June 7, 2025 – Week 2, Day 3

Dynamic Warm Up

Axle High Pulls from Blocks (9”)
91x2
135x2
179x2
223x2
267.5x4
267.5x4
267.5x4
267.5x4

Yoke/Power Stairs (17”)
Y – 235x25’/25’
P – 214x3
Y – 335x25’/25’
P – 259x3
Y – 435x25’/25’
P – 304x3
EMOM
Y – 535x25’/25’
P – 349x3
Y – 535x25’/25’
P – 349x3
Y – 535x25’/25’
P – 349x3
Y – 535x25’/25’
P – 349x3
Y – 535x25’/25’
P – 349x3

Seated Leg Curls (2-0-2-0 tempo)/Monster Mondo Deadlift Start Leg Presses
100x5/390x10
150x5/570x8
200x16/750x20
200x8/750x10
200x8/750x10

Wide MAG Grip Cable Rows
100x5
140x5
180x20
180x20

Stretching

Comments: Another odd week for me. So I guess positives to start off with essentially getting approval for modification of leave to travel to Ireland to compete. So starting the trip plan with travel agent this coming week. The event weights posted and some things surprising and other things not so much. Deadlift event is heavy so likely a zero for me unless my new training somehow adds over 60lbs to my raw deadlift in 3 months. Some of the events are bit more brutal (yoke distance and zercher weight) than anticipated so need to adjust progression accordingly. Need to figure out what bags for toss are still viable to figure out if I need to get anymore. I had initially not planned to get the “sandball” but it being a load for reps event after a carry and load, it may be in my best interest to have one due to size and grip. I guess having the 2” handles for training Hercules hold worked out as it appears that is what is being used for the competition. Car issues continue with insurance and traffic citation. Appears error in insurance system and now finally confirming about a week later vehicle considered totaled. So need to get a new car. I’ve had the same car for like 16yrs now and honestly, all the add-ons and such to newer cars aren’t my thing. And going to eat the ticket as can’t afford to fight it with upcoming out of state (and country) travel. But I thankfully don’t have many day to day expenses so I have the financial security to handle these things. So my morning did start off on the early side as this was pretty much the only time I’d have family available to go and look at a car at the dealership. I didn’t want to have to move training to Sunday with things as the training for these first four weeks to lay down the base for the second half of the prep is quite brutal on recovery. So a few hours with getting things setup with getting a car and plan is to actually buy and finance it early next week. I’ll need to practice driving this new car with the features and it being a bit bigger space wise compared to the more compact vehicles I’ve been used to driving. So out to train with my dad taking me out. Hopefully the last time for a bit. Unlike last week, there were people there training stuff but kind of on the end of training. My one friend is still undecided with doing worlds and me signing up is like one of the reasons they are still considering it. I checked with the throwing bags and emptied out the two busted and leaking bags. I have enough to prep it would seem so that is good as far a cutting down on a further equipment expense for this prep. Air flow was not great in the gym today as all the big fans were missing (there was one but it appeared to be broken) so only the small ones on the ceiling and one smaller floor fan. So I knew I was going to be a sweaty mess today. Did the warming up to get ready for the day with foam rolling and such and the mobility things. Left glute is still sore from falling on my ass but I’m not sure if like a bone bruise or the muscle honestly. I had kind of hoped it would be 100% good by today considering things. Left forearm is still feeling the pressure from the zercher carry last week. Another thing that has been annoying but not effecting anything I’ve been doing fortunately. So, first thing was again axle high pulls from blocks. My plan is to do these with hopefully increasing weight each week for the first four weeks of prep and then bag toss and such will replace as intent is to eventually switch to axle clean and press together after the 6th week of prep. These had been interesting last time and feel very different as the weight increases. So trying to learn from last time. I started heavier as the lighter stuff felt like nothing really and just wasted energy. I also tried to find collars that didn’t jostle as much as last time so I wasn’t getting uneven weight distribution. I also slowed things down between reps rather than trying to go immediately into the next one. One to make sure I was getting an even grip but also a secure one. The sweat factor was also part of that. I was a little leery that these might bother my forearms so I was trying to not have much of any eccentric on these. I did doubles all the way up to my working weight with 20kgs jumps. I had done 256.5lbs last time and figured I’d go for 267.5lbs this time (5kgs increase). This seemed to go decently well. I did have to reapply a little liquid chalk for the last set as my forearms got so sweaty that it was dripping into my palms. I feel like the third set had the best quality reps overall but that my last set was better than my last set the previous week. I feel I had less off balance pulls this time as well. My hope is to add 5kgs each time here so that I’m doing reps with what is hopefully my second (but hopefully first) attempt for the axle. From there I moved on to moving event stuff. I was feeling