Diary of a Strongman

Odd Haugen Classic - Anaheim Visegrip Viking Challenge by Ironmind

2016-09-09T14:15:00.002-07:00

I have not posted in the longest time. I need to keep better records of what I'm working on/towards. I had the great opportunity of competing in Anaheim two weeks ago, against the likes of the great Odd Haugen and Martins Licis. Met some really cool people in the process and am looking forward to competing again soon!

I finished in 4th, and know I can do better. Here's a video of some of my lifts:

I'm continuing to lift regularly - 3 or 4 times per week. I'd like to, and need to do a better job of cataloguing that for future reference, as a log for myself, if nothing else.

Thanks for reading!

Catching-up, Utah's strongest man

2015-10-04T08:57:00.001-07:00

Back in early August, my lifts were coming along, and I was feeling good. Then we moved. I've been using more energy than I'd care to working on the house, fixing things, etc. We also spent the better part of 2 weeks moving from our old house to the new, as it was only a couple of blocks away and we figured it would be easy. Long-story, short, we've had a debacle on our hands for weeks, and I'm still worn-out from it all. I've started getting some decent lifts in, again, which would be great, but it seems like one thing after another keeps me exhausted (gas leak in the middle of the night, as example), so I can't recover. I've got nagging pain in my left bicep, and same in my back and right oblique - it is nothing crippling, but I'm off on all my lifts, because of it.

Today, I'm probably off 10% on all my lifts. I got an easy 555 lb squat this week, but failed on 605. I easily pressed 235 lbs overhead, but missed 245 on the axle. I pulled a marginally ok 585 lbs, but then missed a second rep, and could barely muster a 500 lb axle pull, and even then, tweaked my oblique.

Bottom-line, I'm lifting, but I'm not in shape to compete in Utah's Strongest Man this year. I've got too much going on, too much stress, and things pulling me in opposing directions. I need to reset and reestablish because I just don't have it today.

Here's to a solid reset, and starting work towards next year, and my other short-term goals like 1,700 lbs in 2015.

Thanks for reading!

Push-pull

2015-08-19T20:06:00.002-07:00

Been a while...

Had a crazy virus my kids caught in the pool which put me down for 2+ weeks, and we just moved, which has been killing me for another 2. Needless to say, I haven't had a real solid lift in over a month.

I did hit a light squat and overhead session Monday working up to 335 x 4 on the safety squat bar, and 215 x 2 on the log. I felt pretty weak.

Today, I benched up to 435 x 3 (including chain weight) on about 2/3 ROM from pins, and then pulled 525 x 1, double-overhand (felt awful).

I'm tight all over, and my weight is down. I've got some work to get back into shape before Utah's Strongest Man in October. Let's see what I can do!

Back day - deadlifts and farmer's picks

2015-07-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

I may be coming down with a bad cold, as my kids have been sick all week, and I don't feel great today. With that in mind, here's what I struggled to get done today:

		Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Reverse Hyper		200	25
Deadlift (Ivanko clips)		146	12
		256	6
		386	4
		436	2
		486	2
		486	2
Farmer (pick only)		290	4
		390	2
	held for 25 seconds	615	1
Medicine ball picks (for cardio)		100	15
		100	15
Kettle Bell Swings		52	12
Reverse Hyper		200	15
Abs (weighted)		60	50
Grip work with CoC		140	50
Cool-down and stretch

Light shoulder day

2015-07-16T16:55:00.003-07:00

Sick kids, and negotiation woes have taken their toll this week, so here's a light shoulder workout for the week as follows:

	Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Seated log press	100	8
	100	8
	140	6
	190	4
	230	3
	230	3
	230	3
	230	3
	230	3
	230	3
	140	15
Lateral raise	15	20
	15	20
	15	20
Front raise	25	20
	25	20
	25	20
	25	20
	60	200
Cool-down and stretch

Light squat Wednesday

2015-07-15T16:35:00.001-07:00

Today was leg day and since I'm recovering from the Highland games, still, I hit safety squat bar for about 60% of my normal squat max. I worked up to 5x2 on 390 lbs with a full pause. Here's today's lift:

	Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Squat	150	8
	150	6
	200	4
	250	3
	300	2
	390	2
	390	2
	390	2
	390	2
	390	2
Step-ups	20	110
	20	110
	20	110
Curls	25	30
	25	30
	25	30
	25	30
	25	30
Plyometrics	300	150
Abs	60	200
Cool-down and stretch

Bench Day

2015-07-14T17:26:00.005-07:00

Last week I did some Highland Games stuff for the first time. It was tough - lots of respect for what those guys do!

