MarkKO's training log

[MarkKO]

Slight change of plans, I talked to Mark and I'm going to do South Coast Strongest in mid June and THEN ACT Strongest in November. I need the experience and the timed work out nicely.

Also, I haven't worn an ankle brace since Sunday and it's been fine. Went for a single lap weighted vest walk as I need to start those up again. Time was OK, heart rate average and max were what I would expect if I'd been doing them regularly, which is a win.

From the get go, some tightness and discomfort from the rear of the ankle/Achilles area and all the way up to the back of the knee so not quite normal yet but nothing I'm too concerned about. I'll need to see how this progresses though.

[MarkKO]

Went for another single lap weighted vest walk and came in faster than yesterday without any real change in average or max heart rate. Ankle and calf also felt noticeably better so that's some good progress.

Tomorrow training starts again, which I am genuinely excited about.

[houzi]

Late to the party here, but seems you had a good showing at your strongman comp! Congrats mate!

[MarkKO]

Late to the party here, but seems you had a good showing at your strongman comp! Congrats mate!

Thanks. I enjoyed it immensely, and I'm more excited for the next competition than I have been in a while. This is usually a good sign.

[MarkKO]

Ok, back to it. I'll call this week one, of what I'm unsure. We don't know the events for South Coast Strongest yet.

Two rounds
Bulgarian bag swings
Windmills with 44 lbs DB

I'm going to use that exact same warmup for every day as an experiment because I figure it covers a ton of bases. So, efficient. Also gets my body used to moving under load in slightly different directions to straight up and down which cannot be a bad thing.

150 lbs, 172 lbs, 194 lbs, 216 lbs tombstone carry for two 15 metre runs with a turn, no resets. Took around 25 seconds per run except for the first, which was around 22. First time for this, going forward anything under 200 lbs shouldn't really count as work.
4x 15 m + 15 m x 352 lbs frame carry, all around 25 seconds. these had a reset between 15 metre runs to drop, turn around in the frame and reset.
4, 2 seconds x 440 lbs frame hold because both times I felt a callous starting to go on my left hand
4x8x247 lbs zercher box squats to parallel
10/10x88 lbs, 10x88 lbs/10x66 lbs, 2x10/10x66 lbs chest supported T-bar rows to Kelso shrugs without racking. I think they're called Kelso shrugs. This was horrific.

[MarkKO]

Two rounds
Bulgarian bag swings
Windmills with 44 lbs DB

2x3x165 lbs, 1x187 lbs, 3x165 lbs log clean and press. I was overly ambitious with 187 lbs
3x3x209 lbs log clean
4x5x115 lbs axle military press
3x8x50 lbs Dicks press supersetted with 3x12x35 lbs KB upright rows
12x44 lbs, 2x12x38 lbs incline Tate press supersetted with 3x12x33 lbs plate overhead tricep extensions



I need to go a little heavier on the military and Dicks press next time. It isn't that this wasn't work, I just know I could have done it with more weight without compromising technique.

[MarkKO]

Managed to overstretch my Achilles at work by stepping in a pothole because I'm an idiot. Luckily it doesn't seem to have done much beyond irritate it, the ankle still feels stable.

Two rounds
Bulgarian bag swings
Windmills with 44 lbs DB

1x485 lbs, 2x1x529 lbs, 1x573 lbs, 0x573 lbs, 1x551 lbs DL on stiff bar, used straps. The instructions were to work up to two singles at around 90%+. Moved the bar a bit forward so it starts where an axle would and combined with the straps made a big difference.
3x8x354 lbs DL off two thick mats
3x8x220 lbs Pendlay rows
6x149 lbs, 3x6x171 lbs SSB good mornings
3x10 GHR
3x15x110 lbs reverse hyper which I did more for a pump and contraction than anything

[MailmanMuscle]

That is some serious pulling. Good mornings and GHR after it too?

[MarkKO]

That is some serious pulling. Good mornings and GHR after it too?

For the record, that is not something I would EVER have considered. Which is why I have Mark. He absolutely considered it. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be, but I'm sure that will change.

The deads felt better than deads on a barbell have felt in a long time. I don't think I'm too far off 600 lbs+ again. Funnily enough it took the axle to make me rethink where I start the bar, that one inch or so forward makes the start just off the floor feel so much better on my back.

[MarkKO]

Two rounds
Bulgarian bag swings
Windmills with 44 lbs DB

5x220 lbs, 2x5x198 lbs atlas stone extensions. Should have gone with 220 throughout, but I didn't watch the video of the first set and it *felt* like I was barely extending so I went to 198 lbs. Oh well. I'll know better next time
3x5x154 lbs Atlas stone squat. Yet another squat variation I prefer to front squats. It's not a high bar
5x154 lbs, 5x176 lbs, 5x198 lbs Atlas stone rows, which I now know I should be doing at 198 lbs as a minimum
2x5x264 lbs, 1x308 lbs, 5x264 lbs Atlas stone pickup, and I'm going to see if there's a 286 lbs stone somewhere because 264 lbs is not really a problem while 308 lbs most definitely is.

