The Golden Straps -- Tommy Kono (1965)
2 days ago
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
February 27, 2018 – Week 3, Day 1
5 Minutes ARC Trainer
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Biceps Stretches
20 Seconds
20 Seconds
12” Log Push Presses
105x1
125x1
145x1
165x1
185x1
205x1
225x1
245x1
265x1
285x1
305x1
Pulldowns
55x15
105x10
125x10
145x10
165x10
185x10
Bench Presses
45x10
100x5
150x5
200x5
250x5
300x5
Stretching
Comments: Last workout for February. Continuing to do what I can for biceps recovery. Body feeling beat from the heavy yoke in my everywhere. Gym was packed today. All the AMTs were in use besides a broken one so I went with the ARC Trainer. Much faster pace machine so heart rate peaked at 165bpm. No knee issues thankfully. Calf raise work after that. Easy but calves were tight. Box touches with a wide stance after that. No aches in the right knee or issues with the lower back. Just hamstrings and hips felt tight. Box squats felt ok. I was expecting more in the way of achiness but not too bad. Then regular stance box touches. Not as good as the wide stance but better than I feel last week’s efforts. Band rows after that. No issues, easy and felt good on my back. Push-ups were also good. No achy shoulder again. I was expecting it to be with how it was feeling today so that’s a good sign. Hip airplanes were pretty easy. Knees a little achy on these but balance was good. Hips were tight. Biceps stretching followed that. Right shoulder is perpetually tighter. Then lifting things up and down. First up log push press out of the rack. Same as last week. 20lbs jumps on singles with goal being about 95% of what I think I can hit. Again, no grinders. I originally was thinking just 10lbs more than last time for an even 300lbs. But the more I thought about it, if 290lbs had been 90% then 305lbs would be closer to 95%. Also tired of being stuff at 300lbs on push press with log. 290lbs felt so good last week. I of course was also having reservations. Last time 290lbs felt that easy, I barely got a single with 295lbs the next time (I had done block pressing the previous session though) and last week I didn’t have near half a ton on my back for 50’. So it could be a tall order. Log has been fickle in the past but I think I’m on better terms with it as of late with twice a week sessions now. So I set things up as if I’d hit the 305lbs on 20lbs jumps. Lockout maybe not as forceful warming up but still moving good. 265lbs felt easier than 245lbs did so I figured it was going to be smooth sailing. Then 285lbs was as good. Video showed it went up fast but elbows dropped. I knew that couldn’t happen with 305lbs or it would be a grinder or worse, a missed lift. It felt good on my chest and went up and only stalled slightly just before lockout. No grinder here. There’s more there for sure. Matches all-time best log push press out of the rack. So good showing here and on to the next one. Pulldowns again. Light warm-up and then sets of tens. I’m still keeping the weight manageable and plan here being just 5lbs more than last time. Getting used to the reverse motion of my press style. Trying to keep good muscle control with my back to keep from overdoing it on the biceps. Felt about the same as last time as far as how it felt on the biceps but maybe a little better. I think I was able to pull with a bit more “power” this time so maybe a good sign. Still very anxious about it and I really hope I can eventually do stones again with no issues. Bench press to end the session. Same idea as the dead floor presses, sets of fives to about 90-95% of what I feel I could do for 5rm. The workout had been going at a good pace and then it came to a screeching halt here. Bench that is adjustable for the liftoff height was in use by someone doing circuit training and going up 5lbs a set. I went upstairs and that bench was in use as well for dumbbell exercises. After waiting a while and seeing that the end to the other guy’s workout wasn’t happening in this century, I reluctantly setup on the nonadjustable benches. I did the bar to warm-up and get used to the position as I kind of had to half press it out to start it. Not fun but I knew I had more than enough strength to hit the goal weight I had set. Just might feel more like 95% than 90% today haha. Right shoulder was a little tight but no pain. Top set with 300lbs still felt pretty good despite the greater effort to unrack the weights. Home to stretch and eat.
Saturday, February 24, 2018
February 24, 2018 – Week 2, Day 3
5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Biceps Stretches
20 Seconds
20 Seconds
12” Log Clean and Push Presses
100x1
120x1
140x1
160x1
180x1
200x1
220x1
Yoke
300x50’ in 5.82 seconds
400x50’ in 6.09 seconds
500x50’ in 6.56 seconds
600x50’ in 7.47 seconds
700x25’ in 4.60 seconds
800x25’ in 5.37 seconds
900x25’ in 8.00 seconds
940x50’ in 18.61 seconds PR+30lbs
Comments: Continuing to work on my biceps to help recovery. I didn’t get to bed at the time I wanted to the night before but there wasn’t a rush this morning for training. Warmed on the bike. Easy. Not the usual one I use as the seat wasn’t very comfortable. Calf raise work was stupid easy as well. Sumo box touches no issues. I was expected sore knees for the box squats but nothing today so that is good haha. Regular box touches were ok. Band rows good. Push ups were ok. Better than previous session as far as achiness. Hip airplanes were easy. Stretched the biceps too. Then on to event stuff. Started things off with light log presses. This time going off of tires. Wasn’t sure if I should tape my shin due to the scabs but no issues. I felt explosive on these. I was moving a bit quicker than usual as I was working in with someone and he was taking bigger jumps. I am very happy with how the cleans felt on this. I ended up rushing 220lbs and it went forward on me before the press. Still went up super easy but I need to keep drilling in the form until it is automatic. But so easy that I forgot to put on my rehband or hard belt for any of these. Then it was on to yoke. Heavy session. Yoke at Beast of the Bluegrass is 1,000lbs so need to get serious here. Starting out at 50’ runs and then switching to 25’ runs as I had been doing last training cycle. Plan being a longer run with a heavy weight at the end. I wasn’t sure how yoke was going to go as my knees had been really achy after rack pulls with the deadlift suit and back was tight. But things felt good. And my speed on the runs had actually improved. Only one where it wasn’t something dramatic was on the first warm-up and I think that was more because of how the yoke was setup to get a full 50’ and I didn’t want to run into the wall at the end. Got a good sweat going with the 50’ runs. Traps were feeling the yoke but this went away as I did more and more with heavier and heavier weights. George joined me with the shorter runs so I had some push on these. Big improvements on the speed with 800lbs and 900lbs. Almost two second improvement with 800lbs and over two second improvement with 900lbs. It didn’t feel like it to be sure though haha. On 900lbs, the yoke just didn’t feel like I had it centered of my body right on the pickup and I kept fiddling with my stance to get it to feel right. Then on to the last run. Plan had been 940lbs for 60’. But it was raining and they don’t want the yoke to get rusted. So max would be 50’. Really wasn’t sure how this was going to go down. 900lbs felt pretty heavy. This was going to be tough. I made sure I fully stood up before moving. I was having the same issue I was having with 900lbs but it wasn’t as bad this time. I felt I was moving pretty good until halfway when I started to sway a bit. But I felt I could keep going. And then I slowed to a stumble crawl. Like my legs had been unplugged. I was close and I had to finish. No drops. I got close enough that I could just lean forward and drop the front of the yoke over the line. Not the most elegant finish. But a big improvement. I was shocked that the effort was sub 20 seconds from how it felt at the end. Big improvement on my speed from SC Nats. And turns out this was the most I’ve gone 50’ for without dropping it. Didn’t know that haha. Originally had more after yoke but dropped due to biceps and not doing USS Nats. But I was pretty beat after the yoke. Stretched and put weights away before driving home to massage my biceps and wrap it again. If it recovers in time, I feel this will be a great outing for me in Kentucky.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Biceps Stretches
20 Seconds
20 Seconds
12” Log Clean and Push Presses
100x1
120x1
140x1
160x1
180x1
