GRIPPERS

3x1@90% (3 second overcrushes), used a 149 BBGM
3x3@70% (speed), used my #2


Demanding workout!  Speed was better than with the BBM.

GRIPPERS

5x5 #1 (recovery, 50% gripper)

>>> so apparently I can't follow simple instructions. This should have been 5x3 but oh well.

GRIPPERS

This is it...home stretch for the MM2.  I have six workouts planned that should just fit in prior to the cert.  Might look familiar to some of you who have been paying attention to the Mash Monster ladder recently!

5x3, 123# BBM (speed, 75% of max)

DECATHLON RESULTS

This decathlon exposed my exact same weaknesses as last time! Heavy lifts (axle, plateau buster), thick bar, and pinch feats.

Axle and plateau buster I did not push anything in order to protect my back. I only even took two lifts on each. My 2HP has increased a lot since last time, but I still could not lift hardly any of the blobs, thick bar, etc in the medley.

The decathlon sets up some interesting challenges. Like doing grippers for reps right after a rope hang to failure. Insane pump on the forearms. I then went straight over to the 2x45s for time. Very challenging!

Here are my full results:

MMS Grippers - 158lbs #3, 2nd place, contest PR
DOH Axle Deadlift - 250lbs, 7th place (only took 2 lifts)
2HP - 165lbs, 2nd place, (no explanation why this was off so much)
GripTopz Hub - 43.02lbs, 2nd place
2" FBBC V-bar - 195lbs, 6th place (pulled lefty to protect a sore RH finger)
Grippers for reps - 168 points, tied for 3rd place
Rope hang for time - 91 seconds, 2nd place
2x45s pinch for time - 22 seconds, 6th place
Plateau Buster one hand deadlift - 283lbs, tied for 10th place
Medley - 16 points, tied for 5th place. 

Overall:

Final points (out of 1,000) along with NAGSA total (gripper+pinch+axle)
1st Place Ben Edwards 866 points ---- 643.86 lbs
2nd Place Ryan J pitts 865 points ---- 624.8 lbs
3rd Place Dustin Williams 792 points ---- 543.72
4th place David Dellanave 758 points ---- 558 lbs
5th place Matt Cannon 730 points ---- 573.01 lbs

DECATHLON TOMORROW

Fall Decathlon is tomorrow, hosted at Adam Glass's gym The Movement in Plymouth.

I am most excited to meet Ben Edwards who is traveling from Kansas to compete despite being injured.  Ben has been a good friend and a great help to me in this sport, but I've never managed to meet him!

As far as the contest, I'm nursing a couple of nagging issues and will simply bring my best tomorrow.  Any PRs or good performaces I will take as they come, but not expecting much.  I've actually got a shot to place pretty well because Adam Glass is also injured and can't compete.  I could take 2nd if Chris Mathison shows up.

I will be taking token lifts in the axle deadlift, 2" vbar, and plateau buster in order to protect my back.

Should be fun!

Last Decathlon in May, Ryan Pitts of StrongerGrip.com beat me by an incredibly narrow margin.  I would like to take him down.

CHEST/SHOULDER CIRCUIT

4 rounds of the following:
20 x push ups, various
20 x abs, in-and-outs
10 x 10# lateral raise palming a kettlebell

Low energy today.

LEG CIRCUIT

5 rounds of the following:
20x lunges
20x BW squats
30 sec wall sit


>>> Sweaty some.  Rest/Ice/Motrin on the middle finger is going well.  Pain is less all the time.  Plan is to still give this two full weeks of rest.    

GRIPPERS

HG150 x10, x10, x10
#1 x5, x5
BBM x2

BBE attempts x2, misses

Adjustable Filed BBGM @ 4mm, x2

>>> I've got some nagging trigger finger on my right hand middle finger.  This has been getting worse and I think I need to take maybe two weeks and heal this.  Ice, Motrin, and tape it to another finger when possible is what the doc said.  I can do that.  I have maybe foolishly been ignoring this a little, but now it's time to pay attention.  I need it to be 100% if I'm going to nail the MM2.  Might have to let Juha go ahead of me so that I have time to heal this properly.

SHOULDERS/BICEPS CIRCUIT

4 rounds of the following:
15 x 25# dumbbell military press
10 x 25# hammer curls
10 x 10# rear felt fly
20 x abs, in-and-outs, arms raised

Also:
20 x back extension physical therapy.

>>> felt great. I'm not trying to kid myself with these shorter workouts, but this is SOO much better than doing NOTHING.

GRIPPERS

HG150 x10, x10, x10
#1 x5, x5, x5
BBM x1, x3

>>> This felt like garbage so I stopped.  Will save it for another day.

