Lessons and loss

A few weeks back and I'm looking through my study window at a grey rainy Sunday vista. My feet are up I have a warm drink at hand as I take in the view while watching the 2014 Mr Olympia live stream. Bodybuilding is not high on my agenda any-more but I take in the Olympia annually as homage to the show the piqued my interest in strength 31 years ago.

It feels quiet alien to be tapping thoughts on the keyboard again. After all it has been 4 months since drama unfolded calling a halt to my ramblings online.

Life changing situations engulf every fibre of your existence. Each day is a pitched battle and being constantly on alert floods your system with debilitating stress hormones. Rest is a foreign concept and it is difficult to see or imagine a cessation of the difficulties or a return to normality. You continue introspection peeling away the layers of your psyche, questioning long held paradigms and delving deeper into your reserves.

All the while it is family that is foremost in your mind, pushing through the pain because they are really all that matter.

Imperceptibly little by little things improve, changes are made, lessons learned. Health returns and embrace daylight and recovery. The world you return to though is not the same. It's as if your clothes don't quite fit any more. The veil is lifted and you observe the world with its thin veneer of civility removed seeing things again as they really are.

As time passes you find that its you that has changed, or perhaps its simply a return to who you were. Renewal has brought with it welcome perspective.

A raft of acquaintances will have no idea of recent challenges but that is because I don't choose to play out my life's dramas on social media for all and sundry to pore over the minutia of daily existence. Thankfully friends are there and support has been ongoing and welcomed.

Lessons have been learnt, I have seen individuals driven by the almighty dollar shunning relationships and forgetting who gave them their start. I continue to witness the most crass intellectual arrogance from many who assume their singular existence is demonstrable proof of their methods.

It is remarkable how resilient the human spirit can be. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, in some ways bouncing back is no different from the body adapting to a physical stress akin to the training response.

This has been the most challenging and difficult period in 44 years of existence, it is over, I am back and I am acutely aware of who my real friends are.

Lift strong

Thomo

Homework for Nationals 2015 - Squat

In my short competitive career I have learnt that every meet provides a great learning opportunity. Not only does competition put the blow torch under your technique, the craziness of meet day puts you in a different environment and forces you to adapt. That's why when someone who doesn't compete tells me their numbers I really don't have any interest. You have a decent deadlift...do it after 3 limit squats and benches while warming up quickly in a crowded weight room then we can talk.

Given my inexperience each meet is a virtual master class in learning's.  I love watching the top lifters in the warm-up room and on the platform. Their attention to detail, intensity and meet day routines provide such an insight and highlight the enormity between the best and plodders like me.

Despite my meet being ruined by injury I have plenty of points to work on. Firstly per the picture above my depth is not an issue but I need to work on developing proprioception so that I know exactly where my depth point is. Too often in training I search for depth and end up compensating by going ass to grass as per my attempts at Nationals. Also getting my wraps right too would be good given they came apart on the squat above and weren't wrapped correctly below the knee!

Next I need to lock down my pre-lift and lift mechanics. Every squat has to feel the same rather than always tinkering with bar placement, foot placement etc. To be fair my squat feels like it is the best it has been but it can be much much better.

Consistent frequent volume of squatting is also part of this years prescription. A lot of outside 'shite' has interfered with my lifting this year and it was obvious that I was months short of the volume I needed in my legs. Importantly I will be channelling one aspect of Paul Carter in that my squat numbers will be a very gradual build up with lots of sub maximal %'s.


Stay Strong
Thomo

My Nationals...not quite as planned

Despite a less than stellar preparation I was quietly confident I was going to have a good Nationals. My numbers going in suggested a 5kg PB on squat, 5-10 on bench and 10-15 on deadlift for 25kg,s PB on my total.

After arriving at the Gold Coast everything felt on track. I weighed in 2.5kg,s over last year but  it was expected given my dexa indicated I had gained muscle and dropped fat. Following weigh in I started to re-feed and spent time with my team mate Carl planning my lifts.  Actually it was good rooming with my teammate as sharing the experience helped settle my nerves.

Once Saturday rolled around I was bursting to get under the bar for the first squat. Given the issues I had with squat my strategy was to open with my Nationals weight from last year up my second by 5kg over the previous year and then load a 5kg Pb for the third. That would set me up for a nice run at bench and deads.

MAgically as per last year evething felt good on the platform for first and second attempts. Both lifts felt deep and strong and interestingly having seen the photography proofs  its clear my mobility work has helped as I was ass to grass on both attempts. On reflection I actually need to work on cueing depth as I am probably going fractionally deeper than I need to.

Setting up for my third I am ready, get the call and go deep. My teammate reminded me to blast through the sticking point and so I did, so much so as I rose I started to smile and think about the PB and then bench to come...big mistake as instantly I feel my back go and I immediately sink 9-10 inches in a fraction of a second. Spotters grab me and after locking the weight its clear I have injured the back.

As I walk offstage thinking about the lift I was pretty sure my back went into flexion as I was pushing towards lockout. I had done this once before deadlifting and it was sore as fuck.

No PB and then the focus was trying to work out how injured I was, regardless I definitely wanted to total.

I managed to get three benches in, equalling my PB but missing the 2.5kg PB increase.

My back was pretty much gone at this stage but I held hope that I could somehow still get a PB dead. I opened with a token 1st followed up by a second at 90% of my old 1RM. This actually went up okay but it was clear that there was no snap in the lift and I was nursing that lower back pretty badly.

Final lift I try a 5kg PB knowing that if it magically is better than thought I will get a 4th as it is a Masters record. Well those hopes were dashed in a about 2 milliseconds as a weight I doubled in training (with 1-2 left in the tank) gets about an inch off the ground before my back finally gives me a real sharp ping to let me know there is nothing left.

My meet is over and fair to say I am pretty dissapointed. I was so pumped to grip and rip a big deadlift today and to be robbed through an injury felt pretty shitty particularly having flown across the country to do it.

Looking at the positives I learned plenty watching more experienced lifters prepare for the platform. It was also pleasing that my squat depth is much improved over last year. The injury itself was a learning curve as it has highlighted some lower back weakness relative to mid and upper back.

I am resting up and healing now but will do some light upper body work next week then move into a progressive basebuilding routine where I will focus on bench and gentle lower back work. I don't want to rush the recovery but I am bursting to get into it.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Nationals Done for Another Year

Well the dust has finally settled on a quite amazing meet. The stats alone speak to the quality of this meet, 83 women lifters, 4 days of competition, 240+ lifters in total. With that volume of Australia's best the results didn't disappoint.

Personally I still have chills watching Jackson Murrie in the 100's squat down and stand up with with 350+kg's...just an amazing demonstration of old school strength. The kicker is that this kid is only 20 and if he stays fit and healthy my go 900kg,s at 100 bodyweight in the future. Unbelievable squat and I just keep watching it and laugh my ass off at how good he his. This is no fat superheavyweight, this kid looks strong and damn he is strong!



Also watched the human ant Chris Stamtiou become the first Australian to total 10x bodyweight raw and doing it in  67.5 kg class. Check out this 257kg squat!



Then he follows it up with a 266kg deadlift. This is lifting of the highest calibre and damn I am going to start growing a beard to see if this helps my lifting!!



I was pretty honoured to watch some of these lifts let alone compete at the same meet.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Of Fear and PitBulls

It's funny as a powerlifter I find some of my best motivation comes from weightlifters. Since watching Cal Strength and MDUSA I have been a fan of Donny Shankle. Every so often he produces a piece, a nugget of wisdom that stays with me a long time.

Below is one such article, enjoy!

