Training Log - Inspired by Evo

Thursday

Thursday was the last practice before the Waxhaw games. I will keep this simple.

1. D-Flex

2. Overhead Stone Heave

3. Standing Stone - This went well. Did not take a lot of throws. Hit 35-36 feet a few times and called it.

4. Heavy Hammer - Again, just a few throws. Did some winders. Hit 74 foot range a couple times and we are good to go.

Thoughts -

I am pretty ready for this game. I think things are going to go well.
 
So. I won my first Highland Game this Saturday. The B division of the Waxhaw games. I got a cool sword for it. That is cool too.

I have to say that all the competitors were awesome. A guys, B guys, Masters, Women, everyone was great and really helps to show what great people are in the sport of Highland Games.

Did I mention that I got an awesome sword?

Drum and Mr. Nord were great, as were all of the people who helped run the game. I felt that this was an extremely well run game.

This also marked the first of what I can hope to be many battles with my Nemesis MattV. He had a good game and placed 3rd. I look forward to competing with you again Matt.

All that being said, the day had its ups and downs.

1. The Sheaf - Hit 22' and missed 24'. This was good. It is the highest height I have hit in a contest. I got 1st in this event. I am getting a better feel in the sheaf and seem to be using my legs more.

2. Weight Over Bar - Hit 12' for the first time in contest. That was great as well. Also got 1st place in this event. Got the weight high enough for 13' (thanks Matt for telling me to use my legs) it is just that aiming thing that was causing problems.

This is where some inconsistency started.

3. Open Stone - This was a 17.5lb stone that was like throwing an awkward shaped potato with a lot of holes in it. Not the best stone throws of my life. Hit 33' I forget the inches. Got 3rd in this event. I felt like I had a lot left in the tank.

4. The Heavyweight - Again, I am plagued with fouling problems in this event. Fouled the first 2 throws and hit 23' (I forget the inches) I felt like I had a lot of power on the weight. There is just this whole "controlling it thing" that I have to get down. I got 3rd in this event. (by 1":mad: :D)

5. The Light Weight - More of the same. After a foul I managed to hit 47'. Again, not quite what I was looking for, but it got me 3rd again.

6. Caber - This went well. My firs ever turn in a game. That was cool. Had a 12:30 and a 12:00. I eked out 1st place in this event by a mere 10 degrees.

7. 22lb Hammer - More trouble here. Hit the ground on the first throw. Fouled the 2nd throw. Hit 66'5" on the third throw. I took 3rd in this event, by 1/2". :rolleyes: I was hoping to get into the 70's, but that was not in the cards.

Thoughts -

Consistency is good. Placing in the top 3 in every event is good. It shows that I currently do not have a glaring deficiency holding me back. I feel like some more practice and I will be better able to get the throws I am capable of in just 3 throws instead of the usual 15 throws that I have in practice.

It's really that 3 throw thing that is kind of an issue right now.

Hendersonville is next weekend. That will mark my last game of the year. My goal is to clean up some little things in the weights, stone, hammer and have a better showing in those events.

Again, great job to all the competitors at Waxhaw. It was an awesome experience.
 
I'm guessing your cool sword is a claidhmore - is it? And you were saying you didn't know if the Highland Games were in your blood...?
 
Stingo - I don't really know what kind of sword it is. It looks like something out of Braveheart. So that is cool.

Thanks Karks-man.

On to training. I have another game coming up on Saturday, so some training has to happen.

Wednesday, This was an emotional practice for me.

1. D-Flex

2. Overhead Stone Heave

3. Standing Stone - Used a 17.5lb stone. Hit 33 and 34 a few times. Practice was off to a good start.

4. Heavy Weight - After fouling 4X and hitting a great distance of about 18 feet. I had to take some time to calm down, change gears and focused on nothing but my feet. That worked. I stayed on the ground longer and used my legs more. Hit 25, 26, and 27 feet. Hit 26 a couple more times and called it a day on that.

5. Light Weight - Since this is throwing and you can't stay on a high very long, I hit 35 feet a bunch of times. :mad: Then I fouled about 7 times in a row. :mad: :mad: Then I hit 41 and called it a day. WOW, what an off day.

Thoughts -

I like learning things about the heavy weight. The stone is starting to make more sense to me. The light weight was just off today. No big deal. I still feel confident that I can pull out some good throws. We will do better today during practice.
 
