Saturday, July 28, 2012

Thursday and Saturday Training Recap

July 26th
Deadlifts
10 reps @ 60 kgs
10 reps @ 100 kgs
10 reps @ 140 kgs
8 reps @ 180 kgs
5 reps @ 200 kgs
3 reps @ 210 kgs
1 reps @ 220 kgs


July 28th
Events Training
Yoke walk: 20 meters @ 205 kgs
Zercher carry: 15 meteres @ 205 kgs, 12 meteres @ 205 kgs
Static hold: 10 seconds @ 205 kgs
Tyre flip: 4 @ 240 kgs
Sled pull (hand-over-hand): 25 meters @ 200 kgs
Sled drag (harness): 25 meters @ 200 kgs, 15 meters @ 290 kgs
Axle clean-press: 3 presses @ 45 kgs warmup, 3 reps @ 65 kgs, 3 reps @ 85 kgs
(then I failed to clean 105 and did a few cleans with 95, but no luck with the press there either. I need to work on my explosive movements)
Stones: 3 reps @ 115 kgs

WAS a full day, with many bruises sustained and new abilities tested.

My Invite to the Strongman Amateur National Championships!!



THIS morning I checked my emails and found something sent yesterday from a fellow named Scott Jones in Queensland. Scott, as it turns out, is the man in charge of the Strongman Amateur Nationals. And he was emailing to tell me my scores in the qualifying rounds had earned me an invite. It took a few minutes for the enormity of this to sink in. 

At the start of 2010 I quit smoking, and a few months later began exercising again for the first time in nearly a decade. I weighed over 150 kilograms and was an alcoholic. About one year ago now I met Dan Macri and the rest of Strongman Western Australia, and began training strongman events on weekends.

Today I've kicked both the booze and the smokes permanently. I’ve devoted myself to training Strongman 4 days per week. I've lost over 25 kilograms of body weight while building significant, functional muscle mass and bone density. And now I've qualified to compete in the National Amateur Strongman Championships! And through all this, I have remained 100% natural.

...though I have been taking Jack3d which, from August 1st, will be considered a category 9 drug and I will no longer be able to consider my achievements 'naturally' attained. And as a side note, because of our wonderful and informed government, if I continue taking it I may also be considered a criminal. The whole situation is ridiculous, but I digress - I will call that spade a fucking spade in a later post. 

Now I don't have any pretentions about doing very well. At all. This is going to be a fight against big dogs with a wide variety of abilities, experience and of course strength that I do not as yet have. I'll be lucky if I'm not one of the weakest in my weight class, and it wouldn't matter to me if I was. Not this time around, at least.

So, after reading the email and doing some sort of lumbering caper (*happy dance*) for a few moments, I had barbeque lamb ribs for lunch. Now I’m chugging my third protein shake of the day (cut = ancient history), looking online for a deadlifting suit (they’re allowed for some reason) and Olympic shoes (which will be beneficial for some events), and of course cheap flights to Queensland!!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tuesday Press Focus: Stick to the Program

OHPress w/thick swiss
12 reps @ 45 kgs
10 reps @ 55 kgs
5x5
5 reps @ 65 kgs
5 reps @ 65 kgs
5 reps @ 65 kgs
5 reps @ 65 kgs
5 reps @ 65 kgs - 5 kilo increase from last week

Dips
7 reps +17 kgs chain PR
6 reps +17 kgs chain PR
7 reps +10 kgs chain
3.5 reps +10 kgs chain
6 reps @ BW

1 arm DBPress
left 2 reps @ 35 kgs
right FAIL @ 35 kgs - started too heavy, just experimenting. Might apply 5x5 here too...
left 5 reps @ 30 kgs
right 5 reps @ 30 kgs
left 5 reps @ 30 kgs
right 5 reps @ 30 kgs
left 5 reps @ 30 kgs
right 4 reps @ 30 kgs


I'M STARTING to feel a pump, which I've not felt for a while... it's been nearly a year since I used anything approaching a hypertrophy routine, Not that 5x5 is hypertrophy, but when you include 2 or 3 warmup sets at higher reps, the overall volume produces the same effect.

Joel and I have been talking about a 'Dip-off' so tonight I scrapped the incline bench work and weighed in: 128.8 kilograms, plus 17 kilograms equals 146 kilograms. Doing dips at that weight is pretty intense.

The gauntlet has been thrown down.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Squat Monday: Stick to the Program

Squats w/Mastodon
10 reps @ 60 kgs - I used a standard bar while another lifter finished with the heavy equipment
10 reps @ 70 kgs
8 reps @ 110 kgs
5x5
5 reps @ 125 kgs
5 reps @ 125 kgs
5 reps @ 125 kgs
5 reps @ 125 kgs
5 reps @ 125 kgs - 5 kilos more than last week

Good mornings w/cambered bar
10 reps @ 30 kgs
10 reps @ 70 kgs
5 reps @ 110 kgs
5 reps @ 110 kgs
5 reps @ 110 kgs

VERY LOW on energy tonight, even though I spent sunday lazing around the house and gorging on anything I could find (and some things I went out of my to get, like ice cream cake). The day after a comp is the day I can eat whatever the hell I please. But I'm sticking with the new strategy of adding 5 kilograms per week on a 5x5 routine.

