Per aspera ad astra (strongman Koestrizer)

Training Logs
1145

02.06. Competition day.

Decided to do both, a write up and a voice over video.
This was the first competition of 2018 for me and the first one that both my girlfriend and I competed in.

The events were:
1 yoke walk with 200 kg for 25 meter
2 log lift (each rep from the ground) with 80 kg max reps in 60 seconds
3 farmer’s walk with 80 kg per hand for max distance (turns after 25 meters)
4 loading race with a 50 keg, a 70 kg keg and a 90 kg sandbag, 10 meter and 1,20 m platform

Event one:
I am pretty new to yoke walks but I have the cheap strengthshop yoke to train with.
The competition run was going perfect. Like this was the best that yoke has felt and by far the fastest I was able to go with 200 kg - until about 2 meters before the finish line I suddenly stumbled and lost the yoke. I still don’t really know why. Quickly picked it up again and finished in 11.something seconds. This would have been one of the top times, at least top 10 or better. Unfortunate but this is competition.

Event two:
The log lift result tied what I did in training, so I can’t be totally disappointed. The crazy thing here was that I had circulation problems (is this right in English?). I was basically on the edge to passing out, I couldn’t really hear or see while doing rep 7 and 8 and you’ll see that I dance around a bit. Was seeing stars after the whistle blew but composed myself to not fall or anything.

This is still big progress compared to previous competitions!

Event three:
The one I was really sweating and one I’ll draw stuff from for my training going forward. I have small hands and a weak grip but can move somewhat fast with farmer’s. Everything was going okay but I made a mistake and tried to take the second turn too narrow. I ended up hitting the left implement with my knee and my ankle rolled a bit. This caused the handle to slide down to my finger tips and I had to drop it (maybe also because of the pain in my ankle)… The right hand was still completely solid, so there were some meters left on the stage there. 50 meter as the result. This cost me valuable points.

Event 4:
The kegs were super light (too light), only the sandbag was a bit heavy but overall no problem. I think I did quite well with 28 seconds. Technique was spot on, I just am slow running back without the implements (read: I am generally slow).

I ended up 14th out of 29 competitors and my gf placed 5th out of 9 strong ladies.
My thoughts:

  • overall my conditioning got better compared to previous contests were I was dying going into the last event. This time I still felt fresh (beside the foot).
  • the contest was very well run! Perfect, smooth competition
  • met some guys I already know and some new guys, had a good time and made some good contacts
  • overall I made some mistakes, had some bad luck (no on to blame but me though) but did okay. This is not the result I had in mind and that I wanted but I can’t be unhappy about it either.
  • I made some progress compared to previous competitions and that is what counts ultimately: Progress!
  • what I need to focus on more: Conditioning and grip strength!

Video:

P.S.: I am very tired and looking forward to a very short night and a long travel tomorrow (I hope you read the irony), so sorry if neither the write up nor the video is done that well.

Thanks for all the support guys. To everyone who reads my log, comments, gives advice or is always ready to answer my questions. I really mean this!

7 Likes
1146

Great write up and the video was great!

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1147

Thanks mate

1148

That’s a good result. Nice work.

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1149

Thanks Mark! Not what I hoped for to be honest but nothing to be ashamed of on the other hand. There were some strong guys there.

As a side note I placed higher than my nemesis, Markus :stuck_out_tongue: (I really like the guy, I call him my nemesis because I met him at 3 comps and in Hamburg and it is always great catching up with him. He is a strong powerlifter with I think a 300+ kg squat, 200+ kg bench and ca. 280 kg deadlift raw, below 100 kg. So maybe you understand why I like beating him, haha) Don’t get me wrong though, I am alway cheering for him and I know that as soon as he gets more practice with the events he will be in the German cups very soon.

1 Like
1150

Awesome contest and performance. I too relate on the yoke. At nats I sprinted with 320kg (didn’t train yoke as much as I wanted to) and just lost balance out of no where. I would have had an under 9 second time and it’d have probably qualified me for the arnold…but you live and learn.

Your log lift was super impressive, but you’ve certainly come very far overall. And congrats on beating your nemesis lol. The last kegs looked funny btw. As you were putting them up, you were just like 'Okay…"

GREAT JOB!

2 Likes
1151

Yer great write up and a good result with room for some improvement. Well done

1152

Good job man

1153

Thanks a lot my friend, I appreciate the conpliment.

Yeah the yoke thing sucks but as you waid yourself, you live and learn.

That means a lot coming from you! Thanks Vinny.

Yeah those were really light. Like too light for this Contest which shows all the more that I need to get faster

1154

Thanks guys! @simo74 @duketheslaya

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1155

Still undecided what I wanna do next competition wise.
I saw that there are some cool comps in Switzerland - which is closer to me than a bunch of possible comps in Germany. However entry ist super expensive and I would have to drive back and fourth the same day because I don’t want to sleep in a hotel in Switzerland.

