"I'm feeling skinny Tony!"

[Craig Pfisterer]

My name is Craig Pfisterer. I’m a little taller than 6′7″ and I really like to lift weights. I’m a competitor in NAS strongman contests. My hope is to become a competitive professional strongman. Every time I get a PR, regardless of the lift or exercise, I set aside 25 cents for Action Against Hunger to donate at the end of the year. I’m not a major competitor yet and I have a long way to go but I’m having fun.

I've been using pretty much the same template for about a year and a half with slight changes. This is my template in its current form as I tend to make adjustments. I may even make changes to it today, depends on how I feel. On my ME days, I work up to a heavy/max single on the main lift and then do a back down set with 90% of that for as many reps as I can. The supplementary lift I do sets of three to a heavy/max triple. The event lifts I have built into my gym days follow a light/heavy and long/short format. The heavy days I work up to a tough/max set for that distance/rep scheme (besides yoke). The light days are 50% of my best for the higher rep or long distance days and then up to 75% on the lower rep or short distance days. Event days are an anything goes type day but I try to keep some lifts lighter than others rather than go all out on everything. I only occasionally do that and that's usually two weeks before a contest.

Tuesday – ME LB
Main Lifts
Week 1 – A type of Free Squat
Week 2 – A type of Box Squat
Week 3 – A type of Rack Assisted SSB Squat
Week 4 – A Type of Deadlift
Supplementary Lifts
Week 1 – 18” Rack Deadlift w/ IW#1’s quad
Week 2 – Snatch Grip Deadlifts
Week 3 – 3” Platform Sumo Stiff-Legged Deadlift
Week 4 – Front Squats
Accessory Lifts
Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings – 3×8-12
Unanchored Spread Eagle Sit-ups – 3×15-20

Wednesday – ME UB
Main Lifts
Week 1 – A type of Banded Press/Jerk
Week 2 – A type of Reverse Banded Press/Jerk
Week 3 – A type of Straight Weight Press/Jerk
Week 4 – A type of Close Grip Board/Floor Press
Supplementary Lifts
Week 1 – Rack 12” Log Half Presses
Week 2 – Rack Suspended 12” Log Incline Bench Presses
Week 3 – 12” Log Floor Presses
Week 4 – Barbell Strict Presses
Accessory Lifts
Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows – 3×8-12
Bent Over Rear Delt Dumbbell Raises – 3×10-15

Friday – DE LB
Main Lifts
13.5” Box Squats w/ IW#3s dbl clinched – 8×2
Week 1 – 50% No Bands
Week 2 – 50%
Week 3 – 55%
Week 4 – 60%
Supplementary Lifts
Yoke – 4x50’-100’
Week 1 – 100’ Light
Week 2 – 75' Heavy
Week 3 – 75’ Light
Week 4 – 50' Heavy
Farmer’s Walk – 4x50’-150’
Week 1 – 100’ Heavy
Week 2 – 100' Light w/Turns
Week 3 – 50’ Heavy
Week 4 – 150' Light w/Turns
Accessory Lifts
Dimel Deadlifts – 3×15-20

Saturday – DE UB
Main Lifts
12″ Log Presses w/ IW#4’s choker/IW#3’s basket – 8×2
Week 1 – 60%
Week 2 – 50% No Bands
Week 3 – 50%
Week 4 – 55%
Supplementary Lifts
2 3/8” Dumbbell Two-Arm Clean One-Arm Presses – 4×4/4-8/8
Week 1 – 6/6 Heavy
Week 2 – 6/6 Light
Week 3 – 4/4 Heavy
Week 4 – 8/8 Light
Neutral Grip Dumbbell Incline Bench Presses – 3x8-12
Accessory Lifts
Barbell JM Presses – 3×10-15

Sunday – Events
Whatever is coming up, isn't cover by gym lifts or needs work.

