8/16/15
Deadlift Opener:
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 1
485 x 1
No problems. I’ll probably open next week at 480.
Your on track for a great meet.
I hope so. The plan is for stretching and cardio the rest of the week.
Good luck!
Thank you. So far so good. I’m on vacation from work, so I’m spending my mornings stretching and on the treadmill. My weight is fine, I just want to make sure and stay loose.
Nice plan to be fully rejuvenated and ready to have a big performance.
Thanks buddy. I head out Friday morning to the other side of the state for weigh in. My son has football practice and my daughter has volleyball, so the family will meet me Saturday morning.
Good luck and have fun my friend.
I drove across the state Friday with my parents. They like to watch. My kids started school and sports, so they and my wife arrived Saturday. Weigh in was fine, and I loaded up afterward.
Saturday I was due to bench at 1:00 and deadlift at 4:30. I was good with that. I had a good breakfast, and went to my room to sleep after the rules briefing.
Bench warm up went well. I opened at 380. It was light and easy. I went up to 402 for the next lift. I settled in, and hit the lift. When I sat up I saw two red lifts. The bar had not come up even, so I lost the lift 2-1. My goal was 425 for the meet. Since I missed #2, however, I stayed at 402. I then mind f*#@ed myself until my next lift. 402 got to about half way up, and it stopped. No lift.
I licked my wounds, and went back to my room for a shower and snack. Things were running behind, so I did not deadlift until about 5:00.
Again, warm ups were good. I opened at 480. Again, light and easy. My friend, who sometimes helps me, sent me a text earlier and said to make 520 my second lift. The weights were kg so there was no 520. The options were 518 or 523. I played it conservative and went for 518. I kick myself for that now. 518 was good, and there were no issues. My meet PR is 545. I thought to myself “you came for records.” Therefore I went for 551 for a third lift. My approach was good, but I only got the bar to just below the knees. This tells me I have it in me, just not that day.
I’ve been pissed because I only tied my push / pull total from March. I won first in bench, deadlift, and push / pull. Push / pull is a new division for WABDL, so I tied my world record for my division and weight.
I know I had a lot more in me, so this one kind of stings. I’ll probably shut it down for this year, and start working toward 2016. The last three months have been good, and I’ve made some major gains. I’ll just keep on.
8/24/15
Light Bench:
135 x 10, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 245 x 5, 275 x 5
DB Flies:
4 sets x 10 reps x 35
Machine Dips:
4 sets x 12 reps x 190
Svend Press:
4 sets x 50 reps x 2 plates.
I’m pretty beat up, so things are going to be light for a few days (deload).
All good things in time my friend and we still have plenty of time. Good to see you’re still pushing great weight and a much bigger bench is in your future. A gremlin must have unbalanced the bench bar. That dead is there and your poised to crush larger pulls. Onwards and Upwards!
Here is my second bench attempt. As you can see my left side dips. It was very close. I’ll take any tips on how to fix this. It’s hardly ever an issue in the gym. You can see that I can push as lot more, since my right side is still powering through.
My friend suggested physical therapy. I was thinking dumbbells with the left side five pounds heavier than the right. For the record, I am left-handed, and my left side feels stronger for normal daily tasks.
Try this one.
8/25/15
DB Curls:
1 set x 20 reps x 35
4 sets x 10 reps x 45
Rope Curls:
4 sets x 12 reps x 65
Poundstone Curls:
65
One Arm Extensions:
4 sets x 12 reps x 35
Kickbacks:
4 sets x 12 reps x 35
Rope PD:
4 sets x 20 reps x 100
Reverse Rope PD:
4 sets x 12 reps x 80
8/28/15
Leg Extensions:
4 sets x 10 reps x 150
Squats:
135 x 10
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 1
385 x 5
405 x 5
455 x 5
Front Squats:
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 5
I have a little unevenness benching but it only shows up on max attempts. I’m left handed as well and my right arm is the one that goes up a little quicker nearing lockout. My guess is that it probably has something to do with my left bicep tendon tear but who knows for sure.
Yours was pretty dramatic but it looked more like a form issue your than anything else as the bar looked like it dipped lower on chest on the left side than the right but having never benched in a shirt I don’t know for sure.
Congrats on your meet. I’m sorry you didn’t accomplish what you set out to do. I know from experience how disappointing that can be.
I watched your bench video several times. It’s tough with a shirt because you are propelled off the chest but will hit a wall on a weaker side once the rebound is gone and the brute strength work is thrown back in your court. I realize it’s ridiculous for an essentially non-benching female to give advice, but it looks like you could be tighter in the eccentric portion of the lift.
Really row the bar down and squeeze the shoulder blades together to store the energy for the concentric portion of the lift. You might have to learn to better control your stronger side as that much speed off the chest will, at a minimum, cause the weaker side to appear to have dipped even if it’s just stalled. I do a lot of DB work to try to keep my strength equal. Also, triceps, triceps, triceps.
On another day, you easily could have had that bench.
Thanks guys. It is very frustrating to say the least. Snap I think your advise is probably right on. I’m going to concentrate on staying as tight as possible and really sucking in the shoulders. DB work is a big part of that as well. I’m going heavier with dumbbells on the left side by five or ten pounds. My goal is a 425 raw bench before I compete again next year. I don’t think I’m that far off.
I’m also wondering if the competition benches only add to the issue. The benches at my gym are very hard. The competition benches are softer and a person sinks in a lot more. I’m not sure why that would affect anything, but who knows.
8/29/15
Bench:
135 x 10, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 245 x 1, 275 x 1, 345 x 3, 325 x 2, 315 x 1
Bench Against Bend:
245 x 5
225 x 1 (five second pause)
DB Presses: left side 65 / right side 60
4 sets x 15 reps
Crossover:
4 sets x 15 reps x 50
Svend Press:
4 sets x 50 reps x 3 plates
Starting a little lighter, so that I can build back up.
9/2/15
Deadlift (deficit + band / Sumo):
135 x 10, 225 x 5, 225 x 1, 275 x 1, 315 x 5, 365 x 5, 385 x 1
From Floor (no band)
385 x 1
Rack Pulls (conventional):
315 x 5, 405 x 5, 455 x 5, 500 x 4, 550 x 1
Laying Leg Curls:
4 sets x 10 reps x 125
I’m not sure what I did today, but it was a lot of pulling. I had the bright idea of combining deficit (approx. 3 inches) with pulling against the band. “It’ll be easy,” I told myself. It turned out to pretty hard. I then did rack pulls. I guess if anything I worked both the bottom and the top
9/3/15
Bench:
135 x 10, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 245 x 1, 275 x 1, 315 x 1, 335 x 1, 350 x 2, 325 x 3
Bench With Band:
250 x 5
Bench With Band / Five Second Pause:
230 x 1
DB Press:
4 sets x 10 reps x 75 left / 70 right
Crossover:
4 sets x 10 reps x 35
When I looked up I realized I had been pushing for two hours. I buddy of my at the gym is a local race promoter. Today he asked me to help promote and compete in his fitness show he puts on in the Spring. He would like to add a bench or strongman competition. I told him I was in, it sounds pretty cool.