Maple Syrup Strength (littlesleeper)

Training Logs
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584

I’m doing the “Healthy Eating Challenge” from NEVERsate. I’ve brought my calories back up a bit while my body ‘fat adapts’ so that I’m not restricting cals/no direct carbs all at once. I figure this will help keep recovery a non-issue.

This is just day 3 (2 days completed) of no direct carbs, but I’m surprisingly feeling very good. Good energy levels, and better mood than usual. I’m sure I’ll strike a bit of a wall when I become depleted and my body tries to move over to using fat, but so far so good.

I figure I’ll stick around maintenance this week with calories then start the reduction next week with the deficit.

Trying to stay below 10% carbs. Around 60% fat and around 30% protein. If anything changes it will likely be a tad lower carbs and a tad higher protein. I’ve been around 2500 cals last two days with close to these macros.

1400×1531 158 KB

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585

Looks like a solid amount of calories, I was just curious because I imagine switching it up to that workout with the giant sets and strongman specific conditioning is going to wipe you…it would put a mere mortal like myself in the dirt haha

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586

This may just become my favorite log to follow. If I had the space and equipment the first thing I’d try would definitely be the linear progression program Brian put on YouTube. Thinking of how my quads would feel after that conditioning circuit makes me want to curl up in a ball.

Best of luck with your competition too.

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587

@Despade - Ya, I think this program is really going to push my conditioning (which is an obvious weak point of mine). His workouts typically start with a superset/giant set of EMOM or time capped series of exercises to really get the body primed. I’m going to do my best to not let it run me down. So we will see how the 2500cals serves me this week. If I need to, or am still losing weight, I’m not opposed to upping them a bit more to ensure I’m functioning near 100%.

@caesium32 - Haha, thanks man. I’m simply following the “Daily Workouts” he has his athletes do in his gym. I obviously don’t have all the equipment that Brian has, so I’ll have to supplement some of the recommended lifts, but I do have a lot of the implements that he prescribes. Every time I went down to the bottom part of a burpee I had to talk myself out of curling up in said ball…
Thanks! I think I’ll need all the luck I can get. It is just a fun competition that is a fundraiser, so it is an open weight class (every competitor lifts the same weights). Events haven’t been announced yet, but I have a feeling it is going to suck…

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588

03/28/2017

Wave 1/Week 1/Day 2 - Tuesday

CONDITIONING - As Many Rounds As possible in 12 Minutes
7 Towel Chinups
7 TRX Dips
7 Toes to Bar

I performed 5 full rounds and an additional set of 7 chins before my time was up.

STRENGTH
Take 20 Minutes Work Up to a 5RM Overhead Squat
45 x 5
65 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5
105 x 5
115 x 5

These felt horrible; wrists, shoulders, back…nothing felt good during this movement, so I decided to stay rreeallly light.

SKILL
Snatches
75lbs x 10reps x 3 sets

Just got some reps in to keep the sweat coming and really tire out the shoulders more.

Fun little workout despite the snatches sucking.

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589

I can hardly do an empty bar. It’s such an awkward movement, my shoulders just can’t do it

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590

Ya, I’m pretty sure the difficulty of the empty bar was the same as 115lbs. I just didn’t want to push it at all, brutal. Need more shoulder mobility.

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591

I’m no expert on weightlifting, but when I was doing snatches and ohsquats, I would do the snatches light like you did. I would let the bar drift back a tad at the top after my set was over and really try to push my chest through. Your mobility will definitely improve week to week if you do this and dislocates with a band or a bar. Also, wall slides helped me a lot as well. Good luck man!

592

@oldbeancam - Thanks man! The bar was definitely drifting back at the top and bottom, whether intentionally or not! I have been working band dislocates in to most of my upper body warm up sets. I’m sure you’re right that if I just keep working them I’ll see some improvement. Mobility (along with most things in this hobby) is just a matter of putting in the time! I’ll have to look up these wall slides and give them a try, thanks.

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593

03/29/2017

Wave 1/Week 1/Day 3 - Wednesday

CONDITIONING - 5 Rounds, As Fast As Possible
100ft Bear Crawl
40 standing twists, holding a 25lb plate out in front of body
:30 Second Wall Sit

Completed the 5 rounds in 12mins 30s.

