Ryan's "Hope to compete again in 2014" log

[VeganEssentials]

Only 5 hours' sleep (I need at least 7 to feel halfway decent) and all day spent with family at a big rummage sale get-together made for a long, tiring day, but I still hit the gym at the last minute for a back/triceps workout -

 

1-arm DB rows -

10x10 @ 120 lb. DB, done with minimal rest (about 90 seconds between sets)

 

Close-grip bench -

1x5 @ 135

1x3 @ 185

1x2 @ 225

2x2 @ 250 - wasn't feeling it today, dropped the weight down

2x10 @ 185, first set 1 second pause every rep, 2nd set touch-and-go

1x25 @ 135, half reps from the chest to mid-point (my weak spot)

 

Pulldowns -

1x50(!) @ 120 lbs.

Did 25 reps, then would do 5, take 5 breaths, and repeat until done.

 

Came home, tired but wanted to do a bit more. Pulled out my IronMind cable set and had a bit more fun -

 

3x20 rear delt flyes w/ 2 cables (hands facing in straight ahead, pull outward into a cross position to finish)

 

3x20 low rows w/ 4 cables (pulled at a good angle and low, sort of a Yates row style)

 

Finished with 3x20 diamond push-ups, but done on my knees as my triceps were fairly fried already and I just wanted to play around with these a bit since I've never done them before. Would NOT have gotten many doing them the correct way, just done as a fun burnout sort of thing.

 

That's it - time to catch up on sleep, will lift more this weekend!

[VeganEssentials]

Good relaxing rest day yesterday, time to hit up lower back and some biceps work today!

 

Snatch grip high pulls in the rack from slightly above kneecap height, pulled to mid-chest height -

1x10 @ 135

1x8 @ 185

1x5 @ 225

1x3 @ 275

 

Hang power snatch -

3x2 @ 135

 

Deadlift from floor -

1x5 @ 225

1x3 @ 315

1x3 @ 365

1x1 @ 405

1x1 @ 425 - the 405 went up really fast, but my position was off on the 425 and it was a bit of a fight, so I dropped back down a bit -

3x3 @ 405

All triples @ 405 were very easy, dead stop and re-set each rep so no bounce. Felt good, will now be starting to finally work back into the 400s again, will hopefully test to be back @ 500 or more in 2 months.

 

Deadlift from just below knee height in the rack -

1x10 @ 315

1x10 @ 405

 

Deadlift lockouts, about a short 4" ROM from mid-thigh to lockout -

1x5 @ 405

1x5 @ 495

1x5 @ 585

1x5 @ 675

Was using straps on these, since I was out of chalk and my grip for heavy bar holds needs some work until I can hold 600+ easily without any "extras" to assist my grip.

 

Seated Good Mornings -

1x10 @ 135

1x10 @ 185

1x10 @ 225

2x10 @ 275

 

Standing Good Mornings -

1x20 @ 225 to burn my lower back out for the day and wrap it all up.

 

Moved on to some arm work since I want to work to get my biceps stronger again for safety purposes (I plan to get some heavy tires to flip that I'll be keeping in our warehouse, and tire flipping does put a good biceps strain on for heavy work).

 

Table-top curls (done with pad under elbow on a flat bench, kneeling in front of it -

1x5 each arm @ 55 lb.

1x3 each arm @ 65 lb.

1x3 each arm @ 75 lb.

1x3 right arm @ 85 lb., 1x1 left arm

Tried 95 lbs. with the right arm afterward, no go, so that was it.

 

Seated DB hammer curls -

1x5 @ 55s

1x5 @ 60s

1x5 @ 65s

1x2 @ 70s

1x30 @ 35s - did 20, rested about 10 seconds, did 6, took a few breaths, did the last 4 reps to finish.

 

1-arm cable concentration curls, done lying on floor w/ upper arm flat against floor to keep strict -

2x12 @ 30 lbs.

 

Totally fried by this time, that's it for today, will be doing some upper back work tomorrow or Tuesday and one leg day the following night before I leave for a few days on my annual camping trip. Will be back after the next lifting session!

[VeganEssentials]

Quick upper back and shoulder workout tonight, feeling a bit slow and might be getting that nasty head cold going around, so I didn't push things with a marathon workout.