[DCR]

3x5x154 lbs Atlas stone squat. Yet another squat variation I prefer to front squats. It's not a high bar
5x154 lbs, 5x176 lbs, 5x198 lbs Atlas stone rows, which I now know I should be doing at 198 lbs as a minimum

This will sound dumb, but as someone who knows zero about strongman, somehow it never occurred to me that part of the training would be "standard" movements, but done with stones rather than barbells. Very curious as to how the work with non-barbell implements might effect your barbell strength (understanding that the barbell isn't your focus right now).

[MarkKO]

3x5x154 lbs Atlas stone squat. Yet another squat variation I prefer to front squats. It's not a high bar
5x154 lbs, 5x176 lbs, 5x198 lbs Atlas stone rows, which I now know I should be doing at 198 lbs as a minimum

This will sound dumb, but as someone who knows zero about strongman, somehow it never occurred to me that part of the training would be "standard" movements, but done with stones rather than barbells. Very curious as to how the work with non-barbell implements might effect your barbell strength (understanding that the barbell isn't your focus right now).

It didn't occur to me either, so we can be dumb together.

I think, and bear in mind I know nothing about strongman training either, that these 'standard' movements are just ways of breaking down a stone lift into its component parts. The row is pretty close to the initial pickup, and the squat covers the lap and holding it to get a good extension.

The squat feels very similar to a zercher squat in respect of how much your middle back works, so I imagine there would be significant carryover to a regular squat if losing tension in the middle back was the issue. The rows I can't see doing much, because the ROM is so small. I can absolutely see how they will improve my ability to pick the stone up though, because the main hurdle I find with the Atlas stones is that without tacky there isn't really anything to hold in the traditional sense. It's more like a squeeze with your palms and forearms.

The overhead work I don't doubt will have a significant carryover to bench because it works the triceps a bunch and my leg drive isn't bad. Not that I'm likely to find out anytime soon, but it makes sense. Plus overhead work tends to be good for the shoulders and usually happy shoulders = better bench.

I think a lot of the idea of how much this or that 'different' lift will contribute to squat or bench is going to rely on how well you're able to squat or bench technically. They aren't overly complicated movements, but if you don't know how to hold position you're in trouble. So if you know how to hold position I can see a lot of the strongman lifts having a fair amount of carryover because they work the same muscles and similar movements but with implements that are harder to control than a barbell, which is designed to be lifted. If that makes sense?

It's like, if you're a good driver and learn how to get good performance out of a shitty car you'll get REALLY good performance when you get into a good car.

[MarkKO]

Single lap weighted vest walk, almost identical time to last Sunday. Slightly higher max heart rate but well within what is standard.

[DCR]

It's more like a squeeze with your palms and forearms.

I suspect that all of this upper body adduction might have an interesting carry over to bench as well.

It's like, if you're a good driver and learn how to get good performance out of a shitty car you'll get REALLY good performance when you get into a good car.

That seems like a perfect analogy.

[MarkKO]

It's more like a squeeze with your palms and forearms.

I suspect that all of this upper body adduction might have an interesting carry over to bench as well.

It's like, if you're a good driver and learn how to get good performance out of a shitty car you'll get REALLY good performance when you get into a good car.

That seems like a perfect analogy.

This hadn't even occurred to me

[MarkKO]

Weighted vest walk came in again almost exactly the same time as the previous two

[MarkKO]

Week two. Public holiday today, starting the run of several short weeks in quick succession. So trained an hour or so after breakfast instead of after a full day of work and eating.

Two rounds
Bulgarian bag swings
Windmills with 44 lbs DB, which felt seriously good today although I'm doing them wrong. I don't care, because they feel good.

15+15 m x 188 lbs/hand, 3x15+15 m x 176 lbs per hand farmer's walk. Callouses on both hands felt like they were going from the first run, which is why I dropped the load. Slow too, especially the transition at the drop.
6 sec, 9 sec x 440 lbs frame holds which is a VERY small improvement on last week
4x8x269 lbs zercher box squat to parallel
2x10/10x88 lbs, 2x10/10×66 lbs chest supported T-bar rows to shrugs

[MarkKO]

One round
Bulgarian bag swings
Windmills with 44 lbs DB

Only one round because time

3x3x171 lbs log clean and press. Remembered to lock my arms out before pushing head through, which helped a bunch
3x1x231 lbs log clean. I figured I'd go up 22 lbs because it was for singles. I regretted this decision
4x6x121 lbs neutral grip military press
3x8x66 lbs dicks press
supersetted with
3x12x44 lbs KB upright rows
3x12x44 lbs Tate press
supersetted with
3x12x44 lbs overhead tricep extensions

[DCR]

I’ve never regretted a post-session beer.

Pre-session, another story.

[MarkKO]

I’ve never regretted a post-session beer.

Pre-session, another story.

Opposite for me. I don't drink very often at all, so when I ended up at a friend's house to check over his new kitchen plans after training and had a couple of beers on a relatively empty stomach...

I mean, I enjoyed the beers. Don't get me wrong.

It just felt like a lot more than two by the time I got home.