July 29, 2017 – Week 9, Day 3

5 Minutes Sled Drag (55lbs for .25 miles)

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Sled Drags/Prowler Pushes
200x100’/200x100’
200x100’/200x100’
200x100’/200x100’
200x100’/200x100’
200x100’/200x100’

Stretching

Comments: At home for training this time. Deload week and the workout was something I could do at home. No need of the extra stress of driving. Good thing as I couldn’t fall asleep until after midnight and didn’t wake up until after noon. Warm-up with the sled drag around the block. Been a while. Had to clean spiders off my sled it’s been so long haha. Felt good, little bit of a lower back pump on the injured side. Calf work after that. Still a disparity between the two sides as far as ease of movement but it is still the uninjured side that has the issues keeping up. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. Only thing that felt off was my shoulders on the stretch with the left side feeling tighter this time. The box touches and rows felt great. Hip airplanes were better than last workout. I did stand and balance before the actual set to make sure my balance was good. I’ve been forgoing it the past few weeks but it seemed to help this time as no issues with any reps after that. Only exercise with weight on the agenda for today was a drag and push medley. Plan being to do five sets supersetted for 100’ each way and then resting a minute between sets. I did a workout similar to this on Christmas Eve last year. I figured I was stronger and better conditioned than I was then so I added weight. I didn’t realize at the time that the rest period had been cut in half between sets. I was a little cocky thinking I didn’t even need to rest. I was wrong. I wasn’t breathing heavy at first but my legs were starting to get fatigued and cramping up. I forgot how much that sucks. Breathing heavy came near the end. Throat felt raw going into that last set. But I finished and times were pretty close on all sets. I think the third set was my fastest. Took a bit too cool down. I didn’t start sweating until I went inside to stretch so that was another thing to deal with. Last workout before the contest. 33 weeks straight of training to get back to this point. Time to put it to the test.

July 27, 2017 – Week 9, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

16” Box Squats
45x10
100x5
150x3
200x1
250x3
250x3
250x3
250x3
250x3

Stretching

Comments: Lower intensity sessions for the rest of this week. Still got to keep the focus. Visualizing the events when I go for my walks. Daily light massages to help with recovery. Want to make sure I’m on point day of show. Some aches but not anywhere close to what I was feeling last week. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate topped out at 155bpm. Felt good. Calf raises were ok. Right side felt a little off but still somewhat easy resp. Regular box touches were good. Almost lost count so means they felt easy. Band rows were good too. Aiming for good movement. Biceps stretch was good but right shoulder felt tighter than the left. Squat therapy was alright. Minimal knee achiness. Trying to get my form right and trying to think of hips then knees rather than both at the same time. Hard to get it down pat. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Second run through of box touches (sumo style), band rows and biceps stretch was good. Hip airplanes were tough again. Kept losing my balance on both sides so it took some time to get all the quality reps I needed. Not sure what that was about. No pain so going well. On to weights. Only exercise was box squats. Working up to what I feel is about 50% of what I can do for a max single and then doing triples. Timed rest of two minutes. Trying to work on form. I wasn’t too sure on warm-ups as I didn’t want to overdo it but also didn’t want to be cold for the working sets. I feel like 500lbs is a conservative top single at this time so I went based off of that. First set felt a little heavier than I would have liked. But it felt fine for the other sets. Trying to focus on my form with the hips back and slow decent, staying tight, etc;. Maybe I’m chasing too many rabbits at once. No set really felt like the second set last week which made my knees ache so I think that was good. I did end up rushing the fourth set as I had unracked the weight and someone dropped a deadlift right behind me. Startled me a bit haha. Still priming. One more workout for this cycle. Home to stretch, eat, watch a bad movie, massage and sleep.

July 25, 2017 – Week 9, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
(3 stage 2 second pauses)
37x1 R
37x1 L
67x1 R
67x1 L
87x1 R
87x1 L
97x1 R
97x1 L
107x1 R
107x1 L
122x1 R
122x1 L
Circus Dumbbell
132x1 R
132x1 L
142x1 R
142x1 L
152x1 R PR+2lbs
152x1 L PR+2lbs
(competition style)
162x1 R
162x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L

