The past two contests - The Capital Classic in Reston and the the JF Hurley YMCA in Salisbury, NC, weren't my best showing. I made too many mistakes at Reston, hurt myself, and just wasn't recovered enough 2 weeks later in NC.
My training since then has been consistent, but not necessarily my best. I've been busy moving into a new house, and moving the gym as well, and all the related stress from that. I did hit a few small PRs - 520 Deadlift, and a nice climb on the yoke. Pressing has been solid and consistent, getting my log rep work up around 190 for triples.
At the Star-Spangled classic, the group of competitors was small - only three of us in the 200's. I was hoping to see a particular competitor who is around my ability level, and always gives me something good to shoot for, but no dice.
Event 1 - Yoke, 660# for 75'. Slow, but steady. Not dropping it was my goal, and I didn't. Speed will have to come later. First place.
Event 2 - Keg Press. 180-200-240. The 180 keg was definitely harder than I thought it would be. The clean was more challenging than I was anticipating, and leaning back more than usual, had a hard time keeping back to my heels. First clean, I couldn't press it, didn't even really try. Second attempt, I went for a split jerk and got it. Went on to the 200, an easier clean, but no dice on the press. I noticed from the video that the elbow position looks awkward, I'll play around with dropping the elbow some. 2nd Place.
Event 3 - Car Deadlift hold. The Car thankfully went up easy enough, but the hold was a challenge. My straps slipped pretty quickly, and my biceps were hurting within the first 10 seconds. I dropped when they started to hurt a little too bad. I like to call this the Rich City Revenge. Myself, Danny, and Joey all scratched the car deadlift at the Capital Classic, and managed to get it this time. I managed to hold on long enough to land first. The stress here seemed pretty unique, and seemed mostly a test of hip stability for most, and just general tolerance to pain. i'd like to build one of these, but they take up a lot of room for such limited function, The farmers DL hold in training seemed to replicate the grip/pain of the car dl, but the hips seemed more stable.
Event 4 - Immovable Truck Pull. The title says it all. No one budged it.
Event 5 - Tire Flip. 500-625-700, 3 flips each. After Reston, and the botched tire there, and being relatively slow on other tires, I was nervous. Also hadn't had good opportunities to train the tire lately. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, no big snags on the flips. 500 was easy, the 625 had some difficult hand holds, and the 700 had awesome hand holds. I believe this would be the heaviest tire I've flipped. I noticed a lot of folks slowing down on the 625, especially the sumo flippers. First.
I was happy to get my first win here. Looking forward to Delaware's Strongest 10/1.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Training Update
I'm starting to get back into the swing of things in training. First deadlift workout in awhile recently, pulled up to 425+2 sets of chains from 1.5in deficit, as well as 6 singles at 425 from the floor after.
Pressing work is back on track. Felt a bad the first couple of workouts coming back after my back injury (which sent me to the doctor's office for the first time in a long time). But, things are feeling better now, with my work weights being at 190 for the log and 210 for the axle.
Worked up to a 600# yoke for 40' a few times, and it went well:
http://www.vimeo.com/23206234
I'm stacked trying to buy a house, move the gym, and everything else. Training is happening, but certainly not at the forefront. I'll be chugging along. Two months until Brute!
Pressing work is back on track. Felt a bad the first couple of workouts coming back after my back injury (which sent me to the doctor's office for the first time in a long time). But, things are feeling better now, with my work weights being at 190 for the log and 210 for the axle.
Worked up to a 600# yoke for 40' a few times, and it went well:
http://www.vimeo.com/23206234
I'm stacked trying to buy a house, move the gym, and everything else. Training is happening, but certainly not at the forefront. I'll be chugging along. Two months until Brute!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Strongest Man at the JF Hurley YMCA
I spent the past two weeks since the Capital Classic trying to recover. Back has been wrecked, to the point that I went to the doctor for xrays. It stopped hurting enough Wednesday before the contest to do some light dumbbell work and sled dragging, and given it was a short/light contest, I gave it a shot. It was also my brother's first contest, so I wanted to be there anyway.
