I didn’t know you had a blog, it’s very good.
2 Likes
Man, you are missing out on so much haha. Lucky you, you get to read all them posts with no prior knowledge of them.
3 Likes
Thanks guys; appreciate having you as readers.
Just read one of the blog posts and it reads like many of the brutal but fantastic comments I’ve seen you put up on this forum. Nice work!
Hey thanks man. It has been a good outlet for me. Appreciate you reading.
Wife snapped this photo on vacation. Looks like an Ironmind photoshoot, but captures how scrawny and lean I got.
Already got my next training block planned out. Excited to get back already.
5 Likes
Scrawny would work…maybe emaciated…haha “How scrawny I got.” Looks more like lean and mean, time for peanut butter and honey sandwiches with three slices of bread!
1 Like
You remind me of Popeye the sailor man for some odd reason. That and maybe it’s just me but photos are never a good representation of how someone truly looks. They’re either overly generous or totally underselling.
Not even close to scrawny. Lean yes. Add in some calories and your strength should really be set up to take off. Great place to start a new training Cycle!
@Despade How I wish I could eat like that without just getting fat, haha. Peanuts/peanut butter seems to be affecting my allergies these days sadly. Same with most nuts. Not sure what is going on there. But I will definitely find something to eat.
@Benanything Maybe my propensity to eat spinach? Haha. It is funny you bring him up though, because Popeye was one of my original idols as a kid wanting to be strong. Between him, Arnie and Hulk Hogan, all I ever knew I wanted to be was strong and violent. I suppose it could be worse.
@IronOne Appreciate the kind words. I will always be my harshest critique, and think of myself as either too fat or too small, but it motivates me for more. I think a slight weight bump should help my progress.
Still pulling 12 hour days at Disneyworld while intermittent fasting. We skip breakfasy every morning and eat our first meal around noon. Eating a 2/3 bacon cheeseburger (no bun) every night has been pretty awesome. I have simple taste.
2 Likes
Back in the land of internet. Ran my second 5k race on my cruise (on an Island in the Bahamas with a million percent humidity), did a bunch of push ups and a quick cruise workout where I press 50lb dumbbells on an adjustable bench and then kept reducing the incline as a mechanical advantage dropset. Ready to hit the training hard.
7 Likes
GOD IS A BEAST ANCHOR WORKOUT 1
PM WORKOUT
Axle Deadlift (touch and go)
5x136
5x226
1x276
1x366
3x401
3x456
3x516
3x426
3x486
3x546
Standing ab wheel
4x8
Log viper and press away
5xLog
5x120
5x5x155
Band pull aparts
5x20
(2) DB incline press 50s
1x50
Axle rows 186
50 reps
Full range plate raise 7.5kg olympic plate
25 reps
Notes: Giant sets for the deads, ab wheel log and pull aparts. Everything else an afterthought. This was tough. I’ll be running the anchor for 2 cycles, so next cycle I’ll bring down the training maxes and really push some reps. Right now just gonna run into the red. Think I’ve got some patellar tendinitis on the left knee as well, so there’s that.
Woke up at 191.6 this morning. 4lbs down from the start of the vacation. Also picked up some weight gainer from a certain company, which I’ll be using on training days.
3 Likes
Prowler w/200lbs
Backwards drag 550-600’
High handle push 550-600’
Notes: I really need to quit doing this workout, but sometimes it’s easy to be hard and hard to be smart. Total ass kicker, just not really anything I need to work on at the moment. I’ll get back on track soon.
Woke up at 191.6. Extra few pounds seem to make a difference here, because this really sucked.
2 Likes
GOD IS A BEAST ANCHOR WORKOUT 2
AM WORKOUT
Buffalo Bar Squat
5xBar
5x100
5x140
3x190
1x230
3x300
3x345
3x385
3x320
3x370
3x410
Reverse hyper 270
3x20
Axle bench
5xAxle
5x136
5x5x226
Band pull aparts
5x20
GB loading pin curls 25
4x10
Yoke press
20 reps
Notes: Bar on my back felt heavier than it should. I’m out of practice. Weight loss is part of that too. Tendinitis has switched to IT band inflammation. Just gonna ride out this training cycle for now. Still hitting required reps, just not much else. Giant setted the squats, reverse hypers and benches, and threw in the pull aparts when I ran out of hypers. The GB loading pin curls worked out well, and I’m a big fan of the yoke press. Makes light weight feel heavy.
