Only The Strongest Will Survive, Lead Me To Heaven When We Die

[viper]

sam (coc3) asked me to keep a log on here, my initial reaction was no, but i thought about it an changed my mind, i dont plan on keeping this for a long time though, probably just up until a couple months from now when ill go back to whey consortium if steve (mobster) will have us

For the most part this is gonna be different training than what ive done to get to my current strength level, mainly because ive not done a whole lot of thickbar/bending

Last friday was the 1st time i picked up a thick handle dumbbell, an like usual, i have the same thoughts, for instance, since i 1st used grippers ive wanted to close a stronger gripper than anybody else, no different with thick handle dumbbells - years from now i will have my own dumbell, just like inch, only mine will be much bigger, and only i will ever lift it

My main short-term goal is to fully deadlift the inch, an also to cert on the red nail, an possibly cert on the #3 if theres somebody near to mobsters place that can cert me, but mainly the inch / red - i got air on the inch 1st attempt last friday, but have failed to move the red

22/08/07

grippers

- 05 #3 3 x 1 each hand

2in thickbar curls >as a warm up<

- 11kg x 5 each arm

- 21kg x 5 reverse

- 21kg x 5

bending

- white x 1

- green x 1

- yellow x 1

2.5in dumbbell deadlift >handle is solid<

- 44kg x 5 each hand

- 54kg x 3 each hand

sledge >16lbs<

- front swings x 3 each arm

- two hand front lever x 3

- pinch hammer curl gripping the head x 3 each arm

>2 laps<

two hand pinch rows

- 41kg x 5

a light/easy sesh today, taking it easy before strongman north novice contest this sunday

[CoC#3]

I love that song.

Nice workouts - good luck with your goals.

years from now i will have my own dumbell, just like inch, only mine will be much bigger, and only i will ever lift it

Not if anything to say about it, I have!

Edited August 22, 2007 by CoC#3

[mobsterone]

I've probably already done it...

[twig]

Wow! Echo!

Sorry! EGO!

[viper]

haha right on sam! go for it

23/08/07

grippers

- #2 x 3 no set each hand

- rb210 3 x 1 each hand

two hand pinch

- 41kg 3 x 3

2.5in v-bar

- 44kg 3 x 3 each hand

extensors

- 3 bands 3 x 20

again im taking it easy before a strongman contest i got this sunday - doing nothing till sunday now, my back needs the rest more than anything, its always stiff these days

[viper]

26/08/07

just got back from strongman north novice contest in northwich, 15 people competed in it

firstly, mark felix was there, handed out the tropheys an i was talking to him a lot - his hands are just plain huge, an dude is built like a fooking bear, that dudes BIG, hands were at least an inch longer than mine an would make mobsters hands look small, hes about the same height as me >i was talking to him about his deadlift, he says hes done 440kg from the floor, an it was pretty easy, he pretty much knows he could break the record, but says he dont have a proper bar for it, he just uses a normal bar you find in the gym, not a power bar, an he says he hasnt got the time to go to manchester an doesn't feel the need to spend money on buying the power lifting bar for it, he clearly wasn't bothered about the record. I asked about what he did 1st time an he said 1st time doing deadlift he was training for a contest with 250kg for reps, an straight away he was doing that weight for 6-7 reps haha an then in the contest he did 14. He says he has tried the grippers but they are too small for his hands, an yeh i can see why, so i told him about the hg500 an asked if he had ever lifted the inch dumbbell or any of the dumbbells, an he said he just doesn't have time for extra things like that cuss he works 5-6 days a week, an with the 3 kids (i finished the setence with an you're big dog cuss i seen him say it on tv haha)..theres no doubt in my mind that has a stupidly strong grip, as well as having the strongest back in history

This is how the contest went for me:

- 4x4 (big people carryer) arm over arm, uphil - 10th place with 15.10m >went off like a rocket, faster than anybody to start with, but then i went too fast an lost my hands on the rope, went to pull it again an it was much harder, then i for some dumb reason put one hand real far forward an the other far back, mark felix told me right before the event to keep my hands together but in the heat of the moment i was stupid an i should have finished this, very bad technique but next time i will do much better on this events

