You must have been competing against some studs because it seemed to me like you crushed every event! Of course the sandbag carry was your best finish (I remember the video from a year or so ago). Looking forward to reading the debrief.
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@BrandonCrawford Very much appreciate it dude! I definitely got pushed hard today, and being able to keep up was just a thrill. I had the most fun Iāve had in a LONG time.
@BEAst_in_I Thanks man! Always love being in your neck of the words.
@shaneinga Thanks man!
Iāve got a full write up in the works, but lemme give some wavetops
Weighed in at 181.23 with clothes on. Told the promoter I could get lighter if he wanted me to, but he said āI know you can: youāre goodā. This was after a 10oz piedmontese new york strip, 4 eggs, and a keto brick. And that really underscores the whole competition: I got to do it on my terms, playing the game the way I wanted to play it. I didnāt have to cut weight, I got to eat the way I wanted to eat and train the way I wanted to train and still hold my own, living up to the whole āmore trouble than Iām worthā ethos.
There was no novice class in this competition, which meant it was much smaller and everyone knew what to do, which made the rules meeting fast and the whole environment awesome.
I got to go last in the first event, which meant I knew that I had to get above 7 to avoid getting last place. Highest score was 14 reps with 185. The continental wasnāt explosive, but the weight felt light. Looking at the video, I wasnāt using any leg drive at all, which is pretty standard for me. My knees really hold me back there. I was able to grind out those last 2 reps, which made me some fans in the audience. Iāve always been good at grinding reps. I missed co-second place by 1 rep, as we had 5 guys in my weight class, last place had 7, I had 8, and two tied with 9 vs the 14 in first. As I wrote: lost a lot today by inches.
I went 2nd in the second event, knowing I had to beat 27, but wanting to set a VERY high mark to beat. We had to get a down AND an up command, and I did my best to wait for both, because in the press event I was the ONLY one that didnāt lose a rep due to outrunning the command. However, that proved to be a poor strategy here, as the 33 reps I got were a good amount, but I got beat by the other 3 guys who were willing to take a few no reps in order to outrun the commands and squeeze in more total reps. This was such a repfest of an event that it really came down to seconds.
The third event, the wheelbarrow, I came in dead last by 5 seconds. Iām not shocked by that: I didnāt train for it and Iām not very fast, and with both of my knees shot, it didnāt really suit me as far as running goes. Dusted myself off: I was still in 4th place: not last.
The sandbag over bar, I got to go second and knew I needed to beat 12 reps. I had been training with an over 200lb bag at home, and the competition bag was 150, so I was able to breeze through it really well. Repeated a mistake from my last comp though: my fingers got trapped in my shoelaces when I reached down for the bag. Thatās the second time that has happened: time to learn a lesson. That MAY have cost me a rep, which sucks, because the two guys ahead of me got 14 reps, once again, an opportunity to share second place on the event. But this meant heading into the final event knowing I wasnāt going to get last place.
I got to go second in this event. The guy before me did 4 full laps, a total of 800ā. I knew I was going to beat that. I got to 500ā, and, in truth, I could have just kept going. Iāve done a 5 minute carry before: this was significantly less than that, and I wasnāt hurting nearly as bad. However, I knew I had no shot of placing at this point, and didnāt feel like I needed to make myself the center of the universe by subjecting everyone in the audience to me carrying a sandbag for 8 minutes, so once I had comfortably beaten the guy below me I dropped the bag. However, what was cool about this was I went far enough with my carry that the guy in third couldnāt match it, so I overtook him, AND I set a very high standard for the next 2 dudes, with one only beating me by 3 feet and the final guy going 550ā total.
I know that, if I knew the distance to beat, I could have beaten it. I am too good at dealing with the suck.
I would have liked to have not made those small mistakes and put on a better show, but I really just had an absolute blast, Iām delighted that I lost by inches and wasnāt just totally blown out of the water, and my body feels absolutely incredible. 2 competitions ago, I finished and was completely physically broken. Now, Iām champing at the bit to get back to the gym on Monday. Knees, hips, shoulders and back are good to go, and Iām ready to do some eating and some growing.
Weāre celebrating a birthday in the family tomorrow, which will be a great time to get in my weekly carb meal, and then itās onto the Mass Protocol, because I know the next thing I need is to put on some more quality muscle and try to remember what itās like to be a strongman again. And my conditioning held up so incredibly well today that I know it can take a backseat for a little bit.
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Sounds like a really fun day mate. Great to see you mixing with the young blokes (I still
Think you are young 
).
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Well done man. sounds awesome.
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Impressive showing! Knee issues and all you still moved pretty quick. I am sure it is bittersweet to know you were so close to placing much higher, but you still kicked ass and looked strong doing it. 
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Great show, great write-up! Glad it was a good day for you.
Excited for this!
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That back arch was epic too in those latter reps mate.
Great work here, congrats - another stellar video shared to inspire the masses.
