How Heavy is "Heavy?" - Bradley Steiner
18 hours ago
Saturday, April 29, 2017
April 29, 2017 – Week 8, Day 3
5 Minutes Sled Drag (55lbs for .25 miles)
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 14.38 seconds
Straight Runs
162x50’ in 7.55 seconds
Sandbag Rows
100x5
150x5
150+25x5
EMOM (Farmer’s Walk & Sandbag Over Bar)
262x50’ in 9.11 seconds/250x2 to 57”
262x50’ in 10.32 seconds/250x2 to 57”
262x50’ in 9.42 seconds/250x2 to 57”
262x50’ in 9.60 seconds/250x2 to 57”
262x50’ in 9.29 seconds/250x2 to 57”
Stretching
Comments: This is probably the toughest workout so far. Again, weather just unpredictable. Literally had percent chance of rain fluctuate from 100% to 5% in a half-hour. I had to wake up early anyways as my father was leaving around noon if I needed assistance and I’d need to drive to Lancaster at a reasonable time if I went there. Weather played havoc as the changing forecast had me lifting several hours earlier than I had planned. It had rained last night so still damp outside. Heart rate monitor still on the fritz. It at least gave a good reading at the end (144bpm) of my sled drag session. Left side felt a little tender but nothing unmanageable. Calf raises were a little tougher this time but still pretty good. Noticed the disparity between the two sides again this session. Wasn’t really noticing the past few sessions. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. Got a good sweat going but that could also be the humidity. Hip airplanes followed. One side felt like it had less resistance than the other. Still a tricky exercise. Then event work. Much like last week, this was going to have warm-ups of two parts of the main EMOM workout. The pairing this time being farmer’s walk and sandbag loads. Usual warm-up I’ve been doing past sessions on the farmer’s walk to warm-up. A little slower than last time. But this is in the morning. Takes a little bit longer to get going. Into the garage to prep sandbag. This time, it was just bent over rows with the light sandbags. Holds at the top of each rep. Last set was with a 25lbs plate on top of my 150lbs sandbag. Felt alright but somehow a little harder than how these felt last session. Maybe because I was treating them as a warm-up for what was to come. The next part was EMOM workout. Or an attempt at it. Heavy (for now) farmer’s walk for 50’ into decent weight sandbag load for a double. Repeat five times. Things started off ok. The farmer’s felt heavy and it was hard to keep my core tight while moving but I finished the first and second set with no issues. The sandbag I had patched up this morning with duct tape and it worked on all but one of the holes. Sandbag was great. All the issues were with the farmer’s walk. On the second set, weights shifted on the pick so I was really slow off the start. Then my timer came unclipped from my waistband and dropped on the ground in such a way that of course the battery popped out. So timing was off after that. Then the plates slid off the handle on the right side after I picked the weight on the third set. Never had this happen with these handles before and I’ve had almost 350lbs on them with this setup. Had to reset the weight and give it another go. My hands were drenched in sweat and I dropped them almost immediately after repicking the weight so another unexpected breather/false start until I could chalk my hands up (the chalk from the first set had been holding up well until then). Same thing happened on the fourth set so we got out the duct tape to secure the weights. After doing that, I had no more issues and finished up the workout. I may need to buy new farmer’s handles for the future that are top loaded so I don’t have to worry about clips. Could have been an injury. Stretched and got a lower back massage and applied some Icy Hot to my back (was a little tender and better safe than sorry) and some ibuprofen as my knees ached like crazy after I cooled down haha. Four more weeks in this cycle left.
Friday, April 28, 2017
April 27, 2017 – Week 8, Day 2
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
16” Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x2
365x1
385x3
Deadlifts
45x15 (bar on bumper plates)
135x3
135x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
315x3
315x3
Leg Raises
BWx40
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Stretching
Comments: Some lower back aches and what not on the left side. Appears to be present since Monday night. Not getting any worse, just noticeable. Abdominals on the upper right side feel like they are cramping. Not sure what that is about. Warm-ups felt good on AMT. Surprised that heartrate only up to 150bpm. Calf raises were good. I think I lost count on the one leg style going back and forth quickly so I may have done more than planned. Box touches started things off (regular style) and they felt good but then band rows and biceps stretch followed. Stretch felt good again. Squat therapy went well. Always feel a fatiguing sensation in my back from keeping the arch for that many reps. But it is good for me. Then sumo box touches and another round of band rows and biceps stretch. Some aches in the left side with box touches but kind of came and went during the set. Hip airplanes I’m working on staying in control and going slow. Gym was kind of crowded so space was at a premium. Speaking of that, I had to wait a bit after all the light stuff to get an open squat rack. Probably needed a breather though as I was dripping sweat bullets. Box squats were up once a rack opened up. Working up to a top weight with an aim of getting 1-3 reps with it. It is strange how sometimes a set feels light on my back but just add a little more and it feels a lot heavier. Last set prior to the top set was last session’s top weight for a single. Slow and controlled but it felt tough. On the top set, I did the reps slow and control. Trying to do these without tapping into any reserves and doing it with a calm state of mind. Maybe a little tougher than last time but I don’t know if it was from the weight feeling a lot heavier on my back or the right knee feeling achy on the set. But still good for more reps if push comes to shove. Deadlifts from the floor after that. Big little change on these. More reps and sets on the warm-up. Working on doing not just overhand grip but alternating grip on the light stuff. Plan being to have the spine and body use to any grip of pulling if required. Feels weird doing it from being away from it for like almost 5 years haha. Grip was really having issues with how much I was sweating. I had to bust out the chalk for the working sets. Less working sets on the touch and go deadlifts. Finally back to three plates. Kind of a big milestone as this was a weight I did for one about three days after my injury and I couldn’t budge it due to the pain (I had thought I was just really sore by that point still). Now I’m doing it with supreme control. Really worked on sitting back more this time around. Bar really scraped the shins on those negatives haha. To end the session, leg raises followed by band side bends. Leg raises always seem to feel good on the back. My body was letting off a lot of heat as my glasses were fogging up while doing these on the floor. Side bends were the easiest they have felt so far. Home to stretch and eat. Going to either have to travel to the strongman gym or at home before the thunderstorms start. Either way, I will need to get up real early.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
16” Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x2
365x1
385x3
Deadlifts
45x15 (bar on bumper plates)
135x3
135x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
315x3
315x3
Leg Raises
BWx40
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Stretching
Comments: Some lower back aches and what not on the left side. Appears to be present since Monday night. Not getting any worse, just noticeable. Abdominals on the upper right side feel like they are cramping. Not sure what that is about. Warm-ups felt good on AMT. Surprised that heartrate only up to 150bpm. Calf raises were good. I think I lost count on the one leg style going back and forth quickly so I may have done more than planned. Box touches started things off (regular style) and they felt good but then band rows and biceps stretch followed. Stretch felt good again. Squat therapy went well. Always feel a fatiguing sensation in my back from keeping the arch for that many reps. But it is good for me. Then sumo box touches and another round of band rows and biceps stretch. Some aches in the left side with box touches but kind of came and went during the set. Hip airplanes I’m working on staying in control and going slow. Gym was kind of crowded so space was at a premium. Speaking of that, I had to wait a bit after all the light stuff to get an open squat rack. Probably needed a breather though as I was dripping sweat bullets. Box squats were up once a rack opened up. Working up to a top weight with an aim of getting 1-3 reps with it. It is strange how sometimes a set feels light on my back but just add a little more and it feels a lot heavier. Last set prior to the top set was last session’s top weight for a single. Slow and controlled but it felt tough. On the top set, I did the reps slow and control. Trying to do these without tapping into any reserves and doing it with a calm state of mind. Maybe a little tougher than last time but I don’t know if it was from the weight feeling a lot heavier on my back or the right knee feeling achy on the set. But still good for more reps if push comes to shove. Deadlifts from the floor after that. Big little change on these. More reps and sets on the warm-up. Working on doing not just overhand grip but alternating grip on the light stuff. Plan being to have the spine and body use to any grip of pulling if required. Feels weird doing it from being away from it for like almost 5 years haha. Grip was really having issues with how much I was sweating. I had to bust out the chalk for the working sets. Less working sets on the touch and go deadlifts. Finally back to three plates. Kind of a big milestone as this was a weight I did for one about three days after my injury and I couldn’t budge it due to the pain (I had thought I was just really sore by that point still). Now I’m doing it with supreme control. Really worked on sitting back more this time around. Bar really scraped the shins on those negatives haha. To end the session, leg raises followed by band side bends. Leg raises always seem to feel good on the back. My body was letting off a lot of heat as my glasses were fogging up while doing these on the floor. Side bends were the easiest they have felt so far. Home to stretch and eat. Going to either have to travel to the strongman gym or at home before the thunderstorms start. Either way, I will need to get up real early.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