 

Standing overhead barbell strict press -

1x10 @ empty bar

1x5 @ 95

1x5 @ 135

2x5 @ 185

1x1 @ 225 - felt REALLY weak, dropped down again

3x5 @ 185

3x10 @ 135, done wide grip behind the neck, every rep resting on traps at bottom (none of that only-lowering-to-the-ear stuff!)

 

Wide-grip pulldowns -

1x10 @ 205

2x8 @ 255, very hard on the last few reps on each set

1x20 @ 205, did as 12, ten seconds rest, 5, ten seconds rest, 3 to finish

 

Palms facing in grip pulldowns w/ semi-wide grip -

2x12 @ 180

 

Cable Face Pulls -

2x15 @ 135 lbs. (which feels exactly the same as 70 lbs. at my other gym - BIG variance in weight on those stations!)

 

Hise Shrugs on plate-loaded squat machine -

3x20 @ 810 lbs. (feels like the equvalent of about a 500ish barbell)

 

That was it, done in 45 minutes, time to rest before leg day tomorrow or Thursday, then it's 4 days off for my trip before I get back to training!

[VeganEssentials]

Was hoping to do some natural log squatting in the forest during my camping weekend, except for the fact that I got sick on Friday night after arriving and turned around 2 days earlier than planned. Now I've got the fun head/chest cold that's been going around, and on top of not training as I'd hoped, I expect to be out of commission through around the end of the week since this illness seems to last really long for everyone who gets it. So, no training for a bit, just posting for the sake of having something to write in the log so the lapse didn't go on for too long

[hilary wright]

Hope you are back in action soon.

[VeganEssentials]

ALMOST back in action, cold is 99% gone (the chest cold part was brutal!), so I should hopefully be able to train again tonight. Weight dropped even more from not being able to eat for a few days plus being under simultaneous extreme stress, so I'm down to 245 for an all-time low in many years. Starting to feel "small" (being relative to my usual size in the 260-270 range), so I think that it will soon be time to start working to gain back up a bit. Still would like to shed another 10 lbs. of fat or so, but I'll try to find a good balance since I'm losing overall weight faster than anticipated and don't want to screw up and lose too much muscle. Been a terrible last week, but here's to better training days ahead!

[VeganEssentials]

I was fortunate to be the last one in my and my wife's families to get sick, so I almost made it, but EVERYONE got this cruddy cold and suffered at least a week. Guess I just didn't get so lucky this time like in spring where I was the only one not to get sick

 

Chest and deadlift day today for a comeback, went better than expected considering how weak I felt beforehand. Took some creatine for the first time in months to see if it would make a difference - no idea if that had a hand in it, but it wasn't half bad for a 10-day layoff where I barely ate and was totally stressed.

 

Deadlift from floor -

1x5 @ 225

1x3 @ 315

5x5 @ 365, not super heavy but when even 225 felt like it was going to kill me at first, I'll take what I can get until I'm back to normal.

 

Flat barbell bench press -

3x10 @ 200

3x20 @ 160 (last 2 sets were rest-pause style, did 12, rested 12-15 seconds, 6, take a few breaths, finish the last 2 reps)

 

Cable w/ long bar horizontal deadlift setup -

3x30 @ 230 lbs. (max weight I can load on it)

Did these from about a 4" defeceit, bar at bottom position was just a hair over the top of my feet so it took more back to move it, even though it was light. Good endurance work to kill myself off.

 

DB flyes to stretch out -

1x10 @ 50s, drop to 1x10 @ 25s immediately afterward, good stretch on each rep

 

1-arm lying DB triceps extensions -

1x30 @ 25 lbs. for each arm, light to wrap it all up

 

Could have been a lot worse based on how I felt today, so this is a good sign for coming back. Tomorrow off, Wednesday will be upper back and trapezius work!

[VeganEssentials]

Upper back day today, wasn't half bad for only my 2nd return to the gym after the terrible 2 weeks.

 

Weighted pull ups, parallel grip handles, shoulder width -

2x2 @ no added weight

1x5 @ 20 lbs.

1x5 @ 25 lbs.

1x5 @ 30 lbs.