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@simo74 Itās not the age: itās the mileage, haha.
@duketheslaya Much appreciated dude!
@shaneinga Thanks man! It was actually really motivating to have come so close to the brass ring there. If I had been completely blown out of the water, Iād have to really reconsider myself, but the fact that I was keeping within a rep of placing on each event while being able to āplay the game the way I want to play itā was awesomely validating. I didnāt have to cut weight and suffer: I got to eat steak and eggs and full racks of ribs on the weekends leading up to this. This absolutely captured being āmore trouble than Iām worthā, where I can train the way I like, eat and live the way I want to live, and still make people suffer on the sandbag carry, haha.
@SvenG Thanks man! Iām champing at the bit.
@raven78 Thanks dude! The grind is what I bring, haha.
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol Grey Man
āOperation MILO (Mass Increase, Lifts Overload)": Cycle 1, Week 1, Workout 1
MAIN WORK
Buffalo Bar Squat (low bar)
4x8x290
Axle strict press from rack
2x8x148
1x6x148
1x8x138
SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER
(3) DB incline bench
10x70s
3x12x55s
DB row
4x12x105
GHRs
4x12xBW
ASSISTANCE
GHR sit ups
3x10
Notes:
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Total of 90 chins, various grips this workout (15 during warm-up, then sets of 15 between main exercise changes)
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2 min rest between main work, 1 minute between supplemental and assistance
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I didnāt test 1rms for this, and instead used what was leftover from the last time I ran the Mass Protocol. I increased everything by a little, and apparently too much on the pressing, so Iām going to walk that back down a touch. GHRs I went intentionally light, since itād been so long since Iād run them. I feel confident adding weight to that next time.
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I came into this workout feeling so much better physically than I did the last time I ran Mass Protocol after a strongman competition, which I feel speaks to how awesome Tactical Barbell in general has been for my body.
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Looking at the video, I donāt care for the depth of the squats, but I realize itās primarily because my knees are tracking so far forward. I know as far as ROM goes, I was moving about as far as I can. I may try to focus on sitting back more. Bar placement was higher than typical low bar for me, which was a plus. Had a little bit of sliding on the third set, so I chalked up for the 4th, which seemed to help.
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This is Operation MILO because my intent is to do a daily keg carry where I add 1-1.5lbs every day until I no longer can sustain it, ala the legend of Milo of Croton and the Bull. I feel like my choice to increase my bodyweight as I increase the keg weight should make this pretty sustainable, and Iām starting purposefully light at 175lbs. Thatās going to get done in the evenings, after dinner. I also like how Iāve laid out the acronym, because itās all about ākeeping the goal the goalā. Weāre going to increase mass and overload our lifts. Thatās the goal. Conditioning is there to support those goals: not replace them. Bodyfat will do what bodyfat does.
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And on that note, unlike Operation Conan, Iām not going to employ the PSMF until dinner OMAD approach, but instead sticking with the Maximum Definition Diet set-up Iāve been employing up until this point with 2 meals a day. Also unlike Operation Conan, I wonāt be relying on cottage cheese and pork cracklin to bring up my energy intake, but instead focusing primarily on meat and eggs. Iāll abide by the restrictions of the Maximum Definition Diet for the most part regarding limited dairy intake, but will be a little looser with cheese without making it a daily occurrence, as that tends to get dangerous with me. But I started off this morning with 1lb of air fried brisket alongside some beef liver and my omelet of 3 whole eggs and 5 whites topped with some ghee, so weāre off to a good start. The brisket was actually a corned beef, as our local grocer stumbled upon a bunch of frozen ones that they were heavily discounting, so I bought up a bunch and soaked it in water overnight to wash off the brine before air frying it. Quick and cheap way to get in some quality nutrition.
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Starting weight was 81.6kg this morning. Had a wonderful family meal yesterday, with a spaghetti casserole (very similar to lasagna, just using spaghetti noodles) and birthday cake. My starting weight before Mass Protocol in Sep was 79.1kg, so thereās some year to year progress. Iāll soon be on Tactical Barbell for a year, which is the longest Iāve run any program ever. Itās got itās hooks in me.
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What was the weight of this bag, 150?
Solid work. Was exhausted watching.
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Thanks man! Yup: 150. Same weight we used for sandbag over bar.
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Operation MILO nutrition recap
Breakfast was my 3 whole egg/5 white omelet alongside 16oz of beef brisket (a corned beef that I let soak in water overnight to draw out the salt and wash off the brine) air fried, with some beef liver.
Dinner was 2 piedmontese 85% lean grassfed burgers, each topped with a fried egg, on carnivore buns made out of 75g of egg whites and about a cup of shredded tillamook cheddar with some grassfed sour cream, alongside 1 more egg and 150g of whites. I ended up having another half burger patty and 2 of my kidās leftover slider patties as well, really rounding out the meal well.