April 25, 2017 – Week 8, Day 1
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
12” Log Viper Presses
Dumbbells
10’sx10
20’sx5
30’sx5
40’sx5
Log
100x3
130x1
160x1
190x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
Chest Supported Rows
150x10
200x5
230x5
260x5
290x5
320x5
Dead Floor Presses
45x10
120x3
172.5x3
225x3
275x1
295x7
Stretching
Comments: Still trying to get good, quality sleep. Didn’t go as planned the night before as I woke up from a dream where I had reinjured myself and was back at square one. Not a pleasant way to start the day haha. Trying to adjust my thinking on some things to see if that will help with recovery and dealing with stress. Started to feel uncomfortably warm as soon as I left work. So on to the workout. Warm up on the AMT. Not feeling the arms as much as past sessions. Heart rate only up to 153bpm. Calf work went well. Not as crisp as previous session but I notice that is usually the case as the AMT is tougher on the calves than the sled dragging. Then a short circuit of box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. First time regular box touches and second time sumo box touches. Biceps stretch felt really good. Really worked on staying in control of my movements on the hip airplanes. Trying to be in control of my body. Then on to the weights. Up first being the log viper presses. Dumbbell warm-ups I did with supreme caution as this is what caused things to feel weird with the biceps last time. I had those copper sleeves just in case. No swinging willy-nilly with momentum and exaggerated ROM. No issues this time. By the time I finished with the dumbbells, I was already a sweaty mess and felt like I was a furnace. Log work didn’t seem to be an issue. This was a much tougher session than last time as it was more weight than last time and twice as many sets of EMOM. Some younger kids were around me and it was a bit of a pain with them being so close. I had moved the pull-up tower over a good 2’ away but that was still too close haha. Working weight was tough. Some singles were crisp while others took more effort. I feel the best singles were the first, fifth and eighth. I got off balance at lockout on the fourth single as the kids knocked over my camera. Right hand was getting a little sweaty by the end so I might need to use chalk in the future to keep from having my grip slip on the slick handles. I felt like I was cooling down once I got done with log. Then on to chest supported rows. Same as it has been the past few heavy sessions. I increased the weight of the warm-up set so the jump from that to the first work set wasn’t so big. Hands were a little sweaty but the still have plenty left in the tank on these. Staying with strict form and keeping the core braced and tight. Then it was time for dead floor presses. Same plan as incline press last time with working up to a set percent for max reps. Was pretty warm so I just did the bar to warm-up. I felt like I was lifting the weight uneven on the second to last set. Bar didn’t have markings on it. Top weight went up a bit slower than I would have liked for the first rep but I had plenty of strength and control to get more reps. Camera ran out of space just as I was locking out the seventh rep. My camera proceeded to let out a whole bunch of beeping noises so my concentration slipped and I didn’t have it in me to make a decent attempt at another rep. Still good considering this is over 45lbs improvement from the very first lifting session. It was pretty late but I got home to stretch and eat three recovery burritos.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
12” Log Viper Presses
Dumbbells
10’sx10
20’sx5
30’sx5
40’sx5
Log
100x3
130x1
160x1
190x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
210x1
Chest Supported Rows
150x10
200x5
230x5
260x5
290x5
320x5
Dead Floor Presses
45x10
120x3
172.5x3
225x3
275x1
295x7
Stretching
Comments: Still trying to get good, quality sleep. Didn’t go as planned the night before as I woke up from a dream where I had reinjured myself and was back at square one. Not a pleasant way to start the day haha. Trying to adjust my thinking on some things to see if that will help with recovery and dealing with stress. Started to feel uncomfortably warm as soon as I left work. So on to the workout. Warm up on the AMT. Not feeling the arms as much as past sessions. Heart rate only up to 153bpm. Calf work went well. Not as crisp as previous session but I notice that is usually the case as the AMT is tougher on the calves than the sled dragging. Then a short circuit of box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. First time regular box touches and second time sumo box touches. Biceps stretch felt really good. Really worked on staying in control of my movements on the hip airplanes. Trying to be in control of my body. Then on to the weights. Up first being the log viper presses. Dumbbell warm-ups I did with supreme caution as this is what caused things to feel weird with the biceps last time. I had those copper sleeves just in case. No swinging willy-nilly with momentum and exaggerated ROM. No issues this time. By the time I finished with the dumbbells, I was already a sweaty mess and felt like I was a furnace. Log work didn’t seem to be an issue. This was a much tougher session than last time as it was more weight than last time and twice as many sets of EMOM. Some younger kids were around me and it was a bit of a pain with them being so close. I had moved the pull-up tower over a good 2’ away but that was still too close haha. Working weight was tough. Some singles were crisp while others took more effort. I feel the best singles were the first, fifth and eighth. I got off balance at lockout on the fourth single as the kids knocked over my camera. Right hand was getting a little sweaty by the end so I might need to use chalk in the future to keep from having my grip slip on the slick handles. I felt like I was cooling down once I got done with log. Then on to chest supported rows. Same as it has been the past few heavy sessions. I increased the weight of the warm-up set so the jump from that to the first work set wasn’t so big. Hands were a little sweaty but the still have plenty left in the tank on these. Staying with strict form and keeping the core braced and tight. Then it was time for dead floor presses. Same plan as incline press last time with working up to a set percent for max reps. Was pretty warm so I just did the bar to warm-up. I felt like I was lifting the weight uneven on the second to last set. Bar didn’t have markings on it. Top weight went up a bit slower than I would have liked for the first rep but I had plenty of strength and control to get more reps. Camera ran out of space just as I was locking out the seventh rep. My camera proceeded to let out a whole bunch of beeping noises so my concentration slipped and I didn’t have it in me to make a decent attempt at another rep. Still good considering this is over 45lbs improvement from the very first lifting session. It was pretty late but I got home to stretch and eat three recovery burritos.
Saturday, April 22, 2017
April 22, 2017 – Week 7, Day 3
5 Minutes Sled Drag (55lbs for .25 miles)
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
Yoke
217x50’ in 6.52 seconds
217x50’ in 5.90 seconds
307x50’ in 6.33 seconds
402x25’ in 4.02 seconds
452x25’ in 4.52 seconds
Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x5
225x1
EMOM (Yoke & Stone of Steel Over Bar)
502x25’ in 4.61 seconds/225x2 to 57”
502x25’ in 4.00 seconds/225x2 to 57”
502x25’ in 4.01 seconds/225x2 to 57”
502x25’ in 4.04 seconds/225x2 to 57”
502x25’ in 4.05 seconds/225x2 to 57”
Stretching
Comments: This workout was going to be interesting. I was getting conflicting weather reports (one said no rain and the other said rain and then they flip-flopped the next day) so I was debating between going to the gym in Lancaster indoors or doing it at home. My body made the choice for me. Something I ate on Thursday did not agree with me so I didn’t end up eating dinner until late Friday night and next thing I know I’m waking up from a weird dream at 12:36PM the next day. So training at home it was. It had rained last night so still damp outside. Heart rate monitor wasn’t working so I may pitch in on days where I’m using something without a sensor. Walking felt pretty good with the sled. Legs felt a little fatigued by the end. Best the calf raises have felt with the one leg style so far. I treated it as one set, rather than mentally breaking it up as separate sets. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. Felt good. No aches in the hips, hamstrings felt good and nice pump in the upper back. My back was feeling all kinds of achy though. Hip airplanes followed. I did my best to be slow and controlled with these. I think it went better than last time. Event work after that. This is where things got interesting. The main part of the workout was going to be a combo of two events (yoke and stone of steel) so the pre-show so to speak was some warming-up on each event. Yoke to start things off. But of course, it starts raining the hardest it has rained so far as I’m starting yoke. I also had on my grip shirt as I wasn’t going to have time to switch shirts between the events later so I might as well get used to it. Rain didn’t seem to hamper me (it stopped after a bit). Usual warm-up on yoke as with past weeks and then two heavier runs for just 25’. Kind of spooky that the weights and times were the same on those two sets haha. Then into the garage for stone of steel work. Empty implement for five and then a bit of weight for a single. I have no anxiety issues with the empty implement now but put weight in and I start to get nervous. I’d like to not be in flight or fight mode but I figure it will happen until I fully gain confidence back in my abilities. Plan had been just 220lbs but loading two plates in was easier. Went up pretty good. No issues with the shoulder/pec/biceps so I was ready to go for the real workout. The next part was EMOM workout. Start with yoke and then the next minute starts with stone of steel. Alternating back and forth until five sets of each are done so about 9.5 minutes of work. Good lord was I nervous doing this. I had my dad film so that I just had to worry about lifting and the time. The first run with the yoke wasn’t the best but still not far off my last warm-up. I realized that I hadn’t pushed my timer hard enough so it didn’t start so I got a little more rest before the next minute started. Even though I had done the stone of steel for a single before this started, I was concerned about going for a double. Thankfully, no issues there either. After that first pairing, I started to feel better. The workout became fun. I felt like a beast doing this and I felt like a proper strongman again. Put the weights away and stretched to end this week. Hopefully this momentum keeps up.
