There’s always one guy at a strongman show who’s maxing out in the warm ups.
One guy at my contest in 2014 worked up to a strict log press and it was the slowest strict press I’ve ever seen! It was 290lbs, so impressive, but come on!!! Laughable.
I too am very minimal when I warm up. Maybe do some deadlifts with 135-315, front squats, pull ups, some burpees and quick and easy hip stretches/lunges in a circuit and I’m good to go. Gotta be ready at all times!
I have heard SO many stories of people hitting PRs in the warm-ups, and it just blows my mind. I’ll just never get it.
Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x66
5x136
3x156
3x181
8x201
4x201 (continental push press)
9x156 (continental strict press)
Notes: That was a helluva grinder. Good to know I still have it in me. The continental was ugly; glute is still in a lot of pain and couldn’t really move it fast. Took most my energy out, so didn’t have much to put into that set.
Grenade ball pulldowns 140
3x12
2x11
Band pull aparts
5x20
Notes: Performed between sets of pressing.
Axle rows 226
40 reps
Notes: Broke out the straps for this. Grip wasn’t playing well with the glute, and this actually blew up the back pretty fierce. I might actually alternate weekly between heavy with straps and light without.
Dips
170 reps
Axle curls
1x100
General notes: Woke up at 197.8 this morning. Been eating a little bigger to help bounce back from the injury. I think I’ll try to drop a little weight soon before I really start to hammer training for the show.
F**k me I just realized I finally met the goal of meeting this lift
Axle bar and all. Now I need to hit the deadlifts, haha.
I think it is fair to say you’ve surpassed that particular set of Kroc’s. Well done!
Thanks dude! The little things that keep you going.
Viking Squats
5xBar
5x95
5x135
3x185
1x225
1x275
5x315
8x225
Notes: My glute is almost 100%, and didn’t seem to act up too much here. I actually lost my warm-up of 275 and had the harness completely slip off me, so I really tried to focus on the topset. My form is so hideous on this, but there’s no pain, and the legs get blasted.
Kettlebell swing 75
4x10
Standing ab wheel
4x8
Notes: The kettlebell is technically the “Hungarian core blaster” that was on t-nation a while back, which is to say some plumbing pipe I can load plates onto. I figure this’ll carryover a little to the power stairs.
SSB squats 245+chains
1x18
General notes: Woke up at 196.0. PM workout, wife was sick last night so I canceled the morning workout. Killed off the reverse hyper just because I’ve done damage to my glute before while it was recovering by using that movement, so it seemed like the safe call.
Treadmill Run
Speed: 7.5
Incline: 1
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 12:00
Notes: Just maintaining here. I’m in such bad running shape, but it’s a pretty low priority.
General notes: Woke up at 195.2. Left knee is still a little achy/swollen, but we’ve had some changes in weather, so that might be part of it.
NOTE: This workout is from Friday
AM WORKOUT
(3) Axle Mat Pulls
5x136
5x226
1x276
1x366 (mixed grip)
1x456 (mixed grip
4x576 (straps, touch and go, rest pause)
Notes: Got called into work over the weekend, so split up the workout for this morning and tomorrow. I was hurting coming into this, and after the topset I was done. It’s my hips that were giving out this time, which is typically a sign that I am overtraining. I didn’t take a legit deload from my last cycle, and I may be feeling the effects. Still a little beat down from my glute injury too. We’ll see how next week goes and plan from there.
Buffalo Bar Squats
5xBar
5x100
5x140
3x190
1x230
1x280
1x320
1x370
RESTPAUSE (15 deep breaths between sets)
11x410
3x410
3x2x410
11x320
Notes: Thought I managed 22 total reps of 410, but I realized I missed a double somewhere in there. Was still a complete ball buster. Still trying not to black out.
General notes: No weigh in the morning. Pain has shifted to left glute, so I suppose that is progress. Thinking I might alternate each week between higher and lower weights on this approach.