200x1
220x1
Yoke
300x50’ in 5.82 seconds
400x50’ in 6.09 seconds
500x50’ in 6.56 seconds
600x50’ in 7.47 seconds
700x25’ in 4.60 seconds
800x25’ in 5.37 seconds
900x25’ in 8.00 seconds
940x50’ in 18.61 seconds PR+30lbs
Comments: Continuing to work on my biceps to help recovery. I didn’t get to bed at the time I wanted to the night before but there wasn’t a rush this morning for training. Warmed on the bike. Easy. Not the usual one I use as the seat wasn’t very comfortable. Calf raise work was stupid easy as well. Sumo box touches no issues. I was expected sore knees for the box squats but nothing today so that is good haha. Regular box touches were ok. Band rows good. Push ups were ok. Better than previous session as far as achiness. Hip airplanes were easy. Stretched the biceps too. Then on to event stuff. Started things off with light log presses. This time going off of tires. Wasn’t sure if I should tape my shin due to the scabs but no issues. I felt explosive on these. I was moving a bit quicker than usual as I was working in with someone and he was taking bigger jumps. I am very happy with how the cleans felt on this. I ended up rushing 220lbs and it went forward on me before the press. Still went up super easy but I need to keep drilling in the form until it is automatic. But so easy that I forgot to put on my rehband or hard belt for any of these. Then it was on to yoke. Heavy session. Yoke at Beast of the Bluegrass is 1,000lbs so need to get serious here. Starting out at 50’ runs and then switching to 25’ runs as I had been doing last training cycle. Plan being a longer run with a heavy weight at the end. I wasn’t sure how yoke was going to go as my knees had been really achy after rack pulls with the deadlift suit and back was tight. But things felt good. And my speed on the runs had actually improved. Only one where it wasn’t something dramatic was on the first warm-up and I think that was more because of how the yoke was setup to get a full 50’ and I didn’t want to run into the wall at the end. Got a good sweat going with the 50’ runs. Traps were feeling the yoke but this went away as I did more and more with heavier and heavier weights. George joined me with the shorter runs so I had some push on these. Big improvements on the speed with 800lbs and 900lbs. Almost two second improvement with 800lbs and over two second improvement with 900lbs. It didn’t feel like it to be sure though haha. On 900lbs, the yoke just didn’t feel like I had it centered of my body right on the pickup and I kept fiddling with my stance to get it to feel right. Then on to the last run. Plan had been 940lbs for 60’. But it was raining and they don’t want the yoke to get rusted. So max would be 50’. Really wasn’t sure how this was going to go down. 900lbs felt pretty heavy. This was going to be tough. I made sure I fully stood up before moving. I was having the same issue I was having with 900lbs but it wasn’t as bad this time. I felt I was moving pretty good until halfway when I started to sway a bit. But I felt I could keep going. And then I slowed to a stumble crawl. Like my legs had been unplugged. I was close and I had to finish. No drops. I got close enough that I could just lean forward and drop the front of the yoke over the line. Not the most elegant finish. But a big improvement. I was shocked that the effort was sub 20 seconds from how it felt at the end. Big improvement on my speed from SC Nats. And turns out this was the most I’ve gone 50’ for without dropping it. Didn’t know that haha. Originally had more after yoke but dropped due to biceps and not doing USS Nats. But I was pretty beat after the yoke. Stretched and put weights away before driving home to massage my biceps and wrap it again. If it recovers in time, I feel this will be a great outing for me in Kentucky.
Friday, February 23, 2018
February 22, 2018 – Week 2, Day 2
5 Minutes Precor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Axle Push Presses
72x5
110x1
130x1
150x1
170x1
190x1
210x1
230x1
240x1
250x1
Deadlifts
135x3
225x3
315x3
Added Straps
405x3
495x3
18” Rack Pulls (straps/suit)
135x1
225x1
315x1
405x1
495x1
585x1
675x1
Stretching
Comments: Feel like I need some sleep. Biceps is fine most of the time but anything like lifting a stone feels bad. I think it was a little inflamed from pulldowns. Still massaging and stretching and wrapping it. Warmed up on the AMT. 153bpm highest reading this time. Right knee didn’t feel like as much garbage as it did last session. Calf raises were easy. Slight knee ache in the right knee on the wide stance box touches. But felt easy and nice, quick movement. Knees were not happy about doing box squats but I got through them. Right knee a little ache on the regular style box touches. Band rows after that. No issues again. Watching biceps. Push-ups were only ok. Right pec had been sore and shoulder achy. I figured that might happen with the floor pressing earlier this week. Hip airplanes were pretty easy but definitely felt some aches in my knees. Knees might just be from it going from 80 to 40 from one day to the next. Finished up with the biceps stretches. Then on to the weights. First item up was axle push press. Initially this was what I was going to do but then I was aiming for USS Nats so circus dumbbell replaced it. Now that I’m not doing USS Nats, it didn’t make as much sense to do it today. Also would be best to keep letting the biceps heal so that I can put in an attempt at stones at least once this training cycle. I think I could’ve done circus dumbbell without hurting the biceps but no reason to increase the risk. So axle from rack again it was. Really same idea as last week in that I warm-up and do 20lbs jumps. Goal to have these be quick and not really taxing as I get used to increased frequency. I was told to go for 230lbs and then a little more if it still felt quick. Felt a bit better form wise. Shoulders didn’t feel ridiculously tight this time. 230lbs went up fast so I went up 10lbs more. That was also fast. So I did another 10lbs. Also fast but I felt that there was a slight slowdown in the movement as it didn’t feel like a single motion to lockout this time. So shut it down there and on to deadlift. Just triples from the floor with plate jumps. Put athletic tape on my right shin over the scabs to stop/minimize bleeding. Actually worked great. Wasn’t feeling like my best but possibly because it was for reps without the suit and the controlled lowerings. No break in form to reset each rep but not quite touch and go. Gets tiring quick but it really is paying off for me. Really trying to reinforce good form and control my muscles and body on deadlifts. Belt and straps for the last two sets. Not a max effort but really tough on the last set. I feel I had good control. Then on to rack pulls. With the suit. Putting on the suit is no fun. It was way easier to get it on at the show compared to tonight. 18” pulls so I got the suit gradually as tight as I could get it on my own. So much effort to get ready for each single. Plate jumps here too. I had to keep an eye on the left biceps as sometimes I feel nerve pinching if the suit is too tight on that side. Meant I was playing around with grip and stance to see what allowed the best leverages and what alleviated the pressure the best to allow tightness still to pull. Goal was a “very conservative” single. Really hard to determine on the suited work with how everything feels heavy but it moves fasts. 585lbs I thought would be too light, not worth the effort of the suit to stop there since that was an any day weight from the floor with the suit. 675lbs on the bar and it took a bit for it to start moving up it went up pretty easy. Not sure if it was “very conservative” but definitely not a hard single to be sure. I feel that I could work up to a big PR on this lift at the contest. Assuming I can get this biceps situation resolved in due time. Home to stretch and eat.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Axle Push Presses
72x5
110x1
130x1
150x1
170x1
190x1
210x1
230x1
240x1
250x1
Deadlifts
135x3
225x3
315x3
Added Straps
405x3
495x3
18” Rack Pulls (straps/suit)
135x1
225x1
315x1
405x1
495x1
585x1
675x1
Stretching