Friday, April 21, 2017
April 20, 2017 – Week 7, Day 2
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
16” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
205x3
205x3
205x3
16” Rack Pulls
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x2
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x5
Crunches
BWx35
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Comments: Feeling alright going into the workout. A little rushed to get through things timely. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 150bpm. Lowest it has been on this in a while I think. Tried to move through the warm-up stuff. Calf raises felt good. Still a slight difference in difficulty between each leg but it is minimal. Box touches felt good with both styles. No aches in the hip even on sumo style. Rows felt good on the upper back. I had to find places to do the stretch as the first spot was taken by the time I got to the second set. I’m not sure why but I felt antsy right before doing the squat therapy. Not sure what that was about as I had no issues while doing it. Hip airplanes are still tough. I switched sides I started and found that my strong side was harder to do and felt tighter. I will have to keep at it. Then time for weights. Front box squats for kind of speed work. Increase in weight but decrease in sets. Still doing them EOMOM style to keep some kind of pace. The jump to the working weight from the last warm-up felt pretty rough. Took the first two sets with the working weight to get my breathing right as the last set felt the best of them. Then rack pulls. Continuing to increase the weight and aiming for 1-5 reps on a top set. Plan was 450lbs but four plates and quarter looked better. Only a little more and I knew I had it in me. I had a pretty good sweat going from the other stuff by this point. I was testing out a narrower stance and grip as I might be restricted by the size of the frame for car deadlift so I wanted to see how that was. Felt a little more back initiating the lift with the narrower stance. I like my other stance better so I will stick with that. Grip wasn’t strong enough to get all five reps double overhand style so I had to go with alternated grip for that last one. I gave it a good effort though. Abdominal work followed that. Easy set of crunches into somewhat easy obliques with bands. I was still in a rush so no stretching today. I will make up for it tomorrow after I walk.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
16” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
205x3
205x3
205x3
16” Rack Pulls
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x2
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x5
Crunches
BWx35
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Comments: Feeling alright going into the workout. A little rushed to get through things timely. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 150bpm. Lowest it has been on this in a while I think. Tried to move through the warm-up stuff. Calf raises felt good. Still a slight difference in difficulty between each leg but it is minimal. Box touches felt good with both styles. No aches in the hip even on sumo style. Rows felt good on the upper back. I had to find places to do the stretch as the first spot was taken by the time I got to the second set. I’m not sure why but I felt antsy right before doing the squat therapy. Not sure what that was about as I had no issues while doing it. Hip airplanes are still tough. I switched sides I started and found that my strong side was harder to do and felt tighter. I will have to keep at it. Then time for weights. Front box squats for kind of speed work. Increase in weight but decrease in sets. Still doing them EOMOM style to keep some kind of pace. The jump to the working weight from the last warm-up felt pretty rough. Took the first two sets with the working weight to get my breathing right as the last set felt the best of them. Then rack pulls. Continuing to increase the weight and aiming for 1-5 reps on a top set. Plan was 450lbs but four plates and quarter looked better. Only a little more and I knew I had it in me. I had a pretty good sweat going from the other stuff by this point. I was testing out a narrower stance and grip as I might be restricted by the size of the frame for car deadlift so I wanted to see how that was. Felt a little more back initiating the lift with the narrower stance. I like my other stance better so I will stick with that. Grip wasn’t strong enough to get all five reps double overhand style so I had to go with alternated grip for that last one. I gave it a good effort though. Abdominal work followed that. Easy set of crunches into somewhat easy obliques with bands. I was still in a rush so no stretching today. I will make up for it tomorrow after I walk.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
April 18, 2017 – Week 7, Day 1
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
Incline Bench Presses
45x10
80x5
115x3
155x3
200x3
227.5x1
242.5x8
2 Second Pauses
210x7
Chest Supported Rows (1 second holds)
100x10
200x8
200x8
200x8
Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses (3 stage 2 second pauses)
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
35x1 R
35x1 L
65x1 R
65x1 L
85x1 R
85x1 L
95x1 R
95x1 L
105x1 R
105x1 L
115x1 R
115x1 L
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 L
125x1 L
125x1 L
125x1 L
125x1 L
Stretching
Comments: On to the second half of this cycle. Still watching the left biceps/shoulder/pec thing. Not painful, just noticeable as it has been. Warm up on the AMT. Feeling my left biceps moving while doing this but again, just noticing things. Heart rate only got up to 156bpm. Then calf work. Slight increase in the reps. Didn’t really notice a difference so that is good. Box touches and band rows with biceps stretch again. First time with regular and second with sumo. Felt ok. No aches in the hip. Keeping the rows and stretch in for now. Hip airplanes are still a challenge. Another rep per side. Each time I’m trying to make corrections from the previous session. My strong side I tend to try and stand up rather than stay at 45 degree angle. Some balance issues but I recovered. Weighted exercises followed with incline bench leading it off. A bit different from previous sessions. Warm-up/accumulation sets at a set percent of 1rm and then doing a set percent for a max rep set. I messed around with the plate combinations to warm-up (using bumper plates) and then switched to standard type load for the max rep set. I didn’t feel like I was going to be putting up good numbers leading up to the top set. Thankfully, I was wrong as I hit close to what my preinjury best is for this rep range (about 12.5lbs) and I feel like my form is probably better (minimal air hump). Then dropped the weight a bit for paused reps. Went for more reps with this as maxing out on reps was certainly going to make trying to beat my 5rm on these too tough haha. After incline, on to chest supported rows. Lighter variation with holds at the top of each rep. No biceps issues. As long as these feel good and I can maintain the form and control, the weight will keep climbing and benefit when I got heavier without the holds. Circus dumbbell work last thing for the workout. I brought the copper infused sleeves in case anything acted up in my biceps. Plan was the same as last time, working up to the goal weight and then doing EMOM for 5 singles each side. I modified the warm-up from last session more to cut down on the number of times I ended up cleaning the bell. Again, trying to avoid excess strain on the biceps and shoulder so singles all the way up. I was really surprised with how well I was getting the clean to the shoulder and having the dumbbell get into the sweet spot on my traps. Granted this is still under 70% of contest weight, it feels like an improvement and I know that once I start doing jerks as opposed to push presses, the weight will be doable in due time. Little increase from last session, just shy of using the empty circus bell. Maybe next time. First two singles with the working weight on the right side were terrible on the press. Still better than it felt last time for those first two singles. Something clicked after that and the weight went up smooth the remaining sets. I think the fourth one was the best on my right. When I switched to the left, I just went right to it, continuing the EMOM style as opposed to taking a little breather between sides last session. Compared to the right, left felt almost effortless. Right started off hard so it is easy to pick the one that felt the best but on left, I can only pick the one that didn’t feel as easy (also the fourth single). Some tightness after I was done but no pain so that is good. Home to stretch, eat and sleep.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx12
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
BWx6/6
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx6/6
Incline Bench Presses
45x10
80x5
115x3
155x3
200x3
227.5x1
242.5x8
2 Second Pauses
210x7
Chest Supported Rows (1 second holds)
100x10
200x8
200x8
200x8
Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses (3 stage 2 second pauses)
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
35x1 R
35x1 L
65x1 R
65x1 L
85x1 R
85x1 L
95x1 R
95x1 L
105x1 R
105x1 L
115x1 R
115x1 L
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 R
125x1 L
125x1 L
125x1 L
125x1 L
125x1 L
Stretching
