past week and this session. Wasn’t feeling so easy compared to last time but felt comfortable with the last set. Put stuff away and stretched before eating leftovers with new food cooked.<br /><br />November 15, 2023 – Week 3, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Deadlifts (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x2<br />405x1<br />495x1<br />545x3<br /><br />Sandbag Squats (to 18” box)<br />112x5<br />175x5<br />225x5<br /><br />Planks<br />bw+20x60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Initially for this workout, the only thing I was really thinking would be of concern was the deadlifting but with how my biceps were feeling (especially the right one after Monday), I was having a few more concerns about things. Worries that the cramping was something more like a strain or worse. I’ve managed to keep going through biceps pulls and tears in the past with modification and still compete to the best of my ability. It was not ideal with that and having to move around odd furniture for my parents Tuesday evening. Just have to keep up soft tissue work and rest. Upper abs sore too. Not ideal for heavy deadlifts. Warming up same as Monday, joints felt surprisingly ok with warming up. No issues doing any of the stuff as far as my biceps. I did do some additional hip/ankle/knee stuff to prep for the deadlifting. Speaking of which, time to make the deadlifts. Like last time, work up to a “conservative” triple. After last time and discussing the plans and what were the realistic options and plans, it was decided that I go for 545lbs for the top weight. I felt that was doable. It should be doable. I guess I’ve not really been doing much in the way of deadlifting with a bar and without it being with a suit or with a deadlift bar because apparently this was going to be 20lbs over my best post 2016 back injury triple. And even going further back in training, I’ve only ever done 550lbs for a triple without a suit and using a regular power bar. I know that now after the fact but didn’t know that going into this. Just felt like this was what I needed to be doing to be on track for the bare minimum I need to be at for competing in a month on this particular event setup. Unlike last week, I removed the knee sleeves that I was using as shin guards. I was wondering if the tactile sensation was preventing me from bending my ankles and knees more which caused me to look very much like a stiff-legged deadlift last time that just felt off. Trying to consciously get more bend and feel the lower body power as well as try (but not really succeed) in having my knees more forward than shoulders. 135lbs felt ok. Again, this isn’t where I feel best. Maybe this felt a little better this time around. Left knee a little achy. 225lbs felt fast as per usual. I decided this time around that I’d use metal plates until I got to 495lbs and then use the rubber again for there. Just because. Get it to look like more weight so not thinking about it so much. Maybe. 315lbs definitely felt better compared to last time so that was encouraging. It hadn’t felt that great last week. 405lbs just felt ok. Not feeling like something that I could do a ton of reps on with how it felt really. Rubber plate for the 495lbs. I’m no sure as far as how things would feel if I was to be doing reps here (as singles after 315lbs) but it definitely felt good on the pull and didn’t feel so awkward. So I was feeling pretty good for 545lbs a little bit nervous. I did attempt to get the most hyped but I was having some issues getting that last 5-10% over the top but what I had should be enough. Hopefully. It should be. 545lbs went up pretty good for the first rep. Similar issues with the bar roll out on the initial break off the ground. I was kind of surprised the second rep felt as tough as it did. The difficulty had a slight hesitation for the third rep (also feeling my glasses sliding off my face). This was definitely close to a max here. Like 50/50 if I went for a fourth rep here and it wouldn’t be a pretty rep. Only had shakes for this last one but no hitching. Quick reflexes unstrapping as the bar hit the ground to be able to catch my glasses as they fell off my face. Floor pulls just feel awkward for me and it does feel like a deficit for me with how much better a slightly elevated pull feels for me (3-4” more). The assemblage of limbs and levers doesn’t look like it fits watching deadlifts sometimes. But the contested thing this time around is a standard barbell from the floor for reps so that is what I’m doing. With this, I should be on track for 585lbs for something. After being done with deadlifts, it was time for the other thing I was a little worried about. Sandbag squats to a parallel box. This had been light but odd exercise last time. And my sandbag collection is limited so big jumps kind of the name of the game. Plan being a little bit more than last time for a set of 5 reps after working up. I did 175x2x5 so 225x5 would be the plan today. This had been quite rough on the knees last time I did these so adding 50lbs to that was some concern but knees have been having mostly good days since then. But picking up and hugging sandbags wasn’t exactly something I wanted to be doing with not only healing raw skin on my forearms but my biceps that were quite sore from past workouts. This wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t have the caveat of keeping the sandbag off my legs when I sit down on the box. That makes these a lot harder. Like, I could do a ton of reps if I did them I’ve seen most people do a variation of this. A pain to keep it up off the legs so when I can’t seem to do that well enough I try to keep the sandbag upright in a way that it doesn’t get assistance from there. Things after the warming up actually went quite well. Tougher to hold yes but knees didn’t seem to be bothered to much and my arms didn’t get worse. Breathing was also better. Core work in the form of planks to finish up the session. Last time had been a relief that I could do these again without bothering my elbow bursitis. Same as last time but allowed to add some weight to the regular plank. Put 20lbs of leg weights in a backpack for that. Easy stuff. Side planks were also easy. I did take a bit more rest because I was putting stuff away between the sets and exercises in the garage from the sandbag stuff as well as belching a good bit as well. Built up the most sweat from these planks honestly. Done this this and stretched out before cooking dinner. Hopefully arms continue to heal up and progress continues for the pulls and pressing.<br /><br />November 18, 2023 – Week 3, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Conan’s Wheel<br />+400x1 rotation (clockwise) approx. 289.5lbs for 81’8”<br />+400x1 rotation (counterclockwise) approx. 289.5lbs for 81’8”<br />+600x.5 rotation (clockwise) approx. 390.5lbs for 40’10”<br />+600x.5 rotation (counterclockwise) approx. 390.5lbs for 40’10”<br />+800x1.5 rotations (clockwise) approx. 491lbs for 123’5”<br />+800x1.25 rotations (counterclockwise) approx. 491lbs for 104’9”<br /><br />Sled Pushes/Sled Drags (turf)<br />135x50’/50’<br />165x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />225x50’/50’<br />255x50’/50’<br />285x50’/50’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Work was getting exhausting by the end of the week. And keeping an eye on the right biceps was also weighing on me. But seems to be fine. Some calf tightness in the right side while out walking Friday. Got things ready to hopefully get up and go train. I had plans for the session that I knew would eat up a lot of time. And I ended up getting a later start because I got caught up in doing some calculations for the session. Drive out was really smooth but I did notice as I got close to the gym that there wasn’t traffic coming the other way and saw what appears to be road construction that doesn’t look like going to be done anytime soon. Turns out the detour to get back home adds like 15 minutes to my drive home. Allegedly it will be done by Monday. Good bit of people at the gym. Which would be good if I felt comfortable asking for assistance for what I had in mind. And bad if I stuck to the original plan. Did the mobility warming up stuff which felt fine. The time vampire for the session was going to be conan’s wheel. I know that I said it was a pain to setup and would require a ton of effort to do it. And it did. But I felt it was important that I get a session on it so that I don’t come into the competition not fully prepared. I do feel the yoke zercher carries are good stuff for building and training. But the moving of the weight and it being a lot more then what I’ll be moving compared to the yoke (weight in hand about the same). So this alternative workout was discussed with Mr. Westerling and I knew it would be much like eating crab legs in that it would a lot of effort for very little sweat meat. I had setup the empty conan’s wheel with an anchor setup (which thankfully didn’t need to be as heavy as I was thinking) and then did the warming up for the session before getting all the weights out. The plan was 50% a lap going both ways (clockwise and counterclockwise) and then 75% for half a lap both ways and then 100% for max distance both ways. Resting as needed. I was initially going to treat it as 50% of contest weight in hand (a guess) and go from there. But I decided that would take longer so I just went with 50% weight I added to the setup and so on. Contest is 680lbs added on the setup for the contest at the gym. But there are differences between the one here and the on there. The setup at the competition gym is heavier in hand empty (125lbs or so compared to 88lbs or so). Also the arm of the device is shorter (9’ to compared to 13’). Reviewing videos and pictures of the competition setup, it would be close to 500lbs weight in hand from what I can see. It will depend on where they adjust the weight tree but on the closer setup, it’s about 55% the distance. The setup at the gym is about 50% or so. Since lighter and closer to the middle, that means I’d need a lot more weight on this to get it close to contest setup. So something like 825lbs added to be just over 500lbs. 800lbs seemed like close enough and made for convenient 200lbs jumps with the many 100lbs plates at the gym (most being near the power stairs). I think my process here was just thinking of the setting up as part of the session as I’d be getting a lot less volume in with this session. First go didn’t feel that bad. That pick does suck as it is not as stable as when I do the yoke and I have to brace hard for the pick and then have to let my air out and stabilize or I will pass out. The parking lot isn’t even so that didn’t help here. I lowered the pick height 1 notch for the next set of runs as I was worried that I’d be scrapping the blacktop with more weight. Obviously the pick took a bit more out of me with that. But once I got over that it didn’t feel that bad. Didn’t feel like I had much in the way of compression so I raised the pick height back up for the top sets. Which ended up being a mistake in hindsight. The initial start off the pick is rough with this much live weight but it is necessary. I was glad that I got more than a lap here. I compressed too much and the weight got stuck on the blacktop. I wasn’t done. I know that once you drop you are done with the conan’s wheel but I feel like this was more just the uneven ground. I lowered the pick height a notch and got back under it (about 30 seconds total) and managed to get a little past a half a lap. Hamstrings (especially the left one) were on fire. Took a good long rest before going again. I’m seeing one downside with the 50’ drops and turns is that the arms can recover from readjusting that frequently when doing a full run like this the fatigue builds from the time under tension. I had a bad pick for the second run and I was shy of a lap before I could feel it dragging too much to keep going. About 45 seconds this time as I thought maybe I could get it lower but not without turning the attachment upside down so I just regripped and got a better position and got a little bit past a quarter into a second lap. Would’ve been nice to not have to repick it both times here. But rather here than in competition where it would be the end of the run. Tape did seem to help with the raw skin and some of the bruising for the upper arms. Will need to commit tot that at the start rather than at the end when I’ve already used chalk. Hopefully the contest setup is sturdier with less flex in it. But I will need to err on the lower pick side of things. Putting the setup away by myself was just as tiring as setting it up. Also had the added factor of fatigued hamstrings, hips and upper body to contend with. But this was fine as I needed to take a break before finishing things up with the sled work. Same as last time with it being 50’/50’ of pushing followed by backwards drag. My plan this go around was to start lighter but make bigger jumps. 10lbs lighter and do 30lbs jumps and see where that leaves me. Knees feeling better so didn’t seem so foreign working up like it did last time. Sure, there were some knee aches as I was getting good and ready. Again, 225lbs felt pretty tough comparatively and I was thinking maybe the next jump was it. But I guess putting more focus into it and motivating myself with short, sharp exhales got me feeling like I was leaving too much on the table. So I took a longer rest and added 30lbs more and got that still in under 30 seconds. Quads and hamstring were pumped. Almost painfully so in the quads. I felt I needed to push a little more since not as much conan’s wheel volume. Put stuff away before getting in the car for a longer than normal return commute. Ate food when I got home and then stretched.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kA5gxMBrgvw?si=miEKuVmzU4utpF_A" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-59926094504647902432023-11-11T17:38:00.005-05:002023-11-11T17:38:42.537-05:00November 5, 2023 - November 11, 2023 - Week 2<p> November 6, 2023 – Week 2, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x1<br />210x1<br />230x1<br />250x1<br />250x1<br />250x1<br />250x1<br />250x1<br /><br />Bent Over Rows<br />45x10<br />95x5<br />135x5<br />185x5<br />225x5<br />Added Straps<br />275x5<br /><br />Close Grip Bench Presses (18” spacing)<br />45x10<br />85x8<br />135x5<br />185x3<br />225x10<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Well I made it through the first week of training for this next show. Seeing younger guys be back in the gym and hitting PRs when I’m just feeling ready to lift again haha. My weight did not increase from last week which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If anything it is a good sign as the week before I had just been doing walks whereas this week had been with regularly scheduled workouts and being more workload overall then the past training cycle. So have to see if stagnant or change after this week and so on to see if I need to adjust anything. My stomach and body do seem to be tolerating all the new foods/meals well enough. With this workout, I wasn’t worried about being able to do the weights. More that would I be able to do the weights and have them feel as easy as they should feel. Was this going to be the right effort? Which now I’m thinking might be a habit picked up in the past few years with all the RIR and RPE stuff. Because I know that I will grind myself out and I have to figure out what the intent is. I also had to deal with the soreness from the past week. Nothing really from the first two days. But a lot from Saturday. Legs and glutes kind of used to it but the hips not so much. Upper back and forearms were really feeling the zercher work. Not to mention the bruises I have on my stomach and arms from the belt. This is going to be a painful prep with all the sucky events. Warming up stuff felt fine. Just feeling sore. Not a fan of the Daylight Savings change as that means it is pretty much pitch black shortly after 5PM. Been a bit since it was night time logging. This was the thing that had me anxious for this session. Plan was written for 5x1 with 2 minutes rest with 80%. Suggested was 250lbs. Which would be about 310lbs projected. A 5lbs PR for competition. I wasn’t sure if this was to be based off what I felt I could do or have it be like accidentally on the trap bar pulls for Nats with it being projected. I got clarification that this was more to be something that I could definitely do since I just did Nats and was doing this or above for like the past month. Making it easy was a concern considering how hard the body was worked on Saturday. Forearms sore and maybe my lower body drive wouldn’t be there. This contest isn’t allowing grip shirts which does change the mechanics of the clean a bit. Going to need to use a lot of chalk this prep. Also trying to mimic how I’ve seen log setup at the competition gym and trying to have my log feel heavier with metal plates. No bumper plates this prep I think but using 35lbs plates or smaller to get that lower height and have the weights feel like a heavier log. Those metal plates and how they shift certainly makes things interesting. Getting love bites from the log on the cleans on the forearms as so used to the grip shirt. Will get better by next time I’m sure. Knees and hips a little achy at the start but seemed to be fine. I wasn’t feeling so great but the working weight went about as smooth as it could really. There was no doubt of it being pressed each time. My rest was closer to 90 seconds when I did check film after the fact. I left the log outside so I could move on to the other stuff. Unlike the first week, I didn’t need to do everything outside really for efficiency’s sake. It was quicker to just have the other rack setup in the garage for what was going to be gym work. Just barbell work. First up bent over rows. Warm up in 5’s to a moderate set. Notes being to stop at something I feel I could do 50lbs more for a top set. There are a lot of varieties that pass for “form” with bent over rows so I did ask for clarification. Advised that belt and straps allowed as needed and that start from below the knee cap and pull to the belt/belly button region. So keeping a stable lower back and pull with upper back. I tend to like this variation. Suggested was 225lbs. Unless I felt really terrible, I was going to do more than that. Despite how sore my forearms were, grip didn’t feel bad. These were feeling pretty good. Only thing was just getting into position and my wrists aching a little from the angle. It has been a while. Straps on for the top set. I was debating between 265lbs and 275lbs and just went with 275lbs. Felt fine. I tend to be able to do a lot of reps with a weight and there being a bit drop off as weights increase. I took the brief respite from taking the weights off to setup for bench to get in a meal of instant oatmeal. Work had got a little hectic in the afternoon and my eating schedule was off and I didn’t want to eat something right before doing log work with being bent over. I shouldn’t have issues with benching with a little food. I haven’t really done regular benching. Technically this was listed as close grip but hands touching the smooth is wider than my usual grip for close grip. I seem to really want to make it close as opposed to a “closer” grip. The angle felt a little odd to my left shoulder. But it has been feeling odd with push ups too and been fine with the implement pressing. Just had me a little concerned there. Plan was working up to a set of 8-10 reps. Leave reps in the tank. Like the rows, plan was 225lbs. I wasn’t going to deviate from that as this was fine and if I felt terrible, I’d stop at 8 reps. I don’t know, maybe putting on the wrist wraps got me to tighten up or something as felt fine that set. I did notice that this grip did actually allow me to tuck and use my lats. Put stuff away before cooking up dinner. Stretched afterwards.