4/30/13 - me squat & stones

Training#1 @ 530a

Squat 405x5, 455x5, 505x3
Hang clean 225x3x6
Snatch grip DL 225x12x3

Well, now that I wrote it out it looks like I really didn't do much. Squat was tough. Not much motivation but got the work done. Kept it light on cleans to get the movement pattern back. Decided to try to snatch grip RDLs and felt great. Felt the contraction in the muscle belly of the hamstring vs up towards the glute tie in. Will be rotating these in often.


Training#2 @ 130p

18# shot
*standing x6-8, avg 42-43
*full x12-14

Standing tosses felt good. Getting better at pushing my right in and twisting my torso while holding it back vs allowing my upper body to fold forward. Right knee in, climb the left, chest high.

Big breakthrough on the spin. Really trying to get my right side to push through into the shot vs having my left pull my right around into position. After a few throws started toying with staying on my left longer before driving into the middle. This put me in a great position to get my right down fast and begin pushing immediately. Need to get this consistent. From there, need to hold my upper back a bit longer to separate better. Definitely a big step in the right direction.

4/29/13 - hammer

Training @ 130p

16# hammer x10-12
14# hammer x3-5

Focus here was working the finish. After talking with Odden on Saturday at Sacramento I was really wanting to get the finish polished up. Worked on continuing to push the ball all the way through the finish. Typically I'll push the ball then a big pull for the finish. Odden pointed out that this is pulling the ball out of orbit and jerking the delivery vs keeping the hammer smooth and riding it out to the release. Made some good progress here and could really feel my left side block. Need to take some more reps and continue to increase speed.

4/27/13 - Sacramento Games

Sacramento Valley Games

24ish# bstone - 38+ - 3rd
16# ostone - 48+ - 2nd
56# wfd - 42+ - 1st
28# wfd - 87+ - 1st
22# hammer - 108+ 1st
16# hammer - 133+ 1st
56# wob - 000000 - 5th
caber (20'/125#) - 70deg - tie for 1st

overall = 1st

Braemar was a heavy stone. 23 or 24lbs. Nicely shaped, just wasn't getting a good push on it. Also was letting my chest drop which is an easy fix. Just need to be mindful. Was looking for a big ostone here but nobody had one. It was an ugly rock. Tried to get a really good right side push on it but just wasn't getting through. Rushing the finish as usual.

Wfd felt ok. Thought I had a couple really big ones but kept hitting an invisible wall at 42ft. Also drifting forward on the cast and feeling cramped at the finish. I think it has to do with the cast angle and not pivoting my left foot enough before turning. Going to play with this this week and get it fixed. Very little left to dial in on this before some big throws start surfacing. Lwd felt pretty good. First toss was only 77ft and really surprised me. Felt like it was going to go 81-83ish but just didn't have the juice on it I suppose. Cranked it up on the next one and went 83. Finished off with 87'3" on my last extra for a sweet pr.

Hammers were meh. Was really looking for some big numbers here, but knowing my finish is still sketchy it was a toss up. Had a couple good tosses before started really trying to get after it and ended up bombing my extras pretty sadly. Speaking with John Odden he told me to just let the hammer fly. I do a great job at pushing the hammer through the right side and in front of me but for the finish I pull so hard it knocks it out of orbit. He said to just continue pushing the hammer all the away around into the release. Something to work on here.

Wob was a shit-show. Kept leaving it out in front and no-heighted at 14ft. Embarrassing. Just went 3/3 @ 16 3 days ago. Need to work on pulling back as well as up, I've got to get this over the bar. No excuses here.

Caber was huge. Had a decent taper on it and it was turnable but man it was heavy. Steve says it was 125# but it sure felt closer to 140 or so. Regardless, nobody turned it and I tied with Greg Bell for 1st at 70 degrees.

Overall had a great time. Steve did an awesome job judging and Mike Qutermous did a great job announcing. Everything ran smoothly and I had a great time. Threw with Jon O'neil, Rusty Price, Greg Bell and John Odden and as always had a blast with them. Even talked some smack to Greg for coming in at 13' which then backfired hardcore when I missed at 14, haha.

Big thanks to my wife for taking care of the kids while I was out of town. Thanks to my buddy and fellow thrower Jess Thomas for putting me up for the games. Thanks to Sportkilt for keeping me sexy and also to Tod Stewart of Stewart & Torgerson Injury Law (1800ourlawyer.com) for helping me with travel and support.

