July 21, 2026

The Upper Frame Takes Shape

Today’s workout followed a simple and useful structure: press, pull, protect the shoulders, and keep the trunk honest.

I began with seven minutes on the elliptical before moving through two sets of shoulder external rotations. These are not the movements that will ever headline a strongman competition, but keeping the shoulders prepared and working properly gives the heavier pressing a better foundation.

The main pressing work came from the incline dumbbell press. I started with the 35s for ten repetitions and climbed through the 50s and 65s before reaching two sets of eight with the 70s.

In my workout log, “70s” means that I used one 70-pound dumbbell in each hand. The first set reached RPE 7, followed by RPE 8 on the final set. RPE is my rating of perceived exertion: a way of recording how difficult a set felt rather than judging the work by weight alone.

From there, I moved to the low cable row. The weight progressed from 80 pounds for ten repetitions to 125 pounds for eight. Pressing strength matters, but I also need the back strength and control to support it. The two sides of the work have to develop together.

Three sets of rope face pulls followed at 15 pounds. I then finished the strength portion with two sets of Pallof presses at 50 pounds for ten repetitions per side. The Pallof press is an anti-rotation core movement. Instead of twisting against the cable, I brace and prevent the cable from pulling me out of position. For me, it develops the kind of trunk control that can carry into heavier lifting and strongman events.

An additional eight minutes on the elliptical closed the session.

No single movement carried this entire workout, and that was the point. Competition events may provide the larger tests, but the strength needed for them has to be developed across the entire frame: pressing, pulling, shoulder control, bracing, and the conditioning required to keep working.

The path from Novice toward Open strongman will require more than a few isolated numbers. It will require a body that works as a complete system.

Today, I added another piece: 70s on the incline press, 125 pounds on the row, and the supporting work completed around them.

Discipline. Power. Rise.

Workout Log

Exercise	Set	Weight	Reps / Time	RPE
Elliptical Cross Trainer	A	BW	7 minutes
Shoulder External Rotation	A	5 lb	10/arm	1
Shoulder External Rotation	B	5 lb	10/arm	1.5
Incline Dumbbell Press	A	35s	10	3
Incline Dumbbell Press	B	50s	8	4
Incline Dumbbell Press	C	65s	8	6
Incline Dumbbell Press	D	70s	8	7
Incline Dumbbell Press	E	70s	8	8
Low Cable Row	A	80 lb	10	3
Low Cable Row	B	100 lb	10	4
Low Cable Row	C	120 lb	10	6
Low Cable Row	D	125 lb	8	7
Rope Face Pull	A	15 lb	12	1.5
Rope Face Pull	B	15 lb	12	2.5
Rope Face Pull	C	15 lb	12	3
Pallof Press	A	50 lb	10/side	5
Pallof Press	B	50 lb	10/side	6
Elliptical Cross Trainer	A	BW	8 minutes