Worked out in Kansas City again on Sunday, but at a different gym. Went up to Impact Elite gym in north KC, and it was pretty awesome. Very crowded on a Sunday afternoon because the powerlifting crew all lift from 1-4, but managed to work around them and get some good time on the strongman implements with someone who actually knew what they were doing. Rob was awesome, taking time to work with me just because he has a passion for the sport, and enjoys getting new people into it. He’s also one of the guys I’ll be competing against in November in the Masters division, and there’s no doubt he’ll own every event, but I came out of working with him fully confident that I won’t zero anything, which is my primary goal for this contest. Also met several others who will be competing at this event, it seems like a pretty tight group, so I’m looking forward to it more than ever.
Anyway, on to the workout:
9/24/17 Strongman training:
Log practice, started with just the log and worked on the clean and push press aspects, got a lot of good cues that made the clean feel a lot more natural (head up and chin on the log when I’m down in the squat position, take a big belly breath and use that as a shelf for the log, belt fastened to the side so the buckle isn’t in the way, don’t wear slick shorts, wear cotton so the log won’t slip off). I’m still not 100% satisfied with my push press, especially heavy, but I think that will take time and practice. Did a bunch of cleans, more push presses, and worked up to a clean and push press with 195#. The contest weight starts at 130#, and goes up in 203 increments, with 3 tries allowed, and once you fail you’re done. I feel good about starting with 170#, hitting 190#, and stretching for 210# if I feel like I have it in me that day.
Elevated deadlift practice, not sure if it was 18", but close enough. Again, got some good setup cues that helped me feel a lot more comfortable and less like I was going to hurt myself (feet closer together and toes pointed out to where my glutes activate when I contract my quads, and sit back/lean back into the lift), and worked up to 1x455#, which is the contest weight. It was slow starting, but once it was moving it went up fairly quickly. This was the only part of the deadlift medley I was concerned with, not so much now.
Sled push/pull practice, worked on some cues to help me here (push with my shoulders, not my arms, get down low enough so I’m not lifting the sled and driving the front end down, step quickly, stay on my toes going forward and backward, have the TRX band ready so the transition from push to pull is quick), and did contest distance with 370# pretty easily, contest weight is 450# which won’t be a problem ( also won’t be fast, but I’ll definitely get it done).
Yoke practice, figured out what height I need to set the yoke bar at, how to position my hands and where on my shoulders to put the yoke (pretty much low bar squat position, with my arms pushing the yoke forward into my back), and keeping my feet together and stepping quickly. Did a couple passes with lower weight, then loaded to 450#, did a static hold to see how it felt, then did the contest distance with the 450#. Damn, it was heavy and I was slow, but got it done. Dropped it coming back, but drops are allowed, and I finished.
Rob reiterated what I had pretty much concluded, I won’t zero any of the events, so no matter where I place I’ll count the meet as a success. I’d still like to not finish dead last, but I already know I’m the oldest person competing, and probably will be the smallest as well, so it won’t break my heart either way. The competitor in me always wants to win, but I’ve become more of a realist as I’ve gotten older. So, here’s how I’ll stack my results expectations:
I compete - I’ve already won because I got out and did it!
I don’t zero any events - Great Success!
I don’t finish dead last - Victory!