Blacksmith513 training log

[matek]

21 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

My breathing is pretty much back to normal.  

Good to hear!

21 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Weighed two of my sandbags, one is like 56lbs the other is 120lbs, then i have my 160 and 180lbs... I'm gonna start squatting the two lighter ones this week. Maybe i'll see if i can still overhead press the 120lbs one. I should be able to.

Never tried pressing a sandbag. Sounds like a very good exercise. 

[Gripperer]

4 hours ago, matek said:

Good to hear!

Never tried pressing a sandbag. Sounds like a very good exercise. 

It is. I mean, it can be. Problem is with sandbags is that they are never totally uniform. Some people's sandbag are loose, some packed like a stone, some in between. Some have handles (crossfit), some don't (strongman). Some are narrow and long, some are like a sphere. Etc. 

A strongman sandbag can be rough to press. Even a floor press with a 50kg bag can take you by surprise, because you don't have a proper hand hold, and it forces your grip to do odd things. You'll be left thinking "I can bench way more than this," when actually you have a really narrow grip and are having to balance the thing, making for much slower and more arduous reps. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by Gripperer
Correcting child-level grammar

[Blacksmith513]

34 minutes ago, Gripperer said:

It is. I mean, it can be. Problem is with sandbags is that they are never totally uniform. Some people's sandbag are loose, some packed like a stone, some in between. Some have handles (crossfit), some don't (strongman). Some are narrow and long, some are like a sphere. Etc. 

A strongman sandbag can be rough to press. Even a floor press with a 50kg bag can take you by surprise, because you don't have a proper hand hold, and it forces your grip to do odd things. You'll be left thinking "I can bench way more than this," when actually you have a really narrow grip and are having to balance the thing, making for much slower and more arduous reps. 

All of mine are different. My 160lbs is ust different bags of sand tapped together and its a real beast. The 180 is 3 60lbs tube bags of sand. Thats hard and havent gotten used to the weight distribution. I forget what my 120lbs is.  No handles thats for cheaters. 

I'm excited to get that sandbag muscle back.

[Blacksmith513]

5 hours ago, matek said:

Good to hear!

Never tried pressing a sandbag. Sounds like a very good exercise. 

Thanks.. This was up there with longest virus i ever had.  Had I known it would be almost a month i would have gone to the Drs. I know it was caused from dust and mold at work. Wear a mask in dusty environments. 

 

give sandbags a go. Even carries are super beneficial.

 

[Gripperer]

6 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

All of mine are different. My 160lbs is ust different bags of sand tapped together and its a real beast. The 180 is 3 60lbs tube bags of sand. Thats hard and havent gotten used to the weight distribution. I forget what my 120lbs is.  No handles thats for cheaters. 

I'm excited to get that sandbag muscle back.

Nice. What exercises can you manage with the 180lbs one? 

[Blacksmith513]

12 hours ago, Gripperer said:

Nice. What exercises can you manage with the 180lbs one? 

Nothing yet, maybe just carrying it. Tried overhead pressing the 120lbs, no go. I'll get there again!

[Blacksmith513]

Handstand pushup practice

44lbs kb 3x3 overhead press going to work hard on this... I used to do the 72lbs one, but might have used a little leg drive I forget.

 

RGT left  1 rep

87.25

87.5

87.75

88

87.75

 

Right 1 rep

87.25

87.5

87.75

88

88.25

 

NN 2x5 pinch  strength felt way down with this.. a month ago I was in this range but it felt easy

132.5x3

135x3

137.5x2

135x3

135x3

137.5x1

139x1

 

Inch Deload holds i adjusted it so know im lifting with 1 hand again

Left

3in 3 seconds

3in 2 seconds

4 inch 3 seconds

 

Right

3 inch 2 seconds

3 inch 3 seconds

3 inch 2 seconds

2h inch negatives

3x3 each hand

 

NN 3x4 pinch

90x3

100x3

100x3

 

Ring Pull ups 

10lbs 3x2

12.5lbs 3x1

 

TRX Dips   Saturdays i'll do ring dips no weight

10lbs 10repsx2

12.5 8 repsx1

 

Chest Krusher 4 springs bottom position 

1, 2,2

 

Sandbag carries 160lbs 1 set 20 seconds

Sidewinder and extensor bands

 

Feeling a lot better but i gotta build my strength up again.  Would like to start doing some sandbag shouldering on Mondays. 

 Scary stuff going on in America today.  Don't want to get political on here but its gotta be said.  I fear things are going to get very ugly.

Edited April 4, 2023 by Blacksmith513

[Gripperer]

16 minutes ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Nothing yet, maybe just carrying it. Tried overhead pressing the 120lbs, no go. I'll get there again!

