The year is quickly drawing to a close, what a great one its been - next year promises to be the best yet!
The 2010 competition calendar has finally been published on the PA Website. Time to start planning next years assault on an Elite 1 total and devise a training plan for World Masters in September. First up tho' is the Melbourne Championships in April, followed closely by the Australian Masters in May (in Adelaide) then Open Nationals in July here in Melbourne. Its gonna be a packed year!
Southern PLC Christmas lunch at "Little Creatures" bistro in Brunswick st on Saturday and a quick zip into Atomica to grab some beans - yay fresh beans!
Tim, Lauren, Rikki, Deb, Simon, Yoji, Me, Steve, Mary, Jen, Christian, Travis and JBear somewhere down the end hidden in her pram
Sunday - Christmas lunch with my ex's family - they prefer me to him..... :-) and its always nice to catch up with them and kids - who've grown so much!
Yesterday, Madii and I drove out to St Arnaud - nearly 4 hours to have a look at a puppy......
Paris
Yep, it's a "Mexican barking rat" :-) Very affectionate and just like Madii, likes to sleep... She will be coming to live with us early in the new year. What ever will the cats think?
We also go Madii VCE enter score, she did well although not in her eyes, she'll get into either of her 2nd or 3rd choice Uni courses, just fell a little short of the numbers for the B. Bio & Vet Science so she'll apply for a change of course after 6 months of the B. Science or B. Bio Science.
Despite the lack of response from ASADA regarding some questions about how to enter particulars for regular whereabouts in the recently upgraded AWOS system and that PA haven't got the 2010 competition calender published yet, I have managed to bullshizen through my whereabouts filing for the next quarter. I think they will have a hard time finding me next quarter - I am going to be a busy little lifter in the coming months.
Compliance Status
Compliance Status quarter 1/10/2009 - 31/12/2009
You are compliant from 1/10/2009 to 31/12/2009. Receipt Number is: ASADA015195
Compliance Status quarter 1/01/2010 - 31/03/2010
You are compliant for the coming quarter. Receipt Number is: ASADA015196
Some happy snaps from the comp courtesy of my friend and fellow SPLC lifter Yoji. Thank you Yoji :-)
Well kinda... My middle name is Ann.... and look at those quads, bet she doesn't have a problem squatting :-)
Found her at Toy Kingdom while Christmas shopping for the nieces and nephews and just had to buy her. And the box contains Monkeymans right leg... WTF??
Monekyman and O'Brien...
The series follows the story of Ann O'Brien, the daughter of a missing scientist, who at the time of his disappearance was working on experiments in interdimensional travel. When one of her father's experimental machines was accidentally activated by Ann, it teleported from another dimension Axewell Tiberius (a.k.a "Monkeyman"), a 10 foot tall super-intelligent gorilla-like being. The same accident also bathed Ann in a mysterious radiation which caused her grow to seven feet tall and endowed her with superhuman strength, endurance and speed.
She's generally gregarious but obviously doesn't suffer fools; when a reporter asks if she has a sexual relationship with Tiberius, O'Brien needs to be restrained from beating the guy up. While obviously beautiful (both President Bill Clinton and the evil Shrewmanoid have expressed a longing for her), she's a bit awkward in dealing with her massive size. In a dream where she gets blasted by a growth ray and accidentally knocks over half of San Francisco, O'Brien cries that she'll "never have a boyfriend."
ROFL... Its so me.... I'll never have a boyfriend either......... hahahaha
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?
'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.
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!
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.
======
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.
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 !!
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....
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.....
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?
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 :-)
Raw PR 75kg. So wtf am I doing at comp getting only 82.5kg shirted - sux!
The new size 36 F6 went on pretty easier than expected with garbage bags to get the sleeves up but got a little stuck around elbows - man this shirt hurt's like all hell tho'. Seemed to be compressing a nerve in my bicep and nowhere could i put my arms to alleviate the pain.
3-board press only with this new shirt - triples all the way
90kg, 100kg, 110kg.
The 100's felt best, good lockout. 110kg was a little wobbly and by this time I was starting to get pins and needles down the left arm and into my pinky and ring fingers. Martyn would have liked me to go to 120kg but I had to get the shirt off, I was losing feeling in my hand. Next time will be better.
I'm also going to trip into Berrensen's and get them to take in the sleeves on my 38 F6 by maybe a cm. that will give me an extra shirt to choose from for the globo comp. Not sure I'll have the 36 touching in time!
I hope this is some kind of mistake.... My letter from ASADA back in March said I would be on the RTP until Dec 2009, but when I logged into the Athlete's Whererabouts System....
Your Compliance Status
Current quarter 1/10/2009 - 31/12/2009 Compliant from 1/10/2009 to 31/12/2009
You can obtain a receipt when you logout. Upcoming quarter 1/01/2010 - 31/03/2010 Non-compliant
Monday
Max squat - 2 singles at 135kg and a single at 140kg (equipped)
I'll cut back the weight for squatting since I have another 5 or 6 heavy squat sessions left and concentrate on triples with good technique. Maybe around 125kg.
Got some nasty bruises from the suit - will post pics later.
Weekend Activities:
Sunday morning: Pony club gymkhana and althoguh Madii wasnt riding I went down to lend a hand - well a was rostered on to do pencilling for the eary round of show jumping - I dont mind really. Didnt stick around tho' was too nice a day to miss out on doing some stuff at home.