Stretching

Comments: The home stretch. Went to the chiropractor on Monday to try and get whatever was going on with my upper back to stop. I was nervous (I notice I say that or something similar a lot) as last time it made my SI stuff worse. But at the time, I didn’t know what was wrong. Neck was very tight. Felt some immediate relief in both my SI joint and upper back. So, on to the workout. Last one that is going to have any real intensity to it. Warmed up as per usual on the AMT. Heart rate got to 154bpm. Easy calf work and then into box touches and band rows with biceps stretch again. Shoulders felt good with the stretch. Hamstrings felt tight but no issues with my upper back touching the box this time. Hip airplanes went well, didn’t lose my balance on any reps. Then on to the only weighted exercise of the session. The plan from the start had been circus dumbbell but with what was going on with my upper back, there was a back-up plan to do incline press. Wasn’t sure until I finished everything beforehand if I was doing the dumbbell or incline. Plan for the session was to work up on the pause version and then do five singles on each side done EMOM style, alternating sides each rep. Monitoring everything each lift to see if everything is still good. I didn’t realize until I was at the jump before getting to the bell that I had been 5lbs lighter than I thought I had. On the bell, I couldn’t hold the weight at lockout on my right side as it was bothering my thumb too much. I ended up wrapping my wrist a different way the next set and it flew up with no issues. Managed a small PR on the pause, hold and push press style with little effort. The working weight was set at 90% competition weight. The original plan had been competition weight but my difficulty with my right side on consistently getting that weight required a slight decrease in intensity. I had hoped to use my interval timer but the battery was dead so stop watch it was. No issues with the left side with having the wrist wrap on but I had to keep undoing the right side so that my hand didn’t swell and lose feeling. But I managed to get the work done. Definitely going to need to rest up. Home to eat and stretch. Scheduled another chiro session for next Monday and deep tissue massage Tuesday. Just two more light workouts until the real thing.

July 22, 2017 – Week 8, Day 3

5 Minutes Concept 2 Rower

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 13.04 seconds
Straight Runs
202x50’ in 7.20 seconds
272xpick
335x47’

Stone of Steel Over Bar (50”)
138x5
201x1
225x1
249x1
300x4

Loading Medley (Keg/Keg/Stone of Steel, 48” bar height)
175x40’/150x40’/176x40 in 30.59 Seconds
250x40’/225x40’/249x40’ in 33.22 Seconds

Stretching

Comments: Full of anxiety for this workout. Dreading it really. Out to train at Lancaster for this last heavy workout. I almost threw up breakfast from nerves. I was already sweating before I left my house. Maybe with the plan being essentially 3/5ths of the contest at contest specifications was getting to me. Been pushing things so close to the edge, always the concern of injury. Not a concern I had when I was younger but with how things have been in the past, it is a very real concern. One false move and everything is gone again. Still got upper back issue going on. Slightly better but still annoying. SI joint stuff acting up again after the last workout. Wasn’t until I was stretching after the session that it started to act up again. Really annoying. Over 90 the day before so I skipped my usual walk so that I wouldn’t be drained going into this workout. Warmed up on the concept rower. No aches doing this. Already sweating through my shirt. Calf work after that. Felt alright. Then into box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. No issues here. Not as much issues with the upper back touching the box. Hip airplanes were pretty good. No balancing issues this time. Best they have felt in a while. On to event work. Usual farmer’s walk warm-up to get ready for the big show. Slightly slower on the first warm-up this time but slightly faster on the second one. I was feeling my grip being taxed even on that second run. Not a good sign. I didn’t feel comfortable jumping up 133lbs a hand with nothing in between so I did a pick with a decent weight. It went up easy and felt good in my hands so I felt I was ready. Plan being to do 335lbs for 60’ with time and commands. I say plan as that didn’t happen. The pick was slow and I felt my grip going immediately. I ended up slowing down to try and keep my legs from knocking the handles out of my hands. And then I dropped them. Couldn’t believe it. I regrouped and repicked them but I staggered a few inches and down they went again. I had plenty of time left but I didn’t want to risk injury with how much effort it takes to lift them. Unbelievably pissed about it. Kept checking to make sure I didn’t add more weight than I thought I did. I knew I’d be pretty beat by this point in training but still. It took a lot of effort to keep myself there to keep going forward with the workout. Then on to stone of steel. Bar lowered to the contest height and the usual sets. Didn’t need to extend for these really and good thing as I was sweating profusely and I was having issues getting full extension. Had to keep wiping down my arms and face with a towel and stand in front of the large fan to put on my gloves and then go into the set to minimize sweat. Ain’t got time for a pulled biceps. I felt like I had things down pretty good going into the final set with the towel and fan combo. But I was still worried about the sweaty forearms so I used a tacky towel. Contest conditions for the stone of steel with it being 300lbs to 50”. I had issues getting it into my lap and then I missed the first load. Really gets into your head. I kept going. Gloves were getting pulled down. It is bound to happen at some point with them not being part of my body and only able to be secured at one point. May need to play around with gloves and tacky towel in the future to figure out when it would be best to use one versus the other. But the issue this time was definitely with the stone of steel slipping on my forearms and rolling out on the pick. I managed to get a good pace eventually but then I had a fifth spin out of my forearms again with maybe 7 seconds left and stopped there. Again, missed with this as I was definitely hitting 5-6 rep pace without someone rolling the stone of steel back. To add to it, it appears my camera missed the first and last set so I don’t have a visual reference to review. Again, took everything I had to not leave the gym at this point. Eventually, I got the medley setup. Same as last week with the sets and weights. This time, going for the parallel grip on the kegs with the carry portion. With how the other parts of this workout had gone, I wasn’t certain I would get an accurate picture of which style was best. Speed with the kegs was definitely better when moving with the lighter set. My only concerns with the heavier set was if I could get the picks to be just as explosive as the light set and if I could hold the stone of steel. I got it easy last week but that was last week and I can’t control the sweat today. The kegs went well, almost like the lighter set. On the stone of steel, the thing slid on me on the pick and I had to pause and adjust it to get it up off my hips. Even with that bobble, I was almost a second faster. Could mean the difference. So something finally went right this session. Stretched out and foam rolled my hamstrings and upper back in front of the fan and then home to decompress.

