View All Posts: Greyphantom
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| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 16-07-2012 @ 16:03 | ||
| Squat day ME squat WU 60x10, 100x8, 140x6, 180x4, 210x2, belt on 230x1 250x2x NTD (not to depth) ME Squats 140x5x3 GM 115x3x5 SLDL 150x3x5 after a pretty crappy weekend (bug floored me sat and only two meals sun plus slept funny last night so neck is all funny cricking type thing) I was wondering if it was going to be a good session... then work went longer than expected didnt get my normal meal time before training in and that always throws me... but cracked on and pleased I did... Squats - the actual squat felt ok, but as the bar got heavier my neck/trap point was hurting unless I kept my back very tight... that was not too bad till I got to 250 and started concentrating on the legs and hips so the quads were good... course as I am pretty simple I forgot to keep the upper back as tight as it should have been this meant as I went down my neck/back started hurting and I started to lose it thus not reaching depth, first single was a ways off but the second was closer but still no cigar... it wasnt till the 4th set of the speed squats I realised what I had done wrong... 230 was easy and felt so good... made some notes for next week to remind me to keep my damn back tight and chest out... this will stop me collapsing in and make me get the lift... the DE squatting started slow but then after a self pep talk got way better and nice power/speed from the bottom... GM - was not sure about doing these as neck thing was sore... but gave the first set a go to see how it would work out and no problem at all... very happy with them and the second and third sets were progressively harder... SLDL - great sets here... felt them nicely in the hams and glutes and form was really good... far better than expected tbh... was a quick one today as couldnt fit in the pullthroughs as had to pick up my boy from school... from next week wont have that problem as they are off on holiday... all in all even though I didnt get depth on the ME squats I know what the problem is and its easily rectified and I know I will nail them next week for sure... with 6 weeks of training to go I am happy enough... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 13-07-2012 @ 17:28 | ||
| Deadlift day... Deadlift (back off week) WU 120x10, 170x8, 210x5 250x3x3 DE deads 180x5x3 Chins BW+10kg 5, 4, 3+1p BOR 130x3x5 Not sure I was going to make it today, sod all sleep last night feeling pretty rough to boot (nauseus and headachey) so was touch and go... but then remembered I had testicles and not even the man flu would stop me so got on with it... luckily it was a back off week anyway so wasnt going heavy... Deads - warm ups were good but didnt get the same hip drive as last week... so something to continue working on there... 210 was very easy though as the speed from the floor is improving... 250 was great, comfortable reps and while the hips need more work everything is pretty much falling into place... just did a quick 3 sets of 3 and left it there which was good as was feeling might sick at the end, speed sets I am not used to... lol... the speed work went well and hips started clicking into place... nooo not cos I am old dammit, but the movement became more coordinated and smooth... Chins - loving these right now, still a hard exercise for me but adding weight is a good thing... first time 10kg been strapped on and although I didnt get the full reps in each set I felt the bugger work... going to leave the weight the same next week and work on reps... BOR - wow these were so good this week, form was spot on and man my back was on fire after each set... so glad I decided to just crack on with it as it turned out to be a good work out... got a few areas to work on still but then thats always going to be the case I imagine... next week should be a full on week again as quad is pretty much healed and going to push squats and deads hard... lets get those numbers up... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 11-07-2012 @ 17:10 | ||
| Bench Day ME Bench WU - 60x10, 80x8, 100x5, 115x4, 130x2 140x1xf (DAMMIT!!!!) large cup of mtfu 140x1x1 140x1xf sigh Wide grip Bench 100x1x1 Seated press WU 40x5 65x3x5 Dips BW+10kg x1x6, 2x5 Dislocations Bar x3x20 Oooooh yeah much better in the forearm today, kept the bar in a great line straight down the forearm... massive difference in feel... Bench - well after all the shenannigens I have been having I wanted today to go well... it had mixed results but good outcomes... warm ups felt better than ever and no problem from forearm at all... 115 felt so easy I went to 4 instead of 2 and 130 felt so nice I push out 2 nice and tight... I know I could have added a rep on 3 onto each lift... 140 loaded unracked and stuck on chest... WTF... seriously WTF... was going