Perfect day for a bonfire - no wind! Emptied what little petrol I had in the jerry can onto the pile and voila - instant arson! Man, gotta tell you, fire is HOT! I mean really HOT, not like sexy hot - HOT, burning HOT! Burnt my finger picking up a hot branch - not even at the burnt end - at the unburnt end! Anyhoo - after the fire started to settle down I started adding the branches from the 2nd pile... smart move, instead a massive out of control fire I just kept stoking the little one with more fuel.... Then I started venturing around the front of the block looking for more things to burn.... and found the remains of a kangaroo, I think, well a leg thereof... no meat - just bones... eooww! managed to get a million blackberry prickles in my hands when I grabbed what I thought was some ti-tree... I still some embedded in my fingers :-(
Madii came out to watch the fire and made a new friend - some little caterpiller that kept inching towards her, even after she moved several times. She named him Albert and took a photo - he kinda looks like a twig. I think she's going to make him a facebook page......
Conveniently after the fire had died down completely, we got a little bit of rain - perfect! Fire out...
Civ-dog, as the new car is now known (everything is -dog), went for his first service yesterday, 1000km and had his new petrol cap thing fitted - The serviceman said he would now go faster :-) Yay! Now I can take it up a notch and push Civ-dog to 6000rpm and see the pretty rev lights come on to advise that I'm getting close to red-lining - this is apparently where the V-tec kicks in. 90k's in 2nd gear and suddenly Civ felt like he had more to give - Niiiiice!
Enuf hooning.... I need to get up and walk around, my lower back is killing me after last nights squats. Will post some photos of Civvy and the bonfire etc tomoz.
So... I've pulled the pin on Matti Tikka in Sydney and decided to do the Victorian Extravaganza a week later here in *sunny* Victoria (note the sarcasm...)
Why ? Because! Well, no, really its because its not being held in Colac this year - which was kinda putting me off, having to warmup in a boat shed.... not an ideal venue. Anyhoo, its now at Cambellfield where the novice comp was held a few weeks ago and the venue was quite good. So I was thinking why spend all that money on airfares, accommodation, meals etc when all I really want to achieve is a 420+ total to be graded Elite I. Therefore I have adjusted the countdown to Nov 28 - bonus - extra week of training :-)
130kg (286lb)
Talking of training - all going along nicely - bench still stalled I think but we'll see what the new and extremely small black F6 I now have will do - if I can get it on. Monday night at Defo squeaked out 4 doubles at 130kg in my old Inzer Z Suit with wraps and a sort of loose belt. Previous Thursday at Doherty's pulled 6 triples at 150 from the floor - RAW! A new raw PB for me - usually I'm in my Inzer MaxDL at 140kg.
What else has happened since I last wrote... well I picked up my new car - yes I went with the Honda Civic Si and with the recent return to wintry conditions the heated seats have been put to good use warming my touschy. I am absolutely loving this car - its a dream to drive, I could just sit in all day! And all day is pretty much what it feels likes sitting in traffic driving to work .
Didn't get all the jobs done around the house that I had planned for my week off but some landscaping got done at least. Here are some progress photo's:
At the weekend, the weather cleared long enough for me to cut the grass up the back - OMG a 3 hour job! Some parts the grass was up to my knees and the mower kept cutting out. I couldn't see what I was mowing over and heaven help any "joe blakes" hiding in the long grass! To my annoyance I found a largish tree had come down right up the back during the last windstorm - so another job for the chainsaw - I've gotten a lot of use out of that Christmas present! However the amount of wood and t-tree debris is becoming a problem which needs taking care of before summer. Any budding pyromaniacs out there?? Firemen ?? Anyone who just thinks it would be fun?? Seriously! I'll apply for a permit and have a bonfire one weekend soon - I'll try not to incinerate myself like I almost did last time!
And just before I sign off - just want to say thanks to Jen and her partner Chris. Jen bought some beans in to training at the weekend for me to try. Chris had roasted them himself - very nice too they were, a smooth brew!
On annual leave this week and had planned quite a few chores around the house and garden. Ordered three cubic meters of crushed rock for the driveway and side of the house, one meter of lilydale toppings to make a path up from the drive to to the back "garden" and two meters of 10ml mulch to prepare the gardens for the upcoming hot summer..... and it's raining! I did get some of stone moved and started on the path but stick inside now.... its bucketing down!
Crushed rock with Anderson doing inspection...
Lilydale toppings and Mulch...
Path to back garden
(Neglected) back garden and Allie cat
I've been out spending, keeping the economy turning.... (got my tax return!) in case you hadn't already figured that out with the garden materials.... but also bought a new TV unit.... which came flat pack!
Priscilla helped...
Loads of swearing at this point.....
Finished product :-)
Had a very busy start to the holidays with my friends at Southern competing in a novice comp out in Campbellfield. I'll upload the photo's and details of who did what etc next week went I've sorted thru them properly.
Sunday Tinkerbell and Paul came over for a BBQ and we watched the CAPO Nationals which Paul had video'd. What better way to spend the afternoon, eating, having a few glasses of wine and watching powerlifting with good friends :-)
Actually I needed a little cheering up and having them over was just what I needed.... Some very, very sad news late on Saturday night, my brother in law, who had been quite ill for some time passed away - no matter how much you know this may happen it still comes as a shock and I sat up until the wee early hours of Sunday morning remembering the good times. RIP Harry.
Well its stopped raining and the sun is peaking thru, so I should get back out working in the garden while it lasts.
Compliant from 1/10/2009 to 31/12/2009
Non-compliant