Good warmup. Nothing here was crazy difficult (modified from program a bit here, as the movements were to be done with a partner), but this got the body primed and ready.

SPEED
At the Top of Every Minute for 10 Minutes Complete 3 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls and 3 Clean & Presses @ 155lbs. (1 Clean/3 Presses)

This EMOM had the heart racing and sweat dripping. Highly recommend this little EMOM circuit for. I’ve tried other complexes that didn’t quite get the job done. This was fun and just the right amount of challenging.

STRONGMAN EVENTS - Atlas Stone Play Time
:60 Seconds Atlas Stone Lifts @ 145lbs (5 lifts)
:60 Seconds Atlas Stone Lifts @ 175lbs (4 lifts)
Single Atlas Stone Lifts @ 215lbs (2 lifts)
Single Atlas Stone Lifts @ 245lbs (0 lifts - FAIL)

Believe it or not, I was kind of happy that I failed the 245lb stone. This is my largest stone I own, so I’m happy to have one that I can eventually work up to. The 215lb’er didn’t feel super heavy while the 245lb’er was glued to the floor. Will be nice to put some work into the atlas stones and get comfortable handling the 245lb’er.

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594

So I have quite high hopes for this program as it is really taking me out of my traditional ‘comfort zone’ of exercises. Only down 3 workouts and I’ve done many exercises I have little to no experience with. They include:

  1. Atlas Stones
  2. Snatches
  3. Sumo DL High Pulls (I have done SGHP’s in the past)
  4. Overhead Squats
  5. Towel Chins
  6. Other seemingly random movements performed in a circuit

All 3 workouts have taken me to a point near the top of my level of conditioning (which isn’t necessarily saying much), but continuing to push this envelope will definitely improve my work capacity that will be required for a Strongman Competition.

Yesterday’s nutrition went a little sideways. Macros were good, caloric intake was bad.

My last meal I couldn’t stop refilling my plate with ground beef. I just couldn’t stop. 234g of fat in a day, I think that is a PR. I honestly wasn’t even trying, I could have eaten a ton more…or another couple avocados. Anyways, today is a rest day so I’m going to try and dial the cals back about 1000 from yesterday.

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595

So yesterday I overate again…

I’m staying high fat, moderate protein, low carb, so I’m assuming my body will be switching over to utilize the fat for energy. I’m not going to be losing fat consuming 3000cals a day though. Evening snacking is killing me. Pepperoni sticks, cheese, peanut butter…seems like I’m starving pre-bed and I’m consuming more cals than previously with carbs.

I’m hoping once my body figures out to use fat for energy, these food cravings will subside.

Training for today is calling for the following:

STRENGTH - Load a bar with 70% of your 1RM Deadlift and at the top of every minute, complete:
Minute 1: 2 Deadlifts
Minute 2: 4 Deadlifts
Minute 3: 6 Deadlifts
Minute 4: 8 Deadlifts
Minute 5: 10 Deadlifts
Minute 6: 8 Deadlifts
Minute 7: 6 Deadlifts
Minute 8: 4 Deadlifts
Minute 9: 2 Deadlifts

This would be 50reps of a 420lb deadlift in under 10mins. The deadlift challenge thread is only 30+ reps of 405lbs in 30mins…I’m not sure what to do here. On one hand, follow the program…duh. On another, this is a good opportunity to participate in the challenge…with similar intentions. I can’t see myself hitting 10reps of 420lbs within a minute, let alone getting rest before the next set of 8 on the way back down the pyramid…
I would be surprised if I made it to the 4 minute mark on this prescribed %/reps. Hmmm.

Suggestions from people who did the 405lb DL challenge or others?
Leaning towards the challenge right now…

@T3hPwnisher, @Despade, @MarkKO, @Basement_Gainz, @Frank_C, @furo

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596

A big reason I did it was exactly what you said, it fits fairly closely with your programming and lets you compete for some bragging rights with an interesting challenge, although it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you bowed out, I’m much more likely to keep a podium place, haha and I was surprisingly tapped by the challenge, still am in fact, and I love deadlifting, am built/hinged for it or whatever. But that AMRAP at the end torched me. If you want to get your volume up, you could do the challenge, and then give yourself X amount of time to complete your final 15-20 reps (say 2 minutes?) after your AMRAP set.