Comments: On to the second half of this cycle. Still watching the left biceps/shoulder/pec thing. Not painful, just noticeable as it has been. Warm up on the AMT. Feeling my left biceps moving while doing this but again, just noticing things. Heart rate only got up to 156bpm. Then calf work. Slight increase in the reps. Didn’t really notice a difference so that is good. Box touches and band rows with biceps stretch again. First time with regular and second with sumo. Felt ok. No aches in the hip. Keeping the rows and stretch in for now. Hip airplanes are still a challenge. Another rep per side. Each time I’m trying to make corrections from the previous session. My strong side I tend to try and stand up rather than stay at 45 degree angle. Some balance issues but I recovered. Weighted exercises followed with incline bench leading it off. A bit different from previous sessions. Warm-up/accumulation sets at a set percent of 1rm and then doing a set percent for a max rep set. I messed around with the plate combinations to warm-up (using bumper plates) and then switched to standard type load for the max rep set. I didn’t feel like I was going to be putting up good numbers leading up to the top set. Thankfully, I was wrong as I hit close to what my preinjury best is for this rep range (about 12.5lbs) and I feel like my form is probably better (minimal air hump). Then dropped the weight a bit for paused reps. Went for more reps with this as maxing out on reps was certainly going to make trying to beat my 5rm on these too tough haha. After incline, on to chest supported rows. Lighter variation with holds at the top of each rep. No biceps issues. As long as these feel good and I can maintain the form and control, the weight will keep climbing and benefit when I got heavier without the holds. Circus dumbbell work last thing for the workout. I brought the copper infused sleeves in case anything acted up in my biceps. Plan was the same as last time, working up to the goal weight and then doing EMOM for 5 singles each side. I modified the warm-up from last session more to cut down on the number of times I ended up cleaning the bell. Again, trying to avoid excess strain on the biceps and shoulder so singles all the way up. I was really surprised with how well I was getting the clean to the shoulder and having the dumbbell get into the sweet spot on my traps. Granted this is still under 70% of contest weight, it feels like an improvement and I know that once I start doing jerks as opposed to push presses, the weight will be doable in due time. Little increase from last session, just shy of using the empty circus bell. Maybe next time. First two singles with the working weight on the right side were terrible on the press. Still better than it felt last time for those first two singles. Something clicked after that and the weight went up smooth the remaining sets. I think the fourth one was the best on my right. When I switched to the left, I just went right to it, continuing the EMOM style as opposed to taking a little breather between sides last session. Compared to the right, left felt almost effortless. Right started off hard so it is easy to pick the one that felt the best but on left, I can only pick the one that didn’t feel as easy (also the fourth single). Some tightness after I was done but no pain so that is good. Home to stretch, eat and sleep.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
April 15, 2017 – Week 6, Day 3
5 Minutes Sled Drag (55lbs for .25 miles)
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 14.29 seconds
Straight Runs
162x50’ in 6.95 seconds
252x50’ in 8.77 seconds
252x50’ in 8.93 seconds
252x50’ in 8.52 seconds
Sandbag Rows
100x1
150x1
150x10
Sandbag Load
Free Standing
100x1
150x1
200x1
250x1
Load to Platform (57”)
250x10
Stretching
Comments: Some concerns on my mind this week and this session. Work stuff can’t be controlled but it is the weekend. Biceps thing that is going on was most pressing. Took precautions the night before doing massage on that side (more intense than I was doing) for the biceps, shoulder, chest and back and then applied some lidocaine to see if that would calm things down. Last thing was putting the copper infused arm sleeves. Still not convinced on the copper thing but I figured the compression would help. Wore both on the same arm. I also invited a friend (Liza) over to train. Can be hard to balance that with the anxiety of performing in front of other people with the euphoric feeling of talking with friends during events. Been so long since I had that option haha. Starting things off earlier this time around. Sled drag to start. Heart rate monitor was on the fritz as it only got up to 103bpm but I adjusted it and it finally read correctly with 144bpm. On to calf work as per usual. Getting pretty good at these on the one leg style. Hardly any hesitation switching legs. Then on to what I’ve been doing with box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. First time regular style and then second sumo. No hip ache this time. Band rows and biceps stretch were alright. They were the first gate keeper of the biceps issue. No issues so I passed this gate. Hip airplanes felt the best that they have been. I noticed the camera fell down the first set so I did another set. No video, no proof haha. Need to keep working this one as I do think it is helping with the weak side. My friend showed up right before the hip airplanes so right on time for event work. Farmer’s walk again and same warm-up sets as last time. Felt better this time. I was not looking forward to the big jump to the work weight. 30lbs bump in weight from last session. I would be going over 500lbs on an exercise for the first time in about 11 months. I wanted to keep doing these without a belt and chalk for right now. As I expected, the first set felt tough. I felt my grip being taxed. This won’t do. I had a little bit of breather since I was alternating sets on the farmer’s with Liza. Second set felt better as far as moving but pick-up felt just as tough. By the last set, I had quite the crowd, with my nephew, younger sister and mom. Can’t disappoint my fans. As with past weeks, I feel I get better with moving with the weight as I go. Workout tone and pace definitely shifted after farmer’s walks. I moved on to sandbag work while Liza and my sister did yoke. New exercise to start off sandbag work. Another gateway. If I failed any, then back-up plan was sled work. Sandbag rows with a hold at peak contraction. I have been gripping the top of the sandbags with my left arm but this session I was aiming more for how to lift a stone. Continue to work on the carryover. I’d normally just jump right in but I did my lightest sandbag and working weight for a single to make sure everything was ok. I passed so time to rep it out. Felt pretty good. I was expecting things to be a little harder. Then on to sandbag loads. My light, adjustable yoke was in use and depending on how loading a sandbag went, I may not need it. So I started again with the lightest sandbag and did loads without a yoke or platform to warm-up. I wanted to make sure the movement was alright. Pick, lap and then go for triple extension. No issues there with my heaviest sandbag so I figured that as long as I do things at a casual pace and supreme focus, I should be good. Like last time, I had the option to do a lighter bag (heavy option from last time) for 12-15 reps or a heavier bag for 5-10 reps. Always aiming for heavier. I used my platform this time so I that I didn’t have to wait for the yoke work to be done and so that I could stay in one spot. I really needed to spend more time to get the pick just right and not strain the biceps. Besides the bag having holes in it (got the sand lung again) it went well. Only bobbled the pick on one rep. I wasn’t sure if I had done 9 or 10 by the end but I could have kept going at the pace I was. Conditioning isn’t the best but it didn’t feel out of my capabilities. I had been worried about the sandbag since Tuesday. What started out as high stress ended on a good note. Had fun with family and Liza. Nice break from the solo mission stuff haha. Put weights away and stretched. Half way through this training cycle.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 14.29 seconds
Straight Runs
162x50’ in 6.95 seconds
252x50’ in 8.77 seconds
252x50’ in 8.93 seconds
252x50’ in 8.52 seconds
Sandbag Rows
100x1
150x1
150x10
Sandbag Load
Free Standing
100x1
150x1
200x1
250x1
Load to Platform (57”)
250x10
Stretching
Comments: Some concerns on my mind this week and this session. Work stuff can’t be controlled but it is the weekend. Biceps thing that is going on was most pressing. Took precautions the night before doing massage on that side (more intense than I was doing) for the biceps, shoulder, chest and back and then applied some lidocaine to see if that would calm things down. Last thing was putting the copper infused arm sleeves. Still not convinced on the copper thing but I figured the compression would help. Wore both on the same arm. I also invited a friend (Liza) over to train. Can be hard to balance that with the anxiety of performing in front of other people with the euphoric feeling of talking with friends during events. Been so long since I had that option haha. Starting things off earlier this time around. Sled drag to start. Heart rate monitor was on the fritz as it only got up to 103bpm but I adjusted it and it finally read correctly with 144bpm. On to calf work as per usual. Getting pretty good at these on the one leg style. Hardly any hesitation switching legs. Then on to what I’ve been doing with box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. First time regular style and then second sumo. No hip ache this time. Band rows and biceps stretch were alright. They were the first gate keeper of the biceps issue. No issues so I passed this gate. Hip airplanes felt the best that they have been. I noticed the camera fell down the first set so I did another set. No video, no proof haha. Need to keep working this one as I do think it is helping with the weak side. My friend showed up right before the hip airplanes so right on time for event work. Farmer’s walk again and same warm-up sets as last time. Felt better this time. I was not looking forward to the big jump to the work weight. 