Record Of Strength

[Darco]

Heÿ Michael, have you started flogging ?

Nice numbers man.

[foggymountainmuscle]

My flog training will get a shot in the arm when I get to go home from school and I can file my trainer down. I need to work more with my #1 too. I haven't forgotten, just unfortunately delayed.

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-14-04

Upper body/gripbash

Thick bar bench

warm up at 135 and 185

205lbs. 1 set of five, 1 set of 4, 1 set of 3, tried to do another double, had nothing left

#1 straphold 2.5lbs. probably could have done 4 lbs. but couldn't find a smaller weight increase, PR, but I don't strap hold too much <-- thorough owned in this event

2 hand pinch, don't want to calculate the warmup and failed attempts, but I got 132.5lbs.

Wrist was bugging me, I didn't make 95lbs. on the reverse curl, which I know I can do.

Chin ups with an extra 30lbs. 1 set of 5, 1 set of 4, almost got the fifth, and one set of 3

Dumbell clean and press with 65lbs. dumbells. 1 set of 5, 1 set of 4, 1 set of 3, had to jerk the last rep of the third set. No other exercise can get you huffing and puffing after 3 reps. This was very heavy, but I did well.

Barbell hammer curls at 45lbs. 1 set of 5, 1 set of 3, 1 set of 2

Thickbar overhead lockouts and holds at 135, 185, and 225 Held the supports kinda long, didn't intend to get skyhigh poundages.

Missed alot of reps but I intended to go heavier than normal, so it should have been expected.

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-15-04

Lower body no belt

One-handed deadlifting, warm up sets for 5 reps at 95 and 185 pounds.

One set of 5 at 230lbs. Single at 265 and 290lbs. All done right and left. Wanted to do more but the lift was wearing out my back, the R ring hurt real bad to hold onto (but it'll make my hands tough) and a rec staff member approached me about how the benches are not designed for that. I straddled the weight between moveable benches. First staff member to notice my unorthadox, and rather abusive, use of the equipment, and it was because he wasn't on duty! He was lifting.

3/4 squat + walkout

warmed up at 135, 225, 315, 405, and 495 doing two reps each set

Did 2 sets at 515, singles, very heavy. Basically trying doing some leg work after roasting my lower back and tried to get a feel for 500lbs. across my back. The weight of the yoke at nationals. Tried to do a third set, but I pushed and it didn't go up and it didn't feel too good.

Finished off with static holds for the neck, 2 sets of 10 seconds, all four sides.

[foggymountainmuscle]

Got my Chinese therapy balls from IM today along with my eagle loops. I can now do clockwise and counterclockwise, touching, clockwise not touching, over under, clockwise palms down, clockwise and counterclockwise with 3.

Pretty good progress for one day I think. I hope to get left to right, right to left, under over, counterclockwise not touching, and palms down counterclockwise tomarrow.

These are just fun to work with!

[wsm_fan_uk]

Did you get the bigger or smaller balls foggymountainmuscle? I am intending to buy a set soon and would like some info re: which size to get.

[foggymountainmuscle]

I got the smaller. They are greatly improving my hand circulation. Building strength from their intense resistance? No, not particularly. But if you were to get the big shots I would be worried that you haven't developed the technique to work with them, some exercises being near impossible and totally impossible with the big shot. Working with big shots would be harder than working with 3 small balls, and trying to learn each exercise with 3 balls instead of 2 slows down the learning, alot. With big shot, you cannot rotate the balls upside down, which is nearly half of the potential exercises with the balls. In the Dexterity ball training for hands book there are basically 11 exercises. Each one increasing in difficulty. Heavy shot rotation is #11, and I cannot imagine exercises beyond #2 being easy for anyone not trained with the balls. So personally I feel working with giant balls, would be like a person who's new to grip training starting on the #2. Quite possible, but by far not the faster and more productive way.

[wsm_fan_uk]

Thanks, I think I'll start small......the smaller ones are cheaper after all

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-18-04

Lower arm and grip work

(filed trainer) No set inverted closes, 5 reps (only 3 good) no set 3 finger closes, Inverted straphold,3 finger inverted hold

#1: 5 inverted negatives, each rep held until the gripper started to widen; one long inverted negative, 5 forced closes/negatives very close together and were INTENSE!

