I've been working on my weaknesses lately and at the top of the list are things that I hate.

1) Front Squats
2) Log Press

I'm actually very bad at all pressing movements and I have been for most of my life. Early on in my Strongman career I was pretty decent at Pressing because of my pure athletic ability. Several injuries over the years and shifts in my training priorities have me back at the basics. Being nearly 40 years old I get to make a choice though...settle or put in the work needed to be better.

We know what I'm choosing.

Front Squats: I've never had any luck making these carry over for me. To anything! They don't carry over much to my Snatch or Cleans because of my lack of mobility on all three. I've backed off of my Snatch and Clean work because, well, they make me weaker at Strongman! I still need them as part of my weekly activity because they are good for my body but they won't be a focus again for a long time. Taking that into consideration, I don't want Weightlifting Friday to be a TOTAL WASTE OF MY TIME so I'm going to Front Squat Big!

Using my Viking Front Squat Harness has been a joint saver! It still forces me to stay upright, squat deep, and use my back to support my body over everything else BUT it does not put stress on my elbows, shoulders, wrists, fingers etc... Basically, I can train the front squat without getting beat up from it. Don't forget, the front squat is a squat that you can do often because the weight does not sit on your spine and it is a very natural mechanical movement for the body.

I just finished a 4 week block of Front Squat training where the straight weight was fixed at 190 kg (419 lbs) and then I added chains each week. The goal will be to have over 600 lbs on the bar in the next few months. Think I'll do it?

Log Press: I've been building for this for months through sets of 5's and 3's on Strict Log Press, High Volume Viking Press, and High Volume Axle Strict Press but this is a new chapter. This is me peaking to hit a PR. The press needs a lot of high volume work if you are not a natural good presser and that is exactly what I've done and what I'm going to continue to do. Here you can see me with 90 KG (198 Freedom Units) doing 2 reps every minute on the minute for 11 rounds. This is much tougher on the log than it is with a barbell because the clean on the log is a big movement all in itself. Wait till you see what I do in a few weeks!