to give up then as a bad apple but went over it in my head as to what I could be doing wrong... first thing was too much focus on the bar lowering and not enough on it going up... sounds silly but I was thinking of lowering it safely and under control, and making sure my arm didnt hurt (it didnt) so I simply didnt think about pushing it up... second thing was I was not setting it up well enough and mentally focussing on the lift itself rather than a bodypart... got under the bar again set it up exactly and made sure the lats were locked in as explained/shown to me by a mate on saturday and man it went well, flew up and felt much easier than previously... very surprised at how it went up tbh... third attempt I got it off the chest really easy and it was going up but for some reason it went off line and slid to the left... checked my bench for lean and it was fine, bar was evenly loaded but it still went left... oh well happy enough and now know what it was and how to do it to make sure I nail the heavier weights each time... mentally locking that in... Press - 65 felt a little heavy at first but then by the second set it was getting easier and felt comfortable... still a hard lift for me... but progressing... Dips - oh yeah feeling these now, got the groove and feeling good... added 10kg to my bodyweight which I think is a best for me at least over three sets it is... and looking to go up next week... actually loving these when I used to hate them... Dislocations - such a sweet finisher for the workout... helps stretch out the shoulders and chest and loosen it all up... so got the 140 and it felt good, next week to consolidate that and maybe move up in weight... will see how it feels... got to work on that wide grip too as it feels unnatural and today it put more pressure on my forearm which is why I stopped at 1 as will not risk hurting that when its just healing... Quad is feeling great... just tight and a bit achey now... bw squats are good to go and dont make it hurt at all... bring on monday  | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 09-07-2012 @ 14:27 | ||
| Squat day ME squats WU 60x10, 100x8, 140x6, 180x4, 210x2 230x0 245x0x0 DE squats 140x0x0 GM 110x3x5 SLDL 140x3x5 Pullthroughs 40x3x5 Well started the day feeling a bit tired but ok in general... go to training and felt well up for it... Squats - warm ups were awesome, felt nice and strong and easy... up till 210... first rep when I got to the bottom I felt something in my right quad pull a little... did the second rep and felt it even more so called it quits there, pulling sensation in the lower part of the outer quad right near the bottom of the muscle... kinda went numb and then sore now its pretty ok but still slightly achey... bit of massage and it should be right as rain quick enough, but I def didnt want to risk anything this close to the comp... so I am looking at today as a bit of a deload on squats day lol... would have had my target numbers for sure as 210 felt fine and easy with no belt at all... just that pesky pull... I also sacked the speed stuff for the same reason... I did do some bodyweight bench squats after GMs though just to see how it felt and it was starting to feel fine by then so maybe I just wussed out... time will tell... GM - kept the weight the same this week as form was a bit ropey last week and it paid off as it was super good this week... felt nice and tight and really good... SLDL - this felt easy today, weight was almost nothing and I had the "do I sit or stay standing?" feel when finishing the sets... really hit the glutes and hams well and hard... Pullthroughs - kept the weight the same again as form felt off last week... still not great in the first set but the last two were really good... not as tight as GM but still good enough... prob keep the weight the same next week but we shall see... Overall I am pleased with today but same time miffed I missed the target weight for today... still did not want to risk the quad with a serious injury and the squatting felt way better than it has before, great drive from the bottom and weights just didnt feel as heavy... going to take that positive forward and next week slay the damn thing... posterior chain is taking a hammering and feels great from all the assistance stuff... def keeping the bar much more stable on my shoulders during squats and midsection doesnt feel any weakness at all even at 210 with no belt... next week going to push that squat hard and not pick up a freaking niggle... sigh... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 06-07-2012 @ 17:09 | ||
