BODY WEIGHT WORKOUT

Push ups
5 x 10

Pull ups
5 x 5

Tweeked my left hand somehow.

I other news, I randomly grabbed a #3 today and took it down to about 1/2" from CCS.  Lefty.  My left has always had better sweep strength than the right.  If I ever certify, it will probably be lefty.

SOME PULLING

Pulling circuit:

Pinch
4 x 5 x 115#

Rolling Thunder
4 x 5 x 110

Deadlift
1 x 5 x 115#
3 x 10 x 115

GYM CHALLENGE

They posted a challenge at my work gym so I figured I would try that since I had a headache and didn't want to put much thought into my training day. 

Challenge - Complete three full cycles of the following exercises:

10 jumping lunges
20 box jumps (30" box)
30 squats (36# body bar)
30 bicycles (ab exercise)
20 push ups
10 pull ups

My total time was 12m 40s.  So far I'm the only one who has done the challenge, and frankly I'll be shocked if anyone in the building beats my time.  I never stopped moving and didn't have to split any sets.  This was incredibly demanding.

VULCAN

2 x 5 x L6

3 x 5 x L9

Bothered my middle finger a little, so I stopped. 

UPDATE - it's 7/5 and my finger feels fine.  I don't get what the actual problem is; behaves very odd. 

DB CLEAN & PRESS

Pressing workout with the limited equipment at corporate gym.

Dumbbell hang clean & press
10 x 30#
10 x 35
2 x 6 x 40 (more of a push press)

Chest press machine
10 x 105#
10 x 120
8 x 120

V-ups x 25

Too stinking hot to run.

PULLING

Quick workout. About 15 mins in all.

Pull ups
5 x 10

Deadlift
4 x 10 x 115#

Felt good. Let's see how the joints hold up.

PINCH, RT

Headache and tired, but weights don't lift themselves:

2HP
4 x 5 x 105#

RT
4 x 5 x 100# (both hands)

Mighty Joe Thumblaster, a bunch in every direction.

Middle finger seems to be tolerating any of this just fine.  The thing that hurts the most is getting a lot of curl pressure into the last knuckle.  Like imagine you are hanging from a bar and you've slid down to your finger tips and are about to drop.  That would hurt.

SQUAT

Doing what I can with the equipment in the small gym at work.

Squats
2 x 10 x body weight

Zercher
3 x 8 x 70#
1 x 10 x 70

Hamstring curl
3 x 10 x 60

Leg Press
3 x 8 x 215#

Hanging leg raise x 8 (toes to hands)
V-ups x 25

Zercher squat is my new favorite squat. 

PULLUPS, PINCH, RT

15 minute circuit, no resting

pullups
6 x 6 @ BW

Rolling Thunder
6 x 8 x 90#

2HP
6 x 5 x 100#

Good workout.  My wife also worked on some 2HP and Ironmind Hub.  She easily pulled 25# in plates on the Hub. 

GRIPPERS

I decided to just see how a gripper workout would affect my middle finger.

3 x 10 @ HG150
2 x 10 @ #1
2 x 5 @ #2
3 x 1 @ SM (choked at parallel) (left only)

Overall felt really okay.  Had some discomfort in the RH middle finger joint in the evening, but did not amount to anything.  No noticable swelling.

MAINTENANCE

Some light body weight stuff:

Pushups
3 x 10

Glute circuit
3 x 10

The circuit is three exercises that I'm working on from Bret Contreras. It's body weight hip hinge, squat, and glute bridge. See, I basically don't have glutes. So I am working on these exercises trying to master them without weight. Been at it for a while and trying to do the circuit every day and just realized I forgot about it for a week. Whoops. Not a habit yet I guess.

EASY BAKE WORKOUT

Trying to blend a meaningful workout with the feeling of "that was easy" at the end.  

deads

2 x 10 x 115

1 x 8 x 135

1 x 5 x 115

rolling thunder

3 x 8 x 90

2HP

1 x 3 x 95

3 x 5 x 95

hip hinge

2 x 10 x 115

Everything felt great.  I taped the shit out of my RH middle finger to protect it and keep it from bending too much.  Feels fine.

