30.03.
Deload squats. Hardly a workout. Feeling somewhat sluggish and beat.
1 sbb squats
62 kg x 5
62 kg x 5
62 kg x 5
2 suitcase carry
3 x 20 meter per arm with 28 kg kettlebell
Stretches my lats a bunch and hung out on the inverse table.
Notes:
31.03.17
1 axle push press
86 kg x 1
96 kg x 1
106 kg x 1 - PR!
111 kg x 0 - fail
101 kg x 0 - spent at this point
86 kg x 7
2 strict log press
50 kg x 8
60 kg x 6
60 kg x 7
40 kg x 12
3 band rows
6 x 15
4 45° rope row/ pull down
3 x 15
5 strict one arm kettlebell press
28 kg x 8 per arm
Notes:
Video:
02.04.
Started my prep today. Trained at the “girlfriend gym”.
1 elevated deadlifts (below mid shin, one mat height.
130 kg x 5
130 kg x 5
130 kg x 5
130 kg x 5
130 kg x 5 (beltless - just forgot to put one on)
130 kg x 5
2 snatch grip deadlift
60 kg x 8 (?)
80 kg x 8 (?) lost count
3 45° degree back raises
bw x bunch
20 kg x 15
Gym closed
Notes:
Video of today’s deadlifts:
Looks like I did hurt myself. I don’t know why and how… My deadlifts looked actually better than usual. Weight felt light, mobility on point…
Anyhow, my “flared up SI joint” turned out to be a bigger problem than I thought. Couldn’t really bend over today and to get up I needed to push with my hands up from my legs. Pain was right at the tailbone. Left work early, called my physio and went to the doctor. The doc prescribed me 6 physio session.
My physio really is a top guy and actually the father of one of my closest friends. Even without a prescription I always get a discount, I get appointments on short notice and always a treatment by himself (instead of one of his employees). He diagnosed a dislocated L5. It has somehow rotated in a not normal way. He was able to center it again. That alone made me feel 100 x better. Than he did some myofascial release massage and stretched me a bit. He complimented me on how mobile I am, especially given my size and muscle mass, so I guess that is something. He advised to apply heat this evening. I will do that by going in the infra red cabinet of my parents.
TLDR: I will probably be sidelined for the better part of this week, but physio will be able to fix me up. Felt like an old man today and yesterday!
Infra red cabin feels nice. I am doing half an hour every night. Also I did some work on my glutes with the lacrosse ball yesterday. Back is better after realignment but still not super good. I am just very impatient to get back to training. I hate to not be able to train and it is driving me nuts. Tomorrow I have a double appointment with my physio: First manual therapy and then massage.
Fingers crossed that he says I can do something come weekend.
This had to happen just when I started prepping … it had to!
Well all whining and cursing won’t help, have to just be patient, do what is smart and attack again when I can.
06.04.17
Okay today’s physio session was just amazing! My physio cracked me back in again. He also did some stress test and said it is okay for me to return back to training. He advised me to start with high frequency and lower weight. After the session of manual therapy I got a whole session of trigger point massage. Felt a lot better afterwards and I was very excited to get back to training. Listened to my physio and started out light or better to say I chose not too taxing movements and focused on bracing as hard as I can.
Really glad about the medical system I live in by the way. For 6 physio session I have to pay 20 €, the rest is payed by my health insurance. Monday I could barely move around and today I was able to return to (upper body) training.
1 strict log press
40 kg x 8
50 kg x 6
50 kg x 6
55 kg x 6
60 kg x 6
65 kg x 3
60 kg x 6
50 kg x 10
2 swiss bar floor press
70 kg x 7
70 kg x 8
75 kg x 8
80 kg x 8
90 kg x 5
3a chest supported t bar row, 20 kg/ 3b 45° lat pulldown - no rest between exercises or rounds
15/10
10/8
8/6
5/3
4 lat pull down
2 x 10 with 60 kg
Notes:
08.04.
First lower body session after I hurt my back.
Couldn’t do what I have planned because I am at my girlfriend’s. Visited an old school bodybuilding gym. Took weights lighter but volume higher.
1 Box squats (about parallel)
100 kg x 2
100 kg x 2
100 kg x 2
100 kg x 2
100 kg x 2
100 kg x 2
110 kg x 2
120 kg x 2
2 45° Leg Press (only plate weight)
160 kg x 10
200 kg x 10
3 lying Leg curls
One big drop set
About an hour Break
4 Car push
Had a higher car today. We tried uphill but it was too steep ihr the Car too heavy. Tried around a bit and then I 5 sets with minimal Rest. Pumped up my quads a bunch ans my lungs got to do some work.
Notes:
10.04.
1 Log Clean and press
Up to:
80 kg x 1
80 kg x 1
80 kg x 1
76 kg x 2
2 trap bar overhead press
46 kg x 8
56 kg x 6 (band suspended weight)
56 kg x 8 (band suspended weight)
3 super band row
5 x 15
4 Swiss bar bench
80 kg x 5
90 kg x 5
100 kg x 5
5 45° lat pull/ row
3 x 15
Notes:
Didn’t get to logging yesterday.
13.04.