July 20, 2017 – Week 8, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

16” Box Squats
45x11
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x2
275x2
275x2

Leg Raises
BWx50

Band Side Bends
ABx35/35

Stretching

Comments: Energy low. Felt very unmotivated yesterday. Just rolled a tennis ball on my upper back and went to bed about 2hrs early. I was hoping it would leave me feeling rested. It did not. Did some more rolling on a tennis ball in the morning before work as well as some massage. Got up to 92 today. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate topped out at 156bpm. Same as last session. Then on to the exercises. Calf raises were but calves felt tight. Regular box touches were ok. Felt tightness in my left hamstring and tarps. Band rows were good, still trying to get the back to feel good. Biceps stretch was good. Squat therapy went off without a hitch. Second run through of box touches (sumo style), band rows and biceps stretch was good. Not as much hamstring tightness this time. Hip airplanes were tough on my injured side. Only lost balance once on my non-injured side and at least a half dozen times on my good side. Then on to the weights. Only weighted exercise for the session was box squats. Same as front box squats last week. Working up to three doubles with two plates for speed work. Timed rest of two minutes. Lost count on the first set with the bar. First work set felt good but I felt I went down to fast on the second rep. Second set felt off and my right knee was aching. No issues with the last set. Leg raises followed for high reps. Felt tough by the end. I’m not sure if I did 50 or 60 reps. I lost count. Band side bends followed after that. No ab cramping so that was good. Home to do some chores, stretch, eat and sleep.

July 18, 2017 – Week 8, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Dead Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x1
225x1
275x1
320x1
370x0
370x0

Chest Supported Rows
120x10
200x5
230x5
260x5
290x5
320x5

12” Log Clean and Strict Presses
90x1
110x1
130x1
150x1
170x1
170x1
170x1
170x1
170x1

Stretching

Comments: Definitely tired. These weeks of hard training are accumulating and hitting hard. I’ve forgotten how the peak can be. Been thinking about the competition a lot as of late. Even when doing relaxing activities like walking I’m visualizing the day. I’m nervous even thinking about the event session at the end of this week. Still sore and tight in upper back, mostly the left side. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate got up to 156bpm. I felt fairly relaxed on this. Calf raise work after that. Calves were tight. Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. Box touches were ok but felt the upper back when I touched the box. Rows were easy, stretch felt good on the shoulders and biceps. Trying to get the tightness in the left side of upper back to chill out. Hip airplanes were ok. I lost balance on one rep on both sides. Then the lifting. Change up with the dead floor presses first. Plan being to work up to 1rm. But stuff felt heavy. Right wrist was aching. I was aiming for just a little bit more than last time. But that wasn’t happening today. Able to get weight off the pins but just couldn’t get it to the point where my triceps could lock it out. Really pissed off about it. I rested a good bit and gave it another shot. Maybe a little closer this time but same result. Tried to push it out of my mind and finish up the rest of the workout. But it really was pissing me off. Chest supported rows after that. Lighter stuff this session. Trying to pull reps explosively with plenty in the tank. Goal achieved. Still not happy about the floor press. Maybe I was thinking that weight was a forgone conclusion that I’d get it as I was thinking too much about the last workout this week. On to the last item, log clean and strict press. Plan being to work up to about 70% and do some singles. Felt better than I expected. Was having some issues keeping my upper back locked on the initial pick up for the clean with whatever is going on with the left side. Nice and smooth reps. Some SI symptoms but nothing really noticeable. I think it was more so if I had too much backward lean. Home to stretch and eat burritos. Got to stay focused and get rest.

