Girls Squatting Rules

Tonight felt like a strong session. There was plenty to get through including double paused deads, heavy bench and volume squats. Overall I kept a brisk pace and was done and dusted in about an hour 15. I followed this up with some quality food post workout and now here I am kicking back and blogging.

Tonight I squatted outside of the racks by necessity. Each of the racks was taken up by girls going ass to grass on squats. In fact the squat form on these two was so good I was a little reticent to squat close by and have my poor form compared to theirs. 

Sadly across the room the usual collection of young 'bro's' were pumping guns in front of the mirrors, while these girls actually showed some balls (wrong association I know!) and did the hard yards in the squat rack. More power to them!

During warms ups I had a brief chat with a young guy I recently met in the gym, Alex. I had initially noticed him as he had the classic look of a young guy that meant business. Headphones in, lots of deadlifts, deep squats with 3 plates and no bullshit or arms in front of the mirror. He mentioned he will be entering the PTC Novice comp in a couple of weeks so I offered to go along and assist on the day. Always good to see strong young guy compete and bolster the ranks in Perth.

A day off now and then the final session of the week on Saturday. Each week getting sightly stronger, can't wait for Nationals!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Raw versus Geared Lifting

How often do you see this argument surface on the forums, blogs or in articles? Pretty much every second day. Though if you take a minute to peruse the various viewpoints most tend to be diametrically opposed. The raw proponents decry the 'indecency' of the equipped set getting so much assistance from the gear. While many equipped lifters suggest there is no true raw given wraps, belt, creatine, roids etc. Where do you draw the line with assistance?

I should probably declare my hand early, though I am new to competitive power-lifting I have no desire to try single or multiply lifting. I can objectively appreciate the insane effort that an equipped lifter is going to, to hone technique and use the gear effectively but for some reason I don't see it as pure and as simple as I want my lifting.

As I have said many a time the many variants of raw are a more simple introduction to this great sport and this is where I think we have the best chance to grow the sport. Regardless it is a personal preference and immune to objective argument, it simply is what it is. I can see equipped as perhaps a variant that a raw lifter should try once he has exhausted his raw potential as it gives him an avenue to again experience his/her total progressing again and opens a different skill path. However just not something I am interested in.

However I did read on Craig Hirota's excellent blog a simple articulate phrasing of the nuances of equipped lifting as follows (check out the post http://www.firebirdfitness.com/2012/02/are-you-really-raw-or-does-it-just.html):

Geared singly-ply powerlifting is unbelievably difficult and requires a determination and willingness to hurt above and beyond anything that a raw powerlifting routine would ever demand.  Multi-ply geared powerlifting pretty much requires one to sell their soul to the Devil.  It's that hard. 

The squat suit wants to cut off your legs and blow your head up.  The bench shirt either wants to dump the bar on your face or belly when it's not trying to break your ribs or cut your arms off from the armpits.  The deadlift suit just plain fights you and won't let you get down to the bar and when it does, if you're male, tries to trade a successful lift in return for a lifetime as a eunuch.  The lifters that stick with the gear and learn the intricacies of using it effectively are true adrenaline junkies.  The fine line between a successful lift with bone snapping weights and a 911 call is slim at the top levels.  Each successful lift is like surviving a rush by a rabid grizzly bear.

 That's probably the most straight forward articulation of what geared lifting is all about and emphasises the difference in the discipline required (nice work Craig).

I suspect my deeper reticense is more as a businessman. I think would crossfit be as successful if they started with Cross-fit version A and Cross fit version B. Hell no, offer the one product do it well and promote the shit out of it. But as always it appears that powerlifters would rather fragmentation at all costs.

Don't misunderstand I am not saying lets remove geared or raw and have just one, however the Crossfit element allways reminds me of powerlifting's missed opportunity.

That's all for hump day, tomorrow is paused deadlifts and front squats and bench!!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Deadlift day..getting tighter

Yesterday required a work set of 8 reps on the deadlift followed by 5x3 at 75%. Suffice to say after these are done I always feel a little busted before the next exercise. This meant bench press, triples, doubles and singles followed deadlifting.

