Central TX Strongest Man

I competed in this event on Oct. 16th, 2010 at the age of 40! I was up against 4 other "masters" and finished in the 5th place spot. They were just too strong. I did learn a LOT and meet a lot of good people in the process. I look forward to many more competitions and next time, I'm going to try to find a weight class that is a little closer to mine...

2nd Annual Memorial Day Mile!

Jake and I tackled the Memorial Day mile again this year. It's essentially this: Walk (1) mile carrying/pulling different weights every 100 yard increment. This year, we pushed it to (20) 100 yard trips (1.13 miles). MY trips consistened of:

1. Farmers Walk with tire (170lbs)
2. Slosh Pipe (40lbs)
3. Sandbag bear hug carry - (100lbs)
4. Tire drag - (53lbs)
5. Farmers Walk with tire (170lbs)
6. Slosh Pipe (40lbs)
7. Sandbag bear hug carry - (100lbs)
8. Tire drag - (53lbs)
9. Farmers Walk with tire (170lbs)
10. Slosh Pipe (40lbs)
11. Tire Drag - (53lbs)
12. Waiter's carry with sandball (25lbs)
13. Slosh Pipe (40lbs)
14. Tire Drag - (53lbs)
15. Waiter's carry with sandball (25lbs)
16. Slosh Pipe (40lbs)
17. Farmers Walk with tire (170lbs)
18. Tire Drag - (53lbs)
19. Waiter's carry with sandball (25lbs)
20. Slosh Pipe (40lbs)

It was a HOT day and we nearly quit at 10 trips, but pulled it out and finished the day with MORe than the 2009 event.

185lb per arm Farmer's Walk

Loaded up the pipes for the 185lb/arm Farmer's Walk. This is competition weight (over 40 years old) and I nailed it. Walked 50' then turned but the weights kept turning when I wanted to walk straight again, so I had to drop about 55' Picked them back up after a few seconds and completed the 100' trip. I was happy since this means I can train with the competiton weight with 20 weeks to go.

19 flips in one minute!

This was definitely a personal record. 19 flips of the 300lb tire in one minute. After this, the tank was empty.

Daddy pulling son - DaddyStrong!

Having a little fun with the new 600lb tire

Smaller, 300lb tire

Cale managing to get the 600lb over the top!

Jake handling the 600lb tire with ease.

New Tire

Our new addition - 600lb+ tire.

New Photo's

Farmer's Walk training

New Toys!!

It's been a while since I've updated the toys we have acquired. We now have:

~900lb Earthmover tire (can't flip this one... yet)
~600lb loader tire (can flip this multiple times but it's very, very difficult)
405lb cedar tree log (need to cut it down into a workable log press piece)
Farmer's walk pipes+kettlebell handles - can load these up to 180lb each hand - HARD!
Body Opponent Bag - Adult size
Body Opponent Bag - Kid size
80lb Everlast punching bag
Flux welder (for building our upcoming sled)

Whew! We've been busy...

Taking my Final Exam now

Targeting May 31st as the submit date for the final exam. Writing the case studies is harder than I expected but that means this program is legit.

One more step forward

Registered for ISSA Strength and Conditioning Certification today. Should have that in place in about a month. Then, the gym opens.

In the meantime, will try to generate interest in our program through weekend workouts in the circle and local park. Starting next weekend, it's officially ON.

Come May/June, the Gym should be open... BOOM!

Cale

Feeling GOOD!

Back to working out crossfit style and mixing in martial arts several tiems a week. Feeling stronger and faster by the day.

Too many injuries

Well, it's Feb now and I'm still enjoying (3) injuries:

1. Ulnar Nerve Subluxation
2. Rotator cuff Tendonitis
3. Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Injury

So, now I'm doing little to no exercising except for martial arts (kicking my BOB) and cardio (jump rope and jogging). I'm missing the workout BIG TIME!!!

Basics

We are still focusing on the 5-5-5 basics until the end of the year. We have targets we are trying to hit on New Year's Eve.