POTPOURRI

I've had some time off recently and made two mistakes: 1) Started to over-think programming. 2) Stopped training due to some nagging problems.  Some clarity today so I will start logging again for a while:

pull ups

4 x 5 various grip

3 x 5 +25# chins

hip hinge

10 x 45

2 x 10 x 95

Smith machine squat

10 x bar

9 x 115

7 x 115

box jump x 10

V-ups x 25

IT'S MAY. WHAT'S UP!?

I have not posted in a while so thought I would update.  It's Spring and like everything else, I feel like I'm in transition.  Here are the things I'm interested in right now:

Body Composition
The lowest my body weight got was 145 and that was on 4/28 for the Movement Minnesota Decathlon (where I set a few world records!).  I have opened up my diet since then and gained about 5 pounds.  I decided to give myself enough latitude to gain back up to 155 and then I would decide if I liked how I look.  Well, after gaining a little, I'm not sure I want to gain any more.  I'd like to hang at 150 for a while and work on getting things tights at that weight.  Here is a picture of me at 146#.  I like this look.



Running
This is probably the only thing I'm training right now that is going well, and therefore it's getting a lot of attention.  I've got a 5k signed up and also want to run a half marathon in the Fall.  I have a runner build (long limbs, light build, good endurance) and running makes me feel fit.  My body knows how to do this.  I rarely feel this way about working out.  Currently I'm trying to fit in three runs per week for about 10-12 miles total.


EDT (Escalating Density Training)
I still love this model.  If I look at anything that has gone well in the past 5 months, it was all gains within this structure.  I would like to do two of these workouts per week.  For a while I just want to focus on some exercises I like doing.  Pull ups, push ups, light deadlift, some rowing, power clean.  That's enough for me.  If I get too creative, I tend to get hurt.  There are a few things I'd like to sprinkle in, such as hand stand push ups.  We'll see.  

Grip
Thick bar and pinch lifts are holding my interest more than anything right now, but I can't seem to stay healthy enough to train anything.  Might just be time for some rest.  One thing I know for sure: Whenever I come back to these lifts, I am going to work them in to the EDT structure and start with lighter weights.  I can't believe I never did that.  Also, I have no competitions until this Fall.  I can't go to Nationals despite qualifying, and I have no interest in the World's Strongest Hands events this year.  MM2 would be a stretch goal.

Attitude
A quote stuck with me recently: Only bad things happen quickly.  I'm currently applying this to everything I do.  I believe it will serve me well.

Have a wonderful and healthy Spring! 

FULL CIRCLE

2HP

Well, I've come full circle with my 2HP experiment. 

Last night I did the same 40+ rep workout that I have repeated at different widths for a couple of weeks.  I realized I cannot make 56mm with my combination of inserts, so I skipped straight to 58mm.  My old standby. 

Not only did all the warm up reps feel incredible; I easily lifted the 155# which had stopped me in the previous workouts.  So I moved on to what would be a PR on my plates.  161#.  I clarify that because I have lifted 172 on Jedd's rig, and 178 on Adam's rig.  Around the time I pulled 178 at WSH, I had just hit 160# on my own plates at 58mm. 

So 161#.  I took three attempts.  They all came off the ground, the first one about 1/2 way up and the second two about 1/4 way up!  This confirms for me that I am unquestionably stronger at this 58mm width.  I feel I have given this enough attention that I can stop thinking about it for a while. 

Also, despite the 161# being a max effort--and I got them off the ground--and they were not successful lifts--that's usually the perfect recipe for a tear.  Which has been common problem for me at the 58mm width.  However, last night there were no tears!  I can't exactly explain why except that I did not "lose" the weight; I just had to set it down.  I attribute some of this to getting stronger at the other widths and that helped me avoid a total slip.  Which was also common for me. 

So here I am at 58mm.  Same as it ever was.  I would still like to play with 56mm and will probably cut another insert some rainy day to make that possible.  Otherwise it's time to do more work.