July 15, 2017 – Week 7, Day 3

5 Minutes Concept 2 Rower

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Car Deadlift Apparatus Deadlifts (12” pick height, front bar)
emptyx5
175 tire + 20x1
425 tirex1
650 tirex1
825 tirex1
825 tire + 50x1
825 tire + 100x1
Added Straps
825 tire + 150x1
825 tire + 200x2

Sandbag Rows
110x5
180x5
220x5

Sandbag Load to Height (58”)
250x10

Loading Medley (Keg/Keg/Stone of Steel, 48” bar height)
175x40’/150x40’/176x40 in 31.34 Seconds
250x40’/225x40’/249x40’ in 33.88 Seconds

Uphill Vehicle Push
2,693lbs + 1 person + 200lbs in trunkx210’3” in 60 seconds

Stretching

Comments: Still some aches. As I mentioned last session, it feels like the ache has moved to a more tolerable spot. Out to train at Lancaster again. Was fully prepared for the humidity this time. I notices my neck and traps were still tight and sore. I didn’t realize how much so until later but it was annoying checking my mirrors for cars on the highway let’s say haha. Pretty empty this week but quite a few of the crew were competing this weekend. Warmed up on the concept rower. No aches doing this. Was hoping the upper back tightness would lessen up a little. Calf work after that. Felt alright. Was expecting it to be a little tougher than it was. Then into box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. No issues here other than my upper back being sore and tight. Hip airplanes were pretty good. No balancing issues this time. Then the event work, starting with car deadlift. Goal for the workout being to work up in singles to a top set of two for something that I could make look powerful and comfortable. I realized just how sore my upper back and traps were moving the frame out. Going to need to use some anti-inflammatories when I got home. After figuring out a formula for the car deadlift frame, I was able to make smarter and less redundant jumps in weight. Once I got to the most tire weight, I just added a pair of quarters to the handles each set after that. I put on straps earlier so that I could get used to them as far as putting them on the bar and getting them off as well as breathing with the belt while anchored in. Top set, I knew it was going to be tough with how the previous single felt. It was going to be more weight but probably not going to feel comfortable. But I had been thinking about trying this weight since I got this workout and I gave it my best effort. I started my pull and I felt like it wasn’t budging. Really slow until it got up just below my knee caps and then flew up. I went for the double and I felt like I was telling myself it was crazy/stupid. But it went up similar to the other rep. Gun to the head, I think another was there. This motion is so weird. Took a knee but not from feeling lightheaded, just the easiest way to get my air and undo the straps. Weight was about 547lbs in hands. Sandbag stuff to follow. No changes to the weights of the sandbag rows or the sandbag loads. Rows felt good (I was worried about the upper back) and no weights falling off this time. I had very little concerns with the loading like I had last time when I didn’t know if I could hold it with the sweat. Managed to do the reps in about 15 seconds faster than last time. A little more winded but I was going at a pretty good pace getting eight reps within a minute. Up next was another event with the idea of simulating contest conditions. I had not actually run this medley yet though I’ve carried the parts over the weeks for distance haha. Took my time setting things up as I was making sure I got things right. The actual event is 250lbs for all three implements but I only have access to one 250lbs keg and I figure the smaller “power keg” won’t be that awkward. First run was at 70% of the top set and I moved fast with the implements (not full speed) and was slow coming back to the next implement. The practice run with the lighter stuff helped me figured some things out. My shoe laces are too long as I accidentally grab them with the first keg. I will need to remember to tuck them into my shoes in the future. Breathing is going to be important with the sos. Felt light headed with it. I was anxious setting up the comp style run. Right side of my lower back was feeling sore. But I had to do this. Trying to go full tilt on the moving. Moving with the kegs, I felt like I wasn’t able to go full throttle but running back to the next one I felt I was. Staggered grip in the heat of the moment. Bar height for show is low enough that it isn’t really a concern. Got my breath right for the sos and made quick work of that. Really pleased with how much easier it felt compared to the light run. I will have to see next time with the parallel grip style of the kegs is worth it. Then the last thing for the week being the car push. Same as last time but with a heavier driver this time. Thankfully there were two people there so I could film it and have someone steer the car. Hard work. Managed to improve my distance a bit. Drove home and got the ibuprofen and lidocaine ready. Getting close.

