Okay here we go

Okay so after sorting a few things out mentally in my head and getting back into the groove of things I need to get back into things.

First thing: 2 yrs after being told I probably would never lift again competitively I was able to get back to the competition stage at the Canterbury Powerlifting Association (CPA) Champs on the 8th April. My main focus for this event was to have some fun and to come away with a total. Well we got the first part done but not the 2nd part. Because of a couple of the drugs they have me on for controlling the blood counts in relation to the Myeloma I have put on a bit more weight than I would like and was having trouble getting down to depth. Unfortunately this lead me to bomb on the squats. Interesting in that I wass trying to get 255kg down and it still wouldn't go. On reflection I should have started on 270/275. With the bench I did a raw 120kg then came off and got into my benchshirt. Went to 220kg and got right out of the groove and the bar came back towards the top of my chest instead of staying down towards my belly. Got a press but it stopped 1/2 way up. Wasn't to worried about it so for a play I went for 235 on the 3rd and it went down real well and I knew this ine was coming up, however waiting for the press call my left wrist started to roll forward and I was never catching that much weight. Damn cause that weight felt good and it was set to go back up. I was still having fun and deadlifts were up next. I have been having a real mental challenge with these for a few weeks and also been trying a new style of lifting with them so opened with a real light 200 which I got and then went for 220kg which I also got. Tried for a 250kg but it just wasn't going to happen so put it down. I learnt lots and had a lot of fun and enjoyed myself which was the big part.

Then the hard part: Self evaluation Hmmm, In reality yes I need to change the depth I squat to on a box, 1 mat should put me under and also a lot more work needs to happen on my benchpress either in a shirt or out of it, and I need to sort out what I am doing with my deadlifting. I was going to pass on the South Island's in June but have since decided I need to do them to motivate me to get better and to give me more time on the platform. I feel my training program is right but I just need to sort out some of the finer details. I do need to put in more GPP work to help get me fitter and to help bring my weight back to around that 138kg mark. I weigh in for the Canterbury's at a massive 149.9kg which is way to heavy. I also need to do a lot more mobility/stretching work and speed work. So plenty to work on over the next few months. So expect more updates over the coming months.

   

Lets get back into this

Haven't been able to train properly this week due to a real annoying cough which strikes at any time and leave me gasping for air. Felt a lot better today so thought I would give it a shot. I was able to get in some Safety bar squats for close to max effort. The last rep being one of the ugliest reps I have done in a long time. Used a digital set of scales that I was able to tell that the band tension was 33kg per side and a bar that weighs 25kg. Got up to 205kg + 65kg of bands for a rep. Will go in and do the rest of the workout tomorrow.

Well here is that ugly rep. 270kg including 65kg of Band tension. Going up the bands at the moment. Feet a little close, Knee's come to far forward and I do the Honky Tonk at the bottom. 65kg of Band tension Bar weighs 25kg. Thank you to Rene de joux for keeping and eye on me. Also to Maddy Walker for bringing in a hand held digital weight scale that you can quickly measure band tension with. Also having Rene Riksem-Old there helping and filming. 
link for the scales
http://www.macpac.co.nz/macpac-electronic-scales-58238.html

Week one out of the way

After nine months of training and a couple of weeks of testing myself I feel confident enough to start some serious training and to aim for a return to the competition platform at the Canterbury Powerlifting Championships in April 2017. This will be nearly 3 yrs after my last competitive outing. I feel that I am able to turn up to win and not just make up numbers. A lot has changed for me in the time since my last competition and some of my training has as well. I will be training in my gear for safety and when some people would be saying you should be doing doubles or triples again for safety I might be only doing singles. I still have the drive to want to win and to be the best. I have also set myself some big goals as well and if I didn't feel I could achieve them I would not be wanting to compete. WATCHING SUCKS. Also there is the goals I had last year that need to be chased and conquered

1. 900kg Total
2. 907.5kg (2000 lbs) Total
3. 300kg Benchpress
4. 365kg Squat

These were the goals for last year. There are a couple of other goals for next year however at this stage I will keep them to myself. 

To the week of training

Monday went pretty well with me getting the numbers on the big stuff that I wanted. 3 sets of 3 reps @ 265kg. Speed of the reps was good even though I have not a lot of speed work over the last year. I had more trouble with foot placement than anything else. Accessory work was also good but will need to up the intensity next week.

