Looks like they will have to detonate two of the bombs. It could turn out to become a very unquiet night here. My flat is within a 1250m radius of two 2200 lbs bombs. That could get loud and we are supposed to stay away from the windows and take some precautions but thankfully I am far away enough that I don’t have to be evacuated.
Just returning from my errands and it’s weird to see the city like this.
Is is a controlled explosion? Like a training exercise, or is it a more sinister situation?
Controlled yes, training no. It’s not an uncommon scenario in big cities here that bombs like this get found, so the authorities know exactly what to do usually.
This in particular was a heavily bombarded city in the second world war because of the vital train routes and train station. The (now) three 1000 kg bombs they found are all aircraft bombs with a built in detonation delay, that didn’t detonate.
Not too long ago, also in this city, a bomb defusion of a similar aircraft bomb went horribly wrong, killing the officer who tried to defuse it. Given the explosion radius those bombs have, it is a serious but controlled situation.
I see, thanks for the info man. I knew remnants of warzones were a thing but I just don’t hear stories about them very often.
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Bit of a fun (unscripted) session to get back into the swing of things. Then next week we’re starting the next block, which will focus on peaking the log press.
1 one hour walk. Sun was out and weather was georgeus.
2 btn push press (quads and positioning weren’t agreeing with jerks)
5 @ 60 kg
5 @ 80 kg
2 @ 100 kg
1 @ 110 kg
3 power jerks
Few @ 100 kg
1 @ 120 kg - felt terrible cause I’m out of practise.
4 weightlifting squats (high bar)
5 @ 60 kg
5 @ 100 kg
2 @ 120 kg - 1st paused
2 @ 140 kg - 1st paused
1 @ 160 kg - paused
1 @ 160 kg - regular
5 snatch (power/ muscle/ whatever)
2 x 3 @ 40 kg
2 @ 50 kg
2 @ 60 kg
2 @ 70 kg
Notes:
- quads were ouchy-crampy (before squats). Probably dehydrated. Or too dynamic warm up. Unpleasent.
- I guess I’m okay to train again. Probably did too much anyways today but I just did whatever without pressuring myself and it was kind of fun. Especially the squats (which I normally hate in this variation )
- pretty surprised about the smooth weightlifting squats. 160 kg paused actually has to be a PR (I never do these, let alone pause them).
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Damn dude!
At first I thought there was some kind of terrorist situation going on. Thankfully that’s not what’s happening. Is it a relief to know that they’re “just” unexploded WWII bombs? I guess they’re both deadly, but if you have a procedure for the old stuff it’s less scary?
Anyway, nice squats. It looks like your legs are catching up to your back!
Yeah I think so. Just because it’s a much more common scenario here. We don’t have that many terrorists attack but A LOT of bombs, ammunition, sunken warships and stuff. Last year we had a big wildfire in an area that was “infested” with old war material, ammunition, mines and stuff, which made the whole situation really dangerous.
Yeah it all went very well, just out of schedule timing wise. The fourth bomb exploded shortly after midnight and that one caused some glasses to rattle and the floor to vibrate a little in my appartment but nothing major. Still, if you look at the safety precautions they took to absorb the explosion (extensive!) and imagine you can still sense the explosion one kilometre away, it paints a picture of how deadly these explosives are. I think they didn’t consider defusing it because last time the city lost three man when a defusion went wrong. I don’t want to imagine the stress those guys must be under with that knowledge in the back of their minds.
Hell yeah!
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One of those days with extra little sleep and a strong aversion to going outside to train despite the break. Autopilot activated.
Also still not sure what I did to my quads but they are sore. Mid/ upper bsck feels it a tad as well but no biggy.
1 oh squat
3 x 5 @ 72,5 kg - PR
2 log press (clean once)
3 x 5 @ 98,5 kg - most likely PR. I am meaning to make a list pf my PR but I always forget it
3 vertical jumps
5 x 3
4 bent over rows
3 x 10 @ 105 kg
5 hollow holds
3 x 30 sec.