OK, This was much better of a day. Everything came together and went well.

1. D-Flex

2. Sheaf - Used a 16lb. Set the bar at 23 feet and cleared it a couple of times. I have to say that it cleared with authority, some good space between the sheaf and the bar. This has been feeling pretty good.

2. Weight Over Bar - Set the bar at 12 feet. Cleared it 2X and felt good.

3. Hammer - A couple of winder warm-ups and 3 throws. Hit the high 60's on the first, 72 on the second, 73.5 on the 3rd. If I hit things right I think i'll get a good throw in the next game.

4. Light Weight - I mean, I had to redeem myself after yesterday. Took 4 throws. 3 at the 45 foot area and one at 49 feet. Felt a lot better about this one.

To the gym. Nothing crazy, just getting things moving.

5. Squat - worked up to 325lbs for a couple sets of 3. Nothing crazy.

6. Clean and Power Jerk - Again, nothing heavy. 145lbs for sets of 3. I used the new "prototype bar" for this. It felt really good. It is something I will use a bit for cleaning type exercises.

7. YTM - 3 sets 15 reps. 60lbs.

Thoughts -

I feel ready for the next game. I think I have a good feel for what needs to happen in order to beat some of my throws from last Saturday. As long as I hold things together, it will be great.
 
I ended up getting 3rd at the Foot Hills game. Though I got a sword again, I can say that this was not my best day, or rather, there were ups and downs.

1. The Sheaf - Set a new PR here. 24 feet. That was good. LimoZeen treated me well.

2. WOB - Hit 11 feet. Missed 12. Should have hit 12, just a little off on this one.

3. The Stone - Hit 35'10.5". This was my best stone of the season. I think. That is good.

4. Heavy Weight - Threw a 25'8" in this. Not bad. The most important thing from this is that I did not foul on this event. That was a 1st for the year. :D

5. Light Weight - 42'1". :mad: :mad: :mad: This was the worst light weight of the year. On the 3rd throw I was unable to get past the 1st turn without fouling. I had been slowly loosing the feeling of the light weight throughout the season. By Foot Hills, apparently the feel for the light weight was completely gone. Something I will have to work on over the off season.

6. The Caber - This went well. Turned it 2X and ended up with a 1:30. Pretty good for the 4th time I have ever turned a caber.

7. 22lb Hammer - Better than last week. 69'10". My second best throw of the season. Can't complain. It felt pretty good.

All in all it was a great day with some great guys.

Thoughts -

The main thing I need to work on is my throwing. That is my weakest link. I will still train in the weight room, but strength and power is not what is holding me back. Throwing skill, that is the ticket. Lots of drills this off season.
 
OK, off season training has started. I did not adhere completely to my plan, that is going to start next week. Today was just a day to get back into the feel of normal training.

1. D-Flex

2. Turn drills with a 25lb kettle bell. Focused on using my feet, keeping them on the ground longer, and using them more. Did this a ton of times. A few months of this type of thing and I will be having a much better feel for the weights.

I plan on doing these drills with different weights. Some heavy, some lighter.

3. Squat - Did triples up to 415lbs. Then hit singles at 465lbs and 505lbs. The 505 was pretty easy. Not bad for not squatting heavy in a month or two.

The goal over the off season is to get the 'ol squat up to 700lbs. Last winter I got it to 655lbs. So I think the 7 will work out pretty good.

4. Bench Press - Used the "prototype" bar. I really liked this bar for cleans and push presses. For bench, it is a little different. We have the next generation showing up soon. I am confident that one will have a better feel on the bench press.

5. Standing Abs - Worked up to 120lbs fr sets of 10. These felt pretty good. Did them on the lat machine. (took out the knee pad and faced away from the machine) We were reminded of this exercise at Donnie Thompson's the other night. It is a great exercise.

6. Back Attack - Did good mornings with 90lbs on it. Nothing crazy, 2 sets of 10 reps.

Thoughts -

I am looking forward to this off season. Pretty exciting.
 
Was in Atlanta for the weekend. Everything was awesome. I trained with a friend of mine at the Emory University weight room.

