All over bar the shouting...

It's a strange state to be in right now, I feel like its already over. I am at my target body weight, no more, no less. After each of my heavy workouts this week I was already planning my training for 'next year' for that particular discipline. Analyzing my weakness's and determining what I'll need to do to overcome them. Funny too, in my mind I keep referring to it as 'next year' when in fact I mean after the comp. Perhaps the language I use reflects my commitment to competing next year.

Understand that 'competing is what drives me to train', but I do not compete to beat 'someone'. I revel in seeing someone lift heavy, get a PB, master a technique. Which is why I give my encouragement to Jo entering her first comp, pay tribute to Maria for the amazing jump she made in her squat last year and have great respect for the champions before me - Tegan, Teresa, Taylor from whom I can learn so much (maybe I need to change my name to something that starts with T) I admire all my 'competitors' who put in so much effort.... I'm babbling now and have gone off track. What I am trying to say is, my competitiveness is not personal, yes I strive to win, I want that as much as the next person, but I am not compelled by rivalry.

This year has been difficult without any local comps to keep me focused. I feel this has affected me adversely this year, my gains are not what I had anticipated, then again there has to be a point at which progress slows unless it's unnaturally enhanced and at my age that is not path I wish to follow. Hell I'm having enough 'issues' moving towards 'that time of life' without introducing more.

What a pensive, reflective and boring post that was, but I guess, continuing on that theme I'd like to take time now to thank Leigh. With all the crap that has come his way this year, he still managed to be there every Monday night to punish me in the squat rack - and he did this because he believes in me. I could not ask for any more than that. Thank you!

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Motivation

What an excellent quote Tegan. Thank you. It poses a very positive mind frame.

And in that very positive mind frame last night, despite Rhys being a no show for my last heavy bench, I pushed through my planned attempts successfully.

Lately I've been thinking about getting a dog. I guess the idea has raised itself this week with Madii being away and Leah having moved out, as much as I like my independence and all, I really want some company. I don't want some toy dog, I have 2 cats, Anderson and Priscilla, and they fulfill the 'lap' duties well enough. I'd really like a Husky, I certainly have a big enough backyard... being on an acre. Although no fences is a problem and an expensive one to remedy. And I do work full time and then spend evening in the gym.... Huskies need company or they can be become involved in 'remodeling' the house/yard. Of course I'm going to Europe next year too for 6 weeks... I could just fence off part of the yard... hmmm, this too will pass.

At my chiro appt yesterday I found myself chatting to Andrea about military combat techniques. He's teaches the Russian martial art / combat called Systema. This all stems from a DVD that I bought for Leigh - Human Weapon - Hand to hand combat which goes into the Krav Maga (sp) Israeli military combat fighting. Very interesting and different from the 'rehearsed' style of martial arts. Also the mind set that comes with learning a martial art, the focus, the awareness, the no fear... could also be useful for my lifting and competing. The document he has just sent me starts with "No rank, no rules, no pre-orchestrated movement, no limitations " Cool! I am interested to maybe take a class or two...

I also need to enroll myself into French language classes. I want to learn enough conversation French to get by traveling in Europe. Plus I just love the French language.... I am going to be busy over the coming months

Light legs tonight - just enough to get them moving and ready for tomorrow's last heavy deadlift session after work.

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Disaster strikes.

Yes, it happened again last night. OMG, what am I going to do? How can this be happening to me? I broke a nail squatting. I'm not really sure when it happened, probably while wrapping my knees - that's the most dangerous part of the squat. I didn't know until I got home, into the shower and as I shampooed my hair my finger got caught in my hair - a rip in the nail - almost halfway across, right at the beginning of the nail bed. Mad dash around the house, pulling everything out of the drawers, I know I've got a repair kit somewhere....

The penny finally dropped for my body.... and I've spent more than a penny in the past two days. I am that little piggy who went wee wee wee and then some...

Back to the physio this afternoon to have my butt elbowed again. Ahh such fun... HBA have supposedly fixed the problem with my claim limits - or so they say. I guess I'll find out when I swipe my card at the medical centre.

Haven't heard much from Madii just the occasional sms. I asked her if she was having a good time. "yessem, it got to 40 yesterday...." and "The water here is so feral. It tastes like salt and some like Chlorine. Yuckieeee"

Light back tonight and Episodes 5 & 6 of Deadwood series 1.

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PS. I should mention, if I haven't already... I finally got my refund from Inzer, and I think I made a profit?!? The dollar was almost parity when I bought the suit $150 AU and since the dollar has dropped my refund was $185 AU. LOL.