4/24/13 - stones

Training @ 615a

18# indoor shot
*stand x6, best 43
*spin x8-10, best 48, avg 45

Stands went well. Getting better at pushing my right leg in, holding my upper position and firing with my chest high. Still could get a stronger block on my left side. Happy with 43ft from an 18# shot though.

Spin went ok. Back was really stiff so getting separated required an act from congress. Wet grass this am so couldn't wear my slick on my right foot like usual. Wore my spikes instead. A valuable lesson from this was it taught me not to rely on my left leg to "pull" my right through. The right spike just stopped it every time and my right hip never got forward to finish strong. This forced me to land, stop my upper body (mental cue was to keep my left arm behind my right leg), and push my right through (cue was to drive my knee in), focusing on a long push on the shot. This will definitely carry over. With more practices. Some big tosses coming here soon. Getting more confident with the stone/shot.

Now time to rest up for Sac games this weekend. Going to work with a massage therapist tomorrow to help loosen my back up. Also, ice bath, contrast showers, hot tub and lots of stretching/foam rolling until Saturday morning, then it's time to drop bombs. I've got PRs on the brain!!

4/23/13 - full body maintenance & hammer/wfd/wob

Training#1 @ 440a

Bench w/power factor 135x3x10, best 3.96f/s, avg 3.3-3.5f/s
Incline bench 225x10, 275x5
Push press 185x5, 225x5, 275x3
Squat w/power factor 185x2x2, 225x2x10, best 3.46f/s, avg 3.21f/s
GMs 225x10x2
RDLs 225x10x2
BB rows 225x6x2
Pullups 2x6


Training#2 @ 615a

16# hammer x12-16
14# hammer x6-8

Focus here was to get back to my usual hammer style before changing it last week. Keep the ball on the right side, chop the down swing and stay really loose. From there I focused on turning my hips to the right as soon as the ball got behind me on the 3rd wind. This result in turning the hips as the ball was dropping and was giving me a good left side block. Looking to chop the hammer down and push the ball out on the right side and drive my right hip into my left for a big scoopy finish. Kept things nice and slow, mission accomplished. Now lets see if we can make it fast in Sacramento this weekend.

Training#3 @ 1215p

56# wfd
*1 turn x6, best 40, avg 38
*full x8-10, best 43, avg 42

28# wfd x3, best 84

56# wfd x1, 42

Worked on the push in the back to get the weight moving sooner. Definitely still tired from the weekend, just didn't feel like I had a lot of gas behind any of the throws. Good ball speed, just nothing behind it. Last couple throws I really dialed in the push. As the weight travels to my left behind me, I need to load my left with more weight and focus on pushing the ball dead center between my legs. This gives me a solid low point out of the back which gives me a straight drive and no drifting to the left on my sprint. As always, more reps to make this 100%. I can see this thing going very far in the near future. Last two throws are money, the others you can notice how the low point drifts in the back and the orbit becomes angled which shortens my finish.

Training#4 @ 545p

56# wob
*3/3 @ 14
*3/3 @ 15
*3/3 @ 16
*0/8 @ 17

Hit the bar with the bottom of the weight on every attempt at 17. Lower back was screaming at me. Worked on keeping legs nice and loaded, as soon as the weight passed between my legs, straightened legs, dropped hips and pulled hard. Easy makes all the way up to 17. Going to get practicing this more often, looking to get up over 17 soon and start trekking towards 18. Going to need to start adding in some high pulls or snatches again. Between caber and wob, I can definitely see how they'll be useful. Stones tomorrow then shut 'er down for some R&R before Sac.

4/22/13 - hammers

Training @ 1230p

 16# hammer x 20ish?, avg 125, best 128


Meh.. ok hammer session. Not really putting any juice on these, jsut trying to nail that finish. Didn't really accomplish much other than wash out my prior thoughts about how I needed to change the finish. Today I focused on changing the angle of my orbit so that my hips opened up better on the finish. All this did was make me late, every single time because changing the angle was pushing the low point way to the left. Watched vid of Betz (http://youtu.be/xLmltCsOODw?t=13s) especially and he sets his angle and doesn't change it one bit (just like I typically do) but he opens his left up and pushes his right into it as the ball is dropping on the finish. This is what I need to work on. This vid helped a lot. Going to throw hammer again tomorrow morning and work it as I usually would but try to open my left up better for a big pop on the finish. We'll see how it goes.