| Deadlift day (woo hooo)... ME Deads WU 120x10, 170x8, 210x5, 250x3, 270x1 290x2x1 DE deads 180x5x3 Chins BW+5kg x3x5 BOR 130x3x5 Yeah baby, after being hassled by the knob brigade all day I went into the gym to work it all off... great session... loved the deads as have added some new technique changes ala Andy Bolton and it made a big difference I think... Deads - watched a video or two (one of which posted by @JB) re deadlifting with Andy Bolton and in it he talked about speed off the floor (already working on that) and popping the hips as the bar passes the knees (something I have not been doing)... so thought I would try it out in todays workout and man it made a huge difference... the light weights just flew up and felt like, well not nothing exactly but easy, once I got to 250 it was a bit harder to pop the hips hard (like youre humping the bar basically) but activating the glutes much better helped the drive through and made lockout easier... 290 never went up so easy, only thing is I got 2 singles and would have liked 3 but I managed to rip the skin on my hands and they were weeping this clear liquid stuff (not bleeding but you know that clear liquid you get when you graze yourself, that stuff) which made holding the bar hard... speed deads were good (well after the first set) and I got them going fast and loads of hip pop... not to be confused with hip hop of which I have none... Chins - yeah baby first time ever I have added weight to my chins I think... all went up easily except for the last 2 reps on the last set which slowed and I had to struggle... felt great and def moving up from here... biggest prob was grip though as hands were stinging and a bit slippery, but muddled through... BOR - grip was not helping here either... first set didnt go as well as it should have but the second was much better and third even better still... form prob off slightly as I was worried about hands and grip... but was ok still... Excellent workout and really feeling my back now... tired, hands very sore but happy... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 04-07-2012 @ 16:56 | ||
| Bench Day ME Bench WU 60x8, 80x8, 100x5, 115x2, 130x1 140x1xf DE Bench 80x5x3 Seated press 60x1x5 65x2x5 Dips BWx5 BW+5kg x 2x5 Dislocations Bar x 3x20 oh well went well but not as good as expected or hoped for... Bench - started well, arm felt fine, 130 actually went up easily and well... 140 unracked and it felt fine, down touch and up, things I forgot = keeping back tight, leg drive and squeezing the bar (stupidly instead of concentrating on the lift I was worried about the arm so focussed on that)... so down and press started fine but then half way up I realised my back had unlocked and I hadnt used the legs so focus slipped and then I noticed what was happening in my arm, my hand was bending back as I press up and this caused my forearm to hurt and on the 140 I actually felt it like a sprain (but its not) and so mental note of just one more thing to add to the list of what to do in the bench is keep the freaking hand in line with the forearm... doing this helps immeasureably... anyway not a total lose but missed my numbers this week as well... Seated Press - actually felt pretty good... the last set being the best... found the groove for the lift and managed some nice power from the bottom... Dips - wow felt these... triceps took a hit and after the first set I added some weight which is cool, only 5kg to start with but its a start... felt nice and strong too... Dislocations - oooh yeah nice stretch, loosened up the shoulders and had them feeling good... bench always my bugbear... need to work on it and get it locked in... it is getting there slowly but I would like it to get there quicker lol... arm def improving and should be fine by next week... still managing to get in circa 400g protein a day which is good... weight fairly steady about 112-113kg so thats also good... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 02-07-2012 @ 15:51 | ||
| Squat day ME Squats WU barx8, 60x8, 100x6, 140x4, 180x2, 210x1 belt on 240x1xf (not parallel) mtfu talk 240x2x1 DE squats 130x5x3 GM 110x3x5 SLDL 130x3x5 Pullthroughs 40x3x5 oh yeah...!!! Was a weird feeling in the build up, wasnt sure the leg would hold even though bw squats yesterday felt strong and no pain at all, not even any pulling... Squats - warm ups all felt great... even the 210 (no belt) felt nice and tight and really good... just below parallel for that and it didnt pull the injury from last week... first single at 240 was just too high... basicall chickened out but after a stern talking to myself about mtfu I did 2 singles to good depth and it felt fine... little hard coming out of the hole but over all pretty good... Speed squats were really good, first set was a bit slow as I was hesitant but after feeling good just really concetrated on the speed out of the hole and it felt really great... GM - felt harder this week and much more through my posterior chain... still pretty comfortable but worked for sure... loving these at the moment... SLDL - wow these were excellent... glutes and hams fried by the end and just couldnt find a comfy position to sit in... Pullthroughs - harder this week, the weight seems to have jumped 10kg not 5... second set better than the first and third better again as I found the right movement... very happy that the groin thing has pretty much healed and feels fine... even happier that I had to sit there at the end and take a few deep breaths to not throw up lol... the whole workout felt really good and just like it should, best thing is I am on target with numbers and its feeling strong and good... weight is 112.5kg and usually thats a little lower after a weekend as I dont have the same pattern for eating as during the week... but I managed to get approx 300g protein in on both days and all the fats and carbs that go with it... so far so good... will keep an eye on the weight as I dont want it going too much over 115 or so... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 29-06-2012 @ 17:23 | ||
| Deads Day baby!!! Deads ME WU 120x9, 170x7, 210x4 250x2 280x3x1 Deads DE 175x5x3 Chins BWx3x5 BOR 120x3x5 Done baby... today was how every workout should be... fvck the niggles and sore bits just get it ON...!!! Deads - oh now how good is it to do these... warm ups felt good, today just really concentrated on correct technique (adjusting here and there) and speed off the floor... made a big difference, 250 for 2 just flew up and I reckon I could have crackd out a few more... but waited till the target numbers before stretching anything... 280 felt the best it ever has, the biggest difference being I didnt focus on the weight but moving the weight as fast as I could, because I was concentrating on speed I forgot how much the weight was and so the mind switched of the "holy fvck thats heavy" mechanism... allowed for a much smoother and faster pull... got the three out no problems... this is what heaven feels like... Deads ME - was working on speed but for some reason even though they were quick off the floor it just didnt feel as powerful as it should till the last set... then it was OH... MY... GOD...!!! felt it fully and locked that away to do it the same way next week and the week after etc... sod sex this is what its about Chins - went well... enjoyed the lifting tbh as could feel the back work much better, got a smoother and stronger pull from the bottom and it felt easier again... think next week will add some weight on for sure... even if its only 2.5kg... every little counts hey... BOR - at first they fel meh... then a min or so after finishing the set I could feel the middle part of my upper back trying to crawl away... really pushing for power from the bottom of the pull as I find this is something I need to work on... felt wonderful and this combined with the chins gave me great ILS... um I mean pump Oh yeah finally a great workout but then it is deadlift day and its my favourite... the lifts all felt much better, smoother and faster... will have to keep working on that to make sure its progressing but so far so oh yeah baby... niggles gave me no problems and the forearm (which I thought would give me a problem for sure) was fine... in fact its feeling much better... groin thing is good and apart from a slight tightness when I squat (bw only atm) it feels on the mend and ready to try light squats at least monday... biggest difference in the last few days has been the reintroduction of cissus and joint and recovery supps, also upped the Hydro-recover/whey protein drink to two a day... the extra protein should help and the extra creatine will be a boon too... touch wood that they keep going like this now.. | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 27-06-2012 @ 15:10 | ||
| Bench day Bench WU 60x10, 80x8, 100x4, 115x2, 130x1 thats it... oh and Wrist rotations 11kgx3x12 Dislocations barx3x20 what a sh1t day... first the leg is pinged now its my fvcking forearm right side... from cgbp last week... pushing the 130 was an act of sheer will and I had Doug Youngs words echoing in my head... tried 140 but arm gave way half way down which was a bit scarey, tried to finish the workout but it just wasnt happening so did some forearm work and then shoulder prehab... leg is starting to show signs of healing but forearm is not great... fml 9 weeks out and its all going pear, take time off and youre supposed to freaking heal... dammit... oh well onward and upward... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 25-06-2012 @ 18:29 | ||