CHEST/TRIS CIRCUIT

3 rounds of the following:
20 x push ups
15 x chair dips
20 x Abs, in-and-outs

LEG CIRCUIT

5 rounds of the following:
20x lunges
10x BW squats
30 sec wall sit

Also:
2x20 back extension therapy

CHEST/BACK/2HP CIRCUIT

5 rounds of the following:
10 x push ups
5 x pull ups
5 x 2HP, 135lbs, 59mm

>>> I realized that this is the kind of workout I could be doing ALL THE TIME.  What the eff is wrong with me?  Left thumb tore on the last set.  Only real rest was to re-chalk for 2HP.  Decent little short little workout.

GRIPPERS

Warm up
HG150 x10, x10, x10

Working set
#3 @ 15mm choker reps, RH/LH
5/5
5/4
5/5
5/3

BBM (123#) MMS reps
6/6
9/5
9/3
6/5

>>> Kind of a heavy workout.  Ended each BBM set with a hold on the last rep.

GRIPPERS

Did this workout Monday night, but have been too sick to log it.  Some sort of virus ripped through my family once again!  It seems like once a month.  I think we're being natural selected.

Warm up
HG150 x10, x10
#1 x5, x5, x5
BBM x3

Working set
BBSM x2
BBE x2 attempts, both misses
BBM x9
#3 x1
#1 x40

>>> Decent workout, and now I know why all my strength wasn't there.  Because I would be puking within hours!

GRIPPERS

Warm up
HG150 x10, x10
#1 x5, x5
BBM x3

Working Set
BBSM x2, x3
#3 x miss (not surprised after BBSM reps)
BBM x6, x7, x9

a few hours later...

SM x2 singles
#2.5 x2 singles
#3 x2, x2, x3 (third rep was a miss, forced in)

>>> I was rating grippers for someone and there was a nice #3 in there.  The first set of two was a solid close, a wide pause and another solid close.  Since that went so well I took video of the next two attempts at reps.  I really wanted three and I think I could have maybe even done four if I had not worked out earlier in the day!

PINCH

2HP @ 52mm
I realized that I still have one of my 1/4" spacers loaned out and cannot make 58mm right now.  So I tried pinching at a different width.  Felt like garbage!
45# x10, touch and go
95# x5, touch and go

33# blob
5 regular lifts
5 lifts with +10#.
It's crazy that I could lift this 43lbs fairly easily, but my 42.5 fatman I don't feel like I'm anywhere near budging that thing.  Shows you how much the width and roundness matters!

GRIPPERS

Had a good workout and had a good attempt on my 167# Elite:

HG150, no set, x10, x10
#1, no set, x5, x5
BBM x3 singles
Vendetta 3, x3 singles
167# BBE, 2 attempts, video is from the first attempt.

Still from the video.  Not a very big gap to close! 



CHEST AND BACK

Below the thunders of the upper deep;
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth...

Finally, today, I rise to the surface to write about a workout I did instead of best laid plans and excuses.  By the way, if anyone knows how that poem ends, you may think I only surfaced because doomsday fires have made the depths uninhabitable.  That's not so far off, actually.  What actually happened is this sluggish form I've been molding for the past month took on a climate of its own which was rather inhospitable.  In other words--19th century British poetry aside--I feel like shit.  So much so that I embarked on a quest for my mojo.  I got a flavor of mojo from this workout, but the rest is still out there.  

CHEST AND BACK 

Push ups, 9 sets, 111 reps

Pull ups, 6 sets, 52 reps

Workouts are bodyweight exercises based loosely on P90X videos, which I love.  For me right now, it's about using my body and feeling good.  This workout felt good.  I'm only going to track general numbers for now.  Mmm, mojo.  Thanks, I'll have another.

  

World's Strongest Hands, Final Result

The World's Strongest Hands series is a contest derived by David Horne of England; a grip legend in his own right, and consequently this year's overall Champion.  


The contest takes place over three legs, one each during August, September, and October.  On each of the three dates, the exact same events are contested Worldwide at 11 different sites.  Numbers are compiled for each date and ranked, then after all three legs were complete, the numbers are combined for an overall winner.  I missed leg 1 due to sickness and only recorded a score in legs 2 and 3, which were both great days for me.  


There are three classes: Open, Lightweight, and Female.  I competed in the Lightweight class, which is 82.5kg (181.5 pounds) or less bodyweight.  I averaged 165lbs and was one of the lighter competitors.  


Overall I placed 5th in the Lightweight Class!  This was in a field of 30 competitors Worldwide.  


I am INCREDIBLY happy with the 5th place finish. Even if I had of recorded a score in Leg 1, there is enough of a drop-off that I would still be in 5th.  Feels right for my performance. Very, very happy with 5th. I need to bring up my 2HP, but the GripTopz events suited me well. 


My proudest accomplishments during this contest series:


1st place finish at my local Leg 2 contest, Movement Minneapolis.  
2HP PR of 179.03# which put me over 80kg for this lift.
5th Place finish overall for 82.5kg class. 


Thanks to all who competed to make this a successful series.  Also thanks to my local promoter, Adam Glass, who hosted all three Legs at his gym.  Finally, thanks to David Horne for making the event possible.