Whats the secret? One issue I have always had is how loud the sled is for my neighbors.
@T3hPwnisher do you think that the introduction of the Arnold and having a competition confined to a small space like a stage contributed to this change to much heavier and more static events ? I have been a follower of strongman for 40 years and it does seem that it is getting heavier, slower and more static ?
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Awesome strength, gains and conditioning 
@FlatsFarmer We need more dudes with impetuous style and impregnable defense.
@dietdrfapper No secret: I’ve been taking my prowler to a local high school parking lot that is away from residential housing.
@simo74 Nah, the Arnold was around back when WSM was still pretty awesome. I’d place the blame on Eddie Hall, Larry Wheels and internet powerlifting fans. Eddie developed a cult of personality that the WSM big wigs locked onto so they tailored the competition to suit him, it drew in bigger crowds, so it became a rush to continue standardizing implements and pushing for heavy singles. Larry had a similar thing happen during his brief attempt in the sport. Prior to the sport being well accepted on the net, it was tailored more toward guys that looked the part, because they could sell MetRX supplements better than some fat guy that lifts a lot, haha.
PM WORKOUT (1800)
2 mile 80lb weighted vest walk with the dog.
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That’s how I met/shook hands with Jesse Marunde!
He was at a local GNC doing an appearance for them.
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[quote=“FlatsFarmer, post:10006, topic:212755”]
fighting style as “An Algorithm”
The things one learns on this site…
I did a 5 day “reset” caffeine free and it was disgusting. I was vile (er) than usual. Having smoked I honestly think it’s easier to quit that than caffeine. I just limit myself to one energy drinks and 2 coffee’s max a day.
@SkyzykS Man, how cool is that. We lost a good one in him.
BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 4, Workout 1
AM WORKOUT (0308 natural wake up)
100 chins (various grips)
Box jumps (highest yet)
3x3
Axle clean and strict press away
5x141
5x161
5x181 (continental)
15+4+5x141 (rest pause)
SSB Squats
5xBar
5x135
5x225
5x315
5x5x365
Band pull aparts
2x50
Dips
200 total, transition immediately to
Lateral raise
85x5lbs
25 pushdowns
20 standing ab wheels
40 reverse hypers w/50lbs
CONDITIONING
TABEARTA
Tabata protocol bear complex w/95lbs, 1 minute rest, repeat tabata protocol (so 9 minutes work total)
Notes: Hamstring feels 100%. Sticking the the SSB to give the elbow/forearm continued relief. Nerve pain is greatly diminished, but still flares up. The SSB really points out weaknesses for me, so this may have been a happy accident. Biggest issue is bracing. I’m much weaker on that with the SSB vs a straight bar. I had intentions of using more weight, but 365 proved to be challenging enough.
Ran giant sets as usual. Started off jump-squat-chin-press, then squat-chin-press, then squat-pull apart. Dips were rest paused until done.
It’s awesome how good those jumps are getting. Never thought I’d see the day.
In-laws leave today. Life gets a bit more back to normal for now.
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I just cranked out a Babel number
10 burpees
1 KB clean squat and press
And so on
It’s hard to explain the feeling that this workout gives you. It’s not the hardest workout in the world however there’s a brutality in there that I quite can’t put my finger on. I felt like I had been on a death march once it was over
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That’s too bad. One of the reasons I was considering amateur strongman competitions was the strength endurance and athletic component. If it’s becoming powerlifting-lite, I may just stick to Spartan races.
Unrelenting.
At least in a ladder every set is one less rep on the next one.
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@ChongLordUno That absolutely sounds brutal. I know the very feeling you’re talking about. 1000 yard stare all the way.
@geologist Don’t let my bitterness disuade you: check your local comps and see what they’re offering. Some people are still very much in touch with the old school spirit. Chris Viacho is a prime example.
PM WORKOUT (1630)
Keg grace in 2:13 (5 second PR)
Tang Soo Do class at 1915
Notes: Keg Grace continues to just be nutty. I felt like I was moving slow, but I guess I was actually moving fast enough to put some hurt on myself. @Chris_Colucci and @Mod_Phoenix I stayed true to my word and repped the brand. And THANKFULLY my wife was able to save my T-Nation shirt from the blood stain I got on it from re-opening the wound on my left shoulder due to cleaning the keg too quick and scraping things up, so it’s a win by all.
