Dec 4 2009

Bureaucracy at its best....

An email to advise that I'm getting an email that will tell me how to open a confidential email.....

Email 1:

Dear Athlete
This email attachment explains how to open a secure email from ASADA.
ASADA will send a secure email following this regarding your athlete whereabouts.


Email 2:

Subject: Athlete Whereabouts important notice

with instructions to click and login to a secure email environment (which by the way now dont work...) and open the latest email.....

So I'm getting excited now, I've not had a 'secure' email I'm thinking this is it, they're notifying me that I'm off the RTP.........

LOL....   Notification that my whereabouts filing is due....

Then, the next day I get a notice in the post....  and again for some crazy reason I think its going to say I dont have to do this anymore but....

Here we go again, another 3 months of 'where's walley'  :-)

Well, its no big deal really, I still think its funny that I'm even on the RTP, I think of it for more professional athletes like footballers or olympic athletes...   Of course it will be a pain if I'm still on it at the end of next year when I go to Europe for 6 weeks!

Went into the gym last night, it hurt just being there!  Did some light hack squat, leg press, benching, triceps, biceps....  then home to collapse. Slept like a rock and incredibly my quads are sore!  Good grief how am I going to cope going back to full training next week?

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Dec 1 2009

'Tis the season to be jolly......
I need to fatten up, I feel like one of those stick insects I so despise....

So, the comp - huh?  What a disgrace....  Ok so I still got best lifter, but that wasn't really the point....   I had a great pre-comp season, everything went well, so how did it go so pear shaped on the day?

Weighed in at 67.1kg, 400grams to spare and then had something to eat, being local I was able to bring my own brekky, my usual porridge was still warm in the thermo cup inside the House of Pain thermo bag...

The squat:
The comp started a bit late at 11.30 and I had a rather lengthy wait between my last squat warmup at 125kg and actually hitting the platform for my opener at 135kg. It felt heavy and wrong...  and I was red carded on depth from all three refs.  The first blow.....   2nd attempt at 145kg and I was feeling the pressure.  Head ref, Robert Wilks, red carded me again but the two side refs were a little more generous and so I got the lift.  Tried to get my knee wraps a little tighter and in doing so lost valuable time trying to tie off the last wrap, I rushed out onto the platform for a 150kg final attempt with my wrist wraps undone....   fail!


The bench:
Easy opener on 85kg - flew up.  Next attempt at 90kg, I felt confident, tight, all the right things.  Long wait for the press call and it flew off my chest and stalled about 3/4 up, the bar came down just a fraction, and I saw it, then I locked it out.  No lift...   Confidence down....  attempt 3 90kg again.  Reviewed in my mind all the points for the lift, lats on, pull the bar apart, tuck the elbows....  have a nice conversation with myself waiting for the press call.....   PRESS!  The bar flys off the chest and stalls, finally lock it out but no lift. Double press apparently but this time I didn't see it happen...

The deadlift:
Dodgy as....  Already nearing 5pm - what a long day! The bars in the warmup area were thick  with no knarling....  warmups went ok until my last warmup at 160 and it just wasn't right.  Long wait after the last lift before going out on the platform for my 175kg opener and when I went down to the bar my chest caved, my hips went up and I had to pull with my back - bad, bad, bad.... Got the lift but wrecked myself in the process.  Next attempt 185kg wasn't going to move and I found myself in the same bad position to lift...  but this time I couldnt.  Bar got to mid shin and back down to the floor.  So with one final attempt left and sitting on a 230 total I was in need of a 190kg deadlift to hit elite 1. I had nothing to lose, 185 wasn't going to but it. It was do or die....   Out on the platform knowing this was it, I tried to setup properly, my back was screaming from the bad 175 pull but I gave it my all, the bar moved off the floor, my chest caved again but I kept pulling and got the bar close to my knees, but it was just such a bad leverage point and I couldn't bring my hips thru, so the bar went back down. I lost balance and ended up flat on my back - cant say it didnt give it my all! 

Oh well,  No fairy tale ending....  No elite 1.

But there were some positives that I took away from the comp,  I got a comp PR for my 145 squat.  I did actually get both the 90kg presses, albeit not technically, still better than my nationals attempts and my technique was better.  Even the 190 deadlift, came off the floor, which was better than nationals where it stayed firmly glued down...  so I know it will come soon.  Next comp - Elite 1.

