Irish Strength

[MalachiMcMullen]

One more thing to add for today, I bent a St. Croix Size 1 to show my dad how to bend horseshoes. He then promptly bent a Size 0 to well past 180 but a heart was out of the question for now. I would be lying if I said the #1 fell easy, after the first 3 and whilst babying a blister I was pretty disappointed to say the least. Must've taken me 4 or 5 minutes to bend that thing into a heart shape but I got it there nonetheless.

Edited November 18, 2007 by MalachiMcMullen

[MalachiMcMullen]

Ok, Mondays are always bench days with Friday and the weekends being optional but I didn't really want to push my right arm to hard today. I worked my tendons around the Ulna pretty well while reverse bending THEN I just had to try out the horseshoes which didn't help and now I have a half-dollar sized blister just below center on my RH palm. Benching felt fine, it was moving too fast or taking my hands off the bar too fast that made it hurt. Since it got alittle bit worse after a few sets of bench I quit for today, figured it wasn't a good idea to push it since Gripmas is 3 weeks away.

DB Hammer Curls

40x10

45x10

50x10

OHDB press

75x5

75x5

Flat Bench

135x10

175x5

205x4

215x2

CGBP

155x8

155x8

Round about now my forearm started giving me grief so I think I'll just rest up and ice it until thursday. If there is one thing I wont compromise on it's my DEADLIFT!!! day, with grip training being a close second.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Just tried another one of my Size 0's today and it was hard. Took me well over 2 minutes to heart it and there's no excuse for it. I do have a large blister in my palm which ripped open during the bend, a thigh that's bruised all up and down the right side(where I brace, both thighs are tired from the V machine I used on Sunday and they're sore from the first 4 shoes as well, the ulnar side of my RH forearm is still pretty sore so it hurts to push down, both hands are sore from the first shoes and 1 or 2 reverse bends since then and I wasn't sure I would get it. I actually tried the Size 2 first, it kept slipping on my thigh which as far as I know means I'm not strong enough. It can't possibly be a fluke that I bent a 0, 1 and 2 in the same day. No way do they vary THAT much. After a few seconds playing with it I figured it would be best to destroy this 2 at Gripmas for a cert and just go for a 0 for now. Still severly disappointed in myself for now Edited November 20, 2007 by MalachiMcMullen

[MalachiMcMullen]

WOW!!! I was expecting to have a bad day for strength today but damn, I didn't expect it to be this bad. I've made tremendous progress in the past weeks and I knew I eventually would end up going into the gym and NOT PRing on the deadlift just hoped it would be alittle farther down the road. Thursday is Thanksgiving so I wont be able to DEADLIFT!!! so I figured that since my back feels fine and healed from last week I'd try today, Wednesday. Big mistake. I think I put myself into a groove there, where I could pull maximally almost exactly a week apart(because each max was not my true max, it was just a learning experience for my muscles and CNS) because I have been pulling on thursdays for the better part of 3 months now. I don't think failing miserably today has killed my momentum but it's definitely taken a blow. My form was terrible today, clean pulls felt heavy, 89% was all I could muster today which is a measley 375lbsx1. Could've gotten more but I had my sights set on 420x2, if I had listened to what my body was saying after that 375 pull I would've went for 405x2 and I would've been just as happy but ego mandated 420x2 on the next DL session. I'll know better next time. Besides, I've added ALOT of weight to my pulls in the past few weeks so I can't say I'm too unhappy with my progress, it's not where I want to be but 900lbs is still alittle ways off for me I'll try for 405x2 next week and give my back a well deserved rest.

Clean pulls

225x5

DEADLIFTS!!!

315x1

375x1

420x0

405x0(about 2")

385x0

365x1 tough rep that I fought my way through

315x5

On a lighter note 315 felt easier than it ever has before.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Looking back through my log here I notice that on Aug 8 I pulled 335x3 for the first time, tripling my max and Aug 21 I pulled 355 for the first time. So in 3 months I've gone from 355-420, a 65lb increase and 85lbs total since 8/9/07. I still think 500 is doable by the end of winter/end of spring. I'll try my current method next week, if it works and I pull 405x2 I'll try for one more week. So long as I have a good strong day every thursday I should be good for maybe 10-20lbs more, it probably wont come in at 20lbs every week but so long as it comes I'll be happy.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Shoulder is feeling alot better, my RH Ulna is still complaining when I put pressure on it but it's definitely getting better.