Comments: Feel like I need some sleep. Biceps is fine most of the time but anything like lifting a stone feels bad. I think it was a little inflamed from pulldowns. Still massaging and stretching and wrapping it. Warmed up on the AMT. 153bpm highest reading this time. Right knee didn’t feel like as much garbage as it did last session. Calf raises were easy. Slight knee ache in the right knee on the wide stance box touches. But felt easy and nice, quick movement. Knees were not happy about doing box squats but I got through them. Right knee a little ache on the regular style box touches. Band rows after that. No issues again. Watching biceps. Push-ups were only ok. Right pec had been sore and shoulder achy. I figured that might happen with the floor pressing earlier this week. Hip airplanes were pretty easy but definitely felt some aches in my knees. Knees might just be from it going from 80 to 40 from one day to the next. Finished up with the biceps stretches. Then on to the weights. First item up was axle push press. Initially this was what I was going to do but then I was aiming for USS Nats so circus dumbbell replaced it. Now that I’m not doing USS Nats, it didn’t make as much sense to do it today. Also would be best to keep letting the biceps heal so that I can put in an attempt at stones at least once this training cycle. I think I could’ve done circus dumbbell without hurting the biceps but no reason to increase the risk. So axle from rack again it was. Really same idea as last week in that I warm-up and do 20lbs jumps. Goal to have these be quick and not really taxing as I get used to increased frequency. I was told to go for 230lbs and then a little more if it still felt quick. Felt a bit better form wise. Shoulders didn’t feel ridiculously tight this time. 230lbs went up fast so I went up 10lbs more. That was also fast. So I did another 10lbs. Also fast but I felt that there was a slight slowdown in the movement as it didn’t feel like a single motion to lockout this time. So shut it down there and on to deadlift. Just triples from the floor with plate jumps. Put athletic tape on my right shin over the scabs to stop/minimize bleeding. Actually worked great. Wasn’t feeling like my best but possibly because it was for reps without the suit and the controlled lowerings. No break in form to reset each rep but not quite touch and go. Gets tiring quick but it really is paying off for me. Really trying to reinforce good form and control my muscles and body on deadlifts. Belt and straps for the last two sets. Not a max effort but really tough on the last set. I feel I had good control. Then on to rack pulls. With the suit. Putting on the suit is no fun. It was way easier to get it on at the show compared to tonight. 18” pulls so I got the suit gradually as tight as I could get it on my own. So much effort to get ready for each single. Plate jumps here too. I had to keep an eye on the left biceps as sometimes I feel nerve pinching if the suit is too tight on that side. Meant I was playing around with grip and stance to see what allowed the best leverages and what alleviated the pressure the best to allow tightness still to pull. Goal was a “very conservative” single. Really hard to determine on the suited work with how everything feels heavy but it moves fasts. 585lbs I thought would be too light, not worth the effort of the suit to stop there since that was an any day weight from the floor with the suit. 675lbs on the bar and it took a bit for it to start moving up it went up pretty easy. Not sure if it was “very conservative” but definitely not a hard single to be sure. I feel that I could work up to a big PR on this lift at the contest. Assuming I can get this biceps situation resolved in due time. Home to stretch and eat.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
February 20, 2018 – Week 2, Day 1
5 Minutes Precor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Biceps Stretches
20 Seconds
20 Seconds
12” Log Push Presses
90x1
110x1
130x1
150x1
170x1
190x1
210x1
230x1
250x1
270x1
290x1
Pulldowns
60x15
100x10
120x10
140x10
160x10
180x10
Close Grip Dead Floor Presses
85x5
135x5
185x5
235x5
285x5
Stretching
Comments: It was good that it was a three day weekend for me. Cold made it miserable but at least I got to sleep a lot to fight it off. Biceps is not healing fast enough so USS Nats isn’t happening for me this year. Too biceps intensive so training won’t allow any rest and feeling it on light arm-over-arm and attempting to pick up a 100lbs sandbag like I would a stone kind of solidified that for me. So just Beast of the Bluegrass for now. Working on recover as best I can with daily massaging, stretching and wrapping with ACE bandage. Hopefully it gets to the point where I can train stones this cycle. Other stressors being medical expenses from the MRI. It was covered but I had to pay a significant amount toward it due to changes in how the insurance for my employer works now. Not fun. Lower back was sore, mostly o n the right side. Not sure if I sleep funny or if it’s just from doing arm-over-arm with my non-dominant side and I just haven’t done the movement in like four years. Enough griping. Warmed up on the AMT. Heart rate peaked at 154bpm. Right knee felt like dog crap at the start but it got better. Calf raise work after that. Easy. Box touches with a wide stance after that. No aches in the right knee or issues with the lower back. Box squats felt ok but knees were achy. Then regular stance box touches. Not as good as the wide stance but good. Band rows after that. No issues, easy. Push-ups were also good. No achy shoulder. Hopefully that trend continues. Hip airplanes were pretty easy. Probably helped the lower back issue. Added back in the biceps stretch to the warm-ups. I had done several sets Sunday and Monday throughout the day. Need to test these a bit at the gym as I can’t duplicate the setup in the garage with my yoke at the gym that gets it just right. Then lifting things up and down. First up log push press out of the rack. First time doing these since my injury so it was going to be a little interesting as I worked up. Plan was a single up to 90% of what I felt I could do for the day, taking 20lbs jumps with no grinding reps. I decided to start with the empty log so that I could get in a lot of sets and get my form down over the sets to really get the technique down. Didn’t want to overstress the biceps getting the log on to my shoulders from the rack. Knee felt like crap at the start but got better. I was expecting 270lbs for the single for today. But depended on how I felt as 250lbs could be it if I felt like crap. I watched the video on every single to see how my form changed with the increasing weight and adding on stuff like rehband belt, hard belt and wrist wraps. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy 270lbs went up to lockout that I went for 290lbs. That also went up smooth. So finally some good news this week haha. On to pulldowns after that. Warm-up and five sets of ten reps working up each set. Not maximum effort as to keep my back ready for heavy deadlifts and rack pulls later this week. I tried my best to mimic the reverse of my overhead press with the motion. Last time, I had just sat back and pulled. I think I was trying to protect my biceps more and keep my upper back tight. I kept the weight relatively light and controlled it. No pain in the biceps but I felt it. Like I was teasing a spider by tapping on its web. Felt tight. I will have to stay light on these I think but they feel great on my upper back. Last thing for the day being dead floor presses with a close grip. Been a bit since I did these. Working up in sets of five to a decent set of five reps. Goal being 90%-95% of what I felt I could do. I figured that 10lbs over my best with a close grip and pauses on this style would do so I took 50lbs jumps. First two sets felt light and easy but got tougher, especially with the close grip. I didn’t take as long of rest as normal since this wasn’t going to be a maximal effort. Just more pressing to keep the press frequency up. Moved a bit slower than I would’ve liked but I also was trying to make sure that it rested on the pins every rep. Finished earlier than expected and home to stretch and eat. Also put Icy Hot on my back to hopefully calm it down a little. Will continue to monitor the biceps daily.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
February 17, 2018 – Week 1, Day 2
5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
12” Log Clean and Push Presses
100x1
120x1
140x1
160x1
180x1
200x1
Arm-Over-Arm Pulls (on tire)
255x51’ in 20.00 seconds
405x51’ in 22.08 seconds
Sled Drags
575x100’
Stretching
