Chasing Records

Hey man . Nice to see ya back around here. Hope you get your issue healed up.

Thanks man! I hope so too.

I didn’t sleep too great the night before last, so yesterday I decided to do a bunch of sets of farmer’s walks at 205lbs instead of trying to see what the heaviest weight I could hold onto was. The session wasn’t so bad overall. I put in some solid work on the suitcase holds and front squat holds. My right hand has a hell of a weak grip though. Also, just posted a new video on my youtube channel for those who are interested. My take on why so many people miss deadlifts over the knee. Let me know what you think.

1/24/17

Straight arm pulldown- 130x10, 140x10, 150x10,10,10,10
Farmer’s walk- 115lbsx20yds, 165lbsx20yds, 185lbsx20yds, 205lbsx20yds x (5 sets)
Suitcase hold- 205lbsx20secs, 215lbsx15secs x (3 sets)
Front squat hold- 315lbsx20 secs, 405lbsx20 secs, 455lbsx20 secs, 475lbsx20 secs

Done.

I put in some strong work yesterday. My grip seems to be improving pretty drastically so I’m curious to see what happens once I return to some deadlifting. I did 5 sets of 20 yard farmer’s walks yesterday with 215lbs in each hand and I could have done 10 more if I wanted. So far the most I’ve been able to hold onto is 225lbs a few months, but I think I should be able to surpass that soon. I also went up to 235lbs on the suitcase hold, where previously the most I had attempted was 225.

Straight-arm pulldown- 140x15, 150x15,15,15
Farmer’s walk- 115x20yds, 165x20, 185x20, 205x20, 215x5 sets x 20yds
Suitcase hold- 215lbsx15 secs, 225x15, 235x15,15
Front squat hold- 315lbsx20 secs, 405x20, 455x20, 505x20, 455x20

Done.

I randomly stumbled across a video of George Leeman talking about progressive range of motion deadlift training, something that has worked very well for me in the past, and I became infatuated with the idea of running a brief training cycle utilizing it. So I wrote up this whole thing. Very basic. One all out AMRAP set once a week. The weight remains static throughout the program and the ROM increases by about 2 inches every 2-3 weeks. Really fun stuff. Yesterday I pulled 545lbs for 15 reps from just over the top of the knee. Today my upper back, lats, and traps are super sore. It felt really good to move some heavy weight. Unfortunately, unlike the other exercises I’ve been doing, this one aggravated my injury to an unacceptable level. It’s a damn shame. I’m never going to be able to squat and deadlift 600lbs simply because the threshold of this injury is so low that I just can’t put in the training that I would need to be able to do to get to that next level.

Anyway, new video is up on my Youtube channel if anyone is interested. How to remove the slack from the bar before a deadlift and why it’s important. Let me know what you think.

2/2/17

Jump squat(50lbs)- 5,5,5,5,5
Bodysaw- 10,8,8,7,7
Rack pull(position 1)- 545lbs x 15
Sled push- 725lbs x 4 sets of 20 yards
Krock row- 120lbs x 30
Pallof press- 70 x 15,15,15

Done.

Kind of killed it yesterday. For the last 3 weeks on my farmer’s walk day I’ve picked a weight and done five 25 yard carries with it rather than trying to work up to the heaviest weight I could hold onto. 2 weeks ago I used 205lbs. Last week I used 215lbs. Yesterday I used 225lbs and did 5 solid carries with it. This also matches the most I’ve ever carried for a single set. My grip felt strong yesterday and I can feel it improving now, which is nice. Upper back, traps, and glutes are super sore today in a good way.

2/7/17

Straight arm pulldown- 150 x 15,15,15
Farmer’s walk- (115lbs x 25yds)(165x25)(185x25)(205x25)(225x 5 sets of 25)
Suitcase hold- (215 x 15 secs)(225 x 3 sets of 15)
Front squat hold- (315x20 secs)(405x20)(495x20)(515x20)

Done.

Perhaps unwise, but I decided to give the rack pulls another go this week. Admittedly, however, they were far less agitating to injury this week than last week. In light of that I’m going to continue with the progression I planned (at least for another week) and see how things go. So next week’s workout will use the same weight (545lbs) but it will be moved through a 2 inch greater ROM, taking the bar from just over my knees to right about on the kneecap. Wish me luck!

2/9/17

Jump squat(50lbs)- 5,5,5,5,5
TRX fallout- 10,8,7,5,5,5

Rack pull (just over knee) - 545lbs x 15
Sled push - 725lbs x 4 sets of 20yds
DB row - 125lbs x 30

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Dude, strong AF…IN

Thanks brother. Hoping for big things this year, so stay tuned.

