April 18, 2011

Reverse band bench  - triple @110kg.  Failed to move 120kg.

April 11, 2011

Todays deadlifts:

Conventional
60x5, 100x3

Sumo
100x3, 120x3, 130x3, 140x3 x3

April 9 2011

Not bad...   dropped 1.5kg in 3 days. Weighed 63.3 on my scales.

Good morning at training too  - Reverse band bench 110kg 3 reps / 4 sets

Nice!

April 8th 2011

Water loading.  Thankfully ASADA arent pestering me.....

April 3 2011

The end of daylight savings - onwards into winter darkness :-(

60kg warmup - Look how uneven my elbows are and its my 'good' arm which is swinging high like a chicken wing. Tch, tch, tch.

March 31 2011

POWERLIFTING

Under the straight bar at last!  Reverse band box squat, worked up to3 doubles at 140kg.  Sheesh the bar bites tho' into  the trap on my operated side - I guess I'm holding the bar unevenly as the right side has no mark at all.

Its so damn raw I think I'll have to deadlift this Friday morning instead of doing speed squats.

Wed morning bench  - another good session 3 sets of 10 reps at 40kg - tried 50kg - 1 rep :-(
Will try 3-board on Saturday just to feel a heavier bar weight.


Results from Raw nationals are up on the PA website, great that Tim was able to get them up so quickly and the livestream test went  really well - definitely a goer for future comps.


http://www.powerliftingaustralia.com/Results/2011/2011results9.htm

WEIGHTLIFTING


Tuesday  - arrived just before 5pm in order to do a longer warmup for the shoulder.    Slow presses with varying grip width - sadly only the bar still and its difficult :-(  Cleans are feeling ok  and I worked up to 40kg,. I'm reasonably happy with that as its enough weight to feel the movement and practice technique.  Too light and I just curl the bar, too heavy and I messup the technique.  Anyway at 40kg I cleaned and then did 5 front squats for 3 sets.  Still no snatching. Finished with 60kg pulls.

Starting this week I'll be training twice a week, Tuesdays AND Saturdays.  Later in the year I might talk to Rob about making it 3 times a week.

March 25, 2011

Powerlifting Australia will trial live streaming from the first Australian Raw Powerlifting Championships on Saturday March 26th! The 105kg+ categories and medals ceremonies will be streamed live. To follow the action all you have to do is click the link below at 5.30pm on Saturday March 26th (Australian Eastern Time) : http://www.justin.tv/powerliftingaustralia

March 22, 2011

Made my return to weightlifting last week!  No snatches, no jerks, just some light cleans, bar presses and high pulls.  Felt good! Felt real good!  Will head over to Phoenix again tonight and then from next week should be able to up the pace to 2 times a week.

Bench is going to be a slow recovery, strength just inst there and its sooooo frustrating.  Tested my max at the weekend  - 40kgs -  Forty lousy kilos. sigh........   I'm not looking good for an appearance at Nationals  :-(

Squat is coming up nicely tho'. Regaining strength. Max squat Monday morning saw me under the cambered bar with reverse bands and half suit  - gotta love reverse bands!  60x5, 80x5, 100x5, 120x5, 140x3, 150x3, 160x2

Bit disappointed with my assistance work. Rack pulls against bands.  All was going well until I put the final big bands on and it was a no go....   previous best (pre surgery) was all bands on plus  a 10kg plate.  Definitely room for improvement. there.  Maybe next week I'll do a max deadlift test.....   Will discuss that with the physio tomorrow...  about maxing out that is.

Big weekend coming up.  Not for me actually but the lifting community in general.  PA Raw Nationals on Saturday, PA Vic State titles (ughh unable to defend my title...  boooo)  CAPO have their state titles also on Sunday and this weekend is the Weightlifting club championships being held in QLD.  Unfortunately due to the PA comps and not being able to be in two places and once I wont be able to watch Rhys compete in the CAPO comp.  Would really have liked to have been there to cheer him on....   Hmmm Still in two minds really about which comp to go to....   At least the weightlifting is out of the question being interstate! :-)

I've got my weight down to 64.5kg now and from tomorrow I'm going to try out a 4 day cutting program to see if I can drop down to 63 by Saturday morning.  Perhaps if I ask nicely one of the refs will let me jump on the comp scales...

March 10, 2011

Slow and steady...  hmmmm...  about sums up my progress - to  me that is., but Greg Hoy doesn't agree.
3 month post op review and Greg is happy with my shoulder, range of motion expectation was 75% but looks to be around 95% and strength is good, by his expectations... Not good enough and not happening fast enough for me tho' and after discussing the residual pain I have, he ordered some further intervention for the shoulder.  Mild stiffness but excess needs he wrote on the referral to Victoria House....   Actual diagnosis "mmmm, probably some adhesive capsulitis"

Training wise, things are on the up...  Allowed myself to suit up for squats on Monday - Max effort (?)  Cambered bar 120kg - 3 doubles.  Cant believe how heavy it felt... erghhhh.  Next day thought I'd broken some ribs. legs fine... ribs hurt!

