June 29 2009

WTF award of the week goes to:



Yes... well.... on to other business....

Comment 1:
Ahhh nice suggestion Louise, a vibrating electric blanket. Men really are becoming obsolete! :-) "Are becoming" ?? "Have become" in my case.

Comment 2:
Thanks Tegan, Very true, In fact I think these bad sessions force me to re-focus - like a wake up call. But yes they do still add up at then of the day, even the ones where I am planted at the bottom of the squat and Leigh has to pull me up by the ears! A-la weekend just gone....

I know even the failed reps work 'cos my butt hurts.... I can feel feel it when I clench and release... 'cmon everyone do it too, you know you want to... clench, release, clench, release..... Sick! :-)

What I need to do is 'chill', stop rehearsing every lift in my sleep and every waking moment! I even find myself holding my breath for the lift when I'm going thru it in my mind, no wonder I'm exhausted by the time I actually get to training I've already done a 3 hour session in my head.

So, I'm trying to find a distraction, but is that a good idea? Went to the movies on Friday night, Terminator... not so impressed, some bit were just plain silly. Didn't sleep well. Dog yodeling... Saturday night went out for Paul Nay's 40th, wish I could have relaxed a little more, had a drink or ten... eaten... picked up.... you know, all those fun things. But no, cinder-fuking-rella here had to be back in the pumpkin before midnight and ready to squat at the sparrow's fart. Woe is me....

Got home after training and decided that the ultimate punishment for crap squats (and dead legs) was the alternating ice bath/hot shower treatment. Lets see how long I can sit and shiver, it almost becomes a challenge to stay in there feeling my legs prickling with the cold, turning red and then jumping into the shower and blasting them with hot water. How many times can I do it? How long can I last in the icy cold water? My arse aka 'The Titanic'.

Then, after lunch I sat back and watched 4 episodes of 'The Shield' season 7, back to back! Had a headache at the end, not from watching but from the mess that Vic and Shane have gotten into with the Armenians..... But it certainly took my mind off: "Grab the bar, throttle the hands on, duck under, wedge the bar in tight, big breath, hold it, arch out, step back once, twice. Breath out, big breath in, hold it, clench and SQUAT!" Phew.... another rep out the way.... Man! I am doing my head in..........


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June 25 2009

No training Monday this week, instead I booked in a massage with Shaun. Tink is adamant that he fixed her shoulder problem, different to mine but she's very confident in his massage skills but she warned me that "Active Release" would be very painful. So this is what I was expecting but far from it, it was a little painful, sometimes but it was bearable. Perhaps he was being soft on me? :-) And in between the AR's was some *very* enjoyable back massaging - the stuff that ZZZ's are made of. If only I could come home to this every night - ummmm, minus the AR.....

Tuesday night, wasn't able to get down to Richmond but I still managed to do some speed work at Definition and honestly the shoulder was improved. I'm impressed... Gave Shaun the feed back and booked another massage for next week - There'll be no apprehension this time!

Wednesday saw me at the physio, Gemma working into my upper back - now she's tuff! No holding back :-) but its worth it. Then I probably go an undo all the good work with rack pulls later that night - 180 6x3 - some trouble to lockout a couple but overall happy to have moved the bar off the pins - LOL. Added a little extra squat work - in the suit. Still stiff trying to get under the bar but just a set of 5 reps at 110 and 120 for the purpose of 'forming a partnership with my suit' ughhhh. Then some ugly bottom squats at 70kg and finished with shrugs.... Absolutely wrecked. Electric blanket on and I laid flat on my back letting the heat work its magic!

Today the erectors are telling me that they didn't really enjoy the work and I'm having trouble sitting still in my chair. Wish Shaun was coming around tonight..... I'll have to settle for the electric blanket again.

No training now until Saturday, home alone tonight, Madii off at 'Year 12 retreat' and Leah & Andrew out as well. I'm under comp weight as of this morning (67.2kg) so I might treat myself to a lamb souvlaki - yummmmm!

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June 22, 2009

Things happen in three's.
Three times lucky.
Three Amigos.
Three Stooges.....

Three times I've been tested by ASADA in 8 weeks.....


Yes, the black agents fronted up at the gym again on Saturday, blood and urine. So I think that answers your question Louise, no, I cant pee in peace. The compliance part is just to show that I have provided ASADA with my whereabouts details for the next 3 months, home, work and have nominated a specific location where I can be found for 1 hour every day. Ie. If they turn up randomly at the gym, like they did on Saturday and I'm not there, then too bad, however my nominated 1 hour was at home between 5pm and 6pm and if they turn up during that hour I *must* be there or its considered a missed test, 3 misses in an 18 month period and its a sanction.




Steve did warn me that I'd be scrutinized when I first met with him to discuss 'defecting' from CAPO, so I'm not surprised at being tested, but 3 times in 8 weeks seems a bit over the top. Still, what ever it takes to satisfy them, no point trying to avoid it and honestly it will make victory all the more sweet.

Anyhoo, my suspicion is that the 'real' reason behind the testing is that its getting close to end of financial year and they have a budget to spend in order to get their funding for next year. What better way than to nab a clutch of powerlifters at a regular training venue....

On a brighter note tho', I benched a PB, a triple at 90kg. Touch and go. For my second set I asked Rikki to give me a press call, enforcing a pause at the bottom, tough but I got it! The really great thing too was that Mary let everyone know I as going for a PB and it was like having the will of everyone behind me - or just the pressure to perform... but it really helped and everyone cheered when I got it - awesome!!

