New Coach, New Training Regimen

Ok, so at the beginning of this year (2009) I started working with a powerlifting coach, the legendary Andrew "Bull" Stewart. He had me doing a lot of conditioning workouts in December, then in Jan. we started our pre-event cycle working up to the March 7 Wa State Championship meet - it's an eight week cycle. Here's what those workouts look like:

WEEK ONE:

SQUAT DAY
Squats at 70% 1RM* 2 x 8 reps
Pause squats (slightly lighter weight, pause at bottom for 1 second)
Leg press 3 x 8 (you'll do this at heavier weight than the squats, it's easier)
Calf press 3 x 8 - all directions (toes straight, outward and in)
Hip abductor / adductor / glutes / front hip flexor 3 x 10

BENCH DAY
Bench at 70% 1RM 2 x 8 reps
Flat bench dumbbell press 3 x 8
Incline press 3 x 8
Shoulder press 3 x 8
Bench with close grip for triceps 3 x 8
Tricep push down with t-bar 3 x 8 - 10
Tricep push down with rope 3 x 8 - 10

DEADLIFT DAY
Deadlift at 70% 1RM 2 x 8 reps
Deadlift from knees 2 or 3 x 10
Hex bar 3 x 8
Power cleans 3 x 8
Back rows 3 x 8 - 10

From here, I am increasing the weight 20 pounds per week on squats and DLs, and 10 pounds per week on bench, and dropping one or two reps per week (still doing 2 sets).

week 2 - 2 x 7 reps
week 3 - 2 x 6 reps
week 4 - 2 x 5 reps
week 5 - 2 x 3 reps
week 6 - 2 x 2 reps
week 7 - 2 reps
week 8 - 1 rep
rest one week prior to competition

*calculate 1RM based on prior maximum done in gym or competition.

Dec. 6th Meet Results!!

Here I am, back from my most recent meet (the Fife Holiday Classic). I set out what I aimed to do, which was to win my age / weight division and to break my records from the 10/18 meet. Not bad progress for just 6 weeks! They just posted my results from October not long ago, now they'll have to update them...hee hee. Here are the results.

OLD RECORD NEW RECORD
Squat 203.9 lbs 253.5 lbs
Bench 110.2 lbs 125 lbs (I actually pulled off a 137.2 lift but
that one was disqualified because I racked it too soon...bummer)
Deadlift 226 lbs 281.9 lbs

I am looking forward to taking a week off, for a change, and then I have to start training for the State Championships in March. Happy holidays and happy lifting.

First Time Out

So, I completed my first powerlifting meet on Saturday. I am accustomed to being onstage so that wasn't a problem; I was just nervous about doing my lifts properly. In meets, you have to lift when the judge tells you to, and you can't rack it until they tell you to either, which is not what I'm used to. (note to self: start training like this once in a while)

The other competitors were very nice, helpful, and quite inspirational. There was a 70-year-old great grandmother, a diabetic with an insulin pump, a 50-something guy who'd just had his hip replaced 5 months ago, and a woman who had just completed chemo a few days before. Whatever aches and pains I might have had seemed insignificant compared to what they had been / were going through.

Anyway, I DID manage to successfully do all three lifts AND I set Washington State records for my division in bench press and deadlift. So now there's another meet in six weeks that I'm seriously considering...

Bio-Freeze is my new best friend

OK, I am now 5 weeks out from the competition. Despite lots of stretching and a massage every other week, some of my muscles and tendons have begun to protest at the strain of my training regimen. The good news is, I am continuing to make strength gains. The bad news is, I am going through a lot of ibuprofen and Bio-Freeze. Both calves, my right bicep, and my lower back have been constantly fired up for the last couple of weeks. Sunday is usually my best day in terms of being close to pain-free.

The next five weeks will be interesting!

Competition Time

Now that summer is winding down, there are some good local power lifting competitions on the calendar for the next few months. I've actually been keeping an eye on the competition for the last year or so, looking at what is enough to send someone home with a trophy or medal or whatever while I steadily increase my strenth.

I won't be changing much about my workouts since making the decision last week to compete, except to do fewer reps on my last few sets so that I will have a good idea of my 1RM (one rep maximum) for each exercise by the time I compete. Since June, I have been getting a massage every other week, which helps a lot with muscle recovery and has helped my shoulders a lot (which is good for bench).

So...here's the plan. Sept. 13 is the Pacific Open Bench Press and Deadlift meet in lovely Tumwater. I'm going to go to that as a bystander, see what it's like, and size up the women in my age and weight class in person. Then, the next event on the books is the Columbia City classic in Oct. That one's a full power lifting meet (bench, deadlift and squat) and I am going to sign up to compete. It should be fun and interesting, if nothing else.

After that there's another meet in December and tentatively one in March of next year.

I'm baaaaack

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted here. Things are good. I am back to pre-injury levels on everything, if not beyond. My calf still gets a little tired when I'm running but it's much better. Aside from learning more about the mechanics of the human leg muscles than I ever intended to, this injury has been a great lesson in patience.

Happy, Merry & All That

Well, it's officially the holiday season now. Why? Because I have completed the three things necessary for me to get in the holiday spirit. They are: 1) listen to at least part of Elvis' Blue Christmas CD; 2) watch Bad Santa; 3) make at least one sugar- and butter-laden holiday treat. DONE.

I am now able to use the exercise bike and am working diligently to eradicate the last vestiges of the limp. Then I can think about reincorporating squats, and running intervals for cardio, in my workouts.

Normally this time of year I am not terribly motivated, and this year is no exception. It has been cold and rainy as usual, and with a sore leg on top of it, I have to really chastise myself to get out the door to the gym. Usually any sort of motivational phrase that includes the term "lard ass" works nicely.

Happy Holidays to all.