Until that day, we are focusing on:
Bench Press
Military Press
Squat
Deadlift

My target is a 300lb bench. I'm hoping to get there, but nagging injuries are making me nervous. I'm currently able to press ~255, so 300 might be a little ambitious.

Back in the street!

Awesome workout yesterday evening. The weather was in the mid-80's and overcast. Perfect for the "10 trips" workout. It was SO nice, that we went ahead and knocked out 15.5 trips just to make it an even mile. We rotated through (5) stations and took each station for a walk at 115 yards each trip. The stations were:

Tire Pull (55lb tire pulled by chains w/wide pvc handles)
Farmers Walk (57 lb kettlebell per hand)
Waiters Carry (57 lb kettlebell)
Slosh Pipe (like wrestling a gator)
Sang Bag carry (100lb bag)

I'm feeling it today!

Too Hot

We have moved the workouts into the garage since we've had 60+ days of 100+ temperature. It's just too darn hot to make 10 trips, so we are focusing on strength programs (bench, press, squat, and deadlift). So, far I'm getting stronger, but it's just so hot.

We did manage to fill the keg with H2O and it's pretty darn heavy. Once it cools down a little, we'll be back in the road carrying everything we can.

Atlas Stone play

This bad boy is heavy. 237 pounds the hard way.

Strength Program Update

Cale's progress:
Incline Bench - 5 reps @ 135#, 5 reps @ 185#, 5 reps @205#
Deadlift - 5 reps @ 225#, 5 reps @ 245#
Barbell rows - 5 reps @ 135# (x2)
Kettlebell Swings - 50 @ 55# (Cale), 50 @ 55# (Jake)
Ab wheel - 5 extensions (x2)

40 day - Day one

We started the program today and flew through the workout in about 30 minutes. Since this is going to be an EVERY day workout for 40 days, it'll be interesting how far we can raise the bar from day one. We didn't try to kill ourselves out of the gate, but I expect it to get harder before it gets easier.

Incline Bench - 5 reps @ 185# (twice)
Deadlift - 5 reps @ 275# (twice)
Barbell rows - 5 reps @ 135# (twice)
Kettlebell Swings - 35 @ 35# (Cale), 35 @ 55# (Jake)
Ab wheel - 5 extensions (once) <-- Recommend doing this twice starting tomorrow.

40 day program

The 40 day strength program starts tomorrow and I am PUMPED!! I have some personal records to demolish so let's get to stacking the plates. I'll defer to Jake for the details.

10 events

Cale
237 lb Atlas Stone lift 2x
150lb sand bag 2 x 50 yard trips
Farmers Walk 115lbs each hand 2x 50 yard
Crucifix hold 17.5lbs each hand 2 x 1 minutes
300 lb Tire flip 10 flips
Jake
237 lb Atlas Stone lift 2x
150lb sand bag each 2 x 50 yards
Farmers Walk 165lbs each hand 3 x 40 yards
Crucifix hold 17.5lbs each hand 1min , 35 sec, 25 sec
300 lb Tire flip 2 x 10 flips

Catch up post

Wednesday, May 27th 10 trips
Sand bag carry 100lb
Farmers walk with 2 55lb kettlestacks
Tire drag 53 lb tire
Sand bag carry 100lb
Farmers walk with 2 55lb kettlestacks
Tire drag 53 lb tire
Sand bag carry 100lb
Farmers walk with 2 55lb kettlestacks
Tire drag 53 lb tire
Sand bag carry or tire drag
one 50 yard trip with the 150 lb sand bag

Saturday, May 30th
Two rounds
135lb barbell military press
135lb barbell row
155lb stone 3 lifts
10 push ups with 25 lb sand bag on back
Tire drag 53lb tire with 100 lb sand bag (first trip) 25 lb bag (second trip)

That was all. It was quick, but it seemed to wear us out.

Some new pics from the Memorial Day Mile

17 Trips:
Tire drag
Slosh pipe
Sand bag carry
Tire drag
Slosh pipe
100lb sand bag carry
Farmers walk with 175lb tire
25 lb medicine ball waiters walk
Tire drag
Farmers walk with 175lb tire
25 lb medicine ball waiters walk
Tire drag
Sand bag carry
Tire drag
Farmers walk
Slosh pipe
Waiters walk

New Stone (155 pounds)

New stone on the way

Jake and I have started work on a smaller stone for more involved workouts. We are targeting around 175-180 pounds. Hard to gauge exactly where the weight will end up as we learned from the first ball (shot for 217 and got a 237). Pictures of the first ball are still forthcoming.

