STRONGMAN - Tom Mutaffis

[Tom Mutaffis]

Trained in the garage after work, was feeling a bit tired today and was short on time. My pec/shoulder is still not 100% but did feel better until the incline benching.

Log Clean & Strict Press then Split Jerk:

190 lbs x 1/1
220 lbs x 1/1
250 lbs x 1/1
280 lbs x 1/1

Incline DB Press / Pushdowns:

80's x 20 reps / Mini Band x 60 reps

This was my first time trying to split jerk the log and it felt pretty good. Was going to go heavier but the last set on the strict press felt a little tough even though it looked easier on video. Going to stretch my pec/shoulder and do some light band work then maybe hit another pressing day this weekend.

[Tom Mutaffis]

[Coke]

Log training is quite impressive to say the least.

[frankf79]

Tom,

How do you perform a power row ?

[Tom Mutaffis]

Tom,

How do you perform a power row ?

They are bent over rows where I return the bar to the floor between each rep and use a bit of legs/hips/lower back to initiate the pull.

[Tom Mutaffis]

11/12/2012 - Update & Squats

As everyone has probably noticed I have not posted here very much over the past couple of months. Things were busy with work, getting married, and competing in America's Strongest Man 105 Kg. I am happy to report that things have been going well and I am now back to my 'normal' gym routine again for the most part. I took 7th at America's Strongest Man on 10/20 and then got married on 11/3 down in Florida.

Monday 11/12 was my first real strength workout back in the gym and I went to Crossfit Strength for some squatting.

Squat:

315 lbs x 2
375 lbs x 2
440 lbs x 2
500 lbs x 3 (belt and knee sleeves)

Accessory Work:

- Walking Lunges / Sled Push Super Set x 3 sets
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- GM's with cambered bar (smashed my hand in the rack)

Was pleased with the squats today, felt like I had at least another rep or two in the tank and depth was good.

[Tom Mutaffis]

11/13/2012 - Back / Morning Session

Trained in the garage before work, my bicep has been a little tender but overall was feeling pretty good. Body weight has been steady around 230 lbs.

Pull-Up's:

BW x 3
BW + 10 lbs x 3
BW + 25 lbs x 3
BW + 45 lbs x 3
BW + 70 lbs x 7

V-Bar Pulldowns:

100 lbs x 10 x 5 sets

Alternating DB Curls:

20's x 10 reps/arm x 2 sets

[Tom Mutaffis]

11/15/2012 - Pressing

Trained after work at Crossfit Strength, ending up being a bit short on time so just did some floor press with chains and decided that I would do my accessory work at home.

Floor Press:

185 lbs + 80 lbs Chains x 2
205 lbs + 120 lbs Chains x 2
225 lbs + 120 lbs Chains x 2
245 lbs + 160 lbs Chains x 5 - PR in terms of overall weight

Felt strong on the final set with all of the added chain weight, the chains were almost fully loaded at the top and about 50% unloaded at the bottom. Have a video but will likely wait until I hit something bigger to post any footage.

[Tom Mutaffis]

11/16/2012 - Pressing Accessory

Trained in the morning out in my garage before work.

Complex:

- Seated DB Military Press / 80's x 8
- Triceps Extensions or DB Flyes / 40's x 10
- Band Push-down / Band x 20
- Side Raises / 20's x 10
- Push-Up's / BW x 10

I performed (3) rounds of this with minimal rest and then had to call it a day. The triceps extensions were bothering my elbows a little bit so I switched to DB Flyes for the final two sets.

[Tom Mutaffis]

11/17/2012 - Conditioning & Lower Body

Went to Crossfit Strength this morning and the Owner had a workout that he wanted me to do. Was a bit reluctant but decided to give it a go since I have not been doing enough conditioning work recently.

Sled Push:

Sled + 90 lbs x 5 sets (down & back = 1)

Complex:
*Run 300 meters before and after the workout, in the workout you do all the 9's first, then 6's, then 3's.
- 205 lbs Overhead Anyhow 9-6-3
- Wall Ball 9-6-3
- Burpees 9-6-3

I finished this in just under 14 minutes, took a few breaks that slowed me down and I walked the last part of the run as my cool-down since my heart rate was getting up there.

Trap Bar Deadlift:

315 lbs + Green Bands x 2
405 lbs + Green Bands x 2
455 lbs + Green Bands x 2
455 lbs + Doubled Green Bands x 3

The final set of deadlifts had a ton of band tension at the top, and I had another couple of reps in the tank which I was happy with.

[Coke]

...things have been going well and I am now back to my 'normal' gym routine again for the most part. I took 7th at America's Strongest Man on 10/20 and then got married on 11/3 down in Florida.

Congrats on both the Strongman placing and being a newlywed - awesome news!!

Digging the super sessions Tom.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Congrats on both the Strongman placing and being a newlywed - awesome news!!

Digging the super sessions Tom.

Thank you!

[Tom Mutaffis]

Trained at Crossfit Strength, decided to use the cambered bar and squat to a low box (paused each rep on the box). This made the weights significantly more challenging than without the box or with another bar.

