much better…

after saturdays stomach disco i was back to normal…whatever that is….in the gym.
sunday started well with the hammer strength shoulder press. loaded it up to 360lbs and made 3 half reps.
dropped down to 270 and did 3 sets of 5 reps.
finished off with cables…side raises, front raises, and upright rows.
jumped on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

today was just some cardio…
Three 20 minute sessions on the treadmill, with 3 giant sets of abs in between. the exercises i did for abs were, ab pulldowns, cable side bends, and straight arm pulldowns. funny OKGO came on my ipod…here we go again. appropriate song being on the treadmill.

some zen….

Pure and fresh are the flowers with dew
Clear and bright is the singing of the birds;
Clouds are calm, waters are blue.
Who has written the True Word of no letters?
Lofty are the mountains, green are the trees,
Deep are the valleys, lucid are the streams;
The wind is soft, the moon is serene.
Calmly I read the True Word of no letters.

– Zenkei Shibayama

10 weeks and a rough start

i have 10 weeks till i compete and it did not start well…
i took last week off because i was feeling under the weather. so figuring the rest would be beneficial i decided to kick off this saturday with some great training! yeah right….
started off well log cleans. did 260lbs. first set 3 reps, second set 2 reps.
then my stomach let go…or came close to it. waited it out hoping it would pass. tried my next exercise…oh boy!! came close to soiling myself…..WHAT DID I EAT?
heavy weights and stomach upset do not mix well. so i called it a day and watched my training partner do his thing.
tomorrow should be better. where is that bottle of pepto?

why do this?

strongman is not an easy sport. it is painful and tiring. it requires strength(duh), strong mental focus, and an acute sense of insanity. really why would anyone in their right mind want to pull a semi?
somedays i like to consider my training “anger management”, a way to let loose all the pent up frustration and emotion i have inside.
there is some skill to it…ok a lot of skill. the lifts themselves are very technical and do require more than brute strength. there is a balance that has to be struck, hold back enough in training and push oneself far enough to surpass your previous best. i always found that the tougher it is in training the easier the competition.
so i am putting this blog here to chronicle what goes on with my training. what i will go through as i make my way to april’s competition nad past that…

AHHHHHHH KellyClarkson!!!!!

why you say? i actually like her as a singer. but its funny how we scrutinize celebrities. she has never been in love? wow. not a lesbian? thank you god!! funny though is that she wants quality in a relationship and not quantity.
what makes quality? are we all different in that respect? i certainly want a woman that can put up with me training and competing and understand it. this stuff aint easy….and thankfully i dont have paparazzi following me, but it would be fun. making a quality relationship requires time and a lot of communication. it helps to understand someone. especially when they are having a bad day or in need of a hug. maybe even a good kick in the ass!
oh well i have rambled enough….so Kelly if you need a date email me…ah well one has to try.

a start…

i want to write. lord knows about what.
i have a journey i am taking. its down a path i have tread for too long. i am going to attempt to achieve a goal i never thought possible. i question my sanity on this journey i chose…

who in their right mind would ever want to pick up rocks, pull trucks, endure pain and soreness?
i have done it for the pure love of the sport and the joy of being stronger than most. time to take it to another level…turn pro.

most people dont understand. i get looks in the gym when i lift. my mom thinks i will be musclebound. heck my ex never understood my drive and desire. or the dedication it takes to be an athlete, especially one that is doing it for free.

i do have friends that encourage me. they get me through the trying times and push me past the barriers i create. they make me honest with myself. thanks to them i can be who i really want to be….a strongman!