pretty good after the axle stuff but I knew that the EMOM workout I had was going to be quite brutal just from last time’s efforts. But I think knowing I had just this monstrosity and then machines after possibly made it not as daunting to finish up the session. So last week I had done pairing of zercher yoke and sandbag carry and load as that was one of three moving medley events. Two of them were kind of similar with sandbag type objects being carried and loaded so plan was to do the one that was a bit different on opposing weeks. I had an idea of weights before weights and such announced. I will need to adjust the zercher and sandbag for the next session as I had the zercher about 20kgs lighter at most so need to put a bit more on that. Also need to try and load higher as I think the yoke will have two crossbars so likely higher (and will be better to get for the sandball carry and load event). I was at least close with sandbag weight. So today was yoke into power stairs. I had expected it to be decently heavy but not where the yoke was moved 100’ (50’ drop and turn) before the power stair for 3 steps. Power stair is also pretty darn heavy. When I last did yoke with pairing EMOM, it had only been for 25’ so I had already planned to do 46’ or so runs like zercher carry. But now that it is drop and turn around, it seems like best thing is to get practice at that aspect as well so changing to 25’ run with drop and turn and then back 25’. Plan had been 500lbs but I felt I needed to increase that a bit to match numbers and not have myself be so far off the mark with prep. But yoke I’ve at least been doing consistently until December of last year. So 6 months away is a bit of time. But power stairs I’ve not done since 2023 Nationals in training and I don’t really count helping move implements for my friend’s prep for Worlds last year as doing them. This event the weight is 66lbs more than I’ve ever attempted. Granted that weight I did do for 9 reps twice in training but still. I was initially going to go up the steps rather than reset back to the ground each rep and I was doing that with working up in weight with the yoke. But I realized three things. One that holy crap was doing these back to back exhausting, two that I forgot I need to wear knee sleeves when doing these to keep my knees from being so darn bruised and three that it takes a good bit of effort to reset each time as far as time and energy. So my plan wasn’t going to work with EMOM timing. I then thought maybe I do 5 minute EMOM for each separately but figured that wasn’t going to cut it. Then realized I could just deload each rep which a little more exhausting but cuts time between sets to get back to yoke and vice versa. This was way tougher than then the zercher and sandbag last time. I know I was contemplating stopping that at like round 6 but I was thinking I may not be able to physically do this at that time. Mostly because of how sweaty my hands were on the power stairs. But I made it through. My yoke runs got slower each time but I got faster on the power stair. I think that was more to do with me being more efficient because how tired I was and finally getting myself to do the form right that saved energy and moved things faster. I had to lay down in front of the one fan for a bit afterwards to cool off. I took my time and put on fresh shirt before moving on to the machines to end the session. Supersetting tempo seated leg curls with deadlift start leg presses. No real plan for the leg curls other than to do similar to the leg press in that doing a top set with the weight and then half the reps with same weight for following sets. Keeping leg curl weight at 200lbs as that still feels fine and I’m doing this more for having my knees feel ok with leg press. The plan there was to do 20 reps with like 1RIR and then same weight for 2x10. Weights had felt right last time with fatigue and such so I figured that 90lbs added to the leg press was a big ask and be a struggle to get 20 reps, if at all. Warming up was feeling decent. I did an extra rep on the leg curls so that the other sets were even with half reps. I got set for the leg press. I didn’t feel as drained but I was feeling the session. This ended up feeling a lot like last time in that I had 5RIR. Probably more. Not sure what to make of that. I may need to adjust for next time as ideally it was to do this same weight for 15 reps so that 3-5RIR and then the last week do 15 reps with 1RIR. I didn’t feel nearly as drained or regretting my decision like last week and I pretty much did these last two sets back to back with no rest besides getting out of the seat, rotating the camera and adjusting knee sleeves. Again, drenched in sweat. I guess I need to bring a third shirt (but feels so early in the year to do so). Last thing was some rows. Heavier session to kind of push the 2x20 I did last time. I was initially thinking 20lbs more but I felt like maybe I could go up a good bit seeing as how my endurance for things like the iso deads and leg press improved dramatically. So 40lbs on. Left forearm a little sore but I feel like I did these with 3-5RIR on them with the MAG grip setup. Want to try and get these up so that I have a good base for picking up sandbags and such. Downed a shake and essentially stumbled out of the gym and rode home with my dad. Stretched when I got home. Still have some things to sort out with training beyond these first four weeks but I got time.