Fivex3 Training hosted two training camps to practice with the equipment we’ll use on competition day. I attended both and it was immensely helpful to familiarize myself with the atlas stone, log, yoke and the webbed medicine ball, as I don’t have these at my home gym. We practiced four of the five events; Weight for Height, Log Press, Stone to Shoulder and Yoke Carry.
The Weight for Height (swinging med balls backwards over a 10′ bar with one hand) was more difficult than I thought. My home gym doesn’t have a safe area to practice this event, so I had been doing one-handed kettle bell (KB) swings to practice. There were some mechanical techniques that I have to adjust. With a KB swing, the swing from my arm and the hip extension is one simultaneous movement. With the Weight for Height event, I have to wait to extend my hip just as I let go of the handle towards the top. Another technique I learned was to get as much of my arm underneath my legs as possible before the swing upwards.
The Log Press took a little adjustment as well. Practicing deadlifts and cleans with a regular bar made doing this event much easier though. All of us ladies were on a rotation, so I didn’t get to try the events with consecutive reps. The few reps I did felt good. Now that I know I can lift the log, I just have to work on getting comfortable with continuous reps.
The Stone to Shoulder consists of many mechanics. First, you deadlift the stone into your lap and bring your legs together for stability. Second, give the stone a tight bear hug. Third, extend your hips and roll the stone up your torso and onto your shoulder. This was the first time I’ve ever used an atlas stone. Though my first try was successful, now it’s a matter of how many reps I’ll be able to finish within 60 seconds.
The Yoke Carry was one event I was concerned about. I weigh 135 and I’m supposed to carry more than double my weight on my back…300 to be exact. So you can imagine how happy I was when I actually pulled it off! We started with an empty yoke, which weighs 175, and increased the weight with each set. There were a couple of key techniques to do this right; make a shelf for the bar to rest on by raising your traps, and take short, quick steps forward. By applying these techniques, the bar is stabilized and prevents the yoke from swaying.
I feel much more confident after practicing with the equipment. My first time using them felt good and it showed that my training is working. Now that I know I can hold the weight, I need to practice with multiple reps within 60-75 seconds. Three weeks to competition day!!!
Invictus Fitness 