Per aspera ad astra (strongman Koestrizer)

Thankyou!

Results from the comp are online:

Yoke: 11.97 seconds - 9th place/ 29
Log lift: 8 reps - 9th place. A Lot of shared reults. 11 reps won
Farmer’s: 50 meter -21st, shared with 3 people
Loading race: 28.09 sec - 12th place

Weakness is obvious. The yoke drop cost me big time and I would have been a contender for place 1-5.

1 Like

You should try it for at least the first cycle. Do not go insane here, it’s about priming you for the main lift of the day. Do something to get out of the comfort zone. It might take a little tiny bit out of the main variation… but who cares it’s about building the main lift.

@mortdk I’ll think about it but I am not sure yet.

05.06.

Felt like dog shit. Also my legs were sore from doing stuff they are not used to (weightlifting and those strength endurance things). Was also hot as hell and the gym sucked. List of excuses complet - wasn’t going ob full steam today

Ditched warm up stuff mainly because this was immediately after weightlifting.

1a Snatch grip deadlifts
1 @ 130 kg
1 @ 140 kg
1 @ 150 kg
1 @ 160 kg
5 @ 130 kg
5 @ 130 kg
5 @ 130 kg

1b Planke
7 x 45 sec

1c kneeling to squat jump
7 x 5

2 banded front squats EMOM
10 x 3 @ 55 kg + band tension

Notes:

  • called it there.
  • wasn’t Happy with my technique on the top set of snatch grip deadlifts. Made it harder than necessary and had a long conversation in my head If I should move up. Didn’t and I think that was right
3 Likes

Some nice pressing there. Good work mate

1 Like

@duketheslaya, sorry it took me a while but there you go.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I don’t know about the fitness industry or the education system in Australia or elsewhere so I please keep in mind that I can only report about the situation in Germany.

Study structure
I study fitness science and economics. This is a dual study that takes 7 semesters (3,5 years). This is a long distance study. I work full time in a gym (40 hrs a week) and study in my free time. I get sent my study books for each subject and additionally I can watch online lectures (kinda like youtube videos) and visit tutorials, which are live video chat sessions with the professor and the students where you can ask questions or do tasks to study for exams. These sessions are recorded so if you can’t make it at this appointment (or don’t want to join) you can watch them later.
On top of that are the seminars. I have to travel to the university for these. Some of them are connected with tests (especially if it is a sport specific subject where a practical test is part of the exam). For exams I also have to travel but there are different locations in a few German cities (I think Austria and Switzerland as well). Right now I live in Munich (one of Germany’s biggest city) so there is a location to take written exams in town. Before, when I lived in my original hometown I had to take a 2+ hour drive to Hamburg for each written exam.
Some exams (all sport specific ones and each one that is connected with a license) require you to attend the seminars at the university. Others, mostly the economic subjects, don’t require attendance, although it might/ will give you an advantage for the exams.
I personally never visit those, since the second semester. From both my hometown and Munich, the university (Düsseldorf) is very far away. I simply can’t financially afford to travel there for every seminar.

In this particular university you can acquire trainer licenses within your studies and the costs are covered by your tuition fee. Which is the main reason I chose this one.
The universities which offer this kind of education are without an exception all private universities. The costs for my studies are 350 € per month and they are paid by my employer. Although this is the norm it isn’t mandatory.

List of licences I have acquired so far (c = worst; a = best); please note that these are my own translations from German to English
b license fitness training
b license nutrition coaching
a license personal training
a license medical fitness training
a license endurance
a license performance and health diagnostic
a license coordination trainer (functioanal training)
a license athletic training (currently in work)

the practical work
Your studies should be connected to the practical work you do in your company (I’ll explain later why I used the word ‘should’). There is no upper or lower limit to how much you are working next to your studies (besides the upper limit set by the law). There is no upper or lower limit to how much you should be paid (also no real limits set by the law here for this kind of education).
Usually you work in any kind of gym, although supplement distributors, physiotherapy places or health insurances would also be possible, you have to do some extra stuff though to get experience in coaching people.

the good, the bad, the ugly and the things that make me bitter
Please not that I give you my own honest opinion and experiences. I do not advice you to do or not do anything. I’ll list some things that come to mind when I think about the road I went down. Neither is the list complete nor in particular order. Most of the experiences I list are shared by my fellow students.

