Sunday, December 23, 2018

Events Sunday: Full Steam to 2019

PLANS almost always get messed with around this time of year, but in retrospect I am glad for the unexpected downtime, as is my body. The right forearm strain is almost healed but I figured I'd better skip clean-presses today just to be sure. I did hit some solid numbers on a variety of events (including a messy Zercher carry personal record) and walked away with some new ideas for a three-implement medley I'll be testing out next session.

EVENTS SUNDAY December 23rd

Deadlifts:
70 kg x 10
120 kg x 5
170 kg x 3
220 kg x 2 - double o/hand
270 kg x 1 - no belt
320 kg x 1
Axle SLDLs (grip test):
70 kg x 8
110 kg x 8
140 kg x 6
Farmers walk (p/h):
30 kg x 30 meters
80 kg x 30 meters
110 kg x 30 meters
130 kg x 15 meters
Zercher carry w/yoke:
130 kg x 2 x 15 meters - quick
210 kg x 2 x 10 meters
250 kg x 10 meters - one drop PR
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

Thursday, December 13, 2018

More Pull+ Events Wednesday: Unknotted

I FINALLY got that sumbitch adductor sorted on Tuesday. Needra bent many a needle trying to penetrate the massive knot she'd found in the muscle belly; the cause of my poor performance over the last two months. When it released, it caused the whole leg to spasm violently. And then the problem was gone. I rested Tuesday night (which you must always do after a dry needling), deciding to deadlift again Wednesday. I worked up to a 300 kilogram pull with no issues before moving on to Zercher carries, which were also performed without incident.

This was a great session because of the return of Zercher carry - an event I've been looking forward to doing more regularly. But my forearms and elbows (especially the right one) are complaining lately. Must be due to the hand-over-hand prowler pull I was doing a couple weeks ago, which I exacerbated with the pull-ups I did at the end of last session, just to see if I could. I had intended to do some kind of press tonight, but that would not have been smart. Clean-presses will have to wait a while longer, but I should be able to continue with overhead from the rack and bench press next week.

Another young fella approached me after seeing me Zercher-carry the yoke. "I've never seen anybody actually use that thing before. What's it called?" he asked. His name was Corey. We had a brief chat, and I advised Corey of the strongman events sessions I perform each Saturday from 1PM, and that he was welcome to come check them out.

This weekend, to keep things fresh (and to test out the adductor some more) I'll likely be doing axle squats as my first static event, followed by yoke and/or farmers walk and maybe more prowler drag to finish. And next weekend, if the left elbow is feeling up to it, I might play around with the monster dumbbell: I've not used it since I returned to Genesis, and it's the only piece of equipment I'm not on a first name basis with.

PULL+ EVENTS (again) Wednesday December 12th
Deadlifts:
70 kg x 10
120 kg x 5
170 kg x 3
220 kg x 2 - double o/hand
270 kg x 1 - no belt
300 kg x 1
Zercher carry:
130 kg x 2 x 10 meters
210 kg x 2 x 10 meters
Tyre flip:
175 kg x 15 meters
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Pull+ Events Monday: Prowler Pull

FINALLY with everything I needed to make this happen, I couldn't wait till the weekend; I wanted to try out the prowler and harness as soon as I was sufficiently recovered from last session. And so I did. But first I needed to deadlift, and that reminded me I was still rehabbing. Once I got above 200 kilograms I performed the reps slowly, with focus on making the sure the correct muscles were being recruited. I pulled a very slow, beltless 250 after a couple of singles of 220 and left it there.

With the prowler drag I need to start lower and fully extend each leg during warmup, or else my calves complain later when it gets heavier.

On the way out I met up with one of the young fellas who I asked to spot my bench press last week. He mentioned he'd just performed a 180 squat. I asked if he'd gotten video, and what kind of depth he was hitting. He wasn't sure. I advised him that the squat is one of the most technical static movements you can perform as a strength athlete and it's a good idea to get video for assessment.

In saying this, it has been remiss of me to not get more video of my own lifts and events. It's not something I often think of in training... I'm more focussed on the lift itself (or, more specifically, not screwing it up) and I'm not keen on treating my training (like so many people do) as a social media vanity project.

But for technical critiquing purposes, I'm gonna have to remember to get more vids.

PULL+ EVENTS Monday December 9th
Deadlifts:
70 kg x 10
120 kg x 5
170 kg x 5
220 kg x 2
250 kg x 1
Prowler drag w/harness:
+100 kg x 15 meters
+150 kg x 15 meters
+200 kg x 15 meters
Seated rows:
neutral, narrow 114 kg x ME 20, 12, 10
underhand, wide 96 kg x 3 x 8
Face-pulls:
65 kg x 3 x 20 PR
DB side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 4 x 10
Pull-ups:
5, 3
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

Saturday, December 8, 2018

Events Saturday: More Chains

LAST yoke session felt a lot better than this one. I'd had big plans to walk 400 without a belt today, since the belt-less 370 I walked last time had felt pretty comfortable. But today, like Thursday night, I just wasn't on point. I am still rehabbing shit, sure, but I really felt like I had more in me today than what eventuated. I jumped to 410 instead of 400 kilograms as the leadup to it hadn't felt strong, I was going to rely on a belt for it anyway, and 400 is finnicky to load. I'd have to go scrounge up some 2.5s and I really couldn't be bothered.


The good news is the adductor felt good throughout the session. I'm reasonably confident I'll be able to deadlift, clean-press, axle squat and zercher carry next week like normal.


While I was training a Genesis member approached me, curious to know more about the yoke. We had a brief chat and I mentioned that I was always happy to show him the basics of strongman events if he could be here at 1pm each Saturday.


I had a third event programmed for today: the prowler drag, utilising the truck pull harness. But I looked all over and couldn't find anything I could use to hook the harness to the prowler. I needed a length of chain or heavy rope with loopholes either end, anywhere from one meter long. The one chain I found was too thin and the ropes too worn to be safe. So the prowler I had loaded up at one end of the runway I just had to push back and unload again.


After training I went to Bunnings and got a two meter length of chain sturdy enough to pull 800+ kilograms. That'll fuckin do. Looking forward to next session.


EVENTS Saturday December 8th
Yoke walk:
130 kg x 30 meters
230 kg x 30 meters
310 kg x 15 meters
370 kg x 15 meters - no belt, one drop, not great
410 kg x 5 meters - belted
Farmers walk (p/h):
30 kg x 30 meters
80 kg x 30 meters
110 kg x 30 meters
130 kg x 15 meters - no belt
Prowler push:
+200 kg x 10 meters

Friday, December 7, 2018

Pull, Press, Rest, Press Again

I NEEDED to allow more time for the adductor to heal. The work I did with the yoke and prowler drag, while not recruiting it nearly as much, still taxed the muscle to an extent I did not appreciate until I tried to deadlift the following week. Even stiff-legged pulls were hitting it. So it was time to back right off for a while, I surmised, and returned to more pressing.



My last press session could have gone a lot better than it did. I began with axle squats to test out the adductor. Again, it gave no indication it was compromised until it suddenly did, at the fourth rep of 120. It didn't hurt, it was just a warning twinge to tell me it wasn't 100 per cent yet. I had hoped to pull tonight, but with this information I switched back to my press routine.



I have managed to do something to my right elbow in the interim which was annoying me during bench (and barbell curls, predictably) but fine with most other movements. I mistimed my money set on axle overheads, so did two more max effort sets after it (which fatigued me), and I then lost the groove and couldn't power out of the last rep in a paused triple of just 140 on bench.



However, I like the idea of doing multiple maximum effort sets on axle OHP going forward. I will likely have to split up my benching from my overhead so I don't keep repeating what happened on this occasion. I'll see how this goes in 2019.



