Rebirth of the Juggernaut: Brute Force and Ignorance (Part 1)

found on various websites,this one on consumer reports
The
Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Aging Medical Information
System estimates that adverse effects due to NSAIDs
are responsible for more than 100,000 hospitalizations
and more than 16,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

To be fair though, people OD on lots of legal stuff. Moderation is the key.

But, the less I bleed out of orifices, the better, haha. Good find dude.


1 legged SSB Box squats 285+chains
1x10+5+5 (rest pause)

(4) SSB box squats
1x100

Notes: Definitely getting heavy on that top set, but still manageable. Curious how this will translate back when I get into real squatting again. The set of 100 is getting faster each time, even with the increased ROM.

Blast strap fallout hold
3:00

Axle deadlifts 66lbs
1x100

Reverse Hyper 50lbs
1x100

Notes: Cutting the weight down slightly just because the surgical site got a little achy the last time I used 60. Will continue to build up.

Neck harness side to side 45lbs
30-20-16 (rest pause)

General notes: Woke up at 192.8. Ate a little more aggressively to stem the weight loss, but I imagine it’s mostly losing fluids from my carb up.

Axle bench press
10xAxle
5x75
5x115
5x165
3x205
3x235
15x265
19x205

Notes: Felt like a great day for benching. I have a hole in my back from the good mornings I did last week that the bench was hitting a touch, but didn’t seem to affect the top sets. Had a great time with holding my breath and keeping tight.

NG chins 50lbs
5x10

Hammer curls 35lbs
5x12

Notes: Hit these both in between sets of the benching.

Axle strict press 108
5x10

superset w/

Lateral raises 10lbs
5x12

Notes: Right shoulder has been bugging me a little since my last heavy press workout, but wasn’t an issue here today.

General notes: Woke up at 194.8. Forgot to record a top set of 65 dips yesterday.

AM WORKOUT

GRIPPERS

4x#2.5 and then a lot of timed holds and drop sets

PM WORKOUT

Seated chain suspended buffalo bar good mornings
5xBar
5x100
5x140
5x190
3x230
1x280
11x320 (3 rep PR)

Notes: Goal was 10, but felt the 11th in me. Great grinder of a rep. Pleased with all the progress I am making with this method.

Axle deadlifts 66lbs
1x175

Notes: Forgot if I did 160 or 170 last time, so played it safe.

Blast strap fallouts
1x50

Notes: With all the dips and chins, my elbows are getting beat, so these were just a little too much. Might just drop down to 50 and work back up.

(3) SSB Box squats
1x50

Neck harness 45lbs
1x50

General notes: Woke up at 193.8. Surgical site feeling a little achy, so I cut out the reverse hypers for now. May throw them back in later in the week.

AM Workout

Rolling thunder

Some picks of 195

Notes: Went for 210 again and whiffed. Scaled down to 205 and still nothing. At this point, grip was pretty fatigued, so got a few triples with 195. I am getting BETTER at moving the 210 around, but not able to fully commit. Just like the grippers, I think I need to spend more time doing holds. I’ll see how that pays out.

Kept up my daily workouts this week and hit a top set of 75 dips today. Some of them may have been a little shallow on the lockout. I’m number chasing for sure, but I’m still getting a great pump in the chest and arms, which is what ultimately matters.

Had another follow up with physical therapy today and actually got my physical therapist to perform a more thorough evaluation of my progress. Did the 3 point Y-balance test with both legs. Predictably, my healing leg actually has better balance than my non-injured leg. This blew the mind of my physical therapist, despite my having assured him that I was an uncoordinated clod before this all started, and all of this balance stuff is brand new to me regardless.

We then moved on to a triple hop test. First, I did a broad jump with both legs 3 times. Then 3 times with the uninjured leg. Then 3 times with the healing leg. This was where I couldn’t perform. I could still jump and land on the healing leg, but it felt unstable and quiet honestly I was terrified to be doing it. IT band got a little pissed off too. Doc is saying that I’m real close to being able to cut loose again, but we need to really nail that hop test. Thankfully, he gave me a few drills to get better at it (considering this was the first time I have done ANY jumping since the surgery, I’m glad to get some practice in).

In addition to all of that, I’ve been given a protocol to “return” to running. This is funny to me, as I only ever run 6 weeks out of the year normally, but most likely it’ll become a slightly more regular part of my training while I recover. The first big hurdle they want me to overcome is 30 minutes of brisk walking non-stop. I think being able to push the prowler for an hour counts as that, so I’m most likely going to step things up slightly. I see this as an opportunity to start practicing my quick footwork again as well, and do some things like unloaded farmer’s walks.

