Brent's Log

[barbe705]

2/1/12

warm up

vulcan level 7 5x3

RT 90# 10/15/15/15/21

2" roller 503 60sec 2/2

dog got me up at 3am to go out. I had a hard time getting up and moving. glad I did. doing the Rt I realized the sets were easy and decided to see what I could do on the last one. I think I had a couple more in me but, I have to set it down quietly and didn't want to push. I will be hitting more reps in the earlier sets going forward.

[barbe705]

this is a test to see if a word chart can be copied straight in

1.Jedd Johnson,

USA

Some k

Gmas

2011WR

Some guy

Uk

Kilos

Wsh

2012

Finland dude

Finland

Weight

Hhhhh

2011

looks good and lines up. after typing jedd I realized I didn't want to take the time unless this worked. sorry

[barbe705]

1.Jedd Johnson USA 121.65k GMAS 2011WR
2.Steve Gardener England 117.5k WCPB 2010**
3.Laurence Shahlaei England 117.5k WCPB 2010**
4.David Horne England 116.22k WSH 2010WR
5.Chad Woodall USA 116.0k GC 2009WR
6.Martin Arildsson Sweden 112.1k LGCXVII 2007WR
7.Aaron Corcorran USA 112.0k WSH 2010
8.Nick McKinless England 110.52k WSH 2010
9.David Thorton USA 108.9k WSH 2010
10.Adam Glass USA 108.88k GGC 2011
11.Rex Hubbard USA 108.6k AZCGII 2009
12.Juha Harju Finland 106.1k FC 2011
13.Ross Love USA 106.1k RCGC 2011
14.Timo Tuukkanen Finland 106.3k WSH 2011
15.Andrew Durniat USA 105.87k GMAS 2011
16.Chris Rice USA 105.4k GMAS 2011
17.Brad Ardrey USA 105.2k GC 2009
18.Tim Struse USA 105.06k GGC 2011
19.Rob Russell England 105.0k RCGC 2011
20.Paul Knight USA 104.69k RCGC 2011
21.Brent Barbe USA 104.65k GMAS 2011
22.Jouni Pakarinen Finland 103.6k FC 2011
23.Eric Milfred USA 102.9k ETC 2011
24.John Eaton USA 101.5k LAJ 2009
25.Parris Janusek USA 101.5k CGC 2010
26.Dickey Oskarsson Sweden 101.4k NGCIII 2007
27.Seth Johnson USA 100.79k MM3 2011
28.David Stiff Australia 100.44k WSH 2011
29.Dean Bolt Wales 100.3k IG 2004
30.Timo Lauttamus Finland 100.18k WSH 2011
31.Matti Heiskanen Finland 98.2k WSH 2010
32.Tommy Heslep USA 97.8k CGC 2010
33.Josh Dale USA 97.48k GGC 2011
34.Harry Shahlaei England 97.2k WCPC 2007**
35.Gabriel Sum Germany 96.0k HGC 2009
36. Bob Brannan USA 95.94k MM3 2011
37.Travis Alcorn USA 95.6k GC 2007
38.Jeff Parker USA 95.51 WSH 2011
39.Steve McGranahan USA 95.1k CC 2005
40.Nick Rosendaul USA 94.54k WSH 2010
41.Clayton Gellatly USA 94.8k GC 2009
42.Ivan Beritashvili Russia 94.07k WSH 2011
43.Todd Coenen USA 93.9k GC 2010
44.Kalle Lane Sweden 93.5k LGCXVII 2007
45.Brendan Gerber USA 93.38 GMAS 2011
46.Brandon Axevedo USA 93.3k AZCGIII 2010
47.Daniel Reinard USA 93.23k WSH 2011
48.Johan Albrektsson Sweden 93.1k NGCIII 2007
49.Sam Solomi England 93.1k BHSAGC 2009
50.Rosario Cusenza USA 93.0k GC 2009

[barbe705]

test

[barbe705]

2/2/12

forgot to enter this yesterday. and then I left todays notes at home. I'll get them in tonight.

warm

vulcan level 10 6x4

2hp 61mm 135# 5x4 35# backloaded

45# hub 5x1

blocks x1 45/50/55/55/50. after the second 55 I knew I wouldn't make the third. but, I think next light 2hp day I'll be able to get the 55 for 3.

parris dynamic pinch board 12.5#/12.5# 2x25

ext lifts super setted with blocks and board pinch.