Another ten trips with a twist

Here is tonight's workout.

1.a. max rep push-ups
b. tire drag doing presses
2.a. max rep body rows
b. tire drag rowing motion
3.a. max rep 100lb sandbag bearhug squats
b. backward tire drag (away)
forward tire drag (back)
4.a. max sit-ups with medicine ball
b. slosh pipe carry
5. farmer's walks 115lb each hand
6. tire drag presses
7. tire drag rowing motion
8. backward tire drag (away)
forward tire drag (back)
9. slosh pipe walk
10. farmer's walk 115lb each hand

Great workout. Doing the supersets with the body weight exercises hit us hard.

Kristi even made a few trips with the tire and farmer's walks.

Atlas Stone is born!

The stone is complete and it came out of the mold looking great. I was heavier than we planned (237 instead of about 215), but that's more than okay since now we have something that is heavier than our heaviest rock. We are planning on making a smaller one with the left over material. Pictures to follow soon.

Atlas Stone

Jake and I added the concrete to the plaster mold and are letting it cure until next weekend. We were able to add about 2 and 3/4 bags of Quikrete 5000 to the mold (80 pound bags = ~215 pounds). This will be our beginner weight rock depending on how much it ends up weighing. We are more than a little curious as to how it's going to turn out since there were more tiny rocks in the mix than we expected. So much for the smooth stone finish. Not a problem though since nearly everyone has said they want their home-made stones "rougher." I guess the smooth ones slip easier. Will post photo's of the process and final product.

Next project - Kegs with water and Sand (160 pounds and 238 pounds respectively)

New workout!

Jake and I stepped it up a notch on Saturday and added some poundage to the workout. We normally take it pretty easy on the overall weight when we are doing the "10 trips" exercise (note: the 10 trips equals 10 - 100 yard walks with various weights) since it's more of a cardio/toning/sculpting/weight loss/"get out and move" activity and not a real muscle builder. However, on Saturday, we added some weight to the picture:

10 Trips:
1. Tire Drag - 80 pounds (walking forward)
2. Slosh Pipe - carry at chest level (not overhead)
3. Farmers Walk - 115 pounds/each arm (230 pounds total)
4. Tire Drag - 80 pounds (walking backwards)
5. Slosh Pipe - overhead carry
6. Tire Drag - 80 pounds (walking forward)
7. Sang bag carry - 100 pounds
8. Tire Drag - 80 pounds (walking backwards)
9. Sandbag Carry - 100 pounds
10. Farmer Wlk - 115 pounds/each arm (230 pounds total)

Total weight pulled/carried 1000 yards - ~1056 pound

My traps are SORE and my legs are feelin it too. Nice workout. We will keep it at this level for a while and build from there.

Back in action!

Made "10trips" yesterday evening (each trip is 100 yards). Here is the breakdown:

1. Slosh Pipe (chest)
2. Farmers Walk
3. Tire Pull (arms overhead)
4. Slosh Pipe (chest)
5. Farmers Walk
6. Tire Pull (butterfly)
7. Slosh Pipe (overhead)
8. Sandball (one-hand overhead 50yds, switch 50yds)
9. Tire Pull (reverse row)
10. Slosh Pipe (chest)

Between 2&3, 5&6, 8&9, and after 10, I did (10) reps of Standing Military Press (40 reps/115lbs total)

Also, knocked out (30) sand ball throws (throw up and catch) - 25lb ball to finish.

It feels good to be back in the game.

Changed URL from daddy-strong to daddystrong

test

Clean MRI

So the MRI was inconclusive which is good news, but frustrating. I now have to rehab my hand/wrist for about 4 weeks. I have clearance to lift whatever I want as long as I keep my wrist "straight." I am now going to craft a work-out routine that will allow me to grow stronger while protecting my wrist. I see a lot of pressing and pulling in my future.

