Speed Squats

Another great work out. There are several things I need to work on and squat speed is definitely one of them. Here's how it went.

Squats - bar/6 reps, 135lbs/6 reps.
Lots of stretching
Squats - 2 sets/2 reps/185lbs, 2 sets/2 reps/225lbs, 2 sets/2 reps/275lbs, 2 sets/2 reps/315lbs, knee wraps 2 sets/2 reps/315lbs.

Barbell Curls - 65lbs/10 reps, 85lbs/10 reps, 105lbs/10 reps.
Machine Triceps Extensions - 90lbs/10 reps, 110lbs/10 reps, 130lbs/10 reps, 150lbs/5 reps failure.

I found the speed work difficult to do at 315lbs with out the knee wraps. With the knee wraps I could have gone up to 365lbs for 2 sets of 2 reps. The knee wraps are feeling more comfortable and really help the lift. Next speed squat day I'll bring my video camera so I can see any mistakes. They do feel good though.

Snowdaddy

Work Out

What a week. I keep chiming, "life always has a way of interfering with work outs". Last week and now this week are no exceptions. Mondays work out last week I tweaked a muscle between my shoulder blades. It was bad enough I went to see the Dr and had to take Thursday and Friday off work. This week my wife's gallbladder has acted up and she's in hospital. I did manage a work out after dropping the kids off at daycare and before going to see her.

Squats - bar/6 reps, 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/4 reps, 315lbs/3 reps.
Knee Wrap Squats - 365lbs/3 reps, 405lbs/1 rep.

Bench Press - bar/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/1 rep, 4 sets/4 reps/275lbs.
Machine Preacher Curls - 90lbs/10 reps, 100lbs/8 reps, 110lbs/5 reps (failure), 110lbs/5 reps (failure).
Dips with 60lbs help - 4 sets/8 reps.

A good work out to help me handle the stress of this week.

Snowdaddy

Speed Bench

I'm feeling great today. There isn't so much stress in my life and now I can concentrate on everything I like / Love. Today was speed bench day and my technique was really working for me.

Bench Press - bar/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/6 reps.
Speed Bench - 5 sets/2 reps/245lbs, 5 sets/2 reps/275lbs.
Preacher Curls - 3 sets/12 reps/85lbs.
Cable Press Downs - 80lbs/12 reps, 90lbs/12 reps, 100lbs/12 reps.

I decided to try the press downs instead of extensions. The angle this works is much more similar to benching than doing extensions. I'll do them more often.

Snowdaddy

End of the Week

This week as may before was crazy busy. I didn't have time to train on Thursday so I mixed it up a bit today. Another quick one but very good.

Bench Press - 135lbs/10 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 275lbs/4 reps.
2 Board Press - 275lbs/4 reps, 3 sets/3 reps/315lbs.

Speed Squats - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/3 reps.
With Knee Wraps - 315lbs/2 reps, 335lbs/2 reps, 365lbs/2 reps.

I'm working on down speed and pop out of the bottom. I'll go a bit heavier, maybe up to 405lbs before putting on my suit with the knee wraps. The board presses will continue to go up in weight. Before Christmas I think I was up to 385lbs for a 3 board single. I'd like to get back up there before putting on my shirt again.

Snowdaddy

Heavy Squats

I'm trying to bike to and from work while maintaining my current weight routine. So far things are going well but then again, it's only the first week. Tuesday and tonight I rode my bike. Today however, was heavy squats.

Squats - 135lbs/6 reps, stretch, 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/4 reps, 315lbs/2 reps.
Bench Squats - 315lbs/4 reps, 365lbs/4 reps, 405lbs/3 reps, 455lbs/1 rep.

Core Work
10 sec Crunches - 10 reps.
Lying Leg Raises - 20 reps.
Elbow Plank - 1min 10sec.
Trunk Twists - 40 reps.

The squats felt really good. I making sure to take a narrow"er" stance. My legs cycling into work, after this work out, felt quite good. I was surprised. I was also supposed to do rack pulls but I was really short on time. Tomorrow is board presses.

Snowdaddy

Cardio and Speed Bench

My wife is back at work now and also has to get ready for her annual PT test. Today we did some cardio together then I went off and did some weights. Here's how it went.