Cambered Bar 12" Box Squat:

315 lbs x 2
365 lbs x 2
425 lbs x 2

Walking Lunges:

50 lbs Sandbag x 50 reps total

Band Leg Curls:

100 reps total - mixed it up with different levels of resistance

Pull-Throughs:

24 Kg kettlebell + mini band x 20 reps x 3 sets

The conditioning/accessory work at the end was brutal. Had a bit more in the tank on the squats but did not want to push it with the low box.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Trained at Crossfit Strength in Charlotte, today everyone was doing board press so I decided to jump in.

Board Press:

315 lbs x 1 to 2 board
365 lbs x 1 to 2 board
405 lbs x 1 to 2 board
425 lbs x 1 to 2 board (still had pretty good speed but decided to stop here)

Face Pulls:

Monster Mini x 20 x 3 sets

Band Pull-Aparts:

Mini x 20 x 3 sets

Was going to finish with some shoulders/triceps but was on a time crunch, still pleased with the overall session.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Trained at Crossfit Strength in the morning, did not really have a plan for today and ended up doing some heavy pulling against bands from 17" using a Texas Power Bar (no flex).

Block Pulls:

405 lbs + Orange Bands x 2
495 lbs + Orange bands x 2
605 lbs + Orange Bands x 1
645 lbs + Orange bands x 1

Sled Medley:

Sled + 6 plates x 40' / Prowler + 5 plates x 40'
Sled + 6 plates x 40' / Prowler + 5 plates x 40'
Sled + 6 plates x 40' / Prowler + 5 plates x 40'

That was it for today, was pleased with the deadlift considering I have not pulled from this height in a long time and the bands were already engaged from the start due to the elevated bar.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Trained at Crossfit Strength today, was feeling run down from the holiday weekend (diet and sleep were off schedule) but had a great time with friends and family.

OLY Squat:

365 lbs x 1
430 lbs x 1
455 lbs x 1

Deadlift:

315 lbs + Short Grey Bands x 1
405 lbs + Short Grey Bands x 1
460 lbs + Short Grey Bands x 1

Band pulls were all done with a belt only (no straps) and felt pretty solid on them. Shut it down on the squats a bit early because I didn't have a lot of speed/power on them today.

[Tom Mutaffis]

I am going to start logging my training again. Over the past 4-6 weeks I have cleaned up my diet a bit and lost 10+ lbs which has negatively effected strength but am feeling pretty good overall. As I start logging my training again I will provide more detail on diet, supplements, and training methodologies.

There is some good news, I still managed to sneak in a PR squat clean last week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81ZzXdyYNGI

Video

[Coke]

As I start logging my training again I will provide more detail on diet, supplements, and training methodologies.

Looking forward to it Tom.

Happy New Year!

[GazzyG]

Impressive, Tom; 330lbs feels heavy when I deadlift it, must be crazy strong to clean it.

Looking forward to your new year's log!

[Tom Mutaffis]

Looking forward to it Tom.

Happy New Year!

Impressive, Tom; 330lbs feels heavy when I deadlift it, must be crazy strong to clean it.

Looking forward to your new year's log!

Thank you! I really appreciate the support and hope that you guys are on track for your goals as well.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Quick session at Crossfit Strength this morning…

Deadlifts:

Worked up to 500 lbs x 5, feeling a bit off and shut it down there.

Tire Flip:

500 lbs x 25 reps (Time was 1:20)

Sled Push:

2 Plates/Side x 125′ x 3 sets

My pulling was a disaster but was pretty happy with the tire, it took me a few minutes to recover but could have easily kept going on that set. I also did a few box jumps at the end but did not measure them.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Trained out in the garage in the afternoon…

Warm-Up:

1/4 mile on the treadmill and then some dynamic warm-up movements.

Incline Bench:

Worked up to 285 lbs x 7

Circuit:

* DB Bench Press – 80′s x 10, 12, 15 (37 reps)
* Band Pushdowns – Monster Mini x 15, 15, 15 + Mini x 10, 20 (75 reps)
* Side Raises – 25′s x 15, 17, 20+3 (55 reps)

The circuit was done resting only between rounds but not between sets, this provided some good conditioning work.

[GazzyG]

Good sessions, Tom. I'm looking forward to the day when I can deadlift 500x1, let alone 5 reps whilst tired out, lol.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Good sessions, Tom. I'm looking forward to the day when I can deadlift 500x1, let alone 5 reps whilst tired out, lol.

Thank you - I am sure that you will get there.

[Tom Mutaffis]

No training today, but I did pick up a few new items for the home gym from Vulcan Strength Training Systems:

- 9 Bar Holder ($59)
- 24 lbs Med Ball ($49)
- Pair of 15 lbs bumpers ($43)

They also have a few other items on clearance including a heavy duty strongman log for $200, 55 lbs bumpers for $140/pair, and gymnastic rings for $39 in case anyone here is interested.

Here is the link: http://www.vulcanstrength.com/?Click=397