Press+ Thursday December 6th
Axle squats:
20 kg x 10
70 kg x 10
120 x 4 - healing, don't push it
Axle OHP (strict):
40 kg x 10
60 kg x 5
80 kg x 3
100 kg x ME 7 FAIL, 6, 5
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
90 kg x 3
120 kg x 1
140 kg x 2 FAIL
Triceps pushdowns:
114 kg x 20 PR
100 kg x 15
86 kg x 15
Standing barbell curls:
22.5 kg x 3 x 10 - reduced loading due to right elbow
Dumbbell front raises (p/h):
10 kg x 10
12.5 kg x 2 x 10
Chest press machine (p/h):
25 kg x 4 x 10
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm



Pull+ Thursday November 27th
Deadlifts:
70 kg x 10
120 kg x 5
Stiff-legged deadlifts:
170 kg x 3
Axle OHP (strict):
20 kg x 10
50 kg x 5
70 kg x 3
90 kg x 3
110 kg x 3
Seated rows:
neutral narrow 114 kg x 20 PR, 15, 10
underhand wide 96 kg x 3 x 8
DB side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 4 x 10
Face-pulls:
59 kg x 4 x 20 PR - go heavier next time
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Events+ Saturday: Yoke, Prowler, Press

EAGER to get underway, I beat my alarm to the punch and started today's training early. My last press session was pretty lacklustre so today I wanted to finish the bits I missed, as well as play with some equipment I don't normally use; namely the prowler and harness.

But first up was yoke walk. I haven't done anything you might call heavy for a while now. The WASM qualifier in late April had a 375 kilogram yoke. That was the last time I moved what might be considered reasonable weight: prior to today I was loosely following the Lion method, which has a focus on more volume. But it has been about two months since I moved a yoke at all.

It's odd. Something I've always found is that I lose the feel for yoke walk very quickly. Used to be, if I stopped training it for a couple of months or more, when I returned to it, it was almost like learning the event anew. The opposite of riding a bike. 

But that's not how it felt today. I walked 370 for 15 meters. A little shaky in the knees at first, and not my fastest time at that weight, for sure. But I did it without a belt and my core strength and stability felt solid. I also felt like I was breathing better than I have been while performing this event. I reckon I'll try a belt-less 400 kilo walk in the next few weeks.

From now through to the start of 2019 I intend to hit some new personal records. I made some good progress last week with strict axle overhead. I will be following that with new maxes on deadlift, Zercher carry, farmers and yoke walk... and maybe even clean-press.

At some point I've lost a pin for the d-ring hook for the harness, so was not able to use it today. I got the hook from Bunnings for a few bucks, so it won't be hard to replace. I'll have it sorted for next weekend.

I've also managed to lose my handy little tape measure, so I wasn't able to measure exactly how many meters I was pulling and pushing the prowler. It's definitely more than 10, but less than 15. Another thing I'll be more precise about next time.

Nonetheless, I got some decent work done today and had fun doing it. It's been a while since I was able to say that. I'm already looking forward to next week.

EVENTS+ PRESS Saturday November 24th
Yoke walk:
130 kg x 30 meters
210 kg x 30
290 kg x 30
330 kg x 15
370 kg x 15 - no belt
Prowler pull w/rope & push back:
+ 100 kg x 12 meters
+ 150 kg x 12
+ 200 kg x 12
The Rest of the Press
Triceps pushdowns:
114 kg x 15
100 kg x 15
86 kg x 15
Standing barbell curls:
20 kg x 10
25 kg x 10
27.5 kg x 10
Dumbbell front raises (p/h):
10 kg x 3 x 10

Friday, November 23, 2018

Pull Tuesday & Press Thursday

WASN'T feeling it last night. I started the session late and immediately noticed a new strain - this time in my right tricep/delt area. Hard to pin-point. I got the money sets done on press and left it there. Tuesday's pull session was better but still impeded by the adductor, which simply does not feel like it's an issue... right up until it suddenly is. But then, I'm the idiot not allowing it time to fully heal. I did some higher volume, lower weight runs with the farmers picks to work around it. Zercher carries were again kicked down the road to (hopefully) next week.

Press Thursday 22nd November
Log clean-press:
65 kg x 5 x 5
Axle OHP (strict):
45 kg x 5
65 kg x 3
85 kg x 3
95 kg x 8 - programmed 9
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
90 kg x 3
120 kg x 1
135 kg x 3 x 3 - might have had another set in me

Pull+ Events Tuesday 20th November
Deadlifts
70 kg x 10
120 kg x 5
170 kg x 5
220 kg x 3 - all overhand
270 kg x 1 - no belt
320 kg x 1
340 kg x 0 - adductor again
Farmers walk (p/h):
30 kg x 30 meters
80 kg x 30 meters
80 kg x 45 meters
Seated rows (narrow grip):
neutral 114 kg x 16, 10, 8
underhand 86 kg x 3 x 8 - go wide for these in future
Face-pulls:
59 kg x 3 x 20
DB side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 4 x 10
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm

Friday, November 16, 2018

Press+ Thursday: Still Getting Stronger

THIS was another solid training session, despite the couple of movements I could not perform to completion, or not at all. I had planned to assess how my strain was healing with an easy five by five of the log, unloaded, but I couldn't complete all sets without aggravating it further and so moved on to strict axle overhead press.

This was a significant new personal record broken. I'd previously managed seven reps of 95 kilograms on January 23rd of this year, and 110 kilograms for three triples two weeks before that. My best and heaviest is four reps of 115 on March 7th and a double of 120 (almost but not quite a triple!) March 17th, also this year. At this rate I'll be strict pressing 125 or more in a few weeks.

Also scrapped was Zercher carry with the yoke, though I intend to keep these as a regular part of my training. I'll be going for a new personal record in this event just as soon as my current injury allows. At least now I think I have a better understanding of my adductor's role in many of the exercises and events I train, and how important it is to stretch these out before each training session also. I do my quads, glutes/hips and shoulders regularly... but not these. More fool me.

Out of necessity I swapped out preacher for standing barbell curls and have decided to keep them. I was never sure how much the EZ bar weighed, and now don't need to find out. I used to avoid this movement as it would aggravate my elbow, so I'll be assessing that as the weight increases.

My intention for the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 is to continue getting stronger and more capable, so that come qualifiers I'm not just ready, I'm already past it and looking at finals.

PRESS+ Thursday November 15th
stretch
Log clean-press:
65 kg x 3 x 5
Axle OHP (strict):
60 kg x 3
80 kg x 3
90 kg x 10 - big new PR for reps at this weight!
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
100 kg x 3
130 kg x 3 x 3
Triceps pushdowns:
114 kg x 14
100 kg x 13
86 kg x 10
Standing barbell curls:
20 kg x 10
25 kg x 10
27.5 kg x 10
Dumbbell front raises (p/h):
10 kg x 10
12.5 kg x 2 x 10
Chest press machine (p/h):
22.5 kg x 4 x 10
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +55 rpm PR

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

One Week Out: A Disappointing End to 2018

IF LAST week was one of my best training weeks in recent years, this week was easily one of the worst.

I had the intention of testing some personal records. A 342.5 kilo deadlift (+2.5 kg) and 150 farmers walk (+5 kg p/h) were on the cards. But in the leadup to the big pull, things weren't moving as well as they were last week. 312.5 came up sloppily compared with the 320 and I didn't want to fail this close to competing, so I moved on to farmers walk. As soon as I tried to pick 150, my fucking adductor struck again.

Friday I finally got my quads and right glute dry needled. They needed it, and the constriction is likely the cause of my adductor issue. It's a theory, at least. My new physiotherapist doesn't disagree.

Saturday I drove to Port Kennedy for what was to be my first and last stones session before the comp. My old mate and veteran Strongman Jay was there for a session under the direction of 'Mad Dog' Matt Lynch Blanch. We did a bit of catching up as I'd not seen him in some time. But when it came time to lift, I couldn't move anything heavier than 80 or so thanks to the strain. Still, I hoped for the best. Jay helped me bundle the Static Monsters banner into Belwas and I drove back to civilisation, to rest up.

Only, I wasn't ready to rest just yet. I needed to be more confident in my abilities, so I took a calculated risk and trained Tuesday night. This left me only three days to recover, but I needed to see if the strain was going to come good - like it did the first time - and allow me to compete. It did not.
Evidently, it's worse now. I can't squat one plate without it being an issue.

I emailed WA Strongman after training and asked them to disregard the entry form I'd sent just that morning. This makes the fourth year running I have not competed in the state finals. That's actually not a total negative. Instead of focussing on my own training, I've been coaching others on to great things. I put the Static Monsters on the map in Western Australia and have assisted in keeping it there. I have been instrumental in growing the sport I love, and I take a great deal of satisfaction from that.

