03.05.
Hamstrings still sore, triceps absolutely destroyed. Decided in front squats to take some pressure off the hamstrings and because I haven’t done them in a while.
1 power clean
50 kg x 5, x 2
60 kg x 1, x 1, x 1
70 kg x 1, x 1, x 1
2 front squat
50 kg x 5, x 2
70 kg x 3
80 kg x 1
90 kg x 1
100 kg x 1 - Ties all time PR
105 kg x 0
105 kg x 0
105 kg (lightly wrapped wraps) x 1 - New all time PR
85 kg x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3
50 kg x 10
3 Step Ups
20 kg x 8 per leg
30 kg x 8 per leg
4 abs
3 sets
Notees:
- Not exactly my day
- everything felt heavy with the front sqauts
- the 5x3 with 85 kg were really difficult and draining
- first time in a long time that I missed a weight. I would have thought 105 kg were easier.
- the weight kept shifting from my quads to my glutes
- I think I might benefit from progressing in power cleans but I don’t have much confidence in my technique there…
- very sore by now!
Video of cleans and squats:
05.05.
1 bench press
100 kg x 3
100 kg x 5 - PR
2 slingshot bench press
105 kg x 5
105 kg x 6
105 kg x 7
3 close grip bench press
80 kg x 8
80 kg x 8
4a band assisted pull ups
4 sets max reps
4b db bench press
26 x 15
30 x 12
5a cable rows
3 sets
5a seated db press
24 x 13
22 x 12
Notes:
- bench is still progressing pretty well even though I had to use a shitty bar with way too much spin that was wobbling around and hurting my wrists if I don’t use my wraps.
06.05
Wasn’t overly fresh for this workout. But had to relieve some stress after a kind of bad day at work that made me very angry! Since I have completely stepped away from emotional drinking, deadlifting is the way!
1 Trap Bar deadlifts
46 kg x some
86 kg x 5
126 kg x 5
146 kg x 2
156 kg x 5
146 kg x 5
146 kg x 5
2 banded deadlifts
40 kg + bands x 5
60 kg + bands x 5
70 kg + bands x 3
70 kg + bands x 3
70 kg + bands x 3
3 SLDL
70 kg x 14
70 kg x 15
Notes:
- jumped rope as a warm up and after the lifting. I am just as good at it as you would a fat strongman imagine to be. But I’d like to get better at it.
- trap bar deadlifts might be a good break from regular deadlifts and will be in my next competition so I need to up my game there
- stoped at three sets with the banded deadlifts because I felt kind of slow.
Video with some of the sets:
08.05
Trained three times today… registered for the Crossfit games!
Strength training (together with my girlfriend):
1 OHP
2 x 20 kg x ?
40 kg x 5
50 kg x 5
60 kg x 3
70 kg x 1 - ties PR
75 kg x 0 - this should have happened.
70 kg x 1
70 kg x 1
60 kg x 10 - ties PR
50 kg x 13
2a Z-Press
50 kg x 8
50 kg x 7
50 kg x 7
2b db row
35 kg x 10 each arm
35 kg x 10 each arm
35 kg x 10 each arm
3 cable rows
4 sets
About 2, 5 hours later - 2nd training
sand bag sprints - 8 sprints with about 30~90 sec rest. for 15 meters
Made the sandbag significantly heavier and actually weight it - 56 kg.
About a 45 min. break - 3rd training
Went jogging through the forest. The forest was beautiful, the running wasn’t. Took about 30-45 minutes, I don’t really know.
Notes:
- strength training didn’t really go as planned but was okay. I know if I get back to strict pressing more and attack this weight fully fresh in the near future I would have it.
- 56 kg sounds so laughable in gym weight… but with the mechanics of the bag it really isn’t that light.
- the running was terrible. I have a terrible running technique, paired with my body weight running isn’t really healthy sport. My shin muscles (forgot the Latin name) cramped very bad and hurt. The route I chose had some ups and downs and especially running downwards hurt, running upwards showed my lack of aerobic conditioning. Still this was a route I counted as a warm up during my soccer days.
- weather was just gorgeous, so I wanted to be outside and chose running as an activity.
- my next competition will, if anything goes as planned, be held 18.06.2016, so in a little over a month. Prep starts next week. Even though it isn’t an official competition (it is hosted by me and my training partner) I want to be prepared an have a decent showing. I think my log press will be very competitive, and my deadlift won’t be. So I need to finally step up my game there!
10.05.
Woke up with a stuffed nose but felt fine otherwise so I trained. Have to work late today so I could use the gorgeous morning for training.