<br /><br />November 8, 2023 – Week 2, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Front Squats<br />45x10<br />95x8<br />135x5<br />185x10<br /><br />18” Jack Stand Pulls w/ bands (straps, +50/+100)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x2<br />EMOM<br />405x1<br />405x1<br />405x1<br />405x1<br />405x1<br /><br />Ab Wheel<br />bwx10<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I’m in an odd place. It has felt like Thursday this whole week. Probably just from how the hour shift messing with things. It’s not fun having it be pitch black outside right after getting off the clock or having Mr. Sun cutting through the blinds before I’m supposed to be up. But besides that, body stuff. Feeling aches in the left hip from the work put in from Saturday and the log work Monday. Bruises on my forearms from the log cutouts. But skin on the left forearm from zercher stuff is healing well. I may need to tape for future sessions. Knees aren’t feeling terrible that I feel I have to go downstairs backwards if a few steps. There is a “fullness” in my knee joints that has been missing for a good bit. Felt like this since Saturday session. Has kind of felt like no cartilage stuff. But who knows with the demands I’m asking of myself. A Pro/Am show finally announced the weights and I didn’t even really have time to process it before the show sold out. It wasn’t going to be a go for me with the log weight for the lightest implement being 20lbs over my best (and it would be at elevation, which never been). The other events seemed fine enough, if not heavy. But that’s me, just looking at stuff and keeping my finger on the pulse when I got a competition I’m gearing up for. Thinking long term as always. This workout was likely going to be the easiest session of the prep. It could also be the shortest without being a deload session. But not short enough to safely do during lunch in a way that was meaningful. I’m sure I could make it work but might as well keep things consistent. Warming up seemed to go well. I stopped thinking so much on the knees out with the box squatting and that seemed to feel decent on the knees. Left shoulder still aches but at this point, it seems like it will keep doing that. Aches don’t mean I won’t have a good day/session. I was very surprised with how sore my lat inserts for the armpits were from just a little bit of rowing on Monday. First thing as front squats. Nothing fancy. Work up to something that was easy for 8-10 reps (suggested 50%) that didn’t bother my knees. Get good ROM and blood flow. I did a little more mobility work to get my ankles mobile enough that my tight lower legs weren’t hampering things. Might need to do that for next week’s lower body session so that I’m not so stiff on deadlifts. This should be easy with the suggested 185lbs but I needed to clarify if it was to be 50% of max as being the important part or if the suggestion of that percentage was just to make sure it was something comfortable. My squatting max is definitely down so likely closer to 165lbs would be more likely since haven’t pushed heavier squats. But it seems that wasn’t the important part and just something that would be good. Knees were a little stiff and usually it is more just getting warmed up that has things feeling good for front squats. Rarely do my knees feel bad on full depth front squats. Usually in the past few sessions with front squats (especially when I’ve taken a break from them), the bar feels odd and my knees ache unracking. Not this time. I think that is from doing the zercher carries. I’ve heard someone refer to a zercher squat as a low bar front squat so maybe on to something there haha. There was relief with that top set going so well. I felt like I could do 20 reps or more with the weight. Got to take advantage of those times when squats feel enjoyable. Then on to deadlift work. This could’ve been expedited by doing the front squats outside and then having things already setup for pulls. But I felt it made more sense to give myself some break pacing wise and so I could get some fluids down. The pull for this time was to be rack pulls against bands (75-100lbs tension). Notes were to warm up and do 5x1 EMOM style with the bar height being 1” below my knee cap. I do have a power rack but the jack stands are much easier to setup with bands with how I have things setup in the garage. I also got these long knee joints in appearance due to Osgood-Schlatter from when I did wrestling and had a rapid growth spurt so bony nubs right below my knees. So I treat below the nub as where the “below knee” is. Which means that apparently 18” fits that bill. As to why this height, so that the shins were straight like finishing a pull. Setup takes a bit for the banded pulls due to moving stuff around. This tension didn’t require much to anchor. Working on bracing here as well. Trying to get myself moving well. First two weights felt like nothing. Then started to feel like something with the addition of more weight. It has been a while since I’ve done EMOM for pulls so I wasn’t sure where I used to hang the timer and not have it get in the way. I went with shirt collar. These went well. Last thing was just a single set of ab wheel. 5-10 reps with bodyweight and not to overdo it on the ROM. I could’ve jumped right into this but decided to put away the stuff I had at as rest and then did the set. I know how deceptive these can be when not done in a while as far as soreness in the lower abdominals. These were quite easy and hopefully I don’t feel the sting of DOMs later as these weekend sessions are going to be vicious affairs to get ready for the competition. Put stuff away and stretched before cooking up dinner.<br /><br />November 11, 2023 – Week 2, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Arm-Over-Arm Pulls (turf)<br />(standing, arms only) 225x50’<br />(seated, arms only) 350x50’<br />(seated, competition style) 560x50’ in 24.58 Seconds<br /><br />Stone of Steel Loads (54”)<br />140x1<br />210x1<br />EMOM<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br />278x1<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was feeling pretty good with things as far as the week and with how my body was feeling. Air quality was poor Thursday and had to take some nasal spray to help with that. Not sure what I did that day in the afternoon but my right knee was feeling achy. Being off work for holiday observance was I guess needed. It had felt like the end of the week all week and I crashed pretty hard I guess when I finally made myself go to sleep Thursday. I woke up initially due to allergies at like 6AM and then went back to sleep. I didn’t think I was going to sleep for another almost 7hrs more. So woke up just before 1PM and having to get a full day’s worth of food in about half the normal time. But I made it work and got everything I needed done. These weekend training sessions are quite a bit different from how the work week sessions are. There was a similarity with things during the switch in programming for Nats but it does feel like a divide this time around. Which seems to work. The weekend stuff requiring a lot time and setup and more relaxed pace. Driving out to train was fine. Was thinking maybe I should do more allergy meds as it is about that time but too late to reconsider once one the road. Good bit of people at the gym. Some usual suspects and some that haven’t been there in a while. Got some comments about looking bigger/jacked and I mentioned that I had added instant oatmeal to my diet (twice a day) and that seems to be helping me fill out again. I only had two events to train today but it would require effort and setup. Warming up felt fine with the mobility stuff. I wasn’t sure about my knees being achy but seemed fine. First things of actually training was arm over arm. I’ve not had to do this in a little over a year. Competition is a seated arm over arm on turf for 50’. Sled to be Christmas themed (as in pulling Santa’s sleigh). Notes had been in tire but it does appear to be on the ground. Brings it’s own hassles with setup. With no ego, I say I’m one of the best at this event in the country so I don’t really need much in the way of work on it. I only did it twice for Nationals last year when I won and I didn’t even go that heavy. I’ve done both actual weight on turf as well as using the exergenie and both are good. I think with how short this prep is going to be where I’m likely only getting two touches on this that doing this with a sled setup on turf makes more sense so that I can get a better visual of the distance and timing vs if I were to just be pulling until I hit a marker with my hand doing the exergenie. I’ve not actually gotten to do a contest with arm-over-arm with Mike. There was an attempt in 2019 but I withdrew (I was prepping for 3 shows at a time) due to relapse of back pain. Usually I just train like 2-3 sets at something challenging and call it there because it can be a pain to reset and it is quite exhausting. Mike seems to like doing arm over arm with one top set but working to it in variations to get different parts worked. In order to facilitate this being as close to contest, I used the Jenkins sled and brought in my 75’ length of 1.5” manilla rope. First set was standing and bent over like a truck pull and working the arms for hand speed. I initially had 350lbs on it as I misread what I did last time with this when I had to do 93’. It wasn’t exactly budging so dropped it down to 225lbs and that was still bit harder than I’d have liked. I was thinking I had done 295lbs last time and maybe the setup was tougher. Nope, I had only done 165lbs last time so this was good haha. Took a bit to setup for the next variation in that it was seated but not doing full body. Still just arms really. Would need someone to eat the rope for this since it would pile up on me. Added back the dropped weight here for this run. I was slightly concerned with how things would feel on the midsection as those darn ab wheels really have a lasting soreness in the lower abs. I had meant to film the first variation but apparently didn’t hit record so I didn’t bother with this one. This is more warming up really and the top set would be the one that mattered. Full body. Notes to not kill myself here. This took a bit longer to get ready not because I wasn’t ready to go but I noticed my stone of steel was still loaded with weight and this was because it had gotten stuck and someone had just left it. So that took some effort (I needed it for later but also wanted to use it for weight in the sled) and then I had to track down the missing spacers. But I found them finally so all well and good. No weight is listed for the sled at the comp but says heavy and that weight listed would probably not make sense or matter. I’d say 700lbs is probably about where things are going to be based off how things went in 2022. So I decided to do 80% of that this time around with plan of getting it at least under 40 seconds but preferably under 30 seconds. A little out of practice for this but it went well and even with a few missteps I managed to get under 25 seconds here. So that was good. I guess I’ll need to go heavier next time to get into the right effort range. Stone work after that. This was what I was most nervous about really for this week of training. The event is stone over bar with no assistance beyond chalk and done as stone off style like at WSM. So back and forth until you can’t with another athlete and then someone else steps in to take their place. I’ve not done this variation before and my thinking is I need to work on getting used to repeated effort. I shouldn’t be a concern as far as strength with peaking no tacky stones for Nationals (but still some sticky) considering that the weight is 277lbs. So the bright idea suggestion was to use the stone of steel and do 20 minute EMOMs to get myself conditioned. And Mike seemed to like that idea so here we are. But of course doing my own thing with making the load height 2” higher than competition because. I really wasn’t sure how this would go. Notes indicated to get as close to contest weight as I felt comfortable with at this time. Which was going to be contest weight. I wanted to see if bare skin worked here as well and if the applications of isopropyl spray and liquid chalk would combo sweat enough. That first rep I felt like I made a huge mistake as it didn’t feel super easy and I had 19 more to go. The second lift was not a confidence builder as I tried to grab as it lay and the plateloaded stone gets off balance. Once I decided to position it the same each time it wasn’t that bad. Just having to make sure that I was really crushing with arms and pecs, something I feel I wasn’t doing as well as I should when it was Nationals. The benching and back stuff should help there as well. Only took a few sets in before the mess up on the second lift was erased and I was recovering fine between the singles. Really it was the sweat as my body got warmer that became the issue as I went. I may need to tape up the forearms to minimize that. Considering I did contest weight here, I may need to adjust things as far as maybe rest period next time around as the rest period will shrink I guess after 10 lifts for an athlete. Hopefully I’m not too sore in the upper body by the time Monday rolls around. Home to get in some food and stretch.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RbOHOkPlIks?si=lLSU9JIhZyEnEP2H" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-7233606383510592792023-11-04T19:09:00.002-04:002023-11-04T19:09:34.301-04:00October 29, 2023 - November 4, 2023 - Week 1<p> Nationals done but the year is not. I was not really expecting to take the week off from training after Nationals just with how I’d been doing training for the past few years here and how I was feeling. And especially with a quickish turn around for this next competition. But it does seem that the week of rest was warranted. It gave me time to recover and to think. Nationals had been a bit ask on myself and on Mr. Westerling considering where I was feeling mentally and physically and I’m happy with the results in that while I wish to always be at my best, I see that there is improvement and that improvement can continue. But also realize that I wasn’t ready it this year if I competed as open HW as originally planned. I can’t be too bummed about missing out on Arnold invite. I was initially thinking I wasn’t going to even compete let alone be in contention. The rest was needed as I was still getting slight cramps from stressed muscles and having bruises heal. And feeling anxious to get back to training (in a good way). It can be tough seeing people that just competed doing “yolo” stuff and hitting PRs when you are just doing brisk walks. The week off gave me time to plan out workout stuff so that I hopefully don’t run into an issue during sessions figuring things out. Going to be needing to do most of these after work due to additions of things. The last 8 weeks or so had been the bare minimum of things and now adding stuff back in for a more full workout sessions. Too much to guarantee I can get done under 1hr I feel. So that will be an adjustment. Competition is going to be quite biceps intensive and not allow some of the usual assistance stuff. I will be getting like 2-3 touches on some events. Plan is to try and keep weight up and either gain/maintain depending on how things go with the diet changes (currently just below 265lbs right now) and stick to open HW class. Heavier weights and gives me options as far as the bigger shows for amateurs. Hope is to qualify for Nationals 2024 (already looking at the venue, time off and restaurants) so I can have some flexibility with the rest of the year. We know what to take out of diet to get down in weight if needed. <br /><br />October 30, 2023 – Week 1, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Seated Reverse Band Axle Presses (back support, chin height, 110lbs assistance)<br />116x5<br />146x3<br />176x3<br />206x3<br />236x3<br />266x3<br />296x3<br /><br />Band Assisted Pull-ups<br />sbx10 at pin 13<br />sbx10 at pin 15<br />sbx10 at pin 17<br />sbx10 at pin 19<br /><br />12” Log Incline Bench Presses<br />90x10<br />120x10<br />150x10<br />180x10<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: So back to training. I was feeling like training Wednesday of last week but the break was needed for just things in general. Rainy off an on today but luckily not a lot so it wouldn’t really affect things for this workout. It was going to be interesting training after work after the past two months of lunch break workouts as well as having in a good bit of meals in me more than I had been with the attempt to keep weight up and gain. Warming up continues to be the same as it was for prep for Nats. Just been a week since I’ve done stuff besides walks. So some things were a little stiff. Some aches and such. Then training. So this was going to be a bit different in that unlike the back half of last prep everything was just the competition lifts. This will have some variation and more exercises. Starting things off with reverse band work with the axle. Seated with back support overhead pressing. Plan was have bands take 90-110lbs off at the bottom and not that much at the top. And setting the pins at chin height. So with how tall I am, I have to double the bands and even then the weight will come out of the bands a little at lockout. Which isn’t ideal to keep from “bouncing” around but it does mean I know I’m fully handling the weight at lockout. My thinking with this is a way to build for log (similar height) with a different grip. From what I can gather, log will be more singles at a decent percentage. Goal was warm up in triples with 20-30lbs jumps to a top triple that wasn’t feeling like I was grinding out