Bench on Wed morning with Rhys and Kirby,  moved my grip in and doing high reps (as reminded by Kirby), pressed 30kg for 20 reps, 35kg for 15, reps and back to 30 for another 30reps - next day felt like a bodybuilder - sore pecs  (LOL)  

Physio appt this week and I have some new tangled web of theraband exercises to do.  Simon would prefer that I wait a little longer before starting back with overhead lifts.  I need to develop a little more strength/stabilization first, these new theraband exercises should help do the trick.  Plus some more 'advanced' stretching  behind the back  Progress is good.

This morning: Speed squat 100kg. Each set felt better than the previous:

Can see in the video that my left shoulder/arm placement is different to the right - but actually it looks better on the left....  ???  

It was great training with the crew again earlier in the week.  So much more motivated than training alone. Tomorrow I'll take a crack at some board presses.  Wooo!  Starting to feel like a powerlifter again!

Feb 27 2011

Whoops!  There goes another month!

Tuesday marks 3 months since my shoulder surgery - 3 months!  Tomorrow I have my 3rd post op review with Mr Hoy.  it will be interesting to hear what he thinks of my progress and perhaps some explanation for the dull ache in my shoulder, the flicking sensation and shooting pain in the front deltoid when my arm moves across the front of my body.

For me, if not for being a lifter I'd be quite happy with the range of motion, but i need more to get comfortably under the bar to squat.  I'm almost there. Looking in the mirror I can still see significant muscle loss on the left and my traps are not symmetric. In fact the left side (operation side) is higher than the right and this contributes  feeling uncomfortable under the squat bar.  My left arm, bicep and tricep, and latissimus are all quite weak.  :-(

I'm box squatting raw using the safety squat bar with about 65kg max and doing 5x5. I'm not allowing myself to put on a squat suit until I can squat with the straight bar - that will be the reward.

I'm am permitted to bench the bar (20kg) - woo-hoo!  I tried benching 30kg and it hurt too much - this is going to be a long road back.

Deadlfits - raw and no belt I'm pulling 80kg easily for 8 reps.  This will be a matter of conditioning the shoulder, so the physio has suggested higher reps rather then more weight.

There you have it, my 3 main lifts are back in my core training regime, but I'm feeling that Nationals, which is only 5 months away, is really out of the question. Straight to World Masters? And my last hope of the year will be the Matti Tikka in November up in Sydney.

In the meantime I'm still trying hard to get down to 63kg.  The keyword being trying....   Currently sitting at 65.5kg  and somewhat stagnant. Now you might say its only 2.5kg to lose and that isnt very much. That well and fine for the fatties but when its the last couple of kilo's it doesnt want to budge...  To that end I've bought myself  a crosstrainer.  Lets be serious here, I'm never gonna take up running again so....  cardio on the crosstrainer here I come.

Hmmm  Some assembly required

Ta-dah

Feb 2, 2011

Whoa! February already.

Physio appt - Feb2  (3rd appt)

Simon is happy with my progress still despite my telling him that I'm developing tourettes syndrome  - he inquired as to which tick I'd developed...   The one where I randomly swear every time my shoulder has the flicking pain (yes it returned with avengeance).  He might have thought it was funny but he could see I was concerned about it, nothing to worry about, just keep up the posture work and it will settle....

Scapula massage , not so bad, can deal with that but the lat massage and up under the armpit when trying to stretch overhead - I have to go to that happy place in my mind til its over.

Cleared  to use the Safety squat bar and the zercher harness tho'. Now my squat and deadlift training can get back on track properly.  Also on the approved list is theraband internal and external rotations and now I can, at my own discretion, increase the weights for floor presses and rowing - very happy!

Zercher Harness.

So excited to being about to squat that I'm going over to ESP tonight.  Martyn will have the SSB set up for me and off I go!  Well actually I cant make it to training tomorrow morning, Miss Olivia's first day of school and I got the personal invite, but there was no way I waiting until Monday to squat!

Back to French lessons starting next week.  Level 5 at Lyceum in Kew.  Tuesday night now instead of Wednesday and its a later class  7.50pm  but that's fine because when I return to weightlifting, and I will return to PHOENIX, the French class wont mess with my training which  is 5-6.30pm.  Just means that Tuesday's gonna be a packed day!  Thank gawd for the 'work from home' / sleep in thing on Tuesday mornings to prepare.  Pity tho's I wont see the girls from the classes last year, they're already a level ahead of me now :-(

Jan 21,2011

Happy Happy Joy Joy....   5 days off....  Can swan about the house and do nothing - literally.  Madi on the other hand can mow the grass again and poison the weeds - all things I cannot still do...Lounging around is about my limit :-)  But  the least I can do is supervise...  especially since I spotted amongst the weeds along the driveway - a tomato plant... WTH??