As one Ironmind costumer is quoted saying that these grippers are a workout in themselves, I am inclined to agree. Yet I press on...

2 sets of six negative reverse curls at 90 pounds

2 sets of six negative plate curls at 10Kg, and 25lbs.

Giant carboard tube thickbar. double holds going up to a single at 40lbs. (loading pin not counted)

Eagle loops, just got them. 10 second holds starting at 144 going up to 375 and a single at 424.

Did some single handed extended finger holds on the eagle loops for 3 sets of 12 seconds with 2.5Kg

Cooled down with some hand walking. Basically finger walking with one hand.

Wanted to do more but a tornado warning shut the weight room down, I had to leave anyway.

Made some progress on the Chinese balls, I can now do both side to side directions, clockwise not touching, over under, clockwise upside down, and the others are comming along.

[danegarreau]

Foggy, How do you like the eagle loops? Are they worth buying? How do they feel compared to a normal deadlift?

[foggymountainmuscle]

Picture a deadhold with the weight on your fingers. So far, I like them because it's training my fingers on some really heavy weight and I'm hoping it will carry over to the farmers walk, beacause it was feeling like that. Neck, shoulders, bicept, and forearms all pulling as the weight dug into my hand. I also discovered you can just grab the things with your hand and do a plier lift with the barbell.

[Darco]

Wanted to do more but a tornado warning shut the weight room down, I had to leave anyway.

Ya, I hate when that happens.......

[danegarreau]

Do the eagle loops hurt? From what you have said i think i may get a pair of them.

[foggymountainmuscle]

There are many grip exercises that I do that are far more painful than the loops. I think bent over rows with these things will be awsome. I'd imagine I'll come up with a couple more different ways to use them too. I bought them with the idea that it will strength/toughen the tendons of my fingers to take the high pressure of heavy grippers.

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-18-05

Clean & Jerk

I was doing alright until I caught a few cleans in a manner that really hurt my right elbow. Luckily I re-evaluated my form and it is better than ever. 200 pounds felt like nothing but I didn't go higher because of my elbow and my need for technique improvement. The rest of this week will be devolted to olympic lifting. My strength and speed are great, I just need to patiently improve my technique and I am certain I will greatly surpass my PRs in Olympic lifting.

Earlier in the day I tore 32 cards wrapped in two layers of duck tape, I think I'm ready for a full deck, but I do not have any more cards.

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-20-04

Snatch

Great improvement in technique this workout. I got up to a double at 176lbs. after doing 2 sets of 2 and one set of 5 at 155lbs. I thought 200lbs. was a sure thing, but I didn't make it, so I dropped down to 185, still didn't make it. Then I tried to do much lighter weights, only to find I couldn't do those! I was really mad, but then I realized that I was just worn out. I worked alot and the fatigue made me lose my speed.

My technique was spot on, and I'm trying to increase my volume and it's helping. Soon, very soon, my platues will be far behind me.

[foggymountainmuscle]

Did some work Friday, nothing I felt worth reporting.

Did some community service building a house all day Saturday.

Stayed off the grip because some tendons in my left had were irritated.

05-24-04

Lower body, no belt

Rock bottom squats: 5 reps at 135, 185, 225, 2 sets of 5 at 290 and one set of 6

Really pumped up for the set, felt like a toothpick so I wanted to get 8 on the last set, but ran out of gas. It was heavy, but I tricked myself into thinking it wasn't. Next time I'll get to work 315 for 3X5, 3 45s is just a nice working number.

3/4 squats and walkouts: 315, 375, 445 Tried to go higher but wasn't happening, so I did some 1/3 squats, then dropped it back down to 445 for 1 set of 1/3 squats 445. Groin was fried.

I did some static holds on this plate loaded calf apparatise. 5 reps held for 5 seconds

2 sets at 320 and 1 set at 370. Last set was tough, had to catch my breath because it dug into my chest the whole set.

Cooled down with some arm parallel snatches and stretching.

[foggymountainmuscle]

Before I forget, the 3 sets of 5 were at 295. Strange that I would sell myself short like that. 290 moving up to 315 would look a bit too much when I come back to referance to this.

