Rebirth of the Juggernaut: Brute Force and Ignorance (Part 1)

Training Training Logs
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Beanything: Thanks for stopping by man, much appreciated, and thanks for reading my blog. Saw that you got a push/pull under your belt now, so congrats on that. Keep up the competitions; it does a great job maintaining focus.

Sam: Why wait a few years when I can just keep getting more injured, haha.

As for my bodyweight, there are a few factors at play.

1: I am honestly a pretty light framed individual. I’m “big” at 5’9, but it doesn’t take a lot of scale weight for me to be that way. Walking around at the low 190s is about as big as I can be while being leanish, and whenever I get up higher than that, I tend to put on some fluff, which carries over into

2: Static strength isn’t my weak area in the sport: movement speed is. The less fat I carry, the faster I can move my body. So yeah, I could eat my way well into about 215lbs and cut water for contests, but I’d just be making my strong points stronger and my weak points weaker. If I can keep my static strength going while staying leanish, it’s good for me all around.

3: (And the most important one) my job requires I participate in a physical fitness test which has a running and waist measurement component to it, and being lighter helps with both of those facets. I’ve tried doing it at 217lbs, and it wasn’t happening. I’m still not killing the test at 190ish, but I do really well.

4: And, of course, I flat out prefer being not fat vs fat when given the choice. The “sacrifices” necessary aren’t huge to me.

In truth, I am more built to compete in the next lowest class (175 for NAS and 181 for USS). The guys who compete in 200 are more walking around 215-220. However, since my competitions are vacations for my family, I prefer not to cut weight and have them be around all that, so I just compete up, most times times giving up weight on the competition scale. However, my next contest I’ll most likely try the lower class just because the weights will be lighter, which will be a bit easier on my recovery.

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thanks for answering question ,makes sense

(And the most important one) my job requires I participate in a physical fitness test
have they seen your videos,do they know what you do?
seems they would be embarrassed to" test" you against so called normal people

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just thinking, if you are secure in your position at work,
design a fitness test
ex.
prowler, farmers walk medley for cardio component,
squat,bench,overhead press for strength component
bodyweight based percentage on all test parts
submit to management with straight face and videos demonstrating test
with paper backing up why your test is better than one currently in use
if you really are good pass around that management is seriously considering your proposal

205

Sam: A lot of us recognized the comedy of the test, especially compared to some of the folks who come through, but it’s not our higher ups determining our test so much as our health insurance provider. They’ve got their indicators for what constitutes health and we try to fit within them. As silly as they may be, my ACL surgery cost me nothing, so it’s one of those things I’ll have to grin and bear.

In terms of designing my own test, some folks did that in a similar group. What ended up happening was that the higher ups liked it so much that they decided to test their folks according to that fitness test AND the usual one, so it just became more work, haha.

At least I still can rock the push-up and sit-up portion.

1 legged safety squat bar box squats
DROPSET

20x225+chains
10x205+chains
10x155+chains
10x115+chains
10xBar+chains

Notes: Challenging top set. Right leg felt like it was going to pop. Really feeling like the left leg is ready to play on these, hopefully I get the ok from the Doc soon.

SSB good mornings 95
2x12
2x10

superset in a circuit w/

Neck harness 60lbs
4x20

Notes: Focusing on really keeping the knees straight on the good mornings so I can hit the hamstrings.

Blast strap fallout hold
4:30

Notes: Still a little too squirmy for my liking. May dial the time back a touch and focus on staying out at full extension.

Reverse hyper (bodyweight)
1x150

General notes: Woke up at 189.8 this morning. Plan to hit the rolling thunder after work today to get in a little more grip work, plus I just like the implement. Left knee pain is gone, but been dealing with some calf pain the past few days. I figure it’s from the prowler, but it’s limiting ROM a touch. Something to keep my eye on.

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Rolling thunder 180lbs
2 reps per hand

Notes: Be nice not to dick around with the set-up so much. Noticed on the first rep with the left hand I was kinda dragging the implement up my body, which seemed to be defeating the spirit of the exercise, so I focused on distancing myself from it for the next 2 reps. Felt a slight pop in the recovering knee, but think it was just some scar tissue breaking down. No pain in the knee, ROM still good, all systems seem go. Still, most likely a sign to ease off the throttle a touch.

