Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride

[JHenze646]

Thank you for your concern. I didn't mean to cause any alarm. Several hours later the pain subsided with no swelling or anything, like it never happened(nerve?). This has happened a few times in the past year with different exercises. Something happens in my shoulder, my arm burns and aches for hours, and then its gone.

[JHenze646]

Frustration with progress

I have had the same general strength goals for the past few years, nothing big, a few pounds added to this or that, but it never happens. "I work long and hard to be this average."

The improvements seem to happen on the other endeavors, the ones I do and try because my goals aren't going anywhere. There may be progress but it's hard to see it from where I am at.

The only thing I want is the opportunity to work for it. Yesterday it was 60degrees with no rain. I had a bunch of things to work on. Then the thing with my shoulder happened. That was frustrating.

[nickr104]

Glade you are doing better. Look forward to seeing you on the 16th!

[climber511]

Josh - chart out your lifts over time - make one for competition and for training. It takes a while to do this but is worth the effort. What did you bench - squat - DL - bend - twist etc 3 - 2 - 1 years ago ? This is a valuable piece of information that can be gleaned from your training journal and should be done once in a while.

Have you seen someone about your shoulder? I suffered with mine for several years - finally went to a PT and 3 months later - no more problem

[JHenze646]

Josh - chart out your lifts over time - make one for competition and for training. It takes a while to do this but is worth the effort. What did you bench - squat - DL - bend - twist etc 3 - 2 - 1 years ago ? This is a valuable piece of information that can be gleaned from your training journal and should be done once in a while.

Have you seen someone about your shoulder? I suffered with mine for several years - finally went to a PT and 3 months later - no more problem

I have my training journals from the past several years and a chart that I was already keeping on my tablet. I haven't charted everything but I will have to at my next opportunity.

I have had bad luck with PTs.

[JHenze646]

Sunday morning hustle

Log clean&push jerk up to 190 5 cluster reps, 3 cluster reps - winded and out of shape.

Farmers 160 50 ft. Turn&return 2 trips, then picks to 250 x4

Stones 190 x5 loads, 220 x 2 loads

All done in an hour.

I generally dislike the holidays. They involve lots of wasted time driving around, food I can't eat, and a general disruption of life.

One of the best Christmas I've ever had was a few years ago. I went fishing for a few hours, made a roast chicken for dinner, and wished people a happy holiday over the phone.

[Chez]

I generally dislike the holidays. They involve lots of wasted time driving around, food I can't eat, and a general disruption of life. One of the best Christmas I've ever had was a few years ago. I went fishing for a few hours, made a roast chicken for dinner, and wished people a happy holiday over the phone.

bah humbug!

[JHenze646]

First workout of the week Friday

Deadlifts 295 8x3, off 3 In. blocks 345 3x3, 2 In. deficit 245 3x5

SSB 135 3x10, bent row 135 3x10, back ext. +25 3x10

DO bend IMP 60D x3, 1/4sqr, 5/16 plated, Huge Bastard attempt to about 100°

[JHenze646]

Forgotten workouts

I hit log clean and push jerks(130) for a bunch, stones to a lap only of 290, and bent DC1 R&L on Sunday.

Tuesday was overhead, bp, oar, and pull ups.

Wednesday was squats, fr. squats, good mornings, side bends&situps. It was the first time squating in several weeks. Also did finger walks, wrist work, Ttk, and crusher.

The holidays are winding down and a return to regular schedules might be on the horizon.

Fortunately I have many new adventures planned and projects to start. Onward.

[JHenze646]

Friday

Deadlifts 315 3x10, off 3" blocks 365,415,440x1, Def. 275 3x5

Ssb 155 3x10, Good mornings 135 3x10, b.rows 3x10, back ext. 3x10

Tomorrow will be my first workout at what should be my winter gym.

They have indoor fields which I got the ok to throw on(til they see the pitchfork), two sets of dumbbells to 120, kettlebells, bumper plates, and rowing machines. They don't allow chalk and my questions made them uncomfortable. Its a public "fitness" type gym and a sports complex. Some of their rules were weird for a place catering to sports. Wait til they see me bend steel.

Pray for me. - humor

[jvance]

I love getting funny looks in the gym when I'm single arm snatching 110s or doing other old school style lifting or grip.

People sometimes ask.... What are you training for????

To get strong.. duhh

[JHenze646]

Sparse workouts and adjusting to being in public.

Life is still not settling down. If this is the new normal, changes will be made.

The new gym opened on Jan. 2 and I must be one of the only people who joined. I have been there mostly by myself when I go.

I am still trying to figure out how to mix different grip training in. I have no idea how to train pinch at this place.

[Anthony C.]

Sparse workouts and adjusting to being in public.

Life is still not settling down. If this is the new normal, changes will be made.

The new gym opened on Jan. 2 and I must be one of the only people who joined. I have been there mostly by myself when I go.

I am still trying to figure out how to mix different grip training in. I have no idea how to train pinch at this place.

What's your living situation? Apartment on upper floor in a building? House? Etc.

I train in a commercial gym and the extent of my grip training there is fat grips on a barbell. All of my grip training is done at home with a loading pin and attachment, and thick piece of mat (but small for easy storage). The world must never know how strong I am.

