An Uncommon Pursuit

[quote]bunny7568 wrote:
Hope your leg gets better… you may have no choice but to “eat the pain”.[/quote]

A little A-1 and some after dinner toffees might make that go down easier.

[quote]skidmark wrote:
If I can’t work it out I’ll take a token squat. Pretty sure it’s just a strain from overworking the left side. Since the injury I have developed an strength imbalance and do all the pushing out of the hole with the left leg. Darn thing’s just tired and tight.

I need to lighten the weight and work form along with some unilateral work for the right side to strengthen it. [/quote]

No reason to decide now on what happens at the meet. Based on my vast experience of reading about powerlifting on the internet, I think you should focus on your recovery for now. You are plenty strong, have put in the work and will not be losing any real ground over the next couple of weeks. Just get yourself back to a status where you can compete and reduce the likelihood of injury during the meet. You don’t want to overdue anything at this point. If I were a betting man I would put my money on your being right on top of things by then.

Yeah - I’ll be figuring it out when I get there for sure.

I can still hit the openers on deadlift and bench the last week before comp, but I may have to skip squat opener. I’m stretching the thing out all the time right now.

Thanks everybody for your kind words and encouragement.

These are some interesting tips, several of which apply beyond the bench, that Eco got in his Strength thread if you did not see it; I like number 3 for its perspective:

"Here are 10 great competition bp tips that I have learned over the years:

  1. Your last heavy bench press workout should be 7-10 days before your next bp competition.

  2. Use no more than 80% max because if you do a Max Single within a week to 10 days of the Meet, you can automatically take 5% to 7% off that amount for your max on meet day.

  3. 1-3 weeks before a bench press meet you can’t get that much stronger, but you sure can get a lot weaker.

  4. Ice your elbows 2-3 times before your bench press competition.

  5. Your bp will suffer the most when you loose wt. You can plan on losing about 3 lbs from your bp per lb. of bwt lost AFTER the first 3 lbs of lost bwt. The lighter you are the more dramatic the effects.

  6. Increase protein intake to increase recuperation.

  7. Get a lot more sleep/rest.

  8. Visualize the meet and your attempts.

  9. Go over your meet equipment check list.

  10. Have fun.

TRAIN HARD

“BIG WILLIE” J.T. HALL "

Good advice from an experienced powerlifter.

2008-8-22
Assistance

Ghetto t-bar row
1 platex8
2 " x8
3 " x5
4 "x4
6 plates x2
5 plates x3
5 plates + dime 1x5
5 plates 2x5

Shoulder circuit (no rest btwn mvmnts)
A1 DB seated Press 55
A2 Seated Face pulls 100
A3 DB laterals 20’s

Round 1 13,15,10
Round 2 13,15,10
Round 3 11,12,9

Shrugs
240 3x10

EZ Bar curls
70x8
90x5
110x5
120 2x5

Standing straight arm pulldowns
70x8
80 2x8

Good assistance session. Rows and pulldowns really got the inside and back of the shouolder good.

skid, you need to add some van dammes and side winders to your routine. They really work the lateral quads and outer biceps.

2 sets 120x5 on the EZ bar curls and at the end of your workout too. Very nice. You all smoke me at curls.

[quote]ecogenx wrote:
skid, you need to add some van dammes and side winders to your routine. They really work the lateral quads and outer biceps.[/quote]

When I do them, I’ll call them Van Dammits. Comin’ up in 5 days: I squat wide for speed squats.

Whoo.

Glad I worked out in the afternoon yesterday. I ended up working til 4 in the morning today.

Pressing tomorrow. Gotta start upping the calories to make weight for the 198 class,though I’m pretty sure I’ll be loading up on water just before the weight-in. I think I’m running about 175 right now.

2008-8-23

Abs

Side Bends
130 2x10

Weighted situps
75 2x15

Standing Calf Raises
200 2x15,1x12

Trying the cable stacks…

Close grip pull down
250x5

Seated cable row
250x5

Lost some in the abs department. It’ll come back.

[quote]skidmark wrote:
Standing Calf Raises
200 2x15,1x12
[/quote]

Yo Skid, are you doing these with a barbell or some kind of machine?

