Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Post-Meet Day 2

Another fun, variety-type day, basically whatever I felt like doing

FSQ: 135 x 3 paused, 135 x 4 bounced

DB BP: 25's x 20, paused but mostly _not_ exhaled

24: 1-leg contralateral DL, left leg and right arm first, 3 touch-and-go reps each side

Put a large, hard foam roller under my back in the bench to stretch out my arch a little, then, of course, took it out before bench press

BP: 135 x 6 paused, 135 x 6 paused but on toes instead of heels - felt stronger on toes

Pistol - bw only, holding toe, lf, 3 alternating singles each side, probably 2 decent ones each side

32: 2-hand swing, 20 in :30

Mess around with hip-height, 1-arm, 1-leg pushups

Onward and Upward

Monday, February 25, 2013

Day After Meet - Easy/Variety

Stretch a little

20/20 - see-saw mil press, rf, 8 each side, 16 total, nice and slow, complete lockout and pause at top.

FSQ:

bar x 1

switched to minimalist New Balance road running shoes - very slight heel

135 x 1 paused and exhaled

32: swing on the :60 as follows:

10 x two-handed

10 DARC, lf

10 x two-handed

10 as 2L, 2R, 2L, 2R, 1L, 1R

10 x two-handed

Total 50 swings w/ 32 kg.

Ran - once around a long block, nose breathing in and out, felt pretty awful to start and slightly less awful to finish, walked twice rather than give up the nose breathing.  45 degrees F outside, about my lower limit.

Onward and Upward

Meet Report - WNPF 2013 Nationals

Saturday, 23 February 2013

Making Weight

Being away the weekend before a meet makes making weight a little more difficult, but I again weighed in under 67.5 kg or 148-3/4 lbs.  The meet director put me down as 148 even.

Making weight was a bit trying as it often is.  Thursday, I had a small dinner early then stopped both eating and drinking except water to take my medicine and vitamins with.  Friday morning, I weighed 150.6 lbs.  Friday by the time I left my house at 3 PM, I weighed 150 lbs. even.  I drove to the meet, about an hour and a half, with the heat all the up and weighed myself at the hotel - 149.6 lbs.  at 4:45 PM.

So I got in a very hot bathtub and soaked for 45 minutes, which got me down to 148.6 lbs. on my scale, went down, weighed in, and then drank water and ate protein snacks while my wife and I drove about 10 minutes to dinner.


The Meet

I was the last person in the first flight on all my lifts.  There were three flights of squatters, four flights of bench pressers, and three flights of deadlifters.

The weather was rainy, and I have a permanent case of vertigo (dizziness) which is worse when it rains.

I planned to go 200, 210, 220 in the squat.  200 was easy, 210 was also easy but I lost my balance just as I reached the top and was red-lighted, so I repeated 210, carefully, for my third and got it.

Bench - I am stuck at 185.  I opened with 175, got 185 for my second, but 190 stopped at the sticking point - just have to get stronger.

DL - I decided, since I'd done 335 x 4 in training, to open with 345.  I warmed up with 225 x 2 x 2, 275 x 1, and 315 x 1 - none felt great. I was tired by this point in the day, about 2 PM.  My 345 pull went well, but I was called for hitching 355 as my second, and decided to stop there.  Hitching is a first for me and a sign of progress - I've always failed right off the floor before.  It wasn't a big hitch and I feel like, if it was a training lift, I'd have counted it.  That's life.  345 should be a new American WNPF record for my age/weight/raw, and I'm very happy with that.

My wife was with me because we brought down a second car to lend to her 91-year-old Aunt, who had totalled hers a week earlier, her first car accident in almost 70 years of driving.  We had dinner there and eventually made it home at about 9 PM after having left the meet at 4 PM.

Best total since I started lifting again last July - that's something.  DL has gone up steadily: 325, 335, 342 (metric meet), 345.

Took it easy on Sunday, just walked a couple of miles and stretched.  Lower back was sore after the meet's pulls and still sore on Sunday, not too bad today.