 

4/20/13 - Vegas Games

Las Vegas Highland Games Pro Comp

22# bs - 40'9 - 3rd (PR)
16# os - 52'10 - 3rd (PR)
56# wfd - 44'4.5 - 2nd (PR)
28# wfd - 85'2.5 - 2nd
56# wob - 14 - 6th miserable
20# sheaf - 32' - 1st (PR)
22# hammer - 105'9 - 1st - 109+ on extras
16# hammer - 133'7 - 1st
Caber (17'/120#) - 70deg - 6th

Overall 2nd

Finally broke the 40ft barrier on braemar. 2nd toss was over 40 as well but last was 39. Tried to get after it and lost all separation. Fouled my first ostone which put me in a bad position mentall. Hit a 49ft toss on my 2nd throw and that got my confidence up. Relaxed and hit that solid 52ft toss on my 3rd. Very happy with this despite of placing. A good mental competition style breakthrough here so hopefully I can take that into my next games and be more confident with the stone.

Weights were incredible. I took a real easy and relaxed 41ft for my first toss. Then Andy drops one 1.25" farther than me. Haha.. I sped up my second and went 44+. Andy responded with 45 so I knew I really needed to get after it. Juiced the sprint too hard and felt out the left side of the trig so he pulled away with the W. Similar thing happened on lwd. My first was a nice and easy 84ft and Andy's was a few inches farther. Sped up my second and went 85+, Andy responded with 86. I needed to get after it and dropped a bit one out to 87+ but couldn't stop the forward momentum with my left leg and while I didn't step over the trig. My left kept inching out forward, breaking the invisible trig line. Next time Mr. Vincent, next time. haha.

Wob was next. Plenty of height for 15, just not scooping it like I usually do, weight had no backwards travel on it. Such is the result when you never practice it, despite having a setup in your back yard. That's what annoys me the most. Andy went on to kill 18ft on his first attempt then took a LEGIT shot at 18'11 for a new WR. If it was a fixed bar it would've gone over. The handle is what knocked it off. He used up everything on that toss and didn't come near as close on the others. Francis was saying he could request a fixed bar for his extras but I don't think he had the energy in him to take 3 more pulls at that height.

Sheaf up after lunch (stupid rotation imo). Missed 24ft twice and squeaked it over on my 3rd attemped. I think everyone missed their first attempts. Dialing in accuracy was an issue. Finally got it all set and was money at 26, 28, 30 and 32. Took some good shots at 34 and had height on my last one but left it out front. This was a solid PR for me.

Hammers up next. Took me several warmups to loosen my back up. I prefer to do hammers right after weights, before lunch that way there's no issues with getting tight or anything. I can just relax and get after it. With this rotation none of that was happening. Took me 4 attempts at winds before I could even get loose enough to complete all 3 winds without falling over. Was thinking this was going to be a bad day for hammers. I also had in the back of my head that new finish style I was working on on Wednesday. First toss went to 103ish and I was happy with as we were throwing uphill. It wasn't a giant uphill but anybody that's gone to Vegas in the last 3 years will know what I'm talking about. This is def not a PR field for hammers. With the new style my low point kept drifting left on my 3rd wind which was making me late on my finish. I was hitting the position that I wanted but was late on them. I took some extras, not for pr but moreso to work on that finish and dropped a solid one out to 109+ (which didn't get recorded for some reason). Moving into light hammer my first was 127ish or so and way out to the left side of the field. Again, late on the finish because the ball drifting on 3. I've got an idea on how to fix this and will be playing with it in training this week. Finished up with a best at 133 but 5/6 over 130 on this field and I was pretty happy. I'm definitely getting setup for some big hammers in the near future.

Last up: Caber. 17'/120# stick with little taper. This really wasn't a bad stick, but it was 530pm and I was exhausted. I should've grabbed something to eat and some caffeine but I just went into it. Bad idea. On the first pick I remember thinking to myself, this isn't going to happen, I don't have the energy. Took a half ass attempt and went 60 degrees. Blegh.. second one the wind kicked up on me and I spent so much time trying to recover it that I ended up just laying it down in frustration.. then went and laid down on the field until it was my turn again. 3rd attempt I remember psyching myself up for a big pull. Pick went well, drive went well but there just wasn't anything behind my pull. No excuses here, I just didn't have the WIM.

