Never Go Full Strongman (or Bikini)

Thanks for the compliment. I am confident in day to day conversations in English, however in more specific areas like in this conversation I lack a lot of vocabularies.

I had to search a good bit since I don’t know the names of those exercises either :D. I found youtube links for the first two. The third should be clear:

http://images.google.de/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FUWnuAQ2ftno%2Fhqdefault.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUWnuAQ2ftno&h=360&w=480&tbnid=pwAyiv25Ekd7dM%3A&docid=1s3i21JGqBXPRM&ei=6WvlV5TBBYaHgAbT47qIDQ&tbm=isch&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=1761&page=0&start=0&ndsp=43&ved=0ahUKEwjU2dWOh6bPAhWGA8AKHdOxDtEQMwgfKAMwAw&bih=979&biw=1920

Now for the 2nd exercise (the scapular depression exercise on the lat pulldown) it is important to know how this works. You have to try your best to get your shoulde blades together (like in every back training) and DOWN. Hold the position for about 3 seconds, then relax and let the weight pull your scapula up again. This is to clear up imbalances between your upper and lower traps. Often times a great dysbalance between the two leads to very tight neck muscles and for some people headaches (my question here would be if your upper traps are very tense?).
The problem is that we do not know a lot about the nature of your impingement. The tips I gave you might work IF your problem is lack of subacromial room. The exercise I listed aim to improve that. Myofascial release and mobility wok are always a good idea though.

You are definitely welcome to do so. I am more specialized in treating lower body injuries and pains but have worked with bad shoulders as well. Never with serious athletes though, so far.

I guess this is the wrong place to discuss this but I am genuinely curious how that works. Like if you have no insurance at all (which is possible in America if I am not mistaken), what happens when you need immediate medical attention? Do they get you to a hospital but then have to refuse to help you because you have no insurance money that pays your hospital bills? I see a lot of jokes about the American health care system but is it really that bad?

The second link doesn’t show as a video here. But it still seems to work :smiley:

@Koestrizer Ahh! I’ve done that before. An thank you very much for taking the time to search! I actually did that yesterday with the band I have under mys desk. I have no Idea what it’s actually called either, but I can definitely do that along with MFR techniques at my desk. I included both while doing some mobility work after our last conversation.

Actually yeah, my upper traps are always super tight; I always just sort assumed all lifters’ were. Next time I’m at a lat pull-down machine I’ll do that. To be honest I never knew you could have imbalances in muscles of the same movement plane. I mean, I know you can have dominant muscles that take over in a movement, but I always associate the term “imbalance” with traditionally antagonistic muscles. It seems so obvious now that you’re pointing it out; muscles connected to the same joint system be imbalanced.

All discussion is welcome! It sort of depends. Now, I’ll begin by stating that my knowledge is limited to the perspective of a normal insured American with no medical background other than what the other half tells me. I don’t seek medical attention often at all, but I know that it’s an extremely complicated system.

There are countless insurance plans & systems out there and they each provide differing levels of coverage. Any type of medical interaction costs money, from ambulance rides, to check-ups, to emergency room visits, to prescriptions, surgery; anything.

Insurance companies will pay a certain percentage of the cost depending on the type of care, but it has to be within their plan. For instance, my fiancee’s insurance covers visits to the chiropractor, but mine does not. The total cost of the chiropractor is around $150, so she pays $30 per visit and her insurance company pays the remainder. I, on the other hand, would have to pay for the entire amount. This process can be applied from a simple check-up all the way to Cancer treatment. Unfortunately, many major procedures still end up costing a fortune either by way of deductible or if your insurance simply doesn’t cover it. Millions of Americans are driven into deep debt from medical expenses. And worse, many suffer or die simply because treatment is unaffordable.

For the uninsured, from what I understand hospitals are only required to provide live-saving procedures on the spot (like if you get shot and are bleeding out). But even then, you get a bill; which often isn’t paid. Now, from what I understand there are government systems that support uninsured. But it gets dicey and ends up being rather unfair to people with insurance. For instance, if an uninsured person falls under one of these assistance programs, they’ll get everything free, where an insured person in the exact same predicament would end up paying huge sums of money, even if they can’t afford it.

For the most part though, if you’re uninsured you’re pretty screwed. You can walk into free clinics, which are shitholes, for basic care. Hell they’ll kick you out of a hospital if your insurance falls through as long as you’re not on the brink of death. It’s changing, but for a long time insurance companies could deny someone coverage if they have a preexisting condition.