July 13, 2017 – Week 7, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

16” Front Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x2
225x2
225x2

Crunches
BWx50

Band Side Bends
ABx35/35

Stretching

Comments: Lessening the intensity of this session yet again. Focusing on this being more of a prep for the heavy event work on Day 3 as this cycle wraps up. Stupid humid out today, sweating just walking from the parking lot to the gym. Traps quite sore still from circus dumbbell work. Started out with the AMT. Heart rate topped out at 152bpm. So back down from elevated reading last session. Calf raises were ok. Right one was a little behind this time but still good. Regular box touches were good, no issues there. Felt good on my tight hamstrings. Band rows were easy and felt good to move through that range of motion. Shoulders were definitely tight on the biceps stretches. Especially the right side. Squat therapy was ok, less knee aches compared to last time. No hip aching on these so that was good. Second run through of box touches (sumo style), band rows and biceps stretch was good too. Shoulders felt more even on the second set of the stretch. Hip airplanes were tough on my non-injured side. Only lost balance once on my injured side and at least a half dozen times on my good side. Then on to the weights. Only weighted exercise for the session was front box squats again. Reduced weight and intensity. Working up to three doubles with two plates for speed work. Timed rest of two minutes. Trying to work on the descent where I’m not super slow but have control. Box squats, not box plops. I feel like I was moving better by the end of the sets. Not heavy enough to see if my breathing has improved though. However, I did notice that the hip and SI joint ache seemed lessen/move so maybe that is something good. It started up after the heavy set of these two weeks ago so perhaps these shifted something back into the correct place. Who knows. Jumped right into crunches for a high rep set. Easy. Band side bends followed after that. No ab cramping so that was good. Injured side felt a little tender but not painful in anyway. Home to do some chores, stretch, eat and sleep.

July 11, 2017 – Week 7, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Incline Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
145x3
185x1
225x1
265x1
305x1

Chest Supported Rows (1 second holds)
120x10
210x8
210x8
210x8

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses
Plate Loaded Dumbbell with Fat Gripz Extreme
(3 stage 2 second pauses)
40x1 L
40x1 R
70x1 L
70x1 R
90x1 L
90x1 R
100x1 L
100x1 R
110x1 L
110x1 R
120x1 L
120x1 R
Circus Dumbbell
130x1 L
130x1 R
140x1 L
140x1 R
(competition style)
150x1 L
150x1 R
160x1 L
160x1 R
170x1 L
170x1 L
180x4 L (under a minute) PR+5lbs
180x2 R (under a minute)

Stretching

Comments: More achiness in the SI joint area than I would like but it isn’t debilitating. Still doing everything I normally do; just pops up and makes itself known time to time. Warmed up as per usual on the AMT. Heart rate was up to 161bpm so I bit elevated. Easy calf work and then into box touches and band rows with biceps stretch again. Rows and stretch felt good. Hamstrings felt tight. No issues with balance on the hip airplanes . Goal of the session was to prime and be warm and put my all into the dumbbell. Incline bench to start off the lifting. Big jumps up to a conservative single. All lifts up until the last one I felt slow unracking the weight. Butt came up on the top one. I think that was more just trying to get it to lockout quicker. Hard to fight that urge. On to the next one. Chest supported rows with static holds after that. Reduced the weight a bit as just getting things warm. Then circus dumbbell after that. Plan for this session was to work up in singles with the holds and pauses and then switch to competition style when I felt I was using too much effort on the other style with the goal being contest weight for the working set. I’d remiss to not mention that there was middle school aged girl in the stairwell singing most of the workout in the hallway. Stuff felt tough by 140lbs so I went with the competition style after that. Weight was moving well on my left side, some slop on the right. Last “warm-up” on the right I missed the first attempt and had to give it another try. Very warm, sweating a lot. Wiped my arms down with paper towels and chalked up my shoulders and both sides of both hands. Top set was contest weight. Enough weight to put the caps on my dumbbell, making it even larger. Went up well on the left the first rep. The recleaning was the part that was taking a bit out of me. I got three consecutive reps before I missed one. Got another one and rested a bit before trying for a fifth. I went too soon as I still had time and missed it. I feel I can get a fifth rep here. Small PR on the weight for this many reps. This was a big jump from the previous sessions with the reps. There is room for improvement but still good. Can’t say the same for the right side. I missed the first rep and only managed to get a total of two reps. I made several more attempts over several minutes but I was just burning myself out. My grip from the sweat was making it hard to shoulder the dumbbell to the right spot with enough stuff left to push it to lockout. The plan had been to match reps but that wasn’t happening tonight. Still putting in the work. My dominant side is at least on point and it will be the one I’ll be using at the show (assuming no mishaps). Another late night and home to eat recovery burritos, stretch and sleep.