1x2 @ 45 lbs.

All sets were done as singles with a few breaths between. Didn't think I'd have been able to hold on long enough and keep my grip so I'd do one, take 3-5 quick breaths then the next until finished. They went surprisingly easy, probably due to the decreased bodyweight, so I'm hoping to eventually get to make a few with some actual heavy weight strapped on in the future.

 

1-arm shrugs on the plate-loaded shoulder press (done standing on the seat and leaning back) -

1x25 each arm @ 180 lbs.

3x20 each arm @ 225 lbs.

 

Barbell rows -

1x5 @ 225

1x3 @ 245

1x3 @ 275

1x3 @ 295

Back was WAY sore after the pull-ups (and the residual soreness from deadlift day), so I didn't push these too hard. Just wanted to do a few sets for the first time in quite a while.

 

1-arm shrugs on the Smith machine -

1x25 @ 175 lbs. each arm

1x20 @ 195 lbs. each arm

1x20 @ 215 lbs. each arm

 

Snatch-grip deadlift to high pull -

3x3 @ 225, pulled to top of chest on each rep

 

Dual cable w/bar setup seated rows -

3x20 @ 190 lbs.

 

Seated DB strict hammer curls -

1x5 @ 55s each arm

1x5 @ 60s each arm

1x20 @ 40s each arm, done as 14, rest 10 seconds, 3, rest 10 seconds, 3 more to finish

 

That was it for today, felt good, will be back for some leg and overhead pressing work on Friday!

[robert]

One-arm.....215 pounds......20 reps..... = AWESOME!!!

[VeganEssentials]

Thanks, Robert!

 

I don't know what it is - I suck with barbell shrugs (just never feel comfortable with them, haven't done more than 455x5 in the past), but give me something that I can strap on to with 1 arm and suddenly I feel like a shrugging machine. If only my BB shrugs would catch up, but I guess I can't complain!

[cubby2112]

Indeed, that is some massive shrugging. The dumbbells at my gym only go up to 105lbs and that is becoming increasingly problematic.

[hilary wright]

Wicked shrugs . . . and rows as well!

[VeganEssentials]

Thanks, Hilary! I only wish that my traps would steepen up, but I've got a mega-wide shoulder girdle with wide insertions at the base and a long neck to boot, so I'll never have the beloved no-neck look I've always wished for

 

Yesterday was leg day, took it easy because I haven't done legs in around 3 weeks and wasn't feeling great heading in to lift due to some bad sleep this past week.

 

Overhead strict presses, standing -

2x8 @95

1x3 @ 135

1x3 @ 185

3x2 @ 205, just didn't feel strong, but I've neglected shoulders this past month so I guess I have to get my groove again.

 

Paused rock-bottom squats, de-load bar on pins at absolute bottom for 3 seconds before rising -

1x5 @ 135

3x3 @ 205

1x3 @ 275

5x2 @ 315

Not feeling super-strong, did one last squat with a just-hitting-parallel @ 365 and that was it for legs.

 

Behind the neck power jerks -

3x8 @ 185

 

That was it - just a short workout, done in about 45 minutes.

 

Today, I went to that tire behind the martial arts studio and had some fun with it. I mis-judged the weight on it when I went last time - comparing it to other tires I've flipped, this one is probably about 550, so that was a nice surprise to know it wasn't so light that it would be a sprint for all flips. So, each lift was a lot like doing a 250-275ish deadlift to low chest before the flip, so a few don't hurt much, but when you start getting up there in reps, it gets brutal. Did the following sets -

 

5 flips uphill

5 downhill

8 uphill

10 downhill

12 uphill

20, done 12 dowhill, 5 uphill, 3 down again to finish

 

On that last set, the first 12 were done with only a breath or two between reps, then for the rest, there was 8-10 seconds between each flip as my enduance was killed. I feel totally wiped out afteraward - the downhill is only a mild angle, maybe 2-3 degrees, so they aren't as brutal. But, the uphill ones, man, those are killers.

 

I'm thinking that, if they don't have plans to take the tire indoors this winter to use it (I don't think they have the room), I'm going to offer to "store" it for them at my warehouse so that I can use it during the winter months. I'd like to get my own, but I probably won't get around to it, so if I can just grab that one in a few months if they don't mind me taking it until spring, I can put it to good use.

