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Hyde’s Strength Odyssey

Sounds like the gym could be nice and a change in environment can be a major boost to training all on it's own.
 
Dang. Thats unfortunate that World’s you were at is letting themselves go (i think it was a World’s?). Place had everything when I came out there a couple years ago to train with you. Private facility as in a couple of guys/gals that lift heavy train there in a small group kind of thing? Nice.
 
Clouding up logs with double posts again
 
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jswain34 said:
Dang. Thats unfortunate that World’s you were at is letting themselves go (i think it was a World’s?). Place had everything when I came out there a couple years ago to train with you. Private facility as in a couple of guys/gals that lift heavy train there in a small group kind of thing? Nice.
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We’ve been at a Gold’s Express. They have stopped fixing equipment and the owner just seems like he doesn’t care

It’s a private athletic conditioning facility, warehouse style gym with no ac, mainly high school and college athletes being trained there in the mornings and evenings and some batting cage work. They have a lot of turf space and racks, and room for our implements.
 
SkRaw85 said:
Changing gyms changed my life for the better. Gotta go where the gains can be had
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I can train wherever has equipment, but the wife is kinda antsy about her stuff so we’ll see what transpires. I think we could have some good training at this place though.

Today is Day 4 of PCT. 40mg Nolva nightly, 12.5mg exem eod this first week before we leave. First time without using Clomid at all but so far feeling better off. Weight is 248.0lbs. Dropped Mk677 at least until I return from the honeymoon.

Blood test shows liver & blood glucose levels were exceptional, lipids were decidedly bad but not crazy, and everything looks normal except my eGFR dropped a ton from 88 to 70. However that’s just the estimated GFR and my creatinkinnase was a bit elevated (I was waterloading and peaking so values could have been skewed). Hopefully a retest in a couple months will show that’s not the case, because true GFR never repairs or improves.

Aside from that, the other disturbing thing is my triglycerides went from 75 to 115! Still a healthy number by far, but a 50% increase in a few months of overeating trash regularly and gaining weight. This is the value I’ll be looking to really work on, and I suspect lipids will follow suit with a healthier maintenance diet.
 
Id be more concerned about that trend in the surrogate markers for kidney function than your trigs which will undoubtedly come down without the overfeeding youve been doing for meet prep. CK elevation is interesting given that labs were drawn during your deload week prior to the meet - i dont know when your last heavy peaking session was prior to that but if it was >/= 72 hours the should have been back to baseline. Are you sure it wasnt creatinine that was a bit elevated? As thats the value they use in calculating your eGFR.
 
jswain34 said:
Id be more concerned about that trend in the surrogate markers for kidney function than your trigs which will undoubtedly come down without the overfeeding youve been doing for meet prep. CK elevation is interesting given that labs were drawn during your deload week prior to the meet - i dont know when your last heavy peaking session was prior to that but if it was >/= 72 hours the should have been back to baseline. Are you sure it wasnt creatinine that was a bit elevated? As thats the value they use in calculating your eGFR.
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Just looked at my 4 blood draws over the last 13.5 months. BUN has varied from 18,13,19,15 (oldest draw to now). Creatinine has been 1.21, 1.15, 1.15 & now 1.35. eGFR was 81, 86, 86, & now 70.

Last training session was exactly 72 hours prior, but I wonder if the trauma of the preceding weeks peaking could have any residual effect on Creatinine values. I normally do not draw blood on cycle, especially at the very end. I was also waterloading at this point for a couple days, and despite all the water felt a bit dehydrated already, so that is more probable. I am not freaking out, but I will be watching the next time I draw in 8-12 weeks.
 
Yah. I should say that 70 isn’t necessarily a concerning number either when taken in isolation, more so just that precipitous drop as you mentioned. I dont know the answer to your question off the top of my head, but given that creatinine is a byproduct of normal protein metabolism it’d be logical to assume there’d be some degree of lag after a period of heavy training/peaking.
 