Flat bench

135x10

185x5

215x2

245x0(not even close)

225x1

Incline bench

135x5

165x5

185x3

135x5

OHDBP

60x5(Both Arms)

DB flys

35x8

40x8

50x4

Machine flys

140x8

180x8

Decline bench

155x10

185x8

205x5

BTN press

105x5

105x4

105x5

Felt strong today on bench on account of resting it for longer than I have in quite awhile, getting excited for thursday as well. I've decided that I'll figure out what I'll go for on thursday instead of setting an early goal, so if I feel strong enough for 405x2 then I'll go for it but if 375-380 feels too heavy I'll just rep those and work down.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Arms today

DB Hammer curls

40x12

45x10

50x10

35x20

Reverse Curls

80x8

90x2 negatives

70x10

Wrist curls

120x10

140x6

160x1

170x0 nearly had it but couldn't quite bring it up

140x8

EZ curls

95x5

95x5

105x0

Gave my #3 a good go today for the first time in awhile, got it past parallel but yet again got it no farther. It's definitely feeling easier but still a ways from closing it.

[MalachiMcMullen]

I went in today not hoping for a PR but hoping to just do better than last time. I know that's the attitude I should always have but I nearly lost that mindset during the 3 months of PR after PR. I did just that and did manage sort of a PR, I never really do speed pulls. I try to sub clean pulls in for them but today I thought I might be able to get more weight with a speed pull than trying to blow up off the floor, I was right.

Clean Pulls

225x5

DEADLIFTS!!!

315x1

385x1

405x0(up ~2")

385x0(up ~2")

365X3

365X1

375X1

325X1

315X5 (Sumo)

Speed pulls(kind of a "power shrug" for the first 2 or 3 reps, just used to clean pulls I guess)

300x5

315x5

DB snatches

75x3 each arm

Well thats it for today, doesn't look like much but it was enough. I think if I had not worried about form so much I could've pulled that 405, I think my rhomboids round forward during heavy pulls sometimes and that slows my lockout and makes me stall which would be fine if that's what happens everytime but I'm worried that the pull I feel in my rhomboids means my lower back rounds. I sometimes have people check my form but none of them DL and I've never felt a tightness in my tendons or a pain in the lower back so I've just assumed I've had decent form. I HAVE irritated the tendons of my lower back before so I do have an idea of what a tender, sore and very painful experience a lower back injury is(although when I started DEADLIFTING!!! again the pain, soreness and tenderness went away).

[MalachiMcMullen]

Had a quick horseshoe workout. I'm almost 100% fresh now and these are falling with ease. I could've kept going with them too, I garauntee I could've gotten 5 or more in a row but I don't want that nasty old blister from last time coming back, I've got a small one now and I don't want it getting bigger.

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?autocom...si&img=6564

Gave a DC1 a good try but to no avail, it didn't move

Also tried some reverse bending with my new 1/4x7 SS. I don't have a protractor or a square or anything to check how far it is but the entrance to our hallway has a 45 degree joint so I eyeball it up with that to see if I made it. My first attempt came close, to close to call really, it lined up with the wall pretty well but I wont count it until I can actually measure it, distance between the legs is 6.5" and it's WAY off center. The actual kink is about 4 5/16- 4 3/8" from one end so it's close to an inch off center. The second one wasn't even close but I kinked it so I decided to just finish that one off DO. Didn't realize how springy SS is, I had heard that the crushdown was tough but it felt close to the 6" G5 next to it.

http://www.gripboard.com/index.php?autocom...si&img=6565

[MalachiMcMullen]

Today was a bench day. I went to Chicago on Saturday at 6:00 am and got home at 2:22am, then woke up at 8:00 and Sunday night was no different. To sum it up, very little sleep for 3 days but it was worth it!!! It actually didn't affect my strength today, if anything it helped. I felt great today bench-wise.

