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

Training Training Logs
4269

@Frank_C skill is an advanced form of cheating. I said the same thing back when I fought, haha.

@mr.v3lv3t If you’re ok with traveling, there’s still a few dudes out there putting on great amatuer shows. Paul Mosuer always seems to have something neat brewing. But I’m getting tired of traveling so much for my hobby.

PM WORKOUT

Keg cleans
2x150
2x175
1x200
1x225
1x230w/press (5lb PR)
1x235w/press (5lb PR)

Notes: Very first rep on 150 I tweaked something in my left hamstring. Legs are still sore from squats on Wed. They still hurt through the session, but as I added weight to the keg I started feeling better. Implements are weird that way. Stone of steel is the same: the empty stone feels awful, but a little weight in it goes a long way. I actually ended up cleaning the 225 so hard I just about fell on my butt with it. Had to fight to keep it, and it was ugly. After that though, 230 and 235 moved very well, and pressing at the top wasn’t a struggle at all. Gave me some good confidence for the event in April.

Secret is that it’s more of a “heave” than a clean. Have to learn to use the weight of the keg on itself. I also wonder if a keg loaded with sand/water is gonna be harder or easier with that factor. I’m gonna try to get as strong as I can regardless, which should make up the difference.

2 Likes
4270

I haven’t put too much thought into traveling for it. There’s enough comps in the New England area that I’d have a hard time justifying a travel opportunity for something I could do more locally haha. There’s at least 2 promoters who lean on the novel side of things too.

I’ve never used a plate loaded keg, but I definitely get the “heave” method of cleaning it. I noticed that training with a water loaded keg and using a sand keg in competition had two pretty distinct feelings.

4271

@mr.v3lv3t Not sure if Maryland is within your range, but the annual Marlyand’s Strongest Man seems to have a good showing too. They had a car squat one year and it looked pretty slick. You’re definitely in a good spot.

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT

MAX EFFORT LOWER

(7) Mat Pulls
5x135
5x225
3x315
1x405
1x495
1x585
1x635
1x655
1x665

High handle trap bar lifts 405
1x27

90 minute rest

1x30

Notes: 3:45 between heavy pulls. Took some video on the max efforts and may upload/post later. For the trap bar, just didn’t have it in me. 27 and 30 didn’t kill me, but I was moving way slower on it than I shoulda been, and knew 65 wasn’t going to be a productive idea. Upon review now, my left hip is pretty upset, which may be from keg cleans yesterday, and that might be the limiting factor.

The actual max effort work was pretty solid. 495 didn’t feel good, nor did 585, and then when I moved 635, I realize it was just gonna be a day where it didn’t feel good but was still gonna move. Only really grinded for 665.

I may honestly be getting a bit too round that it’s affecting my deadlift leverages, but it’s something I can address after the comp. Since it’s a car deadlift, it won’t matter there, and I think it’s been paying off for the keg.

3 Likes
4272

Maryland is actually one of the handful of places it’d make sense for me to travel to, since I can double up and visit close friends while I’m there. I’ll keep an eye on it! I probably won’t be doing any competing this year though, since I’m just not strong enough at this point for the open class (USS at least).

4273

Behind on your log, saw the recommendation for power lifting basics. A few pages in and I’m hooked. “Might get hacked off with me time or two as well." I’m going to struggle to read the rest without imagining it narrated in a cowboy drawl.

4274

@mr.v3lv3t Hopefully they keep on being exciting over there as you build up for it. And I know Brian has hosted a few over there, so maybe that’ll keep up too.

@boyce79 Hell yeah dude. I’m about ready to start a re-read of it myself. Feels like time again. Paul is just such a fantastic storyteller. @dagill2 I know you started reading it a while back: what’d you think so far?

AM WORKOUT

SUPERSET (press-chin)

Axle Strict Press
5xAxle
5x66
5x156
5x186
11x206

NG chins (various grips)
2x9
4x8

GIANT SETS (press-dip-raise-pull aparts: sets 1 and 4: axle, sets 2 and 5: trap bar, sets 3 and 6: log)

Axle strict press 186
1x10
1x8

Trap bar press 145
1x10
1x7

Log clean and press away 175
1x10
1x7

DB rows 105
1x21

Notes: 2:00 between giant sets. Schedule didn’t allow for a 2 a day today. I skipped out on the keg clean and press to give my left hip a little break, and didn’t do a SSL backoff with the axle because it woudla been the exact same weight as what I was using for supplemental work, which speaks to how strong my press has gotten on the supplemental work. The first set of 10 on the axle absolutely flew up, and were this a 2 a day I imagine I woudla crushed a second set, but holding at 8 given the circumstances was more than awesome.

