james' training log

[jamesgrahame]

I am returning to Edinburgh from Melbourne within the next 12 months so I am getting used to the idea of resuming Scottish life by posting here instead of

www.aussiestrength.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=414&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0


I am a broken down old powerlifter with a bit of a bug for strongman training when the body is willing. Currently I have a bad rotator cuff injury in the left shoulder so all my pressing is stuffed and I am also trying hipbelt squats as I cant get under the bar.

The other thing I am training toward is a bash at the dinnies and I am currently using a borrowed set of replica rings from an English bloke I met while competing at a strongman comp in Australia.

I also love my grip stuff. The next grip comp I am shooting for is the 29/11/2008 in Melbourne. The events are

- a straplift with a IM1.5 (lifting max weight on to a platform.
-IM hub
-2HP
-weaver rear
-weaver front (opposite hand)
- DO axle

last night's workout

deads - no belt
2x5x210k

dinnie rings front/rear
130kg/90kg
150kg/110kg
170kg/130kg

Getting pretty close to the weights of the dinnies. Lost some skin on the pinkie of the hand holding the small dinnie ring. And the left hand holding the large dinnie ring felt pretty sore.

hip belt squats
2x20x110kg

still not quite got the hang of this. The loading pins swings between each rep and puts me off. I might try and find a short bar. also the plates I was standing on were sliding to the side at times. pretty awkward but better than nothing

[Steve Gardener]

Keep it up.

[jamesgrahame]

cheers steve.


Strongman training with friends. 5 is the best
turnout we have had so far.

carry/drag

95kg keg carry 25m..then drag 75kg sled 25m. Took 38 seconds.
105kg keg carry 25m..then drag 100kg sled (slight incline) 25m. took 61 seconds.

stones
Managed to pool our stones together and had a 75kg a 108kg
and a 110kg stone so could do these in sequence. The 75 and 108 are actually the ones Nick McKinless made in Oz and they are now living in Melbourne. small world.

75,108,110kg
75,108,110kg


Shouldering the light one.

Then 6x108kg. Probably got a bit carried
away here and ended up doing more reps
than usual for my stones session. back feels
sore.

DO axle
110kg, 120kg, 125kg, 130kg, failed 135kg

[jamesgrahame]

first workout this week as i have had a cold.

grippers
IM#1 3 reps each hand
IM#1 3 inverted reps each hand

IM#2 3 reps each hand

IM2.5 (R) Miss 2mm, miss 2mm
IM2.5 (L) miss 5mm, miss 5mm

there was a satisying 'click' with the 1st right hand attempt and i thought I might have closed it. However, it was something in my neck clicking

choked IM#2.5 to a bit wider than parallel.
Right - 4 singles
Left - single, miss 2mm, miss 2mm, misss by a mile

Still having problems with the left hand as I seem to pull the handles across each other, rather than directly toward each other. Even on the choked ones.

1 Hand pinch (each held to count of '5'

Right = 10 singles wth 26.25kg
Left = 10 singles with 25.5kg

half of these were with the pinch block runnng east-west. The other half were with it running north-south. right hand was fine but the left (weaker) hand was struggling after about 6th rep.

I think there are only 2 euro pinches in Australia so I have been using these which were made for a couple of comps. Scroll down a bit to see them.
www.aussiestrength.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=457

[Paul Wood]

I have that problem too with my left hand, even though I'm left handed, because of the way the grippers are wound. I find my left hand does better on the ISG and Vulcan which don't have the skew. All I can suggest is to experiment a bit with how you place the gripper.

The strongman training sounds fun.

[jamesgrahame]

ha, ha I am also left handed! It never occured to me that the winding of the spring could be a factor.

I am now placing the gripper in my right hand (without trying to close it) and then trying to memorise how it looks/feels and then immediately place it in the same position in the left hand and go for a close.

wrt the strongman training. It is great fun, even though i am not big/strong enough to be 'serious' strongman i really like that style of training. Not sure the neighbours particularly appreciate it. i have to train in the street/road that runs behind the backyard. Nothing like having a car following you down the road to improve your speed in the farmers walk ;D

[jamesgrahame]

It has been an exciting 24 hours and i have collected the combined heavygriptools order from the docks.