Also, doctors are under no obligation to see you. Many will simply say they aren’t accepting new patients. One way the market is mitigating this is now you’re seeing lots of private Emergency Rooms, which run me $50/visit. But again, they’ll turn you right back around if you don’t have any insurance so long as you’re not dying at their doorstep.

Now all of this being said, because of the competitive system people who work in the medical field get paid tons of money. Obamacare is making it harder, but being a doctor, surgeon, or a specialized nurse is (or rather was) extremely lucrative. Because of this, the US attracts the best doctors from across the globe. I’m not familiar with global medical technology, but from what I’ve read that the US is cutting-edge in terms of innovation, research, & technology. In the last decade, more than half of new medicines came from the US if I remember correctly. In my town, a team of surgeons just successfully separated a pair of conjoined twins.

We sort of just accept that we have to budget for medical expenses and hope that we don’t get an ailment that bankrupts us lol.

Friday 9/23/16
RE upper

Pushups 65 total reps

Combat Pull ups (hanging on tree)
Ss band pull aparts

Tri set
Band pushdowns
Band curls
Med delt pull-aparts

Saturday 9/24/16
Events

Axle power clean
Warm up, then
1 rep of 185 for 10 minutes EMOM

5 X 6 stone to shoulder w 105lbs

Yoke walk
Empty: 2 runs for 120’
+180: 2-3 runs for 60-120’
+280: 2-3 runs for 60-120’
+320: 1-2 runs for 60’
+180: 1-2 runs for 60’

Happy to help!

You are kind of right, lifters tend to have tight upper traps. Strongmen especially with carries and shit like that. That doesn’t mean however they should not treat that as a potential problem. Especially when you have shoulder problems. The dysbalance between the upper and lower traps is very common, not only among lifters but also general working population. From reading about your work I guess you are sitting a lot in front of a computer? That would fall into the “tight hip flexor, tight upper traps, kyphotic t-spine, lack of glute engagement, tight pec”-group. To correct this things i part of my job (or lets say the more fun part of my job).

My best tip is probably to ensure full mobility before getting into pressing/ overhead stuff. There is A LOT you can do to immediately better your mobility for a short time. You should not get into doing something over your head without having the necessary mobility. Either your back or your shoulders will be angry.
Also working on mobility outside of your training, like we discussed.

I wish you all the best and good luck with your recovery!

Also thanks for explaining your insurance system! That is definitely interesting! Also kind of shocking…

I am not an expert however! I am only trying to help you or provide some information you weren’t fully aware of before. I am no doctor or chiropractor or stuff like that! So don’t take anything I say for granted :smiley:

Sorry it took a bit to respond, been more or less off the radar for a minute, which I tend to do during deloads lol. I did the scapular depression wrong, I misremembered it I guess but I’ll get it right next time. I’ve been doing that external rotation exercise pretty much daily (mostly with bands), and have been doing lots of baseball/tennis ball work.

Yeah I’ve got a desk job. I do as much standing & moving as I can but it is what it is for the moment. Thanks for all of the help man! I greatly appreciate it. hopefully I can get back to pressing soon, a strongman who can’t press ain’t much of a strongman haha.

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Alrighty, it was time for a deload. I traveled for business most of last week so decided to just time it w/ a deload. I’m great at deloading, I don’t even touch a weight usually.

Saturday 10/1/16
Events

Atlas stone work
Lots of stone-to-shoulders w/ 155# stone (PR*)
*I miswrote earlier in my log, this was my first sts with the 155


Tuesday 10/4/16
ME Upper

Close-Grip Bench
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 4

Dumbbell Bench
65# 16,8,3 (rest-pause)

Chest-supported row strip-set
warm-up
135 x 4-6
95 x 8-12
45 x 12-15

rear delt flys (super-set with row)
30 total reps w/ 10#

Seated bicep curls
like 30 reps rest-paused w/ 25#

Hanging leg raises
about 25 total reps

calf raises: 3 sets of 10-20

Notes
CG bench actually felt relatively fine, and didn’t get touchy until the 225 set. Even then it was a minor twinge unlike regular bench or even axle incline. Part of the problem seems to be weight related, it doesn’t really start hurting until the heaviest set. I’m wondering if my current max effort approach may be giving me short term gains at the expense of longer term progress; something to consider.

