[Adam Bishop]

Wow that was a full on day at the Arnold Classic.

Super busy on the stand and I’m knackered.

One more day to go for me on the Silverback stand so come say hello if you are attending tomorrow.

I need some sleep! Standing up all day is not good for you!

[Adam Bishop]

Spent the day driving up to Birmingham ready for the Arnold Classic UK tomorrow with a drop off to get some new parts fitted to my truck.

Fortunately I’m not competing this weekend so I’ll just be appearing on the Silverback Gymwear stand most of the day on Friday and Saturday so come say hello if you are at the Expo.

[Adam Bishop]

Yeah if your pre-bed meal has a solid amount of carbs I don’t think you should worry about a pre-workout feed.

When I was training at 05:30 I would just have some cashews and/or fruit and then push plenty of carbs in my intraworkout drink. Basically some calorie dense foods that take up very little stomach space. I’d consume this 30minutes before training then get 50g of carbs and some EAA’s in my intra.

I do think your whey shake is probably at fault for the bloating.

[Adam Bishop]

I’m not a fan of Hatfield squats as it inevitably turns into a squat-pull up combo as you progress the load.

I would go go for the SSB squats personally. Easier to control tension on the muscle and target the quads if needed.

[Adam Bishop]

Yeah it’s not a problem if you miss the target reps for a week.

The key is to ensure you get the reps next time round.

Try and work out what was different in your day to find a reason why you missed the reps to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

[Adam Bishop]

Heavy double training day today. Morning session was pretty wank to be honest as I was struggling with my timing on the circus DB but I made up for it in the evening.

AM session

Circus DB – up to a couple of singles at 105kg
Speed yoke – 8x20m (EMOM)
Loading – 4 implements

PM Session

Hammer Strength Chest Press – 5 sets
Incline DB Fly – cluster set
Push Ups – rest pause set

Seated DB Press – 5sets
DB Lateral Fly – cluster set
DB Reverse Fly – rest pause set

[Adam Bishop]

Solid rest day today. Minimal movement apart from the morning walk with the dogs and some mobility work in the gym.

Got one more meal to go in and some cold water immersion before bed.

[Adam Bishop]

Double training today. Both great sessions:

Monday AM

Axle deadlift – worked up to an easy top set of 10 with 250. Slowly pressing the load on these while keeping the reps high

CG Pulldowns – cluster Set

SA DB Row – Rest pause set

Monday PM

Leg Press – 5 sets
GHR – cluster set
Back Extension – drop set
Calf Raise – triple set
Bodyweight Walking lunges – to failure

[Adam Bishop]

Hey mate I would say the latter – if you are progressing your lifts and feel recovered between sessions then the volume is fine.

If this session starts to impact the quality of other sessions or you struggle to progress these lifts then you might need to re-think things but my gut feeling is that you’ll be fine ??

[Adam Bishop]

Some great advice above. Just want to say good luck Jake, hopefully you get back to a normal you soon.

For many of us the gym/training is a reliable friend. I’ve always found that when other aspects of my life are not consistent or I’m struggling with something, I can always throw myself into training and it acts as a release.

I’m happy to hear you’re looking for a professional to talk to, that’s half the battle is finding someone to open up to. Great first step, good luck with the rest ??

[Adam Bishop]

Simple arms session today. I’ve found having a day like this allows me to get in the bicep and tricep work I need to do without me getting bored as it’s such a short session.

Long Cable Pressdowns – 5 sets
DB Rolling Skullcrushers- cluster set
Fatgrip Pressdowns – Drop Set

Alternate DB Curl – 5 sets
Seated DB Curl – cluster set
DB Hammer Curl – Drop set

In other news I also moved the gym about which involved shifting a couple of machines about but more importantly shifting my Dumbbells which range from 4kg to 90kg to the other side of the gym. I’m counting this as cardio.

Much better space now but unfortunately I’m still out of room for more kit any time soon.

[Adam Bishop]

Rest day today which I spent most of the time watching sport on TV. A proper relaxing day spent on the sofa not thinking about strongman.

Finished up my evening with some cold water immersion before bed.

[Adam Bishop]

Obviously what’s available to you in the US is far more varied than over here in the UK but my advise would be this:

Think about your choice of plates and Dumbbells. A lot of pieces that are favoured these days are plate loaded so I would make sure you get decent thin plates that can fit on your hammer strength or prime pieces but are also eat home for deadlifts etc.

Dumbbell wise it’s worth sending money on a decent set otherwise you risk having to replace bent ones.

[Adam Bishop]

Awesome events session today – plenty of work done and really pushed myself during the loading runs.

Yoke runs – worked up to a 20m run with 320kg (just under 7seconds)

Loading – 4 implements for 15m. 2 runs with the second run much better at around 35seconds. Working on my speed running back for each implement and my pick ups.

Stones – one motions. Worked up to 3 singles with the 180kg stone.

Ready to relax most of the weekend watching the Ryder cup, rugby and the F1 on TV. Glorious.

[Adam Bishop]

I prefer a conventional grip – as narrow as I can.

Basically my grip is just outside my stance width.

I’ve never got on with snatch grip deadlift variations although I know many people who swear by them.

As Rich says – try one out for a period of time then switch it up once you’ve exhausted the progression.