30lbs bump in weight from last session. I would be going over 500lbs on an exercise for the first time in about 11 months. I wanted to keep doing these without a belt and chalk for right now. As I expected, the first set felt tough. I felt my grip being taxed. This won’t do. I had a little bit of breather since I was alternating sets on the farmer’s with Liza. Second set felt better as far as moving but pick-up felt just as tough. By the last set, I had quite the crowd, with my nephew, younger sister and mom. Can’t disappoint my fans. As with past weeks, I feel I get better with moving with the weight as I go. Workout tone and pace definitely shifted after farmer’s walks. I moved on to sandbag work while Liza and my sister did yoke. New exercise to start off sandbag work. Another gateway. If I failed any, then back-up plan was sled work. Sandbag rows with a hold at peak contraction. I have been gripping the top of the sandbags with my left arm but this session I was aiming more for how to lift a stone. Continue to work on the carryover. I’d normally just jump right in but I did my lightest sandbag and working weight for a single to make sure everything was ok. I passed so time to rep it out. Felt pretty good. I was expecting things to be a little harder. Then on to sandbag loads. My light, adjustable yoke was in use and depending on how loading a sandbag went, I may not need it. So I started again with the lightest sandbag and did loads without a yoke or platform to warm-up. I wanted to make sure the movement was alright. Pick, lap and then go for triple extension. No issues there with my heaviest sandbag so I figured that as long as I do things at a casual pace and supreme focus, I should be good. Like last time, I had the option to do a lighter bag (heavy option from last time) for 12-15 reps or a heavier bag for 5-10 reps. Always aiming for heavier. I used my platform this time so I that I didn’t have to wait for the yoke work to be done and so that I could stay in one spot. I really needed to spend more time to get the pick just right and not strain the biceps. Besides the bag having holes in it (got the sand lung again) it went well. Only bobbled the pick on one rep. I wasn’t sure if I had done 9 or 10 by the end but I could have kept going at the pace I was. Conditioning isn’t the best but it didn’t feel out of my capabilities. I had been worried about the sandbag since Tuesday. What started out as high stress ended on a good note. Had fun with family and Liza. Nice break from the solo mission stuff haha. Put weights away and stretched. Half way through this training cycle.
Friday, April 14, 2017
April 13, 2017 – Week 6, Day 2
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
16” Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
Deadlifts
45x10 (bar on bumper plates)
95x5
135x3
185x2
225x1
300x3
300x3
300x3
300x3
300x3
Leg Raises
BWx40
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Stretching
Comments: Some joint issues acting up. Knees aching and some aches in the hip and SI joint area. But not too bad, just noticeable. My worst days this cycle is like what my best days were last cycle. Still having odd feeling in the left biceps. Uncertain if it is from chest or shoulder “pulling” at it. Been doing what I can to promote healing/recovery with sleep, food and massage. My hope is it just my body getting used to the increased workload with the crush strength on stone of steel with a delayed effect. I remember the first cycle that I didn’t have quad soreness until the third week with the bodyweight squat work. Anyway, on to the workout. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 155bpm. Left biceps made me aware of them the whole time though. No pain, just that odd “tugging” feeling. Calf raises were good with both leg style. Still a little disparity between the legs on the single leg style but getting better still. Barely noticeable at this point. Still a visual difference between them. Little adjustment to this workout. Box touches started things off (regular style) and they felt good but then band rows and biceps stretch followed. Adding these in to see if they help with the tight biceps. Rowing motion didn’t cause the odd sensation so hopefully that is good. Knees were aching before squat therapy but really no issues when doing them. Knee ache kind of went away as the workout went on. Then sumo box touches and another round of band rows and biceps stretch. Some aches in the left side hip and SI joint on the box touches. Hip airplanes followed. I might be overcomplicating these. Balance is still tough. Trying to stay at 45 degree angle to the floor. Did a few more than listed as I lost my balance mid set and restarted. Need quality reps. Weight work up with box squats. As has been the theme with these this cycle, working up to a top set with an aim for 1-3 reps. Plate and a quarter for the top weight. No doubts I would get it, just a matter of how tough. Lower back pump was present as I was warming up on these. Biceps and shoulder felt tight at the start but calmed down as I did these. Most of the working up sets felt heavy. Slow and steady on the top set. Not an all-out effort, at least a double at this effort. Then deadlifts to finish up the weight portion of the workout. Same as last time with tempo, sets and reps, just more weight. I was worried that this was a bridge too far with the first work set as it felt slow and the subsequent reps of that set felt like I was struggling to stay tight. Luckily, the second set alleviated those concerns as it felt like everything was on point. Felt like a world of difference in difficulty between that first and second set. I felt I got better as the sets went on too. To end the session, leg raises followed by band side bends. Leg raises seemed to help deload my spine a little. My weak side on the side bends didn’t feel so tight this time. Home to stretch and eat recovery burritos. Still got to keep an eye on the biceps/shoulder/chest thing to make sure it doesn’t hamper things and avoid things that might make it an issue.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
16” Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
Deadlifts
45x10 (bar on bumper plates)
95x5
135x3
185x2
225x1
300x3
300x3
300x3
300x3
300x3
Leg Raises
BWx40
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Stretching
Comments: Some joint issues acting up. Knees aching and some aches in the hip and SI joint area. But not too bad, just noticeable. My worst days this cycle is like what my best days were last cycle. Still having odd feeling in the left biceps. Uncertain if it is from chest or shoulder “pulling” at it. Been doing what I can to promote healing/recovery with sleep, food and massage. My hope is it just my body getting used to the increased workload with the crush strength on stone of steel with a delayed effect. I remember the first cycle that I didn’t have quad soreness until the third week with the bodyweight squat work. Anyway, on to the workout. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 155bpm. Left biceps made me aware of them the whole time though. No pain, just that odd “tugging” feeling. Calf raises were good with both leg style. Still a little disparity between the legs on the single leg style but getting better still. Barely noticeable at this point. Still a visual difference between them. Little adjustment to this workout. Box touches started things off (regular style) and they felt good but then band rows and biceps stretch followed. Adding these in to see if they help with the tight biceps. Rowing motion didn’t cause the odd sensation so hopefully that is good. Knees were aching before squat therapy but really no issues when doing them. Knee ache kind of went away as the workout went on. Then sumo box touches and another round of band rows and biceps stretch. Some aches in the left side hip and SI joint on the box touches. Hip airplanes followed. I might be overcomplicating these. Balance is still tough. Trying to stay at 45 degree angle to the floor. Did a few more than listed as I lost my balance mid set and restarted. Need quality reps. Weight work up with box squats. As has been the theme with these this cycle, working up to a top set with an aim for 1-3 reps. Plate and a quarter for the top weight. No doubts I would get it, just a matter of how tough. Lower back pump was present as I was warming up on these. Biceps and shoulder felt tight at the start but calmed down as I did these. Most of the working up sets felt heavy. Slow and steady on the top set. Not an all-out effort, at least a double at this effort. Then deadlifts to finish up the weight portion of the workout. Same as last time with tempo, sets and reps, just more weight. I was worried that this was a bridge too far with the first work set as it felt slow and the subsequent reps of that set felt like I was struggling to stay tight. Luckily, the second set alleviated those concerns as it felt like everything was on point. Felt like a world of difference in difficulty between that first and second set. I felt I got better as the sets went on too. To end the session, leg raises followed by band side bends. Leg raises seemed to help deload my spine a little. My weak side on the side bends didn’t feel so tight this time. Home to stretch and eat recovery burritos. Still got to keep an eye on the biceps/shoulder/chest thing to make sure it doesn’t hamper things and avoid things that might make it an issue.