None of this will change, of course: I will continue to teach anyone who is willing to be taught, and I'm already musing over possible locations for Static Monsters Perth 2019. But in the new year I will also continue to hone my own skills, mix up and intensify my training so that events are a focal point of every session, not just weekends, and prepare for a year of tough competition from the state's heavyweight front-runners... who now include the mighty Kong.

As predicted.

EVENTS Tuesday November 13th
stretch
Axle squat:
70 kg x 3 - adductor strain, scrapped... along with my finals bid
Axle OHP (strict):
20 kg x 10
45 kg x 5
65 kg x 3
85 kg x 10 TPR
Stiff-legged axle deadlifts (grip test):
70 kg x 8
110 kg x 8
140 kg x 7
Zercher carry w/yoke:
130 kg x 2 x 10 meters
210 kg x 2 x 10 meters
Cardio:
Assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

EVENTS at GOLDS Saturday November 10th
stretch
OHP w/yoke:
90 kg x 5
Atlas stones:
80 kg x 8
110 kg x FAIL

PULL+ EVENTS Wednesday November 7th
stretch
Deadlifts:
70 kg x 1
120 kg x 5
170 kg x 5
220 kg x 3
270 kg x 1 no belt
312.5 kg x 1
Farmers walk (p/h):
80 kg x 2 x 15 meters
120 kg x 15 meters
150 kg x FAIL - left adductor again!!

Saturday, November 3, 2018

2nd Last Week Before State Finals



SOME of the best and heaviest training I've done in a while happened this week, which is both surprising and encouraging since I totally bombed at Static Monsters before the gig even got started last Saturday. Warming up with the log, my left adductor decided to give me some shit. I stretched more and thought not much of it, went back to warming up. On my second clean of 90 kilos, the adductor pulled. The strain put me on the sidelines for the day and has galvanised me into training all the harder now that it's abated.




This week alone I have:
Deadlifted 320 kilograms
Axle squatted 240 kilograms
Zercher carried 230 kilograms x 2 x 10 meters
Farmers walked 140 kilograms p/h x 15 meters
Bench pressed 125 kilograms for a total of 12 super-paused reps
Axle overhead pressed 80 kilograms x 10 strict reps




And next Saturday I'll be back at Port Kennedy doing STONES, STONES, STONES! My new tacky has arrived so it's high time I got down and dirty with some Atlas stone work. It has been years since I hefted a proper one. Let's hope a crash refresher one week out will be sufficient... coz it's gonna have to be.




SATURDAY EVENTS November 3rd
stretch
Axle squats:
20 kg x 10
70 kg x 5
120 kg x 8
170 kg x 3
200 kg x 1 - no belt
220 kg x 1
240 kg x 1 TPR
Log clean-press:
65 kg x 5
75 kg x 5
85 kg x 5
Farmers walk (p/h):
80 kg x 2 x 15 meters
super-set w/Tyre flips:
175 kg x 2 x 10 meters
Farmers walk (p/h):
110 kg x 15 meters
140 kg x 15 meters TPR - five kilos off my best ever. Time to try for a new max
super-set w/Tyre flips:
175 kg x 10 meters




PRESS+ EVENTS Thursday November 1st
stretch
Axle static OHP:
40 kg x 10
70 kg x 5
80 kg x 10 TPR?
Zercher carry w/yoke:
130 kg x 2 x 10 meters
190 kg x 10 meters
210 kg x 10 meters
230 kg x 2 x 10 meters PR
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
100 kg x 3
125 kg x 5, 4, 3
Triceps pushdowns:
114 kg x 15
105 kg x 10
96 kg x 12
Preacher curls:
bar +10 kg x 4 x 10
super-set w/DB front raises (p/h):
10 kg x 10
12.5 kg x 2 x 10
Chest press machine (p/h):
20 kg x 3 x 10
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm




ASSESSMENT Tuesday October 30th
stretch
Axle squats:
20 kg x 10
70 kg x 10 - strain apparent but manageable
120 kg x 10 - still OK but don't push it
Farmers walk (p/h):
30 kg x 2 x 15 meters
80 kg x 2 x 15 meters
110 kg x 15 meters
130 kg x 15 meters
Deadlifts:
70 kg x 10
120 kg x 8
170 kg x 3
220 kg x 2
270 kg x 1 - no belt
320 kg x 1 TPR - twenty kilos off my best ever barbell DL & it felt pretty easy
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

Friday, November 2, 2018

Static Monsters Perth 2018

THE GREAT Australian lyricist, Paul Kelly, wrote 'From little things, big things grow', a song actually about Gurindji elder, First Australian and Aboriginal rights activist Vincent Lingiari's fight to improve working conditions for his people. But the chorus is a rewording of a Buddhist proverb and I can already tell I've googled too deep.

The point is: the second Static Monsters Perth was bigger and better than the first, thanks mostly to the mighty Matt Lynch Blanch and the excellent facility provided by Gold's Port Kennedy. This Static Monsters was on Matt's turf, with his bat and his ball (so to speak); the former state champion heavyweight and internationally ranked under 105 athlete had gone all out for the big day, with wagon wheels from Stand or Submit for the axle deadlift, an array of medals for podium placers, as well as trophies and $100 cash prizes for the day's biggest hitters! And there were some big hitters...

To start with, the women's log clean-press state record was broken by Tara Pratt. With a brief and entertaining tussle, she locked out 82.5. The flamboyant and newest member of the team that was, Honeyberst, made this his first ever strongman competition, and boy did he entertain. He was followed by Crossfitter-cum-Strongman champion Ngarimu Ahipene with a 137.5 log and 300 dead, and the man mountain from Collie, Matt van Beuningen, who put up a valiant fight for a 400 kilogram deadlift... but it just wasn't to be.

WASM regular Paul Hough and the baby-faced Assassin Jack Opferkutch were there to assist Matt take this motley crew of strongman greenhorns through their paces. The field of competitors totalled thirteen, almost doubling last year's number.

While the venue didn't attract quite as many members of the public as the entrance to Coventry square in Morley, the event did draw the attention of some of the state's most decorated strength athletes. Septuagenarian Pro-card holder Jeremy Hogg was quick with a sledge or two from the sidelines, and WA Strongman owner (and my first coach) Daniel Macri also came down to see the action unfold.
































Sunday, October 28, 2018

Press+ Sunday Session

SINCE Static Monsters was a non-event for me and I'm now nursing an adductor strain (hopefully not a tear), I had a lot of frustrations that needed working out. I figured a Sunday session was in order.


As I was finishing up on the assault bike I noticed a fella doing farmer's walk with straps... a competition no-no. He came past, a 110 kilo pick strapped to each hand, and when he was done I asked his name and if he'd like to learn how to use those properly.


His name was Jason, he told me, and 120 is his best for 15 meters, but he was handicapped by small hands. I told him he was already training with some of the best tools available for developing grip strength, he just wasn't using them to their full potential.


My Saturday events sessions - and the Strongman clinics I put on for anyone who is interested - kick off at Genesis Bentley from 12 midday this Saturday. Maybe I'll see Jason there.




PRESS+ Sunday October 28th
stretch... for fuck's sake, stretch
Axle OHP (strict):
40 kg x 10
60 kg x 5
80 kg x 5
90 kg x 3
100 kg x 2
110 kg x 1
120 kg x 1
125 kg x FAIL - but struggled with it for legit about 10-15 seconds...
75 kg x max effort 11 TPR?
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
100 kg x 3
120 kg x 5
75 kg x 11
Triceps pushdowns:
114 kg x 14
100 kg x 15
91 kg x 10
Preacher curls w/EZ bar:
bar +10 kg x 3 x 10
super-set w/DB front raises (p/h):
30 kg x 8, 8, 6
Cardio:
Assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Pull+ Events Tuesday: Last Lift Before Static Monsters

BEING the biggest, strongest fish in the pond has disadvantages. The last time I was here I allowed myself to stagnate by not pushing hard enough. I won't allow that to happen again. After Static Monsters I'll be switching back to a standard barbell and pulling from the floor once more. I intend to pull at least my previous 1RM (340 kilograms) before I drop back to base-building again.

