I appreciate that sentiment dude. Bodybuilding will unfortunately run into the same issues: large crowds in small venues. As it stands, I don’t intend to do a bodybuilding show until my kid is at least in college. I’m already selfish enough with my training and diet: I’m not going to put my family through prep.
If you wanna see me competing in powerlifting or strongman, check out my youtube channel. It’s got every comp I’ve done.
Yes that’s definitely understandable. Probably a wise move actually.
Haha, I’ve actually been watching a bunch of your rant videos lately. Will definitely check out your competition vids as well.
Hah! I appreciate that dude. Unfortunately, HIT’s “trick” has always been liberal employment of the “no true scotsman”. I assure you that, were I to do whatever the hell a 30-10-30 chin up is, they would assert that what I did was either not a chin up or not 30-10-30 because, by definition, no one can do one, so if I did one, it wasn’t one.
They pull that same trick every time HIT doesn’t work. “You weren’t doing HIT. This is obvious, because HIT works, and since what you did didn’t work, it wasn’t HIT.” They always fall back on saying the trainee just plain wasn’t training hard enough. It’s such a dumb gimmick.
I think there’s a lot of value in some of the ideas of HIT, but the system itself is goofy.
Kicked off night shift with Tabata trap bar pulls with 135. Debating on my max effort lift tomorrow. Thinking very high elevated trap bar pulls. I need to do more straight bar work: it might become supplemental work tomorrow. My hips are getting better, but I can feel the potential in them to turn to glass again for a month. Keep toying with the idea of throwing on the suit, but it just makes training take forever.
I keep tossing around the idea of just following a plan for a while and shutting down the brain, but the x-factor is nutrition. I get my lipids checked again in Jan, and will start cleaning things up/dropping weight in Dec. Once that is done, HOPEFULLY I’ll be done with this stupid medical stuff and can just get back to living, and then at that point training can be what I need it to be.
AM WORKOUT (0700 start time, after working all night)
MAX EFFORT LOWER
(3) High Handle Trap Bar Mat Pulls
5x135
5x225
3x315
1x405
1x495
1x585
1x675
1x700
1x705
RESTPAUSE
Deficit deadlifts (number in parenthesis indicates amount of mats standing on)
(3)12x325
(2)10x325
(1)8x325
(Floor)8x325
(Floor no longer rest pausing)8x255
12x165
20x95
Chins (various grips, resting long enough to put away plates)
5x10
5x5
2x8
1x9
Axle rows against light bands (1 minute rest between sets)
4x12
Axle shrugs
1x50
Kroc rows 115
1x27
Band pull aparts
1x50
Notes: 3:00 between ME lifts. This was a great workout, especially given the circumstances. Good to get over 700 moving again. Right hip still not 100%. I’m thinking some daily reverse hypers may be in order. But I noticed that if I slowed down the eccentric a little on the ME work it felt better. It seems it’s the rapid unloading of weight that really drives it crazy. Those rows against the bands continue to be money, and the shrugs are awesome. I never cared for shrugs because of how much weight you need to load up, but the bands make that a non-factor.
I am also pretty jazzed about that supplemental protocol I came up with using the progressive ROM followed by the stripset. I think there is really something there.
Going for a walk with the Mrs later today.
Speaking of competing again, I just found out that there is going to be a strengthlifting meet (that Rippetoe thing with the press, squat and convedntional deadlift) on 10 Apr and a Strongman Comp on 26 Jun practically in my backyard. If the world situation is better by then, I’d wanna give them a go. It’s all unsanctioned stuff, but would be good to get a tune up.
Ooh sounds exciting. Nothing better than getting out there and competing.
Nice to see that max deadlift grind mate. Good work.
The strength lifting thing sounds like an even better event than powerlifting for you, press instead of bench and not a sumo in sight!
Eh, I’ve got a solid enough bench. Strengthlifting is honestly pretty dumb because they have weighOUTS vs weigh ins, so you have no idea WHO you are competing against until AFTER the competition is over, which removes any element of strategy as far as picking attempts goes. But these days I honestly care less about doing my best/winning and more about how much of a strain the competition puts on my family, so having something that is a 20 minute drive from my house vs 3+ hours really incentivizes me.
Yea I had noticed your bench was decent wasn’t a slight on that at all, just in pressing terms you seemed to favour over head more than bench.
What on earth is the rationale behind weigh outs?! That’s just so backwards!
I’m sure you’ll wipe the floor with the competition either way, can’t be too many guys with your weight and press! (And all the other lifts as well!)
