Forgot to mention, i wore occlusion straps on my arms throught my arm workout yesterday. Never tried them before and fancied a rip. I expected a great pump, what i wasnt expecting was the level of DOMS thats been kicking in throught the course of the day, i never get biceps DOMS. So, i think ill salt in one high vol arm workout like this per week for the next several weeks. See if it makes a difference.
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That was a new one for me. Had to look them up. Never seen them used. Have to ask around and see if any has them and give them a try.
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Hey Hel,
Google Dr Jeremy Loenneke blood flow restriction. He lead the research into it. There really cheap to buy. 
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I don’t think there’s been any conclusive proof that occlusion training provides greater stimulus than normal. Never tried it but once 10-12 years ago and never continued with it. Can’t recall why. Maybe I was on a low-volume routine at the time and can’t even recall how I felt. I’ll be interested to read how you do.
Rob
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Hey Ray,
Yeah, I doubt if it makes much of a difference, if at all, but I’ll give it a go for a short while and see what happens. The workout didnt take much outta the tank so it shouldn’t detract from the main stuff.
Rob
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Yeah, worth trying. You never know. As the English composer, Thomas Beecham, once said, “Try everything once, except folk dancing and incest.” 
Ray
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Or any kinda dancing for that matter lol. Yeah nothing to lose.
Did you see Kieliszkowski pulled out of the WSM? Who’d ya reckon?
I saw MK’s (gonna use the initials; preferable to trying to remember how to spell his name) withdrawn. His triceps injury was operated on a few months ago and he rushed it too much. I think he was doing a 180kg log press when he felt something “go”. Not sure if he needs more surgery or just rest and recuperation now. A huge loss. This year’s contest has lost so many competitors that, like Europe’s Strongest Man, I’m not certain how much kudos you’d get from winning it. If Brian Shaw fails this year then he’ll never win it. JF Caron looks like a good bet, as do the Stoltmans and Adam Bishop. Surely Luke Richardson wouldn’t do it? I’ll go for Shaw with Luke Stoltman as a dark horse. Now he’s devoting himself to Strongman full-time I think he’s ready to make the step up.
Who’s your money on?
Ray
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Hey Ray,
I’m hoping wee Tom comes through, certainly top 3. If not I’d like to see Shaw get a 5th win. Rob K for a dark horse. Not a JF fan, but hes up there too.
Aye kudos will be lacking, but it’s still a strong line up. The winner will still have to see off stiff competition. Looking forward to it. Let’s see what happens.
Best
Rob
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Hi Rob,
Rob Kearney’s out. Torn Triceps when going for the American record. JF Caron tends to be there or thereabouts without ever threatening a win, but this year’s choice of exercises may suit him.
Tom S should be pushing for a podium place or higher. His pressing is still a (relative) weakness but he’s improved out of sight during the last year. It looks, though, like it’s Shaw’s to lose. Incidentally, Big Z is posting some amazing numbers: 195kg log and a, 415kg deadlift, albeit he’s missing this year’s event.
Ray
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Oh damn, didnt know Kearney was out too. Pity. Dropping like flyes this year lol. Didnt Janashia tear a triceps at least years WSM ohping? I dont think his been right since.
Actually, still looking more forward to the Shaw classic in December.
Been watching a lot of Derek Boyers training, remember him? Still very strong.
Best
Rob
The way things are going I’m unsure if there’ll be anyone left come the day of the contest. It’s the nature of the beast: the weights needed to compete at the top level are in a different category to what they were when even Big Z started. Janashia’s had another injury. I think I saw a picture of his arm with an unpleasant looking bruise on it. Another tear, presumably.
Derek Boyer: that is a name I’ve not heard in years. I vaguely recall him when I first began training in Strongman but he seemed to drop out of the picture recently. Wasn’t sure if he retired or was still competing.
Always intriguing to see former Strongmen and how they look. Magnus Samuelsson still appears as if he can return to the competitions straight away, Svend Karlsson looks in terrible shape. I think I mentioned to you before about his health issues. Two of my favourites there with contrasting fortunes. Maybe Samuelsson was telling the truth when he said he competed natural? I doubt it but may as well hold onto the thought.
Slainte,
Ray
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That’s true, injuries are all part n parcel of it. Huh, didnt know Janashia had had another injury sshh.
Yeah Boyer is in great shape these days, still does strength feats now and then in Australia. Think he holds a few world records in obscure lifts. But still strong in the gym.
Yeah Samuelsson and Svend where two of my faves too, well remember Samuelsson breaking Nathan Jones’s 23-24" arm lol. That “worlds strongest arms” video was good too. Great banter between the two. It’s a shame to see Svend in that condition.
I think it highly unlikely MS competed natural, probably no where near as much as today, but still a fair amount I’d wager.
Ah… the good old days. I see his account here just got suspended: “long-time trolling, and inability to have a productive, rational discussion”.
PS: I don’t have a lot to add to this thread since I’m not really into strong man stuff. But it is interesting to follow what you guys are doing and do enjoy the pictures.
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Hi Al,
Nice to hear from you. I’m probably like Rob in that we followed HIT for a lot of years but just moved onto other methods. I still do the one set to failure on occasion but not really enough to contribute anything to the threads.