Andy took a well deserved 1st after snagging a few sweet PRs. His performance on the caber was incredible. He had it past 90 degrees before the top even hit the ground. Was awesome. Mike Dickens hit a sweet PR of 32ft on the sheaf as well, that was pretty awesome. Threw with Ryan Stewart, Doug Steiger, Kearney Smith, Jon Odden and John O'Neil. Oh yeah, Jon O'Neil went 55+ on the Ostone that looked effortless as shit. That was pretty sweet looking. Had a lot of fun with this group and I'm really enjoying my short tenure thus far in the Pro group. Looking forward to Sacramento this next weekend coming up. This was a big games for me in the sense of consistency. This confirmed to me (and others I hope) that my performance in Phoenix wasn't a fluke. I've got some solid marks to improve on and I hope to be a heavy hitter in the near future. Still more work to do, as if it will ever end, lol.

Thanks to my Mrs for coming up to the Vegas with me and cheering me on with our 3 month old boy. Thanks to Tod Stewart of Stewart & Torgersen Injury Law for helping me out with travel expenses and his support. Thanks to Sport Kilt for the sweet threads the entire Sullivan gang is now wearing, New World Celts ftw.

Now it's back to training, and I need to get this spinal erector thing fixed. Some annoying pains going on that have reached their nuisance threshold. Going to see a MT this week and get it worked on. No video of this weekend, it was windy all day so keeping a tripod up wasn't in my priorities.

4/17/13 - hammer/wfd/ostone

Training#1 @ 6am

16# hammer x approx 30, avg 126, best 130

Really good hammer session. Figured out a couple things here. Thanks to Mike Dickens I pointed my left toe out to open my hips up better. Thanks to Jake Nicol I started putting more weight on my left leg throughout the throw. Started working the hammer more side to side, getting longer on my left side and less on my right. With more weight on my left I'm able to push my right against it harder for a stronger finish and a bigger scoop. Definitely made some progress here. Going to need more reps to solidify it at faster speeds but very happy with the progress.

Training#2 @ 1245p

56# wfd
*1 turns x6, avg 41, best 42
*full x7, avg 44, best 45'6

28# wfd x4, avg 85, best 89'1

15.5# ostone full spin x4, 49, 51, 51, 53

Great practice. Slowed down my sprint on the 1 turns and worked on nailing the finish, getting nice and long on the drive to zero and a big lift. Good numbers here, despite being pretty fatigued. Left spinal erector was pretty damn tight too, tough week. Anyways, relaxed the first couple fulls with the 56 and was dropping 42-43ish. Decided to pick it up some and was going 44s consistently. Now, here's the trick. I've got a terrible habit of diving into the sprint when I really get after it which kills my position on the finish. So I went out on a limb and decided to speed up my cast out of the back. This gave me fantastic speed through the sprint, while only sprinting at about 80% and I was still able to get into a great position for the finish. Dropped a couple 45s with the 56 and called it a day. Did the same with the 28. Took it nice and easy on the first couple and went 85 and 81. Then sped it up out of the back and went 87 and 89. Great day for weights..

Onto stone, running out of time so I just took a handful of throws. Hit a couple drills after the first two tosses to get my left around fast, push my right hip and hold my right shoulder back. Hit a big 53 for the last toss and more was in there. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel. I might stop talking so much shit about stones now........... or not.

 

4/16/13 - me push press + de bench & sheaf/hammer

Training#1 @ 5a

Push press up to 315x1
Strict ohp 225x5x3
Speed bench 155x3x10
Bench (ultra wide grip x4 -> regular grip x4 -> close grip x4) 225x3 sets
Ring dips 5x7

Band pull aparts 3x20
Band face pulls 3x20
Band push downs 3x20

Felt my lower left abdominal cramp up at 275 and was still cramped at 315 so I called it there as to not force an injury. The 225 felt pretty good. Speed bench was solid and the higer rep bench sets with different grips were pretty fun. The last 4 reps at close grip felt heavy as shit. Last couple sets on the dips were rest/pause on the last 2-3 reps. Def getting stronger though. One more light workout and deload for Vegas this weekend.

