Curling Chronicles

Power clean & split jerk - up to 92½
Ont i vänster knä (jag misstänker jumping deck squats), och axeln gnällde precis som den gjort under senaste gångernas PJ. Så hade ingen motivation att försöka mig på 97½.
Box squats 35 cm - up to 162½ kg
Kändes udda, var länge sen senast.
One-arm non-revolving deadlift apparatus+150 left, +140 right; cleared +157½/+150
Också länge sen, men "bara" 2-3 år sen...
Biceps curl against wall - up to 52½ kg.
2½ år sen senaste curlen...

SSM inomhus i enskilda grenar

Åkte iväg tillsammans med Fredrik, Johan & Emil för att tävla i klassindelat SM i starkeman. Tävlingens 12 år, mitt 7:e. Tävlingen har fört en tynande tillvaro sen dopingförbudet infördes -04 (det avskaffades i praktiken -07 pga brist på tester). I år var det en vändning åt rätt håll, med fler och bättre deltagare än på två år.

Jag vägde in i -75 efter två dygn nästan utan mat som följdes upp med en bastu och en varm bilfärd (9 deltagare, dock många ungdomar i min klass), grabbarna i -87½ (7 deltagare, klenaste klassen både i antal & kvalitet) och Fredrik i +100 (15 deltagare). Emil hade laddat upp med 2½ veckas förkylning.

Farmers Walk
Gick 77,2m, egentligen under min skamgräns på 80m, men har inte gått över 80 sen -05 så får kanske revidera min skamgräns. Lätt seger. Johan tog brons och Fredrik vann sin klass.

Stockbänkpress
Inte min gren och tänkte egentligen inte vara med, efteranmälde mig eftersom det bara var fyra (blev fem) deltagare i grenen. Satte PR med 9 reps (6 förra året) och kom tvåa på samma resultat men lättare kroppsvikt än trean, långt efter segraren. Gjorde en Ara light genom att gå ut mitt i priscermonin, blev så trött när segraren kom springandes i minitights och viftade med ett 1,3-1,5m långt svärd. Behöll dock medaljen, därav "light".
Fredrik knep brons i sin viktklass.

Säcklastning
Inte så förtjust i denna gren, anser att man har en oerhörd nackdel av att inte kunna träna den, det är frågan om tiondelar vid varje lyft och lämning av en säck att veta hur man ska hantera dem. Trots detta lyckades jag trava in på 41,85s vilket är PR (räcker dock inte långt i viktklasslösa tävlingar eller bonddrängen). Fredrik stod över, Johan kom tvåa och Emil råkade tappa sista säcken när han var på väg mot en kanontid. Tror grabbarna har nytta av sin friidrottsbakgrund här.


Hercules Hold
Seger på 33,88s. Johan tog brons, och Fredrik silver i sina respektive klasser. Som vanligt hade arrangören oerhörda problem med denna gren, var flera killar som fick göra om och flera som fick tider de kanske inte förtjänade.

Atlasstenar
Seger på 16,53sek, var kanske ett misstag från PR, fästet släppte. Fredrik hade en ovanligt bra stenlyftarsession, men dabbade sig på sista stenen och det blev i slutänden femte plats.

(Oj, vad "flata" vi såg ut, får skylla på blixten ;) men vi såg iaf glada ut...)

Kyligt

Strongmanträning, kring nollgradigt ute, is på Fredriks bil när vi åkte därifrån.

Stocksnedbänkpress 8x80 kg; 16x70 kg
Farmers Walk ca 48m med 2x90 kg - riktigt katastrofalt, vet inte vad jag ska skylla på? Att handtagen blir hala när det är riktigt kallt?
Deadlift Hold 35,8 sek med 2x130 kg - här funkade greppet betydligt bättre (inomhus)
Stenlyftning, 120 kg upp på 125 cm, 140 kg upp på 100 cm (submaximalt)

Starkeman

Starkemanträning med Fredrik, Emil och Johan J. Strålande väder: 7 grader och småpink.

Stocksnedbänkpress 17x70 kg, 6x80 kg - klen övning för mig, men PR.
Farmers Walk ~41m med 2x100 kg
Deadlift Hold 32sek med 2x130 kg
Stenlyft, singellyft inomhus, 140kg upp på 90 cm, 105 kg upp på 140 cm
Medley (kors 15m 100kg, däckvält 4x300 kg, släde 15m 100kg) 62sek - bra med tanke på blött däck.

