Jon Pietrolaj's Strongman Training Journal

[killxswitch]

Very impressive performance, congrats on winning 1st at your meet. I think those long wait times would be nerve racking. This is a very interesting journal to read.

[jp2004c5]

6 events and 5 1st places is pretty awesome.

Great job Jon, you definitely did better than "just coming out of it in one piece"

HAHA!! Thanks. The tire really had me worried, but the biceps held up just fine. I also got lucky enough to go last on every event and that made a huge difference.

[jp2004c5]

Very impressive performance, congrats on winning 1st at your meet. I think those long wait times would be nerve racking. This is a very interesting journal to read.

Thanks. I've been competing for several years so experience helps with the long wait times. We had a few guys who were less expierenced and you can see they were getting a little fidgety waiting around. The worst part is the body starts getting cold and tightening up. The weights we were using were fairly heavy too and to wait an hour and twenty, an hour and thirty minutes between events then jump right in to something heavy isn't optimal. Plus, it just gets boring waiting around.

[jp2004c5]

A friend of a friend was cool enough to tape my stone run at the Capital Classic on Satirday, March 26th.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ3qL3srEso

[jp2004c5]

Tues 3/29/2011

Took a few days off after the contest on Saturday. Sunday I was hurting bad HAHA!! Felt pretty good today so decided to get back at it. The only thing that is giving me problems is my right knee. Feels terrible.

2" Axle Press in Rack
125X10 - Strict Press
175X5 - Strict Press
225X5 - Strict Press
275X3 - Strict Press
295X3 - Strict Press
315X1 - Strict Press
335X1
355X1
375X1 - Stopped here. Just wanted to press something somewhat heavy.

Close Grip Floor Press
135X10
225X5
315X5
385X4 - Missed 5th rep, DAMNIT!!

V Handle Lat Pulldowns
190,210,230X10

Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions
55's, 65's X10
75's X8

Barbell Row (w/ straps)
225,315,365X10


Wed 3/30/2011

Cardio - 30 mins walking on treadmill. Surprisingly this actually loosened up my right knee.

[StLRPh]

How are you scheduling your training? I'm too exhausted (and lazy) to try and figure it out for myselft

Nice work btw, are you using Rehbands/knee sleeves at all?

[Tom Mutaffis]

Jon - Good to see you keeping a journal here, and congratulations on the win last weekend.

What do you have planned for contests this year?

[killxswitch]

Some great pressing here. Does the 2" axle vs. a regular bar make OH press significantly more challenging?

Take care of that knee.

[jp2004c5]

How are you scheduling your training? I'm too exhausted (and lazy) to try and figure it out for myselft

Nice work btw, are you using Rehbands/knee sleeves at all?

HAHA!! No problem. As of now on my training split looks like this:

Mon - Overhead Press (either Log, Axle, Circus Dumbbell, etc.), Stones and Assistance stuff like Abs and Reverse Hypers.

Wed - Lower Body, focusing more on my Deadlift b/c well it sucks. Going to be doing a Rack Pull from either 18" or 16", then the next week do pulls off the floor, either Pulls off Blocks, Trap Bar Deads or Regular Deads. Next I do Squats. I use either the Safety Squat Bar or Cambered Bar b/c they don't put a ton of stress on my shoulders. On Rack Pull weeks, I will go heavy on Squats either working up to a heavy double with a wide stance or a heavy single with a shoulder width stance. On weeks I pull off the floor, I will be doing Speed SSB Box Squats with a wide stance. After this I do Reverse Hypers, Abs and GHRs.

Thurs - Upper Body Assistance stuff

Sat - Events

I may move Stones back to Saturday's, but as of now I'm not sure. Deadlift, Stones and Conditioning are my biggest weaknesses currently.

I do use Rehband Knee Sleeves. I like them a lot.

[jp2004c5]

Jon - Good to see you keeping a journal here, and congratulations on the win last weekend.

What do you have planned for contests this year?

Thanks Tom. As far as contests this year, I'm not sure yet. I will probably do the York Barbell show on June 26th b/c its 10 minutes from my house. I am thinking about doing Nats and if another Plat Plus show happens to pop up I would like to give that a shot as well.

[jp2004c5]

Some great pressing here. Does the 2" axle vs. a regular bar make OH press significantly more challenging?

Take care of that knee.

In theory, pressing a 2" Axle is supposed to be harder than pressing a Barbell. Personally, I think pressing the 2" Axle is easier than a Barbell. The Barbell puts a ton of pressure on my wrists, but that's just me. I know guys who can overhead press 400+lbs on a Barbell and can't even come close to that on a 2" Axle.