Training#2 @ 12p

16# hammer x a bunch of miserable reps

Boot blade broke on Saturday so I attempted throwing with just one bolt in my right boot and that ended up making me feel unstable. Finish still incredibly off.

4/15/13 - me squat & stones

Training#1 @ 440a

Deadlift against efs short avg bands up to 545x1
Front/back squat (pause last back squat) 275x3, 335x3, 405x3
GMs 275x5x3
RDLs 315x5, 405x5x2

lol, looking back I guess I didn't do very much in terms of volume. Ended up skipping step ups, was pretty smoked. Got vid of the deadlift and front/back squat combo. Man, I love that combo. It's a killer and I can get through both squat exercises at the same time. RDLs felt pretty good and I can tell my hams have gotten weaker from not doing them as often. Last year when I was pulling 675 I could do 455x5 without much of a problem. 405 felt heavy today. At least I've finally nailed the problem and can work on it. Also, on my DL tech. I've gotten in the habit of slowly dropping my hips and firing up. Looking back, that's not what I did. I figured that out today when I doubled 455 + the bands. Noticed my second rep was much cleaner. I always do a full reset but the second one I shoot my ass up then drop it down real fast before pulling. Did this on my 495 and 545 and felt MUCH better off the floor and felt a better position at my knees. Things are starting to come around. PROGRESS!!!!

Training#2 @ 1130a

15.5# stone
*stand x6, best 45, avg 44
*180 drills with & without stone
*1/4 turn south africsn with & without stone
*full spin x10-12, best 50, avg 49-50

Good stone practice today. Standing throws really coming together. Working on pushing my right hip and holding my right shoulder back, squeezing my right obliques then firing hard off my left leg and left arm block. Haven't had distances like these standing in a while, despite being pretty fatigued from weights this am. Spins felt good. Lots of drills keeping an eye focal point on the horizon while snapping my left leg into place and pushing my right hip. Really exaggerates my inflexibility. Need to work on this. On the positive side, I can really feel the right leg push and obliques tighten up to hold my upper back. This is a great cue. It's not translating every time yet, but I had some solid throws today and it's def progress. Dislike stones a little less after today. Hopefully after a month or so I'll actually enjoy throwing them, haha.

4/13/13 - Vegas prep throws practice

Training @ 545a

16# shot warmup stands x5
24# shot stands x9-10, best 35, avg 34
16# shot 180 drills x6, avg 45ish
16# shot quarter turn into south African x6-8, avg 49
16# shot full spin x10-12, best 49, avg 49

22# hammer x4, best 104, avg 134
16# hammer x6, best 134, avg 132

56# wfd one turn x6, best 42, avg 40
56# wfd full x6-8, best 45, avg 43
28# wfd x6-8, best 86, avg 84

Shot went better than expected. Threw off of grass obv. Working on holding my right shoulder back to allow my right hip to push through before blocking. Slowly getting there. When I hit it I could really feel the slingshot of pushing the shot out and it just felt effortless. Great practice with that.

Hammers were ok. Heavy felt.... heavy. I'm not a fan of heavy hammer, it moves slow and I just don't feel like I can ever really get it going. Satisfied with a couple 103s and a 104, given the effort level here. Light hammer went well. Had to force myself to relax, I was really trying to kill the finish at first and was pulling in. Relaxed and focused on the finish and it was great. Still not getting my hips all the way into the finish but the 130s are getting easier and easier.

Wfd started out great. 1 turns are the best they have been in a while. Really feeling the drive to zero and a big finish. Went to the fulls and they broke down. My fault  completely, I was trying to gas the shit out of them and subsequently either missing the finish, or hitting the sprint too late and the weights were going way off to the left side of the field. Oh well. Lwd was ok. First toss went out to 86 and felt awesome. Laid off the sprint a little so I could kill the finish and it was a great throw. The next couple I started juicing the sprint and ended up missing the finish. Laid off again and had a couple good ones out to 84.

Overall a good practice. Need to hit up some wob and sheaf before Vegas too. Monday will be stones, Tuesday wfd/sheaf/wob and Wednesday stones. That's the plan. Ice bath Wed night, hot tub Thursday w/stretch & foam roll and a cold shower Saturday morning. Lots of food Fri night btw, lol..