Indoor track about 200m
2 laps walk warm up
3 laps jog
1 lap walk
2 laps jog
1 lap walk
1 lap run.

Core work
Elbow Plank - 1 minute
10 Sec Crunches - 10 reps
Weighted Twists - 40 reps

Speed Bench - warm ups, 10 sets/2 reps/225lbs.
Machine Preacher Curls - 90lbs/10 reps, 90lbs/8 reps, 90lbs/6 reps (all to failure).
Machine Triceps Extensions - 90lbs/10 reps, 110lbs/10 reps, 120lbs/10 reps.
Hammer Dumbbell Curls - 50lbs/12 reps, 65lbs/12 reps.

An all around good work out. I recently bought a new bike for riding back and forth to work (about 7km one way). I'll be starting sometime this week.

Snowdaddy

Squats / Deadlifts

I'm working on some obvious weak points. One is the inexperience I have wearing knee wraps. Here's how it went.


Raw Squat - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps.
Super Set
Raw Squat - 3 sets/3 reps/315lbs.
Knee Wraps Squats - 3 sets/4 reps/315lbs.

Sumo Deadlifts - 225lbs/3 reps, 315lbs/2 reps, 405lbs/1 rep, 405lbs/1 rep.
Conv Deadlifts - 225lbs/3 reps, 315lbs/3 reps, 405lbs/2 reps, 405lbs/1 rep.

The knee wraps felt very uncomfortable but did seem to give good pop out of the bottom. All the squats were taken to rock bottom. This is the goal I have for when I'm in gear. Let the gear pop me out of the bottom. A few more days of knee wraps then I'll try it with a suit.

Snowdaddy

Bench Day

I guess this is my first real work out since the competition. Bench today was very solid. I went pure raw, no wraps or belt. Here it is.

Bench Press - bar/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps, CG135lbs/8 reps, 225lbs/8 reps, 275lbs/6 reps, 295lbs/3 sets/2 reps.
Dips - 3 sets/4 reps/body weight.
Various Arm Exercises.

Not too shabby. I don't feel like I've lost too much strength in the bench department. I do feel like I've gained some control.

Snowdaddy

The Cardio Begins

As I've posted every year around this time, its time for my annual PT test. I'm a powerlifter, one would guess, so running/jogging for me does not offer any joy. Last week I managed a light day of jogging at my gym on the indoor track. This morning I got up early and hit the streets, or, rather the streets hit me. Like they always do.

Sit Ups - 20reps
Total street time ~25minutes with the first 5 minutes jogging. Jog/walk after that.
Body weight = 297lbs

Snowdaddy

2009 Nova Scotia Provincial's Video

Here's a link to the video of my best lifts. I had lots of problems in the squat and deadlift, only managing to get one good attempt in each. I also blew a blood vessel in my nose during the squat in this video. Hard core!!!

2009 Nova Scotia Provincial's Video

2009 Nova Scotia Provincial's Results

Snowdaddy

Nova Scotia Provincials

What a crazy meet. This was the biggest powerlifting competition I've ever been at and was by far the oddest. The night before was the Annual General Meeting. I ended the evening being nominated for Nova Scotia Powerlifting President (which I was out voted on, thank God) and left as the new secretary.
I decided to camp instead of stay at a hotel, the cost difference was huge. I have a tent trailer with everything in it so I wasn't really roughing it. After the meeting I had just enough time to chuck two hot dogs down my throat before it was bed time. Did I mention that them meet was being held 50Km from Cape Breton Island. So, miles from any serious civilization. My alarm didn't go off in the morning and I had 45 minutes to get up, showered, bank machine (for CPU membership), and drive 15km to the venue for weigh-ins and equipment check.
I weighed in at a swelt 133.4kg then It was off to breakfast. 3 Tim Hortons B.E.L.T.s and an XL double double and I'm ready to go. With 50 lifters we had 4 flights, I was in a flight of 8 so things went fast. I won't go into details about my lifts, I'll post my video later. Here's how things went.

Squats - 265kg (miss), 265kg (miss), 265kg (good lift, but blew a blood vessel in my nose)
Bench Press - 180kg (good lift), 190kg (good lift), 195kg (miss).
Deadlift - 250kg (good lift), 260kg (miss), 260kg (miss).
Total - 705kg.