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Elbowed

This morning went to see physio, Jessie Adams, from Melbourne Sports Medical Centre. Nothing to be concerned about with the quad, I may have impinged the nerve briefly, the numbness is starting to subside and all my reflexes are normal. He was more interested in what was going on with my right hip and after some poking and prodding he believes the pain is coming from the glute medius rather than TFL or Piriformis. The glute is extremely tight and not giving when I squat down. So he got stuck in with his elbow - how painful that was - but not nearly as bad as ITB massage. Squatting immediately after was almost pain free - but maybe I just couldn't feel anything - fullstop! Going back on Tuesday for a review after having done my last heavy squat session. Has prescribed some stretching to be done at least 5 times a day (well as much as I can).

Consoled my sore butt with a trip to Haighs. Never thought it would happen but I turned down the free sample after buying some chocolate almonds. Ughh If I have one piece of chocolate now the flood gates will open. The delictible purchase will come with me to Perth. In the meantime, I can look but not touch!

Also swung by the Estee Lauder staff shop and picked up some moisturizer for anmost half price and drowned myself in perfumes... We have a reciprocal card with Estee Lauder (MAC, Clinique, Bobbi Brown.... ) Handy!!

Picked up some supplies from Evelyn Faye, (sorry Kez, I'll be in touch next time) Fish Oil, Glucosamine&MSM powder and was given a couple of samples new product they will be stocking - Arthroflex-Max (glucosamine 1500 & chondroitin 1200) orange flavour - not the nicest tasting!

Leigh dropped by my work and handed over DEXTER series 1 & 2 and DEADWOOD series 1,2 & 3. I'll be making ummm 'backups' ! ;-)

No training for the weekend - just me and the cats and loads of DVD's to watch. Training tonight will just be some arms, heavy bi's and tri's. Light legs last night, some speed work, 5x5 @80kg, some slightly heavier partials/lockouts - again 5x5 and finished with some light leg press 100kg with varied foot positioning. Weighted incline abs and side twists put an end to my session.

Home Alone

Took Madii to school this morning at the un-Godly hour of 4am. School trip to Kakadu. They fly into Uluru and then for the next 12 days they make their way to Darwin aboard coaches.

Crawled back into bed at 5am and slept (if you can call it that) until 7am and worked from home.

Meeting Rhys at 6pm for my 2nd last bench session. He sms'ed me that he competed in some ESP bench press comp at the weekend and pushed a 250kg bench. Nice work for a 22yo. I'm looking forward to hearing about it tonight.

Monday night's squat session was the 'bad one that I had to have'. I dunno, I felt good thru the day but as the afternoon wore on I started to feel lethargic, maybe I over carbed? I was out of sorts and slow. Even the warmups were slow out of the hole. To top it off there was no-one I felt comfortable with there to spot me. Leigh dragged over this guy that, to be honest, kinda creeps me out watching me each week, anyway I sunk down too far (if thats possible) paused too long and didnt have the momentum to get up and this guy stood there, then feebily tried to lift me up until I yelled 'just get the bar off me'. Re-setup the bar and tried again - with my confidence shot and this guy behind me again, looking down instead of up I tipped forward as I went down, not wanting to be squashed again I called out and dumped the bar behind me. Re-setup again, and this time told Leigh I didnt want that guy behind me.... Squatted a clean albeit slightly shallow double. I thanked the guy for his help anyway but he was quite narky about it "you should have told me blah... you should have done this... you should have done that...' Yep, thanks - appreciate your help. Sheesh, He wasnt the one caught under the bar.

Yawned all the way home and collapsed into bed. How so little work could make me so tired I dont know.

Now I'm not sure if this is just a co-incidence, but, the last 2 days my left leg, outer quad, has been feeling strange - like its asleep, but without the pins and needles sensation. Whether I have compressed a nerve... I've booked in for a massage tomorrow and I'll do some lower back stretching tonight and see if that helps. I certainly dont remember getting hurt on Monday ' except my pride'. Hopefully its just temporary. Doesnt seem to affect me in any way - just feels weird as hell.


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Weekend - no Gym!

Toddled over to the Broadmeadows novice comp, had to drop Madii at work at 11.30, which meant that I missed the first two rounds of squatting - bugger. Sat thru the benching - not so exciting. However the deadlift round really got me roused. I was yelling and screaming for people I don't even know, but it was great!! Some really impressive lifts. This is what I needed to psych me up. Mentally too, to see the bar loaded with the kind of lifts that I want to take, being able to visualize what the bar is going to look like. Really - WELL DONE to all the competitors.

Home alone Saturday evening, read my book - finished it actually and then panicked that I had nothing to read - rule out reading any techo documents - ick!