[barbe705]

2/3/12

warm up

climber curl 4x10 75# eaton style.

reverse axle wrist curls 3xfail

2/6/12

warm

vulcan 5x3 level 7

RT 5x4 135#

2: roller 50# 60sec 2/2

[barbe705]

2/7/11

warm up

2hp 58mm

50 1x3

100 1x3

120

140

150

170

190

200

205

210

the best i have ever pulled on my device was 205. that was right before WSH3 2011 when I then pulled about 215 at andrews. at gripmas I pulled 225, didn't get to try 230, 235 broke the ground. I don't have a test lift recorded at home from right before gripmas, going to look around online a bit more. so, not sure what this means for me. I also did axle rows and some grip force work last night at the gym so my hands might not have been their freshest.

[Cannon]

Nice! I have to track my progress the same way. "Most I've pulled on mine" versus "what I've lifted at Adam's". It seems like in general I gain 15-20lbs on Adam's setup.

I still have not been able to get my plates from that bulk order to take chalk. They are suuuuuuuuper slick. Yours are seasoning okay?

[barbe705]

I have basically competed on 2 sets of plates. andrew's and jedd's. I and usually good for 20+ pounds better on jedd's than mine. that could also be comp conditions, etc. I'm not as sure where I fall with andrew's plates but, I should still be good for some extra.

my plates have seasoned somewhat. there are clear spots where my finger tips touch and where my thumbs are. past that the plates are for the most part still clean. there's some surface rust forming but it seems to be colored more than texture. when I first got the plates I scrubbed then down with alcohol. not sure if I did anything else to them? I might have scrubbed them with soap and then used the alcohol. everytime I use them I rub them off with an old tshirt to get the dust/chalk/rust off and then start my sets. sometimes if it seems like I'm leaving a lot of moisture behind I'll take the chalk ball and rub it across the plates.

I guess if you really wanted them to crust up you could keep a spray bottle there and mist them after each session. not sure how that would work. I also recall that I asked about this for block weights once and people suggested vinegar and salt coating. I think that would be a bit of a pain in the but. tracking your home numbers and knowing how to calculate for comp conditions might be the best way to go. also, last time I was at andrew's he was using a wire brush on his whenever he trained. said he got the idea from aaron. they felt pretty slick that day but, didn't seem to affect numbers that much.

forgot to add this. so, I call my setup 50#. this is not true but makes things easier, especially with changing spacers and stuff all the time. the 210# I pulled this am was actually 217.5#

Nice! I have to track my progress the same way. "Most I've pulled on mine" versus "what I've lifted at Adam's". It seems like in general I gain 15-20lbs on Adam's setup.

I still have not been able to get my plates from that bulk order to take chalk. They are suuuuuuuuper slick. Yours are seasoning okay?

[Cannon]

Hmmm, I wonder if my setup is heavier than I think. I've weighed it before and I swear it was 45-ish lbs. That's what I use for my numbers. Do you have a solid bar through the middle or anything? The conveyor belt that I used for spacers is very dense and heavy. I should weigh my 58mm set up again.

Thanks for the tips Brent. I think I just need to use the stupid thing more and more. I did a stupid thing a while back---I was not happy with how they were seasoning (can't even remember why) so I cleaned them back down to smooth, shiny plates. Had to start completely over with the seasoning. So now I've only got a couple of months on them.

[barbe705]

part of the reason I just call it 50# is that we changed pipes out. the stuff I have for spacers is the crumbled recycled tire material. it's got a lot of air holes in it and weighs a good bit less than other peoples materials. I think that jedd's 2hp at the same width weighs like, 62#?? and his bar is 6" shorter.

doesn't take too much to reweigh it.

for the seasoning I would just use it. maybe do pulls from different hand positions to hit more area on the plates. hit it with chalk after training. just wipe it off with a cloth until it gets really crusty.

Hmmm, I wonder if my setup is heavier than I think. I've weighed it before and I swear it was 45-ish lbs. That's what I use for my numbers. Do you have a solid bar through the middle or anything? The conveyor belt that I used for spacers is very dense and heavy. I should weigh my 58mm set up again.

Thanks for the tips Brent. I think I just need to use the stupid thing more and more. I did a stupid thing a while back---I was not happy with how they were seasoning (can't even remember why) so I cleaned them back down to smooth, shiny plates. Had to start completely over with the seasoning. So now I've only got a couple of months on them.