Unfortunately my eGFR is permanently lowered due to my scarring from having strep in my kidneys when I was young. I maintain at a 59-61 at all times, but my BUN is always in excellent ranges. I do keep an eye on it though. Nobody wants to end up with dialysis.
 
MrKleen73 said:
Unfortunately my eGFR is permanently lowered due to my scarring from having strep in my kidneys when I was young. I maintain at a 59-61 at all times, but my BUN is always in excellent ranges. I do keep an eye on it though. Nobody wants to end up with dialysis.
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Yeah Fouad Abiad (age 40) was saying in his podcast that his recently came back in the 40s so he has basically been losing weight, on 2-300mg TRT only, dropped all stims, added lots of veggies, added supps like astragalus, basically everything he can to see if things will improve. He knows now being 260-300lbs and having high bp for years untreated is how this happened, but he was ignorant for too long.

Just trying to make the right choices now so I can do this for a long time.
 
Hyde said:
Yeah Fouad Abiad (age 40) was saying in his podcast that his recently came back in the 40s so he has basically been losing weight, on 2-300mg TRT only, dropped all stims, added lots of veggies, added supps like astragalus, basically everything he can to see if things will improve. He knows now being 260-300lbs and having high bp for years untreated is how this happened, but he was ignorant for too long.

Just trying to make the right choices now so I can do this for a long time.
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I do consider myself lucky that my BP is not really a problem for me. I get pre hypertensive during cycles and around 110-115: 72-75 most of the time.
 
Met with the owner of that strength & conditioning facility again for about an hour to discuss him programming for the wife’s Arnold prep (which begins as soon as we get back from Jamaica). He has no strongman experience but plenty of athlete coaching and powerlifting so we are confident he can teach us some new things to stay healthier and likely perform better.

We’ve decided to make the switch, so we’ll be taking our equipment out this weekend and probably start there in a week.
 
Met with the owner of that strength & conditioning facility again for about an hour to discuss him programming for the wife’s Arnold prep (which begins as soon as we get back from Jamaica). He has no strongman experience but plenty of athlete coaching and powerlifting so we are confident he can teach us some new things to stay healthier and likely perform better.

We’ve decided to make the switch, so we’ll be taking our equipment out this weekend and probably start there in a week.
 
12/13/19 - Post-meet reload, PCT day 5
BW 246-8

Bird Dogs
1x10

Deadlift, stiffbar
135x10
225 3x5

Rack Pulls, above knee
315 2x15

Sumo 4” Blockpulls
275 2x10

Pullthrus
120 3x15

Took about 50 minutes, which is a good clip for me, but man I am a de-conditioned piece of **** lol - this was work.

Went to a friend’s climbing/bouldering gym the night before for an hour or so, so I didn’t do any chin-ups or biceps. When you’re 250lbs, even the beginner courses are tough lol. It was fun but just not for somebody of my body development - it felt like injury was always right around the corner.
 
12/15/19 - PCT Day 7
BW 246.6

Incline NG DB Bench
20,30x25

Standing Strictpress
45x10
65,85,95,115,125,135x5

BB Skullcrusher
80 2x10

One-Arm Cable Tri Pressdown
30 2x25/arm each over then underhand

Bodyweight coming down nicely & feeling healthier. Eating veggies and fruits and less bad oils. Heading back to the gym later to practice squat at 35%, then moving ALL of our strongman equipment at Gold’s to the Performance Lab. That’s gonna be a real Strongman Sunday!
 
Evening:

Bird Dogs
1x10

Squat, Powerbar
45 2x5
95,135x5
185 3x5

Keg Loads to truck bed
60,110,130,140,150,160,160,200,240

Sandbag Carries
135,175 x2

Plus lots of odds and ends (logs, axles, farmers, husa, disassembled yoke, blocks, tires, chains, circus db) and unloading everything at the new gym in the snow. So definitely got my carries in!

Bags are packed, passports in hand - heading to Jamaica in the morning! Catch you guys next weekend.
 
Hope y’all enjoy your trip homie. What a way to deload post-meet...focusing solely on cardio for the next week should do you some good.
 