4/11/13 - de squat/pull + assistance & stones

Training#1 @ 430a

16" box squat w/power factor, heels raised 1.5" 185x2x2, 225x2x10, avg 2.83-2.96 w/ a couple at 3.09f/s
Deadlift w/power factor 225x1x2, 275x1x8, avg 2.96-3.09 w/ one at 3.21f/s
Dimel deads 275x15x3
Avg band GMs 3x15
BB rows 275x8x3
Pullups 5x6

BB cheat curls 135x10x3
Trapbar shrugs 315x20x3
Band pushdowns 3x20

^swole.

Squats and pulls felt great. Feeling faster already. Really attacking my posterior too. Was just going to be lazy and do some ring rows but decided to hit the bb rows anyways and they weren't as bad as I thought they were going to be. Next week will hit up either 295 or 315, whatever's on the bar after dimels. Pullups felt miserable. Being fatigued from the pulls and rows, plus sore from upper the day before, ended up having to rest pause the last couple reps of the last 2 sets. Ughh.. Finished up with a bro sesh. Biceps are already starting to look the part. Win.


Training#2 @ 1215p

15.5# stone
*stand x4 to warmup
*180 footwork drills
*180 drill throws x6-8
*1/4 turn into south african drill
*1/4 turn into south african throws x6-8
*full spin drills
*full spin throws x10-12 with a couple south african drills in between

Really working on positions at the front. Trying to hold my right shoulder back while my left arm is opening up. That gives my right hip time to push through and prep for the block. I think I made progress. I've got a positive frame of mind after this practice but there's still lots and lots of reps to do. This will definitely be a focal point of my training over the next couple months. Didn't measure any tosses but a lot of the divots out there are in the 45ft range and I was hitting those with ease going very slow. Not going to try to turn on the gas until I'm hitting these positions on a consistent basis. Looking forward to Saturday, throwing all implements with Jake Nicol, Adam Brezina, Brandon Hall and Eddie Brown. Stones will still be a focal point but going to get some time in with wfd, hammers and sheaf as well. Vegas coming up soon. Can't look like a fool again on the stones.

4/10/13 - me bench / de ohp & stones

Training#1 @ 415a

Bench up to 385x1
**add slingshot 385x4/4/3
Strict ohp (speed) 135x3x8
Push press 225x5, 245x5, 275x4
Ring dips 5x6

Band pull aparts 3x20
Band face pulls 3x20
Band wide grip pushdowns 3x20

Good sesh. Wasn't expecting the 385 so that was pleasant. Felt solid, but went up slow. Looking to go 4+ here in the next couple months. I'd like to make another run at 450, my best ever was 455x2 raw. Lots more tricep work though. Slingshot felt pretty cool, can definitely see some overload training here on the tris. Progress on ring dips. Will start working 7s now until I can get 5x7 then move to 8s. When I get to 10s I'll start adding weight. Prob gonna be a while before that happens. Tris felt smoked after the pushdowns. I like.


Training#2 @ 1230p

15.5# stone
*standing x6 for warmup
*full spin x15-20

Worked on a snappier right leg. So, from the back my goal was to open up my left leg and get my right foot as far away from my left as possible. From there, allow the right leg to snap into the middle of the box. This gave me a much faster left and kept my right turning the whole time. Problem at hand: still finishing early. I need to hold my upper back longer. Ughh.. At least there's some progress. Covering more ground on the spin and getting more linear (mostly). Now I need to drill getting my weight balanced on my right leg and holding my upper body to torque up while my right hip is pushing through. Anybody have any tips or cues for you to hold back your finish and not rush it? Any specific drills?

4/9/13 - stones

Training @ 1145a

15.5# stone
*standing x12-14
*spin x10-12

Standing getting better. Bent over a little bit more today to get a longer push. Still trying to drive the right knee in and down to start the movement then get into a reverse C position. Feeling stronger, not much energy today as still pretty stiff from legs yesterday. Spins were a shit show.

Watched a lot of video of Armstrong, Hoffa, Cantwell and Godina. They all have one thing in common. The ball itself travels very little in the ring. In comparison, I appear to be dive bombing my upper body into the middle of the trig whereas these shotputters come out of the back slow and relaxed. Turn their torso to about 3:00 and then whip their right leg around and into position incredibly fast. The left pulls under and boom. All the while the shot itself doesn't even move very much. Something to think about. Stones again tomorrow. I've got to get these under control.

