110 
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Vinny, from a 1 (tabata squats) to 10 (high rep olympic lifts for time), how retarded is doing minute long yoke walks or farmers carries for the most weight you can do at a decent speed (not shuffling/just barely dragging along out of spite and self hatred)? I am considering implementing them during my GPP/hypertrophy blocks to rape my stabilizer muscles, get some unilateral leg work in, and conditioning/some hypertrophy.
I don’t really do any moving events (aside from a snatch or jerk that was caught slightly forward 
), so I want to do a healthy chunk of things like farmers walks, overhead carries, walking lunges, and yolk walks to get myself away from the same old movements and fix any imbalances I have that have been hiding.
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I’d recommend doing farmers carries with turns. Even try making figure 8’s with the run. Yoke is something I find to be pointless outside of strongman. Just brings injury and unnecessary body pains.
Also, sandbag and farmers medleys are honestly one of the best ways to beat the shit out of yourself and get great muscular carry over. They both suck massive dick and there’s no reprieve or let-off during any of it. Constant pain and it taxes your core like crazy.
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10/21/17 - Bw 224
Log Clean and Split Jerkish (all clean once and press away)
110x3,3,3,3
200x3,3
200x5
200x5
200x8
200x10
200x12 severe lat cramps, jerks were easy, breathing wasn’t
Single Arm Standing DB Press
40x25
40x25
40x20
40x20
Band Pull Aparts
x30
x30
x30
x30
Interesting, I’ll definitely give it a shot. I will keep my mind with those walks, I really want to just get/keep myself healthy and build a base to work off of.
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10/25/17 - Bw 223
Farmers Walk
120 per hand x 70ft
210 per hand x 70ft
260 per hand x 70ft sprinted
300 per hand x 140ft turned at halfway. First time walking with 300 per hand and it was easy. The straight line sprint was nothing, but the fucking turn…Once fatigue set in I literally felt both bicep tendons just holding on for dear life and my hands felt like pins were being driven through them. Fuck, man.
Gonna save some assistance for next session which might be tomorrow or the next.
Literally, today was just a test to see my worth with 300 per hand. I made it harder to compensate for the fact that there’s a yoke in medley with it by turning at half way with a pretty ballsy distance. Easy sprinting weight, not so easy in todays training!
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Have you ever tried clean grip snatches/squat jerks? They might be worth your time as a warm up/assistance exercise with your whole attempt to learn jerking. I know your lower body is kinda jacked up (your bum ankle) so they could be good mobilization tools either as a warm up or assistance.
Also 300 per hand? That is fucking monstrous. I am fairly certain every tendon from my fingers to neck would just slosh out of my body if I attempted it.
Yeah I used to do tons of muscle snatches and shit, with axles sometimes too. Stopped doing them though. Not sure why. I actually miss doing them I won’t lie. Maybe I’ll reincorporate them now that you mention them.
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I never really know when to program muscle snatches myself. I think they’re supposed to drill the proper upper body work in a snatch? I feel like I should do more of them, but things like hip/high hang snatches always seem to find their place instead.
10/29/17 - Bw 225
Sandbag Carry
200x80ft
200x80ft
260x200ft gah ties a PR dunno why I dropped it
260x210ft PR, basically just went my previous PR dist and waddled a bit just to solidify a PR
Done today. Less than two weeks out. I’ll be honest with anyone who reads this log. I actually went through a really really tough time around 3-4 months ago and it hasn’t gotten too much easier since but it’s gotten better nevertheless. My training was definitely impeded, and although I hate to admit that I simply became weak and let it best me, it’s not really an excuse, and I know I will not perform well at nationals.
I do know I wouldn’t perform very well even if I was at my best but that’s because am nationals is arguably one of the toughest shows to compete in. That said, I’m showing up because I have no choice. It costs a shit ton of money but hey, this isn’t something we all get to do often and there were times I never thought I’d ever qualify or be as strong as I am now. I’m gonna give it my all and try to have fun, although I’ll be alone there. I will do better next time, as I always do.
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Do you think the occasional heavy yoke walk will help make rucks feel like a breeze? I figure, if you can walk, albeit for a short distance, with over 200kgs on your back, a 20kgs ruck sack probably won’t feel too bad.
I actually had to google the word rucks lmao.
But yeah, I don’t think the body generally gains any perceived strength in relation to a heavy book bag on your back if your max yoke goes from 300kg to 400kg. After a while it becomes more about the individual muscles that comprise themselves as a unit and how well they function in the face of fatigue/moderate hypertrophic stimulus. A heavy yoke doesn’t train your muscular system as much as it trains your body from a neurological, and dare I say, skeletal stand point. Obviously you must have strong legs, back, and hip muscles, but your CNS must be primed with a certain kind of spark to carry a heavy ass yoke. It’s almost entirely unique in the sport.
That said, if it made any sense, lighter yoke walks would be amazing for that. Something like 40-60% for long distances, and you’re gonna be a fucking rucksack carrying legend in your town (or fit and conditioned to save someones life from a burning building god forbid).
Good question, thanks for asking as it probably clarified and debunked the myth of yoke being entirely moot outside of strongman. I think I sorta meant heavy yoke more than anything else in that regard.
