Saturday 29th June 2019

Week 10, Day 4
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 190x1 (last warmup), 205x1, 195x2x2

Notes
Last heavy day before competition.  Basically opener and slightly heavier than planned second attempt.  Good day.  Left bicep/shoulder felt a little eh, but strong lifts all around. 

Wednesday 26th June 2019

Week 10, Day 2
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 190x3x3
Deadlifts: warmups, 222.5x1x2

Notes
Quick session.  Weights ok but still hurt.  Keep on rolling and stretching to see how things improve.

Monday 24th June 2019

Week 10, Day 1
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 175x5x3
Squats: warmups, 197.5x1, 185x2x2
Closegrip bench: warmups, 160x5, 165x5

Notes
Eh, sore shoulders, tired and slow. 

Saturday 22nd June 2019

Week 9, Day 4
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 195x2x3, 197.5x2
Paused deadlifts: warmups, 195x2x3
1board press: warmups, 190x2, 195x2, 200x2, 207.5x2

Notes
Not the greatest bench session, but got it done.  Wayy better once I got through to the board press. 

Friday 21st June 2019

Week 9, Day 3
Warmups
Squats: warmups, 177.5x4x3
Chins: 0x8x3
Glute thrust: 70x8x2, 70x12

Notes
Trained in the evening to avoid the cold morning.  Felt pretty good actually.  No back pain.  Been a little off angle with the squats for the last few days, to the right slightly.  Will work on keeping it upright.

Wednesday 19th June 2019

Week 9, Day 2
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 185x4x4
Deadlifts: warmups, 215x1x3
Rows: warmups, 140x5, 147.5x5, 155x5

Notes
Needed to warm up today... bbbrrr 1-2deg C.  Everything felt cold, slow and tiring.  As usual, Wednesdays are hard days.  But the cold made it more so.  Deadlift felt good, and just went with double overhand hookgrip, but didn't absolutely suck.

Monday 17th June 2019

Week 9, Day 1
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 167.5x6x4
Squats: warmups, 190x2, 192.5x2, 195x2
Chins: 0x6, 5x6, 10x6
Closegrip bench: warmups, 155x5, 160x5, 165x5

Notes
Weeee...  shoulders didn't really hurt, but had some general muscle pain and fatigue.  Was all ok in the end.  Squats felt better than last week.  Closegrips felt like a good solid effort.  Probably good for 170-172.5 area.

Trolling stuff.co.nz

Stuff.co.nz is a normal modern online media site.  Largest in NZ, full of garbage pieces to keep the clicks and views up as high as possible.

They also posted this overnight https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/113409378/we-tried-powerlifting which is a bit of an abomination. 

I do not often post under my own name on facebook media sites but decided that this one was worthy

Dear Stephen Heard. Over the weekend concluded the IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships. Nearly 1000 women and men competed for their countries in a sport that is often ignored by the media. New Zealand sent a team of fifteen lifters. Those lifters traveled to the other side of the world, to represent New Zealand, and in doing so produced some major results.

The NZ women placed twentieth in the open, fifth in Junior, eighteenth in Masters1, and ninth in Masters 3. Megan-Li Smith won her weight class, and came out with a world junior record in deadlift. Evie Corrigan placed second, and also hit a world junior record deadlift. Hema Govind placed sixth in one of the most competitive M1 classes. Ana De Joux placed tenth, in her weight class. Julianne Taylor placed fourth. Carolina Dillen placed eighth. Anna Claire Thompson placed twentieth. Amanda Foulkes had a rough day but showed her grit and determination to continue through the meet.
The NZ Men placed seventh in open, thirteenth in the juniors, twelfth in the Masters 1. Tim Monigatti placed second in his class, Angus McKay placed eighth, Andy Mahon won his weight class. Kavwa Sichone placed fourth. Chris Kennedy placed sixth. Jamie King placed fourteenth and the 2018 World Champion, Brett Gibbs, placed second in a massively competitive class.

Overall, Brett Gibbs performance placed him third best overall male lifter in the world, and Andy Mahon was third best male M1 in the world.
Instead of writing an article about these lifters, or the hundreds of others around New Zealand (under all the governing bodies), training away with the dream to do the best they can, and maybe represent their country. Rather, you post this. One white light for the pictures para-olympian, and that of Daniel. Two reds for everything else. If you could show half the grit and determination of the lifters throughout NZ, perhaps your next article will be a better performance.