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
April 11, 2017 – Week 6, Day 1
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
12” Log Viper Presses
Dumbbells
10’sx10
20’sx5
30’sx5
40’sx5
Log
100x3
125x1
150x1
175x1
200x1
200x1
200x1
200x1
200x1
Chest Supported Rows
100x10
190x5
220x5
250x5
280x5
310x5
Dead Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
140x2
172.5x2
207.5x2
240x2
275x2
310x2
Stretching
Comments: Been working at getting more sleep the past few days. Averaging 8hrs a night so far so that is a plus. Will be tougher on days I workout though. Feels like we had about two weeks of Spring with the weather and now it is Summer. Warm up on the AMT. Heart rate at 161bpm but dipped down to 156bpm right after I got that reading. Calf exercises followed that. A little tougher than last time on the one leg stuff. Box touches felt good on the hamstrings. No hip aches. Best I’ve been able to maintain my balance on the hip airplanes. Still need something to keep my balance still. I think this is the first time I was able to notice there was a difference in how the one side moved compared to the other. The injured side was stiffer, slower. After the light stuff, on to working with the weights. More viper pressing. Same warm-up with the dumbbells. Things felt alright until the last set with the dumbbells. On the third rep of that set, I felt a pull/cramp in my left biceps. Definitely made me have concerns and I got thrown off my grove on the next rep as I assessed things. I think it my biceps got worked really hard on stone of steel on Saturday. I’ve been doing massage on my off days for a few minutes so I had hoped that would be enough for recovery post workout. Only thing I had felt prior to the workout was some tightness in the left front deltoid. So I proceeded with the rest of the workout with caution, keeping an eye on it with the log. No balance issues on the warm-up sets with the log like last time. I knew what to expect. Similar to last session with increased the weight with the aim for five singles done EMOM style. I had more sets to work up to the working weight and I think that helped. Aim for smooth reps as before. Working weight was the top weight from last time and it felt similar to the weight I used for the EMOM from that week. So despite the biceps issue, log stuff went well. Then on to chest supported rows. Again, very cautious with how I pulled to not bother the biceps. Same as last time with a light warm-up and then going for a comfortable 5rm. Again, I had more in me. Last thing for the day was dead floor presses. I definitely was treating these as an afterthought since I’ve done this kind of weight before. However, that was fresh so I probably should be treating the weight with more respect. I was trying to move through this part of the workout at a good pace. Still working off percentages from 1rm of last cycle. I did notice at 240lbs that my tightness didn’t feel as good as previous sessions under the bar so I definitely had to adjust my effort. Top double was harder than I would have liked but definitely good for at least one more rep. Hope to stretch and eat recovery burritos. Both biceps sore. Need to keep an eye on them as I don’t want a pull.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
12” Log Viper Presses
Dumbbells
10’sx10
20’sx5
30’sx5
40’sx5
Log
100x3
125x1
150x1
175x1
200x1
200x1
200x1
200x1
200x1
Chest Supported Rows
100x10
190x5
220x5
250x5
280x5
310x5
Dead Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
140x2
172.5x2
207.5x2
240x2
275x2
310x2
Stretching
Comments: Been working at getting more sleep the past few days. Averaging 8hrs a night so far so that is a plus. Will be tougher on days I workout though. Feels like we had about two weeks of Spring with the weather and now it is Summer. Warm up on the AMT. Heart rate at 161bpm but dipped down to 156bpm right after I got that reading. Calf exercises followed that. A little tougher than last time on the one leg stuff. Box touches felt good on the hamstrings. No hip aches. Best I’ve been able to maintain my balance on the hip airplanes. Still need something to keep my balance still. I think this is the first time I was able to notice there was a difference in how the one side moved compared to the other. The injured side was stiffer, slower. After the light stuff, on to working with the weights. More viper pressing. Same warm-up with the dumbbells. Things felt alright until the last set with the dumbbells. On the third rep of that set, I felt a pull/cramp in my left biceps. Definitely made me have concerns and I got thrown off my grove on the next rep as I assessed things. I think it my biceps got worked really hard on stone of steel on Saturday. I’ve been doing massage on my off days for a few minutes so I had hoped that would be enough for recovery post workout. Only thing I had felt prior to the workout was some tightness in the left front deltoid. So I proceeded with the rest of the workout with caution, keeping an eye on it with the log. No balance issues on the warm-up sets with the log like last time. I knew what to expect. Similar to last session with increased the weight with the aim for five singles done EMOM style. I had more sets to work up to the working weight and I think that helped. Aim for smooth reps as before. Working weight was the top weight from last time and it felt similar to the weight I used for the EMOM from that week. So despite the biceps issue, log stuff went well. Then on to chest supported rows. Again, very cautious with how I pulled to not bother the biceps. Same as last time with a light warm-up and then going for a comfortable 5rm. Again, I had more in me. Last thing for the day was dead floor presses. I definitely was treating these as an afterthought since I’ve done this kind of weight before. However, that was fresh so I probably should be treating the weight with more respect. I was trying to move through this part of the workout at a good pace. Still working off percentages from 1rm of last cycle. I did notice at 240lbs that my tightness didn’t feel as good as previous sessions under the bar so I definitely had to adjust my effort. Top double was harder than I would have liked but definitely good for at least one more rep. Hope to stretch and eat recovery burritos. Both biceps sore. Need to keep an eye on them as I don’t want a pull.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
April 8, 2017 – Week 5, Day 3
5 Minutes Sled Drag (55lbs for .25 miles)
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Yoke
217x50’ in 6.23 seconds
217x50’ in 6.65 seconds
307x50’ in 6.43 seconds
Minute Runs
452x50’ in 7.01 seconds
452x50’ in 7.02 seconds
452x50’ in 7.12 seconds
452x50’ in 6.70 seconds
Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x5
211x10
Stretching
Comments: Solo training again this weekend. Got a little over 12hrs of sleep but I think I need to get more to catch up with the deficit I built. Hamstrings were a little tight and I think it might be from not doing my usual recovery work the day before after walking. I had a social engagement I was running behind on haha. Sled drag for my short warm-up. No yappy dog coming after me this time. Heart rate got to 149bpm at the highest. Really that is only about half the course as the first half it was about 108bpm. Calf raises felt good and moved right into the one leg style. Still feel alright with these. One leg is feeling better each time now. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. I like doing these circuit style. Regular style box touches first time through and sumo the second time. Compared to the previous two workouts from this week, I didn’t notice much difference in switching up the order this time. Could just be from the hamstrings feeling tight. Band rows were good felt them in the back and arms. Getting better at finding a good position to maximize the stretch for the biceps. Hip airplanes are still difficult but I think I made progress this time. I made sure to start off on my weak side leg first. Tried to do these slow and controlled. Didn’t stumble like I have previous sessions. Concentration was good. Then on to actual event work. Yoke with three warm-up sets into minute runs with the working weight for four runs with it being 50’ runs still. My traps felt tender with my sled pull harness so I knew it would be an interesting sensation with the yoke haha. Wind was playing havoc with my camera so it was hard to get my times for some runs. Bloody wind. With the runs with timed rest, I did what I had done for just the last run the last session with yoke by counting off my time until the timer went, allowing me to get the take off and pick just right. I think it showed as my times were faster overall compared to last time with more weight. Knees ached a lot though so that was a bit of a downside but I think it again had more to do with not getting the recovery stuff the night before (massage, stretching). Then into the garage for stone of steel stuff. Empty stone of steel for a set of five to warm-up. This time I wasn’t nervous with the warm-up set so I guess we got progress there haha. I was concerned about how loud it was as I put it over the bar. I didn’t realize until after that set that I had forgotten to put down the crash mat. Like I said, I don’t think 12hrs of sleep was enough. No harm to the garage floor. The next set was planned to be 210lbs more for a set of 5-10. The combinations of plates and spacers came out to 211lbs so very close. Nerves came back full force for this set. Just told myself to do it. Noticeably tougher from last time. Didn’t think 10kgs would be this tough. Got a bad pick on the eighth rep (no way was I missing out on ten) and it kind of threw me for a loop so I took a little bit of breather before going for the ninth rep. This was very exhausting. I did notice that I was catching the stone of steel up higher on the pick, not getting down like I had the first two sessions. Catching high feels like more hamstring and back. May need to play around with this to see if I should focus on one over the other. I know that the deep catch has been something I did with very heavy atlas stones with tacky, usually 22” diameter ones. With that done, it put away the equipment and stretched.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Yoke