Today I'm still recovering, so it was a light bench day as follows:

	Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Bench	135	8
	185	6
	185	6
	235	4
	235	4
	275	2
	275	2
	295	1
	295	1
	295	1
	295	1
	295	1
	295	1
	185	8
	185	8
Incline DB	60	24
	60	24
	60	24
Decline	150	20
	150	20
MB press	100	35
	50	60
Abs	60	150
Cool-down and stretch

Speed bench day

2015-06-29T18:02:00.001-07:00

Today was all about speed. I'm loving lifting with chains. It adds a new dynamic that is hard to explain if you've never tried it.

Most of the workout was flat bench where I worked up to 10 sets of 2 on 295 (including chain weight). It felt really good and I didn't have any pain, anywhere.

I rounded out the lift with some auxiliary triceps and pressing work, as shown below:

6/29/2015
		Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Bench with 90 lbs chains		155	6
		155	6
		205	4
		245	3
		295	3
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		295	2
		245	10
		155	20
Incline Medicine Ball		100	15
		100	15
French Press		85	15
	superset - descending	85	6
		65	8
		45	10
		25	20
Skier to burnout		150	25
CoC (2.0)		195	20
Stretch and cool-down

Strongman Saturday

2015-06-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

Today was event day - Strongman Saturday. I was fairly beat-up from the week having lifted four times. Fortunately, yesterday was a day off.

We spent the entire lift on the medicine ball which mimics both stones and sandbags, and has reaching benefits into all things full-body. Here is a quick video of me and Brian:

Here is the workout:

6/25/2015
	Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Medicine ball to 50 inch	100	10
	100	10
	100	10
	150	10
	150	10
Abs	60	40
Stretch and cool-down

Speed back day

2015-06-25T16:40:00.001-07:00

I'm short on time, today, so here's the lift, and until next time:

6/25/2015
		Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Speed deadlift		135	6
		135	6
		245	3
		245	3
		385	2
		385	2
		385	2
		385	2
		385	2
Band rows with monster grips		150	25
		150	20
		150	20
Ring pull-ups		300	8
		300	8
Superset
	Romanians	245	36
	Monster DB rows	60	72
	Abs	150	45
Stretch and cool-down

First ever use of safety squat bar as well as chains

2015-06-24T10:49:00.001-07:00

I've never used a safety squat bar, nor have I ever lifted with chains, so today I broke precedent and incorporated both, together. It took a little getting used to...

Even with the pads, the SSB digs into your shoulder's far differently than a normal squat. It also requires far more supporting muscles in the back and abs as it feels more like a front squat. It was hard, but I liked it.

The chains add a cool element as they allow you to really focus on explosion and speed. I'll be working those into future bench workouts, too.

Here is a quick video of a few sets, including my top set of 510 lbs:

And here is today's lift:

6/23/2015
		Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Safety bar squat		160	10
	90 lbs chains	160	10
		270	6
		270	6
		320	4
		370	3
		420	2
		470	2
		510	1
		320	12
		270	15
Hammer curls		35	24
		45	24
		55	24
Thinker curls superset		25	60
Calf raise superset with curls		270	40
Rolling thunder		120	60
Reverse Hyper		200	30
Stretch and cool-down

Deadlift Saturday

2015-06-20T13:02:00.002-07:00

Today was about speed with some decent weight, but nothing overwhelming. I used bands on about 2/3 of the lift.

I had a number of issues with my neck and back, but once warmed-up, was able to pull without much issue. A good sweat goes a long way to feeling better, sometimes.