4/8/13 - me squat & hammers

Training#1 @ 430a

EFS reverse strong band squat up to 700x1
Front squat 365x3, 365x3, 415x3
Sumo deads 315x3, 365x3, 365x3
12" step ups 135x10, 185x10x2
RDLs 315x10x3

Squats were belt/wraps only and bands fully deloaded at the top. The walkout and top end felt stupid heavy. I liked it. Will defnitely throw these into a roatation of sorts. I think next training block I'll do front squats for the primary movement. Then squat against bands and then regular squats. Sumo deads were meh. I went from 365 to 415 on the 2nd set and as I was starting to pull my left hamstring cramped up. Seeing how I could give two shits about sumos, I dropped the weight back down to 365 and kept it there. Hammy felt gold. Rdls felt really good also, very good stretch on them. Going to kick it up a notch next week. Vegas games next weekend so going to get all my training done mon-wed, ice bath wednesday night and relax thursday/friday, maybe some hot tub action on thursday and friday with some active recovery as well. Looking forward to the games.


Training#2 @ 1130a

20# hammer x8, best 115, avg 113ish
16# hammer x6, best 137, avg 130ish
14# hammer x4, best 147, avg 140ish

Took a couple warmup sets of winds with the 16# hammer then jumped into the 20# hammer. Felt heavy. Took me at least 4 throws before I lost the stiffness from this morning and was able to get loose. Regardless, still felt slow and sluggish and wasn't feeling a big pop on the finish. Was hoping for 120+ here but oh well,  maybe next time. Had a pretty good sesh with the 16#er though. Took a couple starter reps out to 125-129 then started getting after it. Had a couple in the low 130s then a big one at 137 that felt awesome. 14# hammer went well too, though was having trouble catching it and wanted to go early every time. Getting really whippy on all of these. I feel like my finish could be tweaked, but still throwing good numbers so I'm undecided. Just trying to get a big scoop with my right arm on the finish. Really looking for 140 soon with the 16# as that's a huge milestone, but I fear it may still be some distance away.

4/6/13 - stones/wfd

Training @ 7a

23.5# bstone x10, avg 34-35
15.5# ostone x6-8, unk distances
49# wfd x8-10, avg 48
28# wfd x8, avg 82

Bstone feeling so much more comfortable lately, now to just speed it up and make it explosive. Baby steps. Doing a good job of pushing my knee in and down to accelerate the right hip while holding my upper back. Still lots of work, but it's feeling more natural. Going to be good when I can put some pop on it.

Ostone felt pretty good. Did lots of "mirror drills" and separated spins to work on getting my right down and keeping my bodyweight on it vs shifting forward onto my left too soon. Trying to get a longer right leg out of the back of the spin as well as getting my right down and holding my upper back similar to my wfd to get my left down faster for a longer push on the stone. Lots of little things but really working just one thing at a time. Lots of drills between throws. Things are shaping up. Today wasn't a "I hate stones day".

WFD felt good. Didn't feel like I had a lot of gas in the tank so my heavies were a bit off. Was looking for a 50 footer but kept hitting an invisible wall. Was a tough training week and I've got 2 more of them before the Vegas games. Will be sure to get lots of rest the 3 days leading up to the games. LWD felt solid but again, still missing a big pop. Felt like I couldn't really hit 100% on either the sprint or the finish. Happy with numbers despite.

Had to call it early without hitting hammers as my mrs called and needed me home to take care of the baby. She's got a nasty stomach flu so that really sucks for her. On the flip side, I get to spend more time with my boys and that's always fun (and exhausting, lol). I'll try to get out and do some wob either this afternoon or tomorrow depending on energy levels. Got plans this afternoon so might have to hit it tomorrow.

4/4/13 - speed work + assistance & stones

Training#1 @ 515a

16" box squat w/power factor, heels raised 1.5" 225x2x10ish sitting 2.7-2.9f/s
Deadlift w/power factor 225x1x2, 275x1x8, sitting 2.7-2.9f/s
RDL 275x15/10/10
Bb rows 275x8x3
Pullups 3x10

Wide grip band pushdowns 3x20
Band curls 3x20

Squatting from the 16" box is a good height for me. Some would say it's too high, but I digress. My full squat would probably put me somewhere around a 10" box. I know that if I try to drop onto a 12" box I come to a very abrupt stop so even that would be too high for a full squat for me. To get 3f/s with the shorter rom makes me push harder and I like that. Going to keep this weight until I'm consistantly over 3f/s then I'll move up to 275 and go from there. Same thing with pulls. Rdls felt great, though my lower back is still crushed from monday. Finished it up with a bro-sesh to get all swole up before work. Don't hate.