- van deadlift, roughly 260-270kg in the hands for reps, slightly higher than with a normal bar, side handle grip, 70 seconds - 10th place with 4 reps >did 1 rep an it was semi ok but then second rep the injury to my back came in to effect, an it really painful, did one more, screaming in agony, an then just barely managed to lock out a 4th giving everything an more, after it, i tried to walk off an i just couldn't stand up / i was in real trouble, i was in a lot of pain an i think my back is most likely torn. Again my technique was really bad, i was told to keep my feet further forward before the event, an the man who told me was running the event an got 5th in britains most powerful man, so thats what i kept doing, but everytime i do that i fall over, so i should not have listened an will do much better next time.

- log press, 85kg, thick log, as many reps in 70 seconds - 6th place, 3 reps >i had took some pain killers for my back, they didnt have much effect but it was slightly better. A lot of big guys were really strugling with this, i got 2 reps out an then lost balance, did another shortly after, then got a 4th up but i felt a twinge in my back an lost balance an drop it before i could get my feet inline, then i had no power left

- barrel loading, 5 barrels, 70-100kg, a good 20-25 feet away from the loading platform, 90 second time limit, you have to stand the barrels up on the platform - 6th place, 45 seconds >i had a good run with this, i didnt stop at all an was dizzy after it, but i was just pip'd out by a couple of seconds by a number of them, second place was 41 seconds

- digger bucket carry, the best distance wins, weight was 100kg - 6th place, 38.5m >another real tough event, back was killing me by this point, an my arm an knee injuries were starting to come into play, but it gave it everything. The best distance was just over 60m, again, i was pip'd out by people that went after me

- conans wheel, 180-200kg, most distance wins - 4th place, 32m >by this time i was totally destroyed all over, an my back was hurting so much i was damn near crying i did it, but i got through 1 revolution an between 1/4 an a 1/2 of the next, most distance was 2 times round, again i was just pip'd by a couple of guys who went after me

overall - 6th place

this is what i want to do, never felt more at home in my life, but in all honesty, this was pure hell, worse than anything ive ever gone through before, even worse than when i burnt my shoulders with probably 100 blisters an i couldn't sleep for 3 days, this was really really hard, but i could not want it anymore, i stop when i die, an i came through pretty well in the end >there was a lot of big guys in this for a noivice contest, nobody was small, i beat some guys that were 22 stone of near solid muscle, an beat a number of people that were obviously taking more the multi vitamans haha + beat the other couple that it was there first time by a good way, an maybe did best out of the natural competitors. Also as far as strength goes, even with my injury today i was 3-4th strongest, it was just the technique, my technique was terrible on most things cuss ive never done them before, an i was stupid in the heat of the moment. Im pretty sure the crowd were screaming the loudest for me as they see my determination to keep going, an people that were running the event an other competitors came up an shook my hand a lot for the effort / some asked my dad how they can come train with me, so i was happy about that, that means a lot.

Overall, i need to go get a scan for my back an get treatment, an i need to have lots more event practice, but strength wise i was better than i thought, i know i can do much better injury free an after doing the events a lot. I know i tried as hard as i possibly could today, an i was the youngest guy there, most of them were probably a decade older than me, so i think i did well in the end. Mark felix at the end told me that i wasn't explosive enough, he felt i was doing it with strength alone, not enough power an speed, said i should train with more lighter weights an get my speed an power up, an he said i must go to physio an get my injuries sorted out (i hate doctors an hospitals).

[CoC#3]

just read through your writeup viper, welldone. Sorry to hear about the back, hope you sort it out.

Mark Felix is a beast! No doubt here mate.

[twig]

Dude, look after your back! It's the most important part of your body after your brain!

[easyWeight]

You said Mark Felix works 5-6 days a week? I trust that means he's training 5-6 days a week for the WSM2007 , and not in a monkey suit?