[barbe705]

2/8/12

warm vulcan 5x3 level 7.

tonight at the gym I'll hit some axle deadlifts for speed and axle shrugs. that's it until andrew's comp on saturday. this marks the end of a training experiment of sorts. training every weekday before work for about 6 weeks. I had to only go 4 days for 2 weeks because of work and getting super sick at christmas. I think it's gone well. here's why I think it worked.

warm up became a staple. played around with this before but, I think I have it down to a science now.

rehab/recovery got done nearly every day. I kept a pair of golf balls at work and would use them to massage the hand and forearm. I would also rotate them for bloodflow. just a little bit a day has helped me feel a lot better.

intense but short sessions. since I have to go to work the clock is ticking. I had already decided on this format when I read josh dale's thoughts about AW training and brzink. the idea was that john was pulling 4 days a week but keeping it to about an hour. faster recovery and greater gains.

I've been trying to wave my weights/reps/equipment to keep things fresh. some of this I will keep some of it will be discarded in favor of something else.

some exercises have been cut out because they are potentially too loud. for instance I can't do drop passes with blocks because if I miss BOOM. I am trying to think of ways to add some of these things back in. I think drop passes are great and I need to hit them more often.

now I guess it's just go to the comp and see what happens.

[climber511]

part of the reason I just call it 50# is that we changed pipes out. the stuff I have for spacers is the crumbled recycled tire material. it's got a lot of air holes in it and weighs a good bit less than other peoples materials. I think that jedd's 2hp at the same width weighs like, 62#?? and his bar is 6" shorter.

doesn't take too much to reweigh it.

for the seasoning I would just use it. maybe do pulls from different hand positions to hit more area on the plates. hit it with chalk after training. just wipe it off with a cloth until it gets really crusty.

Hmmm, I wonder if my setup is heavier than I think. I've weighed it before and I swear it was 45-ish lbs. That's what I use for my numbers. Do you have a solid bar through the middle or anything? The conveyor belt that I used for spacers is very dense and heavy. I should weigh my 58mm set up again.

Thanks for the tips Brent. I think I just need to use the stupid thing more and more. I did a stupid thing a while back---I was not happy with how they were seasoning (can't even remember why) so I cleaned them back down to smooth, shiny plates. Had to start completely over with the seasoning. So now I've only got a couple of months on them.

I have found it's hard to judge how I'll do on pinch on any given day by the feel of the plates. My plates are smooth and I lift within a few pounds of what I do on Jedd's which have some texture. Too much texture seems worse than not so much. The biggest thing for me is too much chalk buildup is a bad thing - I clean mine every session - just a quick brush with a towel - not down to clean or aything but I don't allow any real buildup either. Other factors seem to matter more than "seasoning" for me.

My setup weighs 54.6# at 50mm with my shorter pipe more with the longer pipe obviously..

Edited February 8, 2012 by climber511

[barbe705]

I agree about the feel. I brought this up in the humidity thread. people go on and on about how good it feels and pull crappy. other times they complain that they can't hang on and PR. I've almost gotten to the point where I ignore my judgement. I know what I can do, ignore what I think. if anything go early so you don't bomb. every one goes out to soon or comes in too late.

I have found it's hard to judge how I'll do on pinch on any given day by the feel of the plates. My plates are smooth and I lift within a few pounds of what I do on Jedd's which have some texture. Too much texture seems worse than not so much. The biggest thing for me is too much chalk buildup is a bad thing - I clean mine every session - just a quick brush with a towel - not down to clean or aything but I don't allow any real buildup either. Other factors seem to matter more than "seasoning" for me.

My setup weighs 54.6# at 50mm with my shorter pipe more with the longer pipe obviously..

[Shoggoth]

My setup at 48mm is 54.8# and that's with a aluminum bar.

[Mike Rinderle]

The only thing I'm sure of on Pinch is I'll get just under 200 lbs until my 5th attempt no matter what the setup is.

[barbe705]

signed up for MM1 again. will be hitting it sometime after andrew's comp. the plan is to warm up properly this time. I think I had it last time but was cold when I actually went for the attempt.

[Shoggoth]

signed up for MM1 again. will be hitting it sometime after andrew's comp. the plan is to warm up properly this time. I think I had it last time but was cold when I actually went for the attempt.

