Day 21

Push Jerk from Rack
worked up to 205 x 1, 235 x 1, 255 x 1, 280 x 1 (personal best, very easy, should have taken a crack at 300)

Overhead squat
worked up to 155 x 1 (personal best, had plenty more, saved it for another day)

Front squat
205 x 2, 225 x 2, 255 x 1, 275 x 1, 300 x 1(personal best... isn't that sad...)

Back squat
315 x 1, 365 x1, 405 x 1, 440 x 1

215 stone 5 singles no tacky, just to get back into the feel of it...

here is  a video of some of our training.

Day 20

Wow. I was glad just to get to the end of this work week. I am exhausted.

I'm really struggling to get my diet and supplementation down. For one thing I'm having a hard time finding the right things to eat, and not taking the time to prepare them.  No one eats healthy conveniently or by accident.

Supplementation is a big issue financially if for no other reason...

same old song and dance, training tomorrow.

Day 19

Nap, walk with the family...  yadda yadda.

Day 18

Back to the gym today.

seated behind neck press lockouts off of jerk boxes (sitting on 15.5" box, bar at knot on the back of my head)
115 x 5
165 x 5
185 x 3
200 x none
165 x 5
-discovered a big weakness in the behind the neck movements over the past few weeks, gotta work on it.

Speed box squats (5 reps as fast as you can) 15.5" box
bar x 5
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5,5,5

Deadlift
315 x 3, 365 x 3, 415 x 3 (hook grip speed singles)

Lat pulldown
222 x 5 x 5

Sweat... Lots of Sweat...

Day 17

Was on call last night with the hospital and got the requisite 2am callback.  So I came home from work a little early and took a nap... These days, naps count as training...

Day 16

Went to the city pool today. Swam for a couple of hours, played with the kiddos. Took a nap. It was a good day.

Day 15

Gotta work today, hoping for a nap, likely won't get one. Not sore from yesterday, need to get back to the gym tomorrow, also may go for a swim. I did get to sit in the hot tub for about 15 min.

that is it, see you tomorrow.

Day 14

Hot day in the gym. Lots of soreness still in my lower back. I completely had to change what I had planned to do. So I decided to work on clean technique and do some squatting and arm work.  Nothing serious, just some light work to get some weak areas targeted.

Bump Cleans - (so titled after Zack Roberts keeps telling me it's just a bump at the top, sort of like a hang clean but shorter, working on the rack position)
 135 x 25-30 singles.

16.5" box squat
bar x 5
135 x 5
225 x 5 x 5 (tried to do these as fast as I could, like the old school dynamic effort day)

tricep pushdowns 63,73,83,93,103 x 12
db curls 45s x 10,10

Day 13

Oh my back...  lots of deep soreness in my back. Oh well, onward and upward.  Remedial strength begins tomorrow. 

Day 12

Training today was difficult. My lower back is completely seized up and I am hurting, so here is training for today...

Overhead squat
broomstick x 5,5,5
lots of warming up and shoulder mobility
empty bar x 5
65 x 3, 85 x 3, 95 x 1, 115 x 1, 135 x 1

snatch
95 x 1,115 x 1, 135 x 6 singles (gosh awful, ugly, powerless)

enter Zack Roberts trying to teach me a few things
worked on cleans for a minute
bump cleans x 5 singles

Standing axle lockouts with bands 90+light bands x 2 x 8

squat
135 x 5, 225 x 4 (back seized up, literally started to fall forward on the way up on #4)

I discovered something this week.  I am going to have to train before I can start training.  Remedial strength training is what I will have to go through to begin the training program I have designed.

So, Saturday's training has been totally adjusted, it will basically be light higher rep stuff.

Day 11

I got to take a nap today. A much needed nap. Tried to keep my food intake up and I'm still drinking the fart juice like its going out of style. My low back is super tight after yesterday. Im going to heat up the hot tub for a sit later and hope that does the trick. Tomorrow should be fun. Feeling stronger already, should be at top speed soon, that's when the work will begin.

Day 10

Training for today Log press 175, 195, 220 x 5 DB bench 95s x 12,10,6 Front squat 215, 235, 255, 275 for singles Deadlift w hook grip 295,345,365 x 3 singles each Wide grip pulldown 208 x 3 x 12 BB curls 95x10 x 3 Ovehead db tricep 25x10x3 Wore out after this. Got to bed early. Still felt good to have to try.

Day 9

I've spent part of the day writing the perfect training program to blend strongman with the olympic lifts. I'll think it's crap in about 6 weeks, but for right now it's great.

