Injury, or just bad technique?
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I’m beat, and split jerks aren’t something I’ve ever put time into practicing. I’m also trying to be very deliberate with it and not just being reckless. It was difficult in that it took a lot of effort to nail the technique in a way that would actually help me build proper motor pattern engrams.
My press is weird. My wrists are very sensitive to overhead pressing and if I don’t use wraps (like i didn’t) then it can actually cause a good amount of pain and it makes the press feel like dog shit. It’s not as bad on an axle, and completely negligible on a barbell or with dumbbells. ORRRRR I’m just weak today.
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Yeah, actual jerks are funny when you are a lot stronger than your form.
And I know that feeling, my wrists get real fucked up from push presses normally. I’ve learned how to receive jerks recently, so after I clear the chin I just receive it like a jerk which helps.
12/29/16
Burpees to Front to Side Plank
x15/x10
x15/x10
x15/x10 god this was a burner
Pause Front Squat (no belt)
135x3,3,2
225x3,2
275x3 felt better than 225, feels great.
275x3
I loaded 365 and was going to rep it out but sincerely, my back wished otherwise. I’ve pushed my front squat hard enough, and I know where my strength is. No reason to potentially set myself back. Focus is on event days.
Repeated Ab circuit and burpees from start of session then done.
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12/31/16 - God damn.
Axle Deadlift (touch and go)
225x10
315x6
415x15 fortunately today was a sub-max day, albeit contest mocking. I will push it harder next week but still, a part of me was feeling cold, tired, and out of practice on deadlifts. It’s like I peaked at 500 for 10 and lost my primer after that.
Sled Drag
280x80’
360x80’
420x80’ 40’ downhill was a breeze, then up hill was another story. Had a tough time breaking inertia on the first attempt, repicked the chains and pulled hard and got it moving.
I have to pull a 750lb chain for 40 feet at my contest, then pull a 940lb chain after that for the same distance. I’ve never touched a boat anchor chain in my life and to be honest, I’m quite sure 940lbs is not even possible. The most I’ve seen is like a 700-800lb chain being dragged by 300+lb dudes. Very daunting, and the only event I’m worried about.
Log Clean and Press
110x3,3,3
160x3,3
210x3 fastest I’ve ever clean and pressed this weight hands down.
230x8 easily in 60 seconds. I mean it was tough to squeeze 8 in the time, but the reps were fucking solid, and very clean. I used a belt this time+the new method where I only quarter-squat when I roll the log up my chest.
Carry Medley (4 rounds)
200lb sandbag x30’
180lb stone x15’
260x45’
Zercher GM’s (dead stop from pins at 16")
135x8
135x8
135x8
135x8
135x8 easy but going slow and just trying to stay tight. Back is ow but I know it will hold up.
Tough day, but a good mock contest. After all that (took 2 1/2 hours) I feel fine and good for more, although beat up. Will see how I feel, I’ll have one more day of this and then it’s time to go.
Little update for my contest on the 14th…
They’ve combined the 175ers, and 200’s with the 231’s and we’ll be all defaulted to using the 200lber weights. So now the weights are even lighter and there’s like 20 people I’m vying against. I have mixed feelings on this. I mean, it’s kind of necessary to combine the classes due to lack of roster, but I feel bad for the 175ers who perhaps already were intimidated by the weights being new to the sport, and now have to compete not only with heavier weights, but against guys who are 50lbs heavier than them. Fuck LOL.
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In the GFSA (main German strongman federation) there aren’t even weight classes. I mean, they have weight classes but everyone still has to use the same weights. You just decide who won overall and who won which weoght class (there are only three weight classes anyway). So at my contest it didn’t matter if you weigh 150 kg or 75 kg.
I don’t know if it is the same for the more professional contests but I would assume so.
1/2/17 - bw 223
Burpees to Pull Ups
x15/x10
x15/x10
x15/x10
x15/x10
Log One Motions
110x3,3,3
160x3
210x3,3,3 easy but biceps hurt
Overhead Press (barbell)
135x1
225x1
275x1
315x1
365x1 easy…?
375x failed this 3 times. So close! Out of practice, but a little over confidence.
Doesn’t strength to weight start to taper off once you get to the 200’s anyway? Like in powerlifting there isn’t much of a difference in weight lifted by each weight class after you get to the 198’s, but 132 versus 148 is a crazy difference. The same in Oly lifting, at least in the US. For the longest time the 85’s were stronger than the 105’s. Then the 94’s got some (for the US) freaky people and became stronger than the 105’s and 85’s . I am pretty sure the 94’s still have the snatch record in the US despite the 105 snatch getting broken a couple months ago.
For example Ed coan’s best deadlift was in the 220 class, and his best 242 deadlift was like 50 pounds less (though it was his weak style).
1/4/17 - BW 220. Strangely suspected a weight gain, but not even. I kind of wanted to put on maybe 5lbs, but I don’t think it’s going to matter. This contest is very light, and my conditioning/agility is better than ever so I’m happy with that. Random misc day, one more event session after this and the ship will leave the bay.
Pull Ups
x10
x10
x23 fairly strict amrap set the lat and bi pump is arguably as good as the ones I get from entire back workouts.
