[Ben]

Big work slog today. Crazy how many people I work with nowadays, never lost on me!

Stocked up with food for 4/5 days yesterday, diet has been so on point. In fact even after a higher carb day I’ve ended up at a recent low of 137.8kg bodyweight lol. More to come.

Big week of training; this last 4 weeks will be tough. All supps on deck as usual the lifesavers being Cure Coming, Osteo Pro, Magnesium, Vit D3/K2, Dream Sleep and I’ll be grabbing some Unwind too.

Wholeheartedly feel a difference when full supp stack is combined with the brutal training in the last pushes of competition prep. Joints especially can get a battering so it’s a crucial aspect for me.

[Ben]

Yes absolutely and agree with the above, no need to even be considering the anabolic load with training principles that everyone should be applying. Not the main factor at all.

Just depends where you want to apply it. More common to see 8-15 rep range as the intensity has to be lower to accommodate those rep ranges.

Pushing 3-5 rep sets requires more load to reach failure so just depends which exercises you’re willing to do that on.

It’s also not rigid and set in stone, you can do a training block for example on the same exercise of 15/15/12/12/10/10/8/8/6/6/4/4 rep range and then refresh or switch exercise. So long as form is standardised, failure is reached and you’re recovering appropriately!

[Ben]

Events session was superb yesterday after my health check in the morning with Dr Matt Milner. I’m now passed for medical should I qualify for WSM in a few weeks!

Squat 200/220/250kg x5
Good run on walking stones
Farmers walk 140kg per hand 15/15m
SL leg press 2×10
Sled push 2x20m heavy
Atlas stone run through

Then saw Bleed From Within in the evening.

Saturday is an early start and morning at the gym working so ready to go and then chill out this evening for an early night lol!

[Ben]

Used Dial In and Pumpage together today for the first time and had an insane session with PBs on everything! Some combo 👌🏻

Machine shoulder press 4×10-12
DB Arnold press 3×10
Pullups 9/8/7
SA rows 3×12 per side
Handstand holds
Cardio

Events tomorrow excited as always. 4 weeks until Europe’s Strongest Man!

[Ben]

If you’re trying from the app try from PC/Laptop on the site and see if that helps !

[Ben]

Deadlifts yesterday went great, think my hormones have rebalanced well and CNS clearly playing ball. I was having leg tremors on most deadlift sessions ruining my bar speed.

Axle deadlift – 315kgx6, 253kg 2×6
Rows, hamstrings, back isometric holds, core after

Then went to a gig in Camden. I loveee live music. Big hobby of mine.

Today was a deep clean at the gym, physio in afternoon and then some household boring stuff and work 👌🏻

Loving my routine at the moment and feeling solid!

[Ben]

Solid Monday, coaching as usual in the morning then training. Europes prep is going well, I just felt quite battered today!

Diet at the moment is same every day:

4 sourdough toast, 4 eggs
80g oats, lactose free milk, banana, honey, dark chocolate
320g chicken, 250g rice, peppers
320g chicken, 250g rice, broccoli
350g 0% Greek yoghurt, honey, seeds, blueberries
TBJP cream of rice

Just easy, repeatable, gets the job done.

Training:
Log press: 150kgx6, 120kg 2×3
Incline DB press: 55kgs x10 paused, 40kg 2×10 paused
Triceps, shoulder stability, ski erg cardio

Got my supps package today, a needed restock! Deadlifts tomorrow!

[Ben]

Busy Sunday with work and saw my nephew too which was lovely.

Food smashed this week. Bodyweight holding at 138-138.5kg which is perfect for me.

Big sleep tonight then big week ahead in training and life 👌🏻

[Ben]

Some ideas:

Elbow pain can often stem from postural imbalances at the shoulder joint. Make sure you’re effectively training your rotator cuff and mid to lower traps to keep them strong and balanced.

Isometrics are extremely useful for flare ups in tendons, I’d start with something small maybe even a light resistance band as this will drive blood to the area and provide some loading, which tendons need to get stronger and more resilient.

Make sure your form is good and on point when you return to some tricep work. Quality over weight lifted.

[Ben]

Sounds like you’re in a solid routine, I wouldn’t change that especially with that focus for the session for the sake of maybe a couple potential % more.

[Ben]

Great Saturday, very busy one at Athlete Movement running my usual classes, couple of coaching sessions and got up extra early to meal prep.

Resting from training luckily (always rest on weekends) because I’m battered from this week of training.

Back home to watch the Arnold Strongman Classic and get the rest of my food in. Great stuff 😎👌🏻

[Ben]

Filmed my events session for YouTube today with my mate Nick who is a wizard with camera/editing.

Squats felt solid enough after quad issues plagued me the last time I ran them up. 223kg x6 top set using an axle to make life harder.

Stone walk
Farmers 132kg per hand 2 runs
SL leg press 3×10 per side
FFE split squat 2×10 per side

Seems like so little on paper but took me 2.5 hours lol. Bloody plate loading

A call with my sports psychologist in the afternoon, productive bits worked through there. Something I was so reluctant and resistant to doing and the benefits are so clear already.

Nutrition been so dialled for weeks now, hardest I’ve ever worked on it as has always been an area for improvement. Happy with that.

[Ben]

Solid training today, my Day 3 is an accessory upper body hypertrophy session. Pretty simple and short but maximum intent. Due to my hypermobility I can’t tolerate crazy training volume. Learnt this over the years lol.

Hammer Strength shoulder press 4×12
DB Arnold Press 3×10
Pull-ups 15kg attached x4. BW 7,6
DY Row 3×10 per side
SA pulldown 2×10 per side
LU raises x25 5kg per hand

Squat and events tomorrow and I’m excited!

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by  Ben.

[Ben]

Physio was great today, lots of similar areas addressed and worked on. Will be doing my absolute best to prevent any niggles creeping in for this prep!

Prepped all my meals and finishing the day by seeing Alter Bridge at the O2 in London. One of my other main hobbies is attending live music; heavy metal, rock, punk, country all do it for me!

6.5 weeks out from Europe’s Strongest Man!

[Ben]

I absolutely fully echo what Hilly has said above. Whatever decision you make, no regrets and attack it with all your best intentions.

If it was me I’d hop on a call with my coach and lay out some requested changes and ideas. Coaching can very much be collaborative in areas, especially if you’ve been with someone years!