G2B's Goal Based Training

[Green2Blue]

05/18/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 3


Conditioning
Apex Hills
20 lb Flak
75 lb KB
x5

1-2 min RI

Notes
-First time doing this. It was brutal. My lower back is not used to swings. Will be doing it again.

[Barkadion]

05/18/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 3


Conditioning
Apex Hills
20 lb Flak
75 lb KB
x5

1-2 min RI

Notes
-First time doing this. It was brutal. My lower back is not used to swings. Will be doing it again.

What is Flak? My guess is some sort of sandbag/rucksack??

[Green2Blue]

05/18/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 3


Conditioning
Apex Hills
20 lb Flak
75 lb KB
x5

1-2 min RI

Notes
-First time doing this. It was brutal. My lower back is not used to swings. Will be doing it again.

What is Flak? My guess is some sort of sandbag/rucksack??

Flak Jacket. Same effect as a weighted vest. Sorry, should have clarified.

[Barkadion]

05/18/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 3


Conditioning
Apex Hills
20 lb Flak
75 lb KB
x5

1-2 min RI

Notes
-First time doing this. It was brutal. My lower back is not used to swings. Will be doing it again.

What is Flak? My guess is some sort of sandbag/rucksack??

Flak Jacket. Same effect as a weighted vest. Sorry, should have clarified.

Cool. That makes it intense..

[Green2Blue]

Been lazy about updates

05/19/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 4


Conditioning
Trail Run

3.11 mi
44:32 mins
145 HR avg
534 kcals

Notes
-Wasn't meant to be an E, but I guess the duration puts it about there. Trail runs are so much more fun.

05/20/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 5


StrengthA2
SQ:
5@234 (75%)
3@275 (85%)
1@305 (95%)

WPU: 3x2@95 (95%)
PP: 3x2@160 (95%)

Finisher
Max Tire Flips
AMRAP 5 mins
x59

Notes
-Bare minimum on SQ.Knees and hips felt like garbage from pushing hard on SQ earlier this week and then doing an Apex Hills.
-PP felt great. Might bump that next block.
-Finisher was pretty fun.


05/21/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 6


StrengthB2
DL: 3x2@420

BP:
5@175 (75%)
3@200 (85%)
7@220 (95%) PR Set
1@235 (100%) Joker Set
1@245 (105%) Joker Set
1@255 (110%) Joker Set
12@175 (75%) First Set Last Set

Finisher
Bucket Carry Medley
80 lb bucket ~50 ft
50 lb bucket ~50 ft
AMRAP 5 mins
x5

Notes
-Best BP workout in a long time. Not PRs, but the best in recent memory. I can push hard on BP twice a week, where as on SQ I rarely can. The big difference today was my wife was home and spotted me. I've RARELY used spotters and feel it's partially what has held my BP back. I'm just not able to push as hard without one.





So... I've thought a lot about it and I'm going to compete in strongman next year. There's no comps near me so I'll have to travel across the state. And even then the only weight classes they do near me are over 200 lbs and under 200 lbs. I weigh 165, so I'll get thrashed. But the sport has interested me more and more lately. I've gone to a local welder's shop and talked to them about having farmer's walk handles, an axle, and a circus dumbell fabricated. I'll be slowly acquiring other gear too.

My training won't change drastically. I can't imagine moving away from TB. I'll still be pushing to the goals set at the beginning of this thread, a 405 SQ and 315 BP. However, starting next episode, and as I get more gear. I'll start slowly adding some strongman specific stuff. If anyone has recommendations I'm more than happy to hear them.

[grouchyjarhead]

I did quite a few strongman competitions back in my day. I had the same struggles (at my heaviest I was 175, and often stuck in an under-200 class) but there are some competitions where they do have an under-175 class. I did okay in most of them, won one, and bombed out of two of them so I ran the whole range back then. I'd say there's a few pieces of gear which are a necessity if you really want to get the strongman experience.

