Wednesday 30th October 2019

Week One, Day Two
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 168x5x2
Stuff for the lower body

Notes
Majorly eh.  First week fun and fatigue from the heavy work on Saturday.  Plus not quite energetic from waking up early.  Oh well.  The stuff for the lower body was similar to Monday but unweighted.

Monday 28th October 2019

Week One, Day One
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 138x7x2
Squat stuff xlots
1board: warmups, 158x6x2
Shoulders, back and triceps

Notes
First of new block, more programmed, less RPE.

Saturday 26th October 2019

Final day of block
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 180x1, 200x1, 210x1
Squat stuff
1board: warmups, 180x1, 200x1, 215x1, 222.5x1, 230x1

Notes
Bench was garbage and 1board was good.  I think its the solid base on the 1board that is helping me at the moment, but normally the differential is not quite 20kg.  Happy to have >500 on 1board though, it shows I can move it. 

Friday 25th October 2019

Week Three, Day four
Squats, stretching and other crap

Notes
Stupid asshole legs.  Not content with the fkn SI join playing up, I sorta tweaked my adductor again and then when just doing really stupidly light squats, it also decided to go again.  It is a giant dick to go with 60kg on the stupid bar while doing low reps and really slow movements.  Back to work on the stupid thing. 

Wednesday 23rd October 2019

Week Three, Day Three
Warmups
Paused pin press: warmups, 180x1, 140x5x2
Pulldowns x lots, facepulls

Notes
Felt like hot trash.  Chest is feeling beat and there was no speed at all.  I don't like pin presses as a main movement, or for higher reps.  The next block will drop them to 3's, and controlled loading. 

Monday 21st October 2019

Week Three, Day Two
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 140x8x3
Closegrip: warmups, 140x6, 150x6, 160x6
Pushdowns: warmups, 40x12x2

Notes
Backs feeling a little better but still not perfect, will give another week before doing anything, and then just take it stupidly slowly.  Doing some rower on off days, but it hammers the lower back too :|

Saturday 19th October 2019

Week Three, Day One
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 180x1, 200x1, 180x4x2, 185x4x2
Pulldowns: a ton
1board: warmups, 185x5, 190x5, 200x5

Notes
Weeee.  Back still a dickhole.  But bench was ok, and the SI pain did not impact the back during lifting, just if I got up off the bench on a funny angle.  Bench felt pretty good, and 1board felt strong enough that i jumped to a big number of the last set.  Shouldn't have gone that heavy, but it became harder because my breath ran out about rep 3, and I had to breathe for the last two, which ruins my setup.  Still locked it out.

Wednesday 16th October 2019

Week Two, Day Three
Warmups
Paused pin press: warmups, 195x1, 170x5x3 (ithink)
Deadlifts: warmups, 210x1, 180x5, 180xpopstupidshit

Notes
Shit ass shit.  Everything around my lower back had been feeling like shit for days on end.  Mainly SI joint being tight as shit and not wanting to relax/release.  So instead it does it during the deadlift, on a weight that was easy as shit, first set was basically 180x5 @4-5.  So the first SI joint goes pop under load, which means i have a sharp stabbing pain, that has been slowly reducing in the days since.  Its been releasing since then, but still a little stabby pain, so likely inflamed and angry for a bit.  On Saturday I stretched my arms over my head and the other side started getting stabby.  But still bench is ok. 

Monday 14th October 2019

Week Two, Day Two
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 138.5x8x3
Squats: warmups, 160x1, 180x1, 140x8x3
Adductor thing: Px20, P+Bx15, P+Bx11, P+Bx13
Close grip: warmups, 140x6, 145x6x2

Notes
Nice day really, considering the lack of sleep.  Bench was easy, as it should be.  Squats felt good, easy and no adductor issues.  The eights were easy but hard, mainly due to endurance, or the lack of it.  Weight was comfortable.  Closegrip felt fine, only 5kg off my best at this rep range.

Saturday 12th October 2019

Week Two, Day One
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 180x1, 195x1, 170x4x3
RDL: warmups, 110x8x3
Pendlay Rows: 70x8x4
1board: warmups, 170x5, 180x5, 185x5
Pushdowns: warmups, 30x8, 40x8, 45x8

Notes
Not the greatest feeling day but finished well.

Friday 11th October 2019

Week One, Day Four
Warmups
Squats: 60x5x3, 100x6, 120x6, 140x6
Adductor work: purplex20, purple+blackx8x3
Glute thrusts: purplex12, purple+blackx12x3
superset with
Frog glute thing: 0x20x3
Stepups: bw x10x3
Chins: bw x10x2

Notes
Took squats easy, to feel out how the adductor was.  It was making itself apparent, but still ok, so did slow reps, paused at the bottom slightly.  will work my way up to 20's with the two bands at that exercise, and then raise the band tension.  Felt pretty good afterwards. 

Wednesday 9th October 2019

Week One, Day Three
Warmups
Paused pin press: warmups, 180x1, 185x1, 157x5, 157.5x5 @6
Deadlifts: warmups, 180x1, 200x1, 170x5x2 @6

Notes
Adductor is still a bitch, but survived the deadlifts.  Pin press felt eh, but it is only the first week back into it, so it should all progress nicely.   Called the deadlifts early, likely the 200 was @6

Monday 6th October 2019

Week One, Day Two
Warmups
Bench: warmups, 131x8x2
Squats: warmups, 190x1, 142.5x2, 60x8x2
Adductor crap
Closegrip: warmups, 130x6, 140x6

Notes
Well, bench was just easy which is the target.  Squats felt ok considering the general back pain I have.  But the 190 flared up the stupid adductor.  Maybe didn't warmup to the correct amount or something.  The 190 was easy enough, RPE 7-7.5 range.  But didn't want to continue with the work if it hurts.  Back to the strengthening board, will see how it goes later this week.