Topset of presses went better than I expected. 12 woulda been awesome, but as this was an earlier AM workout I hit a solid and quick 11 reps and felt it unnecessary to sell some of my soul for the 12th rep.

DID wake up feeling like absolute hell. I’m gonna imagine my new squat protocol paired with my attempts to reach 100 reps on the trap bar pulls is most likely burning the candle on both ends, but I plan to try to eat my way through the problem until that doesn’t work. Most likely the erratic sleep schedule is unhelpful there too, but it’s the cards we’re dealt.

Right shoulder continues to feel less and less like raw hamburger each week. Seems I may be on top of it.

I cut out the curls and threw in the rows to see if it has an effect I’m after. Past 2 weeks, my elbows have felt like hell by the time bench shows up, and I’m wondering if it’s the Poundstone curls followed immediately by the squat workout that’s the issue. Be willing to move the curls to afterwards, if that’s the case, even meaning throw them in at the end of the squat day.

3 Likes
4275

I read it and will revisit it many times. Just quoted Kelso in Anna’s log

1 Like
4276

Finished it a while back actually. You can tell I enjoy a book when it gets priority over the other 3/4 I have on the go at any one time.

Really enjoyed it. Totally different from almost any other training book I’ve read. Probably most similar to John Maccallum if I had to pick, and a similar goldmine of information that you could spend many years and possibly a whole career exploring all the ideas in there.

Well worth the money, thanks for the recommendation.

3 Likes
4277

Since you took so long to progress up to this, do you find it fatigues you much at all now?

1 Like
4278

@Voxel That’s awesome dude. That’s a great quote too. The whole book is just full of them.

@dagill2 It’s such a hard book to put down once you start it. I think I mentioned before that I read it to my kid as a bedtime story when they were too young to be able to protest it, haha. Glad you enjoyed it. Paul gave a nod to McCallum as well, can definitely see the inspiration.

@j4gga2 The last 2 sets tend to be the hardest in any given situation, even with the slow build up. And my abs still get sore every week, haha.

YESTERDAY’S PM WORKOUT

Buffalo Bar Squats
5xBar
5x140
3x230
1x320
1x370

REST PAUSE (12 Deep Breaths between sets)
9x410
5x410
3x410
2x410
1x410
11x320
6x320
3x320
2x320
1x320

5 minute rest

Reverse Hypers 360
4x15

Notes: 2:00 between revefrse hypers. Way this day went was I worked all night, got home at 0745, slept till 1300, got in 1 meal and some snacks and then went for it. I was really surprised at how strong I felt, and, in truth, it upset me because it meant I had more work to do. I even told myself on the back off set “ok, if we can only get 9, we’ll just go from there”, and then when 9 absolutely flew by I knew I’d have to get 11 and that I’d be doing even more reps.

Also, in writing all that out, I realized that I refer to myself as multiple people when I train. “We”, “us”. Interesting. Gotta figure that’s a mind vs body thing.

But, yet again, this protocol proves to be too damn effective and I should really stop abandoning it. I’m up 3 reps in my topset in as many weeks, and it has an exponential cascading effect. I went from a total of 27 reps in a workout to 43 reps in those 3 weeks as well. About the only issue is the insane lower back pump. After the workout is done, I lay with my head on one set of crash pads and my legs on another and just try to get the blood out of my back for 5 minutes. On the plus side, my recovery is on point and I bounce back much faster than I used to.

Cut out the shrugs, since I was short on time. The reverse hypers were intense after the fact.

3 Likes
4279

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT

Swiss bar incline bench 260
3x10

Axle bench press 281
2x10
1x6

Close grip axle bench 241
1x10
1x9
1x7

Dips
1x32
1x26
1x23

Standing ab wheel between benching 8x8

Notes: 3:25 between benching, 2:00 between dips. My theory was correct: elbows still hurt today, but not nearly as bad as when I did the poundstone curls followed by the squatting the next day. Once again, it’s the balancing act with squatting and pressing, but this was manageable today, so I’m gonna keep with it. On an ideal week, I’ll put a day between squatting and benching, but schedule is still pretty screwy. Will maybe throw the bicep work in at the end of this day as well, but for now I can get a grab bag workout in later.

