Read a lot of your posts and sounds like you’ve found the rarest of the rare, a good trainer. My opinion of most trainers is…best kept to myself but your’s seem to be giving you some real workout’s to do.
Looking good in here. Is there a meet on the horizon for you? I’d be interested to see what effect all this volume and work to failure stuff is having.
I managed to resist commenting on the “pump, pump, kinky, thrust” sentence. It took great self control, but I did it.
Do you have a meet lined up soon? I’d be interested to see what difference this volume and training to failure approach has made.
Please note I resisted the temptation to comment on the sentence with the words pump and kinky in it .
It took great self control.
No need to apologize, Harry, I’ve seen some awful trainers myself. In the immortal words of Pogo, “he couldn’t find his own head with both hands and a road map”. To be exact, I have one trainer who’s nationally ranked (he’s the drill sergeant) and an intern, who’s a nice guy. The intern is finishing up his degree in exercise science. Trainer often throws him at me because 1. he has strongman experience and 2. he’d rather spend his time training the pretty girls than an old fart like me. I tend to run the two together in the logs.
Today we train (drum roll) log lift. No logs, so next best thing. Trainer puts a football bar on the power rack and hangs chains on it. Grab and press overhead like it’s a log. Five reps, OK. Add 5 lbs to each side. Bit tougher, but get it. Add 2 1/2 lbs. Hmm, problems. Only 4 reps. Trainer tells me get closer, scrape chin with bar, get under it. I try, a little easier. Replace plates with 10 lbs each side. Tense, strain, barely get it up, a little easier coming down, then bounce. Three reps. Add 5 each side. It glances off head going up, throws me off, no reps.
Outside. (Damn, it’s getting hot today.) We take the 50 lb keg across the street to the field. (Watch out for the geese poop.) Set keg on ground on its side. Grab, whip up to a clean position, then throw through the air. Easier said than done. I try yanking it up, it won’t work. It’s true, all that water sloshing around makes the damn thing a bear to handle. He helps me get it up, then I throw . . . well, a few feet. Keep fussing. Then it clicks, I whip the thing up, then shove. Doesn’t go far, but I’m getting it. Do a few like that.
Back inside. Incline DB press. 30 lbs, 20 reps. Grr. He ups to 40 lbs. I struggle, only get 5 reps. Try again, 5. Hate being weak.
Bent over row with football bar. Plate on each end. I grab, whoa, what’s wrong? only get a few reps. He tells me keep it closer to body and bend knees. I try. Better - grind through 10 reps. Rest, he says try 6. I get 8. Grr. Try again, another 8.
Superset. Tri extensions (Tate presses?) on bench. Then grab plate, straight arms, bring up then down. 35 lbs too much, go 25. I bring up, pause a split second, down. Three cycles.
Wow - I’m spent. Feeling good though.
[quote]FarmerBrett wrote:
Looking good in here. Is there a meet on the horizon for you? I’d be interested to see what effect all this volume and work to failure stuff is having.
I managed to resist commenting on the “pump, pump, kinky, thrust” sentence. It took great self control, but I did it.[/quote]
And we all appreciate your tremendous discipline.
Eventually, would like to do a meet. Hey, it was your folks’ idea in the first place. Trainer says I can do a meet anytime, no law against it, but I’d like to build some strength so I don’t get stapled by the equipment. Currently my strength levels would place me in the women’s division, would like a little more than that. I’m expecting all this full body stuff will kick in some growth.
On paper, your workouts sound like a lot of “fun” Cav. But I’ll readily admit that I’m happy to be sitting in a comfy chair when I’m reading about it!
I’D rather be sitting in a comfy chair, Punnyguy!
Wait . . . comfy chair? I wasn’t expecting a Spanish Inquisition . . .
I like all the strongman stuff Cav. Lets see a mili PR that 105 is yours brother take it.
Hey, Dude showed up! Hi, pal!
The strongman stuff is a killer, but will do wonders for your conditioning, money back guaranteed. I’m definitely craving a 105 press, just about there, and once I get that keep pushing to see if I can move some real weight.
Nice day, sunny but not too hot. So outside we go.
Sled drag, 3 plates. Three trips down the block and back. I run part of the way - want to see how fast I can go. Pretty fast, actually. Really out of breath.
Inside for deadlifts. In the rack, but I stand on box - not quite a rack pull, not quite a DL. Normal bar. He tells me sumo stance, double overhand.
135 x 8. Easy. I put speed in it.
165 x 8. He tells me to squat more, not put so much back into it.
185 x 5. Struggling with form, seem to get it.
205 x 5. Getting heavy.
235 x 4. Chalk up, grip no problem, believe it or not. Trainer says don’t shrug so much. I’m shrugging?
265 x 3. Still doing double overhand. Incredible.
295 x 0. DAMN!!! It stays bolted to the rack. *&@#%!!!
285 x 0. He yanks off couple of plates, I go reverse grip - still zilch. I am ANNOYED - should be stronger than this.
Rest some, then some leg curls. He says 10 reps, I can do 12 with the weight he picked.
What’s better than sled drag? More sled drag! I pull the thing down and back.
Then he has me hold a 70 lb kettlebell between legs. Carry it while waddling. It’s an actual strongman event, although he says in my weight class they’d give me a 200 lb weight. Careful not to hit anything sensitive.
I’m off. Same weight as the keg I waddled previously, but strangely easier. Making progress. Make it down the block, gasp air, then grab and back. I think the big keg made it impossible to get my legs moving, the smaller bell is easier to get legs around. He times me, then has me do it again. Down, then back. Not that bad.