Stones (175, 205, 240): Light and few, these went fast. They were also head to head, which was honestly a little disconcerting. Not sure of my placing, but not great - about 8 seconds. Fastest times I think were high 6s.
Dumbbell (65, 90, 120): Not circus DBs as we thought. Just those three, for time. Snatched the first two easily, but could manage any form of clean and jerk on the last. Tweaked my neck attempting the 120.
Fingers. Two weights, 2 flips on each: Found that I was pretty decent here, being taller. Got a good clean, a good cycle time, and didn't slow down until the last one.
Prowler push (180, in grass): never touched one before. Somewhere in the middle of the pack, was only 50' for time. 6 seconds or so.
Bus Pull: Just wanted to stay consistent. Did well I thought, but didn't give it enough juice after I got it moving.
Not a lot of lessons here. Coming off an injury, with little training over the past month. Had a good time.
Stones (175, 205, 240): Light and few, these went fast. They were also head to head, which was honestly a little disconcerting. Not sure of my placing, but not great - about 8 seconds. Fastest times I think were high 6s.
Dumbbell (65, 90, 120): Not circus DBs as we thought. Just those three, for time. Snatched the first two easily, but could manage any form of clean and jerk on the last. Tweaked my neck attempting the 120.
Fingers. Two weights, 2 flips on each: Found that I was pretty decent here, being taller. Got a good clean, a good cycle time, and didn't slow down until the last one.
Prowler push (180, in grass): never touched one before. Somewhere in the middle of the pack, was only 50' for time. 6 seconds or so.
Bus Pull: Just wanted to stay consistent. Did well I thought, but didn't give it enough juice after I got it moving.
Not a lot of lessons here. Coming off an injury, with little training over the past month. Had a good time.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Capitol Classic Strongman: Wrap-Up
Well, I've certainly had better days. I won't complain excessively, because it's just one day, and one contest. I've had bad training days, and come back to hit huge PRs days later. It happens.
Log: Got my first rep at 220 easily. Very close on a second and third attempt. Even with a rep, I was last place here. Other guys got 4-5 reps.
Conan's (550) : As soon as I picked it up, I felt terrible. Thought I was going to pass out, and felt like I couldn't breathe. I was just shy of two full times around, but some of the better guys had a little over 2 full laps. I was 4th here.
Car Deadlift: I should mention, I was the first LW for each event. Can't say it hurt me much, but it's an awesome feeling going out there and being first on the heavier weights. I scratched the car deadlift. I'm sure being a stronger puller would help, but being shorter would have probably helped also.
After 4 big pull attempts, my back was trashed. Its really never felt that way before. I had to lay down, roll out, had a hard time sitting up, stuff like that. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish.
Frame Carry(575): The frame was heavier than anything I'd touched before. The picks actually felt good, but my back was too shot to hold it for very long. I think I dropped it 3 times. I believe another 4th place finish.
Chain Drag/Tire(?/700): The chain drag felt easier than a lot of sled dragging I do in training, but the floor was really dusty. Slipped once on the dust, but got it moving again to finish it up. The tire didn't feel heavy, but after one flip, I just didn't' have the strength to flip it any more. I could get it off the floor several inches, but not enough to get it on my knee.
Stones: I tried to use my belt, because I felt like I couldn't bend down to tie my shoe. It ended up screwing with the stones pretty bad. First and second felt good enough, but I started seeing stars pulling the third, and had to take two shots at it. Took off the belt, and got the 4th on on the buzzer. Won't be using a belt on stones again. Got 2nd here I think.
So, that's it. Another contest in two weeks - time to rest up and hope that one goes better. Getting last place on three events, 4th place on two, and second on one is an awesome way to get last place.
Log: Got my first rep at 220 easily. Very close on a second and third attempt. Even with a rep, I was last place here. Other guys got 4-5 reps.
Conan's (550) : As soon as I picked it up, I felt terrible. Thought I was going to pass out, and felt like I couldn't breathe. I was just shy of two full times around, but some of the better guys had a little over 2 full laps. I was 4th here.