[quote]soldog wrote:
skidmark wrote:
Standing Calf Raises
200 2x15,1x12

Yo Skid, are you doing these with a barbell or some kind of machine?[/quote]

Calf machine at the gym I go to now.

I’ve done 'em with a barbell too. Just put the barbell against the side of the power cage, go up and down and ignore the scraping sounds and metal shavings as the knurling files down the cage…

Done 'em with a dip belt too or just holding a dumbbell one-legged.

Or get up on your toes doing farmers walks.

You get the idea.

Just curious: Did you drop the GHRs for now?

[quote]1Geech wrote:
Just curious: Did you drop the GHRs for now?[/quote]

Yeah. I’ve been doing leg curls instead. I have to get strong enough to do GHR’s, they really yanked on my knee insertions.

2008-8-24
Upper
DB Neutral grip Floor Press
w/u 65x5
75x5
90x5
work sets
105’s x 5 (PR reps +2)
105’s x 4,3+partials

Hammer Strength Press
90x6
180x6
200x6
230x5
250x4 (baseline PR)
240x3

Speed Bench
130x26+4 (might have been 27 but I lost count)

Close Grip Hammer Strength Incline Press
90x6
140x8
160x6,8
180x6

Body Masters Triceps Extension
100x10
120x10
140x10

Today was a machine day. Read about the HS machines on some other threads. My gym has them so I thought I’d try them and see what the shouting is about. They. are. great. I like that you have to start the press out of the bottom.

Good session today. Hit my rep target for DB floor press.

[quote]skidmark wrote:
2008-8-24
Upper
DB Neutral grip Floor Press
w/u 65x5
75x5
90x5
work sets
105’s x 5 (PR reps +2)
105’s x 4,3+partials

Good session today. Hit my rep target for DB floor press. [/quote]

Strong as always Skid!

How do you get setup for the DB floor presses at 105#s?

[quote]soldog wrote:
skidmark wrote:
2008-8-24
Upper
DB Neutral grip Floor Press
w/u 65x5
75x5
90x5
work sets
105’s x 5 (PR reps +2)
105’s x 4,3+partials

Good session today. Hit my rep target for DB floor press.

Strong as always Skid!

How do you get setup for the DB floor presses at 105#s?[/quote]

The gym has some 6-7" boxes. I just set those up right next to my legs down around mid-thigh and put the dbs end-up on them. Then I can kind of tip and roll them onto my thighs and lay back. When they get that heavy I don’t want to waste energy lifting them onto my thighs from the floor.

I actually failed attempting the 3rd rep of the last set. Went at it again and it was slooooowww going up. The last set the right-hand db landed on my ribs cuz I was fragged.

No damage, but it was a bit startling. The weights didn’t cause the fear response today - a good sign. I’m hoping it means my CNS has adjusted.

It’s funny, all the guys I’ve seen in the gym are bigger than me, but I haven’t seen any of them but one pushing any real weight. The one has my build (small bones, not heavy) but is 4 inches taller and he is one strong fella. Saw him last night doing shrugs with 455+ in the rack. That was encouraging.

Skid, help educate me! Do you enter the gym with weight and rep targets pre-determined? I am curious on the impact you feel the floor presses have on your bench press.

You’re one strong cat!

Yes, I do for my main lift and my speed lift. Everything else is whatever I feel like doing to supplement those lifts.

For instance: I know that I’m going to attempt 3x3@465-475 for deadlifts off the blocks and 225+avg+mini bands for speed aquats to box for 6-8x2-3 . I may work hamstrings and some unilateral work for the right leg depending on how fragged I am.

The floor presses get you used to

  1. pausing at the bottom of the bench
  2. develop starting strength from the bottom of the press since you deload the weight on the floor.

Ecogenx is strong. Bunny is strong. DZ is strong. Colin, Hel and Barry are strong. You are strong.

I am trying to get strong. But thanks for the kind words.

Back at ya on the compliments bud. I’m down on the third tier strength wise.

Thanks for the input. I’m going to start putting some workout targets in ASAP. Guess I need to get off my ass and build a spreadsheet, instead of looking at little pages in a notebook.