Day 236

Sister in Law came in town to visit, was supposed to workout again today, but the guy came with his magic machine and chewed up all the brush in my back yard for me. Saves me an entire summer of work.

Went out for dinner to celebrate.

take a look Here!

Day 235

This was supposed to be day 2 of the Smolov squat routine, and I'm already skipping workouts.  Oh well, sometimes being a daddy and husband takes priority.  The barbell will be there tomorrow.

Day 234

Everybody in my house is sick except me. I guess I should be thankful.

Good nap had by all. Went out and got some supper, because who wants to cook when their sick?

Day 233

Day 1 of Smolov squat routine

I'm not making any promises that I'll finish, these high volume routines generally take me out with back spasms at some point, I just can't recover fast enough. But with that said.

Warmup
snatch,OH press, OH squat with an empty bar x 3 x 3 rounds

135 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 8 x 3 (this is where the work is for me)
295 x 5
315 x 2 x 2
335 x 1

Log Press
175 x 8
195 x 6
205 x 2 x 2 (supposed to be a set of 4, but I was wore out)

Speed deadlift

335 x 10 singles

squat jumps x 10 (rather than jump onto something, and falling into the floor and dying, I just jumped as high as I could for sets of doubles)

pm
hot tub x 12 min.
wife's rolling pin to my hurt places x while in hot tub
protein shake
early bed time

Day 232

Both my girls are sick so we stayed home from church.  I drank coffee most of the morning, and then took a nap after lunch. Fnished up getting some trash to the road that we cleaned up yesterday for garbage pickup.

It was a good day.

Day 231

I hired a company to clear out my back yard with one of those bobcat machines that has a cheese grater on the front of it and grinds up everything in it's path...  So I spent today getting all the rocks/debris/and scrap metal cleaned up in the back half of the yard.  The previous owner just had way too much junk hidden in the ivy out there.

today's workout:

Manual Labor x too long; super setted with wish I could have been doing something else.

Then took the wife out for dinner, she is great.

Day 230

Squat
BW x million
bar x 10
135 x 10
225 x 10,10

axle lockouts
110 x 5
200 x 3 x 6

light DB bicep curls x wow my left elbow is killing me, I think it's tendonitis from training stones for so long leading up to the contest. Gonna lay off those a while and rehab it.

Day 229

My legs are crystalized from those measely squats I did yesterday. So now I'm moving around like an old man.  squatting again tomorrow just to get them back in shape.

Got a nap in, not much to report.

Day 228

Warmup x not enough
Squat
135 x 5
225 x 5
250 x 5
275 x 5
300 x 3
325 x 3

Log press
175 x 3
225 x 1, 2 (too heavy, too soon, should have just stuck with the light stuff)

Deadlift 335 x 3 singles

Had planned to do more, but I had to meet a guy about clearing out some land in the back yard, gonna use part of it to set up a strongman area... And a treehouse... :-)

Day 227

Today was a good day. I'm getting back in the gym tomorrow. I need to get back in the gym. I need to get some stuff out of the basement....

Day 226

My mama and daddy are in town. I brought some of my Mama's vegetable beef soup for lunch at work, it has magical restorative and healing powers. I'm helping my dad move a refrigerator this afternoon, and that is my workout. Deciding to stay away from the gym until Wednesday, I think and extended layoff is just the right thing for now. I want to be in the game for many years to come, and I feel like completely healing up is the best thing right now. Let some of these nagging aches and pains clear up and get hungry for heavy lifting again.

Day 225

Took the long drive home from Charlotte. On the way I took Allison and Rebekah through Toccoa, Georgia, the birthplace of Paul Anderson. We stopped off at Paul Anderson park where his statue and memorial is. It was humbling, I'm working on writing a little something about it and him.

The rest of the drive was good, Rebekah's sick with the cold and fever, so we had to make several stops, but some ice cream at the Dairy Queen in Toccoa hit the spot and seemed to perk her up a little.

