Do you find you get much out of these? Do you only do the ‘head nod’ strengthening the back of your neck? Or do you hang the weight behind your head and nod forward as well?
Also, has Jim’s new book shown any movement yet for you?
Jim has said the new books will ship out on 15 Apr, so only a couple of days left.
I will raise my head up with the harness and swing the weight side to side. I don’t crunch with with harness, just because I am lazy. My neck definitely gets bigger from it, but it also seems to cut down on the frequency of neck injuries I pick up from pressing. Some sort of prehab.
There are worse things you could do, haha.
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I have noticed the same things as Pwn has said, as well as a reduction in tension headaches. When I can’t squat, I like to do HELLA drop sets on leg presses. Before I started neck training I would get a tension headache almost every time so I.stopped doing them, then I decided to start back after neck training for a bit and boom, no more headaches fuh me.
(Side note: I’m not a doctor, but it worked for me inserts grain of salt for your taking)
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That is a righteous strict press. Applause.
And that is a bad ass Grace time, with the axle. Donny Shankle did it in 1:47 with a regular bar, his pressing was a little sloppier than your’s, and he was the national champion 105 kg WL at the time. More applause.
Now you just need to do a human flag, and you can drop the mike…
@oldbeancam Glad to see you’ve had a similar experience. If nothing else, a big strong neck is always in style, haha
@punnyguy Much appreciated dude. Conditioning seems to be the missing piece for me. I’ve let it slip prepping for this show, but I’m excited about bringing it back up.
And a human flag probably would have been easier at the start of the log, when my legs were smaller, haha. Still, I’ll put it on the list, after a nationals win and 800lb deadlift.
Thanks for following!
AM WORKOUT
Axle bench press
5xAxle
5x66
5x136
5x186
5x226
5x256
3x286
7x321
12x256
Notes: Another lifetime PR. Bench is in a good place these days. Belly benched the last rep; forearms are a little tender and didn’t like the slow eccentric.
Chins
50 reps
Band pull aparts
9x20
Notes: Performed between sets of benching. Eased off the back work getting close to the show and took things light.
Keg clean and press 182lbs
4x1
Notes: Practiced running up the the keg and 1 motioning it. Trying to drill under the conditions of a press medley. Really feeling confident on this.
DB hammer curls 40
4x10
Crucifix hold 25
30 seconds
General notes: Woke up at 195.4. Work has been stressful and nutrition a little off point. Thankfully I have room for this. Got 1 or 2 more heavy workouts and then I just relax.
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This is the most accurate thing I have ever read on this site
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AM WORKOUT
T-bar rows
10x1 plate
10x2 plates
10x3 plates
10x4 plates
10x5 plates
6x6 plates
21x4 plates
Notes: Continuing with my “back day, not deadlift day” paradigm. This worked out well for today. Left hip was a little stiff, but in all I got in some heavy-ish training.
Standing ab wheel
4x8
Reverse hyper 360
4x12
Notes: Performed between sets of rows
Buffalo bar squats
5xBar
5x100
5x140
3x190
1x230
1x280
1x320
1x370
1x410
1x460
STRIPSET (no rest between sets)
10x320
20x230
30x140
Notes: This sucked, but in a different way than the pyramid training. Upperback was really pissed by the end.
General notes: Woke up at 195.4. Gonna try 1 more heavish workout with the circus dumbbell tomorrow and then start an aggressive campaign of resting. Show is 1 week out, and I’m feeling good. My glute my blow out during the show, but that’s about it.
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Sometimes the hardest part!
You’ll crush it brother! I have full confidence in that.
Thanks dude! Appreciate having your support!
Circus dumbbell clean and press
1x85
1x105
1x115
1x125
2x125 (clean each rep)
Notes: Real easy workout, but wanted to hit competition weight before the show. It feels heavy, yeah, but not impossible. Hitting it with this cartoonish dumbbell should carry over well to whatever we’re using at the show. Confidence is high. Glute has been acting up, but whatever.