1 Trap Bar Deadlifts
2 x 66 kg x some
106 kg x 5
126 kg x ?
136 kg x 8
141 kg x 8
126 kg x 8
126 kg x 8
2 banded deadlifts
60 kg (+ band) x 3
70 kg (+ band) x 3
70 kg (+ band) x 3
70 kg (+ band) x 3
3 SLDL
75 kg x 12
75 kg x 12
Notes:
- Still figuring out my optimal hip position to initiate the pull with the trap bar. Back position seems good on video though
- the 141 kg set got pretty intense
- I have very little experience using accommodating resistance and am not sure if I am using it right. I may have went too heavy or have been to fatigued. looking at the speed on video. I guess this would be more effective if I’d do it before my trap bar deadlifts. But right now the trap bar deadlifts are more important. Does anyone have any advice here?
- if you have the time to watch the video and see anything I should change form wise, feel free to suggest it.
- I am now following my plan that will lead up to my next competition.
Video of some of the sets:
Crossfit games? That sounds really cool, it’s always a really interesting thing to watch on TV for me at least. I enjoy watching that more than 99% of other sports haha. Are you skilled at Olympic lifting?
Haha I guess I am quite a bit too fat and too weak for that 
But I did try crossfit once. It was fun and involved a lot of deadlifts that day. Surprisingly I was on of the strongest guys there. Not surprisingly I was also the largest.
11.05.
Still dealing with my cold but the weird thing is I don’t fell sick at all. Besides the obvious cold symptoms I am not weak or tired or stuff like that.
Was heavily pressed for time this workout but got some decent work done.
1a slingshot bench press
102,5 kg x 8
105 kg x 8
100 kg x 8
100 kg x 8
1b lat pull down
sets of 10 between bench sets
2 close grip bench
80 kg x 5
Notes:
- my elbow is feeling a little weird for a while now. And today I had pain in my triceps when I did the close grip. I guess it originates from the elbow but I am not sure. It threw me off and so I stopped at 5 reps.
- For the amount of time I had I am pleased with the outcome. No PRs hit but got some decent pressing in.
15.05.
Felt like shit when I arrived at the gym with my girlfriend. A very weird feeling. I was dizzy and felt like I was drunk when I walked. It felt like my leg would not be able to hold my weight and I would trip when I took a step. Weird and not good feeling. Before every set I was afraid that I would pass out or vomit. Maybe dehydration, maybe lack of sleep, maybe random stuff. Felt better after training. I did not pass out or vomit.
1 Squats
100 kg x 8
105 kg x 8
110 kg x 8
100 kg x 8
100 kg x 8
2 Front Squats (beltless)
50 kg x 6
60 kg x 6
60 kg x 6
65 kg x 6
3 chest supported t-bar row
3 x 10-15
4 Snatch grip high pull (beltless)
60 kg x 5
5 power cleans (beltless)
60 kg x 5
60 kg x 5
6 paloff-hold
2 sets of 30 seconds with 1.000.000 lbs of band tension
Notes:
- Even though I felt like shit I had a very productive workout.
- 110 kg x 8 as the third set of 8 is a very solid effort for me. I did not use wraps this time.
- squats are moving in the right direction.
16.05.
1 Log press
70 kg x 8
72 kg x 8
65 kg x 8
65 kg x 8
2 OHP
40 kg x 6
50 kg x 6
55 kg x 6
55 kg x 6
55 kg x 6
3 Pendlay row
47 kg x 12
60 kg x 10
60 kg x 10
Ran out of time here otherwise would have done more back work…
Notes:
- solid effort on the log
- OHP was very easy
- left shoulder was achy, both elbows straight up hurt. Not sure what’s up. Will invest in some elbow sleeves in the future. I think I need to roll out and stretch my triceps and maybe start training my biceps.
- video:
Absolutely. They’re a crucial muscle group in strongman. It’s not like powerlifting where you might be able to get away with not training them.
I like poundstone curls (empty axle for 100+reps) as something strongmanish to hit them.
@T3hPwnisher : Yeah I always read in strongman articles and programs that you should train your biceps to prevent ruptures and stuff. I just hate to train it and I always forget it Plus my arms are pretty big and very scarred as is… But I will give curls a go.
How heavy is your axle? Mine weighs 36 kg/ 79,3 lbs. I definitely can’t curl that for 100+ reps
I have used a 25lb and 33lb axle. I worked up to 300 reps for the 25 (resting in the up position) and 180 for the 33 (resting in the down position). Resting in the up makes things easier.