Notes:
- log was pretty solid. As always it got better with each set.
- felt good afterwards. Although this took forever despite the small amount of work
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the logic here is golden 
The introduction refers to what happens before the workout in question. So oh squats aren’t the reason.
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no- I was refering to the decision to do OH squats under those circumstances
It’s what my program dictated. Soreness never hurt nobody, eh? It’s not like oh squats require a lot of weight
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Didn’t train yesterday because it was pouring down all day and I would like to make it a week without being sick.
The forecast said it was going to rain all day again so I spontaneously decided to do this in the morning. Tired as fuck and not ‘prepared’ and all that. Then it started to rain midway through anyway.
1 power snatch
4 x 3 @ 60 kg
This might be on me for planting an idea in Paul’s brain, haha
2 log lift (clean once)
Last warm ups
2 @ 86 kg
1 @ 96 kg
1 @ 103,5 kg
3 x 3 @ 108,5 kg - each set a PR!
3 deadlift (power bar)
3 x 6 @ 140 kg
Went beltless for set 2&3. Not a big believer in beltless training anymore but haven’t done it in a while due to the peak
4 floor press
4 x 12 @ 90 kg
Notes:
- rain was intensifying, everything was wet, I was running out of time…yeah I pussied out on the meadows rows. Still great session. All the little things are starting to come together and my raw pressing power is way up.
I feel I “owe” an explanation. I know my statements surrounding my workouts don’t match how the workouts seemingly play out. Like I’m often stating how tired I am, sick I feel or how much I’m hurting and little I wanted to workout and all that. Today would be an example of that: Feeling bad and tired but still hitting PRs. I don’t want it to come off as me just complaining about trifles to make me look more badass because I’m bringing my performance despite all that.
That’s not the case. The two things exist simultaneously - next to each other, if you want. I’m not describing half the things that go on surrounding but end up impacting these workouts. Yet I function independantly to a degree from those things, when it’s time to actually lift the weights. Also one should understand that these workouts often take a long time to complete, no matter how much they actually contain.
I have the strong ability to force myself through stuff. A very skilled autopilot that makes it possible to maneuver me through a lot of things despite stiff resistance. It’s hard to explain and something that is currently confusing my therapist in the process of formulating a reliable diagnosis.
So that’s an explanation for stress PRs, I guess. One thing I’ll forever wonder, until I maybe one day explore it, is how much of my potential I have not been able to set free yet.
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My coach said I am his funniest client due to my weekly feedback and meme making, involving him, on Instagram.
Fuck being his strongest or hardest working client.
This is the recognition I have been waiting my whole strongman career for.
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I was hurting going into this (not in an injured sense). Lot of soreness tho
1 log lift (clean once)
3 x 8 @ 86 kg
2 squats
Last warm ups
1 @ 140 kg
1 @ 160 kg
3 strict log press
3 x 10 @ 61 kg
4a vertical jumps
5 x 3
4b meadows rows (owed them from yesterday)
3 x 12 @ 32,5 kg
5 aleknas
4 x 11 @ 2x5 kg
Notes:
- squats were not going to plan at all. I was scheduled to do a 3x3 @ 167,5 kg. I have never been a great squatter by any means but even for me this shouldn’t have been that hard of a task. Ended set 1 with a huge good morning that nearly floored me. So I decided to go for doubles from there. Added a 4th set which still gave me 9 total reps at target weight because I’m stubborn.
- I was originally going to be frustrated with squats but there are some things even I can’t ignore: I am exhausted. 1) Lots of stress (exterior in addition to the ever present interior) and extra little sleep. 2) the ectra day last Sunday was absolutely too much. Normally I would have a rest day between yesterday and today but I decided to tread on so that I can rest Saturday and Sunday and restore my original schedule. I squatted 160 kg high bar paused on Sunday and even thought I might have had 180 high bar in me. So circumstances and bad day. Nothing to cry about. Still want wraps back tho.
Absolutely dead now.
