Sat, 17 Feb 18
Events @ Iron Strong CF
My current training block is largely repeating the volume of my prior block, but with a gradual shift toward more of a strength focus. Also, I am currently keeping track of specific areas that need to be brought up in subsequent training blocks and today's training revealed one I haven't addressed yet:
Circus DB Press Lockouts
There are different ways I can approach the problem. I could work on triceps contraction speed - which is currently being hit on my speed upper days, especially since I added in speed work for OH press this block. So I probably won't add in anything new there yet. I can also work on rebending my knees faster or more on the catch, which will move my elbow to lockout from the opposite direction. I will most likely come at the problem from this angle with my future CDB pressing sessions and might also add in exercise(s) specifically to work in improving this in my next training block.
Overall, training went great today, but I'm not really satisfied with it since I didn't do as well as I wanted on pressing and I wasn't able to get in farmer's walk today.
Circus DB C&P
band warmups
3ea x 115
2ea x 140
2x2x160 - First set was with right arm and second set was with left arm.
2x180 - Right then left. This was the most awkward set ever. See below and video.
0x200 - Right arm, missed lockout by a short n' curly and held it there trying to grind out a 200 lb strict press.
1x200 - Right arm, ties my all time PR and it was easy.
0x200 - Left arm. Not really that close, but my left side is usually about 10-10 lbs weaker than my right.
I had planned do do a single with my right side and then rest a few minutes and do a single with the left arm with 180 for my last warmups, so 2 sets of 1. Instead, I did the first rep with the right arm, took my EliteFTS super heavy elbow sleeve off my right arm, switched it to my left arm, then immediately did the rep with my left arm. This begs the question -
Why the #^@& was I only wear one elbow sleeve?
The only reason I can think is that I was distracted by trying to use my new remote clicker to start and stop the video on my phone. Fun fact: I managed to completely screw that whole thing up and failed to start the video for my successful rep with 200 and then started the video after I had done it when I thought I was stopping the video. I'm a jackass.
The good news is that was by far the easiest 200 has ever felt and it was also my first time working up heavy on CDB in a long time so I know it will improve. Still frustrating though.
Seated Arm Over Arm Truck Pull (2" rope)
3x100' x Toyota Tacoma
0 clicks, 4 clicks, and 6 clicks on the e-brake, respectively. Still too easy with 6 clicks because I was losing tension on the rope, but definitely harder than the first 2 sets and the thickness of the rope combined with the distance rendered my forearms pretty much non-functional for the last 15 feet or so.
Conditioning: Tire Flip/Prowler Push
8x{3 flips x ~450/100' x prowler + 90}
It started to sleet and snow while I was doing this which made the tire start to slip on the parking lot when I tried to flip it so I wrapped up before hitting 10 runs.
I didn't do farmer's because there were a ton of people at Iron Strong today (which is great for the gym) and there wouldn't have been anywhere close to enough plates for me to load up to my planned weights. This is not because they do not have enough plates by any means - they've got tons. But there were anywhere from 3-4 people deadlifting heavy, 2-3 squatting heavy, and 1-2 benching heavy at any given time, so me needing an additional 12 plates on top of that for farmer's was not gonna happen. And of course since it is a CF gym, they have a million bumpers, but there wasn't room to do indoor runs because so many people were training and I wasn't going to take their bumpers outside and tear them all up like a dumbass. Once people had started finishing up and heading home, the weather got sleety/snowy/rainy, which screws with the grip, plus while I will use my own equipment out in the rain sometimes, I don't want to turn the plates at ISCF into the rusty iron that mine are at the Unit. So like I said, while today was not quite exactly what I wanted, it was solid work overall.