As in previous weeks the heat in the gym continued to screw with me. It's funny, while I have lifted in plenty of stinking hot un-airconditioned gyms for some reason I am feeling it more here.

If you put a gun to my head I would say training is going well but I am still working with my coach to understand the optimal progression per week. As always I prefer to stay within myself and build momentum and resist my natural inclination to overreach too early.

While my squat has yet to kick off my quads are loving the volume of 2 sessions of front squats a week and I have seen my reps continue to rise. I am about  4.5 months from Nationals and while my training really hasn't kicked up a gear yet I feel confident I can PB total and individual lifts.

Stay Strong

Thomo

Brandon Lilly Injured Squatting

I just saw a grainy video of Brandon Lilly go down as his left kneecap gives way under a 340kg squat. Here's wishing the big guy a speedy rehab and recovery. I haven't met him personally but the Australia GPC president has and speaks highly of the guy from his trip down under last year. Based on his facebook he has had surgery and hopefully it all went well for the long road back.

Interestingly more than a few comments on the forums have queried why there weren't more spotters etc but when 340kg goes down that quickly there is little chance of arresting that much weight. It's certainly a timely reminder that this sport at it's extremes really puts competitors at risk. It takes a big set of balls to get under that much weight.

One thing I will say (not that it mattered in this instance) is that I am glad I lift in GPC events where as a federation we promote squatting bone/joint gives way it sure as hell makes sure that much weight doesn't pin you down and do more damage.

Regardless I am sure the big guy will be back as soon as humanly possible.

Stay Strong
Thomo

Simple Powerlifting Ethos

A short post today. I came across a paragraph that I thought was particularly powerful as it spoke of staying true to values. I like the sentiments embodied in this simple truism, I see far too many guys in their 20's making choices to increase their total but having no concept of the long game, that these choices will define them now and in years to come.

' I want to leave a legacy of faith to my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This is more important than a contest total or title. Therefore, there are lines I'm not willing to cross for a contest win.'

Stay Strong

Thomo

Something Worthwhile on T-Nation...Really????

First things first, today is Australia day and like most of the population I have spend the day at the beach with family and friends. There is nothing better than starting the day at the beach as the sun comes up. I followed this up with the most Australian of institutions; the back yard barbecue.

Suffice to say I am now about 4000 calories fuller with a nice carb load for tomorrows dead-lifting and squatting. Speaking of squatting I mentioned in previous posts that since I have used straps to overcome wrist issues my front squatting has been fantastic. Well I discovered the rarest of items today, an article of value on T-Nation, one that wasn't riddled with infomercial product placements for their next 'must have' supplement.

The article is by John Phung and describes the mechanics of front squatting using straps. For those of you that struggled like I did with the front squat it's well worth a read:

http://www.t-nation.com/training/how-to-front-squat-with-straps

Thats all for me, tomorrow is a public holiday and I have some deadlifting to prepare for!

Stay Strong

Thomo

Front Squats Rule

It's a Saturday night on the long weekend and I am working on a nice bloat with my post workout steakfest. Today was a good result and I feel my strength and focus returning with each session. Though I have continued to struggle in the intense summer heat, which  really seems to pushing me into fatigue early in my sessions. Regardless the numbers are showing my work rate is increasing as I push rep records while my session durations have dropped back to an even hour.

I have been working on my squat mobility and during this period have focused heavily on the front squat to mix up the stress. Having not  trained the front squat before it took a few sessions to get the cues right. However 3 weeks in it feels like a fantastic adjunct to my training.

A couple of things have surprised me about the front squat. Firstly my form is much much better than normal squatting. Obviously I have some mobility issues that impact my back squat but I feel much stronger front squatting. Though it has to be noted I am squatting holding the bar via straps to compensate for my less than poor writ flexibility. The second benefit appears to be a much more direct quad stimulation that is driving some discernible hypertrophy (at least to my eyes!) While I won't ever pause with a quarter of a tonne like our friend Klokov, it certainly feels like I will have a decent number of wheels on the bar this year. The plan is to switch back to normal squats in a month.