I just can't be thankful enough for my family and the joys we get to share.

Day 224

Great day of doing nothing. Went to my nephews basketball game this morning with all the cousins. Had a little lunch at On The Border (I like it ok). Good Nap (again) and been reading. Dan John and Pavel Tsatsouline's new book Easy Strength for several days now. Trying to digest it so i'm going slow. It is a great book and I highly recommend it.

Day 223

Got out with my nephew and went to the local Play It Again sports.  I always like to check those places out for good deals on old/antique barbells and plates (the new stuff is crap unless it's high end)

Thought I was going to get a steal on some 100lb. plates, but the deal fell through at the last minute. Oh Well, we had a good time looking.

LONG NAP while Rebekah played with the cousins and wifey went shopping. Burgers for supper, I am stuffed.

Day 222

Left work early and Got out of town around lunch time to avoid some of the winter weather. It rained on us pretty much the entire way from Auburn to Charlotte.  It was a hard drive and I was a ball of nerves by the time we walked in the door of my sisters house.

day 221

Packed up, help with the chores around the house. I am a master dish washer. Played with the little lady some. We are all trapped inside by the weather. Tomorrow we are bustin out.

Day 220

Good day, got a nap. Work wasn't too difficult.  Planning to go to Charlotte to visit my sister and her family on Thursday. Just enduring this massive amount of rain we've been getting, I think I'm getting cabin fever.

Day 219

Went to the chinese restaurant with the family.  This one is none buffet order off the menu style and it is so good it is rediculous. I ordered 2 appedtizers, 2 eggrolls and the main course (just to treat myself) and ate myself stupid. It was delicious.

Day 218

Feeling pretty good, just a little stove up. My muscles aren't to sore, but I can tell that I've done some work. Was able to make it to Sunday school this morning and got a GOOD nap in this afternoon. I'm going to take at least a week off and eat as much as possible and sleep as much as possible.

Day 217

Woke up this morning with that feeling in the pit of my stomach.  Drank a little coffee and piled the family up in the car and headed to Carrollton, Ga to the GSM Icebreakers 2013 strongman contest.

The drive went well, it was a little foggy, but we took our time.

We arrived at the venue and I was greated by my old buddy Brad Stanford and his wife Kim. We set up a little camp site under the big pavillion and got ready. After registering they told me, much to my dissappointment that the weight for height had been eliminated due to wet ground conditions.  I was ready for that event and couldn't have been more dissappointed, thought I could do well there.

So the firetruck arrived for event 1 and it was massive.

A good many of the lightweights could barely get it rolling. Brad did well with a pull of about 6 feet in the Master's class.

Eventually, my turn came around and I fought like the devil for about a minute and got six feet also, I think not practicing my pulling event could have cost me a few extra feet here. Lesson learned.

40k lb. firetruck pull x 6 feet

Event 2 - Log Press
I had been nervous about this event, just because overhead pressing is where I usually lay a big egg in a contest. It was a log press medley of 250, 280 and 310lbs. My strategy was simple, dominate the 250 and get on the board. Take my time and take a few breaths and sell out on the 280 (would have been a 10lb. PR for me).

The 250 flew up, i casually walk to the 280 and get my feet and mind right. I got the clean easy and a good rack position, but when I went for the press I just couldn't get it there. But at least I was on the board.

Event 3 - Max Deadlift

Now it was time to find out who the strong people were. Warmups went well. just took a few increasing singles to 515.

Opened at 565, good lift, felt good.
2nd attempt 605, good lift, felt great
3rd attempt 625, easy, good enough for a tie for 3rd place, and a 10lb. PR. Wish I had attempted more, but getting the lifts was my goal.

Event 4 - Keg Load, Wheelbarrow medley

Fortunately a good placing in the previous event let me see how well I needed to do here. My goal was just to get all 4 kegs loaded and then if I had time, try and take a few steps to the finish line and beat out a couple of folks to hold my placing. did exactly that, multi-way tie for 3rd (I think). In hindsight I should have moved quicker, since this was not a difficult as I thought it was going to be, but another lesson learned.

