I am even more jealous of your home gym now!
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@Koestrizer Itās a total monument to what I am, haha. No heat, no air, a stereo I got in 8th grade, and a bunch of Ironmind, Rogue and Bartos equipment. Itās about right.
LUNCH TIME WORKOUT
MAX EFFORT
(27) Chain Suspended SSB Abominations
5x155
5x205
3x245
1x295
1x335
1x385
1x435 (10lb PR)
1x445 (10lb PR)
High Handle Trap Bar lifts
60x405
Notes:3:45 between heavy abominations. I make an effort to make the lighter sets actual straight legged good mornings, but once I cross the threshold to 385 they become abominations, with the knee bend and weight rolling back. And they still require me to strain like hell, so theyāre working.
Those trap bar lifts feel like theyāre taking years off my life. Itās funny: itās not the lifting that hurts, but the stopping. When Iām in the moment and grinding out reps Iām fine, but once the workout is over Iām on my back for 20 minutes trying to remember which Valkyrie Iām supposed to pray to for a ride to Valhalla. Then I feel my whole body go numb and my heart slows down and I get an exertion headache. Who are these maniacs that think working out is fun again?
Yet I still ālikeā this more than my previous supplemental workout because the trainnig itself is over in 5 minutes. Brains are weird like that.
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No lights on.
Thereās a punchline in there somewhere
More than once I have thought that youād really dig the place I am currently training in. Has the right vibe if I know you at all
@Koestrizer Iām sure. Although these days, Iām starting to find that I prefer confined spaces for training, since itās what Iām always in. Having a lot of room might freak me out, haha.
YESTERDAYāS WORKOUT
LUNCHTIME WORKOUT
Superset (press-chins)
Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x66
5x186
3x206
7x226 (lifetime PR: +4 reps)
Keg clean and press away 200
1x3
NG chins (various grips)
1x9
5x8
DB rows 105
1x20
PM WORKOUT
GIANT SETS (press-dip-raise-pull apart: sets 1 and 4 trap bar, sets 2 and 5 axle, sets 3 and 6 log)
Trap bar press 140
2x10
Axle strict press 186
1x10
1x8
Log clean and press away 170
2x10
Dips
6xFailure
DB lateral raise 25s
4x15
2x14
Band pull aparts
6x13
Poundstone Curls
110xAxle
Notes: 3:45 between heavy presses, 2:00 between giant sets. I am ecstatic over this press PR. Itās absolutely nuts. The most Iāve ever pressed on an axle with 226 before was 3 reps, and even with a barbell it was 4 reps, and that was while the bar was in front of my face rather than over my head. Sometimes it feels like Iām just spinning my wheels and then something like this happens and validates the training. And then I also think back to when 225 for 7 woulda been a good bench press for me, haha.
Right shoulder continues to get slowly better over time. Left shoulder was getting a little weird on some of my lockouts during the supplemental work.
I added 1 rep to the band pull aparts, as I was feeling particularly strong and my upper back was still on fire from the trap bar pulls.
Added 1 rep total to the chins. May progress them like the ab wheel, as that should keep the elbows happy.
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That is a PR and a half man, awesome.
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Fun fact: apparently King George V had become so comfortable with confined spaces after his naval service that he, nervous about his first-ever live nationwide radio broadcast, recorded the inaugural Royal Christmas Message in a small room under the stairs rather than the recording studio set up in the palace.
No word on how much he could deadlift, though.
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@mattjp Reminds me a bit of this
LUNCHTIME WORKOUT
Buffalo Bar Squat
5xBar
5x140
3x230
1x320
1x370
REST PAUSE (12 deep breaths between sets)
8x410
4x410
2x410
1x410
10x320
5x320
3x320
2x320
1x320
SUPERSETS (shrug-hyper)
Deadlift stance/grip Barbell shrugs
12x425
9x515
2x6x565
Reverse hypers 360
4x15
Notes: 2:00 between supersets. The magic of the squat protocol continues. I wasnāt feeling good at all coming into this, and the warm-ups sucked, but the first 6 reps of the topset moved fast enough that I knew I had it in me. First rep was most likely on the high side, but enough other ones got buried that itās a wash.
I realize itās most likely the deadlift grip thatās bending the hell out of my cheap barbell, since itās moving the focus point so far in. Iām most likely going to need to move to the axle soon, as the bar is getting to the point that plates are sliding off if I donāt lock them in right away.