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Unbridled progress as always. Also wanna say that I have a habit of randomly rewatching “Rant: There Will Be No Survivors” on your channel. I’ve probably watched it like 2-3 times since it was uploaded at random ass times. Hits me like a breath of fresh air each time I watch. Hope to see a successor to that video when you’re all healed up?!

1 Like
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Jebus don’t hurt the knee…

Time to get the paint roller out on the ceiling and walls there… consider it shoulder mobility work :wink:

Keep smashing it!

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Vinny: Thanks for stopping by, and a big thanks for viewing that video so frequently. You actually inspired me to go watch it again myself, since I tend to forget what I say in them, haha. It was pretty relevant to me this time, good to have. As for a follow-up, it’s always in the cards. The big tricky is just finding the time and place to get things set-up in my house to be able to shoot 8-12 minutes of uninterrupted video.

Raven: I’m always walking that razor’s edge, haha. But if I wasn’t stupid, I wouldn’t be as strong. As for the garage, it’s not my house to paint, and I’ll most likely be moving back to North Dakota in the summer. My job has me moving around pretty frequently, so I don’t tend to get too settled. Once I’ve got my forever home though, the gym is going to be a piece of work for sure. That said, I prefer austere conditions: just seems to get me more focused. One of the best experiences I ever had was a dark basement gym back around 2008 (still got videos of it on my youtube). Just the perfect environment…until it flooded with sewage. Hopefully I can avoid that in the future.

Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x75
5x115
10x5x150

Notes: 10 sets of 5. Honestly wasn’t terrible, but definitely not something I could run in a circuit like I had been doing before. Grip is really started to widen out, which is a good thing. Think I got a touch of tendinitis in the left elbow, so may rest up until Saturday for my next pressing workout. We’ll see how things go.

Axle curls
1x175

Notes: Think hitting the rolling thunder yesterday had a slight effect today, as my forearms just weren’t having it. Still a great pump.

Miniband pushdowns
1x100

Band pull aparts
1x100

Cable rows 90lbs
17x15

Notes: Scaling the weight back a touch just to spare the right knee from bracing on the equipment. This movement is nice, but I’m burning out on it. May bring the heavy dumbbells back in.

General notes: Woke up at 189.8. Knee is painfree within a normal ROM. I can still find movements that hurt it, but I have to go pretty far out of my way for that.

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Damn, can’t wait for it. Your rant videos are pretty effing awesome.

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Hey man, just stopping in to say glad to see your recovery going well!

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Hey man, glad to see everything is going well :). I just wanted to stop by and say again how much your log is helping me right now. Since we last spoke things have been going really well, I’ve been doing tonnes of push-ups, physio and unweighted reverse hypers (great idea!) as well as some work on my good leg. Unfortunately I’m getting extremely restless now, it’s incredibly frustrating not being able to really push myself. Thanks again bro, all the best.

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Been away for a while, so I apologise if this is a little late of a reply. It’s something I’ve thought about a lot but struggled to come to any real conclusions on, how do you define success in training and in life? Some people seem to live life as though its a competition with everyone, which begs the question, is it really a competition if the others aren’t competing? Everyones running a slightly different race, and that being the case, if everyones running a different race, how do you win it by comparing yourself to others?

The only conclusion I’ve reached is that success can only be measured as a function of your own goals, and yet that answer still doesn’t sit too comfortably with me.

In totally unrelated news: Just moved into a new place with no overhead space for any kind of bar or ring work. I remember you talking about a removable pull-up bar you used at work, how do you find these work in terms of damage to the door frame etc.?

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Beanything: Thanks man, good to have you as a fan. If you ever want me to address something in particular, let me know. It’s easier letting someone else pick the topic for me, haha.

TX_Iron: Thanks man! I’m getting excited about your upcoming contest and the training. Always good to have more strongman on board.

Furo: That’s awesome news on the training dude. Creativity is the key in this situation: leave nothing off the table. Might be a good time to start hammering the grip work too. Some captains of crush grippers or something similar would go far while being slightly immobile. I definitely understand the frustration angle, but the healing will be quicker than you think.