Test results

MRI results this afternoon. Looking for a clean bill of health so I can get back to lifting. This break has been harder than I expected. I'm dying to LIFT SOMETHING HEAVY! :)

break time

Okay, the workouts have been lighter lately and less frequent due to injuries, illness, and work demands. I am dying to get back to the hard schedule of heavy weights and long work-outs. I think we might start tomorrow (3/31).

I have finally decided to see a doc for my wrist. It now hurts during regular activities, so I have to get it checked out. My right forearm is tender as well, but i think that is just tendonitis. No biggie.

I'm now targeting Winter 2010 as the year I compete in my first Strongman competition at the ripe old age of 40. Hopefully, I'll be strong by then...

Daylight savings time benefit

Starting yesterday we now have an additional hour of sunlight to squeeze in some workouts (especially on the days where we have to work late). Daylight savings time can be criticized for many things, but the fact that it allows you extra "outside" time in the evenings is not one of them. I am looking forward to stretching my Daddy Strong workouts into the newly lit evenings.

Still nursing injuries (me=wrist; Jake=shoulder), but we are getting there.

Personally, I'm improving my overall strength on "pressing" actions (bench and standing military). I am working on those more than anything else since it's a weak area for me AND it allows me to lift heavier weights without too much strain on my wrist.

Currently:
Bench: 5 set of 5 reps (185#X1; 195#X3, 205#X1)
(End of Year Goal: 300#)
Military: 3-4 sets of 10 reps (115#)
(End of Year Goal: 200#)

Still not 100%

Jake and I are still nursing injuries that are slow to heal (forearm - Jake, wrist - me). We did get to try out Jake's new addition to the mix; a weight bench and squat rack with 300lbs of plates. Excellent. Jake and I both threw on some plates Friday night and knocked out a few reps. Me; I only got up to 225lbs. Jake; he blasted out somewhere around 340! I was humbled. ;)

I feel like it's been forever since a real heavy workout, so I'm going to try to get something accomplished tonight.

We also added a new exercise (sandbag push up's). Knock out 10 puchups with a 100lb sandbag on your back (up around the shoulders, avoid the lower back)

That's it for now...

Tires, rocks, and injuries

Well, it's been a little while since my last post and since then we have acquired new rocks and new injuries. My wrist is still tender from a bench-press injury two months ago and Jake's forearm is tweaked form lifting the 220# rock several times. One good note is that I was able to go through the entire 300# tire flip routine on Tuesday without falling out (36 flips in about 8 minutes is harder than it sounds):

8 flips - rest 60 seconds
7 flips - rest 50 seconds
6 flips - rest 40 seconds
5 flips - rest 30 seconds
4 flips - rest 20 seconds
3 flips - rest 10 seconds
2 flips - rest 5 seconds
1 flip - pass out.

(note: once complete, I did manage to rest in a fire ant pile, so I suppose the victory was bitter-sweet afterall.)

Tire Carry

Jake carrying the 170# tire 100 yards.  We installed rope and PVC handles to assist in the carry.

Cale, a big tire, and a sledge hammer

Cale is taking some swings with the 20lb sledge hammer on the tire.

Jake with the 220#

Jake saw the humor in posing with the 220# rock.  hard to hold that heavy one while laughing...

My First Post

Cale and I started working out a few months ago. It is really more like big kids playing in the street. The fun part about the workouts we do is that our wives and kids are out there with us, and even join in the fun from time to time. It is neat to see a two year old dragging a tire, or an eight year old throw a medicine ball over and over to reach his goal.

I have read a lot of material about training for the past 22 years and was even certified as a personal trainer for a time. The most important part about training is to train. Pick some things to do, and do them. I used to suffer from paralysis by analysis, now I just drag out some heavy items, and try to make ten trips up and down the cul-de-sac.

I want to model for my family that I enjoy their presence, and health and fitness is a part of our life that is fun. I am not the strongest man in the world, but don't tell my kids, they think I could be on the contests on TV. Maybe some day I will powerlift or compete in some manner. Right now, I just enjoy picking up or carrying heavy (relatively) things and seeing my neighbors funny reactions.