Woke up at 195.8. Had the most amazing cheat meal for brunch. Buffet. 1 full plate of salad, about a pound of bacon, 2 slabs of steak, ham, various types of sausage, and some eggs. About 3 full plates of food in total. Ended up skipping lunch and still wasn’t hungry for dinner. I might make this a regular practice, but I’ll see what my appetite is like when I’m training harder.
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Hey man, if I remember correctly you ordered a shirt or two from NEVERsate? Just wondering what size you ordered and how it fits? (I’m going to go ahead and assume we would be similar sizes) I measured myself based on the chart on the LoyalBrand website, but I never trust those charts after being stuck with a few items that don’t fit (from other suppliers).
Also, any update on Jim’s book being shipped to you yet? My shipping status hasn’t changed.
Thanks!
Hey man.
I actually ordered one of the older model shirtd before they were supplied by Loyal. It was a large. I bought an xl sweatshirt though.
Haven’t checked the shipping status in a while. I know some folks are showing it shipped though.
Same here dude! Supposed to get here on the 26th.
2017 EMPIRE CLASSIC WRITE UP
EMPIRE CLASSIC STRONGMAN 2017 WRITE-UP
So first, the video
10th competition is over and done with. I met 2 out of my 3 goals; I placed, and I didn’t get injured. I wanted to qualify for nationals out of this comp, but it wasn’t in the cards. I had 1 big error that cost me first in one event, but ultimately I wasn’t ready for what this show would bring. Part of that burns me, but at big part of it excites me; it’s good to know I’m not even close to done in this sport yet. I still have a lot to learn.
TRAINING
Training for the event went pretty poorly. I got a bad glute injury on my left side right around the time the show was announced that was never healed until about the day of the show. I ended up not deadlifting for 3 weeks before the show, and even prior to that my deadlift workouts were pretty poor. However, none of the competition movements seemed to hurt the glute, so there’s that. I also ended up buying myself a 12.75” Circus Dumbbell to get in some real practice, which was a pretty smart move all things considered. I was losing weight coming into this show, mainly because I seem to perform better whenever I do that. Ended up weighing in at 198.0 with a few meals in me in jeans and a t-shirt the day before the show.
EVENT 1: FRAME DEADLIFT FOR REPS 450LBS
Usual strongman last minute changes here. We were going to be told go, and at that point we could set up our straps, vs getting set and then going. I realize nationals is moving in that direction, but honestly I think it’s just a dumb ploy to get us to all go out and buy figure 8 straps. I switched to my Why Our Way straps since they were easier to throw on quickly compared to the Ironmind ones. Also, we now had a down AND up command, whereas before it was just going to be a down command.
I managed 20 reps in 60 seconds, losing the 21st rep because my left strap slipped. This was good enough to tie for second place. First was 21 reps. I will say that, ultimately, I lost first because I wasn’t strong enough. That said, I also was moving slow because I could not hear the “up” command over the sound of the plates clanging, and I lost a lot of time staring at the judge waiting for an up command he already gave me. I think an up command is a legit idea when you’re lifting a weight that people are only gonna hit 5-10 reps with, but on rep fest weights, it’s really going to boil down to who got the faster command to decide who wins. This is the second time I’ve been burned this way, so lesson learned; I’m gonna ask for a hand signal from the judge for an up command and for him to yell and say the command multiple times.
EVENT 2: PRESS MEDLEY (180LB KEG, 200LB LOG, 231LB AXLE, 125LB CIRCUS DUMBBELL FOR REPS)
Probably the event I trained the most for, specifically the dumbbell. I haven’t hit a circus dumbbell of any variety since Dec 2015, so I was way out of practice. I managed to hit the competition weight for a sloppy double the week before the show. Last time I clean and pressed a keg was ALSO Dec of 2015, so I brought that back into the rotation quickly.
The keg killed about half the competition, but someone managed 3 reps on the dumbbell before me, so I had a number to beat. I got out and 1 motioned the keg, hit the log without much trouble (a 12” steel log is a lot easier than the 14” mutant I built at home), and then lost the continental on the axle. Looking at the video, I caught it too low the first time. It was a quick correction, but I was a little unstable at the top. I imagine it was the train wheels throwing me off.
