May 30th, shit is getting real.

Getting close to a month until I compete. So time to watch my diet and not be a fat slob.

May 30th

Warm up with pvc rolling, yeah I finally remembered it.

High pulls
bar x lots
135 x 8
185 x 5
235 x 4
255 x 4,2 Getting better. Feeling confident about the barbarian load.

Deadlifts
255 x 5
300 x 2
335 x 2
360 x 5,5,5,8 everything felt heavy today. Plus the lack of A/C in the gym made me a sweaty. chalky mess.

Front squats
bar x 8
135 x 8
185 x 5
205 x 1 The new tattoo did not like the weight on it, so it told me to go fuck myself. I stopped here.

18" rack pulls
405 x 3,6 first set was trying in an awkward stance to mimic power stairs, didn't work well.
445 x 4
495 x 3 Just gassed. i probably had more in me, but everything was feeling heavy today.

Farmer's walk
155 for 120'
205 for 60' x 2, well it was 120' with a drop turn
255 for 50' x 2 picks were slow, but the movement was strong. Not too shabby. Did a few extra picks.

farmer's shrugs
155 x 10,12

Side bends
90 x 15,15

Reverse hyper
90 x 10,10,8

Some cardio and stretch.

Not a bad day.

Double the log posts, double the fun!

Missed updating the other day, so doubled up today.

May 26th

Warm up with foam rolling

Box jumps
24" x 5
30" x5,3 I finally shook my mental block with that damn box, felt good.

Squats
bar x 8,8
135 x 8
225 x 5
275 x 3
295 x 3
315 x 5,5,5,8 all beltless and high bar
belt and low bar
335 x 2
365 x 2
385 x 1 core kept tight which was good, legs were fried.

SSB GM
bar x 12
155 x 10
205 x8,8,5

SSB Bulgarian split squats
bar x 10, 10 per leg

Abs
weighted sit ups x 12,10 with 15 lbs behind head.

GHR
BW x 10,10,8

Light cardio. I was destroyed by this work out.

May 27th

Still a bit mangled from yesterday

Warm up

Band push downs x 10,8,8

Football bar push press
bar x 10
95 x 8
135 x 5
145 x 4
155 x 3
165 x 5,5,5,8 I was just feeling yesterday's workout. Left bicep started bugging me. Not injured but happy I am not doing strongman stuff tomorrow.

Pull downs
Bicep hurting so I dialed it down, took a super wide grip.

165 x 10,10,10,10,10

Incline bench
135 x 6
185 x 5,4
165 x 5

Facepulls
80 x 15,15

shoulder things
15 lbs x 12,12

light cardio and home.

Overall, this week kicked my ass. I cranked up the intensity and I am feeling it. Even when thrashed, I am still firing out strong reps. So I am amped for what I can do when I am 100%.

Back at it.

I skipped updating my log lately as well I am damn busy. I have made two atlas stones, been training, working, and having a life. Shit son, I'm awesome.

Last week had my deadlift day. Key notes, pulled 325 x 13 like it was no thang and hit a 255 ATG front squat with no belt. Felt damn good.

May 24th

warm up

Plyo push ups 3 x 5

Football bar Bench
bar x 8
135 x 8
175 x 5,5,5,5,5,14 felt strong and these went up easy.

one arm DB rows
85 x 8
135 x 8,8,5,10(straps) per arm

seated DB overhead press
70 x 6
75 x 6
80 x 6

Football bar Pendlay rows
225 x 5
245 x 5,8

Felt gassed at this point as I cranked up the intensity.

Super setted EZ curls with skull crushers at 85 lbs x15,12

Prowler with 270 lbs on it for 75' runs x 10... I think. could have been 12. These felt gooooood. The runs are getting faster which is what I want. I'm gonna just tackle my competition at comps... Terry Tate style, look it up.

tried cardio, prowler flu started catching up to me. went and stretched and home.

The countdown to New Liskeard

Well, I realized today my next competition is in a month and a half. It's time to bring it.

Warm up focusing on the shoulders

Plyo push ups off a low bench.
3x5 Easy stuff

Over head
Barbell x 8

Log empty (143) x 1,1
145 x 5,5,5,5,5,9 it felt nice and light in my hands, just gassed on the last set. Good pressing, nothing felt hard but worked my ass.

Pull downs
170-255 x 5 increasing 15 lbs per set

Banded pull ups
green band x 8

Incline bench
135 x 5
185 x 5,5,5,4 Felt good. Haven't done them in some time, I need to get back into the pressing mode.

Face pulls
75 x 15,15,12

Shoulder raises with 20 lbs of chains
2 x 10 side raises supersetted with rear raises.

Prowler runs
270 lbs for 60' x 10 And destroyed. No puke, but it killed me.

Stretch and home.

I am starting to kick the conditioning into high gear. it needs to be on like Donkey kong for the next few months. Three strongman shows and one powerlifting meet in four months, yeah I need to be on my game.

Returning to the game

Deload week is over, time to get back at it. 5 Rep cycle starts today.

Shitty day it was, 4 hours of waiting and $586 later, car fixed this morning, worked late to make it up and hit the gym.

Warm up with foam rolling, missed hamstrings.

Plyo box jumps
sitting to 24" box
3x5

Squats
bar x 8
135 x 8
225 x 5
245 x 3
275 x 1
285 x 5,5,5 (felt my hams tweak on rep 3), 5,5,8 racked then thought what the hell switched to low bar and repped out 5 more.

