Return of the King

BossArky wrote:

Lying Twist
no weight - 3x5 ... video of last set to follow

BossArky wrote:

Deadlift
155kg - x5, x4, x2 ... aiming for 3x5. Pb

Monday January 24th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Speed Deadlift

Bench Press
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 1x3
77.5kg - 1x2
85kg - x4f, x3f ... supposed to be 3x5
85kg - x4f
75kg - x6f ... punishment set 1
70kg - x6 ... punishment set 2
---
EZ Curl
30kg - 3x5
---
DB Bench
32.5kgkg per arm - 5f
30kg per arm - 5f
27.5kg per arm - 5
---
EZ Bar Tricep Extension
30kg - 3x5
---
Speed Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
85kg - 3x5

---

Squat
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 1x3
*belt*
110kg - 1x2
125kg x3f ish ... supposed to be 3x5. Flattened on 2nd and 3rd reps of 1the set. Just racked after that
105kg - 3x5 ... punishment sets
---

Up there with worst sessions ever. Almost recovered from sickness but strength totally gone. Back still in ribbons from deadlifts 2 days ago. Bench rubbish. Squat hopeless. So dissappointed. Depending how Thursday goes I may scrap the entire cycle and start a new one as there is still just enough time (2 months) to peak for raw nationals.

Coach tells me I don't need to get the 2.5kg on my total as I'll qualify via invitational anyway. He was the one who recommended just scrapping the cycle. He also recommended cancelling my trips to Singapore, and quitting work to train full time.

I'd like to get the total before competing... so actually qualify properly. We'll see what happens Thursday.

Sunday January 30th:

Swimming in the sea

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40 degrees today.

Thursday February 3rd: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
40kg - 1x6
50kg - 3x6

Lying Twist
no weight - 3x6
---
Deadlift (off 2 inch block)
60kg - 1x6
80kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
110kg - 3x6
---
GluteHam Raise
3x6 - one notch off max on both settings

Chin Ups
bodyweight + 10kg - 3x6

Decline Situps
bodyweight + 5kg - 3x10
---
Squat
40kg - 1x6
55kg - 3x6
---

Everything was nice and easy. Feeling recovered more or less. Deep tiredness gone.

Slightly tweaky right lat/rhomboid/back/something from no clue. Maybe slouching at lunch.

Went along with coach to survey the hotel which we ended up booking as the venue for the equipped nationals in July. Brad Gillingham is coming along, so got a suite with a reinforced bed. Fine venue. Just need to go off and acquire the hardwear to run the IT side of things now.

Saturday February 12th: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
20kg - 1x6 ... ultra wide
40kg - 1x6? ... back in to close from here down
50kg - 1x5?
55kg - 3x6 ... nice & explosive

Lying Twist
no weight - 3x6
---
Deadlift (off 2 inch block) ... well actually off two fat red 25kgs as I was in the main gym
60kg - 1x6
90kg - 1x5
110kg - 1x3
122.5g - 3x6 ... belt-less
---
Standing Single Leg Ham Curls
20kg per leg - 3x6
---
Chin Ups
bodyweight + 10kg - 3x6

Decline Situps
bodyweight - 3x10
---
Squat
50kg - 1x6
60kg - 3x6
---

Another deadlift day done 2 days later than planned due to 5th week long trip to Singapore since September. Tried to buy a few litres of milk up there. Horrendous taste. The bottle stated "100% Australian milk"... but it was nowhere near like Aussie stuff. People were telling me the milk in both Malaysia and Singapore does taste different. It does --> Nasty. Lost a bit of weight again :rolleyes: Spicey food goes through me. All this work pfaffing about upsets eating and training. As soon as I got back to Oz I bought a 3 litre of full fat milk and start guzzling.

Anyway, trained this afternoon after a few hours sleep. Trying to deadlift and squat beltless until program hits the 3x5s (which will be the week after next I think & corresponds with another trip to Singapore .... so again more messing around with training days and food). Hope this beltless training will help build up a bit more core strength.

Deadlifts today were good. That is the heaviest I've went for 3x6s without a belt. Deficit on top, and it didn't even feel that tough. Looking forward to competing at the end of March and setting some new PRs.

Bodyweight 83kg after training and after drinking some milk.