Car Deadlift: I should mention, I was the first LW for each event. Can't say it hurt me much, but it's an awesome feeling going out there and being first on the heavier weights. I scratched the car deadlift. I'm sure being a stronger puller would help, but being shorter would have probably helped also.
After 4 big pull attempts, my back was trashed. Its really never felt that way before. I had to lay down, roll out, had a hard time sitting up, stuff like that. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to finish.
Frame Carry(575): The frame was heavier than anything I'd touched before. The picks actually felt good, but my back was too shot to hold it for very long. I think I dropped it 3 times. I believe another 4th place finish.
Chain Drag/Tire(?/700): The chain drag felt easier than a lot of sled dragging I do in training, but the floor was really dusty. Slipped once on the dust, but got it moving again to finish it up. The tire didn't feel heavy, but after one flip, I just didn't' have the strength to flip it any more. I could get it off the floor several inches, but not enough to get it on my knee.
Stones: I tried to use my belt, because I felt like I couldn't bend down to tie my shoe. It ended up screwing with the stones pretty bad. First and second felt good enough, but I started seeing stars pulling the third, and had to take two shots at it. Took off the belt, and got the 4th on on the buzzer. Won't be using a belt on stones again. Got 2nd here I think.
So, that's it. Another contest in two weeks - time to rest up and hope that one goes better. Getting last place on three events, 4th place on two, and second on one is an awesome way to get last place.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Capital Strongman Classic - Prelim
Since my last posting, a couple years ago, I've done several strongman contests, 3-4 a year. The last few have gone well.
Brute (Gold) - January '11 - 2nd Place 200's: http://nastrongman.com/bruteres2011.pdf
Sports Fest II (Gold) - July 2010 - 2nd Place 200's: http://nastrongman.com/SportsfestIIres.pdf
Kumite Classic V (Gold) - 2nd Place 200's: http://nastrongman.com/kumiteVres.pdf
I've seen decent progress in my lifts. A few of the big ones:
Back Squat - 405
Deadlift - 515
Press - 190
Clean - 295
Log C&J - 225
Axle Rack Jerk - 255
Farmers - 290 each hand for 50#
Long term, I still need to keep making progress on the overhead, some of the heavier stones are giving me issues, and I'm fairly slow with the heavy farmers and yoke.
The next one (tomorrow!) is the Capital Classic. Events are:
Events:
1) Log (Slater Log) press for reps Clean and Press - HW 260, LW 220, Novice 190, Women's -Circus dumbell 60 lbs
2) Conan’s Wheel - HW 650, LW 550, Novice 400, Women's 300
3) Frame Carry - HW 650, LW 500, Novice 375, women's farmers walk 160
4) Car Deadlift - HW, LW, Novice - mini cooper, women's 500lbs tire on rig
5) Tire flip/chain drag - HW 1000lbs/450 chain, LW 700/450, Novice 500/chain, women's 400/ 300sled
6) Stones - 52" Platform, HW 255, 280, 300, 330, 350, LW 216, 225, 255, 280, 300, Novice 175,200, 216, 225, 255, Women's 100, 120, 150, 180, 200
My thoughts:
Log: I can consistently do 220#. Still happy as long as I don't scratch a press. 2 reps would be awesome.
Conan's: I've only done the Conan's wheel a few times at Brute. I got some practice on the pick in via Zerchers, but that's about it. I know the weight will be doable, it's just a matter of how far.
Frame: If it stays close to 500#, it'll be workable. If it goes much heavier, it might give me some problems, but I I'll get through it.
Car Deadlift: I'm comfortable at the higher deadlifts, but have never done a car deadlift. I hear it's a bit different.
We'll see how things go tomorrow! There may or may not be a 200# weight class. The competitor list shows 4 total 200#'s, so I'll have my eye set on them either way. If I beat any 231's, awesome.
Brute (Gold) - January '11 - 2nd Place 200's: http://nastrongman.com/bruteres2011.pdf
Sports Fest II (Gold) - July 2010 - 2nd Place 200's: http://nastrongman.com/SportsfestIIres.pdf
Kumite Classic V (Gold) - 2nd Place 200's: http://nastrongman.com/kumiteVres.pdf
I've seen decent progress in my lifts. A few of the big ones:
Back Squat - 405
Deadlift - 515
Press - 190
Clean - 295
Log C&J - 225
Axle Rack Jerk - 255
Farmers - 290 each hand for 50#
Long term, I still need to keep making progress on the overhead, some of the heavier stones are giving me issues, and I'm fairly slow with the heavy farmers and yoke.