PM WORKOUT

Medley
180’ high handle prowler
180’ “run” back
180’ farmer’s walk (unloaded handles)

4 rounds, no breaks

2x180’ high handle prowler

Notes: Decided to see what I could do today. First medley since my injury. Been dry this week, prowler was skipping and stopping a bunch. The run was more just a quick shuffle step; I’m pretty sure I never had both feet off the ground at the same time. Still, my intent was running, and that’s something. Was moving as fast as I could, heart rate was up.

General notes: Woke up at 194.8. Cheat meal was pretty light today; Double western bacon cheeseburger and Criss Cut fries at Carl’s Jr. May actually consider losing some weight to help with the running.

Axle Strict Press
5xAxle
5x66
3x123
3x143
3x153
10x173
10x153
10x143
5x10x116

Notes: Things are still moving smoothly and shoulders are holding up well. Might’ve had an 11th for the top set, but I’m still playing it relatively safe when it comes to pushing while standing. Don’t want to turn the knee inward on a press.

DB lateral raises 10lbs
5 sets

Notes: Did these between sets of the 5x10 above. Went until pain. Last week I had pushed past the point of pain and my right shoulder bothered me for days, so I’m trying to walk the line.

Axle curls
1x120

Band pushdowns
1x50

T-bar rows
10x135
9x160
8x185
7x210
6x235
7x235
8x235
9x235
10x235

DROPSET
5x235
5x210
5x185
5x160
5x135
10x90
10x45

Notes: Sets prior to the dropset were done between sets of strict presses. Those sets of 235 were pretty ugly, definitely no real focus on contraction, just moving the weight, but it was nice to go heavy.

General notes: Woke up at 195.0. Knee isn’t too achy or swollen from yesterday’s “running”.

Hey man, LOVED your recent blog post, and strong shit on the strict overhead. Not far from 10 reps of your body weight.

Oh, and my friend suffered a partial tear to his meniscus and he was pretty pissed about it but I showed him your log (he doesn’t use the site though) and he was super thrilled to see someone kicking the SHIT out of an injury. Keep it up dawg.

Vinny reminded me to check your blog - fantastic post!

@strongmanvinny2 : Thanks for the comment dude. Really glad to hear that your buddy was able to get some inspiration out of this. It’s been my hope that this log will help others.

I didn’t even think of the press in terms of my bodyweight. Thanks for keeping my perspective. It still just seems like babyweight to me, but it’s building up slowly and surely!

@furo: Appreciate it dude! Thanks for reading!


Treadmill
Walk-25 minutes, capping out at 4.2 speed on 0 degree incline
Run-5 minutes, 6 speed, 0 incline

Notes: First time officially running in a LONG time. My stride was much better on the treadmill versus when I tried running on the trail, but part of that too is wearing running shoes vs the tactical boots I was wearing for the medley. I don’t think it’ll take long to get back to full form on this. The knee feels achy, but not near the surgical site. My IT band gets a little inflame, and I can feel the patella hitting the tibia, most likely near the fracture site/where the meniscus got shredded. It’s more inconvenient than painful.

Hit my daily lifts all week, capping out at 76 dips in 1 set today and 60 NG chins and 100 pull aparts a day. Next week, still going for a max set of dips, then 70 NG chins and 100 pull aparts.

-Mark Felix took second place in Britain’s Strongest Man. He qualified for finals in WSM in 2015. Dude is 50. Why don’t more people want to know how HE trains/what his story is?

odd haugen is a prime example of old, strong

mark felix ,his posted work outs looks like a guy that does not train much
his posted diet consists of every product met rx makes not much else
does strongman training in what we would call a junk yard
reminds me of a magazine article about kai green
kai told reporter he was going to do few sets squats leg extensions leg curls
reporter follows him around gym
after workout reporter asks, what was all that other stuff
kai said i dont count all that other stuff
makes it kind of hard to see how some people train

He’s also the current Rolling Thunder World Record Holder.

I hate running. LOATHE it…

Concur on the jumps, that little voice in the back of your head saying ‘don’t do this!’…

3x jumps, are these three singles, or 3 long hops in a row with a stable landing on the final? (the latter is where I spent plenty of time on). Throw in side to side jumps landing stable (knee over ankle) too. Also single leg box jumps (hops) up to a low box, then step down carefully.