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I got in another solid session yesterday. I am planning as of now to do a USPA meet on May 20 because it’s only about 2 hours from where I’m currently living. That leaves me with 14 more weeks to prepare. My attempt at adding body weight has been wholly unsuccessful up to this point lol and I could most likely make a relatively easy cut to 148 if the meet were tomorrow, so as of now I plan to compete at 148. I’ve got a pretty solid plan in place as of right now (at least it feels solid) and I have a goal total in mind for this particular meet If everything goes as planned I may make the trip to Vegas this year and do IPL World’s, but we’ll see. Anyway, I’m dropping the depth jumps for the next few months and switching back to bounding to stay explosive. This plus an assload of hyperextensions has my hammies and calves quite sore today. Abs are also massively sore from doing standing rollout negatives, which I’m getting pretty damn good at by the way. Not sure I’ll ever be able to transition into doing full standing rollouts though lol, that shit seems impossible.

Also, for those who are interested, I am now officially fully operational in my new online coaching business. I finally got all my ducks in a row and I’m ready to start taking on clients so if anyone is interested or knows anyone who might be interested check out this video on my YouTube channel or just shoot me an email at enkiri.elite@gmail.com. I’m excited to get things rolling!

2/12/17
Negative rollouts- 5,5,5,5,5
Bounding- 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5 (5 jumps done consecutively - farthest set of 5 was 48’1" - PR is 50’2" I believe from 2015 so I’ve got a long way to go)

Sled push- (765x20yds), (810x20yds) (855 x 3 sets of 20yds)
Hyperextension- 135lbs x 16,16,15,13
Pallof press- (60x10)(70x10)(80x10,10)

Done.

Farmer’s Walk PR

I’m starting to feel pretty strong and my grip has improved substantially since I began doing farmer’s walks. Yesterday I did 3 solid runs with 235lbs per hand. Previously the most I had even ever attempted was 225. I’d like to stick with 235 for a few more weeks and then go ahead and make another increase. It took a while for the improvements to start to stick with this exercise, but the last few weeks things have really taken off and I’m nearing my original goal of doing a 500lbs farmer’s walk.

2/14/17
Straight arm pulldown - 150 x 16,16,10,8
Farmer’s walk - (115 x 25yds)(165x25)(185x25)(205x25)(225x25)(235 x 3 sets of 20-25yds)
Suitcase hold- (215 x 15secs)(225x15)(235x15)(225x15)
Front squat hold- (315 x 20secs)(405x20)(495x20)(545x20)

Done.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQg2RD_F1ea/

Seems like I’ve amassed more cumulative fatigue from all the sled work than I’ve realized. You don’t really get sore or feel beat up from it, but my legs have been noticeably weaker on that movement in particular the last few weeks. Whereas previously anything up to about 850 felt easy to get started and caused my feet no slippage, the last few weeks my feet have been dying to slip out from under me as soon as I get to 800lbs. I haven’t felt like I could go back up to 900 or over since I smoked 900 probably about a month ago now. I have been increasing the average intensity during this time frame, however the peak intensity has obviously decreased slightly. I’m going on a short trip for Saint Patrick’s Day and I’m thinking I may just use that as an opportunity to take a full week off from lifting and recover a bit more.

In other news, I increased the range of motion by 1.5 inches on my pin pulls last week and the difference in strength was astounding. I was pulling from just over the knee cap before and now it’s literally just under the kneecap and the difference is so profound it’s shocking. I had to drop the training weight from 545 to 495 last week to survive the set. That area of absolutely zero leg contribution may be the weakest part of my deadlift. I think I’m going to stick with this spot for another 2-3 weeks, make one more increase in the ROM, train it for probably 3 weeks, do one test session from the floor about 5 weeks out from my meet, and then shut it down and focus on the squat for the final 4 weeks leading in to the meet. I have to keep the squat/DL volume painfully low lest I aggravate my mystery injury and become fed up with training in general. I do feel like I’ve gotten stronger and I do feel like I’m in good shape overall right now. The exercises I’ve been doing have all improved in strength over the last few months. I’ve seen huge increases in my farmer’s walk, sled push, and hyperextension. The only question that remains is whether I can abandon the core exercises for such a long period of time and still expect these replacements to generate carry over.

Also, I’d like to give pulling sumo a go at this meet. I haven’t pulled sumo since my very first meet and I missed 550 like a bitch that day, so that needs to be rectified. Anyway, I’m rambling.

2/19/17

Bounding(series of 5 consecutive jumps)- 5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5 (40 total jumps)
Negative ab wheel rollout- 5,5,5,5,5

Sled push- (630lbs x 20yds)(720x20)(810x20)(860x20) Weak
Zercher hold(first time ever doing this Zercher style)- (225lbs x 15secs)(275x15)(315x15)(315x15)
Hyperextension(140lbs)- 13,12,10,10

Done.

