Notes: This was a stupid thing for me to do, but it was a work function that my wife partook in and she’s afraid of zombies, so I went to support her. Nothing was too challenging. The “obstacles” were trivial and we went at a light pace. I “died” really early. We were given flag football flags and if we lost 2 of them we were considered dead. We still got to run the course, we just weren’t eligible for prizes at the end. My fight or flight is all jacked up, and instead of running away from zombies, I would run straight into them, so the first swarm of them took me right out. After that, I spent the rest of the course blocking for my wife. I’d get in front of her and then, when a zombie booked it for her, I’d just come to a dead stop and have them bounce off me. I’m sure it was funny to watch. She almost made it all the way through, but we got swarmed at the end.
Woke up at 191.4. Finally putting weight on, but having some real bad GI issues. Think I have an intolerance to all manner of nuts. Switched to cashews, and as soon as I started eating them these flared up again. Peanuts, amazingly, don’t cause the issue, so I guess I’ll just stick with those.
(7) Axle Mat Pulls
5x123
5x156
5x226
1x276
1x366 (mixed grip)
1x456 (mixed grip, 5 second hold at top)
10x546 (straps,touch and go, rest pause)
10x456 (straps, deadstop)
25 second hold of double overhand 276
Notes: Topset broke down to 4+3+3. Given that I could hit 3 for sequential sets, leads me to believe that the first set of 4 wasn’t giving my all. I was feeling a little beat up from the zombie run, but for the most part I need to start to cutting loose here. I’m actually thinking of bringing back the deadlift bar after this contest for just that reason; felt like I could do more with that vs the axle. Might be alternating weekly, or using the axle for the downsets and the deadlift bar for the top.
GHR sit ups w/25lb plate behind head
2x8
2x6
Notes: Performed between sets of mat pulls
Buffalo Bar Squats
5xBar
5x100
5x140
3x190
1x230
1x280
1x330
RESTPAUSE (15 deep breaths between sets)
5x370
4x370
3x370
2x370
1x310
5x280
4x280
3x280
2x280
1x280
10x280
Notes: Felt the slight trace of my groinpull from last week on my warm-ups, and it had been a while since I really got to get in heavy work, so I didn’t push the topset too hard on this. Made up for it with downsets. Still a ballbuster.
General notes: Woke up at 191.4. Didn’t log it yesterday, but had my cheatmeal of some steak nachos and half a chicken quesadilla. Doubled down today, with 3 entree from Panda Experess; beijing beef, orange chicken, and teriyaki chicken. Hunger is in full force; going to embrace it and see where it takes me.
Axle Continentals 206lbs
Doubles EMOM for 10 minutes
Notes: Switched to full grip. It honestly does feel a lot better. I notice I don’t have to move as fast from the first pull to the second, and I feel like I can get my hips way more into it. Think this will be a permanent fixture from here out.
Had several misses, but in general this is a massive improvement from how I started.
Yeah, knew that about peanuts. Just thought it was weird considering how often they are associated with allergies. Guess I am just lucky.
Thanks for following the log dude. And if you want to eat whatever you want and still lose weight, just do what I do; only be able to train half your lower body for 5 months and then get a stomach flu. The weight just flies off, haham
Notes: Lots going on here. Part of my contest prep plan. I’m hitting the required reps for 5/3/1 and not going for any AMRAP PRs. After that, I’m taking some push presses out of the rack to start building up my ability to hit heavy on those. Then, I chase it with a dropset to get back the strict press volume. Trying to balance everything all at once; we’ll see what happens. In general I’m a fan of it, but I think I’ll have to watch my assistance work for shoulders to keep from burning out.
Things felt well. My neck/trap is still a little iffy. I did some serious damage to it, but it’s on the better side of healed at least. Got a serious delt pump from that dropset; first in a long while. Push presses felt light, and considering I’m not doing them totally fresh, it bodes well. Plan for contest right now is take the required 175, and then with 20lb jumps, I’m going to skip 195 and 215, jump in at 235, and then take all the attempts from there. 255 is possible. 275 would be awesome.
Dips (upright)
1x50
Notes: Rest pause as needed. After the dropset, the volume on these has to get reduced. Could feel my right delt getting mad.
BACKWORK
Lat pulldown 180
5x8
Band pull aparts
5x20
Axle rows 135
1x20
Notes: Done between sets of other stuff. Started coming down with a food allergy after the strict press dropset and was having difficulty breathing, so I cut the rows short and got rid of the curls. I’ll try to hit the latter today after work. Ate a new product; Huckleberry Honey. I imagine that’s the cause. Will eliminate and see if problem persists.
General notes: Woke up at 193.0. Finally getting the eating in order, minus all the allergies.
Axle Front Squats
3xAxle
5x66
3x136
1x186
1x226
1x276
10 reps of 226 (rest pause)
Superset w/
Reverse hyper 270
4x12
Notes: Hamstrings were just in agony this morning. Soreness from my Saturday workout. Had to pull out an old trick and wrap them with a knee sleeve just to get 186. Just wasn’t moving well, so hit a top weight of 276 and then tried to get in some volume. A lackluster workout in general. Might try to get in the abs later today.