During the formalities of the drug testing, I was still quite hyper from the PB and the DCO asked why I was so giggly I told him about how my previous best at Nationals last year was 87.5 and that I just tripled 90 4 weeks out from comp, he laughed and said 'ahh so that's why you're on the RTP' LOL - I wasn't about to tell him it's more likely because I've just come from a non-drug tested federation.

The assumption that I'm good fell out the window the next day at squat training. My 3x3 at 135 turned into a single dismal double. It was my first session in the super suit which had just been taken in again at the shoulders and I was soooo uncomfortable in it. Crap! So backed off a bit and did 2 sets of 5 at 120 instead. Leigh suggested I have another go at the suit later in the week when I'm doing assistance work. I need to control the suit, not the suit control me!




135 double




120x5

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June 11, 2009

Compliance Status

Compliance Status quarter 1/04/2009 - 30/06/2009

You are compliant from 1/04/2009 to 30/06/2009. Receipt Number is: ASADA012442

Compliance Status quarter 1/07/2009 - 30/09/2009

You are compliant for the coming quarter. Receipt Number is: ASADA012443


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June 10, 2009

Back to work after a 5 day break and moved into my new desk - by the window. Ahh prime real estate! Not much of a view however natural light is always a bonus.



Cant believe its almost the end of the 'ASADA' quarter and I have to fill out my whereabouts forms again AND enter my 1 hour per day location where I can be found for testing for the next quarter. Mind you, not once this quarter did they come and test me at the 1 hour time/location that I nominated, no, both times they came to training..... regardless, I must comply or be faced with a filing failure. Ho-hum....

Training went really well at the weekend, very happy with 80kg bench press and 125kg squats. For the last set, Leigh put the weight up to 130kg as a teaser for next weekend's program. Old squat suit pulled gingerly over the new tattoo, which gives you some idea how loose the suit is...., straps down, good knee wraps, belt (of course) Caught on film.....




Leigh was satisfied that I'd done well that morning and so I was treated to breakfast around the corner at Toby's estate. Scrambled eggs on toast with bacon - Yummmm

Later in the afternoon, Leigh suggested we catch up for a latte, he been out shopping to fit out the police gym at Werribee and had a little gift for me.....
OMG!! He bought me a bar! LOL. What an awesome present! I was overwhelmed, so cool!!! What better reward from one powerlifter to another - equipment!!. I loaded the bar into my little Mazda 2 and off we went for a latte. Chuckle, when Madii saw it in the car she was like "What the...??" and christened the bar "Sparkles" because she thought it was such a gay present! LOL. I am stoked!! :-)

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June 8 2009

For some time I've secretly wanted to get a tattoo, but the idea of getting a tattoo for sake of having one didn't appeal. Then, a little while back, I'm not sure how the topic came up, Leigh commented (jokingly) that I should get my wrap line tattooed so I'd now how far up to wrap my knees, IPF legal like.... and the idea appealed to me. I toyed with the idea of having a barbed wire tatt around the leg but this seemed a little too much... Then I thought, just a little marker, like a single thorn but that was too small.....

Finally I plucked up the courage, found a design I liked and got it done.... and it's juuusssst right. :-)

still covered in glad wrap...

Before shower...

After shower... nice n clean

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June 2 2009

Bahahahaha late forties! At 46 I thought I'd only just cracked the mid forties. At least I'm not 50 like one other 'hardcore' has-been. (snigger)

Update on the physio visit. Working on the premise that my thoracic spine is somewhat inflexible. After some, what I can only describe as excruciating pressure, manipulations, Gemma has prescribed a lumber roll that I must lay on - longways, down my spine, and stretch my scaps around with the aim of trying to get my hand/elbows towards the floor. That' the best I can explain it. Moving my arms up and down thru the range of movement is quite painful and everything clunks along the way. Back in for another visit tomorrow where she will attack me again. I have been doing the exercises and tonight we'll see if there is any, even slight, improvement. (puleeze!)

Booked in for another leg massage with Ruth on Thursday. eeek!

Taking Friday and Tuesday off (Monday being a public holiday) and giving myself a long long weekend!

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June 1 2009

Trained gooderer over the weekend - good results all round - benching and squatting. Benching with SPLC has been a real boost for me, physically and mentally. The last two heavy sessions I've been the only female lifting in a shirt and doing a couple of extra sets and falling behind but they've been supportive and spotted me thru my last couple of sets. This extra support has been missing from my bench training in the past. Mary has also started to join us on the bench after having her (and Steve)'s baby girl, Jacqueline, and is already proving to be a formidable bencher after a break. I'm sure she'll be in top form in no time!

Strong squats on Sunday morning 120 3x3reps, 125 2x3reps. Low box squats 70kg 5x3. Followed by a latte a Tobys estate. Next week, if I do well, I've been promised breakfast!!

Looking for ways to amuse myself.... The prohibited substances list is always a good for a laugh - well, at least for the immature...... LOL.

Prohibited in sport - Cocaine Eye Drops Strong - what about mild?
Prohibited in sport - Colifoam Rectal Foam - Ummmm?

Bram: Trust me, no-one wants to see my ab... (singular!) - ROFL

Went to the movies again with Madii on Saturday night - yeah I have no social life to speak of.... Saw Angels and Demons. Very fast paced, still cant get used to Tom Hanks as the lead, he's not quite as I'd imagined when I read the books... but still enjoyable. Madii a little disappointed I think - she was expecting to be a bit more of a horror movie. Wore half of the choc top ice-cream, as always, and almost made my tongue bleed eating violet crumbles.... A good night out - 7/10 :-)


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Happy Birthday Mum - RIP
xxx