Really like this workout so far. Going to find some time for keg cleans and carries later in the week. Need to start bringing the stone back in soon too.
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Nice work as always. When is your next comp?
Thanks man. It will be 4 Apr. Still a bit away.
13 weeks so plenty of time to get ready. Sounds like squats moved OK. Do you use the buffalo bar just because it is more comfortable or is there any other benefit ?
@simo74 Oh yeah, Iām already ready, haha. In truth, Iām burnt the hell out from strongman. Just donāt find myself caring much about it anymore. Hard to find anything really fun in it anymore, as so many comps are getting super standardized and all people seem to care about is maxing. Iāll most likely hit up a comp here and there, but training for them just seems stupid to me.
Pretty much the big driving force in me using the buffalo bar is me having a buffalo bar, haha. Itās an awesome product by Ironmind. But beyond that, squatting like that always makes me strong all over, and itās very much āuse it or lose itā strength for me. If I take time away from the SSB and come back to it, I havenāt lost much, but when I step away from the buffalo bar for a little bit, I can feel it. And, in turn, when I start using it more, I can feel it too. 2 weeks ago, walking out 410 was an effort, and this last session it felt much lighter.
Itās also the only shoulder mobility work I do (getting into position for the squat that is). If I give up the buffalo bar, Iām sure my shoulders will get even tighter.
YESTERDAYāS WORKOUT (LUNCHTIME)
Swiss bar incline bench 260
2x10
1x8
Axle bench press 281
2x10
1x7
Close grip axle bench 241
1x10
1x9
1x7
Dips
1x30
2x25
Standing ab wheel between sets of benching
6x8, 2x7
Notes: 3:45 between sets of benching, 2:00 between dips. I was feeling beat to hell coming into this for some reason. Just fatigued and nauseous. I still saw some growth. Elbows were screaming, but not as bad as last time. I may need to start curtailing the Poundstone curls: I think those, mixed with the keg work and the buffalo bar, are putting a lot of strain on me. And I keep writing āelbowsā but itās more the forearm/bicep tendon.
Ab wheel is starting to get silly. I may call it once itās sets of 8 across.
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You would probably do pretty well in crossfit, although not sure if your shoulders would allow for it.
Since it isnāt competing/ display of strength anymore that drives you - what is nowadays? I know you dislike training and like being strong. Is it just that: Being strong? If so how do you measure āstrongā? What constitutes your personal āstrongā?
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Yeah, crossfit was originally where I was leaning before strongman, but the gymnastics moves didnāt pair well with my shoulder. And Iād need an even CRAZIER home gym, haha.
Yup, this is it. Competing didnāt even really drive me beforehand: it just refined me. Gave me something specific to shoot for and, since the sport was so alien to me, gave me things to grow on. But after about 7 years of it now, Iāve got too much of a handle on it that the novelty has worn off.
The strict press is the big thing I focus on right now. Itās been great watching it climb, and pressing heavy weight over my head definitely āfeelsā like what strong should feel like. I also still dig the deadlift. Both are lifts that start with the concentric, rather than an eccentric followed by a concentric (like a bench or a squat), and that most likely gels well with my mentality.
Iām chasing 100 reps with 405lbs on the high handle trap bar for right now. That seems pretty cool. Iād also like to see 700lbs on a barbell deadlift.
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Iām not sure I can even fathom what the form would be, but I think Iād pass out in a pile of my own vomit if I saw you attempt a 1RM Snatch.
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Hah! Itād just end up being a power snatch with very low weight, similar to what happened when I had to do cleans.
Oly lifting aside, your ability to push past the pain threshold that shuts most people down would make you a formidable opponent in a CrossFit competition. The CrossFit games, despite the bad rap CrossFit gets, have some of the most brutal events I could imagine.
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Thanks man. Itās definitely what drew me toward it. There are still certain crossfit WODs I like to hit for just that reason, but Iād have to just cherry pick based on skill requirements, which just wouldnāt last long, haha.
It was nice back when medleys were more common in the early to mid 2000s of strongman. Good balance between the two.
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I think the number of people who can suffer through brutal effort is too high so they (CrossFit) had to trim it back down with skilled events. Too bad.
I fear by the time I build enough strength to compete in the open class, comps wonāt be fun to compete in anymore. The silliness is what drew me to the sport.