Another Farmer’s Walk PR

Been kind of killing it on farmer’s walks lately. I’ve managed to hit PR’s two weeks in a row now, with 235 for 3 runs last week, and then 245 for a single run this week. This run was tough and I got yanked around a little bit by the weight, but the only true limiting factor was as usual, my grip. I think I had a few more pounds in me though. My plan now is to work with 235 for straight sets for the next month or two and then go for another PR where I’m hoping to hit 255 per hand and finally eclipse the 500lbs mark. I’ve also been killing it on those iso front squat holds that I added back in a few weeks ago. I did 565lbs for a 20 second hold in this session, which is the most I’ve ever tried. These things are tough. I’m looking forward to pushing this over 600 though.

Also, just published a new video on my YouTube channel that’s all about farmer’s walks. I guess I was inspired by my recent string of PR’s. I do have to say this has become one of my favorite exercises. So the video is basically just an overview of the myriad of benefits of this exercise and my take on why I think pretty much every single person should do them. Let me know what you think.

2/21/17
Straight arm pulldown- 150 x 17,17,13,10
Farmer’s walk(115x25yds)(165x25)(185x25)(205x25)(225x25)(245x20 PR)(225x25)(225x25) - I smoke this weight now
Front squat holds- (365x20secs)(455x20)(515x20)(565x20 PR-ow)

Done.

I attempted to do a full standing ab rollout for the first time yesterday and was able to. Previously I had just been doing only the negative portion, but now I’ll start to try to mix in some more full reps. These things are tough. I won’t be able to handle more than a couple at first because my abs still aren’t strong enough to keep the pressure off my lower back on the concentric. Other than that, yesterday’s session was uneventful. I did a few moderately heavy sled pushes and a bunch of hyperextensions with the 140lbs dumbbell. Going to bench a little bit today and hit some farmer’s walks tomorrow.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ_IpVQhqzn/

2/26/17
Standing ab rollout negatives- 5,5,5,5,5
Sled push- (630x20yds)(720x20)(810x20)(810x20)(810x20)
Hyperextension- 140lbs x 15,13,11,11

Done.

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1000lbs Sled Push

Well, fuck waiting for deloads I guess. I was planning to attempt pushing the 1000lbs sled in a couple weeks after I took one, but I felt strong yesterday for the first time in a while so I just went for it. Not too shabby. Pushed it maybe 10 or 15 yards before my feet started slipping. I did 950 right before it. Prior to yesterday, the most I had ever attempted was 900 and I hadn’t gone over 855 in a while. Anyway, when I started these I could barely do 800 and now I can do a grand, so I think it’s safe to say my legs have gotten stronger in some capacity. I can also do a full standing ab wheel rollout now, so I think it’s safe to say my abdominals are stronger as well. I’m going to train like this for about 5 more weeks I believe and then I’m going to return to the squat and deadlift and see what happens. Should be neat.

Also just posted a new video on my YouTube channel for those who are interested. It details the “core” training I’ve started doing as of a few months ago. Hard, heavy, challenging work that isn’t boring and may prove to be beneficial. Give it a watch and let me know what you think. I’ll post the 1000lbs sled push in the next few days.

3/5/17
Standing ab rollouts- 2,2,2
Standing ab rollouts (negative only)- 5,5,5
Sled push- (630lbs x 20yds)(745lbs x 20yds)(845lbs x 20yds)
(950lbs x 15yds - PR+50) (1000lbs x 10yds - PR+100)
Hyperextension- 140lbs x 15,14,12,11

Done.

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Finally got up the video of my recent 1,000lbs sled push, along with a couple other recent training PR’s on the farmer’s walk and front squat supports. Got in a pretty good session yesterday. This was the 2nd week where I’ve experimented with some front squat negatives. I started with 365 last week for 5 negatives, and used 385 yesterday. I’ll probably jump up 20lbs per week for another 3-4 weeks and then transition into wrapped back squatting for 4-5 practice sessions before my meet. My legs have clearly gotten substantially stronger, as evidenced by the massive increase in how much weight I can push on the sled, but I figured I need at least some sort of eccentric type work if I want it to carry over into squatting. So far so good. These have felt somewhat tough but very manageable. They’re not causing very much soreness, and most fortunately of all, they don’t seem to aggravate the injury. So fingers crossed. I’m looking forward to testing out my squat in a couple months. I have literally no idea what’s going to happen. I could completely crash and burn at my meet lol. Wish me luck.