A FEW UPDATES, NEW GOAL GRIPPER

RUNNING
Running is going well and I’ve set a few 5k PRs recently. Next run on the treadmill should be under 25:00 for sure. Overall I would say my conditioning is that of a mediocre runner. It feels great, but if I’m being realistic, the pace is not really that impressive. I am really happy with the progress, which I guess is what matters most. On top of that, I’m pushing myself pretty hard to improve so possibly in the coming months the times will get more impressive.

GOAL GRIPPER
Borrowed a 164# Quad Band from Adam Glass. Not only do I need to bridge the gap between my 155 BBGM and my 167 BBE, this will help prepare me for another run at MM2. The sweep on this Quad Band is wicked nasty. First real workout will be this weekend, and I’ll get a baseline video. I predict about a ¼” miss initially, which is an approachable gap. The sweep is going to “eff” with me.

BODY FAT GOALS
My weight has settled in at 148-149 every day. I have not been out of that range for quite a few weeks. Strength training is still going well in theory, although I lost about 2 weeks recently where nothing was gained or lost. First week was a bout of “neuritis”. The bullcrap diagnosis for some of the nerve pain I’ve been getting in my arms. I only say bullcrap because I’ve never heard of this before and neither has anyone else. Something else is going on, I’m just not sure what. So I mainly focused on running that week. The week after that I got horribly ill. Probably an influenza virus. I’m still on antibiotics and strength is back. Stamina might be taxed a little, but that is coming back too. I am pretty sure I still saw an improvement in abs definition during this time. Maybe from being dehydrated…ha! I know body fat is still creeping downward slowing because I’m getting more vascularity in my abs, legs, arms, all the time. There is still a pesky small amount right at my belly button. I’m not sure what it’s going to take to get that. Maybe just more time?

2HP
I think I’m closing in on the optimal width. I recently performed the exact same workout twice in a row, once at 52mm and then again at 54mm. The workouts were identical. No tearing and I could not lift any more or less at either width. I still did not pull a PR on my plates however. That is really the ultimate goal. To pull 160# on my plates and not tear. This time of year still sucks for friction lifts. I might just have to wait until this summer when it’s a little more humid. I’m not ruling that out as a variable, but would like to pull a PR no matter the time of year. Next workout is at 56mm. I will probably do it once at 58mm as well just to make sure what I’ve learned about hand position won’t eliminate tears at that width, which has historically been my strongest.


Now, GO OUTSIDE!

GRIPPER PR

Over body weight gripper PR.

155# BBGM closed at 148# body weight.

I decided to just forge ahead with my right hand gripper training and ignore my left for a while since it's so tweeky right now.  Managed a PR in the process!

2HP AND OTHER DELIGHTS

I have a few thoughts to post about.

GRIPPERS
Something about grippers doesn't agree with me lately.  I'm still interested in them, but training them with any intensity seems to bring on some nerve symptoms that I do not enjoy.  And by "with any intensity" I mean even one decent workout...per month...  The symptoms are identical to the problems I was having last Fall and a doctor at that time called it "neuritis."  General inflammation of the nervous system.  I've been crippled by some sickness for about a week, and the doctor said that being ill can bring this about, but I just think it's stupid that apparently I get "neuritis" a couple times per year and nobody else has even heard of the condition?  Sounds made up to me.  And it seems specifically irritated by grippers.  So I need to get a second opinion, or continue to focus on other things like 2HP, or both.

VOYEURISM
I've recently found the value of reviewing photos or video of training.  Not only my own, but others as well.  Initially I was looking for ways to improve my 2HP.  More on that to follow.  Recently I was reviewing the Frostbite Challenge photos.  I noticed in all my bearhug deadlift pictures that my legs are way too wide.

This is not a powerful position.  You look at every other competitor, most of whom are otherwise accomplished heavy lifters, and their shins are almost totally vertical.  Duh.  I need to be more mindful of this for any lift.  I think my feet are too wide in a 2HP lift, for example.  Take video of your training sometimes; it can be priceless!  You don't know what you don't know.