 

Tomorrow I will likely do an upper back day, then deadlifts on wednesday!

[medman]

I don't know anything about what strongman training routines normally look like...but all I can say is that I'm in awe of your strength! Those are some truly massive numbers.

[VeganEssentials]

Thanks, Medman! I've still got a long way to go to get back to my old levels, but slowly, it's all coming back around in time

 

Upper back day today, but it didn't go all that well. Too much work (both for our business and around our house) and not enough sleep took their toll on me today, but I ground it out anyhow for a short session.

 

Weighted pull-ups, palms facing in on parallel handles -

3x8 w/ 25 lbs. added

All done as single-style (hands still fried from tire flipping, could barely hold on to anything today), stand on floor for a few seconds between reps. First 2 sets done with first 4 reps pretty quick (only a few seconds rest between each), but last 4 would take 5-10 seconds between reps to rest up and make them. Felt really good with added weight last week, but this time I just didn't have it all in me. Still, forced 'em out anyway. Finished with 1x6 at bodyweight and that did it for pull-ups.

 

Behind-the-back barbell shrugs -

5x20 @ 335 lbs.

 

Wide-grip plate-loaded row machine, palms facing in on parallel handles -

3x20 @ 270 lbs.

 

Seated cable face pulls -

4x20 @ 70 lbs., varying angles downward with each set until it was directly at face level on the final set.

 

That was it - too tired to do much more, so I kept it simple and that was good enough.

 

Tomorrow is off, deadlift day on Thursday for a marathon session (aiming for 100 total reps @ 335 lbs.) Will post when it's done!

[VeganEssentials]

Behind-the-back barbell shrugs -

5x20 @ 335 lbs.

 

That's about 17 tons on the traps if my math is any good! Jeez.

 

Could be, but I'm just too lazy right now to check the math, so I'll take your word for it!

 

Success with the deadly deadlift day today, and tossed in a bit of chest work for good measure.

 

Deadlifts from floor, narrow stance (which, I have found again after all this time, is my strongest position).

1x10 @ 135

1x5 @ 225

20x5 @ 335 for 100 reps total, done over 78 minutes with chest stuff done after every 2 DL sets. I'm aiming to bump this up by 10 lbs. every 4 weeks when I throw it in, so that hopefully in December I'll be rolling with 20x5 @ 375. If that works out as I hope, there's no question, I'll have the power to be well into the 500 lb. range again with ease. We'll see where the next few months takes me with these!

 

Flat barbell bench -

1x10 @ 135

1x10 @ 175

5x5 @ 225, felt really bad, just didn't have a good chest day in me today.

1x50 @ 105 lbs., done as 25, rest 10 seconds, 15 reps, 10 seconds rest, 5 reps, 10 seconds rest, then 5 to finish. Just some ultra-high rep work to fry myself out a bit and that was it.

 

Did 1x25 on the back extension machine to loosen up after the deadlifts and I was done. I know I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow, but it's all in the master plan to get to be a deadlifting machine once more. Now, if I could just get my squats back on track after they started off well enough earlier this year...

 

Speaking of which, I totally forgot about a friend's humorous lifting site that he had created where I have a few old video clips from about 3 years ago when I was just getting my stride for strength. First, a clip of my first and only powerlifting comp, doing what I believe was a 425 squat, back when I still went high-bar and as low as I could go. I heard that the powerlifters were shaking their heads, wondering why I went as low as I did when I only needed to break parallel to make a good lift. Here's the clip:

http://www.musclebuddies.org/rsquat.mpg

Within a year and a half and some form changes (read: wider stance, not quite as deep) I'd added another 100 lbs. to my squat, so I'm chasing that demon to get back to that point again in the next year.

 

Also, another one of me around that time getting a 300-ish pound rock to my lap temporarily, only to eventually get it to my chest and walk about a good 10 feet with it, but of course, the camera battery died before the success came.

http://www.musclebuddies.org/ryanrock.mpg

The gloves were only worn due to having a big hole in my hand from putting on a nail bending demo for some friends earlier that day, so I was trying to avoid getting lots of dirt into it.