Saturday 15th June 2019

Week 8, Day 4
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 190x3, 192.5x3x2, 197.5x3, 200x3(cheater)
Warmups
Paused deadlifts: warmups, 187.5x2x2
2board press: warmups, 210x3, 222.5x3, 227.5x3
Rows

Notes
Woooooooooooo.  Getting there, getting there.  Probably shouldn't have pushed to the 200, but it was almost there, just popped the butt up a little at the end.  Still, solid.  Then the boards were off the chain, all time PR.  Stopped at the 501lb as thats all the weight I have.  Dropping back to 1board for the remainder. 

Friday 14th June 2019

Week 8, Day 3
Warmups
Squats: warmups, 172.5x5x2
Chins; 0x8x3
Glute thrust: warmups, 90x8, 120x8

Notes
Ok day.  Trained in the evening again.  Cranked the belt a little too tight on the second set of squats, but otherwise felt ok.  Rolling the hell out of my shoulders every day.

Wednesday 12th June 2019

Week 8, Day 2
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 180x4x4
Deadlifts: warmups, 210x2x2
Rows: warmups, 140x6, 145x6
Walk: 18mins

Notes
After a lot of roller, stretching and some painkillers overnight, the shoulders (and back) felt a lot better this morning.  First set was rusty, but the remaining three were pretty good, and long pausing.  Deadlifts simple, and rows even felt good.  Building.

Monday 10th June 2019

Week 8, Day 1
Bench: warmups, 162.5x6x4
Squats: warmups, 182.5x3x2
Chins: 0x5, 5x5, 10x5, 0x5x2
Closegrips: warmups, 150x5, 152.5x5, 155x5, 157.5x5, 160x5

Notes
Shoulders still sore from the Saturday.  But I didn't really do much recovery work, so will have to prioritize that a little more...  weights were OK, but just hurt really.  Similar to my last real peaking phase of Sheiko, so really need to ramp up that recovery work, and stuff.   Heat pack, cold pack, roller, stretching, ibuprofen and sleep.

Saturday 8th June 2019

Week 7, Day 4
Bench: Warmups, 185x4x3, 190x4
Paused deadlift: warmups 185x3x2
Rows: warmups, 150x5, 160x5
2board press: warmups, 197.5x3, 210x3, 217.5x3

Notes
Work in progress.

Friday 7th June 2019

Week 7, Day 3
Warmups
Squats: Warmups, 162.5x7, 170x7
Chins: 0x8x3
Glute thing: 50x15, 60x15, 70x15

Notes
Good day.  Trained at night to avoid waking up early.  Misloaded the first set due to missing a 2.5kg plate on one end, so upped it to a nice 170. 

Wednesday 5th June 2019

Week 7, Day 2
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 180x5x4, 183.7x5
Deadlifts:warmups, 205x4x2
Rows: warmups, 135x6, 140x6, 142.5x6

Notes
Wednesdays tend to be the session that I am most tired, as there is less rest from the Saturday/Monday/Wednesday, than two days off Thu/Fri.  So the first set moved a little like treacle, but then its 10kg up on the last block of training.  The remainder sped up, as the body really warmed up and got up to speed.  Upped the last one to a chip PR, which is an important PR.  Usually my best comes after a 1rm, where the weight feels light and I am less metabolically fatigued.  This came at the end of four sets of already a good weight.  Could have gone the whole level to 185, but there are other days to win that battle. 

Monday 3rd June 2019

Week 7, Day 1
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 170x7x3, 172.5x7
Squat: warmups, 175x5x2
Chins: 0x6, 5x6, 7.5x6
Closegrip: warmups, 155x6, 160x6, 165x6

Notes
Sore from the last session, back aching, blah blah blah.  Solid weights, comfortable lifts.  Pushed the last set up by a little.  Could have gone higher as well.  All paused, compared to the last block which ended at 165 and some not paused.   Was also an all time PR, as was the closegrip.  Keep pushing forwards.

Saturday 1st June 2019

Warmups
Bench: warmups, 180x4x3, 185x4
Paused Deadlifts: warmups, 180x3x2
Rows: warmups, 145x5, 150x5, 155x5
2board press: warmups, 180x3, 195x3, 210x3

Notes
Back was still shit.  Rolled it for a few minutes to get it moving, and the McGill Big 3, and it felt pretty good.  Bench was heavy but strong, and moved nicely so I moved up a little.  Deads felt good, rows ok, and then 2board felt great.  Haven't done proper boards for years, and this was solid but heavy, 15kg down on my best.  Going to play with some big weights soon. 

Friday 31st May 2019

Week 6, Day 3
Warmups lots of warmups
Squats: warmups, 162.5x7x2
Chins: 0x8x3
Glute things

Notes
Eh, felt like garbage, back has been playing up a little, and gut felt bleh.  Got what I had to do, done.  Eh.  Did some additional glute things at night while others trained.  Pump was real, after that.