Muscledriverusa.com has same plates as Rogue and usually is running some sale.

Craigslist for rusty plates at $.50 a pound and nasty bars with Ebolaids for $50. Or buy at $1-2 a pound new. Other brands are Adar, York, Body Solid, Power Systems, Cap, and whatever Dicks sporting goods is carrying. I watched craigslist for months before just buying everything new. The best deals were when gyms were going out of business. But none were close to me. The diesel fuel burned to pick up the plates made the deal a wash with new equipment.

I ended up with new Titain power rack with dip bars, York 300 lbs plate set and bar, Rouge bolt together bench, and Cap plate stand. Then a few tractor supply horse matts.

Hank!

Spent the weekend running from FEMA Bots.

Awww, shucks

Anyone ever get callouses so bad that they rip open and leave an open wound?


Shits been driving me nuts for the past few days.

take care of you callus before they rip.  I sand mine once a week and put lotion on them all the time.

YES!!!

No.....



Still waiting for that, "excuse me, is that an uzi?" shirt.

IT PUTS THE LOTION ON ITS SKIN!

This is pretty fuckin' amazing

I can't comprehend how his body isn't completely broken. That's like 12 hours of swimming, biking, running everyday for 50 days straight.

Poorly.



Well, I say that...

 

So to start, when we'd heard the event had been moved "to the conference center" we expected, you know, AC, water fountains, etc.


What they meant was the event had been moved to the conference center parking lot. I did not have water, or an ez-up, or a cooler or fucking sunscreen because the original venue was inside (at a gym) and there was no mention of it being outdoors in southern Virginia in the middle of fucking JULY.


Then, I practice the keg clean and press with what I THOUGHT was my weight. It was difficult, very awkward, but I did it so whatever. Went over to the circus dumbbell, 20 pounds heavier than what we were told, (told 70#, ended up being 90) and 70 was going to be a stretch as it was, not to push, but to keep steady at the top.



Second event, deadlift, I actually did pretty well. 3 attempts, 60 seconds to complete an 18" deadlift. Pulled 455 for my opener just to make sure I had a score, then jumped to 555 for my second lift. 100 pounds? Not a problem. Went up pretty fast, felt good, no form compromise. A+. Then went to 605 for my third lift. Started the pull, got off the blocks then realized "Well, I can finish this lift, OR I can do some other things today, like walk. Not worth it." and called it off.


The other events were nothing special, and this was the result of the farmer carry (200# per hand, turn around a keg).


Pretty miserable day, with some very fit, very strong dudes competing with me. But the day wasn't all bad...  



Get a keg and start practicing with it.

Don't compete 3 days after you've had a 100+ fever and expect to do well.

Support personnel/Cheerleaders are invaluable. Grab their butts.

Sounds like the event was run by idiots

Definitely could have been run better.

 

Lemme give you a great example:


The Deadlift. Off a platform. Bar height, 18". For reasons unknown to me they combined the novice AND lightweights AND heavyweights for the deadlift.


They went up in 50# increments until 600#, then up by 20. (Nevermind that most of the novice and lightweights were tapping out after 500)


Now, firstly. They "called us over" to the deadlift area 20 minutes before we even were permitted to warm up. Which means we were all BAKING in the sun for that time. Then, they had this convoluted system where you'd go find YOUR judge, declare your opening weight, and she'd tell you who you were lifting after. Why? I don't know. It would have been very easy to just say "Ok, next pull, XXX pounds! Line up if you want to attempt this." Then before you set up, tell your judge your FUCKING NAME. They did not do this because reasons.


Then, during the intro, there was basically no explanation of rules. I later found out that you had a full 60 seconds from "go" to complete your lift, so if something felt hinky you could set the weight back down, and re-set. Would have been helpful to know for my 605 attempt, (though I probably still would have bailed on it...3x bodyweight? I am not there yet.) but there was no pre-lift brief. Then some retread tried to roll the bar under his knees and stand up with it in some sort of bizarre zercher deadlift front squat thing. Everyone was like 'oh god' but they let him try (and faaaaaaaaaaaiiiillll).


Pretty disorganized, especially considering the other two events I've been to have just been, like, fantastic. My ladyfriend was like 'Uh, none of this fuckery has anything to do with strongman, it has to do with just complete ineptitude at running a competition.'


Despite all that, I was ill-prepared to compete. My poor showing (10th, I think) was no one's responsibility but my own. But still, didn't need to add insult to injury by running the event like jackwagons.


Another example: They used a plastic keg for the one of the kegs over bar. Guess what happened after the first keg over bar event? Yup, it broke. Their response? #dealwithit you still have one handle. (And a jagged plastic edge) Big ole bruise on my bicep from that.

Sounds similar to my experience the Saturday before.  What is the deal with fucking parking lots in the middle of July?  But at least my comp was selling cold beer and water.  I hear you on the fever.  You cannot recover from that in 3 days, no matter how much you want to.

