Monday, June 30, 2014

Good Meet on Saturday, Swings today

Saturday, June 28:  Meet in 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation:

SQ: 80 kg (176 lbs.), 87.5 kg (193 lbs.), 92.5 kg (204 lbs.)

BP: 60 kg (132 lbs.), 75 kg (165 lbs.) - no third

DL: 140 kg (308 lbs.), 162.5 kg (157.5 lbs.)

Sunday, walked 5 miles

Today, Monday:

20 kg:

L/R x (1 c&p, 1 windmill)
L/R x (2 c&p, 2 windmill starting at top of second press)

20 kg:

Swings: 10T, 10L, 10R, 10L, 10R on the minute = 50 total

Onward and Upwards




Monday, June 23, 2014

A little Deadlifting 5 days out from my meet.

I had a very busy week last week and decided, after Tuesday, not to lift.

I've been walking, stretching, and recovering from my week.

Today, stretched, walked 3 miles, then

24: 1 mil press + 2 windmills x left, right

Zercher DL: 135 x 1 - a little out of practice but basically OK

DEADLIFT:

Hack: 225 x 1

Conventional: 225 x 1, 1, 1 - last with controlled lowering - 285 x 1 normal lowering, 310 x 1 w/ controlled lowering.  All these were double overhand - grip seems not to be an issue these days.

I think that's going to be all the DLing I do between now and Saturday

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

3rd from last DL workout before next meet: 295 x 12 singles.

Warmup - walk 2 mi

Cossack sequence

Halos w/ 16 kg

Goblet squat and curls w/ 16 kg

FSQ 135 x 1

SQ: 135 x 1, 185 x 1

BP:115 x 5, 165 x 1 - near limit, was slow, 150 x 2 - G-d I'm awful at these, and G-d they make my lower back hurt.

DEADLIFT

225 x 1, 1 overhand

295 x 10 single starting l/u (favored grip - _tough_ today, still kept pace of about 1 rep per minute, not completely sure I did rep #5 but I did at least 9 reps and probably did 10.  Just plain tired, tried to keep calling on my good form cues - belly of air, stance not too wide, crush the bar, take the slack out of the bar, pull back towards my shins as I go up.

16: about 10 hand-to-hand swings, just to loosen up

Onward and Upward

Monday, June 16, 2014

No DL - Hip Lift 805 lbs., Swing, Curl, and Goglet Squat 40 kg

Walk about 1 mi.

Stretch a little - cossack sequence

Hip Lift.

Now calling the bar 100 lbs. will have to weigh it again in its new configuration.

235 x 1, 505 x 1, 805 x 1, 1 - just got it off the ground the first time, choked up the chain a bit, second time got much higher and felt great, felt like I had room to move.

No more today - haven't done these in a while but they are _great_.

40: 2-hand swings x 10, 10

40: curl, goblet squat by horns, another goblet squat, lower, drop

Onward and Upward

Sunday, June 15, 2014

DL 275 x 12 singles

A little stretching.

Walk 5 miles.

Zercher DL: singles at 135, 165, 175 - still pretty easy

SQ: singles at 135, 155, 175

BP: singles at 135, 155

DEADLIFT:

225 x 1 overhand

275 x 12 singles starting r/u - tired from the walk and the other lifting, but felt like I was able to summon sufficient tightness to do this.

40 kg: 2-hand swing x 10 - not my best, of course, but better than nothing

Onward and Upward

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Week 7 Only as Pre-Meet Prep

Walk 3 miles

Stretch a little, including some qigong and a pistol each side - pistols were awful and weak but they had a long pause at the bottom, exhale, repressurize and come up.

SQ: showed my wife a front squat, a low-bar, wide stance back squat, and a high bar, narrow stance back squat, and she thought the low-bar, wide-stance looked the best.  Interesting that I find that one the least comfortable, but I will try to do this, just for one or two light attempts, at the meet on June 28.

BP: 125 x 3, 145 x 3, 1 - ugh, I'm awful at these, but we were experimenting with blocks under my feet and I definitely like it, have to get something a little sturdier than the 2 x 4 pieces I used today.

40 kg: 10 x 2-hand swing, pretty solid, actually.

DEADLIFT:

225 x 1 overhand

Per the plan, do the final week of the 7-week DL Singles Cycle based on the new 1RM

260 x 15 singles, starting left under, right over and alternating reps.  Went very well, feel great afterwards.

Onward and Upward

Friday, June 13, 2014

Day Off

Well, I was tired and sore and hungry today, so nothing but some stretching and a nice walk - boy, does walking ever cure what ails me.

Will try to lift tomorrow, maybe get halfway to the first workout of the last week of the 7-week DL singles cycle I just completed, and then I"m hoping to do those 5 workouts next week.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Start Lifting Again

Yesterday, Wednesday, just a crazy, non-stop day.  No exercise, no walking, just a little stretching.  Also was pretty sore from both the meet and the day before's many goblet squats.

Today, Thursday:

Walk 2 mi.

Cossack sequence and other stretching.

20: windmill, lf, 1

Zercher DL: now on Oly bar for a while: 135 x 1, 175 x 1 - almost ab cramp lowering it but both lowerings were really solid, light touch-downs.

FSQ: 135 x 1, pause, exhale, repressurize, and up.  Rusty at these, not easy today or at least not as easy as I'd like

SQ:  135 x 5, 155 x 5 - videotaped, not deep enough, or maybe barely deep enough.  Going for PL style, low bar, wide-ish stance, probably just need more time to get used to dropping my hips in the hole deeper. Might need a wider turnout, or at least a bigger focus on pushing knees out.