Pitbulls and Men
By Donny Shankle

Uncle always had the best analogies. I too have always enjoyed using analogies when teaching. I think it is the mark of a master to simplify concepts so all students can learn. Uncle had so many analogies for his “players” to learn how to become champions. One in particular was what I have now dubbed “Pitbulls and Men”. In order to get into the “zone” and lift heavy ass weights, you need to let go of everything else on your mind and attack. Along with strict and patient training, this is how marvelous performances are attained. It is the weightlifter’s mind which will either set him back or push him forward. 

Today I want to share a perfect example.....

“Uncle, why am I afraid to go under the bar sometimes?”

“Donny, let’s say you have a one hundred pound pit bull and a two hundred pound man. If they both get into a fight who do you think will win?”

“I assume the pit bull will.” 

“Yes. It is because men understand the concept of fear. The beast does not. Men take into consideration they may get hurt. The beast does not. The beast only knows attack what is in front of him and does not stop until it stops moving. He only knows that distinctive law of the jungle: eat or be eaten.”

“I understand”

“If you lift like the beast and think of nothing else but attacking what is in front of you, then you will crush whatever weight is before you. You will begin to see no limits in your potential.”

At the center of all the attributes, blocks, and factors required to win and become a champion is your mind. The beast wins in the fight because all it knows is bite. Bite and do not let go. Bite until it stops moving. The man will of course fight back but he will think of pain. He will think of death. He will think. This may of course spur him on to fight back but he is already at an immediate disadvantage. Within the split second he thinks of fighting back, the beast may have already done enough damage. Within the split second you think the weight you are lifting is heavy, you have lost the decisiveness possessed by champions. 

Not all men succumb to the beast. I think this is something uncle knew. It is something he wanted to see in his “players”. I think this is what he was trying to get across in his analogy. Some weightlifters get mentally crushed by the weight in front of them so much that they don’t even stand a chance from the get go. Other weightlifters have the ability to change into a stronger beast and attack with confidence whatever is on the bar. Which type of lifter are you?

Check out the link below to read more of Donny's musings:
http://donnyshankle.blogspot.com.au/search?updated-max=2014-05-15T12:31:00-04:00

Stay Strong

Thomo

Driving and Thinking about Competing

Today I was driving in my 4x4, some nice colour in the sky. A sombre tune from my childhood played softly in the background lulling me into quiet introspection about this year and the events unfolding this week.

I am old enough now to understand plans are simply bearing points on the journey. Milestones to achieve , adjust or delay. My goals for this year remain unfulfilled but like a good project manager I have adjusted.

Making the platform this year has been my stretch goal, everything else is a bonus. Don't misunderstand my realism for resignation. I am playing the long game, which in itself may seem unusual at my age. My progression is slow but the trend is upward, each plodding gain paid with the currency of mistakes and setbacks.

I wonder about others that will be on that platform. Do they consider the future, about playing the long game. Some charge wildly forward taking the immediacy of instant gratification and kudos unaware of the consequences. No doubt youth has brought ignorance to the fact that a full robust life starts after thirty and that the shortcuts of today may yet have a price.

It was a melancholy day today. I am achy and sore and full of anticipation for Nationals. I am as always as excited for my friends achievements as I am my own. A few this year have battled their own loss and dealt with grief and yet they too will be there on the Gold Coast a testament to resilience and character.

Nothing has gone very right this year but I am healthy and happy and lifting in a week.

 I love this life!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Squats Arghhhh

Tonight I finished prep for Nationals. If I give the abreviated version it sounds great a single 5kg PB on the squat however if you were there spotting me....

The single tonight was like a red headed step child at a family reunion: just damn ugly and no one wanted to look at it.

What tonight reminded me was how important technique is in the squat. I just haven't handle enough weight this prep and I am falling into bad habits. Tonight I did my famous sow sit back and just fucked the rep completely. This bad habit has two elements firstly  I bring my stance in just a little too narrow which accentuates my site back to get depth. Then I tend to exaggerate the sit back and similarly don't drop into the wraps hard enough. The remedy is simple cue for wider stance and drop through onto the wraps hard.

As I mentioned all of this is a result of not enough time under the bar but as I drove home tonight I am okay with where I have got to. Despite all of the lost time this year and particularly in the last three months, I finished my prep with a deadlift double at my PB weight, equalled my PB bench and set a pretty awful 5kg PB squat.

My results are less than ideal given my goals after last years event. But given the trials and tribulations personally over the last 5 weeks that had me about to cancel my trip to Nationals I still set PB's so I am going in with confidence.

I will leave it all on the platform and be proud to compete

Stay Strong

Thomo

1 Session Left

Tomorrow I squat and then my preparation for Nats is complete. I am feeling fatigued but looking foward to getting under the bar tomorrow. My energy levels have really ebbed and flowed this week though its not surprising given the accumulated fatigue in my final week.

Despite all the distractions and drama of the last three months I am pretty pleased I have managed to salvage some decent prep in the last month. My final bench session I hit a single which equalled my PB so at this stage I am aiming for a modest 5kg PB.

My deadlift is feeling okay and I finished my prep with a pleasing double of my previous PB. The form was a little shaky and I need to focus on the hip hinge as I noted I struggled getting my hips through as forcefully as I would have liked. I am undecided about my attempts for the deadlift but want a minimum 10kg PB. 

This leaves my squat as the unknown. Tomorrow I am aiming to double my PB which should set me up for a 10kg PB. Again I am undecided about my attempts but tomorrows session and the next 7 days off should help me figure it out.

As I mentioned before just getting to Nationals this year feels like a win but now that it is close I want to step up. 

Tomorrow I squat and it's on like Donkey Kong!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Random Powerlifting Shite Monday

It must be close to a contest as my head is all over the place at the moment. Here is a brain dump of some of the detritus floating around in my foggy brain....

Something that I believe beginning powerlifters often forget is that muscle lifts weights. By that I mean you can work on all the technique you like but you need a shit load of muscle. For example the top competitors in my 75kg class at Nats will have fucking awesome body composition. It's simple science they may be 12% bodyfat compared to my portly old man 18%. In simple terms that's more kilos of pure muscle to drive the bar.

The other thing is not to fucking compare yourself to anybody but yourself. Now there may be lifters going from 550kg to 800+ in the space of 2 years but a fair proportion of them are getting some unnatural assistance. I'll leave the argument about PEDS for another day but suffice to say if you are comparing yourself to those lifters then you are in for a world of pain.

On the subject of PEDS if one more fucker says 'but its not just the drugs they train very hard' I will freak. There are plenty of people out there that train fucking hard without the PEDS numbnuts!!!!!!!

Also I am not sure how to say it but really I think clinically obese people should stop powerlifting.  Forgive me I am not trying to be rude. However I have noticed recently an inordinate number of people with borderline health conditions associated with obesity that are lifting. Watching them over time they are certainly not changing their body composition in a healthy way. In fact in some instances I can see that they are getting carried away with the benefits that a big ass gut has on squatting etc. Just saying that overall longevity is much better than a few SHW medals. Health first competition second....always and much better look for the sport.

Deadifts tomorrow and the last dead session before Nats!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Nationals is Coming Up Fast

Saturday was my second last bench session before Nats and I had scheduled a double at 94%. After plenty of warming up I managed to get my work sets though the second rep was a little bit of a grind. I tried for a PB single but got a little out of position and missed it about 1/3rd of the way up.

The fatigue is starting to accumulate particularly from my squat and deadlift rep pb's this week. In fact I may well and truly be in the overreach stage with bench so next week will be interesting.

I am looking forward to hitting my final numbers this week and then earning a rest week to heal up before competing.

I have learned a lot about training particularly how to deal with adversity in this pre cycle and I will be a better lifter as a result. If all goes well I think I have between 25-30kgs total increment. Which is interesting because despite my best intentions after Nationals last year I couldn't manage to pull together the consistent training I had hoped for. However it shows that if I can manage even two decent cycles in a year I should have 60kgs total increase available given I am still in the beginner stage.