July 8, 2017 – Week 6, Day 3

5 Minutes Concept 2 Rower

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Farmer’s Walk
With Turns (at 50’)
112x100’ in 12.98 seconds
Straight Runs
202x50’ in 7.26 seconds
Max Distance
315x122’9”

Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x5
201x1
225x1
249x1
296x10

Keg Carries
250x300’6” 26’9” PR
250x300’6”

Stretching

Comments: Had anxiety still even though I wasn’t getting worse. Didn’t get the best sleep two nights ago so tried to make up for it last night. Slept in about an hour later than planned so had to get ready to drive out to Lancaster for yet another training session. Packed a towel and three shirts in case it was like last week with the humidity. Thought about the events most of the drive out there. No ibuprofen or lidocaine right now. Warmed up on the rower. Felt smooth. Some aches in the SI joint area but ok. Calf work alright and the usual box touches, band rows and biceps stretch felt good. No issues with balance on hip airplanes on my good side. Slight bobble with the injured side. Then on to event work. Same as it has been with the farmer’s walk. Light set with a turn, medium light set for a short run and then max distance with heavy weight. Slight breeze so I had someone hold my camera for the warm-ups. Not taking chances with the new camera. Best time so far with the light run with a turn. Straight run was ok. Not sure what happened but the plates in the front hit my shin shortly after I started moving so that threw me off but corrected and finished strong. Heavy set having a pretty big jump from the last set. Pick was slow and tough. I got moving but I felt it in my hands pretty early on and I knew it was going to be a struggle to get a long distance like previous weeks. Grip gave out about 45’ shy of last time. Week in and week out. Maybe passing that point of drop off in how long I can hold on with the weights. Still more than double contest distance. Then on to stone of steel. Plan here being to work up to a weight and go for 5-10 reps as has been the case for last few sessions. I wasn’t sure how things would go with the SI joint aches. Had to use a slightly different setup this time. Different yoke so I had to stand on mats to get the right height. Last warm-up set, the thing came back quickly (hit the sandbag) and banging into my shins and rolled over my right foot. I may need ibuprofen later haha. Fighting sweat each set. Then on to the top set. Just shy of contest weight really. It was a learning experience. First rep was going up easy but I misjudged my distance from the yoke and didn’t anticipate the stone of steel slipping slightly. Totally biffed it and had to recollect my thoughts and give it another try. I moved it, so I knew I could lift it. I then got four reps in 60 seconds. I had the stone slip out of my grip trying to pick it so I took a bit to collect myself again and make sure it didn’t slip the next time. I got to five reps and that was pretty much just telling myself I got one more rep. The stone slipped again going for a sixth and I started to wonder if this was my limit. Where the gloves now going to be a hindrance? But I kept going, eking out rep after rep, breathing heavy, sweating profusely. My gloves were barely staying attached to my hands. It reminded me of a gecko’s feet each time I looked at them. About five minutes later, I got the tenth one over the bar. I had to lay down for a bit. My forearms were cramping and it was hard to open my hands. The floor felt like a good place to rest for a bit. After I had cooled down enough it was on to the last thing for the day. Keg carries as has been the flavor of the week. With how sore my back was from all the extensions with the SOS, I had my doubts I’d get past 60’. And truthfully, it felt like that was going to be the case but then the darn thing started to feel easier. So much so that I ended up going really far with it. I think I could go further but once fatigue sets in and I get to the downhill section of the parking lot, it’s hard to keep going. These things are great and terrible. The return trip uphill is a bear. Grip on the right hand was dangerously close to slipping by the time I was near the end. Another one down. Time to get some rest and get ready for the final stretch. Peak starts next week.

