4 days til the meet !!

The WABDL Greater Seattle Open is Saturday at the Issaquah Holiday Inn--our last meet there was great!
"PICS FROM LAST TIME-click to see"
this one might have a bigger attendance being in the popular WABDL Federation...I've got my sights on big lifts..my speed day today,indicated that my bench training is right on schedule for a good result!

Notes on the BCPA Meet the 28th..this was a small but exciting contest..some fine lifting from Preetpal Atwal in the 110 kg class had the crowd cheering wildly--musta helped,Preetpal broke some National and BC Records...Oh yes, so did Jackie Sandhu..she of course is IPF Masters World champion in her class..Don Froese,nearly didn't get one in..but the bench he did get,was a RECORD!! good show Don !!
Vince Courville went for a record and nearly got it..but Terry Courville in the sub juniors got all his record attempts..new on the scene was Jim Brault who is training with Bob Hindley's team..Jim lifted very well...Nancy Carpenter helped with rack heights weigh in's drug tests (for the women) and coached 2 lifters,our buddy Paul Wells who got some PRs-and improved his performance from his last meet and Chris Joustra who lifted raw, actually he was wearing a big squat suit that Liz Willett once gave me..on Chris,it's so loose it becomes a singlet..Chris shows great promise and is Nancy's 'favorite' newcomer ! he won his 90kg class..one of my favorite lifters to watch was Anton Dirkin..very good form..lots of intensity..and really is a main helper with the BCPA ! Anton had a good day!looking strong !
..the press call???...I think the calls in the bench were mostly right on the money,as prescribed in the IPF rule book..the ones where the call wasn't quick enough,in my estimation,were only a half second too long..most of the lifters got used to it and managed thru very well...me,I woulda bitched maybe once,on slowness..but man that is pretty good..when I go lifting there next,I'll take some weight off those attempts just to make sure I dont end up in the bombers club.

"Hello, I'm Robert O. Smith,I'm not JUST a member of the bombers club...I liked it so well, I bought the company!"

Last heavy day before the meet !

Got a tough 507 Bench press today..and it was a very different feeling..the shirt seemed to have no "pop" at all and it felt very heavy--and it seemed like it was all me grinding it up..that of course made me happy knowing I could get a decent lift in a wimpy shirt--the fabric felt dead,but I figured 7 days out I didn't need to hit any higher poundage--so all I did was a bunch of raw warm ups with 225 270 315 330 355...then some reverse bands up to reps with 440..then Bruce and Nancy lifted--Nancy got a 90 KILO touch n go bench and a rather perfect 85 KG meet style bench in her Inzer HDHP shirt..if she could arch at all ('owwies' in her back) she'd be benching waay more..Bruce is not competing lately but he is mighty in the bench auxillary work and has a great deadlift and shrug as proven by how he lifts off for me --see the clip below in the previous blog,to see him pretty much take 450 of the 535 to hand out my weight..so,one more speed band day..then the meet in Issaquah NEXT Saturday --I think we've got Jody Cranston, Nancy and me at this meet...

And tomorrow will be a nice BCPA meet at the Jericho center..I think Special O's start it out at 10:30am or so, then the "Bench Only" is contested --then the 3 lift, a long and exciting day..Nancy is there to help with the meet and also to coach our Pal, Paul Wells who will lift in the afternoon..this time I'm just 'watchin' !

check it out ! 4196 West 4th Sunday Jan 28th

505 530 535

Heavy Shirt day and I wanted to use my comfortable Katana so we put it on after the usual warm ups --and I got a 505 a 530 and a 535 --actually it was 537 because of mixing kilo and pound plates...it felt easy..BUT in the video of it...it appears to come up..loosely lock then unlock out of control..and Bruce grabs it..what I remember tho, was getting it up ..locking it instantaneously and pretty much letting it down an inch or so to SIGNAL Bruce to grab it..but instead the vid looks like a big excuse for no lockout..so between now and the meet I must remember to hold it for a longer time..and let the spotter grab it on the rack signal...that would be bogus to have a WABDL World Record be nullified by a rookie mistake!!



