Too much weight on the uppercuts. They acted more like a light strength set than a power set and tired me out for my final set of push presses.

Deadlift: 1x10@135; 1x5@225; 1x5@295; 2x5@385, 1x6@385; superset 3x5 95# good mornings

Pullup sets: 5 strict, 5 kipping; 4 strict, 8 kipping; 2.5 (I almost got it!) strict, 8 kipping; 0 strict, 7 kipping.

Band pull aparts (many) for shoulder health

Many variations of ball slams (side scoops, two arm front slams, one arm front slams, wall balls to the ceiling) done in rapid succession, three times.

Not the best conditioning workout, but I was pretty tired from four hours of throwing from the day before, and it got my core pretty thoroughly.

Farmer's walks with trap bar, about 100': 140, 230, 320; 485 for 74'6" (yes, I used my tape measure); then, 485 for 58'.

It's amazing how much less taxing trap bar deadlifts are than straight bar. All I wanted to do on my last DL max after I got home from the gym was sleep and stretch my low back. I was fine after this, and it was 15# more than my straight bar DL max.

10 rounds EMOM: kneeling long jump to standing long jump to about a 30 yard sprint.

3/6: rest/stretch/walk with my lovely wife.

3/7: 

Only working sets listed:

Back squat: 2x3x315#; 1x6x315#. Working sets superset with explosive good mornings: 3x5x115#

Incline: This was the first time in months I've been able to do barbell bench or incline with no pain in my left shoulder. The weights sucked, and I couldn't superset with a power movement because it hurt the one time I tried it, but I consider this a big success.

1x3x135#; 2x5x135#; 1x9x155#

One arm rows: light, just to keep the shoulders feeling OK after presses: 3x10x80#.

Footwork drills for this crazy spinning stone throw thing I decided to do.

3/8: Throwing with Josh and Jeremy at Cedar Hill.

5 full HWD throws to about 27'

Many stone throws, the best of which was 38'9". Growing pains.

3/9: I predict push presses and deadlifts. More to follow.

3/12 marks the FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON!!! 

Working sets listed.

Push press: 3x3x205#

Superset with 3x5 one arm, dynamic landmine presses with a 35# plate on the bar.

Deadlift: 3x3x405#

Superset with 3x5 broad jump hurdles holding a 20# med ball.

20 pullups: 7, 5, 4, 2, 2; 21 more kipping: 13, 8

I hate pullups. 

I didn't AMRAP the final sets of my lifts because I have a game this weekend. 

Throwing this evening, hopefully with new blood.

2nd overall to Laird Robinson, whom I think had a career day, hitting 30'4" on HWD and 60' something on LWD. I'm very happy for him and even more motivated to beat him in Columbia in three weeks. 

40'x" on stone. My first throw was a spin; the following two were gliding, including the 40 footer. 2nd place to Justin Harris

28'5" on HWD--games PR. 2nd place to Laird Robinson.

57' something on LWD--games PR. 2nd place Laird Robinson.

Something terrible on heavy hammer. 4th place: Laird Robinson was first, Justin Harris second, Daniel Goulet third.

91' something on light hammer. 2nd place to Laird Robinson.

I can't remember if I hit 24' and missed 26' on sheaf, of if I hit 26' and missed 28'. I'm pretty sure it was the latter. 3rd place behind Goulet and Robinson.

13'6" on WOB. I wanted to hit 14" really badly, but my calves cramped up before hitting it, and I think my next two suffered for that. 1st place

88 degrees on caber. I only picked it once, on my final attempt. That's what happens when you don't pick one for four months. 2nd place to Laird Robinson.

Light hammer drills: walking forwards and backwards, swinging left handed and right handed; walking side to side, left handed and right handed. I did this a lot, and I really like how it helped me feel the weights and allowed me to move with it.

McKimm drills until the hammer broke. Damn.

I felt like my drive down from the catch position was getting better, but there was still some slack in it. I also felt like I was using my body weight to move the weights better, but I don't know how that would translate into distance, as I didn't get in any full throws. Damn.

HWD: cast and drop x 5 or 6. Line drills, four or five times. One turns x 5 or 6. Full throws until I hit Laird Robinson's mark from the past weekend of 30'4". I hit 30'5," eclipsing my previous best by nearly two feet. I think it took seven throws. 

I adjusted the orbit on my final turn, dropping it down more, and allowing me to get more air under the weight. It was pretty super. I think there is more there, and I can't wait to try it with LWD.

16 ounce curls. I was really trying to focus on form, so I didn't get too much of a pump out of it. Mind/body connection and all. There were pork burritos too. And cheese dip. Yum.

Will do.

Speed Block, Week 1, Day 1

12x3@60% every 0:45

Back squat: 135x3, 185x3, 200x10x3

Incline: 95x3, 115x11 (I think. My timer messed up, so I could be off a round or two)

Good mornings: 3x10@115 one minute rest between rounds

Dumbell bench: 3x10@50 each hand, one minute rest between rounds

Lat pulldowns: 10 EMOM for five rounds at 140

Band pull aparts: 3x25 untimed 

A little discomfort on my left shoulder, but nothing too bad. There was some noticeable tension on the left side of my neck after all was said and done, but the next morning it felt good. I have to remember to always incorporate pulling movements to counteract the pushing of the main lifts. 