Saturday 5th October 2019

Week One, Day One
Bench: warmups, 180x1, 190x1, 160x4x2
SLDL: warmups, 100x8x3
Pendlay rows: 60x8x4
1board: warmups, 165x5, 170x5
Pushdowns: warmups, 40x8x3

Notes
First day of new block, no rest for the wicked.  Starting the SLDL/Pendlay rows really low and adding week on week.  Felt drained and fat, but that will improve. 

Friday 4th October 2019

Warmups
Narrow stance squats: warmups, 60x8, 75x8, 90x8, 110x8
Single leg leg curls: purplex20x2
Split squat: bwx10x2, 10x10

Notes
Just getting some work in.  Legs pumped up nicely.  Starting things from tomorrow.

Wednesday 2nd October 2019

Warmups
Pin press: warmups, 170x1 @6, 140x5x3 @5

Notes
Was going to deadlift but gave up in the end.  Need to get back to mornings, likely next week. 

New Zealand Powerlifting Federation National Bench Press Championships 2019, Atlas Gymnasium, Ōtautahi

2019 NZPF National Bench Press Championships
Atlas Gymnasium, Christchurch, New Zealand

Ok, the primary competition of the year.  Been a long series of preps, competitions, injuries, and a whole host of PR's

This year they have been:

Bench
100x60
165x8
175x7 (also 165x7 and 172.5x7)
190x5 (also 182.5x5 and 183.75x5)
195x4 (also 190x4)
198x3 (also 197.5x3 and 195x3)
210x2 (also 195x2, 197.5x2 and 205x2)
215x1

2board
227.5x3 (also 217.5x3 and 210x3)

1board
207.5x2
227.5x1

Pin Press
200x3 (also 190x3)

Closegrip
180x3 (also 175x3)
165x6 (also 162.5x6 nad 150x6)

So, its been a very successful year of training, and the reality was, I was expecting good numbers.  So how did it go.

First, weight.  I came into the peaking phase heavy, around 124.  So I cut for a few weeks, nothing too drastic, and did one practice water cut, then final water cut heading into the last week.  The issue was compounded by not really knowing the difference between my scales and competition scales. So I weighed 120.5 ish on my last weigh-in at home, then water restricted.  Normally, that last day gives me about a kilo of weight loss, maybe 1.2kg.  I weighed in at 118.55kg, which would mean my scales are approximately 600g overweight.  So, comfortable weight session.  Then fluided up.  Basically my normal sports drink with added sodium chloride.  A cookie, and some sour gummies.  Drank my way through the best part of 1.8L by warmups, then just kept topping up as I went.

I warmed up early, getting banded work in and then bar.  70kg, then 100kg, then 140kg, 160kg and 180kg.  All felt good.  On an Eleiko bar in an Eleiko rack.

First attempt: 200kg
Felt light, but the bar was shaking in my hands.  Felt like it was floppy.  Got the start command, then took it down, command, then back up, easily enough, touched the rack with my right hand.  It was also a little low, as I tend to do.

Second attempt: 210kg
The first attempt felt more difficult than it should have, and the wobbling bar meant I kept it lower than planned.  Took it out, it also shook.  Down, up a little harder (looks easier in the clip than it felt).

Third attempt: 212.5kg
Small jump, and didn't really feel that confident.  Hindsight might have pushed me to 215.5kg for the win and National record, but a conversation they were having made me think the record was higher, and much less likely for me to hit.  If I didn't make it, I would have been lower IPF points.  So, 212.5kg it was.  Shakey again, but down, paused (right side lower again), up, with uneven extension, and locked out.

Three attempts, three good lifts and nine white lights.

Could not ask for better, other than lifting more.  I think I got all I was capable of on the day.  The winner took 215kg for a second attempt and was going 217.5kg  for a third.  He had been discussing with the table about a record attempt around 217.0kg, which didnt really make sense to me, but they made it seem like the NZ Masters record was 217.0kg and he had to go 217.5kg to break it.  He set the Masters 1 record with 215kg on his second (according to the updated record sheet).   He failed the 217.5kg.  Because of that I thought I would have to jump to at least 218 for the last attempt, so just left it at my one.  Which was good, as while I placed second in my class, which was an OK outcome for my first Nationals in 16 years, I placed third overall in the Mens category.

So, since November last year, I have done

HB Champs: 195kg bench (three good attempts)
Masterton club lift: 200kg bench (three good attempts, the 200kg was dodgy)
WCPA Regional bench champs: 202.5kg bench (two good attempts)
NZPF National Bench champs: 212.5kg bench (three good attempts)

So far, the bench has gone up 17.5kg, and I have hit 11/12 attempts.

No idea about the shakey bar, it didn't happen on the Eleiko from last week, nor did it happen on warmup, just on the competition bar.  It was brand new, so maybe something there? so I am unsure how to combat that.  Other than getting stronger, and thats the goal.

This time, no break really, other than one day off, so straight into training.  Have a fun lift in early December, and will see how much weight I can move then.