Squats on a Tuesday Hmmmm.

Okay due to work things some of my training days are going to be a bit screwed up this week. Please bear with me. On to a new cycle which means that i am changing everything I do, So something different to look at and read about. Because the Canterbury Champs have been brought forward I am getting into my gear a bit early than I would have. I have added in a new exercise that I am going to trial for a while to see if it helps or not.

Squats are being done with a normal bar with 50kg of chain added this week. My goal for this week was to do 240kg + 50kg of chain for 3 reps/set. Suit on, Straps down with knee wraps on loose compare to how I will have them by comp time.

Set 1 240kg + 50kg of Chain 3 reps.
240kg + 50kg of Chain Set 1
Weight felt pretty good as I picked it up. Hit the rack on the step out which put me off a bit. Still need to work on the step put count. Real bad on all three sets. Reps are pretty good with a bit more speed than I thought I would have. Depth seemed pretty close although I could be a bit lower. Not to bad for not having my suit on for 8-9 weeks. Didn't throw me around as much as I thought it would.

Set 2 240kg + 50kg of Chain. 3 reps.
240kg + 50kg of Chain Set 2
Again hit the rack on the way out although I managed to get my feet out a bit wider. Knees came way to far forward on all the reps and while I got the reps done I was not to happy with this set. For all the  problems the reps were pretty good speed wise. As above Step out was crap.

Set 3 240kg + 50kg of Chain. 3 reps.
240kg +50kg of Chain Set 3
Again hit the rack on the way out (now you can see why I have racks in at competition time). Set up was a bit better and my feet were out probably the widest on this set. Knees stayed a bit more upright on this one however still came forward a bit to much. Might need to turn my feet a bit more. 3 good solid reps with a bit of speed on the first one.

Overall I am pretty happy with how it went today with it being the first day in a suit since the Commonwealths and that much actually on the bar. Speed was okay and the weight felt good. However,
Things I can work on.

• Not hitting the rack
• Counting my steps out 
• Getting my feet wider due to the count
• A bit more depth
• Sitting back a bit more

and knees over my toes.

Safety Pin Squats 320kg x 5reps
Not Shown
I have worked out that when I am standing up at the start of the squat I am level with the 23rd hole in the rack and at the bottom as I go to stand up I am at the 12th hole. What I want to try is to overload the body with a big weight and slowly work my way down and back up. So today I was on the 19th pin hole and I stepped out with the 320kg sank down in a squatting fashion to the pins the drove back up. Everything else is the same as a normal squat. Got 5 reps.

Zercher Squats 3 x 3 @ 105kg
Not Shown
Gone back to that number as it allows for some reps but you don't run out of breath. Good deep squats and power back up. Getting my feet out wider for this one as well. However not to worried about that one on this exercise.

Machine rows 3 x 6 @ 80/100kg
Not Shown
First set was a sighter as I didn't know how much weight I would need. The next 2 sets were at about the right weight and got a good feel out of it.

T/bar rows 3 x 8 @ 60kg
Not Shown
About the right weight for this week. Clean form and plenty of power. They have raised the front of the machine and now you don't feel like you are going to fall off the machine. GOOD MOVE.

Seated Safety Bar Good Mornings 3 x 10 @ 45kg
Not Shown
Trying something new here. Box was probably a bit low but was still able to keep a straight back and use my erectors. As it is a new exercise I thought I would not push it to far today. Next week I will find a bench to work off and see the difference.

Reverse Hypers 3 x 10 @ 70kg
Not Shown
I love this exercise as I find it stretch's my back out after the beating from the squats.It also seems to work my glute area as well. Great exercise, If you have access to one, USE IT.

Overall a reasonable workout with room for improvement around the squat area. Speed is good, However as listed above there is a few things to work on. Can't be perfect on the first day so can't be to worried about things.

Strongman/GPP for Week 3

Getting there slowly, On to Saturday and Strongman/GPP work. This has been going pretty good over this cycle. First week was tough but hey I got through it. Next week was better and I had a lot of power. Same thing with this in that I would do lots of it at the start of last year and then tapered off over the second half of the year. Love doing this stuff even though it can be hard at times. I think not having the ability to do it indoors during the winter didn't help. Trying to set it up that I can this year. I use this sort of training to help with my overall fitness and provide strength and power from a different position. I did 5 sets of everything today.

Hammer Hits 5 sets of 10 reps 6lb Hammer.
Hammer Hits
Felt a lot better doing this today. I was also trying to add in as much power and drive to each hit. Still need to get a heavier hammer though.

Tyre Flips 5 sets of 5 reps.
Tyre Flips
Not quite as much power and speed today as I had last week. Not sure why, however it could have been something to do with the extra weight on speed day. The tyre wasn't heavy, it just didn't have the same ping. Still got it done.

Log Press 5 sets of 5 reps
Log Press
Easy. really need to think about a heavier log. Speed on the exercise was good. However if I get to take everything into where I train I could use their steel log which is 70kg.