The dumbbell in the contest was a lot like the one I had at home, which is to say crazy. I was having a difficult time finding a stable position. I know I need to figure out my rack on the CDB, but with only 6 weeks to build up STRENGTH on the movement, technique had to take a backside. I was using a technique where I’d spin the bell on my shoulder and press it while it was moving through space once it hit a balanced point. It sounds crazier than it is. It worked for one rep, but that was it. Someone else managed 1 rep as well. If they were using split times, I took second here. If not, I tied for second.
EVENT 3: 250LB STONE OF STEEL OVER 52” BAR
This was a first for me. To prep for the stone of steel, I used a stone simulator with a combination of bumper plates and metal. I figured the slippery bumper plates would get me used to the surface, and the uneven weight distribution would get me ready for the weight of the SOS.
I was mostly right. I was the first guy in my weight class to even lap the damn thing, but just couldn’t nail the extension. For the most part, I just didn’t have the confidence in losing the stone to the extension over the bar. Looking at the video, I was much closer than I felt, but it was a helluva fight, and eventually the stone threw me on my ass. I ended up performing a backwards summersault to escape the stone’s path and then put my arms up triumphantly proclaiming that I stuck the landing. Gotta have some humor in this, and honestly this event broke me out of a funk during this contest and got me to start having some fun. This was the second time I’ve ever zero’d an event, and the first time as a result of lacking strength, which was a motivator more than anything else. That said, being the first to lap the stone and doing it without wide receiver gloves, a grip shirt, tape, and all the other weird voodoo that was being used made me feel pretty badass. …although I did steal someone’s tacky towel.
EVENT 4: POWER STAIRS (250LBS, 300LBS, 350LBS, 3 14” STEPS EACH)
I prepped for this event using a Hungarian core blaster loading to a 20” plyobox. It worked well enough.
Time to beat was 27 seconds and some change, and I managed 23 before getting beaten by a 20 second and 16 second placing. My biggest mistake was being short, so next time I’ll pick better parents. Otherwise, I needed to pick a little higher on the 350s to get some better clearance, but this went about as good as it could.
EVENT 5: CRUCIFIC HAMMER HOLD (14LB HAMMERS)
Initially, this event was only going to be for the top 2 competitors in each weight class, but they opened it up to everyone at the end. It was worth double points, to create some drama. I actually DID train for this one, and I felt like it was a smart idea. I took 2 5lb loading pins and placed a 10lb weight on each of them with some locking collars to hold them in place. I then held the pin about 2-3” below the plate. I heard that the hammer held likes to tip, and it really stresses the wrist, so this did a good job of training that.
Time to beat was 1:50+. That was an outlier, as up until that point 1:20 was a good time. That said, there’s no real way to say this without sounding cocky, but I don’t think there are a lot of people out there with a pain tolerance greater than mine. It’s about the one thing I bring to the table, after all the stupid stuff I regularly submit myself to. I set up the hammers, and went through my ritual of listening to the chorus of “Ruiner” in my head (“you didn’t hurt me, nothing can hurt me, you didn’t hurt me, nothing can stop me now”). Just kept listening to that until I couldn’t anymore, and when I was done, over 2 minutes had passed. I took first in the event, and had the second highest time in the contest, beaten only by 1 of the heavyweights (we all held the same weighted hammers). Sadly, even with the double points, it wasn’t enough to bridge the gap and take second. I imagine that zero in the third event sealed my fate, but at least I didn’t lose my 3rd place finish.
MOVING FORWARD
For the immediate future, I’m going to lose a little more weight. I have a physical fitness test coming up this month, and I plan to run the crossfit “Murph” workout on 25 May as part of work function, so being lighter will pay off. I’m also going to get my run into better shape. My conditioning needs to improve as well, as I took a lot of time off after this show. On top of that, the CDB is going to make regular rotations into my training so I can better practice my skill on it, and I might be eyeing a stone of steel since they seem to be appearing in more and more shows. I’m still not done yet.
I don’t have any other show on the horizon at the moment, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled. Until then, my off season is going to have a lot of volume and conditioning and I’ll grow as much as I can.