As much as personal PB's will be nice I am really looking forward to how old and new teammates do on the day. So much of the fun of this sport is sharing your friends highs and lows on the platform.

It is going to be a fantastic event with 300 lifters on the platform!

Stay Strong

Thomo

It's Friday night, I am benching tomorrow and it's dawned on me that next week is my last week of prep before Nationals. Where did that supposed 12 week cycle go.....?

Last night I visited the old gym and used the occasion to work on my form in the monolift. Much like deadlifts I didn't feel that ready to go but simply got on with it. I really focused on the warm up but was surprised just how tight and sore my quads were from the deadlift session two days prior.

I hit my heaviest set thus far with a good double at 88%. I felt more confident given both spotter indicated I was way below on my depth. I loaded the bar to 93% 1RM which would be a rep record and proceeded to grind out a double.

This set more than any has given me a lot of confidence for Nationals. Firstly, I only had a back spotter and just felt in the zone going that weight with minimal spotters. Second, it was 7% off my 1RM and I still have next weeks session to go. Finally I just feel much stronger in the hole, much deeper and more at ease grinding out the tough sets.

Despite the shitty prep, missed sessions and average diet I am still going to PB at Nats. The squat was the missing piece of my puzzle and I wasn't comfortable really until those two top sets yesterday.

I have to give plenty of credit to Greg Nuckols who got me on a nice base building routine and though circumstances let to me cutting it short 6 weeks early I still learned plenty. Similarly using paused squats out of the hole for long long pauses has built more tightness in my squat. There are plenty of views as to whether a pause squat carrys over to a raw squat but its worked for me.

Next week I am going to double a PB then I should be good to go for the Nationals platform.

Stay Strong
Thomo

Sometimes Deadlifts Just Rock

It is always funny how the rhythm of training can ebb and flow. Last night was a perfect example of expectations being so different to the outcome.Going in I felt a little low and given I needed to pull 95% 1RM for a double it didn't look promising.

Sunday at qualifying circumstances led to me doing pretty much zero warm up for 70% of 1RM on the dead. Given how easy it felt (and yes 70% should) it confirmed my suspicion that I was potentially adding in too many warm up sets to achieve my top set. I made adjustments and worked through the warms up pretty crisply but made pretty decent jumps and kept the reps to a minimum.

I was still feeling average heading into the penultimate set but I needed 2 reps at 95%. Hands on the bar, belt tight big breath and away. First moves well followed by the second then the third and a fourth still feels good. At this stage I am a little stunned and legitimately feel I have another 2 reps in me at least. I decide to play the wise game and leave it at four.

Suffice to say I am stoked at a rep record, this time last year my last session before Nationals yielded this weight for a double. I have now hit 4 reps with three more sessions to go!

I followed up this set with a single at 97% of 1RM and again I had an extra in me but kept enough in the tank for my next session.

It's just funny sometimes how you pull out a great effort when your preparation feels less than optimal.

I am confident I will achieve a PB on bench and deadlift but the squat will determine my fate on the day. The first three squats will set up my day.

Two weeks to go and tomorrow its squats at 90% 1RM...it's on like Donkey Kong!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Less than 4 Weeks to GPC Nationals

Today was far from a typical Sunday as I needed to get under the bar at the final qualifying event for Nationals. Full credit to the PTC boys for putting on an event so the few remaining stragglers, me included didn't miss out.

Given it is only 3 weeks out we took token lifts. Curiously I was a little distracted today leading to a couple of dopey mistakes that provided a little comic relief for the crew.

For the squats I warmed up to a couple of wheels and paused a few times in the bottom. Given it was early on a Sunday I had my typical old man tightness but felt okay despite an adductor twinge. Fast forward to the platform and as I descend for what should be a nice easy lift I start to let my mind wander and quite literally forget what's going on. Consequently I stand up and ignoring the rack call I rack the bar earning 3 reds quite oblivious to what has just happened. Dopey fucker.. but at least it gave the crew a nice laugh and more than a little deserved piss taking.

The bench is wheeled out and I am slated for a single lift at 88% of 1RM which should be no problem. Now prior to this my warm up goes well until I load the bar with an extra ten each side to replicate the weight on the platform. Again I manage to zone out and pick the two green plates erroneously thinking they are the typical green Olympic 10's per the gym I train at. In fact they are 15's and now I have my PB loaded. Net result I pin myself to bench with the unexpectedly heavier weight. 

A quick recount and chuckle uncovers my error but too late for anything as I'm now called to the platform. Thankfully someone with half a brain has loaded this bar and I comfortably pause and push out the lift.

Deadlifts again were very easy and though I didn't manage a warm-up other than a couple of kettle bell lifts I was surprised just how much easier the weight felt with a Texas bar. It actually felt 30kg's lighter than the actual weight.

Now qualified I can focus on grinding out the last 3 weeks of training. It was great to catch up with the PTC crew and again fantastic to see several of the crew volunteer their Sunday to ref, spot load etc. Just a great culture and shows why this is such a great sport.

Despite the mishaps I learnt plenty today:

• not having access to a Texas bar will actually help me for Nationals as the Texas felt so much lighter off the floor
• despite the issues I have been having on squat set up it all seems to come together on the platform. I can't quite explain it but under the mono and with the better bar the balance feels so improved
• Remember the fucking calls! I haven't been in a competition since last Nationals so I better focus on the damn ref

Actually a great day and can't wait for Nationals.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Benching and Bitching

I backed up from squats yesterday and benched.

Work sets at 88% of 1RM with nice competition pauses felt really good. I followed this with singles at 95% and paused a strong equal PB single. In fact the pause and quality of my max attempt was actually much better than the last time I hit this at Nationals last year. Thinking about it, it shows just what a shit year this has been for training, given 12 months later I am only just looking to set a new PB.

Regardless I am pretty pleased to equal the PB tonight. The 2 second pauses on every damn work set and 4 second pauses on  floor presses has certainly developed strength at my traditional sticking points.

Clearly Nationals is going to be about minimising damage on the squat and then getting modest PB's on bench and deadlifts.

Not surprisingly I was pretty fatigued given squats yesterday. It's amazing how sore limit squats an make you as I was sore from my lats to my calves!

On a sobering note I saw the partial competitor list today and nice to see the favourites total is 200+ kilos more than me. Ahhh yes its great to be right in the mediocre middle of the gene pool.

Couple of days rest and recovery and then a double at 95% of my 1RM deadlift.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Squats, Wraps and Belt

It's been 11 months since I have squatted with a belt or wrapped my knees. Why so damn long you ask? My plan had been to build a much stronger base of raw strength in the squat. This necessitated lots of raw squats and at least 4 months ago the plan was going well. Subsequently it went to shit with the missed sessions etc and now here I am wrapping for the first time only 4 weeks out.

Interestingly it was also the first time I self wrapped for my work sets and walked the wrapped sets out given I no longer have access to a monolift. With so many variables at play tonight the form was off but I hit the numbers I needed.

My homework is straight forward, need to sit through in the wraps harder. Last year I ran into the same problem where I am too tentative resulting in the wraps pushing me off balance.

After tonight's session I feel good. I have a lot to improve on but those areas are clear and fixable.  I will run a second squat session after my bench sets to groove form and really work the wraps.

Strategically I feel I can legitimately aim for a bench and deadlift PB. Squats on the other hand will be more about getting a legal lift in then seeing how much of my previous PB  I can claw back.

Clocks ticking....platforms waiting....

Stay Strong

Thomo

I Can Feel It Starting.....

Another day passes and shit continues to happen. Regardless, I have drawn the obligatory line in the sand. I won't miss any more sessions despite outside pressure. More importantly once I am in the gym I leave all the angst behind for the hour and take it out on the iron.

This new approach resulted in a much improved deadlift session Sunday. I hit  a triple at 91% of 1RM and certainly felt I had 3 more in the tank. This means both bench and deadlifts are somewhat back under control and with 4 weeks to go I am hopeful of more improvements to come.