I had to get some help from the forklifter driver and his mates to open the box and load the car and we all tried to lift what we could. I managed the 20kg/44lb block weight once (when everyone was watching) but have not managed to do it since.

I tried the inch (couldn't help myself) but it was no suprise that it stayed glued to the ground. At least i can say i have seen/tried one. It is HUGE!

Here is the pic...it shows the inch and various 44/55/66lb blockweights. One 44lb and one 55lb blockweight are mine. I now wish i had went for a baby inch as well.

[jamesgrahame]

hip belt squat
2x8x85kg

third attempt at this exercise and 3rd different setup. I think this time I have got it correct as 85kg was extremely hard. The 20x110kg last week must have owed something to the setup I was using as this setup was much tougher. to make things worse, there was a personal trainer next to me showing off to a student and saying things like 'feel the steel' and i had to watch him squat 100kg, while all the time my ego was screaming inside!!!!

small dinnie
each hand 45kg x 2, 90kgx2, 110kgx1

dinnies front/rear
130kg/110kg
150kg/130kg
170kg/130kg
175kg/135kg

the 175/135 was not quite right. Got it all off the ground but was a bit wobbly and never managed to stand erect before I put it all down.

axle DO grip
100kg 8 sets of 4 reps for volume with short breaks.

shot putt
An authentic Scottish accent and owning your own kilt will get you in to most highland games comps in Oz even if you are a complete novice like me. I competed in my first highland games last new year's day in 40 degree heat. I only took part because there were 3 strongman events. I was totally useless at the throwing and never realised how technical it was. So i thought i would get some practice in as it was sunny today.

shot putt is a 12.5kg blockweight.

stationary putt 4 attempts got a maximum distance of 8 'paces'

gliding putt 4 attempts got a maximum of 7.5 paces. Obviously not transfering that glide in to forward momentum.

[jamesgrahame]

farmers walk 1.5" smooth handles (turn every 25m)

1-hand-only farmers walk with 55kg. 50 metres each hand, twice.
Saw this in 'combat core' DVD and it is supposed to help strengthen the sides of your trunk by only carrying a weight in one side. Bought the DVD so i might as well try it.

Regular farmers walk 1.5" smooth handles (turns at 25m)
75kg x 50m in 25 seconds.
80kg x 75m in 54 seconds (1 drop after 50m turn)


keg loading on to wine cask with tyre on top
64kg keg x 5 reps
64kg keg/ 95kg keg (both loaded afer one another) x 5 reps.
105kg keg x 5 reps.

Between each rep I jog to a wall 10m away and back.

large replica dinnie ring
Right - 100kg, 115, 130, 145, 160
Left - 100kg, 115, 130, 145, 160, 170kg

These were in a quick up/down style. Was bit ambitious after a pb 175kg 2 days ago. Managed 5kg less with the stronger hand and lost somes skin in the palm of the hand for my troubles. Will take 10+ days off from these so the skin heals.

The 160kg with the right hand was a pb.

When i get to the actual dinnie weights I want to put it on youtube. Here is my first attempt at getting anything on youtube.
It's 4x25kg (blue), 4x15kg and 1x10kg plates

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdNSBstb5Uc

blockweights from the heavygriptools order
20kg blockweight deadlifted twice with right hand.
No success with left hand at all.

Then picked the 20kg up with both hands and did some negatives.

[jamesgrahame]

DO deads
3x160kg. Failed 4th rep

This is pretty good for me, probably a 3RM

deadlifts
2x5x220kg

All felt a bit slow and laboured today.

2HP
60kg
65kg already slipping
70kg fail
65kg
65kg
70kg fail
67.5kg
67.5kg washed my hands
70kg
70kg
70kg
70kg
70kg fail

Never really got going with these. Everything felt heavy
and slippy. Ended up washing my hands half way through.
70kg is about right for me but these reps were all poor
and rushed.