The hamstrings on both legs felt like they suffered minor pulls. I decided to give them a chance to work without real weight on them.

SSB GMs

bar x 15,15,10
not too bad.

Bulgarian split squats
BW x 15,15 per leg.

Standing banded abs
3 sets of AMAP

Light cardio and stretching out those damn hammies.

Bad day went to shit, but the work got done.

My progress and how to choose a training program

Well this past week I haven't been updating much. I have kinda slacked off a bit. I'm coming up on a deload week and I damn well need it. The show over a week ago kicked my ass as I wasn't ready for heavier weights yet, but fuck excuses. I went into it knowing shit all and went balls out on it. First or last, I did as well as I could. No bitching from me.

I have been doing the Juggernaut system for 10 weeks now. I finished off the first two cycles and I have to say I am liking it a lot. for me, the higher rep work lately has put me in a place where I am not injuring myself.... too much. On top of that I am making bigger gains than usual. On my last sets this past training week (10 days) I hit 315 x 11 squats (high bar), 163 x 11 14" log press, 190 x 12 football bar bench, and 365 x 9 deadlifts. All were to be 8+ to recalculate my training max. What does all that mean? I am getting fucking stronger. On top of that, I am lighter than I was back in the winter. I cut down water and weight for my competition in February. I wasn't 100% because of it. I am faster, leaner, and much stronger now.

Now how does all this work. Well, it is your program that does this. Periodization is a fancy word for training in blocks of training. It starts off with building the muscle needed to correct any imbalances, then the next phase you correct major form issues and train your CNS to handle heavier weight. Lastly, you fix the small form and technique issues while minimizing fatigue to your CNS and muscles.

But Mike, what if that's not our goal? Well that is where choosing the right program to train by comes in. I am not going to list tons of programs, BUT I am going to tell you the questions you need to ask yourself.
1: what are your goals? wanna look good, be strong, or healthy... if the last one, I can't help much. Lastly, there is sport specific, in that case you need to find a trainer that specializes in your sport.
2: what are your weaknesses? do you know where your lifts suffer? what are your sticking points? if you are not sure, find someone who knows the lifts well and ask them to watch you. Gradually load yourself up until failure. They should be able to point it out.
3: are you dedicated to the results? if so, then you have choices. Online there are plenty of coaches that ask these questions in more detail and will design you a training program.
4: does your gym have what you need to succeed? I have trained any countless gyms all over Ontario, one thing I have noticed. I better equipped ones, and I mean ones with serious gear, seem to have the better athletes. Choosing your gym will come up another time.

Put some thought into these and then come to this last question. How does my body react to certain kinds of training? some people are better with intensity, some with volume. How you respond to certain types of training depends on you. some people do really well sticking mainly to the main lifts while others, they really need those accessories to improve their game. Put thought into it and write it all down. once you figure all this out. Quit being a cheap fuck and buy a book or an e-book that lays out a foundation of training philosophies similar to your thinking. You will do better and see results.

gimmicks don't work, stop being a gooch and keep it simple and soon enough you may be a mighty pair of balls.

Olcott, NY gets a border jumper...

May 1

Olcott Highland games

Totally a fly by the seat of the pants competition choice.

Little sleep the night before, I hit IHOP for breakfast. Chow down a big ass meal and coffee and hit the road. Roll into Olcott and unpack. No clue on the weights of anything, I ask the log weight. Heavy log of 240... well fuck. No heavy log in some time and a heavy ass log, nice....

Because of the rain rolling in, we put the human tractor pull first. You are harnessed in and pulling similar to a truck pull, but unlike a truck pull there is no rolling. There was no give at all, it was all dead weight from start to finish. This thing was a mess of a metal torture device. The weight increases as you pull, making that last few feet hell. Finished up in 39 seconds and change. Not bad as the last ten feet killed, not my best event.

Next Braemar stone... shot put with a stone. hit 21.5' not bad for a first time trying it. Some of the highland games guys gave me tips on how to do it. A big thanks to those who did.

Next up farmer's walk. The rain had started, making a hard event even harder.the weights were 225 per hand after watching the middle weights struggle at 205. These were 2" handles and they were mounted onto logs... not easy to carry at all. It was max distance in 60 seconds. I got 59' and that got me second.

Next was heavy weight for distance. After fouling twice, I hit 13.6' with a granny style throw. that 56lb weight felt like it was gonna tear my arm off. I want to get a heavy weight now to practice throwing. As hard as it was, it was fun.

Next was the press medley... I didn't like this going so late in the order. I was burned out by now. I had no shoulders left in me. Moved the heavy log to 225 as, again, middle weights had problems with the heavy log. so 225 log, 240 axle, 125 DB, and 185 log. I tried the DB and heavy log... no go. Too burned out, skipped the axle and only hit 2 reps on the 185 log. Balls, but I wasn't the only burned out one, tied for third... out of four.

Last was the Sheaf throw... I hit 14' and missed 16'. Probably took last. I left before the end of it, so I don't know my placing. The event was wild. A pitch fork stuck into a burlap bag weighing 16 pounds and using the fork to fling the bag over a 14' bar. Again, I sucked at it but was tons of fun.

Overall, I think for no prep. I did as well as I could. Felt good to get out and compete. the work in the off season showed as I felt a good amount of power and competing against a top amateur in the NAS, it was a fun show. Thanks to Mike Landrich for the show, fun events and well run.