good to see you post mate. I see your stuff on IG but its good to know you are still alive and kicking.
Great strict press at 315x2, that’s crazy strong.
Sorry to hear about your pain from deadlifting. I’m still trying to figure out how to make sumo not mess up my hips and cause pain. Im just so much stronger and more comfortable pulling sumo. Recently I’ve been trying to strengthen my hip flexors and glute min, but still seem to be suffering the same hip pain.
Your last post hinted at your plans moving forward, but are you planning to run a specific program or just programming yourself along the way?
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Thanks. I’m currently trying to work on my lumbar injury that I sustained in 2015, again in 2017 and a third time last April. All the deadlifting I did (Sika program) jacked me up while also getting my pretty damn strong but it all came to a head with a hip flexor tear.
No imaging done but I am certain my disk is bulging pretty bad. Not enough to cause pain, just stiffness from irritation. Obviously I cannot push deadlifts or strongman training with this as it can slip again and then I’m fucked for a while. Nursing disk injuries is hard to deal with mentally. After viewing some deadlifts I willl share below, my strength seems prime but my lower back feels inert; like literally void of stability and it interrupts the transfer of my strength. I have to put 110% of my energy into stabilzing my spine as lack of doing so will be severe.
I do feel like I can power clean 365 though so that’s niiiiice.
Haven’t logged as i have literally been on extended deload+dieting so strength is a bit tapered. Here is todays first deadlift session since 2 weeks.
RDL (conventional, hook grip)
135x3,5,5,5
185x5,5
225x5,5
275x3
315x3,5,5
365x3,3,3 feeling powerful but spine stability isn’t amazing.
315x8
315x11 very easy, I think I nailed my technique on these.
Funny enough, although I have GREAT levers for deadlifts, I’m so stiff that it cancels out my biomechanics. I have been working tremendously on hip flexion and it seems to help a lot with me having a better spinal mechanic on DL. I also look like Rauno Heinla when I deadlift. Too bad I’m not pulling 1000lbs.
Hamstring Curls/Planks
x15/x60s
x15/x60s
x15/x60s
Lateral Ass Band Machine
xa lot x a lot
Judge my DL friends
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8/27/21 - bw 238. Started a diet-clean up last week. Lost a lot of water pretty quick from all the carbs i was intaking haha. Hoping to clear up back to the low 230s and high 220s.
Front Squat
135x5,5
185x5,5
225x3
275x3
330x3
365x5
365x5 wow, hard on the core
365x5
-passing out-
-passing out-
Goal was to take 5s with 365, and naturally by set 3, I wanna shoot for 2 more sets but I cannot stay conscious for the life of me for some reason.
I really want to know why my I become so prone to blacking out out of nowhere. Thinking Hypernatremia (excess sodium in blood). I prepare fiendishly for these workouts in heat by loading my water with sodium, magnesium, potassium and dextrose. I have no way to know for sure, but I do have a distinct mouth-thirst which is very strange considering I’ve consumed about a gallon of water and I’m only 3/4 through the date (pee is light yellow borderline clear before/during session but I’m hardly urinating).
Either way, probably going to either cut back on the sodium or just drink less at a time. I finished 70 oz of concoction in like 45 minutes 
Regardless, heavier front squats felt so-so. Probably for the best I did not get my final two sets, they would have been very hard.
Zercher Squat/Double Pause BGSS Circuit
135x10/25x5 x 3 rounds murder me please brutal leg pump with short rest periods
Superman Push ups
3x6
DB Sidebend
x10
x10
x10
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8/31/21 - bw 236
Farmers Deadlifts (no straps or belt)
120x10
120x10
170x15
170x15
170x15 hand tore open toward the end, hard set
DB Bent Over Row/Nordic HS Curl SS
40x10/x8 x 4 rounds
Superman push ups (kinda liking these tho they’re very challenging)
x6
x6
x5
Plank
x45s
x30s
x30s tapped
Pull Up
x10 had to call it due to hand being fucked
Banded Donkey Kicks
x12
x12
x12
x12
9/2/21 - bw 239 on a caloric deficit last couple weeks and still holding onto weight. Frustrating.
Strict log
110x5,5
160x6
180x10 absolute failure, big strength drop off. Usually when my back is in rough shape it siphons from all other lifts so not a shock.
160x10 again, complete failure. Fortunately weights are very light and it hardly feels like a weight to brace against, just challenging as hell on the upper body.
Triceps completely tapped from those two sets, just wow.
Tri Pushdowns
x12
x10
x10
x10
Lateral Raise
25x12
25x12
25x12
25x12
Face Pull/Bicep Curl SS
x15/x10
x15/x10
x15/x10
9/4/21 - bw 239
High Bar Back Squats
45x15
95x10
135x10
185x10
225x8
245x6
275x10
275x20 in about 35 seconds, legs lagging behind, cardio had more
Bulgarian Split Squat
bw x 8
40 x 8
40x 8
40 x8
40 x8
9/6/21 - bw 238. Rehab/prehab day. Feeling sore decent from squats. Been doing some kneesovertoesguy inspired elephant walks. One thing about me is I have abhorrent mobility in my hamstrings, in part due to my hips. I struggle to raid my knee past a 90 degree angle let alone have sufficient mobility which perturbs my ability to get into good positions on squats/deads. I am also doing extensive hip flexor/extensor work.
RDL
135x10
135x10
135x10
Back Extension
x25
x20
x20
x20 tricky as to not overextend or flex
RDL (again)
135x10
135x10 little bit of knee soreness from the squats and so much lunging but nothing major
Nordic SS with GMs (paused)
x8/95x10 x 3 rounds
Donkey Kicks
x10
x10
Great session.