Enjoy your trip and recover! Happy Honeymooning!
 
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Back from the honeymoon in Montego Bay, Jamaica. What an incredible week: non-stop fun with just the wife and no competitions to focus on. Incredible food, lots of great sex, always something fun to do, and surrounded by beautiful water, beaches, rainforests and mountains.

We took a glass-bottom boat tour over the coral reefs, learned to sail a hobiecat, went tubing, kayaking, swimming, sunning, dancing, ziplining & bobsledding on the mountain side of Ocho Rios, climbed Dunn’s Falls, explored tide pools, and enjoyed nearly every meal in the presence of the Caribbean Sea.

Ate like a champ, tons of fruits and veggies, often ordering multiple dinners at the fine dining in the evenings, and still lost several lbs. Managed one upper body push session with the wife, and she did a leg day as well, but otherwise just enjoyed the fresh air and activities. The seafood and fruit in Jamaica is top notch. Feeling much healthier after the past week of diverse eating and sunshine.

If you were ever wondering about going to Sandals Montego Bay - you won’t be disappointed!
 
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So this happened Monday afternoon...

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Previous sumo max from a few years back was 495x2 on a deadlift bar with straps. Made some adjustments to my hookgrip based on some Youtube vids and got the itch to see where I’m at: 585 on a stiff bar with no ammonia, music or significant mental preparation. Felt like I could have did 600 on the stiff bar for sure, so I am wondering if my max on a deadlift bar isn’t as high or higher than conventional! I bet I could do 615-625 on a deadlift for sure right now.
 
Congrats on that PR, arms are looking massive there too!!!! Jealous of that Honeymoon. Sandals is all inclusive as well isn't it?
 
MrKleen73 said:
Congrats on that PR, arms are looking massive there too!!!! Jealous of that Honeymoon. Sandals is all inclusive as well isn't it?
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Thank you fellas! Yes it is, and I contend that it’s a great value. Because it’s all inclusive you neither have to carry any money with you (they don’t even accept tips!) on the resort nor worry about portions. You can just keep ordering as much food and drink as you desire, whenever you desire. The rooms stay stocked with drinks, the room service is all included, you can order multiple entrees and deserts at the fine dining, and boy do the bartenders let the drinks flow! Whatever you want basically whenever.
 
12/23 - Deadlift Wk1
BW 240.8

Sumo Deadlift, stiffbar, hookgrip
135x10
225x5
275x2
325,375,425,475,525,555,585x1 PR

12/24 - Deadlift Accessory
BW 241.8

Above Knee Rackpulls
365 2x15

4.5” Sumo Blockpulls
345 2x10

45* Legpress, 3-0-1-0 tempo
400 3x10

GHR
3x15

Pull-ups, Chin-ups
10, 10

Hammercurls
15,25,35,40x15

Getting back into training and decided to see where sumo was instead of the prescribed 5x3@455. Glad I did because it turned out to be way stronger than I expected! Could be a good competition option.

12/26 - Bench, Wk1
BW 247.8 (Christmas ham bloat)

Bench
45,95,135x5
185x3
225,255x2
275 4x2, 1x5+1 assisted

CG Incline 2bd
165 2x15

DB Side Raises
20,30,35x10

DB Rear Raises
30 2x12

First session in the new gym today. Great time and everyone had a great energy. Looking forward to squats tomorrow! May try a wrapped training cycle....maybe.
 
12/27/19 - Wk1 Squat
BW 245.4

Bird dogs, Side Planks, Plank

Squat
45 3x5
135x5
225x3
275,325,365x2
+triple ply sleeves
405 2x3
+knee wraps
405 2x3, 1x9

SSB Widestance Boxsquat
2” above parallel
242 3x12

GHR
5x10

First time in a pair of wraps in nearly a decade. Just self-wrapped and nothing too radical, but I wrapped better and used them better every set so that was encouraging. Definitely experienced some additional pressure in my head from them - on my AMRAP a small spot on my face spontaneously bled This session kicked my ass completely. The altered strength curve was very fatiguing to my back, and I haven’t done a high volume lower set in about 7 weeks.
 