[Craig Pfisterer]

June 15, 2010 - ME LB

Walking – 30 minutes

Dynamic Warm-ups

Reverse Band Deadlifts w/IW#4's
No Bands
135x5
Add Bands (-100lbs)
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x3
455x1
495x1
545x1 PR+10lbs
585x1 PR+50lbs
610x1 PR+75lbs
655x1 PR+120lbs
590x3 PR+55lbs & 2 reps

Front Squats
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x2

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
285x12 PR+10lbs
285x11
285x10

Unanchored Spread Eagle Situps
55x20
55x20
55x20

33 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Very good workout. I wasn't sure how today would go as my neck and traps were still stiff from tweaking something on Sunday and my hips were still sore. Also my left ankle had been really sore the night before. I haven't done any reverse band deadlifts since August last year and that was with a thick bar. That workout had been a crappy one to boot. The way I set up the bands for reverse deads is a little different than most as I make sure the bands totally give out right at my knee cap rather than just coming out of the bands at the top. Good thing the only thing that bothered me today was my left arm which was sore and I had the cut on my finger from keg carries so I had to bandage that up backing it hard to close that hand all the way. Weights felt really explosive and I upped my anticpated goal quite a bit from 550lbs. Worked up to 495lbs with double overhand grip before switching to alternated grip. I took a cautious jump from 585lbs to 610lbs as it didn't feel that easy but I guess I wasn't focused that set as 610lbs felt easier than that set. I knew I had a big lift in me after that so I made a big jump for 655lbs. I got it to my knees and I had to hitch it. I wasn't going to let it go as I'd already come so far. Really happy with that lift. When I used to do these more frequently, this lift was only 20lbs more than my best deadlift. I don't expect that same carryover now but it should mean I'm good for a big PR next time I pull a barbell from the floor. Front squats felt good and I was hoping to get a triple with 365lbs but I had to settle for a hard two reps. I'll get it soon. Legs feel strong and springy. Got lazy with the ssb gm's and just put on a 10kg and two 45lbers on each side to get 285lbs instead of my planned 280lbs. It's a good, strong lazy. Sweaty so the bar slid down to my neck on the second set so I chalked up my neck for the third set. Really killed my entire back, neck and hamstrings. Finished up with abs and stretching. Going to be sore tomorrow.

[BendtheBar]

Great program design. I'm going to have to come back when I have some free time and take a longer look. Beastly looking numbers!

[big_swede]

Super #'s and once again welcome to the forum, looking forward to follow your progress!

[Craig Pfisterer]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Great program design. I'm going to have to come back when I have some free time and take a longer look. Beastly looking numbers!

Originally Posted by big_swede

Super #'s and once again welcome to the forum, looking forward to follow your progress!

Thanks guys. Finding a good program design has been a lot of trial and error. Sometimes the lessons are painful but I always try to learn something from them.

[BendtheBar]

I;m going through that painful process right now. I've been playing all year.

Keep hard at it, and looking forward to seeing you smash some PRs and rack up the $.25.

[Craig Pfisterer]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Keep hard at it, and looking forward to seeing you smash some PRs and rack up the $.25.

Thanks, I made $111.75 last year and I plan to beat that.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Craig Pfisterer

Thanks, I made $111.75 last year and I plan to beat that.

That's not bad at all!

[Bodybygamma]

Heads up, Craig is really any where form 6ft9 and 10feet tall, depending on the placement of the moon and the sun.

He has an unhealthy obsession with humpty dumpty and goes around destroying poor little round stones, by ripping them off the ground and slamming them high up on platforms they can't get down buy themselves.He always targets the fat and heavy ones and will not stop until he has loaded them all.

I once saw Craig hit his head on a tree, the next day there was a youtube video of him chopping it down and pressing it overhead for reps.

Craig is really Pall Bunyan without facial hair, and he ate Babe the big blue Ox,as a means of turning into a heavyweight strongman competitor.

Craig's Strength level is OVER 9000! And he makes pretty men, women and small children cry

[Craig Pfisterer]

Originally Posted by Bodybygamma

Heads up, Craig is really any where form 6ft9 and 10feet tall, depending on the placement of the moon and the sun.

He has an unhealthy obsession with humpty dumpty and goes around destroying poor little round stones, by ripping them off the ground and slamming them high up on platforms they can't get down buy themselves.He always targets the fat and heavy ones and will not stop until he has loaded them all.

I once saw Craig hit his head on a tree, the next day there was a youtube video of him chopping it down and pressing it overhead for reps.

Craig is really Pall Bunyan without facial hair, and he ate Babe the big blue Ox,as a means of turning into a heavyweight strongman competitor.

Craig's Strength level is OVER 9000! And he makes pretty men, women and small children cry

Every single one of those claims are bold faced truths! Also LMAO at that banner. I forgot I made that haha.