217x50’ in 6.23 seconds
217x50’ in 6.65 seconds
307x50’ in 6.43 seconds
Minute Runs
452x50’ in 7.01 seconds
452x50’ in 7.02 seconds
452x50’ in 7.12 seconds
452x50’ in 6.70 seconds
Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x5
211x10
Stretching
Comments: Solo training again this weekend. Got a little over 12hrs of sleep but I think I need to get more to catch up with the deficit I built. Hamstrings were a little tight and I think it might be from not doing my usual recovery work the day before after walking. I had a social engagement I was running behind on haha. Sled drag for my short warm-up. No yappy dog coming after me this time. Heart rate got to 149bpm at the highest. Really that is only about half the course as the first half it was about 108bpm. Calf raises felt good and moved right into the one leg style. Still feel alright with these. One leg is feeling better each time now. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. I like doing these circuit style. Regular style box touches first time through and sumo the second time. Compared to the previous two workouts from this week, I didn’t notice much difference in switching up the order this time. Could just be from the hamstrings feeling tight. Band rows were good felt them in the back and arms. Getting better at finding a good position to maximize the stretch for the biceps. Hip airplanes are still difficult but I think I made progress this time. I made sure to start off on my weak side leg first. Tried to do these slow and controlled. Didn’t stumble like I have previous sessions. Concentration was good. Then on to actual event work. Yoke with three warm-up sets into minute runs with the working weight for four runs with it being 50’ runs still. My traps felt tender with my sled pull harness so I knew it would be an interesting sensation with the yoke haha. Wind was playing havoc with my camera so it was hard to get my times for some runs. Bloody wind. With the runs with timed rest, I did what I had done for just the last run the last session with yoke by counting off my time until the timer went, allowing me to get the take off and pick just right. I think it showed as my times were faster overall compared to last time with more weight. Knees ached a lot though so that was a bit of a downside but I think it again had more to do with not getting the recovery stuff the night before (massage, stretching). Then into the garage for stone of steel stuff. Empty stone of steel for a set of five to warm-up. This time I wasn’t nervous with the warm-up set so I guess we got progress there haha. I was concerned about how loud it was as I put it over the bar. I didn’t realize until after that set that I had forgotten to put down the crash mat. Like I said, I don’t think 12hrs of sleep was enough. No harm to the garage floor. The next set was planned to be 210lbs more for a set of 5-10. The combinations of plates and spacers came out to 211lbs so very close. Nerves came back full force for this set. Just told myself to do it. Noticeably tougher from last time. Didn’t think 10kgs would be this tough. Got a bad pick on the eighth rep (no way was I missing out on ten) and it kind of threw me for a loop so I took a little bit of breather before going for the ninth rep. This was very exhausting. I did notice that I was catching the stone of steel up higher on the pick, not getting down like I had the first two sessions. Catching high feels like more hamstring and back. May need to play around with this to see if I should focus on one over the other. I know that the deep catch has been something I did with very heavy atlas stones with tacky, usually 22” diameter ones. With that done, it put away the equipment and stretched.
Friday, April 7, 2017
April 6, 2017 – Week 5, Day 2
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
16” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
185x3
185x3
185x3
185x3
185x3
16” Rack Pulls
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x2
315x1
365x1
405x1
425x5
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Crunches
BWx35
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Stretching
Comments: Some things are calming down but other things are definitely escalating. Really trying to prioritize getting sleep while keeping food intake up. Been hard this week, will have to play catch up this weekend. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 155bpm. I was little surprised it was that with how tired I’ve been feeling. I had been contemplating briefly going right home from work and falling asleep and lifting tomorrow but I had plans tomorrow. Calf work is going well. Still a slight disparity in difficulty with the legs but it feels like it is evening out. Another session of switching up the order of box touches. Two for two on feeling better on the SI joint and hip compared to the other way. No issues with squat therapy. Felt the easiest it has ever felt. Sumo box touches felt tough but it was more because my quads were fatigued from doing squat therapy right before. Front box squats after that. First time getting the power rack to do these so slightly different in getting used to the correct unracking height and walk back to the box. Same as last time with working weight for five sets of three but more weight. Kept to the EOMOM style to keep on some kind of pace. I had been a little worried with the fairly large jump from the last warm-up to the working weight but went well. Definitely tougher than last time I did these but it is more weight. I felt I got better as I went with my positioning. Fourth set felt the best to me. On to rack pulls. Again, working up to a top set with the aim being 1-5 reps. Keep going as long as they are good form and I feel comfortable doing it. This time, I used a bar with somewhat decent knurling (the same one I’ve been using for pulls from the floor). I had been worried about bending it but since I’ve been doing these with controlled negatives and literally setting it down on the pins, I figured that shouldn’t be a concern. I’m not good with hook grip and alternated grip is not something I want to do while my back is still recovering so I want to try and push the double overhand as much as I can before strapping in. I like that what used to be exhausting (the set of ten with the bar) no longer is. Top set was much like last session in that it was tough on the grip but it held out until the very end. Really felt my hamstrings working on these. Feeling my hamstrings get sore is like a threshold has been reached. Similar to when I first die 275lbs on the box squats for reps. I felt them working then and seemed to let me know I was getting my mojo back. I feel good for loads more. It wasn’t until I was about three plates deep on rack pulls that I realized I had not done the hip airplanes. Since it wouldn’t be good to do those in the middle of another exercise, I waited until I was done with rack pulls before getting to do those. I couldn’t use the setup I had used last time so I was little cramped where I could do them. I did my set of five each side but then did some additional reps as I didn’t feel like they were the best I could do (I lost my balance doing them on both sides). Maybe I was rushing it. Balance will improve, I know it will. After that, it was an easy set of crunches and then some side bends with a band. Felt less tightness in my weak side on side bends compared to last time so that is good. Despite feeling “drained” this was a really good session. Home to stretch, eat and sleep.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25
16” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
185x3
185x3
185x3
185x3
185x3
16” Rack Pulls
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x2
315x1
365x1
405x1
425x5
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Crunches
BWx35
Band Side Bends
ABx25/25
Stretching
Comments: Some things are calming down but other things are definitely escalating. Really trying to prioritize getting sleep while keeping food intake up. Been hard this week, will have to play catch up this weekend. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate up to only 155bpm. I was little surprised it was that with how tired I’ve been feeling. I had been contemplating briefly going right home from work and falling asleep and lifting tomorrow but I had plans tomorrow. Calf work is going well. Still a slight disparity in difficulty with the legs but it feels like it is evening out. Another session of switching up the order of box touches. Two for two on feeling better on the SI joint and hip compared to the other way. No issues with squat therapy. Felt the easiest it has ever felt. Sumo box touches felt tough but it was more because my quads were fatigued from doing squat therapy right before. Front box squats after that. First time getting the power rack to do these so slightly different in getting used to the correct unracking height and walk back to the box. Same as last time with working weight for five sets of three but more weight. Kept to the EOMOM style to keep on some kind of pace. I had been a little worried with the fairly large jump from the last warm-up to the working weight but went well. Definitely tougher than last time I did these but it is more weight. I felt I got better as I went with my positioning. Fourth set felt the best to me. On to rack pulls. Again, working up to a top set with the aim being 1-5 reps. Keep going as long as they are good form and I feel comfortable doing it. This time, I used a bar with somewhat decent knurling (the same one I’ve been using for pulls from the floor). I had been worried about bending it but since I’ve