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Seven uninterrupted hours of sleep. As a result my body is not feeling as terrible as I assumed it would. I will need those two days off tho.
Quick lunch time workout. Had to step on the gas. Which did not match my fatigue level, haha.
1 oh squat
3 x 5 @ 70 kg
2 deadlift
8 x 2 @ 160 kg
Westside intensifies. Brb, ordering multiply suits.
3 btn press
4 x 10 @ 52,5 kg
Shoulders so dead, they made a full cycle to being undead. 5 days of overheads, 3 in a row might be a limit here.
4 wide grip bent over row
3 x 15 @ 82,5 kg
Ran out of time for side bends.
Notes:
- body is pissed. Deadlifts felt good despite the lower back soreness. I mean it was obv. very light
- I pulled set 7 doh without chalk. Believe it or not but that was a) a tight squeeze on the 2nd rep and b) a PR. My hands are comically small (meaty palm, thick but super short fingers).
- if I ever talk about wanting to lift 5 days in one week again, you may point me back to this, haha.
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Can you share some more details about your programming? We’ve talked in the past about energy levels in training and maybe it’d be impossible to rather than plan out specific weights (given the strongman focus) instead focus on RPE and afford you some leeway for autoregulation. That might be a catch-22 because if you went off of how you felt you’d just have not business doing anything. Anyway, can’t help but think that having planned weights,
might set you up for disappointment which is of no benefit to your headspace at the moment. No disrespect to your coach.
That’s difficult to do since I get my program one week at a time. But general outlines are:
- percentage based (at least I think that because Paul always gives me absolute numbers to hit. I am not sure how he does that exactly, especially on smaller exercises where no max exists).
- high frequency and full body training with different focuses on each day (i.e. I am not going heavy on log lifts and deadlifts on the same day)
- manipulating volume and weights based on performance and the training phase I’m in (Paul generally increases volume before weight, especially for assistance lifts)
- different training blocks (like speed/ power and hypertrophy, strength, peak etc. and those are also divided by lifts: Peak for deadlift and after that peak for log). Unless there is a meet coming up, the peaks are to be seen as training peaks though, so not as much volume reduction and realization of actual strength as if I was competing (readiness as a big key word here).
I absolutely understand where you are coming from with this. I can assure you however, I would fuck this up royally. My feedback ability is so out of whack that there is no “listening to my body”, which I deem essential to properly use RPE. I thoroughly enjoy not thinking about the layout of my training and just having to look at a spreadsheet, which tells me exactly what to load on the bar. It takes some pressure away from the mental aspect of lifting for me. Also, apart from a mishap here and there like on yesterday’s squats, it kind of gives my self confidence a little push to have specific numbers written down. Like “okay, this number isn’t written down by coincidence. Paul wouldn’t write that down if he wasn’t confident I can lift that. So I’m surely able to lift it”.
True. It isn’t easy to have disappointment in lifting add to the other stressors that I’m dealing with. Sometimes when shit like this happens, I’ll send a rambling WhatsApp message to Paul and so far he has always been able to soften the blow in conjunction with the responses to my rambling, that I get on tnation. I need a little longer to let these things go but eventually I will come to peace with them.
As for the squat fails: Everything in the data that we have, supported the assumption that I should have gotten those reps (which intensifies my frustration) but I really can’t blame Paul for that. My head was not all in it and I wasn’t able to get fired up enough to make up for it to save my life. That is hard to account for. RPE as an autoregulation would have been useful in this specific case. I chose to cut reps because I felt doing doubles was safe, triples was not. The best route would have probably been to contact Paul and ask how heavy these squats were meant to be and adjust accordingly. I didn’t try that route but it also depends on wether he is on his phone in that exact moment or not.
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Or maybe you could ask him to include some direction here. Fuck RPE since that won’t work but maybe “I want you to strain” or “I want rocket-ship concentrics” will give you a useful tool that’s less abstract than a number for impromptu weight adjustments. I also struggle with RPE.