Sickening Metamorphosis (38 days to go)

[Mellon]

Nice example of text book westside. Very nice journal.

Thanks

Sometimes, sticking to the rules is a good idea.

 

 

Maximal Effort Lower Body

Safety Bar Box Squat

warmup

3 x 125 kg

3 x 135 kg

3 x 145 kg PB?

1 x 155 kg PB!

YEAH! Technique a thousand times better than before.

 

SSB Good Morning

warmup

5 x 95 kg full ROM PB

15 x 95 kg small ROM

Tried to avoid back pain on the second set with the smaller ROM. Still hurt a bit but I hit the erectors well!

 

Side Plank

4 x 30 sec per side

Nonstop. Right shoulder gave out in the end but still managed to improve and hit the abs.

 

Adductors with Bands

warmup

2 x 10 x green band & 2 blue bands & 3 red bands PB

+ dropsets: 5 x green band & 2 blue bands & red band,

10 x green band & blue band

20 x green band

Hard.

 

Weighted GHR

warmup

5 x 5 x 10 kg PB

On paper, I have done more weight in the past. But honestly, now I am using the best technique I can to make it as hard as possible and hit the hamstrings and glutes the way I should. So I call PB on this one.

 

Time: around 90 minutes

Awesome! Best session of the year, so far. Now I just need to repeat this all the time and I won't have to worry about a thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHQjevrU1Xg

[Mellon]

Just noticed, I forgot these two:

Friday:

DE Lower Body

Paused Squat with Wraps (6 wraps around knee)

warmup

2 x 2 x 80 kg

2 x 90 kg

2 x 100 kg

1 x 120 kg

1 x 140 kg PB

Had to make do. I was totally fucked up because I had barely slept the days before (fucking exams). I knew I wouldn't put up a good dynamic effort, so I decided to work up a bit, instead. Ended up with a PB by 10 kg (not a max effort), so either I got 10+ kg out of my wraps or I got that much stronger in a short time. Either would be good (so far I was never able to squat more with wraps, always less).

 

Future Method Conventional Speed Pull

warmup

6 x 1 x 160 kg

Not fast enough.

 

Glute Ham Hold

70 sec x bw PB

The lack of sleep finally took its toll. I could just about get a new personal best but that's all the work I would get in that day. Also, I felt some stinging pain in my left hamstring, so I figured it would be smart to stop before something happens.

 

 

 

Max Effort Bench

Bench

warmup

1 x 110 kg

1 x 120 kg

Only 2 hours of sleep between friday and this. This was at FIBO in a T-Shirt contest or so. Figured why the hell not enter, if you're gonna bench anyway. Would have been happy with 3-6 reps but with that little sleep and a shitty bench (rack was way high, so my grip was too narrow) I just couldn't. There had to be a first week without a PB this year at some point, I guess.

 

Later, at home:

DB Bench + bands

warmup

3 x 10 x 27,5 kg + red band & blue band PB

+ 20 flyes with blue band & red band

+ 25 flyes with blue band

Going well. Gotta explain though: I only use a very small ROM to keep the focus on the pecs.

 

Plate Lateral Raise

3 x 25 x 2,5 kg per hand

Just rehabbing my fucked up shoulder.

 

That was all for the day on saturday.

And then I did my daily GHR and a number of sets of one arm band tricep extensions (7 x 10 x red band per arm) for GPP yesterday. The last two to three weeks were suboptimal when it comes to training because of exams and chemistry laboratory apprenticeship but that should be enough constant sleep deprivation for the rest of the year

Onwards!

[Mellon]

Dynamic Effort Upper Body

Future Method Bench

warmup

9 x 3 x 80 kg

Sets 1 and 7-9 were good. The rest was shit and slow. 30 sec between three sets, then a longer break to let my training partners do something and so on.

 

Shoulder Rehab

whatever

 

Wide Grip Bench

warmup

9 x 100 kg come on...