For now - a bit of recovery time, maybe a full body workout on Thursday, just light stuff to get blood into the muscles again.  My back is still caining - despite the copius amounts of voltaren and hot radox baths etc...  I have a recovery massage booked for tomorrow and I might even take myself to the pool later in the week.

Next week I may embark on a  4 week shieko program, that will take me up to Christmas and by then the comp calendar for next year should be published.

Gonna be full on next year, I plan to make swimming part of my regular routine for recovery each week and outside of lifting I'm enrolling in french language classes in preparation for my European holiday in October.  Plus since I've let my Doherty's membership lapse, I'll be spending more time at Apollo, working on my bench technique via one-on-one sessions with Martyn. 

A big year ahead in 2010.

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Nov 22, 2009

All over bar the shouting........

Last squat session today.  Thought it best to be in good company for my last squat session, so I  traipsed down to Richmond to train with Southern.  Given that I usually only bench with them I asked first if it was ok especially as I'm the only female from the club doing the full 3 lift comp.

Arrived at 11am but the gym wasn't open, so we're left standing outside in the cold, 20 mins... 40 mins... are they going to open?  Eventually at 12.00  Simon suggested we head down to my gym, Defo, and do our squats...

Barx8, 60x6, 80x3, 100x3, 115x3, 125x2 135x1 145x planted! Thankfully Trav was spotting me.  The bar didnt feel heavy, I just didnt have my head int he right place and wasnt tight on the way down. Still I feel confident of a 145 on the day.

working backwards now...


Saturday Bench

- Note: Up at 4.45am to take Madii to the airport for schoolies!

Raw: 30x6, 40x5, 50x5 60x3,
Shirt: 70x2 (blocks) 80x2 90x2 (with a pause)


Friday  - rest.


Thursday Deadlift
Raw: 70x6, 90x5, 120x2, 140x1
Suite: 160x1, 170x1 180x1 185x stuck to the floor...


Wednesday - rest

Tuesday - Speed bench
Reverse bands - raw: 80x6, 90x5, 100x5, 105x2, 105x1, 105x1
Speed :52.5 8sets of 3
Tbar row: 25x10, 35x8, 35x8
Wide seated row: 60x8  x3ses 40 (with a pause) x8
Rear delts: 12.5 4set of 10


Monday Squat:
Raw: barx8, 40x6,60x6, 80x5,
Belt and wraps: 100x3
Suit: 115x3, 115x3, 125x2, 135x1, 145x1, 145x1

Good Mornings (pin 17):  40x8, 60x5, 70x5, 80x5, 90x3

Reverse Hyper: 50x8, 50x5, 50x8

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Here's the first 145 squat from the Monday squat session.




So here I am  - all the heavy training is over.  Home alone all this week with Madii away.  I'll go into Defo on Tuesday for one last 'conditioning' workout  with 50% lifts for each squat, bench and deadlift.  Then rest up until comp day.

Only Simon and I from Southern are doing the full 3 lift comp but we have Tim, Yoji, Mami and Bill doing the Bench only comp and big Asher doing the deadlift only.  Should be a good comp for Southern.

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PS:  Thanks for your comment Ali.  I'm fortunate to be very self motivated but also have a tonne of help and encouragement from my girls, Leigh, Southern PLC, Martyn Girvan and a number of good friends both CAPO and IPF without whom I would not have made it this far.

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Nov 14, 2009

Training review.

Monday 

Max squat at Doherty's
Raw warmups to a triple on 100
suit on for a 110 triple, 120 double, 130 single
140 fail - went down but not back up - overthinking the process.
140 but shallow - loss of confidence
140 clean.

walkouts and shallow pin press @ 160 3x3
Good mornings 40/5 60/5 70/5 80/5 90/3

Tuesday
Speed Bench at Defo

Pin press  warmups up to 90 then 95x5x5
Speed  50 5x5
Bar pullups 5x5
Rear delts 15x15, 25x15 x2, 20x15
Biceps 20x10 x3
Cable bicep 20x12 x3

Wed - rest

Thursday 
Max Deadlift  - Stinking hot!
warm up raw to 120 sumo
belt on for 140
suit on for 150x2, 160x1 170x1 180x1 180xdropped it 180x1  (see video)



Friday - rest - massage.