Typ 2 PR (stock, sten), övriga under PR men över alla skamgränser ... bra pass. Alla hade en bra dag.

Jag höll mig länge på ett pass starkeman per månad, men vadtrubbel och tidsbrist knäckte sviten. Kanske kan ramla på banan igen nu?

Test run

Strongman practice to see if calf could take the abuse. Viking press, truck pull (where I probably PB:ed, clock failure), farmers walk, arm-over-arm pull, atlas stones.

Tried walking 40m (less than half my PB) twice with 2x90 kg, calf gave up halfway through second walk. No competition next Saturday, won't drive that distance and probably not be able to get through the first event.

Wet Helen

Did "Helen" together with Martin and Henrik. It rained a lot which made grip a big trouble (have never done Helen with kettlebell before, that might have had an impact on grip also).

Time 8:41 (PB 8:18 with 26 kg db swings and dry pullup bar), broke both second and third sets of pullups, never happened before.

Vaulting

Judging from what you see in the olympics you could conclude that the jumping in track & field is much more functional than the jumping in the gymnastics. It's easy to find analogies to long & high jumping, not so easy to find any use for somersaults and backflips (other than to impress the girls).

But if you consider the most basic gymnastic vaults you get really primal moves, reminding more of parkour than competitive gymnastics.

Anyway ... handsupported jumping could be considered just as functional as non-supported (track & field) jumping.

Strongman competition

Disclaimer: I don't have access to the result sheet, so this isn't necessarily 100% accurate.

Today I entered a strongman competition, it had two divisions elite and intermediate, I entered the second. No weight classes. 17 competitors in my class, of which 4-5 guys was in their upper teens, maybe they should be deducted? ;) Mostly unfamiliar or new events to me.

Conans circle: I had promised myself to never ever again enter a contest with just this specific appartus used, I held that promise for three years. The problem is that it's adjustable in height within a range, but the height I need isn't there, so as soon as I become a little fatigued it gets stuck on the ground. I tried turning the handle around which punished me with a liftoff from more or less full squat. I walked slightly less than two laps, last time I walked past two. I think I came 11th or so.

Deep liftoff...

Power stairs: The first two weights went fast/ok, the third took ages (height issues). I finished 8th, the only ones I beat was the ones who couldn't finish.

When full extension is not enough... evil event for those who are 173 cm "tall" and have a 187-188 cm reach.

Bonus - wrestling: The local wrestling team put up a mat where I had to challenge two other guys. The only thing this made for the competition was tiring me out ;)

Yoke Walk: This was the first event I saw the competitors, first I couldn't believe I got beaten by these guys. Then came a bunch of fast, but not insane times. I walked as fast as I could without risking to lose control. 220kg for 20m in 11-something seconds, good enough for a 5th place. I wish they would've used a heavier weight.

Deadlift hold: I held 2x100 kg just under 1:11, good enough for 2nd place. In this event the light weight was probably good for me, my grip is more enduring than strong.

Was in 5th place before last event, with a lot of guys right behind me, and #4 far ahead.

Carry+pull-medley: Really light weight made this a tempo event. I tripped on the rope (used to pull the sled) and fell, finished in 40 secs, a lot of guys between 35 and 40.

Total: 8th place. I was on the wrong side of all small margins (many times it's the other way around). I suppose this should be really disappointing, but I don't take this too seriously anymore, it's fun getting out.

Tennis

Three half-set games, won two, lost one. Since I built up the confidence to run towards the net the last two games, I've started to seriously overuse that method ...

Bouldering

Bouldering with Martin & Björn for ~1½ hours. Really fun. After wearing us out on trying a few different things we all got caught on the same route, I suppose that will be our bouldering-Fran ;)

In the second half of the workout I reclimbed a few routes I did quite easily in the beginning just to find out I couldn't grip anything.

Tennis

Played against Ronny, lost 4-6 4-6, a result that mirrored the game quite well, I think. We were actually playing, which was fun., but unlike in badminton I couldn't wear him out by keeping the ball in play.

Flip & muscle-up

Light tire flips 2x5 in 18.22 secs and 19.68 secs, haven't flipped a tire this light in four years, it's a totally different technique than when flipping a heavier tire (PB is 14.98 secs, so this wasn't thrilling). The tire wasn't dry, that might have cost a second or two... but still.

Proceeded with 30 muscle-ups in 4:56, followed by another 20 in total time of 10:51. Rings hung from bar appx 3½m high, much easier than the usual 7-8m, but not so much easier that I had hoped.