[jp2004c5]

Thurs 3/31/2011

18" Rack Pulls (Belt and Straps)
135X5
225X5
315X5
405X5
495X1
585X1
675X1
775X1 - PR!!, Sadly this is a PR. 775 came up so easy I thought about going for 800, but I decided to be smart and save some strength for another day. I know I had 800 in me last night.

SSB Box Squats (Wide Stance, Parallel Box, Belt only)
160X3
250X3
340X3
430X2
520X2
620X2

Reverse Hypers
270 - 3X10

Pulldown Abs
110,120,130X10 - Supersetted w/ Hypers

Couldn't do GHRs b/c of my right knee.

[StLRPh]

that's a pretty big pull, nothing to sad about; great job and thanks for the info on your programming

[jp2004c5]

that's a pretty big pull, nothing to sad about; great job and thanks for the info on your programming

Thanks. However, most strongman guys today are pulling that off the floor HAHA!!

[jp2004c5]

Fri 4/1/2011

Cardio - 30 minutes walking on treadmill

Took the weekend off from lifting. I had some things going on and I wanted to give my right knee some rest. As of today, it feels good.

[Coke]

You are not human Johnny, lifting is incredible!!

[jp2004c5]

You are not human Johnny, lifting is incredible!!

Thank you. I appreciate that.

[jp2004c5]

Mon 4/4/2011

Was feeling lazy tonight. Came home from work and ended up falling asleep for over an hour. I seem to do this every Monday. Got a late start, around 9pm. It took everything I had to go down and workout. My right knee was feeling better then I started lifting and it felt like total crap again.

12" Log Press in Rack
200X5
250X5
300X3
325X3
350X1
375X1 - Like last week, I just wanted to press something somewhat heavy and stop. I had hardly any leg drive from my right leg b/c of my knee so all these reps felt like strict presses.

V-Bar Tricep Pushdowns
110,120,130,135X10

Barbell Shrugs
135,225,315,405X12

Surprisingly, I woke up today and I'm actually sore which shocked me. I barely did anything last night compared to what I normally do.

[StLRPh]

nice job getting the work in

[jp2004c5]

Wed 4/6/2011

Deadlift (Belt and Straps)
135X5
225X5
315X5
410X1
510X1
610X1
660X1
710XFLD - Died at knees AGAIN. Was supposed to do Deads off a 4in block tonight, but I got lazy and didn't feel like setting stuff up. All the reps were slow as hell.

Cambered Bar Speed Box Squats (Wide Stance)
340 - 8X2

Cable Side Bends
90,100,110X10 per side

GHR
BW - 5X10 - Right knee was loose enough tonight to be able to do these.

Pulldown Abs
110,115,120X10

[killxswitch]

Were you supposed to pull while standing on a 4" block or pull while the weights sat on 4" blocks?

[jp2004c5]

Were you supposed to pull while standing on a 4" block or pull while the weights sat on 4" blocks?

Standing on a 4" Block. Sorry I typed that wrong. My deadlift always seems to die at the knees so I'm going to be working my lockout twice a month. A friend of mine, the now infamous Mike Jenkins, recommended I try pulling while standing on blocks. So if he recommends it I will try it HAHA!!

[jp2004c5]

Thurs 4/7/11

Speed Overhead w/ 2" Axle
205 - 8X3

2" Axle Close Grip Bench Press w/ Mini Bands
125X5
175X5
225X5
275X5
300X5 - Just wanted to do something different.

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
160,180X10
200X8 - Supersetted w/ CGBP

Elbows Out Tricep Extensions
55's, 65's, 75's X10

Chest Supported Rows (Parallel Grip)
110,130,140X6 - Supersetted w/ Tri Exts

[jp2004c5]

Mon 4/11/2011

Wasn't able to get to event training this weekend. Was running around with my girlfriend helping her finalize a car purchase. There is so much crap you have to do to buy a car from someone. It's kind of ridiculous. Anyway, I think it was for the best. It gave my right knee a few days to rest and it seemed to have worked. Either that or the fact its getting warmer and everything is starting to loosen up. Had minimal discomfort during tonight's workout. Another Monday, another late start, after 9pm. Seems like on Monday's my motivation level is a -10.

2" Axle Clean and Press
125X5 - C&P each rep
175X5 - C&P each rep
225X5
250X5
275X1
305X1
325X1
350X1 - The clean was horrible
360X1 - The clean and press may have been the ugliest C&P ever done.

Barbell Incline Bench Press (Medium Grip)
135X10
225X5
275X5
315X5
335X5 - Haven't done these in years.

Chest Supported Rows (Straight Bar Grip)
100,110,120,130X6

Straight Bar Tricep Pushdowns
110 - 3X10

[StLRPh]

couldn't be too horrible if you finished the rep, nice work