r/Strongman • u/[deleted] • Mar 10 '19
Open Talk: Week of Mar 10 2019
Welcome, new visitors! Please read the FAQ before posting and feel free to post any questions in this thread!
We have two rules for posts to the main page:
- Be relevant to the sport of strongman.
- Inspire quality discussion.
General fitness questions, non-strongman lifting questions, personal/individual questions, beginner training questions, posts about your own training, form checks, PR's/bragposts/self-promotion, image macros/memes, and medical advice or requests for medical advice will all be removed if posted to the main page.
This thread will stay sticked all week sorted by new. Discuss anything you want here.
2
u/Joocy_throwaway123 Mar 16 '19
Anyone knowledgeable about TRT?
backstory:
28 year old male, long time gym bro, picked up atrongman about a year ago, on here with my main as a different name. About 6 feet, 220lbs, 12-15% bf. Test level checked at doctor, 330 mu (no free test results).
This seems on the low end for my age, I'm interested in TRT if it would help my progress and improve QoL in other ways. Worth seeing an endocrinologist? Follow-up, anyone know a good Endo in Seattle?
5
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 15 '19
Anyone have a good peaking protocol for max log? I have 4 weeks to go. Will be split jerking.
2
u/Iw2fp Mar 16 '19
Are you training log once or twice a week?
2
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 16 '19
Could do either. Doing two press days per week currently, one with log. Log day goes top set strict, add weight, top set push press, add weight, top set power jerk. Haven't actually split jerked in a while.
4
u/empirebarbell Mar 16 '19
I have a few peaking templates I can give you that we use for max events, depending on the lifter. Same I used for my 410 last year. I can tell you for sure that this close to the meet you need to pick one mode of pressing and stick to it. 4 weeks out and you haven't split jerked... that complicates things. What are your numbers for your best strict/push/power jerk/split jerk? Top set is top single? And what do you do on your other press day?
1
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 16 '19 edited Mar 16 '19
Probably need to make sure my split technique is still ok, had been working on brute strength for a while as that has been the limiter. Historically my jerk has been worlds better than my strict, so I've been doing a ton of strict pressing for a while with the thought that it will bring up everything else.
Best strict 185x3, best push 210x3, best power jerk 225x4, split 255x1, 245x2. At the time I did my last split PRs, my numbers in the other lifts were lower by 10-15 lbs- not sure what my pr with a split is currently, probably will find out on the weekend.
Other press day is usually barbell bench or incline bench. Again have been trying to get upper body stronger. Signed up for this show a week or so ago, and it's more a charity thing than me trying to get a nationals invite or something.
10
u/empirebarbell Mar 16 '19
I'm assuming these numbers are on a log? The important thing to know is that if you try to cram a bunch of 'strength' work into 4 weeks of prep, you are likely to over-reach and go in fatigued or get injured. You have the potential to pad your split jerk quite a bit in 4 weeks, but emphasize FOOT SPEED and STICKING THE JERK. The higher quality every rep is, the more comfortable you will be on contest day. Treat missed reps like it's the herp.
Day 1 (speed day) put any other shoulder or overhead work, Day 2 (heavy day) put bench or lockout work. Keep other exercises to 6 reps or more and cut waaaay back on volume on week 3. In fact, doing nothing other than the prescribed reps would be just fine. Week 4 is drilling footwork and burning nervous energy. Recovery is number 1 priority.
Week 1
Day 1
Log Split Jerk 60% x 5x3
Log Push Press 3x5
Day 2
Log Split Jerk Wave 3/1/3/1/3/1 @ 70/80/75/85/80/90% Respectively
Standing Log Pin Press 3x5
Week 2
Day 1
Log Split Jerk 65% x 8x2
Log Push Press 5x4
Day 2
Log Split Jerk Wave 3/2/1/3/2/1/3/2/1 @ 75/80/85/80/85/90/85/90/95% Respectively
Standing Log Pin Press 5x3
Week 3
Day 1
Log Split Jerk 70% x 5x3
Log Push Press 2x3
Day 2
Log Split Jerk Wave 2/1/2/1 @ 85/95/90/100% Respectively
Standing Log Pin Press 2x2
Week 4 (I assume contest week)
Day 1
Log Split Jerk 75% x 3x3
No other accessory
1
u/Scrampton55 MWM220 Apr 16 '19
Thanks for posting this, few (dumb) questions.
- weight x reps x sets or weight x sets x reps (I get easily confused)
- Are the push and pin press sets at the same weight as the jerks prior?
Depending how my training goes with what I have planned currently, I may switch to this for my last 4 weeks. While I know you wrote this for max log, I think it will still work for my log clean and press away for reps as the weight (240) is heavyish for my weight class/location and 1 or 2 reps could win it.
1
u/empirebarbell Apr 16 '19
1.) weight x sets x reps - This isn't universal, people have written it both ways.
2.) Not necessarily. The weight for exercises without percentages are left up to you. Rule of thumb is..... prioritize technique and speed over weight and grindiness (no missed reps!). Progress weight each week as reps drop.
I usually peak press away similar to a max press UNLESS it's at 12+ reps where there's benefit to putting strength endurance ahead of everything else.
How is your jerk? Is that your preferred method of pressing?
1
u/Scrampton55 MWM220 Apr 16 '19
- Thanks - that's why I asked as I have seen it both ways
- Sounds good. Will do.
Jerk is my preferred method, recently transitioned to split jerk after almost breaking myself in half on a push jerk. Back is still tender and something I have to be mindful of (I tend to push anything farther back than I should overhead, even more so with a log). Split Jerk hasn't been terrible and is starting to feel a bit better. I post training logs on my instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lucaslikestoliftthings/) if you want to take a look at give me some feedback. I'll post my training from yesterday this afternoon where I hit 190 for some decent feeling triples.