Onward and Upward

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

4 Days Pre-Meet - SQ and BP Openers

Just some easy lifting on a crazy day here.

FSQ: on short rests, bar x 2, singles @ 135, 165, 185, long rest, 195 - that'll be my opener

DB BP: 25's x 5

BP: bar x 2, 135 x 1, 175 x 1 - that'll be my opener

No time to DL today, but that's OK - last DL will end up being 9 days before meet and that's OK, I think.

Onward and Upward

Monday, February 18, 2013

Back From An Inspirational StrongFirst Leadership Weekend

It was my honor to spend Saturday and half of Sunday (I had to leave early - it was a full 2-day event) with most of the StrongFirst Girya leadership: Team Leaders, Seniors, and Masters.

We did a little bit of training and I got some great feedback from the Master Instructors who were watching us.  We talked a lot with each other, we learned a lot about SF's business plan and how it will help us.  We got asked a lot about our opinions.  It was a great, team-building weekend for all of us.

After too long on airplanes and in airports yesterday, today I decided to do a set of double kettlebell pressing, trying to incorporate some of the suggestions from Brett on Saturday.

2 x 20 kg: mil press, 5, break, assisted 1-arm chin, lf, 1

Repeat above

24 kg mil press, lf, 2 - again, aiming for improved groove and form and not particularly for max anything.

24 kg: 1-arm swing, lf, 15+15 in about :45-50

Plan is mini-meet tomorrow, with 1st and possible 2nd attempts at all 3 lifts on meet-like rest periods

Onward and Upward



Thursday, February 14, 2013

Week 10, Day 2 - KB Press 24 kg x 6, DL 335 lb x 4

warmup - almost none

24 kg: mil press, lf, 6, 5 - most in a while, left shoulder looks not completely packed but it also hurts more when it's well packed due to my arthritis, have to work on finding a middle ground.

DL Narrow Sumo, video taped all, will post warmup/rampups and work set separately.

225 x 2 - double overhand

285 x 1 ( up 65 lb from previous lift ) right hand under and left over

315 x 1 ( up 40 lb ) right under again

Warmups Video -http://youtu.be/bgc9eZJjdGc

335 x 3-5 ( up 20 lb ) left under - my competition grip

Video of work set http://youtu.be/KilstDJ6J1w

Nothing else today - that was enough.

Onward and Upward

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Week 10, Mid-Week Variety

Yesterday, Tuesday:  assisted 1-arm chinup, 1 each side, plus 2-3 miles of walking

Today, Wednesday assisted 1arm chinup, 2 each side, also more walking.

Both days, light getups to the hand - yesterday, 12 kg, today 16 kg, both times 2-3 reps per side before switching.  Both days, stretching, too.

Tomorrow, we pull 330 lbs. for 3-5 reps in narrow sumo DL

Onward and Upward

Monday, February 11, 2013

Week 10, Day 1 - SQ 205 x 1 x 2, BP 180 x 1

I had a very busy weekend - shovelled snow for 2 hours on Saturday, and performance on Saturday night, and then had a very tired Sunday.

This week, I'm lifting on Monday and Thursday because I have to travel on Friday.

FSQ:  bar x 1, 135 x 3

SQ:

135 x 3

155 x 1

175 x 2 - hit a plate on the safeties so did it again but hit the same plate the same way again

Start video

190 x 1

205 x 1, 1

DB BP: 25's x 8

BP:

bar x 3

135 x 3

155 x 1

175 x 1

180 x 1 - expected it to be slow and it was, but it was steadily upwards.  I had no doubts before, during, or after.

Out of time, but a quick stretch and then

HLR: 2

I am stronger, when the weights are this heavy, lifting each lift 1x/week.

Onward and Upward

Friday, February 8, 2013

Week 9, Day 2 of 2 - 24 kg KB Press, DL 315 x 5

Yesterday, Thursday, no lifting and only a little stretching.  In the middle of a performance run of a show, Thursday night was opening night, was tired from two previous nights' dress rehearsals.