Comments: Light session really for the most part. Usually more time off after a contest but need to get back out there to prep for this next one. Cold seems to be abating. I was able to go for a walk the night before and I knew that was going to be key in getting the soreness out of my legs from the last workout. No really rush with this workout considering the low volume. Weighed some more stones. Right biceps is still not at 100% at this time. Warmed on the bike. Breathing was little tougher than I would have liked but it is what it is. I took a week away from it and I’m coughing up stuff. Calf raise work was pretty easy. No stress on the palms or wrists today. Sumo box touches no issues. Hips felt tight but not bad on box squats. I tried to focus on keeping the upper body tight and thinking about the squats from the day before. Regular box touches were ok. Band rows good and same with push-ups. Back is feeling it still but no aches on the push-ups in the shoulders. Hip airplanes were easy. Then on to event stuff. Started things off with light log presses. Going to build these up slowly with the increased pressing frequency. I’m going to play around with setup from where I lift the log (off blocks, off tires, from plates) to get used to different setups for the log. Never used the log at Lancaster before. Large cutouts so nothing to brace the arms on for the clean. And a bit slicker than mine. But that could have just been the shirt. Off blocks this time. Using the same form as end of last cycle by standing up fully and then lapping it. Got to key in the technique and get more consistent with great reps. I felt good on every lift but again, this is like topping out at maybe 65%. Only rep that felt off was the one with 160lbs. I think I went too far forward on the dip as I had to catch my balance at lockout. I don’t need a belt on these but I might use one next time just to get used to the breathing maybe for the top singles as I progress. A bit of break helping out as stone handler for to training partners going for big PRs on concrete and stone of steel. I’m anxious to get back to stone lifting but I’m still shy about the arm. I finally got around to setting up the next thing; arm-over-arm. I had initially wanted to use a big fridge sized loadable sled but it was full of other stuff and it would be easier to just use a prowler and load it with weights instead. Plan today just being one light set and one medium heavy set. I was really not sure how this would feel on the biceps. I took one of the tires and sat on it for the pulls. I’m not sure if this is the setup for USS Nats or not but I can always rotate this until I know what I’m doing for certain. Tire isn’t really big enough for me to be able to lean back fully. There was definitely some tenderness in the right biceps. I changed my pulling side to the left during the set to take off the strain and that seemed to work. More weight for the next run. I wasn’t as good as the last set as far as keeping to the one side and I definitely got some stress on the right biceps. Just a slight cramping sensation. This is probably too light for both sets but I felt I got the goal for both sets accomplished. Last thing for the day was a 100’ sled drag. It was definitely getting colder by the minute at this point (pending snow storm). Just had one hard set to do so I got everything set up. I actually went right from loading the last pair of plates on it to the actual set so I didn’t waste any more time. This was going to be slightly uphill with 30lbs more than I’ve successfully completed the other direction so this was going to be interesting. I couldn’t have it exactly at the 100’ mark as that was where water was draining and didn’t want to be dealing with the friction nightmare like last time. This meant I’d need to go a bit past the finish line to get 100’. I had brought my shoes I wore for the moving events at Iron Goliath to see how they felt for this. I had entertained using the rock climbing shoes but don’t appear to be practical as part of a tire flip medley. These shoes worked great. I felt I could really grip the road moving backwards. I hit stop twice but I was able to power through those with a brief restart. Like a lawnmower primer cord. I was happy to get that run finished. Took a little over a minute. I took my time putting stuff away and then stretched before driving home. Got home just as the snow storm started.
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
12” Log Clean and Push Presses
100x1
120x1
140x1
160x1
180x1
200x1
Arm-Over-Arm Pulls (on tire)
255x51’ in 20.00 seconds
405x51’ in 22.08 seconds
Sled Drags
575x100’
Stretching
Comments: Light session really for the most part. Usually more time off after a contest but need to get back out there to prep for this next one. Cold seems to be abating. I was able to go for a walk the night before and I knew that was going to be key in getting the soreness out of my legs from the last workout. No really rush with this workout considering the low volume. Weighed some more stones. Right biceps is still not at 100% at this time. Warmed on the bike. Breathing was little tougher than I would have liked but it is what it is. I took a week away from it and I’m coughing up stuff. Calf raise work was pretty easy. No stress on the palms or wrists today. Sumo box touches no issues. Hips felt tight but not bad on box squats. I tried to focus on keeping the upper body tight and thinking about the squats from the day before. Regular box touches were ok. Band rows good and same with push-ups. Back is feeling it still but no aches on the push-ups in the shoulders. Hip airplanes were easy. Then on to event stuff. Started things off with light log presses. Going to build these up slowly with the increased pressing frequency. I’m going to play around with setup from where I lift the log (off blocks, off tires, from plates) to get used to different setups for the log. Never used the log at Lancaster before. Large cutouts so nothing to brace the arms on for the clean. And a bit slicker than mine. But that could have just been the shirt. Off blocks this time. Using the same form as end of last cycle by standing up fully and then lapping it. Got to key in the technique and get more consistent with great reps. I felt good on every lift but again, this is like topping out at maybe 65%. Only rep that felt off was the one with 160lbs. I think I went too far forward on the dip as I had to catch my balance at lockout. I don’t need a belt on these but I might use one next time just to get used to the breathing maybe for the top singles as I progress. A bit of break helping out as stone handler for to training partners going for big PRs on concrete and stone of steel. I’m anxious to get back to stone lifting but I’m still shy about the arm. I finally got around to setting up the next thing; arm-over-arm. I had initially wanted to use a big fridge sized loadable sled but it was full of other stuff and it would be easier to just use a prowler and load it with weights instead. Plan today just being one light set and one medium heavy set. I was really not sure how this would feel on the biceps. I took one of the tires and sat on it for the pulls. I’m not sure if this is the setup for USS Nats or not but I can always rotate this until I know what I’m doing for certain. Tire isn’t really big enough for me to be able to lean back fully. There was definitely some tenderness in the right biceps. I changed my pulling side to the left during the set to take off the strain and that seemed to work. More weight for the next run. I wasn’t as good as the last set as far as keeping to the one side and I definitely got some stress on the right biceps. Just a slight cramping sensation. This is probably too light for both sets but I felt I got the goal for both sets accomplished. Last thing for the day was a 100’ sled drag. It was definitely getting colder by the minute at this point (pending snow storm). Just had one hard set to do so I got everything set up. I actually went right from loading the last pair of plates on it to the actual set so I didn’t waste any more time. This was going to be slightly uphill with 30lbs more than I’ve successfully completed the other direction so this was going to be interesting. I couldn’t have it exactly at the 100’ mark as that was where water was draining and didn’t want to be dealing with the friction nightmare like last time. This meant I’d need to go a bit past the finish line to get 100’. I had brought my shoes I wore for the moving events at Iron Goliath to see how they felt for this. I had entertained using the rock climbing shoes but don’t appear to be practical as part of a tire flip medley. These shoes worked great. I felt I could really grip the road moving backwards. I hit stop twice but I was able to power through those with a brief restart. Like a lawnmower primer cord. I was happy to get that run finished. Took a little over a minute. I took my time putting stuff away and then stretched before driving home. Got home just as the snow storm started.
