journey to strongman

Soldato
Joined
19 Jul 2013
Posts
2,731
Location
derby
Old in here:

Used to go the gym and did well

then

getting bored & medical issues, I fell back into feeling sorry for myself (not enjoying my job and being knackered) chucked a load of weight back on

started back at the gym 2 weeks in now. New job closer to home more time to exercise and feeling good in myself just no looking it!

First week:
went great boxing 3 times a week with 2 weight sessions on top felt brilliant

second week:
first session 20 minutes in and my knee subluxes causing me to have a limp for 3 days. Back to the doctors this Wednesday to try and get in with a specialist

now on week 3
went back to the gym leaving the classes for now as all the squats/burpees/mountain climbers are a bit risky until I get my knees looked at again.

I am currently weighing in around the 110kg mark at 6ft 1. I am a fairly stocky build anyway.

My Diet

Breakfast: 4 wheatabix with loads of milk, trying to stop this and cook bacon/ham omlettes and have it on brown toast


Lunch: same thing everyday. large white bap, tuna, ham, lettuce, cucumber, tomato.

Dinner: Varies A lot but I see to be a massive carb addict chips chips and more chips. Even when I do eat healthy I am terrible for having nutella on toast. To the point I don't like to buy bread now or I just rinse a loaf in a day or two.

I have my wedding day in 8 weeks in greece and I am no where near where I would like to be for it

So I need to get on it

When I first started going the gym before I failed miserably I was doing stronglifts 5x5 along side boxing

Unfortunately this isn't possible at the moment with the knee situation as I can not squat without a horrendous crunching noise and risk of dislocation even with unweighted squats

So I am sticking to machines for now, my upper body strength is ridiculous for my size!

struggling to bench 60kg only manage a couple of sets really pushing myself

For now I am using the weights machines I have no gym buddy. so seems the safest way to start


Had a good session last night

8x 3 minute rounds on the heavy bag
5 tricep dips between each round

4x10 shoulder press (cant remember the weight its on weight setting 10 it does have a conversion chart)
4x10 bicep curl machine @ 56kg
4x20 girly leg squeeze exercise (suppose to help my knee not so good for my ego)
4x 7 Pull machine (again cant remember weight)

I feel a bit lost in the gym and need some sort of training plan as without stronglifts I don't know what I should be doing.

any links to some good weight routines would be greatly appreciated. Not doing anything on my legs till I find out the main route of the problem

New goal:

Wedding was a success!

lost a whack of fat but kept my weight up with muscle.

now currently training strongman style and loving it!
hoping to one day be able to compete in some novice competitions for something to aim for

as of 21/6/15

1RM for Deadlift is 180kg after a session hoping I will get 200kg up in a few weeks time

Haven't tried 1RM on other movements yet. Need to build my upper body strength still. Coach says I will go along way with the training as i have the "beastmode" mentality.

Haven't felt this positive about getting big and tanked up since starting really glad I found this class, Lots of help with form/technique for when I am in the gym on my own.
 
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I want to be fitter but mainly get Tanky. Strong and big are my main goals but want to lose a bit of this wobbly fat first. I love doing weights and like lifting as big as I can and working the heavy bag for some cardio

I trimmed up rather quickly when I was boxing and the difference in just 6 weeks was pretty awesome.

I will always eat carbs I don't want to limit my life to much by not eating certain things, moderating I am happy with. I have bread everyday from the sandwich wagon as its just so convenient for me.
 
yeah becoming a tank is the long term.

The short term is lose fat rapidly by hammering the bag and doing weights

my upper body strength is terrible so I am just targetting that for now alongside boxing

then once I have my knee looked at hopefully back onto the squats/deads.

I am right in thinking compound exercises are the stronglift ones?
 
Yeah, but also stuff like burpees, pullups, circuits, sprints etc. Keep rest periods short and you'll be sweating buckets - which is how you can tell you're doing the right thing to lose weight!

certainly sweat when doing pad work or on the heavy bag can ring my tshirt out afterwards

Your main compound movements are:
Bench Press
Squats
Deadlifts
Pull Ups (or Bent Over Rows if Pull Ups are too tough)
Overhead Press

You're pretty much able to build a good physique with those alone, and certainly when as part of a circuit or high volume, will burn a lot more calories than other movements (Squats/Deadlifts obviously being the best calorie burners).

squats and deadlifts are a certain no go at the moment. which sucks as I love doing deadlifts.

I shall certainly make sure I keep doing the other 3 until I can do all of them.
 
Doctors appointment went well, I just need to build up my inner thigh muscles my outer thighs are pulling my knee caps to the right causing my problems

asked about squats and the like and he said to crack on with some decent knee supports

got some last night with knee cap placements with wire running around the knee cap and down the side of the knee

woke up early this morning got to the gym for 6:30 only me and 2 others there

5x5 squats 80kg
5x5 OHP 45kg
5x5 Barbell row 45kg
3 x 20 hip abductors 30kg

feeling good today

Breakfast: 4 egg omelette

Snack: 1 large carrot in sticks
 
I do have quite an obvious muscle imbalance in the thighs. from reading up on my problem squats seem pretty key just not to push it to hard.

I have absolutely no idea what foam rolling is! I shall have a read up

Vatus Medialis

is what I need to strengthen
 
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You should probably avoid the hip adductor/abductors if you have knee problems dude, there are a lot of articles out there suggesting they can be particularly bad for the knee.