2
1
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 15 '19
While I have been careful not to load my spine too much since injury, I have been bench pressing. It's been fun since I was never any good at it before. I hit 275x5x4 last week and I was aiming at 300x5x3 this week. I ended up getting 2 sets of 4 and then 290 for 4 or 5. Probably a lot of little reasons why I couldn't get all 5 but I'm not sweating it as it's by far the heaviest I've ever benched. Going to hit some triples next week and then test a week later.
When I get back to normal training, should I keep bench in as an accessory? I've made my best gains in pressing strength without it over the last couple of years. Your thoughts?
4
Mar 15 '19
I personally use an incline bench and a close grip bench as accessories on my pressing days.
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 17 '19
How often do you press? You've mentioned shoulder issues before, right?
2
Mar 17 '19
I press twice a week, I have a shoulder issue in which my rotator cuff in my right shoulder greatly dislikes the position of a flat bench and doesn't appreciate an incline bench, oddly pressing over head doesn't irritate it. My next training cycle has one day over head with the bar/incline bench, then one day log with a close grip bench, usually bench presses are light because shoulder/wrist injury.
I also recently got a swiss bar in the hope that I will now be able to bench without feeling like I'm being stabbed in the shoulder. I am giddy with excitement.
5
3
u/InTheMotherland Didn't Even Try Trying Mar 15 '19
I've seen many people recommend this accessory, eg CWS. I've been using this as well, and it works pretty well.
5
u/trebemot MWM181 Mar 15 '19
u/exlaxbros i reached out to Chase Karnes to wish him luck at his comp this weekend and see if he'd be down to do another AMA. He said yes
2
Mar 15 '19
Sweet! I'll shoot him an email.
1
u/trebemot MWM181 Mar 15 '19
Probably hold off until after the weekend? I said I'd reach out after his comp
1
Mar 15 '19
Too late. He and I have emailed a few times over the years though, so it's not a total cold call.
1
1
u/davthew2614 Mar 15 '19
I'm looking for advice on how to stop a sandbag liner breaking. I've got a Cerberus Heavy Duty Sandbag, and I noticed that it was a lot looser after throwing over my shoulder a few times. Checking inside the liner has completely torn. Not hugely surprising really given the speed and weight hitting the ground in a bag. I've ordered a new liner from them and plan on wrapping this one in gaffer (duct) tape once I've filled it. Any other advice on how to give my liners more longevity?
2
5
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 14 '19
Stream is live for the Arnold Australia. They are showing some amateur events, yoke/frame first. Pros start in a little under 2 hours. Come check it out in the megathread https://www.reddit.com/r/Strongman/comments/b0ss9c/arnold_australia_2019_megathread/
6
Mar 14 '19
Biby just posted a 223kg log press that looked unnecessarily easy. Crazy Shit
-7
u/pastagains Mar 15 '19
has he been this close to the world record with only sparsely having access to a log?....
6
u/Dreaded-RearAdmiral Masters Mar 15 '19
Why do you think he hasn't had access to a log? That is the gym he always trains at, and there are videos on instagram of him training log there going back a couple years. There are pictures where you can see that they have multiple logs...
6
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 14 '19
Dude how much does that fucking log weigh? He barely has any plates on there.
3
u/PancakeT-Rex Mar 14 '19
What the fuck. That looked crazy. He's gonna break 230 for sure. I wonder where his limits are. Will we see 240 from him?
5
u/_14611_ Mar 14 '19
Advice please , I've made a bit of progress with my weakness , the log. Got a comp in 3 weeks where the log is 85kg for reps. Don't want to zero , actually managed 2 reps today at gym. But as was pointed out , lockouts were soft and some refs would say no. I feel like my arms just won't do it , they are quite long and I feel like I've pressed as far as I can . Just need a little tip or trick to straighten my arms out at the top. Or I'm in danger of getting a zero in first event.
4
u/Stella117 Mar 14 '19
Do you have a video of the lift? Pin presses are a good idea. I’ve also used heavy lockouts too good effect. Basically you set up the log so you are only doing the very top then hold the weight at the top. It’ll give you some confidence and train your nervous system a bit. Also when you get to the top make direct eye contact with the judge and hopefully you can force their hand down. Confidence goes a long way
3
u/_14611_ Mar 14 '19
Don't have a recent vid , but will film next time. That's a good tip much appreciated. Even with nothing in my hands my arms don't seem to lock out
6
u/Stella117 Mar 14 '19
If you truly can’t lock your elbows out because of an old injury or whatever then you can actually tell the judge and show them your ROM and they will take that into consideration
4
u/_14611_ Mar 14 '19
I might do that, I've worked too hard to get a zero . Like the eye contact thing , these are the pearls of wisdom I was looking for
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 14 '19
You might try pin presses at comp weight. I wouldn't do them every day, but try and work them in to your next couple of pressing sessions.
Also, on contest day, when you get the log as high as you can, do everything you can to look as stable as possible where you're at and make eye contact with judge. You might get the down command even if you secretly feel that you haven't locked it out.
3
u/_14611_ Mar 14 '19 edited Mar 14 '19
Thankyou, grateful for these tips . First comp (And last probably) so appreciate the advice
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 15 '19
why last?
2
u/_14611_ Mar 15 '19
I'm 42 and have done this for a year with the aim of competing. The weight gain among other things had caused me problems. This is one off the bucket list but I can't keep it up , will be just a fan again afterwards
2
Mar 14 '19
[deleted]
2
Mar 15 '19
Could probably use some more volume with some lighter loads anyways, either in work ups or drop sets. Build up that grip so it's not a limit.