To sum up; a 15kg PB in the squat, equalled PB in the Bench, a sucky deadlift, and a 5kg PB Total. I have mixed feelings about the day.

Snowdaddy

Day 24 22 May 09

Thats it, it's all over. There's no more room for impovement. All the training is done now it's time to hit the platform and it ain't over time the Fat Guy lowers the bar. Here's how the squats went today.

Raw Squats - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/3 reps, 315lbs/1 rep.
Full Gear (48 Titan Centurion NXG+ Super) - 220kg/2 reps, 260kg/1 rep, 260kg/1 rep, 277.5kg/1 rep.

All the squats were a bit high but still very solid. Check them out for yourself. Here's the link.

Snowdaddy

Day 23 21 May 09

Bench day went very well indeed. On the week end I had my bench shirt taken in on the sleeves and the sleeves shortened. With the new alterations I was hoping for the best and got it. Thanks Mom for sewing my bench shirt.

Raw Bench Press - 135lbs/10 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 275lbs/2 reps, 315lbs/1 rep (paused).
Inzer RageX Bench Press - 365lbs/1 rep (no touch), 405lbs/1 rep (1/2 inch from touching), 427lbs/1 rep (a 9lbs PB).
Titan F6 Bench Press - 405lbs/1 rep (no touch), 449lbs/miss.

I'll be competition in the RageX but I tried a buddies size 52 F6 for fun. The 405lbs was easily 2 inches above my chest. The 449lbs touched, barely, but I didn't have enough triceps strength to handle the weight. It died as soon as the pop from the shirt ended. One thing though, I didn't torque the sleeves on the F6. I just put it straight on. Finally I tried a shirt that fits properly. After this meet I'll compete again but bench only and I'll work with this other, smaller, better fitting shirt.
My opener for bench press at the competition should be 190kg

Snowdaddy

Day 22 19 May 2009

Deadlifts today. Solo lifting at the Greenwood Powerhouse. A great day of pulling even though I split my suit. Here's how I did.

Warm Up - 5 minute bike.
Deadlifts - 60kg/6 reps, 100kg/6 reps, 140kg/3 reps, 180kg/2 reps
Gear Deadlifts - 220kg/1 rep, 260kg/1 rep, 275kg/miss.
Here's a video of all these lifts.

I felt confident enough to attempt 275kg but my gear couldn't keep up. I'll get my wife to stitch it up one last time. After this competition I'll retire this suit and go for something new and a bit more aggressive. Depending on how I feel the day of the competition 260kg seems like a good place to open deadlifts.

Snowdaddy

Day 20 13 May 09

Benching today. A very quick work out that added tonnes of frustration to my pre competition prep.

Raw Bench Press - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 275lbs/3 reps, 315lbs/1 rep.
Inzer RageX Bench Press - 365lbs/1 rep, 405lbs/miss, 315lbs/6 reps.

My elbow still bothers me a bit so it's thowing off my technique. My elbows flair something awefull. On top of that my suit doesn't fit right so I have to do some altering. This sucks this close before the competition.

Snowdaddy

Day 19 12 May 09

A great day of deadlifting with the boys at the Greenwood Powerhouse.

Raw Deadlifts (sumo) - 60kg/6 reps, 100kg/6 reps, 140kg/3 reps, 180kg/2 reps.
Raw Deadlifts (conv) - 200kg/1 rep, 220kg/1 rep, 240kg/1 rep.

Gear Deadlifts (sumo)(Titan Superior) - 240kg/1 rep, 260kg/miss, 260kg/1 rep.

I missed on the first 260kg because I didn't talc my legs. The training partners said they could hear the bar scraping over my knees. Almost near my maxes. Should make for a great competition.
Tomorrow I'll be benching. I hope my elbows feel better.

Snowdaddy

Day 18 8 May 09

Squat day today was awesome! I worked out today at the Greenwood Powerhouse with some of the guys that will be competing May 30th. Here's how things went.

Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps (CG), 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/2 reps.
Gear Bench Press (Inzer RageX) - 365lbs/2 reps, 405lbs/miss, 405lbs/1 rep.