The next one (tomorrow!) is the Capital Classic. Events are:
Events:
1) Log (Slater Log) press for reps Clean and Press - HW 260, LW 220, Novice 190, Women's -Circus dumbell 60 lbs
2) Conan’s Wheel - HW 650, LW 550, Novice 400, Women's 300
3) Frame Carry - HW 650, LW 500, Novice 375, women's farmers walk 160
4) Car Deadlift - HW, LW, Novice - mini cooper, women's 500lbs tire on rig
5) Tire flip/chain drag - HW 1000lbs/450 chain, LW 700/450, Novice 500/chain, women's 400/ 300sled
6) Stones - 52" Platform, HW 255, 280, 300, 330, 350, LW 216, 225, 255, 280, 300, Novice 175,200, 216, 225, 255, Women's 100, 120, 150, 180, 200
My thoughts:
Log: I can consistently do 220#. Still happy as long as I don't scratch a press. 2 reps would be awesome.
Conan's: I've only done the Conan's wheel a few times at Brute. I got some practice on the pick in via Zerchers, but that's about it. I know the weight will be doable, it's just a matter of how far.
Frame: If it stays close to 500#, it'll be workable. If it goes much heavier, it might give me some problems, but I I'll get through it.
Car Deadlift: I'm comfortable at the higher deadlifts, but have never done a car deadlift. I hear it's a bit different.
We'll see how things go tomorrow! There may or may not be a 200# weight class. The competitor list shows 4 total 200#'s, so I'll have my eye set on them either way. If I beat any 231's, awesome.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
A Lesson Learned
The title is a bit melodramatic, but this is the morning after my second strongman contest, and I've got some things on my mind.
RCSC 2008 was a great contest in many ways. A great venue, challenging events, and a decent number of competitors. I competed in the 200# weight class, bumping up from the 175# class at Pittsburgh.
First, a bit on my preparation leading into the contest. In all honesty, I think I prepared myself incredibly well for the contest. I cut CrossFit down to 1-2 times a week so I could lift more. And lift I did. I pushed my back squat up another 15 pounds to 350 (a big milestone for me). I trained the events continuously, getting PR's on farmers and stones going in (240 each hand for 100', and lapped a 315 stone with tacky). I figured out how to get the axle from the floor to the rack position without cleaning it, a combination of a sumo deadlift, zercher, and a little magic. I got my rack jerks with the bar up to 220, a decent PR, and worked the olympic lifts.
The first 3 events of the contest went decently well, considering they were all essentially PRs or tying PRs. For the axle clean and press, I got it up to my shoulders twice, though I couldn't make the jerk. For the axle deadlift, I pulled 460, a 10# PR, but I missed 480. On the Farmer's, it was my first time with 250 each hand, and I got somewhere around 70' on my seond drop.
Despite all of this, my standing was terrible. Last place on points. Simply put, my strongest, my PRs, weren't strong enough. On top of that, my contest ended early. The tire was monstrously heavy, after trying to pull it with a narrow stance a few times, I went for sumo. Missed once, missed twice - oops, my left leg was still under the tire when I dropped it! I got pulled under a 787# tired, with an audible pop in my left foot. After getting pulled out from under the tire, moaning a bit, and limping off the field like a soccer player faking an injury, I got the hell out of there. There was visible swelling in my knee and ankle, and I couldn't put much weight on it. No stones for me.
It's an interesting feeling when your best isn't good enough. I'm not down on myself, but reveals clearly your weak points.
-I can't press. My overhead sucks worse than anything. As long as I'm scratching events, I won't be able to get far.
-Event though I can pull decently, it's not enough to be competitive in a 200# weight class.
-My grip isn't that hot. This was a surprise, but it made me goof not only the axle dead but the farmers.