July 6, 2017 – Week 6, Day 2

5 Minutes Cybex ARC Trainer

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

16” Box Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x2
365x1
405x1
460x3

Leg Raises
BWx50

Band Side Bends
ABx35/35

Stretching

Comments: Still dealing with aches in the SI joint area. Occasionally getting tingling in my big toe and calf. Not pain and everything appears to be moving fine when I walk. Keeping up with massage on the legs and lower back. But even though it is a slight return of symptoms, it bugs me and eats away at my confidence bit by bit. Fear can be paralyzing. I don’t want to be thinking about the period right after the injury. I don’t want to go back. Have to keep confidence in myself as I am getting better. Every ache isn’t a new injury. But I got to be cautious about it and not do something stupid. On to the actual workout. None of the working AMT exercise machines were available so I had to use the ARC trainer. Unable to get heartrate as it wasn’t working properly. Calf raises felt good. Ended up switching sides on the one leg ones in error. Nothing really aching up on box touches with regular style. Hamstring on the left side felt tight. Rows were good and stretch for the biceps helped the shoulders. Squat therapy felt good, no knee aching. Better than I was expecting things to feel. Second run through box touches, rows and stretch. No hamstring tightness with sumo style but keeping an eye on the aches in the hip. Hip airplanes followed that. Balance was tough on my damaged side. Took a few tries to get the reps. No issues with good side. Trying to get the hips firing right. Then on to box squats. I was supremely anxious doing these. Even with the bar. Just worried that I’d have something go wrong. It hasn’t happened on box squats but just a little misstep and I could be in trouble. I’m not getting symptoms like in the beginning but just having that feeling popping up is frustrating and makes me concerned that I would be back at the bottom of the mountain again. But I also don’t like to quit. If I felt like the symptoms were getting worse, I’d shut it down. Would be hard to do that mid set or mid rep. Any ways, the work up in weight was the same as last time with the box squats. Working up to a top set of 1-3 reps. Last time I did this sessions weight so I added 5lbs to the top weight. I used my thicker ratchet belt to see if that felt better with the box squats and I think it did. Felt better under the weight. Tough reps but not anywhere close to as tough as last time. Didn’t die so that was a relief and no flooding of pain either. On to abdominal work. High reps on the leg raises and band obliques. I was looking forward to the leg raises as they seem to feel good after heavy squats and pulls on the back. Felt good, wish it made everything feel 100% better though haha. Band oblique stuff was pretty easy after that. Home to stretch and eat.

July 3, 2017 – Week 6, Day 1

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

12” Log Presses
Viper Presses (Dumbbells)
10’sx10
20’sx5
30’sx5
40’sx5
Viper Press + Push Presses (Log)
100x3+2
Viper Presses
120x1
140x1
160x1
180x1
200x1
220x1
240x1
260x1 PR+5lbs

Chest Supported Rows
110x10
180x5
230x5
280x5
330x5
380x5
342.5x5

Dead Floor Presses
45x10
100x2
150x2
200x2
250x2
300x2
350x2
315x2
Close Grip (2 Second Pauses)
275x5

Stretching

Comments: Had to do this workout early this week with the holiday closing everything. Aches in SI area still there. A bit concerning that it has flared up again. Though flare up not like in the past. Just more of noticing some aches and tenderness. Trying to do massage to help with recovery. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate got up to 158bpm this time but dropped to 151bpm. Maybe the machine not sensing right. I felt good though. Calf raise work after that. An older woman stopped as I was doing them and said that it looked just like an exercise she does in the shower every morning (hey, if I had to have that image put in my head, everyone else is now too). Then on to box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. Box touches I didn’t feel aches the first round but I did a little on the second round. Rows were easy, stretch felt good on the shoulders. Hip airplanes were ok. I lost balance on one rep on my strong side this time. I was trying out using a different focus point and it seems to work well for the injured side. Then the lifting. Log press as it has been. Same warm-ups as last time but going to viper presses for the singles. Going up 20lbs a set aiming 1rm. I figured that 260lbs would be it for the day going into this one which would be a small PR. Knees ached on the first set with the log but no issues after that. Viper pressing was tough but felt better with the hard belt. 260lbs was a grinder of a lift to lockout. The clean portion felt quite easy so that is good. Keeping an eye on the SI joint stuff as well. Chest supported rows after that. Light warm-up and then big jumps of sets of fives to a top set. Not bad. Felt good with the lighter weights. Didn’t feel that tough until the second to last set from the top set for the day. Really focusing on keeping my lower back and midsection tight. Even though this exercise hasn’t been an issue since I started doing it with control it didn’t cause a relapse in pain about a year ago. Someone started setting up in the power rack so I took a longer break for the last set. Tough but not at my limit yet. Same as last time, 10% off that one for one more set of five. Then I ended up waiting the longest I’ve had to between exercises to use the power rack. I was essentially screaming in my head for the dude to leave. Down time and cooling off had me thinking about my injured area. Didn’t want to be thinking about it. I’d have been more tolerant if they were using a decent weight or did stuff needing a power rack the whole time. Bad BO too that stayed after he left too. So I had to use some rage and rewarm up with lighter weights on the dead floor presses. Doubles this time. I went a little heavier than I was thinking beforehand (I was going to go for a double with my max from two cycles before). A bit tougher to get the weight started on the first rep but went well the second rep. The drop to the down set with 90% was the best it has been (usually I end up false starting that first rep). The last set for reps with the close grip and pauses, I went up more to make the drop easier to switch in as I was trying to move as I was about an hour behind schedule due to the wait. I pressed the first rep slightly off the pins and held it for a pause before starting the lift as I was only able to do pauses on the four remaining reps of the set when I was doing it previously. Made it interesting. Home to stretch and eat. Applied some lidocaine to my back and took some ibuprofen to see if that helped speed up relief in the area.