Tyre Pulls 5 x 1 25mtr pull.
Tyre Pulls
These are a bit like the tyre flips in that it did not quite have the same ping as last weekend. Got it all done but a bit tougher than I thought. Still i could feel my back by the time I was finished.

Tyre Drags 5 x 1 down the drive and back 80mtrs.
Tyre Drags from my point of view.
Good solid steps today and was able to keep up my pace there and back. Could feel all of the posterior chain working by the time I got back

Overall I am happy with how this went over the cycle. Can feel that I have better from a GPP standpoint. As it is a new cycle some of the exercises will change to keep my mind interested and to challenge me with new exercises. I WILL be pulling out the MONGREL from next week on and hope to keep it there unless I have to go inside.

Speed Work for the end of the cycle.

And now on to Speed work Friday. As this is the end of the cycle I am now doing 60% of what I did on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Does speed work I would say yes. My squats and benches are all quick especially my bench (it is the lockout I need to work on) however I think my deadlift is a little slower than what I would like it to be. That is why I do it.
Using the 60% for this week makes the weights as such,
Box squats          160kg
Benchpress         130kg
Deadlift               150kg

Safety Bar Box Squats     160kg No# 1 and 2 Bands 90kg of tension and bar weighs 25kg.
Safety Bar Box Squats Set 3
Safety Bar Box Squats Set 7
Safety Bar Box Squats Set 10
Set 3 Good set up in the first video, however a little to slow on the up part of the rep. Feet could have been out wider and knees stayed back a bit more. I appear a little high however I think that is either cause I am wearing shorts or the video makes it appear that way as it is a touch and go.
Set 7 A bit better speed on this and part of that is the wider stance. Also as I am changing from a stop to a touch and go every now and then my body just says stop. that is why that part happens. I stopped on the box for about 2 years and have only been doing touch and go for the last 3 weeks so it is going to take a little while to get use to that part.
Set 10 A lot better form and speed wise. Feet out wider and a good touch and go. Knees stay back a bit more. Also could feel myself keeping my knees out as well  Good speed off the box as well.

Overall a pretty good speed workout for box squats. There were/are things that I still have to work on and get sorted. I will have to think about the mat thing (1 or 2) and getting my feet out wider from the first set onwards.

Speed benchpress 130kg incl 60kg of Chain
Speed Bench 130kg with 60kg of Chain Set 3
Speed Bench 130kg with 60kg of Chain Set 7
Speed Bench 130kg with 60kg of Chain Set 10
 Set 3 Set up good and speed off my chest not as bad or slow as I thought. However had to remind myself to press through the whole movement and not slow down or stop to early. Didn't think this was quick enough.
Set 7 Set up was good and taking out strong, pretty quick off my chest and this time I was driving a lot further in the rep. Speed could have been a bit better. Also touch point a bit further down the body and a tighter tuck in the elbows should help my overall speed.
Set 10 A lot better pressing over this set and a better tuck. I think I might have been a little further down the body. Speed off my chest was good and as you can see I was pressing right through the rep. A lot happier with this set. Just need to start doing it on all sets.

My speed benching is coming along however if I want to hit my goals for this year or next year I will need to focus on this exercise a lot more while I am actually training speed bench in all it forms.

Speed Deads 150kg 2 Mats
Speed Deads 150kg off 2 Mats Set 3
Speed Deads 150kg off 2 Mats Set 7
Speed deads 150kg off 2 Mats Set 10
Set 3 Still doing the first 5 reps in the sumo style. Hips a little high. A good strong pull but not a quick as I would want it to be. Hips are coming through reasonably good at the moment.
Set 7 Back to my normal deadlifting style. Good speed off the mats and you can see me driving my hips through a lot better this time. Better concentration on what I want to do as well. By now the weight feels really light.
Set 10 Probably one of the best sets of the day. Quick off the floor and through the whole rep. In fact a bit more speed than I thought as you can see me have to correct the over balance.

Overall I am a lot happier with how my deadlifting is going at the moment. Both from a heavy day ((Read my previous blog post though) stand point and the speed work.

Over the 3 week cycle speed day has come along nicely and it give me something to build on. There is still plenty of work to do on Squats and Bench especially. I think to get the best out of this day I need to go into the gym with a lot better focus and think of it that way. Part of the reason that I might not be thinking and focussing properly on the day is because the weight is so much lighter (50% - 60%) and my thinking is "I can handle this". With big weight you have to be switched on or it not going to happen. Something for me to think about.    

End of Cycle Deadlifts

On to the next one. DEADLIFTS. Another one of those "last year started off good" things but then went backwards. At the start of last year my best competition deadlift was 285kg and with a goal of 300kg by the end of the year. That goal was achieved at the Canterbury Champs in April and even though I reset the goal to 310kg at the Commonwealths it just didn't happen and by the end of the year I would have been lucky to pull 290kg. WHAT WENT WRONG!. Not quite sure, could have been to much weight, not enough targeted variety, could have been an attitude thing. However that is the past and now I have to regroup and focus on this year. I have given my deadlift program a major overhaul in how I approach it.