TWO HANDS PINCH
So I've had some super-bug for the last 7 days.  Antibiotics finally kicked in and won the fight.  But this afforded me entirely too much time to lay around and think about training.  One thing I believe will make all the difference in my hand positioning.  Usually my approach to setting up has been to get the back plate in the right spot on my thumbs and then get a good, deep wrap with the fingers.  What tends to happen is that the finger side of my hand gets too much ground because I'm not paying attention.  Think of it this way: the whole point of a pinch lift is that your fingers oppose your thumb like a sock puppet talking.  The more ground your fingers get, your hand starts to straighten out like a karate chop.  You're simply not going to be able to squeeze as hard.  I guess others keep their fingers opposing their thumb without much thought, but somehow this is not natural for me.  (Like the leg position for power mentioned above.  Others have already thought about this, or don't need to think about it, but apparently it's not natural for me...or I needed to think about it!)

So after I've already set up poorly, once I begin the lift it gets even worse.  I think this is also why thin widths felt ultra-super-crappy-lousy for me.  I tried setting up on 52mm today with a focus on keeping my fingers evenly opposing my thumb.  I only lifted the empty pinch apparatus, but the grip did feel totally different with this setup, which I felt was promising.  I am immediately going to test this more.  So this is what I think about when I'm deathly ill; sock puppet talking versus karate chopping to help your pinch lift.

FROSTBITE PHOTOS
Finally, here are all the Frostbite photos.  There are some incredible shots in there.  Thanks again to Adam Glass for having a pro on site to shoot the contest.  This is one of my favorites.

 

FROSTBITE CHALLENGE

The Frostbite Challenge was this weekend and it was a doozy.  Adam has a knack for putting together unique and challenging contests and this one was awfully demanding.  In general I feel it was because the events were either heavy, or endurance based.  There were no gimmes like MMS grippers, which is honestly about 20 minutes of rest with only seconds of one-handed effort.  The events:

Bear hug deadlift - Heavy.
Rolling Thunder - Heavy.
Three grippers for max reps - Endurance.
Feats of strength medley - Heavy.
Endurance medley........you get the idea.

So the contest as a whole was very taxing on the whole body.  Guys who were strong in general did well despite not having trained for the events; or trained grip ever.

For my own performance in the lightweight class (82.5kg), I placed 2nd to Ryan Pitts of Strongergrip.com.  I was really happy with that finish.  It's hard to hang with Ryan.  He is so well-rounded that I never feel too bad finishing second over the course of a whole contest.  It is my mission in life to beat him however, which I've only done once at WSH Leg 2 when I won the whole contest.  But regarding Ryan, one place he usually racks up a ton of points on me is the feats of strength medley.  This time I tied him even 16/16.  I'm not sure we lifted the exact same things, but the score was the same.

In the bear hug deadlift, I was really happy to get the 197# opener off the ground.  That was a tough lift.  It took me two or three of my attempts and some tips from the crowd.  This may be a 78kg class record, but largely due to the fledgling nature of the class.  This contest would have been the first time the lift was contested since the 78kg class was added.

Another highlight was EASILY getting the 200# 2" V-bar in the feats of strength medley.  This is a Nationals qualifying lift.  I missed the #3 MMS close by a millimeter at most!  I really wanted that.  REALLY wanted that.  At least I have one Nationals qualifying lift under my belt.  Two to go.

As far as the Frostbite Challenge, it was an excellent contest.  Well run and exciting.  I love competing.  It always energizes me to train harder and have a better showing each time!  
        

MISFIRE

I'm having some neurological misfire symptoms again similar to what was happening back in September.

They symptoms were pain in the forearm flexors and lingering numbness, twitching, burning, itching, and pain in my thumb, ring, and pinkie fingers.  Nothing came of this last time.  The hand specialist I saw thought it might be "neuritis" which he described as a general irriation of the nervous system that can manifest itself this way.  He also thought it was not carpal tunnel. 

I was reading about cubital tunnel, which is the same thing as carpal tunnel except with the ulnar nerve getting trapped in the elbow.  Except with that it doesn't seem that the thumb should be invovled.   

I think I'm going to look into Graston Technique again.  This is a therapy that can really help carpal tunnel type symptoms by breaking up adhesions in the forearm.