Friday, February 16, 2018
February 15, 2018 – Week 1, Day 1
5 Minutes Precor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Axle Push Presses
72x5
110x1
130x1
150x1
170x1
190x1
210x1
Squats to 16” Box
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x2
225x1
265x5
318x5
371x5
Wide Grip Deadlifts w/ bands (straps)
No Bands
135x5
Add Bands (+99lbs)
135x2
225x2
275x2
275x2
275x2
275x2
275x2
Stretching
Comments: Not feeling as beat as I have felt the last two contests. Then again, last one I hurt my wrist and got the flu. On to the next one. Got a cold but I will manage. But it was enough that I forwent my usual evening walk on my off day from training to get to sleep. Only two days of training for this week. Biceps still not at 100% but slowly getting there. Bruises from the contest are healing nicely. Warmed up on the AMT. 160bpm highest reading. I fully expected something like that after a week break and being a bit congested from the cold. Usual warm-up exercises followed. Calf raises were easy, just felt some pressure in my wrist. Slight knee ache in the right knee on the wide stance box touches. Breathing was a little bit harder on both styles. Box squats felt pretty good considering things. Band rows were good. I wanted to make sure these felt good as my upper back was feeling the kegs and deadlifts. Push ups were ok. Thankfully no shoulder aches today. Then on to the weights. First item up was axle push press. This cycle has a big change in that there is an increased frequency on pressing. At least that is the plan right now. Nothing taxing right now as I get used to it. Warmed up with my empty axle before doing the set weights and jumps to the planned weight for the day. Shoulders were really, really tight today. Felt loads heavier than it had any right to feel but still going up real fast. Got to drill this into my genome. I think I usually pick from a little lower but I think this is fine for now as I’m not trying to rush my setup. Every rep crisp and the same is the goal. Other than my shoulders being tight and all my upper body joints aching it was alright start. Then squats. A bit different from the usual. Squats to box but not box squats. Since training after injury, all my squats have been box squats. This time just using the box as a depth gauge. Lower with control and then explode up. But not crashing onto the box or sitting back. These were rough coming back to “normal” squats. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of these in no time. But tougher on the joints having to reverse course without the box breaking up the movement. Warmed up to the working sets. Used odd weights since I had my collars with me to make exact weight based off of 1rm. Second working set I think I had my stance too narrow and favored the one side the first rep or so. I feel my stance was better on the last set and I was able to stay more stable and not shift sides. It will get there. Next up was deadlift with bands. Wider stance with the wide grip. I liked these last cycle and I think they really helped my deadlift mechanics. Idea this time being to have less of reset between reps so that there was more time under tension. Warm-ups didn’t go great as the first set the bar nicked my scabs from the deadlift bar at the contest so I had to take blood time. Good thing I have like 30 more rolls of that athletic tape. Taped up my shin and got back to it. I forgot how much the band tension kicks in as my upper back lit up on the first warm-up set with the bands. I took a plate jump as I was already feeling the squats. First set I think was a little too quick for my tastes on the second rep as it was almost touch and go. I made sure to get it just right (almost a hovering) to fully control the weight down and stay in position. Ended up ripping another scab on that set but that was covered by my now bloody sock. Really feeling these in the hips and hamstrings. It wasn’t as late as I was expecting when I finished the session. Home to stretch and 2lbs of pulled pork and a leftover pizza.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
February 10, 2018 – Iron Goliath
I have ambitions and big plans
for 2018. While Strongman Corporation nationals didn’t go as planned I
still felt I had something left to prove. I could hang with the best at
some events but there were things that needed fixing. A change in
training to be able to compete while still working on building the best
package for big shows. Goals (I know, some say post them, others say
don’t with their own reasoning) for the year being to qualify for both
SC Nats and USS Nats. It’s becoming more and more important to plan out a
competition year to be able to hit big shows. This competition would be
the first step in accomplishing this year’s goals. Top 3 would qualify
for USS Nats. It also was a perfect show really to come back to after SC
Nats in that it was max overhead and deadlift and then lighter moving
events that would require foot speed. It was nearby (no hotel stay) and
would be enough time to see how the rest of the year would pan out. Do
well and have all the options available or do poorly and be limited.
However, things aren’t ever that simple. Training started off on the wrong foot with me having to recover from the wrist injury from SC Nats as well as the flu that I got for the first time ever. I don’t know if family and friends are getting more and more involved with my strongman stuff (year nine I think) of if they’ve always been and I’m just noticing it more now. But it is greatly appreciated. There appears to be great interest but even a “local show” seems a bit much for people to come to. Then my right biceps decided to give me a scare a month out from the show. I was legitimately freaking out about it. But treatment went better than it ended up being for my back and I was getting answers quickly. I was given the go ahead to compete. I added in new recover supplements (fish oil, glutamine, glucosamine chondroitin). But I was still nervous that the arm would “explode” at any time. Coupled with the mental fatigue that comes with the peak to competition, I just had to bury those thoughts with work and build up my confidence. I think I listened to songs from Rocky the entire week of the competition. Hey, it was near Philadelphia so it’s fine.
I went to bed early so that I could wake up early and get food in me before leaving. Which meant getting up at 5:00AM. Drove out with my dad on the PA Turnpike. I was still nervous. Eye twitch developed that week. Traffic wasn’t bad and got there a few minutes past 8:00AM. I had to use the restroom as soon as we got there. The toilet screamed at me. It was the strangest thing. I proceeded to get weighed in and to my surprise I came in at exactly 275lbs. The weight classes for USS are bit different than SC so this meant I could do HW or SHW. My last heavy training day I had been just under 290lbs so I the thought of competing lighter hadn’t crossed my mind as possibility. Weights would have been the same and both classes were going to be competitive. I elected to stay in the anorexic’s anonymous class as I have no plans of competing lighter and there is no guarantee I will still be this weight if I decide to do (or qualified) for USS Nats. It was hard telling who was in which weight class during the competition and I think there were nine or ten in the SHW. The gym itself was fairly compact. I wasn’t sure how everyone was going to fit including spectators. I did some testing of the floor to see what shoes worked best for moving events, got my yoke height and checked to see how the fabric of the contest shirt felt with the log. Rules meeting and then a brief period of warm-up for me (other people were warming up earlier but I didn’t want to burn myself out).
The first event was a last man standing log press. 20lbs jumps and unlimited attempts and you could jump in and out at any time. Log was a BiggDoggStrongg log but it wasn’t one with the full covering of the pins with end caps. This was just a beefy log with a raised section in the space between the handles. Never used one this style before. Despite training not feeling the best with log (every other workout went well with log clean and press) I was hopeful I could do over 300lbs today. Log was starting at 165lbs and since I had not done any lifts (had just cleaned the log) I did my warm-ups with the log during the event. My plan was 40lbs jumps up to 245lbs and then do every 20lbs jump after that. I was trying to treat every lift the same. Standing up fully and on the clean and get it just right to minimize the strain on the biceps. Cleans felt great. I’m not my usual self really until at least the first event is done. I went and sat on a bench in the corner looking away from the action until my “warm-ups” were done as I needed to keep calm as there could be a lot of waiting getting through all the people. 245lbs got a little bit in front of me and I had to take a half step forward to catch my balance. Not a good way to start with the heavier stuff. 265lbs felt much better and smoother. Shoulder was a little achy but it felt loads better than it had the last 6 weeks. 285lbs next and that went up pretty smooth too. So I was really surprised when 305lbs didn’t go. I did have to wait a bit before that attempt while someone checked their scores for the event in another weight class but I felt it still should’ve gone. We only had 30 seconds for the attempts (though that appeared to be more of a guideline) so I gave it another shot and same thing. Both times it went out in front of me and I just didn’t have the strength to press it through the sticking point with it out in front of me. So I had to bow out with 285lbs. The winner got 325lbs. I didn’t get last so it was something but not a great start.