Thursday February 17th: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
45kg - 1x6
50kg - 1x5
55kg - 1x3
57.5kg - 3x6

Lying Twist
bodyweight + 3kg between ankles - 3x6
---
Deadlift (off 2 inch block)
60kg - 1x6
102.5kg - 1x5
*belt*
122.5 - 1x3
132.5g - 3x6
---
Glute Ham Raise
1 notch from max on each setting - 3x6

Decline Situps
bodyweight + 5kg - 3x10
---
Squat
60kg - 1x6
65kg - 3x6

Chin Ups
bodyweight + 10kg - 3x6
---

Last week of both 3x6s and block for heavy deadlift. Feel like I'm getting pulled forward onto my toes, but being told I need to sit forward even more. Apparently my arms are too short to keep my back upright enough to have a good starting position. This is accentuated further by standing on the block. Hopefully it will built a big PR at the end of March if I manage not to fall over.

Tried wrist wraps on bench for the first time tonight. Not sure if it helped much as the weight was so light. May have felt sturdier. Might as well acquire a pair and see if it helps on the 100kg bench quest. May also get myself some knees sleeves.

Pulling out all the stops - oh yeah!

Hey Kev - yeah! Fingers crossed for the 100kg bench with a bit of decent sleep, nutrition and uninterrupted training.

Total wise .... hmmm *scratches head*. Last comp in Nov was 140/97.5/175.

Ideally I would hope that each 2 to 3 month cycle would yield 2.5kg on bench and 5kg on both squat and deadlift per cycle. By the nationals (March 26th) I will have the majority of two cycles complete since Nov.... which could mean something like 145-150/100/180-185. This would give me somewhere between 425 to 435kg.

Chipping away with 2.5kg or 5kg pbs is grand mentally when competing regularly every couple of months. This time around I'm faced with a 4 month gap between Nov 2010 and March 2011. I'm wondering if I should go for the small increments again or slightly larger ones.

Hmmmm..... gonna see how the final 3x5s and then 2x2s pan out.

Thursday February 25th: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
40kg - 1x5
60kg - 3x5

Lying Twist
bodyweight - 3x5
---
Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
*belt*
125kg - 1x2
140kg - 3x5
---
Squat
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 3x5
---
Lat Pull down (with Chins grip)
3x5

Lying Ham Curl
1x8
2x5

Decline Situps
bodyweight + 5kg - 3x10
---

Brought my training gear to Singapore to make sure I got training in and stuck to schedule. On two separate occaisons I asked the staff in the hotel gym if they were ok with me deadlifting. They were fine as long as I don't drop it. They even apologized for not having a platform.

Started off with 60kg. After that set one of the gym instructors came over and apologetically placed a mat under each plate. Then did 100kg. He came back with more mats. 125kg. More mats. 140kg 1 set.... by this time I was almost doing rack lock-outs as the plates were supported by about 50 cushions/pads/mats on each side. LOL. They were helpful though and nice. Hehe.

Squats - again I was "that guy". No squat rack so I got two benches and stacked about 4 plates on each, then balanced the weight on it, got under and started off from a box squat lower position. Almost fell over a few times doing this, but made it through the session.

Delighted to get that session in! Now I can relax when back in Melbourne and not have to fart about squashing heavy deads and heavy squats into 3 days.

Thursday March 3rd: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
40kg - 1x5
65kg - 3x5

Lying Twist
bodyweight +3kg ball between legs - 3x5
---
Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
*belt*
130kg - 1x2
147.5kg - 3x5 ... felt easy
---
Glute Ham Raise (height @max setting, legs @one off max)
3x5

Decline Situps
bodyweight + 5kg - 3x10
---
Squat
60kg - 1x5
75kg - 3x5

Chin Ups
bodyweight + 12.5kg - 3x5
---

Milk still doing the trick. 3 litres of full fat between lunch and gym.

Deadlift felt light. Technique wasn't great apparently - as always. Didn't get that "head about to explode and neck veins too" max weight feeling.

87.15kg on the gym scales in gym gear.

Good session.

Monday March 7th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Speed Deadlift

Bench Press
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 1x3
80kg - 1x2
85kg - 3x5 ... handy enough. Need to check if that was an equal pb?
---
DB Bench
27.5kg per arm - 2x10 ... taking it easy

EZ Curl
27.5kg - 2x10 ... taking it easy
---
EZ Tricep Extension
27.5kg - 2x10 ... taking it easy
---
Speed Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 3x5

---

Squat
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 1x3
*belt*
110kg - 1x2
122.5kg - 3x5 ... pb by 2.5kg on 3x5s. Felt handy enough. Not at my max yet
---

Always good when you hit a squat pb.

Still not fully recovered from Saturday's surfing on top of Thursdays heavy deads. Happy to have done well on bench and squat today.

Used my own wrist wraps and knees sleeves today for the first time. The knee sleeves feel good. I reckon they must give you something, even though apparently the don't. Knees feel warm, tight and solid in them.