12 x 100 kg equal PB

Same result as last week but had to pause for like 20 sec before the very last rep. So I should change the movement but there is no other movement for the pecs that I can do at home without hurting my shoulders and elbow any further. Maybe another set x rep x weight scheme?

 

Band Tricep Extensions

warmup

3 x 8 x 2 blue bands & red band

+ dropsets 10 x 2 blue bands, 20 x blue band, 20 x red band

 

Wide Grip Pull Up

11 + 1, 5

Trying to go easy on my shoulder, so I just did a random movement as controlled and clean as humanly possible and didn't look for any number of sets or reps. I just did a bit and then called it a day.

 

Time: 60-75 minutes

Went okay, apart from the shoulder being kinda injured atm part.

[C.O.]

How many more days to go?

[Mellon]

How many more days to go?

Ah damnit, I forgot to update that

There is a big thing going down in september. You'll have to stay tuned to find out

 

For now I'll be off to a comp nearby. Just a state championship, so it's just all about PB or not PB.

Going for 200/135/250 (441/287/551), ideally. Or something similar. But in the end, it is the PBs that count, I don't care about the actual total. I wonder if they'll finally drug test me, if I obliterate national records in a state meet

 

Only problem: abs are painfully sore since tuesday. It wont affect strength but may affect concentration.

I'll treat that with a good dose of brutality and stop being a pussy, I guess.

[Mellon]

State Championship Powerlifting NRW

Was okay prepared for this comp. Could have trained a bit harder but overall, it was okay. Abs were unexpectedly still sore on comp day but that was less a hindrance than an inconvenience. Weighed in at 81,9 kg. Felt good, so far.

 

Squat

1st attempt: 180 kg

No lift (got called on depth).

2nd attempt: 180 kg

Good lift 2:1. Went down to absolute rock bottom, almost injured my hip because of it. Right leg hurt a lot after this.

3rd attempt: 195 kg

No lift (depth again).

 

I feel betrayed

 

Bench

1st attempt: 110 kg

Good lift.

2nd attempt: 115 kg

Good lift.

3rd attempt: 120 kg

No lift. Couldn't lift it. Dunno what happened here. Perfect technique, fair pause. Either I lost strength or this was just a very bad day.

 

Videos:

 

Deadlift

1st attempt: 230 kg

No lift. I overextended, lost balance a bit and then came forward a tiny bit. I was still in lockout position after that but they didn't give it to me. I can understand that and you can judge like this by the rules but I just don't think that it's right. I mean come on, I clearly had the strength, I was in lockout position the entire time this happened and it would not have changed a fucking thing but me having one more attempt. Also this was a state meet, so it doesn't even fucking matter for anything.

2nd attempt: 230 kg

Good lift.

3rd attempt: 250 kg

No lift. SOOOOO CLOSE. Usually, when the bar leaves the floor by more than 2 inches, I lift it. This one went up to the knees. So you can imagine how close this must have been. I claim I would have done this without the extra squat and deadlift (which exhausted me A LOT).

 

Videos:

 

Placing: 1st in my weight class and 2nd overall.

 

Conclusions concerning strength: I am strong enough to squat 200 for some federations and I think I could deadlift 250 on a good day, if there isn't bullshit judging like this. So training those two lifts went rather well. I only need a bit more volume, intensity and consistency but other than that, it should be fine. I will add some quad isolation work on tuesdays though, just to be sure (because I will have access to a machine on that day, anyway). My bench was a surprise. Either my arms and shoulders suffered major atrophy or the pause took 15+ kg from my bench, which I just cannot believe. Or I had a bad day. I will have to figure this one out.

 

Other than that I was shocked by the poor quality of judging on that weekend. Some other lifters had it way worse. One old lady, for example, did squat to depth three times, got called each time, nevertheless and thus bombed out of her first meet ever. Come on! Another masters lifter locked out an awesome gutty fight deadlift but then the bar would whip (is that the right word for it?) a bit at the top. He didn't move, it was just the bar looking rather elastic and shaking a bit. He didn't get the lift. And there were so many more similar cases...