Hitting the 3x10 on the incline bench took out some of my life force, but it’s good to keep up progress on it. Definitely the strongest I’ve ever been on the movement.

4280

Ever crossed your mind to make YouTube a thing for you?

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4281

Would be my first subscription if it happened, but not for the content, since I already read his log and watch his lifting videos, just for the comments section on his SSB abomination video. I crave that comments section.

7 Likes
4282

@flappinit Hah! That might actually be the only decent premise for a youtube channel. Some sorta cat-fishing thing, where I post videos, have people tell me I’m going to get hurt doing that, and I respond “Ok, I’ve been doing it for 20 years: how much longer you think it’ll take before I get hurt?”

@whang I genuinely hate video media, especially for lifting. I can read much faster than I can watch, and it’s just agonizing for me to watch a 10 minute video (mandatory length to get any youtube revenue of course) to get MAYBE half a thing out of it. It’s why I write. It’s also quite a bit easier to work around my schedule, as a lot of writing I end up doing while I’m at work with some downtime. Setting up videos would be a whole other affair and basically be working a second job for very little benefit.

I’ve got a few videos on my youtube channel where I go off on rants, but, in truth, they were ultimately just me refining my public speaking skills. I’m quite proud of how few verbal pauses I use when speaking, and attribute it to regular practice (similarly to my ability to crank out blogposts in one shot with no proofreading and not a WHOLE lot of mistakes).

And that’s kinda the other thing too: outside of mentality stuff, I’d be a hack. It’d be like “Mythical Strength’s Atlas Stone Tutorial: Tricks your Doctor DOESN’T want you to know” and then it’s a 7 second video where I just look at the camera and say “I dunno, just like, pick it up” “Training” my wife this past summer showed me how little I’m able to communicate to others on how to lift. All I’m good at is expressing to them that it sucks and it’s ok to feel that way, haha.

4 Likes
4283

I see. Yeah, I’m pretty sure it would get time consuming at some point. Plus with how much you have to keep up with in terms of camera quality vs other channels and all that, it also requires some cash. I just recently stumbled upon your “How I deadlift” video and I was pretty impressed with the fact that you took it in one take. Felt well rehearsed. Alan Thrall started with low quality cameras too but the content (and humor) was there, and it kicked off over time. But yeah, there’s a lot of time needed to be put in

4284

I feel like your deadlift video helped me massively when I first watched it. But as you say, I don’t see how you make that a weekly thing.

1 Like
4285

@whang Much appreciated man. Yeah, I like shooting those videos when I have something that I feel like doesn’t get addressed well or requires a bit more visual component to it, but as @dagill2 noted, it wouldn’t be something I could produce on a consistent schedule.

The shooting it all in one take is a fun challenge too. Like tight rope walking without a net, haha. I get tired of the videos with like 400 jump cut edits. Makes me wonder if the dude can even string together a sentence. But then some folks take out those edits and confirm that they can’t, haha.

YESTERDAY’S WORKOUT

1 hour of snow/ice shoveling

Notes: Kiddo got me up at 0300, then 0400, then 0500, and after working nights and only grabbing 5 hours of sleep the day before, I was dead on my feet. We got hit by snow/ice storm the night before, so it gave me something to work on. Despite being well below freezing, I was moving fast enough out there that I only needed a t-shirt to stay warm, which is always a good sign. Right elbow hit a few snags, but seems to be on the mend now.

3 Likes
4286

This is why I laugh at the people who come on here to make training logs that are in fact just repeated links to their YouTube channels. We’ve had a few people come on and just post 20 minute vlogs about their training, diet, etc., and while I respect their process, this is a forum, I’m coming on here to read things, not watch 20 minute videos. If there’s a particularly interesting log, one could theoretically look through months of training time in 20 minutes, instead of one day’s training.

4 Likes
4287

Woah, didn’t know there were logs like these

4288

That’s because nobody reads them, and 10 or so replies in, the people realize this isn’t the place to plug their non-existent YouTube following.

1 Like