| Squat day Squats WU 60x10, 100x8, 140x6, 180x1 (thats it stopped there) DE squats 130x1x1 (again stopped there) GM WU 60x1x8 100x3x5 SLDL 120x3x5 Pullthroughs 35x3x5 Bit of a tough session today... Squats - the lower sets felt ok and very good, particularly the speed from the bottom of the hole... but when I got to 180 I felt my hamstring go a little and stopped after the first rep... started to talk myself into trying it again as I didnt want to give up but once under the bar as I began to lower hamstring told me nope... DE squats - so I thought light should be good and started the first set... nope hamstring just didnt want to play, its not too bad but dont want to push it too much and thus ruin the rest of my run up... GM - yeah these felt great, first warm up felt light but was needed to get form right, then the 3 working sets really felt great, felt my lower back working nicely and no hassle from my hamstring which I was dreading tbh... good solid work here... SLDL - was not sure about these today... first set was done nice and slowly to make sure the hamstring was not going to be made worse... but joy it wasnt... in fact the exercise worked a lower part and missed the sore area yay me... 2nd two sets were done with more speed and really worked well... Pullthroughs - first set felt rough, but subsequent sets were good and man by this stage my posterior chain was in bits... bit p1ssed that the hamstring twinge from last week has come back to haunt me... was feeling well up for it today but as a result I missed my target this week... sigh... hopefully will have this sorted by next week else it could be a right hinderance... was happy enough with the assistance stuff... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 22-06-2012 @ 19:04 | ||
| Deadlift day Deads WU 120x8, 170x6, 210x3, 250x1 270x3x1 DE deads 170x5x3 Chins BWx3x5 BOR 100x3x5 Good day of training, targets were reached again and felt great... Deads - oh how good is it to get back to these... worked on getting as much speed off the floor as possible on all sets... got to 210 and damn near had an irongasm... felt so right and came off the floor really fast and light... 250 was even better... 270 has never felt so good either... so wanted to go off plan and see what I could get to but reigned it in and stuck with the plan... DE deads - easy... first set was a bit slow but fixed it for the rest and really worked on the speed off the floor to lock out... nearly over balanced on one rep lol... felt good though... Chins - went really really well... strong and felt good... wanted to do more reps but plan calls for 5 so will add some weight in the coming weeks... which will be a first for chins for me as I usually suck at these... BOR - worked on the power component of these rather than a slow "feel the rep" sort of thing... something I will be doing for most exercises from now on... felt really good... another workout another target reached and the whole workout felt great... really enjoying training and cannot wait till the next session... one thing I am thinking of adding to todays workout is power cleans to help with speed and power off the floor through the whole movement... too much or mtfu and do it was going to do them today but wrist wasnt great from wed... not bad but didnt want to aggravate it... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 20-06-2012 @ 16:55 | ||
| Bench ME Bench WU 60x8, 80x8, 100x4, 115x2, 127.5x1 137.5x1x1, 1xf Bench DE 80x5x3 Seated Mil Press (Bb) 40x5 50x5 60x5 Dips BWx3x6 CGBP 70x2x5 Yeah what a great workout... felt pretty good overall with a few niggles outlined below... Bench - working up to my target weight was odd 60 felt heavier than 80 which felt heavier than 100 and after that it all seemed a little too easy... even the first 137.5 fairly flew up and felt really good... unfortunately the second didnt make it all the way up as coming off the chest my hip/quad started cramping up and I managed to ignore it for a second but it got the better of me... found a better position for my legs on the DE bench though as could still feel it cramping a bit when I spread them too wide... so in they come... but happy that I still got 137.5 after all this time off... Sh Press - was just feeling this one out as have not done it for a very long time, right shoulder has a niggle I found but nothing too serious... 60 was easy so will start at that next time... then on from there... Dips - way easier than previous times a lot and instead of 5 did 6 reps (prob should have done more in hindsight) as I will be adding weight to get the 5 working for me more just didnt want to add the weight this week... the thought of weights dangling between my legs right now is a little close to the mark CGBP - was ok, but my right forearm was really sore doing these so stopped at 2 sets... might try a wider grip or get in a EZ bar and use that as have heard that it can help.... all in all a good workout, will be keeping this format for this wave of training and see where it gets me... targets reached (well actually exceded as when I looked at my notes again it was supposed to be 135... oh well room for movement there ) and workout set... great feel in the chest shoulders and tri's and I felt that the form and technique on bench were really good... diet is going swimmingly... getting in 400g protein a day and carbs and fats take care of themselves as per usual... been incorporating some Protein 247 Hydro recover and Whey after the workout and its doing ok... early days yet but my leg doms did not last as long as I thought they would, could be Hilly's magic formula adding the choc whey and vanilla hydro recover together is really nice and much more to my taste... best bit is its not over filling and does not make me feel bloated... onward and upward... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 18-06-2012 @ 17:05 | ||