I start the program tomorrow, it's a lot of max efforts, both in reps and in weight.

I'm drinking alot of Ensure, and the flatulence is incredible.

we'll see how tomorrow goes. 

Day 8

Happy Father's day.

What a day of highs and lows, Call at the hospital last night practically ruined the whole day.

I'm sore, especially in my quads, and I hate being sore in my quads because that means I am severely detrained.

Sat in the hottub 20 minutes, took a nap, and drank my ensure. Tomorrow is a new day, glad for new mercies. Going to bed early to wake up as fresh as possible. 

Day 7

Started over officially today. Got back in the gym for a good session.

Axle press from rack
empty x 10,10
110 x 5,5
160 x 5(strict)
180 x 5(strict)
200 x 5 (first few strict)
220 x 5

Floor Press
135 x 10, 225 x 8, 250 x 7,5

Squat to 12.75" box (all the way, complete stop on box)
135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 3
315 x 2
335 x 1
365 x 1
385 x 1

Snatch grip high pulls
225 x 10 singles
barbell curls 95 x 12 x 3
rope pushdowns 91lbs x 12 x 3

bout to get into the hot tub for 15 to 20 minutes then call it a night, it was a

Day 5-6:

Yesterday, nothing, just rested, hung out with the family

Today - discovered the pharmacy at the hospital I work at sells 24 packs of Ensure for $5.  Ensure is loaded with protein and good stuff, I bought a case and it may be my whey protein powder replacement.  3 Ensures is 39g of protein and a bunch of calories, actually cheaper per gram than buying milk for me.

Elderely drinks here I come

 Tomorrow...  we train....

Day 4:

I spent most of the evening laughing.  All the crackheads were at the club tonight. Barely got anything done.

I am so weak, I feel elderly.

clean and jerk
165 x 3
135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 1
245 x miss,miss, miss, miss, miss all missing the clean
225 x 1,1,1,1

biceps x 4 sets
lat pulldown x 2 sets

tried some behind the neck push jerks and that was just a joke, 185 x 1, 245 x I almost killed myself then cheese grated the back of my neck

Gotta go back to what I know just to get some strength back....

What I learned -
Shoulder mobility sucks
The sam's club protein tastes nastier by the sip
I gotta get outta this pit.

Day 3:

Hips, Hamstrings, and Quads are sore from that measly workout.

Some observations -
I am standing at the foot of Mt. Everest in terms of strength, a long way to go.

I live my life in a state of perpetual dehydration. Gotta drink more water, a lot more.

I eat fake food most of the time.  Processed junk. Sugar. Garbage.

First the training, then the diet.


I took no measurable steps toward recovery today, so There you go. Some days are diamonds, most are stone...

Day 2:

My first workout back from the long layoff was stupid, unnecessarily difficult, and a little bizarre...

Monday PM 6/10/2012
Broomstick snatch (I have no idea how to snatch) x alot
Power Snatch 95lbs. x 3, 115 x 3, 135 x 3 (ugly and gosh awful)
Front Squat 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 205 x 5
Barbell overhead press 135 x 5 x 3
Obliques with a 35kg Kettlebell x 10 x 3

In that short light workout I was able to pull some random muscle under my left butt cheek, get more discouraged about my current level of strength than ever before and sweat and breath hard like I was doing interval hill sprints...

Glaring weaknesses in order
1. Front Squatting or any Quadracep dominant movement (ie. I can't use my lower back)
2. Abdominal/ Midsection strength
3. Mobility of all joints, most especially the hips
4. All of the Quick Lifts (c+j, snatch, power clean)
5. Arm strength (biceps particularly)

So there is my top 5 - But at least I was back in the gym....  It's a start...

The Big Year: Day 1

I'm doing a big year.

Georgia's Strongest Man was yesterday. I wasn't there to turn in my usual last place performance. And it makes me mad for a multitude of reasons.

Life, responsibility, and general grown-uphood has gotten in the way of training the last 6 weeks. On May 19th, My 33rd birthday, this year I deadlifted a personal best of 615lbs. and haven't touched a weight since. We moved to Auburn and it has taken a while to get settled in.... And the time has come.

So I'm doing a big year. I'm going to live like a strongman for 365 days and see where it takes me. And I'm going to go to Georgia's strongest man in 2013 and as God is my witness, I'll not finish last, and I guess I just wrote that down.

Today's Training:
I took a 2hr. nap. and sat in the hot tub for ten minutes to try and get the guitar strings in my lower back to turn loose so I can get back to the bar tomorrow night. And get back to the bar I will. Night Night.