Prior to my workout I was able to get about 90 grams of protein, mainly from yogurt and shakes. I consumed about 25 grams of isolate during the workout, and greased myself up with a 1/2 burger with an egg, post workout, and about 60 more grams of protein. After dinner and tonight's casein shake, I should finish the day close to 300 grams.

And here is today's workout, where I backed-off, then went back up before backing-off a second time:

6/20/2015
	Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Deadlift warm-up	135	8
	135	8
Deadlift from wheels (13 inch)	225	4
	225	4
	375	2
	425	2
	465	2
	515	2
	595	2
	425	2
	465	4
	465	4
	375	6
Grip work	100	100
Stretch and cool-down

Diet and catching-up

2015-06-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

It has been too long...

We were in Europe for 2 weeks, and had a couple injuries, but there is no excuse for not keeping a record of what I've been doing.

About a month ago, I spent an entire Saturday working the yoke, on a yoke that I really don't like. I ended up hurting my back and overworking the CNS. That made it almost impossible for me to lift going into our trip, and it wasn't until the middle of last week that my back finally started to feel better.

I basically didn't lift for the better part of a month, and I felt it yesterday when I benched.

That said, I did carry kids all over Europe and log a ton of cardio (ish), but proper lifting, very little.

Yesterday was a lackluster bench day with flat up to 275 x 4, where I stopped because my elbow pinched on me. We then did 4 sets across on 225 on incline, then finished with some DB work and triceps burnouts. I'm sore today, but it was a pretty easy lift.

I wanted to highlight my breakfast, today, as I'm back on the wagon of focusing on my diet. If I don't, I feel it. So I started the day with a bunch of water as my hydration levels stink, then tried to get 100 grams of protein with breakfast:

4 oz of steak - est. 24 grams of protein
2 slices whole wheat bread - 12 grams of protein
Power shake concoction: 77 grams of protein
MusclePharm Whey Protein Isolate - 40 grams
2 glasses skim milk - 16 grams
2 large scoops peanut butter - 14 grams
1 serving chia seeds - 3 grams
malted milk - 4 grams

I'm off to a good start with just over 110 grams of protein. Now it is time for vitamins, EFAs and some BCAAs. I'm planning to squat today, so I've got to find some energy somewhere as I'm still terribly jet-lagged. The last 4 nights amounted to roughly 2 nights of normal sleep...not fun.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and here's to me posting a bit more frequently!

Auxiliary workout day

2015-05-08T07:21:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted for a week or so and need to play catch-up. I have been lifting, which is the important part. A guy has joined me that is going to try to walk-on to the Utah Football Team. He's about 6'6 and 275 lbs right now - a natural offensive tackle. He's coming along nicely and I hope he gets to the point he's pushing towards. He's definitely putting in the work.

Basically, the last few weeks have looked like this:
Monday: bench or other pressing
Tuesday: squat or deadlift, alternating weeks
Wednesday: generally day off, stretching, sometimes cardio
Thursday: whatever didn't hit Tuesday, gets done here, but light including more pressing
Saturday: heavy day, usually heavy pulls and overhead

I haven't been down to Springville for a few weeks as schedules didn't align. I also had a bad stomach flu a week ago that kept me from going. I need to get some implement work in, and am hoping to be able to do that this week.

Yesterday was auxiliary work as I was sore from Tuesday and wanted something in the tank for Saturday. Here is the workout:

5/7/2014
	Weight	Reps
Calf raises	135	75
Shoulder DB work	25	160
Shoulder cable work	25	400
Shoulder cable work	50	400
Shrugs	135	10
	135	10
	225	8
	225	8
	245	8
	295	8
	295	8
Superset axle shrug, DB raises	205	20
	25	40
Abs	60	200
Grip work	205	91
Stretch and cool down

In terms of diet/eating, I'm doing ok, not great. I need to improve. I am staying hydrated as best I can, but my protein intake is probably a bit light right now. Sometimes, you just need a couple weeks off, though, to let your body normalize a bit, then back to work!

Looking forward to a big day tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Dehydration!

2015-04-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

24-hour stomach flu has wiped me out! I'm super dehydrated and while today was a key lift day for the week, it won't be happening.