Tomorrow night OHP will be performed using the same structure, but I'm not sure if a weekly increase of 5 kilos will be sustainable. I may start out with 5 and drop to 2.5 when I'm getting close to my maxes. My next big comp is late September. If I get this right, I'll have built up to beat my maxes in the next 2 months - with no gassing out.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

The Day of The 2nd SMWA National Qualifiers


CROSSFIT Armed in Port Kennedy was already abuzz with crowds of spectators and competitors when I arrived at 11AM. The venue was excellent, from the hard rubber flooring inside which was ideal for deadlifting, right down to the smooth expanse of pretty much level carpark we had for the walking events. The Crossfit armed team not only provided a winning venue but also took care of the catering with a delicious barbecue, and SMWA and Team Macri got everything else rolling in time for the 12 noon start.







Event 1: Yoke walk 350 kgs (770 lbs) for 15 meters
I sucked right out of the gate, and sucked hard. I quit maybe 3 feet from the finish line after dropping it several times and putting in one of my poorest performances in this event to date. I'm pretty sure the time had expired.

Event 2: Log clean-press
attempt 1.    90 kgs  - easy enough
attempt 2.   100 kgs (220 lbs) PR
attempt 3.   105 kgs  - fail
Pretty happy with this one, and reckon in another week or two I'll have that 105!

Event 3: Deadlift
attempt 1.   240 kgs (530 lbs) - 10 kilos under my current max. Felt smooth, but not easy
attempt 2.   250 kgs - fail
A 2nd attempt at 250 was only going to damage my back further, and I wanted to be as fresh as possible for the finale, so I canned it

Event 4: Farmers walk 130 kgs (285 lbs) p/hand for 25 meters
16-point-something seconds. A helluva PR 
Considering I only handled 115 kgs at the last comp, in just under 13 seconds (and still the SMWA record for that weight btw :P). This was a great way to finish the day.

I TOOK 2nd place in the heavyweight division, beating my 3rd placing in the first round of competition, and paving the way for a serious crack at a competitive national ranking in the near future!

1 Week From Round 2: Introspective Moment

I've been lazy with the recording of things this past week - mostly because I don't see the point when I'm not aiming for progression. This, of course, is the wrong attitude to have, because the de-loading I've been doing needs to be integrated into my regular routine every 6 or so weeks to prevent another burnout. Plus, the way I need to do it requires a bit of math to know what to load on the bar from one week to the next, so really, not recording this shit would just be stupid.

I've also been reticent to blog much because I've been frustrated with my condition lately. Hence the de-load, obviously, but I just didn't think it would last this long either. Heavy weight will make a cripple of me if I don't get smarter with my programming. I need to sort that, and one other thing. It's really time to shit or get off the pot when it comes to my body recomposition.

Weigh-in Time
Haven't had a proper look at my progression in a while. Since the end of March I've been losing an average of 1 kilogram per month. The process is still happening, but getting slower and slower while I try and keep strength and progression alive by eating more and more. If it remains at this rate, I should still be making my once highly-prioritised 120 kgs bodyweight by the end of 2012. The very end. But priorities have changed.

My overall goal here is to be walking around at a weight that will keep me in the under 125s for PL meets (which I hope to compete in more often in the future - they're a great way to test 2 of my big 3 periodically)  and it's been my intention these past 2 plus years to reach 265 lbs bodyweight. I'm very, very close... in fact close enough that, for all intents and purposes, I'm there already. Focusing so much on shedding the last 5 or 6 kgs is pointless.

Currently I weigh in at 125 - 126 kgs (275 - 278 lbs). Since first recording this passage I've made up my mind here. My cut is taking care of itself. I am gonna quit caring about it and focus 100% on eating for strength (a lot more tuna tins and chicken breasts in my immediate future).

Only 2 training sessions this past week, and half-sessions at that:

Tuesday July 17th
Squats w/Mastodon
12 reps @ 30 kgs
10 reps @ 70 kgs
8 reps @ 110 kgs
5 reps @ 120 kgs - 60% of Max
5 reps @ 120 kgs
5 reps @ 120 kgs
5 reps @ 120 kgs
5 reps @ 120 kgs

Wednesday
OHPress w/thick swiss
12 reps @ 35 kgs
10 reps @ 45 kgs
8 reps @ 55 kgs
5 reps @ 60 kgs - 60% of Max
5 reps @ 60 kgs
5 reps @ 60 kgs
5 reps @ 60 kgs

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Events Training Saturday: Morning Seminar at CrossFit Armed

SMWA held a Strongman training clinic at CrossFit Armed, Port Kennedy; a sleek and well-equipped training facility that caters for X-fit and MMA. It is also the host of next week's do-over of the Strongman National Qualifiers.

We were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of participants, all keen to learn how to use the various apparatus involved in Strongman, and at least a couple of the people I met today were entering next week's qualifiers also.