There's much more, but in general, I wasn't strong enough, and there were no lightweight events where my speed and conditioning should shine through. Did I mention I weighed in at 183# in a 200# weight class?
My plan:
Get stronger and bigger. hah! But really, first and foremost, I need to take putting on weight more seriously. I've done it before, I can do it again. It sucks, but whatever. I'd much rather be training hard.
For my training, I'll be following the newest PMenu mass gain program. Essentially I'll be doing push-presses,snatches, clean and jerks, and back and front squats. Mostly 10 sets of 3, with a heavy single on the o-lifts once a week. Percentages start low but increase each week, deload on the 5th week, and finish off strong the last few weeks.
That's 2 months down. October, November, and December I'll spend trying to get my deadlift to 500#, while working on my olympic lifts and pressing. Maybe some event work. After that, I'd be wise to continue pressing like a madman, working on my olumpic lifts, and getting some squat work in. A 400# back squat would be helpful, maybe I'll try the famed Smolov cycle.
March and April - Event work, strength maintenance, and CrossFit. Then I'll try strongman again. And I won't be the skinny guy who looked like an asshat this time.
RCSC 2008 was a great contest in many ways. A great venue, challenging events, and a decent number of competitors. I competed in the 200# weight class, bumping up from the 175# class at Pittsburgh.
First, a bit on my preparation leading into the contest. In all honesty, I think I prepared myself incredibly well for the contest. I cut CrossFit down to 1-2 times a week so I could lift more. And lift I did. I pushed my back squat up another 15 pounds to 350 (a big milestone for me). I trained the events continuously, getting PR's on farmers and stones going in (240 each hand for 100', and lapped a 315 stone with tacky). I figured out how to get the axle from the floor to the rack position without cleaning it, a combination of a sumo deadlift, zercher, and a little magic. I got my rack jerks with the bar up to 220, a decent PR, and worked the olympic lifts.
The first 3 events of the contest went decently well, considering they were all essentially PRs or tying PRs. For the axle clean and press, I got it up to my shoulders twice, though I couldn't make the jerk. For the axle deadlift, I pulled 460, a 10# PR, but I missed 480. On the Farmer's, it was my first time with 250 each hand, and I got somewhere around 70' on my seond drop.
Despite all of this, my standing was terrible. Last place on points. Simply put, my strongest, my PRs, weren't strong enough. On top of that, my contest ended early. The tire was monstrously heavy, after trying to pull it with a narrow stance a few times, I went for sumo. Missed once, missed twice - oops, my left leg was still under the tire when I dropped it! I got pulled under a 787# tired, with an audible pop in my left foot. After getting pulled out from under the tire, moaning a bit, and limping off the field like a soccer player faking an injury, I got the hell out of there. There was visible swelling in my knee and ankle, and I couldn't put much weight on it. No stones for me.
It's an interesting feeling when your best isn't good enough. I'm not down on myself, but reveals clearly your weak points.
-I can't press. My overhead sucks worse than anything. As long as I'm scratching events, I won't be able to get far.
-Event though I can pull decently, it's not enough to be competitive in a 200# weight class.
-My grip isn't that hot. This was a surprise, but it made me goof not only the axle dead but the farmers.
There's much more, but in general, I wasn't strong enough, and there were no lightweight events where my speed and conditioning should shine through. Did I mention I weighed in at 183# in a 200# weight class?
My plan:
Get stronger and bigger. hah! But really, first and foremost, I need to take putting on weight more seriously. I've done it before, I can do it again. It sucks, but whatever. I'd much rather be training hard.
For my training, I'll be following the newest PMenu mass gain program. Essentially I'll be doing push-presses,snatches, clean and jerks, and back and front squats. Mostly 10 sets of 3, with a heavy single on the o-lifts once a week. Percentages start low but increase each week, deload on the 5th week, and finish off strong the last few weeks.
That's 2 months down. October, November, and December I'll spend trying to get my deadlift to 500#, while working on my olympic lifts and pressing. Maybe some event work. After that, I'd be wise to continue pressing like a madman, working on my olumpic lifts, and getting some squat work in. A 400# back squat would be helpful, maybe I'll try the famed Smolov cycle.