Well 180lbs is a big bag. I squat, row and front carry my 160lbs one. My goal is to shoulder carry it, but I haven't braved it yet. Normally with a bag 125lbs or less I will flip it onto the shoulder, but this one will be more of a wrestle. 

I've got a 105lbs bag as well, which I hope to overhead press soon. I used to, and slightly heavier, but tore up a shoulder last year. So I'm building strength in the OHP with dumbbells for another month yet. 

 

If you can JUST carry the 180 let alone do anything else with it, that's a good degree of strength. I find that if you carry with hands reach over the top (as though you were going to extend and dump it onto a ledge like an atlas stone), it starts to involve the upper back and not just the glutes/lower back. 

[John Knowlton]

KILLER WORKOUT 

[Gripperer]

Hope you don't mind me throwing this thought on your log BS:

Sandbag squats, because of the bag's depth and how you have to hold it, I find that in squatting you are really having to resist tipping over. 

I think compared to barbell back squats, this is awesome for the posterior chain, but not so stimulating for the legs unless you tweak the technique. 

I'm trying to make them more quad dominant by gradually (per session) starting with my knees at a more acute angle (I do seated squats with a quick touch n' go). 

Seems to be working.

If we keep at this sandbag work we're going to end up with monstrous spinal erectors and glutes, you know... Especially throwing in good mornings, rows from the floor, and front carries. 

Edited April 5, 2023 by Gripperer

[Blacksmith513]

2 hours ago, Gripperer said:

Hope you don't mind me throwing this thought on your log BS:

Sandbag squats, because of the bag's depth and how you have to hold it, I find that in squatting you are really having to resist tipping over. 

I think compared to barbell back squats, this is awesome for the posterior chain, but not so stimulating for the legs unless you tweak the technique. 

I'm trying to make them more quad dominant by gradually (per session) starting with my knees at a more acute angle (I do seated squats with a quick touch n' go). 

Seems to be working.

If we keep at this sandbag work we're going to end up with monstrous spinal erectors and glutes, you know... Especially throwing in good mornings, rows from the floor, and front carries. 

You are right I think. It def works the spinal erectors big time. I dont mind at all, post whatever you want here whenever.

The problem with sandbags is, you just dont get the same muscle stimulation you'd get from iron. 

But thats not a bad thing either, you can get really strong, just in a different way.

Edited April 5, 2023 by Blacksmith513

[Blacksmith513]

today 20min 3500m C2 and 10 minutes yoga

 

jury duty today

[John Knowlton]

FUN FUN FUN 

[Blacksmith513]

5 hours ago, John Knowlton said:

FUN FUN FUN 

Haha I wish Been sitting in a courthouse all day. The case is 3-4 weeks long if I get picked. I have some serious work obligations I can’t really get out of. Hope the judge is feeling nice.

[John Knowlton]

When it's your turn to talk to the judge, tell him you're the sole provider for a family business and if you don't work, you don't get paid total hardship it has worked for me in the past. Good luck.

[Blacksmith513]

6 minutes ago, John Knowlton said:

When it's your turn to talk to the judge, tell him you're the sole provider for a family business and if you don't work, you don't get paid total hardship it has worked for me in the past. Good luck.

I’ll do that. I promised a really good customer back in December , someone my known for 40 years I’d watch over his roughly 200 apartments while he takes his family away in two weeks. It’s a huge responsibility and this guy trusts nobody and I’m going to be on call for a week.

[Blacksmith513]

1 hour ago, John Knowlton said:

When it's your turn to talk to the judge, tell him you're the sole provider for a family business and if you don't work, you don't get paid total hardship it has worked for me in the past. Good luck.

Told them i trust a police officers testimony more, i'm needed for work, sorta acted like an idiot (which isn't hard for me to do).. And from the facts i heard already the guy is guilty and it would be hard to change my mind. 

 

It was for a murder. So glad i didn't get called. Almost finished my book on Louis Cyr. That man was incredible. Very inspirational to me. He lived about 35 minutes from me in Lowell Massachusetts for a bit.

 

 

[Gripperer]

20 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

You are right I think. It def works the spinal erectors big time. I dont mind at all, post whatever you want here whenever.

The problem with sandbags is, you just dont get the same muscle stimulation you'd get from iron. 

But thats not a bad thing either, you can get really strong, just in a different way.

That's right, the ergonomic qualities of a dumbbell/barbell, plus the ability to increase the load by small increments, make them better for hypertrophy for sure. Imagine trying to spot-target small muscles with a sandbag, ain't going to happen. 