been doing these with controlled negatives and literally setting it down on the pins, I figured that shouldn’t be a concern. I’m not good with hook grip and alternated grip is not something I want to do while my back is still recovering so I want to try and push the double overhand as much as I can before strapping in. I like that what used to be exhausting (the set of ten with the bar) no longer is. Top set was much like last session in that it was tough on the grip but it held out until the very end. Really felt my hamstrings working on these. Feeling my hamstrings get sore is like a threshold has been reached. Similar to when I first die 275lbs on the box squats for reps. I felt them working then and seemed to let me know I was getting my mojo back. I feel good for loads more. It wasn’t until I was about three plates deep on rack pulls that I realized I had not done the hip airplanes. Since it wouldn’t be good to do those in the middle of another exercise, I waited until I was done with rack pulls before getting to do those. I couldn’t use the setup I had used last time so I was little cramped where I could do them. I did my set of five each side but then did some additional reps as I didn’t feel like they were the best I could do (I lost my balance doing them on both sides). Maybe I was rushing it. Balance will improve, I know it will. After that, it was an easy set of crunches and then some side bends with a band. Felt less tightness in my weak side on side bends compared to last time so that is good. Despite feeling “drained” this was a really good session. Home to stretch, eat and sleep.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
April 4, 2017 – Week 5, Day 1
5 Minutes Percor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx10
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Incline Bench Presses
45x10
100x5
142.5x5
185x5
230x5
2 Second Pauses
230x5
Chest Supported Rows (1 second holds)
100x10
190x8
190x8
190x8
Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses (3 stage 2 second pauses)
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
20x5 R
20x5 L
50x3 R
50x3 L
70x2 R
70x2 L
90x1 R
90x1 L
100x1 R
100x1 L
110x1 R
110x1 L
120x1 R
120x1 R
120x1 R
120x1 R
120x1 R
120x1 L
120x1 L
120x1 L
120x1 L
120x1 L
Stretching
Comments: Last few days no SI joint issues but they came back a little bit today. This week has been stressful work wise and it looks like this month will be more of the same too. Sleep hasn’t been the best so I need to get that sorted out ASAP so that I can put my best foot forward in both work and training. Warm up on the AMT. Other than some SI joint aches, it felt alright. Heart rate only got up to 157bpm. Calf work followed that per usual. Continuing to decrease the two leg variation and increasing reps on the one leg style. Felt about the same as doing only three sets back to back last week. Slight change with box touches, having conventional style first then followed by sumo style. Possibly to see if that helps with SI joint issues as sometimes there is an ache with the sumo. Felt alright doing it in reverse order, will have to see if that is consistent over the next few sessions. Hip airplanes after that. Just one set but for more reps. Again, still working out the kinks in form on these but I think I’m getting better at them. Still some balance issues (even with support) on the “weak side”. I’m sure it will come with practice. The balance will probably benefit the “weak side” too with my calf muscles. No issue with getting the incline bench this session so I pounced on it haha. Lower back was little achy but it felt more muscular than nerve related pain. Like floor press has been, sets based off of percentages. 4x5 and then a set of five with pauses. My pauses are pretty strong compared to my incline regular style so my top set of five on both styles came to be the same this session. I could have lowered the weight but I felt like the top set of five with the regular style didn’t take that much out of me. I didn’t even wear wrist wraps on that set and only had a slight slowdown locking out the weight. Pauses were going well until a couple came really close to me while I was lifting and they were around my stuff and my camera so I was bit distracted. Of course they blocked most of the last two reps which were the tougher of the reps (stilly trying to press explosively). Lockout is always tough but I was a little distracted with the commotion. Also could be the sleep thing. Quickly moved on to chest supported rows after that. Light weight with holds at the top each rep. First set felt the toughest and got easier as I did them it seems. Trying to keep the rests somewhat short. Circus dumbbell work to end the day. I say end the day but this always takes time adjusting the weights haha. Still doing pauses, holds and using push press style. This time, working up to certain percent of the top single on these so far and then five singles each side done EMOM style. Not strong enough to use the empty circus bell at this point. I was free to do my own jumps in weight and I did some reps with the lighter weights. This was getting exhausting and it felt tougher than it has previously. I did notice that I was generally getting the dumbbell into position for the press from the shoulders with less wasted movement. Right side with the working weight was pretty tough. I got out of position on the third rep with that side with racking the dumbbell on my upper back so it was closer to my parallel grip tucked position that I’ve gone to in the past with that side for pressing. It went up but I want to get my form like my left side as the larger dumbbell handle becomes an issue when tucked as my thumb strength becomes the limiting factor in keeping the dumbbell from staying in my hand at lockout. Left side was also tough but not as tough as the right side. While I’m close to what I could do for a single if I did them with my competition style, I still got a ways to go to get into competition shape. Shoulders a little raw from these haha. Getting over 60% on most of my event training exercises (that have been tested at this point) so coupled with by about 90% on upper body and 70% on lower body progress is still good and I got time. Got to remember I was inactive for 7 months and only been back a little over 4 months. May need to bring a back-up shirt with sweat from these workouts now haha. Home to stretch and eat.
Saturday, April 1, 2017
April 1, 2017 – Week 4, Day 3
5 Minutes Sled Drag (55lbs for .25 miles)
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15
One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
BWx5/5
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx3/3
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx3/3
Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MBx25/10 seconds
Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 15.39 seconds
Straight Runs
162x50’ in 7.93 seconds
222x50’ in 9.59 seconds
222x50’ in 8.95 seconds
222x50’ in 8.65 seconds
Sandbag Load Over Bar (57”)
200x10
Stretching
Comments: Sleep felt good. Got a little later a start then I planned. I didn’t expect ESM to be so engrossing this year. Weather still fluctuating quite a bit so I wore long sleeves. Sled drag warm-up around the block like last time. No lower back pump so I think that is a good sign. A small dog chased after me about the last third of the course. About the size of one of my shoes and definitely not listening to its owner. I had to keep an eye out so that I didn’t step on it or run it over. Heart rate only at 142bpm and that was at the end when I went up my driveway. Calf work after that. Bit of a pump in them going right into it after sled drags. Starting to get about the same level of difficulty with both legs on the single leg style. Was able to move between the other exercises at a good clip. Thankfully no aches. Box touches, band rows and biceps stretch all felt good. Still playing around with the hip airplanes. Anchor for support was a bench this time so much lower. These felt better in the hip but balance tough. Again, probably nowhere near where I should be with them but I think I’m starting to benefit from them. Then on to the event work. Farmer’s walks again on the menu. Tried to take what I learned from last session and applied it here. It is a good thing I checked what I was to do today before I went as the warm-up was different this time. A plate per side for 100’ with a turn at 50’. Not bad, didn’t feel much torque on the turn. Then onto heavier straight runs. First set felt stupid heavy in my hands but that generally is how it goes with farmer’s as I warm-up. Then on to working sets. 20lbs bump in weight from last session. Since this is heavy weight for me right now, I’m making sure I stay tight and stand up fully with the weight before taking off. It certainly makes the start feel like an eternity but I felt like I was able to recover and pick up speed. The runs got better as I went. It felt like it last time but this time the times reflect how it felt. Sandbag over bar to end the day. Options were to do the same bag as last time for more reps or to go up in weight and hit 5-10. The sandbag last time was way too easy so I had to go with more weight. My 200lbs bad has seen better days. I haven’t touched it in over a year and it has holes (they don’t like it when you drop them with weight plates inside) and wrapped in tape. Started to get anxious. Hell, I was anxious thinking about it during my farmer’s walk runs. Just have to get over it and just do it. I went at a more casual pace compared to last time I did sandbag as I wasn’t certain on the integrity of the sandbag. I stopped a few times to try and fix the top of the sandbag to keep sand from spilling out. Just wasn’t happening. I will have to secure the sandbags so that I don’t have to worry about that while doing this and just focus on lifting it. Third of the way done this cycle and going strong.
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