I hit a killer deadlift session on Tuesday, working up to low 500s double-overhand, then finishing off with 4 sets of Romanian pulls for 20 reps each. That really put the hurt on!

So Wednesday, when I got sick, trying to recover from Tuesday, while throwing up and not eating, was beyond rough. I've had no solid food in almost 48 hours, at this point!!

Recapping, otherwise:

Monday was bench where I worked up to 365 x 5
Friday was a lot of squatting with a killer final set of 20 reps that made it hard to walk until Tuesday!

Overall, things are going well. I continue to get stronger, and even when I'm not making sizable gains, can tell I'm cementing strength. It is like on bench, where even with a few months off, I'd almost always be able to get 3 plates. Similarly, certain other lifts are reaching new thresholds that always seem to be reachable, even when I don't perform them, specifically, on a regular basis.

Tomorrow, I should regain a little bit of strength, so hopefully by Saturday I can lift again!

Thanks for reading!

Just catching up on workouts

2015-04-22T17:25:00.004-07:00

18-Apr	Overhead, supersets
20-Apr	Full body MD press, curls, abs
21-Apr	Light squat and stretch

21-Apr		Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Deadlift		135	8
		245	6
		355	6
		415	3
		455	2
		315	8
		315	8
		135	12
Bench		135	8
		225	6
		275	4
		315	2
		315	2
		315	2
		115	60
Reverse Hyper		60	150
Abs		60	120
Triceps (overhead)		45	75
Grip (axle)		205	65
Cool-down and stretch

Still recovering from an abdominal tear

2015-04-16T18:18:00.002-07:00

I'm getting better, slowly, but consistently. It has been almost a month, and I squatted 525 x 2 today. It felt weak, and probably looked worse, but I did it. That's 300+ 1 week out, 400+ 2 weeks out and now 500+ past 3 weeks out. That is solid. I feel it, but it doesn't really hurt, so that's good.

Over the weekend, I hit cardio.

Tuesday I hit some really light deadlift, followed by strict standing rack presses up to 235 x 2.

Today was about 10 sets of squat, rolling thunder, reverse hyper and a lot of stretching.

Onward and upward.

Lifting injured

2015-04-08T20:48:00.001-07:00

Lifting injured...I'm doing what I can. It isn't a lot, and it isn't heavy, but I'm moving and hitting some things that I need to hit to not lose too much ground.

Monday I hit overhead, and managed to work up to 165 x 2 x 3. I hit 110 total reps of overhead, working up to that weight. It never "hurt", but I felt my injured oblique the whole time.

Yesterday I got after some squats (SKWAATS!), and worked up to 335 x 2 x 2. Fortunately I still moved the weight easily, even though I had to be careful and not over-engage my lower-back muscles. I worked in some curls and a bunch of grip.

Tonight, to fill in some gaps, I hit calf raises, and to cross a mental gap, I worked up to 405 x 6 x 2. It felt fine, but I could also feel the oblique the whole time. The injury is healing, but I'm constantly reminded it is there. I was also able to hit some cable rows and light shoulder work.

I've been stretching, consistently, and have also done some cardio in the past week. Considering the circumstances, I'm happy with my progress.

Thanks for reading!

100 rep Saturday

2015-04-04T11:33:00.003-07:00

I'm recovering from a slightly torn oblique muscle. The first few days were very painful. I'm about 2 weeks off of the injury and day-to-day doesn't really bother me anymore. Sneezing is the worst, and rolling over still reminds me, but for the most part, I'm ok. Lifting is another issue...the wrong angle really highlights the injury, whereas a careful lift with the muscle disengaged is fine.

Today I was able to do things for high volume with low weight:

Lockout bench 100 reps
Squats 100 reps
Calf raises 100 reps
Curls 100 reps
Lateral raises 100 reps
Captains of Crush 100 reps

Following the workout, I actually feel really good. I managed a little bit of a sweat and feel loose, so mission accomplished.

On Thursday, I did my standard shoulder maintenance lift with rubber bands for 1,000 total reps, and I rode the bike earlier this week for some easy cardio.

