One of the catalysts for my switch to less grip work and more cardio-related training and kettlebell work over the last month is the fact that my father is suffering from multiple organ failure.  I won’t get into the details of it right now.  Maybe after he passes away it may be helpful to my psyche to get it off my chest.  Until then I’ll just say that I am more worried about obesity-related maladies than I have ever been before.  Obesity runs in my family.  Along with diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer.  

Since the first time I touched a weight I was concerned with getting strong.  Anyone who weight trains knows that “strong” is elusive and ever-changing.  Now I’m concerned with getting fitter and healthier.  Having some blood drawn two weeks from now to check my cholesterol level.  Some years back it was very high.  I get regular physicals though and my blood pressure is usually pretty decent.   

I’m going to focus on getting my weight down to a more appropriate level too.  And work on keeping it there year round and not just for a few months so I can compete in a lower weight class in USAWA contests.  200lbs will be a bare minimum goal for the rest of my life.  That will allow me to carry a decent amount of muscle still if I want to. 

I’m currently 223lbs.  I was 198lbs on November 12th, 2011.  That’s an unacceptable and frankly embarrassing weight gain for a guy who knows how to train himself and others.  Granted, I dropped a bunch of weight to compete in Adam Glass’s Grip Decathlon in the lower weight class.  So about 15lbs of that is what I would consider normal gain.  But still, gaining 25lbs in 2 months is not smart. 

The “problem” I’ll have if I no longer compete is with my self-image.  I am known to family, friends, and coworkers as the guy with strong hands.  And I earned that through years of training.  I don’t want to regress to “normalcy” because I am proud of how strong my hands are.  I’ll just have to balance grip training with cardio and general fitness and strength training to reach my new health and fitness goals. 

Less time spent training and obsessing over getting stronger hands will be much better spent doing something more immediate – spending time with my wife, possibly changing careers, going to college, more traveling, starting a business, and on and on.  I don’t want to be on my deathbed and start recalling how many things I have wanted to do.  How many places my wife and I didn’t get to visit because I was selfish and decided to enter a contest and spend a bunch of money to compete.  Don’t get the idea that my wife doesn’t support what I enjoy doing.  She does!  And I love her for that.  But I’m publicly stating that, although I have enjoyed and appreciated it, the frivolous spending on contest lifestyle is over.  Time to grow up.  It’s only taken me 36 years.    

2011 World's Strongest Man - Brian Shaw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Shaw_(strongman)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Shaw_(strongman)

Chose Rolling Thunder because it doesn’t aggravate my forearm tweak (right arm) and it’s pleasant to train.  Did some light kettlebell work before that but it wasn’t taxing on the grip, mostly just Goblet Squats and Halos. 

ROLLING THUNDER

-166×1-both hands     Paused at the top for a second, just like I would in a contest setting. 

-181×1-both hands     Paused at the top again.  Felt strong both hands.  A bit stronger righty than lefty, which is the usual. 

-192×1-right hand, -MISS-left hand     Strong lift righty, with a pause at the top.  Got only 2″ of air lefty. 

Obviously a very short workout.  My wife came home after the set with 192 and I ended the workout.  Could’ve done a lot more sub-maximal pulls but no reason since I’m not training for a grip contest anymore. 

Great news! 

Since then I have:

• Jogged a few times.  A mile was the farthest.  1/4 mile the other time.  I much prefer the 1/4 mile jog, although I didn’t have any knee pain on either of them. 

• Done some “beach work.”  Light dumbbell curling and some low volume parallel-grip pullups. 

• Played with my kettlebells a bit.  Kept it simple, short, and light.  Some one-hand swings, two-hand swings, goblet squats (no knee pain), front squats, halos, and figure 8s. 

• Did a few gripper workouts and realized that my right forearm tweak is apparently never going to heal to the point where I am at my top-end strength of a few years ago on the no set gripper action.  I’m dealing with that by trying to put the grippers out of my mind for the most part. 

Don’t have any desire yet to deadlift because that will test my knee more than jogging or squats.  I always feel sumo deadlifts in my knees (never injured them deadlifting, but they sometimes feel a bit tender after a hard deadlift session) so I’m holding off on doing any for a bit.

I had planned on doing the USAWA Grip Championships but due to some family health issues I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it. 

I definitely have a new appreciation for having working knees so I plan on making use of them and doing more goblet squats, short runs, and other physical pursuits that don’t involve just lifting a weight while standing in one spot. 

Have been walking much shorter distances than what I was doing from the previous few months just to let it heal. 

Wouldn’t be a bad idea to focus more on some upper body work for until summer and just do some light prehab and maintenance work for the lower body to make sure all is well.

1-5-11, Thursday

INDEX FINGERS DEADLIFT

ONE-HAND THUMBLESS-GRIP DEADLIFT

ONE HAND AXLE DEADLIFT

LOADABLE INCH DUMBBELL DEADLIFT

The entire workout was mediocre at best poundage-wise.  I understand why though and it doesn’t bother me.  At the start of the new year I began doing more cardio, kettlebells, and more “beach workouts.”  So at this point I’m rescinding my contest goals for the USAWA grip contest.  And leaving them blank.  Whatever happens is going to be fine with me.  I’m still training but at reduced frequency and intensity on grip.  And enjoying adding some variety into my training again.

Bodyweight was 214lbs this morning.  On track to hit 209lbs by the contest on February 11th at least.  Even that isn’t necessarily a “goal” – if I make that weight I do.  If I don’t, then I don’t.  No harm done.

Sometimes you have to let valuable possessions go on the way to achieving your goals.