Click that sucker to see's what I mean !

Both Bruce and Nancy had a good workout..Nancy is recovering from a back injury -and will test her shirt max NEXT weekend...in Bands we all had good progress except me--3 weeks ago I got a reverse band PR of 550 pound (the blues) but this week I did a 507 and then 550 only went with the "It's all you big man !!" deal where the spotter gives you 10 pounds or so to help with the rep..but the rep was SLOW and hard --so it might've been the best rep of the workout !!

Humble Tony !

"Tony in PLUSA CLICK IT"

WOW !! Whatta guy !!

Hey! The December issue of Powerlifting USA--has a report of the WPC Worlds, and BC's own Tony Tomra got his picture in the meet report on page 6---what astounds me --is--he was so HUMBLE about the numbers he put up in both the bench only and the full meet masters!!he got a 551 bench press and a 1851 Total !!

And I blog on about my bench in the aged fatso class and this guys just..'ho hums' these GREAT lifts...altho the WPC doesn't drug test--Tony has always been a drug free lifter ! Congratulations Tony..look for the PLUSA with Andy Bolton's 1003 deadlift on the cover..BTW No,my subscription issue did NOT arrive--I bought this one in downtown Vancouver !

oh yeah..I did the speed work today for Saturday's shirt session..guess I'll have to wear the NEW katana to try to get anywhere near Tony's neighborhood !!

No shirt, Sherlock !

Our Pal Bruce Everett, was not snowed in ...he was 'ICED in' today...he hadn't started his vehicle up for 3 days, AND his downhill driveway would've meant success, or death by steep ravine..yes, our Brucer woulda perished if he tried the slippery slope outta his house..So the BIG mysterious 'which shirt will robo try..to get a monster bench in his next meet'event was postponed til NEXT Saturday..As you remember, Bruce is spotter and hand off man..without he and Nancy safeguarding me and helping with my bench shirts..I wouldn't be able to hit the encouraging numbers I've hit in meets these last few years..so, no Bruce ..no safety, so we passed on the shirt workout.

That gives me more time to ponder if I wanna go BIG-- or HUGE !!! in the Seattle meet !

Nancy has hurt her back--shes training for 2 meets --The BCPA And the WABDL...today because of extreme back spasms ..she did pin presses (rack lock outs at her height) and got 242 pounds thru a 8 inch stroke..she did tons o' sets...and actually felt better after the work out...some people woulda cancelled the workout.. but she worked thru the pain.

I did pin presses (no shirt-bar from a dead stop) and got a PR at chest height 450 pounds...that's a small PR because last week I got 446--this time I just got underneath the bar and did 265 X 6 375 X 3 418 X1 440X1 sloppy, 440X1 good, 446X1 sloppy, 446X1 good, 450 X1 GOOD...then in this shorter rack, I attached the purple bands to the top and put the ends around the bar--this gives minimal help upward--I did 490X3 507 512 and 520 --a smidge over last weeks 517..all in all a good workout..but this is 3 weeks of the same heavy exercises and they need to be mixed up next week when we'll do the shirts workout for sure and a different style reverse band bench workout from bench level and blue bands --remember I need to be hitting 550 in that excercise !!
Hope everyone's prediction that the weather is going to be good for the Feb 3 WABDL meet holds true..I cant imagine driving this "igloo on wheels" my car has become,all the way to Issaquah n' back in the icy cold !

BIG Heavies coming up Saturday !!

Yes !! Saturday I have a shirt workout at Nancy's--I'm now psyching myself up and guessing on the best shirt in my arsenal..I have a NEW Katana that wont let anything less than 560 down--could I get it back up??--'gee-beezus' that scares me..not the weight over my face but my wrists and elbows..damn, after an attempt like that I get phantom broken wrist feelings for 4 days after...

