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
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