Aug 4 - 23 Training Overview and Highlights & Battle of The Beasts 2 (Program Weeks 6 + 7 + 8 [Deload])

This update is later than I planned, because I've been tired out and very busy!! Here's a quick look at my past 3 weeks of training and video highlights from the Trainstagram, as well as a brief recap of Battle of The Beasts 2 and some of my future plans. Check out my training log, for more details: JohnSambo@TraningBlog.com

Weeks 6 and 7 went quite well and brought me several PR's. I tried out speed work on my squats and deads, for the first time. Now that is a damn fun challenge! I also have just started playing with Pause Deadlifts and I quite like them. Variety keeps things fun and interesting, that is for sure!

Fatigue really started to catch up with me on week 7 and I felt pretty damn beat up, all the way through the deload. It was one of those weeks when every little thing seemed so daunting. I still was fairly productive, trained hard and did lots of fun stuff, outside of the weight room!! Lots of delicious and often dirty eating, lately. I've been trying to gain a few pounds fast, but having a hard time with that. My daily average weight is just starting to move up. The last thing I want is to show up on meet day, 7 pounds under the weight class limit, again!!!

Last weekend, I volunteered at Battle of The Beasts 2, AKA BC's Strongest Man.I got to see some friends of mine go all out for the title and also met a few more Strongmen who I'm a fan of. The events of the day were Log Clean and Press, Last Man Standing Deadlifts, Truck Pull, Kegs over a bar and Yoke Carry Medley and my favorite event; Atlas Stone Loading. Even though I was just a volunteer, I did a few things just for fun. I pulled a spontatneous 415 Deadlift, pulled the truck for a very unremarkable distance and held up the 700 pound yoke for 8 seconds. The whole thing was a hell of a lot of fun!! It's good to know that there are so many awesome people in the Strongman community, big shout out to all the volunteers and athletes - and of course, the guy who planned and coordinated the event, Mike Mcgonigal!

I'm too excited for words to announce my upcoming foray into the sport of Strongman!! I'll be training with some of the guys I saw that day, who happen to live fairly close to me. I'll still be doing Powerlifting meets, because I love this sport! I'm working to broaden my horizons and embrace new challenges. Another shout out to my awesome coach, Geoffery Chiu. I intend to keep working with him, after the meet. With his help and that of my Strongman friends, I'm about to take my game up several notches! Turning up the heat, baby!!!

Just over the past couple days, I've started feeling nice and fresh. I'm ready to hit my peaking cycle full force. Only 4 weeks of hard training, before a pre-competition deload. With 34 days till Thunderbird, I've refined my goals a bit. My ultimate goal is to total at least 1150 pounds, hopefully 1200+. It would be nice to hit a 405 Squat and 295 Bench, but I'll wait and see what's in the cards. A 525, maybe even 535 Deadlift doesn't seem like much of a stretch. I'm glad to have my coach helping me pick attempts, this time around!! It's go time! No more messing around, the iron is calling!! FUCK BULLSHIT, GET GAINZ!!! Here are video highlights from the Trainstagram (MrJohnSambo@Instagram):

Belted Squats - 335x4. This set was a PR; albeit, an ugly one. In fact, this is the most weight I've ever done for more than a single. Being angry worked in my favor, today!!! #angrysquatting #destroyingthesquatrack #newpr #spinesareoverrated

Belted Sumo Deadlifts - 435x4. Another PR here, that 500 is SO CLOSE! This set felt pretty good. As you can see, I used a different camera angle, for once. Aren't I so adventurous?! #gripandrip #smooth #deadlifts #deadliftdomination #newpr #hookgrip #sorethumbs

Pause Bench - 225x5. PR, here. The last couple reps were pretty hard, but the set was decent. #benchpress #powerlifting #newpr #pressingmatters #decentform

Overhead Press - 125x5 and 135x4. 125 was a PR, felt pretty smooth and left me feeling like 135x5 would be very doable... I was wrong. Failing makes me mad, but at least my OHP is coming up! #overheadpress #powerlifting #newpr #missedreps #angrypressing #betternexttime

Close Grip Pause Bench - 195x5. I matched my current unpaused 5 rep PR, here. This was at least some redemption, after my failed OHP top set. #benchpress #powerlifting #newpr #angrypressing #pressingmatters #decentform

Pause Front Squats - 250x3. I'm pretty happy with this, as I hit this for an unpaused PR, only a week ago. I felt really strong, so decided to just go for the gusto. #frontsquats #powerlifting #newpr #goforthegusto

It makes me so mad when I catch people doing squats in the curl rack! Everyone knows that the rack is only for curls!! GET OUT OF MY GYM, YOU LOSERS!! #getoutofmygym #gymproblems #curls #squats

July 21 - Aug 2 Training Overview and Highlights (Program Weeks 4 + 5)

The last couple weeks of training have been have brought me a few PR's and overall, have been a huge step forward. Here is a brief overview and some video highlights from the Trainstagram. Check out my training log, for a more detailed look: JohnSambo@TraningBlog.com

The end of this past week of training marked eight weeks till Thunderbird Powerlifting Challenge. I've been hyper-focused; but will need to dial in my focus even more, to ensure that I make the most of these coming weeks of training. I'm enjoying utilizing the RPE system, now that it's becoming more familiar. I feel a lot more in tune with my own strength and am getting a much better feel for what I should be able to hit, on a given day. Weights are getting heavier, which is always fun. Bringing the belt back into play has been nice.

