Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Light stuff and New issue !

I always remind Vancouver lifters when the new copy of Powerlifting USA is in at Mayfair magazines on Broadway (near Granville) well it IS in and it looks good..
there are 9 left go get one...or seven !

Workout today was LIGHT --225 X4 for 3 sets the bar got proper speed on the 3rd set--4th set and fifth VERY FAST!! --upped to 275-4 reps also fast, today no shoulder twinge did one more speed set with 275 then upped to 300 for 4 reps bar slowed a bit..then did a singe with 315 FAST and another speedy one with 325 and 345--

then took bar down to 315 for 3 fast reps then to 225 for 4 very fast (best bar speed all day) reps to hit 12 sets in all---

Good news I'm down to 297
Bad news-- its cuz I've been sick with a strange lower GI thing...

Go to the doctor? hell would have to freeze over...

There is a heat wave in Vancouver its 90 farens in my apt. --so I guess hell DID freeze over causing this Heat wave...

I did go to the doctor...she said IBS--and I said "I know I do--but MOST of what I say is true"

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Curse that Evil Shoulder !

Heavy Shirt workout today--even warm ups were tough with pain in my right shoulder..careful reps with light bars to only 330 for 2--then we put on my second best Katana shirt--little test with 440 then 496 then 507 ..and some tentative 529's (2 singles) --then I wanted to do an assisted 550 and it went well--my shoulder was finally warmed up OR the endorphins had kicked in and numbed the pain..so now a 584 single (like a one board) was attempted with very weak green bands attached...the bar was heavy at the top--so I worked hard on lock outs with a few more attempts at that weight...each time it would rocket to the top and stick short of locking--then I would push like mad --and once I did lock it--Bruce would grab and rack the bar...

Had I used my 'meet shirt' that would have been a good and complete lift..but in this case..the 'running out of pop shirt' plus some very weak (long) reverse bands more or less mocked up the same sort of scenario...so the workout (plus the reps work out with Nancy and Bruce) was a good one...but the shoulder worries me...I have less than 30 days to fix it and get back in spirit for that 600 attempt...the one reason I have been so psyched over Olympia in the first place !

Hey, World Games are on--and Powerlifting Watch is giving PL results in a rather timely manner--link is on side of this blog page.
check it out !

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Ehh...'Not So Heavy' ...day !

Today's workout was pushing from the pins at chest height...hadn't been in the gym since the shirt work a week ago...excuse was, I had a small twinge in my shoulder warming up last time, and I wanted to rest, it's bad timing with the meet August 22nd in Olympia, around the corner.

But, lay off I did...and I seemed down 10 pounds in strength from my last raw heavy day...workout was--135 for 10 as I tried to get the shoulder warm...225 for 5 or so..then 315 for 3-- 365 for one---then 365 again because it had no bar speed AND my shoulder wasn't laughing 2nd single went better..then 385 that was a tough one...then 385 again--aha--this time it went up easier..then 390 for 1 --then 395 for one...2 weeks ago I'd hit 405 easily...so shoulder strain AND laying off for 7 days robbed me of 10 pounds...yes, how did you know? I DO have an appointment with the chiropractor tomorrow..first thing...

As I move the pins UP so that the bar is farther from my chest---and move the weight to 405 I notice my shoulder is warmed up and I'm not feeling the soreness.

So I do 3 reps with 405 and then try to do close grips...the close grips are HARD...but I manage 425 -445 and 455 that way....
then I add floor mats to the top of bench to get my chest as high as before (in the LOW pin setting) of course my traps sink into the mats as I do this--but I'm in roughly back in the low pin level...and I'm getting 405 easily...so either, I needed more warm up and didn't lose 10 pounds from last session...
OR..
I'm B.S.-ing myself so I wont feel so bad... I tend to GO with the 'B.S.-ing' but don't tell my subconscious.

Did you know Seattle's BIG beach meet "Alki" is the week BEFORE our Olympia meet?
It's a lot of fun usually...our team hates to miss it this year...it's not the lifting 2 weeks in a row..it's the expense and the 2 travels to the very traffic congested Seattle Megalopolis ...check Washington State USAPL's site for entry info...