OHDBPress

75x5

70x5

70x5

Wide grip chins

BWx10

BWx10

Flat bench

135x10

175x6

205x3

225x2(feeling stronger and stronger at this weight)

235x0(getting stronger for sure but today was not the day to max I guess)

205x5

185x5(wide reverse grip)

135x10(wide grip)

155x10(paused for 1 second with wide grip)

175x10(wide grip)

Decline Bench

135x20

155x12(left arm just gave out

Machine flys

100x12

120x10

140x10

2 finger shrugs(1 finger each hand)

90x10(Middle finger)

90x8(Index)

90x10(Middle finger)

90x5(Index)

Did alot of bench today I know, but I've been stuck at the 205-230 range for quite awhile and everything else has gone up so I'm focusing on my weak spot, my chest. I'm not explosive off the chest like I should be so I fail right there where the triceps take over most of the weight.

[nockowt1]

Do you ever do weighted dips? If not you should consider adding to your program. I think they will help you increase your bench.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Do you ever do weighted dips? If not you should consider adding to your program. I think they will help you increase your bench.

Occasionally, somehow all the dip bars at my "gym" are bent weird so one handle is higher than the other so I don't like training with them. I do like the "pump" they give my triceps and delts though.

[nockowt1]

Try doing close grip rack lockouts.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Whoo!!! Tried to bench today, that was a mistake It may have physically hurt but mentally I'm pretty high and mighty right now. I gave Gripmas my all on Saturday and I think I did MUCH better than at the BBB3. I was more comfortable, more familiar, less ready, less prepared and more sore than I was for Beatty's contest so one could say that I went all in mentally but wasn't at full strength physically My forearms are sore, actually wait a minute while I go through font, color and size changes...

I AM SORE

I made the mistake on Sunday of trying to bend a Size 1 barehanded, managed to get it just shy of 90 degrees before I literally had to drop it and let it go for the night. I don't think anything on my body has ever been so sore or torn up, my hands have toughened up considerably because it wasn't so much the pressure and cutting feeling of the shoe on my skin as it was the pressure on the forearm and elbows. Contrast baths are miracle workers though!!!

I'm angry I didn't get that 5.5 G5 reverse or hold the plates very long, the thing is I know I could've gotten that G5 if I had tried it first and I know I could've gotten into the 45-50 second range on the plate hold if I had thought it through and set my hands on the plates right. Oh well, I can only do better next time knowing what I did wrong.

[odin]

Zach, how did you even think about working out already? My upper back is pretty sore and I'm still feeling a little tired overall.

I screwed up the plate hold myself, tried to move the plates farther away from my body at a couple points, due to the fear of doing something wrong and was also nervous about dropping one on my foot. That led me to losing focus, should have just held the plates naturally and let the judges tell me if I got the plates too close. I think I could be a little more competitive in this event with some practice.

I hadn't tried any plate holding at all in training, so I didn't know what to expect. I was already happy with my showing, so I might have lost a bit of my fire by that time. My wife was mad at me: "Why did you set them down?" I replied: "Would you rather have had me drop one on my foot?" She laughed. Damned hammertone plates are kryptonite to me anyway hehe.

Is your father teasing you about beating you on the 2HP? Great job mashing those three #3's (I believe).

[MalachiMcMullen]

Zach, how did you even think about working out already?...

Well, partly from boredom and partly because... well I don't really know, I guess I'm just abit of a massacist to have tried bench today. Forearms killed on the way home but it was fine, I threw them into a contrast bath and they feel good as new for now

You REALLY had a good showing Bob!!! 100% sure you will be a force to reckon with in the future. I was right going into Gripmas, it was pretty thumb strength dependant and you have no shortcomings in that department, I on the other hand have the thumb strength of a 6 yr old girl so I did about as well as I could've expected. Did you manage to pull 303 on the axle? I can't remember, I can't really remember what all I pulled except for 286. Yep, I hit the 146 and 150.1 #3's and failed at the 160 RB330N, later on I shut the 156 BBGM and came near a 163 Thor Elite close, all were in chokers of course . I actually had PR's in many events, closed heavier grippers than ever, came closer than ever to a 5.5 G5 reverse, and I'm finally on my way to a Size 2 horseshoe cert as soon as Jedd can get the video to me.

As for my dad, hitting 150 and beating me there so easy definitely made his weekend, let alone having all the guys cheer after that. That right there may have him convinced to try again at another comp in the future. He's not one to gloat but I could tell he was pretty damned happy about it

I mean it when I say I hope to see you at future comps Bob!!! Just work those grippers and get your bending up abit and just keep what your doing for your thumbs and you'll be almost garaunteed a top 10 finish most contests!!!

