June 30 - July 16 Training (Program Weeks 1-3) + GBC Strongman Exhibition

Yeah, this is my first big update in a while. After my deload, I jumped into this program that Geoffrey Chiu designed for me. He's been doing a great job of overseeing my training and advising me, every step of the way.

What has stood out most about my training; lately, is that my Squat form is looking much nicer. I also started using a more pronounced arch on Bench; as previously stated, as well as bringing on a wider grip on week 2. The wide grip has brought my lats into play a lot more, affording me increased stability. I'll probably go wide, at my next meet. On week 3, I switched back to Sumo Deadlifts and they feel great!! My Bench and Overhead have seen too many missed reps for my liking, so I'm gonna have to be more diligent about that. Time to get serious - Thunderbird Powerlifting Challenge is right around the corner!!!!

For an overview of each session, check out my log @ TrainingBlog.com: John Sambo's Training Log

Yesterday, I finally got to try my hand at some Strongman events. Big ups to Joel Hendershott and everyone else who made yesterday's event possible, as well as the athletes who came out and gave such a great show!! I hadn't done any kind of specific preperation, but my mentality toward it was that I'd rather have gone home with injuries, than to give up... Neither of those things happened!!!

We kicked things off with an Overhead Press Medley, which just so happens to be my weakest link. I didn't read too much into the dynamics of the log press and thought that since I would be using leg drive; I'd most likely be able to do more than my Barbell Strict Press PR (150 lbs). I went for 160 and I was wrong!!! I tried twice to lock out the log and failed. The next item was a 110 lbs block; which took a couple of tries, but I got it. Then; an 80 lbs Dumbbell, which came pretty easily on the first try. The keg was; I believe, 120 lbs and was a bit awkward - but I got it on the first try.

The next event was Axle Deadlifts, which I was the most excited for!! It was done in a "Last Man Standing" format. The heaviest pull that I got was 505 lbs, which is 20 lbs more than my previous Barbell Deadlift PR. I tried 555 lbs afterward, but it may as well have been a million - it would not budge!! The biggest pull of the day was 615, not bad!!!!

Yoke Carry for 50 metres and back came next. It was incredible, just how easy some of the more experienced guys made 600+ lbs look. I only did 485 and had to drop it, several times. The bar kept sliding down my back, leaving it ripped up and swollen. It was fun, but very difficult. My legs were wobbling, the load was swinging like mad... Good time was had!! I'm not sure what my time ended up being, but it was far from outstanding.

The final event of the day was a 50 metre Farmer's Walk, followed by 50 metre Tire Flips (650 lbs tire), for time. The heaviest Farmer's Walk of the day was 225 lbs in each hand. I just went for 165, which was not too hard to carry, but my speed was'nt great. I really didn't feel like I was going to get the tire even once, but proceeded to flip it 5 times, grinding through each one. That was the event that kicked my ass the most!!!

My CNS is so burnt now, I feel like I could sleep for 1000 years and still be tired. If you ask me, it's all worth it... and I can't wait to do it again!!

John Sambo, signing out!!!

Strongman, UBC Meet and MORE!!

I am excited about the future, to the extent that no possible combination of words could convey the full magnitude of my elation! The next item on my menu, is to get my first taste of this crazy thing called Strongman. Only eight more days to go! I've not done much to prepare for it, but have daydreamed endlessly about giving it a shot. This event is not for the sake of competition, but just for fun. Videos and pictures will be going up on my Instagram... but wait, there's more!!

It recently came to my attention that the meet taking place at UBC on the weekend of September 7th, will be sanctioned by the BCPA. After some consideration, I've chosen to do this meet and not the Fall Classic. That means I have less time to prepare, but still more than enough. My goals could potentially reflect on this. I still feel confident about a 505 lb + Deadlift, a 405 lb Squat and most likely, I'll keep my goal of a 295 lb bench press. In the coming weeks, I'll finalize my decisions. I'm in the midst of some technical adjustments, so it will be interesting to see just how much of a difference those make toward my performance!!

As far as the future of my training blog, I just started using trainingblog.com. I will be posting weekly training snapshots on here, along with links to each session's post, for a more in-depth overview. Check out my training vids here: MrJohnSambo@Instagram

Yes, I'm Still Alive

It's been some time, since I've posted an update. I have been keeping up with my logs; however, and will now only be posting weekly updates.

Right now, I'm working with Geoffrey Chiu as my coach. Geoff really goes the extra mile and truly wants to see others succeed. I'd recommend his services, if you're looking for a trainer. He has me on a program that is like nothing I've done before, this one is a lot of fun. The format sort of resembles Sheiko, as you'll see in my week one update.

I'm not gonna go too in depth, regarding weights that I use on assistance work. I'll be posting sets reps and weights for main movements, as well as what were the highlights of my training week - and whatever else I feel like mentioning. I've also made an Instagram account, mainly to share training videos. I'll post some of those.

Here is a quick summary of my Deload Week, after the Provincials. Weights felt pretty heavy, this week. I did four days: Bench, Squat, OHP and Deadlift. My work sets were 3x3 @ 65/75/85%.

It felt great to OHP again, after six weeks off from it - but the sets weren't pretty!! Power Snatches are something I've meant to try, for ages. I gave them a shot and my form was pretty bad. I had a hard time dropping low enough and locking my elbows out at the top. Whatever, it was fun! Doing a few Power Cleans was great and my form was decent, weight felt actually fairly light. One and a Quarter Squats were on the menu, as well. I really felt those in my glutes, I'll definitely come back to them later! This was also the week that I started using a more extreme arch on Bench. The first thing I noticed was how I was able to achieve a lot more leg drive, while practically folded like an accordion. Nothing else I feel like mentioning... Week 1 update of my new program is coming soon!!!