Conditioning
EMOM, stone trainer extension triples w/165lbs
10 minutes
Notes: Finally getting some real training in for this show. I think this will prep well enough for the stone of steel. It’s slick, hard to grip, and hurts like hell. Biceps and hips were beat after this.
AM WORKOUT
Axle Strict Press
5xAxle
5x66
5x136
5x166
3x191
4x211
2x211 (push press)
9x166
Notes: I am just beat. Forearms are in a ton of pain, hips are achy, whole body is just sore. Think I’m feeling the effects of not having a proper deload in a while. Gonna throttle back on the heavy work this week and stick with assistance stuff.
GB lat pulldowns 140
4x12
1x10
Band pull aparts
5x20
Notes: Performed between sets of press
Axle curls
1x100
Band pull aparts
1x50
General notes: Woke up at 197.0. Think part of my issue is shoveling snow/dealing with cold. Just need some rest.
DELOAD
Circuit workout (no rest between anything)
Viking squat 10x95
Reverse hyper 10x270
Viking squat 10x95
Standing ab wheel 1x6
Viking squat 10x95
Reverse hyper 10x270
Viking squat 10x95
Standing ab wheel 1x6
Viking squat 10x95
Notes: Pretty crazy quad and lower back pump from this. Already feeling better from less heavy work. Just what I need this week.
Woke up at 195.4.
Treadmill Run
Speed: 7.5
Incline: 1.0
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 12:00
Notes: This felt better than last week. Still just maintaining. With this deload though, it probably helped.
Woke up at 195.4. Everything is feeling better, minus my soul.
Have you heard this joke before?
“Jean-Paul Sartre is sitting at a French cafe, revising his draft of Being and Nothingness. He says to the waitress, ‘I’d like a cup of coffee, please, with no cream.’ The waitress replies, I’m sorry, Monsieur, but we’re out of cream. How about with no milk?'”
Or this one?
Kant walks into a bar … only he doesn’t, a prerequisite of movement being three-dimensional space, which is merely an illusory construct of pure intuition.
(edit to add: I saw that you’re a philosophy guy, so I wanted to know how “accurate” these jokes were if that makes any sense.)
Those are pretty amazing, haha. If you might dig “existential comics” if you’re a philosophy nerd.
DELOAD
AM WORKOUT
GHR sit ups w/25lb plate behind head
3x8
1x6
Buffalo Bar Squats
5xBar
5x100
5x140
3x190
1x230
1x280
1x330
1x370
1x410
1x460
20x320
2 minute rest
20x140
Notes: Feels like there is a hole in my left glute, so timed out well that it was a deload workout. Still a good ball buster.
Woke up at 194.8. Had a gigantic quesadilla for a cheat meal. Think it helped.
PM WORKOUT (Hey, why not an unplanned 2 a day on a deload)
Prowler sprints 60’
8x200lbs on prowler
Notes: 30 second rests between sprints. Not a complete lung breaker, but still a challenge.
10 minute EMOM “power stairs” workout
3x180lbs to 13" every minute
Notes: Was using my hungarian core blaster to simulate the stairs. Not a bad substitute, but the pick is too low, so I get crazy clearance on the steps. Easiest solution will be to build the step higher. I’m also just using 13" of rubber mats to land onto. This was too light a workout, so I’ll move it up next time.
Still getting some pain in the forearms, even with the week off, so the next step might be to start taking the lat work light.
Woke up at 196.0 this morning. Had a 1.4lb ribeye for dinner tonight. Figure, if that doesn’t heal me, I’m probably dying.
Great animal log here. I believe you wrote once that you keep your weight down for job purposes. At your age, seems like if you’d gain about l0 lbs, besides strength gains, you’d probably have less pains.
“The body does not understand reps, sets, days of the week, range of motion, or many of the other things people consider crucial. It DOES understand effort and fatigue. Try to design programming around THOSE 2 variables and everything else will fall into place.”
The best thing I read from yesterday’s post. Great stuff as always man!