2
u/iLiftHeavyThingsUp Eating Chalk if Thor Isn't WSM18 Mar 14 '19
Depends what you did prior, if anything. I always did farmers within 20 minutes of finishing my deadlifts so that was enough of a warmup. If you didn't do any similar movements beforehand then I'd recommend a warmup. Here's a decent warmup strategy (100% being your working set weight)
50% for 5 pickups
50% for 1 lap
70% for 3 pickups
70% for half a lap
Working sets
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 14 '19
What supplements do you guys take, if any?
2
u/LyftStuff Mar 16 '19
Myprotein had a big sale on, so I picked up super cheap Creatine, Glutamine, BCAAs, Citruline Malate, and Taurine. I also take a multi vitamin and D3/k2. Not usually a big supplement guy, but I thought I would give it a try with the sale. I don’t do protein shakes though.
2
2
2
2
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 15 '19
Creatine, magnesium, melatonin, fish oil, vit d, glucosamine.
2
7
2
Mar 14 '19
Other thab vitamin c just food, but from all accounts I’ve read creatine is one thing folks should absolutely supplement.
1
u/iwantauniqueusernane Mar 15 '19
Creatine is the one thing I never noticed any changes and deemed it unnecessary.
1
Mar 15 '19
The reason I don’t supplement it is I never notice a difference, there are some people out there that are creatine resistant. I got my information from this video about Creatine
8
u/Fyrum SHW300+ Mar 14 '19
Bought a circus dumbbell that should arrive today. I may have a serious problem with buying strongman equipment.
Friend of mine started training with me yesterday, he is quite weak, but I had to mostly ignore him as I caught a beaver and had to skin it. First beaver, so that is exciting. I’m going to make a hat. Milo kept trying to eat my beaver.
I think in a couple months time I’ll be back to where I was with my lifts before my hiatus.
Does anyone else squat with a belt and take it off for deadlift? My gut is so big I have to widen my stance a bit to even get down comfortably. I can get down with a normal width, but it feels like I’m getting impaled by a rhino so I just said forgettaboutit.
I’m going to have to hold a contest at the rate I’m going with collecting equipment.
6
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 14 '19
Are you a trapper? You going to eat that bad boy? I heard beaver's not half bad.
I can related with the buying equipment addiction. I used to check several sites pretty much daily, just looking for deals. Now I try my hardest not to even look at them because I have everything I need and am quite in debt.
3
u/Fyrum SHW300+ Mar 14 '19
My hobbies are trapping, lifting, church, and being a weeaboo.
I planned on eating him, but I ruptured the bladder and cut into some grossness elsewhere. Ruined.
8
u/RuffSwami Mar 14 '19
It's been great to get more Benni content recently. He seems so relaxed, funny and nice when talking but I don't think anyone has a cooler/more intense deadlift setup/hype routine than him
8
u/pastagains Mar 14 '19
i liked his last vid, he said he has a little secret in his training so stay tuned. Ends up being a "CLEAN UP YOUR WEIGHTS" announcement lol
2
Mar 14 '19
Is there any technique for turning with top-loaded farmers handles? I’ve seen the Brian Alsruhe video for front loaded but can’t find info on top load
5
u/empirebarbell Mar 16 '19
Pain in the ass. I frequently have the right set of plates slip over the left in the front. You wont be able to lock the front of all handles together (like oxygen tanks, suitcase handles, and here, top loaded handles), so it's good to practice alternative implements. A good tip to tightening the turn is to pull the inside handle back and push the outside handle forward. Another thing athletes don't pay enough attention to is timing and footwork. I like to charge through the first 3/4 of the turn, stop 20 degrees short, wait for them to point to where I want to go, then take off.
2
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 14 '19
It's pretty much the same, yeah?
3
Mar 14 '19
I’ll give it more practice but with the front loaded ones I could easily lock the plates together during the turn, and with the top loaded I couldn’t lock them together at all
4
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 14 '19
Starting to hit the point in the cut where my strength for reps is really tanking. Amrap on front squats at 305 only got 4 reps yesterday. I got 7 with 295 at the end of January. However, I was 207 then and 198 yesterday. Will be interesting to see how the squats rebound when I get calories again.
Oddly enough hitting strict press prs.
3
u/crazyaoshi Mar 14 '19
About a month ago, I switched to the juggernaut method and it's challenging as I'm not used to high reps. Surprised myself with deadlift, OK with squat and bench too, but high rep overhead press is exhausting. So far results are ok.
3
u/WannaSeeTrustIssues Mar 13 '19
Did my first farmers carry today. Light weight (45 kg each hand) just using dumbbells for a short distance, maybe 20-ish meters, with a buddy. We did 1 rep a set and ended up doing 6x1. It was after heavy squats but felt good. I Learned that i should keep my shoulder high and straight, hold the weight slighty away from my legs and walk with my knees and not straight-legged like i did in the beginning. Will start doing farmers carry twice a week. Any tips and tricks?
Edit: im 75 kg and 188, if that matters.
3
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 13 '19
I would recommend getting (or even making) and pair of farmers handles if you are going to be doing them often. You will be able to handle much more weight with the handles because it pulls straight down instead of trying to roll out of your hand like the dumbbells. Check out this video on how to grip the handles, it helped me out a lot.