Speaking of USAPL...I made a "foo" of myself on Powerlifting Watch dot com--this week...the USAPL has a new 'ranking' list and in many years (when Mike Armstrong did the work) I have had a top Bench only ranking...
so this year --I use the search that was written about at PLWatch..
and...
nope...a guy with 248 pounds in the 65-69 super class somehow manages to outrank my 512...

so I write a little joke about it...
then a serious inquiry...
and a poster states that they started with the American records...so I, wearing out my welcome in the thread-- say here is PROOF and show the records page...
Then
he says it has nothing to do with the records (he just said that's the info that feeds the list) --and then he helps with this remark--

"You are not found in the MEMBER data base..."

well then, get a data base that is accurate... what you're saying is...

YOUR DOG ate MY Homework....

meanwhile PLWatch readers were as tired of reading about me as I was trying to figure it out...so now...I must just keep my 'typing' here for awhile...

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Heavy Day - PROGRESS !

Hey, My name is Clark Kent
--I'm bench pressing in your weight class
--need some chalk??

Today after the usual raw warm up--I put on my 2nd best Katana...and did singles with 440+ 507+534 then 550 for a 'one board' then 600 +600 and 600 with reverse bands added...this helped me feel the weight at the top and follow a relaxed arc on the way down...after this, I felt like this was a perfect progression forward, so that more challenges could be added as the meet gets closer--the workout, even WITH shirt and reverse bands was NOT easy ! I felt like I had really worked !

Nancy and Bruce hit reverse bands after Nancy put up a 165 Raw rep as her last warm up...I joined in and we did reps with varying weights and reps...more of a speed workout than the mass and strength singles...in 2 weeks we do it again...this time, I'll take off more of the 'training wheels' to go more head to head with the weights ! As i edge to a 600 try in Olympia, August 22nd.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

These Just in !


My 578.5 WABDL Masters World Record in Portland.
CSS Photo design DVD Video from the 'Bird cam'


Nancy Carpenter's 220 Pound Canadian Record !

When watching my BP on a TV screen the stroke looks about 2 inches (I wish) the High Angle is the reason, a side PHOTO view posted below in the Portland report shows a foot or more path...AFTER the rack call, the top has a wobble when the spotters struggled to put the bar back in, otherwise, this was the smoothest of my 3 lifts on this video--what can I learn by watching?--well for one, I don't "elbows in" like I thought I did...in theory I'm doing more of an 'elbows out' than I thought --technique could be tweaked on this to get a better lift next time out--thanks to Forest Hofer for the lift offs and Nancy for stuffing me in the shirt and helping with numbers and photos..thanks to Bruce Everett on training days in Vancouver and for Target Fitness for allowing me to train 'light speed' days in their gym.
(Nancy's Gym on Heavy days)

Above--I think Nancy's lift was perfect --but it is the only lift (being the heaviest of the day) that showed extra oomph at the top...all her others looked effortless...


CSS Photo design sent 2 videos special post for only $25.00 --I think that shows that they are a service FOR the lifter as the profit margin can't be large for the effort and travel and hours they put in, their link is below in the Portland Pictures report.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

Raw Heavy Sunday

Did the pin presses from chest height in the rack again today, felt recovered from Wednesday when I did 5 sets of 5 with 275 on the bar for speed--then singles with 315 335-355 &365...anyway, back to today's workout...warmed up with the bar in the rack then reps 135 -225 -315 --
then 2 sets of 365X3
then singles with 385+385+395+400-
-then 405 for a single
and 405 again for one more single, and that was it for 'heavy' today...I do the big shirt workout next Saturday at Nancy's gym...this, in prep for WABDL's Iron Gladiator Great Northern Bench press and deadlift meet...Gus is only Charging $55.00 for entry fee...and if you get your form into him by July 20th you get a free program and Tee Shirt--this meet is always one of WABDL's Best...go to the WABDL link at the side here for the entry download--and get the entry in soon for the perks. Not t0 mention the great awards

Speaking of the WORD Olympia...(a funny what if )

The Mr. Olympia IFBB bodybuilding meet in Las Vegas in September will have a USPF (and GPC) powerlifting meet that anyone can enter...can you imagine my fat ass entering the power meet...and telling everyone I was just back from the MR "O" contest---

ha ha--

"But robo--I thought that was for Muscle men??" --
" So what happened after the meet --did you eat an entire Vegas Buffet?"
"Did you enter the bloated old persons class ?"
"Did it hurt to be laughed off the stage?"
"So altho you wore a speedo...you LOOKED nude...and were arrested?"

Anyway if you'd like to read about this forthcoming (non invitational) chance to powerlift during the Mr. O weekend go here for more
(scroll down 3 or so events)