Up next was last man standing deadlift. Same as log with 20lbs jumps and unlimited attempts. Deadlift bar was being used and deadlift suits were allowed. Log took a long time (about 2hrs) to finish and it was likely that deadlifts would too. Even though suits were allowed, I think only four people used them in the whole competition. There were some big pullers so I needed every pound. My massage therapist noted that my upper back and tarps were very tight and I believe the overload from the suit (going from 350lbs pull to 610lbs pull) had something to do with it. I’ve only used a suit for elevated pulls in the past so this was the first time using it from the floor this training cycle. It was a bit of a learning curve and I feel each time I’m improving dramatically in using its full potential. The deadlift suit is a pain but if it lets me pull more weight and doesn’t bother my back then I’ll use it. I did warm-ups on the stiff bar without a suit on and then put it on. It was looser than it felt last time (I had kept the straps the same). I had planned on doing big jumps like in training so that I didn’t get fatigued from the suit but it wasn’t beating me up so much today. I was going to start pretty light but I did 405lbs with the suit on the warm-up bar and it felt like nothing so I decided to open at 495lbs. That moved up pretty good. The original plan had been open at 575lbs but again, not certain how contest would go and if warm-ups would be a long time from actually lifting. 575lbs was my next attempt and that went up pretty good too. I asked my dad what he thought my next attempt should be and he said 40lbs more for 615lbs. My hope was that I would get 655lbs. It meant something in that it would be the most weight I’ve ever pulled from the floor. 615lbs didn’t go up as smooth as I would have liked but I felt like I had another 20lbs there. 635lbs was next and I tried to take advantage of everything I could with the figure-8 straps. Moved my grip in a little and got the weight more into my fingers than the palm of my hands and up it went. That could very well have been my limit but I wanted to try 655lbs. This was a short rest after 635lbs but I gave it my best effort and up it went. Slowly but it went up with a little hitching. I was quite pleased with this but equally pleased to get the darn suit off as I was having bruises on my legs from it. I wasn’t really paying attention to my competition but I think a few guys skipped 655lbs and went for 675lbs and missed it. I do know the winner got 715lbs. But even so, I felt really good about this. Progress is being made.
The third event was yoke. 700lbs for 80’ with a drop and turn at 40’. Yoke being used was the same one as the gym in Lancaster so I knew what it was about. That was a plus for me. Another was that with the floor being rubber, this would prevent a lot of the sliding so I could have a better controlled drop of the yoke to then transition to the second half. The bad thing was that with the two last man standing events being time vampires, the contest was running over by about 2hrs so no warm-ups on yoke. I managed to get in a brief run with 180lbs and a pick and hold with 450lbs before they started. Then it was the waiting game until the SHW were up. The plan had been to have competitors in reverse order of entry but it was more time efficient to have it be by yoke height so that meant I was up second being the tall lanky guy I am. Despite the lack of warm-up, I still take what Derek Poundstone told me almost seven years ago but being plenty warmed up after a few steps under the yoke. The front of the yoke had to cross the line at the end of the run to stop time. I timed my start just right and off I went. A little slow off the start but got my pace and stopped just at the right spot for the turn. Got right under it and went and I think I moved even faster on the way back. I knew it I had it and started shouting “all day” as I ran. Keeping myself hyped and also making sure I wasn’t holding my breath as that happens sometimes and I pass out. That would’ve been bad. Time was 16.16 seconds which was almost a second faster than what I did in training leading up to the show. The winner did it in a blistering time of 14.50 seconds. I might have had 3rd here.
The next event for the day was husafel carry. 325bs for 80’ with a turn at 40’. Normally a very good event for me but most often it is a distance event. In this case it was a timed event. My normal way of carrying it would be a secured grip but be very slow. So training had been with the method to best be able to move fast with it which was holding it out in front with the hands. This of course makes the upper body fatigue quicker. I was still pretty confident with this building up to it until the injured my biceps. That injury prevent me from doing one last session to test things out so this was a real unknown for me as far as if I could even do it. I had been specifically training on my BiggDoggStrongg husafel stone as it appeared to match the dimensions of the implement from photos. But it turns out that a different one was used that was slick and thin. I have one like it train on but I had avoided it as it can be painful with the sharp edges and how slick it was. Someone who had used it on the training day said chalk seemed to be a hindrance on it. So I brought athletic tape for my forearms. With how time was going, we were told to go right into this event straight off of yoke. Which is fine by me as I can handle that. I asked if I could just get a pick of it before the start to make sure it didn’t hurt my biceps. It did not and I was ecstatic. This was the only event where we went in reverse order of entry. We had to start 5’ back from the implement and then run to it and go. I think about half the field or more didn’t finish it. There was a little hesitance for me going at it but fractions of a second really. The thinness of it made it sit low on my body with how long my arms are. It was starting to slip on the way back but I was not putting it down. I held it for a bit at the finish line before putting it down to show it I was in charge. My time was 17.90 seconds. I believe the winner was just under 14 seconds.
The final event was the keg carry and load medley. 250lbs for 20’, 275lbs for 15’ and 300lbs for 10’ to be all loaded over a 54” bar. There was a bit of downtime from the other events as the points were being added up for having the order be by placing. They announced that the kegs were to be as they were and no adjusting them. This meant that I couldn’t turn them so the handles were perpendicular to me to make for faster transitions. Also they were on my right side. Because I was using my non-dominant side to keep stress off the biceps, I would have to move myself a little more to get the keg at the right spot to lift it. Little changes that effected me but everyone has to deal with the same issues. This was getting to be a long day as I had already been up for over 12hrs at this point. Trying to stay warm. I was told that I was tied for 2nd overall but in 3rd since I had no event wins. 1st place was well ahead of everyone. 4th place was supposedly 1.5pts behind. I just had to do my best. I was given that commands and off I went. A little slow on the pick but I got a good pace going and tossed it over got back to the next keg and got that one up a bit better and tossed it over. The last keg (it was a Power Keg) I couldn’t really do my side shuffle so this ended up being a bit more sloppy than I would have liked getting to the keg. It was bit more off putting than the kegs but I got it up and plopped it over in a time of 19.34 seconds. I threw my hands up as I knew it was a good time and that I was done for the day. I believe this was 3rd place as the winner got 18.18 seconds and someone else beat me by .02 seconds.
With how the last event ended (guy I was tied with had a bobble on the first keg and guy behind me beat me by one place) and the scores indicated, I had thought I got 2nd place. So I was bit confused when I was called out for 3rd place. I don’t care about trophies or prize money and I qualified either way. I will need to see the final score sheets to see what ended up being the case. The top four were very competitive all day (with 1st place being a step above) so even missing the podium against these guys wouldn’t have been a shame. My dad had fun and I kept my family, friends and coach up to date all day and also met some new friends/competitors that I hope I have the chance to compete against another day. It was a long day but I don’t feel as dead as I usually do after a contest. I did what I set out to do. No re-injury or new injuries and I have all the options in the world still open to me this year. Next one will be the Beast of the Bluegrass in Lexington, KY trying to get an invite to the Amature Arnold.
UPDATE: After review of the scores, I placed 2nd. I tied for 3rd on log, tied for 2nd on deadlift, got 3rd on yoke, 4th on husafel and 3rd on kegs.