Of course training wont stop... I've got myself quite nice little routine happening now which I hope to continue throughout the year.

Mon, Wed, Fri I'm up at 4.45am to be at ESP by 6.15 so I can leave around 7.45 (8am at the latest) Gets me into the office before 8.15.

Tues & Thurs I'm working from home so I can sleep in until 6.45am and be online for work by 7.15 easy-peasy since I can work in my PJ's  This gives me some 'much needed' and 'sweet as' recovery sleep!

Saturday up around 5.30 ESP by 7am-ish - for the time being, until I can return to training with the morning crew.

Sunday - nada, nothing, zip, rest, sleep-in.

Jan 20, 2011

Progress at last!!!   That snapping catching sensation that's been going on in my shoulder has finally gone away.  The rehab is getting easier and the most exciting thing this week is that I can now move my arm enough to change gears in the car.  Whoooo   the Civic is back on the road!!   Its all coming together, even sleeping better this week.  Cant wait for my 2nd physio appt on Monday, I think Simon will be surprised how well I'm doing - and I've been good, haven't pushed it, just followed the guidelines that he set down.....  yay! Progress!

Also earlier this week I had my review appt with the surgeon, Mr.Hoy.  He's please with my range of movement or lack thereof,  nice and stiff - LOL.  Made a note that I still have some numbness at the front of the delt,  probably as it gets more use it will regain feeling - the bicep is functioning so but nothing to be too concerned about. At the time of the appt I was still getting a few catches in the shoulder which he put down to the bicep tendon moving over the repair site.  Its settled down now tho as I mentioned already.

Of course still no benching but keeping up the right hand upper body work, one arm rowing, pressing and overhead press and of course various forms of squatting on the other days. Mostly technique still - cant really put a lot of weight shoulder or the belt.  When I see the physio I'm gonna bring up the idea of the zercher harness, have a pic of Bro using it to show him how it works and I'll ask again about the SSB  - hands free of course.

Training week in review:

Monday - heavy (as much as possible...) power squat.
Worked up to a PR 5 !/2 plates
Sled 8 trips 20kg
Back raise 20g  4x15
situps 4x12 (glute/ham)
rehab

Wednesday - Belt squat (technique)
Low box 2 plates 8x5
Back attack 30kg 4x12
Glute/ham raise 5x5
rehab

Tomorrow - speed power squat.....

Jan 13, 2011

Running late for training yesterday morninf, arrived at 6.30am,  but what does it matter, I'm training on my own anyway.  Back in the belt squat for my Wed morning session while everyone else was benching. Its overrated anyway...   Glutes still sore so I worked on technique with a plate and 1/2, 8 reps per set using a low box. only time for one more exercise so have to make it count.... Back raises with a 10kg plate, really stretching the hammies at the bottom, 4 sets of 15. 

Then rehab.....   seem to have reached a sticking point, range of motion has stopped improving, still I persist and next week hopefully the physio will start pushing it.

IPF have updated the International rankings.
For my weight class / open division, 63 total competitors:


Powerlifting World Ranking 2010  Women 67.5 kg                       

                               

PL NAME                 BWT   Best SQ  Best BP Best DL Total   W.pts  

27. Victoria O'Brien 66,41  150,0       92,5     195,0   437,5  451,80

Across all weight classes out of 443 competitors:

IPF 2010 Powerlifting World Ranking on Wilks points - Women   

                           

Pl    Class Name               NAT   BWT   TOT    Wpts  Place   Date  

159. 67,5 Victoria O'Brien AUS   66,41  437,5  451,80 Pilsen 28.09.2010

28.09.2010

Jan 11 2011

Excellent training session yesterday morning.  Now I can use the power squat machine - very much like a backwards hack squat, the beauty of it is its hands free!! 

Powersquat 1 plate x10, 2p x8, 3px 6 4p x3 x 6sets.
Single leg squat 5kg x10, 7kgx10, 10kgx 8, 15kg x8 x 3sets
Sled with 20kg 8 double trips

Holding me back a little was shouldering the weight when I needed to rack the powersquat, Could have gone heavier but wasnt going to risk setting back my shoulder rehab for the sake of fueling  my ego.  When I got up this morning my glutes were letting me know that they'd been pushed.