 

Last one was a 225 lb. per hand farmer's walk, but the clip get cut short before I completed it. I eventually got up to around 270 lbs. per hand, but this is the only video I've got of me doing them.

http://www.musclebuddies.org/450farmerwalk.mpg

 

Fun to reminisce, but it'll be a lot more fun when I can put all those old lifts to shame again!

[VeganEssentials]

Light upper back day today to get it in -

 

Snatch-grip high pulls in the rack, done from just above knee height -

1x10 @ 135

3x10 @ 185, pulled to mid-chest height or more on each rep

 

Pull-ups -

2x3 @ bodyweight

1x2 @ 40 lbs. added

1x2 @ 50 lbs. added (2nd rep was kinda iffy, though)

1x1 @ 60 lbs., barely made it

1x3 @ 20 lbs., didn't set feet down between reps like I usually do with weighted ones

1x5 @ bodyweight

 

1-arm shrugs on Hammer Strength plate-loaded incline press (done standing on seat) -

1x30 @ 180 lbs. each arm

1x30 @ 230 lbs. " "

1x30 @ 250 lbs. " "

1x30 @ 275 lbs. " ", did 25, a few breaths, finished the last 5 afterward on each arm. That one was tough.

 

Pulldowns on 2-cable w/ bar setup -

1x20 @ 160

1x20 @ 170

1x20 @ 190

These are far tougher than the usual pulldown machine ones I'm used to. At least, I feel that they are, but maybe I was just fried from the pull-ups

 

2-handled reverse shrugs on cable machine, done sitting on floor, strapped into each handle overhead -

3x20 @ 180 lbs.

 

That was it, tomorrow off, will get legs and shoulders in on Tuesday!

[VeganEssentials]

Okay, finally got back to a good leg day today. I've decided to keep it simple, doing legs by themselves and not letting other lifts interfere so that I can put 100% focus on them for a while. So, shoulder and chest days are moved to my alternating upper back days for the time being as they once were.

 

Started with a LONG warm-up, doing lots of rolling out on a big foam roller for my hips, quads, and hamstrings, then plenty of stretching and 24" box jumps in sets of 5 to get loosened up. I think that had a much better impact than my usual dive straight into squatting, so after about 10 minutes or so of work to get prepared, I started to load up the bar and had at it.

 

Squats to parallel -

1x5 @ 135

1x5 @ 225

1x3 @ 275

1x3 @ 315

1x1 @ 365

1x1 @ 385

3x10 @ 315

1x20 @ 225

The sets of 10 @ 315 weren't as bad as I thought. Felt good for 12-13 if I'd have pushed it hard, but then, I wouldn't have had enough left to keep going afterward. The 20 repper was really tough simply because I was so winded that I could barely breathe after 15 reps - those last 5 were killing me, even though my body in general felt good for more. Stupid crappy endurance...but it will get better!

 

Finished with 2 sets on the assistance circuit of doom -

Horizontal leg press ballistic presses (push off hard to get about 8" of a jump between my feet and the platform) - 1x12 @ 100 lbs.

Straight into....

Hip abductors - 1x15 @ 180 lbs.

Straight into....

Hip adductors - 1x15 @ 180 lbs.

Straight into....

Seated leg curls - 1x20 @ 130 lbs.

Rested 60 seconds, then did it again. Wanted to do a 3rd, but only got so far as the ballistic presses, then I felt dinner coming back up and figured that I'd cut it there rather than get sick all over myself mid-set.

 

So, the new plan that I HOPE to stick to is to work on lighter endurance squatting for a bit as I really need to get my form back. My inconsistent squatting has really made it tough to get my groove again, and if I hope to hit 500 before the end of the year, I need to get serious about it. So, next week will be a bit heavier for doubles to work on form, some heavy partial squats to get the feel of a heavy bar again, and some specialized hamstring work, then alternate back to work my way up the ladder for reps on the 315 sets. Hoping to get to 15 reps per set in a few months, at which point my endurance won't suck and I'll have my form nailed again for going heavy.

 

Tomorrow is off, Thursday will be upper back work again and the shoulder workout I postponed!

