IRON & STONE: Adventures of an Amateur Strongman

[mouse]

8/16/2022

Press
140x5, 165x3, 190x2, 205x1, 220x1, 235x5

Front Squat
225x8x3

JM Press
170x8x3

A choice was made...

[mouse]

8/18/2022

Incline Bench
150x5, 185x3, 210x2, 225x1, 240x1, 255x7

Lever Row
105x8x4

Bench
260x6x3



8/21/2022

13" Deadlift
500x5, 555x3, 585x2

Squat
325x5, 355x5, 375x5

Lots of stuff going on with life this past weekend again and this week coming up, maybe I'll expand tomorrow when I'm getting paid for it...

Viking press is close to coming along after an epiphany (seeing someone do it better online) and there is a preview in the home gym thread...

[mouse]

In a (large) nutshell:

By replacing the power steering lines on the van I may have 'broken' the van. Wife complained of a 'horrible noise' the van was doing turning left. Left work Friday and confirmed that the van was indeed making a 'horrible noise' and had a shudder in the steering column. Spent a whole bunch of time chasing the source of said noise/shudder before settling on something was 'off' about the power steering lines. After some digging, I found out there a TSB for these vans at some point that the return line was too short, and could lead to a 'shudder' at low idle/very low speeds because it wasn't good at handling pressure variance put out by the pump (or something to that effect). Anyway, I can only deduce that the parts I got from the dude who sold me the van were old OEM parts before a recall or fix. So by putting them in I have now opened myself up to the issue the TSB was trying to address. The fix? CUT THE RETURN LINES AND SPLICE IN LONGER HOSE.

For the love of God.

Anyway, it's driveable which is good because we are taking a trip down towards Cooperstown tomorrow to see some band my wife really loves. Then turning around and driving back. With a 7 month old. Wish us luck, and I should probably sign up for AAA today just in case.

[Hardartery]

In a (large) nutshell:

By replacing the power steering lines on the van I may have 'broken' the van. Wife complained of a 'horrible noise' the van was doing turning left. Left work Friday and confirmed that the van was indeed making a 'horrible noise' and had a shudder in the steering column. Spent a whole bunch of time chasing the source of said noise/shudder before settling on something was 'off' about the power steering lines. After some digging, I found out there a TSB for these vans at some point that the return line was too short, and could lead to a 'shudder' at low idle/very low speeds because it wasn't good at handling pressure variance put out by the pump (or something to that effect). Anyway, I can only deduce that the parts I got from the dude who sold me the van were old OEM parts before a recall or fix. So by putting them in I have now opened myself up to the issue the TSB was trying to address. The fix? CUT THE RETURN LINES AND SPLICE IN LONGER HOSE.

For the love of God.

Anyway, it's driveable which is good because we are taking a trip down towards Cooperstown tomorrow to see some band my wife really loves. Then turning around and driving back. With a 7 month old. Wish us luck, and I should probably sign up for AAA today just in case.

Are these not pressurized lines? Like with crimped fittings? Are the supply lines longer, and thus it would be possible to just buy some of those and replace the return lines with new supply lines?

[mouse]

Are these not pressurized lines? Like with crimped fittings? Are the supply lines longer, and thus it would be possible to just buy some of those and replace the return lines with new supply lines?

The return is not pressurized... Dodge's fix is literally to cut the flexible hose back, splice in a big ~18 inch service loop (basically) and reconnect... sometimes the install a fin cooler...

https://www.tsbsearch.com/Dodge/19-006-05

Honestly this thing just needs to survive until around spring at which point I'm either selling it to somebody, or neutral dropping it to Jesus and parting it out in the backyard...

[mouse]

8/22/2022

Viking Press
270x6, 300x6, 320x6

Close Grip Neutral Bench
185x10x3

It survived its maiden voyage at least. Spent a lot of time tweaking it and reinforcing parts that started to worry me hahaha... some more minor mods needed but it should get me through these next few weeks.

[mouse]

Counting the "weight" of the implement would make this sound so much cooler even if I just pretended it was a bare bare... 365x5 sounds sweet hahaha

[Hardartery]

Counting the "weight" of the implement would make this sound so much cooler even if I just pretended it was a bare bare... 365x5 sounds sweet hahaha

Looks pretty damn good.

[mouse]

Counting the "weight" of the implement would make this sound so much cooler even if I just pretended it was a bare bare... 365x5 sounds sweet hahaha

Looks pretty damn good.

Thanks man, it'll be fun to have for short rotations for sure and I'm glad it doesn't take a shit ton of room to store...