Been eating a lot of calories, a lot of fruits and veggies, getting sufficient protein, and a huge amount of sleep last night has me feeling like I am keeping up with recovery pretty well. Looking forward to this healthier time off cycle the next 2-3 months, and hoping to ingrain some better habits and have a better hold on my nutrition for the next time I need to gain weight.

For the first time in a long time, I am excited to continue working on my powerlifting total. I think I became disenchanted with it some years back due to the realization that being strong in the big 3 didn’t really transfer all that much into real world strength, especially dynamic lifting like strongman. I got burnt out, to the point I even completely stopped benching for some months while I worked on overhead, but I finally have a fire stoked again to continue my journey. I am grateful I am healthy and looking forward to getting even stronger, one brick at a time.
 
12/28/19 - Wk1 Squat Accessory

BB Rows
135,185,205x8
225,245x12

BB Shrugs
245,275x15

DB Rows
90 2x15

Standing Calf Machine
50,60,70,80x12

Felt wrecked still from squats. Ate a heavy meal out with the wife afterwards and legit went to bed before 9am. Slept another 12 hours. It’s definitely helping.
 
Hyde said:
Been eating a lot of calories, a lot of fruits and veggies, getting sufficient protein, and a huge amount of sleep last night has me feeling like I am keeping up with recovery pretty well. Looking forward to this healthier time off cycle the next 2-3 months, and hoping to ingrain some better habits and have a better hold on my nutrition for the next time I need to gain weight.

For the first time in a long time, I am excited to continue working on my powerlifting total. I think I became disenchanted with it some years back due to the realization that being strong in the big 3 didn’t really transfer all that much into real world strength, especially dynamic lifting like strongman. I got burnt out, to the point I even completely stopped benching for some months while I worked on overhead, but I finally have a fire stoked again to continue my journey. I am grateful I am healthy and looking forward to getting even stronger, one brick at a time.
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YASSSSSS! This is gonna get real, real fast.
 
12hrs of sleep?! Thats insane. Beneficial to a degree i'm sure.

Are you going to train sumo for a meso or was that just for funsies?
 
SOunds like the Honeymoon got you hooked on the fruits and veggies, I was doing really well on this for a while and it definitely made me feel better. Hopping back on that train myself. Any "bad" food left in the house will be tossed or given away the 1st.
 
tyga tyga said:
12hrs of sleep?! Thats insane. Beneficial to a degree i'm sure.

Are you going to train sumo for a meso or was that just for funsies?
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2 nights in a row since it was the weekend at that. Nothing works as well for recovery than extra slumber, and the wrapped squats were essentially overload training so I really needed it.

Mainly just for fun and to establish a value for the sumo blockpull accessory work, but it could be something I use the last mesocycle before peaking and decide to go with for a comp.

MrKleen73 said:
SOunds like the Honeymoon got you hooked on the fruits and veggies, I was doing really well on this for a while and it definitely made me feel better. Hopping back on that train myself. Any "bad" food left in the house will be tossed or given away the 1st.
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It’s been a concerted effort, but I have to do something about my cholesterol because as it stands I’ve been spending too much of the years with bad lipids too often. Cooked some zucchini with my mini potatoes in the instapot last night - super convenient!
 
12/30/19 - Wk1, 2nd Press
BW 245.8

Hammercurls, Facepulls, Vogelpohl Rows, DB OHP warmups

Strictpress
45,65,95,135x5
155,175,195,215,225x1
155x10

Incline NG DB Bench
35,40x30

BB Skullcrushers
45,65x10
80 2x12

One-Arm Cable Tri Ext
30,35x25 overhand
35 2x25 underhand

Miniband Pullaparts
5x35 45 sec rests

DB Curls
20,25,30x12

Took a current training max for strictpress since I haven’t touched overhead in about 2 months. Not great, but 225 seems about right. Not sure if I will be doing a cube rotation for this lift or maybe 5/3/1 or something, but I know I want some overhead in my weekly rotation so I wanted to know what I’m working with.
 