Tomorrow I need to get back under the squat bar and for the first time in 11 months I am wrapping and belting up. The squat is where it all starts for me. I need to get consistent in the next 4 weeks and try and get a number that I can work three attempts around at Nats.

I won't say I am confident but the competition is on the horizon...I can feel it...its starting...

Stay Strong
Thomo

Good to Be Back!

It feels strange to be perched over the keyboard tapping away on tonight' post. As I reflect on the last month away I feel like Alice going through the looking glass.

Without going into sordid details its been a shit of a month. I can't quite remember a time that I have been this stressed. Suffice to say the impact on my Nationals prep has been significant. In total I have lost 3 weeks of quality training and eating. With only 4 weeks out it doesn't leave much time to salvage a total I can be happy with.

I seriously considered pulling out of Nationals and as late as 4 days ago I was still undecided. Thankfully I shook of some of the mental funk I have been in and after plenty of soul searching I am committed to getting on the platform. Importantly my team mate Carl is taking the trip and if nothing else I should be there to support my brother. 

Personally I have re-focused and now getting to the platform is going to be a win. As a consequence this week was cathartic and I have managed to string together 3 good sessions and a decent meal plan. Though  with the time missed I had to step back several weeks worth of weight.

So at 44 years of age I am more than ever cognisant that shit happens but it won't beat me and on the 5th of June I will be on a plane going to the Gold Coast. 

Stay Strong

Thomo

Cortisol Screws Your Lifting

I had an issue at work this week, incredibly stressful which triggered a flight or fight response at one point. The whole event was (after the drama passed) illustrative of how detrimental cortisol and stress can be to training.

During the unfolding issue I went from high alert then a sudden massive level of exhaustion. I can't quite articulate how the tiredness overwhelmed me. These events are very rare professionally for me but it did remind me how much training, let alone health can be affected by serious stress.

Thankfully it occurred on my off day from training so I managed to pull it together today and train bench though I could feel I was a little underdone.

Overall my training is still on track however I need to manage load and really work on my recovery. I suspect I need more calories than I am getting.

I haven't missed a rep thus far but it is starting to feel really challenging, though I wouldn't yet say I am grinding reps.

Time to eat, chill out and start again!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Sunday Squats

Today was squat's and I was hoping for a big session given how well last weeks session went.  In terms of preparation I had a great week, plenty of good food, rest (3 yr old not withstanding!) and a good deadlift session first up. In the scheme of things I was pretty confident.

Straight up the first set felt like I had a Mack truck on my back. After plenty of rest the game face is on and I manage to get the required 5's on the last two sets. I love how this game brings you back to earth. Last week I am feeling like Ed Coan this week I'm more like the Cohen brothers. 

After reviewing the video the squats actually looked pretty good though as it go hard on the last few reps I tended to fall forward a fraction on the final rep. I need to consider my programming given I had a very heavy deadlift session two days before I was probably a little under recovered.  I should have followed my gut and slipped an additional day of rest in before squatting, lesson learned.

I finished off with pause squats, chins and rear delts and have spent the rest of the day feeding like a zombie.

The priority this week is to ramp up recovery ready for deadlifts next week. Not too many tweaks to make to the routine. Though I will likely repeat the squat and deadlift weights for this week. I want to ensure I am 'owning' the weight before incrementing. 

Stay Strong

Thomo

Friday Night Deadlifts

Three working sets of 5 reps at 85% of 1RM. On the face of it feels like a simple prescription in my workout journal but damn it felt heavy tonight.

I mentioned this last month but deadlifts have a weird vibe this cycle. I am lifting more weight with greater volume than last year. My lifting videos look solid and team mates are casting a critical eye over my form and giving it the thumbs up. Now the effort required feels very challenging but I just keep hitting rep targets even when I feel there is no chance I will get the reps on the last set. Regardless my new mantra is not to over think the details so I am just getting on with it.

I backed up the work sets with 5 sets of double pause deads and finished off with paused volume benches. It felt like a long session tonight anf given I started training at 6:30 after starting work at 5:30 am no wonder I am stuffed now though I am currently enjoying post Friday work-out bliss with a belly full of Chinese food.

Tomorrow PTC Perth are holding a PA power lifting comp so get down and support the lifters.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Concepts for Beginner Powerlifters - 2 Tightness and Recruitment

Watching experienced lifters on the platform is a sobering experience. The intensity top lifters impart on the bar during lifts is master class for newbies like myself. On the face of it intensity appears to be an easy concept, grab the bar and pull/push/squat like crazy. However it's not that simple in practice.

Talking a long hard look at my approach prior to this latest cycle it was apparent I really didn't understand the concept of intensity. To improve I have focused on two related concepts, tightness and recruitment. What I found was that in an intense squat I would be focusing very hard on one aspect of the lift but at some point would be conscious of the fact another aspect of my lift was looser than it should be. 

This underlines my beginner status: I am consciously competent at the lifts but my whole body is not engaged in the lifts To move to the next stage requires becoming unconsciously competent i.e. technique is refined such that I don't have to think through every aspect of a lift.

To train this aspect I am working my ass of ensuring everything is tight and I recruit every damn fibre during a lift. For example in the squat every part of me is engaged in the lift...calves are tight, core is tight back is tight, quads are tight. 

Initially it felt counter intuitive but to become unconsciously competent I needed initially to be hyper aware of every part of me during the lifts. Each session I feel more engaged and its starting to become second nature to be fully engaged in the lift.

For the beginner the best way to switch this intensity on is to focus on ensuring everything is phenomenally tight and engaged prior to the lift. Use imagery, imagine yourself as a coiled spring or a solid bar of iron, whatever works for you. Though especially for a beginner its important not to confuse the intensity with semantic ranting and psyche ups that you see far too often.

Remember to keep watching the experienced lifters putting up big numbers on the platform. Watch how they switch it on with every fiber straining to lock out. 

Now many of you reading this will go what the F%^%ck just lift it. But it was eye opening for me to realise how little intensity I was really bringing to the bar. I believe its going to take a number of cycles of training to truly embed these new cues but I am excited for Nationals in June.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Squat Session Sunday

Today was squat day, the second session of the weeks planned training. I deadlifted well on Friday night, pushing 3 nice fast sets of 5. Following these work sets with paused sets has been a great move. After the heavy sets dropping back 30kgs and performing 2 second double paused sets makes the weight feel light.

Two days later I backed up for squats. Thankfully it was Sunday which I find a much more conducive atmosphere for hitting the big (relatively!) numbers. As per the deads I needed to hit 3 sets of 5 works sets followed by a de-load in weight and 3 second pause in the hole squats.

The weight felt heavy on the back but the video of my final set, pleasingly, showed my form to be good and the depth also on target. Given I will drop through much harder with wraps I am feeling good about squats. I am also noticeably tighter during the squat, something I have been very focused on developing.  

Overall the session felt strong and I finished up with leg press for high reps super-setted with Pendlay rows. 

It's nice to feel the team aspect again as big Carl also popped in and provided some good coaching on my squats.

A day off now with light recovery before my final session of the week with bench.

This week particularly has taught me a lot about attitude and aggression which feels like it is paying off in my numbers. I will post more about this this week.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Concepts for Beginning Powerlifters 1 - Focus on small change

One of the challenges being new in this sport is the amount of information  that you need to contextualise and  apply to your training. I have learned over the last year that it's important to just stick to 2 or 3 key things per movement and seek mastery in those before moving on.

For example my squat has been all over the place this last year as I experimented with many different aspects of technique. As a consequence each session felt like I was starting over as I hadn't really embedded and mastered the technique change I had been working on.

