Atlas13 Burning the Boats

Training Training Logs
3294

13apr26
Superset:
Press: 45x10, 95x5, 95x5, 115x5, 125x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5
Lat pulldown: 100x10, 100x10, 140x10, 140x10, 140x10. 140x10, 140x10, 140x10

Mid grip pause bench: 135x5, 185x5, 185x5, 185x6

Db row: 85x10, 85x10, 85x10

Db Inc press: 65x18, 65x13

Superset:
Lat raise: 22.5x15, 22.5x15,
BPA: rrx15, rrx15,

Conditioned:
lots and lots of overdue yard work

Notes:

  • alright, first lift in about a week. Caught some sort of bug last week that had me down pretty good. Think I just wore myself down on the night shift. 5 days of basically sleeping every second I wasnā€™t working, with brief interruptions to consume several thousand calories of something hearty (Mrs made this Italian sausage gnocchi stew that I swear could cure cancer.) feeling back to normal.
  • Made a decision a few days ago. Iā€™m not gonna do that powerlifting meet. Actually, Iā€™m just done carrying about powerlifting. I did it in college, and every now and then get the idea to get back into it, and every time I start to train it seriously, I remember why I stopped. I just donā€™t feel good powerlifting. Strong, sure. But sore, achey, and slow. More ā€œtractorā€ less ā€œsports car.ā€ I miss doing more athletic stuff almost instantly. Combine with the fact that my shoulder just does not seem up to handling bench, and itā€™s just not worth the squeeze for me.
  • So ya know what, Iā€™m done caring about bench. Iā€™m down caring about ā€œthe big 3.ā€ Iā€™ve spent about a year trying to push those, and honestly think the only result was upping the hell out of my hi bar, which I am pretty happy about. But Iā€™d rather hit the lifts that Iā€™m built better for. More trap pulls, more explosive work, more overhead. I like training like an athlete, but even then I need some sort of direction to train for, because I find I start to loathe the gym if Iā€™m just ā€œworking outā€. I gotta find something to challenge myself with or Iā€™m just miserable in the weight room.
  • So, Iā€™m going back to strongman. Gonna find a comp around Oct-Nov, and get back into it. My deadlifts still pretty decent, and Iā€™m going to hammer a lot of variations. Sticking with hi bar squat as I feel itā€™s more practical for athletes, throwing in some SSB. Big change is going to be ditching the bench, and moving to an overhead focus. Iā€™ll still do some type of benching, but itā€™s all going to be paused and either close or medium grip, and likely as a secondary lift. Overheads always been better for me, and itā€™s time I just decided to chase that and see what I can do.
  • First time doing overhead in a long time. All of this was done Beltless, no wraps, trying to focus on slow controlled descent and lowering the bar as close to my clavicle as I can get it. Really, just trying to get some good reps in to the relearn the movement a bit before I push it.
  • Accessories all moved decent. Trying to get a long stretch on all the back work. Chasing some big shoulders and upper back. I feel like the key to strongman is big traps, big shoulders, and a fat ass. Which makes my objectives a bit easier to identify lol.
  • Fly out tomorrow for a weeklong work trip, will see what kind of lifts I can fit in during that time, then next Monday Iā€™ll start a new actual training block. (Still need to figure out what that is precisely)

Curios if a theory of mine pans out. Whatā€™s your athletic background growing up? I feel like contact sport guys get so much more lower body development at a young age that the idea of upper body ever catching up seems impossible, but guys who start working out later tend to develop differently. (I have a feeling your about to say you played Defensive line and just completely crush my theory lol)

@simo74 itā€™s honestly normally one of my strong suits, but itā€™s also the first to fall by the wayside when life gets busy

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3295

Excited for the strongman pivot.

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I grew up playing Lacrosse (defense, then in college I moved to Face Off), Football (Tight end), and started boxing/kick boxing at 6 till 23.

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Welp. There goes that theory lol.

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Ya know, I really donā€™t even know what I was thinking with powerlifting lol. I was serious about the whole ā€œadventure readyā€ training that Iā€™m gunning for, and honestly it has been going pretty awesome. I think I need some competition just to keep me excited, and with my temporarily nutty schedule, I just figured powerlifting would be simplest to fit inā€¦. But it also just doesnā€™t match with what I want to do. If my overall goal is to be strong, conditioned, and well rounded for anything, why the hell would I train like a powerlifter?

Strongman seems to fit the bill much better. Sure, the 400lb guys arenā€™t exactly climbing mountains, but Iā€™m also not that size lol. It seems to have exactly what Iā€™m looking for in terms of overall athlete.