Strict Overhead is a CNS heavy skill lift in my opinion. It drops quick with a little time away but comes back quickly with efficiency. Plus 225 is good on a strict OHP for most.
 
New Year’s Eve:

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605 sumo w/ straps. So super-cheater

Hope everyone had a great safe evening - looking forward to the next year and the next decade, God willing! I’m excited for what’s to come.
 
Nice work Hyde!
 
Good start to the new year bud! Where the hell did that sumo pull come from? Just decided you were gonna pull sumo for the first time in forever and almost match my all time max? Cool, dude....
 
jswain34 said:
Good start to the new year bud! Where the hell did that sumo pull come from? Just decided you were gonna pull sumo for the first time in forever and almost match my all time max? Cool, dude....
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Well, pulled 585 clean sumo on the stiff bar 9 days ago when I just decided to work up. Felt like there was a little more there so used a better bar and took 605. First attempt my hookgrip was holding but I couldn’t lock it out clean - did a little hitch which made me lose balance forward, drop it, and tore my callus open. So I strapped up and took her for a second go, and same issue - hitch to lockout, but the straps let me finish the deed. 565 was very clean though prior so I think I just need more technical work to clean up the lift at the top end. Crazy thing is how easy it is on your back. Doesn’t give you that wrecked feeling like maxing conventional does.
 
01/02/20 - Wk2, Deadlift

Sumo Deadlift, stiffbar
135,225,315x3
+straps
365x3
405 3x3

Rackpulls Above Knee
370 2x15

Hinge-style Beltsquat, 3 sec eccentrics
50 2x10
90 2x10

Back Extension
BWx15
+45 2x15

Dropped 5% off the triples and cut the sumo block rep work out to help account for the max out session 36 hours prior. Also had to use straps due to my thumb healing. Everything felt pretty heavy today, understandably.

Planning on going with Sumo at least this mesocycle for now to hit some different muscles and see if it builds my conventional, and to give my back a break with the wrapped squats taking a priority.
 
Hyde said:
Well, pulled 585 clean sumo on the stiff bar 9 days ago when I just decided to work up. Felt like there was a little more there so used a better bar and took 605. First attempt my hookgrip was holding but I couldn’t lock it out clean - did a little hitch which made me lose balance forward, drop it, and tore my callus open. So I strapped up and took her for a second go, and same issue - hitch to lockout, but the straps let me finish the deed. 565 was very clean though prior so I think I just need more technical work to clean up the lift at the top end. Crazy thing is how easy it is on your back. Doesn’t give you that wrecked feeling like maxing conventional does.
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Good lift either way, a nice hitched lift every now and again never killed anyone. Ding, ding, ding on your last 2 sentences. If you have even average hip mobility you legitimately can save your lower back sooo much wear and tear by mixing in some sumos every couple of mesos. I read an article once, cant remember where from, that the author was recommending even strongman competitors who obviously cant even use sumo in comps still train it for the stimulus it has on your glutes and other lateral hip musculature as well as the adductors. I’d buy that, seems to make a lot of sense to focus on the frontal plane more vs just sagittal like 90% of most people’s training is.
 
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New year, same double posts
 
01/03/20 - Wk2, Bench

Facepulls, Vogelpohl Rows, Hammercurl circuit
50/50/20 2x25

Bench
45x8
95,135x5
185x3
225,255x2
276 4x2, 1x6+1 assisted

Incline CG 2-board Bench
170 2x15

DB Side Raises
30x12
35x10

DB Rear Raises
30 2x13

Pull-ups/Chin-ups
12/12

Hammercurls
40x15,12

Little progressions on everything from 9 days ago. Slowly but surely building a better beast! Bench felt very good today.
 
Today is 4 wks into PCT. Sitting at a fluffy 245.0 empty:

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This has been the best PCT I’ve ever had, and the first one entirely without Clomid. I think the easy recovery was due to using HCG throughout from the get-go and never letting my testes atrophy significantly. I would like to avoid gaining any weight right now and slowly recomp here.
 
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