Squats have been much better lately, but still need a lot of work. Upon prompting from my coach, I've narrowed my stance from 1.5x shoulder width, to shoulder width. Depth is much easier with this adjustment, but I'll have to work on ankle mobility and play with bar placement. Staying upright will surely get easier, as I get a feel for the details. 405 seems to be a good target, for Thunderbird Powerlifting Challenge!

My control on bench has improved a great deal and I see a big PR coming. Maybe 295 is not so far off! Taking a wider grip has brought my pecs and lats into play, to a far greater degree. I've only realized how much my bench was lacking, in that department. This realization has led me to switch my competition grip.

Switching back to Sumo Deadlifts was a good move, after doing Conventional for a while. I really need to work on not rounding, it's been pretty bad for a while now!!! While I have gotten better about it, the habit has just become so deeply engrained after the phase of ego-deadlifting that led to my injury. I am confident that I'll be able to clean things up and pull over 505, at the meet. I wanna hit 525, but only time will tell if that's in the cards!!!

Last but not least, my OHP is blowing up. On average, I've had much better stability and control and have felt far more explosive on it!! This is nice to see, as OHP is my worst lift and I feel like the ratio between it and bench is very much out of whack.

Here are video highlights from the trainstagram (MrJohnSambo@Instagram):

Close Grip Bench Press - 195x5. Another PR, this week. Feels good! It's kind of funny how the first rep was the ugliest... Whatever, set was not bad!! #tomatoface #newpr #notbadatall #raisingthebar

Pause Bench - 205x6. New Pause Bench PR, here... Felt pretty good!! The last rep was just on the verge of grinding, but no stick and good control. I'm really starting to feel comfortable with this wider grip, think it's time to use this as my competition grip!! #pressingmatters #smooth #newpr

Overhead Press - 115x6. Felt good, my OHP is coming up!! This was actually a PR, for me... #raisingthebar #deltoiddestruction

Belted Squats - 315x5. This set was a PR, I'd only ever hit 315 for a double, before this. Not the prettiest set and depth was questionable, upon closer examination. #purplebeltftw #destroyingthesquatrack

Front Squats - 225x5. Pretty good, but I leaned forward a bit for a couple of reps. This set matched my current PR, but was much nicer than last time. #elbowsup #stayupright

I know all you haters are just jealous of my robust Pokemon collection! DON'T EVER ASK ME TO TRADE MY CHARIZARD!!! #Pokemanz #firetypesrule #Charizardisgod

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!!!

BCPA Provincials Review

The BCPA Provincials was an experience I'll never forget - and the beginning of a new era of my life. On Saturday, I took the platform and gave it my all. It was the ultimate rush and though my performance was not "the stuff of legends", I'm proud of what I accomplished. I achieved all but one of my goals, totaling 495 kg in the 93 kg Open division.

When I was called to do my opener squat, I was nowhere near ready. In the heat of the moment, I lost track of time. I did my 137.5 kg opener with no warm up and failed to hit depth. Knowing that my failure was only because I'd been caught off guard, I went ahead with my planned attempts. I hit 147.5 kg on my second, with relative ease. I hit 160 kg on my third; with very little grind, but my back rounded slightly.

I was thoroughly prepared for Bench Press. Though, my opener of 110 kg was quite wobbly and surprisingly grindy. My 115 kg second attempt was fairly smooth, though I stalled for a fraction of a second near the top. On my third, I failed at a 125 kg PR attempt that I should have had, by all means! I put everything I had into it and the bar moved slowly, grinding to get stuck just a couple inches short of lockout...

Deadlifts were even smoother than I expected. My 182.5 kg opener was like butter, so easy! On my second attempt, I was caught off guard and successfully pulled a 205 kg PR with no struggle, but I didn't drop my hips low enough and rounded like mad. My third attempt came easier than in my wildest dreams, even easier than the second, for a 220 kg PR. That was my big goal for the meet and I'm so thrilled that I got it!!

I came back on the Sunday, to volunteer for the Women's portion and Men's Heavyweights. Funny thing to consider: over the course of the day, myself and the other spotter/loaders lifted more weight than the highest totaling lifter! I was even more tired at the end of the day, than I was after my day on the platform.

The whole thing was the greatest experience of my life and I can't wait to do it all over again, at the Fall Classic and many more meets to come. It was a true honor, to be a part of all this. I met lots of great people and learned a lot about Powerlifting and about myself.

Now, it's back to the grind. I'm gonna come back with a vengeance and make these achievements look like a joke! This time around, I have a coach lined up. My goals for the Fall Classic are: a 550+ kg total, 185 kg Squat, 135 kg Bench and 230+ kg Deadlift... Here goes nothing!!!

Week 2: Deadlifts

I am pretty damn happy about the results of this Deadlift Day. This was the first time, since my injury that I've gone over 400 in training. I set a new rep PR, hitting 425 for a double. Up until now, I'd only hit it for a single, my all-time weight PR being 430. 425 was like butter, I could have hit a triple, probably even 5 reps. I'd be selling myself short, going for just 450 on the platform. I think I'll hit that on my second attempt and go for 460, or maybe 475 on the third. More Kroc Rows, this week... I also switched up my planks and chose to do a couple of Bird Dogs, holding each position for 10 seconds. Oh, what fun!!!

BEHOLD:

Deadlifts: 

Warmup Sets Barx8/135x5/225x3/315x1/365x1

Work Sets - 405x2/415x2/425x2

GHR's - 3x15

Hip Thrusts - 3x20

Kroc Rows - 2x15x35/1x30x70

Weighted Planks - 2x45x180/60 secs

Dynamic Bird Dog Planks - 2xBodyweightx60 secs