With Wednesday being the last day of heavy deadlifts for this cycle it was to see where I am at and to set myself up for the next couple of cycles. Even though it was the last week I wanted to do doubles.

Set 1 220kg 2 reps
220kg Set 1 2 reps
Set up is pretty good and speed off the floor is okay. I could have dropped my hips a little at the start of the first rep. I like to put the weight on the ground and reset before doing another rep. It teaches me to pull off the floor and not to bounce. The second rep is a lot better as I get my hips down a lot more. The weight felt pretty good.

Set 2 240kg 2 reps
240kg Set 2 2 reps
Set 2 I increased the weight to 240kg. I was a little slow off the floor on both reps and could have got my hips down a bit more. I make the second rep look a lot harder than it really was. Speed on the rep was also a little slower than I would have liked.

Set 3 250kg 2 reps
Set 3 250kg 2 reps
This set was a lot better. I don't know why I have started to do the roll but whatever works at the moment. Just have to get the timing right otherwise it looks a bit like the second rep. Hips are still to  high but the speed off the floor and though the rep is good although the second rep is a little slow. Felt pretty good.

Happy with how these went and a reasonably good finish to the cycle for deadlifts. Could have gone to probably 260kg and still got a double.

Overall for the cycle I am pretty happy with my deadlifts however I will have to continue to push myself on these over the year. As for the other exercises I do on Wednesday it is a bit of a hit  and miss affair. Shoulder press and bentover rows went pretty well however I could have been a lot better on pronated dumbbell presses. Cable pull-throughs and any other form I will do them in are a wok in progress, however over the year my strength should come through in that area. Prowler pushes I am happy with especially being back up to 100kg on the prowler. They however have shorten the matting for it which is a bit of a shame.

Max Benchpress at end of cycle

On to Benchpress day. Last year was not a good year for me in terms of benchpress. I competed in 5 competitions that had a benchpress component in them and out of a possible 15 successful lifts I only got 6 successful reps. This is NOT acceptable from my standpoint. This is way less than a 50% success rate. I should be getting 12 to 15 successful attempts. I know nobody bats 1000 and if you are really pushing yourself in reality 12 to 14 successful competition reps is more realistic. To that end I have to do way more work on benchpress to be more successful at competition time. Again end of a cycle so time to see where I am at.

Set 1 220kg with Green bands 2 reps
Video (not shown) shows set up was pretty good and the handout solid. The first was clean on the way down and reasonably good off my chest with a tip to the left on the way up. This may have put me off a little as the 2nd rep was good on the way down and an okay hit but stalled about 1/2 way up. Needed a spotter to help to the top. Again I have access to some real good spotters and he never lifted it off me but just made the bar move slowly. Probably in reality a lack of tricep power at the moment is the main cause. I am working on that so it should get better over the next few weeks/months.  

Set 2 220kg with Green bands 2 reps
Again the video (not shown) shows a good set up and a lot better handout. The first rep was nice and strong and a quick press out from the chest. I actually come up pretty straight. The 2nd rep the same thing happens as in the first set. Just could not get my triceps under quick enough and with enough power. Once again the spotter only guides the weight up and does not lift it off me. Just the way I like it because it makes me have to keep pressing.

Set 3 220kg with Green bands 2 reps
Set 3 220kg with Green bands 2 Reps
As you can see from the video the set up is pretty good and the handout is good as well. Good first rep although I could have touch a little further down the body. I find I tend to touch high when I am not in a shirt. A good stop and press. The bar appears to come up straight as well. The 2nd rep I wimp out a bit by doing a touch and go however this time I have a bit more speed and am able to get under the bar a bit quicker and get the power of my triceps to work for me. While the second rep is not pretty I will take it.

Overall for this cycle I would have to say that I am a little behind where I would want to be, in so far as the reps aren't as clean as I would like them to be. Set up and all the technical stuff is pretty much there but things like speed off my chest and lockout need a LOT more work. Now that first cycle is out of the way I will need to focus on cleaner reps and being more positive about them. I do feel I need to get back some more of my Mongrel when doing bench. 250kg should be an easy opener for me and I was putting that up at the beginning of last year. I need it back.

For  the rest of the workout on Tuesday's, it is going to take a while to get back my incline benches. Close grip bench's could have got better although flat back dumbbells are about where I would want them. With the new cycle will come new exercises so I will have to push them a lot harder. By the end of the 3rd cycle I want to be pretty confident that I can open on 250kg and get it easily.

Overall this benchpress cycle and workout is okay however there is lots of room for improvement especially from benchpress, compound tricep movements and attitude towards benching.

Monday Squats Week 3 of Cycle

Okay I know this is running late but it has been one of those weeks. I did manage to get all my training in this week except for Strongman/GPP which is later on today. As with my last post I had some goals that I wanted for this week refer to this link as to what they were. What the Week Holds So to Monday

Monday was my Squat day and for this cycle I have been using the Safety squat bar with bands on it. Over the last 2 weeks I have added a band as I have become accustom training again. The Safety Squat bar I use weighs in at 25kg and the No# 1 band has 40kg of tension at the top with the No# 2 band having 50kg tension at the top. Yes I have measure both of them and was a little surprised at the No# 1 band being so close to the No# 2 band. however this gives me 90kg of tension from both bands.