July 1, 2017 – Week 5, Day 3

5 Minutes Concept 2 Rower

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15

One Leg Leaning Calf Raises
BWx15/15

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)
BWx7/7

Car Deadlift Apparatus Deadlifts (12” pick height, front bar)
emptyx5
175 tirex1
175 tire + 70x1
425 tirex1
425 tire + 70x1
650 tirex1
825 tirex1
825 tire + 90x1
Added Straps
825 tire + 180x3

Sandbag Rows
110x5
180x5
220x5

Sandbag Load to Height (58”)
250x10

Sandbag Bearhug Carry
250x283’10” PR+25’11”
250x283’10”

Uphill Vehicle Push
2,693lbs + 1 person + 200lbs in trunkx196’0” in 60 seconds

Stretching
Comments: SI area aching a little and some tenderness. Noticed it after the last workout. Very minor but I got to keep an eye on it. Out to train at Lancaster again. Not expecting to rain until the afternoon. Slept in a bit. While not beastly hot, I underestimated how humid it was. Warmed up on the concept rower. Pretty much drenched in sweat already by this point. Calf work after that. Felt tight but still good. Then into box touches, band rows and biceps stretch. Hip airplanes were alright. Had balance issues with injured side on one rep. Then the event work, starting with car deadlift. Goal for the workout being to work up in singles to a top set of three for something that I could make look powerful and comfortable. Just like last week but less reps and aim for heavier. Same warm-ups as last time up until I got to the second tire with weights. Instead of putting the smallest tire on top, I went up to the next size tire. I wanted more weight on the back end of the frame as there is a limit to the pins and I might as well get used to the bigger tires. Then added the smallest tire on top of that one. Once I got to that point, I took a big plate jump. Some aches in SI area and that lift was tougher than I would have liked. Sweat was dripping off my head and I had pools in my glasses. I wanted another pair of plates but that was looking really tough today. I was worried I wouldn’t get it off the ground. “Believer” by Imagine Dragons came on the sound system and I knew that this was going to be the most amped I’d be for this so it was now or never. The first rep was very slow, second felt better and third one was about the same as the first. Had to take a knee after that. Definitely not a comfortable triple. However, I have got rough calculation for weight in hand for this frame so I can figure out weight jumps and increases better next time. This was probably about 528lbs in hand. Two weeks ago was about 470lbs. I really didn’t want to do anything else after that with the mugginess. Sandbag rows for sets of fives after that. Only increased the weight for the last two sets. The weights fell off the first set after the fourth rep so I had to stop and put them back on. No issues with the other sets like that. The last set was good but the bag feels so large rowing it. Not that that is an issue for me. With how much I was sweating, I was truly dreading doing the sandbag loads to bar. I’ve done this exercise for a set of ten with this weight for three workouts already and even though I get better each time, I still dread it. I was worried it would slip and I’d miss reps and so on. None of that happened and this was the best I’ve done on it. Very casual with my pace, no rushing and I got the reps in about 30 seconds faster than last time I did it. More sandbag with the torturous max distance bearhug style carries. Two sets, trying to match distance of the first after a rest. I haven’t failed on that so far. Definitely a psychological thing having that set goal after the first run into the unknown. But I was feeling beat and the humidity and sweat made me doubtful I’d go very far today. I got better than I thought I would. I knew I had gone further than last time when I saw the intent in the parking lot from when I dropped the keg last week. I was even sweatier on the second run and I had to just keeping crushing it. For some reason, David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” was playing in my head during this run. End result was a good bit further than last time. Then the last thing for the week being the car push. Got the kinks out of it this time as I had someone timing and I got a harder course. I was worried that it would be too tough and I wouldn’t be able to get it moving. But it was just right; really tough to start and got harder at the end. Shorter distance but it was uphill the whole way with a steeper incline than I have at home. I had a little extra work after this as I parked my car in the lot and realized I had the 100lbs plates in the trunk so I had to carry those back to the gym. Stretched and then drove home to rest and decompress.