Also, the general mood on that comp was awful, once again. No music, total silence, sometimes no reactions to the lifts, little information for the lifters about the weights the others took or even when they had to lift, just overall shitty communication and an awful warmup room (the floor was the most slippery floor I ever had to lift on). Just typical IPF stuff. Lots of bureaucracy, very strict rules, up-tight behaviour and no passion, no heart, no soul.

 

So what did I take away from this? Pretty simple, I will leave the IPF for good. It has been a long time since I had real fun competing there. Things ALWAYS go wrong and I never have a good meet in the IPF. Plus the attitude there. There is so much hate going on, the national team hates on everyone, accuses people of drug use, in secrecy, while some of them are taking massive dosages themselves, they force you to do their training plans, if you want to join the team or they'll kick you out etc pp. I just don't want to be a part of this any longer. I am a member of the iron brotherhood and not some wannabe police state. Because the latter is what it feels like to be there. I may compete in the nationals one last time to say goodbye to some friends and fellow lifters but after that, at the very latest, I will leave this federation and focus on breaking records, nothing else. That and actually having fun competing in comps like Bembel Man, IRP stuff or Insanity Meet (which you will here more about, soon).

[Mellon]

Screw updating, will take too much time with 5 training logs!

I'll just go ahead and re-start from today.

 

Just got sick, so I skipped 2 training sessions.

Just did this, today.

 

ME Lower Body

High Bar Box Squat + wraps & belt

warmup

1 x 160 kg PB

1 x 180 kg PB

190 kg fail

Result is okay, considering I did high bar for the second time in a number of years and considering that I am still sick. Listened to that voice in my head that said "oh, the wraps hurt so much. Don't do a triple, just try more weight", though. And ended up with barely any training volume. Shit happens. Hm,... what else? Did 10 wraps with my 2,5m grippers, which made wrapping painful again. Can't go any harder without help. Oh and low bar technique is not as good as high bar yet. Knees did cave in and butt did shoot up.

 

As mentioned, still sick, so just the main movements, for the time being. Anything with more volume would just make me pass out, now.

[Mellon]

Okay, there will be one update:

200 kg squat with wraps a week ago

[Sidereus nuncius]

Crazy deadlifts, good job!

[Mellon]

Crazy deadlifts, good job!

Thanks. I am not really satisfied, last meet's results were far below my best but I'm working to make that right at my next max out session.

 

Today:

Max Effort Upper Body

Bench + red bands

warmup

3 x 90 kg

3 x 100 kg

2 x 105 kg

Not yet at my best, but getting there, I think.

 

[Mellon]

I was on German TV, recently.

It's pretty much in German. So those not speaking it can only enjoy the images. And maybe get an impression what German sounds like, if you don't yell NAZI SCHNITZEL, SCHMETTERLING!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f22zYoxgwQM

[Mellon]

DE Lower Body

Paused Front Squat + red bands

warmup

9 x 2 x 60 kg

 

Sumo Speed Pull

warmup

14 x 1 x 120 kg in 6 minutes

Very good practise. Opening up those hips really well. Picturing Belyaev's lifting in my head while doing it. I like this technique.

[Mellon]

[Mellon]

Dynamic Effort Upper Body

Straight Weight Bench

warmup

9 x 3 x 70 kg

Felt like a toy.

[Mellon]

Max Effort Lower Body

Sumo Block Pull (6,5 cm)

warmup

1 x 230 kg

1 x 235 kg

1 x 240 kg

1 x 245 kg

1 x 240 kg miscalculated, shoulda been 250

1 x 245 kg and this shoulda been 255

1 x 250 kg equal PB

255 kg fail

Result was disappointing. Was hoping to do 260. However, I usually don't do nearly as many sets, so I could imagine that leading to this result. 7 sets at 90% and above is a lot. At least this was good volume.

 

Had already trained 90 minutes at that point and it was 10pm, which meant I had to stop anyway (stupid neighbour...), so I pushed the rest back to today.