[mouse]

Welp, the shitbox van held up with zero issues...

416 miles round trip to go see some indie folk outlaw country band my wife loves but it was a good time and a good show. Brewery hosting it had really nice grounds, decent (expensive) beer, and ran a really well done clean event. Little bit of rain at the beginning but it didn't ruin anything. Opening act was garbage. Someone took great care to not misgender our child and I almost laughed because I'm a dick. Little man did alright for such a long ride, slept almost the whole way down, some crankiness on the way back around Syracuse but he eventually chilled out.

[mouse]

8/25/2022

Incline Bench
225x5, 255x5, 275x5

Strict Press
135x10, 145x10, 150x12

Face Pulls
3x15

[mouse]

8/27/2022

Last Man Standing Farmers
205, 245, 285, 320

Max Height Sandbag
25x5x2, 30x5x2, 35x5, 25x1x5

Small strongman Saturday, didn't do any loading because I have some poison ivy-esque rash on my back/stomach that has entered the painful phase and I didn't want to make it worse by rolling a cement filled keg over it a bunch....

[mouse]

8/29/2022

13" Deadlift
495x3x6 (60 sec rest), 495x8

Squat
260x5, 315x5, 355x7

Air Bike
10 min @6-7

Afternoon thunderstorm rolled in a nixed yoke work, bonus effect was the humidity draining me of life precious.

[mouse]

8/30/2022

Viking Press
280x3x6 (60 sec rest), 280x13

Close Neutral Grip Bench
185x10x3

Face Pulls
3x15

Multigrip Curls
65x12x3

Fingers crossed this viking press at least translates a little on the contest implement hahaha

Edit: meant to make a note here that I know I had been squatting on Tuesdays but didn't because getting the viking press squared away ate up a bunch of time. I ended up replacing the lag screws that were holding on the handle flanges with threaded rod through the whole thing. Way beefier solution and what I should have done out of the gate.

I will probably add that squat slot to event day or something... or maybe I won't and just fuck it. Without going down any rabbit holes I'm just very preoccupied with other things and I am (clearly) not taking training for this as seriously as I would have a couple years ago...

[mouse]

9/2/2022

Incline Bench
240x3x6 (60 sec rest), 240x8

Log Press
155x12x3

Face Pulls
3x20

Hammer Curl
25x10x2

Switching my high rep overhead slot to log in case I decide to do Static Monsters, I want to be able to drop right in after Orange Elite and run 3 weeks heavy on it if need be...

[mouse]

9/3/2022

Front Squat
225x8x3

Keg Load to 50"
265x3x3

Sandbag for Max Height
25x5x3

[mouse]

9/5/2022

13" Deadlift
455x3, 495x3, 530x3x4, 530x7

Squat
285x3, 330x3, 380x6

Just the meat today, reminder to myself to expand a bit...

[mouse]

Just the meat today, reminder to myself to expand a bit...

Somewhere around the time I took a week off to build our fence and 315 announced the car deadlift was taken out my interest in OE and competing/training has 'tanked' (for me). Silly as it is I was really looking forward to that car deadlift and it really bummed me out that we aren't doing it. Coupled with the satisfaction I got from really putting in the work to get that fence project done (largely) alone has really put a priority shift in my brain. I find myself wanting to gravitate more towards upcoming projects right now versus strongman/training. Probably not a BAD thing for my family (hahaha) but I'm definitely in a weird place right now.

In the past I'd be putting way too much pressure on myself to do really well at OE, and I was for a bit especially after winning CNYs Strongest... but it just isn't feeling that important to me right now. Maybe that will change actually going and gearing up but even Static Monsters I find myself on the fence where I'd normally have signed up by now...

TLDR for the first time in a long while strongman isn't feeling like a top priority and I find myself looking forward more to building decks/sheds than training while struggling with the undeniable fact that I probably should go on a diet because I think I look like total shit...

[mouse]

9/6/2022

Viking Press
260x3, 290x3, 315x3x4, 315x10

Close Grip Neutral Bench
195x8x4

Face Pulls
3x20

[mouse]

9/9/2022

Incline Bench
225x3, 250x3, 270x3x4, 270x6

Log Press
165x10x3

Face Pulls
4x20

I think the incline AMRAP ws actually 7 but I didn't record so I don't want to give myself false credit.

Originally was going to train this session yesterday but ended up taking two deliveries of firewood and on top of my yard work and going to the Buf for our draft/dem Bills it just didn't get worked in...