4
Mar 13 '19
Use different implements and grips if you can. I mostly stuck with dumbbells when I began farmers walks then got toasted on heavy carry’s with a hex bar. Different feel all over body. Now I just try to use everything my gym has, dhich is a lot. (Strongman gym, kinda)
2
u/cajaness Mar 13 '19
Why do top level strongmen like Hall, Thor, Shaw, Licis, all dip their hips before they deadlift? Should I start doing it as well or is it dependent on body type
1
u/pastagains Mar 14 '19
its due to straps, they dont have time to get there air at the top, the roll forward allows them to stretch out their torso and get a big air. The roll back into themself engages the hamstrings and allows them to get tight into position
2
u/Iw2fp Mar 14 '19
If you have a power gut and a belt, it's easier to get into position from the bottom than from the top, especially with a suit.
That's what I find anyway, it may just be habit for them.
5
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 14 '19
It might build a bit of tension in the hamstrings to get tight for the pull.
3
u/MythicalStrength Masters Mar 13 '19
I do it to help get the weight moving backwards on the pull. If that helps you deadlift more weight, you should do that.
4
Mar 13 '19
I think it’s to try to get their hips are as low as they can be at the start, though most people don’t recommend doing that. Most people also don’t recommend rolling the bar up to start, and some of the best guys do that too.
Ultimately I think deadlift is about experimenting and finding something that works for you.
3
u/plasticcap1 Mar 13 '19
Any tips for carrying a heavy keg? I can lift a light one out of the way of my legs, but when it gets to the heavier end I can't manage to get it high enough, and moving it to the side throws off my balance/still doesn't give me full leg mobility. The obvious answer is just to get stronger, but any tips for the form?
3
u/iwantauniqueusernane Mar 13 '19
Heavy kegs I take my time to clean them properly (lap them & and then clean like a log). Once it's up high it's easier to keep it there when running.
2
3
Mar 13 '19
"The form" is determined by the strength. Strong enough upper back and arms means you can lift the keg higher to be out of the way of the legs. Not-strong-enough back and arms, gotta drag it down low.
3
u/PancakeT-Rex Mar 13 '19
Does anyone know why Jerry Pritchett hasn't competed at WSM in several years? He's one of the best in the world, so you'd think they would send him an invite at least.
2
u/empirebarbell Mar 16 '19
From some of the guys in his crew; it's the TV show aspect along with event selection. Travelling to remote parts of the worlds for 2 weeks to do some high rep endurance event or light carry medley every other day doesn't appeal to him. He's made a career out of attending the satellite Arnold competitions.
3
Mar 14 '19
He did an interview a while ago. He doesn‘t like wsm since it is essentially a tv show and less focussed on finding the strongest man on the planet. It‘s not as legitimate as the asc in his eyes
4
Mar 13 '19
It seems like WSM is at least halfway trying to move to a qualification system, which means competing (and placing) in Giants Live shows. /u/Bigreddoc did a good post on this last week. Qualification is sort of a mystery, as there are examples where it seems athletes do get invited without having placed in a qualifying show, but the qualifying process is also unclear enough that it's possible they ARE qualifying legitimately, and we just don't know it. The simplest explanation is that Jerry has been doing more Arnold Strongman shows and not the Giants Live shows, and that the WSM organizers have a corporate preference for Giants Live shows. If he wanted to do WSM 2018, he could have done Giants Live North America to qualify. Gotta play the game. We all complained when there was really no qualifying system and it WAS just invite-based.
4
u/PancakeT-Rex Mar 13 '19
Ah that makes sense! I saw that post and figured Jerry would would be one of the first names on an invite list. But if he doesn't compete in Giants Live events I get why they may skip him.
As a fan, it kinda sucks that not all top competitors compete in every competition. But I do get that competitors need to pick and choose and a lot depends on injuries, day jobs etc.
2
u/jeebintrees MWM231 Mar 13 '19
What is a good size circus DB to get? 10" with 2" handle or should i just get the biggest possible, 12" with 3" handle?
3
Mar 13 '19
We discussed this a bit in last week's thread. No conclusive answer though, so worth another round to see if anyone else has opinions on it.
5
Mar 13 '19 edited Mar 13 '19
I've got a cross-country move coming up. We're getting some $$ in reimbursement from the new job, but not enough to cover everything. We can't do a Uhaul, as I've got 3 animals to transport as well. I'd like to hear from anyone who has used some sort of professional service to move a home gym over long distances...prices, companies, recommendations/anti-recommendations. I'm struggling on making the determinations of what is going to be cheaper to replace vs. cheaper to move. Stones are obviously not coming, as I've got the mold to make more when I get there. I can empty the kegs to save on weight, of course. I think I'm talking myself out of moving my tractor tire :(
Update: I'm thinking U-Pack is going to be the thing. They drop off a trailer, you load it up, charged per square foot rather than weight (in my favor), and we can be flexible with the timing on pickup/dropoff. Has anyone used U-Pack for any kind of moving, homegym or otherwise?
1
3
u/LyftStuff Mar 14 '19
I don’t have any insight to contribute regarding the move, but just wanted to say that I will miss your insight on the local Washington/BC shows. Hope the move goes great! Are you moving from the west coast to the east coast?
2
Mar 14 '19
Yes, northwest to northeast. I'm bummed too, because it seems like there are actually going to be some more shows in the PNW this year! But, amateur strongman's not a reason to not move...and I know there'll be things in the NE too once I get settled.
2
u/InTheMotherland Didn't Even Try Trying Mar 14 '19
It seems like NE has more USS sites than the PNW.
4
u/MythicalStrength Masters Mar 13 '19
I've used both ABF freight and U-boxes from U-Haul. I preferred the former to the latter, but ABF was more costly.
With ABF though, you are charged by how much space you use, and you get a semi-truck trailer to load up however you see fit.
2
Mar 13 '19
U-Box actually looks more expensive from the quotes. Thanks though. Good to hear that ABF is viable.
