GET STRONG: The Intermediate Ramblings of an Amateur Strongman

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/13/2018

Deadlift - 530x1 / 485x3x4

Squat - 420x1 / 390x4x5

Farmers Carry - 270x4x3 @60ft

Should have probably practiced some stones today, but I didn't see the note. I'm used to conditioning being a dice roll lol. Oops.

Celebrating a year of strength training. On 4/14/2017 my starting weights were S150, P110 (prolly too high), B185 (way too high), and D225...

364 days later I'm smoking 200x5 presses and I'm two weeks out from chasing a 475 paused axle squat and a 600 pull...

It's been one hell of a year...

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/16/2018

Pin Press - 195x4x4

Bench - 285x4x4

The universe hates me. Gym (garage) flooded bad this time. Had to pull up the platforms and it put a shit on training. Managed to squeeze in the pin presses and bench volume. I don't recommend doing any kind of presses in muck boots.

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/17/2018

Pin Squat - 430x1 / 370x3x5

Paused DL - 435x4x4

Gym was dry(ish) today so everything is back together... huzzah!

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/19/2018

CGB - 255x4x4

Press - 215x3x5

Chins - 42 @7min block

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/23/2018

Pin Press (beltless) - 200x4x4

Bench - 305x3x3

Rows - 315x5x3

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/24/2018

Axle Squat - 450x1 / 380x3x5

Paused DL - 435x4x4

That top single went awry on me lol. Got on my heels coming up off the pins and it just kind of stuck there until I drifted back into balance. Got the rep, but probably exploded most of the blood vessels in my head. The good news being once I was in balance the speed was actually pretty decent, and if I wouldn't have had to pause it I probably could have smoked it, which would have been awesome since 450 is a tie for my current PR...

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/26/2018

Press - 225x3x3

C&P - 225x2-3 / 250x0

Bench - 265x4x4

Wow if I don't zero the C&P next week it will be an act of God. I got a few reps at 225, failed a few, failed a few attempts at 250... we will see what happens Monday with those...

[Dave Joksimovic]

4/27/2018

(oops never updated Friday)

Deadlift - 500x1 / 550x1 / 495x3x3

Pin Squat - 460x1

Squat - 390x4x4

Stone Load - 220x3x3 @50"

Conditioning - Truck Push


550 looked almost too easy. Super pleased. Pin squat went but took a part of my soul. 475 is gonna be a dog fight. Stone technique is getting nice and clean just in time, hoping it translates to the big boi stones this weekend.

[Dave Joksimovic]

copy/pasteo

5/5/2018

CNY's Strongest Man and Woman 2
Syracuse, NY
Men's Open 242/275 - 3rd Place
Weighed In @237

The Breakdown

Oly Bar Clean & Press - 265 lbs - 0 Reps

This was expected unfortunately lol. For a very brief moment I thought I might pull off a miracle. Cleaned it much quicker than I had cleaned 250 in training, and got it my shoulders with not a ton of effort. Actually managed to drive it maaaybe to forehead height but couldn't finish it. Started a 2nd attempt at cleaning it but it was much more difficult after a failed attempt. Decided to walk away... know when to fold em.

Axle Squat w/Tires - 475 lbs - 5 reps

Luck was totally in my favor here. First, the judge's concept of "parallel" was absolutely Strongman ATG lol. My reps were like six inches high, whatever, I'm not gonna complain. Second, one of the dudes who would for sure have put up a ton of reps blacked out on his second rep. He was OK thankfully, but it cost him the event. Third, the dude that followed me got very loose in the bottom of his second rep, had to reset, and could not squat it off the boxes. So I ended up taking 2nd in the event.

Truck Pull - 50ft/60sec - 34 ft

I was really hoping to do better here but what screwed me was only being tied in to one of the tow hooks on the truck. Don't know why they didn't tie in to both, but it screwed over a LOT of people. Some guys/girls had no problem at all, but plenty of us (me included) couldn't keep on a straight line to save our lives. It killed any leg drive I could get and I basically ended up pulling the truck with my arms most of the way.

Max Deadlift - 3 Attempt Rule - 500/550/600

This went EXACTLY as planned. Pulled a super fast 500, an equally as fast but more patient 550, and then a new PR at 600 with a just enough of a fight to be dramatic lol. I did pull 600 with straps because at this point I knew there was still a chance I might place and didn't want to chance it. Both the top two guys tied at 650 (I think they tried to pull 700, but I wasn't there at that point) so I took 3rd (2nd?) here.

Atlas Stones @50" - 305/320/340 - 1 Stone (305)

Got the first stone pretty easily actually. Second stone not so much. I didn't pick it high enough and rolled it back across my knees. I don't think I had it as tight to my chest as I thought I did at the time. Cost me some height trying to load it and I ended up stepping backwards which screwed me. Tried but failed to pick it two more times. Bummer. But I ended up taking 2nd in this event too thanks to my relatively quick time on the first stone.


So there it is, not a perfect day but better than I was expecting. The only event I let myself down on was the truck pull. I thought I would have done a little better. But for never doing it and never even really training it I can't complain lol. Placing was pretty cool, even though it was mostly lucky breaks and how small the class was (one other big dog and I would have been toast lol). I will likely be back next year I think...

[Bradley Gish]

Nice to see you back Dave!