Don’t think of it as 100 straight through with no pause whatsoever, it’s more about just never letting go of the axle. With a 36kg one, you could start at 50 and build up.
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18.05.
Kind of in a strange mood for training today. Wasn’t exactly unmotivated or something but felt kind of unsatisfied… hard to describe.
I listened to a few of Mark Bell’s speeches: “fuck your elbow”, “be original”, “who are you?”, these are just gold! I am a big fan of Mark and on a funny site note I recently dreamed that I met him and he invited me to be a part of team Supertraining. I was all excited and worried because I am so weak and I told him “but I am only deadlifting like 170 kg” and he didn’t care and from there on I trained with them. One of the best dreams ever
1 banded deadlifts
60 kg + band x 3
60 kg + band x 1
70 kg + band x 1
80 kg + band x 1
90 kg + band x 1
100 kg + band x 1
110 kg + band x 1
120 kg + band x 1
120 kg + band x 1
120 kg + band x 1
100 kg + band x 5
100 kg + band x 5
2 Trap Bar Deadlifts
136 kg x 8
136 kg x 8
3 Axle Curls
36 kg x 10
Barbell Curls (no rest)
20 kg x 15
Notes:
- I measured the band tension after I did my three singles and at the top it is about 50 kg. So at the top my I had 170 kg, which is not bad for me at the moment.
- Mixed grip is still not happening.
- I was very sore still from squats. Even in places I am usually not that sore like my hip flexors and my adductors.
- I am recovering pretty bad from my workouts and am constantly sore. I mean what am I doing wrong? Is there something I am just not seeing? Is my training structured THAT badly? I see the logs of people like @strongmanvinny2 or @T3hPwnisher or @Alpha and ask myself how do they even walk around all day with the amount of work they put in. I do 5 sets of back squats and some light front squats and walk like I broke my hip because of the muscle soreness. But what separates me from those guys? Is it just their superior mindset or their longer training career?
- In general I am somewhat unsatisfied with where I am in my training(-career) even though I am progressing at the moment.
- seems like my next contest is not going to happen. Maybe I got my bad mood from this and that is why I am so weirdly unsatisfied and frustrated with my training.
I think @T3hPwnisher and @Alpha can both agree that we don’t exactly feel anything different from what you do in the regard to being sore and feeling kind of burdened by lethargy from time to time. It probably appears that we’re not trashed from our workouts, but we totally are, and we’re probably so used to training when sore that we know how to deal with it by means of perhaps prehab/mobility or just adjusting parameters and training methods. For instance, I do about 15-25 minutes of mobility work before my workout and it can make me go from feeling crippled to feeling ready to lift in a heart beat. It’s important to also recognize the difference between a malingering state that we all go through when we’re beat up vs the mechanical disruption that literally prevents us from exhibiting strength needed for the days work. I often feel the former more often, the latter comes from time to time and when it does it is just a sign and we must deal with that information responsibly. Best to figure out which one you are experiencing, and remember, while strong, we’re all trying REALLY hard to not drop the weight just like you are, so no need to place us on a pedestal, we are probably experiencing much of the same things you are lol.
Btw, this is all granted that your nutrition and sleep are sufficient for YOUR needs. Anyway, why is the competition canceled?
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Vinny is totally spot on. I am constantly in some sort of pain. Before my ACL injury, I’d do a ridiculous squat workout every Saturday, and I would be limping until Wednesday every week. After my surgery, I ended up getting off my pain meds way sooner than expected because I totally forgot what it was like to ever be painfree, so when I encountered what felt like my normal “daily pain” I stopped taking the drugs, and then 2 weeks later I was actually pain free, haha.
Learning how to perform well while beat up is just something that takes a little time and experience. No one is ever fresh in this sport.
Thanks for putting things into perspective, guys. I can get caught up in negative thoughts pretty easy, which may be part of the reason why I am still taking anti depressants.
On sleep and nutrition: Nutrition is not dialed in but it isn’t that bad I’d say. I don’t eat eat a lot of crap and fast food, I eat vegetables and fruit and I eat a pretty good amount of protein and carbs while trying to avoid sugar and unhealthy fats. Sleep on the other hand might be a problem. It has always been for me. I notice in periods where I have good nights sleep and longer sleeping times that my regeneration improves significantly but unfortunately these periods don’t happen too often. There are people that sleep less though.