Dagill2: You present the existential crisis right there in wondering about success in life. At present, I take quite a bit from Nietzsche and Kierkegaard in that idea that one simply makes their own meaning and pursues it with all of their energy, fully realizing that, ultimately, their contributions are meaningless and life continues on without them. It’s easy to let that get you down, but you can also view it as incredibly liberating, knowing that you have nothing to lose in your pursuit and can fully invest yourself in whatever it is that YOU find successful.

It’s a bit of what Camus wrote about and what I mentioned from his work “The Myth of Sisyphus”: you see the stone roll down the hill, you know what must be done, but you CHOOSE to do it still.

As for your training related question: the chinning bar wasn’t too kind on the door frame. Your best bet is to put down some manner of thing padding where it would connect to the wall to prevent pain scrapes. Something like a thin sheet of carboard or foam/rubber would do the trick. It’s more cosmetic than anything else.

Grippers

4x#2.5

DROPSETS
1x#2.5
12x#2

1x#2.5
33x#1

1x#1.5
61xTrainer

Notes: No real progress on the 2.5, but the follow up sets are moving along nicely. Probably have to actually take things seriously from here on out if I really want to get that 3, but it’s not the biggest priority I have in the world.

General notes: Woke up at 189.8 this morning. Seem to be holding my weight well. Going to hit my good morning workout this evening. Will try to take more video.

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I’m awaiting the arrival of a couple of Captains of Crush grippers! Thanks again :slight_smile:

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Thanks for the support man, i really appreciate it. Got my hands on all the strongman equipment today: stones, log, heavy tires, yoke, car deadlift. Total reality check haha. I respected y’all before, and it’s certainly grown deeper after today.

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Furo: Awesome news man. CoC are addictive. As soon as you close the 1, you’re going to see yourself closing the 3 and getting certified, haha.

Tx_Iron: That’s great to hear man. The implements are a trip. It won’t be long before you get to pop your cherry and call yourself a strongman.

Seated Chain Suspended Buffalo Bar Good Mornings
5xBar
5x100
5x140
5x190
3x230
3x280
4x320

Notes: This wasn’t as much max effort as I was hoping for, but I had greatly increased the ROM of the movement and it was really hammering my lower back. I went for a 5th rep twice and was stapled both times. I absolutely could’ve broken the weight off the chains and gotten the rep, but it would’ve been through force of will and using only the lower back. It would’ve been a dumb move. That said, the disappointment still made me go berserk, as the rest of my workout will reflect.

Buffalo bar good mornings 75lbs
1x100

Notes: Was getting an awesome hamstring stretch here. I think getting rid of the tendinitis has allowed me to really get the legs straight.

Blast strap fallouts
1x80

Notes: 4x20 sounded boring.

Neck harness side to side 45lbs
91 reps

Reverse hyper (bodyweight)
1x200

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Prowler
12x50’

Notes: Thinking the rain we had recently changed the friction of the surface I was pushing on, as every step was a battle and the front of the prowler kept snagging. Eventually one of the bolts on the skis snapped off, so I called it a day. Sent elitefts an e-mail asking if they’d send me a replacement ski, otherwise I’ll just order the 3 pack. This is the second time a bolt on a piece of conditioning equipment has snapped on me. I’m only 190lbs, there is no way I’m putting a bunch of wear and tear on these things.

Might be a sign it was time to take it easy, because I’m still pretty fried from that short of a distance.

Woke up at 188.8 this morning. Cheat meal is going to be at Jack in the Box. I am unreasonably excited about that.

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if your breaking things during conditioning may be its means your done
or your definition of conditioning is different than the manufacturer of the equipment

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I really just can’t imagine I’m putting more stress on the equipment than was intended. You’ve got 300lb powerlifters sprinting with the damn things loaded with 45s, and I’m just strolling with it a bunch of times.

I’m really hoping it was just a dud ski. It would be annoying to have to replace them so often.

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I feel I need to be doing a bit more reading around this area. I feel your conclusions are pretty much the same as mine, I’m just less comfortable with it than you seem to be. Thank you for some pointers in the right direction though.