A Giraffe Amongst Gorillas - My Strongman Log

[NC_Tarheel]

That third press call was a tough one....what a dick judge.

Looking forward to deadlift.

ha ha ha


I've been emailing back and forth with Wade discussingThursday's deadlift test. Since I'm in the middle of changing my form and have switched to the hook grip I don't hink it's going to get very crazy.

He wants me to establish a new hook grip PR....this will technically be anything over 500....here is copy pasta from an email this morning....


"Hit 505 and then if you feel good, use not your ego but real honesty and what to try. I'd rather leave 10-20 on the floor and have a good established pr...there is still more time and your progress will continue

[thom2355]

I agree 100%.

Missing reps does no good.

That is kinda the same approach I used on Monday. 525 was PR, so I hit 535 for a small PR. I was basing moving up on whether or not I felt I had a good amount of weight left in me. I felt I did so I went for it. If 535 was slow(er) and ugly(er)....would not have done it.

[bigwade800]

We are in the midst of the cycle and no where near a meet so, it's not going to be productive to try something that is a shoot for the moon kind of thing. We have momentum in strength and more, the form issues, albeit slowly and as expected, continue to improve. The mindset and momentum are crucial from hereon. So, I want to establish a pr and get a feel for where the strength is with the new grip and ever improving form.

[FrmrHoss]

I agree 100%.

Missing reps does no good.

That is kinda the same approach I used on Monday. 525 was PR, so I hit 535 for a small PR. I was basing moving up on whether or not I felt I had a good amount of weight left in me. I felt I did so I went for it. If 535 was slow(er) and ugly(er)....would not have done it.

I think this has got to be one of my favorite parts of working with Mike and autoregulation - you basically never miss reps by its nature whereas at the end of 5/3/1 I was just physically unable to complete some weeks and I think that really set me back.

I think there is probably to do some the juggernaut programming where week 1 you leave 2-3 in the tank, week 2 you leave 1-2, and week 3 to failure and then deload.

[HARRYBEAST]

I think all this talk has me realizing that going over my training max all the time is not such a good idea. I am definitely feeling it lately. Next cycle I am going to be strict on it even if it means I have to wait a cycle to PR

[Black_Spit]

I think all this talk has me realizing that going over my training max all the time is not such a good idea. I am definitely feeling it lately. Next cycle I am going to be strict on it even if it means I have to wait a cycle to PR

Paraphrasing someone and I can't even remember who lol, but its solid advice- too many people want to demonstrate strength in the gym when they should be concerned with building it.

[HARRYBEAST]

Paraphrasing someone and I can't even remember who lol, but its solid advice- everybody wants to demonstrate strength in the gym when they should be concerned with building it.

That's a great quote I like it. Funny thing is to my normal gym bro's my deload weight impresses them

[NC_Tarheel]

We are in the midst of the cycle and no where near a meet so, it's not going to be productive to try something that is a shoot for the moon kind of thing. We have momentum in strength and more, the form issues, albeit slowly and as expected, continue to improve. The mindset and momentum are crucial from hereon. So, I want to establish a pr and get a feel for where the strength is with the new grip and ever improving form.

I'm definitely on board..hit a nice crispy 505 single and then make a NON EGO decision on my next attempt!!

I think all this talk has me realizing that going over my training max all the time is not such a good idea. I am definitely feeling it lately. Next cycle I am going to be strict on it even if it means I have to wait a cycle to PR

I thought you were already doing that!!!

[HARRYBEAST]

I'm definitely on board..hit a nice crispy 505 single and then make a NON EGO decision on my next attempt!!



I thought you were already doing that!!!

Well I planned on it

[bigwade800]

I rarely have set gym pr's, at least when I was strong. My best gym bench was when I was at my heaviest and with schedule and the team lifting so much, I waited. The heaviest single I ever did, full gear and all, was 960. My best gym pull geared was 675 conv and 680 sumo. I squatted and pulled more in meets, where it counted.

[NC_Tarheel]

I rarely have set gym pr's, at least when I was strong. My best gym bench was when I was at my heaviest and with schedule and the team lifting so much, I waited. The heaviest single I ever did, full gear and all, was 960. My best gym pull geared was 675 conv and 680 sumo. I squatted and pulled more in meets, where it counted.

Trying to take this mindset...

[HARRYBEAST]

Trying to take this mindset...

^^^^ This

[Anthony21]

Awesome benchinig NC, looking thick, solid & tight

In for the Deadlift PR

[LoveMyInk]

Trying to take this mindset...

Need to adopt this too

But since I'm not super strong most of my upcoming squats and pulls will be PRs

[bmontgomery87]

I'm slowly realizing that gym PRs mean nothing, other than confidence. But if you're missing weights, you start to lose momentum.
This is another reason I think my bench sucks, while my other lifts continue moving. I've missed handfuls of bench attempts but only 1 squat and deadlift in my last year of training.

[bigwade800]

Have pr's across the board and build. What's wrong with a 2, 3 5, 6 and 8 rep pr? If those numbers are going up, the single will as well.