No jumping down from reps and strived for full extension at bottom, but didn't tape and don't think I succeeded 100%.

Tennis

Got stood up by my doubles partner (my brother) so the three of us that showed up played half-set matches against each other, first to three games win, you have to win by two games, or by tie-break at 3-3. I won all my four matches. Strong winds today made it hard to play.

Rest day tennis

Singles game against my brother (6-3 6-1). Now we're back at same level as last year. Or maybe better (doesn't mean much though :)).

Tennis

Today we played tennis AKA working on the tan. Played with my brother against Emil & Pelle. We lost 1-6 3-6 4-6, not a great start on the season, last year we won all three matches.

Later I swam ~100 meters, record-warm water for first half of June?

Strongman with no added fun

Strongman practice yesterday, felt like canceling it, but yesterday was like the only possible day in three weeks. Thighs really sore, tired from five straight days of workouts, dehydrated and overheated from the bus ride. Grip shot from putting up a fence. No fun at all.

Today: Press up to 3x62½. Much more fun.

Movies

Movies from Mondays workout.

Failed log lift 140 kg. Would have been an even better film if he made it. Still a nice waltz.

Farmers Walk 2x100 kg, not PR, but close.

(Johans yoke walk wouldn't upload. Bad connection?)

The Monthly Strongman Workout

A few days in advance... no overhead stability and grip strength lacking, no surprise. But got close to PR in farmers walk, walked the yoke well, and PR:ed on the stones, so the rest of the body functioned well.

We closed the workout with a medley - 15m 100kg cross walk, 4x300 kg tire flip and 15m 100kg sled drag. I thought (before) that 100 kg was to little and that Johan & Fredrik were sissies, but after the flips that was an ok weight. Hard but not too hard, a good finisher.

Multimedia

Deadlift hold 2x150 kg 18 secs.


Axle deadlift (double overhand, which makes it a pure grip exercise) 162 kg, almost made it.



Axle deadlift (mixed grip) 210 kg, could probably have done 5 kg more, but this was the first exercise and I thought I should save the back.

Fredrik doing farmers walk with 2x140 kg.

Conans walk, first time in almost three years.

The Monthly Strongman Workout

A really good workout today together with Fredrik and Johan, didn't bring a list of PRs so I have to look those up to compare, but at least one PR, three close or PR, and a lousy truck pull which possibly was because of to little air in the tires (Fredrik didn't pull too well either). Will put up videos and pictures tomorrow.
A recovery meal, don't usually follow the zone, or any other specific diet, but had some fun trying to create a 5 block 2X fat Zone-meal. The meat is guestimated at 150g =5P, the asparagus=1C, the tomatoes=2C, the sports drink=2C and the veggies fried in butter, about 10F.

Monthly Strongman Workout

Fredrik had bought a deadlift suit, so I brought mine (not used in years), worked up to a heavy single at 230. Yoke walk up, earlier I have used 255 but we didn't feel like disassembling the dumbells to get small weights, so I used 280 kg over 20 m with one drop, a little bit heavy, considering the wobbling nature of the implement... Farmers walk, arm-over-arm pulley machine, atlas stones.

Did what I should today, nothing more.

Badminton

Played badminton against Ronny today. First game against him in years. Won four straight sets, much thanks to him lacking "cardio".

Badminton is good for me, forces me to work with finesse, or try to. Lifting, circuits & cardio is mostly grunt work. If I wrestle I try to out-muscle the opponent, if I play soccer I try to out-run the opponents. In badminton (or volleyboll or tennis) that is not an option.

The Monthly Strongman Workout

After having been postponed twice, the workout finally happened. With a temperature just above freezing, and a light rain in the air, and we feeling a bit weak and tired, we decided to stay indoors the whole workout.

Farmers Walk, max weight for 10m - I managed 2x120 kg, failed 2x130.
Yoke Walk, max weight for 10m - I managed 280 kg, lifted 320 without intention of even trying to walk with it.
Arm-over-arm-pulley, couldn't get a decent try maxing out because of equipment failure, but did slightly over 6 turns with 70 kg, PR by ½+ turn.
Atlas stone, 120 kg for max height - did 120 cm quite comfortably (on a bet with my dinner at stake), lost hold of stone when launching from the lap for 130 cm.

Usually we don't go this heavy, but do more for speed and distance and reps instead, but we felt like mixing it up today. (Picture from last summer, didn't bring camera to the workout)

All in all a decent workout.