Now I have focused on picking just 1 or two aspects, in my case hip and ankle mobility as I believed this would give me a much stronger position out of the hole and help me stay a little more 'chest up'. Importantly this also removed lots of confusion and dissonance each session as I only had to focus on the one aspect.

It's been 2 months and my squat is looking much better. In fact I videoed my session today and it was pleasing to see my positioning looking far more consistent. Importantly the bar path is staying straight, constantly tracking over the mid-foot allowing me to drive strongly from the bottom.

The key going forward is to keep applying the same cues so that this movement pattern becomes second nature. I have now added work to improve my T-spine mobility but I am concious to reinforce my previous technique gains so I don't regress in these areas.

There are no guarentees in this sport but I am looking forward to Nationals, in fact I am booking flights tonight so it is locked and loaded!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Squatting and Feeling Good

All this week I had thought that today's squats were going to be challenging. My schedule called for 3x8 (2nd week of 8's) in the squat followed by 5x5 of pause squats at 80% of the working weight. Everything fell into place nicely, energy levels were high and I just felt ready to have a big session.

Interestingly I had spent the previous 2 hours prior to the session taking my daughter to a fun centre. Pretty much for the whole time I crawled and chased my two year old across an obstacle course from hell. Regardless it gave the hips nice warm-up and by the time I reached the gym I as ready to go.

The 3 work sets went up fast and felt I had 3-4 reps in the tank each set. Pleasingly I felt really tight in the bottom of the squat and strong through the glutes and quads. I think the pause squats have really helped my build strength in the bottom position.

I finished off with Pendlay rows and then went back to the bench for some light wide grip benches. A couple of days ago I managed to jar my wrist on my last set of military presses and its been tended the last few days.In fact I couldn't bench well the previous session so to compensate I switched my day today to squats rather than heavy bench but I did get some light sets in with my wrist wrapped. I should be okay to bench again Tuesday and now I will be switching to a wider competition grip for the rest of my program.

I bumped into one of the other members after training, Liesh. She has great form on the deadlift and squat so I took the opportunity to spruik GPC and the great lifting in the womens events at the moment. I joked that over the next 3 months I am going to wear her down and have her lift in GPC this year!

Ten weeks to Nationals!

Stay Strong
Thomo

Sumo versus Conventional Deadlifting

Week three of Nationals preparation iss finished and I am comfortable with my progress thus far. While squats felt overly hard I think it had more to do with the family being in the grips of croop and a nasty virus.

With deadlifts scheduled for tomorrow night I've been watching footage from last years Nationals to get the juices flowing. Whenever I watch the competition footage I invariably end up focusing on Dan Green and Odel pulling massive deadlifts on the last day of competition. It was a great finish to the GPC Nationals and it got me thinking about sumo versus conventional deadlifting.

Clearly powerlifting is about maximising leverage and in that regard it's obvious that some lifters will switch to Sumo with a wide stance to minimise the bar travel and maximise 1RM. In this regard I have no problem with the style chosen but I have to say I find sumo lifting far less interesting to watch.

Thinking back to the GPC Nationals, as much as Dan Green was a beast to watch,Odell pulling 400kg conventional style looked far more impressive. Similarly I much prefer seeing Ed Coan's conventional lifts compared to his sumo efforts. 

Somehow a wide sumo stance looks far less athletic in the same way that a very wide geared squat does. Now I understand this is a heretical view but I like lifting to keep some semblance of athleticism.

A few of my short armed midget mates might disagree with this post but perhaps sometimes the essence of a sport needs to trump expedience.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Powerlifting Made Simple - A Beginners Recipe for Success

Spoke to a young guy in the gym tonight and reminisced given 26 years ago that was me. We chatted a little about training and what his goals were and it got me thinking about simple steps for beginners.


1. Be honest: This may not be politically correct but first things first. Have a good long look in the mirror then validate your observations with someone who is brutally honest. What you begin with has to dictate your strategy going forward. If you are fat, pre diabetic with high blood pressure then you need to get healthy first. Similarly if you are an emaciated super skinny teenage guy then mass needs to come before conditioning. Just be honest and work with what you have.

2. Programming: Keep it simple, very very simple. If it was possible to capture the energy that beginning lifters spend talking about the perfect routine, screwing with their routine and swapping between routines, you could power a small city indefinitely.A basic routine with simple linear progression is all that you need to start.

3. Diet: Eat healthily and spend time understanding the basic macros and volume of food required to support your goals. There are plenty of resources available online to provide guidance but often to gain and support recovery hard training lifters need far more food than you think. Note I advocate healthy food, large volumes of shit will always make you fat.

4. There are no absolutes: There are many so called guru's but very little truth. It is difficult for a noob to validate the myriad of information available today. First thing first, do not listen to your dopey mate who spends $150 a month on supplements and still weighs 60kg's.

 Read anything by Dan John, his simple philosophies strip lifting back to its core principles. Follow this by reading Starting Strength end to end. Don't worry about the Mark Rippetoe bashing that's occurred lately.

As always keep it simple.

Stay Strong

Thomo

GPC WA State Powerlifting Championships

The 2014 GPC State Championships were recently completed. Once again the Rucci brothers and GPC put on a fantastic show. Last year we had 32 lifters and the resurgence in raw powerlifting was evident with 60+ hitting the platform across 2 days.

The Morley Coventry Markets again proved a fantastic venue. Centre management have shown great support for powerlifting with this being the second event at this venue in 2014. What is most pleasing is it provides a great interface through which the general public can be exposed to and experience competitive powerlifting.

Unfortunately not only could I not compete I wasn't able to make the event due to work commitments. Regardless the lifting was fantastic with great lifting across all weight classes.

Notable results included James McNaught dominating for the second successive year posting a big 750 total in the 82kg class, Luca Rossi 820kg @ 140kg+ and Yianni hitting 565 at 69.5kg though well down on his best.

The great lifting continued with 12 women hitting the platform with Monica Cook taking out the womens on co-efficient with 315 @ 58.80.

Pleasingly from my perspective there were 10 masters lifters including 84 year old Eric 'Hercules' Perryman showing the lifting can be a life long endeavour. Check out the full results at the link below along with vision of some of the great lifting.

http://www.ptcperth.com.au/2014-GPC-WA-Powerlifting-State%20Titles-Results.html







Powerlifting in Australia...

Staying Strong

Week 3 Powerlifting Prep

Its Saturday morning post deadlift workout and I am moving slowly with great deliberation. My third week of preparation has commenced and ever so slightly the next day lethargy and soreness is making an appearance.

Yesterday was a particularly long day at work 13 hours with additional travel time on the road. As a result it was well into the evening by the time I tackled the first 3x8 set on deadlifts. Though I am starting to get used to these interrupted days so it's having a less of a detrimental effect on training.

The weight isn't particularly challenging at this point, but the sets of 8 reps scheme is a tad annoying. As the instigator of this routine suggested, the sets of 8-10 are just to weed out the 'soft cocks' before the real work starts.

Today has been all about rest and the usual recovery work to get ready for tomorrows session. The greatest impediment to recovery continues to be interrupted sleep. Unfortunately my toddler has struggled with a nasty Croop virus this week so sleep has been challenging.  Regardless shit happens and kids always..always come first!

At the end of last nights session noticed a kid setting up in the cage to....military press?? I couldn't help myself but had to suggest the muscle motion racks have J hooks that you can sling on the outside for just such an occasion. To be fair many of the guys here have no concept of 'working in' yet so it will take a little eduation.

Bring on bench tomorrow.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Post Squat Bliss

The bar is racked for the night and I wade through the multitude of  gun pumping bodybuilders, my propped pumped quads struggling to move me forward.

I felt tight tonight but I hit my numbers, 3x10 on work sets then 5x5 on 2 second pause squats (exhaling in the bottom position). Finished with Push press followed by Pendlay rows. I would have loved to do more but that was it. Hit my number, nothing more, nothing less.