Training#2 @ 1230p

15.5# stone
*standing x7, avg 42-43
*glide drills = extension, middle drills, unseating
*glide x8-10, avg 43-44
*full spin x6, avg 49

Standing throws are getting better. The distances aren't showing yet but I'm getting a really nice stretch on my right side from pushing the hip through first. Legs are pretty beat up from this week so I wasn't expecting big numbers at all. Did lots of drills for the transition portion of the glide. Still having issues with getting into the power position and not blowing over my left or rushing the finish. Decided to take a couple full spins to finish things off. Didn't really think about anything. Just trying to get linear and separate. Very easy and relaxed throws. Best was out at 51' with not much on it. Others were 48-49 and a couple at 46 that the stone came off wrong and bent my fingers way back. Might be sticking with the spin after all. When I just relaxed and didn't really focus on anything specifically, I felt very fluid. I think I just need to take a lot, and I mean a lot of reps with the stone so I can get comfortable with it and not psyche myself out. No video, phone died shortly after getting onto the field. Weights tomorrow and stone/hammer/wob Saturday.

4/2/13 - me ohp + de bench & stones

Training#1 @ 430a

Push press doubles up to 315x2, 325x1 (missed 2nd)
Strict ohp 225x5/5/4
Speed bench 135x3x2, 155x3x8
Flat bench 225x10x3
Ring dips bwx6/6/6/5/4

band pull aparts
band face pulls
band wide push-downs

Triceps are smoked. Good workout. Really thought I could've gotten the double with 325 but the first rep was tough. Triceps are getting stronger but still the weakest link. Smoked the 315 double though and happy with that. Ties a rep pr with 315 (not a great one, lol).

Training#2 @ 1230p

17# stone
*standing x8-10, best 41
*glide x15-20, best 44

Stands are getting better. Legs and low back are still pretty stiff from yesterday so I'm satisfied with the number. Really learning how to drive my right knee in and down and get a good push on my right hip before exploding off my left. Need to keep my torso back more though and work on getting in the reverse C position.

Glides are meh. Having issues with finishing early, same as with the spin. As soon as my left touches I want to go go go, vs pushing my hip through and loading my left. Also still somewhat hoppy. Spoke with Spencer and he gave me a few tips:

1) push off the right heel
2) think about mule kicking the bottom of a door with my left, don't let it come up or it ends up landing too late, need a longer double support to apply force
3) middle drill: stand in power position. Move right leg out as far as I can. Then push off witht he right, pull it under and finish the throw.

#1 and 2 seem simple enough. I'm really anxious to try #3 and see if it fixes my inability to wait. Once I get this down then I can work on keeping my torso a bit more closed during the gilde. Hopefully this all comes together rather quickly. Stones again tomorrow and friday. Thinking some weights on Thursday and everything early Saturday morning. We'll see how that pans out.

4/1/13 - me deads

Training @ 440a

Deadlift doubles up to 545x2, 585x1, miss x2, 545x2
Front squat x3 + back squat x3 w/ last rep paused 225, 315, 365, 385
GMs 275x5x3
12" box step ups 135x12x3

skipped pull-ups, meh. Ran out of protein powder over the weekend and costco was closed so this mornings shit-fest was brought to you by an empty stomach. For months now whenever I pull heavy I feel a small pinch my left spinal erector near the insertion point above the glute. This annoys me and makes me wonder if this is the reason my pulling has been so terrible. Need to see a soft tissue guy to see if I can get it worked out. I've tried rolling it with a roller, lax ball, etc and nothing. It seems to inflame when I sleep weird the previous night and takes a few days to go away. Ugh. All excuses aside, I just didn't have the WIM for the double at 585, which is also funny because a couple weeks ago when I pulled 615 I would have killed the double at 585. I took a couple more attempts at a single and energy was nil. Dropped to 545 and pulled both like they were 405. whatevs. The squat complex-ish movement was interesting. Really didn't think it was going to be as tough as it was. Thought about hitting 4+ but was pretty smoked for the 385 so I called it there. Looking back at the session it really doesn't look like I did much, but I feel like I got hit by a train. lol

I need more posterior work.