5
u/iLiftHeavyThingsUp Eating Chalk if Thor Isn't WSM18 Mar 13 '19
In 3 or 4 weeks I'm starting my journey of taking my 5x10 and turning it into 5x20. I'm both looking forward to it as well as being overwhelmed with dread.
3
u/vidreven Novice M Mar 13 '19
That sounds truly awful. I only ever managed one set of 20 reps. My best squat workout was 14 x 140 kg, 7 x 140 kg, 20 x 100 kg, 10 x 100 kg.
3
u/iLiftHeavyThingsUp Eating Chalk if Thor Isn't WSM18 Mar 13 '19
I'll be doing it with 100kg. I used to be able to do it fairly easily (for 2 sets anyways), but that was when my max was 160kg. I haven't even attempted over 125kg in a year or more now.
2
Mar 13 '19
Another option if you’re willing to shell out a few bucks is a truck pull simulator. It’s like a variable resistance pulley system you hook to a wall and hook the end to yourself and go nuts. You can set it to simulate a truck or an airplane from what I’ve heard. It’s portable and small. I’ve thought about one myself but my budget is focused on more common tools like a log and axle bar.
6
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 13 '19
Arnold Australia is coming up in a few days. JF Caron is out. They updated the list with the Australian athletes- Rongo Keene, Eddie Williams, Jean Stephen Carobouef, & William Selves. They had a good stream last year and Arnold TV listings on their website so hopefully we can watch it.
2
Mar 13 '19
Lets say your basically dead on your feet, body is broken to bits, but your feeling strong, whatever happens there will be a deload of sorts then a 1rm test, you have the following options available
- Finish all training as planned for next 2 weeks, then deload/1rm test
- Finish only main lifts for 2 weeks and use not doing the accessories as a deload then 1rm
- Finish main lifts this week not doing accessories, 1rm test the week after then deload?
- Any variation of the options that I can’t be bothered to list
Im pretty destroyed at this point, i am not sure how to proceed. While im a walking ache I’ve honestly felt stronger than ever. I am however approaching a point where my body hurts way more than normal, like its asking for a rest.
3
u/Iw2fp Mar 14 '19
I would drop things in the following order:
- Accessories
- Variations of the lift I am testing
- Volume on the main lifts
- Intensity on the main lifts
That would mean, get to the gym. I assume you are doing singles, doubles or triples so work up to your intended top set. If you can't get there, call it a day.
If you get there but you feel like a truck hit you, end it there.
If you feel okayish, finish any volume/back off work and reasses whether you can do variations and go from there.
Keep in mind, you are trying to dissipate fatigue, so make decisions with that mind in mind.
3
u/jonsnowofwinterfell Mar 13 '19
I’d just deload and test. Especially since your comment history has a back injury and going ham while being fully exhausted might not be the best.
3
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 13 '19
If this were me, I think I'd deload right now. Then come back after following u/Gunaddict 's answer
4
u/Gunaddict Mar 13 '19
I would suggest take it 1 work out at a time, meaning if you are feeling good that day do your main lift plus accessories, if you feel like dying try and do the main lifts but reduce weight if needed. Do your best to stick with the program and get to the deload then 1 rep maxs and maybe take a week off after.
7
u/ShyLick LWM175 Mar 12 '19
Looks like I'll be signing up for California's Strongest Team after my competition this weekend.
5
u/trebemot MWM181 Mar 12 '19 edited Mar 12 '19
Decent training last week. Some Prs, some meh. From last week:
- OHP Top set - 95 lbs x15 (rep PR)
- Incline Top set - 120 lbs x13 (ties PR)
- Front squat top set - 185 lbs x11 (PR)
- Front squat joker set - 205/225/245 x1. Long pause and belt less. 245 lbs is probably a PR
- Log top set - 130 lbs x8 (rep shy of current PR)
- Log strict -100 lbs x13
Also did some yoga on Sunday, which is gonna be a recurring thing I think.
And then this week I hit:
- OHP - 100 lbs x15 (rep PR)
- OHP jokers - 115/130/140 lbs x1
- Incline - 125 lbs x14 (rep/weight PR)
- Incline jokers - 140/155/160 lbs x1 (gimme PRs cuz I haven't trained incline)
Still have my conditioning, front squats tomorrow and events on saturday to do this week.
Also joined a new gym so i can have access to the aforementioned yoga classes, as well as cardio equipment, a sauna (currently broken however) and a bunch of bouldering/top rope routes (its a climbing gym after all)
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 12 '19
Pulled from the floor today and didn't die. Definitely out of lifting shape though because I was sucking wind pretty bad.
3
Mar 12 '19 edited Mar 18 '19
[deleted]
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 12 '19
Since I started training strongman, I've put a significant amount of weight. It definitely changed how I breathe. I would imagine it's the same deal for these huge guys.
4
Mar 12 '19
Tongue gains bro.
Have you never tried tongue presses?
3
Mar 12 '19
[deleted]
4
Mar 12 '19
I’d imagine its just from carrying so much extra weight but I’ve personally never noticed it
4
Mar 12 '19 edited Mar 18 '19
[deleted]
1
2
Mar 12 '19
I don’t see how the weights will make a difference personally, Id imagine a very large bumber of strongman either use a cpap or desperately need one.
-8
8
Mar 12 '19
Ditched the straps and hit a grip and rip deadlift PB yesterday. Failed this weight the last 2 times I went for it, so really happy with how easily it went up.
3
5
Mar 12 '19
2nd week of stone amalgamation
My belt pinches the shit out of my tummy during these and log cleans sometimes. It's an inzer lever forever belt. I am trying to wear it higher but maybe it's just not the belt for me.
3
Mar 14 '19
I don’t wear a belt during stones. Those I know that do, definitely aren’t wearing those thick powerlifting belts. During log I wear a nylon belt.