[VeganEssentials]

Woo hoo! I finally got back some of my strongman training implements, so I now have my steel log and farmer's walk handles again, and I should hopefully have my yoke back in about a week so I can get to some decent event training this winter. Will be having someone make me some semi-lightweight stones as well (between 200 and 300 lbs.) to play with this winter, so that I can get back in the swing of things again. Nothing super heavy until spring, but as long as I can get some decent training going to work on technique again during the cold season I'll be pretty happy.

 

Today was upper back and shoulders day. A bit worn out as I'd had a few pints in the sun talking business a few hours before training, so my motivation was down a bit by the time I got to the gym, but still made the best of it.

 

Pull-ups -

1x3 @ bodyweight

1x3 @ bodyweight

1x3 @ 25 lbs. added

2x5 @ 35 lbs. added, just didn't have a good feel in it for me today, very sloppy

 

Band-assisted pull-ups -

2x15 with blue band, taking something like 30-35 lbs. off at bottom position and maybe 10-15 at top

 

Tried the terrible pulldown machine that I usually steer clear of, did 2x12 @ 200, felt more like 250 with how bad the motion is and how non-fluid the pull feels. Waaaay too difficult. Decided to leave that thing be unless it's an ultra-light finisher set or something.

 

Incline bench DB shrugs, lying face down toward pad -

2x50 @ 100 lbs. DBs in each hand

Was surprisingly tough. Usually a set of 50s with DBs in the normal position is easy, but changing that angle definitely added in some kick.

 

Cable overhead 2-handled reverse shrugs (pulling down into myself with just a scapular retraction)

3x30 @ 160 lbs.

 

That was it, kept it simple, will be back for deadlifts on Sunday!

[VeganEssentials]

Quick lower back workout tonight, very late and very tired.

 

Deadlifts from floor -

1x8 @ 135

1x5 @ 225

1x3 @ 315

1x2 @ 365

5x2 @ 405

Didn't feel like I had a lot left for deadlifts tonight, so I changed over to Good Mornings in the rack, done to about 3" above torso being parallel with the floor -

2x20 @ 225

1x20 @ 275

Then bumped it down to one last set of them, done seated to about a 45 degree forward lean -

1x10 @ 225

 

Threw in some quick arm work in between, just goofing with some biceps stuff and that was it.

 

Tomorrow off, will be doing upper back and chest on Tuesday.

[VeganEssentials]

Quick upper back and chest/triceps workout tonight -

 

Wide-grip pulldowns -

1x10 @ 150

2x10 @ 250

1x20 @ 205

 

Close-grip barbell bench -

1x5 @ 135

1x5 @ 185

1x3 @ 205

1x6 @ 225

1x8 @ 205

1x12 @ 185

1x20 @ 135

 

Hammer Strength Plate-loaded Iso Low Row -

1x20 @ 270

1x20 @ 360

 

Hammer Strength Plate-loaded incline press -

2x6 @ 270

 

Behind the back barbell shrugs, semi-wide grip -

1x10 @ 225

1x10 @ 315

1x10 @ 405

1x10 @ 425

1x10 @ 455

 

Seated overhead shrugs from lockout to about 2-3" upward motion -

1x20 @ 180

1x20 @ 270

 

Kicked out after that, not enough time to do more. Came back to the office, put a pair of 45 lb. plates on the steel log and did 2 sets of log rows, 20 reps each @ 165 lbs total, followed by 2 sets of push-ups, 30 reps each to finish.

 

Tomorrow is off, Thursday will be leg day.

[VeganEssentials]

Leg day today, showing quick improvement in form and strength again, hopefully without sidetracks and derailing situations as I've had all too often

 

As mentioned before, squat and deadlift days will be dedicated to focusing on the base movements, so I continue in the same vein with today's workout -

 

Warm-up for 10 minutes with 24" box jumps, some calf stretches on the leg press, hip adductor/abductor work and rolling out on a 6" foam roller. Then it was time to start squatting.