Set 1 165 + 90kg of band tension 2 Reps
Video (not shown) was taken from the front and one thing I did notice was that my feet could have been out wider. The depth was pretty good and so was the power speed out of the bottom. Just using knee wraps with a band over my knees to teach me how to keep my knees out. It does appear that my knee to ankle stays pretty upright.

Set 2 175 +90kg of band tension 2 Reps.
Video (not shown) was taken from the side so could see a bit more. Again feet could have been out wider. A little bit of a wobble on the down part of the rep so will have to work on that. It appears that my knees stay out and I am also please that my knees do not come to far forward. Depth is hard to judge as I have shorts on but it looks ok from here. Speed on the way up is a little slower than what I would like but at no stage did I think I was going to miss. The pause at the top is just to reset myself.

Set 3 185 + 90kg of band tension. 1 Rep successful and missed 1 Rep.
Set 3 185 + 90kg of Band Tension C1W3
Video was taken from the other side and I felt pretty confident both reps were going to go. Feet were in a lot better place and I felt better set up. First one I could have been a bit high but I will take it. A little slow on the way up but got there. The second one, felt good all the way down but just not the power/activation on the way up although I did hold it until there was just a touch from the spotter. He did it right to in that he didn't lift me up but just helped get me going again and I was made to do the rest. Great spotting. I am not afraid of failing or missing reps every now and then. If you are not doing that are you really pushing yourself to the limit or not.

So to that end I achieved what I set out to do. Not to bad when you consider that I only went back to the gym 3 weeks ago after a 5 week layoff. There are things to work on and get better at (I would hate to be perfect right now) however overall I am pretty happy with how this cycle of squatting has gone. Next week I start a new cycle for squatting and will be using something different. As they have changed the day for the Canterbury Champs this year (12th April) I will have to get into my gear and start learning how to use it again so they weights will go up.

The rest of the workout went pretty well with front squats and lat pulldowns feeling real good. Bentover rows and Dumbbell rows being right on the money from a weight perspective. Reverse Hypers is coming along as well.

Overall the squat/back cycle has gone pretty close to plan. I feel I have achieved what I set out to do in this cycle or I have got pretty close to it. On to the 2nd cycle.

What the week holds

This week is week 3 of my cycle. I work in 3 week cycles. Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday are my big weight days, Friday is my speed day and Saturday is Strongman/GPP.  Generally I structure the cycle in that the first week is a lighter week with 2 - 3 reps per set. Second week is 1-2 reps per set and week three is 1 rep per set This only for the 3 big lifts, Squats in some way, Benchpress in some way and Deadlift in some way. I have access to a full range of bands, chains, boards, mats, bars etc. I also have no problem getting into my gear.

My goals for this week are push as far as I can to see how much I have regained after having so much time off. As this is only week 3 I want to find out where I am. To that end I have set my goals at

Safety Bar Squats:                185kg + 90kg of band tension. (No# 1 (40kg) and 2 (50kg) bands)

I know the tension as I have measure them out 

Benchpress:                          220kg with the green band over my elbows

Similar to a Titan Ram or Slingshot

Deadlift:                               250kg of 2 mats (mats are 20mm thick)

The rest of the work sets are done more in a bodybuilding style with reps between 3 and 10 and sets of 3 or 4. During this week even these are done for maximum weight or pretty close to it. Next week I will be changing all the exercises and this will give me a good guide with how much weight to use over the next cycle as well as the new exercises keeping my mind fresh and looking forward to a new challenge.

Strongman/GPP work Week 2

Got in another solid Strongman/GPP workout this weekend. A lot better than last weeks effort. Wasn't sucking any where near the same amount of air as last week. Felt good and strong through the whole workout.
I do this sort of workout to help build in a bit of overall fitness as well as providing a certain amount of training for bodyparts in a different way. Also this is for this cycle as when I go into the next cycle I will change a couple of the exercises. Hammer Hits and Tyre Flips will always stay in the cycle. Just need a bigger hammer. At the moment I am using a 6lb hammer but would like to take that to a 12lb.

The Hammer Hits I use for dare I say it my core section especially my abdominals. I do a lot of work for my obliques in the gym during the week so don't tend to put them in here.

Tyre flips I use for building explosive power and speed in my squats and deadlifts in the gym. Here I can work on that by doing something out of the ordinary. I am activating my glutes real hard and fast as I go to drive the tyre up. If I am doing it right I can power the tyre over in one movement. The tyre in these videos is what I call the baby tyre as it weighs somewhere around 170kg, My big MONGREL weighs in at 225kg. A word of caution for you though if you can feel your biceps while or after you have done this exercise you are doing it wrong. You should be driving with your legs, calves, glutes and hams, NOT lifting with your biceps. Do this wrong to many times and you will eventually rip your biceps.