I know I am getting stronger and more fit because some implements are easier to do now, and some we have made heavier.

So find a tire to drag and and something heavy to pick up and join us in our daddy strong adventures.

Hoist and scale

We were able to set up the hoist and scale contraption and it tested our Daddy assembling abilities. We finally got it working and were able to weigh several of our items. Unfortunately, we ran of out time and didn't get a work-out in, but progress was made nonetheless.

Jake wrote down the official weights of (5) rocks and the larger tire. I think the weights are as follows:

Rocks:
(not weighed - about 68#'s - mainly used for toning and perhaps throwing in the future)
80#
117#
137#
185#
220#

Tire:
302#

If these are wrong, we'll post the correction to this post directly. Hopefully, we'll have some pics/video soon.

Hoping for a BIG workout tonight!!

BIG Tuesday

Today, we have a big workout planned. Hopefully, the hoist and scale will arrive via USPS (but I'm not holding my breath). If it arrives, we will be doing a LOT of weighing and cataloging the various items we lift on a regular basis. If it doesn't arrive, it's workout and photo time. We took a series of shots on Sunday at dusk and none of them came out. Bummer. Hopefully, we can get the lighting and settings right to capture some of the activities. Stay tuned!

Rocks

I moved to the 140# rock for the bench press. No problems so far. It's not as wide as the 115#, so it concentrates my triceps more than my chest, but that's okay for now. Tonight, I'm going to try the 185# on the bench. That's the bruiser - literally. everywhere I try to rest that thing it bruises me. I need some more meat on my bones...

Light solo workout

So, I had time for a quick solo workout yesterday evening:

[115# rock] Overhead military press (8 reps)
[85# rock] Overhead military press (15 reps)
[140# rock] Street carry (30 yards)
[115# rock] Bench press (15 reps)
[140# rock] Street carry (30 yards)
[115# rock] Bench press (15 reps)
[85# rock] Standing triceps extension (10 reps - overhead)
[115# rock] Bench press (10 reps)
[170# tire] Street carry (100 yards)
[170# tire] Street carry (100 yards)
“Challenge press” – Standing Military press @ 50% body weight – 21 reps.

Felt good just to get out there and do "something." My kids were playing in the cul-de-sac, so it was quality family time well spent.

Let the Weighing begin

So, I bought a new Hoist and scale combo that can weight items up to 440lbs. I don't think we will be going over that amount anytime soon, so this should handle our immediate needs. My goal is to get an accurate baseline weight for everything that we have been using. We can build from there.

Note: we broke Jake's bathroom scale trying to weight our newest rock. I am 95% sure I saw it break when it went over 300lbs. Whoa! That's just heavy...

Picture and videos will be taken this weekend and we should have them online by Monday.

Let's GO!

Welcome to Daddy Strong

This blog is the brainchild of my neighbor and friend, Jake. He introduced me to the school of alternative training and I am hooked. We have been training for a few months now and the results are amazing. I am much stronger and feel great!

Right now, we have the following workout items:

20lb sledgehammer
Slosh pipe (10’ long, 6” diameter and weights about 40lbs)
75lb sangbag
100lb sangbag
A few adjustable kettlebells
(2) tractor tires (~ 170 and 302lbs) for flipping and carrying with shoulders
Semi-tire (120lbs) with chain for dragging up and down the street
Truck tire (53lbs) with chain for pulling (use for tricep extension while pulling and various other arm workouts)
(2) 50lb dumbbells for farmers walks
Basketball filled with sand and covered in duct tape (~25lbs?) – (used for tossing up and catching and walking with it overhead)
Barbells with 50% body weight pre-loaded for overhead press challenge.
Rings on a seatbelt thrown over a branch for pull-ups, rows, and upside down hangs

AND (4) rocks. We have a 67lb, 115lb, 140lb, and 185lb of various sizes. We do whatever we can think of with these (tossing, pressing, carrying overhead, and just holding and walking down the street…)

Stay tuned for videos and pictures of the various activities.