 

3x5 @ 135, all done setting up as if they were heavy attempts. Watching some Ed Coan squat videos, I saw that he approaches even a light warm-up with the same weight as if it were a heavy set, and for a guy who can still churn out 675 lbs for sets of 5 with nothing but a belt, I'd say that he knows what he's doing Keeping tight and treating all warm-ups with similar respect, it goes up as follows:

1x5 @ 225

1x3 @ 275

1x2 @ 315

1x2 @ 365

1x2 @ 390

1x1 @ 415

So far, so good, so I stepped into my working sets and had at it:

4x5 @ 365 to parallel

1x10 @ 365 to parallel

Was originally going to be 5x5, but every set of 5 that I did, I said to myself that I was good for a few more. So, last set I set out to do 8, and when I hit 8, I told myself that 10 was only 2 more reps, and with the last rep being a bit of a fight, I finished it off and fell over exhausted. Next time I come to the 5x5 day in my rotation, I'll be upping to 380 for the poundage, as that should prove to be a little more difficult to hit and still feel good for more. After that, I'm aiming for a 10 lb. increase per session for this workout, so let's see where the next few months go for this.

 

Warm-ups and pre-work sets took me almost 40 minutes with being slow and deliberate with plenty of rest, and the work sets only took 28 minutes, so I kept a good pace once things got going. After that, one last exercise to finish -

 

1-arm DB Romanian Deadlifts, opposing arm holding DB from leg being worked -

2x20 @ 65 lb. DB

This hurt my hamstrings and KILLED my hip flexors - both sets got to 18, started to cramp in my hips, dropped the DB to take a few seconds' rest then did the last 2 on each.

 

That's it for today, keeping it simple to build that squat power back up and hopefully back to good sets with 405 and a single with close to 500 by the end of the year.

 

Next week is short-range squat overload week. Will start out with some light front squats to loosen up (nothing over 225), then on to half squats or 1/3 squats with 500-600 lbs. or more to build up the core support for handling heavy loads again. Nothing makes a heavy squat feel easy like being able to do some short-range squats with 200 lbs. or more than your best full squat. Though, tomorrow or Saturday will be upper back and shoulders day, then some tire flipping fun to keep things interesting this weekend before getting back to deadlifts!

[robert]

Nice work! One of these days I keep saying that I'll get myself over there and train. I know we missed each other in D.C. and in Anaheim, but we'll hammer it out soon.

 

Let's plan on it for Anaheim for sure this March! I don't think I'll be at Expo East this year.

 

Hope all is great and look forward to training sometime soon. If work takes me out your way, I'll let you know.

 

All the best!

[VeganEssentials]

Thanks, Robert!

 

It was unfortunate that I missed out on AR this year, but Anaheim is definitely a go. Hard to believe it's just a bit over 6 months until it comes around again - I feel like we just met up there only weeks ago. We'll definitely have to get some training in together - we'll have to find a time in the evening that will work out, because as you know, I never can make those early-morning sessions you go to I think we're spending an extra 2 days after the show is done, so there should be a bit more time this year for us to get the chance to do some training, which will be nice.

 

If you do make it out this way, let me know and we'll make something happen. People tend to forget that we're only a little over an hour's drive from Chicago (somewhere you'll probably end up before making ti to the Milwaukee area). I've been let down a few times this past couple of years with people who didn't know how close we were when they'd be there, only to hear later that we could have met up while they were in Chicago but they thought that Milwaukee was something like a 6 hour drive so they never told me about it until it was too late Anyway, let me know if you'll be anywhere near and we'll work something out, otherwise, you know we'll be seeing you in Anaheim next spring!

[robert]

That is GREAT to know because I think I will be in Chicago once or twice this coming year! Awesome! It will be fun. We all missed you at AR and even Tasha who didn't plan to go to AR and hasn't met you before was talking about you last night at the gym, how nice you are and how you're one person she can't wait to meet.

 

Have a great time and I'll catch you soon.

 

Also...I'm helping organize some strong man events coming up in the somewhat near future (end of November). The theme is "fun" but focused around strongman. Maybe you can give me insight....right now my focus is on:

 

Pushing

Pulling

Lifting

Carrying

Throwing

 

We're looking for "fun" events like Tug of War, Mud Wrestling, etc. I suggested some sort of log lift, log drag, vehicle pull, etc.

 

Any thoughts on "fun" strongman events that wouldn't be too hard for beginners?

 

Thanks!

 

Robert