Woke up at 193.4. Focusing on my post dinner nutrition seems to be paying off.
Do you do the full standing ab wheel, on your feet to full extension?
Thats a son of a bitch, I am gradually working up to it but as of now I am doing it where I start on my feet, and got to my knees at the point where I can no longer extend, and then on the way back elevate back onto my feet when I break past a certain point. It is one fluid motion still. Even that has taken me a few months to work up to. Its a bitch of an exercise, but I guess that must mean it works, right?
I don’t go to the point that I am totally parallel to the floor; just until I feel my abs no longer shouldering the load and my upperbody taking over. With my dodgy shoulder, putting myself in that extended position is too risky, and I don’t really seem to get the benefit of the ab training with it.
It’s still a helluva movement. Low tech/high effect for sure.
Notes: Wasn’t a great pressing day. Things were just feeling heavy and beat up. I imagine my increased focus on overhead prepping for the show will take out some of my benching.
NG chins (various grip widths)
1x34
2x33
Band pull aparts
5x20
Notes: Performed in between sets of benching. Trying to get the chins done in fewer sets, partially because of increased density, and partially because I’m so bored out of my skull doing them that I want to blow my brains out. Thinking about cutting out the lateral raises while I up the pressing to see if it spares my shoulders any.
GIANT SETS
Axle push press 186
3x6
1x3
1x5
DB rows 105
4x10
1x21
DB reverse curls 35
5x8
Notes: Push press technique is really coming back. Screwed up grip spacing on the 4th set, but everything else was smooth. I’ll hit a few reps that are almost a jerk around the 2-4th rep, which is most likely a result of me dialing in technique as I go. DB rows aren’t strict at all. I’m losing a lot of lat contraction and just going through the motion. Product of fatigue from the push presses. They wear me out. Usually, getting closer to a contest, my back work gets put on the backburner and my pressing takes center stage, so it’s just par for the course.
General notes: Woke up at 192.6. First decent workout all week.
Notes: Forearm pump was insane on these. I’ve noticed recently that my forearms are starting to grow again. Lotta grip work focus on this contest. If I were a good little strongman, I’d do that all the time.
Running outside
30 minutes
Notes: Moving things around on my training week due to schedule silliness. I ran faster on this one that I had on previous ones, based on where I was by the time the 30 minutes was up. IT band a little pissy, but nothing bad.
General Notes: Woke up at 191.6. It’s my birthday tomorrow (I turn 31), so I plan to eat pretty big, so that might help.
Question about picking a class. I want to respect the sport of Strongman, but I don’t want to sandbag either. The contest I’m entering has a novice <231 class, and the weights seem pretty doable for me (100 dumbbell clean and press, 525 18"deadlift, stones under 250 lbs, etc.)
There is also the <170 pro class. The only listed weight difference is the dumbbell goes from 100 to 120 (the rickshaw/wheelbarrow event has weights listed as “freakin’ heavy” and “better have eaten your Wheaties” as examples).
I walk around at about 180 lbs. Would it be worthwhile to shoot for the Pro class <170? The middleweight classes, both <200 and <231 are both doing the same weights. The dumbbell jumps to 150, the heaviest stone jumps to 325, and the deadlift jumps to 605. I am certain id be more competitive at <170, but would it be worth a cut for a first show? I’m also not sure about going novice, as I feel like the weights are light enough where I might seem to be showing off, or looking for an easy way out.
The thing to keep in mind with strongman is that it’s rarely ever a case (in the amateur levels at least) of IF you can lift the weight. It’s a given that most of the competitive folks can hit the weight; it’s a question of who is going to hit the most reps or the fastest time with the weight. Everyone who is going to give you a challenge should also be pretty strong, and most are gonna have more access to the implements/specific training as well. I think simply going open in the <200 class will still provide plenty challenging for a first show. You should hopefully have some ate up sub 200lbers to compete with.
There is a dude that posts here occasionally (Joel Snodgrass @SnodgrassStrong that would just stomp me at every show we competed at. He was a sub 200lber, and the weights were light for both of us, but he was simply a much better strongman than I was.
That said, if you feel like cutting and really diving in, far be it for me to stop you, but my first show was an eye opener. The weights all looked super light, I thought I’d take home a first place showing, and I was buried in 4th. Top 3 had a huge lead over me. It wasn’t until my 4th show that I really had my feet under me.
Man, I bit off more than I could chew at my first comp competing under 200 (weighed in at 181). Truth is, unless you’re pretty great already you’ll probably suck a little no matter what at first. I zeroed TWO out of the 5 events and still had a blast.
I know I won’t be some sort of phenom. I just don’t want to waste anyone’s time at the open level, and I don’t want to feel the whole medium fish small pond thing if I did well at the novice level.