BP: 115 x 3, 4 - not great but a start.  It's what was on the bar and good enough for me for today.  Lower back still does not like bench pressing's arch.

DL: - all double overhand grip

225 x 2 singles - lower back not happy after bench

225 x 3 - fresh breath at bottom but didn't let go of the bar - back loosening up some, brain remembering how to deadlift.

24: swing, 1-handed, lf, 5's up to 30 total, no breaks.

Later:

PU: 1 bw slow, controlled, paused

PU: bw + 20 kg on left then right, long hang before take-off, solid rep, paused, long hang at bottom - these felt _great_

Onward and Upward

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

More Variety/Recovery Lifting

Tuesday - bit of stretching

24: Goblet Squat, bell upside down x 10 (paused, as always)

24: Goblet Squat, bell right side up x 10 - this way felt harder, but maybe that's because I did it second, albeit after a solid 20 minute or so rest.  Tomorrow, I'll reverse the order.

24: Goblet Squat, bell right side up, added curl at the bottom x 5

There is an interesting subtlety in how you old the bell - you can tilt it back slighty (held in the "normal" position) and it takes some of the load off your chest.  If you allow the handles to point straight up and down, then your wrist will be bent slightly to the side (ulnar deviation, I think this is called) and the lift is harder because you have to work harder to stabilize the bell.

20: c&p ladder, lf, 1-2

24: swing, 10 L, break, 10R

FSQ: 135 x 2 - ATG, paused

20: windmill, lf, 3

Zercher DL: 135 x axle, 145 and 155 on Oly bar.  Slow and controlled negatives feeling good, have to see if I can find some of that for the way up.  Need to, I think, drive hips back and elbows forward more.

That's the most ZDL in a workout in a while, will keep up with these, feel great, getting a maximal hamstring stretch at the start is also key for me.


Monday, June 9, 2014

Yesterday 350 lb. DL for WNPF New Jersey State Record M55-59, 67.5 kg, Raw

http://youtu.be/rXripjeGiZ4

The above is yesterday's 2nd Deadlift - 350 lbs. for a new NJ State Record.  The previous record was mine, 345 lb.

The effort wasn't a max but still a tough lift.  I decided to pull again in 3 weeks and see how I do at another fed's meet in PA near where I have family.

Took it easy all day, warmed up w/ 225 x 3, 255 and 285 x 1, pulled a 315 first and 350 second, said thank you to everyone, and went home.

Today, just did a few goblet squats w/ 24 kg to loosen up - trying to decide if I like them with the bell upside down, as shown in Mark Toomey's picture in Easy Strength, or right side up, which is how I usually do them.  Probably good to do them both ways.  Today, did 3 upside down and 3 right side up, and my upper arms were shaking by the end - guess I'm still tired from yesterday.

Walk 3 miles - ah, feels great

Zercher DL: 135 x 1 - ugly, 1 again, this time the best I've done in a while.  Have to focus on stretching hamstrings maximally to get the best start, and to drive the elbows as in a front squat to keep the bar in place.

24 kg: swing, 5R+5L+5R+5L, no break

Onward and Upward

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Day Before the Meet - a Little Loosening Up Exercise

Decided to do some windmills with barbell plates.  2 each side with 5, 10, and 15 kg plates.   Middle and ring fingers in the hole, thumb support underneath, curl or cheat curl, tighten up in the rack position, press, then windmill.

Stick windmills - ah, removes shoulder rotation and forces t-spine to do the work, very good for me.


Friday, June 6, 2014

Last workout before meet

Bodyweight 148.8 this morning, have another pound to go by 5 PM tomorrow, seem to be right on schedule.  Took 1 water pill twice a day on Tue, 2 water pills twice a day on Wed, and 3 water pills twice a day yesterday, Thursday, and again this morning.  Will probably take again tonight and maybe tomorrow AM.  Dose on bottle is 4 pills twice a day, have been using hawthorn and dandelion root on my own as well, like this mix better - water pills (XPEL by MHP) have a bit too much caffeine and other stuff in them for my size human.

Been walking pretty regularly.

Had a busy week - two 8 AM rehearsal then an 8:30 AM performance.  Enjoyed not having to get up and play early today.

Today - walk, do some exercise, walk some more.

20 kg: two-hand swing x 10

20/20 - see-saw mil press x 8 (4 each side) going right first.  These are _wonderful, really help muscles in upper back mobilize, should do these more often.

20: windmill, lf, 2

Zercher DL - axle, 135 x 1 - small ab cramp after putting it down.

Conventional DL: 225 x 2 touch-n-go, overhand

32 kg - two-hand swing x 5

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Week off before meet - Sun through Wed report

Sunday - walk 4 miles, then 2 more miles with my wife

Monday - planned final lifting day but our friend the plumber was here and I was helping, and after I did some warmups and they felt heavy, I decided to skip it altogether.

Tuesday - long day starting w/ 8 AM rehearsal.  Walk 2 mi, no lifting.  2 x herbal diuretic pill

Wed - even longer day starting w/ another 8 AM rehearsal.  Stretch some, some 20 kg swings - 10T, 5L, 5R, no break, and walks 2 mi.  Bodyweight 151.8, 4 x herbal diuretic pill. (normal dose is 8 per day).