[viper]

i didnt care for anything but doing the best i could yesterday, but yeh now im gonna go get it checked out an get some treatment >may have to lay off the dumbbells for a bit so that sucks, but i need to get back to the point where i can do heavy deadlifts an get my back strong

no, he does the training on top of that, thats just his day job - although mark is freaky strong, hes never really got those big wins, so he probably dont make enough money in strongman to train full time an provide for his family (at a guess)

Edited August 27, 2007 by viper

[easyWeight]

It's truly unfortunate that the sport isn't more popular. Perhaps one day the popularity will rise and those guys can get more and better sponsors to help pave the way to the top. For some reason it's hard to believe that a professional athlete would have to work for any reason. That makes what they do even more impressive IMO. That's serious passion and dedication.

BTW--sorry to hear about your back. Take it easy and give it time to heal! That's probably one of the most important parts of your body when it comes to weight lifting. Good luck with your future strongman competitions!

[viper]

It's truly unfortunate that the sport isn't more popular. Perhaps one day the popularity will rise and those guys can get more and better sponsors to help pave the way to the top. For some reason it's hard to believe that a professional athlete would have to work for any reason. That makes what they do even more impressive IMO. That's serious passion and dedication.

BTW--sorry to hear about your back. Take it easy and give it time to heal! That's probably one of the most important parts of your body when it comes to weight lifting. Good luck with your future strongman competitions!

thanks - next time ill do a lot better

this is what i dont understand, cuss its not so much that its not popular with people, i honestly have never had anyone say they dont like strongman, its just that dont seem to have got through to the media an various sports channels, resulting in less money - i think the problem for this is that strongman has got much more entertaining now, compared to say 10 years ago, bigger crowds, more of a show for the crowds etc but they put it on at funny hours, an its never advertised, so not enough people get to watch it, so the ratings are not there

i think it will end up being a different story though, its picking up in the states now, lots more good american strongmen now, especially with phil pfister winning, so that should help, an also in britain now, getting more interest, 15 people entered my contest, 20 in one down south, 30 in the london one etc an this year they have put britains strongest man on at 8pm, every night of this week >last year it was highlights mashed into 1 hour, i think its 5 times more viewing time this year

i hope it picks up, but i think that being a smart business man helps at this point in time

[matthcarl]

I've been interested in strongman stuff for years. I only found the gripboard because I heard about Magnus Samuelson closing some gripper called a Captain of Crush #4. That said, maybe strongman is picking up over here, but definitely slowly. Phil Pfister is certainly not a household name. I've seen WSM on ESPN, but they only show it at odd hours, or only show highlights. I'd definitely like to see more smaller local competitions. There are some around, but you have to look hard to find them.

[mbcx6pmw]

Well done Viper, sounds like it was a tough event!

Would have liked to see it, but had something else on, went along yesterday (monday) to see the opens.

[viper]

Well done Viper, sounds like it was a tough event!

Would have liked to see it, but had something else on, went along yesterday (monday) to see the opens.

i was at the opens! - i had to go after 3 events though, how did it go after the van deadlift? wayne looked awesome until that point, waving to the crowd as he went past with the sheild was SWEET

[mbcx6pmw]

Yeah Wayne was pretty solid throughout, he only got 3 stones I think in the last event, but that was enough for the win. Big respect for what he did in the van deadlift, starting again from scratch after the wheels came out of the straps and still winning

Colin Jones(?) also did very well to come 2nd in his first event.

I thought the crucifix hold was a bit of a poncey event, I had a quick go while I was waiting to go in the tug of war and they felt very light, I know they get heavy quick, but not much of a strength test.

[viper]

Yeah Wayne was pretty solid throughout, he only got 3 stones I think in the last event, but that was enough for the win. Big respect for what he did in the van deadlift, starting again from scratch after the wheels came out of the straps and still winning

Colin Jones(?) also did very well to come 2nd in his first event.

I thought the crucifix hold was a bit of a poncey event, I had a quick go while I was waiting to go in the tug of war and they felt very light, I know they get heavy quick, but not much of a strength test.

strange how he only got 3 stones, he said he did 125,135, an 145kg 1st time doing stones >an wasn't it 20kg in each hand for the crucifx? im pretty sure thats equal to most used in worlds strongest man

[mbcx6pmw]

Yeah, perhaps it was just fatigue setting in by then, what with 2 sets of 15+ reps on the van lift and 2 heavy carrying events. Nar, they were only 10kg or so.