reps. Suggested had been 300lbs. Reverse bands are interesting with how it “feels” like as more weight is added the bands assistance less. The 30lbs jumps were feeling pretty noticeable. I was told I could use belt and wrist wraps. While I don’t “need” a belt for a seated press, I felt it was probably good idea for breathing and bracing because I’d be doing it for the overhead. I went with 30lbs jumps and the plan was to switch to 20lbs jumps but I figured that if I did a 20lbs jump instead of a 30lbs jump at the end, that I might overshoot where I was. It does seem like 296lbs was the right call (6lbs heavier with my axle and plate setup) as I did attempt 316lbs and I could tell that wasn’t happening. As I mentioned, pressing is down but we hopefully will get this back on track. I will say there was some slight discomfort in the right shoulder but I think more just not used to doing pronated pressing. From there the next thing was lat pulldowns. Or was to be but I don’t got access to that. I did try to set one up during the beginning of lockdown stuff in 2020 but it was a hassle and was damaging stuff. And didn’t make sense to get a second gym membership to do some machine work. Or spend several hundred for a setup at home. So I got approval for an alternative that had been good for me with the band assisted pull ups. The plan was something to get the blood pumping in the lats and arms. So a moderate set of 10 reps, working up in sets of 10 reps. So I figured use the heaviest band assistance I had for a single band and just start high up and drop it like 2 notches each set to a decent set. I knew I could do stuff as low as pin 24 and I’d done things as high as pin 12. Since I was to leave like 50lbs in the tank, I figured I could get close to pin 20 or something. That actually ended up being more challenging than I was expecting. But on me there with being a bit out of pull-ups shape. Really haven’t been doing any lat pulldown type movements and my biceps can get quite fatigued when not being made to work for lots of reps. Slight discomfort in the left shoulder similar to the right with pressing. But again, I think more just not used to the movement. I got through 4 sets before moving on to the last thing. Last thing was to incline work. Option or dumbbells or log. I was debating between the two with the pros and cons and eventually went with log because it was going to be the press for the next show and it would be easier to setup and tear down compared to dumbbells at home. So some log work in the form of incline for the closer. This took a little bit of time as this had not been something I had tested out to minimize the setup. I had been thinking of using the light rack in the garage as that has been where I’ve done log incline in the past. But then I realized I could do log incline off the power rack so I had to figure the height for that before getting to work. Similar to the pull ups, this was to be working up in sets of 10 reps starting light and doing a top set that felt like I had 50lbs in the tank. I tried to do a slight pause rather than just use my chest like a trampoline that I know I’ve been guilty of doing on occasion when it wasn’t paused or tempo work. This was to be for chest work. 30lbs jumps seemed to work out pretty well and hit what I felt was going to be the right number. Really the log with 90lbs added. Put stuff away and stretched before eating a large pot roast.<br /><br />November 1, 2023 – Week 1, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Deadlifts (straps)<br />135x5<br />225x3<br />315x2<br />405x1<br />495x5<br /><br />Sandbag Squats (to 18” box)<br />112x5<br />175x5<br />175x5<br /><br />Planks<br />bwx60 seconds<br /><br />Side Planks<br />bwx60/60 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: So first workout went ok. I mean, I didn’t feel like I was crushing it and knew I had to hold back on stuff, despite how eager I was to do things. Because certain things tested were definitely detrained. Namely my chest and lat inserts. Not used to the work or the reps. Even with holding back a good bit. To be expected. And thankfully not a ton of DOMS so I was able move around. Back to doing soft tissue work again. Happy that my appetite seems to be good too. Any ways, I keep thinking the week is almost over for some reason. This would probably be the shortest of the workouts as far as setup and tear down really but not short enough to make sure it was done during lunch break. Wore my Brute Strength Gym shirt since I found out they are closing for good the end of this year. I had wanted to go back some time but just didn’t line up to be convenient. Warming up same as Monday but I could tell things were sore from Monday. The aforementioned lats and pecs but also my quads. I guess from the movement prep stuff after just going for walks on my week off. Didn’t exactly bode well for training with it being a lower body focused session. Some joint aches but not as much as I was expecting. Mostly just muscle soreness. Starting things off once warmed was deadlifts. Competition has a standard deadlift for reps on a regular bar and nothing besides straps allowed. Choice between heavy (675lbs) and light (585lbs) with heavy beating any number at lighter. I know my limits at this time and light option is the goal, hopefully for some reps. The heavy option is just a bit under the max weight I pulled on the slightly elevated trap bar so not likely. Keep expectations realistic. 585lbs isn’t anything for me to sneeze at. It is actually the most I’ve pulled raw in competition on a deadlift bar with straps. Plan was to work up to a conservative 5rm on deadlift. Hope being that my top end strength is there from Nationals and the deadlift focus. But I know that deadlift from the floor is a struggle for me and I’ve not really been doing it. It has mostly been slightly elevated stuff with axle (which I feel puts me in a better position) and then suited stuff for the past several contests. So it will be rusty. What was written out for suggested was to do plate jumps up to 495lbs for the top set. With reviewing what the next workout when this comes around had planned (50-90lbs jump but only triple), I had to access what was realistic and what would keep me from hopefully burning out too quickly. My best set of 5 reps without a suit on a regular bar is 515lbs from 2020. And I haven’t done a real deadlift this style in over 18 months (which coincidentally was also 495lbs). I had mentioned this to Mr. Westerling and he indicated that perhaps 425lbs – 455lbs range. Gave me options. I knew that even on my worst day the 425lbs would be too light so it was really 455lbs or 495lbs for me. It has been a while. Knees didn’t ache thankfully but my quads were feeling sore. 135lbs felt ok. Usually it doesn’t feel great for me, especially if doing some reps. It’s more to wake up and shake off the cobwebs. 225lbs is where I get a sense of things. And it felt so damn easy so I was feeling like 495lbs had to be it. I was doing an odd mixture of plates (metal and bumper). 315lbs and 405lbs felt just ok. Not amazing. I got set for 495lbs and got to work. Bar rolled away from me. Bad habit. I thought I got that resolved but I guess not. Again, been a good bit since I’ve done deadlifts and most of my pulls have been with my jack stands so no bar rolling. Other than that on the first rep, I felt good the first three reps. I think that I was rushing here to get through the set as I was feeling like I was going to have a hard time finishing up with how things were feeling. Fourth and fifth rep were quite slow. Started to feel the “shakes” on the last rep. So I’d confidentially say this wasn’t “conservative” but it wasn’t absolute max. watching the video after the fact it would seem that I was essentially stiff legging these pulls. I tend to get more leg drive but again, that could be from slightly elevated position on the axle stuff. Maybe I’ll be better next time around to continue the progression. The deadlifting was done and put that away. A squat variation was next. Sandbag squats to a parallel box. So 18”. I could use a sandbag or stone but idea was a front loaded box squat and not have the weight resting on my legs. I tend to do that with say a zercher squat lift or when I’ve done sandbag type squats before. So the cue was to hold higher to keep that from happening. No stones at home so sandbags it was. Thankfully I have some of those. Warm up and do 2x5 with a moderate weight. Suggested was 150lbs. I don’t got that so my choices were 112lbs to warm up and then 175lbs. The movement is tough on my lower body. The sandbag weight isn’t that bad really. I’ve lifted twice this to my shoulders on a sandbag. I was breathing a bit from the effort (crushing into my body). Left knee was feeling a little funky from the angle and the stresses. That was it for the weights. Core work in the form of planks. Regular and then side for 30-60 seconds. I’ve done these plenty before but haven’t due to my left elbow bursitis for almost a year now. But it has reducing a good bit since the summer but just not really trusted doing stuff putting pressure on the elbows like that as I’d hate to have to get it drained again. A couch pillow and doing them on the carpet meant no real issues with how much the swelling has gone down since it first popped up last year after Nationals. These were comfortable for a minute. Just a little sweaty. Stretched before getting dinner ready.<br /><br />November 4, 2023 – Week 1, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Zercher Yoke Carries<br />200x50’<br />250x50’<br />300x50’<br />350x50’<br />400x50’<br />450x50’<br />500x50’<br />400x275’ (2 minutes, drops at 50’)<br /><br />Sled Pushes/Sled Drags (turf)<br />145x50’/50’<br />165x50’/50’<br />185x50’/50’<br />205x50’/50’<br />225x50’/50’<br />245x50’/50’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Trying to not let the days get away from me. Feeling like I’m having a harder time making myself go to bed before it gets too late. Not sure if that has to do with having to workout after work again but even on days when that isn’t the case I seem to be doing that. And these workouts are also shorter than what they had been in the past. But feel like in a good spot work/life balance. My dad had a medical procedure (a planned one) and actually seems to have gone really well. I slept in like 30 minutes from the time I had set to wake up. I felt I needed it. I could tell I was feeling some stress from something innocuous as I was trying to think of ways to not have to drive so much for training on the weekends with stuff at home. But the stuff at the gym is going to be the best thing. I was also feeling like the drive out was taking longer when it was only a few minutes longer than the fastest time. The weather has not been helpful with it being below freezing over night and early morning and then ending up like 60 degrees by late afternoon. I got to the gym and I wasn’t expecting many people because a fair number of them were doing a Ragnar run in some desert. But there were people there. The sounds (weights and talking) was irritating me which also would be a sign that I’m stressed as I’m generally better at blocking that out. Mobility warming up felt fine. I was most focused on my knees feeling good. Had felt a little stressed from Wednesday training (squats). Unlike the other two sessions, only two exercises. But I knew these sessions were going to be brutal. Up first was zercher yoke carries. Training for conan’s wheel at the competition. The gym has a conan’s wheel but the arm is too long to do inside so would need to be moved outside and I’d need about 1300lbs in weights to load it up and anchor it and that’s going down a loading docket and then having to return. So not ideal and likely too much hassle. Especially by myself. Maybe if there were more people as it has been over a decade since I last did a conan’s wheel (I did figure out the weight in hand on it incase). But for all intents and purposes, carrying a yoke in a zercher position is likely harder than a conan’s wheel. Last time I did this movement was 2015 when it was an event at 2015 Nationals. Training had been going good for that but then at the show I kept passing out after a few steps and didn’t finish the course (I worked the whole time). Passing out after a few steps is not ideal with conan’s wheel since it’s a drop and you’re done. I know I can gut out good distances on front carry events. But this one has been mystifying. I tend to do well in training. I think it has to do with not getting good warming up at competitions and in the case of 2015, training on a much thinner crossbar. So the start was work up to a moderate 50’ run. Suggested was 50lbs jumps starting empty yoke and aim being 450-500lbs based off my all time best being 645lbs. This was going to be a bit of learning experience. Try and applying things I learned from since I last did this and try some things out. I knew not to try and go fast. Didn’t feel great at the start but kept adding layers of support as I went. I feel I’m getting better at fighting the sleep button and gritting through it. One tip has been to cough to “spike” blood pressure. 450lbs felt a little sloppy but I wanted to do 500lbs. I guess I took that one a little more seriously as that felt easier than 450lbs. Then I needed a good bit to mentally prepare myself for what was next. Because conan’s wheel is for distance. Not just a 50’ run. The plan being take 100lbs off the top run weight and do max distance. Either 2 minutes of work to get furthest with going back and forth 50’ with drops or to do one shot max distance no drops and then rest and bring it back (with drops if needed). Easiest thing setup wise would be the 2 minutes back and forth. Neither of these options was going to be fun. I figured this one would allow me to get more work in and in less time overall. This was not fun. I had a feeling I’d get over 250’ on this. I was dying with like 20 seconds left but I needed to keep working the whole time. Got the jelly leg feeling and my upper body was just about spent. Skin at the top of the forearms was raw from the tape on the yoke crossbar. Wrist wrap on the top wrist seemed to be a good way to help with keeping from dropping. I should mention I didn’t drop it once out of fatigue, it was always at the end points and the last when time ran out. I had to take a bit to cool off/down before I finished up with the last thing. Mostly because of how fried my legs felt and this last thing was literally all legs. The sled push into drags returned. An economical way to get work in. Lots of work but no eccentric. Unlike at my house, I need to use a lot less weight here because it is turf. Plan was to do 5-7 sets of progressively heavier sets of 50’ up and back. These hadn’t felt that great on my knees on the deload session. I set the sled up a little funky so it was balanced (50lbs keg in the middle). I was kind of surprised how much better these felt on my knees with the turf. I did 20lbs jumps and took longer rests after each run. I was debating between stopping at 5 sets but figured that I could get in another jump and still have it be within parameters. That was a good call. Leg sore. Put stuff away before driving home (well got stuck in traffic for a little bit). Wanted to get home so I could get some food and then stretch out.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ywAKZtppzU4?si=X4mgpICtawMBRMUx" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-736489918926010952023-10-22T23:01:00.001-04:002023-10-22T23:01:37.216-04:00October 20-21, 2023 – Strongman Corporation National Championships<p> Again at Nationals. Number 5 in 15 years. So about 1 every 3 years. Took me 4yrs to get to the first one (probably could’ve gone sooner but wasn’t ready). Again, I feel like most would’ve stopped by this point. And yet, this would be another first for me with doing a back to back Nationals. It hasn’t worked out for me in the past. Either because I didn’t qualify or it wasn’t in the cards (do to planning or injury). Considering how last year went and that it was one of those rare repeats of location (and the location was convenient for me), I made it my plan to get back again for another year. Every other Nationals seems to go mostly well for me on each event. The odd ones I’ve bombed two events whereas the evens I didn’t. I don’t feel it is possible for me to bomb anything this year. The year seemed to be going mostly well for me in that I qualified outright at the first show of the year after taking a winter offseason so I knew I had punched my ticket in March and would have time to be ready.<br /><br />My work continues to be stressful but I continue to adapt to crap that comes through. Like water off a duck’s back type thing. I have to or I’d be a wreck. As far as the stress leading up to this competition, it was mostly me vs myself and training changes/issues. I did not need to do Regionals this year but I felt it was a good idea as my biggest issue does seem to be recovering for a second day of competition. Don’t often have that opportunity. It was eye opening and the thoughts of needing a change were there but I needed to amass more “proof”. My thinking was that I was doing too much work and not recovering with it being most notable with overhead work. But the past two shows had been kind of unique in that one was a very technical one (circus dumbbell) and the most recent was unknown until contest as far as difficulty (viking press). Off season summer prep seemed to be needed but coming back to more standard fare with contest prep was finding that I was down a good bit and struggling where I wasn’t last year. My frustration was such that I considered hanging this up. <br /><br />Switching up coaching was kind of the last thing to see if I was truly done or not. I had initially been working with Mike Westerling from late 2016 until early 2021. This had lead to very productive work but then with 2020 and such and no actual competitions in sight, I was spinning my wheels and feeling so far behind my contemporaries. I think also training on just my home equipment was taking a toll on me as well as some feelings I had not really addressed from the previous year in the most healthy manner. Switching to Andrew Clayton was similar but different. It was a lot more work and it seemed to be needed for me and I definitely learned more about myself as an athlete. Things were going quite well but there were times of great stress for me when I wasn’t able to hit numbers I wanted. And times where stuff that was easy before was a struggle. And now I’m back. The diagnosis was overtraining with all the joint pains and aches so the training was made to be just the bare minimum of just the Nationals events. The shakeup coupled with a brutally honest heart-to-heart definitely got me back into the swing of things and committed to finishing out this year of competition.