March and April - Event work, strength maintenance, and CrossFit. Then I'll try strongman again. And I won't be the skinny guy who looked like an asshat this time.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
First Strongman Contest
It's about a week out from my first contest up in Pittsburgh. Simply put, I had a great time. I exceeded my expectations on some events, and didn't quite get there on others. A quick breakdown of how things went:
Log - Scratched as planned. Not enough experience, not enough strength.
Stone/Keg Medly: 2nd place here (out of 9). I was quick on the pick, and got good speed on the stone. No complaints here.
Axle DL: Only 5 reps. What gives? 7th place here. I though the rack jerks would have been enough to help me out, but I still was missing the lockout. Could have been 7 or 8 if I has a little stronger. Thought this would have gone better.
Tire Flip: 4th Place here. Took me a minute to get into my groove, but ti felt good once I did. Slightly chipped a tooth after the tire bounced and I already had setup on it.
Stones: Best event. 2nd place (only 2 people finished them). All five stones went up, the 5th was the only troublesome one, but that was a huge PR (310 stone)
That puts me at 5th overall.
I realized my strength level isn't what it needs to be. I already knew this, but it was soundly confirmed. First goal is to work on pressing strength and jerk technique, neither of which is good. At River City there's an axle clean and press at 220, I would be extremely happy to get a rep there. I thought my deadlift was a little better than it really is, but I've been working that pretty hard. Time to ease off on it, and maybe hit a ME lift every other week.
I will however be working back in some squats. I'm taking a shot at a little 7 week periodized program I picked up. So far it's been tough getting back into squats. I'm going off numbers that are a couple of months old. There's some technique flaws, and it just doesn't seem to sit on my back right. i'd rather be front squatting!
Other than that, I'll be working the O-Lifts in preparation for an August 10th meet. I'm hoping to hit 70kg for the snatch at 100kg for the C&J. I've hit 70 before, but my snatches aren't too consistent. My jerk is holding me back on the C&J, but I hit 210, a 3 lbs PR just yesterday.
Of course, I'll be training the events for River City Strongman, mostly the stones, farmer's, and the axle clean. Should be an ok contest for me, I'll be moving up to the 200's, but I'm sure I won't weigh close to that!
Log - Scratched as planned. Not enough experience, not enough strength.
Stone/Keg Medly: 2nd place here (out of 9). I was quick on the pick, and got good speed on the stone. No complaints here.
Axle DL: Only 5 reps. What gives? 7th place here. I though the rack jerks would have been enough to help me out, but I still was missing the lockout. Could have been 7 or 8 if I has a little stronger. Thought this would have gone better.
Tire Flip: 4th Place here. Took me a minute to get into my groove, but ti felt good once I did. Slightly chipped a tooth after the tire bounced and I already had setup on it.
Stones: Best event. 2nd place (only 2 people finished them). All five stones went up, the 5th was the only troublesome one, but that was a huge PR (310 stone)
That puts me at 5th overall.
I realized my strength level isn't what it needs to be. I already knew this, but it was soundly confirmed. First goal is to work on pressing strength and jerk technique, neither of which is good. At River City there's an axle clean and press at 220, I would be extremely happy to get a rep there. I thought my deadlift was a little better than it really is, but I've been working that pretty hard. Time to ease off on it, and maybe hit a ME lift every other week.
I will however be working back in some squats. I'm taking a shot at a little 7 week periodized program I picked up. So far it's been tough getting back into squats. I'm going off numbers that are a couple of months old. There's some technique flaws, and it just doesn't seem to sit on my back right. i'd rather be front squatting!
Other than that, I'll be working the O-Lifts in preparation for an August 10th meet. I'm hoping to hit 70kg for the snatch at 100kg for the C&J. I've hit 70 before, but my snatches aren't too consistent. My jerk is holding me back on the C&J, but I hit 210, a 3 lbs PR just yesterday.
Of course, I'll be training the events for River City Strongman, mostly the stones, farmer's, and the axle clean. Should be an ok contest for me, I'll be moving up to the 200's, but I'm sure I won't weigh close to that!
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