I tell you what I like about sandbags though, is the lack of spinal compression. Because the thing is so unergonomic and the load is farther from one's centre of gravity, like we said above, the resistance is more in the form of a disadvantaged lever, as opposed to total weight. 

I was always a little nervous about deadlifts due to the amount of weight you end up carrying, especially if you're into using a belt and straps and all that stuff. Not saying you can't deadlift safely, but it always made me uneasy supporting 800lbs through my spine (yeah right, I WISH I could deadlift that amount, although my point remains).

Back to hypertrophy, I don't massively care about it, but I'm finding that as a minimal kit, my couple of sandbags (compounds) plus some resistance bands (isolations) are doing a great job.

Now the question is, when will I stop banging on about bags of sand

Don't hold your breath. 

[Stephen Ruby]

10 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

Told them i trust a police officers testimony more, i'm needed for work, sorta acted like an idiot (which isn't hard for me to do).. And from the facts i heard already the guy is guilty and it would be hard to change my mind. 

 

It was for a murder. So glad i didn't get called. Almost finished my book on Louis Cyr. That man was incredible. Very inspirational to me. He lived about 35 minutes from me in Lowell Massachusetts for a bit.

 

 

I'm glad you could get out of jury duty.  What book did you read btw on Louis Cyr? He had some absolutely insane feats of strength. He was one of my strength heros when I first started working out as a kid. I've wanted to watch the movie on him for a while. 

 

I remember my favorite contest in strongman was Fortissimus. The 2008 contest was one of the best events I watched in strongman with Derek Poundstone winning in the last event picking up a stone that had not been lifted in over a 100 years since Louis Cyr. 

 

 

 

[Blacksmith513]

1 hour ago, Stephen Ruby said:

I'm glad you could get out of jury duty.  What book did you read btw on Louis Cyr? He had some absolutely insane feats of strength. He was one of my strength heros when I first started working out as a kid. I've wanted to watch the movie on him for a while. 

 

I remember my favorite contest in strongman was Fortissimus. The 2008 contest was one of the best events I watched in strongman with Derek Poundstone winning in the last event picking up a stone that had not been lifted in over a 100 years since Louis Cyr. 

 

 

 

great video. I'd like to start stone lifting. I have an 180lbs one I took from a job. 

Thanks, My family and I spent like 3 weeks in court last year to remove a trustee from a trust who did some very unethical stuff. I found the whole thing interesting and if this was a short trial I think it would be a good experience, but due to work and being in court myself last year I really am so relieved I got excused.

The book is called Louis Cry Amazing Canadian and its by Ben Weider. Its an easy read but a good book. What an interesting life he had.

[Blacksmith513]

tired after jury duty went with my nephews to see new Super Mario Bros movie last night. 

warm up hindu squats push ups and HSPU progressino

WD2 orange spring 3-3x3 3-4 2 reps 3 reps 4-3 w reps

 

had to find 1 rep max with 2h sledge  could have gone higher but ROM felt different and don't want to strain my wrists

Levering 2h sledge  

10lbsx1

15lbsx1

17lbsx1 my 1rep max im comfortable with

 

14lbs sledge

27"x3x2 sets

28x3 x3 sets

 

Bending 

DO

3/16x6 square 2f IMP 6 seconds

60d suede 10 seconds

60d suede 9 seconds

 

Reverse suedes

5.5" 60d 11 seconds

6"x1/4 CRS 52 seconds

5.5"x1/4 CRS  1 min 54 seconds

 

ISOS with 60dbright 

reverse 3x7 seconds each hand

DO 3x7 seconds

 

56lbs Sandbag squat

3x2

Get ups with 56lbs bag

2 each side... 

 

extensor bands and Sidetwister and Sidewinder

 

 

[John Knowlton]

nice work

did you get picked for the jury?

[Blacksmith513]

9 minutes ago, John Knowlton said:

nice work

did you get picked for the jury?

NOPE! I don’t want to get into the specifics but the guy got in an altercation with the guy he killed. Called him a derogatory name, proceeded to kill them then turned himself in half hour later. 
 

I essentially told the judge,  it sounds like he clearly did it and admitted to it, and that I’d take a cop’s testimony over a civilians. Plus my work obligations.

[Gripperer]

56lbs 3x2, is that 3 sets of 2? Seems too light and low volume for you. I know you did some Hindu squats before though.

[Blacksmith513]

12 minutes ago, Gripperer said:

56lbs 3x2, is that 3 sets of 2? Seems too light and low volume for you. I know you did some Hindu squats before though.

Yeah it was light, but I did something to my lower back/ glute at work and I didn’t want to push it. I’ve actually never done get ups with a sandbag but it really works the core.