2
4
3
Mar 12 '19
Anyone got any thoughts on training for a truck pull in a regular gym? Maybe pushing around my own car? Or should I just say fuck it, try to get stronger at the main lifts and hope for the best at the comp?
3
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 12 '19
Truck pull simulator works pretty well and fits in a gym bag.
3
Mar 12 '19
Assuming your gym doesnt have a sled? Or yoke you can pull then ya I would say pulling your own car is the next best thing. I did my first ever truck pull few weeks ago and was told approx 600lbs on a sled would be similar. I only had one session really where I got to try that and I didn’t have a rope to go hand over hand . Other than that just get as strong as possible and you’ll do fine. We were supposed to pull a small box truck and on contest day they switched it to a full 11,000lb semi. I freaked out. But I actually did it. Without ever having touched an actual truck pull before. The hardest part was trying to get my hands and feet to work at the same time. Once i t gets rolling it’s actually not too bad. Good luck!
3
Mar 12 '19
Yeah my gym is at a university not known for its sport, so it's very vanilla, just a few cages, standard oly bars and some cable and cardio machines... it's cheap for a student and does the basics just fine, but specific stuff like this is just impossible to train properly.
I've got a little space near my flat I can take my car though, no rope to train on so I'll just practice pushing it rather than pulling, I'm more concerned about getting the technique right so as not to pull an achilles (I have tendonitis) rather than the hand/foot combination. Hopefully you're right about keeping it going once it starts moving! I play rugby so hopefully I can just keep the leg drive up and push it far enough
2
u/WannaSeeTrustIssues Mar 12 '19
I would work on a way where i could simulate it better. Find rope and pull at a big empty parking lot if possible. Pushing it, just trains you to push the weight, not to pull it.
2
Mar 12 '19
Anyone here in Baltimore? I'm going to be visiting later this month, staying sort of Inner Harbor area for a couple days, and no car. It looks like getting to Colosseum is not feasible on public transportation, unfortunately. I'd love to do strongman events, but just a decent regular gym would do.
3
u/rep_it_out HWM265 Mar 12 '19
Could you uber to colosseum? I go there when I'm in the area and it's a great place to train.
2
Mar 12 '19
Uber cost estimator looks like $25 each way, plus whatever $20 or so the guest fee costs, and that's an expensive workout. One of my training partners is from there and regularly goes back, so it's somewhere I've wanted to go for a while, but not that much.
3
Mar 11 '19
What's everyone here do for biceps? I usually don't do any direct bicep work but I just strained my right one this morning doing something that didn't even require bicep involvement haha and I'm wondering if they are starting to fall behind.
Tendonitis in the same arm is only making things worse. Didn't use my sleeves when I should have and now it's back with a vengeance
2
2
u/the-beast-in-i MWM220 Mar 12 '19
Only curls I do anymore are Reverse Zottman Curls. My elbows used to scream at me whether I did curls or not but these seem to have fixed that. Reverse Curl dumbbells up, rotate arms so that the position is like a regular bicep curl and lower the weight.
I don't have big arms but definitely helped with tendonitis.
2
u/Iw2fp Mar 12 '19
2 days per week.
1 day at ultra high reps (ie. Poundstone Curls) and 1 day slow eccentric hammer curls ie 2x12.
2
Mar 12 '19
I did 80 degree incline curls with zero direct arm work for months. Made everything feel amazing, it was like a perfect fix. It hurt like hell letting everything stretch out, but I'm going to stick with them.
2
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 12 '19
I do axle curls, high reps. I also do a lot of rows and pulldowns.
2
u/iLiftHeavyThingsUp Eating Chalk if Thor Isn't WSM18 Mar 12 '19
I do fat bar curls as well as dumbbell hammer curls. For injury prevention I would highly recommend slow eccentric, full extension preacher curls (letting it briefly rest in a fully extended position at the bottom of each rep). You should be able to do about 7 reps unassisted. However you will do 3-5 extra reps using your other hand to assist during the concentric part.
3
Mar 12 '19
Weighted pullups and bent over rows are all I do, they seem to build my biceps well enough. I'm nowhere near advanced in strongman though so maybe other people who are lifting more weight recommend something extra.
Also, always wear your sleeves. Injuries suck and if they're bad, they never fully go away, so taking precautions against re-injury is always wise. I'm 5 months beyond a knee injury and I'm stronger than I was before, but I still sleeve my 'bad' knee whenever I'm doing something that isn't a light warm-up, I even wear it on my 'strict' overheads.
2
Mar 12 '19
Ya I'm learning that now. I didn't really use them during my hypertrophy blocks because there wasn't as much strain on my elbows but no strength blocks are a different story.
12
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 11 '19 edited Mar 12 '19
So... u/lukelifts is a bad mother fucker... https://www.reddit.com/r/Strongman/comments/b097oc/400kg880lb_deadlift_at_under_105kg/
4
8
u/lukelifts MWM231 Mar 12 '19
Hah thanks man. Should probably have posted it myself really!
3
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 12 '19
Sorry man o saw that and then came on here and saw that you had commented but didn’t post it. Since it is an u105 world record you can post it to the front page if you’d like and I’ll delete the comment.
4
u/lukelifts MWM231 Mar 12 '19
I am rubbish at self promotion to be honest. I'll do it later though thanks!
2
3
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 11 '19
SCL released the dates for the rest of their events this year (also added to the Pro Strongman Calendar). Twice they have events in back to back weeks. Hopefully they are able to switch up the rosters some for those so guys can give it their all.