Monday March 7th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Speed Deadlift

Bench Press
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 1x3
80kg - 1x2
86.5kg - 3x5 ... easy pb on 3x5s
---
DB Bench
27.5kg per arm - 2x10 ... taking it easy. Same as last week
---
EZ Curl
25kg - 2x10 ... taking it easy
---
EZ Tricep Extension
25kg - 2x10 ... taking it easy
---
Speed Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 3x5

---

Squat
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 1x3
*belt*
110kg - 1x2
127.5kg - 3x5 ... pb by 5kg on last weeks 3x5s. Pb on last cycles 3x5s by 7.5kg
---

Took 3+ hours. Gym was busy as everyone getting there last bench and squat 3x5s in ahead of the competition.

I'm very happy with how my stuff went. Bench was easy. Comments afterwards included "put more weight on the bar". Flew through the reps quickly enough without much waiting around.

Squat was a decent improvement. First set was very slow and controlled apparently. Cut the 5th rep a tiny bit high I was told. Comments afterwards such as "should try 137.5kg not 127.5kg", so I guess they looked good.

Video'd the 2nd and 3rd sets to see what they were like. You'll see the video's soon. Not as good as the first set but nowhere near failure on them. Coach reckons my competition attempts should go as follows:

Squat: 135 / 145 / 150+
Bench: 95 / 100 / ?
Deadlift: 165 ish / 175 ish / 180 ish

Thursday March 17th: Heavy Deadlift, Light Bench & Squat

Close Grip Bench
50kg - 1x5
55kg - 1x3
60kg - 1x1
62.5kg - 1x1
65kg - 2x2

Lying Twist
bodyweight - 1x5
bodyweight +3kg ball between legs - 2x5
---
Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
100kg - 1x3
130kg - 1x2
*belt*
150kg - 1x1
162.5kg - 2x2 ... pb for 2x2's by 7.5kg... as haven't bothered with doubles in 9 months! Video of 2nd set later
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Glute Ham Raise (height @max setting, legs @1 off max)
3x5

Decline Situps
bodyweight + 5kg - 3x5

Squat
60kg - 1x5
65kg - 1x3
70kg - 1x2
75kg - 2x2
---
Lat Pull Down
Setting 4 - wide pull up grip
Setting 5 - wide pull up grip
Setting 6 - narrow chin grip
---

Everything was handy. Couldn't remember what my previous deadlift cycle 2x2's ended up on. I went looking back through my log... and was suprised to see that I haven't actually finished a cycle all the way up to doubles since June last year! WTF?

• June 2010 I did 155kg 2x2
• September 2010 I was knackered from a trip to Singapore so skipped the 2x2s
• November 2010 I peaked on fell apart on the last 3x5s so went for moderate 3x5s on the last week instead of 2x2s
• Feburary 2011 I just skipped the last weeks and started a new cycle due to sickness

So, there you have it. My 2x2 story.

Anyway, 162.5kg 2x2 was easy. Coach reckons I should start the comp on 167.5kg, then 180kg, then ?? Video later.

Monday March 7th: Heavy Bench & Squat, Speed Deadlift

Bench Press
60kg - 1x5
70kg - 1x3
77.5kg - 1x1
85kg - 1x1 ... paused
92.5kg - 2x2 ... paused, easy pb
---
Speed Deadlift
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 3x5

---

Squat
60kg - 1x5
90kg - 1x3
*belt*
110kg - 1x1
125kg - 1x1
135kg - 2x2 ... easy pb
---

Bench easy. Last time I did doubles I got 90kg for 1, then 2.

Squat easy. Think I last did doubles at 130kg, so 5kg increase.

Gently loosing a bit of weight to fit into the 83kg category. Was 86kg in the morning a few days back. This morning I was 84.7kg. I'll try and get there without anything too drastic.

Roll on Saturday.

Hey Sangre - personally I think deadlift is my worst lift and progress is slower on it than on the others. Apparently my arms are too short which makes me hunch over too much when starting from the ground :pac: In theory that should mean short arms = bigger bench.... so I should be benching more than I am.

To combat the short arm effect on deadlifts I have been doing deficit deadlifts off a two inch block for the first 5 or 6 weeks of each cycle. These help build power off the floor when back to standard deadlifts. If you don't have a block you can try putting a thick plate (.e.g 20kg or 25kg) under each foot. Just make sure they don't slip when you are lifting.

Last night one of my training colleagues and I did exactly the same bench and squat doubles as we are fairly evenly matched on those. His deadlift best is 215kg though and mine is just 175kg. He is also about 5kg lighter than me. A lot of people I train with who are in and around my bodyweight have 200kg+ deadlifts.