And I already have big plans for next year.

PULL+ EVENTS Tuesday 23rd October
stretch
Deadlifts w/Axle:
(40cm pull height)
70 kg x 10
120 kg x 5
170 kg x 2 no straps
170 kg x 5
220 kg x 3
270 kg x 2 no belt
310 kg x 1
Zercher carry w/Yoke:
130 kg x 2 x 10 meters
210 kg x 2 x 10 meters
Seated rows:
114 kg (full stack)
neutral grip x 15, 10, 5
u/hand wide grip x 8, 8
Face-pulls:
59 kg x 3 x 20
super-set w/DB side raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 3 x 10

Sunday, October 21, 2018

The Story So Far

'If you choose to be a moral, honest, and principled human, you will lose friends, family, and close relations along the way.
And it’s okay.
Those who value you, will stay.
That’s all that matters.'
- Alishba Zarmeen

LOTS of you know by now what kind of person I am, but for those who do not, here's a summary. The standard I walk past is the standard I accept. Which is why I stand between bullies and their victims and call out racism, sexism, homophobia and bigotry wherever I find them. This has cost me more than a few friends over the years, which is why the above quote from a fellow social justice warrior is so poignant. Being a loner by nature, losing friends has never bothered me much. I am even less bothered to lose fascists and fascist sympathisers as 'friends'. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning. The following few paragraphs are an excerpt from a previous post:

MUSCLE, BRAWN & BIG, FAKE MO

March 29th 2010 was the day I performed a proper ‘workout’ for the first time in nearly a decade. I’d quit smoking at the start of that year. I weighed over 150 kilograms and was an alcoholic. I was on a journey to change my life. And, then just like now, I felt compelled to write about what I was doing. It added significance, and a measure of accountability. My first log was on a body building forum called Muscle and Strength. By the start of 2011 I’d managed to piss off the secretive and childish site owner and was banned, but I was still determined to log my training somewhere and so started another one on a very similar forum, called Muscle and Brawn. I was still me, so still got into arguments with people... and took particular exception to the promotion of an idiot called Big Mo.

One of the moderators of this forum was actively promoting Big Mo. Despite the fact that he’s a ridiculous synthol freak, his ‘training methods’ are totally phoney and he purveys some of the lowest, shittiest aspects of the aesthetics-obsessed H&F industry, this mod was making a freaking documentary on the guy, and had a couple of threads open for people to ask Big Mo questions.

To nip that story in the bud, I called out this fraudster, got banned again, and so began this blog you are reading now. At last count it's cracked 65,000 views, with an average readership of over 2,500 a month. It is heartening to know that these numbers have grown exponentially in places like Europe and the USA, and the people who followed me here from my days on Muscle and Strength are still reading now.

HENRY'S BAD DAY

In late June 2013 I moved my training to PTC Perth after Henry Day had his very public melt-down on the Muscle Pit Facebook page. This was immediately after the first state powerlifting championships that PTC Perth entered, and almost dominated the scoreboard of. Pit crew won first and second place, on formula, but PTC Perth won the next half dozen or more places. This was enough for ole Henry to post a passive-aggressive tirade about how he was banning the word 'can't' from the gym, and we all needed to harden the fuck up and train better, or words to that effect. It was a semiliterate, juvenile tantrum which earned the following reply from me (and I remember it well):

"Rather than banning words... maybe we should ban poorly spelled declarative statements?"

Henry's retort: 'Abs, if you don't like it, you can fuck off' - and I did. But before I did, I made him aware of exactly where I was moving to, which just made him madder. I left that afternoon to visit a friend in Mandurah. I came home that evening to a storm in the social media teacup. Henry's post - and my response to it - had garnered over a thousand views, hundreds of likes and plenty of controversy. It would not be the last time that a bunch of meatheads from that particular gym would threaten me with physical harm in defence of Henry's hurt feelings. As I understand it, he still hates me with the intensity of a thousand suns. And I'm just fine with that.

Since I'm laying it all out here I should probably mention that up until late 2013 I worked for about two years at the Perth branch of the Australian Institute of Fitness; one of, if not the, most heinous example of the multi-level marketing scam that the health and fitness industry has become, if it wasn't always. I learned some dispiriting and enraging things in those two years and was incredibly happy to be offered a management role (at double the salary) in my old industry by a head-hunter. I was gone from 'the Institute' at the end of September. But, as with everywhere I go and everything I do, I left an impression... and I kept the receipts.

My move to PTC Perth at that time was somewhat premature. I was there less than a year, I think, before Genesis Bentley opened. Genesis management offered me and Asha Tracey - then WA's strongest woman - an excellent deal on membership. And, in consultation with us, they purchased thousands of dollars worth of Strongman equipment from Awesome As. We were both really impressed with their facility and how attentive they were to our needs as athletes. Unlike Henry's tantrum and the subsequent fallout, I have previously written at length about the demise of Strongman Genesis chapter. It was my first attempt at building a team.

LAYING DOWN WITH RACIST DOGS

Losing direction and focus, in early 2015 I returned to PTC Perth and was reinvigorated. I began building the most formidable strongman team the state had yet seen. It took almost exactly three years. I am proud of every person in that crew. They showed me how great things could be, if I believed and trusted in others. If I continued to believe in myself.

But inevitably, it seems, things would not continue to be great. Not unless I made the conscious decision to ignore what I was seeing and what my head and my gut were telling me. In October of 2018, seventy two years since my Grandfather was finally returned home from Sandakan POW camp, on the Big Dogs stage stood a Nazi.

Brandon Allen wears three Nazi-inspired tattoos. On his stomach are the numbers 88, for HH (or Heil Hitler), as well as the numbers 51/50, which have become trendy amongst young fascists and are actually a clinical reference for mental instability and violent tendencies. And a Totenkopf - the Panzer deaths head - on his wrist.

After my grandmother's death in the late nineties, my grandpa lost his will to live. My last memories of him are of how sad he was. He faded away less than two years after her. He would have been incensed to see what I am seeing unfold today, in the nation he fought and almost died to protect a lifetime ago.

People have come at me with all kinds of nonsense in their attempts to deflect, obfuscate, or otherwise paint me as the bad guy for bringing this issue to the attention of PTC Perth. 'It's his birthday' say some, to which I say: bollocks. That doesn't explain the font that is always used by Nazis and their cohort when writing these numbers. 'He can't be a Nazi, he has black/Hispanic/gay and lesbian friends.' Sure, he's an interloper. That's how people with intolerant ideologies survive in a multicultural world. He looks down at these people the same way devout xians look down their noses at the hellbound masses they rub shoulders with every day. Do not mistake a quiet demeanour for a gentle nature or reasoned mind. It indicates neither.

There is no explanation for these three symbols being on this person, other than the obvious one. Just like there's no explanation other than the obvious for the SS motto 'Meine Ehre heißt Treue' tattooed on the back of Adam Mazzon, a PTC franchisee. Just like there is no explanation other than the obvious for why the owner of PTC and Big Dogs, Markos Markopolous, has studiously avoided me on social media regarding this issue. He's in my DMs, as they say, and he's never been afraid to slide into them when he's had something to say in the past. But on this he has remained silent.

When I made this post, asking why a Nazi was on stage and my own gym was endorsing it, things exploded. A flood of new information came my way and I ended up finding out even more things that I could not stomach about the organisation I was a coach for.

So I no longer coach for, nor have anything to do with, Performance Training Centre.


UPDATE: literally the week after this all went down, PTC Perth changed it's name. More recently, PTC Gold Coast also re-branded.
UPDATE UPDATE: and then Markos Markopolous was exposed as a racist and forced to resign from GPC.


STRENGTH & HONOUR: GENESIS II

Serendipity has brought me back to Genesis Bentley. Let me clarify; it is not a happy coincidence that  ended PTC Strongman, but it is a happy coincidence how I can so easily move my training to a facility that is just as close by and already equipped with almost everything I need to train effectively. What I don't have, I'll get. Then, as the new year begins, I will begin anew also. In time I will build another team.