Squat Jump
x10
x10
x10
x10
Side Plank to Front Plank
x15
x15
x15
x15
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I think there’s a lot of truth in that. Personally, I feel the reason people lose strength on a cut, is because they don’t drop the weight properly. I mean I’m stronger now at 220 than I was at 240, and I owe that to not trying to make it a primary goal to drop weight, but rather treating weight loss as a byproduct of just cleaning up my diet and slowly adding in more conditioning work as a staple in my training to just be more well rounded. It took time, but it yielded better results for sure.
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You’re my fucking hero
1/6/17 - Last event training day. In spite of having to use <200lb weight class weights, I still trained for the 231’s. I really really wanted to make this day the hardest. By doing so, I crunched the workout into a smaller time frame and didn’t allow for much rest. I may not be very strong at the moment, but I’m going to make this contest a walk in the damn park. I’m fucking ready dammit.
Axle Deadlifts
135x10
225x3
315x2
405x2
450x13 failed 14th attempt, peaked with 500 for 10 and ever since that day, my deadlift has been shit. Very upset about this. It seems the more I train conventional deads, the weaker it gets. This has been the case for 5 years, I should know better. Went from confident in this 4 months ago to feeling dejected.
Though, all is well, because I do believe I can fly through the first 3 implements of the medley faster than anyone else. I can grip 275 per hand on the farmers deadlift in my finger tips and not have to waste time curling my hands under like someone with grip issues would have. I’m going to hook grip the 525 18" pull, and the frame isn’t even heavy. 60 seconds to do those three things, and THEN the axle. I believe in spite of lack of strength, I can breeze through it and put up a good showing.
Tire Drag
280x40’
360x40’
410x40’
470x40’
410x40’, 470x15’, took off some weight because it was simply too heavy to drag up hill
fucking BRUTAL.
35lb front hold for 60s
Log Clean and Press (clean every rep)
110x3,3
160x3
210x3
230x8 cleans and 8 presses in 50 seconds, new record for me. Probably had a 9th. 20lbs over contest weight.
Carry and Load Medley (3 rounds, 90 sec rest)
180lb Loaded Barbell Sleeve 40’
180lb Atlas Stone 30’
200lb Sandbag 30’
Flew through these, grip and ripped the sandbag, feeling very agile with everything else.
Entire contest completed with heavier weights and in 2 hours almost on the dot. Lets FUCKING go. It’s nothing.
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Awesome, excited to read the contest write up about you winning every event. Go smash it!
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Weighed in at 222. Time to play!
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Good luck man, KILL IT!
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Fuck yeah, kick some ass!
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You got this, Vinny.
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Well, yesterday was a great contest and an even better day for me. I took first place in the MW <231’s. The rest of the guys were fantastic. Andrew Pepiot in particular was a savage and we were both vying big time for 1st place the entire time. Lil write up:
Deadlift Medley: 275 per hand farmers, 550 18" deadlift, 550 frame, 525 Axle for reps.
Basically, they misloaded the axle at the end and it became 525 instead of the original listing of 425 
fantastic. At least 2 guys zero’d it and as soon as I went up to the bar, I couldn’t get my strap on it because of the super aggressive knurl (knurl on an axle? fuck that!), so I had to pull mixed grip! Very scary for a number reasons. I have no pulled mixed grip in probably 4 years at least, and then to do it on an axle with that much weight was, in hindsight, able to make me cherish, hug, and kiss my biceps and appreciate them just a little more. Anyway, got 5 reps on the axle, but could have hit 6 if I hadn’t failed a rep due to the axle tearing through my fucking hand at the top. 2nd Place.
Chain Drag Medley: 500-600lb Chain for 40’, 350lb chain for 40’.
This was taking so many guys out. The angle at which we had to pull the second chain was just tortuous due to the fact that we had the chain stationed in the shape of a U and we had to grab each end of the chain, one end in each hand, and drag as such. The quad burn was real. Few guys didn’t finish the course. I took 2nd in this as well. Wasn’t too bad.
Front Hold for Time: 30-40lb Battle Axle(??) for time.
I went second to last, and Andrew went after me. Almost everyone had the same time of about 55-65 seconds and I demolished it with about 85 seconds. Andrew beat me by less than a second. I believe had I went after him, I’d have beaten him by less than a second as well. 2nd Place.
Log Clean and Press: Clean and Press every rep, 210lb log.
I viper pressed it 8 times in a row followed by a final 9th rep. In the video, you’ll see I was bouncing the log all over the place at the bottom and having to regrip siphoned time and reps. Had 10 if I was more in control, but I won this event pretty easily.
Carry and Load Medley: Load 4 implements to a 44 inch platform. 200lb keg, 200lb sandbag, 155lb natural stone, 185lb chain shackle.
Never touched a keg in training and haven’t in years. Sandbag was fine, natural stone was very light so I just kind of muscled it up. and the chain shackle was awkward but easy. Was a good run.
Will definitely be at nationals this year, and I’ll train very hard for it, though I’m VERY (very) humble going in.
Gonna have video up soon too, and thanks to all the guys who hang out in this log! Appreciate you all.
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