Awesome job and great write up! Congrats
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Thanks mate. Probably a less stressful weekend than yours, though!
Tuesday, 16 July
Had meant to get back to training this past weekend but on Friday I came down with a pretty brutal fever/head cold combo that laid me out. Still not 100% now, but nearly there so I think tomorrow will be grand.
This week Iām just going to test my TMs for back squats and bench presses, which I havenāt properly done in a while, and then do a 7WP-style day for deadlifts and press. I hit gym maxes on both not long ago, so I know where they stand.
Next week Iāll be away with work but Iāll have the opportunity to hit a strongman gym which means I can take that opportunity to see what I can do on a log, with stones and under a yoke.
After that Iāll do a bare bones 5/3/1-ish thing until weāve moved and settled, and at the end of August Iāll be looking to run Built By Mikeās 12-Week Offseason program - hence the seeing where I stand with log/yoke/stones.
Been dropping a little weight since the comp - weighed in at 236.4 the Monday after, and Iām 232.8 today.
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Friday, 19 July
Weighed in at 232.8 today, which is a high for the week but whatevs. Would like to be down around the 205-210 region by winter and then I can work on building back up to 240-250 but with less fat this time.
Forgot to log my last workout but I worked up to 75kg (165lb) for a triple on bench which, sadly, is a joint PR. I also messed around with various high/low bar back squat approaches but they all felt shit so I decided fuck it, no one can make me do straight bar back squats and I donāt need to so out they go.
Training
Warmup
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates
Press
8x20kg (45lbs)
5x30kg (70lbs)
3x40kg (90lbs)
1x50kg (115lbs)
1x55kg (125lbs)
1x60kg (135lbs) (joint PR - not bad given I still feel a bit ill)
SSB Squat
8x20kg (45lbs)
5x40kg (90lbs)
3x60kg (135lbs)
3x80kg (180lbs) (belt on)
3x100kg (225lbs)
3x110kg (250lbs) (SSB PR, I think)
Barbell Row
Superset with 3x10 DB bench @ 25kg (55lbs)
10x40kg (90lbs)
10x50kg (115lbs)
10x60kg (135lbs)
Also some curls for the gurls.
Summer Training
ā¦ makes me feel fiiiii-ine, blowinā through the creatine in my miiii-ind
Just going to run a version of Young Wendler for the next six weeks in a 3/5/1/5/3/1 format.
Mon
SSB Squat 5/3/1
Bench Press 5/3/1
Assistance
Wed
Power Clean 5/3/1
Deadlift 5/3/1
Assistance
Fri
Front Squat 5/3/1
Press 5/3/1
Assistance
Starting the week after next, since Iām travelling for work on Mon/Tue and available to use the empty Crossfit gym on Thursday, thereby taking the opportunity to see where I stand with log clean and press, stone lifts and yoke runs.
Hoping this somewhat minimalist training and the business of moving country will result in some decent initial weight loss - would be good to be in the low 220s by the end of August, then work on slowly losing another 10-15lbs over the course of Mike Westerlingās 12-Week Program.
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Monday, 22 July
In a hotel today so no weigh-in. Got to sneak out to a strongman gym and play with some toys, though.
Having only once touched an empty log and never having done stones, every rep today was a PR. Happy days.
Workout
Warmup
Few side/front raises with some DBs. No time for a proper warmup today.
Log Clean & Press
3x strict, 2x push press on 12" log
5x45kg (100lb)
5x45kg (100lb)
5x50kg (110lb)
Push press from here
3x55kg (120lb)
1x60kg (135lb)
3x1x65kg (145lb)
Videoed each set and will post when I can to tag a few of the strongman dudes in for critiques. Tried to self-correct each set but damn is that a technical lift. I think I managed to get something passable by the end, though probably need to get my elbows higher in the front rack because the leg drive felt purely cosmetic. This was pretty much a strict press PR, lol.
Atlas Stone Load
Up to a platform, would guess around 4.5ft/1.4m high?
40kg (90lbs)
50kg (110lbs)
60kg (135lbs)
70kg (160lbs)
80kg (185lbs) wouldnāt budge without tacky so, against my better judgement knowing I had to go back to work and conduct interviews, I tackied up and it was an incredibly easy pick.
90kg (200lbs) - tough but done. More than I thought Iād get. Felt super-dizzy after each of these stones even as low as 50kg.
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts
3x8x32kg (70lb) - just threw these in while waiting for an Uber because I wanted my app to log it as a full body session lol
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Tuesday, 23 July
Bad sleep last night but had to go to the gym as I forgot my wallet yesterday and owed them, so I figured I might as well get another session in before work while I was there.