I like the log press as it gives me another way of doing some shoulders without the weight being excessive. My log is light (only about 55kg). In this case I try to lift it like the real strongmen do in that I do not stop on my upper chest and then jerk the weight.

Tyre pulls allow me to work a number of upper body muscle groups at the same time. Back, Biceps, Forearms, Shoulders to name a few. The tyre itself weighs 55kg and the rope is 25 mtrs long and weighs about 1kg/mtr. The added friction from the ground makes this a lot harder than it appears. Because this takes a little longer to do it helps with the GPP side of the workout.

I do tyre drags because I am cheap and did not want to buy a sled when I got a tyre for free. A couple of galvanized eyes put though the tread area and a couple of carabiners, some rope and a belt and you have a homemade sled. This works your calves, hams and glutes real well. My reasoning for doing tyre drags is that it helps build strength and power though my legs as well as some good GPP fitness.

Hammer hits went a lot better today and I felt like I had a lot more power when hitting the tyre. It might not seem like it but if you really give it your all this is a great exercise. I don't have access to 1 million trees that need splitting so this is a good trade off.
Hammer Hits

Tyre flips with the baby tyre went a lot better than expected. Plenty of drive through my lower body and getting the tyre flipped pretty quickly. Was a little worried about this last week as in the next cycle I want to start using the MONGREL full time and the first week was pretty awful.
Tyre Flips Baby tyre

Log presses again went well with a lot of power to lockout. I feel I get a bit of strength here for my shoulders and a good hit of GPP with touch and go reps.
Log Press

Did you think I was pulling the car, If you do this right it is real good for your upper body. When doing these I try and keep a consistent pace. The friction from the ground really makes this exercise. Add to that the 35+ seconds and you get a real good hit of GPP. The tyre that I use weighs 55kg.
Tyre Pull

By the end of all this tyre drags becomes a real tough exercise. Again it is the same tyre as above and you are pulling 55kg. Trying to stay reasonably upright and driving through my lower body makes this tough work. By the time you get back your legs are starting to wobble and you are sucking some big air. Great exercise and I will keep rotating it in and out of the cycle. The driveway is about 40mtrs there and 40mtrs back.
Tyre Drags

On week one of the cycle I will do 3 sets of everything, On week two I will do 4 set of everything and on week 3 I will do 5 sets of everything. Reps are
Hammer Hits          10
Tyre Flips                5
Log Press                5
Tyre Pulls                1
Tyre Drags              1 there and back

Friday Speed Work

Friday is my speed day. While I follow the principles of the Westside approach, I have put together a bastardised version that seems to works for me. As I like to spend some time away from the gym I have to put speed in somewhere and it is this day. I have made a few changes to what I am doing in regards to this, this year and so am having to do a lot of learning and self evaluation. So at the moment things might not look like they are meant to, or the way other people say it should be done. That will come over time. I have certain goals and aims for all three lifts in terms of form and speed.

SPEED SQUATS

*          Working on my walk out and set up.

                 (with the extra weight I need a better way of getting the bar out and myself set up in the right position)

*          Getting my feet out wider                                                                                                                                 (just feel that my stance is not quite where I want it to be)                 

*          Keeping my knees over my toes

                (Turning feet out a bit more and trying to keep my knees out on the way up. Knees have been falling out a bit to much)
*          Sitting back onto the box a lot more

                (Just feel at times I "fall" on to the box and knees come forward a bit to much)
*          Learning to Touch and Go from the box

                (Westside approach is to stop on the box, however we don't do that during competition lifts so why do it in training)
*          Lots, lots more speed on the stand up part of the exercise

                (Always looking for more speed on that part of the rep. Can never be quick enough)
*          Down to a 1 mat to make sure I am below parallel 

                (To make sure I am definitely low enough)

SPEED BENCH

*          A stronger set up before starting the rep. 

               (Get into the right position to be able to position the bar better)
*          Touching a lot further down my body to shorten the distance to press

               (Have been touching to far up around my nipple line, need to be 3"-4" below there. Try to touch in that area at competition time so might as well practice it in training)
*          Faster press off my chest

               (Believe at times I have been way to slow on the "Hit" from the press call)
*          Pressing right through the rep

               (Have been guilty of "stopping" the press just before full lockout, this also causes me to slow down towards the top of the rep and make lockout a lot harder)
*          Pressing from both arms

               (At times not fully pressing with both arms as the bar comes up on an angle)
*          A Stronger lockout.

               (A stronger lockout will leave no doubt that it was a good rep)

SPEED DEADS

*          Using the 50% - 60% range for this year. 

               (Use another approach last year, so will do this this year to see what happens)
*          Stronger pulls

               (Because of the lighter weight use the whole body during the pull phase)
*          Faster off the floor

               (Faster start should mean stronger pulls, Feel I am not getting off the floor as fast as I could)
*          Pulling right to the top of the rep.

               (Again similar to the benchpress I just feel that I am slowing down towards the top of the movement, Need to pull right through the rep)
*          Activating my glutes harder and quicker in the rep.