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-25-04

Upper Body

Chest press with plates: 3 sets of 5 with 2 15Kg and 1 10Kg plate. Tough sets, first set I came up with the fith to standing then immediately they fell out my my grasp. After the second set it was sure I could make five on the next, so I attempted 2 15Kg and 2 10kg plates, very heavy, just broke them off the ground two times. I finished with the last set.

Thick bar dumbell rows at 70. I wrapped the towel around the dumbell to make the grip really thick. I got five the first two sets with my right and 4 on the last one. My left arm was hard pressed to get 3 by the last set and never got 5. Had I not used the thickbar, 75 might have been easy, how lame would that have been?

Thickbar Floor presses at 195: got all five reps on the first set, 4th rep of the second set was nothing short of a battle. Got three on the last set and did a cheat rep which was not let down too easy.

Thickbar dumbell bicept curls at 40lbs. Very thick grip. 4 reps first set, 3 reps the second set, 2 reps second set with 3 additional cheated reps. Didn't feel heavy in my hands, but 95 on a barbell would have been easier.

Shoulders were worked well enough on the other exercises; no heavy pressing this time. Cooled down with 10 reps of clean and press with the 40s.

My contempt for the university gym was near the boiling point. I had to listen, watch, and snicker as some guy was teaching this girl all these useless shoulder gyrations with 2.5 plates in each hand. "Will this make my shoulders big?" she asked. Don't worry your pretty little head, nothing will grow from moving 2.5 pounds. The guy gave me some questionable looks, I think he might have figured out my sighs, groans, and snickers were directed at him though they were not very audable. I was warming up for the chest press and gathering plates; their location was an inconvenience to me, and they soon moved on before the real work started, thank God.

During my curling I witness some physics in momentum from a guy doing reclining dumbell curls, and a lesson in leverage from some guys on the preacher curl bench. Then a trio of skinny guys who just walked into the gym went up to the dumbell rack and did some shrugs that were difficult to determine any amount of upward motion from the shoulders. Then there were two loud women working with small dumbells next to each other, who would laugh and fill the gym with sound. Well that's my rant and a rather simplified one at that, luckily my concentration lied elsewhere, as I cannot recall anything going on during my sets.

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-26-04

Grip workout I didn't feel like reporting until now.

Warm up with the chinese balls.

Quartering 35 cards wrapped in a single layer of ducktape. (did the full deck with 3 layers a few days ago)

Filed trainer no sets as a warmup, 5 each hand.

All grip sets were exstremely shallow, almost no set.

1 sets (almost no set) 5 reps each hand (right hand nailed all five) (left hand didn't hit any, but hairline close for the first 2 reps.)

1 set of 6 forced #2 closes

1 set of 4 #2 attempts while holding the spring (The gripper training was all very painful on many different levels, nothing dangerous or injurious though.)

2 sets of 45 second holds using the eagle loops on the back of the last finger joints. Used the IM loading pin and some chain as weight.

2 sets of finger walking and one set of reverse finger walking with the loading pin and chain.

Had some forearm soreness from yesterdays thickbar work.

05-27-05

Tore up two phone books. Cleaning out my dorm and didn't want to throw away a phone book untorn. Tore the first one pretty good, from the top. Then as a cool down I tore it at the binding. Then I tore a second one at the top, not too clean, kinda cheated, grabbed the center mass of the untorn pages to tear at. Exhausting business, wet, slick, and smelly. Cut the back of my thumbs, probably have a blister and got black ink smeared on my face. My wrist said "no" but the whole time I was saying "boy howdy"!

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-29-04

Backyard Strongman

Warmed up with some barrel lifting. I need to get my own barrel instead of relying on ones with ever changing amounts of chicken feed. Did some cleans and continentals with the two barrels, but it got too easy after I got the hang of it. It's quite fun to throw up the barrel and feel the chicken feed or water smack you in the chest.

I moved on to our winter traction sandbags. Made a big sandbag by duck taping two together, which was of keen interest to all the chickens. The tape held well untile I dropped the bags.

Did a bear hug and walk with 2 sandbags, 140lbs. Didn't get as far as I wanted. Second time I got exactly as far as I wanted. 50-60 some yards. Moved up to three sandbags, only made it to about 25 yards, did a second set, similiar distance. 2 sandbags was a cake walk after that. Then I did some walks with one sandbag on top of my head, 2 sets on the forehead, 2 sets behind my head. Great neck work.