Squats - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/3 reps, 315lbs/2 reps, 365lbs/1 rep.
Gear Squats (Titan Centurion NXG+ super) - 405lbs/2 reps, 495lbs/2 reps, 585lbs/1 rep.

I wasn't pleased with my bench press. My shirt wasn't on properly with my left sleave not torqued the way I usually like. The last 405lbs barely went up.
Squats were another story. 585lbs is a 35lbs PB and I didn't even use knee wraps. With someone watching at the side confirms that I was just below parallel. Very nice if I do say so myself.

Snowdaddy

Day 17 6 May 09

Bench Press day once again. Today is cold and damp which didn't help the bursitis in my right elbow. Here's how the benching went.

Warm Up - 5 minutes Precore EFX
Squats - 135lbs/8 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/3 reps, 345lbs/3 reps, 365lbs/3 reps.
Bench Press - 135lbs/6 reps, 135lbs/6 reps (CG), 225lbs/3 reps, 315lbs/1 rep.
Bench Press in Gear (Titan Fury sz 52) - 3 sets/2 reps/365lbs.
Rack Pulls Sumo - 315lbs/3 reps, 405lbs/3 reps, 495lbs/1 rep, 585lbs/1 rep, 635lbs/miss.
Rack Pulls Conv - 405lbs/3 reps, 495lbs/1 rep, 585lbs/1 rep, 635lbs/1 rep.
Various Other Support Exercises.

I wanted to focus on bench technique today but my right elbow hurt so much I couldn't concentrate on much else. In fact I was having trouble locking out with 365lbs on the last set. The rack pulls didn't seem to aggravate it. Actually the traction added to the elbow felt good. My elbow feel much better now. In the future I'll have to watch for this problem.
On another note, today I received my new knee and wrist wraps from APT. When they said the "Convicts" were for advanced lifters only they really mean it. It will take me some time to get used to these. I used the wrist wraps today and they are awesome!!! If my elbow wasn't bothering me today I'm sure I would have pressed a new PB, hence the raw 315lbs. I'll get some video of these wraps later.

Snowdaddy

Day 16 4 May 09

Deadlifts are going well but my gear is not co-operating. I had my deadlift suit taken in once again and the body feels good but the legs are still too loose. I guess one more time in the sewing machine and I should be good to go. After this competition I'm going to retire my deadlift suit. It's had more work done to it than Joan Rivers. Here's how things went today.

Squats - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 295lbs/6 reps, 345lbs/3 reps, 355lbs/3 reps, 365lbs/3 reps.
Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps (narrow grip), 5 sets/4 reps/255lbs.
Gear Deadlifts - 405lbs/1 rep, 495lbs/1 rep, 495lbs/1 rep, 565lbs/1 rep.
Conv Raw Deadlift - 495lbs/1 rep.

A fairly good day of deadlifts. On the second set @ 495lbs I set up opposite and ended up lowering the bar onto my right foot. One of my toes is bruised a bit. When putting the weights away I decided to try 495lbs for a raw single. A very nice pull if I do say so myself.

Snowdaddy

Day 15 2 May 09

All I can say is WOW!!!, I put off squat day a day to rest. Between work, training, and the family this last week was very exhausting. Here's how squats were today.

Squat warm ups - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/4 reps, 315lbs/2 reps, 405lbs/1 rep.
Put on suit. Titan Centurion NXG+ super sz 48.
Squats in gear - 405lbs/5 reps, 455lbs/4 reps, 505lbs/2 reps, 545lbs/3 reps.

Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps (close Grip), 205lbs/8 reps, 3 sets/4 reps/255lbs, 2 sets/4 reps/275lbs.

This new suit is frustratingly awesome. I didn't make depth on any of the sets but I did manage to get deeper with each set. At 545lbs I was about 3 inches above parallel. There was no one to spot me so I didn't want to go any heavier considering I was that close to my PB (-10lbs).
After week one of gear work complete I think the following will be my openers.

Squat - 250kg
Bench Press - 190kg
Deadlift - 250kg

I had my deadlift suit taken in a bit last week so I may change things after Monday next week.

Snowdaddy