I'm still at it, just being careful. While the lifting is off the standard pace, I've restricted my diet a little bit. I've cut back on protein and total calories.

Hopefully by mid/late next week, I'll be back lifting in the 30-50% range, whereas today, most of what I did was an empty bar.

Thanks for reading!

Saturday (light lift)

2015-03-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

Here is Saturday's workout. I got the blood flowing but didn't go heavy on anything. Sort of a de-loading day, if you will.

		Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Deadlift (14 inch)		155	10
		265	8
		355	4
		405	3
		425	3
		425	3
	Romanian	265	15
Axle press (strict)		25	30
		95	12
		145	8
		195	3
		195	3
		195	3
		145	12
Curls		75	50
Band rows		150	120
Abs		60	100
Grip		80	250
Cool-down and stretch

	10	min cardio

Benching to 75% for reps

2015-03-12T18:41:00.001-07:00

I already benched this week, but in hopes of improving my pressing, I decided to hit it again. My back was tired from Tuesday's squat, so in lieu of overhead, I benched. I rounded out with some rows and triceps work, and am feeling pretty good.

I managed a measly 6 reps on 315 (which I estimate is my 75% mark) but was still sore, so I'm fine with it. Had I been fresh, I think 10-12 is possible. Onward and upward!

Here is the workout:

	Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Bench	135	12
	135	12
	225	6
	275	3
	295	3
	315	6
Rows with varying grips	155	15
	155	15
	155	15
	155	15
	155	15
Triceps press (med ball)	50	150
Rows (bands)	150	110
Abs	60	100
Triceps extensions	150	60
Cool-down and stretch

Squatting to 85%

2015-03-10T23:46:00.001-07:00

Today I was in dire need of a good squat. It had been a few weeks, so I really needed to get it in. I started feeling week, but after a few warm-up sets, I finally started to get in the groove. 455 felt pretty easy, and I came up fast on 525, as well. I didn't want to push too high, though, as I'd been off for a few weeks and didn't want to overdo it.

I then hit a couple of back-off sets for volume, and worked in some curls, just because.

Here is today's workout:

	Weight	Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Good mornings	45	10
	135	10
Squat (back)	135	6
	185	6
	225	3
	275	3
	365	2
	455	2
	525	1
	315	10
	135	20
Curls	25	40
	35	20
	45	20
	55	26
Cool-down and stretch

Training at Elevated Crossfit, Springville

2015-02-28T17:50:00.001-08:00

We got the crew together, today, down in Springville. Deadlift, log and a "medley" were the recipe for exhaustion!

Deadlift up to 615 lbs (most ever for me off the floor)
Log press on incline up to 270 x 3
Yoke/Overhead superset x 3 (Yoke on a light 560, barbell up to 225 for reps)

It was a good lift, and I'm tired! Here is a quick video of the pull:

Light recovery day

2015-02-27T15:13:00.001-08:00

I played basketball for nearly two hours on Wednesday, so Thursday was about moving, getting lose, and recovering for Saturday's big lift. I didn't do anything heavy or extraordinary, but I hit some shoulders, back and legs. Here's the lift:

		Weight	Reps
Warm-up
Squat		115	8
		115	8
		165	8
		215	8
Bent rows		155	12
		155	12
		155	12
		155	12
		155	20
Lateral raises		25	30
		25	30
		25	30
		25	30
Front raises		25	30
		25	30
		25	30
		25	30
Stretch and cool-down

	5	min cardio

King Grip III

2015-02-16T14:59:00.000-08:00

King Grip III was this past weekend. I got to go head-to-head with my friend Van. He won pros, and I won open, and we tied overall, splitting 2-2. He beat me on the Captains of Crush Trainer hold for time and pinch grip for max weight. I won the rolling thunder and double-overhand deadlift. It was a fun time, and I'll be looking forward to next year!

After that, I still managed a light lift as follows:

		Weight	Reps
Warm-up
King Grip III comp	(won!)
Rack pulls		45	8
		245	3
		335	3
		425	3
		535	2
		585	1
		675	1
		745	1
Curls		25	80
Stretch and cool-down