               (Similar to squats and with a stronger squeeze of my glutes should force my hips through for a stronger, quicker lockout)
*          Stronger lockouts

               (Again leave no doubt that it was a good rep)

As you can see plenty to work on. I don't expect it all to happen at once but with consistency over time things should get a lot better. As I video my training over time I should be able to pick up whether it is working or not. However competition lifts are where I will be able to see if it is all working.

To that end if you look at my videos from Friday you can see a few things that i need to work on

Speed Squats (120kg incl No#2 bands (50kg tension) 2 mats 55%)

• Set 3 was a complete shambles, Not knowing where the box was, What Touch 'n' Go, Knees falling forward and all over the place. Anybody would think I am a newbie.
• Set 7 was a little better as I sat back a bit more and a lot more speed on the up part of the movement. Feet could have been out a bit wider however overall a lot better set. 
• Set 10 Feet out wider but not where I want to be and you can see I struggle to get them there. I will need to work on this part. Time consuming and energy wasting. A lot more control over the whole rep. because I have done the stop on the box or so long it is going to take some time to get use to the T & G method. 

Speed Squats Set 3 C1W2

Speed Squats Set 7 C1W2

Speed Squats Set 10 C1W2

Speed Bench (100kg incl 50kg of Chain 55%)

• Set 3 set up was okay and first 2 reps pretty good but I slowed down on the last rep as my body knew it was the last one. NOT GOOD. This is the part I will have to work on. Bar was in a good position.
• Set 7 You can see me driving through all the reps a lot better and right to the top of the rep. Bar touching a lot closer to where I want it to be and reasonable speed on the hit. 
• Set 10 you can see the speed in the first rep as the paddle deloads off at the top of the rep (I felt it do this) and the speed on the next 2 reps was good. The bar is hitting where I want it to be and as you can see there is plenty of drive through the triceps as I am trying to keep them tucked tight. 

Speed Bench Set 3 C1W2

Speed Bench Set 7 C1W2

Speed Bench Set 10 C1W2

Speed Deads (100kg/3 Mats 55%)

• Set 3 Set up needs to be a lot better, hips to high and looking to much at the ground in front of me. Reasonable speed and I am trying to pull right to the top of the rep. 
• Set 7 Similar things to the third set although speed from the floor is pretty good. 
• Set 10 pretty good speed right through the rep although hips were high and still looking a bit close to the bar. 

Speed Deads Set 3 C1W2

Speed Deads Set 7 C1W2

Speed Deads Set 10 C1W2

Plenty to work on next week, however I hope this gives you some insight into what I am trying to achieve on speed days. On speed days since there are 10 sets an exercise I only record sets 3,7 and 10. 

Deadlifts and Shoulders

Things are looking up now that I have been back in the gym for nearly 2 weeks. Not as stiff or sore day on day and slowly getting my head into what has to be done over the next few months. A lot of big stuff on it's way and a few massive challenges. Deadlifts were the first thing tonight and the first set was to put it mildly, CRAP. Butt to high and craning the weight up way to much. Next couple of sets got it sorted out a bit more. Still got plenty of speed and power off the floor. Standing Shoulder presses were pretty good and strong, even the weight was okay. Pronated d/bell press, the weight is to light and I need to push it up a bit next week. Bentover lat raise went okay with good control and by the third set I could feel my rear delts real well. As I haven't done cable pull throughs for a while still getting use to it but making progress. I like to squeeze my butt real hard while doing them and boy can I feel it by the last rep. And who was the idiot that put in prowler pushes, again just getting use to them. Trying to drive through my calves, hams and butt. This is also good for GPP work as well.

Deadlifts (3 x 3 @ 180kg)
Strong off the floor with plenty of power.

Shoulder press ( 4 x 6 @ 75kg)
Good presses and could feel my shoulder's working.

Pronated Dumbbell Press ( 3 x 8 @ 30kg)
Weight is a bit to light so will need to increase that next week.

Bentover Lat Raise (3 x 10 @ 15kg)
Good control and nice tempo.

Cable Pull Throughs ( 3 x 10 @ 54kg)
Good hard squeeze on the way up and can I feel my butt by the end of the set.

Prowler pushes (4 x 1 @ 80kg)
Track is about 15mtrs long. A lot more power this week.

Isn't there just something about heavy weight.

Gotta love the second week of training don't ya, Weights can get a bit heavier and things just look and feel better. That;s the way with tonight. Benchpresses and slowly getting my body ready for the big weight in a few cycles time. But right now man 180kg felt good. I just felt alive yeah. Good speed off my chest and strong looking lockouts. Controlled it all the way to my chest. Still getting use to incline benches, the bar wants to go it's own way every now and then. Not surprising since I haven't done for a long time. Close grip is coming along well and getting good feel in my tri's at the moment. Flat backs with the dumbbells I find I just have a better feel in my tri's when I use the bands. Just me I think. Old school stiff leg deadlifts are working a lot better than I thought. Getting a pretty decent stretch from my hams as well. Working hard on keeping my core strong so keeping the Cable Obliques in. Overall a good day at the office.