FYI: your blog is halfway unreadable because the font changes to black on different black halfway through.
Edit: nevermind, someone already told you.
@simo74 Thanks dude!
@alex_uk Weigh outs were the crybaby solution to fight against people that are good at cutting weight. My slution was to just be stronger than the dudes that cut weight: it worked well. Appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t imagine there will be much in terms of competition, which is another thing that’s kinda kept me away. I got out of powerlifting because I didn’t like competing against a spreadsheet: much better to actually try to beat someone that is THERE that day.
AM WORKOUT (0415 wake up via dog)
Very long weighted vest walk with the youngest dog (much faster pace)
Daily work
1400 WORKOUT
Fran+ (95lb thrusters, strict pull ups)
21 thrusters
21 chins
15 thrusters
15 chins
9 thrusters
9 chins
5 thrusters
5 chins
Time: 7:18
Notes: Ever since getting back from the walk, been feeling nauetious all day. I tend to catch a bout of gastroenteritis around this time of year every year, so hoping that doesn’t happen. Original plan was to do the Omar HERO WOD, but between space issues and the general feeling of sickness, I stuck with Fran. Working the morning shift tomorrow, so will get up stupid early for a press workout and go from there.
Ah didn’t realise complaints about weight cuts were even a thing, a bit like peds (in non tested comps) if people want to do it then fine go for it, it’s their life/body, it’s within the rules what’s the deal? Rhetorical, I know it’s just sour grapes, like you say just just be stronger or if it bothers you that much manipulate your own weight.
Hope you don’t get sick!
Its powerlifting, of course there will be complaints. It’s a pretty boring sport so you need something to talk about so gear/weight cuts/squat depth is all fair game.
Haha too true!
AM WORKOUT (0300 wake up, beat alarm by 15 min)
SUPERSETS (chins-press)
Angled NG chin
5x50
3x95
3x120
2x3x125
6x95
Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x66
3x136
3x156
7+2+3x176 (rest pause)
Log clean and strict press away 135
1x15
GIANT SETS (press/dips OR BTN/dips-raise-pull apart)
Axle strict press 141/dips
3x10/failure
BtN press 120
1x10/failure
1x9/failure
1x8/failure
DB lateral raise 20
3x11
3x10
Band pull aparts
6x15
CONDITIONING
100lb log viper presses, each rep starting from the floor
25 reps in 4 minutes (4 minute time limit)
Dips (stripeset: no rest between sets, sets starting from bottom of rep)
4x130
3x105
3x80
4x55
5x30
5xBodyweight
Notes: 90 seconds rest between giant sets, rested long enough to change plates on the main work. 1 minute rest before conditioning work. This was an awesome workout, especially for so early in the morning. Really feeling like my old self. I’m discovering that much of my press drop off can be attributed to a lack of proficiency, as I’m re-learning the groove on these supplemental sets. I think I’ll be seeing solid growth over the next few training cycles. I liked what I came up with for conditioning: got some more shoulder work in and got some back work in. The dip stripset continues to improve and I feel like it’s got a lot of raw strength in it starting from the bottom.
Hey dude, are you using any kind of planned approach for your weighted chins? Or just kind of winging it by the day?
Hey Man,
No plan or progression. They’re not that important to me. Just going with a max effort style approach, stolen from Brian Alshrue’s Dark Horse. Build up to a 5, 3 or 1rm for the day, and then a backoff set.
Got the belt squats on video. Sideways: oh well
Will log the session later
LUNCHTIME WORKOUT
Buffalo Bar Squat
5xBar
5x140
3x230
1x320
REST PAUSE (12 deep breaths between reps)
10x370
5x370
3x370
2x370
1x370
8x320
1x320
7x320
2x320
6x320
3x320
5x320
4x320
4x5x280
15x230
SUPERSET (squat-hyper)
Belt squat 150 (no lockout)
1x17
1x16
1x15
STRIPSET
Reps of 150, 125, 100, 75, 50 and 25
Reverse hyper 360
1x14
3x13
CONDITIONING
Stone of Steel extensions
19 reps in 4 minutes
Notes: 90 second rests between giant sets. This was an unscheduled squat workout. I was relying on my dog to wake me up to go walking this morning, but they were good and I slept until 0540 (wife’s alarm going off), which was pretty awesome. Mrs and I were originally going to go running, but it started snowing, so I hit up the squats. Went very well: came in strong. Those belt squats are really working some magic.