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597

Thanks man. Good points for sure. Deadlifts typically kick my ass, so I’m hesitant to push it too hard. Battling a chest/head cold at the moment as well, so there is no need to absolutely roast myself…well beyond what the challenge is going to do to me.

I’ll likely run this challenge this afternoon, unless anyone else feels like I’d benefit more from running the program as prescribed.

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598

Run the challenge. I’m going to redo it but I need to stop wearing myself out with other workouts. The challenge sounds like it’ll be less overall work than your workout (assuming you finish). In theory this sounds like a good choice because you’ll get to compete and it might take a smaller toll on you thus giving you a bit more energy to battle that cold.

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599

DO IT! My max is only 425 and I got 11.

It’d be really cool to see what you get. I waited for a 5/3/1 deload week.

You’ll recover fine. Just keep yourself honest on the AMRAP set. When your form gets unsafe end the set, live to lift another day.

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600

Do the challenge man. Doing 8, 10, 8 in three minutes sounds ungodly and you’ll probably literally die. Jus sayin

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601

I’m of the opposite mindset. Stick to the program and when you have free space then do the challenge. Especially something like this one, which is very likely to be taxing. That’s why I haven’t even considered it myself.

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602

Shoulder Dislocates everyday
Close Grip OHS with a broomstick

Do those everyday (like 50 each) and within 2-4 weeks you’ll have adequate shoulder flexibility to snatch/OHS. As you snatch/ohs more the flexibility will develop even further.

Worked for me, trust me it will work for you lol.

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603

03/31/2017

@Frank_C - I agree, given that I’m fighting this cold, I think it might be smart to take it down a notch. Also, having not deadlifted in a month…this could be humbling.

@Basement_Gainz - That is a solid showing, given your 1RM is 425!

@oldbeancam - I think I definitely would have died if I did the prescribed workout.

@MarkKO - Totally get where your head is at. That was the little dude on one shoulder telling me to man up and do the prescribed workout. Given I wasn’t going into this at 100%, I decided to participate in the challenge.

@isdatnutty - Great, thanks for the additional tips. I do band dislocates every workout, but not every day. Could definitely start trying that out as well as the CGOHS. I appreciate the help.

Wave 1/Week 1/Day 5 - Friday

MINDSET - Add/Drop Set for Bench press.

Prescribed
Load the bar with 155lbs and hit your first set of ten reps.
Immediately add 10-20lbs (Depending on your strength level) and complete another 10 reps.
Immediately add an additional 10-20 pounds and perform 10 more reps.
Continue to add weight & sets until you find a top set for the day.
Once you do, reverse the ladder by immediately stripping 10-20lbs (Depending on your strength level) and completing 10 reps.
Then strip another 10-20lbs and perform an additional set of 10.
Continue to drop weight in the same increments that you worked up with until you are all the way back down to your original starting weight.
Completed the Following
155 x 10
175 x 10
185 x 10
205 x 10
225 x 10 RPE 9.5 Not quite grindy, but a damn slow rep.
205 x 8
185 x 10
175 x 8
155 x 10

Biceps are locking up on me just from loading the bar with plates! Those Atlas Stones on Wednesday beat the hell out of my biceps, need to work on my form for those. Clearly trying to curl the stones up, which is a good way to tear a bicep…

#405lb Deadlift Challenge!!!

So I had intended on just using a mix-grip switching grip each rep but with my biceps cramping up I decided this would be a bad decision so I strapped up for the challenge.

I also tried the challenge with a semi-sumo/squat stance deadlift. I’ve never tried this position before, and it felt great! I’m definitely going to give this a whirl on some heavy deadlifts down the road. I think this could be my new go-to stance.

Now that I’m counting reps on the video, I may have pulled a @Despade and pulled my AMRAP on my 31st minute? Someone who is better at counting can verify on the video lol

Stay tuned/fast forward to the last minute of the video if you don’t have 3.5mins, things get interesting.
SPOILER ALERT

[spoiler]Nearly passed out on my AMRAP set. Yup. Things could have ended a lot worse than they did!
My wife even popped down to see if I survived!

30 Singles, 11reps on 31st Minute, by my counting…
[/spoiler]

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