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Good showing man. That show looked like a combination of awkwardness, fondness, grit and determination, and good old fun. Stones of steels do NOT look fun however and wtf that stupid frame could have been a little heavier!
But yeah, totally gotta try to get to nationals! Would be a sick meet up potentially between you, Brian and me!
Great video, great showing! Enjoyed the write up of, “Where I’ve been, what I’ve done, how I’m moving forward.” Good stuff, very self aware and objective. Also as a side note, isn’t that Grant Higa?!
Are you planning on competing lower as well? You’d probably wreck ass at one class lower and it sounds like you could easily do it. Great showing on the hammers man. I think it does all come down to pain tolerance in all of those lighter weight timed challenges, so it sounds like you crushed it comparatively.
@dchris - awesome, mine says it is in transit now as well. No expected delivery date, but hopefully this week!
@T3hPwnisher - Congrats on taking 3rd! Great write-up and it looks like you took a lot more away from this competition than just 3rd place.
Looks like you had some fun, even with that 250 lb ball. Great job. I will never understand why you guys who do that continental press haven’t got incredible back trouble.
@strongmanvinny2 Thanks dude! SOS is such a soul crusher, haha. And yeah, I’ve yet to find a show with a real challenging deadlift unfortunately. I think promoters severely underestimate how much weight the 200lbers can move. For presses and things, it tends to be accurate, but I find that the gap between lightweights and heavies on deads really isn’t that great, and part of me thinks it’s because lightweights tend to be able to get into better positioning on deads due to the lack of gut getting in the way. Heavies pull more, but it’s not by the huge margin you see when it comes to presses. Would love to start seeing stupid heavy pulls for 200s one day.
@Despade Thanks for the feedback dude! I’ve been doing a write-up every contest, and I’m trying to make them better each time. And yup; that was the Higa Monster in person, haha. That’s the second show I’ve had him as a judge. He’s very strict, but fair as well. Great guy.
@oldbeancam I really should be a 175er based on my walk around weight, but it’s such a rare weight class to find in competition that, at most local shows, I’d be the only one in my weight class. I like competing against others and really pushing myself, and it would kill a lot of the drive for me. Additionally, I always have to travel for these things, and putting my family through a long drive while I’m cutting weight would just be too selfish. I’m ok with putting myself behind the 8 ball and just compete against guys bigger than me whiel I’m lighter.
And yeah; I ended up doing well on the hammers for sure. The guy who hit 1:50 before me was a masters competitor, whereas most of the younger dudes were clocking out around 1:20 or so. I really think a part of it is just being older and having seen more crap. It’s one of those qualities you just build up over time.
@littlesleeper Thanks dude! This was a great contest for me. I was a little pissed off after the frame deadlift, but that stone just re-awakened me. It let me know that I still have a LOT of room to grow.
@biker Thanks dude! It’s interesting you conclude that those of us continentaling don’t have back trouble. I’d say a great amount of us do; it’s just something you have to deal with to compete in the sport. I wouldn’t recommend a continental to anyone outside of strongman, but if you wanna be a good strongman, you GOTTA learn it and get good at it.
Having a very strong back helps for sure. Confidence goes a long way too.
AM WORKOUT
Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x66
5x136
5x156
5x181
5x201
4x201 (push press)
10x156 (continental and strict press)
Notes: Coming back from the contest, felt a little beat up still, so just went for prescribed reps. Was good to get some blood flowing, and strength is holding up real well.
Pull ups
5x10
Band pull aparts
5x20
Notes: Prepping for Murph on 25 May, focusing on getting my chin over the bar each rep. Before, my concern was more about lat contraction, whereas now it’s about ROM. I might try to learn how to kip at some point.
Axle rows 186
50 reps
Dips
100 reps
Axle curls
1x100
Notes: All on the lighter side, just to recover.
General notes: Woke up at 195.0. Considering all the nutritional debauchery that occurred over this weekend, that’s pretty crazy. Just gonna keep riding that wave.
Hey man, congrats on your great showing! Really enjoyed the write up and video.