1. D-Flex

2. High Pulls - Worked sets for 3 up to 6 or 7 sets at 265lbs.

3. Power Shrugs - Worked up to 3 sets of 3 at 396lbs. These felt pretty good.

4. BTH Push Press - Worked up to 3 sets of 3 reps at 242lbs. These felt pretty good too.

5. Bent Row - Sets of 8 reps up to 308lbs. Did these under had grip.

6. Bench Press - I was not going to do these but we got talking about bench press with some of the guys on the weightlifting team and I got excited about it. I felt my bench form returning. Dod not go heavy. 315lbs for 5.

7. Standing Band Abs Crossovers - These were pretty good. I really like the standing abs stuff. Used a purple band.
Super-Set
8. Band Good Mornings - Did these to get some blood flow. 3 sets of 20 reps with the green band.

Thoughts -

Did more than I planned on. It was awesome. My traps are smoked.

On Sunday we went to a Brazilian Steak House for some hard core recovery meal. That was awesome. Definitely the best type of restaurant in the world. :cool: :D
 
That Brazilian Steakhouse wouldn't be Fogo de Chao would it? I was at the Philadelphia location this past Saturday. Excellent food (meat) and lots of it.
 
No, it was Sal Grosso. Which is (of the 3 different ones I have been to) by far the best I have had. Excellent meat.

I don't think it is even possible to have a bad meal at a Brazilian steakhouse.
 
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So workouts were supposed to start on Tuesday, but instead we moved equipment in and out of the gym for 4 hours. Definitely more of a GPP type of thing. We moved out the old platforms and moved in new platforms. It looks like our new racks will be in sometime next week.

We are getting pretty excited. :D :cool:

So training got bumped to Wednesday.

1. D-Flex

2. Weight Drills - A bunch of turns with a 25lb kettle bell. Focused on using my feet and putting the force into the ground.

3. Standing Stone - Started with a 16lb indoor shot, hit the ceiling, then started using the 22lb D-Ball. Did a bunch of throws there. Again, focusing on putting force into the ground with my feet. This went well.

4. Reverse Hyper - 3 sets 15 reps, 50lbs.

5. Standing Band Crossovers - Green Band. 3 sets 10 reps each side.

6. Torso Twisty Deal - Attached the one side of the handle thing to the Cable Column and the other side to the BaseFit with a band. Did rotations, 10 reps, 3 sets each side. Again focusing on putting force into the ground with my feet.

Thoughts -

This was a good day. Wednesdays are not going to be huge lifting days. Tomorrow will be some heavier pulls.
 
We have added three new platforms and are getting two more Base Camp racks. We are excited. The updated showroom is going to be SWEEEEEEEET. :cool:

On to the workout.

1. D-Flex

2. Hammer Winders - Used 20lbs. Indoor with a rope and a kettle bell. I can't say that everyone in the room felt safe.

3. Deadlift - This was the first time deadlifting in quite some time. Worked up to 405lbs and did a ton of sets using close, medium, and sumo stances. Trying to get a feel for things. Went up to 455lbs and did the same again. Quite a bit of work actually.

4. Clean and Press - Used the prototype bar. 1 clean and 3 presses. Worked up to 215lbs for sets of 3. 5 or 6 sets were done.

5. Shrugs - Sets of 10. 190lbs, 280lbs, 370lbs.

6. Lat Pull-Downs - 3 sets 10 reps. 120lbs, 150lbs, 180lbs. Focused on retracting and lowering the shoulder, then pulling the bar down.

7. Band Abs - 3 sets 10 each of forward, left, and right abs. Did them standing.

No thoughts today. But the off season plan is in order. This plan will start being followed next week.

Mondays - 1. warm-up. 2. Weights Drills. 3. Heavy Pulls. 4. Heavy Press. 5. Back. 6. Core/prehab/rehab.

Tuesdays - 1. warm-up. 2. Stone Drills. 3. Squat Speed. 4. Press Speed. 5. Back. 6. Core/prehab/rehab.

Wednesdays - 1. warm-up. 2. Drill what needs the most help. 3. Core/prehab/rehab.

Thursdays - 1. warm-up. 2. Hammer Drills. 3. Speed Pulls. 4. Speed Press. 5. Back. 6. Core/prehab/rehab.

Fridays - 1. warm-up. 2. Weight/stone Drills. 3. Heavy Squat. 4. Heavy Press. 5. Back. 6. Core/prehab/rehab.