Woke up at 191.2. Balancing act between correcting my weight while not freaking out and over correcting.
2 Likes
PM WORKOUT
EMOM Workout
Minute 1: 1 Circus dumbbell clean and press per arm, 1 pull up
Minute 2: 2 CDB clean and press, 2 pull up
Minute 3: 3 CDB C&P, 3 pull up
Minute 4: 4 CDB C&P, 4 pull up
Minute 5: 5 CDB C&P, 5 pull up
Minute 6: 4 CDB C&P, 4 pull up
Minute 7: 3 CDP C&P, 3 pull up
Minute 8: 2 CDP C&P, 2 pull up
Minute 9-10: 1 CDP C&P, 1 pull up
Notes: Just a little conditioning workout to relearn the dumbbell, since it’s coming up in an April contest. Did a good job getting my heart rate up.
Woke up at 190.8. Really need to get my weight under control. Need to stop eating like a princess here.
3 Likes
I agree. More of the right food = increased strength/stamina. Even though you already have both.
Hey man, I recall you having a deadlift suit. Do you use that thing regularely out of competition (if it is allowed in comp.)? I have always wondered about suits and briefs and eventually want to try lifting in one. Then again I am a bad deadlifter as it is and I don’t know if it would make me better and also in my country it is never allowed to use a suit in a strongman competition unless it is an international one (I assume because not enough people own one). Would like to hear your two cents and also would like to know what kind of suit/ supportive gear you have.
In my case, it’s less about using the calories to improve the quality of training and more about getting my bodyweight back up so that I can move heavier poundages. Weight moves weight, and though a bunch of excess fat isn’t great for being athletic, dropping mass tends to hit things hard as well. Thankfully, things seem to be moving a little better as of this morning.
GOD IS A BEAST ANCHOR WORKOUT 3
AM WORKOUT
Axle Strict Press
5xAxle
5x66
5x136
3x166
3x191
3x211
3x176
3x200
0x226
2x226
GHR sit up
4x8\
Band Pull Apart
5x20
Deadlifts w/texas deadlift bar (dead stop)
3x135
3x225
1x315
5x5x375
Dips
100 reps
NG chins
1x20
Notes: On the first attempt at 225, I pressed the axle halfway up, the entire world went fuzzy, I blacked out and then fell forward into the rack. I then took a moment to get my head straight before nailing the double. So I at least have that in common with @strongmanvinny2 Now I just need to actually have a strong press, haha. My TM is too high for press, but I’m going to ride it out. I MAY have been able to hit that triple if I didn’t blackout beforehand.
Deadlifts were smooth. Threw in the chins just to get in SOMETHING, as I was running out of time.
Woke up at 192.0 this morning. Been pushing calories as much as I can without getting full blown stupid.
1 Like
Hey man,
I’ve only ever played around with the deadlift suit, and haven’t actually been able to use it in competition. Right around the time I bought it is when competitions started not allowing suits. I haven’t seriously committed to using it as a result.
I have a metal jack deadlifter. I got it for cheap as a used suit off of powerliftingwatch It has adjustable straps, which are in theory helpful for different height pulls in strongman. I also own an Inzer champion squat suit which, again, I’ve only played around with and haven’t seriously committed to.
Gear is a total pain in the ass to get on and off, and it’s the primary reason I don’t spend much time using it in training. I allot myself an hour a day to train, and if I used gear, I’d be spending about half of my training time getting it set and right. If you train with a crew and go for 2-3 hours at a pop it’d be different.
Sorry I don’t have much on the topic. I know @MarkKO has been experimenting a little with gear as of recently.
Just finished reading your most recent blog post, and i completely agree with the “adults eating like children” point. It’s ridiculous to me. They complain about vegetables and such taking forever to prep and cook, but skip them every time they’re right in front of them. Insanity. Great write up dude. Glad you had an eventful experience. Haha
I liked the “90s kid” fat line. I never really thought much about it but remembering my childhood rarely did I see “fat” kids, just “husky” kids - as kids I wasn’t too keen on going head-to-head with during football practice. Of course, I could be just romanticizing the 90s. Of course they still allowed dodge ball back then & gave us hockey sticks to do with more or less what we pleased. (Perhaps kids these days aren’t conditioned as well because they aren’t fleeing from something on the daily.)
I’ve been getting more into your blog posts too. I especially liked the piece about where we fit in. It reminded me of a line from the latest Rick & Morty, “the universe feeds on mediocrity”