Rebuilding: 9 Weeks Out, Caution Ahead!

I will be competing at The Odd Haugen Northern California Strongman Challenge and Vise Grip Viking Challenge on May 21 and 22, 2016. I am thrilled to be back to competing in strongman and finding my passion to train once again. Right now I am laying out my training in bits and pieces because my return to strongman is not just about getting back to event training. A perfect storm is brewing and many different components of who I am as an athlete are changing and improving. Part of this process is reflecting on where I have been in order to catch you all up while continuing the inner strength to rebuild and compete at my best.

There is more to come on this entire process and more background. I'm excited. Training is good. Life is good.

3/21

Rolling

Mobility

Planks - 3x45 seconds

Box Jumps - 3x6

Stiff Leg DL
155, 1x10
205, 1x10
225, 3x10

I am still unclear what I was thinking on this. I was feeling so good and haven't enjoyed training, pushing and sweating in forever, so I was like, "Heck yes!" I even contemplated adding 40 more pounds because my ego likes to rear it's ugly head at the worst times. Thank goodness I tamed that stupidity because this morning rolling out of bed at 10:00 I was thinking something entirely different. I was very discouraged when Mattie laughed at me and said, "Wait til next week. This is nothing."

My goal is to make it through the next two weeks and do whatever I have to in order to stay on track. I am fortunate to be on spring break so I am sleeping like crazy. As for nutrition, I am so bad at making sure I follow the plan and eat all the meals. I could easily just make it by on two of six meals and a gallon of coffee. This is where I get into trouble, everything shuts down, I back track and eventually go out in a ball of fire. Who knew a cup of rice and 5 ounces of meat could make me seriously full and sick feeling?

This week I pick up event training, which will bump me up to 4 days lifting which includes grip training. Historically this is the danger zone and I can never pull it off. Three days is always the max and then something gets tossed out to support grip training. This time that garbage is not happening. In two weeks I can re-evaluate and make decisions if needed.

Double Overhand Axle Rack Pulls
245, 6x3

I am working on these conventional for now. The pull is much longer so I want to maximize my training opportunities and decide as the competition draws near if I want to switch back to sumo.

GHR
3x5

Mattie was in the gym with me and made some corrections on my technique. Suddenly sets of 10 got dramatically cut back to painstaking sets of 5.

Prowler
3x100 ft

Hub - each hands

32, 6x3