To be fair, the same could be said of CrossFit, but i just donā€™t care to learn the gymnastic and skill movements, and honestly feel Iā€™d burn out on that training not doubt it in a CrossFit gym. With a group, I could totally see how the team aspect would be awesome, but alone in my garage I think Iā€™d get a bit lethargic with daily WODs

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You literally went through the exact same thought process I did at 28 which led me to strongman, haha. By all accounts, I should have been a crossfitter, but same thing: with my asbestos shoulder, there was no way I was learning gymnastics lifts. Strongman is very much ā€œany which way you canā€, and lightweight strongman are still beasts as far as conditioning goes. Itā€™s a great avenue. Now Iā€™m 40 and get to compete for fun in the old man division, but it was a wonderful vector for my training in my late 20s and 30s.

Although you and I both know that no crossfit athlete actually does the WODs, haha. Youā€™d probably like ā€œHWPOā€ by Mat Fraser. Gives a good look at how to make crossfit work.

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14apr26:

1 mile walk to gym

Belt squat: BWx10, 90x6, 140x6, 180x6, 230x6, 270x6, 270x6, 270x6

RDL: 135x8, 185x8, 185x8,

Leg press: 2ppsx10, 4ppsx10, 6ppsx15, 6ppsx13

Leg curl: 115x15, 130x15, 145x15

Adductor machine: 140x0, 100x10, 90x12

Few sets of leg extensions at a mystery weight lol

1/2 mile walk to grocery store

3/4 mile farmers Walk with groceries back to my hotel

Notes:

  • Dragging ass a bit. Worker last night, then had an early flight out for this work trip, so running on fumes
  • I love this belt squat. Seriously, itā€™s amazing. Itā€™s the hammerstrength version, and this thing just feels awesome. Big fan, wish I had regular access to it. Said the unloaded weight was 68lbs, but honestly who knows with this kinda thing.
  • I didnā€™t bring anything to really train. No belt, just some running sneakers, and I really should have. Turns out I actually have access to a pretty epic gym. (Also, why tf does Kings Bag GA have a nicer gym than almost any other navy base Iā€™ve been to? Here? Really? REALLY?) Really, with my next career likely involving travel, I need to come up with a travel gym bag. Pair of cross training shoes, so I can still do cardio, but not wiggling around on leg day. Cheap foldable belt I can pack, straps, maybe a little chalk. Wouldnā€™t be tough, but would definitely help out.
  • On that note, man my hokas were kicking my ass on the belt squats lol. Just squishing all over, was actually a little worried I was gonna blow out the shoe lol.
  • Double overhand RDLs without chalk on a crappy poorly knurled bar is actually a fantastic way to train grip lol. Also, I do feel I get more out of RDLs with light weight, so I may be onto something here.
  • Holy hell this adductor machine has weird leverages, I legit could not budge 140.
    IMG_9159
    IMG_91594032Ɨ3024 2.92 MB

Ahh, hotel life

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My bad haha

Dude, I love the Born Primitive Savage shoes. I can do treadmill work and they are solid for squatting with a good toe box.

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I particularly enjoy the self described fancy oysters in a tin. Nothing says fancy like using the word fancy on the packaging!

Also excited to see your pivot to strongman!

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Taking the long way home with the groceries! Tough!

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I like my Nike metcons for this but I will cut my feet off before I run anything over a mile in them. Walking is fine though

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Really, with my next career likely involving travel, I need to come up with a travel gym bag. Pair of cross training shoes, so I can still do cardio, but not wiggling around on leg day.

As an alternative, I pack these whenever Iā€™m on a trip

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image2433Ɨ1701 340 KB

Technically, I use the Mark Bell slingshot ones, but it looks like he stopped selling them.

But basically, you can roll these up and stuff them in a pocket or carry them in a gym bag. They take up no footprint (pun!) and you can slip into them for lifting. Iā€™ve done full gym sessions in them: not just deadlifts. And then, when you need to do something more cardioesque, go for runners.

I actually wore these today for most of my workout come to think about it. Deadlifts, belt squats, dips, curls, reverse hyper and HLR.

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Thereā€™s a comp in Severna Park in October. I did it last year and probably will this year.

Same story as you and Pwn, strongman has been the closest thing for me that lets me feel like Iā€™m doing the ā€œBodybuild the Upper/Athlete the Lowerā€ thing that Wendler always talks about.

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And they wonā€™t say your deadlift doesnā€™t count because you wore boxers instead of briefs

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Iā€™m stealing this idea! Thanks!

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