I began this post with a quote. Let me end with a poem. There are few memories I have of my school years which I might consider fond or nostalgic, but this is one of them. Every weekday morning for five years, as our Housemaster would call roll, high on the wall next to where I always stood in Freeth house was an immense wooden plaque, under glass. Decades before I was born, a boy with more talent and patience than I possessed at that age had carved these words by Rudyard Kipling into it. They have helped shape my world, and haunt me to this day. I include the full poem as I think it's rude to abbreviate such an accomplished piece.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;            

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

The Training Recap

EVENTS at Gold Port Kennedy Saturday 20th October
stretch
Axle OHP strict:
20 kg x 10
50 kg x 5
70 kg x 3
Yoke OHP strict:
80 kg x 3
90 kg x 1
100 kg x 1
110 kg x 1
120 kg x failed twice
dropped bar height, presses off chest:
100 kg x 3, 1
Squats w/Wagon wheels:
75 kg x 10
115 kg x 5
155 kg x 3
195 kg x 1
Axle deadlifts (grip test):
160 kg x 3 x 2


PRESS+ Events at Genesis Bentley Wednesday 17th October
stretch
Zercher carry:
130 kg x 2 x 15 meters - fast
190 kg x 2 x 10 meters
210 kg x 10 meters
Axle static OHP:
bar x 5
50 kg x 5
80 kg x 5
100 kg x 2
110 kg x 4 singles
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
100 kg x 3
115 kg x 7
Triceps pushdowns:
full stack (114 kg) x 15, 10,7
DB front raises (p/h):
10 kg x 10
12.5 kg x 3 x 10
Preacher curls:
(bar weight unknown)
+10 kg x 10
+ 20 kg x 3 x 10


PRESS+ Events Saturday 13th October
stretch
Log clean-press:
45 kg x 10
70 kg x 5
90 kg x 1
100 kg x 1
Axle deadlift:
80 kg x 10
130 kg x 5
140, 150, 160, 170 kg x 1
175 kg x FAIL, but close
w/Straps
220 kg x 3 - right hip/glute pain

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Press+ Events Tuesday: Switching it Up

I AM ADDING some finals events to my mid-week training sessions so as to get more familiar with them in the time I have. The zercher carry and axle squat are possibly the most formidable of the five events on offer, and so I'm hoping to try another heavy squat session either Thursday, after deadlifts, or Saturday during events. Hopefully I'll have some assistance this time... of the PTCSM crew it was literally just me training last weekend. This close to state finals, that's not a great sign.

PRESS+ Events Tuesday October 9th
stretch
Zercher carry:
130 kg x 2 x 10 meters
170 kg x 2 x 10 meters
190 kg x 10 meters
Axle static OHP:
47.5 kg x 5
67.5 kg x 4
87.5 kg x 3
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
110 kg x 7
Triceps pushdowns:
full stack x 2 x 20
full stack x 2 x 15
super-set w/DB front raises (p/h):
10 kg x 10
12.5 kg x 3 x 10
Cardio:
Assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Pull+ Thursday & Events Saturday: Prep wk10



I NOTICED I'd shrunk another notch on the Inzer Thursday night during deadlifts. My pulls and grip are feeling strong once again. I'm looking good for a return to heavy clean-press shortly! It's about goddamn time. But I also need now to prioritise static axle OHP as part of my preparation to tackle the 130 kilogram yoke I'll need to press for event two of the WASM state championships. I am predicting not a lot of people will get even one rep. I aim for at least one.

I've been deadlifting for quite a few years, with an axle almost as much as a barbell. And for over the years now I've been using the same pair of Loaded Lifting axle straps that feature in this Facebook promo. Well, Thursday night one of them finally tore, just a little, during my second set of 310. Three years is a pretty good innings, I reckon.
Then Saturday came and I began the session with event one of WASM finals, the axle squat. I set up in a pretty precarious Oly rack and used boxes to approximate the height at which the axle will most likely be set. It didn't go so well. Next time I will use a sturdier rack...

I worked up to a comfortable enough triple of 175. Then, while unracking 205, I got a stabbing pain in my right lower lumbar. Not related (I don't think) to the impinged nerve on my left. It felt like it ran down my right glute. I will be seeing my physiotherapist as soon as I can make an appointment. Hopefully this is a muscle issue. I often get strains in my gluteus with regular lower body training - especially yoke, farmers and squats.

I moved on to event two: the yoke overhead press. The injury didn't affect this. I was pressing the axle directly from the rack, rather than walking it out a little and positioning at the top of my chest first. I'm pretty confidant I'll get to the yoke before game day. Today it was not to be.

I finished off with a reintroduction to the zercher carry, which is event three. This was impacted somewhat by the glute/back complaint. As with the yoke press, I didn't reach comp loadings today. Next week I'll be getting closer to comp weights, as well as doing stones... an event I haven't performed in a very long time.

EVENTS Saturday October 6th
stretch
Axle squats:
75 kg x 10
125 kg x 5
175 kg x 3
205 kg - right lumbar/glute pain
Yoke OHP (using steel axle):
67.5 kg x 5
87.5 kg x 3
107.5 kg x 2
Zercher carry:
130 kg x 4 x 10 meters
170 kg x 2 x 10 meters

PULL+ Thursday October 4th
stretch
Axle deadlifts:
80 kg x 10
140 kg x 7
180 kg x 5
230 kg x 3
270 kg x 1
310 kg x 2 x 3 TPR
HS seated rows (p/h):
42.5 kg x 3 x 15
super-set w/HS bicep curls (l&r):
15 kg x 3 x 10
Face-pulls:
plate 12 x 4 x 20
super-set w/DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 2 x 10
10 kg x 2 x 10
Cardio:
assault bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

Friday, September 28, 2018

Pull+ Wednesday: Static Monsters Prep wk9

AND the weeks don't get less eventful. Not at this stage of the game. The date for the WA Strongman state finals has been set and now the events have been (mostly) announced:

Event 1: Axle Squat - max reps in 60 seconds
HW: 275kg
Event 2: Yoke Press - max reps in 60 seconds
HW: 130kg
Event 3: Zercher Carry Medley - 10 meters each, in 60 seconds
HW: 205kg, 245kg, 275kg
Event 4: Deadlift Grip Medley, in 90 seconds
HW: (last implement) Axle 140kg
Event 5: Atlas Stones - loaded to 1 meter height, in 60 seconds
HW: 115kg, 140kg, 155kg, 180kg

Most of the new sponsor logos for this year's Static Monsters banner have been made and will be added over the weekend. I collected them from Perth Stripes & Signs yesterday.

The 4th event at this years WASM finals is a grip strength medley. Most implements & loadings are under wraps, save for the final & heaviest: a 140 kilo Axle deadlift. I just pulled that for 5 warming up for tonight’s sets of 295. So I'm feeling pretty okay about that one.

PULL+ Wednesday September 26th
stretch
Axle deadlifts:
80 kg x 10
140 kg x 5
180 kg x 5
230 kg x 3
265 kg x 1
295 kg x 3 x 3 TPR
HS seated rows (p/h):
40 kg x 4 x 15
Face-pulls:
plate 12 x 4 x 20 PR
super-set w/DB side raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 4 x 10 PR
Cardio:
bike 5 mins @ +50 rpm

Monday, September 24, 2018

Prep wk8: Weekend at Kongs & a Kingsize Sponsor

IT HAS been an eventful week. This particular piece of news was going to wait for a post of its own. Now seems as good a time as any, though. I have been in touch with Cameron, managing director of Kingsize Menswear; an Australian business with a sterling reputation and a vested interest (pardon the pun) in clothing the extra large Australian male.

We met mid-week at his office in Inglewood, where he told me what he was looking for. He needed a crew of big and tall gentlemen to model their upcoming summer collection, arriving late October / early November. He asked me if I could assemble such a crew. I said of course! By the next morning I had seven appropriately big and tall gentlemen signed up to be local celebrities.

Kingsize Menswear has also agreed to sponsor Static Monsters Perth! Their logo is a late addition to the banner for 2018, which also finished production last week. I have not seen it yet but have no doubt that Peter and the good people at Perth Stripes and Signs have done an excellent job with the new sponsor logos I commissioned a month ago.

