Relationships 101?
12/10/18- Accessory Day
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Lat Pulldowns- x5x15-20 SS W/Cable Rows- x5x15-20
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Cable High Pulls- x5x15-20 SS W/DB Shrugs- x5x15-20
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DB Hammer Curls- x5x15-20 SS W/BB Curls- x5x15-20
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Ab Wheel- x3x12 SS W/Stir The Pot- x3x6 (Per Side)
(After the Yoke the night before, Abs were not having 100 reps of ab Wheels)
12/11/18- Pressing Day
Log Strict Press- SS W/Pull-ups x10x3
Empty Log x10
85lbs/38kg x5
105lbs/47kg x5
125lbs/56kg x1
130lbs/59kg x5x3
135lbs/62kg x3x3
140lbs/63kg x2x2
Incline Bench SS W/T-Bar Rows- x5x8
Bar x20
135lbs/62kg x5x5
French Press- x5x12 SS W/Tricep Pushdowns- x5x20
Thoughts on competing-
Browsed through USS Strongman and was looking for comps Iād want to compete at, saw nationals and thought āWell lets just look at the events I bet theyāre pretty coolā
Events went as followed for teens under 220:
- Log Clean & Press Away- 200lbs/91kg xMax Reps in 60sec W/12in Log
- 13in Wagon Wheel Deadlift- 475lbs/215kg xMax Reps in 60sec (Straps and Suit Allowed)
- Sandbag/Sled Medley-
Take 2x200lbs/91kg Sandbags carry them 50ft/15m and load them into a sled and drag the sled back - Yoke Walk- 605lbs/274kg x60ft/18m drop and turn then carry it back
- Sandbag Toss over 14ft/4.2m Bar- 20lbs/9kg, 25lbs/11kg, 30lbs/13kg
Then I said āDamn thatād be fun, what do I have to do to get in?ā
From what I saw itās and open entryā¦ but itās all the way in Columbus Ohio.
Which for me would be an easy $1000+ Dollar Tripā¦ and a $155 entry fee.
So I did what any rational human being would do and calculated how much money I could make up to the competition. I calculated I could make $500 from my little bit of lawnmowing that I do. Iām at the age where I can and at this point should have a job, so probably end up making more.
Long story short, I figure at the strength level Iām at right now, and being 24-25weeks away from that, I think I have a strong chance at kicking ass at nationals, all of my strongest events (Except sandbag toss)
And yeah I realize itās pretty damn dumb to dump $1000+ dollars on my first strongman competition, but my parents said if I can earn my money to do it, theyād most likely take me to do it.
Yes brother! Go get that shit
Boy, 100lb yoke PRās are totally awesome and I sure do love them! (jk never happens to me, ever).
Last time I mile yokeād I couldnāt sleep properly for a week. My bones were aching and my body would randomly heat up to fever like symptoms throughout the night.
I often contemplate doing the mile yoke challenge, and Itās bad because I know there is so much that it takes while giving not much Iād expect in return. Hell just the thought of the challenge keeps me up for weeks lol.
AWESOME!
Canāt wait to watch you crush it mate
Events look definitely doable for you. Not to be the grinch around this time but Iād still advise you to do a few more local shows first.
Dropping over 1k on your first comp or any comp is pretty far out.
I agree with this also, hate to mess up because I have no comp experience/first comp nerves on an expensive showā¦ and itās also nationals. Iāll look for a good local comp that comes up before that show.
To cut or not to cut a lilā bit of weight.
By the end of this current training block I should be sitting somewhere around 198lbs - 200lbs bodyweight. Iāll have about 6 weeks between the end of this block and the beginning of Comp Prep. I definitely wonāt be a lean 198. Probably still keep my 2-pack in view and thats about it.
Would I be better off just keeping the bulk going over the 6 week period, or could I improve myself by dropping some bodyfat in that 6 week period??
I know @flipcollar has some experience with cutting weight nā stuff. Whatās your take on this?
Embrace the fat. Just kidding. Dude, you gotta listen to your body. Would I like to be a bit heavier? Yes, because maybe if I was heavier my bones wouldnāt bruise when I got under a barbell. But, thatās life. However, at the same time Iām in better condition + stronger than Iāve ever been at 175. Where do you perform the best? If youāre getting stronger + not getting too fat, keep gaining. Being 200 lbs. is cool.
Agree
unless the rules are different for teens, you have to qualify. Qualifying is easy, but you still have to do it. Youāll need to find a local show that offers a teen division, and place in the top 3. Then you can do nationals. I assume you can pick if you do the over or under 220 weight class, regardless of how you qualify. But for the open classes, you have to compete as whatever you qualified as. Which is why itās such a bitch for me to keep doing lightweight. I canāt just sign up for nationals as a lightweight. I have to make that 20 lbs weightcut for a local show, then make the cut again for nationals. If I qualify as a middleweight, I have to compete as a middleweight.
So question: are you trying to compete in the open divisions at nationals, or teen? If you do a local show as an open competitor in, say, the 198 class, youāll only be qualified as an open middleweight. I suggest you not do nationals as thatā¦ lol. youād get crushed. as a teen, youād be fine.
Assuming your goal is to compete in the 220 teen nationals, Iād say gain weight. For sure. Be as close to 220 by the time nationals hits as possible. Donāt limit strength gains just to keep bodyweight down when your class allows you to carry more weight. Thatād be silly.
Ultimately, in a year or so, youāll want to move to the open classes, and thatās when you can figure out which weight class really suits you best, but I donāt think you need to make that decision yet. Just get strong right now.
Definitely want to compete in teen 220ās. From what USS is showing there are only 2 local events hosted before nats, but neither have teen divisions, am I just SOL?
I would contact the promoters of those shows and ask them if they will add a teen division. if interest is showed, they may do it. If not, I can look into what your other options are.
Iāll give that a try, hope they are interested lol.
Edit: Would it be smart to tell the promoter I need the Division to qualify for nationals?? or just leave it as me wanting to compete in the show?
I would say you should let them know your reason. Itās possible that might work in your favor.
It might also be the case that, if you qualify in an open class (top 3), then that would qualify you as a teen as well. I donāt know the answer to that.
If you canāt find the answer, I can ask the gym owner at the gym I go to these questions. Heās promoted/hosted multiple USS shows, he should know what you need to do.
Ah, thatās awesome that you donāt have to place or anything. I hope to see you at Nationals then! Iāll be there, either as a lw or mw. The events are really good for me, so Iām excited about it. This year nationals had my worst press, which is the circus db. Log press is much stronger for me. Iām also very good with the sandbags. I won that event at Worldās this year, with the same bag weights and height that Nationals has for the MW class next year. Deadlift event is light enough for me to get reps on. The only event thatās going to be rough for me is the yoke. Iām going to have to put in A LOT of work on that. If I want to place high, I need to place somewhere in the middle of the pack on yoke, and right now, Iād legitimately probably come in last place on it.