I love comps in the heat. As long as i have water im good.

 
While it sounded like a cluster. Caulk it up to experience.

Next time you know what to expect anywhere you go.

That didn't jump out at me...but I wouldn't be surprised.  But those 2 Icelandic blondes...Sigmonsdottir and Davidsdottir


I bet we don't see the Pegboard again

Looong 16hr shift last night. Haven't slept. Just wanted some low volume heavy shit.

Dips
BW+
25 x 10
50 x 5
70 x 3
90 x 2
105 x 2
115 x 2
125 x 2
135 x 2

Chins
BW+
25 x 8
35 x 5
45 x 2
60 x 2
70 x 2
80 x 2
90 x 2

Shoulder must not be so bum after all.

That was just stupid.  Last year's double grace after the rope climbs was bad ass.  Those were some big damned kettlebells though.

ETA: it was cool to see that the girl who won, Katrin, is coached by the guy who does my programming.  That would explain why assault bikes have been programmed so much.  I guess he knew.

Someone is going to try KBS with one of those 200+lb'rs...Just wait!

Hell yes.  I've done a double swing with 80# kbs.  That's a grown ass man exercise right there.  200+ would instantly increase the quality and consistency of hair on your chest.

Good, cuase it would rip your arms off, 200lbs of momentum is a sonabitch lol

Shit, loaded my bar 5#s light for my final set of squats.

found a product for you link

I actually make a beeswax-based balm for hands that people fucking RAVE about. There's a picture of my rip a few posts above, that was saturday evening. It's almost healed now. Keeps callouses pliable, heals cuts and tears. I really should sell it. :(

 

 
So you chicken'd out.

I actually just use "bag balm". It is cheap and lasts a long time. We used all the time on the ranch growing up.

I use the stuff tcataz posted. That stuff is pretty good!!!

 
I have kicked a few callouses to the dirt with that stuff.




If you make some more of the beeswax stuff. YOU LET ME KNOW!!! Ill pay top dollar.


I have never tried it but I tried some other, someone made years ago and it is like it has unicorn farts in it or something.


 

The Burts Bees stuff in the tin works pretty well.  I've also used some of the farmer's hands lotions.  The key for me is sanding them down every night and then I puts the lotion on the skin before bed.  Then more lotion after I work out in the morning, if possible.  Also learn to love the hook grip, which will take a lot of the pressure of your callouses for any pulling you do with the barbell.  When you tear, you must learn to properly tape your hands so they can heal.  There's several different ways to do it, but the best for me is ripping a finger hole for your middle finger, then taping down your hand vertically, then wrapping with another around your wrist.

IM me your address, I've got a tube or two left, I'll throw them to you.

 

I'm interested in what you put in it, my wife makes our families soap, lotion and a salve that I've used.  I'll give the info to her and see how it compares to hers.

Since I made a post a few months back about ripping a callus off and someone posted the video showing how to grip the bar I haven't even really had big calluses.  It was primarily on the dead lifts that I had trouble and by putting the bar in my fingers instead of in the palm, then taking some weight it doesn't pinch that flesh at the base of the fingers.  

Still getting better at the hook grip though, that's not exactly comfortable.

Ingredients:

 
Beeswax, grapeseed oil, shea butter, birch oil, helichrysum, chamomile.


If applied right, it's not very greasy, dries pretty quick but everyone who has ever used it just freakin' raves about it. I put it in chapstick tubes, with directions to put it on callouses fresh out of the shower after they've been shaved. keep them nice and pliable, and if you have a tear, it might help it heal faster*.


And yeah, hook grip sucks until it doesn't. At the comp this weekend I hooked my deadlift opener (455) (because gripping a bar any other way feels weird) and the NAS rep was like:


Hookgrip?



*this statement not evaluated by the FDA

double overhand?

Told the wife, she asked 'what's wrong with mine?  Mine would work just fine..."

I told her those special words that make a marriage work.... "You're probably right, dear".

Well I'm sure hers is just fine but the grapeseed & birch oils along with the helichrysum do have documented skin healing properties #justsayin.

absolutely.

 

I have some veins starting to show on the side of my head, is this something to be concerned about?

I am at a lower body fat percentage than I have been since I was in my teens, so that probably has something to do with it, but I'm at the age now that any change is probably something I should ask about.

Have you visited any african countries lately?

 
No, but I was in texas a few months back, am I going to die?

Shooting for 323x3 on mid grip swiss and failed at 3.  I then realized that my pins were set one spot lower than usual because I had my nephew over lifting with me last week.  Took me a couple of minutes to squirm out from under the bar.  

 

 
What is mid grip swiss?

You sir are a saint.

 

IM inbound.

Well, yah...

You are going to die, go into the great beyond, meet whoever is your making; knowing without a doubt, THAT GOD BLESSED TEXAS!

 


except Austin

Benching w a Swiss bar

Keto diet day 2, I fucking hate everyone and everything right now.