As you may have read in the strongman category of the forum I was organizing a contest with my training partner. We put some work and time into it and were really trying to present the participants a cool experience. At first everyone was enthusiastic and willing to participate but when we needed binding confirmations and asked the people to transfer 10€ in advance to cover our costs (plus buy beer and fruit and such for the comp. day) everyone was finding excuses or stopped responding altogether. Which left us only with a few dedicated participants from whom only one is female (my girlfriend) and at the moment we think it is not happening because we just aren’t enough people and it isn’t worth the effort of organizing everything. Very disappointing experience.
19.05.
Arrived 30 minutes before the gym closed. Was rushing from work to therapy to the gym but got done what was possible in the time that was left.
1a slingshot bench press
105 kg x 6
110 kg x 6 - PR (I think…?)
102,5 kg x 6
102,5 kg x 6
1b lat pulldown
sets of 8 between sets of bench
2 close grip bench press (stripped plates after last slanger set and got straight into this set )
80 kg x 6
Notes:
- shoulder was good despite only warming up with the movements
- elbows were better as well but I could still feel some slight discomfort
- I will most likely have to train the next two days due to work and “life” schedule. Which would make 4 workouts in a row. We will see how that works out. Have been doing some mobility at work, which was a good idea. Might have to adjust the intensity on my squat and OHP day but we will see how my body feels when it is time to lift.
One of the many reasons I’m a misanthrope, haha. It’s the unfortunate reality of trying to organize anything involving people. The majority will flake on you. It’s why promoters tend to way overbook shows. Still, sucks it turned out that way for you man.
22.05.
Spent the weekend with my girlfriend at the navy base she is currently serving. Was a great weekend! We didn’t get as much training in as we thought but in this case I don’t mind it since we got to spend a wonderful weekend.
1 push press
80 kg x 6
85 kg x 6 -PR
90 kg x 3 - PR, but wanted 6. Ego got me there.
80 kg x 6
80 kg x 6
2 strict kettlebell press
20 kg x 10 each arm
3 conditioning circuit:
30 seconds work, 15 seconds rest.
Tire flips/ push ups/ battle rope
Tire flips/ push ups/ battle rope
Tire flips/ jumps on the tire/ battle ropes
4 as many tirep flips as possible in 60 seconds
14 flips
Notes:
- there were no 1.25 kg plates so you had to make 5 kg jumps. Was probably dumb to go for 90 kg but yeah shot happens. Still solid work on the press.
- got excited when I saw the tire, so conditioning was a must. The tire was pretty light but it was still nice to finally test this movement.
- my pec hurt again after the second round of push ups. I don’t know if it flared up again or if I reinjured it… Maybe it is time to consult a doctor? But I can’t think of anything that is wrong with it. There is no bruising at all, so it is no tear or something serious. An inflamation on the other hand shouldn’t last that long/ come back so often.
- today my left wrist feels a little damaged but this will sort itself out.
24.05.
1 Squat
110 kg x 6
120 kg x 6 - PR (+1)
110 kg x 6
110 kg x 6
2 Front Squats
4 x 65 kg x 6
3 Machine leg curls
4 sets
Notes:
- Left side of my lower back/ SI-joint area was feeling a little strange so I didn’t go as heavy as planned [on front squats] and used a belt for every set but the first. Should not be a big deal at all though.
- Squats are still progressing nicely. Form isn’t great but I think I do make an ok job of making the most of my given levers. I am okay with how they look for now.
- I like my programming so far but I have to think about ways how I can incorporate more conditioning. Maybe I should reduce lifting to 3 times a week and do conditioning on a fourth. We will see after this training cycle.
- On a very personal note: Sadly my depression got the better of me yesterday. It has been a long time since I have gotten these kind of symptoms. This makes me pretty insecure and nervous.
- Video:
24 05 - Squats - YouTube
27.05
Another half an hour bench workout that I had to fit into my lunch break today. I have slept very little this night and not too much at all the whole week so I am very tired even with espressi before the workout.
1a slingshot bench press
107.5 kg x 4
115 kg x 4 - PR
110 kg x 4
110 kg x 4
1b lat pulldown
Sets of 6~8 supersetted with warm ups and work sets on bench
2 close grip bench press
80 kg x 10
3 bicep curls
Bar x 25
Notes:
- I hate this bench (too slippery, stupid shape) and this bar (way too much spin, I am shaking like I am using a bamboo bar)
- after the 107.5 kg I didn’t know if 115 kg would be in the cards as planned today. But when I actually pressed 115 I had atleast 1 rep in the tank, if not more. Even though my shoulder kept depositioning themselves due to the shitty bench.