<br /><br />I’d not advise switching up stuff mid training cycle as it is quite a whiplash and with having to recover as well as get ready for one of the toughest shows of the year in half the usual time leads to some very aggressive approaches in the training. Peak hard to deload hard to play hard. I will say that despite the body aches from hard training, I was feeling the most relaxed going into a major competition. I’d like to say the drive out was routine. But had a slight hiccup at the start. I had thought only staying two nights but was going to be three nights so had to head back after about 5 minutes to make sure I had stuff for another day of being away. Other than that, it was a nice drive. The usual first hour or so talking with my dad about stuff before I start reading a book I packed. Erie is still windy but surprisingly not that cold. It was definitely colder and windier last year. I did have to weigh-in this year as I decided to drop down to the newly made 265lbs class that debuted last year. This decision was made when I found out I was 255lbs. I don’t plan to stay at 265lbs but if felt like the best thing with how I was feeling and not push things so hard to get to the top end of the HW class. I also need to figure away to fill out my frame since I’ve inadvertently dropped about 30lbs since March of 2022. Instant oats and honey with almond butter sandwiches have been my panacea. Anyways, I weighed in at 262.8lbs. I got to get a chance to look at the equipment before I went to the same upscale place for dinner as last year to get in some really good food. I definitely ate a bit too much so rules meeting I was wanting to nap and Nathan Payton yapping about “dry carbs” and hydration about did me in.<br /><br />Sleep eventually came to me and I wasn’t feeling terribly out of sorts upon waking. No struggle with nerves getting breakfast down. It was now time to get it done. Early rising this time around unlike last year. There was an AM and PM session again and it has worked well. Morning class this time around and the split seemed to be more even with things as far as women and men which resolved one concern from last year about the morning being just women as test subjects of things. The question marks this year would be more the events that details weren’t finalized until today to see if there was any issues but nothing stood out to me beyond those hiccups. And it did appear there were backups planned in the event of mishaps. Bit of waiting to be let into the venue but I was going to be more anxious waiting in the hotel room. This was going to be my first Nationals where I wasn’t in the open HW class. 25 people in the weight class which was a decent increase from last year. So I guess this would be my highest placing even if I get last place. I’m not terribly familiar with the competitors in this class beyond like two because the one state chair doesn’t like running the under 265lbs class and when they do, it’s the same weights as SHW so really no point. But I got to meet some new people as well as friends.<br /><br />The first event was last man standing sandbag toss. 15’ target. Opening weight of 35lbs and weight increases 5lbs each round until 55lbs and then 2.5lbs after that. No limit on attempts and could not skip weights. You didn’t have to start at the opener but once you were in, you had to do every attempt after that. But you missed and you were done. 30 seconds to lift, fight, kick, scream to get it done. As far as an event to start things off, this is a good one to get things moving. Not terribly taxing. I’ve been hit or miss with this one it seems. 2021 I was on fire with this one and managed to hit 55lbs with a close miss at 60lbs. Then this year at Regionals as part of a series, I only got 40lbs and 45lbs with close misses at 50lbs. I’m not too sure what happened but I feel that I’m doing better on that front. As I was initially signed up for open HW, I had been tossing over 16’. Having to get things that high (I didn’t bother changing after dropping down) had me measuring the toss tower at the gym, which ended up being a foot shorter than what was listed. In the past, I had made my own toss tower setup and this year I relied on the one that was built. This would explain why I was not getting the height at Regionals. Switching to less frequency seemed to be helpful as well as making adjustments in smaller increments in training than 5lbs. Ended up hitting 42.6lbs for several singles over 16’ for my last big training session. I had no idea where I’d end up on this one. I figured that 45lbs should happen and anything after that was good. Since they were running this on six lanes, I could see all the different classes. The open HW class was to be doing 16’ and it didn’t look like it was foot taller. Maybe we were tossing 15’6” or they were doing 15’6” or I can’t tell heights good. I wasn’t exactly going to be able to measure even if I wanted to haha. Didn’t matter, all tossing over the same setup. I was meticulous with things and not going full bore right from the start. This was the only event of the day that I got to do almost all the planned warming up that I’d like to do. I tried to repeat things for each toss. Touch the bag and pick it up and shake it to get the sand to be in the bottom and then be controlled and go to try and get a very high arc with minimal back or forward. Nerves were there but I was successful and got 45lbs over. That was what I was expecting to be there with training. Time for 50lbs. It went over and I was happy about that. I felt that this was going to be one where the separation started. 55lbs was going to be close. It would tie my PR on this in competition from 2021. A bit more aggression for myself and I got set and tossed it and I watched it just kind of slide over the edge of the barrier like an overweight cat. I was ecstatic that I was back to that level again and I knew that this had been a make or break moment. The jumps were then 2.5lbs. 57.5lbs just wasn’t happening today. I had used up my opa on the 55lbs. Starting off the day with a 7th place.<br /><br />Second event of the day was log clean and press. Trump weight style in that there was a light log and a heavy log. 60 seconds for as many reps as possible. One rep of the heavy log beat any number on the light log. The heavy log being 305lbs and the light log 255lbs. This wasn’t going to be a strong event for me. Even at my best it wasn’t and I’m definitely not at my best pressing wise right now despite the reboot I needed about 2 months back. Initially was aiming for 285lbs for reps as a heavy weight as the 345lbs trump weight was 40lbs over my best competition log press (where I had my own warming up and jumps I could take) and with my track record that wasn’t happening unless I got really good, real quick. But struggling with 235lbs at the beginning of my second week of prep was soul crushing and it took a bit to get over that mentally. I’m probably still not over that. I think realizing how much my bodyweight was affecting my recovery and leverages helped me understand I needed to make some adjustments. Survive this and keep working the plan going forward. Training was low volume but very aggressive with starting at 150lbs but going up to 270lbs by the end of the prep. Plan was see how I was feeling with warm ups before committing to a plan of light log or trying the heavy log. As great as warming up on the bag toss was, it was the opposite with log. I did initially get to do some empty log singles (135lbs) and the plan was to try and do 30lbs singles. That didn’t happen. The warming up logs got changed to 2 from 3 and miscellaneous logs. So by the time I was able to get to touch the log again it was 245lbs and it felt terrible. 110lbs jump will do that. I didn’t bother to press it and just cleaned it and held it in the rack for a moment. My limit reserve strength and my confidence in the pressing had me decide that the light log for reps was what I was going to need to do. So the warm ups were not great here and I got in I think singles at 175lbs, 215lbs and then maybe 230lbs. One log felt great and the other terrible. Like heavy on my chest and bothering my knees. So by the time I was out for log, I was just hoping that I could get the 255lbs for a single at least. That was how bad warming up had felt for me. So part of the mental issue had me approach the log slowly and take a moment to attempt the first lift. This felt much better than the stuff in the warm up area. I went for the press and it went up easy but I didn’t quite commit to it and had to re lock the weight out and catch myself from losing balance. My judge was going to be strict. So with that slight bobble, more concern before going for a second rep. I mean, I was on the board so that was good. Second lift I lost the log forward a bit and I got very little lower body drive into it as it went forward and it required a good bit of upper body strength to lock it out and I had to walk with it a bit as I grinded it out. So now I needed to regroup and take a little more rest. Training had been more geared to getting low reps and not with reps in mind so I was not in the usual condition for this plan. I knew that was going to be an issue but really with where I was 8 weeks out, I was just happy to be here and not feeling like the weight was crushing me. I went for one more rep to get a triple which had been my hope here with what I thought was enough time. I got it to the shoulders and I hesitated slightly as my initial dip had it wanting to roll forward so once it was there I went for the press. Time got called as I caught the log at my sticking point and pressed it out comfortably. But my judge said it was not going to count because it was after the time. I pressed it and pressed it thrice so a win for me there and that was to be the end of it. But then the MC indicated the rule was that if you were in the middle of pressing when time expired and you locked it out, it would count. So that ended up being a bit of going to one person and then another person and then back to the same person to again the same person to be told no after looking at my video that it wouldn’t count. I was fine with ruling either way but I wanted to make sure I understood the rules here so a little annoying. It was definitely after time was called when I locked it out so under the initial rules, it was not a counted rep. I don’t know if anyone benefited from that discrepancy or not. No grudges, moving on. So tied for 20th here with what was likely going to be my worst placing at the competition event wise.<br /><br />Final event for the first day was a stone event. Three stones carried staggered distances (270lbs for 10’, 300lbs for 8’, 325lbs for 6’) and loaded to 48” platform and then a fourth stone (350lbs) loaded over a yoke for reps in the remaining time. 60 seconds and no real tacky allowed. The only event with split times. This was going to be a brutal event and it kind of answered why the second day had all these tough events because I couldn’t see this being replaced with anything else to make Day 2 easier. The no tacky was likely due to the convention center rules and clean up. What kind of stones wasn’t really known beforehand but it was listed as “rubberized” or concrete if that didn’t work out. So training for this was pretty typical as far as stone work and the really issues ended up being more about finding what combination of allowed sticky substances and gear worked best as well as the appropriate application. So a good bit of trial and error on that and honestly, no clue if it would be applicable to what ended up being actually at the competition. It has been very rare that I do poorly on a stone event of any kind. This would likely be my strongest event of the contest. Only issue was I never got to really try out the full medley to see about reapplication and moving in training but I did all the weights or above for longer distance and did the last stone for several reps. Suffice it to say, the rubber stones didn’t work out and it was concrete. But also didn’t look like fresh stones. I recognized where they were from the logo so I didn’t have high expectation of these being good stones to stick to. These were going to be dusty. That’s not to say that attempts weren’t made to get them nice a good with wiping them down and spraying spray tack on them. But can only do so much. These kind of stone events with minimal to no adhesives with these kind of stones tends to favor those with very strong upper bodies with the increased need to crush. More chest, more upper back, more biceps. Tendonitis issues for me if I do it too much. But need to train to make the best of things while maximizing own advantages. This event I knew I wasn’t going to get to warm up in a way that was really going to matter as far as touching the actual implements beyond what I did when I put my hands on them the day before at weigh-ins. But I’ve been here before at Nationals with stone events and no warming up on the stuff. Plate rows were about the only thing really. I also did some bear hug picks of a log with like 265lbs on it I think. The biggest issue for me was getting my knees moving and feeling like they weren’t going to shatter after log. I don’t move so fast these days and got to get myself feeling good here. I did get a little rushed with things as far as getting ready to go. Grip shirt with taped up forearms, two tacky towels (one in my soft belt, other in pocket) and spray tack on arms and hands. Up until I went, no one had gotten a rep on the 350lbs stone. So I knew that this was tough and that reps were going to be low on the last stone. I got ready and kind of stumble slightly going from off the mat to the first stone. This was a smaller diameter stone than I was expecting and fought the urge to one motion it as I knew I’d need my back later. I felt I was moving fast and shoved the stone up. The judge indicated to watch and make sure the stone stays on the platform so that distracted me slightly. I went with more a backwards shuffle to the stone so that I only had to worry about going straight. With not being able to secure my grip as well as like say if I had real tacky, it didn’t seem wise to try and side pick and move the stones, especially these. 290lbs wasn’t an issue either. I did feel like I had to get a little deeper on where I gripped the stone for 325lbs and could feel my hands sliding. So I tacked up my hands before going for 350lbs. This where I made an error. I went to pick what I was expecting to be routine but tough stone and I couldn’t get purchase I then looked at my forearms to see them both covered in dust and grime, more so the left one. I shouldn’t paid attention and applied tack to my arms and done so more liberally. So that ate up time and I knew that I really only had one shot here. I got the pick this time and squared up my stance for a comfortable load with a few seconds left, raising my hands up. 56.55 seconds for four lifts. It was a beatable time and having gone earlier, I was a case study for those to follow. But I also like to let people know what to expect as well. The other part would be to get my upper body stronger as well haha. My time did hold up though for a 4th place.<br /><br />After the first day, I was in 11th place overall. Decent. 4 places away from the Arnold bid, which honestly hadn’t been a thought as a potential until like the last 3 weeks leading up to the competition. However it was going to be a tough climb with my best event out of the way and with one poorer event, a not great event and a kind of uncontested one as well. It was nice being done earlier in the day compared to last year where it was about 2.5hrs behind schedule. I mean things go behind with the stones (one of the broke and had to wait for replacement). Also meant didn’t have to worry about rescheduling reservations. Someone working at one of the vendors asked to take a photo with me as I was their “favorite”. It always surprises me to see people that don’t know me rooting for me while I do this activity. Got back to the hotel and iced my knees before eating at the same restaurant as the night before. I attempted to eat slightly less food and not be so stuffed. Barely succeeded. Came back to ice knees again and relax while reading science fiction novels and watching the Minions movie for the second time. As one does. Took Aleve before sleep with hopes it would be a restful sleep and that I wouldn’t arise to regret any choices from the day before (food or lifting wise).<br /><br />I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t a ball of soreness and hate. I did feel like I did stuff yesterday but I wasn’t feeling much besides my shoulders and hamstrings. Usually at the day after a contest I have very sore lower legs from my nervous energy and pacing. That was not present at all. I think maybe I did a better job of it this time around and calmed down. I also didn’t feel congested or have trouble any increased issues with getting breakfast down. Though that did seem to be all the good fortune I could afford at the moment. I get to the venue and check my hydration jug and find it has a crack in it and it is leaking into my bag. I have to quickly transfer it to a gallon jug. I like the colored jugs since you can’t really tell what is inside. The clear jug announces to the world I’m drinking what looks like piss, which someone in the restroom immediately asks if it is piss which I just say “yep” so I can get on with my like. Also had an encounter with a known strongman coach trying to throw their weight around and claim that only women could warm up on the equipment right now (not true, spoke with officials). For some reason, people think I a good target for this kind of crap. Possibly my trusting nature. But I was aware of this individual so essentially said “nuh uh” and came back later to do my own thing. But enough of that.