Hmm?? will I use the old Katana--the New F6 or the new impossible Katana?--tune in late Saturday or early Sunday to see which one 'I wear to the ball'--

oh damn,here come the 'glass slipper' jokes...

Tuesday Speed stuff !

It does feel good to take a rest from the bands resisting the light weights on 'speed' day--but it feels WAY better to go back to them after that 3 week rest..that last resistance to push thru is a great feeling to experience again...yesterday I attached the heavy blue bands to the bottom of the bench posts and did a routine, but fast workout getting new velocity on the bar--
225 X 6 X2 245X4 X 7 then 315X1 335X1 355X1 365X1 --the heavier weights arent part of a prescribed "light" speed work day..but I add them in to keep a eye on my raw lift--if these are light feeling..I know my RAW bench is closer to my pin press PR than these small percentages of my max..

FORMAT violation--Vancouver has,since I've lived here, had a tradition of ONE big hurkin storm a year..so far,BC has had 14 storms and Vancouver proper 4 wind storms ,2 snows and one big thunder bolt that shook major parts of the town --our sports stadium has a hole blown in it--and 2 + million bucks worth of damage (trees-land errosion etc.)--Meanwhile, Seattle has been hit by much the same thing only add flooding..so what's my point? is it the Arm and Leg a-gedden?? no, I'm actually concerned because I want the hex to clear by February 2nd when i have to travel to Issaquah for the Feb3 WABDL meet..my tread is getting pretty worn on the ol Mercruddee's---geez --
entry fee
hotel
room
food
--gas
--now tires maybe?--
I think Powerlifting has just become a rich man's sport for me..

does anyone have a 10 second 'tag' for me to read?
I'm real good at:

"Starts Wednesday at a theater near you !"

Good Heavy work !

From the same rack pin setting as last week..I got some workout PR's--in the chest level floor press (raw-dead stop off safety bars) I did warm ups thru 330 for 4's --then to 402+440+446 for singles, the 446 beating last weeks best rep..then I attached the lowly purple bands to the top of the rack (I usually use Powerful BLUES) and did singles with 446 for 5 462 for 2 490X1 507X1 517X1 and got 527 going for 2 inches..but crashed n'burned with that weight...so Next time --getting that will be my heavy day "pin with purples" goal...and YES...I will get it..

Next heavy day is NEXT Saturday when I do shirt work ..and try to get a serious pre meet weight up ! 523+ ??? or go for broke and try the tight Katana?? that could yield 534 540 or disaster!

Near Seattle? want to enter WABDL meet??
entry forms at WABDL dot ORG Or Richard Schuller's email is R@BULLR.com --What's neat is ..that there are meets to attend so early in the year...There is a BCPA meet Jan 28 in Vancouver ...then February 3 the WABDL meet --then In March there is a meet in Issaquah again..but it's the Washington State USAPL championships...I'm happy about this --usually I wait 3 months between December and my first New Years meets !! This keeps last years ball rollin..better to progress than bog down !!

Didn't skip the small stuff !

Today I got my lethargic ass into the gym and did speed benches,didn't use the bands,but got a nice workout in trying to 'shotput' all the weights outta my hands ..2 sets of 225 for 6--2 sets 245X4 2sets 265X4 4 sets of 315X4 as fast as they would go..the bands will make a comeback on speed day next week..I really have come out of hibernation,due to the fact that the WABDL Seattle meet is February 3rd,Bull Stewart and Richard Schuller are putting this on again at the Issaquah Holiday Inn...It will be a good contest with Benching and deadlifting,I'm hoping Jody Cranston will come along ..I'm nearly positive Nancy Carpenter will bench..It would be good to have more BC Lifters come down as WABDL meets usually have some superior displays of power and a friendly "lifter first" attitude..so in the next few workouts I have to get used to the heavier part of 500+ as to not waste the money..travel and effort on yet another slightly over 500 showing..maybe I should try to reel in that 534 that got away in Vegas !