[JHenze646]

The apartment I live in is over top of the garage that I have setup into a gym. The garage is unheated and unkind during the colder months. A few Sundays ago I planned to get a good session in but when I went down everything was sweating. Something in the temperature change or the humidity caused water to condence on everything, blobs, plates, atlas stones, etc. I have a pretty good situation with my home gym and I wish I could stay there year round but it gets too cold.

The gym I joined just opened. They have rubber coated plates and dumbbells. They are saying no to chalk. And won't allow gym bags on the gym floor(for obvious reasons). I have fat grips and grippers to take with me but can't come up with a good system for training pinch. I will be hitting a lot of wrist levers and curls. I will have to make a pinch block and loading pin to take with me or something.

Today after a short workout, I returned home to train some Grip/ tryout my new toy. With some excellent help, I made an adjustable thick bar of sorts. I was very rushed when I worked on it but it kept turning out alright up until the very end.

Typically my right hand is my go to for Thickbar but it wasn't cooperating today. Worked up to 180 with my left hand.

[JHenze646]

The world must never know how strong I am.

If they only knew...

[Anthony C.]

The world must never know how strong I am.

If they only knew...

lol Well not really. But the ordinary Joe Gymgoer probably doesn't do too much steel bending.

I think you can get decent pinch work done in your own apartment with a loading pin, pinch block and some weights. You may find decent carryover to the Euro.

[Chez]

Since I moved to an apartment, I don't really have the space for grip work at home that I once had. I do my grip work at my job's gym after work or on the weekends. Its a 30 min drive here on the weekends while my other commercial gym is within walking distance to my place. I make the drive because my jobs gym is freaking empty on the weekends and I love it. Its usually just me and maybe 1 or 2 other people. The commercial gym is packed and I hate people staring at me and asking me questions when I bring my grip stuff.

[JHenze646]

The world must never know how strong I am.

If they only knew...

lol Well not really. But the ordinary Joe Gymgoer probably doesn't do too much steel bending.

I think you can get decent pinch work done in your own apartment with a loading pin, pinch block and some weights. You may find decent carryover to the Euro.

I am supposed to keep the chalk and the gym stuff down stairs.

I am not too concerned with carryover to the euro so I may make a pinch block to facilitate some other goals.

[JHenze646]

I had these links saved for a long time. Maybe I needed to develop the question first? Maybe I wasn't ready yet?

But I have a lot of new perspective and ideas to work on moving forward.

In case you could use a reminder or a fresh start.

[burkhardmacht]

I had these links saved for a long time. Maybe I needed to develop the question first? Maybe I wasn't ready yet?

But I have a lot of new perspective and ideas to work on moving forward.

In case you could use a reminder or a fresh start.

Thanks a lot for sharing!!!

[JHenze646]

So from this past weekend I realised my conditioning is terrible. I got winded way to easily and took to long to recover. I have added some not-so-lean pounds over the last year to help with throwing but I am not sure this is an issue. Strangely I have maintained a base level for running(I don't like running) and can comfortably jog 2-3 miles without too much trouble. For the next few months I will be lifting at a sports gym with access to all kinds of cardio equipment and I have no idea what to do.

I need better conditioning for strongman style training, Highland games, and for grip medleys.- the 4 minute Gripmas medley took me about 5 minutes to return to regular breathing.

Any suggestions or ideas?

I will post some video clips from the weekend when I can get them off my wife's IPad.

[Rob McMurren]

If you have access to a prowler, it is very effective, without putting a lot of pounding on the knees. When the weather is nicer I usually do a mix of prowler, tire flips and log press.

Edited January 19, 2016 by floyd43

[JHenze646]

If you have access to a prowler, it is very effective, without putting a lot of pounding on the knees. When the weather is nicer I usually do a mix of prowler, tire flips and log press.

They said they were getting sleds for the gym but I have not seen them yet. Thanks for the suggestion. I will ask them about it today. What do you normally do with the prowler, pushes or sprints? Any certain program?

[JHenze646]

Nick R. let me know about this competition. It was only a three event gym comp and the weights looked reasonable. I thought with a few weeks of good training I should hit all the weights and have a good time. I never got those good weeks of training...

I had never done a car deadlift before so that was fun. Regardless of how bad I performed, it was a fun day.

[Rob McMurren]

I'm a fair weather prowler guy. Usually there's too much snow here for winter pushing. I usually hit 10-20 30-40 yard sprints with 90 lbs on, all based on feel. I usually push after lifting on Sunday mornings. (I stick with 90 because I always leave 2 45's outside) These are all sprints. 90 is light but it's still winds you if you moving it fast.

If I didn't lift inside that day, I'll do the circuit with the prowler, log press and tire flips or some sort of grip related carry. I stick to 90 lbs for those as well. 2 sprints to one set of log etc. So I'll hit 10 sprints, 5x5 on the log and some carries with a blob or fat handled DB.

Once or twice a summer I do a 500 lb challenge. I start at 2 45's and do 2 30 yard pushes. I then add 2 more 45's every 2 sprints until I have 10 on the sled. The 10 plates are a grind. Jim Wendler posted a bunch of prowler challenges on the net a few years back, all of them are evil.

I don't have a specific program really, I just try to get on it 1-2 times a week. I have one at home so it's easy access. I find I am far less sore if I push the prowler after a squat session.