Saturday I did what Kong has done, as many Saturdays as he could, for the last two and more years: I drove to York, an hour and fifteen minutes east of Perth. I finally got to train in 'the Padded Room' and meet his adorable new son, EJ (Ed junior), barely bigger than a zygote and still with that new baby smell. Now I want one too.

Last week I also made the rash decision to drop meadows rows. The setup and pack-up was becoming too time-consuming when performed in conjunction with heavy axle deadlifts, which also take a long time to assemble and pack away when the kilograms are approaching 300 and it's just yourself training them. So I switched to bent-over dumbbell rows at the same loading (40 kilograms). Everything felt fine but I guess I over-extended on the right side at some point and now I have a tricep strain that has bothered me this week, playing up on Saturday during farmers walk.

Hopefully without jinxing myself (something I can and have done in the past), I can say that my left hand seems to be healing, albeit very slowly, further confirming it's not soft tissue or nerve but a tendon injury I am dealing with. I was able to handle a 110 log on Saturday. I experienced no perceptible loss of grip strength and no numbness during the press... but it hurt. I said to Kong at the time that I wouldn't know till the following morning if I'd done yet more damage with this one lift, as that's usually how it goes. But, again, nothing was aggravated the next day. I can clench my fist without it feeling underpowered. It's just painful. This is still progress... so I haven't completely written off WASM state finals this year. But it's still a dicey prospect.

SATURDAY September 22nd
stretch
Log clean-press:
40 kg x 5
60 kg x 5
80 kg x 5
100 kg x 2
110 kg x 1
Yoke walk:
110 kg x 2 x 30 meters
150 kg x 2 x 30 meters
190 kg x 2 x 30 meters
Farmers walk (p/h):
75 kg x 2 x 30 meters

THURSDAY September 20th
stretch
Bench press (paused):
bar x 10
60 kg x 5
105 kg x 10
Incline barbell bench press:
80 kg x 3 x 10
HS chest press (p/h):
30 kg x 15
30 kg x 2 x 20
super-set w/HS bi curls (l&r):
15 kg x 3 x 10
DB bent-over rows (l&r):
40 kg x 15

TUESDAY September 18th
stretch
Log clean press:
45 kg x 10
60 kg x 5
Squats w/cambered bar:
50 kg x 10
90 kg x 5
130 kg x 5

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Pull Thursday & Events Saturday: Prep wk7

LAST WEEK, things got off-schedule right on schedule. It started with a couple of inflamed cysts. One was on my neck under a wart (both cyst and wart were cut out on Tuesday), the other cyst - which is right up in my frigging groin - is the same thing that messed me up in May. I alluded to it but don't think I ever elaborated on it coz it was so disgusting. But now that it's back I'm compelled to share... and make you all feel as wretched as I did.

Last time it swelled to the size of about half a baseball. It made walking and sitting reasonably painful. Not as painful as the time I had a prolapsed haemorrhoid, but maybe half way there. That was before it burst and leaked for several days; shit that smelled like actual shit. At one point I lanced it and squeezed it, hoping to drain the awful smelling lymphatic fluid and blood into a thick and thirsty paper towel. Instead it surged like a fire extinguisher, three to four feet across the bathroom, and spattered the mirror in bloody, beige soup.

This time I got to the doctor before it grew anywhere near that size. The infection is due to a particular type of bacteria (he took a swab of it for testing this time) and so needs a particular type of antibiotic. My GP prescribed a double course. Last time I was on it, it made me sick briefly. This time it's so far, so good.

So, week 6 was a total bust. Week 7 of comp prep has been better. My deadlift session was cut short as I felt a little dizzy and nauseated (antibiotics) but I got some decent work done first. And today's events session was also productive. Next weekend is the last qualifier for the WASM state championships (which have been slated for November 17th at Elizabeth quay)  and Special K was going all-out with his last weekend session before game day. He started around ten o'clock, and was joined later by Alec, Jacqui and myself. While I still have no idea what the events are going to be, now is the time to get primed. So primed I am getting.

EVENTS Saturday September 15th - Prep wk7
stretch
Farmers walk (p/h):
45 kg x 2 x 20 meters
85 kg x 2 x 20 meters
115 kg x 20 meters
135 kg x 20 meters
Zercher carry w/yoke:
130 kg x 20 meters
Yoke walk:
130 kg x 2 x 20 meters
170 kg x 20 meters
210 kg x 20 meters
250 kg x 2 x 20 meters

PULL+ Wednesday September 12th
stretch
Axle deadlifts:
80 kg x 10
130 kg x 5
180 kg x 5
230 kg x 3
280 kg x 3 x 5
DB rows (l&r):
40 kg x 3 x 15

Friday, September 7, 2018

Static Monsters Prep wk5 & Squat Thursday

EVENTS Saturday September 1st
stretch
Yoke walk:
130 kg x 2 x 20 meters
210 kg x 2 x 20 meters
250 kg x 2 x 20 meters
Farmers walk (p/h):
110 kg x 20 meters
Zercher carry w/yoke:
170 kg x 20 meters

SQUAT+ Thursday September 6th
stretch
Squats w/cambered bar:
50 kg x 10
90 kg x 5
130 kg x 5
160 kg x 3 x 10 PR
HS leg extensions (p/l):
27.5 kg x 3 x 10
HS hamstring curls (p/l):
15 kg x 3 x 10
HS calf raises:
55 kg x 3 x 15
DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 4 x 10

Friday, August 31, 2018

Pull+ Thursday: By the Numbers

UNDERHAND rows are still off the menu but everything else moved well and felt comfortable enough tonight. Meadows and Hammer Strength rows are following a loose progression template, with diminishing rep ranges as the weight gets heavier. I will be aiming for 15 rep sets at 40 through to 50 kilograms, then 12 rep sets for 60 kilograms and above. The intention is to be hitting 10 reps of 70+ kilos comfortably in another two months.

PULL+ Thursday August 30th
stretch
Axle Deadlifts:
80 kg x 10
130 kg x 5
180 kg x 5
230 kg x 3
265 kg x 3 x 6
Meadows rows (l&r):
40 kg x 3 x 15
HS seated rows (p/h):
40 kg x 3 x 15
Face-pulls:
plate 12 x 3 x 20
super-set w/DB side raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 3 x 10

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Static Monsters Prep wk4 & Press+ Tuesday

I GOT maybe a third of the work done that I'd intended for Saturday. My wrist complaint - while improving - is not improving fast enough. I knew after axle deads that clean-pressing was not going to be a smart choice, so I moved on to yoke and, after a few runs, was felled by a debilitating lower back pump that didn't release for over an hour.

And last night's press session was another false start. I'm still not able to move anything above 70 kilograms without significant pain and weakness in the hand itself. My grip is compromised. I know it's healing as it's not bothering me as much as it used to. Now only when I clean-press. I had no choice but to scrap log for a third week running.

It is fortunate that Static Monsters (and the state finals, for that matter) are a good two plus months away. I still have the opportunity to recover from this and start an effective 6 week program in September.

EVENTS Saturday August 25th
stretch
Axle deadlifts:
80 kg x 10
130 kg x 5
170 kg x 3
210 kg x 3
250 kg x 3 x 6
Yoke walk:
130 kg x 2 x 20 meters
210 kg x 2 x 20 meters

PRESS+ Tuesday August 28th
stretch
Log clean-press:
50 kg x 5
70 kg x 5
scrapped - wrist injury
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
100 kg x 11
Incline BB press:
75 kg x 10, 10, 8
DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 4 x 10
super-set w/Triceps pushdowns:
full stack x 4 x 15
Axe-swings (l&r):
plate 9 x 3 x 10
HS chest press (p/h):
27.5 kg x 3 x 20
super-set w/HS bicep curls (l&r):
15 kg x 3 x 10

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Squat+ Tuesday: Gains Train

IT WAS a calculated move to use the first session of the week for legs. My left hand is feeling 90% better but I didn't want to tempt fate and aggravate it again before it's healed. I will log and bench press on Thursday, then axle deadlift, yoke walk (and other events) on Saturday.