We all got our training done alongside, and gave advice and assistance to the new folks, and several people surprised themselves with how well they could handle some pretty heavy-ass weight.

I should have more pictures etc to come.




Yoke walk
10 meters @ 205 kgs
10 meters @ 285 kgs
10 meters @ 325 kgs - think I dropped it just once
2-3 meters @ 365 kgs - piss-poor as usual, but at least no numbness or loss of uprightness

Log clean-press
3 reps @ 75 kgs
3 reps @ 85 kgs
1 reps @ 90 kgs
failed @ 100 kgs

Farmers walk
10 meters @ 80 kgs p/hand
10 meters @ 100
10 meters @ 120

I HAVE been twice now to see a physiotherapist called Stephen Hooper, at Body Genius near Perth city. He sticks needles in the places where I hurt, which sometimes cause me to spasm violently and are not pleasant, but I feel better later.

Thanks to these treatments to my neck and lower back (which suffered an injury last Sunday with the last big move and install of equipment) and only training OHP through the week while I rested up - I felt almost 100% today. Not to mention no numbness and no dizzy spells. Just some weak sauce yoking.

2 Week Recap pt3

July 7th Events Training Saturday

Yoke walk
15 meters @ 225 kgs - quick

This was all the yoke I performed today, as I'd had some dry needling done on my neck the previous night and had been advised not to. Pussy.

Sled drag
25 meters @ 200 kgs
15 meters @ 290 kgs
15 meters @ 330 kgs

Log clean-press
5 reps @ 50 kgs
5 reps @ 70 kgs
1 reps @ 90 kgs
1 reps @ 95 kgs - with Fatboy, and a TPR

Farmers walk
20 meters @ 100 kgs p/hand


July 11th Press Focus

OHP strict w/thick swiss
12 reps @ 45 kgs
10 reps @ 55 kgs
8 reps @ 65 kgs
5 reps @ 75 kgs
4 reps @ 80 kgs - failed at 85 on the previous set

Dumbbell OHP
left 5 reps @ 30 kgs
right 5 reps @ 30 kgs

left 5 reps @ 35 kgs
right 4 reps @ 35 kgs
left 7 reps @ 32.5 kgs
right 7 reps @ 32.5 kgs
left 6 reps @ 32.5 kgs
right 6 reps @ 32.5 kgs

Dips
8 reps @ BW +10 kgs PR
5 reps @ BW +10 kgs PR
5 reps @ BW +10 kgs

Bench press flat
6 reps @ 60 kgs
6 reps @ 80 kgs
4 reps @ 90 kgs
+1 assisted


2 Week Recap pt2

July 4th Press Focus

OHP strict w/standard bar
12 reps @ 40 kgs
10 reps @ 50 kgs
10 reps @ 60 kgs
5 reps @ 70 kgs
4 reps @ 75 kgs

Bench press incline
12 reps @ 50 kgs
10 reps @ 60 kgs
8 reps @ 70 kgs
7 reps @ 80 kgs
2 reps @ 90 kgs
4 reps @ 90 kgs - moved bench position

Dips
5 reps @ BW +10 kgs
6 reps @ BW

Pinwheelz
10 reps @ 30 kgs
10 reps @ 30 kgs
10 reps @ 30 kgs

Pec-Dec (don't laugh!)
12 reps @ 50 kgs
7 reps @ 80 kgs
8 reps @ 60 kgs

DAN started doing it, so I jumped off the cliff too.


July 5th Pull Focus


Deadlifts
12 reps @ 60 kgs
10 reps @ 100 kgs
10 reps @ 120 kgs
8 reps @ 140 kgs
8 reps @ 160 kgs
6 reps @ 180 kgs

Kroc rows w/Brutus
left 10 reps @ 72 kgs
right 6 reps @ 72 kgs
right 7 reps @ 72 kgs
left 3 reps @ 72 kgs - limited rest here, but my grip position was shit and I sucked tonight

T-bar rows
12 reps @ 50 kgs
11.5 reps @ 50 kgs

NOT feeling it tonight.

2 Week Recap pt1

June 30th Events Training Saturday


Yoke walk
15 meters @ 205 kgs
15 meters @ 285 kgs
15 meters @ 325 kgs - dropped it twice but it was a solid walk
2 meters @ 365 kgs - got numbness in my fingers again and had to quit

Sled drag
15 meters @ 200 kgs
15 meters @ 200 kgs - faster
15 meters @ 290 kgs
15 meters @ 200 kgs - real fast!
15 meters @ 330 kgs

July 2nd Squat Monday

Squats w/Mastodon
8 reps @ 30 kgs
8 reps @ 70 kgs
5 reps @ 110 kgs
3 reps @ 150 kgs
1 reps @ 175 kgs - a knee wrap slipped and I failed on the 2nd rep. Pretty shit effort.

Good mornings w/cambered
8 reps @ 30 kgs
8 reps @ 50 kgs
8 reps @ 70 kgs
6 reps @ 90 kgs
5 reps @ 110 kgs

THIS MARKS the start of another week of deload training. Lower weights, higher reps, and very little of interest to record, which is one of the reasons why it's taken me so long to get back to the blog.