As I leave i watch a bodybuilder in his early twenties, physique unnaturally swollen and I wonder what he will look like at 44. I know already...he won't train. The inevitability of natural training that will be required at some point will not sustain him. His time in the sun will pass to quickly but in the meantime he is enjoying the ride swollen to extremes doing high rep quarter range movements.

I smile knowing that I am healthy, alive and maintaining the natural order of things. Perhaps I am being harsh, frankly I don't care what you take or how you justify it. But, there is always a but!

But at some point my world, my little daughter will grow up and when I am still chasing my silly masters totals in ten more years she at some point, inevitably will look me in the eye and ask me if I used drugs. I will have no trouble looking into those baby blues that I have never nor will ever lie to and tell her of course not.

It's hard to live a good life and be a good example if you make a concession. Each concession erodes you incrementally, reduces your capacity to provide an example to others. How will you justify your actions I wonder? Maybe you think its a small point and there are justifications, but I sleep well.

Regardless I live, I lift, I love and I am natural.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Squat Day Is All About the Anticipation

Tonight its quiet in my study at home. I am relaxing after another long day at work. Tomorrow is squat day and for the first time since Nationals I am enjoying squats. My weird adductor issues that appear to manifest at some point during a training cycle have disappeared and my form feels really good.

Right now I am reading the results page for the GPC 2014 WA state championships and I am feeling edgy. Work prevented me from being on the platform or even being available to help over the weekend. Thankfully there are always fantastic volunteers willing to help at GPC contests. The Rucci's put on a great show with numbers double 2013's turnout.

But I am edgy, I have that sickly sweet anxiousness in the pit of my stomach. A gnawing feeling of aggravation is working its way inside me. I have that need to feel on the edge, on the platform under a bar in front of peers putting yourself right up against your limits.

I have had an interrupted year of training through work and illness but frankly none of that matters in 3 months when I am on the platform at Nationals. I need to work harder than I ever have to push past my current total, to push it to respectability.

I am anxious, annoyed and edgy and the only cure is a PB total in June on the Gold Coast.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Begining Weight Training

It's always interesting to reflect on the mistakes one makes early on in your lifting career. Introspection brings revelations, simple learnings and in some cases it makes me laugh. While  I focused heavily on cycling as a young guy I still loved watching strength training and lifted weights to get stronger for riding.

As I look back I laugh at some of the dumb things I did. Weighing at most 57 kg at racing weight I lifted 4 days a week, consecutive days. Typically spending 2 hours in the gym and with study in and around my session I ate infrequently. Regardless  loved watching the huge powerlifters at Curtin Uni gym who would load a ridiculous number of plates on the bar and squat deep.

My nostalgic turn was prompted by watching a young guy in the gym this week. While I was getting through my big sesson below....

Deadlift
Paused deadlifts
Bench Press
Chins
Leg raises

I managed to get through this in an hour and 15 and worked my ass off. During the same time the skinny young guy nearby proceeded to do the following:

Barbell curl
Dumbell incline curl
tricep pressdown
french press
1 arm concentration curl

As I warmed down and left he was off onto another barbell exercise. Now this dude is an average ecto build and I feel so damn sorry seeing him do nothing but pump his guns for whatever ego/insecurity trip he is on.

It does make me think about how to grab these guys and get into their head to focus on the big lifts. Or perhaps you let them go and let them find their own way to the truth.

I'm glad that I am lifting at 44 and learning and loving competitive powerlifting.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Squats Rule!!!

Squat night tonight and I was feeling pretty pumped for a good session. Unfortunately I was also under time pressure. It was one of those days, 5:30am work start, finish up a little early for once at 4:30pm then a mad dash to the gym so I can get to another appointment.

On this current routine I had 3 work sets of ten reps followed by assistance pause squats. Prior to getting under the bar I took plenty of light goblet squats to get the blood flowing. I think Dan John is a genius when it comes to promoting these. For a guy like me with less than optimal squat mobility, practising goblets on my off day for half an hour is really keeping the hips in good shape. The key to improving mobility with these is daily practise sitting in the bottom position. Importantly you have to avoid the rookie mistake, as many guys sit in the goblet without any focus on good form and simply end up reinforcing a shitty movement pattern. 

Squats felt good and I feel my form is much much better. Interestingly I am not getting any of the adductor pain I had months ago and I certainly feel my back is in a great position, not perfect mind you but much better than it has ever been.

The only conundrum I have is whether to run this cycle raw with no wraps to my PB raw number and then use the following three weeks to wrap up and chase my overall best wrapped lift. Typically the routine I am on calls for wraps at week five but my gut is telling me to do the hard work build true raw numbers and the wraps will take care of themselves.

Given I had to change gyms this year and no longer have access to a monolift there is a risk that my technique is going to be a bit off. Regardless I can always pay for some casual sessions at PTC or the Pit in the final weeks of my cycle to mitigate this.

I am disappointed not to be doing states but I am nowhere near ready so will just hope they still run a qualifier for Nationals in May.

Ok time for my final meal of the night.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Hysteria over Red Meat and Cancer: Examine.com to The Rescue

Recently the local media has been abuzz reporting a study that linked high protein consumption with cancer. Through the week national talk shows rolled out a menagerie of dieticians to nod sagely about the wisdom embodied within the study.

Now from day one I called bullshit because so often correlation is confused with causation which the gullible public glibly suck up. So I managed to start working my way through what I could find re the study.
Thankfully before I was half way through the wise lads at Examine.com had performed their magic dissecting the study to reveal the truth.

In reality the results of the studies (not one but two studies) suggested a far different outcome than that reported by the media. It's actually fascinating to read the review by Examine.com and observe how the study and data is analysed and interpreted correctly.  They suggested the actual study title would more accurately have been.....

“High protein for those between 50 years to 65 years old who have poor diet and lifestyle habits may be associated with increased cancer risk.”

Examine.com should be everyone's one stop  resource for supplement and nutrition information. They are thorough, methodical and the information is presented logically for the layman. Check out the link below and if you haven't bought it yet...buy the supplement guide!


http://examine.com/blog/high-protein-diets-linked-to-cancer-should-you-be-concerned/

Evidence based logic no bro science!

Thomo

Back in Perth and its 1 Week to WA GPC States

Today I woke up in Darwin  and 6 hours later via a stopover in Alice Springs I was back in Perth. Travel necessitated a couple of calorie feasts prior to training so I didn't actually finish up training until 8:40 this evening.

Overall the session went well with 3 work sets of deadlifts followed by double paused deads, bench and rows. For good measure I finished off with 6 sets of chins then back home for calorie feast number 3 since stepping off the plane.

Surprisingly there were quite a number of people working out on a Saturday night though I did notice a hell of a lot of young 'bros'  pumping the guns before heading out to the clubs!

Now to more important things. Next weekend 15th and 16th is the WA State GPC Championships. The PTC crew are putting on another fantastic show at Coventry Markets in Morley. This event should be huge and a showcase for powerlifting in this state.

Not only will the venue be first class but the lads have arranged for their new monster Monolift to be ready for the event. Check out the promo below

As I have mentioned before I wont be competing at States thus year rather I will hit the PTC Nationals qualifier  in May. Regardless I am hoping to help out on one of the days but still trying to confirm whether I will be away late this week again for work. I'd hate to miss this event it will be a great spectacle with some powerhouse lifting.

Remember the PTC adage,' if you aren't lifting you are helping' so make sure you get down to support the crew.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Plenty of Eating Very Little Lifting

Coming up to my third day in Darwin and plenty of fantastic food but no alas no training. Most of the days have required back to back meetings so it's been great from a work perspective with lots of pent up energy for my next session.

I made a deliberate decision not to train while up here but if I needed to there a few old school gyms so there is plenty of opportunity to lift big while in the top end.