Some of those guys swear by "big block" deadlifts. The big block is about 5 inches tall (compared with the "little block" of 2 inches). You start off from the ground and get to lock out. For each successive rep you go down and stop about an inch above the ground, so you are keeping the stress on your back all the way through the set. Apparently that works a treat for increasing your deadlift. Maybe I'll try it next cycle.

So:

• 2 inch little block = start from a dead stop each time touching the floor
• 5 inch big block = start from the top, don't touch the floor at all between reps and take a big breath at the top

Be very careful if you try any of these. Don't over use them and have someone watch your form.

Drinking a gallon of milk a day helps too

Saturday March 26th: Powerlifting Australia Raw Championships (Hawthorn, Meloburne)

Great day.

I visited the venue the night before with my own weighing scales under my arm for comparison purposes. My home scales was reading 500g less than the competition scales, so instead of having to loose 100g from Friday night to Saturday morning, I needed to drop 600g. Had two medium sized spoonfuls of porridge for breakfast and that was it.

My category (83kg) was the third of four sessions. I was announcer for the first session. Talking the audience through 2 hours of lifting ended up being a good way of cutting the last few bits of weight and I was suprised to weigh in at 82.48kg with half a kg to spare. Very happy to have managed to get down from 88kg in just over a week.

Warm ups went like this:
Squat: 60kg x5, 85kg x3, 105kg x1, 125kg x1
Bench: 60kg x5, 65kg x2, 75kg x1, 85kg x1 (last one paused)
Deadlift: 60kg x5, 100kg x2, 130kg x1, 150kg x1

Competition lifts went like this:

Squat
#1: 137.5kg
#2: 145kg ... 5kg pb
#3: 150kg ... 10kg pb

Bench Press
#1: 92.5kg :eek:
#2: 95kg
#3: 97.5kg ... equals pb

Deadlift
#1: 167.5kg
#2: 177.5kg ... 2.5kg pb
#3: 180kg ... 5kg pb

Squats went well. Opened with 137.5kg no probs. When I suggested 145kg next coach remarked "at least". Smashed it. For the 3rd squat it was a toss up between 150kg or 152.5kg. Played it safe and went for 150kg for a 10kg pb. Delighted.

Bench Press - lol. My 92.5kg opener saw me distracted with my wrist wraps and telling the centre spotter to stand well back as I set up. By the time I got onto the bench I forgot to wait for the judges "start" command and just went ahead and started. Pressed it out no probs but got 3 reds for preempting the referees commands.

Failing my opening bench on a technicality wasn't in my plan and panicked me. Prior to the comp the plan was to bench 92.5/100/100+..... but now that I had failed 92.5kg I was in danger of bombing out if I went for 100kg and didn't get it. My right tricep was slightly tweaked on Thursday night from overly zealous close grip benching so I made the decision to go for 95kg on the second instead of 97.5kg. Not sure why I choose 95kg... I should have been more confident and went straight to 97.5kg.

Anyway 95kg on the second was fine. I then went for 97.5kg to make sure I at least equalled my previous best of 97.5kg. Slightly dissapointed not to have had a crack at 100kg. 97.5kg was alright - locked out the left arm first of all, then the right. This seems to happen when my bench gets heavy. I probably would have had 100kg in me. Just wasn't thinking clearly in the heat of the moment after failing the opener.

Deadlift - I was confident I would pick up a pb here. 180kg was the goal. Started with 167.5kg - handy enough. Next went for the 2.5kg pb with 177.5kg which was fine. Then played it safe and went for 180kg instead of 182.5kg. It was a bit of a battle, but may have had 182.5kg in me. Delighted with 180kg anyway.

Finished up with a total of 427.5kg which is up 15kg on my last competition in November 2010. Pretty happy with that. The whole day was just 2.5kg on the bench away from perfection!

427.5kg gave me 5th place out of 6 competitors in the 83kg category. The gold and silver medalists were a good way ahead. Third to sixth were close enough. The gold medalist squat 190, benched something big, and deadlift 262.5kg for an Aussie record.

My main battle was with my two training buddies from my gym. I beat one of them on both squat and bench (by 5kg on both) but lost out to him by 30kg(!) on the deadlift. My other training buddy beat me by 7.5kg on the squat, I beat him by 5kg on the bench, and he beat me by 22.5kg on the deadlift. The saying "the meet don't start till the bar hits the floor" was apt for me this competition. My deadlift sucks compared to them! They deadlift 210 and 202.5kg at the same bodyweight as me. Serious work needed on my deadlift to be competitive.

Spent the evening getting a live streaming trial of the 105kg+ category working. Had up to 37 viewers watching it at one stage which was a great success.

Very happy. Videos in a day or two.