You've got it this time bud.

[Cannon]

signed up for MM1 again. will be hitting it sometime after andrew's comp. the plan is to warm up properly this time. I think I had it last time but was cold when I actually went for the attempt.

Rock the awesome gripping power!

[Chez]

Nice, time for revenge.

[barbe705]

2/11/12

durniat grip comp

I had trained super hard for 5 weeks going into this. I felt I had main some big gains and would be able to total elite. I was really wrong.

we left pittsburgh at 6am in some light snow. igot colder as we went and the roads were never really in good shape.

got to the new location, loaded all the gear in and started warming up/loosening up from the car ride. spent some time wandering around the new location and trying to talk to people.

we opened with grippers. they were supposed to be MMS but andrew decided to use a block to screw with me because he's a jerk. I opened with a 165# elite. got it easy. this was the gripper I ended on at andrew's comp in june. it was also the last gripper I closed. for attempt #2 I tried the quad band. after swiping the block I felt like I opened slightly and don't know if I got back to 20mm. #3 was a 175#?? this went about the same as the quad band. passed on 4th attempt. while the block did screw up my set a bit I don't think it made enough of a difference that I would have been able to get a bigger gripper.

2hp felt terrible. not sure why, not sure if it was me. there were so many people there, it was such a long day, the drive, etc. I missed a lot of things I wanted to see. not sure how everyone else felt about the 2hp conditions. I hit 210/220M/220 and then hit 231 and missed. I had been traing 2hp every other grip session and I felt I had brought it up quite a bit. turns out i didn't.

axle. not sure what happened but, while we were warming up I felt a pretty bad pain in my left hamstring. tried rolling it out and some other stuff, no dice. switched to conv and it was fine. not sure what my attempts were but I ended up with 363#. which is what I puller last june. and again, I've been hitting thick bar both in my grip training and in the gym. zero progress.

medley went ok. there were some things I missed that I felt I should have had but, time and sequence can always make easy things hard and hard things impossible. not sure what the weight was on the slim hammers but, I was really shocked I didn't get that. they may have been heavier than I realized. that kind of threw me.

frame hold sucked. something happened in my left tricep and I had to set down before my grip gave. basically same thing as gripmas. I did some band and pushdown work. maybe I need to do some close grip bench to a pretty heavy weight? I'm going to ask around some strongman guys and see if they have any ideas. anyone here?

so, here's the thing. I trained my butt off going into gripmas and then from gripmas into this comp. the end result is that none of my lifts went up. lot's of time and energy spent for nothing. it's difficult to be so angry and decent numbers. but, they're the exact same numbers I was hitting in june. I don't know if I've been training wrong, had a bad day, conditions were off, no idea. I do know that for at least the immediate time I am done with competeing. I will probably still train, I'm undecided about keeping a log. this was a very very frustrating comp. I'm not sure what the future holds or what I want my goals to be but, I will be rethinking a lot of theings over the next week.

[Mike Rinderle]

Sorry things didn't go as planned for you buddy. Take some time off and regroup. We have all had bad comps. Get some rest and let things settle for a week and then reassess.

[Shoggoth]

Sorry to hear that Brent but like you said it could've been a number of factors. If your gym lifts were going up you know damn well you were stronger. Something else got you bud.

[Jedd Johnson]

I had to re-read the whole post to make sure I read it correctly that you might quit competing after having one bad comp in the middle of Winter. I still can't believe what I am reading right now.

[barbe705]

it is a bit more complicated than that. things are stressful right now with everything that's going on. to spend the time and energy training, the time energy and money to compete, and then have such contrary results. from the way my training had been going I expected to PR in grippers, pinch, and axle. I expected some pretty good pr's as well, not just a pound or two. so, the questions are:

am I training right? did I actually get stronger?

am I looking at my training wrong? should I have expected pr's?

at this point do I still not know how to compete?

also, a lot of the guys who were there had big PR's/performances. so, if I continue to kill myself in training the best I can hope for is to lose by a smaller margin going forward. that's not exactly something to look forward to, spend a lot of time and energy working towards, etc. so, like I said, I'm taking this week of and trying to decide what to do.

I had to re-read the whole post to make sure I read it correctly that you might quit competing after having one bad comp in the middle of Winter. I still can't believe what I am reading right now.