| Squat day Squats WU 60x8, 100x8, 140x6, 180x3, 210x1 230x2x1 Speed squats 130x3x5 Good mornings 60x5 100x2x5 SLDL 100x3x5 Pullthroughs 30x3x5 Wooo freaking hoooo back under the iron and it felt soooo good it was sexual... actually tbh I was thinking lifting or sex which is better lol... Squats - bit of a ginger start but the first set at 60 was easy and no hurty, so did 100 and that felt better and more easy than expected... on to 140 then 180 and the 180 felt great, 210 went much easier than expected so then to my first goal weight for the session and 230 just flew up... however the second single I went a bit lower than expected and I felt my hamstring give a little twinge... managed to get that weight up nicely but stopped there... very happy with the squats though and oh god they felt so good and right... kept tight through the whole thing... was awesome... GM - first time doing these in about a million years... 60 was just too light 100 felt good and could feel it working but more in my glutes and hams than lower back... be keeping this one in for sure... SLDL - was cautious with this as hamstring had gone twinge in the squats but it felt ok... if anything stretched it all out... easy with 100 though and far too light... Pullthroughs - bit tougher than expected and forgot that the cable actually hits the groin on the way up so had to be careful not to hit anything too delicate lol... but felt this well and more in lower back and glutes so guess the posterior chain is getting a hammering... was really really happy with the workout today... just cannot say how great it feels hitting the iron again and how awesome it feels doing a workout and the bonus is nothing broke or bled so thats great... I have a set of targets for each workout to hit numbers wise and I managed to get them today... so if this works out well then my numbers for the open should be hit too and thats a big plus imho... something new to try and I will be incorporating the lift speed work on the same day as the main lift eg heay squat day will also be speed squat day... (same for bench and deads)... bring it on, only 10 weeks of training till the open... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 31-05-2012 @ 18:16 | ||
| Deadlifts... stupid day today... lol... WU 120x8, 170x6, 200x5 220x5 220x8 Deads - yeah that was real bright lol... wanted to concentrate on the speed from the floor... warm ups all went well... althought oddly 170 felt a bit heavy... 200 felt great and 220 flew up... first set I stopped at 5 just to save some for the last set... but had a few more there... last set I thought well lets see how many I can do... pushed out 8 and then it started feeling like cardio great little workout last one for a while now for resting, recovering and growing... | |||
| » My Powerlifting journey (Go to post) | 30-05-2012 @ 19:58 | ||
| Quick training day Squats and Bench Well since I go in on friday for the snip and they tell me I should lift heavy stuff for a month (pffft yeah right) so will be taking my week off next week properly before starting a run up to the comp I thought throw in a couple of light sessions this week... so one today and one tomorrow... Squats and Bench Squats WU 60x10, 100x8, 140x6, 180x5 200x2x3 Bench WU 60x10, 80x8, 100x5 120x2x3 job done and thank god, soooo hot in the gym today, about 1 million degrees lol... Squats - oh yeah so nice to get under the bar but I know I should be resting... great depth and I really felt the glutes firing today concentrating on driving up from the bottom... felt good and strong and speed was going well too... unfortunately I did forget to keep really tight at the top but it wasnt much of an issue at this weight... just a nice light one today... Bench - warm ups felt a bit achey in the arms but nice enough, at the top end of weight felt a bit heavy on the first set and was odd but then remembered the dulcet words of Emma from sunday... "Keep your back tight and drive with your feet" or to that effect and the second set of 120 was great... much easier and better reps... job done way too hot for training but did anyway... happy I did and even though it breaks that week rest the week after comp I will be doing that for at least a week next week... going to work on my next training period and waves for the next comp... have some numbers in mind I want to achieve before then so got some work to do... | |||