  • the fitness industry, although gigantic, in this country is not even a joke: It is a shit show. Pay is minimal at best if you aren’t someone who owns a successful business. The industry and people who work in it aren’t really ‘respected’, so it is a job that has a bad reputation is what I want to say. The main reason is crazy price dumping and an ongoing war by fitness chains and brands for the lowest prices possible to get the most customers possible. This is what dominates the fitness scene here. You know what an easy to manipulate variable with a huge potential for savings is in a company? Number of staff in permanent employment and especially their payment.
  • Students who chose the dual studies aren’t actually educated in their companies/ gyms. They are seen as the cheapest possible work force there is (this is literal, by law no one can have less money for their work). So most working conditions range from not ideal to horrendous and are generally tailored towards exploitation. This is also the reason why it is super easy to get a job as a student and why it is so hard to get one, once you acquire your bachelor. I know whole fitness chains with minimal fully educated staff who only hire students to run their gyms and then have some educated people in regional management positions to oversee and manage from the distance.
  • The Universities are businesses: They need money. As a result they don’t care about the working conditions of the students. Actual example from my first employer: In the first year (!) of the gym’s existence my boss had had seven (!) students from one (my current university) come and go because they couldn’t stand the working conditions and were treated unfair. I was one of them. The university still accepted him as a partner employer and kept accepting contracts from him and took on more students from his gym. Even though a person from the university (whom I called) went there to inspect the working conditions and advised me after that one hour meeting to switch employers as soon as possible.
  • most people start out as idealists and that is fine and necessary. If you are interested in the fitness industry and your main goal is to be rich, you are either naive or dumb. You need to have a passion and a drive to help people and make your passion a living. I like to believe that most people started out somewhat like that. I am in my last semester and most of my fellow students don’t plan to work as trainers or even in the industry at all after these 3,5 years. I think the form education we chose destroyed them and took that idealistic part away.
  • I like that I get my trainer licenses within my studies as those are very expensive on the free market. A good b license should cost about 1000-1500 € euros, a good a license more like 2000-3000 € from what I have heard. So I have a lot of money saved there. Although I don’t believe at all that licenses as that make you even a somewhat coach!
  • You need to have good discipline for this and endurance! This form of education is hard. Working 40 hours a week and still sitting down to study isn’t for everybody. Also nobody tells you to do this or that when it comes to your studies. You have all the materials and you have dates. Everything else is up to you. Either you get it done or not.
  • you gain a lot of experience with all kinds of people when it comes to training and coaching which is valuable for your career, no matter what you end up doing
  • If I could choose again between this and another form of education (like a normal university study) I would not do it all over again. I still value the experiences I have made and think that a lot of stuff taught me valuable lessons
  • If I can’t make my dream/ goal work, I will probably also turn my back on the fitness industry. There are no compromises for me. I have time and I am willing to work hard BUT it is this or nothing! (When it comes to my career in the fitness industry)

End
I tried to structure my response as best as possible but ended more in a rant and I am sure I left out important stuff. So please by all means feel free to ask more questions, Duke.

3 Likes

No problem man, thankyou for taking the time to respond!

In regards to your studies, to you test things on yourself then apply that to your research etc?

All those licenses are pretty cool. I don’t know if in Australia you get all those from a degree.

I think alot of what you said about the fitness industry is prevalent throughout the world, although i’m not a university student or anything like that i’ve observed alot of crap here in australia.

I’m not sure how to go about it but firstly i really want to become a Great Personal trainer and Strength and Conditioning coach. All i’ve seen is a bunch of crappy trainers wasting peoples money or even on social media spreading misinformation and bullshit. I want to get as Educated and experienced as i can so that i can turn it around just a little and be among the minority of people that are actually good at what they do and put out proper, good information and help people.

Secondly because i’ve realised how important Strength training and the likes is for mental and physical wellbeing (i’ve gone without it all year, it’s fucked), I want to run my own gym (I’ve already wanted that for ages like a Strongman/Powerlifting/Bodybuilding/Olympic lifting gym) and give young teens in there (12+) somewhere to train and maybe find something their passionate about and help them through their tough times. kind of like the older days of old school Lifters taking in young dudes under there wing and teaching them the way. That’s rare nowadays. It’s all “you can’t join because of insurance you’re not 18” there will be none of that bullshit in my gym, if i see them being irresponsible and a danger to themselves or others i will help them out and if they continue they will be gone simple as that. So yeah i want to bring back the old school hardcore gym. I can see it being VERY difficult because their isnt a big market for such a thing nowadays, the general population doesn’t care and they are quite happy with the commercial gyms like planet fitness because they don’t have the mentality of the minority. Thats why its a minority of people lol

Oh and i need all the resources i can get bevause i plan on becoming very very big and strong and need all the knowledge i can get my hands on to do that. I know some very strong strongmen i that have been to uni and i mean you can obviously be a lifting god without degrees but its just more tools in the toolbox

Thanks again for your response man, basically like anything just study hard and get through it to achieve what you want it seems.

you are a Damn Strong Man buddy i can imagine about the workout you do on a daily basis…rock solid dude.

I think for what you have planned my way of education is not a bad one, if you have he endurance. It teaches you valuable lessons and you will be tested in the question if you really, truly want this. You also learna lot about the fitness industry. As much as it sucks, the view from the bottom up can teach you important stuff.