<br /><br />First event of the day was max trap bar deadlift. Straps allowed as well as briefs. Use what I can as I’m getting closer to master’s age and as a drug free athlete, I’m going to get beat up so if I can swing the briefs, I’ll do it if it keeps me able to keep doing this until I’m done. A trap bar is pretty standard but this was a somewhat unique bar. One of those open trap bars that allow you to use it as its own lift jack to change weights. The gym did have this bar but not exactly. There are attachments to change the handle width and thickness. The gym only had the one width setting so while it was nice to get used to it, the setup for here was going to be wider by 2”. So my setup at home was closer to competition as far as the width. Which does seem to affect things on a side handle lift for me with being able to engage my lats for bracing. Unlike with bag toss, not every lift needed to be taken but considering the jumps being 20kgs, it was probably not wise to skip many, especially since I would likely not be going much over 300kgs. I had hoped that I’d be feeling like over 700lbs would be there but that wasn’t a guarantee with how I was feeling and how training had gone. Training had gone about as well as expected and I ended up getting a little over the first three jumps in weight with the hope that I could do the fourth jump for the top single. This could be a tall order after a first day of competition and I’d probably be feeling that. Plan after discussing with coach was to skip the opener and do 40kgs jumps so essentially aim for my max in those two attempts. Warming up for this was much like sandbag toss in that this was the closest I was going to get it to being like how it would be ideally. This was also due to having it be six lanes going at a time. Got the lifts I needed. It was wise decision for me to do what I did while also being a bit risk. Many of the better deadlifters skipped the opener so people that did it and were going again very quickly. I know that if I did 20kgs jumps, I’d have not been able to pull well. Opened with 595lbs/270kgs. I got set and got it going. My back felt sore immediately. A bit of a wake up. So next weight planned was 683lbs/310kgs. I’ve done this 90lbs jumps before in competition and I’ve hit what I needed when it mattered. The added rest from skipping and attempt helped as well. Just spent the time watching and breathing heavy to peak arousal. As I was going to need it. I knew I had to do this weight or I was going to sink like stone in the placings. And a missed lift would take a lot of out me mentally as well as physically. I got set and grunted and shuffled about and pulled. It was slow but I knew I wasn’t going to stop once it broke the ground. My bracing has gotten better and I’ve toughed out some pulls without form breaking. This had been the goal weight that had been planned 9 weeks out from where I was feeling at the time. I looked at the judge looked to the right and then put it down before letting out a roar. Needed an outlet for what I had been building up for several minutes. Feeling good with hitting 3 out of 4 clutch moments I felt I needed to do. Tied for 17th here.<br /><br />Up next was the yoke into wheelbarrow medley. 60 seconds to go 50’ with the yoke and then bring the wheelbarrow back. But the wheelbarrow as actually the yoke. 750lbs for both but the projected weight in hand for the wheelbarrow was 75% of that (563lbs). Like the stone event, we had the information but not an actual look at this setup. Initially training was geared more toward yoke as that tends to be the moving event I drop off with if I don’t hit it frequently while things like farmer’s and frame come back pretty strong. Considering that I worked up to over 700lbs for a down and back frame carry, I was hoping this would come down to more adapting rather than needing to build. Yoke its own thing and the wheelbarrow part of thing was just left over from the trap bar stuff. Until I had to switch things up and then it was the medley. Option had been to do farmer’s or wheelbarrow and I figured that I’d try wheelbarrow at first. The one at the strongman gym was terrible and it took a lot of weight to get it to be the right weight in hand (and I got scolded for using the calibrated plates) and was planning to just do farmer’s but another gym had a better wheelbarrow. My grip is rarely an issue and I was noticing there was a lot more quad engagement to move the weight of the implement forward vs if it as just a carry. So I made it a point to train that and ended up training above contest weight for the total weight and weight in hand for the wheelbarrow. I did want to go heavier on the yoke just because of how I’ve usually had issues with yoke above 700lbs at competitions when I don’t get to warm up well or I didn’t do contest weight or above more than twice in training. Getting my hands on things and figuring how things felt was going to be key here. Showing up and seeing it, it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. Bigger and more metal. I feel like this event caused the most stress for the people working the show since things had to be assembled there and taken apart. As well as people stressing over the variances in the equipment being slightly different on the angles. Being out on deadlift early and having it go on for quite some time with the open class meant I did get time to mess with this setup and get information. The setup for yoke was fine once counterbalanced. The wheelbarrow part of things was where it wasn’t certain how it would feel and in the event it didn’t hold up to the clanging and banging, farmer’s handles were there as a backup. Two things with the wheelbarrow; the pick was almost as low as the trap bar when advertised as a good bit higher and the weight in hand was likely less with how the weight was distributed. I also used that time to see how things felt with some things I was thinking from the day before. One was increasing my pick height up after seeing how my knees and my back were from the deadlift. The counter balanced implement didn’t seem to be at risk of getting me off balance. The other was figured out footwear or lack thereof. The yoke this wasn’t really an issue but it was maybe for the wheelbarrow portion. There was a concern of sliding trying to go fast, either of the implement getting too far ahead of feet not being able to gain purchase. The convention floor is slick which tends to not be great for pushing off ball of the foot. At least not with the shoes I was using. My shoes I used for stones would work but they put more stress on the knees and pitch forward more which wasn’t great for me on yoke and getting the pick right. So the other possible option was Flintstoning it with the bare feet. So while not ideal, my feet could seem to handle it. You can find you can handle a lot of things for less than a minute. I got to work up to about 575lbs on the actual apparatus before it was taken away. I made it a priority to get in what I needed for this to feel right. When it was down to just the regular yokes for warming up, I made sure that one of them was set for taller athletes and tried to make it that way so that there wasn’t a need to adjust heights for everyone since these were not quick height adjustment yokes. Final run was about 640lbs. The yoke we were warming up on felt heavier than what the actual one was so I knew this was enough. I hadn’t actually checked if going barefoot was allowed. Oh well, just going to go out there and yabba dabba do it. And we were off. Having watched the first few heats, I could tell this was going to be a fast one. Not great for me being slow on yoke. I’d have to go steady and hope that the pick didn’t suck for me and that I was able to quickly go not worrying about fiddling with my grip and hope my gambit paid off. Steady I was and trying to not teeter off balance. My lack of foot wear I feel didn’t help on this part of the race. I had slight hesitation on the pick. Maybe because I was used to higher pick? I did feel that it was too easy once I did go but I was finding that it was like that one wheel on a shopping cart listing slightly to one side. It was light in my hands and I stopped and held it for a bit before setting it down. Save the volunteers some effort for the reset. Finished in 21.39 seconds. Times were real close with some outliers on both ends. This was surprisingly good enough for 10th. <br /><br />The final event has been the flavor of the year; power stairs. Three implements (331lbs, 375lbs, 419lbs) up 3 steps (18”) for time. No split times. On paper, this should be a good event for me. It just hasn’t worked out lately where it has been an event. Before this prep, I had only done this like four times and it was always as part of a medley and light. 400lbs I think was the heaviest and that was a charity contest I didn’t realize was a competition until I showed up (I just thought it was a training day). And that was over a decade ago. And haven’t really touched this since that time. So these sessions were going to be the most I’ve actually pushed this. The gym had power stair stuff but the setup was 1” short and it only worked out that I did them once there and really light. The switch to home made for some grueling training in that it was to do a rep set with the implement for the total number of reps and resetting each lift. Before switching to under 265lbs, I had done 420lbs for a set of 9 reps (8 in under 60 seconds and then had to rest to get the last as hit a wall) so ended up repeating that workout to try and do it quicker (which I did but also accidentally did a 10th rep). This would be a tough one to end the contest on. Got to finish it so I can stand at the top of the steps at the end. Lot of bruises on the knees and inner thighs from this one. The one thing I wished I had been able to train with this was actually going up steps and working my way back down to work on the transitions and such. Hopefully I can pick up things on the fly. Initially, this looked to be similar to stones in how warming up was going to be done; none. I was prepared for that and did some picks with a single farmer’s walk implement up to the first implement. But then some mercy was given and we got to test the setup on the under 160lbs women’s weights. That was helpful for me to see how I was feeling as far as the hop up and getting back down. Then someone setup a step with a pin in the back that I loaded up to about 330lbs to get in a single. Helped with getting in a rotation system so that someone was anchoring and the person would swap out with the person that went and so on. This event we were going out in reverse order of placing. I had started the day at 11th and dropped to 12th with deadlift and maintained that with yoke/wheelbarrow. Points were close between these middle places. If I beat anyone in my heat, that would mean I moved up a place. I was starting to feel the past five events at this point. One and done. Time and we were off. 331lbs didn’t really slow me down. But I also wasn’t terribly fast. I went with a 1-2 step rather than hop up. My transitions were good because I’m quite good of going backwards down steps. I’ve been walking backwards done stairs for years because it is a lot easier on my knees and with how large my feet are (size 17) most of my foot doesn’t fit on most steps. I can get more foot on a step going backwards. But it being a viable option for power stairs didn’t occur to me until saw a video of MW pro Erin Walklet doing this and I had to try it as I knew that turning around and going down would be a lot slower for me and cause me knee pain. It takes some trust but it allowed me to be quite fast getting to the next implement. I was actually on a good pace through the 375lbs and getting to the 419lbs. That was where my luck ran out. I was fatigued and I pulled up that first step and the weight got caught on my inner thighs as I had it too close and had to kind of adjust and go. That slowed me down and sapped some strength. But I knew I was finishing. I’ve done this weight for 10 reps in a row with deloading it. Got it to the top and tossed my hands up. I knew I had beaten at least one person but it was going to be close. Time of 25.74 seconds here. Managed 13th. <br /><br />Despite being at this thing 4 times prior, I’ve never gone to the banquet. Just always bounce to get back home as soon as possible. Especially since never been in contention for anything really. But I was going to be here another night so rather than spend a ton of money on food, might as well cash in the on it this time around as this might be the closet I’d get to an Arnold bid so far. Food was decent considering it was catering/buffet style. I ate a lot and was by myself for most of it. It was a large area and the people that I was actually friendly with I didn’t see or didn’t come. I did get invited to another table to join them as they were announcing things which was nice. It was interesting and nice to share a moment of seeing people be very happy with getting pro cards and/or Arnold invites. So that was enjoyable. I ended up placing 11th out of 25. So a few spots out of Arnold invite. I definitely was not ready to compete this year in the open HW class with where I was 9 weeks out. Again, strength and speed need to improve to continue to hang at this level. As I mentioned, overhead pressing is hopefully back on track and deadlift is slowly improving. Nationals for next year appear to be in South Carolina in late September so I can’t even use the Happy Gilmore joke about there being 365 days left to toughen up. Plan is sleep and drive home before getting myself ready for one last show for 2023 where I can hopefully get an early start on the 2024 qualifying season.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XGdHYh6AQmg?si=EbHIg16eT8LGMROx" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-10689910348461731042023-10-13T19:00:00.000-04:002023-10-13T19:00:10.240-04:00October 8, 2023 - October 14, 2023 - Week 16 <p>October 9, 2023 – Week 16, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x2<br />210x1<br />240x1<br />270x1<br />270x1<br />270x1<br />270x1<br />270x1<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: The last week of training for Nationals. It’s here again and for a bit, it didn’t look like I was going to be ready for it. This first workout of the week is the last “real” workout as the deload starts with the next two sessions being submaximal. Recovery needs to be my focus. Sunday ended up being the first day this fall where it was cold enough to need to put on the heating. I was feeling a bit stressed with my knees feeling as achy/sore as they were. I know it just means that I need to deload and the lead up will be enough time to be feeling decent. I’ve been here before. Scale says dropping the instant oatmeal had my weight go down 2lbs. So up 3lbs total. Could also be slightly off from not eating as many meals as I usually do on Saturday having to train several hours later. But bringing back the oatmeal as I should be ok with that and the other things. I definitely noticed increase core stability from the slight increase in bodyweight. Replaced the insoles of my moving event shoes and walking shoes as well. Also started taking airborne (not overdoing it like last year) leading up to Nats. Plan is last shots done this week. Trying my best to be healthy and not have a compromised immune system. Peaking can do that and I really don’t want a repeat of 2017 Nationals ever again with the flu. Good that I was off work today to really focus on this last pressing session. I was nervous but it had to be done. Nothing besides breakfast before lifting. I was making sure that I was feeling good. Despite my knees aching, they actually didn’t really seem to act up much doing my warming up stuff. I was feeling about how I should I guess. The plan was 270lbs for 5x1 after working up. 30lbs jumps up to that weight. There had been some changes but this weight and sets didn’t change. Even when going to under 265lbs class. What did get changed based on my abilities was the rest period. Initially, it was to be EMOM but I had voiced concerns that I wasn’t quite ready for that kind of pacing on log as far as mentally and conditioning wise and certainly not at 20-30lbs over the most I’ve ever done for EMOM on log from the floor. So it was moved to 90 seconds as an option. After last week with attempted EMOM and then switching to 90 seconds after a missed rep, that was changed to 3 minutes rest. Then right before training got another update to make the working up sets be 3 minutes apart and rest 5 minutes for the singles. This was the right call for the day and where I am. I was nervous with my knees aching and I was feeling really sore from stones. Slight contact bruise on the left inside knee with my inner thighs and biceps being quite sore. The pacing out actually was good as far as how warming up with a lot of people may be rather than my usual setup the weights and get it done until work sets. I had stopped with the elbow sleeves (they are knee sleeves I use haha) because I had thought maybe they were throwing off my pressing. I think they do for reps at a certain weight with log. But this was the time to test for singles. Because my options are going to be 255lbs for reps or 305lbs for a single. Which would tie my competition best single. I wore the elbow sleeves for every set. Knees were feeling not great for the first two warm up sets. I was also having some issues with my breathing as far as not holding my breath so I did have time where I had to lean on the log before moving on. 210lbs is where the weight finally felt good for me as far as moving like it should. Then 240lbs felt darn heavy. For the working weight, I stripped down the weights to change things up for contest. My log is 87lbs empty and I know the competition log is 134lbs empty. And with bumper plates the weight is more to the ends vs spread out over the log. I had tried to make myself used to the heavier log on the chest with my thinner log that was off balanced and 108lbs empty but the diameter difference wasn’t helping for the feel. So my thinking was to put the new thin steel plates to use and have those be on the inside and then the bumper plates. That certainly made a difference. First working set felt heavy. Press went up but I got a bit off balance on it and walked backwards. Second one I didn’t pull the log into myself on the clean and it was low and had to muscle it up which took a bit out of my power and ended up being the hardest lift of the day. The elbow sleeves make that part a little tougher if I’m not focusing on it (didn’t want to strain biceps). Third and fourth went up quite well and probably the best reps of the day. I had to pause a moment on the third due to how violent the clean to the shoulder was. No notes for the fourth. Fifth rep I did a little bit of hold/showboating for my own confidence. Shins were feeling a bit raw from the log. But five reps above my body weight will do. I’m up in the air still on which option but likely light log for reps to just be on the board and save for the four hard events to come. Ate a bunch of little meals in short succession as I put stuff away and stretched. It was good I had off as attempting to do this workout during my lunch would’ve been tough with the forced longer breaks and the risk of rain after work was not worth it. Two more sessions.