Training Log: Entry 2540

AM WORKOUT

GIANT SETS (squat-pull-hyper)

SSB front squats
6xBar
6x135
6x225
6x315
3+2+1x6
6x275

Clean pulls 165
6x3

Reverse hyper 450
6x12

Notes: 3:45 between sets.  Was feeling solid today, and 315 for the penultimate set didn't feel too eyeball melting, so went for something great.  I think I would've had a 4th if I wanted to risk everything on it, but with the race this weekend I played it safe and rest paused it out.  Made the backoff a little lighter to compensate for the intensity.

Brought the clean pulls back.  Kept the weight light so I could focus on the explosiveness.  Using a stone every week was beating up my bicep real bad, and being this far out from a comp, I can get a little more general with the training.

Training Log: Entry 2539

PM WORKOUT

SUPERSETS (Press-pulldown)

Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x66
3x156
3x181
10x201
11x181

Pull pulldown 110
6x12

GIANT SETS (Press-dip-raise-pull apart.  Sets 1 and 4: Strict.  Sets 2 and 5: Trap Bar.  Sets 3 and 6: Keg)

Axle strict press 166
2x10

Trap bar press 100
2x10

Keg clean and press away 100
2x10

Dips
6xFailure

DB raise 30
3x12
3x11

Pull aparts
6x12

Poundstone curls
100xAxle

Notes: 3:45 between heavy presses.  2:00 between giant sets.  Got the headspins super fierce on the topset of axle presses and decided to just ride it out and see what happens.  It didn't get any better as the set went on, but I was able to hold on and hit my goal of 10.  Once the half marathon is over, if this keeps up, I may get the blood pressure evaluated, but considering this was after working back to back 12s this weekend and coming home to grab a 4 hour nap before starting this up, I figure there's some other externals at play.  Backoff set was solid as well.

Those trap bar presses sneak up on you!  First 3 reps I thought I was using way too light of weight, and then rep 8 hit and it was getting interesting.  The ROM is super long without placing a lot of strain on the shoulders, and there's no rack position to rest the bar on and get a break, so the shoulders are always soaking up tension without being in pain.  All in all I like it, and can easily see this being a mainstay in a general purpose pressing program.

Keg presses are on the lighter side.  Alternating which hand was the underhand to get work from both angles, but come comp day I only plan to press from one side.

Stomach was super bloated today.  Belt was very snug.  Figure my weird eating habits over the shift work are at play there.

Training Log: Entry 2538

EVENING WORKOUT

OUTDOOR RUN

Time: 30ish minutes

Speed: Unknown (but one of those speed limit signs with the radar on it said "Your speed: 7mph", so I'm gonna take that.  PLUS, it means I'm still so jacked that dumb speed limit signs think I'm a car)

Distance: Unknown

Incline: Hills

Notes: Mrs got in a quick treadmill run, so I did this in the interim.  Was good to just get outside and have no idea what any of my metrics were.  I can see the lessons I'm learning from the treadmill paying off.  My stride is lengthening when needed, I'm rolling my steps, and I'm avoiding a lot of my usual aches and pains.  Felt great too: wind was solid the whole time.  Uphills more comfortable than downhills.

Training Log: Entry 2537

PM WORKOUT

MAX EFFORT LOWER

(3) Mat Pull
5x135
5x225
3x315 (left hamstring twinge)
1x405
1x495 (straps, no belt)
1x585 (straps and belt from here on out)
1x635
3x585

GIANT SET (dead-hyper-squat)

Low handle trap bar lift 405 (touch and go)
3x10

Reverse hyper 360
3x10

SSB squat 225
3x10

Notes: 3:45 between heavy pulls.  2:00 between giant sets.  This is 5 days of training in a row right after my strongman comp, so I was pretty stoked with how this went.  Felt a few small pops in my back on the set of 635, but doesn't seem to indicate anything.  Might have just been some kinks from the comp working themselves out.  Pulled something in the left hamstring on the warm-ups, and all week my hips and hamstrings have been cramping.  Just weird side effects I suppose, because my body has felt great post comp otherwise.

Decided to save all my energy on the eccentric today and just let the bar slam.  Was cathartic.

First time using the low handles on the trap bar.  It's a VERY long ROM, which is weird because you'd figure it'd be like a barbell dead.  Only thoughts are that I'm bending my knees more than my hips, which makes me feel like I'm going far.  Figure this will carryover some to the car deadlift in 6 months, but also some variety should be good in my supplemental work.  Plan is to alternate between this and axle deficit deads weekly.  May just swap out the buffalo bar and alternate between SSB and SSB front squat here.  In truth, I'm at the point where I don't care how much I'm squatting so long as it's making me stronger, and, in particular in the deadlift.  I want to have a nasty overhead press and a deadlift that is borderline blasphemy, and everything else is just there to support that.  At least, as far as the barbell lifts go. 

Back to an adequate level of fluffiness.  Belt is fitting snug again.

Training Log: Entry 2536

AM WORKOUT

Axle bench press 311
1x9
1x7
1x5
1x4

Close grip axle bench press 261
1x10
1x8
1x7

Swiss bar incline bench 215
2x10
1x8

Dips
1x36
2x25

Notes: 3:45 between sets.  Think I'm going to implement a plan I've had for a while and start rotating the movements on this.  Between the running, the post competition, and how long I've been sticking with this program (about a year now), I'm beating my head against a wall.  Changing the order of the movements comes right out of the Jon Andersen playbook, so it's staying with the method.

Plan is to start with the incline bench, then flat bench, the close grip.  Will have to drop the weight on flat and close grip, and making the incline bench the primary movement will most likely carryover better to overhead pressing anyway.

Still gonna stick with the rest period reduction approach, and keep the supersets with the ab wheel.   

Training Log: Entry 2535

AM WORKOUT

GIANT SETS (squat-keg clean-reverse hyper)

Buffalo bar squat
8xBar
8x140
8x230
8x320
1x390
20x230/20x140 (stripset)

Keg clean 100lbs
6x3

Reverse hypers 450
6x10

Notes: Was definitely feeling the effects of the illness yesterday.  320 felt more fatiguing than it should of, but still pretty light.  390 felt much heavier than it should have, so I shut it down to not do anything terribly stupid.  Figured I'd work some of that higher rep work I was discussing earlier at that point.

Rested 3:45 between the first 5 giantsets, then rested 2 minutes and did the keg cleans and reverse hypers for another superset, then rested 3:45 and did the stripset.  Might do something similar for the rest of the training cycle.

Knew I was in a bit of a bind when my belt was loose.  Just means I get to eat even more.

Training Log: Entry 2534

AM WORKOUT

TREADMILL RUN

Incline: 1
Speed: 6.4 mph (9:23 mile)
Distance: 8 miles
Time: 1hr 15 minutes

Notes: Started experiencing a minor allergic reaction to something I ate at about the 4 mile mark.  Made it tough to breathe.  Suppose that means no Taco Bell breakfast quesadillas pre-run.  Been eating a lot of junk just to get the calories up with the training.  Aside from that though, this went better than I anticipated so soon after the comp.  It still sucks, I don't like doing it, but I'm better at it.  It's more the mind than anything else at this point, because my heart and lungs are holding out well and my body doesn't break down much on it.  Left achilles played nice, right foot didn't go numb for too long, and my stride is improving.

Going to try to squat in the evening today.  I have plans on throwing in high rep work on the backoff set later in the training cycle, but today is going to be a bit more traditional while I gear up for the race.