That is the gist of it. I'll be rotating exercises week to week in order to train weaknesses and prevent stagnation. I have been talking with Tex. After a few weeks of training I will be incorporating bands and chains some more. I am looking at having a plan for these, I do not want to just chuck them on and see how it goes.

That is all for now.
 
I'm jealous that you're still able to incorporate throwing into your routine.

And I'm getting impatient for my handy dandy new weightroom. I know, I know...be patient. I did find out it can take up to 8 weeks from the time I sent it off to the district to the final "here's who's getting the bid wins; now contact them." I think we're at week 5 at this point.
 
goergen1 said:
2. Hammer Winders - Used 20lbs. Indoor with a rope and a kettle bell. I can't say that everyone in the room felt safe.
Click to expand...

This reminds me of a couple of kids the other day that had a jump rope with a wooden handle. They were spinning around with it and the handle popped a girl in the face. By the time I had gotten over to them, they had it wrapped around some kids neck. Geezzzz...middle school heathens.
 
^^^^^^^^ :yelrotflmao:

Well. I went to the dentist yesterday and had a couple of cavities filled. (stupid candy) It was not me best experience. I was there for 2 hours, the Novocain did not work the first 3X so the drilling into the root thing was not comfertable. That and the dentist accidentally drilled my cheek and gum.

On the up side, while all this was happening I was in a massage chair, watching Sports Center, on a whole bunch of laughing gas (though I was not finding anything funny), and listening to my iPod.

I started my workout with half of my face and tongue and after I had a shake that I tried not to drool all over myself.

On the up side, I was hoping I was not going to bite through my cheek or tongue while they were numb. :cool:

1. D-Flex

2. Weight Turns - Used 35lbs this time. this is getting better. I am not spinning off in random directions or anything. My feet seem to be on the ground longer as well. Which is good since "floating" is something that I need to work on.

3. High Pulls - Set the High Pull Indicator at 18. (about neck height for me) And added weight until I was having trouble hitting the Indicator. This went pretty good. I worked up to 235lbs and did that for 4 or 5 sets of 3 reps. Which is good since I think 185 was tough to hit this the last time I did it.

4. OHP - Used the Prototype Bar. Worked up to 195lbs for 4 or 5 sets of 3 reps using a standing strict press.

5. Parallel Lat Pull-Down - 3 sets 10 reps 180lbs.

6. Shoulder Traction - 3 sets each side. Purple Band.

7. Band Pulling Abs - Did not really know what to call these. Used the Black band, put it around my low back, hanging from the BaseFit and did abs. These were really tough. Lots of low abs.

8. Shrugs - 2 sets 25 reps. 190lbs.

Thoughts -

I am having a lot of fun training right now. It is nice to be able to focus on the weights a bit. The drill s are good as well, but not the source of my happytrainingness at this time. I can feel the strength growing now.
 
Training, training, training....... OH Yea!!!

Despite having kind of a crummy day, the workout felt great.

1. D-Flex

2. Parallel Box Squat - Used the Buffalo Bar. Speed sets of 2 reps. Used 325lbs and the Tendo to measure speed. Things felt really good. Kept things in the .76-.79 meters per second range. Hit .82mps and did another set or 2. Ended up at about 8 sets.

3. Speed Bench Press - Used the curl bar for racks and the Tendo. Again, everything felt awesome. 8 sets here too. Speed was in the .78-.80mps range. Used 225lbs.

4. Seated Cable Row w/ 2 Rolling Thunders - 3 sets 10 reps w/ 270lbs.

5. Band Triceps - 3 sets 15 reps. Green Band.

6. Led Raises - 4 sets 10 reps.

Thoughts -

Everything feel great. Box squats always make me feel awesome. I can feel my back growing, like the friggin' Hulk or something. I am really enjoying off season training.
 
I was supposed to do drills today. There is one problem. I don't want to do throwing stuff. Read to see how bad I don't want to............

1. D-Flex

2. Band Hamstring Stretch

3. Quad Stretch

4. Piriformis Stretch

5. Calf Stretch

6. Shoulder Traction, lat, and chest stretch

Thin I asked Josh what to do for the finisher. He Says -

7. Downward Dog - did this 3X super-setted with child's pose. (yoga terms :cool:)

Thoughts -

I think I will keep Wednesdays as a recovery/flexibility day. It is a good plan.

Back to drills tomorrow.
 
Well. I do have a few headbands. Definitely need to rock the leg warmers.
 
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