Wednesday 10/6/16
ME Lower

Axle Front Squats
45 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 4 (PR, est max 277)
-I may have had another rep, but number 4 was a bit of a grinder and I wanted to keep nice speed

Bar-on-back walking lunges
90-100# bar, 2 x 10 (each leg) - We got interrupted by a cycling class cramming up the floor space

Back extensions
2 x 8-12 + 25#, 10-15 bodyweight

Notes: weight was moving rather nicely today. The axle was choking me with thumbs-around clean grip, but once I switched to thumbless I was fine


EDIT
Bodyweight: 174 this morning (10/6/16)

HER
She just finished the 531 2x2x2 cycle,

now I have her trying out the new 531 leader anchor stuff.

I have her doing the below, which is straight from the 531 forums, tweaking the supplemental for her goals, which is to work on strength & ability to direct toward olympic lifts in future cycles, and to look great (according to her) in her wedding dress.

2 cycles of (leader):
Main lift- 5s pro (351 format)
Supplemental - mix of 10 minute EMOMs of front squat & sg deads for lower, fsl 5x5 for upper
assistance - 25-50 reps of push, pull, single leg/core
(p)rehab - as needed

1 cycle of (anchor)
351 SVR (original version)
supplemental - 5 x 2 of front squat/sg dead for lower, fsl 3 x 5 for upper
assistance - 50-100 reps of push, pull, lower
(p)rehab - as needed

conditioning 2-3x/week

Friday 10/7/2016
RE Upper

A) Swiss Bar Strict OHP
45 x 10
65 x 10
95 x 17, 3, 2 (rest-pause)

B1) Chin-ups: 12, 10, 8

B2) Face-pulls: 3 x 12-15

C1) Cable rope curls: 3 x 8-15

C2) Cable push-downs: 3 x 8-15

D) Lateral raises: 30, 20, 10-15 w/ 10#

E) Hanging leg raises: like 30 total reps

Notes: The 95# with the swiss bar actually felt fine. I think whenever I’m in the gym for RE day, I’ll stick with this weight and just see how much total volume I can rack up with 95lbs. And maybe add 5-10# when I get to 40 total reps or something. Been doing @Koestrizer’s suggestions and it’s been helping quite a bit.

Very happy to be helpful! If you need more suggestions or have any other related questions, just ask and I will try to answer them. Although it is pretty difficult to give advice regarding injuries via the internet there definitely are things that are helpful for the majority of people with the similar issues.

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10/12/16
ME Upper

Shoulder warm-up

Close-Grip Bench
50 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3

DB Bench
65# 16, 8, 3 (rest-pause)

Chest-supported row strip set/rear delt fly
Warm-up
+125 x 5
+100 x 5
+75 x 5
+50 x 5
+25 x 5
+0 x 5
30 chest-supported rear delt flys

Cable rope curls: rest-pause set

Hanging leg raise: 20 reps (give or take)

Machine Calf Raises: 20 reps (DC style)

Notes: Just didn’t have the energy today for a good workout. 225 felt really heavy, and even volume-wise I just couldn’t hang. I think it was a general lack of carbs throughout the day/inadequate nutrition.
On a side note, I really like utilizing DC/rest-pause tactics for the assistance work. Thinking about incorporating DC a little further into this (weighted stretches, slower eccentrics)


HER
Here’s her cycle:

Deadlift Day –
Warm-up
High-Pull: 5 x N (not timed)
Deadlift: 5s progression
Snatch-Grip deadlift: 10 x 3 EMOM
Push, Pull, Single leg/core: 25-50 total reps each

Bench Day –
Warm-up
Med Ball slams: 15 total reps
Bench Press: 5s Progression
Bench Press: 5 x 5 FSL (first
Push, Pull, Single leg/core: 25-50 total reps each

Squat Day –
Warm-up
Jumps: 15 total reps
Squat: 5s Progression
Front Squat: 10 x 3 EMOM
Push, Pull, Single leg/core: 25-50 total reps each

Press Day –
Warm-up
Med Ball Slams: 15 total reps
Push Press: 5s Progression
Strict Press: 5 x 5
Push, Pull, Single leg/core: 25-50 total reps each

Conditioning: Running, hills, sprints 2-3x/week
Mobility: Daily

Notes:

  • For the main lifts, focus on BAR SPEED. I want Fast, clean, controlled reps. No PRs this cycle.
  • Push the supplemental work Hard (EMOMS, FSL, Strict press)
  • For the Push, Pull, Single leg/core I’d like to see you really do mostly bodyweight movements; it’s better for your joints and I want you to become comfortable moving your body through space.