For me, low reps (3 - 8) but tended to start most sessions with 3 sets of one type of jump work every day of the above. It’s been a staple since in my explosive work early in the sessions.

Running, slow ‘S bend’ runs on grass felt scary as hell initially but helped a lot with that sideways stability building. Tighten up the ‘S bend’ over time as stability/confidence comes back.

Is there a link I’ve missed to another blog or yours? Can you repost it?

Keep up the great work here.

@cavemansam : Appreciate the info. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. We don’t really have a complete account of how he has been training or really eating, and for someone so successful for later in life, it’d be great to get some real info.

Od is another legend, despite bringing MAS wrestling to strongman, haha.

@FlatsFarmer : That’s an awesome peace of info, thanks for sharing it. I knew he was a badass on the rolling thunder, I didn’t realize it was that significant.

@raven78 : It was 3 single jumps, with distances compared each time. Left couldn’t match right on that one. Right now the doc has me doing some star jumps and some side to side hops, nothing intense or for more than a minute. Just a few days of it has been enough to really help me build some confidence in the knee.

My wife, the distance runner, is having some fun watching me struggle with my 5 minute runs, haha.

My blog’s name is “MythicalStrength”. T-nation isn’t too friendly about direct linking it, but if you search for it on google, it’ll show up. Be glad to have you as a reader, and thanks for all your support!


One legged SSB Box squats 285+chains
1x15+5 (rest pause)

(3) SSB box squats
1x100

Notes: This was really intense. Weight is getting challenging. Actually think I tweaked something in my left upper back from supporting the weight with my free arm. Cutting out the daily chins today to allow for healing. Still getting through all this though.

Blast strap fallout holds
1x2:00
1x1:00

Notes: I think the run I did took more out of me than I realized. My abs were on fire. It’s difficult for me to reconcile psychologically how what seems like such insignificant stimulus can really be so intense. I was starving all day yesterday as well after my effort. Just another factor to consider.

Axle deadlifts 66lbs
1x100

Reverse hyper 55lbs
100 reps

Notes: Not 1x100, I had to keep rest pausing. Again, core just completely fried.

General notes: Woke up at 194.4. Knee is stiff in the morning these days, but warms up pretty quick. Wonder if it’s just fluid settling at night. Still laying off the NSAIDs at the moment.

Treadmill

Walking-Up to 4.5 for 25 minutes
Run-5 minutes at 6.5

Zero degree incline

Notes: This felt even better than last time. Stride is much more normal. Very minor stiffness, but no real pain or anything.

Woke up at 194.4. Back is feeling better, and I manage to get in all my chins.

Fantastic job with the running, that must feel like big progress :slight_smile:

Also, stupid question, but how does rolling thunder work exactly? I’ve youtubed it lots, but I haven’t really got a feel for what it involves. What is the handle like?

Thanks man. I’ll really feel awesome when I can run with a keg in my hands again, haha. I imagine I’m one of the first non-alcoholics to say that.

And that’s not a stupid question at all. The rolling thunder looks very non-imposing at first glance. It’s a 2 3/8" in diameter handle that you clip a weight pin to, but there is the thing; on a barbell, the sleeves rotates and the bar is fixed, so that, when you pick up the weight, the bar stays stable in your hands while the plates spin. On an axle, everything is fixed so that, when you pick up the bar, the plates try to spin, which makes the bar try to spin out of your hands.

On a rolling thunder, the plates are fixed but the HANDLE spins, which makes it the worst of all worlds. The rolling thunder is basically stabilizing the plates by making YOU deal with all the spinning required from picking up the handle, so the handle is trying it’s absolute hardest to spin out of your hands. When combined with how cartoonishly thick it is, it becomes a real bitch to pick up. It’s amazing how dramatic the effect is. I could pick up 200lbs for a few reps per hand, but as soon as I put 205 on it the plates were practically welded to the floor.

It’s a great grip training product; one of the few “fun” pieces of equipment.


Axle bench press
10xAxle
5x75
5x115
5x165
5x205
5x220
3x250
12x280
17x220

Notes: Incredibly pleased with both the top set and the FSL. Weight was feeling heavy today and I thought 8 was realistic and 10 would be a stretch, but once I got set and had the axle in my hands it moved smoothly. This weight always holds a special place in my heart, as the first time I remember ever trying to max my bench was when I was a freshmen in college, and I managed a grindy 275. I feel like I’ve been spinning my wheels on bench for years, but being able to take an old max and hit it for 12 on a bad day can be really uplifting. Honestly felt like I might’ve had 18 on the FSL, but I could feel my left knee caving in slightly while I tried some leg drive, and decided to play it safe.