Saturday
Max Bench at Apollo
worked up o 70 raw - attempted 80 but failed.
Black shirt: 100 worked down from 3 board, 2 board, 1 board
Next rep was touch and go and too low to be legal in IPF but I got it up,
2nd attempt  was better bar placement
3rd attempt was a struggle to lockout - not sure how much Martyn helped on that one......

3 board 120x3
4 board 140x3
Lockouts definately not as strong this week.

Little black shirt is fitting better - no numbness, no pins and needles, no pain - per say, except for that of the actual press  :-)

I'm actually enjoying benching a little more now that I feel I am lifting an acceptable weight.  100kg @ 67.5kg bodyweight is respectable.  :-)

On pager today - last day of a very long week of P1...  Tomorrow is my eldest brother's birthday - 60!!   Actually it was last week but we're having a lunch tomorrow at my sister's.  Thank God I'm the baby of the family.  Sheesh, they're all getting old... not me  !!

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November 7 2009

Just when you think you are safe......

DOPING CONTROL

Gosh its been a while since I've been tested  - 15 weeks in fact.  I was beginning to think they'd forgotten about me.....

Anyhoo, training went well.  I worked up to 70kg raw and then put on the bigger shirt that I've had the sleeves taken in on, lets call him 'big red', and benched 80x2, 90x2, 95x2 off 2-board and then finally a single touch-and-go at 95kg.

Shirt off for blocks: 90x2 90x3 90x3
Dumbell tricep press: 20lb,25,42.5, 45, 45  all by 10 reps

By now it was getting late so time to submit to drug testing....

November 6 2009

The week in review

Monday: Squat
Still having a lot of trouble getting into the squat suit - fatty fatty boombah....
3x1 @135
Good mornings: triples up to 80kg
and accessory stuff.....

Tuesday: Speed bench
Pin press  5x5 @90 (approx 3 board height)
Speed 5x5 @50
and accessory stuff.....

Wed: Massage

Thursday: Deadlift
Into the dealift suit much easier having dropped almost a kilo since the weekend.
3x1 @175

Little bit lazy on the last rep - lost a bit of speed and didnt totally lock out, grip failed but then I was using the smooth bar which is sadly also bent...  :-(

Pause squats 5x5 @50 - trying to instill a motor action for keeping my knees out
Stiff leg cable pull thrus 3x30 @  80, 100 & 120

Friday: Chiro appt

Thanks for your comment Lifecare Sports Medicine Clinic.
I've pretty much used up all my Health insurance Physio cover for this year :-(
The Physio's at Melbourne Sports Medical center look after me pretty well.  That being said,
do you recommend anyone in particular?

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October 31 2009

Bench 1-0-2.  

I am soooo sore! 

I never new retracting my shoulder blades could leave me in so much pain - good pain I guess, the worked hard kind of pain not injury pain. I felt great when I left the gym - the endorphins I think, but by the time I got home my whole upper back had seized and my left bicep was aching....

But the pain was worth it!  I doubled 75kg raw! and with the bench shirt on I worked up triple @ 90 on 3 board then a triple @100 on 3 board.  Stayed at 100 and the boards started coming down, triple on 2 board, then singles - 1 board, 1/2 board.  Finally went for the touch on the shirt but couldnt get it.  At this point Martyn explained a bit more on how to get the bar to touch and pointed out that my shoulders started to come forward - hence the really hard retraction needed to combat that.  Another attempt and a quick touch but no lockout, but it came off the chest easy!


Back to some more board work.  3 board press triple @120, triple @ 130 and last an attempted triple @ 140.  The first rep was ok, maybe even the 2nd but the 3rd - neh!
By now my left bicep was starting to complain about the compression and my little finger was getting pins and needles.  Not as bad a last time, but I was ready to get the shirt OFF!


A very productive bench session - far more than I had anticipated and surprised myself how well the 100's went.  Really paying for it now tho  - soooo sore.

  Session 2 with the tight shirt has left my arm looking

like I'm some kind of crazed drug addict with little scratch marks  :-)

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