<br /><br />October 11, 2023 – Week 16, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Power Stairs (18”)<br />61x5<br />106x3<br />151x2<br />196x1<br />241x1<br />286x1<br />EMOM<br />331x1<br />331x1<br />331x1<br />331x1<br />331x1<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: With the workout Monday, I’ve kind of gotten through to Nats and just have to not have some kind of illness or accident between now and then. These last few workouts and such should be not things that stress me out or cause me to be nervous. I was feeling the past few workouts in my body the day before and it was good that it was just walking and soft tissue work. Work wasn’t so bad coming back after a three-day weekend. Trying to not let work stress me out like it has in the past leading up to competitions. It helps nothing. Got down two meals before starting training. Warming up stuff was fine. Some aches in the knees and shoulders but also some muscle soreness. My lats, upper back, biceps and forearms were still feeling Monday and Saturday. Which I guess is fine for this session as I’m to be doing power stairs and this would be the last event of day two after doing log work, stones and bag toss (which were done Saturday and Monday). So maybe a good idea to feel some soreness fatigue even for this “light session”. I say light as it is the lightest the power stairs have been besides the first session of them but 331lbs isn’t exactly super light. Usually when doing a deload with Mr. Westerling, it is usually a low volume but decently heavy pressing most times with a lower body “speed” session and a “cardio” session to finish off the prep. It had gotten colder out as I mentioned and apparently cold enough that it messed up some of the wasps that use the power rack as a nest. Even if they aren’t nice and I know that they don’t survive the winter, it is a little sad seeing them perish. But such is their life. This power stair session was going to be a little different. The first session had just been “taps” for light weight and speed and then with the change being doing a top set of 9 reps. This was closer to that first workout. Work up as I have been to the first implement and do 5 singles EMOM style. Since it was just singles, I did want to try something that I couldn’t really do with the rep sets. And that was to hop up on the step with the implement. The plyo box setup I bought and setup for at home was not big enough for me to stand on with the weight. The other setup idea would be the crash pads but I know those may not be the most sturdy/stable. But it would be the right height and big enough for me to at least do that. Suffice it to say, that I won’t be doing this way again in the future. But I felt it was important to see how things felt so that it wasn’t a day of the contest testing out. Like I’ve mentioned before, I haven’t really had these for many steps in the past or really trained them. But it has been over a decade since I’ve done these in a competition and I’m not quite as “springy” as it were with the wear and tear on my joints. I can’t expect that my body is going to be reacting how I need it without some warming up. And unfortunately, with things like bounds and such, you can’t really do half measures. So to start out I did just the last rep of the sets warming up (when doing reps) to hop up with the weight. I imagine this will be better with a firm and stable surface. But trying to hop up with both legs at the same time may have the stretch reflex aspect, it is a bit hit or miss with actual placement and with my knees and such. The 1-2 seems to be the better option for me to get a stable base and go. But again, this setup I got for this wasn’t exactly the best. Even with light weight, I made sure that I applied liquid chalk and wore my hard belt (albeit one notch loose). First rep went fine but that was about that haha. Second rep the setup almost tipped over. The rest of the reps I just hopped up there but didn’t try to plant myself or stay up there. It moved good but it did feel heavier than I’d have liked. This did end up going by pretty quick. And despite what would appear to be my unintentional best efforts to get injured, I did not. I put stuff away and also setup some things for the last workout. Saturday is going to be rain for like 21 of the 24hrs so doing it Friday instead (which Mike said was better anyways to give more rest). Got some more food down and back to work with stretching planned after my shift. Get last “safety precaution” over with tomorrow and hopefully no issues/incidents with that. One and done.<br /><br />October 13, 2023 – Week 16, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (15’7”)<br />EMOM<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br /><br />Sled Pushes/Sled Drags (minute rests)<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br />195x50’/50’<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: The last one. With what was planned, it made sense to have this session be at home and a day earlier. Because the forecast had for Saturday rain for 21 out of 24hrs. And considering what I was to be doing, it was best to do this on a day where it wasn’t raining. Cut down on any issues. So a day earlier. I had not planned for that in advance as I had a vaccination scheduled for after work the day before and considering what it was, I had a feeling that it would leave me feeling pretty sore (it did). Not so much that I needed to take anything to take the edge off to sleep or anything so I guess that is a plus. For the workout itself, I was debating doing things during my lunch break or after work. I was leaning towards after work but I think seeing that it was getting dark fairly quickly at this point that I wanted to try and do this in the daylight and then I could just stretch after work. So the left shoulder was sore from the shot. My knees were feeling pretty achy today. I guess I usually get more rest. I was feeling them on some of the warming up stuff. But other stuff felt fine and good. The plan for the day was to start off with bag toss. Yes, just did it last week. But it’s not that taxing. This was the main reason I wanted to do this a day early as didn’t want to toss in the rain. I’ve done it but it is annoying and stuff can go sideways. And considering how clumsy I felt I was with my coordination on power stairs, I didn’t want to tempt fate. I have a bag toss setup at home (well a toss setup) and I had reinforced it like 8 weeks back so it stands more erect. I had spent time Wednesday moving the stall mat over and adjusting the sandbag to 30lbs. Plan was just a 10 minutes EMOM with that weight bag. If I was still competing as an open HW, I’d probably be a bit miffed that my setup wasn’t 16’ but since under 265lbs is 15’, this was acceptable. And probably give me a little better idea of things with how there isn’t a backboard near the bottom for support. Knees were quite achy. My bag tossing has improved as far as getting up and over 15’ height. First and third toss were the worst tosses whereas my second and final toss felt like the best as far as economy of depth and getting maximum height. I put stuff away before moving through the garage to my front yard and into the street for the rest of the training session. This part of things had been what I was worried about as far as timing. 10 minutes of EMOM with tosses was going to be about 10 minutes give or take. Usually to end up prep is sled work. Lot of repetitions but no concentric so easy to recover from. Get the body moving, blood pumping. Depending on the focus will dictate the plan. And that was to do 10 sets of 50’/50’ with a minute rest. The longer rest had me a little concerned that I might be cutting it close as far as getting back to work from lunch timely. I was also not sure it was a long enough rest to be able to do a set and then go inside to check and come back out. It has been a bit since I’ve done a street workout. Push the knock-off prowler up the street and then drag it back down the street to the start. If I was doing this on the turf at the gym, I’d be using less weight. But here I need more. Let me say that I’m out of practice of this. And by this, I mean moving in any kind of sprint. My knees felt incredibly achy and stiff. On both the pushing and dragging. But I’m also familiar with it and I felt that I gradually got better and then hit a certain statis of times (about 20 seconds). Slowest was the first set of 23 seconds. I did use one of the rests to check time and see how long it took to check and come back and it was less than a minute. Checked twice to make sure that I was good during the sets. This was easy but also getting me breathing a bit heavy and having some stuff feeling a bit more fatigued than usual. I mean, haven’t really been working some of these systems for a bit. I drifted to the left a bit on one set so had to adjust after that. Second to last set I missed the ropes and had to regrab so that ate some time. I feel I stuck to a pretty consistent style for the push but I did alternate between a head forward and head back with the drag. Last set ended up being my fastest under 20 seconds. Joints in my hips, knees and ankles feeling it a bit. Put stuff away and ate food. Stretching for after work. And now to rest my fevered brain and achy joints. Survived another training prep.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uTaHp6RZkts?si=PMSs2lsKpQDbXX3F" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-41369836561500482462023-10-07T22:21:00.001-04:002023-10-07T22:21:53.690-04:00October 1, 2023 - October 7, 2023 - Week 15<p> October 2, 2023 – Week 15, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x2<br />210x1<br />240x1<br />260x1<br />260x1<br />260x1<br />260x0<br />260x1<br />260x1<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Well it would seem the change is good as far as weight gain. Just over 260lbs now (been testing about same time on Sundays). So don’t want to get too close at this point if I’m able to add about 2lbs a week so going to drop the oatmeal for the moment since that will last unlike the other food stuff. At this point, just trying to get through the last bits of this prep. Nationals should decide a lot of things for me as far next step. These pressing sessions leading up are probably going to be the most stressful for me mentally of the workouts. Other workouts are tough but I’m not seeing those as failure as being an option with them. Which kind of shows how much work is needed with my pressing mentally as well as physically. Both are coming back but it requires a certain resolve. Like last Monday, I didn’t feel like putting down any food besides breakfast before training. I had a lot of work to catch up on. Lunch time lifting again as this session has been continuing to fit and there was initially plans for after work with family which got put on hold and the were back on later in the day. So it was good that I did this when I did. Weather was warm but nice. I had the fan going on the patio so that I didn’t overheat with the grip shirt on as that does not breath at all. Warming up felt good. Some joint aches but not as much as they were on Saturday. I was feeling a bit anxious and pumped so that was also a factor. Then it was time for log. As I mentioned, last week was the last week of doubles. This was a 10lbs jump now and goal was 5x1 done EMOM style if I could manage it. At my best, I’ve done 256lbs out of the rack for log as an EMOM. I’m sure I’ve done other things with shorter rests too with more weight when I was younger. But 240lbs is definitely the most I’ve done with a clean and press on log. And that was when I was hitting over 300lbs about every session on log after that. 260lbs I did do a brief stint of axle clean and press (from the belt) so it was something doable. But not probably at this very moment. At least not feeling like 99% confident I could. I had been given permission to increase the rest to 90 seconds but I did want to try and get this done EMOM. I’m feeling more comfortable with the log and knowing I need to be a little more labored/slow with the clean and dip at the start and as I work up I get more comfortable. Left knee was feeling a little achy but that seemed to go away. Pressing was feeling good. Didn’t have a great clean with 210lbs and had to let it sit on my chest a bit before pressing. 240lbs felt somewhat comfortable. Then it was time. This would be the first time in this training cycle that I was using more than the light option for contest weight. I set the timer for EMOM and got set. 260lbs is definitely more than 250lbs. But this was for singles and not doubles and I should be able to do that based off of last week. Also know that this is probably not the most ideal way of doing things with the log but the timeline required it. I was able to get the first three singles EMOM style. The fourth is where I ran into an issue. I didn’t feel comfortable on the initial dip and then the press went out in front of me. I hesitated a moment before putting it down and walking away to retry. I was going to go earlier but stopped and took off the timer as I didn’t want that as a reminder. I’d take more like 90 seconds rest to get these last few reps. Hopefully. It was about EMOM style rest after the miss for me to come back for the successful fourth lift. Lockout was tough but I didn’t half ass it or get a soft lockout. I made sure it was locked out and stable and head through. Need to with singles. I then took about 90 seconds rest before going for the last one. First go nope and had to regroup and get more lower body drive to get it up there for me to be able to slowly lock out the rep. It seemed to be a conditioning thing with me having my lower body drive (which could be from the medley work Saturday). But I was able to lockout reps with my triceps so that was a good. No biceps soreness this week. Not sure if the last workout will be adjusted based off of this one. Unless I feel super amazing at Nationals, I’m likely to go with the lighter log and just work on improving after then. Ate the meal I skipped and followed that shortly with lunch. Eventually stretching after family activities done.<br /><br />October 4, 2023 – Week 15, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />13” Trap Bar Deadlifts (Versa Gripps, briefs)<br />150x5<br />240x3<br />330x2<br />420x1<br />510x1<br />600x1<br />652x1<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I had felt a bit worn Monday evening and most of Tuesday. Strong tasting food (hot or bitter) seemed to perk me up. I was feeling full without the instant oatmeal being in the mix this week. I could tell that I had been stressed out and my body was needing to recover. Took allergy meds the day before in the afternoon and ended up taking Nyquil before bed as usually that seems to help me sleep well when I’m feeling bad allergies and tired and whatever is usually gone in the morning and I don’t even need to take any allergy meds. Of course, I also knew that my joints would likely feel it once I started doing things. I’ve been tempted to ice my knees after Saturday training but I’ve been able to not use that for a bit now and I’d like to keep away from that if I can. Only a few more heavy sessions and I’ll then be able to recover a good bit before Nationals. Morning wasn’t as chaotic as Monday’s was and I wasn’t nearly as nervous for training so I was able to get in a meal besides breakfast before training. Really this was feeling like a done deal unless something disastrous happened. The warming up stuff was fine. I was definitely not feeling as much of heart in my chest compared to Monday. Knees were a bit achy. Left shoulder slightly more achy compared to Monday but again, not an indicator really. But I knew that since I took Nyquil/Dayquil that I’d have some joint stuff. Then time for trap bar deadlifts. This is the last time I’m touching this before Nationals. Plan was to work up to a top single with something left in the tank. So aim was 90-95% of what I could hit. Been basing that off the goal of 310kgs at competition. Two sessions back did slightly more than the opening weight (250kgs) and then last session was slightly more than the next jump (270kgs). So following that progression, goal was slightly more than the next jump (290kgs). Plate jumps up to 600lbs and then whatever the next jump (which was suggested as 650lbs). Knees were feeling a bit achy on these working up. Trying to not get amped up until the weights got heavy. I will say that if this was a day where I was going for the single, this wouldn’t be the day I’d pick with how the weights were feeling. I got a bit worried when 510lbs felt as heavy as it did. Like harder than 555lbs felt last time. And I still had to add +140lbs to that for the day’s plan. I got a little bit hyped for 600lbs. Feeling that in the lower back a bit more than I’d like. I think that the width of the trap bar makes it harder for me to engage stuff that would make bracing better. But this did feel heavy. I didn’t film it so maybe it looked comparable to the 602lbs last time. But the top lift was what really mattered. I got pretty hyped for this last one. Went with odd weights with 652lbs to keep with the theme I’ve been doing on these the past two sessions. Trying to stay focused. Not let things distract me like the grips not feeling just right or my knees feeling achy or knowing this was going to be tough. A couple of grunts and I pulled. There was a slight hesitation and then once it broke the ground I knew there was enough speed that this was a done lift. Didn’t mean it was easy. I had the grip slightly off center so the weight did shift on me as I was pulling it but I adjusted accordingly. My face definitely got as dark a hue of red as the shirt I was wearing. I set it down pretty quickly after I got to lockout and let out a roar. Not entirely sure why I did. Not like this is the most weight I’ve ever deadlifted. Just the most this cycle and on this lift. I guess I still needed an outlet after getting amped up for the pull. I’m generally not that loud with my shouting and usually it is on deadlifts in training I do that haha. I’m definitely looking forward to the time to recover after these next two heavy sessions. Put stuff away before eating lunch and getting back to work with the plan to stretch afterwards.