Tim Hull - aka. the Strength Doctor - is a well respected author, physical therapy professional, massage therapist, trainer, and aspiring strongman. He created the Thera-strength program to dramatically increase human performance with “High Intensity, Functional Cross-Training”.

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Training UpDate (7-29-10)

One of the last times I posted, I told you that I was changing up my training for better recovery and hopefully to reach my goals quicker. Since that time I have had roughly 4 workouts. I have to say that I think this new program is going to work great, I just wish I had implemented it sooner!

I am not going to completely recap every workout, but will catch you up on some of the highlights and low lights.

The first day I implemented the program was a deadlift day. So I performed the following:

  • Deadlifts -sets of 5
  • Squats – sets of 20
  • Stiff leg deadlift – sets of 12
  • Hanging leg raise – sets of 8

This day felt great. I was able to workout in the morning and was nice and fresh with lots of energy. Workout wore me out for the rest of the day, but had a great session.

Workout 2: Events

  • Farmers walk
  • Keg carry
  • Keg clean

This day was very very humid. I was able to lift in the morning again, but it was still hot. my clothes felt like I had jumped into a swimming pool when I was done. Due to this I had trouble with my grip during the farmers walks, ended up using wrist straps just so I could use a decent weight. I have since bought some chalk to help with my grip (should have done this sooner). The keg carry felt easy, this by far will be my best event in the competition.

Workout 3: Upper body

  • OH axle press
  • Axle shrugs
  • Chest supported row
  • OH triceps extension with weight plate
  • Stretching with the “Rotator”

Felt really good with this workout. Still have a ways to go before I am competition ready, but feel confident I will be there. Felt really pumped after this workout, amazing how i felt. Did notice some left wrist irritation afterward, felt this when I did the OH log press a few weeks ago as well. Think I will invest in some wrist wraps just to be safe and get some extra support for the over head work.

Workout 4: back to DL day again

  • Deadlift
  • Deficit deadlift
  • Hanging leg raise

Was not able to lift until 8pm, amazing what a difference this made. I had a lot less strength and energy. My mind was less into it. Definitely a struggle for me to push through. Did good work with the deficit DL’s, but felt too weak with the deadlifts. This definitely worries me as to whether my strength will be up to par for this event. I will try to hit this workout early in the day next time and see how much stronger I feel. Regardless, I have to get alot stronger with DL before I feel comfortable with the competition. Only 6 1/2 weeks away!

One positive note, used chalk for the deadlifts and my grip felt great, no issues at all. Looking forward to the farmers carry this weekend, will be able to get back not using straps to help. Will let you know how it goes. Also hope to get a conditioning day in this week.

Training Program Change

So I have been doing my current training program for several weeks and overall have felt like I have had some great workouts. Unfortunately, I have also noticed that my recovery is not up to par and I have been starting to have less energy/strength for my workouts.
Now this is not all from my program, [...]

A Little Keg Carrying

I thought today instead of just recapping everything I did in my workout, I would give you a short video of me having fun carrying the Keg. In the video I carry a 160# keg for 120 feet, with turns every 30 feet. I could go a little faster then I am, but I picked [...]

Workout Week In Review (7/10/10)

This has been one of the most intense weeks of training that I have had in a while. Earlier this week I posted about Monday’s training session with Bob. Today I will fill ya in on the rest of my week.
Besides Monday, I trained Wednesday and Saturday. These workouts are so taxing to my system, [...]

The Test (Am I Close?)

So Monday I traveled up to Bob Wanamaker’s place to train with some of the strongman implements that I don’t currently have. For me this was going to be a big test to see close I was to the competition requirements. I am not going to lie, I was a little nervous, was afraid I [...]

Homemade Axle (Fat Bar) and DB Handles

I have been making a lot of homemade equipment lately. Hopefully your not getting bored with all the DYI posts. Don’t worry I will be posting more on training soon. In fact on Monday I will be driving up to Cleveland to train strongman events with Bob. So I will definitely keep you informed on [...]

Unilateral Training With a Sledge and Tire

Lately besides doing strongman exercises, I have been incorporating more unilateral training into my workouts. Unilateral work is great for correcting weaknesses. If you think about it, you move your body using unilateral movements more often then you do with bilateral movements. So why wouldn’t train that way?
Here is a video I shot using unilateral [...]

Tire Flipping 101

As many of you know I have been starting to train for Strongman competitions. For this I have been collecting all the different types of equipment that I will need to be familiar with. One of the new toys that I have gotten is a set of huge tires. Tires are great for flipping and [...]

Homemade Massage Stick

I have been saying how much I like to use “the stick” for preparing my muscles before a workout and for recovery afterward. It’s a great self myofascial release tool, and is not as awkward as the foam roller. Here is a post I did a while ago showing someone using “the stick”.  (Click Here)
I [...]

Random Thoughts (6-12-10)

Since deciding to enter the world of strongman competitions some things have become apparent to me. The first is that the average person struggles to understand why some one would want to do this. The reactions have been varied from people worried I will get hurt, asking why I would want to do that, to [...]