I am thrilled to be back to training strongman and finding my passion to train once again. My return to strongman isn't just about getting back into event training. It's also my return to dropping weight, becoming athletic once again, maintaining solid nutrition AND figuring out how to incorporate and maintain grip training in the mix. In the past that has not been possible and I generally go out in a big ball of flames. This time I'm optimistic.
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.
You can catch up on the three installments of how I got to where I am.
Rebuilding: The Fat Doctor & Inevitable Decline
From 5/13
It's very exciting to have training partners again. Right now we are all sort of training our own events but just being in the same room with some awesomely strong training partners has added FUN back into training. Friday Night is Ladies Night and I truly love going to train events again!
I really felt ready and able to go all out on events again but I was urged not to. Stick with the program and have faith. That's always the advice Big Bald tells me when I start freaking out in my mind that things aren't coming together as I would like them to. I listened to him and decided to stick with the program. Whenever I stray, I always do something stupid and I generally like to avoid stupid. I also made sure I was sticking with my nutrition program and getting in some decent carbs prior to training. It makes such a difference with my performance. I did cheat a little tho. I was still starving after my pre training meal, so I stopped and got an Egg McMuffin and coffee. Who knew something could taste THAT good? Oooohhh, it's been sooo long. Thanks for the Teacher Appreciation Day free coupons McDonalds!
Since it's deload, my only goal was to breathe heavy from doing light events.
Block Pulls
240, 1x14
240, 1x20
Super pleased with my wind on these. Like there was NO heavy breathing and I was ready to go again for another set of 20, but opted not to.
10" Log
100, 3x5
My initial intent was to start training clean and press for reps. Due to the low weight they very quickly turned into viper presses and then into I'm not sure what they are called. Just grabbing the log and going right overhead.
Stone of Steel
Dani brought her Stone of Steel over for us to play with. It was PERFECT for deload, kept things light, clean and just moving. Her stone of steel weighs 110 lbs and is the diameter of a 170 stone. I'm nut sure what I think about these "stones" but for deload event training is was absolutely perfect! I will try it much heavier on regular event training to test my true feelings and test it in relation to my regular stone skills.
110, 1x5
135, 1x5
Fingal Finger
Continued working on the clean for a few reps without over doing things.
Conan's Wheel
My mind has been going this week thinking about this event and how many feet one revolution is as a tool of comparison. A revolution on each wheel would be different due to the length of the arm. I could not find my measuring wheel and then my genius math skills killed in. Teaching resource room math has some advantages and today was my lucky day for useful skills. I measured the arm (circle radius), calculated diameter of the circle and BAM! I was able to find the circumference in feet. My mind feels so much better.
Although this was a deload week, I feel stronger and much better conditioned. It's exciting when things start coming together.