Sunday: Ponyclub - Mojo doing well after having his saddle re-fitted. Even Madii commented that the saddle was more comfortable. She took him over some jumps in the arena and then out back over the cross country course and he was loving it. Tho' she did say that he still having problems in the trot at corners.... hmmmm. Sunday afternoon spent mowing the back yard. A half acre of mountain goat land. I knew it was getting late when Leah and Andrew turned up for dinner and I was still mowing... Few more trees down and quite a few dead wattles that need to be excised - thinking of asking Santa for a chainsaw this year. Park Orchards Chainsaw Massacre - Part 1. :-) Unfortunately a slight mishap last night saw me run over the brush cutter with the truck.... I'll take it into the mower guys as see what the damage is, I'm hoping its just the casing that I've smashed. Maybe I'll have to rethink the chainsaw and ask for a new brush cutter. Eooow - hopefully not.

Anyhoo, scored a nice blister on my big toe which will add another level of distraction for tonight's squatting.

Ohh ohh got new beans on Friday - delivered fresh from CoffeeDays. Kenya AA. Nice - real nice. Here's a not so perfect pour but still a nice tasting shot.





Body weight check: Yep - still fat! Despite becoming grumpy and impatient. I should cut out all social activities from now until Sunday October 5th... In
the mean time - Don't talk to me - I bite!

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day... (dunno)

Benched really well the other night. Good doubles touching the shirt. Couldn't stay long to do accessory work - school meeting for Madii. Got some close grip benching in tho'.

Massage on Wed. Ruth commented on the 'scabs' on my back - LOL. Yeah that's where the squat bar cuts into my back. Nice!!!

Deadlift tonight working up to a max double. Tomorrow thinking of going to a comp in Broadmeadows - as a spectator of course. Just to soak in some atmosphere and look at technique etc.

Pony club Sunday - Mojo will get to do one or two classes depending on how sore he is - they also have the saddle fitter booked in, so we'll get his Saddle checked. He has, after all, put on some weight since we first got the saddle fitted. :-)

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Arrghhh.... Angry Angry Angry

Damn DVD recorder is on the blink. Sat down to watch Sunday nights episode of DEXTER and the recording failed - invalid disc. So now I've missed Dexter, Boston Legal and David Rabbitborough (the monkeys one). Grrrrrr.

Replacements are already under evaluation:

Beyonwiz DP-P2 - newest - just out, can record Foxtel (if I could get it), 320g HDD, twin HD tuner, ICEtv - mega priced. $950+

Topfield 7100HDPVRt - the most recent of this range, been out a few months, 320HDD, twin HD tuner, Awaiting a later firmware release to make it compatible with ICEtv - price coming down. $800 ?

Beyonwiz DP-P1 - older version of the P2, cannot record foxtel, 200 HDD (some with 250 installed - like magic) twin HD tuner etc... $650

TiVo - doesnt even make the grade...........


Well, better head home before the world ends at 5....
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Slipped

Bit of a set back at the weekend. Up early Saturday morning, not really awake headed down stairs to make brekky and a latte and while trying to avoid Priscilla who had parked herself on the step I missed my footing and slipped down a couple of steps. Not falling exactly... although the image of me crashing down the stairs did cross my mind in that split second, but more to the point I've aggravated what was a healing piriformis injury. Errggh. Breakfast... porridge, latte and two Voltaren rapid.

Squatting last night was affected, warmups were sooo painful. All the time having to force the negative pain thoughts out of my head as I squatted. As much as I doped up on anti-inflamms, they don't help much with this as there is not a great deal of blood flow into the area, the only way to stop the pain would be a cortisone injection, which right now is out of the question. In fact I am loathe to even see a physio or sports doctor about this for fear that they tell me its something worse. Nah... better I just bite the bullet until after the comp, when I'm totally wrecked, and put on the 'total ignorance' face when I say I didn't know it was so bad...

I have however booked in for a massage on Thursday with Ruth....

Jo 'n me - NYE 2007....

Saw Jo at Doherty's briefly last night, not Jo my preggers friend, who by the way informs me that she's now 28 weeks and a rolly polley - LOL, but Sharon's friend Jo, or was friend.... errr I'm not getting caught up in that. Now, how to distinguish these two ladies... mmmm Both surnames start with M, so that doesn't help, and there's someone at work called Jojo (who I dont have a great deal of respect for... so that's out of the question... Ummm... I know... preggers Jo will be forthwith known as Mumma-Jo (ala Leah's boyfriend and his little girl Liv who call me Mumma Vicki - Yeah - NOT nanna Vicki - got it!!) Aaannny-hoo, I was pleased to hear that Jo's training is going well, she's training with another powerlifter (I'm not sure what the 'relationship' status is there (giggle)) , that things are on the up n up for her workwise AND that she's entered her first powerlifting comp. Nationals! Tough one to cut your teeth on, but what the hell - besides there hasn't exactly been any local state level comps this year!