Then another sled drag. God, it’s killing my legs.
Made it home, gulped some dinner, showered, then zipped out to a professional mixer. Met people, exchanged business cards, chatted.
Is there a reason he insists on double overhand in the dls? Killer workout.
[quote]cavalier wrote: 285 x 0. He yanks off couple of plates, I go reverse grip - still zilch. I am ANNOYED - should be stronger than this.
[/quote]
I wouldn’t put too much concern to it, Cav. You did a lot of sled work and a good chunk of volume before trying the pull. If you can rep 265x3, you can pull 295. You’ll crush it on the next go.
This is always important 
[quote]hel320 wrote:
Is there a reason he insists on double overhand in the dls? Killer workout.[/quote]
I’d guess to help build grip strength. I do it on volume reps and it has seemed to help a bit for the heavier weights when I need to move to a mixed grip. Agreed, that is an awesome workout!
Thanks, guys. Well, I’m desperate for a stronger grip, so I won’t say no to anything that pounds it. Bear in mind, though, a number of strongman events don’t give you the luxury of mixed grip. Farmer’s Walk, for instance - those bastards are 135 lbs each BEFORE they slap on plates. Or deadlift a levered arm - it has two handles, one for each hand, so mixed grip can’t work. I think wrist straps are allowed for some things, but since speed is essential, can’t spend time wrapping up. Bottom line: better get that grip up.
Waddle Waddle, haha.
Anyway was inspired by your log tonight to do some farmers walks for my grip strength (or well actually I’m looking for wrist strength but same thing I guess).
Techno, I think you’ll enjoy farmer’s walks. But if you’re looking for video of me waddling . . . forget it, it ain’t a pretty sight.
Intern at gym is now full time and will be the one training me. So when I say “trainer”, I mean him.
Warmup, pulldowns and light DB presses. Have been pounding at heavy weights for a few weeks, now sorta kinda deload.
Have done some DB cleans previously, now he has me take next step to pressing. Start light at 30 lbs. Eight reps, four each hand. No problem for right hand, tricky for left. He kicks it up to 35. Easy for right side, but left keeps folding. Grr. Strength and coordination problems. Trainer makes sure I have elbows up, wrist straight, keep overhead.
Next set, 35 x 8. Starting to get the hang of left hand pressing. Suddenly, it goes up.
35 x 8. Getting better. Whew, this sure whacks your conditioning. I’m out of breath.
35 x 8. Left getting it up almost as good as right.
35 x 8. Wait a minute . . . just how many am I doing?
35 x 8. I’m spent.
Rest a bit, then bench DB presses. Keep close to body to work tris. Low weight, only 25 lbs, but rough - arms really worked. Two sets of 15.
Back work. Cable rows to belly, couple of sets.
Pulldowns. Thick bar, very very wide grip. Aim for 12 reps. Starts easy, then suddenly hit the wall. Pulling fast, burnt out faster than expected. Second set, slow down a little, keep going.
Tri pulldowns on cable machine. Surprisingly good on this one, given that tris should have been fried.
Hit the showers.
Busy grading finals, will be brief.
Told trainer knee was twitching, so we were careful. Sled drags, exhausting. Some squat machine, OK, but he’s concerned.
Reverse hyper / hyper / leg curl. Two supersets.
More sled.
He determines I have tight hips, made me swear to stretch.
Finals finally graded. Whew.
Been stretching, knee is much better.
Push press today. Trainer has bar on power rack. Empty bar, good warmup.
65 x 5 good. Trying to keep form. He says arch back, keep elbows up, almost like front squat.
75 x 3 feels tough. We fuss some on getting technique right.
85 x 3
90 x 1
Well, that felt pretty tough, but did it. Wait . . . he’s putting more plates on? 100 lbs. OK, here goes.
100 x 0 Grinding up, halfway, then down it comes. *&%$#@!!! I swore so hard they must have heard me down the block. Trainer says I had bar too far in front. Arch back, elbows up, push back. I try again.
100 x 1 much better. It goes up. Not too hard, either.
Close grip bench press. Bamboo bar (it flexes) with a 15 lb kettlebell on each enc. Hanging by rubber bands, it shakes madly. I do 15 reps, easy. He replaces with 25 lb bells. I get 12 reps, not too bad.
DB shrugs.
45 x 12
55 x 10
Not supposed to take it too hard, don’t go to failure (much). Shoulders giving me problems, but think I can get through it.
Rear delt flies, 10 lb DBs. I pull back, go “UGGHHHHHHH”. He stops me, “what’s hurting?” Turns out shoulders have awful mobility. Stretching!! He makes me do stretches and has me swear to do at home.
Wonderful. I’m musclebound without having much in the way of muscle. Stretching it is.
You just finished grading exams, no fair he expects shoulder flexibility. You’ll probably be fine soon as you unkink.
The bamboo bar sounds cool. It makes sense for strong man work to have stabilizers for the press like iron, all the odd implements and unbalanced loads.
You have a cool coach.
Actually, corrmhona, I’ve had stiff shoulders for a long while. They’ve been the worst part of squatting, getting my arms back.
I’ve used the bamboo bar before, lots of . . . fun. Don’t know if it’s a strongman thing, but they use it for powerlifting training here.
I envy you that that is the worst part of squatting. I actually think I have a baseball bat rating from yesterday. Good luck with the shoulders. If you find a secret other than just stretching, which I hate, pass it on!