DO axle
90kg timed hold for 44 seconds

HAd intended to do some axle deadlifts but the workout was poor
so I did a timed hold and called it quits.

Don't think I recovered properly from the Sunday workout
or maybe I am overtrained but this was a poor workout.
Will have a light one on friday before the strongman trials
on sunday.

Some footage of me and friends working out on sunday.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj7BzqqjuL4

[jamesgrahame]

Took it easy today in preparation for Sunday's session at Bill's.

Did some general stretching and also some specific work on the injured shoulder.

Then did 5 girlie pushups (knees on ground).
Then 10 regular pressups without any shoulder pain (It's a start!)

[jamesgrahame]

Took part in the strongman bootcamp today. The writeup is here.. www.aussiestrength.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=5875#5875

First event - 16 KG Viking axe hold -1 axe per hand.
Had to pass on this as my shoulder is still injured. Pretty frustrating start.

Second Event - Carry 75 kg beer keg 25mtr/ Load sled drag 160 kg 25mtr
63 seconds for this. This was decent..in fact it was going really well until the last 5 metres which seemed to take forever.

Event three - Super yolk 250 k.g 25 metres
19.21 seconds.

Again, happy with this. I think I would do better with slightly wider steps.
Feeling a bit more confident now I have had several goes with a yoke.

Event four 90 kg farmers for max Distance (no drops) 1.5"smooth handle.
52metres.

Again went well and was pleased I got a second turn. I need to practice more max-distance stuff as I have typically concentrated on 50m max effort for as much weight as I can handle so I lack some endurance.

4 x stones from 90 kg to 135 kg
Each stone was to be carried 10metres and dropped over a line.
The 90kg and 110 were easy but I had to waddle the 10m with the 125 as
I could not carry it. The 135 never left the deck.

Overall I came 3rd on the day and I believe I would have come second if I did not have to pass the opening event. Well, I would say that , wouldn't I!! the first place bloke was a differnent class. Built like a clydesdale.

It was a good day and the format seemed to be to allow us to
perform the event and then some suggestions were made wrt techniques/strategoes and what we should/coulda done. I learned a lot. So it was run like a comp and then the advice was retrospective.

hopefully some piccies and youtube to follow soon.

[jamesgrahame]

I appear briefly in the yoke and farmers wearing my wooly blue hat. It starts with still pictures then switched to video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZwqwq3XBPc

[jamesgrahame]

Had planned to try some squats with the cambered bar at the gym, only to find it was 'missing' and the guy at the desk had no idea why i would want to train with a 'bent bar'. Gutted. :cry:

Tried to get under the olympic bar but was no where near able to. double gutted. :cry: :cry:

old RT handle
R=75kg, 77.5kg fail, 76.25kg
L=75kg (just), 75kg (just).

Then switched to singles..
R=70kg x 10 singles
L= 70kg x 8 singles (2 failures along the way)

Was happy with the RT as Ihave not touched it for several months, would love to get 80kg.

Pressups
5x5 with different hand positions. The wider ones were actually less painful,which was a suprise.

axle
110kgx2, 110x1, 90x2, 100x2x2x2x2x2

Was aiming for volume but took 3 set before I got the appropriate weight

1 hand wrist curls. Suitcase style with oly bar
12x 20kg
12x 25kg
12x 27.5kg

latt pulldowns
2x20x30kg neutral grip
2x20x30kg supinated grip.

Just trying to stretch/use the shoulder a bit. All reps nice and gentle.

Then more general stretching.

[jamesgrahame]

Shoulder pulled up pretty well today. Only a few painless clicks here and there.

Heated the shoulder with a hot water bottle before some stretching in the door frame
to try and return the flexibility required to get under a barbell.

Also did 5 pressups in the position that felt most comfortable from yesterday and
they still felt good.

Will do some more shoulder stretching tonight.

My forearms have a deep ache today. I thought my near pb performance on the
RT was due to my axle work recently, but they must work differently as
the RT work has caused a lot of soreness.