SQUAT+ Tuesday August 21st
stretch & foam roll
Squats w/cambered bar:
50 kg x 10
90 kg x 5
130 kg x 5
150 kg x 3 x 10 PR
HS leg extensions (p/l):
25 kg x 4 x 10
HS hamstring curls (p/l):
17.5 kg x 10, 8
15 kg x 10
HS calf raises:
55 kg x 4 x 15 - only just completed all reps
DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 4 x 10

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Events Saturday: Static Monsters Prep wk3

MORE fantastic progress was witnessed today at PTC Strongman headquarters. Our under 90s future champion Special K and the flamboyant under 105s hopeful Honeyberst were already in the thick of it when I arrived. Kyle loading a 60 kilogram stone over a 1.5 meter bar and Chris clean-pressing a 60 kilo log, both for sets of five, from memory. Then young Tim and ugly old Carl arrived, and suddenly it was a party.


Before they moved inside to setup for axle deadlifts, the Lion showed this group of greenhorns a glimpse of his power. A 360 kilogram yoke walk; 20 meters at (by my count) 24 seconds. His heaviest yoke in years, and his leanest bodyweight in decades. The Lion isn't training right now for anything other than himself. But in my opinion he should step up in September with the rest of the crew and represent. He would receive a heroes welcome.



Chris and Tim are prepping for Static Monsters Perth and Kyle for the WA Strongman qualifiers in September - the last chance to earn an invite to states. By the looks of things, they're all going to excel. Static Monsters will be Chris and Tim's first foray into the sport, while Kyle (who was throwing that stone like a man possessed) returns to the WASM qualifying ranks with a score to settle. He wants that podium finish and invite the state championships.


He'll fucking get it, too.


EVENTS Saturday August 18th
stretch
Yoke walk (Lion method):
130 kg x 2 x 20 meters
210 kg x 2 x 20 meters
290 kg x 4 x 20 meters

Friday, August 17, 2018

Press Wednesday & Pull+ Thursday

AXLE deads are on point. But then - at just three weeks into a three month prep - they should be. I am getting regular lower back pumps from the increased pull height and training frequency. This is not a bad thing, but after a while it becomes constricting. Just another indication that I need a thorough dry-needling, soon.

A combination of factors required that I move my press session from Tuesday to Wednesday night, which I was actually thankful for as I wanted the additional recovery time. My left hand has been bothering me since the end of last week. I have no idea what I did to make it angry. There's kind of a dull ache in the centre of my palm that becomes a stabbing pain when I clench my fist. Certain movements are ok, I happily discovered while deadlifting last night. And certain other movements are definitely not ok, like anything involving rotation or supination of the wrist. Which I learned while trying to do my log work the night before.

I handled it at 50 and 70 kilograms, but at 90 my grip strength was so compromised I could feel it slipping as I cleaned the first rep. The press was unbalanced and excruciating. Continuing would just make the issue worse so I scrapped log press and, later, the rest of the session. Even benching a 60 kilo barbell was painful after that.

Another squat and legs session will be on the roster next week. With my hand in the condition it's in currently, more log clean-press this Saturday would be a bad idea and I cannot deadlift again so soon, so I will need to find things to do in addition to yoke walk. Things that don't require grip. Or at least, grip with both hands. Maybe some monster dumbbell clean-presses, right side only.

PRESS Wednesday August 15th
stretch
Log clean-press:
50 kg x 5
70 kg x 5
90 kg x 1 - left hand injury, rest of session scrapped

PULL Events + Hypertrophy Thursday August 16th
stretch
Axle deadlifts (40 cm pull height):
75 kg x 10
125 kg x 8
175 kg x 3
210 kg x 3
235 kg x 3 x 8
Meadows rows (l&r):
37.5 kg x 2 x 20
HS seated rows (p/h):
37.5 kg x 2 x 20
Seated row machine (underhand): scrapped
Axe-swings (l&r):
plate 9 x 3 x 10
Face-pulls:
plate 12 x 3 x 20
super-set w/DB side raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 3 x 10

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Events Saturday: Static Monsters Prep wk2

STEADY, higher-volume base-building will be the meat of my training in the weeks to come. I gave my wrists a rest and did not log press today. I will be axle deadlifting again late in the coming week, which means I will likely take a break from pulling again on the Saturday, but will log press both Saturday and the prior Tuesday. I will attempt to repeat this rotation for both log press and axle pull for as long as I can. Once I feel myself beginning to deteriorate from the repetition, I have the option to drop back to performing these events once per week while still working the program effectively. And adding in a dedicated leg day on a fortnightly basis for good measure.

This is all theoretical, of course. I've not ever trained using this approach before. I have attempted to utilise new variations of loading phases, volume, intensity and regularity, while paying more attention to my weaknesses, spending more time on events, and avoiding burn-out.

I did one more yoke run than programmed today, just to give that lower back pump a final 'fuck you too' before calling the session.

EVENTS Saturday August 12th
stretch
Axle deadlifts:
65 kg x 10
115 kg x 5
155 kg x 3
195 kg x 3
220 kg x 3 x 8
Yoke walk:
130 kg x 20 meters
210 kg x 6 x 20 meters

Friday, August 10, 2018

Squat+ Thursday: For the Gains

WEEK TWO will end with a bang this Saturday at the clinic. More axle deadlifting and yoke walking the Lion's way are on my agenda. The rest of the crew are likewise gearing up for a momentous finish to 2018.

SQUAT+ Thursday August 9th
stretch & foam roller
Squats w/cambered bar:
50 kg x 10
100 kg x 5
140 kg x 3 x 10 TPR?
HS leg extensions (p/l):
22.5 kg x 4 x 10
HS hamstring curls (p/l):
15 kg x 4 x 10
HS calf raises:
50 kg x 4 x 15
super-set w/DB side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 10
12.5 kg x 10
15 kg x 10
17.5 kg x 10

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Press+ Tuesday: Log Clean-Press 85 kg x 2 x 10

I CAN feel all the work I've been doing on my strict overhead paying off already. Now my cleans are fatiguing well before my presses, which were all strict and strong tonight. I think I may need to get the old wrist wraps out of retirement though. I never liked wearing them much, but now feel like the additional support is going to be required as the log gets heavier.

PRESS+ Events & Hypertrophy Tuesday August 7th
stretch
Log clean-press:
50 kg x 5
70 kg x 5
85 kg x 2 x 10 PR
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
95 kg x 11
Incline barbell press:
70 kg x 3 x 10
Triceps pushdowns:
full stack x 3 x 10
super-set w/DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 4 10
super-set w/Axe swings (l&r):
plate 9 x 3 x 10
HS chest press (p/h):
25 kg x 3 x 20
super-set w/HS bicep curls (l&r):
20 kg x 10
15 kg x 2 x 10

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Events Saturday: Static Monsters Prep wk1

I SAW some of our newest members make great progress today. The young and the beardy, Tim and Chris, are quickly getting the hang of log pressing. Honeyberst busted through to the 200 kilogram deadlift club with a triple of 205 on the axle, from a 40 centimetre pull height. Pulling a single of 200 from the floor with a standard bar is now a foregone conclusion for the flamboyant new recruit.


And Tim tells me he's added log press to his regular routine going forward. I am thinking he may be keen on entering Static Monsters this year. It would make a useful first foray into strongman competition. If  he sticks with the basic template and keeps training log and deadlift, I know he will impress come October. I know they both will.


For me, I'm just getting started. At the end of the next three months, my intended one rep maxes are:
Log clean-press: 130 kg
Axle deadlift: 355 kg
Squat (cambered bar): 260 kg
Yoke walk: 340 kg x 20 meters


I am still using the Lion method of yoke training, which has a focus on higher volume and not max loading, The heaviest yoke I'll walk in the three months is 340 kilograms, which is nearly one hundred kilos lighter than the heaviest yoke I've walked and will be somewhere around 50-60 kilos lighter than what I can expect at the WASM state finals this year.


There is a strategy here. I am trying to not burn out while prepping effectively for both comps, which are happening very close to one another. But it's all Strongman, baby. This is my sport.


I'm looking forward to it.


