Being Proud

I have been lifting weights and such for about 18 years. Now I always lifted but I never really took any of serious until about 8 years ago when I met my wife. Its funny how having someone around who supports you and will tell you if you are doing good or bad really brings out the best in you. I remember shortly after we got married I wanted to turn our garage into my gym and buy some extra equipment to make it better. Now most normal women would have told me to go to hell, but not my wife she fully supported it and now we have a very nice gym and our cars are outside. Now I still wasn't completely serious with my lifting but I was pushing it harder and lifting heavier weights. Now jump ahead to 2006 I decide I wanna try and do my first strongman contest. Now some peoples might have been thinking "Your crazy" this would be a true statement, as I think you have to be a little out of your mind to do some of the things I like do. Again my wife supported me and dealt with me training more and seeing her and the kids less sometimes. I did my contest and got my ass handed to me, in fact over the next 2 1/2 years I did many more contest and got my ass kicked alot more times. My wife kept giving me lots of support and kept telling me not to give up. Finally come 2008 I found what I needed to do and did it. I lost a bunch of weight, figured out what I need to do in my workouts, and I put it all together as a plan. My first contest I didn't win, but I did take 4th place out 12 competitors. Now I knew I was getting closer to what I needed to accomplish my goals. Finally in 2009 I won the Gus Lohman as a 200# competitor, Won the Collegiate Nats as a Lightweight, and won the Nebraska Highlander as a 200# competitor. Without my wife I never could have accomplished any of this. Having solid support is the key to doing well at anything. Good women are hard to find and my wife is living proof, as quite frankly I can be a real pain in the ass if I have a bad contest or even bad training. But when I get bitchy she tells me shut up and deal with it and listens to my rambling. I am proud of my wife and lucky to have her.

Jesse

Strongman Day

Overall today was a good day. My buddy Corey Kenkel is on fire and tore it up today. He pressed a 140# for 1 rep, flew through a 210-310 stone series.

Thick DB clean and press
100# x 12 reps would have been 17 reps had I not screwed up some reps.
120# x 2 reps just my right arm, left arm was not cooperating

18" Deadlift
500lbs x 1 x 5 singles
550lbs x 1 x 3 singles

stones
series of 210-310 this sucked
250 stone x 5 reps

Sledgehammer swings
12# sledge x 20 reps x 3 sets

decline abs wiht 12# medicine ball x 20 reps x 2 sets

Good day, need to rest up.

Jesse

ok day

Was maybe gonna go for a deadlift PR today, but once I started lifting I realized I was not fully recovered from wednesday. But I still had a good workout.

Deadlift from the floor.
135x5
225x5
315x3
405x1
475x1 add belt
525x1 nice smooth rep, but a little heavier than it should have been so I stopped with heavy weight.
405x1x8 sets no belt 20 sec rest in between.

Military presses
115x5
125x5
135x5
145x5
155x5

Rope Pullups
6 sets of 4 reps

Reverse hypers
3x10

Chest supported rows
3x15

Jesse

Lifetime achievment day

I felt like hell all day today, was half tempted to skip my workout completely. But I am glad I didn't as I achieved a lifetime PR today.

Power snatches
95x3
115x3
135x3
135x1x6 sets

Power Cleans
185x3
205x5
215x3
225x1x5 sets 30 sec rest between each

Box squats to 17" high box
worked up then
405x2 no belt PR
405x2 add belt
470x1 15# PR
485x1 30# PR
500x1 45# PR and lifetime PR

Was spent after this and called it a night. Very happy with this as it lets me know the hard is paying off.

Jesse

Upperbody day

Was gonna do a powerlifting meet this weekend, but decided that making money was a smarter idea. Did some different stuff today but should have not benched remotely heavy.

Log presses
log x 8
140x3
180x3
200x3
220x3

These felt decent, I haven't touched the log in around 3-4 months so it is just getting used to it again.

Bench Press
135x5
185x5
225x3
275x3
305x1 way harder that it should have been.

Incline DB presses
3x10

Hammer Curls 4x8 supersetted with Straight bar curls 4x10

Wrist Curls
4x15

Grippers 2x25 each hand.

Jesse

Setting Goals

I have already made my list of goals I want to achieve this year, but I always hear people ask how do you stay motivated. Well it is not always easy, you have to have a different train of thought than most people. I am one of those people that even when I do really well I can find 10 things I could have done better. Last year I won 3 contest, but at 2 of them I won 4 of the 5 events and this made me unhappy. I came away with the win, but I still wanted more. I think this is what separates people who lifts weights from people who train. Every workout I want to set PRs, it doesn't always happen but that is the goal. One way to always keep motivated is know what your PRs are on every little lift. I was feeling a little burned out the other day so I knew I needed something to keep me happy. Well I hadn't done rack pulls from above the knee in a long time, so I did them and set a 25# PR. Hell some weeks I will set a stupid PR on something like curls, DB rows, pullups, etc..... Setting PRs is what keeps me going, that and having something to train for. I am hoping to get to compete this weekend in a powerlifting meet, if I do I will go for a DL pr. My bench unfornately is not where I want it to be but I will still try to set a PR.

Jesse

Somewhat event training day

Had a less than stellar workout on friday, but it was something. Actually it was a good amount of work I just didn't feel all that strong. Had some good training today, and I am happy with how things are coming along. But I need to start working on my overhead pressing strength alot. I am training for a powerlifting meet right now and I am not able to do both without overtraining. So once this powerlifting training is done, it is back to getting my overhead back up to par.

Thick DB clean and press
95x16 reps 8 each arm. I felt happy about his until Corey knocked out 20 reps way easier and faster than my 16. But I did get a PR eating prime rip from the night before and needless to say I was still very full from it.

Axle presses
160x3
180x3
200x7 just out of gas here.

Rack pulls just above the knee.
worked up to 700x1
and then 750x1 which I believe is a PR.

Stones
330x1x5sets
These felt good. Worked on fast lap to load.

Sledgehammer swings x 20 supersetted with woodchoppers with bands x 10 3 times nonstop.

Overall this was a good workout. I am really looking forward to some warm weather to do some outside training. I could be tough and go outside, but screw that I have done it for the past couple years and I don't ever really feel that it has benefited me when I have done it.

Jesse