After overhead pressing  I finished the session with paused bent rows. For the these I have tweaked the row slightly, using a foam wrapped around the bar to limit my ROM to the sweet spot right where I need to pause and contract.

I fact I did  several sets of cable pull throughs to work the glutes and hip hinge for reps and to assist with recovery for my next session of deads.

Overall it was a great session particularly given I exceeded my planned rep target for the AMRAP final set of front squats.

Now its about focusing on the big three food, sleep and relaxation to get ready for the next session. It's starting to feel good again!

Stay Strong

Thomo

The Tension Builds Just a Little

Today is that absolute Australian institution the 'Australia Day Long Weekend'. For some it represents a commemoration of the arrival of the first fleet from Britain in 1788 to found the colony of New South Wales. To others it's an excuse to get pissed, bent out o shape and be an obnoxious twat. For me it means some well earned rest with the family while getting two quality un-rushed training sessions in.

Hopefully the warm weather will continue and I can manage some time at the beach with my daughter followed by a big breakfast at the local cafe...good times.

While I have had a couple of false starts with illness since December, training feels like it is getting back on track and recently some rep records have tumbled. The key part of my training puzzle is getting more sleep. With early starts for work and interrupted sleep due to my gorgeous baby daughter I'm only locking in 5- 6 hours regularly, add to that 12-13 hour work days and you can see where the pain is.

I have my last session of the week scheduled today and while it is probably the easiest of the sessions I will still be working hard on front squats, particularly the final AMRAP set. These few hours prior to the workout are always enjoyable as the tension builds and I think about the numbers I need to hit.

Not long to go now so time for my pre-workout meal and get my head into  the zone.

Thomo

Random Musings for Thursday

I had a good session tonight and  here I sit inhaling my post workout meal of chinese noodles and a perfectly cooked steak.

The gym was busy tonight and watching some of the crew between sets it struck me that if lightning hit this gym and bounced from Olympic bar to Olympic bar most people would survive given how infrequently they use the big bar (oh except for rack curls!). Everyone seems to be doing 1 arm tricep kick backs, dumbell work and lots of grinding sets on the hammer strength pressing machines.

Not withstanding some of the 'special sauce' that more than a few of the lads seem to be on, the physiques remind me how much hypertrophy is available from light weight volume. Screw that I'd rather still look skinny and be deadlifting 3x bodyweight!

I'm still thinking about the PTC Perth Cup last weekend. Watching all the lads up there in their soft suits on the platform really fired up the competitive spirit.  So much so I pulled out my soft suit and wraps last night, remembering the fun at Nationals.

At this stage I am undecided whether I will do States or just lift whatever my current weeks program is at the GPC qualifier a month out from Nationals. I love the States event the idea of having a solid 4 months to just base build without grinding and peaking for a meet. I'll see how training pans out over the next month and make a decision closer to the event.

At the moment I am enjoying the anonymity of training again, the silent battle for progression. It's funny that though I turn 44 this year I have barely scratched the surface of what I believe is my potential so I still plan my training as if I am 20 again. Watching Eric on the platform on Saturday at 84 years young reminded my how much time I have in this sport. It was special to see someone at that age still competing still striving, definitely and honour to witness his lifts.

Not much more to add, I am looking down at the fresh scuff marks on my shin from paused deadlifts, knowing my back will be protesting in the morning. Regardless I love this shit!

Lift long

Thomo

PTC Perth Perth Cup Done and Dusted

It's been two days since the end of PTC Perth's inaugural Perth Cup and it's clear the event was a great success. It was at the local Coventry Markets which provided a great atmosphere for participants and spectators alike.