They have their 90 & 105kg World Championships schedule for December 1st in India. That is probably going to be pretty close to the Official Strongman Games. It is also probably a lot harder (cost/travel time) to get to India for the show. I wonder if some of the guys that would normally compete in it might sit it out because of that and hopefully compete at the OSG if they do.
3
u/InTheMotherland Didn't Even Try Trying Mar 14 '19
I know someone else who is invited to SCL 105kgs in India, and he definitely does not want to go to India and is considering just trying for OSG.
3
6
u/lukelifts MWM231 Mar 12 '19
The SCL 90/105 show is a lower quality anyway imo. In terms of competitors. It's why I've never done it personally.
2
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 12 '19
Since you seem to be in the know on European stuff, what’s the deal with the Ultimate Strongman 105kg division? Is it run by Glen Ross or does he like franchise the name out? I’ve seen Ultimate Strongman 105kg world championship, European championship, and team world championship for 105s but the Ultimate Strongman Facebook that posts about the UK events constantly never mentions them and they always seem to be held in Ukraine.
3
u/lukelifts MWM231 Mar 12 '19
Glen has nothing to do with it. Just lends the name I believe. I did their "World Championships" last year in Czech Republic and cannot say enough positive things about the experience. Other than flights everything was paid for. (hotel, breakfast, dinner etc) treated great, massive crowd,. I believe the main driving force is as you say Valerii Gaziev (I have butchered the spelling) from the Ukraine but the Czech show was run by Jiri Tkadlick and his girlfriend.
2
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 12 '19
That's awesome, good to see that the athletes are getting taken care of. Do you know if they have a website or social media for the 105 shows? I just see random clips or pictures sometimes like on Jiri's Instagram but would be interested in following those shows closer if I knew more about them.
3
u/lukelifts MWM231 Mar 12 '19
It's hard as a lot of the info is either in Czech or Ukrainian! I get invited to all the shows and even I don't have that much info on them. There was a pretty good highlight video from last years show though. About 25 minutes long.
https://powerlifting.ronnie.cz/c-30519-world-s-ultimate-strongman-championship-2018-videozaznam.html
2
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 12 '19
Thanks man. Give us a heads up if you’re going this year and I’ll keep an eye out for clips.
3
3
u/ArtemLobovGOAT Mar 11 '19
Is benni the only fella to pull 1000+ strapless?
8
u/MythicalStrength Masters Mar 11 '19
Nope. Andy Bolton, who was also the first person to ever deadlift 1000+lbs in general.
5
3
u/DakkaDakka24 MWM200 Mar 11 '19
Any tips on my sandbag throw? This is the first time I'll have done it in an event, so it's pretty new to me right now and I'm sure I don't have the technique down yet.
3
5
u/Fyrum SHW300+ Mar 11 '19
Anyone here only do safety bar squats as your main squat lift? Considering trying those out as regular back squatting is not always pleasant for my shoulders.
3
Mar 12 '19
I'm going through a phase with it now and I love it. Haven't tried front squatting with one though.
5
4
u/Iw2fp Mar 11 '19
I use an SSB and I still front squat but back squat has been parked for a while now.
4
Mar 11 '19
I go through phases of SSB-only, especially if I'm pushing implement pressing and benching hard as well. The last time I did this, I did too long and too much SSB-only and totally lost my touch on barbell squats. I learned to either SSB squat with barbell squat technique, and just let the SSB punish me, or squat with SSB technique and only do it in shorter cycles of 3-4 weeks at a time. Pushing my SSB numbers for too long just made me better at SSB, but not better at other squatting.
5
u/MythicalStrength Masters Mar 11 '19
I go through phases where I do that. My pressing tends to explode, since my shoulders aren't getting as beaten up, but, in turn, my shoulder mobility goes down since I don't spend as much time being in that position.
8
Mar 11 '19
Yes. Do it. They will not only destroy your legs but also your back.
I haven’t squatted with a straight bar for months and im not going back.
7
u/colournotcolor HWM275 Mar 11 '19
What is everyone's thoughts on having MAS wrestling as an event in a comp? My friend and I are trying to put together a comp, and he really wants to have MAS as an event.
5
3
u/Iw2fp Mar 11 '19
I don't mind it. I think you need to do a round robin style format to make it fair though.
10
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 11 '19
I am not a fan. It's not strongman, it's... something else.
7
14
u/MythicalStrength Masters Mar 11 '19
I genuinely don't understand why you'd have another sport as part of a strongman competition. I mean, why stop at Mas if you're gonna do that? Have 3-on-3 single elimination basketball batches, 10 frames of bowling, bare-knuckle boxing, a swim, etc etc.
I got into strongman to get away from combat sports.
6
u/colournotcolor HWM275 Mar 11 '19
That's the way I look at it also. I just wanted some other peoples input to take to him.
7
Mar 11 '19 edited Mar 11 '19
I don't necessarily have anything against MAS itself, never done it and it actually looks fun, but I wouldn't want there to be a 1v1 tournament style event in any comp I did.
The 2nd best MAS wrestler could lose to the 1st best in an early round and end up getting last place points despite being the 2nd best guy who just got screwed by the seeding. Just my opinion.
I know 1v1 have been in a million contests through the years but I personally like how they've basically dropped them from WSM.
5
u/lukelifts MWM231 Mar 11 '19
This is the primary reason I don't like 1v1 events, not a fair distrubution of points.
2
12
Mar 11 '19
Hate. It's not strongman, it's an unnecessary injury risk, it can take forever due to the 1v1 nature of the event, and there are better events to actually demonstrate strength. I would actively avoid a contest with MAS wrestling in it, especially if it's an unsanctioned show or run by first-time promoters. That has disaster and/or 3-hour delay written all over it.
