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
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Thursday, March 27, 2014
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.
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
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
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
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
Sunday, March 23, 2014
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
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
Saturday, March 22, 2014
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
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
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
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
Monday, March 17, 2014
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
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
Sunday, March 16, 2014
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
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
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
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
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
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
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
Saturday, March 8, 2014
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
Friday, March 7, 2014
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.
Stay Strong
Thomo
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
Monday, March 3, 2014
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
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
Sunday, March 2, 2014
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
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
Saturday, March 1, 2014
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
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
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:
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
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
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