Notes She struggled and couldn’t hit 5 reps on bench. Her TM is likely too high, even though I lowered it a bit. I’ll toss it up to a really off day as I’ve seen her do some damage with that weight. If it happens again though I’ll lower the TM. So far though she’s liking it, I think she likes having energy after the workout and less things to focus on.

Tell me about using the Push Press as the main lift.

-Is that just for this block of training, which is revolving around bar speed?
-Is that DE Upper, like Westside rubbing off? Or is it just a simple introduction to Olympic lifts?

  • How heavy are the strict presses in relation to the push presses?

In the past, I thought the push press was good because it overloaded the press. Now I’m thinking it’s good because it teaches blasting through the ROM to eliminate sticking points. And this works well because the overhead press is full of places to stick.

CT talks about weighted stretches and getting better recruitment/activation/gains. And other great stuff.

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/guy-bortz/episodes/2016-10-07T22_52_19-07_00

Howdy @FlatsFarmer

There are a few reasons why we decided on the push press.

-The first quite honestly is she doesn’t have the overhead strength to do 531. An 80lb true 1rm is the minimum strength needed for 531 since all we could rely on was standard barbell, which is what we had when she first began & I wanted her to be able to progressively overload on a unified system.

-It’s actually a little bit of both. An intro into olympic lifting is definitely the primary focus for this block, but initially the bottom strict shoulder presses felt awkward to her with heavier weights. So rather than having her do a move she wasn’t comfortable doing while fumbling around with a bunch of different bars, push press was a good alternative. Plus that and deadlift are her favorite lifts haha.

-for the 5x5 work, she’s picking her own weights. She always tends to err on the side of challenging but conservative, which I’m totally okay with. I want her to have total control of the weight and speed through every single rep… So whichever weight she feels like she can do that with is what I want her to use.

She’s getting form down better, but since we’ve only begun with the front squat she’s not super comfortable with the rack position yet so she’s loosing a ton of power on the transfer as she’s using a vertical forearm angle. I’ve told her before but she said she didn’t like having it in the rack position. I didn’t really want to belabor the issue though so I’ll just revisit it later when she comes to a stalling point lol.

I never really THOUGHT about it a blasting through sticking points, but its nice in that it’s a smooth movement relative to its strict brother. Her strict press has improved quite a bit actually, and I bet that’s a factor indeed!

Thanks man!

When I get a chance I’m definitely going to check this out.

Saturday 10/15/16

ME Lower/events

Axle tire c&j up to 185

Axle tire deads to a single at 405

Stone-to-shoulder 5 x 2 w/ 155# stone

Frame deadlifts
250 (give or take) x 10
350 x 2 x 8

5 prowler runs

NOTES: Axle deads are hard.

I’ve been reading through these logs and the subject of intensity is popping up frequently. Not wanting to be a wuss, i wanted to stop the frame dl after 4-5… on the first set. On the second set by the 6th or so rep i tasted metallic in my mouth and started to get black-outy.
Intensity achieved lol.

Also, i was taking to one of my teammates and finally asked how he trained. He told me he trains events as main lifts then follows with assistance. Funny i never played with that idea much. … it seems so obvious

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Sunday 10-16-16
ME Upper

A1) Axle Close-grip incline bench
45 x 5
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
185 x 5

A2) neutral pull-ups
Bodyweight x 5
+30lb chain x 5
+60lb chain x 3
+30lb chain x 5

A3) 5 hanging leg raises

B) incline db press
8 reps w 65 (70 in left hand accidentally)
55 x about 20 reps rest-pause

C)kroc row drop-set (or 50% set)
80lbs x 15, 40lb x 15

D)face-pull rest-pause

E) Curls rest pause

F) calves dc style

Notes: forgot to do the extreme/weighted stretching (on all but calves). I did however like the strength giant set

ME Lower

Deadlift
135 x 5
225 x 1
315 x 1
365 x 1
405 x no

Some power cleans

Leg press: 5 x 10

Squats: played around with front, high bar, & low bar w/ 135.

Notes: just a clusterfuck of a session. Weights felt stapled to the floor, and my back said hell no to the 405.

Usually when something like this happens…

This follows…

I’m all too familiar with these sessions unfortunately.