However, things aren’t ever that simple. Training started off on the wrong foot with me having to recover from the wrist injury from SC Nats as well as the flu that I got for the first time ever. I don’t know if family and friends are getting more and more involved with my strongman stuff (year nine I think) of if they’ve always been and I’m just noticing it more now. But it is greatly appreciated. There appears to be great interest but even a “local show” seems a bit much for people to come to. Then my right biceps decided to give me a scare a month out from the show. I was legitimately freaking out about it. But treatment went better than it ended up being for my back and I was getting answers quickly. I was given the go ahead to compete. I added in new recover supplements (fish oil, glutamine, glucosamine chondroitin). But I was still nervous that the arm would “explode” at any time. Coupled with the mental fatigue that comes with the peak to competition, I just had to bury those thoughts with work and build up my confidence. I think I listened to songs from Rocky the entire week of the competition. Hey, it was near Philadelphia so it’s fine.
I went to bed early so that I could wake up early and get food in me before leaving. Which meant getting up at 5:00AM. Drove out with my dad on the PA Turnpike. I was still nervous. Eye twitch developed that week. Traffic wasn’t bad and got there a few minutes past 8:00AM. I had to use the restroom as soon as we got there. The toilet screamed at me. It was the strangest thing. I proceeded to get weighed in and to my surprise I came in at exactly 275lbs. The weight classes for USS are bit different than SC so this meant I could do HW or SHW. My last heavy training day I had been just under 290lbs so I the thought of competing lighter hadn’t crossed my mind as possibility. Weights would have been the same and both classes were going to be competitive. I elected to stay in the anorexic’s anonymous class as I have no plans of competing lighter and there is no guarantee I will still be this weight if I decide to do (or qualified) for USS Nats. It was hard telling who was in which weight class during the competition and I think there were nine or ten in the SHW. The gym itself was fairly compact. I wasn’t sure how everyone was going to fit including spectators. I did some testing of the floor to see what shoes worked best for moving events, got my yoke height and checked to see how the fabric of the contest shirt felt with the log. Rules meeting and then a brief period of warm-up for me (other people were warming up earlier but I didn’t want to burn myself out).
The first event was a last man standing log press. 20lbs jumps and unlimited attempts and you could jump in and out at any time. Log was a BiggDoggStrongg log but it wasn’t one with the full covering of the pins with end caps. This was just a beefy log with a raised section in the space between the handles. Never used one this style before. Despite training not feeling the best with log (every other workout went well with log clean and press) I was hopeful I could do over 300lbs today. Log was starting at 165lbs and since I had not done any lifts (had just cleaned the log) I did my warm-ups with the log during the event. My plan was 40lbs jumps up to 245lbs and then do every 20lbs jump after that. I was trying to treat every lift the same. Standing up fully and on the clean and get it just right to minimize the strain on the biceps. Cleans felt great. I’m not my usual self really until at least the first event is done. I went and sat on a bench in the corner looking away from the action until my “warm-ups” were done as I needed to keep calm as there could be a lot of waiting getting through all the people. 245lbs got a little bit in front of me and I had to take a half step forward to catch my balance. Not a good way to start with the heavier stuff. 265lbs felt much better and smoother. Shoulder was a little achy but it felt loads better than it had the last 6 weeks. 285lbs next and that went up pretty smooth too. So I was really surprised when 305lbs didn’t go. I did have to wait a bit before that attempt while someone checked their scores for the event in another weight class but I felt it still should’ve gone. We only had 30 seconds for the attempts (though that appeared to be more of a guideline) so I gave it another shot and same thing. Both times it went out in front of me and I just didn’t have the strength to press it through the sticking point with it out in front of me. So I had to bow out with 285lbs. The winner got 325lbs. I didn’t get last so it was something but not a great start.
Up next was last man standing deadlift. Same as log with 20lbs jumps and unlimited attempts. Deadlift bar was being used and deadlift suits were allowed. Log took a long time (about 2hrs) to finish and it was likely that deadlifts would too. Even though suits were allowed, I think only four people used them in the whole competition. There were some big pullers so I needed every pound. My massage therapist noted that my upper back and tarps were very tight and I believe the overload from the suit (going from 350lbs pull to 610lbs pull) had something to do with it. I’ve only used a suit for elevated pulls in the past so this was the first time using it from the floor this training cycle. It was a bit of a learning curve and I feel each time I’m improving dramatically in using its full potential. The deadlift suit is a pain but if it lets me pull more weight and doesn’t bother my back then I’ll use it. I did warm-ups on the stiff bar without a suit on and then put it on. It was looser than it felt last time (I had kept the straps the same). I had planned on doing big jumps like in training so that I didn’t get fatigued from the suit but it wasn’t beating me up so much today. I was going to start pretty light but I did 405lbs with the suit on the warm-up bar and it felt like nothing so I decided to open at 495lbs. That moved up pretty good. The original plan had been open at 575lbs but again, not certain how contest would go and if warm-ups would be a long time from actually lifting. 575lbs was my next attempt and that went up pretty good too. I asked my dad what he thought my next attempt should be and he said 40lbs more for 615lbs. My hope was that I would get 655lbs. It meant something in that it would be the most weight I’ve ever pulled from the floor. 615lbs didn’t go up as smooth as I would have liked but I felt like I had another 20lbs there. 635lbs was next and I tried to take advantage of everything I could with the figure-8 straps. Moved my grip in a little and got the weight more into my fingers than the palm of my hands and up it went. That could very well have been my limit but I wanted to try 655lbs. This was a short rest after 635lbs but I gave it my best effort and up it went. Slowly but it went up with a little hitching. I was quite pleased with this but equally pleased to get the darn suit off as I was having bruises on my legs from it. I wasn’t really paying attention to my competition but I think a few guys skipped 655lbs and went for 675lbs and missed it. I do know the winner got 715lbs. But even so, I felt really good about this. Progress is being made.
The third event was yoke. 700lbs for 80’ with a drop and turn at 40’. Yoke being used was the same one as the gym in Lancaster so I knew what it was about. That was a plus for me. Another was that with the floor being rubber, this would prevent a lot of the sliding so I could have a better controlled drop of the yoke to then transition to the second half. The bad thing was that with the two last man standing events being time vampires, the contest was running over by about 2hrs so no warm-ups on yoke. I managed to get in a brief run with 180lbs and a pick and hold with 450lbs before they started. Then it was the waiting game until the SHW were up. The plan had been to have competitors in reverse order of entry but it was more time efficient to have it be by yoke height so that meant I was up second being the tall lanky guy I am. Despite the lack of warm-up, I still take what Derek Poundstone told me almost seven years ago but being plenty warmed up after a few steps under the yoke. The front of the yoke had to cross the line at the end of the run to stop time. I timed my start just right and off I went. A little slow off the start but got my pace and stopped just at the right spot for the turn. Got right under it and went and I think I moved even faster on the way back. I knew it I had it and started shouting “all day” as I ran. Keeping myself hyped and also making sure I wasn’t holding my breath as that happens sometimes and I pass out. That would’ve been bad. Time was 16.16 seconds which was almost a second faster than what I did in training leading up to the show. The winner did it in a blistering time of 14.50 seconds. I might have had 3rd here.