[odin]

Zach, how did you even think about working out already?...

Well, partly from boredom and partly because... well I don't really know, I guess I'm just abit of a massacist to have tried bench today. Forearms killed on the way home but it was fine, I threw them into a contrast bath and they feel good as new for now

You REALLY had a good showing Bob!!! 100% sure you will be a force to reckon with in the future. I was right going into Gripmas, it was pretty thumb strength dependant and you have no shortcomings in that department, I on the other hand have the thumb strength of a 6 yr old girl so I did about as well as I could've expected. Did you manage to pull 303 on the axle? I can't remember, I can't really remember what all I pulled except for 286. Yep, I hit the 146 and 150.1 #3's and failed at the 160 RB330N, later on I shut the 156 BBGM and came near a 163 Thor Elite close, all were in chokers of course . I actually had PR's in many events, closed heavier grippers than ever, came closer than ever to a 5.5 G5 reverse, and I'm finally on my way to a Size 2 horseshoe cert as soon as Jedd can get the video to me.

As for my dad, hitting 150 and beating me there so easy definitely made his weekend, let alone having all the guys cheer after that. That right there may have him convinced to try again at another comp in the future. He's not one to gloat but I could tell he was pretty damned happy about it

I mean it when I say I hope to see you at future comps Bob!!! Just work those grippers and get your bending up abit and just keep what your doing for your thumbs and you'll be almost garaunteed a top 10 finish most contests!!!

Thanks Zach! Your dad really did well, it was fun to cheer him on. You may not realize how great it is for others to watch a father and son compete together. If my dad was still alive, he'd have loved this type of event. He was built a bit like Eaton; had a barrel chest, relatively short legs and big forearms and he was always flexing them and showing off his Navy tattoo and also flexed them while grabbing the steering wheel hard as he was driving.

Congrats on your horseshoe and bending improvements, must be fun to be so good at that at such a young age.

Re: your thumbs, hey, I have the bending strength of a 6 y.o. girl and wrists with the brawn of Karen Carpenter, so I guess we all have our issues. My thumbs got strong mostly from block weights: negatives, bounces, and OH assists were the key for me. I think thumbs helped me hit 303 on the axle, which is more than I did with the oly bar in training, didn't feel it slipping at all. My lower back felt tight in a not-so-good way, otherwise I would have tried 319.

Thanks for the praise about a potential top 10 with some improvements, that'd be pretty cool to get in the top half of a contest. I'm just working on gradual improvement with some focus on injury prevention, we'll see what happens.

Once you learned to set properly, how much difference is there in poundage of calibrated grippers you can close in a choker or set at varying depths? Thanks for your encouragement re: grippers, I expect to move up 10% or more in calibrated poundage closed by next Gripmas.

My wife might be getting the bug; she did 3x10 again tonight, but couldn't get the 25 lb. York block up.

Edited December 13, 2007 by odin

[MalachiMcMullen]

I have the bending strength of a 6 y.o. girl and wrists with the brawn of Karen Carpenter

Once you learned to set properly, how much difference is there in poundage of calibrated grippers you can close in a choker or set at varying depths? Thanks for your encouragement re: grippers, I expect to move up 10% or more in calibrated poundage closed by next Gripmas.

I will be quoting you in my signature!!!

I've closed my RB240 MMS and it cal'd at 140.1 while at the comp I closed the 156 pretty easy so it really helps to not have to set.

[nockowt1]

Great job destroying that horseshoe at Gripmas (I saw the video yesterday). I'm thinking about getting a benders bag and giving them a try myself.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Huh, didn't know the vid was up yet. Thanks Jedd for taping it!!! They're a blast for sure Kevin, the hardest part for me and I suspect most was getting the technique down.

[MalachiMcMullen]

Feats filmed by Jedd(I'm first!!! )

DEADLIFTS!!! Today. Felt pretty strong despite being in a HUGE hurry, had to be somewhere at 6:30 and arrived at the gym at 5:30 Oh well, still got enough done. I haven't deadlifted consistently persay, I didn't last week for Gripmas and I did the week before then the week before that I didn't, so it's been every other week now for 3 or 4 weeks now.

Clean pulls

215x5

DEADLIFTS!!!