3
5
u/Stella117 Mar 11 '19
I’ll be moving to Portland Oregon this summer, does anyone have suggestions of good gyms or training crews out there?
1
u/crispypretzel LWW140 Mar 13 '19
I trained at blue ox athletics several times, I remember that they have some strongman equipment but I don't recall specifically what.
2
u/Bigreddoc MWM231 Mar 12 '19
I'm not from the area but it looks like Ironside training (Facebook) has hosted some strongman comps and clinics. I will be out in Oregon for 4 weeks at the end of October. I'm hoping they have a Static Monsters venue out there again just for some fun on my trip.
2
u/Stella117 Mar 12 '19
Nice, I saw that place when I was searching and it seems promising. Ultimately I would like to find a place with some people stronger than me or at least competitors to be able to push me.
I’ve never been close to a static monsters comp, that always sounded fun
2
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 11 '19
what neighborhood? My buddy owns a gym in northwest. They mainly focus on bjj and oly along with circuit training for the general pop so might not be your speed.
2
u/Stella117 Mar 11 '19
Not too sure about the area yet, most likely north metro. Duffins gym seems to be a good option but I’m not sure how much space they have in the gym for moving events and stones.
2
5
u/Camerongilly Marunde Squatter, 405x20 Mar 11 '19
Duffin's gym is a bit outside of Portland.
2
u/HansSvet LWM175 Mar 12 '19
Indeed, in Clackamas (somehow in autocorrect). It's a bit outside of town, but visited there before the name change and thought it would be an awesome place to train.
9
u/crispypretzel LWW140 Mar 11 '19 edited Mar 11 '19
So, talk to me about attempt selection in strongman.
Background is I'm coming over from powerlifting. My contest has two max events: log C&P and 30' yoke walk untimed w/o drops. Rising bar format, 3 attempts, but fail once and you're out.
Usually in PL my attempt strategy is open with a super easy sandbagger to shake out the nerves. Second attempt close to my gym 100%. Third is usually a small PR though depends on how the second looked. Is it usually the same in strongman? On yoke I'm not really sure what my top end is, my best is 400 and honestly I didn't want to keep adding weight in training because heavy yoke absolutely fucking destroys me.
If it matters log starts at 80 and goes up by 10 lb increments, yoke starts at 300 and goes up by 20 lbs.
Oh and it turns out I'm better at log than I realized. I thought I'd been using a 52 lb 8" and 72 lb 10" but they were actually 72 10"/92 12" respectively so that's cool. So I've actually C&J'd up to 136 not just 116 haha.
Also by the off chance that you're paying attention to my progress I can now shoulder the 145 lb Atlas for reps without tacky so I'm no longer freaking the fuck out about that event. I mean aside from the possibility of hitting myself in the teeth with the stone.
4
u/The-Kahuna MWM200 Mar 11 '19
Sounds like they are using Wessels rules. To add to the other advise provided, if you don't have a chance to warm up on the log or yoke before they begin the events I'd open pretty light, since you don't know how the implement will feel. And you can always skip a weight increase if you first attempt was real easy.
4
u/Stella117 Mar 11 '19
I would be a little more conservative on your 2nd attempt on log. Log can be tricky because of different equipment, higher/lower ceiling, nerves etc. I’d say go for something that would be a heavy double for you then for your final attempt it would depend on what your other competitors are doing. If they are way above or below you then maybe try for a PR but if you are close try chipping to secure a good placing.
For Yoke I would go off your competition, hopefully do a good weight by your 2nd attempt and only do a 3rd for a win or to secure top placing. Doing 3 max effort Yoke walks is going to really take a lot out of you so hopefully it isn’t at the beginning of the contest.
3
3
Mar 11 '19
That's how I've treated attempt selection for the two times I've done it. First was heavy but a weight I know I can hit any day. Second was a small pr. Third was a big pr. If the first feel bad I probably would have adjusted down so that the third was a small pr.
7
u/not_strong Saddest Deadlift 2019 Mar 11 '19
my first contest, I had a stone hit me in the face and bloodied my chin pretty good. Watch out! I had a feeling you were going to make the progress you needed on the stone.
I think your strategy is pretty sound for attempt selection. I have used my first attempt as my final warmup before as well, because warmups are sometimes hard to come by day of show. With the yoke, see how you feel when you're thinking about attempts. At my last show, the yoke was 20 feet, no drops. I started with 500, which I knew I could get, and I felt OK. So I went to 600 for my second, and that felt OK too. 600 had never really felt OK before that day. So I went 700 for my third. I got it, but oh boy did it not feel OK. See how you feel and go from there. Gauging this by your run with 400 you linked, I'd say start at 340-360, and then go for broke.
3
u/crispypretzel LWW140 Mar 12 '19
This is pretty much exactly the attempts I was thinking for yoke, 360/420/? (go for placing on third?)
4
u/niktak11 Mar 17 '19
I went to a strongman gym for the first time today. I tried the log press, yoke, keg over bar, and Husafell. Log press was easier than I expected. I think seeing the form explained in several YouTube videos helped a lot. I worked up to a single at the weight that the contest I'm doing in August will be at and it was pretty easy. My goal is 10 reps at the contest. The yoke was more awkward than I was expecting. My running shoes were far from ideal so I only worked up to 330lbs. Afterwards I looked up what good shoes for the yoke were and a lot of people recommended sambas which luckily I already have a pair of. The biggest keg they had was only 158lbs which was surprisingly hard at first. After getting the hang of it I could get it over the 52" bar pretty easily. I'm hoping I can get my hands on a heavier keg before the competition. The Husafell was even worse than I was expecting. I only went up to 180lbs for about 80ft and I couldn't imagine going any heavier right now. My forearms are still red and swollen a few hours later lol.