 

And finally, a few videos. Speed work from monday and then all the deadlift working sets:

[Mellon]

Max Effort Lower Body (continued)

Sumo Bent Over Good Morning

warmup

5 x 10 x 140 kg in 10 minutes

Damn! Dat be hard! On the system and the erectors.

 

Adductors with Bands

5 x 20 x green band

10 sec between sets. Wanted to start again light, so I could get in more volume without cheating.

 

Weighted Glute Ham Sit Up

warmup

5 x 10 x 20 kg

10 sec between sets. Quad-failure xD

 

Glute Ham Raise

3 x 15 x bw

15 sec between sets. Madness!

 

Cardio-hell.

Time: 43 minutes

[Mellon]

Stretching

3 minute hamstring stretch

6 minute groin stretching

2 minute hip flexor stretch per side

 

Max Effort Upper Body

6 cm Board Press

warmup

3 x 120 kg

3 x 125 kg

3 x 130 kg

1 x 135 kg PB

Could all be PBs, i have no idea.

 

Close Grip 24 cm Board Press

warmup

5 x 10 x 110 kg

Short breaks. Too big a board. With normal grip there would have been no ROM

Still killed my triceps and pecs good.

 

Bottom Half ROM Shoulder Press

warmup

5 x 10 x 60 kg

Short breaks.

 

Underhand Grip Barbell Row

warmup

3 x 10 x 80 kg

Quite strict. Short breaks.

 

Time: 82 minutes

[Mellon]

Stretching

3 minute hamstring stretch

6 minute groin stretching

2 minute hip flexor stretch per side

[Mellon]

DE Lower Body

Paused Front Squat + red bands

warmup

9 x 2 x 65 kg

 

Sumo Speed Pull

warmup

10 x 1 x 130 kg

20-30 sec between sets.

 

Hips with Bands

5 x 10 x red band

Starting again with low tension. Then using more every week to see how far I can go. Would really love to do something else but since I got no abductor/hip machine, I'll just have to make do.

 

Inverse Curl (6 plates ~ 30° incline)

3 x 5 x bw

 

Side Plank

2 x 1 minute per side

Nonstop.

 

Forgot to isolate the ass

[Mellon]

Yesterday:

GPP Upper Body

One Arm Tricep Extension

5 x 10 x blue band

Nonstop. Close to failure.

 

Nothing special, just to do something.

[Mellon]

GPP Lower Body

Glute Ham Sit Up

3 x 20 x bw

30 sec between sets.

 

GHR

5 x 10 x bw

 

 

And to come, in a bit:

Stretching

3 min hamstrings

6 min groin

3 min hip flexors per side

[C.O.]

Wait is it actually 71 days, are you changing the thread title every day?

[Mellon]

Wait is it actually 71 days, are you changing the thread title every day?

Well, before that, I haven't changed it in 60 days ^^

But yeah, roughly 70 days to go until our own PL meet takes place.

[Mellon]

Dynamic Effort Upper Body

Speed Bench

warmup

9 x 3 x 75 kg

Heavy.

 

Wide Grip Bench

2 x 10 x 90 kg

4 x 90 kg + dropset 3 x 80 kg

Just shy of failure. Short breaks.

 

Band Tricep Extension

warmup

3 x 8 x green band

+ dropsets: 8 x blue band, 8 x red band

Just shy of failure. Short breaks.

 

Band Face Pull

3 x 10 x red band

 

Barbell Shrug

warmup

3 x 8 x 160 kg

+ dropsets: 10 x 110 kg, 10 x 60 kg

Short breaks.

 

Time: <60 minutes

[Mellon]

Max Effort Lower Body

Squat

warmup

10 x 125 kg

1 x 140 kg

[wraps]

1 x 160 kg

1 x 180 kg

1 x 190 kg

[/wraps]

"June Squat" competition from some other forum and then some practise with wraps. Was disastrous. Kept the volume very low to be fit for maxing out next week. This took forever, so I'll do supplemental and accessory stuff tomorrow.