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9/10/21 - bw 236. Goal today is a heavier single than last time and some more doubles backing down.
Axle Split Jerks (out of rack)
135x5,3
185x3
225x2
275x2 felt okay
315x2 awesome! techically sound, 2nd rep mimicked 1st. Challenging enough but certainly conservative.
Push Press/Push Jerk/Split Jerk complex
275x1 rep each, very easy for all
Strict Overhead
135x10
145x10 hard
165x10 about failure, crazy the drop off on strict press right now from simply cutting out calories in sugar/junk. Part of it is likely due to just not hitting the movements enough. Just weird to think I was repping 315.
165x5 failed 6th, triceps have no gas
Tricep Pushdown/Lateral Raise/Band Pull Apart/Chest Flye Giant Set: 4 rounds, 10-15 reps each.
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9/11/21 - bw 236
Front Squat
135x5,5
185x3,3
225x5
225x8
225x8
Zercher Lunges/Bulgarian Split Squat (double paused) Super Set
135x8,x8
135x8,x15
135x8,x15
Superman Push up
x8
x6
x6
x6
DB Sidebend
40x15
40x15
40x15
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9/15/21 - bw 236
Farmers Deadlift
120x6,6
170x6
190x12
190x12
190x12 tough on lungs, but plenty of power by end
DB row
40x15
40x15
100x10
Back Extension
bw x 15
bw x 15
+16lbs x 15
+16lbs x 12
+16lbs x 12
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9/21/21 - bw 236 on struggle bus today. Diet has been strong, will to rest has been strong, just feeling a bit down during the grind but such is life. I often replay my old DL pr videos in disbelief that I once deadlifted 300kg conventional and sumo weighing 100kg. I think Stuart McGills video on neural drive is pretty spot on. If a disc is aggravated it inhibits force production. Even if I feel strong, I just can’t output, but I work within my means.
Conv DL
135x5,5,5
185x3,3
225x3
275x3
325x3,3,3
Paused DL (slow neg)
275x3
225x5
225x5
225x7-8
Back Extension
+20lbs x 4x 20
Going to deload next week (4th week of block). Think I’m going to rotate deadlifts out biweekly instead of hitting them weekly with a variation. Back feels aggravated so it needs more rest.
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9/23/21 - bw 235. Today became an impromptu mobility day more than anything. Still got in light upper body work.
Barbell Clean to Strict Press
135x10
135x8
185x8
185x8
Band Pull Apart
x15
x15
x15
x15
x15
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10/11/21 - I am now being coached by Travis Ortmayer. I made this decision because I am tired of spinning my wheels and having no will or energy to go in the gym and figure out what I’m going to do while generally ending up doing something I will regret. I am also dieting vigorously as well. Some big changes coming. Of course my hip/back is still aggravating me but we’re working around it and doing our best to accommodate while letting it heal.
Am I positive this will be super fruitful? Not so much but I NEED change.
Push Press
45x10
135x5,3,3
185x5
205x5
235x5
235x5
235x5
Easy 5x5 as far as how it appears on video but it actually felt really heavy on my chest.
High Incline Bench SS with Lat Pull Downs (wide grip)
185x5/x12
205x5/x12
205x5/x12
205x5/x12
205x5/x12
Delt Ladder (front raise/lateral raise) SS with overhead Tri ext.
x15/x15/x15 x 3 rounds
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Hell yeah dude: Travis is an absolute legend. Been through hell too. This is an exciting development.
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That’s exciting.
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Exciting news and solid decision! I will probably never coach myself again if I don’t absolutely have to.
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10/12/21 - bw 238
Conventional Deadlift
135x10
135x10
185x7
185x7
185x7, some felt good, some felt horrible
RDL
135x10
135x10
135x10 same as above
Hamstring Curl
x12
x12
x12
x12
Ab Pulldown SS with horizontal band core holds
x12/x – x 4 rounds
10/13/21 - bw 236
Bench press
45x15
135x5,5
185x3
185x8
205x8
225x8
245x8
205x8
205x8
185x8
185x8
Close Grip Bench 2 board SS with Bent over row
185x10/135x10
175x7 failure lol/135x10
165x7 failure again/135x10
135x8
135x8
DB Bench
40x10
55x10
55x10
55x10
DB Curl SS with Leg raises
25x10/x15 x 3 rounds
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10/15/21 - bw 236. Currently eating 7 smallish meals a day consisting of 5 whole eggs/oats in the AM, and just steak/chicken /rice/avocado/macadamia nut/almond butter for the rest of the day with spinach at almost every meal. This is a big change from 3 huge meals. I can already feel a bloat going away and a few lbs of water weight leaving the body. I feel better physically (maybe placebo). Did some slightly different mobility work before the session with a lot of the same stuff as well. Some ankle mobilizing and a facing-away hip banded distraction with an elevated left leg (left impinged “bad” hip). This seemed to help 10-20% of the mobility issue, ultimately hurting less. Some of the below squats were certainly challenging core wise, but the weight never felt heavy on my back (i know, it’s only 185, but with slow and deliberate this is gains).
Back Squat
95x8
145x10
185x10
185x10
185x10 took my pinkies off the bar like ben pollack and lost all my tightness in my back. wtf.
185x10 much better
Step Ups to 21 inches
4x12
Calf Raise
x15
x15
x15
Ab Pulldowns
x12
x12
x12
Sled Drags
Tire x 80’ x 2
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