Egg delivery on my desk this morning. One of my collegues, Andrew, well, his parents-in-law have a little hobby farm with chookies and he knows I go thru loads of eggs so every now and then I get some free - free range eggs. I've offered to 'sponsor' a chicken but so far they've declined. You see I'd love to have chickens and fresh eggs, but there's the problem of what to do with them once they stop laying... They'd be pets! I couldnt kill them and even if someone else did, I couldnt eat them. ick! So I'm gonna treat myself to a break in the diet and have eggs on muffins on Thursday morning.... Now do I want poached eggs or scrambled....? mmmmmmmm

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Day 46 - I think...

When is a a rest day not a rest day?
When you have to train.

Accessory work that would have been done tomorrow I am heading into the gym to do tonight, but that means I get the whole weekend away from the gym. Like almost having 3 days rest before the big squats on Monday night.

The heavy work is taking its toll - I'm getting quite tired, have only cardio'd once this week and it was a half hearted effort around midday Wednesday before my 'big' bench session with Rhys - if you call 75kg big. Personally, my idea of big would be 100kg - that's something I could feel proud of. I also had my Chiro appt Wednesday morning, at least everything is going well from that perspective. I haven't really mad any progress on the bench this year given the shoulder problem I've had, but, touch wood, that is all behind me know and I'll make some gains in 2009 on the bench - perseverence is what its about!

Madii had a Quad burger from Hungry Jacks last night - They're huge! 1000 calories and 70grams of fat! I told her should couldn't eat for the next 3 days after having it - LOL, well she can have some fruit. :-) She felt sick after afterwards - Just as well I thought.

Off to Kyneton tomorrow to picnic by the river while Leigh tests out his diving equipment. (Hence my training tonight) My job: make sure compressor doesn't stop running or if it does, haul him in so he doesn't drown, or something like that, Cant have that now can we, afterall he's back to work on Monday - and that's a punishment worse than death. hehehehe.

Gym Etiquette

Yes, I'm about to have a whinge.

Gym Etiquette - 101

PUT YOUR BLOODY WEIGHTS AWAY !!

Every week there are 4x45kg plates on the floor directly under or just behind the monolift at Doherty's. It is a pain in the arse to move them, but I have to in order to get into the monolift area. I know who leaves them there. I'm disgusted to say its another pair of powerlifters - who should know better. Its just plain rude and selfish to expect others to pick up after you. Grow a conscience!

**Gripe_mode=OFF**

Satisfactory squat session with some great pinch marks from the new squat suit. Trust me, the photo does not do the marks justice!! Need more practice getting the suit on without burning so much energy. Have some concern about the should straps being really really loose. Its 'extremely' tight everywhere else but almost like it was made for someone six ft tall. Fortunately we had a spotter last night, (thanks Mark) my first heavy squat in the suit and I went down like a sack of potatoes. Bit like when I put a handkerchief on the Anderson's back - sink down and no coming up. Mark grabbed the bar and I tried to get out from under it but my Tshirt was caught and Leigh had to yank me out - LOL. Made up for it tho by following up with a nice double 10 minutes later. Such a high afterward that I couldn't get to sleep.... Yep we powerlifters - we are amazing people! Especially us ladies!

Tonight - hammy's etc.... a la last week (and the week before...)

Ohh here are some pics as promised - me down the hole, my booty... my diggings that is, not my butt! And the boys!

Day 42 or there abouts...

Work appraisals - I'm getting something right for a change. Screened above the average no of bugs. Probably worked above the average no of weekends too. The overtime bides well for my Europe holiday next year with my niece Robyn. 6 weeks rootin' around Europe.... I mean sightseeing.... chuckle....

Gym Saturday afternoon, biceps/ triceps and yet another pathetic attempt at overhead presses. I guess I should be grateful that I can bench press at all given the shoulder problem I've had this year, overhead press will just have to be taken slowly. Biceps are still sore today - more from the fact that I haven't done any bicep work for a while rather than the intensity - LOL.

Sunday - on pager and surprise surprise, I got called. Lucky tho' I had managed to get out and have a bit of a dig around with Leigh and Merv - my first official bottle dig. Came away with a few little ink wells perfume bottles and butt plugs from the 1800's.

Will post some pics when I get my camera back from Leigh.

I read on the CAPO site that there are some 40 or so competitors for the Nationals next month - 11 from Victoria. Good to see that our state will still have strong representation this year. This will be my third Nationals - 3rd time lucky? More likely, third place - LOL. I did place 2nd last year in the OPEN behind Tegan who took out the Overall national Women's title.

Heavy squats tonight - somehow not feeling all that excited today.

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