However I’d zero two events out of 5 (you guessed it - they have deadlifts :smiley: ).

I could still enter the comp in Völklingen which would leave me with about three weeks to train. I am already in good shape for the log, I have been training farmer’s (not that successfull), however I have no stone to train with, or better no stone that is heavy enough.

However I was invited by Marcus (nemesis) to come train with a group which should be about a 45 min drive from me. That’s manageable.

The comp however burns an additional hole in my financial funds. Not looking good in that front. So I may even durch it alltogether and Just so one more comp in September which would give ne the oppurtunity to dabble with the darkhorse program.

So that’s my rant or rather my thoughts in competing this year. I guess I just like to wrote down my thoughts here. :smiley:

1 Like
1156

Just want to say: AWESOME, you’ve come so far and made progress overall.
Speed is somewhat hard to train, either you have or you don’t.
I don’t, at least not for sprints.
But make it a priority until the next event.
Pick one event between now and september, that is if you can find the finance for it.

Again Great job.

1 Like
1157

Thank you very much @mortdk ! So far I have not taken finance into account (that is until now). In that front it would be good to push the next comp that I need to travel die as gar back as possible.

Next stop is Bad Salzungen in the 23rd of June to accompany my girlfriend who will be competing at the German women’s Championchips! That is of course again a long ride and a hotel stay so this would make it more complicated for me to compete only a week later.

1 Like
1158

Awesome work my man, keep it up!

1159

Great job, great effort out there. You look bigger and stronger than the other guys during the head to head events on your video. I’m looking forward to hearing what you think about recent training, your next competition, your training going forward.

Also, congratulations and good luck to your girlfriend.

1160

Thanks @mr.v3lv3t!

Thank you for everything @FlatsFarmer ! I feel very powerful right now and I think I am moving in the right direction. I am very excited to see how the new program is going to treat me. I decided in skipping the next comp and going back at it in September.

04.06.

I am in Düsseldorf for a seminar from my university. It is part of acquiring my a license in athletic coaching (the American equivilant of a strength and conditioning specialist - not a physio). Not bad so far. The journey here was draining. I decided in taking the train and busses and a lot went wrong - partially my fault - so I needed 11 hours from start to finish. In seminar we did some strength and strength endurance tests (I skipped most of the strength tests because of the comp). We did a ton of cleans and olympic lifting. So after two very short nights and all of this, I didn’t expect too much from my workout. Still went fairly welln.

Officially in the darkhorse program now. I didn’t remember all details so I’m sure I did a lot of stuff wrong (please tell ne where I messed up)

Dynamic warm Up (no rest between)
3 rounds
1a 10 shoulder dislocates
1b 10 bottom up kb Press @ 8 kg
1c 20 reps rope climbing simulator?

Work Sets (main work)
2a Z Press from Pins
3 @ 50 kg
3 @ 60 kg
3 @ 70 kg - messed up third Rep as bar got in front of me. Reset briefly and grinded it out
8 @ 57,5 kg - this was an Amrap
8 @ 55 kg
6 @ 55 kg

2b Band assisted fat grip pull ups
6 x 4

2c Side planke
6 x 30 sec each Side

Speed work
3 banded decline bench press (No flat one free)
10 x 3 @ 60 kg + band tension - very short rests

Assistance
4a seated db Press
10 @ 24 kg
9 @ 26 kg
6 @ 24 kg - finished

4b hammer strength high row
3 x 10

5 strict overhead med ball throws
20 @ 6 kg - finisher for shoulders

Notes:

  • liked it. The way I set this day up it actually wasn’t too hard. Was sweating like crazy because it was a hot day

Video of my messed up top set for the day:

2 Likes
1161

Didn’t think you got that one :slight_smile: Well done mate.

Darkhorse:

Do you have the repscheme right? every lift is different RM each week?

Main giant set: today it “should” have looked like this:

Fat grip pullups
Z-press
Side plank (on press days work the obliques)
Then you missed the cardio stuff here (could have been med ball throws or burpees or some strong man stuff stones)

DE: spot on

Assistance: put the med ball in with the others for another giant set.

The giant sets starts with an opposite lift … what’s the opposite of deadlift — Lifelift :slight_smile:

for bench start with BB row

DL start with a dynamic movement Alpha suggest KB swings … works for me

Squat start with box jumps or another kind of jump.

1162

How do you find your studies? How hard has it been?

Just wondering because i’m looking to go down a similar route in the future so i want to know what i’m in for.

1163

Made it a lot harder than it should have been by misgrooving. Look how easy the first two were.

Yep

I am probably going to implement a conditioning exercise but I really don’t like doing the antagonistic exercise first.

Thanks for the review Mort

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1164

I am going to give this a more thorough answer, so please bei a little patient, I will get back to this.

1 Like