Tang Soo Do was solid. Got to review everything before our test on Saturday.
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Nice pr man! I have started thinking about some kind of martial arts…any suggestions on where to even start? I never did any…but I did do wrestling in school and dabbled in boxing when I was in my early 20’s.
Thanks man! What are you looking to get out of martial arts?
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I guess mostly a change of pace, a new physical/mental challenge (I do like pushing myself), and even just having the skill of being able to defend myself or my family. Plus the community aspect. I know that’s a lot sorry
Only if you’re going down 
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I actually forgot to say I did one the night before
Weighted chins
5 double navy seals
You need to try double Navies man. I would pay to watch that YT upload
@ChongLordUno I’ll be traveling again in Feb. Good chance they’ll make it in the rotation if I’m stuck in the hotel room again. But those don’t tend to get uploaded, since I’m doing them in my underwear first thing in the morning, haha.
@whiplash It’s a lot, but that actually helps, because I noted you aren’t too concerned about tradition/culture/heritage etc. That opens up a few more doors. The big thing to keep in mind is, with martial arts, you shop SCHOOLS, not styles. Yeah, in an ideal world, it would be all about “I want to learn Mantis Kung Fu because I have long limbs and eat the heads of my lovers”, but since we live in an imperfect world, you’re limited by what is around you, and sometimes the “best” style is being taught by an awful teacher, and meanwhile you might have an AMAZING teacher that is teaching a “bad” style. See what is offered in your area and drop in for a few trial classes. Find what is a good fit for you.
I’ll say that the difference between “I do this so I can get in a good workout” vs “I do this so I can apply it in a high stress situation” is a VAST difference. I feel like foreign languages map really well onto this, or musical instruments. I took a combined 6 years of Spanish classes, and I can fumble my way through a few sentences if you give me a lot of time to sit down with my thoughts, but if I try to have a conversation, it’s not going to happen. To get to that level of fluent, I’d need to immerse myself. Same thing in that, I played trumpet for 8 years, and I can read sheet music and produce music that way, but if you tell me to improvise, it sounds awful. With martial arts, if you go 2-3 times a week for an hour at a time, you can have a good time, get in a good workout, and “learn martial arts”, but if your goal really is “be able to apply this in a fight”, you’re gonna be looking at 4 nights a week for 2-3 hours at a pop minimum starting up. It’s honestly why I hung up the gloves when I got married: it was too much of a time sink. Now, it’s just been a great family activity.
All that said, to give you a somewhat satisfying answer, I’d see if there are any Krav Maga schools, along with anything else that strikes your fancy. Those places tend to emphasize fitness, build good community spirit with empowerment, and can be fun. I don’t put a lot of faith in “self defense training” that relies on things like eye gouging and biting and stuff like that, because you can’t actually practice that, which means you won’t have he reps when the time comes, but I WILL say that I once got my butt very much kicked by a high level Krav guy. At it’s core, it’s using boxing and other stuff that works. Once again: a good teacher will teach well, and a bad teacher will take your money, so shop around.
BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 4, Workout 2
AM WORKOUT (0320 natural wake up)
Front Squat Kalsu
100 front squats with 225lbs
EMOM, 5 burpees
Got it done inside of 62 rounds
Notes: This idea struck me the other day. I wanted to get my 100 reps of 225, and one option was going up to 10 on the Tower. This was another one. I liked the idea of getting in more than a 30 minute workout, and boy did I. Hidden inside of here is 300 burpees as well. This isn’t as challenging as log Kalsu, but what I like about it is how “honest” it keeps me. There’s no slacking on the burpees, and that’s because front squats take longer to set up than vipers, so I don’t have any time to fiddle around. Along with that, it forces me to be fast on the front squats themselves. No trying for the perfect unrack and set up: get in, unrack, squat, rack it and go. I had a lot of “imperfect reps”, which meant getting good at weird angles. When I was done, my front delts and collarbone were all sorts of different colors.
In all, this one is a keeper. Totally goes with my “front squats with burpees” motif. Could also swap those burpees with chins or dips as needed.
Got in most of my daily work after this. Might get in a walk with the dog later. Doing another Tang Soo Do class tomorrow, as part of our new twice a week protocol, and then testing on Sat.
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Watch this space. New log most likely coming as result of hitting 10k posts. I’m writing this so no one snipes it, so there.
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