The next event for the day was husafel carry. 325bs for 80’ with a turn at 40’. Normally a very good event for me but most often it is a distance event. In this case it was a timed event. My normal way of carrying it would be a secured grip but be very slow. So training had been with the method to best be able to move fast with it which was holding it out in front with the hands. This of course makes the upper body fatigue quicker. I was still pretty confident with this building up to it until the injured my biceps. That injury prevent me from doing one last session to test things out so this was a real unknown for me as far as if I could even do it. I had been specifically training on my BiggDoggStrongg husafel stone as it appeared to match the dimensions of the implement from photos. But it turns out that a different one was used that was slick and thin. I have one like it train on but I had avoided it as it can be painful with the sharp edges and how slick it was. Someone who had used it on the training day said chalk seemed to be a hindrance on it. So I brought athletic tape for my forearms. With how time was going, we were told to go right into this event straight off of yoke. Which is fine by me as I can handle that. I asked if I could just get a pick of it before the start to make sure it didn’t hurt my biceps. It did not and I was ecstatic. This was the only event where we went in reverse order of entry. We had to start 5’ back from the implement and then run to it and go. I think about half the field or more didn’t finish it. There was a little hesitance for me going at it but fractions of a second really. The thinness of it made it sit low on my body with how long my arms are. It was starting to slip on the way back but I was not putting it down. I held it for a bit at the finish line before putting it down to show it I was in charge. My time was 17.90 seconds. I believe the winner was just under 14 seconds.
The final event was the keg carry and load medley. 250lbs for 20’, 275lbs for 15’ and 300lbs for 10’ to be all loaded over a 54” bar. There was a bit of downtime from the other events as the points were being added up for having the order be by placing. They announced that the kegs were to be as they were and no adjusting them. This meant that I couldn’t turn them so the handles were perpendicular to me to make for faster transitions. Also they were on my right side. Because I was using my non-dominant side to keep stress off the biceps, I would have to move myself a little more to get the keg at the right spot to lift it. Little changes that effected me but everyone has to deal with the same issues. This was getting to be a long day as I had already been up for over 12hrs at this point. Trying to stay warm. I was told that I was tied for 2nd overall but in 3rd since I had no event wins. 1st place was well ahead of everyone. 4th place was supposedly 1.5pts behind. I just had to do my best. I was given that commands and off I went. A little slow on the pick but I got a good pace going and tossed it over got back to the next keg and got that one up a bit better and tossed it over. The last keg (it was a Power Keg) I couldn’t really do my side shuffle so this ended up being a bit more sloppy than I would have liked getting to the keg. It was bit more off putting than the kegs but I got it up and plopped it over in a time of 19.34 seconds. I threw my hands up as I knew it was a good time and that I was done for the day. I believe this was 3rd place as the winner got 18.18 seconds and someone else beat me by .02 seconds.
With how the last event ended (guy I was tied with had a bobble on the first keg and guy behind me beat me by one place) and the scores indicated, I had thought I got 2nd place. So I was bit confused when I was called out for 3rd place. I don’t care about trophies or prize money and I qualified either way. I will need to see the final score sheets to see what ended up being the case. The top four were very competitive all day (with 1st place being a step above) so even missing the podium against these guys wouldn’t have been a shame. My dad had fun and I kept my family, friends and coach up to date all day and also met some new friends/competitors that I hope I have the chance to compete against another day. It was a long day but I don’t feel as dead as I usually do after a contest. I did what I set out to do. No re-injury or new injuries and I have all the options in the world still open to me this year. Next one will be the Beast of the Bluegrass in Lexington, KY trying to get an invite to the Amature Arnold.
UPDATE: After review of the scores, I placed 2nd. I tied for 3rd on log, tied for 2nd on deadlift, got 3rd on yoke, 4th on husafel and 3rd on kegs.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
February 3, 2018 – Week 10, Day 3
5 Minutes Schwinn Airdyne Bike
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
Sled Drags/Prowler Pushes
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
305x50’/305x50’
Comments: Got to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour last night. I knew I had to get up early to do things. Last workout but I was also transporting my stones to their new home at the gym. That was a bit of a warm-up there rolling them into the moving truck and rolling off the truck. Got all four weighed. I knew that they can lose weight over time from drying out but I was surprised that the big stones I made over 9yrs ago lost weight still. 452lbs is now 439lbs and the 505lbs is now 491lbs. Biceps seems to be improving still. Maybe I got over a mental hump with the log press on Tuesday getting confidence back. The new daily supplements could be helping too. I know it isn’t fully healed as there are issues with trying to “hug and lift” like a stone or something. But no issues moving the stones around or moving light sandbags in the truck. Airdyne bike to warm-up. It was packed in the gym today. Legs a little tired. I had to guess with the time as when I was close to one minute left, they reset the wall timer for the CrossFit WOD. Usual warm-up exercises followed. Ankles felt springy on the calf raises. Felt really, really easy and no tightness. Box touches felt good on both styles. I had to modify things for the box squats so the setup required a slightly narrower stance and probably a little lower of a box height. It felt good though. Band rows after that. Push-ups okay. Right shoulder a little achy appears to be improving still. Hip airplanes were next and pretty good. Only thing for the workout was medleys of drags and pushes. I was trying to get things done so I could get back home quick for other plans. Taking it outside would be too much time with setup. Indoors was crowded but I made it work. I ended up looping the tow straps so that the length was cut in half so that I could get a full run of 50’ both ways. This was going to be nothing compared to the ten sets of 100’ each way last time, even with a lot more weight on. I felt I could recover well from these compared to the double length runs and even with the friction on the floor. I picked the weight to see how this would feel as potential contest event weight for the possible next show. Felt ok on both but getting fatigued about halfway in. Breathing a little hard by the end of the 7th set. I could do more with the minute rests. Beat feet out of the gym to get home. Now to rest for the contest next week.
Friday, February 2, 2018
February 1, 2018 – Week 10, Day 2
5 Minutes Precor AMT
Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30
Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
16” Box Squats
BWx15
Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15
Band Rows
MMBx20
Push-ups
BWx10
Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5
16” Box Squats w/ bands
No Bands
45x10
Add Bands (+80lbs)
45x2
95x2
145x2
185x2
225x2
265x2
265x2
265x2
Stretching
Comments: Still playing catch-up at work. I keep feeling like if I just get one extra day everything will be caught up. I know I said this like a month ago but it still feels that way haha. Biceps appears to be improving still so that’s a continued sense of relief there. But still watching it. Warmed up on the AMT. 151bpm highest reading. Usual warm-up exercises followed. Ankles felt springy on the calf raises but they were feeling pretty tight. Some pressure in my right palm. I had to modify the box touches today as the stuff and area I usually use in the gym were in use by Navy trainees for bimonthly assessments. Wide box touches were ok. With the setup I had to use (bench and elevated platform) I wasn’t able to do the sumo stance I usually use so it was a bit narrower. Box squats felt ok. Regular style worked better on the box touches with the temporary setup. Band rows after that. Push-ups okay. Right shoulder a little achy but the best it has felt since the injury so also good news. Hip airplanes were next and pretty good. I had some balance issues midway thru on the one side but was able to catch myself. Then on to weights. As with most deload sessions, very minimal stuff and the theme on the lower body session is speed work with 50%. No different this time in that regard although the added twist was using bands. Other the past three cycles the weight has been increased slightly as I get stronger at squats. But I usually feel achy by this point in the cycle. Two weeks ago this weight without the bands felt great. Anyways, on to the squats. Warmed up with the bar with no bands. Advised to use the same bands that I had been using for the front box squats previously this cycle. This was going to be the first time I did regular box squats with bands since my lower back injury and probably the first time in a long while too. I’ve done a lot more band tension in the past for speed work. I’m not sure if humbling is the word I’d use but it definitely threw me off with the pulling down sensation of the bands on my back. Just did the same jumps in weight after the bands were on as I did last time it was speed box squats. Only doing three doubles with the top weight. First set always feels like I’m still shaking off the rust and then I get better as I go. Second set I think I had my stance a little too wide. Last set I think everything was on point. Put everything away and then it was home to stretch and eat. One more session to go.
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