Jeremy and I are scheduled for a "test" Friday but, only to get a feel for what a real opener should be. You'll see where we post pr triple for the trap and so forth. Those numbers, as they climb, will result in a 1 rep pr.

[LoveMyInk]

I'm slowly realizing that gym PRs mean nothing, other than confidence. But if you're missing weights, you start to lose momentum.
This is another reason I think my bench sucks, while my other lifts continue moving. I've missed handfuls of bench attempts but only 1 squat and deadlift in my last year of training.

Maybe you just suck!


Jk my bench super sucks, makes me super sad

[HARRYBEAST]

Once again I gained some knowledge and insight in here. Thank God for Thad's smart friends

[thom2355]

Once again I gained some knowledge and insight in here. Thank God for Thad's smart friends

not nice

[LoveMyInk]

not nice

Smart and pretty
That's why i like you guys

[HARRYBEAST]

not nice

but a little funny right?

But seriously though all of you guys have helped me a ton and I am glad to have you as e-bros

[NC_Tarheel]

I'm slowly realizing that gym PRs mean nothing, other than confidence. But if you're missing weights, you start to lose momentum.
This is another reason I think my bench sucks, while my other lifts continue moving. I've missed handfuls of bench attempts but only 1 squat and deadlift in my last year of training.

I'm pretty sure your bench is stuck becasue you don't decline

Once again I gained some knowledge and insight in here. Thank God for Thad's smart friends

ha ha ha

why you trollin brah


It is true...you want to be good....find out what the best do to get there....I took the easy route and got The Ogre to tell me directly every week

[bigwade800]

I did what you have done. I sought out locally who the best was and where they trained. I drove from Antioch to Hermitage 6 days a week. It was a 15-20 minute drive and started training at no later than 6 am each morning. I had to, like many of you, learn what real work was. I was training hard but, had no capacity like the real guys. And so it began from there. I went on to read, call, e-mail and join every forum I could find. I would drive to numerous places. And that's how it started for me.

[HARRYBEAST]

I did what you have done. I sought out locally who the best was and where they trained. I drove from Antioch to Hermitage 6 days a week. It was a 15-20 minute drive and started training at no later than 6 am each morning. I had to, like many of you, learn what real work was. I was training hard but, had no capacity like the real guys. And so it began from there. I went on to read, call, e-mail and join every forum I could find. I would drive to numerous places. And that's how it started for me.

That's now how it is for us. If you are wrong we are all screwed

[NC_Tarheel]

That's now how it is for us. If you are wrong we are all screwed

His numbers dictate that he's probably on to something

[bigwade800]

I'm not wrong, however, there wasn't any me's around back then. It was just the beginning of the Internet age for PL. We had listserv's moreso over forums. That's how I met Iceman and several others out there, way back in the 90's on Deepsquatter's e-mail list. It was still an art to find good info on the net and such and you made pals via e-mail and linked up with people that actually knew something and learned but, it wasn't a short cut. Now, you have gyms every where. I remember a gym with a monolift was rare. Meets with one were rare. In fact, in this area, I was the first to have them in my gym and at meets and many thought it was the Holy Grail when I got the 2nd one. So, whether it's me, Brandon with his Cube method and so forth, not only kind you find a method, you can get some coaching. Having someone to be accountable to and that will be honest with you. I would challenge any of you to read everything you can, e-mail everyone you can and then ask questions, challenge what the answers are and really learn. My big "secret" is looking at a lifter and really prioritizing what they need, not just what they want. They all want bigger numbers and that's the easy part of getting information. It's creating a sensible pathway to get there that is the trick.

Read, learn, question, repeat....many, many, many times and question everything.

[HARRYBEAST]

I know 5-3-1 sometimes gets clowned on but I re-read that all the way through before each cycle

[bigwade800]

Do what you think will help you achieve your goals. Devise a plan, stick with it and then after a cycle or meet, adjust/tweak and go again. All these terms like training cycle, programming, method and so forth will never take the place of planning, adjusting and being consistent. All that has to be driven by goals of all levels. From there, it's required to put the time and effort in. Nothing, no supplement, no drug, the latest programming or otherwise will be able to replace consistent, planned, hard work.

[HARRYBEAST]

Do what you think will help you achieve your goals. Devise a plan, stick with it and then after a cycle or meet, adjust/tweak and go again. All these terms like training cycle, programming, method and so forth will never take the place of planning, adjusting and being consistent. All that has to be driven by goals of all levels. From there, it's required to put the time and effort in. Nothing, no supplement, no drug, the latest programming or otherwise will be able to replace consistent, planned, hard work.

I like how you tell me what I already know but it seems like new information the way you deliver it.

[bigwade800]

There lies a majority of why I sit back and bite my tongue so much. It is known information. It's all in how it's delivered. I'll see guys that write like they are in the gym wearing a lab coat and just shake my head. In the end, you can't replace the basics. Programming aside, the priorities have to be in place to be successful. There are no replacements for that.