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(I still hate yoke, fuck you, yoke)
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10/31/17 - haven’t touched a single stone at all in training which is mostly dumb but oh well, i have slick stones and no tacky to use today to mimic stone of steel.
Stones no tacky (lap to full extension mimicing over-bar load)
175x5,5+random shouldering
250x3,3,3
320x1
320x3
320x3 lapping it is pretty easy but my hands start to slip on the extension
Feels good to touch a stone before nationals. Felt casual and I’m hoping to get at least a few reps on the stupid stone of steel. Time to shower with stone rash.
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Have you ever done this with much success? It makes a lot of sense, I’m just curious how it fit in. Like would you use it as conditioning, a finisher, or a “recovery” session? Also, curious where the hell you’d go to do it. Really hoping you just go walk a mile down the block and back on the side walk with a full fucking yoke on your back.
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No, I would do like 100 foot walks or sprints with a light weight and maybe 3-5 sets with 3-5 min of rest. Give or take a bit on some of the parameters but yeah. Can maybe do like a mile walk with an empty yoke or something…I’ve done it with 270lbs and I almost died. Not really smart LOL
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11/7/17 - Bw 226 bicep has been very strange since i did stones…just doesn’t feel good. Tends to happen with stones and no tacky, or stones of steel. This brings me to mention the fact that stone of steel is THE dumbest event to be introduced to strongman since bar bending in the 80’s. Throw away safety for an easier clean up in your gym or venue? STUPID. I can’t do a stone over 300lbs with no tacky without my biceps being fucking traumatized for over a week.
Log Clean and Press
worked up to 200 before both biceps felt like they had pins being driven through the center of the muscle belly. Great familiar feeling.
Log (out of rack)
200x5,3,3 all split herks
250x1 so i will say that if i get a maximum capacity belly breath, it’ll make me almost pass out but if i take a half breath i feel much more stable walking it out and then pressing it.
Log fell to the floor after the first rep.
250x5 split jerks
270x1
270x6 good
Sandbag (no warm up just walked up to the 260 and carried it as far as i could)
260x275ft PR 
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11/12/17 - BACK FROM NATIONALS, and what a fucking weekend it has been. Easily the best contest experience I had, not just as far as placing goes, but the people I met and got to compete along side with. Truly incredible.
Met Brian Alsruhe (@Alpha) and his entire crew from Neversate, including Nicolai Meyers and Jeff Kryglik. Brian was exactly how you’d expect him to be in person…turned up x1000. Super passionate about WHAT EVER he is doing, whether it is helping anyone out with small things like chalking up or being there for someone who’s having a serious health crisis. His team showed nothing short of that as well.
Anyway, I came into this pretty much defeated already. My training leading up (all 7 months of it unfortunately) was a complete travesty to any training I had done previously. Just depressing and lacking direction. I was sure I’d either injure myself, or just flop completely. I do regret not having worked harder for this and not believing more in myself, even when others in my life did for me.
I had a good talk with Ben Woods. This fucking guy…the definition of resilience. I won’t list off the horrors this man has endured and continues to, but just talking to him and then watching him go out there and give it his all brought me to tears. He turned my entire weekend around and showed me what passion truly fucking looks like.
Tl;DR: Lil write up
Log: 280 for 4 cleans and 4 presses in 60 seconds. A good finish, considering SO many middleweights zero’d this.
Frame Deadlift: 720 for 12 reps in 60 seconds. Middle of the pack, but wasn’t sure if I’d zero it cause the most I had deadlifted on a frame was 690 in 2014 for a super slow single. Made a mistake though by pulling two fast on one of the reps and not resetting. I likely could have squeezed in a 13th rep had this not happened.
Husafell Stone: 350lb stone for ~290 feet. First time touching a hus stone. Pretty decent distance, winner got around 400 feet. Insane.
Yoke: 720 over 60 feet in 12 seconds. Fucked up BAD here. As soon as I picked it, it felt so light that I started sprinting, and I remember feeling the weight push me forward and I knew I was going to drop it. Costed me a few seconds. Very mad about this. I had bad training on this (really bad) but I do remember Brian telling me I’d be good at this. He definitely got me out of my head and into a better place. 700+ never felt so light and I’m happy for that.
Stone of Steel over 52" max reps in 60 seconds: 310 for 5 reps. Didnt touch a stone of steel at all until I got called up. No warm ups. Killed it though. I missed one load by not finishing the extension (rushed it) and it costed me a rep. Would have easily done 6.
Took 17th out of 70 or so guys in the MW 231’s. Missed an arnold invite by 2 placings but that’s okay. I made 3 small mistakes that added up and literally hijacked a top 10 (or in this case top 15 for arnold invite). It’s totally okay, though. Humbled by my mistakes but also invigorated at how well I did from a personal stand point and not even comparing myself to others. Excited to train again
(also tired of being 230lbs and ready to cut back down to 215 and not be a fat fuck)
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This is so great! Pumped from just reading your write up. I am truly happy for you and I am glad that you had such an amazing experience.
Your performance was insane!
P.s.: I hope you got a few videos?
Of course I got a video! I’m so jet lagged and sick that it’s taking me so long to do basic tasks. Tonight it’ll be up.
1 Like