Tuesday was a hit and miss day as I was only able to get my benches in as getting use to the benchshirt again. By the time I had finished that I had run out of time so went in on Wednesday to finish it off. Again the accessory stuff was good but I will have to challenge myself a bit more on that next week. 

Friday was for deadlifting which went well, not looking for big numbers yet however I had 180kg + 40kg of chain off  3 mats. Good feel and happy with them but need to work on locking my knees out more. The accessory work was good as well however some of the numbers will have to be changed for next week as I am leaving a bit on the floor. 

Overall a good starting week with being able to hit the numbers I wanted which now gives me confidence I can carry on. 

A few days in one go and a couple of videos

Lazy Lazy me however here goes.

Tuesday 9th August 2016

Tyre Flips

A rarity today was able to do tyre flips as a warmup as it wasn't being used. Tyre weighs about 100kg and is pretty easy to flip. I just have to get down a bit lower than I am use to but I have the power to flip it. 3 sets of 5 flips. Hopefully I will be strong enough soon to start using my baby tyre which weighs in at 170kg. GOALS

Buffalo bar box squats with 40kg of chain,

Time to get a bit more serious with these now and to that end I have brought reps back to 6 to start building some power. Box has 2 mats on it and for the IPF I am now below parallel. Feet could have been wider which would have stopped me from bunching up towards the bottom and I was sitting down to much and not sitting back. That is why a vidoe camera is so good as a training toll. 4 sets of 6 reps @ 180/140

Buffalo Bar Front Squats

Using the Get Strength Front squat harness and the same buffalo bar, I wimped out here and only went to 70kg when it should have been 100kg. I must stop doing this if I want to achieve my goals. Again my feet were to narrow and I was not quite getting to parallel. Had speed on the way up but that was about it. 2 sets of 10 reps.

Stiff leg Deadlifts

Have not done this in a while so I though I would put these back in for this cycle. Need to go up in weight big time as I am a lot stronger than I think. Reps were easy to easy Need to be up around the 100kg+ mark. They will be heavier next week.

Hanging Leg Curls

A brand new exercise. Using the Reverse Hyper Machine (which doesn't get use by to many people) I placed a 40kg Dumbbell on the ground behind it and put 2 small mini green bands around the handle, I then put them over my heels and jumped up onto the Reverse Hyper machine, let my leg hang and then curled the bands up. Needs a bit more fine tuning to be real effective but it does hit your hams from a different angle and shows up the weak ham real quick. Add in the 15 reps and this is not as easy as you think. 3 sets of 15 reps with a tension weight of about 32.5kg in this case

Reverse Hypers

One of the most underutilized pieces of equipment in the gym. I find this a good way to finish off after doing squats and co. Using it right to help traction out your back makes it a lot better. After watching a video from Louie Simmons (Westside Fame) on how to use it I tried it out and yes it make a massive difference. Tip your head down as you bring your feet down and you get a massive stretch in your spine. Raise your head up as you bring your feet up and it works wonders. Wi;; keep doing it this way. 4 sets of 15 reps @ 120kg. 

   

 .

Well on to the start of another cycle with a bit more gusto in it

Sled Face Pulls

Done as a warmup before getting into my workout. Have to keep your hands coming past your eyes. Not a lot of weight but I will go up next week. 3 sets of 10 pulls

Seated Buffalo Bar Press with mini green bands (25kg each)

Sitting on the box squat box and pressing the bar. Put a dumbbell either side to get the bands to work that was giving me 25kg of tension per side. got out 2 sets with the bar and then added another 10kg of weight. Left shoulder/tricep seemed to handle it well. The left side is the one I am trying to get to answer again after everything. The lower reps tonight helped with that. 4 sets of 6 reps.

Shoulder press off pins

From a dead stop, weight was probably way to light but will go up next week. 2 sets of 10 reps

Barbell Shrugs

this was the first time going to 15 reps er set so wasn't to sure what was going to happen. Biggest problem at the moment is grip but that will come with time. 2 good controlled sets at 60kg.

Dumbbell Curls

Just to do these to help balance out the arms. 2 sets of 10 reps per side.