I was fortunate to be manning the scorers desk on Saturday giving me a fantastic view of the action. Overall the organisation was excellent and a testament to Aaron Doyle and the Rucci brother's hard work in preparing and running the event..

The mens 75kg and 82kg classes featured some great lifting along with tight competition in the women's classes. Results and videos will be released shortly and I will post an update featuring some of the best lifting later this week.

Given the success of the event Perth Cup will be back even bigger and better in 2015 so if you didn't compete this  make sure you support this event in 2015.

A shout out to all the spotters and loaders on the day. Its a shitty sweaty task and the volunteers did a fine job particularly those that had to back up the following day for their own lifting.

Stay Strong
Thomo

PTC Perths Perth Cup : 2 Days to Go

PTC Perth are putting on a great powerlifting event this weekend. Details below but there should be well over 150 people attending with 50 lifters across two days.

I'll be down there helping out, so come along and support the continued growth of Powerlifting in WA with this fantastic event.

Stay Strong
Thomo

Week 2 Training Not Testing

As most of you know the last month of training has been quite convoluted. The first week of the Xmas break was a dream then gastro quickly ruined my training momentum. The worst thing about gastro and those types of ailments is its not something you can work around because it fucks with your food intake as well.

Regardless I'm rested now and back under the bar. Last night was a good session with Deads, bench volume and back squats. Note my primary leg exercise is front squats twice a week while I have a single 5x5 pause squat day with back squats. I am doing this so I can work on my movement pattern and eliminate some of the crappy butt wink that had found its way into my squat.

After doing a lot of work side on to the mirror I found that I wasn't bracing my upper back as hard and if I really drove it into the bar and kind of tried to wrap my back over the bar then I would have a much better back position. Interestingly this eliminated a lot of butt wink as well. From a proprioception perspective I found that I felt much more stable in the bottom pause and it felt like the bar was very much in the sweet spot with glutes and quads firing. Overall a really positive session.

Deads are going well but with the bench and squat work in the same session I am finding I am a little fatigued. Despite this I am making sure I am training within myself and working the numbers. I am a big fan of Paul Carters concept of always be training not testing i.e. base build without constantly pushing into the 95% 1RM and missing reps.

Now there will be a few coaches out there that disagree but please exclude those of you that are on the gear and lets see how long that high intensity shit can be maintained.

Personally I have found a slow build up plugging away over time helps condition me for the big work ahead but provides much more confidence if I am working hard but always hitting rep targets. I am far from an expert but 90% of this game is using good principles of training and then tweaking them to reflect what works best for you.

Stay Strong
Thomo

Powerlifting Lessons from Donny Shankle

I know what you are going to say, 'What' with weightlifting week at Training Truth?" First I am talking up Jon North and now I'm posting snippets from his old training partner Donny Shankle.Donny doesn't appear to say much (at least from what I can glean from his videos) but when he does its short and to the point. Below is from one of his recent blog entries.

"As you sit in between attempts in training and competition do so on a straight back. This addition to your training, like keeping your eyes forward, has greater carryover on the platform than you might realize. If you sit with poor posture then you will lift with a rounded back. Learn to sit in your chair off of your hamstrings with you shoulder blades pulled together like a cobra rearing back its hood. Focus on your breathing and start to set the arch in your back before you even stand up. Attention to tiny details like this will help you to find bar whip and feel the stretch reflex. Tiny details like this will make you stand out as a professional and give you every possible chance to lift the most you can."

I like this post it resonates with me and perhaps this is one of the reasons I am enjoying training alone again. Just me versus the bar, locked in a private silent war, brief clanking of plates punctuated only by breathing between sets.

Stay Strong Thomo

Powerlifting today in 44 degree heat and why we all squat differently

Saturday was a nice touch of Perth summer, 44 degree Celsius and not a cool spot to be found. Suffice to say I scheduled training to ensure I am doing nothing but sitting on my arse in front of the AC with a tall cool glass of ice water.

Last night I pushed through deadlifts (double paused), front squats and bench. It was one of those sessions where I was just sweating like a dog the whole damn way. Though I suspect it might have had something to do with moving 20kg bags of cement during the day at work.