I might post a vid at one point somewhere as I’m now nearing a 600lbs trap bar deadlift! Woohoo! Something I never came close to when I followed Heavy Duty. In fairness, I think Mentzer realised he’d made a mistake near the end. A pity he never lived long enough to write this down. Still, 25 years to figure out things weren’t working is somewhat … excessive.
Grant: I read his last post in the statics thread! WTF! I’ve done well academically and have read some of the most abstruse German Romantic theory for my doctorate, but I still couldn’t make sense of any of Grant’s nonsense. You’ve got to credit his perseverance though. He’ll create another account and will, no doubt, be back with you soon extolling the wonders of statics and John Little.
Strongman: once you get into the sport it’s wonderful. In truth, sitting in a machine just doesn’t do it for me. Equally, I can’t get my head around bodybuilding as a sport. I was at the beach last week with a sandbag and did bag over shoulder flips, farmer’s walks, throws etc etc. Great fun. Once you apply the common exercises to your own routines, the allure increases.
I hope your own training’s going well?
Slainte,
Ray
Training is going OK for me. I stopped going to the gym in March, when they closed in my area. Haven’t gone back yet, even though the gyms have reopened. Been making due with the gear I have at home, which is a pull up bar, a set of adjustable Iron Master dumbbells (goes up to 75Lb per dumbbell), a flat bench, and a collection of bands.
I’m a small guy (5’5”) and old (68), so 150lbs of dumbbells is more than enough to challenge me for upper body work. For legs, I’ve started doing a lot of unilateral stuff and high rep stuff. I’ve become a fan of the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat as a way to work legs with a limited amount of weight.
While I miss being able to do heavier lifts like deadlifts and squats, I have to admit that the omission of those lifts has helped me get rid of a couple of nagging injuries. I no longer have this persistant knot in my low back which made it uncomfortable at times to stand up straight, and the chronic hip pain (tendonitis) that interfered with my sleep has gotten significantly better. At one point I had plans to buy a squat rack, plates and bar, but they are still hard to find. Given how much better I feel, I’m wondering now if I should bother. I may just wait until the fall/winter surge of the virus is over and then give the gym another try.
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Hey Al,
Good to hear doing good 
Always fancied i pair of those IM dumbbells, think theres extenders that cant bring them up to 120-160lbers? Though some companies have gotten pretty creative with home gym equipment price’s this last several months.
Tbh, HIT was ideal for me during the years i was working long hours, if i ever found myself in the same boat again, the only difference i would make now is not going to failure on every exercise, maybe just one or two, plus mobility work daily and a HIIT session thrown in.
Good to hear your niggles have eased. Theres no doubt for me that my back slowly but surely started to feel better when i started focusing on getting stronger on my feet vs training solely on seated exercises. Loaded carries made the biggest difference…something ive gotten out of the habit of in recent months. 5-6 year’s ago i was taking 6-8 x 30/500 cocodamol a day, plus 10mg diazepam for pain. Not no more thankfully.
As a spectator, ive always loved strongman, moreso than bodybuilding or powerlifting, with that said, ive drawn inspiration from them too. Training in a strongman has been a real turning point for me, theres great camaraderie, encouragement, good advices being shared etc. The owner (including himself) has some amazing strength athletes train there, we’ve currently Peter Bremner training in the gym, hes been invited back to Westside barbell by Louie, i seen him pull over a 1000lbs of 4"blocks. Big Z paid a visit breifly last May. Great environment. If i cant get to the gym for what ever reason, if always my own wee gym i built in 2018. Gotta have options lol
Take care and feel free to weigh in
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600lb TBDL…love it
Ha! Yeah i seen that post your reffing to, that one lost me too. Neither here nor there. But absolutely, his perseverance and consistency is second to none lol.
Wish id some private beaches here, i had the same “neighbour issues” in the summer as youve mentioned before, and its not always possible to get the carry runway in the gym giving the higher number of members post lockdown. But the dark nights are here again, so ill hopefully get some piece for some farmer’s and SB carries.
Have a good weekend mate
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Hi Al,
Great choice with the split squat. Rob got me into Hatfield squats and if you have a SSB (safety squat bar) for single leg work then you have another great alternative. As the world’s worst squatter it’s one of the few variants I can do.
Wonderful to read too you’re still training. I’m now 45 and feeling the odd “pain” but hoping to keep lifting till I drop.
Rob, the beaches here are incredible. Walk far enough with an empty sandbag and you’re on your own. Complete isolation. Only negative is that I can’t measure the exact weight as I fill the sandbag, so my routines aren’t as regulated as the rest where I follow Knuckols’s advice percentage-wise. Not sure how this affects my push press and trap bar deads but as therapy, wow–it’s one of the few times I can drive myself into the ground (sand in this case) and enjoy it. This is why strongman training is so attractive. Wish I could continue with Dr D’s 30/10/30 but it’s a bit of an ordeal. Maybe as I get older I’ll look into it more. Once I hit 600lbs for the deads it might be time to step back and reevaluate things anyway.
Oh yes, Rob, Janshia is out of WSM. Covid. Swedish guy is out too for the same reason. Devalued competition. No question.
Best,
Ray
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Tell you what @hit_sirloin my friend… with the influx of new guys coming in from the other site its getting interesting. Lol.
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