4RFT: 200' uneven farmer's walk (two plates one side, one on the other), 50#KB OH carry, 100' each hand, 10 GHD situps. 10:20. Interesting core stimulus, though as a metcon it was obviously put together without much thought. Good to do GHDs though, except that the foot brace hurts the top of my feet. 

Speed block, week one, day two

3x12@60% on the 0:45s

Push press at 135

Deadlift at 255

5RFT: 100m row, 5 95# power snatches: 4:42

I now have donuts. Nom nom.

I won't get in my third lifting day this week because of Tartan Day South. I can't wait to get to Columbia!

Goals: 42' stone, 30, HWD, 60' LWD, 75' heavy hammer, 100' light hammer, 14' WOB, I don't really know what to expect on sheaf, it being the first time I've used a 20# bag in a game, and I hope to pick the caber all three times.

Speed block: week three, day one

8x2@70% squat, incline

235x5x2, 1x5

Incline: working more off feel than percentages for DB incline: 60# dumbells, 5x2, 1x5

superset: 4x10 TRX high rows, tricep extensions. 

Superset: 3x10 GHD situps, back extensions.

I almost did a metcon--I even picked up a 70# kettlebell, thinking I might swing it a few times... but I didn't. Inspiration was lacking, and I wanted to get Connor home to eat, since we got to the gym late because we were planting azaleas before Hannah went to a make-up ballet class. I love to see how happy she is after a dance class. She even did some plies and tendues for me, sweet girl. She also managed to rip four holes in her tights on the drive home. Also, those supersets got the heart pumping a good bit.

Connor has karate this evening, so I probably won't get to throw today. Maybe a little, but I need to mow the damn yard.

I apologize for getting off topic, but it's my training log, so I can write whatever the hell I want. 

With all the pressing from the day before, I'm OK with my stone distances. However, I seem to hit a few good throws to about 41', think I'm going to hit a PR, and then lose it for the rest of the session.

That occurred to me as well. I had hoped three rest days would have takes care of it, but perhaps I was wrong.

Open stone:

Standing, no reversex5

Standing, reversex5

Full glidex11

Bad throws today. I was still feeling the push presses from the other day, but I got in the reps.

HWD:

Cast and dropx5

One turnx5

Full throwx10

I got one good throw to 31' purely on will. I felt the deadlifts pretty badly on this one, and I kept my final orbit flatter than I would have liked, but I got in the reps. 

I had a small audience the whole time too, and Rachel brought me coffee ice cream afterwards. That was wonderful. I'm really looking forward to my deload week. But first, Olympic lifting tests today.

Power clean and power snatch test

I worked up to 260 on clean for a PR, but my shoulders were pretty tight and tired from the past week, so snatch didn't go up very well. 185 went up fine, but I decided to just go for a PR at 205, three times. They turned into high pulls. That's OK. 

It's time to deload and peak for Triad and Smoky Mountain. 

Smoky last year was my first game, where I finished third in the novice division. I look forward to giving a good performance there this year as an A.

I haven't done anything in three days because life. Thank God it's a deload week; however, this is not helping me peak for Triad and Smoky Mountain. 

Throws training later today, I hope, and perhaps the next two days as well. I need beard oil too, as I'm almost out and a luxurious beard is critical to my throwing success.

Sheaf: 

Bottom drill x5

Throwing for accuracy x5 

Full throws x5

WOB:

15 or so throws. I beat the crap out of that limb at 14'9" but didn't clear it.

Caber:

3 (I think) pick and carries. Maybe 10 full throws. No flip. Damn.

5/2/2016

Peak season training: two weeks out from competition, with Smoky Mountain being my target.

3x3 back squat@70%: 135x1x3; 260x2x3

3x3 incline@70%: 95x1x3; 145x1x3

Cable rows: 160x3x10

RKC snatch test with a 50# KB: 5 minutes to get 100 snatches. I had 20 something seconds left. 

5/3/2016

Braemar: 

5 no reverse

5 with reverse

Open stone: 10 throws. They really sucked. I don't think I hit 40, but the ground was wet and I wasn't wearing my cleats.

I had planned to do more, but I was not focused at all because of personal issues.

Three days to Triad, and May the fourth be with you.

Nutrition: 

Caber:

Pick and carry x3

Full throws x10ish

I totally bombed caber again at Triad, and I think I may have been initiating the pull with my arms--my skinny arms that are as accustomed to curls as my truck is to driving in the Daytona 500.

5/11

Peak season, day one: ten days out from Maryville.

3x2@75% back squat (280), incline (160)

3x10 cable rows at 140#.

Heavy hammer: 10 full throws to a 74' best. the first few throws felt better than the final few. I felt like I lost quickness on the turnover from my left side to my right side.