STRONGMAN - Tom Mutaffis

[LuNa]

Nice work in here. Good to see your back is feeling better and you are back to squats/pulls.

[Tom Mutaffis]

12/20/2009
Trained strongman events down in South Carolina. It was cold outside and took a while for us to get going. My focus for today was just to get in a little bit of work with the implements and do some conditioning.

Log One-Motion:
Did a few light sets up to 230 lbs.

Tire Flip:
500 lbs Tire x about 25 total flips, rotated with training partner.

Sled Pull: (Belt)
Sled + 45 lbs x about 1/4 mile uphill/downhill. Threw in some jogging on the downhill.

Farmers Walk:
*175 lbs/hand (hard farmers) + sled & 45 lbs x 100 feet with turn.
175 lbs/hand x 250 feet with 4 turns (speed)

*I had the sled attached to my belt and was holding the farmers in my hands, running with the farmers and dragging the sled at the same time. First time trying this and it was pretty interesting.

[Off Road]

That sled/farmers does sound interesting. That would definately be a full-body workout in itself.

[Coke]

Beastly efforts for both days man.

[Tom Mutaffis]

12/22/2009
We had dinner with a client from work last night at a Brazilian rodizio-style steak house (all you can eat) in uptown Charlotte. Spent a solid two hours at the table

On my lunch break today I decided to do some walking. A Chiropractor who we train with suggested walking for low back rehab.

Treadmill: 20 minutes @ 2.5 mph

I am getting ready to head up to NJ/NY for the holidays tomorrow. Am not sure if I will have internet access after today and I want to wish everyone a great holiday. My training log should start to get a bit more interesting now that I am healthy and focused.

[Off Road]

12/22/2009
A Chiropractor who we train with suggested walking for low back rehab. .

That sounds interesting. Did he give reasons?

[nickp8]

Good to hear you are feeling better. I'm heading back to Jersey for Christmas too, hopefully the flights don't get delayed.

[Tom Mutaffis]

That sounds interesting. Did he give reasons?

He said it in passing, but the next time that I see him I will ask to elaborate.

Good to hear you are feeling better. I'm heading back to Jersey for Christmas too, hopefully the flights don't get delayed.

Thanks, as you know injuries are frustrating but I am excited to be able to start pushing things again. Had to pick up my Dad at Newark Airport last night and it was packed; most of the flights were on-time though.

Hope you have a good Christmas.

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12/24/2009
Trained today at the gym where I used to workout when I lived in NJ (Apollon Gym in Edison). It was motivating and I really miss that gym, though the 11+ hour drive took quite a bit out of me and I was not feeling very strong. Have been a bit dehydrated and my bodyweight was around 215 lbs today.

Warmup: Elliptical for 4 Minutes

Flat DB Bench Press:
140's x 5
170's x 1 / 125's x 5

Incline Axle Press / Neutral Wide Grip Chins:
210 lbs x 7 / BW x 7 (3 sets of each in about 5 minutes)

Band Pushdown:
Green Band x 25

2" Flat Bar Pushdown / Alternating DB Curls:
75 lbs x 75 reps / 35 lbs x 15 each arm

Calf Raises / Back Hyper:
Plate + 25 lbs x 15 / BW x 15 (2 sets each, minimal rest)

Cooldown: Treadmill for 5 minutes @ 1.5 mph

Pretty good workout, I wish that I was feeling a bit better since I was hoping for a couple of reps with the 170's (my PR is 3). Am headed out to Long Island this afternoon to visit with my Girlfriend's family and then will be back in Jersey for the weekend. Might try to hit the gym again on Saturday. Once I get home I will tune my diet and try to stay steady in the mid/low 220's.

[Coke]

Great workout, killer db bench presses!!

[Off Road]

No kidding...Great lifting.

[Tom Mutaffis]

12/28/2009
Made it to the gym after work, although I had to run some errands first and got there a bit later than I would have liked. Bodyweight just under 220 lbs.

Warmup: Elliptical for 5 Minutes

Rack Pulls: (Bar at about 19")
315 lbs x 3 x 2 sets
405 lbs x 3
495 lbs x 3
585 lbs x 3
700 lbs x 5

Seated Low Pulley Row:
185 lbs x 5 x 10 sets (30 seconds rest between sets)

Rope Hammer Curls / DB Hammer Curls:
25 lbs x 25 / 25 lbs x 10 each arm

The rack pulls were the first real test for my back and I feel good today; I could have gone heavier on them but there was no reason to.

[brihead301]

Awesome rack pulls!!!

[JSully]

beastly rack pulls and 170lb db presses are awesome!!

[Coke]

The rack pulls are extraordinary bro.

[Tom Mutaffis]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the support.

12/29/2009
Trained at Lifestyle Fitness, my Ipod went out on me so I was stuck listening to soft pop music for this session. Bodyweight was just under 220 lbs.

Warmup: Elliptical for 4 Minutes

Close Grip Bench Press:
Warmups - 225 lbs x 5, 275 lbs x 3, 315 lbs x 2, 340 lbs x 1
355 lbs x 2
225 lbs x 15 (had more, wanted to save some triceps)

DB Bench Press:
100's x 5 x 8 Sets (30 seconds rest between sets) - The DB's were feeling a bit heavy by the end.

Overhead BB Extensions:
75 lbs x 15 (full range of motion, good stretch)

Hammer Strength Decline:
55 lbs/side x 10, 25 lbs/side x 10 (selectorized)

Face Pulls:
50 lbs x 15

Good quick workout. My PR for close grip is 365x3 and I think that I can work back up to that number in the near future. A shipment of Nitrean / Results / Novus Bars arrived this week as well .