[viper]

Yeah, perhaps it was just fatigue setting in by then, what with 2 sets of 15+ reps on the van lift and 2 heavy carrying events. Nar, they were only 10kg or so.

oh right 20kg total, yeh thats light then, the lightest event of the day - yeh his back must have been toast by then!

[viper]

29/08/07

grippers

- T x 10/10

- RB210 x 1/1

- 07 #3 3 x 1 R

- 06 #3 3 x 1 L

bending

- blue x 1

- yellow x 1

- green x 1

- white x 1

2" thickbar curls

- 21kg x 10

- 36kg x 8

- 51kg x 8

- 61kg x 8

2" thickbar standing narrow grip press

- 11kg x 10

- 21kg x 5

- 36kg x 5

- 51kg x 5

- 61kg x 5

standing dumbbell press

- 17kg x 8

- 27kg x 8

incline bench press

- 30kg x 8

- 50kg x 8

- 70kg x 5

bench press

- 30kg x 15

- 50kg x 10

- 85kg x 5

- 110kg x 2

- 120kg x fail (triceps toast, no lockout)

still a little worn from the contest but was ok, just didnt have any triceps left to lock out 120 with the right arm

[Cunny]

Any results online for the Northwich comps I cannot find them anywhere

[mbcx6pmw]

When they do appear they'll be here, but I don't think they update it too often.

http://www.ukstrongman-north.co.uk/

[viper]

30/08/07

back squat

- 30kg x 15

- 50kg x 10

- 90kg x 3

- 130kg x 3

- 136kg x 20

bending

- red x nothing

- blue x 1

- yellow + white x nothing

arm over arm

- 3 x 5m

pulls

- 3 x 25m

drags

- 2 x 25m

stone carry

- small stone x 180m

well, that was killer - this is 1st time using it but to do the drags, pulls an arm over arm, im using a small tractor tyre with a heavy duty rope attached to it. I go train at this sorta isolation area not 5 minutes from my house, the people who own it down mind, theres loads of rocks there, probably from 20kg to 150kg, about 30 or so, im puting them on top of the tyre for my weight, for a platform to push off on arm over arm etc I cant say what weights im using exactly, but i have weighed one stone at 95kg that is pretty small compared to some i was using. I used a stone of maybe 120kg for the pulls (meaning with it tied round my waste like a truck pull), probably 80kg for drags, 60kg for the carry, an maybe 250kg on the last arm over arm, though it was far too short, me dads gonna get me some more rope.

can get physio at my gym so gonna see them an start from there, gave em my details - back wasn't too bad this sesh, no idea how cuss it was really bad on sunday

[viper]

31/08/07

grippers

- many ccs closes/attempts of rb210, #3's, rb240

2.5in v bar

- 22kg x 5/5

- 52kg x 12/12

2.5in v bar deadlift

- 52kg x 3/3

- 60kg x 3/3

- 62kg x 3/3

two hand pinch

- 41kg x 3

- 51kg x 1

- 41kg x 3

towel grip rack pull >bottom pin<

- 50kg x 5

- 70kg x 5

- 90kg x 1 + 10 second hold

- 120kg x 1 + 5 second hold

- 150kg x 1 + 5 second hold

extensors

- 2 bands x 20

- 5 bands 3 x 15

[viper]

03/09/07

grippers

- T no set x 10/10

- #1 ccs x 2/2

- 06 #3 ccs 5 x 1 R

- rb210 ccs 5 x 1 L

bending

- green x 1

- yellow + white x nothing

- blue x 1

- yellow x 1

one hand towel grip rack pull >bottom pin<

- 90kg 3 x 1 each hand

2" DO rackpull >bottom pin<

- 100kg x 1

- 130kg x 1

- 150kg x 1

rope pull ups

- BW 3 x 3

rope pulls

- 12kg x 1

- 22kg x 1

- 32kg x fail

2" curls

- 42kg 3 x 5

2" wrist roller

- 63kg x 1