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AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrieās alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN
Operation MILO Cycle 1, Week 1, Workout 2
āROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOATā (Recovery row)
23 minutes low intensity rowing
Notes:
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Yes, itās just the recovery row, but Iām giggling at that name I came up with for a Mass protocol conditioning workout. Recovery row was 100% the right call as well, as I woke up with some pretty decent DOMS in my quads and the rest of my body, which was a re-assuring sign that, despite my views on the depth of my squats from the video, theyāre still effective for my intended purposes. And this functioned well FOR recovery was well, because my body is feeling awesome post workout. Iām sure just some time with lighter weights and higher reps in general is going to bode well for me. The cyclical nature of Tactical Barbell just continues to shine, despite the views of others that cycles should be avoided and we should just maintain a consistent rhythm until we dieā¦
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I ended up mowing the lawn yesterday as my evening post dinner activity, with a heat index of 115. Was great for getting a good sweat going and getting in a little sun. Tonight is Tang Soo Do, which is a little more active these days as we get prepared for belt testing.
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Last nightās keg carry was 175lbs, carried one full lap in my driveway (1 length down, 1 length back), which Iāve calculated to be about an 80ā trip. I think Iāll keep that distance. I should be able to add just 1 lb by using the spacers for the keg and continue my gradual increase.
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Iām really digging your workout names fella, those dad joke/pun names are always welcome!
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@raven78 Thanks man! Gotta be able to laugh at ourselves.
MILO nutrition recap
Breakfast was the same as yesterday. Dinner was 2.5 leftover burger patties from yesterday, a Don Lee farms chicken patty, 3 pastured eggs and 5 whites.
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Might have missed it but just wondering what the plans are regarding training and competing for the rest of this year ?
Chaos of course 
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I expect nothing less, just wondered if you had your eye on anything interesting
Whaat is a Keto brick?
@simo74 An, now what my eyes are on is an entirely different matter, haha. Iām running Mass Protocol now, with my own spin on it, repeating A-B-A, rather than going A-B-A/B-A-B, and a daily keg carry where Iāll increase the weight by 1-1.5lbs each day until I canāt. Iāve got 22 weeks until my next cruise vacation, which gives me time to run some cycles of Mass Protocol, Specificity and Operator, similar to how K. Black laid things out. There is a strongman competition nearby in November that I may do if my schedule aligns and I find it interesting. I have a Tang Soo Do tournament in October, and there is typically a grappling competition nearby in December that, if it shows up again, I may sign up for. Right now, the focus is on growing, as Iāve been keeping the food intake low for a long time to meet weight classes and now I need to add muscle.
@Friedrich It is exactly that: a keto brick
Theyāre created by Robert Sikes. It was originally something he developed to get through competition prep as a ketogenic bodybuilder, but his followers generated a demand to bring them to market. Heās got a few that are very carnivore friendly: made with tallow for the fat source and an animal protein source with organs. At 1000 calories per brick, theyāre an excellent meal replacement or competition fueling strategy.
AM WORKOUT (0356 natural wake up)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL
Operation MILO Cycle 1, Week 1, Workout 3
MAIN CLUSTER
Axle bench press
5x8x196
(6) Texas Deadlift Bar mat pulls (12 deep breaths between attempts)
12+5+5x440/200kg
SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER
Lever belt squat
4x8x192.5
Dips/axle curls superset
4x8x30/63 (final set of dips pushed to 10 reps)
ASSISTANCE
Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel superset
3x15x320/3x8
Various chins throughout workout
Notes:
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I continue to be a fan of swapping to the Mass Protocol. Itās nice to not barbell squat 3x a week, while still squatting 3x a week with that lever squat there. Just the break up of movements and variety seems to have my body in a good way. Funny enough, my lower back was feeling a little taxed/sore for this workout, but once I started pulling I really surprised myself with what I could do. I was going to be content with 10 reps on the first pull, but 12 came easy enough. Iām keeping myself from pushing deep into the recovery well on these, especially since I have the rest of the workout to get done once that pull is over.
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I went with 5 sets of bench instead of 4, since Iāll only be benching once a week with this approach. This is also my first time benching in about 6 months, so it was nice to not miss a step. Everything was dialed in just about right as far as weight goes for this workout.
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Iām using a more natural squatting stance for the lever belt squats, and it feels much better on my knees as a result. Still a little sheering force on the right knee, but not agony like before.
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No real plan on the chins, just want to keep it sub max to spare my elbows.
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Weāre finally getting a break from the heat. Yesterdayās heat index was 115, but today weāre looking at a high of mid 70s and it should be that way the rest of the week, which will allow my garage to cool down a little.
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Carried 176lbs with the keg yesterday, using spacers to get 1lb added. Tang Soo Do was a moderate workout: going again tonight.
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Stepped on the scale and saw 82.1kg this morning: .5 gain from Monday. Be curious to see how things trend.
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Your lats are quite impressive!
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