1 axle tire deadlift
141 kg x 4
141 kg x 4
141 kg x 4
141 kg x 4
141 kg x 4
2a Romanian deadlift
80 kg x 8
80 kg x 10
80 kg x 8
2b hanging leg raise
3 x 8-10
3a valslide leg curls
3 x 10
3b kneeling ab wheel roll outs
3 x 10
Notes:
15.04.
Did some light recovery training yesterday.
Planned to do car push and sandbag over bar today. Unfortunately it rained and so it was too slippery for car pushes. For some reason I went heavy on squats instead. Two days after deadlifts that might not have been the brightest idea ever…
1 SSB squats
102 kg x 1
112 kg x 1
122 kg x 1 (wrapped)
132 kg x 3 (wrapped) - PR, previous besten was 1 Rep but without Wraps
2 sandbag over bar (hip height)
EMOM triples with 55 kg for 10 minutes
Notes:
Dude, I have trainings log here from 2012, where I think I actually confessed to kicking the barbell and almost crying in discontent at my shitty deadlift.
Keep working at something for a few months, then change it up. I promise you’ll find your groove, but I can’t promise it’ll stick around for long before you (me) get frustrated again.
Gotta hate some shit, or it’d be too easy. Just like me you are.
Haha you are damn right, if everything was only fun and games there would be no challenge.
Thanks for helping me to keep my chin up.
Really looking forward to my my own contest. I just need to focus on the things that I know I need to improve in to get better.
And also update on my butt cheek: Pain is gone somehow. Bothered me up until I layed in bed, which helped it and then when I woke up I couldn’t feel a thing anymore. Already looking forward to the next session which will have log lifts.
17.04.
1 log clean and press
71 kg x 1
71 kg x 1
81 kg x 1
86 kg x 1
86 kg x 1
86 kg x 1
88, 5 kg x 1 - PR
2 strict BB press
3 x 60 kg x 5
3 seated super band row
5 x 15
4a swiss bar bench press
70 kg x 12
2 x 70 kg x 15
4b lat pull down
3 x 15
5 chest supported db reverse flys
2 x 15
Notes:
I have made a video from yesterday’s log lifts.
I would really appreciate your help! I know part of why the clean is so hard and the press so easy might be the log’s size but there is nothing that I can do about that. The obvious safety issue I have is the massive hyper extension of my back. In general I have no clue how to clean that damn thing up to my shoulders even though I have watched quite a few videos. The frustrating thing is that I might be able to press around 100 kg but I can not clean what I can press, the other issue of course is possible injury.
@strongmanvinny2 @T3hPwnisher @TX_iron @littlesleeper @brady888
Video:
Sets are in opposite order.
Your clean is an issue for a number of reasons. I’ll list some things that can help, that have helped me, with reasoning for each.
Try out raised heel shoes. Olympic Weightlifting shoes, work boots, anything. It helps get your knees more over your toes thus giving you a more upright torso. It helps me immensely on cleaning a log.
Your log is a shitty smaller diameter rendition of the ubiquitous larger version (as you’ve said). I can clean more on a larger log, and so can everyone else including you.
Train log cleans hard, alone, with no press.
Basically, your clean looks okay. Obviously your levers aren’t going to lend themselves to a great and comfortable log clean, plus that log is death. You’ll have to just embrace the suck and train the clean hard.
I trained on a 10 inch (as opposed to 12 inch) diameter for about a year or two before buying my own 12 inch. The bigger log is maybe slightly harder to press but much easier to clean. So yeah!
Oh, almost forgot. You can try taking off your belt, and not sitting so deep into a squat when you poise to clean the log up to your chest. Basically, you’d be dropping to just a quarter/half squat. It might only work with large diameter implements and short arms though (pretty much actually 100% LOL).
Anyway…
I’ll bestow upon you, in my opinion, the most well rounded strongman of all time…
Hey man, glad to see you’re doing well!
Piggybacking off of @strongmanvinny2 here. I work with 3 logs, an 85# 12", 110# 10", and a 165# 12" occasionally (I add weight of course). I find that there is a trade-off from the press & clean depending on the diameter of the log. the bigger the diameter, the easier it is to clean & harder it is to press & vice versa.
Try throwing your elbows around faster to get a nice spin on the log
Good points made by @strongmanvinny2 and @TX_iron . Also, that dude (Zack McCarley) is a beast.
I was going to say something similar to this, which is also being used as a cue in the video Vinny posted.
"BIG AIR, COMMIT, COMMIT! "
It doesn’t look like you’re completely committing to the lift. There can’t be the fear in your mind that the weight will not clean up, or it won’t. You lift the weight, big belly breath, lap it, brace, and then…modestly attempt to curl the weight up.
This idea in your head may be holding you back a bit. I totally get it, the last thing you need is an injury to set you back from bad form. I don’t think there is a way to rip a log up of near max weight without a little hyper extension of your back. You should be so tightly braced and pulling that log into your chest so hard that there shouldn’t be much of a chance to hurt yourself. I became comfortable with this once I practiced continental clean and presses. Log cleans are a piece of cake in comparison (for me anyways).
Just my 2 cents!