Did alot of sledge work, lots of explosive movements, swings, jumping up and down the length of the handle, walking with the hammer perfectly straight in the air, (big challenge when you have to smack deer flies off yourself), and I finished it off with some weaver stick lifting, working my way down the handle at every rep.

That's about it, hopefully I'll get some money and can start making more strongman impliments.

[foggymountainmuscle]

05-31-05

Upper Body

2 sets of 10 brick rotations with 6 bricks ( 5 each side) This exercise is in the Grip Master's Manual. Then I did another set with 7 bricks for the same number of reps.

Could have done another set but I wanted to go onto a max brick lift. Now before when doing brick rotation I did not allow my hand to touch more than one brick, as I got past 8 bricks, I allowed myself to let my hands do whatever they needed to. I got up to 12 bricks. Tried 13, tried 12 wide plus another brick on top, no go. Brick lifting will be my primary means of working my chest over the summer.

Did some overhead pressing with one winter traction sandbag. It was wet so God knows how much it really weighed. One sandbag would be too easy, so I placed the sandbag on one hand. The width and weight of the sand bag made my hand open real wide and my wrist very extended, poor leverage, good to go. I needed some assistance with the opposite arm but the one arm did most of the work. Did 2 sets of 5 each side and it nearly killed me.

Did some more brick lifting. Basically I did one handed brick lifting, with one brick longways in my hand with 2 bricks stacked parallel to my body on the other end of id. I did some curls with that, close to a plate curl but the position of the wrist was more dynamic throughout the curl to keep the bricks on there. One set of 4, one set of 3, one set of 2. I then bumped it up to 3 bricks on the end and then four, basically just getting some air under the stack. Did those until I couldn't do anymore, then did the other side and repeated.

Finished with 2 sets of finger walks with my axe.

[foggymountainmuscle]

04-02-05

Bending

Wanted to do lower body but it was impossible, I needed someone else to help me. I'll get it tomarrow.

2 9.5" lengths of zinc plated steel

1 length of 8.5" zinc plated steel

2 lengths of center filed 8.5" zps

1 length of 7" zps

Grinded the center of the steel lengths I could not get. While bending with the weakened lengths, I basically bend in a manner that used the opposite hands to work more evenly. The filed lengths broke after bending. I tried using filing to help work up to my bending, but I do not think it's the best way. The filed lengths would move if you kept applying pressure in such a manner that would not budge a normal piece of metal. This may not be true of every metal, so I may try again.

I didn't want to get zps, but I could not find the right width of aluminum or grade 2 carrage bolt.

There was some steel at Home Depo that was not labeled HRS or CRS. It was dark, almost black, and kinda grimy. Does this sound like HRS to anyone? I haven't seen the stuff before.

[danegarreau]

I think the steel from Home Depot is HRS, and yes it is nasty and gets all over your hands. Just take an old washrag and wipe it down.

[foggymountainmuscle]

Thanks Dane, I hope to get some HRS tomarrow then.

I've not gotten to work out like I wanted to for the past few days, unfortunate cercumstances didn't allow me to work with my stuff.

06-06-05

Small barrel I just got yesterday. Filled it with water and lifted it to standing by the shoulder. I switched sides each rep. One hand under the barrel, one hand to the side of it.

Warmed up with 3 on each side, about half full.

I think I ended up doing 6 on each side for this set, maybe just 5 but it was more than the last set.

4 on each side, more water put into the barrel. This set was probably the toughest, really left me gasping.

2 on each side this set, heavy.

1 on each side

full barrel 1 on each side, would be considered cheating compared to the form in the previous sets. Going from half to a full barrel should give you an indication of how much water was added each set. Great lift for the lower and middle back, the core, and it got the wrist and bicep involved.

2 sets of sandbag neck support walks, front and back. 3 barn lengths each set.

That's it, hoping to have a good bending and grip workout tomarrow. Did some light work with my filed trainer and worked with the Chinese balls. I think I found something good. Move the lower arm up and down as you rotate the balls, keep the rotation up while your wrist is at different angles. Palms up and down. This got some blood into new parts of my hand.