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

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

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

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!!

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

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.