Today, little warmup, weird schedule due to snow storn - lots of rescheduled students

24 kg: mil press, lf, 4, long pause at top each rep, rebreath in rack position, not on way down.

Repeat above, slightly faster pace, 6 reps each side.  Tried, for both sets, to do the cross-body image I used last time but less successful this time - better than most previous but still not as good as last time.  Getups to warmup would help here - must try that next time.

DL:

225 x 2 - nice and slow

275 x 2 - good, double overhand, should have gone w/ weaker over/under grip

315 x 5 - left under grip, was only going to do 3 but 5 felt fine, felt pretty strong, actually.
http://youtu.be/Sbj9ia8JBt4

NB: I am _trying_ to leg press the weight, it's just not happening

Onward and Upward

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Week 9, Mid-Week Variety

Some floor work stretching on a thick mat.

Short walk

Assisted 1-arm chin x 1 each side - did 2 each side yesterday, this one just to GTG a little

A few easy, light PL w/ my youngest son.

Onward and Upward!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Week 9, Day 1 of 2 - SQ 195 x 1 x 6, BP 175 x 1

Week 9 and I will be lifting only twice this week - weights are getting heavy, and I am very, very, very busy with the annual Ridgewood Jamboree, for which my wife and I are in charge of all the musical performances.

One-finger assisted chinup, left first, 2 each way today, although second rep just barely.  Really liking doing these for whatever reason

SQ:

bar x 5

135 x 3 exhaled

155 x 1

175 x 1

I am thinking that my second and further squats always feel better on my back, and since I don't compete with a second and further rep, I'm going to practice singles.

195 x 1, 1 (deeper), 1 - total 3

195 x 1, 1, 1 on the :60 - good, now total 6 reps today.  Will try 205 next Tuesday with this then 215 the week after and, if all is good, 225 at the meet on Feb 23.

DB BP: 25's x 6

BP:

bar x 3

135 x 3

155 x 1 - easy

175 x 1 - good but hard to get bar off the hooks.  Tried again, again hard to get bar off the hooks so just reracked it.  I think my shoulders were better packed and they didn't want to reach as far - will add another thin board under both ends of the bench before next session but this is good.  My most recent competition benches were 185 and 181 so 175 is right up there and didn't feel that hard to actually press.

Stretch calves and hammies

HLR: 1

Friday, February 1, 2013

Week 8, Day 4 - Frog DL 300 x 5, KB Press

Was out all morning - performance at my wife's school, then some far-flung errands in the car.

Decided to warmup again with a single assisted 1-arm chin.  Went left first this time and got both side.  This really can't be good for the rest of my workout because it's a tough move but it makes my back happy and I'll eventually figure out a way to keep these, I hope.

I'm feeling in need of rehab - will press kettlebell instead of incline barbell press today, and I think I'll switch back to twice a week workouts instead of 4x/week for the next few weeks.  The going is getting tough in terms of weight.

Tried an interesting experiment in light of my difficulties with getups on only one side but not the other - decided to perform 1-arm kettlebell presses with a focus on pushing through the opposite side's foot since that's essentially how a getup works.  Visualized a getup on my problem side, with left elbow supporting, immediately before my left side presses.

24: mil press, lf, 5

My best kettlebell press set in some time, felt great, and felt like the contralateral connection is a winner for me here.  Really felt more stable, and also realized that I think I tend to put more weight on the same-side leg when I press - this cue really helps stabilize me.  This one goes into the "subtle but nonetheless very important" category for me as an athlete.

24: mil press, lf, 3, 2

Long pause in overhead support position at the end of all three sets.  Ah, I've missed these.

Frog DL:

Very little experience with over/under grip in this stance so we'll do a warmup set each way.

225 x 2 right under - weaker grip, I believe

225 x 2 left under - stronger grip

What's a good use for 2.5 lb. plates?  To turn 295 into 300.

300 x 5 left under - stronger grip
Video http://youtu.be/SbtNuFnyhuY

HLR: 1

Onward and Upward