(1) Farmer's walk implements are an awesome investment, it's a game changer using the right implements and really has a lot of carryover to everything in my opinion. I initially got to train with some guys, including a pro, where their homemade unloaded farmer's implement was around 240# unloaded. Needless to say it was a tough learning curve initially, but once I bought my own (which were considerably lighter) I soon was using the 240# and even got close to setting a record in it during one event. The increased grip, back, and leg strength carried over well to everything else I did.

(2) A yoke is also a great investment for a few reasons. Obviously heavy yoke walks, but depending on the manufacturer (I had one from Pitbull Strongman Equipment) you can put the top on upside down and use it to do heavy front carries, which transfers over well to many other events (e.g. the Conan's wheel). Another great use for it is with loading events - you set it up as high as you can, load the object over the top, let it drop on the other side, then run around and load it again. We would even do heavy partial presses and squats with it when we were bored at times.

(3) An Atlas stone, as the event is surprisingly technique-oriented. The first time I tried an Atlas stone, I had no experience whatsoever. A guy I knew from an old strongman forum let me borrow some tacky, and I went at them but I failed to load the 210# stone (the second one). After that event, a good friend of mine who makes strongman and Highland Games equipment gave me a 100kg/220# stone for the cost of materials and I practiced with it for a few months. Just three months later, I went to another event and this time loaded a 280# stone simply due to practice. You can buy molds or even make them yourself using a Swiss ball and plaster of paris (the one I got was made out of a wooden mold he specifically made for it). Get some tacky but only use it for events - otherwise go without, but wear a light long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt so you don't tear up your forearms too much.

(4) The fourth is an either/or, it depends on what tends to show up more around you. I would get either a 10" log or a 2" axle bar to work on pressing events. I eventually had both as a friend of mine made me the axle cheap in his welding shop, but I started with the log as the main events near me always featured it as the main pressing event. There's 8" and 12" logs out there too (some even bigger) but the 10" tends to be right in the middle and always worked well for me.

You can also use whatever you have at hand to train if you think about it. I had a truck pull event coming up, and had never done it before. As a finisher I had my buddy hop in my car, pop it in neutral, and steer as I pushed it from behind with my arms locked and getting as low as I could. Come event time, I didn't win the event, but I got a fairly competitive time.

Structuring my workouts, I typically tried to keep some base strength moves during the week then had a "strongman Saturday" where I would work on different events. I would do a pressing event and farmer's earlier in the week, and then stones and other events on Saturdays. I was never one of the best guys out there, but I had fun while I did it and held my own against some much bigger guys (my favorite contest wasn't where I won it all, but rather where I got in the top 10 out of about 40+ guys in the under-220 class despite being 178 on weigh-ins that day). It's a fun experience, everyone is very friendly and supportive, and even if you don't do as well as you hope, you still get to have fun, use some implements, and get some great photos/videos.

[Green2Blue]

I did quite a few strongman competitions back in my day. I had the same struggles (at my heaviest I was 175, and often stuck in an under-200 class) but there are some competitions where they do have an under-175 class. I did okay in most of them, won one, and bombed out of two of them so I ran the whole range back then. I'd say there's a few pieces of gear which are a necessity if you really want to get the strongman experience.

Thanks Grouchy! I was hoping to hear from you. Ya like I said I plan on getting thrashed. But I want the experience and it seems like a sport that would be up my alley.My current plan is to get the following gear:

-Axle (using Fat Gripz for now)
-Farmer's Walk Handles
-Atlas Stone
-Sandbag

I might get a sled, budget willing, and I'm waiting for a response my municipality for an old fire hydrant.

A yoke and a log both seem really expensive.

Any idea how big/heavy of an atlas stone I should make to start with? Thanks!

[Green2Blue]

05/22/17
Zulu I/A Black 5/3/1 Hybrid
Episode 1
Mini-Block 2
Week 3
Day 7


Conditioning
Tire Flips 1 min
Sledge Strikes 1 min
RI 3 min
x4

then...

"Axle" Grace

Mobility
ROMWOD

Notes

[grouchyjarhead]

An 18" diameter stone will be around 225-230#, that's a good starting weight in my opinion.

[Green2Blue]

An 18" diameter stone will be around 225-230#, that's a good starting weight in my opinion.

Thanks! Looked for an 18" ball to plaster but no luck yet.