[JSully]

strong close grip.. my tris are usually so toasted by the time I get to close grip that I'm only rocking out 225 for 7-8 reps, lol..

[Tom Mutaffis]

12/31/2009
Quick workout tonight, was thinking about doing some lower body work but decided to save that for tomorrow. Bodyweight has been steady just under 220 lbs.

Warmup: Elliptical for (3) Minutes

Seated DB Military Press:
100 lbs x 10 - Kept a rep or two in the tank.

Standing Strict Press / Push Press Superset:
155 lbs x 10 / 135 lbs x 10 - Getting familiar with these again.

Wide Grip Chins:
BW x 3,5,3,5,3,5... etc - about 80-85 total reps (minimal rest)

DB Side Laterals:
20 lbs x 10 x 5 sets (minimal rest)

Pushdowns:
45 lbs x 45 reps

Barbell Curls:
50 lbs x 25 reps

Hammer Strength Selectorized Military Press:
150 lbs x 5, 100 lbs x 5, 50 lbs x 10 (giant set)

Finished off with a couple of sets of low back and abs. My Girlfriend and I have a reservation tonight for a Jazz Bar / Steakhouse in uptown Charlotte; should be nice. I hope that everyone has a fun and safe New Years!

[Tom Mutaffis]

1/1/2010
Trained at Lifestyle Fitness, feeling a bit tired but needed to get in some lower body work. Bodyweight was right at 220 lbs.

Warmup: Treadmill for 5 1/2 minutes (walking)

Front Squat:
Warmup: 275 lbs x 3, 315 lbs x 2, 365 lbs x 1
405 lbs x 1
435 lbs x 1
355 lbs x 3

Standing Lunges / Smith Machine SLDL:
195 lbs x 5 Each Leg / Plate x 5
185 lbs x 5 / 2 Plates x 5
135 lbs x 5 / Plate & Quarter x 10 (minimal rest between all sets)

Calf Extensions on Leg Press:
5 Plates / Side x 25

Free Motion Leg Curl:
100 lbs x 10 x 5 Sets (minimal rest)

Good workout, my legs were wrecked at the end. Haven't done standing lunges in years and I think that I am going to start working them in again. My low back feels OK and I think that I can start hitting some big numbers on the front squat soon, getting more comfortable with them again.

[teeroy]

Crazy strong on those front squats, Tom!!! Happy New Year!!!

[Coke]

Ever impressive numbers dude...wish you the best in 2010.

[Tom Mutaffis]

1/2/2010
Today was just a quick cardio workout.

Cardio:
- Elliptical for 30 minutes @ Level 2
- Treadmill for 15 minutes @ 2.5 mph, Incline (Grade 5)

Finished off with about 5 minutes of stretching.

[Tom Mutaffis]

1/3/2010
Trained at my friends house in South Carolina, we had a good group today including a top HW Amateur and a HW Pro Strongman.

One-Motion Log Press:
210 lbs x 3 (clean each)
230 lbs x 5 (clean each)
270 lbs x Miss (out in front)
275 lbs x 1 (PR)

Plyometrics:
- Tire Jump (Broad Jump from ~7 feet)
- Jumped Over Small Tire (Took video)

Farmers Walk:
Light Weight x 170 feet w/ turn
Light Weight x 170 feet strait (speed)
Heavy x 40-50 feet (PR on these handles)

That was it for today, pretty good for my first real strongman training session in a few weeks. It was probably around 35-40 degrees outside as well which made things challenging.

[Off Road]

Awsome...nice to hit a PR after missing a lower weight. That's a big weight too.

[Joe Black]

Tom, superb work as usual.

how do you find calf extensions on the leg press? I have been doing them for a few weeks and am just starting to feel comfortable with them. The only thing about the leg press machine at my gym is that the bottom of pressing plate (where you have to place your feet to get a stretch) is very narrow so I am doing very narrow pressing. What width are your feet?

I'm just doing 2 plates a side for 4 x 12 + whatever is needed to get to 20 with rest/pause.

An olg gym I used to go to had the proper standing calve raise where you got underneath the machine and did standing raises, that was awesome!

Also when is the comp and how do you reckon you will fair?

[Tom Mutaffis]

Tom, superb work as usual.

how do you find calf extensions on the leg press? I have been doing them for a few weeks and am just starting to feel comfortable with them. The only thing about the leg press machine at my gym is that the bottom of pressing plate (where you have to place your feet to get a stretch) is very narrow so I am doing very narrow pressing. What width are your feet?

I'm just doing 2 plates a side for 4 x 12 + whatever is needed to get to 20 with rest/pause.

An olg gym I used to go to had the proper standing calve raise where you got underneath the machine and did standing raises, that was awesome!

Also when is the comp and how do you reckon you will fair?

I like back supported or seated calf raise variations; I feel like with standing calves my hamstrings and glutes end up fatigued before my calves do. The leg press allows for a smooth motion and I feel like I get a better stretch/extension than I do with seated machines. There is a hammer strength seated hack squat / calf raise machine at my gym which is also a good one. In my opinion a narrow stance is best for calf work.

The next competition that I definitely want to do is in March, but there is a local event in February that I have a free entry for if I would like to compete. The events are fairly standard but I do not plan on directly training for it; would just jump in and treat it as a training day.

Tenative events for 2010:
- South Atlantic (Columbia, SC) / February
- SW Florida's Strongest Man IV, Mike Witmer Memorial (Ft. Myers, FL) / March
- *Strongman Show of Champions, Platinum Plus (Orlando, FL) / April
- AZ Strongman Indivational (Phoenix, AZ) / May

*Not sure on this one.