GHR

Again a change here, have been doing sets of 10 reps but have decided to up this by 2 reps per set. Still using pole as my upper body is just to big. I am working on getting a good pull from my hams on the way up. No one will be able to accuse me of not having strong hams. 4 sets of 12 reps

Well have changed things around a bit and it feels good. The fewer reps on the power movement mean that I can use a bit more weight, that is then compensated for with the extra reps in the next 2 exercise's. The curls to keep my arms safe and the extra reps in the GHR make for an interesting workout. Wasn't sure how this was going to go but more than happy and now I know I can go a bit harder/heavier next week.

Oh the fun we will have

On to day 2 of this week, got to the gym a bit late but still got everything done in a reasonable time.

Sled Pulls

We have access to a small indoor track you can use for all sorts of pushing/pulling exercises so we use it.Only problem is that it is only 20 mtrs there and 20 mtrs back. Still load 80kg on the sled and pull we did. 3 trips there and back then ready for our next thing.

Zercher Squats

I have one of the get strength zercher squat harnesses so I use that when doing these things, got better things to do than screw up my elbows for some egotistical reason. Feet at the moment are close together. This exercise forces you to try and stay upright so you use a lot of your glutes and erectors. They went pretty well today but need to cycle them in more. 4 sets of 10 reps at 100kg

Hyperextension for Hamstrings

I use the 45% hyperxtension for these but position the padding so I can put the emphasis on my hamstrings, I also shorten up the range of motion and make sure that I can really feel my hams working. 3 sets of 10 reps

Gliding Hamstring Raises

Hanging off a bar with feet out in front of you and the while keeping your arms straight you raise your hips up though the centre. I find it works my hams in the centre to top part of the rep. Good way of finishing hams. 2 sets of 10.

Reverse Hyperextension

If you access to one of these use it. We use it 2 times per week and it has done wonders. In my gym the No#1 most under utilized piece of equipment there. If you are not sure what and how it works search for Louie Simmons and or Westside and do some research. Good exercise 4 sets of 10 reps @ 120kg.

Overall a good workout but probably needed more intensity.

Exercise	Reps	Weight
Sled Pulls	15	80
	15	80
	15	80
Zercher Squats	10	100
	10	100
	10	100
	10	100
GHR Ext	10
	10
	10
Gliding Leg Curl	10
	10
Reverse Hypers	10	120
	10	120
	10	120
	10	120

A new way of looking at things

Shoulders today with a couple of other things thrown in.

Low Sled Pulls

Stand facing away from the sled with handles in each hand and hands by your side. Now pull your hands up to shoulder level, Step forward and repeat. I find this as a nice GPP way of warming up my shoulders. Don't need lots of weight and since you have been moving all day your muscles don't need lots of warm up. 3 sets of 10 with 30kg. Could do a lot more but this is a warmup.

Seated Buffalo Bar Press with 15kg of Chain, Seated

This is a lot harder than it sounds, we use a box so there is no back to rest up against. The chin is set up to fully deload and reload. Good solid presses although I still have to work on pressing with my left hand side as still does not respond fully. I am having to teach my nerves on that side to respond. We are getting better but this is going to take time. Just another challenge. 4 sets of 10 reps

Dumbbell Shrugs

I need to strengthen up my neck to help support that area if anything was to go wrong so I put these in. I am also looking at doing specific neck exercises. Weight was probably a bit light but the can go up next week. 2 sets of 10 reps.

Barbell Curls

Just put these in to help balance things out. If I do Triceps I need to do these. Not looking fro big biceps so nothing great 2 sets of 10 reps.

Glute/Ham Raise

This should be a staple in every powerlifters training program. We do these 2 times per week plus another day where we do other exercises as well. Because of my big upper body I use a pole to stabilize myself, other than that I just do it the normal way with trying to really concentrate on pulling with my hams on the way up. Most people if the are lucky only do between 30 and maybe 60 reps for hams in a week. We are doing 120+. I will not be accused of having weak hams when I go to compete.

Thats my shoulder workout for this week. Quick simple and straight to the point. Total time for this was 70 mins and that included having to wait for equipment and setup of the chains and sled.

Exercise	Reps	Weight
Low Sled Raise	10	30
	10	30
	10	30
Seated Buffalo Bar Press	10	50
incl 15kg Chain	10	50
	10	50
	10	50
D/Bell Shrugs*	10	30
	10	30
Barbell Curls*	10	25
	10	25
GHR	10	10
	10	10
	10	10
	10	10