3/9/17

Jump squat(30lbs)- 5,5,5,5,5
Standing ab rollout- 3,2,2 (first time ever doing reps on these, massive improvement)
Standing ab rollout negatives- 5,5,5

Front squat negatives(385lbs)- 5 total
Sled push(630x20yds)(745x20)(835x20)(860x20)
Hypers(145)- 12,12,12 (DBs top off at 150. Going to need to find a new way to load these soon)

Done.

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Update & a new video

Looks like I haven’t posted in a couple weeks. Well, so many things have happened since then! Not really, but I do have a couple new things to report on lol.

-Sled work has been fine. I’ve been moving weights in the 900lbs range more consistently, but have not gone back 1,000lbs since the big push a few weeks ago.
-I’ve continued increasing the weights on the front squat negatives. I was able to maintain some very solid control with 405. A little less so with 425, so I plan to repeat that weight.
-I have exceeded 600lbs on the static front squat holds. As well as 500lbs beltless, zombie style.
-I’ve begun doing some “overload sets on my farmer’s walks by adding in a few heavier sets with straps. Wowwww this is practically a different exercise. No longer are you limited by what your hands can hold. Instead, you are truly limited by what your body can support without being crushed and by how how much load your hips can stabilize unilaterally. So far I’ve done 275lbs per hand, 550 total, for about 25 yards. My goal is 300lbs per hand, obvviiii, so I can slap that 3rd wheel onto each implement.
-I’ve started using the 150lbs DB on hypers and have already cranked out a set of 15 reps. I need a new way to micro-load these now but I don’t know what will work. The DB works so well because I can just bear hug it and increase the load by 5lbs at a time. The way Pete Rubish does them shortens the ROM too much I feel, plus would probably get me yelled at. The other way is to put the bar on your back, but you kind of need a partner to do that and I have none. So I’m in a bit of a pickle here.
-I needed a new jump variation to keep myself from getting bored so yesterday I re-implemented one of my all time favorites, the standing broad jump. I managed to do 9’3” yesterday, which isn’t terrible, but is pretty pathetic when you consider my all time best is 10’3" haaa. So that’s a big drop off. However I have not trained these in this style in…years. Goal is to get back up over 10 feet. Should be manageable.
-Lastly, new video is up on my channel! It’s an organized form of the progression I used to finally work up to being able to do standing ab rollouts. Yesterday I did a PR set of 5 reps. Check it out and let me know what you think!

3/26/17

Standing ab rollouts- 5,3,3,3
Broad jump- 3,3,3,3,3 (best jump was 9’3")
Sled push- (630x20yds)(720x20)(810x20)(900x15)(900x15)
Zombie style front squat hold- (315x20 secs)(365x20 secs)(415x20 secs)(465x20 secs)(500x20 secs)
Hyperextension(150lbs)- 15,13,12,10 (50 reps total)

Done.

I got in a pretty good session on Tuesday. I did a solid set of farmer’s walks with 240lbs per hand with no straps, followed by a couple with 275lbs per hand with straps. I reallllllly want to do a 600lbs farmer’s walk but goddamn it is hard to walk with 550 right now. I need to be way stronger to walk with 600. That will probably have to be a goal for after my upcoming meet, which I officially signed up for the other day. It’s on May 20th. That should be interesting haha. I’m excited, but also very nervous. I have a goal total that I want to hit for right now, but like I’ve said 100 times by now, I literally have zero clue what I’m capable of squatting or deadlifting at the moment. For all I know they both could be 225 lol. Anyway, maybe I’ll hit my goal, maybe I won’t, at the every least I’d like to qualify for IPL World’s in Vegas In November. That should be quite manageable. I’d like to finally lift in a bigger meet so that seems like a good place to do it. Of course, that won’t be cheap so I won’t bother making the trip unless I think I’m capable of something pretty big by then.

Anyway, new video is up on my YouTube channel. I’ve had several people ask me for more details about the online coaching I’ve recently started offering, so I figured I would make a quick video and address some of those questions. I also expound a bit more on my personal philosophy with this whole coaching thing as it comes to strength training. Give it a watch and let me know what you think.

Sleds and front squat negatives later today!

3/28/17
Straight arm pulldown(150)- 20,20,20
Farmer’s walk- (115 per hand x 25 yds)(165x25)(205x25)(230x25)(240x20)(250x10…lost grip)
Add straps- (275x20)(275x20)
Suitcase Hold- (225x15 secs)(235x15)(245x15)
FS Hold- (405x20 secs)(495x20)(585x15)(635x10)-this hurt lol

Done.

Just use quarters instead of 45s. Works perfectly fine and you can go up to around 445 with metal plates.

I was thinking of trying something like that using the EZ curl bar.