During a break between meetings I dropped into a local supplement shop: Wicked NRG Supplements and Nutrition. The staff were great and friendly and they have a fantastic range so if you are in Darwin stop in they will look after all your supplementation needs.

Tomorrow is around 6 hours in transit on planest. No doubt I am going to be a little weary by the time I get home but looking forward to my second week of Nationals preparation. This means Deadlift and squats tomorrow can't F&^cking wait!

Stay Strong

Thomo

You Lift But Are you Strong?

As I get deeper into competing the inevitable question arises ' Am I progressing well...am I strong enough'. It's someone times hard to assess your strength in this game relative to your peers. While it would seem the simplicity of the bigger total provides an unequivocal assessment there are mitigating factors that confuse the issue somewhat.

Obviously anthropomorphic differences benefit some but that's the same in any sport. Rather it's the  pervasive spread of drugs that really confuses the issue. For example I am aiming to get to a triple bodyweight squat and deadlift in the next few years. If I check my peers locally that's ok but compared to some of the totals I see its not so good (note I am talking about the 75kg class that I lift in).

In these discussions it's important not to fall into the easy route of assuming everyone above you on the total list is on the gear. Perspective requires a more detailed examination of the bell curve to assess personal strength.

Locally there are some outstanding young lifters in the 75kg class and several are close to hitting the aforementioned 3x bodyweight goal (at least in the deadlift). I am comfortable these young bucks are natural (for the moment) and deserve their success. However this group is a pretty small sample of the gene pool and typically those that lift competitively already well above those that just lift in the gym. Therefore  my total is not so bad in relation to the population it's just in relative terms against the small pool of 75kg lifters its found wanting. Thats ok I am patient and if all goes well I think I have a solid 5 years to get this total up before I hit late forties.

The issue of drugs is a polarising one. I had a conversation recently with a lifter who had made fantastic gains over the last year and hit a great drug free total. Despite this I could sense his frustration as the 2-3 lifters above him are known to hit the gear and as a consequence the gap between his total and theirs has grown.

In this example it's easy to fall back into assessing yourself against those that choose a different route rather than accept how strong you have become. I remember reading Randal J Strossen's great extracts in Iron Man Magazine in the early eighties. He advocated very simplistic old school training and diet regimes and pushed heavily the following standards as the baseline strength goals for the average man:

Bench: 300 (136 kg)
Squat: 400 (180kg)
Deadlift 500: (225kg)

Now at the time as a 53kg teenage road cyclist these numbers seemed ridiculous however 25 years later and 1 year into my powerlifting career they are achievable. My mistake would be to look at the guys in my sport with 600+ totals in my weight class and assess myself against them. At this stage they are a bridge too far and I am comfortable they are either the best in the sport or as I know now some are on the gear. Either way they are to much for me at the moment.

On this topic here is a great article from Muscle and Brawn that explores great natural numbers and provides a more realistic perspective for those of us struggling away in the middle of the bell curve!

http://muscleandbrawn.com/strong-strength-standards-raw-natural-lifters/

Stay Strong

Thomo


 

Jon North Is Back

Spent some time perusing videos of the Arnold Weightlifting this morning. It was pleasing to see Jon North back to his crazy best going 155/180 for a nice return to the platform.

Now I'd love to be able to tell you were he placed but despite a shit load of Googling it appears there is no easy location to view the actual results. Again you can see why sports like powerlifting struggle sometimes but shit Weightlifting is an Olympic sport and its the Arnold in 2014. Do you think it would be that hard to show the results the day after the comp??? I am checking out the TeamUSA site as we speak and while I can see some lovely  hi res pics of Kendrick Farris smiling at the camera none of the numpty's thought it might be useful to post up contest results the day after the Arnold?

Regardless here is Jon Norths lifts taken from the crowd.



Well after watching Jon's antics I am well and truly pumped for my powerlifting session this morning.
Today it's squats, paused squats, military press and finishing off with rows. This s technically week one of my peaking cycle. Though as always work is intervening as I am jumping on a plane for 4 days work in the North of Australia and it's likely I wont be able to train while I am there.

To compensate I may need to push through a Saturday/Sunday consecutive session to keep the weeks on track. New week different shit, just keep lifting!

Stay Strong
Thomo

2014 Arnold Fitness Weekend

This weekend is the annual Arnold fitness festival and I will be taking some time to check out a few of the events online.

Actually I am amazed to think I have been watching this event for 25 years, where did that time go? Of course back in 1989  I had to wait 2-3 months for the results to be published as breaking news in flex magazine. No doubt a few of you will be astounded to understand how we coped with such slow information flow. Though I probably interrupted you tweeting about the fact you just took a dump and 8 friends 'liked' it on facebook!

Back in 89 Rich Gaspari the perennial Mr Olympia runner up broke through for the big win. Little did anyone conceive of how big or broad the events list would become. Though given the stupidity of the over the top drug regime that has gripped pro Bodybuilding perhaps it's no surprise.

In fact it always makes me chuckle watching Arnold hand over the first place trophy to some guy running a huge drug stack that Arnold can't comprehend while still trying to advocate the health line. Granted Rich and the boys sure weren't clean back in 89 but the look was still reasonably aesthetic.

In terms of events I am pretty keen to watch some of the powerlifting such as big Blaine Sumner along with one of our own Nathan Baxter from Perth. Though my main focus will be to see how Jon North returns to competition in the weightlifting. I have been avidly watching his Vlogs on Attitude Nation and keen to see how his energy translates to the platform.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Preparing for My First Powerlifting Comp of 2014

Today was the second session of my competition prep routine. I am keeping this prep nice and simple with a 12 week linear progression.

I love working out on a Saturday as I have plenty of time for pre-workout meals, warm-ups and the rest of the day to inhale plenty of post work out nutrition. Actually  powered through the routine today, Bench, floor press, front squats and chins. Given the percentages were low I was in and out within an hour and 4 hours later I am feeling fresh full and raring to go for another session.

The highlight of today was front squats. Form was perfect, 5 second pause in the hole and great speed out of the bottom. These are really helping bring my quads up and give a wicked pump. It's still early days but the t-spine and ankle mobility work has really helped my squat.

This routine will have me peaking for the GPC qualifier so I will have to decide how to work it so I maintain a peak for Nationals 3 weeks later.

Funny shit for the day: seeing a young guy walk in to train, sporting a string tank top and toting a massive 2 gallon water bottle. In fact it looked like a mini version of one of those water bottles you see in the office watercooler. I mean...shit how much fluid does the guy need to do concentration curls and lateral raises!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Anabolic Methods to Growth

I wonder how many  hits this headline will get this post? It struck me the other day how much effort so many guys/gals put into programming, diet and still miss the obvious.

As a perfectly 'average' and natural lifter my success equation comes down to:

 diet + effort + recovery = results

 We can argue the toss about effective programming etc. but for my level that's pretty much it.  Of those three inputs I am sure recovery is often the most neglected and poorly executed.

Take me for example, I have less than stellar genetics for this sport but I get quite particular about programming, getting meals etc. However leading a pretty stress-full professional life I have subsisted on 5-6 hours a night sleep for quite a number of years now. Does this impact my training and recovery, hell yes. As a consequence I have to accept less than optimal progress unless I make the necessary lifestyle changes to get more sleep per night.

Interestingly in brief periods where I have strung together nights of full restful sleep the changes to mood and performance in the gym have been substantial. So while I can tinker with various aspects of my programming, supplementation regime and diet the simple reality is I can make substantial improvements with a month of better sleeping.

As always the challenge is balancing work and life to get it right!

Stay Strong
Thomo

10 Weeks to GPC Qualifier

Today I marked commencement of my preparation for the GPC qualifier in May. I have decided to go hard at the qualifier, more due to paranoia that work is somehow going to be crazy busy and I wont be able to attend Nationals (fingers crossed).