Event 5 - Stones
I have been training stones and stone loading movements religiously for the last few months because I was sick of stinking it up on the stones. Well, it paid off.

240,275,270,290,310lbs stone run in about a minute. My best stone run to date, once again if I had hussled by a couple of seconds I could have finished one placing higher and added to my position.

Big thanks to Brad Stanford for his help, coaching and encouragement. It always is better when you've got somebody in your corner rooting for you.

Finished 5th (should've finished 4th were it not for some mental errors and self doubt on my part) my best placing yet and a great place to keep building from.

Wore out, now for a week of rest and eating.

Day 216

Well tomorrow's the big day. My gear is packed up, I've got 3 changes of undewear ('cause let's face it, I could crap myself) and everything is packed up in the back of the car. Rebekah is sleeping in her clothes and could not be more excited about the fact.  We are all getting up around 6am to head out get to Carrollton, Ga for my first contest in a long time.

I've decided to wear my 147 Million Orphans shirt during the contest, I can think of no better tribute to my daughter who will be watching her daddy do what most daddy's can't. What an honor and a privilege it is to be the big strong daddy of the treasure the world had forgotten.

I'm going to give it tee total hell tomorrow and leave nothing behind. 

Day 215

Been scouting out the venue for the strongman show this weekend, should be fun. Gotta get my gear together, the nerves are definitely starting to hit me now.  

Day 214

It never fails that the week leading up to a contest is the busiest most stressful week of the year.  Today has really lived up to that expectation. I had planned on going and doing some light training this afternoon just to keep loose, but I'm going to just eat up and try and get some rest. 

Day 213

Woke up this morning feeling wore out before the day began, got a nap in this afternoon. Just trying to rest up before this weekend. 

Day 212

Long, terrible day. I'm actually BACK at work as I type this, so... That pretty much sums it up.

My training today was just to prime the pumps a little before my first contest in a long time this weekend.  In short, I feel 100 years old, I am exponentially weaker than the competition I will be facing, and judging from the lightening shooting through my left elbow, I'm pretty sure my left bicep is just looking for an excuse to rupture... So, with that said

Calf Raises
135 x 15
225 x 15
275 x 15

Fat rope pulldowns
165 x 30

Log Press (clean both reps)
165 x 2
225 x 2

70lb. kettlebell throws
x 5 right hand (some good ones in there)
x 4 left hand (meh, ok)

250lbs. keg carry
x 40ft. x 2

240lb stone no tacky x 1,1 (please Lord keep my left bicep intact)

I honestly don't know why I try.

Day 211

Morning of coffee drinking and then church. Allison made a roast for lunch... So I was in a meat coma by 1pm. Then a nap, + more coffee + played with my little girl. Good Day

Day 210

Raked lots of leaves and piled them up by the road for pickup...Ya'll wouldn't believe the leaves. So yeah, that was fun. Then took the family out for dinner... again.. 

Day 209

Log Press
empty x 10
155 x 3
205 x 1
225 x 1
250 x 1

Axle lockouts
86 x 10
152 x 10
218 x 2 x 2

Bench
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 3 x 2

Fat rope pulldowns
165 x 30
198 x 20


Then went to the Chinese Buffet and then hung out at a friends house while all our kids ran around hollerin'.

Day 208

Got a nap in and thought about how not ready I am for this contest.  Did a few chores around the house.

Seriously, next year I'm just going to take December off.  My training has spiraled down since the weather turned cold.

Day 207

Back to work.  It was tough going since I've had the last week off.

Day 206

Happy New Year! 

Log Press
empty x warmup
155 x 3
205 x 2
230 x 2 (cleaned  both)

Stone trainer
145 x 5
190 x 5
210 stone x 3

70lb. kettlebell throws x 9 throws, these felt good, no buttcheek cramps.

maybe some speed deadlifts? I honestly can't remember what else I did....