Some things you may want to consider or do:

  • coach as many different persons as you can to broaden your horizon, perfect your abilities and find out where your strengths and weaknesses are.
  • network! Get in contact with people who own gyms and manage gyms, although it may seem like it doesn’t bring you are paying for nothing. (Search for my trip to Hamburg - a week worth of vacation and a lot of money for me without an immediate obvious benefit)
  • also if you plan to own a hardcore gym get in contact with guys and girls who compete in strongman/ powerlifting/ crossfit or whatever you plan to offer.
  • take business classes to learn how to do the formal stuff and basic economic mathematics and how to chose your gym’s location.
  • ask yourself if you want to do this for a long period of time. If you want to sacrifice your free time, relationships and your own training. If you are willing to do this as a career and if itsn’t only an idea born out of passion (which is important though)
  • there are much easier and more profitable routes that one can go down

Thanks for the compliment @lanarose902.

07.06

Warm up
3 rounds of
1a shoulder dislocates
10-20

1b incline clapping push ups
5

1c reverse db flys
10-15 @ 5kg

Main work
2a swiss bar bench press
up to
5 @ 90 kg
4 @ 100 kg - damn this should have been 5
10 @ 77,5 kg
10 @ 77,5 kg
9 @ 77,5 kg

2b db row
5 @ 45 kg
5 x 5 @ 50 kg

2c kneeling paloff press
6 x 8

Speed work
3 log lift (clean every rep) EMOM
10 x 3 @ 47,5 kg - all as viper presses

Assistance (heavy)
4a incline db bench press
6 @ 30 kg
6 @ 35 kg

4b lat pull down
6 @ 75 kg
6 @ 90 kg

Notes:

  • fuck I am sore! Basically to the point that I can’t move normally, haha. Workout was still decent.
  • Couldn’t figure out a band set up for the log. So I am open for ideas in that department
1 Like

Thanks man! If all else fails it will either be the Military, or Becoming a fireman or police officer.

That sounds a little similiar to the list I had when I was younger. My first ambition was to be a police officer and I’d still like to pursue that but it isn’t to be. I am quite happy that I still found a field I can be passionate about.

Why can’t it be if you don’t mind me asking? Its great you’ve found what you love man.

I am colour blind. I have other medical complications that I am not sure about if they would be problematic but the colour blind thing is an immediate exclusion criterium.

That’s unfortunate, it’s awesome you’re chasing other dreams regardless man.

1 Like

09.06.

Different day today. Sadly I had to deviate from the program. We went to train with the Kraftsportreunde Bayern again because my gf wanted to train some events she has coming up in her next comp. Can’t say enough good things about the guys. They flat out care about the sport, without asking for anything in return.

1 Farmer’s Walk (grip felt very weak today)
70 kg per hand x 20 Meter
80 kg per hand x 20 Meter
90 kg per hand x 20 Meter
100 kg per hand x Close to 20 Meter
80 kg x 20 Meter
80 kg x 40 Meter

2 tire Flips
6 @ 210 kg
7 @ 210 kg

3 carry medley for 20 meter
2 rounds of:
50 kg keg, 90 keg, 90 kg sandbag - couldn’t make it all the way in the second round

4 circus db
40 kg x 2
50 kg x 1
55 kg x 0

5 keg Clean and Press
Got some cleans with 90 kg but no presses. upper body was done for the week. Next time I am there I’ll geht that.

Notes:

  • Not what I was supposed to do today but worked on some weaknesses and had fun. Gf did freaking great!
5 Likes

@losthog @mortdk surely you guys know this: what rep range ist the antagonistic work in the giant sets of the main work supposed to be?

Nothing set in stone. I do 5 reps minimum and have been pushing reps up on some exercises depending on how I feel. For pull-ups I started with 5. Barbell rows I do 5. I’ve advanced box jumps from 5 to 8 and want to end up around 10. Same things with kettle ball swings.

I never found an antogonist rep range.

1 Like

Warm Up
3 rounds of:
1a shoulder dislocates
10-20

1b vertical med ball throws
5 @ 10 kg

1c Reverse flys
10-20 @ 5kg

Main Work
2a strict log press (clean once)
5 @ 55 kg
5 @ 60 kg
5 @ 65 kg
5 @ 67,5 kg
11@ 55 kg
10 @ 55 kg
9 @ 55 kg

2b pull ups with light band assistance
7 x 3

2c Side planke
7 x 40 sec

Speed Work
3 banded bench press
EMOM 10 x 3 @ 70 kg + band tension

Assistance (heavy)
4a seated db shoulder press
5 @ 30 kg
5 @ 30 kg

4b lat pull-row-hybrid
6 @ 80 kg
6 @ 90 kg

4c vertical med ball throws
10 @ 10 kg
10 @ 10 kg

Notes:

  • never really utilized strict log pressing. Maybe it will be worth it. Definitely a weakness of mine
  • felt very energetic during the session. May Push assistance into the next gear for future sessions
  • good judgement on the top set, I think. It was hard but no grinder and 70 kg would have been questionable