September 16, 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

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx15

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx7/7

Band Rows w/Biceps Stretch
MMBx20/20 seconds
MMBx20/20 seconds

Push-ups
BWx15

I-Beam Frame Deadlifts
Trap Bar (12”)
80x10
Trap Bar (13”)
170x5
Frame
260x3
350x3
440x3
530x3
Added Straps
620x3
710x0

Stone of Steel Over Bar (57”)
138x1
176x1
201x1
225x1
260x1
310x7

Vehicle Push
2,693lbs + 1 person + 227lbs in trunkx260’7” in 70 seconds

Stretching

Comments: This week has been rough with the SI joint stuff flaring up. Massage, icing, ibuprofen, Icy Hot and sleep have been put to use. Started doing the McKenzie press-ups with some greater frequency. Nothing yesterday to see if I’m actually feeling better as opposed to just masking the pain. Not able to sleep in today as the gym was going to close early so I woke up at my usual time like I would for work. Strongman section was a ghost town when I got there. Warmed up on the rower. Actually didn’t feel bad on the SI joint stuff. Felt good and my legs didn’t feel heavy like last week. Calf work was the best it has been this week but it has been tough all this week so not really saying much. Box touches were pretty good. Right knee was bothering me on the squat therapy. Not sure what that was about. I figured it would go away as I did more. Hip airplanes felt great. Band rows and stretching followed. My back felt like it was fatiguing more than usual on rows. Stretching was pretty good. Set of push-ups to finish things up. These are starting to get to the level of effort I want them at. First item of the day was frame deadlift. Plan being a top set of three but not a max. Warmed up with an elevated trap bar for higher reps before starting with the empty frame. Still doing big jumps with these. Frame was a rod connector and the I-beam farmer’s walk handles. Pretty much the closest I can get to contest specs without buying the setup. But still not perfect. Bottom of the I-beam goes the full length of the implement so not able to get my feet to push out as much as something with “feet” on the ends. Really humid in the gym today. Keeping an eye on the SI joint as I did this stuff. I got the weight I wanted without straps and then setup with straps for a heavier set. Get the form down. The full weight in hand is quicker compared to my setup in the garage with the plates. I felt even here I had another two reps there. I’m not sure what I was thinking with throwing another pair of plates on it. I guess my thinking was that I would either get my form to work with even more weight better or that if I outright missed it, it wouldn’t kill me. Barely came off the ground. I think that when I felt that much of a struggle, that I shut it down (I gave it two attempts to make sure it was good and stuck) as perhaps I could grind out an ugly single, it would set me back in my training. I so want to get my deadlifting strength up to par with my peers (same with log). I got to keep things in perspective that this is technically the most I’ve lifted off the ground for reps since my injury. But still a stark reminder of how far I still have to go. Then on to stone of steel. I missed event and kind of dread it. I wasn’t looking forward to how things would go with the sweaty forearms. Goal for the session was similar to last time I did this exercise. Work up to a comfortable single without any grip aids with more than last time to start. However, the top set was little different in that it was a set weight for a rep range. Goal this week to be 300lbs for 5-10 reps. Pretty much the bread and butter from last training cycle. Lower back was feeling a little tight from frame deadlifts. I forgot to bring my scale in my rush this morning (also forgot a weight gain shake for afterwards). So I already knew some weight combinations for the appropriate jumps but not what I had to do the last single or get the working weight set. Rather error on the heavy side. My first shirt was already soaked thru with sweat so I changed into another shirt to start with a blank slate. Definitely noticed on my last single that the stone of steel wanted to slip down on my shirt. I think that wearing the rehband belt is going to be the best thing to keep the fabric taut so that minimizes slippage. I noticed the spot in my forearm that feels hard noticed the pressure with squeezing the stone of steel. No pain, just noticing it. After every set, I had to wipe down my arms, face, neck and legs with a towel to keep dry. Nervous on the top set but not as much. I had biffed 300lbs in training leading up to the contest but crushed it at the show. The mystery weight would technically be the most I’ve ever lifted on the stone of steel if it was over 300lbs. Usually I am aiming for that ten reps but today, five would be enough. Gloves didn’t slip like it felt like they did in the past on heavier weights. Managed five in a good clip and then had to take long breathers for the next two reps. I could do more but I had so much trouble with that last one on the pick with the thing spinning that I shut it down after that rep as I didn’t want to invoke the iron snake’s wraith. I really wanted to know how much it was so I scoured the gym for a scale. The one wasn’t working right over 300lbs and another was out of juice. I found one that was working and got the loaded stone of steel on there. 310lbs so a bit more than planned but it is all good. The gym was closing an hour earlier than I expected so I had to finish up the last thing at home. Similar to last week with a long timed set of moving stuff. Last week was a drag, this time it was a push. Much easier to just put stuff in a car and push it since my dad was around. My car’s tank was a little on the low side so I but more weights in the trunk than I usually do. Felt good on this until I hit the minute mark. It was like the wind went out of my sails and the last ten seconds was just agonizing. Breathing heavy and sweating profusely as I put the weights away and went inside to stretch.