300x1 DO

370x1

400x1(almost 2, pulled it up to above my knees right up to the vastus medialis(teardrop) and held it there for 1 or 2 seconds then dropped it, anyone whose stalled at that spot knows it's not fun holding the weight in that position

400x0 Sumo(didn't even budge

370x1

380x1

300x5 explosive pulls

350x2(first rep off 2" blocks

Clean pulls

215x5(first one was a failed power clean attempt

[MalachiMcMullen]

Bench today, had a weird strong day. Didn't go in thinking of PR's, just doing as best I can. Whenever I feel strong the weight goes down nice, slow and under control whereas normally I try to explode.

OHDBP

75x5

75x3

Flat Bench

135x10

175x5

215x1

245x1(much easier than expected, 250 was probably in me today)

BIG break, about 20 minutes, bathroom break

215x3

225x1

205x1 Close grip nearly lost it

205x2 Wide grip

CGBP(all done with a .5-1 second pause)

185x3

165x5

165x5

155x5 Wide grip

Lat pulldowns

120x10

150x8

Could've done MUCH more today but I just wasn't motivated even with a huge bench PR.

[odin]

Nice DL and benching Zach.

Christmas morning you're going to wake up. No coal will be in your stocking-but your olympic bars will be gone, given to charity. Only an axle and thick DBs will be accompanying your plates. So sorry.

Are you reading this Santa Dean?

When's the thumb work coming?

Edited December 18, 2007 by odin

[MalachiMcMullen]

Nice DL and benching Zach.

Christmas morning you're going to wake up. No coal will be in your stocking-but your olympic bars will be gone, given to charity. Only an axle and thick DBs will be accompanying your plates. So sorry.

Are you reading this Santa Dean?

When's the thumb work coming?

Haha

Thumb work will come when my thumb's aren't sore. For some reason my thumbs have felt sore since a week before Gripmas; not a painful soreness but enough to let me know they're fatigued everytime I try my blockweights. I don't know though, now that I think about it when a part of my body feels fatigued it usually is at it's strongest, just like today in the bench. My body is weird like that. Gripmas however DID completely blow my forearms/thumbs apart!!! That was the first time I'd done any serious thumb work because I'm "somewhat" limited in my training tools at home(though we're going to build a 2HP soon) and it left a mark. I don't have much time to let my hands heel either and they probably wont be back at 100% until 08' to be honest. I think the only thing that is keeping me from placing higher in contests is my thumb strength, Grippers and bending I can handle but when the thumb is imperative I do poorly. Gripmas was the straw that broke the camel's back, I WILL be doing some serious thumb work in the coming weeks!!!

BTW, I found out at Gripmas that my TINY little hands can get a thumb, middle finger and ring finger around the blob's face. For me to lift it would be the most incredible feat I could think of but I think it's possible with an easy blob.

[MalachiMcMullen]

My thumbs just wont heal!!! :angry: My thumbs are as sore today as they were 2 weeks ago after Gripmas, I even took a week and a half off of lifting(except for DL's last week) and most gripwork. I decided today that I'd just say flabbergastenpoopy it and train bending despite my LH thumb and bend alittle/lift.

Earlier today I went after the 5" G5 that was my 3rd attempt at the BBB3, an intense 10 minutes later it's just outside 90 I know, I'm pretty much a failure at bending But I do my best and today my best was not good enough for that G5. 6er's fall in 3 hits in groups of 3 but this 5" has evaded me for near 3 months and it's starting to piss me off... and I think that's helping just a tiny bit I just did a few easy bends after that, 1/4x7 SS and 1/4x6 CRS. I've been bending something for the past 3 days in a row and I've been using some pathetic wraps(P wraps) when shoe bending so my hands are fatigued abit but it still angers me I couldn't finish that G5. I punched myself in the nose when the RH wrap came lose and spun whilst I was pushing, bloody nose and sore cheek, I ended the attempt after that.

Went to the gym today, I was thinking that the MI get together was Sunday so I took a week off only to find out it's actually on the 4th of next month

Power cleans

190x1

210x0(up to my sternum)

GM's

140x5

170x5

Hammer curls

40x12

45x8

50x8

Wrist curls

120x10

140x5

170x1

180x0

130x8

Reverse Curls

70x5

80x5

80x5

70x5

DB rows

75x10

75x10

75x10

and a quick set of 45lb hammer curls.