I'm still feeling the residual effects of the nasty gastro infection I picked up over Xmas. Hopefully another dose of the antibiotics will get me back on deck.

I was checking out Bret Contreras's site the other day and saw a link to this very cool article. It succinctly highlight  the fallacy of the one size-fits all approach to cueing and coaching the big lifts that many quasi coaches engage in particularly the squat.

http://themovementfix.com/the-best-kept-secret-why-people-have-to-squat-differently/

In the short time I have been competing I have tried to work within the general principles of the big lifts but take into account my own individual anthropometry. This is not a simple task and requires vigilance to really get your movement pattern locked down.

Thomo

Powerlifting Inspiration - Jon North?!?

I will be the first to admit the title doesn't make a lot of sense, getting my powerlifting inspiration from Jon North the weightlifter. However over the last couple of years I have enjoyed watching Jon North go about his business in the gym. When I first saw him on the Cal Strength site I thought we was a typical brash A-hole but scratch the surface a little and you can be pleasantly surprised.

Here is a guy that loves to train, loves what he does and loves to share that passion with others. Okay his antics in the gym might come across as over the top but for him it seems to work. Though it does shit me when I watch others in  his videos mimic his style especially when they are lifting 50kg less.

For me the videos remind me of the Ronnie Colemans 2003 video, the whole 'day in the life' narrative that seems to get the juices flowing to hit the iron

Recently he has shot a number of video logs of his training at Mash Elite Performance and while they are fairly low key I enjoy the energy and effort that Jon puts in. Always seems to get me geared up for training.

Check out his latest Vlog:

Tomorrow I have Bench front squats and pause deadlifts...ohhh yehhhh cant wait!

Thomo

Deadlifts and grooving the Squat

First session back tonight since I lost 8 days to a nasty parasitic little fucking infection laid me low. Lesson for self don't visit the local swimming pool with my daughter because that is the second time this year I caught a bug from their poorly maintained facilities! Arghhhhh

Session itself was pretty good. Working set of 8 reps went well in the deadlift and the back of sets of triples flew up. My cluster bench sets of triples, doubles and singles were good and my body position felt tight.

I finished up with 5x5 on the squat. Typically this would be front squats but talking through with coach we have decided to switch in front squats for the majority of work this month and work heavily on the 5x5 session on making sure my back squat form is solid so I don't get a repeat of the tailbone soreness that was coming on strong. Based on lots of video's there are some tweaks I need to work with. 

I have pushed my hand placement out while  work on t-spine and shoulder mobility. Also pushing a little wider in foot placement as I have a habit of creeping in too narrow which starts to mess with my form.

Finished off with a few face pulls and done for the night. Bumped into Ando from the PTC team who actually works at the regular gym I attend. His numbers are looking good, as always he has a great bench and I am sure he will post some nice PB's at Nationals this year.

Time to feed the hunger and get the recovery going coz its back on!

I'll finish with a pic of the Austrian Oak from back in the day. Seeing pics like this it makes you realise how fucked up bodybuilding has gone with excessive hormone use.  Looks like something Michelangelo carved from stone. For me the early eighties were the golden years, around the time Sammir Bannout took out the 83 Mr Olympia. Once Haney left and Dorian too over the mass monster and use of gear became all too pervasive.

Cheers Thomo

ps watched a woman tonight in full lycra lean against her car and finish her cigarette before heading into the gym to train.....hmmmm

Bah hum bug

Christmas came and went and it was great to kick back and get a couple of weeks break from work. Unfortunately I managed to contract a nasty gastro that laid me out for 4 days and resulted in a lost week in the gym. Amazingly this coincided almost to the day with the exact same affliction last year. All I can put it down to is germy un-healthy public swimming pools because its the same damn thing I did this time last year.

Soo nothing to report from the gym but I will be back on deck tomorrow.

Gotta love the antibiotics!

Thomo