Its also not really a functional movement, so has very little real world benefit.

Really?

It seems to be the main one for me to do
 
Morning session done.

Mixed it up from doing the same stronglifts, Wasn't feeling squats legs were still hurting

bench press 5x5 55kg (gutted used to be at 70 easy)
Lat pulldown 5x5 63kg
deadlift 1x10 110kg
shoulder press free weights 20kg dumbells 3x10


I'm no expert, and I'll admit I still do them myself.

However I was told by my PT if i started having any sign of knee problems I should drop them straight away, and there are plenty of articles online that seem to back that up.

Other guys here are a great deal more knowledgable than me, I'm just repeating what I've been told / have read!

I shall keep that In mind it seems to be helping me so far and I am already noticing improvements but that may just be down to a better level of exercise generally
 
Been keeping up the weights each day

not progressed much weight wise, focusing on form still and building some core strength

did a boot camp class this morning

45 minute of pure horror!
couldn't lift my arms struggled getting up the stairs, all worth it!
 
Are you having the/other cholesterol-high foods at other times during the day?

I have no idea what else contains high cholesterol :confused:


5x5 50kg squats legs were aching from yesterday morning
5x5 55kg bench
4x8 14kg dumbell chest flys
3x10 each arm 14kg bicep curls
then ran out of time
 
Great session yet I was done in about 35 minutes which makes me feel like I didn't do enough

5x5 squats 90kg did 8 on the last set
5x5 OHP 45kg
1x5 deadlift 70kg
1x5 deadlift 100kg
1x9 deadlift 120kg
2x10 (lift it upto shoulder then ohp) 40kg whats its called?
 
Got up a bit late this morning

Bench
1x5 bar
1x5 40kg
1x5 50kg
1x5 60kg
1x4 65kg failed on the 5th
2x5 60kg


Squats
1x10 bar
1x5 60kg
1x5 100kg
1x5120kg

Wanted to carry on at 120kg but had no one to spot me just incase

Skullcrushers barbell

3x10 30kg

bicep curl barbell

3x10 30kg

tricep dips till I failed then home, Should be going boxing this evening aswell
 
This mornings sessions

5x5 squats 110kg

5x5 Bench 65kg looks like I am finally gaining some strength

then jumped on the cable machine and went until my arms were dead working triceps and biceps
 
been doing the general weight lifting 5x5 since

today I went to a strongman class

warmup was two people holding resistance bands and you had to pull them to get the weight off the floor (bloody impossible) but great fun

KB russian swings x10
KB lunges x10
atlas ball 30kg onto shoulder x10
pressup - move over atlas ball in pressup position - pressup x10
jumps onto box x10
burpeee jump over tyre burpee x10

managed 2 and a half rounds in the circuit in the time slot I was knackered

then 3 x 200kg tyre flip

then had a deadlift session with the guys perfected my form

loads of deads starting at 60kg working my way up

1 rep max 160kg really happy with that :)
 
Usual weights during in the week and then strongman on saturday again

Keg - floor to overhead working on technique - 20-30-40-50-60 then staying on 60 for reps

the beasting
20 minute
EMOM

Axel bar thrusters - bar only 23kg fat bar
tyre walk around - feet on tyre and walk around it with hands
Keg GTOH AHAP - stuck with the 30kg keg so I could smash the reps out
KB duck carry - 38kg

then had a play around with sand bags

Sand Bag carry
50kg too light
75kg easy
100kg Hard but felt good. could maybe of gone higher but smashed this out for reps

Yolk Walk
Pretty knackered by this stage of the day

first time on the yolk so nothing to scream about

150kg 30m there and back.

Still aching like mad this morning, Bring on next saturday Loving this class
 
Strongman training again on saturday

more a conditioning class lots of burpees.
lots of GTOH movements
lunges
OHP

Then worked on my stone over yolk technique

80kg was feeling easy
got the 90kg up and over twice
Tried the 100kg but just didn't have any energy left.

Will have to give it another bash when less fatigued. and get that 100kg over

...


This Morning:

Bench 5x5 75kg - slowly going up really struggled on the last set but happy to see that weight going up

Dead lift : 10 reps 120kg
7 reps 140kg

Then smashed some various bicep & tricep exercises.

Feel like I need to get a belt for my deadlifting
 
Wedding done : its Strongman Time

Wedding is now done and dusted.

Had my first strongman class at the weekend, it was a lot of conditioning

I really struggled, its amazing what 2 weeks of laying around drinking and eating awful does to your body

doing some hill sprints and my knee was giving me loads of grief so back onto squats to sort it out again.

after the session worked on my deadlift i bloody love deadlifting

had 2 coaches watching my form, was bang on apparently whacked my knee supports on and a belt

new 1 rep max 180kg chuffed :D


............


The long long term plan is to one day compete in a novice strongman competition

with what I am lifting now I am obviously a LONG way off but something to aim for and The weights are slowly going up
 
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yesterdays workout

400meter sandbag carry @ 75kg
40 deadlifts at 75kg
40 squat thrusts
400meter sandbag carry @ 75kg
30 deadlifts at 75kg
30 squat thrusts
400meter sandbag carry @ 75kg
30 keg GTOH @ 40kg

was absolutely brutal
 
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