NG chins 55lbs
5x10

DB hammer curls 40lbs
5x8

Notes: Chins between bench warm-ups, curls between worksets. Right elbow is pretty pissed off.

Axle strict press 123
3x10
1x9
1x8

superset w/

DB lateral raise 10lbs
5x to pain

Notes: Rest times were a little short. Will stick with this weight for next go round.

Got an updated protocol at physical therapy as well.

1: Bike x 15min
2: Gastroc, soleus, hamstring stretch 2x30 sec each
3: Squats 2x10
4: Calf raises 2x10
5: Step ups 2x10
6: 4 way straight legged leg raises 2x10 each way
7: Hamstring curls 2x10
8: Single leg stance ball toss 2x1 min
9: 360 degree hopping 2x10
10: Double leg jump to 4" box 2x20
11: Single leg jump up to 4" box 2x20

Really appreciated the PT tech on 9-10 saying “We normally do 2x10, but I felt like you could handle this”. Good to have someone willing to push me even just a little bit. I get some patella pain on the 360 degree hops, and I had to go to a 2" box for the single leg jumps, but I’m just happy to be doing something different. Looks like all my ROM work and stretching is finally done (minus the calf) and I’m moving on to strength and stability.

General notes: Woke up at 194.0. I think the little bit of extra running is honestly having a more significant impact on my weight than I realized. Excuse to eat more I suppose. Elbows are pretty inflamed, may consider switching out movements next week for my daily work.

Thanks for the explanation, that finally makes sense haha!

(Found your log, cheers mate!)

Re: Jumps/hops above - I’d be wary of higher reps personally. 2x20 reads like a LOT. Knee might get angry (I know mine can) - I’d be leaning towards spreading them out over the day into lots of 5 or so (my 2c and all).

Have you snuck in any pool/hydrotherapy work yet?

You’re smashing it as always.

@raven78: I’ll make sure to keep that in mind. Right now the jumps aren’t giving me any sort of issues, but if I experience any problems, I’ll reduce the total in one set.

Haven’t done any pool work yet. Honestly most likely won’t get around to it until I’m already healed, but I seem to be taking to running pretty well.

Thanks for the support!


Seated zercher axle good mornings off pins
5xAxle
5x75
5x115
5x165
3x205
3x255
1x295
1x345
1x405 (PR)

Notes: That was a helluva grind. For some reason, the right side picked up before the left and I have to even it out. Still no pressure on the knee; you can see my feet pick up off the ground at one point. Took a lot out of me, but now I gotta figure out what I’ll do next week.

Axle deadlifts 66lbs
1x180

Blast strap fallouts
1x50

Leg raises off bench
1x10

Notes: Threw the leg raises on right at the end and they nuked my abs. No pressure on my elbows. Going to focus primarily on the leg raises for the next time, with the blast strap holds still on the squat day.

(2) SSB box squats
1x50

Reverse hyper 60lbs
1x100

General notes: Woke up at 194.4.

AM WORKOUT

1 mile walk on pavement
10 min on treadmill (7 for speed, 0 incline)

Notes: Monthly walk at work. Stride was MUCH better compared to last time. No limp/stagger, very smooth. Think the time on the treadmill has paid off. 10 min of running on the treadmill felt fine. Think I’ll pick up running again easily.

PM WORKOUT

Prowler sprints (high handles)
10x70-90’

Notes: I don’t have the area marked off, so I’m just eyeballing the distance. Whereas before I was just pushing the prowler like a shopping cart, I’ve now moved on to actual sprints with it. Much more intense, even with an unloaded prowler. Dry terrain, lots of drag (could actually smell the paint on the bottom of the skis melting from the friction. Felt a minor tug on the healing knee, but nothing alarming.

General notes: Woke up at 195.0. Cheat meal was 3.5 slices of Little Cesar’s deep dish stuffed crust pepperoni pizza. Holy crap was that a terrible and amazing idea. Ended up being half the pizza, which I could’ve finished but I quickly realized how poor a decision it would’ve been.

Skipped grip work this week due to circumstances. Maybe get some rolling thunder in.

Also, bit milestone; I finally moved the 105lb dumbbells that had been holding my dipstands stable ever since the day before my surgery. Going to use them for rows and shrugs tomorrow.