<br /><br />October 7, 2023 – Week 15, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />EMOM<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />42.6x1<br />42.6x1<br />42.6x0 (trajectory off)<br />42.6x1<br />42.6x1<br />42.6x1<br /><br />Stone Carry and Loads<br />Stone of Steel<br />140x10’ to 50”<br />210x10’ to 50”<br />Atlas Stone<br />265x10’ to 50”<br />290x10’ to 50”<br />310x10’ to 50”<br />330x10’ to 50”<br /><br />Atlas Stone Loads<br />350x7 (21”) to 50”<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Definitely needing rest as I come to the end of this training cycle. Knees are feeling a bit more achy at this point with what is being asked of them. Haven’t felt like this for good couple of weeks since the change midstream of prep. Ended up getting an early dismissal for work Friday (found out after I got back from lunch Wednesday) so that was a little annoying in that I had to try and take care of stuff that was scheduled for Friday with the expectation I had a full day. But it wasn’t too stressful. I waited until after work to walk and then got stuff ready for Saturday training. Weather wasn’t going to be good in the morning and the forecast wasn’t really changing before I went to bed. So rather than wake up at the time my alarm went off for work, I’d just sleep and wake up when I wake up. It was going to be rainy until 2PM and then it would be sunny so I had to time things so that I wasn’t at home too late (and feel like I had to eat more) and not too early for gym (as I’d probably do something stupid waiting). Drive out wasn’t bad. With arriving a bit later, I was kind of surprised there were people there. There were some people that had been in earlier that had already finished before I showed up. Some people out of town training for Nationals and Official Strongman Games. I had some tips with some things and helped with implementing a new training tool for another person. I did my warming up as well. Felt ok, just some joint aches in the shoulders and knees. The rain finally stopped but the sun wasn’t quite out yet but I needed to get move on as I had already been here for over an hour at this point. First thing was bag toss. Knees were feeling a bit achy and stiff so I did do a few more movements/reps of my warming up for tosses prep to make sure I was not jerky and feeling smooth/loose. As has been the case, 5 tosses with 30lbs and then rest as I felt I needed to and then do 5 more tosses with more weight. Similar to last time, had to get myself to have the bag arc back and not just straight up. The bag is light enough that it’s not an issue but I know it will be as the weight gets up. Use the reps to fine tune things. Ground still damp so bag was getting wet and having to wick the water off the handle. I was nervous for the heavier stuff. Suggested had been 1-2lbs more for 41-42lbs since I was successful with 40lbs with no misses. Of course, this is also to 1’ higher than contest. But I was having a hell of a time trying to get my sandbag to be 42lbs at home and I kept having it go from 41.8lbs to 42.2lbs despite my best efforts so I said screw it and made it 42.6lbs. I didn’t like it being that weight but I’d rather it be closer to 42.5lbs and know it is over 42lbs for sure. But that also meant a pretty big jump from 30lbs. But I’ve done all the other weights up until this point with no issue. I put isopropyl spray on my hands and some light chalk to keep my hands dry. It was drier out so less issues with water. I know the first toss is usually not my best on these heavier tosses. First toss and it barely gets over the band. Like the lowest it could be and succeed. Second toss slightly better but still just clears the band. These wouldn’t have cleared if it was a solid piece. But I’m still a foot above contest. Third toss I tried to get more power into it and while I did, I screwed up on the trajectory and it went up and not back. Highest toss but didn’t clear. Ugh. Fourth toss I’d say was my best. I got it right and it cleared without touching the band. I was happy about that. I told myself I’d do another toss at the end if I got the fifth one to clear like that as well so that I’d have 5 good tosses. Fifth went over without hitting the band. My EMOM timer was done but I have a pretty good idea of timing so I paced out another and did sixth toss. Not quite a high as the fourth but better than the fifth. So a good back half here. It will be interesting to see how I do at 15’ height. Time for stones. Again, I took my time with setting things up here a bit. This workout I was to do 10’ runs with about the weight of each stone in the medley. With how last time went, I was told to go heavier. Knees were feeling a bit stiff. Did stone of steel for the first two stones. That was feeling good. The empty stone of steel felt like nothing. Maybe my knees/hips were aching but I just one motioned the 210lbs for some reason. Need to do the form I’m going to do for the competition. The concrete stones weren’t feeling as comfortable/easy this time around. 265lbs first and that went about how it should but I was not feeling as fast. 290lbs was definitely a little slower compared to last time. To be fair, I’ve added 30lbs to log and 50lbs to deadlift since I last did the stone workout. I’ve not touched the 310lbs stone so I wasn’t too sure how that would go. It was ok but I was finding that my stickiness was getting a lot more grime and such off of stones and I wasn’t holding on as well. 330lbs was then the final weight for the run and load. 5lbs over contest. This is a good stone most of the time. A little slow on the pick but I was able to walk it in with the high position for the load. Last thing was stone load for reps. 350lbs with aim being 6-8 reps. I had been a good pace last time. I was tempted to do 375lbs or something and do lower reps. But I made myself stick to the plan. Tried to clean up my hands as best I could to get the grime off and have a fresh start. Started off fine enough but then on the third attempt to lap my one hand slid and I dropped it rather than fight it as I know how precarious things can be with minimal sticky stuff on stones. Why I have a muscle fibers missing in my right biceps. I knew at that point that this wasn’t going to be a fast day and that I better make sure that I was retacked with the tacky towel after each lift. The loads weren’t a problem, the pick and lap was where things were make or break. Fifth rep I ended up saving it with a deep lap. I was planning on stopping at six reps but I decided that I might as well keep pushing if I was essentially doing a rep every 30-40 seconds at this point. The seventh ended up being another deep lap and bit more effort to get into position to load. Loads were fine. I was a little worried about the deep lap as my left hip had been bothering me during prep earlier this year for PA Dutch with 22” diameter stone. Knock on wood with the 21” 350lbs stone. Cleaned up and since it was later, I stayed to stretch before driving back home. One more heavy session to go. Use the three day weekend to rest up as best I can.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V_2HJO51pHs?si=t87bxgxw4upCTvO3" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-16067670668034567642023-09-30T16:19:00.004-04:002023-09-30T16:19:32.137-04:00September 24, 2023 - September 30, 2023 - Week 14<p> September 25, 2023 – Week 14, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x2<br />210x1<br />230x1<br />250x2<br />250x2<br />250x2<br />250x2<br />250x2<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I’m probably going to be nervous every time I go to overhead press where the weight is more than the last week. Juggling other things like work stuff and life stuff. I was more nervous I think compared to how I was last week. I know this because of a couple things. The one was I woke up and my neck was sore on the right side from I guess sleeping slightly off. There was also trying to make sure that when I was training it wouldn’t be raining. Having to keep watch on the weather to find times during this time of year with tropical storms and such. Best option seemed to be to do lunch time. Especially since I’d have to wake up earlier to go into the office for tomorrow so training later in the evening and pushing stuff back wasn’t going to be helpful here. Or trying to train with more food in me from the newer meals I’ve added to my routine (speaking of which, up 2lbs from last week). I didn’t feel comfortable with downing anything besides breakfast before training either. There was no rain, it was a nice temperature out and the platform had dried off from the rain in the early morning. Warming up stuff felt fine. I was hoping this would loosen up the neck (it didn’t really). I knew that it wouldn’t be ideal but I’ve done sessions with my neck like this and not had it hamper things. Knees feeling a little more achy. Again, kind of understandable with the increased workload every week. More carbs/sugars tends to have me “feel” my joints a little more than usual. It was now time to do the pressing. The plan hasn’t changed since aiming for under 265lbs class from doing open HW class. For open, I was aiming at the light log (285lbs) whereas with 265lbs, I can conceivably aim for the heavy log (305lbs) as well as the light log (255lbs). The plan would leave me in a good peaked position if I can hang. Adjustment to be made if I feel that not there and that only going to aim for the light log. I had indicated that his last workout of the 5x2 with 20lbs jumps would be what I’d judge things on. My hope was that the uncomfortableness with the log was more just getting used to the true diameter of competition log vs the thinner, heavier log. Knees were a bit achy on the initial empty log but I let things settle and reattempted the lower body drive after my knees felt good and it seemed to workout for me. Having done heavy stone work Saturday I was expecting my biceps to be quite sore like they have been the past few times I’ve done these after stones. Biceps weren’t sore at all Sunday when I was doing soft tissue work. I was still feeling quite nervous working up in weight but the weights did seem to be flying up. I was feeling like I was still getting a little lightheaded and I realized that I was holding my breath and not getting my air after the clean to the shoulders. Maybe I was worried that I’d lose tightness and the log weight would feel crushing on me. Up until this session with the log for the past 5 weeks I’ve done about 90-120 seconds rest with a longer rest for the rep set when I went for it. With how things had felt last week, I felt that I’d need to not go so quick to make sure I got the reps. So plan was to go more 180 seconds rest depending on how I felt. I might want to go faster if I feel good and the aggression is having me not lose momentum. 250lbs was the most weight I’ve attempted on overhead press in almost a year. I shouldn’t be so nervous for this but I’ve seen where I was 7 weeks back or so and the struggle. Focus, be calm but aggressive in my intent. Control to the points and hit them. Got that first double and I was feeling some relief there. Got four more. About 2.5 minutes rest for the first set and then about 3 minutes after that and maybe 15 seconds more on top of that and so on. Trying to keep motivated but recover and treat each set. I knew I had this workout in the bag after the fourth set. Little slow on the press for the last one but I had it. I was shouting to mostly myself after and during that. Biceps feeling a little sore after all this log work. Feel I’m on the right track once again. Ate the meal I skipped at 10:30AM and put away stuff before then eating lunch. Stretched after work before making dinner (and after eating another two meals).<br /><br />September 27, 2023 – Week 14, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Power Stairs (18”)<br />60x5<br />105x3<br />150x2<br />195x1<br />240x1<br />285x1<br />330x1<br />375x1<br />420x10<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I wasn’t really feeling nervous for this session. This was going to be a repeat and it was less about can I do it and more can I do it and not have it suck so bad? As expected, going into work was dumb as the “training” was cancelled due to the visiting speaker being sick. Something was in the air as even with my allergy meds I was feeling like a irritant had hit me at one point. Left hip wasn’t feeling as achy compared to last week when had to be in the office again. I don’t know if it has to do with the chair or if just my body being beat up as we get closer to show time. I did make sure I got better timing with food at work. My neck was feeling better and I had slept well (probably from the six cheeseburgers). I didn’t get to do my walking the day before because of being in work and the weather not being so great. But I did make sure I ate well, slept well and got soft tissue work done. Warming up stuff was fine. Some knee aches, not much shoulder aches. I generally feel better and ready after the warming up mobility stuff. Today was the power stairs session. This was initially going to be a set of 5 reps after working up with 460ish as that was going to be the last weight for the open class but since doing 265lbs class, 419lbs/190kgs is the weight so I already did the last implement for all the reps. I had no issues with doing heavier but the best option here was just to do it again and make it better. No sense going more than 45lbs over competition weight when there are other events that I got to still peak and work on where that effort can be best used. With the somewhat rainy weather lately, I’ve had to wipe up water that pools on the platform outside so that it gets dried up in the rain. Also some crickets decide to hide under the edges and I have to vacate them so I don’t accidentally squish them. Trying to work up with focus and intent with how and where I lift/place the implement on the box as well as how my body is positioned. Neighbor’s kids were playing with some kind of firework so that was slightly irksome as far as trying to be calm. I also used the pair of thin plates on the setup and it would’ve let me get another plate on there normal size if needed. This is going to be the last heavy session of this (last workout will be just the first implement for some singles). I know I can do this but want to try and do it without misses this time or having to really stop. The bruises on my legs from these two weeks ago were getting pretty faded so I guess going to darken them up again. Left knee was feeling slightly achy depending on how I positioned things so I did need to be deliberate with my position when lifting so as not to lose power. Compared to last time, I felt like I was struggling. Perhaps some areas were more fatigued than others. I mean, I went up 20lbs on stones and 40lbs on log press compared to last time I did this. But that could just be in my head looking at the video after the fact. Compared to last time, I was about 3 seconds faster through the first 6 reps. I slowed down after that this time around as I knocked the box askew and had to reset it. My legs were feeling a bit fatigued and at this point I lost count of reps and thought I had only done 5. So I probably went into a bit of a slower pace so that I didn’t miss any lifts. Which I didn’t do this time around. At the end, I was thinking I probably did 10 reps by mistake. Which ended up being the case. Even though I got 7 reps this time in under minute vs 8 reps last time, I got the remaining reps finished in less time this time around. This is one of those that if you can keep the momentum and pace going, you can keep going. So 10 reps with no misses vs 9 reps with like 3 misses is progress. I will need to see if I need to practice the hop up with the implement with the lighter one next time with a different setup since it will be singles. Put stuff away and got some food in me before being back on the clock. Stretching for after work.<br /><br />September 30, 2023 – Week 14, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Yoke/Wheelbarrow Medleys<br />Casual Pace<br />150x50’/+70x50’ (80 approx)<br />Normal Pace<br />350x50’/+260x50’ (199 approx)<br />450x50’/+420x50’ (300 approx)<br />550x50’/+580x50’ (400 approx)<br />650x50’/+740x50’ (500 approx)<br />750x50’/+900x50’ (601 approx) in 27.57 seconds<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was nervous but not for the usual reason about the training session. It was if I was going to be able to do the training session I wanted. See, I had to go into work on Tuesday this week because of dumb scheduling for trainings (with the Tuesday one being cancelled the day of due to “illness” of the presenter). I then find out Thursday afternoon from a coworker that someone that was in our immediate area at work tested positive for COVID. I felt fine but this was first I was in a situation this entire time where I’ve been exposed. It’s like I’ve been avoiding like the plague or something. So there was some stress as I’ve not done the test before. So I slept in a little bit as Saturday was going to be the earliest I could test (though I had been around that person on Thursday the week prior for in office training). If it came back positive, I was going to be a bit stressed for sure but I’d probably just do a modified workout at home with what I had. It came back negative so I guess I’m still good at dodging the bullet so to speak. So I perked up a bit and took my allergy meds and ventured out into the world. While the gym in Lancaster wasn’t closed or anything, I decided to do the local gym again because I could sleep in and the drive wouldn’t be so bad. Especially since this would be the last touches of the yoke and wheelbarrow medley. With the restrictions with the wheelbarrow setup at the other gym, this was going to be the closer to contest training. And yes, doing yoke into farmer’s would be much quicker setting up and tearing down but I feel like something is missed compared to the wheelbarrow when you can calculate the actual weight in hand. I had some idea of what to expect so hopefully setup and tear down was not going to be so time consuming and exhausting. Mobility work stuff I didn’t need to really be figuring where stuff went and such so I could pretty go right into it after I had setup the course outside. Knees were really achy today and shoulders somewhat achy. Left side of my neck was feeling tight as well. For the runs this time, I setup on the other side of the building as opposed to where I was last time. I try to keep the same course once I pick something but I felt it made sense to switch as it was slightly uneven with the different concrete/blacktop combo as well as there being some moisture from rain drainage that was seeping. It was definitely warmer compared to last time. Could also be from my diet changes as I was feeling pretty warm and needing to wipe of sweat constantly. I didn’t have to worry about figuring out the weights as I had the calculations and put down what weights I needed for the wheelbarrow each set. Essentially empty implements at the casual pace and then from there going with 100lbs jumps or so for on the yoke and the weight in hand on the wheelbarrow. Knees were feeling some aches and I was feeling like the low energy sensation in my legs like with power stairs on Wednesday. But I made sure that I wasn’t screwing up. No weights falling off, no misloads, etc. Ready myself for a slow pick on the yoke and get steady and then try and pick up speed on the yoke. And also try and pick up speed on the wheelbarrow but not lose control. I put the rubber 100’s under the wheelbarrow for the last two sets so it wasn’t the really low pick height. The plan had been before I got skinny was 800lbs on the yoke and 640lbs weight in hand on the wheelbarrow with not doing the full course distance in the warming up. Idea being contest weight would be at contest on the yoke but I’d be already hitting stuff for the wheelbarrow (and on a harder variation). Since that got scrapped, I was to pretty much repeat what I did last time but adjust the wheelbarrow weight to be about 600lbs since contest will be 750lbs and then 563lbs in hand. Again, these are guesses based off the math. I mean, already did a contest run with the yoke and heavier wheelbarrow. I had suggested maybe going heavier on yoke as I tend to have issues above 700lbs with warming up and such. But idea was to try and just not be so slow this time. I think the people that are training this with just farmer’s or not figuring out weight in hand are going to be in for a surprise with how much more quad and grip work there is with the weight and the resistance. I was feeling pretty winded after the penultimate set but it had felt good while doing it. I also think I got a better gauge on the rest periods so I didn’t need to do a pick with the last weight on yoke. I made sure that I was feeling like this was urgent. My fingers were twitching. But also focused and calm. Like making sure my ponytail is to the side so as the yoke doesn’t slip on my hair down my back. Wish I could go faster on yoke but this is it for right now. But it was definitely much sturdier this time around. Less issues on the pick with the wheelbarrow and I felt I was able to move that better. Over 7 seconds faster than last time (granted the wheelbarrow was lighter). Under 30 seconds is good for me. It was a workout putting stuff away as well but I was better prepared this time and actually got the pallet mover to work no issues this time. Went home to stretch and eat. I’ll check tomorrow to see how the weight situation is after two weeks of these changes.