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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October 19, 2009

Bench class 1-0-1 Saturday morning....

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!

Squats tonight - back to 125kg

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October 14, 2009

Ouchies 1 & 2

 

 Shoes off...

Shoes on...

 

wormed..

 

 Bones?

 

In the beginning there was fire...

 

Burnies...

Then there was nothing but ash....

Civ-dog

October 13 2009

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

• Dates Missing in January February March

Training:

Saturday
Max bench - 3 triples at 72.5kg (raw)

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.

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October 7 2009

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!









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September 24 009

Spring has arrived!






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.

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September 9 2009

Such an obliging person I am.....

Athlete Whereabouts

Your Compliance Status

Current quarter 1/07/2009 - 30/09/2009

Compliant from 1/07/2009 to 30/09/2009

Upcoming quarter 1/10/2009 - 31/12/2009

Compliant

Monday at Defo- running short on time for training:

squats:

8x bar, 6x40kg 6x80kg (no equip)
4 x 100kg, 3 x 1 @110kg singles (knee wraps and belt)

Partials
5x5@130kg (belt undone,no wraps)

End of squat training...

Speed bench last night at Richmond:
Flat bench 8x5 @ 50kg
Lockouts 85 3x5
Dumbell press 5x 55lb,60lb & 65lb
Dumbell rows 8x 55lb, 2x 8x 65lb

rehab...
Rotator raise 4x8 5kg
Rear delt raise 4x10 5kg

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September 7 2009

OMG! This year is flying by..... September already!

Today is the start of my 10 week comp cycle. And its gonna be good!

Last week ended on a high, deadlifting 140kg for 5 reps without a belt. I should be looking at another PB come end of November. Picked up the new orthotic inserts for my squat boots - whoa! do they ever feel weird. Tried them out with just 50k squats and nearly fell backwards a couple of times. These will take some getting used to, so a little extra time to be spent in the rack with some light weights.

Had to go over to my Dad's on Saturday to re-tune his VCR (yes VCR) because he had been unable to record his tv shows after I installed the digital receiver the other week. Booked in an early one-on-one bench session with Martyn Girvan at Apollo and was lucky enough to get some extra assistance from Shaun Bostock. ;-) 2 singles at 80kg with my shirt on and lockout work with boards @100kg .The constant feedback in the one-on-ones is great. Martyn also gave me a few things to think about for keeping my knees out in the squat. Overall a very productive session.

After being the super hero at Dad's I rushed back over to Ringwood to take a Honda Civic Si for a test drive - very smooth. Lots of purdy lights inside! and it has a push button start, but the wipers and indicators are on the wrong side and I kept flicking on the wipers by mistake. It was an auto and I prefer a manual - well it has to be a manual for now since Madii will also need to be driving it on her L's (ick!) The Civic scored well too with heated leather seats

Booked in a test drive of a Mazda 3 sp25 too later this week. The Honda and the Mazda are the two contenders for my next lease.

Played around with the new printer/scanner so here's a couple of shots from way back when.....

Eowwww - Skinny!!

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