Benchpress ( 3 x 3 @ 180kg)
No# 3 bands over elbows a bit like a Titan Ram or Slingshot from Mark Bell.

Incline Benchpress ( 3 x 6 @ 80)
Good reps

Close Grip Benchpress (3 x 6 @ 100kg)
Tucking elbows and trying to feel the weight on my tri"s

Flat Back Dumbbell Extensions ( 3 x 8 @ 30kg)
At the moment I seem to be getting good control on the way down. Probably could use a bit more extensions so will have to watch that part and make sure I am doing it next week.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts ( 3 x 10 @ 90)
I am liking this old school exercise

Cable Obliques ( 3 x 10 @ 48kg)
This is the best way I can find in the gym to simulate swinging an axe.

Start of the second week back

Well Monday you have come around again. Feeling a lot better after last week and ready to start pushing things a bit more. Safety bar squats went well and back to a bit better weight. Top set of 165 + 50kg of band tension. 3 good reps. Front squats were good as well. working on the back a bit more as this was a area towards of last year I could have been stronger in. The heavy physical work at the end of last year probably didn't help. Using the bands for squatting is a bit like tossing the caber in that when you get it right the weight seems to disappear. Need to work on it a lot more but happy with the start. Overall a good workout.

Safety Bar Squats ( 3 x 3 @ 145, 155, and 165 + 50kg of band tension)
Good squats with good speed. Hit depth pretty easy.

Front Squats ( 3 x 6 @ 120)
Felt different with the bands but also good in "Feel"

Bentover Rows ( 4 x 6 @ 90kg)
Good control on all reps and good to feel my back working.

Lat Pulldowns ( 3 x 8 @ 160Lbs)
Nice stretch in the lats.

D/bell Rows ( 3 x 10 @ 45kg)
Good reps could really feel my back working on these. By now back is starting to get a good "worked" feel to it. Not quite a pump but that sort of thing.

Reverse Hypers (3 x 10 @ 70kg) Not filmed
I like how it makes my lower back feel after doing squats and back work. Try not to throw the weight up. Good to be back using this exercise.

Strongman/GPP and Yesterday

Two days in one go here. The speed day yesterday was/is not much to write about as the weights were so light. However it was a good day to practice a bit of technique and to think about a couple of things as to how I want to do some of it this year. To that end a couple changes to the squats are a coming and also for the deadlifts as well. A good day from that perspective. No video as I didn't want to look that ridiculous, cue smart arse comments. All sets are done on a 90 second count from my phone.

Today I got the chance to do some Strongman/GPP training. WOW am I really that slow/weak or any other word that could be use. Just an easy day today with only 3 sets per exercise. Not a lot of power in the hammer hits and talk about being slow with tyre flips ( and I want to be able to start using the MONGREL full time in 3 weeks) although on the video it doesn't look that bad. Need to get my butt down a bit lower though. Log press wasn't to bad. Tyre pulls, Hmmmmmmm This is the hardest they have been in a real long time and I could feel my back by the end of the third one. Tyre drags, could I feel this one or what. the trip down the drive ain't to bad however on the return I could really feel everything working, Butt, Hams, Calves, Lungs (trying to suck in enough air) and my mind willing me on to the end. Still this is only the first week so can't expect to be in peak condition. Next week it will be 4 sets of everything so that should be fun.

Friday (Speed Day) Haha Refer above re this week.
Safety Bar Box Squats @ 50%  of top weight on Monday ( 3 Mats)
10 x 2 @ 70kg
A: the mats will come down over the next few weeks and
B: the %age will go up over the cycle.

Benchpress @ 50% of top weight on Tuesday
10 x 2 @ 50kg

Speed Deadlifts @ 50% of top weight on Wednesday (4 Mats)
10 x 1 @ 70kg.

Saturday: Strongman/GPP work.
Hammer hits
3 x 10 with a 6 pound sledgehammer.

Tyre flips (Baby Tyre, Weighs about 170kg)
3 x 5

Log press (log weighs probably 55kg now)
3 x 5

Tyre pulls: the rope weighs 25kg and is 25mtrs long and the tyre is 55kg. As you pull the tyre in you end up with less Rope weight and in theory it should be lighter however you are now starting to get tried so the perceived weight stays probably the same.
3 x 1

Tyre drags: The drive is about 40mtrs long so the whole journey is about 80mtrs with the same tyre being used as in the tyre pulls so it weighs 55kg.
3 x 1.

Deadlift's You want me to do Deadlifts, Yeah whatever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OKAY First Question, who was the bugger that move the floor and extra 15 feet away, cause hell it seemed a lot further away than the last time I did them. As you can guess today was the first day I had done deadlifts for a awhile. Not wanting to go to hard today. the first pull on the first set felt real quick but after that it was just to get though them. The body is starting to feel a lot better now that we have been in 3 days in a row. Also got in some shoulder with some reasonable weights.
Today was just an easy day and I actually felt pretty good though the whole workout. Just a couple more workouts this week and we will have got that first week out of the way. Then on to the bigger stuff. Now on to some speed work on Friday and strongman/gpp on Saturday.