EVENTS Saturday August 4th
stretch
Log clean-press:
50 kg x 5
70 kg x 5
80 kg x 5
90 kg x 5
Axle deadlifts:
65 kg x 10
105 kg x 5
145 kg x 3
185 kg x 3
205 kg x 3 x 10

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Press+ Tuesday: Focus

THREE months. There are three months remaining before the big end-of-year strongman comps in WA for 2018: Static Monsters Perth & the WA Strongman state championships. Time to get back into serious training. I feel like I've got everything on point, at this moment. I am eating well... too well, really. Lately my energy expenditure has not been matched by my intake, never mind exceeded. But I also feel properly 'rested'. Minor aches and pains (especially in forearms and elbows) have subsided. My back doesn't feel like it's constantly recovering from the previous week. And I'm averaging five to six hours of sleep a night, where I used to lie down for eight hours and only be asleep four.

Then last night I took a high dose melatonin tablet and slept better than I have in literally years. This bodes well for the future.

Training has also been going well since the last scare Quaid gave me. He's minding his business now, or seems to be. I've been keeping a low profile as my lifting has been largely unremarkable the last couple of months. But the regular axe-swings are tightening up my core, I think. I feel more stable when pressing now, but am still toying with the idea of wearing my soft Rehband belt for events like this.

I swapped to log last night, coz there's no point sticking with axle when Static Monsters is around the corner. I can't say I performed all these reps in quick time, but I did them. And I think it was either a technical or legit personal record for clean-presses at that weight, with either apparatus. I am actually looking forward to seeing how many reps I can get at 100 kilograms.

Press Events + Hypertrophy Tuesday July 31st
stretch
Log clean-press:
50 kg x 5
70 kg x 5
80 kg x 2 x 10 - was this a PR for reps?
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
90 kg x 12
Incline BB bench press:
67.5 kg x 10, 10, 6
DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 3 x 10
super-set w/Axe swings (l&r):
plate 9 x 3 x 10
HS chest press (p/h):
22.5 kg x 20, 20, 19
super-set w/HS bi-curls (l&r):
20 kg x 2 x 10
15 kg x 10

Friday, July 27, 2018

Squat+ Thursday: Back to the 80s!

THOUGHT I'd listen to something a little more chilled while training tonight and switched over to the 'Best of the 80s' radio station. Everything seemed to be going great until Rick Astley's 'never gonna give you up', when a quick gym census was taken and the radio was switched back to heavy metal. And that's just fine, too.

SQUAT+ Thursday July 26th
stretch & foam roll
Squats w/Cambered bar:
50 kg x 10
90 kg x 5
130 kg x 3 x 10
HS leg extensions (p/l):
20 kg x 3 x 10
HS hamstring curls (p/l):
12.5 kg x 4 x 10
HS calf raises:
45 kg x 4 x 15
DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 4 x 10

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Pull+ Tuesday: Low Gear

PULL+ Hypertrophy Tuesday July 24th
stretch
Deadlifts:
75 kg x 10
120 kg x 8
145 kg x 3 x 8
Meadows rows (l&r):
35 kg x 3 x 20
HS seated rows (p/h):
35 kg x 3 x 20
Seated row machine (underhand):
full stack x 3 x 10
super-set w/Axe-swings (l&r):
plate 8 x 3 x 10
Face-pulls:
plate 12 x 3 x 20
super-set w/DB side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 3 x 10

Sunday, July 8, 2018

Pull Tuesday, Yoke Saturday, Squat Sunday

SQUAT Sunday July 8th
stretch & aggressive foam roll
Squats w/cambered bar:
50 kg x 10
90 kg x 5
120 kg x 3 x 12
HS hamstring curls:
30 kg x 10
25 kg x 2 x 10
20 kg x 10
HS calf raises:
40 kg x 4 x 15
Axe-swings (l&r):
plate 8 x 3 x 10


EVENTS Saturday July 7th
stretch
Yoke walk:
130 kg x 2 x 20 m
210 kg x 2 x 20 m
280 kg x 4 x 20 m


PULL Tuesday July 3rd
stretch
Deadlifts:
75 kg x 10
120 kg x 3 x 10

Monday, July 2, 2018

Press, Pull & Press Again: Quaid Resurfaces

WITH the current state of my body, hypertrophy has become the primary focus of my last few sessions. I have yet to write up an actual template for this approach because it is, or at least was intended to be, only temporary. Like, a month at most. But now I'm considering running with it for a full 2 or 3 month program before I get back into heavy strongman events.

I am now doing axe-swings with each session in an effort to counter what I am experiencing with Quaid. On Wednesday the 20th June - the second last week in my axle and bench press program - I was unable to press a 120 kilogram axle for a single rep. I'd pressed it for a double at the end of my last template in mid-March.

Prior to this session, I'd developed a violent, hacking cough that I couldn't shake for a couple of weeks. It got to the point where I was experiencing a stabbing pain in my solar plexus each time I coughed or sneezed.

And now I was feeling like I'd lost some core stability. Later in the session, as I lay down on the bench and un-racked 60, my abdomen felt loose and distended. More so. I palpated my stomach and could feel Quaid extending further down to my belly button. After some disappointing and uncomfortable benching I ended the session.

From this week onwards, axle strict overhead press will be replaced with clean-press. It's time to get more strongman-specific movements into my regular training. Fingers crossed Quaid can be placated a little while longer. I really don't know what to do about him, other than wait for him to fully herniate so I can then have surgery.

PULL Hypertrophy Tuesday June 26th
stretch
Deadlifts:
75 kg x 10
110 kg x 3 x 10
Meadows rows (l&r):
32.5 kg x 3 x 20
HS seated rows (p/h):
32.5 kg x 3 x 20
Seated row machine (underhand):
full stack x 3 x 10
Super-set w/Axe-swings (l&r):
plate 8 x 3 x 10
Face-pulls:
plate 11 x 3 x 20
super-set w/DB side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 3 x 10

PRESS Hypertrophy Thursday June 28th
stretch
Axle clean-press:
40 kg x 10
60 kg x 10
75 kg x 5
Bench press (paused):
60 kg x 5
85 kg x 15
Incline barbell press:
65 kg x 3 x 12
DB front raises (p/h):
12.5 kg x 3 x 10
super-set w/Axe-swings (l&r):
plate 8 x 3 x 10
HS chest press (p/h):
22.5 kg x 3 x 10
super-set w/HS bicep curls (l&r):
15 kg x 3 x 10

Friday, June 15, 2018

Squat Wednesday & Pull Thursday

IT'S AMAZING the difference good sleep can make. This last week my Fitbit has been recording six- to nearly eight-hour periods of solid, mostly uninterrupted sleep per night. This is a marked improvement from the last... couple of months, in fact. It must be the new CPAP mask.

With rediscovered zeal I returned to the gym Wednesday night for some high volume squats. This was a mistake, all things considered, as my right knee got progressively more painful through the second set of 14 reps. I had to stop at 10. But there was no lasting pain or fluid, which suggests I just need another dry needling.

While chatting with the PTCSM crew, Wonderboy suggested that I switch things up a bit (since my hammie was still inhibiting me) and drop the weight in favour of higher rep ranges. I took this idea and ran with it. Fuck it, I thought to myself, I've never programmed 20 reps sets of anything other than overhead press, when I was working through a sticking point. Why not try for maximum hypertrophy with my rows and stuff also? Add this to the 15-20 rep sets I am now doing on various other movements, and it's starting to look more like a body builder's routine.

Preparing for gains LOL.

I was also given a reminder about why I never do dumbbell side raises while completely upright. Just like dips, the lack of cartilage in my right shoulder makes them quite painful.

PULL+ Thursday - interim hypertrophy routine wk1
stretch
Deadlifts:
75 kg x 10
100 kg x 3 x 10
Meadows rows (l&r):
30 kg x 3 x 20
HS seated rows (p/h):
30 kg x 2 x 20 - right forearm issue
seated row machine (underhand):
full stack x 3 x 10
HS leg extensions (p/h):
15 kg x 3 x 15
Face-pulls:
plate 11 x 3 x 20
super-set w/DB standing* side raises (p/h):
10 kg x 3 x 10
* never perform these upright!

SQUAT Wednesday June 13th
stretch
Squats w/cambered bar:
50 kg x 10
90 kg x 5
110 kg x 14, 10