Just a TM test today essentially.
Workout
Warmup
200 pullaparts
100 dislocates
Air squats
Front Squats
8x20kg (45lbs)
5x40kg (90lbs)
3x60kg (135lbs)
3x70kg (160lbs)
3x80kg (185lbs)
1x90kg (200lbs) (PR)
Wide-Grip Incline Bench Press
Wide for me, at least, which is pinkies on rings.
8x20kg (45lbs)
5x40kg (90lbs)
3x50kg (110lbs)
3x60kg (135lbs) (PR, probably, I guess?)
Gator Rows
Like Kroc crows, but smaller. Theyāre just AMRAP heavy rows, but I liked the name I came up with.
Warm up with cable rows.
12x45kg (100lbs) each hand
Short and sweet. Travelling home today and will do some yoke runs on Thursday which will beā¦ well, not fun but interesting.
Well done! I love to see front squat prs lol
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Only a cute little one, but should get some more over the coming weeks I hope!
Whatās your back squat 1rm?
Barbell back squat? Havenāt a clue. Most Iāve done is 130kg but that was months and months ago and probably high.
Repped an easy 110 triple on the SSB last week which is as heavy as Iāve gone on squats recently.
Nice! Ssb is an awesome bar
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So here is my topset of log clean & press from the other day.
I think that given itās my first time doing the movement, it could be worse. That said, I imagine that (considering Iāve had 10-15kg more overhead on other implements) thereās some weight left to unlock with technique tweaks.
Looking back, I would guess that my elbows need to be higher in the front rack, which might stem from not having the handles pointed down enough (especially in the squat position where they look like theyāve gone vertical).
Leg drive was totally cosmetic, this felt basically like a strict press. Guessing this is the result of a weak front rack position. Looks like the higher elbows would fix basically everything lol.
@flipcollar @strongmanvinny2 @T3hPwnisher @Koestrizer does that sound right or is there some obvious stuff Iām missing?
How do I just now find out this log exists? I need to do more on this side than just go through the recommended logs that I seem to be subscribed to lol.
Back to the question: The press can definitely benefit from better leg drive, although that is understandably difficult with the log. Elbows up can help and so can pushing your knees out more during the dip. Although the clean seems more problematic to me than the press. Try and stay more upright, really pulling the log into you. Then extend the hips and throw your elbows around. That should result in a good elbow position for the press. I know the clean is a bitch with this particular log as I have the same and I hate it, haha.
Edit: For clarification as to what I mean regarding the clean: pause the video after you lapped the log. You are hunched over the log and it too far out from you
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Haha I was about to tell you it was from [edit] Strength Shop, weighs 45kg and will cost about ā¬300 before realising you meant the other type of log.
Ha - they had a couple of smaller ones than this 12" but I figured that, in the spirit of strongman, I might as well use the most cumbersome motherfucker.
Got it, thanks. So I need to try and be in a more upright position and kinda pulling the log into me more?
Oh looked like the strength shop one and yes I meant the strongman implement 
.
Yeah definitely the correct choice
Exactly.
Ah yeah thatās what I meant!
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you need to get more hip pop in the log clean. Momentum is crucial. You basically finished the clean like a bicep curl, no momentum. This is a dynamic movement.
The press is fine for now. Itās not great, but youāll get better with practice in terms of leg drive, and just getting used to the log. I would recommend pushing your head under the log quicker, like by the time you hit that sticking point where your momentum from the leg drive ends.
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Cheers. Also good to know I have a 64kg bicep curl, at least.
@flipcollar any kind of cues for hip pop? Should I be, like, effectively trying to hump the bar, or is it more like trying to do an explosive front squat and moving my elbows around at the same time?
I think the elbow rotation thing can be a good cue. I see a lot of people slowing down their clean near the top when they shouldnāt be. It should be a violent movement. If youāre doing it right, lighter weights should almost knock you back on the clean. Donāt be afraid to hit yourself with the log, lol. Make sure you rotate all the way under, donāt half ass it. Sustained effort is really key, and I think a lot of people donāt do that.
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Cool. The clean felt fine but I guess even at my strength level 150lbs is never going to feel that hard to get up to my shoulders.
Do you find you (or competitors in general) do more on a log vs an axle continental or does it vary? I got 200lbs to front rack on an axle in comp so I was quietly and stupidly hoping to get close to that here even though it was the first time Iād lifted a log lol