Programming Qs for a Meet

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Hi people. Finally decided to put up or shut up, and have signed up for a strongman comp on the 2nd March
https://www.facebook…92565030757008/
in the under 105kg weight class - don’t need to worry about making weight

Events:
1)Max effort 2" fat bar dead, start at 200kg (raw)

2)Log clean + Press 100kg, 75sec

3)Prowler - rope pull then push 140kg (turf)

4)Keg carry + Press 80kg, 20m, 75sec. As far as I can tell, you carry a keg 20m, press it, repeat till 75sec - fun!

5)300kg tyre flips x5 then 20m 115kg Farmers walk, 75sec

6)Crucifix hold, 12kg per hand.

A) I go to two gyms, one regular, and the other a proper strength gym with everything except the keg, which I can provide. I can only get to the strongman gym on saturdays, but can spend 4+hrs there.

B) I realistically have 49 training days from tomorrow

C) The only events I need guidance on are the FB dead and the log. I have previously done 190kg raw FB dead without training for it, but my Push press needs serious work.

I can comfortably military press 80kg, but my triceps need work - bar slows above head - and I have neglected the Push Press. Should I do the Push Press as my main pressing movement.

With the fat bar deadlift, I have access to fat bars and I have Fat Gripz, should I use these every time I Deadlift? half and half?

Programming wise, I was thinking of an upper/lower split, alternating military presses with PP, and Back squats with deadlifts, eg:
Day 1)MP 80% 6x2 / 6x3 (progression)
triceps + back

  1. Deadlift 80% 6x2 - I find I can deadlift better if I do it regularly
    Front squats 6x2
    Fat bar holds? + abs

3)Push Press - daily max, then max reps in 75sec?
triceps and back work

4)Squats
Hamstring work
FB holds?

Any and all advice is really appreciated. I am lucky to have a strong support from friends and others at the strongman gym, but if I’m not careful I tend to do too much and end up banging my head against the ceiling. I decided today to cut my squat weights because I was rushing ahead.

tl;dr I jumped in the deep end, halp

2

Do you have access to a log to train with? That’s going to help a lot more at this point than trying to learn the barbell push press, which is different from the log press in a lot of ways. An 80kg strict press puts you in the ballpark of being able to log press 100kg with leg drive, but if you can’t practice it I wouldn’t give you great odds for doing very well.

Obviously building shoulder and tricep strength is going to help, but you don’t have tons of time. Nailing down technique will help a lot more, faster.

On the FB deadlift, do you feel that you are limited by your grip or is it just basic deadlift strength?

3

Yep, access to full-size logs on Saturdays. Going to be doing loads of PP to perfect form. I wasn’t planning to do a comp till the summer, but this just came up and I thought why not
Deadlift wise, grips the limiting factor when using the fat bar, not the weight in general.

4
  • Learn to push jerk
  • A large portion of a fat bars increased difficulty comes from it’s inability to flex, making it marginally harder to deadlift.
  • Upper body mobility is key with logs, especially larger ones. No upper body integrity means a press shot forward, or a press unattempted.

I highly recommend dropping squats completely, aswell as overall training volume as contest time looms. The way I like to train for contests is to disperse the events throughout the week in a fashion that still retains some contest mimicking (essentially try to keep some events clustered in one day to keep your conditioning on key.) Since you can’t do that, you’ve got only one real option.

Mon: misc pressing (bar, dumbbells or w/e)
Wed: Fat grip deads
Saturday: everything else.

Being your circumstances in mind, you’ll have to treat each event meticulously, since you’re unable to disperse the training throughout the week. I’d suggest lowering volume of assistance work substantially, to none if possible. This’ll grant you more longevity with your Saturday events, as you will need it. This method is hard as hell, but it is great for conditioning.

5

[quote]caveman101 wrote:
I can comfortably military press 80kg, but my triceps need work - bar slows above head.
[/quote]

I was just browsing through the forums, and I don’t really belong here, but I saw this.

You may want to consider using chains on your military press for a bit. Besides strengthening your triceps from the increasing resistance, it can help train you to build and maintain momentum through the movement.

Not something to use all the time, but I think it’s worth trying out to see if it’s something you can use.

6

[quote]caveman101 wrote:

A) I go to two gyms, one regular, and the other a proper strength gym with everything except the keg, which I can provide. I can only get to the strongman gym on saturdays, but can spend 4+hrs there.

B) I realistically have 49 training days from tomorrow

C) The only events I need guidance on are the FB dead and the log. I have previously done 190kg raw FB dead without training for it, but my Push press needs serious work.

I can comfortably military press 80kg, but my triceps need work - bar slows above head - and I have neglected the Push Press. Should I do the Push Press as my main pressing movement.

With the fat bar deadlift, I have access to fat bars and I have Fat Gripz, should I use these every time I Deadlift? half and half?

Programming wise, I was thinking of an upper/lower split, alternating military presses with PP, and Back squats with deadlifts, eg:
Day 1)MP 80% 6x2 / 6x3 (progression)
triceps + back

  1. Deadlift 80% 6x2 - I find I can deadlift better if I do it regularly
    Front squats 6x2
    Fat bar holds? + abs

3)Push Press - daily max, then max reps in 75sec?
triceps and back work

4)Squats
Hamstring work
FB holds?
[/quote]

remove military press entirely. My advice is to press twice/week, one day with the log, one day w the barbell. If you’re expecting to have a difficult time w the log then I’d do low reps on strongman days (5 and fewer, cycling down as you approach the contest) and relatively high reps
on the BB push press (8-12). Google “z presses” or “zydrunas presses,” it will be the most specific assistance work for your triceps. If you can learn to push jerk w the log it may help, but at this point your overhead support may be your weak point, so don’t waste too much time getting the technique down as there are plenty of good pressers who dont use it.

Personally, I’m paranoid of tearing my bi on an axle DL, so I’d train the grip separate from the DL, ie dl on a regular bar or on an axle w straps, then do double overhand DLs on the axle - or vice versa, use the dbl overhand as a warmup - until about the last 2-4 sessions before the contest, then you’ve gotta train as specifically as possible.

If your recovery is good enough to leave squats in then do so, if you start to feel they’re hindering your next session remove them

7

Thanks for the replies, people - it’s appreciated!
I have removed strict OHP entirely, already my form for PP is miles better. I’m doing Savikas press on saturdays, as I can do it with chains then - its all the top quater. other wise alternating dips and db ohp
Squats - back squats down to 70% 3x3 couple of times a week max, to take advantage of warmed up legs after deadlifting, and to keep the grove.
Front squats 80-90% doubles for ‘core strength’ egh
Deadlift - alternating sessions of 60% speed pulls, and heavier sessions - fat bar at the strongman gym, double overhand at regular - pulled a quick 200kg double over hand the other week.

Diet - having been trying to lose weight all last year (-25kg in all), I’ve switched diet to high carb+protein, which makes a welcome change.

8

smashed a 220kg fat bar deadlift yesterday without much problem

9

How’d this go for you?