On that subject, shoulder rehab is coming along well, range of movement is increasing although last 2 nights I've needed some 'assistance' to get to sleep resulting in some bizarre dreams.  Started supplementing with some SCF and  MSM  to hep with the recovery.

Have written up my first Powerlfitng Australia Newsletter in the form of a End of Year wrapup  - should be posted on the side in the next few days.  Looking back it was a tremendous year for PA and 2011 is going to be a blast with RAW really making headway into the calendar.  Will I do a RAW comp tho'? hmmmmm  I like my equipped lifting too much.

Jan 6 2011

First Physio session yesterday and I was expecting it to be tough.  But to the contrary, we started by discussion my perceived pain levels and check some basic range of movement, all of which are quite normal - even the flicking sensation that I dread so much.   I explained my training and competition plans for the year, what my current lifting level were and particularly what my bench should be.  After which  Dr Simon B warmed the shoulder up with a heat pack, followed up with some gentle massage thru the pec, bicep. On to my side for a massage of the rear of the should and scap then the exercises could be started. 

1. leaning forward to let the arm hang 10 small circles right, 10 small circles left
2. as above controlled swing back to hips and forward again without pushing it - repeat 10
3. as above controlled swing from left to right across body - repeat 10
4. Lying down with a stick in bot hands, raise arms up and allow arms to go back as far as they will  - without forcing - repeat 10 from centre and then lower back down at the end (the hardest part)
5. sitting up - external rotations across the body - gently, repeat 10 and then using stick gently push the hand out further - repeat 5 times

That's it - twice a day for the next 2 weeks  - less is more for the next 4 weeks, every thing is just gentle, no pushing it hard yet.   Wont be able to drive my car, which is a manual, for another month at least.  Lucky the 4wd is an auto!!

The slow road back to lifting.....

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Dec 30, 2010

Last post of the year.

Sling off tomorrow and in anticipation of this momentous event I spent half of today out of the sling :-) Well I didn't want to jump straight in the deep end.  Anyhoo after a while I was glad to rest it in the sling again.

Range of movement is poor and painful, but expected I guess.  Next week I start physio and that I'm looking forward to, with some apprehension.  At least I'll have a better idea then of my prognosis and maybe better informed about how long my recovery.rehab will be.

Driving myself to training tomorrow in the 4wd 'cos its an auto.  Sat in the Honda today and started the engine for the first time in 4 weeks....  purrrrrrr.  So from next week I can get back to training 4 times a week. Mon, Wed and Fri will be variations of leg, lower back and abs while on Sat I'll start doing some single arm, upper back, shoulder exercises and more abs.  That's the plan, gotta have a plan.

New year's eve will be a quiet one at home, on pager....   Had a little think about resolutions, not that I',\m all that good at keeping to them - ha! still haven't learned to swim!  One promise I need to make and keep is to eat more veggies....  somehow, sometime this year, veggies have disappeared from my plate making only the guest appearance now and then.  2011 - the year of eating veggies!

When I look back over 2010 I see a year full of success, goals kicked but tempered with the loss of my Dad. To the future, 2011, full of promise and challenges - Bring it on.

Dec 22, 2010

Into the third week now. Arm is aching daily just from being in the sling. Even doing the elbow flexion exercises don't alleviate the pain and sleeping has once again become troublesome. Got so bad yesterday I resorted to taking one of the painkillers that I had left over from when I was discharged. Should have taken two and slept....

Training is a lot more positive tho'.  Have doubled the weight in the belt squat already after only 3 training sessions.

Monday:
Belt box squat up to working up to triples at 2 plates + 10.
Single leg squats 6sets/8 reps each side
Dumbell squats off blocks
Abs
Sled pulls

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Dec 16, 2010

Dec 15,2010

Now into my 2nd week of disablement and finding it quite frustrating but at the same time understand that its necessary.  Fortunately I have been able to return to training twice a week, Mon & Fri mornings.  At E.S.P. I have a number of options like belt squats, back attack, glute/ham, hypers, power runner, single leg squats, sled work and as my recovery progresses I'll have the use of safety bar and cambered bar for squats.

MG says this could be a blessing in disguise and that I can use this time to really work on squat technique - particularly with the belt squats.

Started out with just one plate and struggling to use good form MG confined me to the belt squat for 40 minutes....  After this I moved on to back attack and 6 sets of machine good mornings then finished with a couple of laps of sled pulls.  By that same evening I was already feeling it in my quads and by Saturday morning I was near crippled :-)  But I was back the following Monday for more of the same...

I also made it back into the office this week, Monday after training,  and should be in again on Friday. Other than that I am working from home - housebound and going nuts....   Whilst I enjoy working  from home once or twice a week is about as much as I can bear!  But that's how it will be until January when I get my independence back...  or at least be able to drive again....

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