Still feeling banged up from my illness from last week but it's starting to become apparent to me that much of my training issues stem from lack of sleep due to my work commitments. Typically I average about 5-6 hours a night which is woeful compared to what I need given the stuff I do on a daily basis for work let alone training. Trying to make some changes to fix this at least 3-4 nights a week, though sometimes life just gets in the way.

Tonight was easy 3x10 deads at 55% followed by assistance for bench. Last year I followed a basic 3 day a week preparation however this year I have benefited from squatting and benching twice a week which has helped me work on technique. I am still learning and feel that I really need to practise technique and 1 day a week on the big lifts doesn't allow this.  Therefore I am running 5x3 or 5x5 sessions on alternate days to keep the frequency and volume up on the 3 lifts.

The powerlifting team looks like it is coming along nicely once everyone can work out what federations they are lifting in. Hopefully a few of the lads will see the light and kick onto GPC: they really are fantastically run competitions.

Overall the session felt good tonight. In and out in an hour, so plenty of rest tonight and ready for the long weekend.

Stay Strong
Thomo

What Do Powerlifters Get for Their Birthday

Today I celebrated my 44th Birthday and I am still trying to work out where the last 20 years went?? It's quite sobering to get close to your mid forties but fortunately I still feel (some would say act) like I am still in my twenties.

I am still not on de-load off week as I finish my antibiotics course so the tension of not training is really starting to build. In fact I find myself already thinking about how the bar will feel in my hand on that first deadlift session. 

Given how well my last squat session went I am quite looking forward to getting under the bar. I really feel the mobility work has started to benefit my squat However it's a long road to good form but I am taking it a day at a time.

I am comfortably reconciled that I will be missing States this year but I am fortunate PTC Perth are putting on a Nationals Qualifier a month out so I will still be good to go for Nationals. Given how work is this year Nationals will be a hit and run mission with a flight over, compete then return the next day.  Not quite the trip I would like but it is what it is.

Tomorrow I will take a little about what I am learning about recovery (often the hard way!).

Stay Strong

Thomo

Try Lifting Naturally for Once

Caught up with the old lads today and invariably the topic turned to gear (drugs not lifting suits!). The consensus was that it's just plain shitty working your ass off for a total then find some ass-hole juiced to the gills with hosepipe vascularity comes out and blows you away.

Now don't misunderstand me, that very same lifter may be working hard but the undeniable fact is that the asshole took a short cut. Essentially they couldn't push through the hard yards to realise gains the natural way.

Despite this I wear my natural status and crappy total as a badge of honour because I am damn happy to be lifting healthy. Though I still struggle to comprehend so many taking this unnatural route so early in their career. I think the young guys that gear do it for the insecurity and the laziness. I mean flogging away day in day out for 15 kgs on your total takes resilience. Much simpler to take D-Bol, test  etc and keep the big gains coming.

Perhaps for me the worst part of it is the duplicity, the fact that may don't come out and say they are on the gear. If you have the balls to take it then have the balls to step up and admit you take the gear because you can't cut it naturally.

I have seen plenty of guys recently that have gone down this path and frankly it's good to know I can look them in the eye and they can see how little I think of them.

Now the question comes up why don't I train in a natural fed, well because in my area they are poorly supported with few competitions. I'd much rather be the anomaly amongst a sea of common cheating halfwits.

In fact it's not even the illegality, for me it's far more about the mental laziness of those that go down this route so early. The smug self assuredness of those that achieve a result for which they are not wholly responsible.

As my older masters friend pointed out, few if any of his peers from those days that geared are in any state to lift or give back to the sport now.

Therefore I am content that many of you gearing and taking false accolades now will be watching from the sidelines in twenty years while I will still be on the platform in my sixties.

You will be in the crowd, perhaps with several torn pecs fucked up backs and chronically low test. Maybe you will just be a fat fuck. Either way I'll be there watching and I will recognise you and maybe even ask you if it was all worth it.


Stay Strong

Thomo

PS that was my 300th Post and thanks to those of you that follow my meandering rants!

Exit Brisbane..Hello Perth

I flew back into Perth today after 4 days spent working in Brisbane. It was a whirlwind trip, made more challenging by a nice throat/head infection that I picked up last week. Straight off the plane I hit the local Dr who actually went through a decent diagnosis before he recommended the antibiotics.

Thankfully this is my de-load week so I am not due to train again for another 4 days which will be 9 days in total off. By the time I get back to training I should be well rested and raring to go.

While in Brisbane I managed to track down a pair of light weight shoes for deadlifting. For the past 6 months I have been using some cheap ass $10 shoes I picked up in a rush at the last minute prior to Nationals. Since then I have been looking for better option than the typical converse with the inners removed. I ran across the Merrell range and found the perfect deadlifting type slipper with flat grippy sole and very light weight. 

I can't wait to get onto the platform in these.

Stay Strong

Thomo

ps for those of you who recline your seat in Economy..where do you think that seat ends up?? In my fucking face while I am trying to watch TV. I had to point this out to a schmuck today on the flight with an 'accidental' but perfectly timed elbow to the back of the head. 

Deloading this Week

Today was my last session of the week. This meant heavy squats, and overhead press. Last night I felt pretty lousy with a sore throat and general lethargy, so going in I wasn't particularly confident  the session would be productive.

Surprisingly I pounded out the requisite sets feeling strong as well as smashing a nice 20 reps  on my AMAP set. It's actually funny how in previous sessions when I have felt under the weather they have proved to be the best session of the week. As a bonus I videoed my heaviest set of squats and it was by far the best form I have had in a long while.

Tomorrow I am on a plane for 4 days for business so I will take the opportunity to de-load and let the body recover a little before kicking off again next Thursday.

I have decided I am definitely not doing States this year as it is likely I will be away for work in and around that week.  So rather than run myself into the ground I will hit the Nationals qualifier at PTC a month out from Nationals. I won't peak for the qualifier, instead I am going to simply lift whatever my scheduled training poundage is for that week. I am not confident of peaking twice so soon so this will allow me to qualify and then run my normal peaking cycle for Nationals.

While it has been a slow start this season I am feeling ok, I am looking forward to Nationals but one day at a time there are plenty of sessions to get through first.

Stay Strong
Thomo

Why don't Olympic Lifters Squat in a Damn Rack

Watching his Vlog 20 as part of my Jon North appreciation society role (kidding yeh but I do like the guy) I saw him dump a squat and almost get stapled on the way down. Check out 9:38 on the video below.




What I can't reconcile is given the inherent risk in getting crunched under a squat why wouldn't Oly lifters perform limit sets  in a rack for safety. Is it machismo, habit or just plain stupidity. Maybe I am more risk averse than most but for a guy like Jon pushing hard why would you not make what is an assistance movement such as the squat safer??

Thomo

ps watched a guy today reverentially put on his new Oly lifting shoes only to then step on to the platform and perform 6 sets of deadlifts

Another Day More Rep Targets to Beat

Tonight was a 50% win 50% lose session. I was on a time limit due to prior committments but lost time first as a) someone was fucking around on the lowest possible pin height rack deadlifting in the rack I needed. Then when it was time to bench I was left with a shitty fat grip bar then when I wanted to pause deadlift I had to wait for a bar to free up. Consequently I had to cut short my deadlifts 2 sets early.

Overall it was a good session.  Still a little weird though that while I don't feel as in the groove as last year the weights are going up a little better and certainly stronger earlier in the season??

Met another guy, Nathan last night and he has lifted in CAPO before and is keen to train on the team. Therefore at this stage we will have 4-5 guys lifting and representing the gym. Not bad for a mainstream gym.

As I suggested in a previous post I am hoping creating an enclave of powerlifting within a more mainstream gym will help attract some guys to competition that otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to it.

We will organise soft suits, t-shirts etc and coordinate some shared training nights and get the team vibe pumping.

Stay tuned

Thomo