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eSabEDGb9r0?si=860pTeEayaOIkaBJ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2087947558505900399.post-38381365897490009082023-09-23T18:31:00.001-04:002023-09-23T18:31:38.781-04:00September 17, 2023 - September 23, 2023 - Week 13<p> September 18, 2023 – Week 13, Day 1<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />12” Log Clean and Push Presses (one clean)<br />90x5<br />120x3<br />150x2<br />180x2<br />210x1<br />230x2<br />230x2<br />230x2<br />230x2<br />230x2<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: So Sunday I made a decision. I had commented that if Nationals was right now, that I was ready for it (besides peaking for log and deadlift). But I also noticed that my bodyweight was down and is still down. While prepping for the following weekend, I weighed myself and I came out to 255lbs without shoes. So about 15lbs down from March of this year. I’d rather compete up but this may end up being a situation like in October of 2021 when I wanted to do the pro class but fractured my elbow and the pressure to come back and be past where I was was too much and I went with regular open class and still had issues there. It was the right call (the righter call was probably to not compete). So I’m doing under 265lbs for this year instead of SHW open. Work on the following year to rebuild. This does lower stress as I’ve already done contest weight for most of the events at this point rather than having to save them for the day of the show. But new stresses that are not reasonable like what if I gain over 10lbs in the next 5 weeks and have to compete up after the change in plan? Overhead is still not quite where I want it to be and it may take longer considering how things have felt. I was nervous for training. Some purpling in the bruising on the left calf from the power stair stuff. Upper back feeling a bit tense from the past week of training. Slight eye twitch as well. Ugh. Warming up stuff felt fine. I’d say probably the least I’ve noticed any aches in my shoulders, despite the effort put in on the event work Saturday. Maybe a good sign for pressing. Other warming up stuff felt fine. Then time to log press. The plan I have to realize is pretty darn aggressive with 20lbs jumps on this 5x2 each week. Same as it was the previous weeks with giving the option to rep out the last set but limit set to 5 reps. This would be the last opportunity with the plan at this time to be doing that as we set up for the peak. I don’t like that I’m nervous to do 230lbs on an overhead press event. Some changes from last time was no elbow sleeves as I felt perhaps that was messing with things as far as pressing weights and just fatigue in the position for more reps. I also decided to just stick with the pitbull log rather than do a set and then swap in the heavier log. Even though it is heavier and unbalanced, it is slightly smaller in diameter and I figure that perhaps the true diameter of the pitbull log would match up with the competition log at this point. And that may be the case as this was feeling tougher than I would’ve liked. The warming up with log was a bit different from how it has been with 20lbs jumps and doubles all the way up. That single with 210lbs felt like it was harder than the reps done with 210lbs last week. On the plus side, didn’t have any soreness in the biceps but that could very well just be because no stones Saturday. I knew that 230lbs it was going to be some grit today with how things were going. I wasn’t happy about that but this is where I’m at and I need to accept that and build from there. I’ve been trying to stick to about 90 seconds rest on these besides the last set when it was repping out. No elbow wraps meant I wasn’t feeling as fatigued between sets with my arms constricted. It definitely felt a bit more there weight wise compared to the other log. More like how it feels at shows. So maybe this was a good switch. Perhaps my lower body and core were a bit worn from Saturday as well. The lap and the clean felt fine. Balance seemed a little off and I was very patient with the reps when things weren’t going how they should. I knew that I could do this with doubles. If this had been higher reps, no sir with how things were. There were times it felt like I might biff a rep just with how it was feeling and how it was similar to when I’d miss it earlier in the cycle. But I didn’t. I missed no reps. I had to recall stuff Mr. Westerling had told me before about being more aggressive with the press. But I knew it wasn’t a wise idea to go for rep set the last set. Just do the two reps and punch the clock to end the shift. Build on this. It was then I figured maybe I tighten my belt a notch. I worry that I might have it too tight when it comes to picking stuff off the floor and then putting overhead. Stability actually felt a little better. The first rep wasn’t get but the second rep felt like the best and easiest of the reps. Like how this weight should feel and move for me. Almost regretted stopping there. But need to be smart. Big picture. But thinking on it as I’m realizing that my weight has actually gone done a good bit from when I last felt strong in my pressing. I was 290lbs in shoes. So I’m down like 30lbs in 18 months with only a slight change in my diet (still feel like I’m eating a ton). So my leverages are all screwy likely but I’m not really sure if I can put weight back on. And maybe relook at the elbow sleeve situation as it may be mine inadvertent weight loss causing more of the issues with pressing at this time. Put stuff away and got back to work. Stretched after work.<br /><br />September 20, 2023 – Week 13, Day 2<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />13” Trap Bar Deadlifts (Versa Gripps, briefs)<br />150x5<br />240x3<br />330x2<br />420x1<br />510x1<br />555x1<br />602x3<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: I was feeling anxious. Slight eye twitch. I think it is partly work and just the stress of training cycle with a deadline approaching. I had slightly burnt my tongue on Monday eating hot stew and not sure if that was part of me feeling not that great like I had a slight cold or allergies. Going to try and fill out my frame some leading up to Nationals with more small meals added that are easy to eat and high calories relative to size. But save that for after training so I can make sure my stomach handles it and I don’t have any adverse reactions. I ended up taking nasal spray to see if that helped with the post nasal drip stuff. Have to remember that when I do take that stuff that I tend to feel better and put in good work in training but then I feel a little more worn after that. An acceptable risk since I will have two days off to recover before training weights again. Cooler out today. While I could’ve waited until after work if I wanted to see how I felt then, it wasn’t the best decision if I wanted to try the new foods/meals after my lunch break was done and then it would make for a later evening in general. This unfortunately was going to be a going into the actual office twice this month for dumb scheduling based reasons so I’d need to get up early tomorrow. So lunch break it was. Since it was cooler out I wore a black shirt since the slogan “I just want to tone” seemed to be in line with my current frame. Tongue in cheek. The warming up stuff was fine. Almost slipped doing the ankle stuff at the beginning so that woke me up. Left shoulder slightly more achy compared to Monday but that didn’t really seem to be an indicator of things from what I’ve seen. Then time for trap bar deadlifts. Same setup as last time. Plan this time was to work up to a top set of 3 reps, ideally between 85% and 90% of what I feel I could pull today, but really using the 310kgs/683lbs goal. With dropping down a weight class, the opener for the deadlift will be 250kgs, so 20kgs less. Still same jumps. Knees were feeling a bit achy on these working up. But I am starting to get used to how these feel I think in that it feels uncomfortable and heavy but I can do reps with it. I had bought a new set of thinner plates (specially made) so that I could load up more weight safely on the power stair implement at home (though not really needed with not doing the open HW class now) but can also be for other things. They are nice and were cheaper than a comparable calibrated thinner plate. Plate jumps up to 510lbs. If I was going off of how 420lbs felt and this was a straight bar pull, I’d be thinking that this was not a good day. But I think I’m getting a better idea of things and making sure I’m applying the appropriate amount of hype/aggression when needed. The suggested top weight was 600lbs and to do a single after 510lbs with 555lbs. I got a little amped but not maximally so for 555lbs. It actually seemed to move quite well. Like better than 562lbs had felt two weeks ago. So unless something went really wrong, 600lbs was happening for a triple. Don’t want to get greedy here. I did want to get over 600lbs just to say that I was for reps. Also as a confidence boost. So added 2lbs just because. This set I did get more amped up. Not sure if it was to the max but it was pretty good. Thinking back on it, I know this wasn’t 100% amped because that becomes a whole routine and I’d be just wiped afterwards coming back down haha. But this was still a good bit of hyping. First rep went I knew I had it. Making sure that I wasn’t bouncing these reps. Some slow down on number three. But I was trying to not do these as touch and go which I’ve been guilty of doing in the past. I definitely had 1-2 reps left in the tank here. So this workout would be me essentially doing the first two lifts for the deadlift at Nationals. Next time will be a single (leaving some in the tank still of course) so should be about the next jump or so. Had some BCCAs and a bowl of oatmeal as I put stuff away before eating some chicken and getting back to work. Had some more small meals (protein shake, almond butter and honey sandwich, more oatmeal) before work ended and stretched.<br /><br />September 23, 2023 – Week 13, Day 3<br /><br />Dynamic Warm Up<br /><br />Sandbag Tosses (16’)<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />30x1<br />EMOM<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br />40x1<br /><br />Stone Carry and Loads<br />Stone of Steel<br />140x10’ to 50”<br />210x10’ to 50”<br />Atlas Stone<br />265x10’ to 50”<br />290x10’ to 50”<br />315x10’ to 50”<br /><br />Atlas Stone Loads<br />350x5 (21”) to 50”<br /><br />Stretching<br /> <br />Comments: Rest of the week was ok. I was feeling a little under the weather. Like seems to be the case, either the weakest cold ever or allergies. I had taken Dayquil to help Wednesday night because I needed to sleep as I had to go into the office for work Thursday for a dumb training (why go to the place most likely to have an active shooter to do the active shooter training?). I felt uncomfortable at the office and my left hip was aching a little. Meals off slightly as well trying to figure out what works when at the office really. Went for walk after work. I felt better at home. Friday was about the same and I took Dayquil and I seemed to feel better in the evening. Which had me thinking it was allergies. So took actual allergy meds in the morning with nasal spray before going out to train. It can be really weird with allergies for me. Also stress doesn’t help. Even if I don’t think I’m stressed. Something is if I got a slight eye twitch. Maybe it is work, maybe it competition peak. Probably a little of column A and column B. I slept in for about a half hour because I was feeling tired and my left knee was achy. There wasn’t really an incentive to drive out early due to rain. Going to be a thing with the hurricanes in the southeastern US. I had gone to bed somewhat earlier so as not to stay up getting things together to go train (I already had most done). With the rain, it doesn’t always stick around when tied to the tropical storms so there are periods where there is a break. And normally if it has just passed where I am, I will then drive through the worst of it getting out to the gym and then hopefully by the time I setup and get ready, it will have passed. Warmed up with the movement prep stuff. Knees and shoulders were a little achy. Not surprising with how things have felt this week and with taking Dayquil twice in the week after the deadlift session. There was a decent group of people training and it was still raining a good bit so I did end up helping out with stuff for stones and power stairs for other people. I wasn’t sure how long the break would be when the rain finally let up so I started for toss work even while it was still wet outside. First thing was bag toss. Didn’t have to worry about energy being sapped by sun as there wasn’t any. Just a little bit of a breeze. Similar warming up as last time with swings and trying to stretch back and high pull tosses. Even though the toss height for under 265lbs is 15’ compared to the 16’ for the open class which I’ve been training on, sticking with that higher height. As had been the case last time, goal was 5 tosses with 30lbs and then rest as I felt I needed to and then do 5 more tosses with more weight. So the two 5 minute EMOMs again. Should be no problem with 30lbs. Then my first toss I tossed it really high straight up in the air. Oops. I reset things and then did the EMOM. My hair tie situation was losing some elasticity so some errant hairs were getting loose and in the way. I was also having a bad time with the bag landing in water and having to wick the water off the handle. But mostly fine here. I do like my new camera tripod as I can get better angle with the mobility it has. I ended up getting caught up in something so the break between the light bag and the heavier bag was a bit longer than I planned (about 8 minutes). Same guidelines as last time with the weight increase being 1-3lbs to the weight. Notes suggested I do 40lbs based off how last time went. That was what I was thinking anyways. First toss I grazed the band on the way up. George came out at some point after my first toss so I had an audience for the rest of it haha. Some pressure added. Third toss I reached back a bit too much and hit the bottom of the toss tower. It didn’t really affect my toss though. I’ve been trying to use my body levers to my advantage and get it more of a swing down and stretch back to build up momentum. I’m happy that I’m getting air time off the ground with my triple extension consistently. Fourth toss I’d say was my best. The last toss got a little sideways but still good. So no misses with 40lbs. Likely go up another 2lbs next time. Time for stones. I took my time with setting things up here a bit. I was nervous but for a different reason. This was the first thing that has actually been “altered” to the originally written workout plan for Nationals since doing 265lbs. And I was second guessing. What if I don’t make weight and still need to do open class, shouldn’t I be prepared? You’re being a coward not doing open weight class. Unhelpful negative self-talk that I have to blot out of my mind. It seems I will find a way to create stressful scenarios for myself regardless of the choices I make. I didn’t have to worry about too much here compared to last time as far as finding what works. Streamlined that down. This workout I was to do 10’ runs with about the weight of each stone in the medley. We don’t quite have those weights so this was closest (I had provided the stone weights and Mike indicated to do these). I didn’t want to deal with the smaller diameter stones since the form is different and just adds grime. So I did the stone of steel for the first two lifts. The 265lbs and 290lbs aren’t the best stones with being dusty but I can get them done. Need to for the 270lbs and 300lbs for Nats. Each in under 6 seconds. 315lbs was the next stone up to mimic the 325lbs. Slightly slower and definitely noticed the hamstrings on this one walking it in. Then I was to do a set of 5 reps. Seeing as how well 330lbs went, I was to do contest weight of 350lbs. It’s a good stone but it was probably going to be a bit tougher since it was a 21” diameter stone. Again, trying to not be forced into a deep lap and just go at a comfortable pace. Actually felt pretty good the first three reps. Fourth rep my ability to stick to it was going down and it was a lot harder to pull into the lap. Also took the tacky towel with it so just took that as a sign to reapply the tacky towel for this last rep. The pick was a lot easier compared to the fourth rep but I was definitely feeling it by the extension so that was a bit tougher and had to contort a bit to get it on there. But set of five reps done. Cleaned up and drank a protein shake before driving home (so I could get more food in me and clean up kitchen). If I can get my log press feeling better, I should be golden.</p><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fHiSXhsV3hc?si=ugC9qMif8NPFLpAD" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>Craig Pfistererhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13540812006990314140noreply@blogger.com0