Deadlifts (3 x 5 @ 140kg)
Good sets with no real power or gusto. First rep of first set came up real fast but that was it. Good starting point.

Shoulder Press (3 x 6 @ 60kg)
Behind the neck, Felt pretty good even though I have not done them for a few weeks. Probably dropping them a little fast but will clean that up next week.

Pronated D/bell press ( 3 x 8 @ 25kg)
Felt pretty good but on a few reps a little unbalanced. Again not to worried about it. I am only at the start.

Bentover Lat Raise ( 3 x 10 @ 12.5kg)
Pretty easy sets but good to get them in.

Cable Pull Threws ( 3 x 10 @ 30kg)
Could feel this one a bit more as when doing these I try to squeeze my butt hard. Good to get  them out of the way.

Prowler Push ( 4 x 1 @ 60kg)
The carpet is about 20mtrs there and 20mtrs back. Good way to use my posterior chain. I also try to concentrate on pushing through my butt as well.

Ouch Day, Well it's not really that bad.

Ahhhhhhhh DOMS you are such a nice friend. Well it wasn't to bad as I could still move around reasonably well. Chest and Tri's today. Looking back at last year one of the area's where I good have got more quality out was Triceps, so a bit more focus on them over the coming cycles should help. The other area that could have been better is Hamstrings so again a lot more focus this year.

Benchpress (3 x 5 @ 100kg)
Man anyone would think I was a beginner with the way these went tonight. Was hard to get under the bar and then to do reps. but STRUGGLED though them.

Incline Benchpress ( 3 x 6 @ 60kg)
It is so long since I had done these that I actually had to relearn how to do them. Arms here, Elbows over there and a bar going wherever it wanted. Finally got it sorted out by the third set. Check the video out on my youtube site. Don't laugh to hard though.

Close Grip Benchpress ( 3 x 6 @ 80kg)
Lots of focus on using my tri's and not trying to get my chest involved. Will have to work on that part however the light weight probably didn't help.

Flat Back Dumbbells ( 3 x 8 @ 25kg)
Felt pretty good doing these tonight and again a lot more focus on the triceps. Again just getting the job done this week.

Stiff Leg Deadlifts (3 x 10 @ 80kg)
Again another of those things from last year, not enough work on my hams so putting them in a lot more and using more focus to get a lot stronger to help out my squats.

Cable Obliques (3 x 10 @36kg/75lbs)
As I said last night an area I have to work on. That whole dare i say it "CORE" area. Easy weight.

Day 1 Week 1 Cycle 1 since Commonwealths.

Well into the gym I went today after having about 5 weeks off since the Commonwealth champs. Well rested and now ready for the challenges of the new lifting year. First year into the Master 2 class (50-59) at 120kg+. Not really going for it this week so nothing great

Safety Bar Squats (3 x 5@ 140kg)
Nice and clean nothing spectacular, just clean reps.

Front Squats (3 x 6 @ 100)
Good clean deep reps.

Lat pulldowns for 3 sets of 10. Had to increase the weight as I have not done any of these for a number of years so did not know where to start. Had looked at 40kg but had to increase it to 60kg.

D/bell Rows (3 x 10 @ 30kg)
Nice and easy, Could be a lot heavier but will get there.

Reverse Hypers ( 3 x 10 @ 60kg)
Good feel nothing great yet

Standing Crunch (3 x 10)
Got to work on these as to how to get the most out of them. This is one area that I feel I was weak on last year.

Gonnna be sore tomorrow though. DOMS will be a bitch.

Keith 312 5kg Squat 3 Miss

Keith 312 5kg Squat 3 Miss

280kg Opening Squat Commonwealth Championships

305kg 2nd Squat Commonwealth Championships 

KRO POWERLIFTING

Well start of the New Year and have been thinking of going back to use this as while I was able to use Facebook last year in recording my training up to the Commonwealths it seemed tedious trying to write up info, so will see how this goes. While there is no major international competition in New Zealand this year there are a couple of competitions that I will target. Namely the Canterbury Powerlifting Championships and the National Powerlifting Championships. May do the Canterbury Benchpress Champs and the National Benchpress Champs as well. Would like to get invited to the Recordbreakers in Wellington towards the end of the year as well. Long term I am looking at the Commonwealths in Vancouver, Canada at the end of 2015.

Unfortunately this year I move into the Master 2 Category within the IPF and as far as I can see I will be by myself for a few years (in my weight class +120kg), however I have set some big goals for myself for this year and already into 2015. I let you know more as I get closer to some of them.

Anyway this is just a quick update and as I get back into training more info will get put up but right now I need to start somewhere. Also if you wish to follow me on facebook search for my  powerlifting page (K.R.O.Powerlifting) and you can keep up to date there as well. I also have a youtube channel (KROPowerlifting) where I intend to put up videos as well.

Happy New Year to everybody and good luck for your goals and WATCH THIS SPACE.