31 January 2012

Circling...

After so much time in the gym, it felt funny to be having just my second session in 12 days! I could well feel the difference, too, as my back wasn't as solid as it has been - my first set of squats at 130kg had 2 reps where my back rounded - though not nearly as bad as the last time I got to this point. So I belted up for the last 2 sets, and felt more solid with something to push against, though each set had one slightly wonky rep. Otherwise they all felt quite good, and I was happy with the effort. Should be back to setting PRs next week!

Bench was 72.5 and no problems after a couple of reps with uneven drive in the first set.

Deadlifts though, just couldn't get 'em. 172.5 again, and this time my back let me down; mostly fatigue I think, and perhaps not quite enough mental commitment. Watching the video my back doesn't even start off solid - it goes from flat to rounded the moment I begin pulling up on the bar. I tried resetting, and got one rep up, but even that was ugly. These things happen, and technically I'm tapering, so no drama. I really want to make sure I get them next time though!

28 January 2012

Well well well...

I wasn't going to bother posting, but decided that I might as well - just had a quick spin session today, nothing too exciting (it may be apparent that I'm far over posting about spin sessions) though I hit over 80km/hr twice, which is fun at least. No, really it's just a note that it's a smidgen over a week until the Vic Masters, and I've entered the sprint. So that should be fun. Neil and Nic, who are both Masters 1 also, have entered, so there are at least three of us there - there are another couple of 'elite' riders who I don't really know, and everyone else (so far) is in Masters 2 and above. Neil I know I can't beat in a straight-out race at least 99 times out of 100, so it would take a freak to beat him if we race, and Nic I haven't beaten outside of training as yet, though it's been close. Both are doing the Kilo the day before, though I doubt that will be enough to give me a sufficient edge in itself!

Hmm. Just looked up the other rider currently registered for the sprint who's not >MMAS2 - Brett Rollinson. Turns out he's a bit of a star! And a Masters 1 rider - or at least, he was last year. Rode a 12.224 qualifier at the Country Track champs in November, and went on to win Gold. He's also done all sorts of enduro stuff to great acclaim. So. Given that I'll be happy to break 13s for the 200 (though I'm aiming, perhaps wildly optimistically, for something closer to 12.5) perhaps I need to make sure that I approach this with the right attitude! Not, mind you, that I'm just there for the experience (though I am) let alone make up numbers, but that I'm going to have to race smart and push to my utmost to garner a result, 'cause wishin' and hopin' ain't gunna get me nowhere!

Oh, and I don't know what to wear - anyone know if my Team Splat! jersey would be okay? Given that CA couldn't confirm for me if a Masters licence (as opposed to an Elite licence) would even allow me to race in the Vic Masters, and their website info is confusing (and sometimes contradictory!) I feel like I should take three different jerseys, including a commuter yellow one, just in case...

24 January 2012

Inspector Sardine

Gym. Gym gym gym. Maybe I should take up powerlifting instead. But I think I'll enter the Vic Masters. Why not, eh?

127.5kg squat, and after the first set was kinda wonky - no two reps were the same, it felt like - had a better groove for the last two sets and they went up no problems, back felt good.

Press at 55 and I underestimated it - almost didn't get through the first set. Second set I recovered but still struggled, but third set went up strong. I realised afterwards that although it's a reset, it's only 2.5kgs shy of my best so it's not exactly light. Pondering what increments I should take now - perhaps 1kg, down from 2.5kg. Press is a bit tricky that way.

Powercleans were set and going well, but got called away (literally) before the workset. Going to have to reset it to 75kgs I think.

With any luck I'll actually get on the track on Tuesday, just to remind myself what a bike is before next weekend.

21 January 2012

Pomplamoose

About as hard as it gets, baby. I went in feeling a bit tired and a bit stiff, not quite feeling it, so after not using the belt at all on Monday I used it for two sets of squats, figuring it were better to provide the support (and the tactile cues) to keep the back solid than to risk not having the right energy to keep a good position. And it worked well enough - 125kgs felt much, much harder than 122.5, but I'm neither surprised nor concerned given how I was feeling. The next workout at 127.5 will be important to keep me feeling that I'm on track and that I've conquered my squat demons. I'm only 5kg away from getting back to where I was when I reset, and feeling much better about it this time around.

Bench, reset to 70kgs, no problems there. The only rep I really had to push was the 15th!

Again, I was intending to do powercleans and again ran out of time. Which is annoying. Set up deadlifts to 172.5, and couldn't get the 5th one past my knees despite trying twice - I just couldn't get set strong. I was very tired by that point, so I'm not fussed, I know I can do it.

And one chinup. Getting closer to a second, slowly. If I ever have time again in the gym, I should give myself 10 minutes after deadlift/powerclean to actually rest and then see what I can do!

Oh, and no track. I never realised how difficult it was going to be during the school holidays without sufficient selfishness. I didn't even know about aboc involvement in Junior Track champs, I'm so far out of the loop. Ah well. I hear they done good.

16 January 2012

Post Title.

A bit of a funny session this one - despite being there for over two and a half hours, I didn't get a full workout in - I had to skip the Press workset because we had to go. My partner has started training, and Carl was helping her, and I'm not used to having to work in with people so wasn't doing it very efficiently. Still, half an hour between sets one and two of my squats is rather excessive!

But to backtrack slightly first, missed out on track training on Sunday due to disappearing wheel nuts. Still haven't found them, so will miss Tuesday, too. And next Sunday there's a(n extended) family birthday party. Is there, I wonder at this point, any reason to even enter the Vic Masters? Sure, a bit of a layoff can help one sharpen up, but by the time I get to them, I'll have done enough training in two months to count on the fingers of one hand...

Anyway, squats were 122.5kg and better, coach gave the green light. I did lose it slightly on a couple, but generally my back felt more solid. I'm very conscious of not giving in to the temptation to 'collapse' because it's at this point previously that I took the weights up too quickly and ended up doing 15 goodmornings. Well, perhaps not quite, but I really need to work hard on strengthening my back. I feel like I've got good form, I don't need to change anything there, I just need to make sure that my back stays solid every rep.

Press as mentioned I just did the warmup. I was tempted to try a 1RM, but that would have been silly when I'm resetting, and it's no great drama to miss it this once.

Deadlift... well, does 5 days between constitute a 'break'? Apparently it does! 170kg on the bar, a gym full of distraction, and they went up (what felt to me like) beautifully! Okay, the 4th rep I lost my grip and I couldn't really hold it solid at the top - but it got to the top! I reset carefully for the 5th rep, gripped harder and pulled it up nice and smooth, no hitching, not even slowing really. I love deadlifts!

14 January 2012

Mike Patton

Yes, more weights! But don't worry, I'll be back on the bike tomorrow - new nuts and chain in hand.

Squats up to 120kg, and felt fairly good except - they were slightly high! Or, at least, some of them were roughly parallel, rather than below parallel. So perhaps an inch in it. A bit perplexing, because they didn't feel like they were being cut off high, and I'm generally pretty good at feeling it, when I check against the video. Not enough to warrant doing them again, but I'll have to be a little more careful next session to get all the way down.

Bench was oh so so close at 77.5, but couldn't get the 4th of the last set past the sticking point a few inches off the chest. Slightly annoying, because they did feel stronger than they have, but nevermind, I'll reset (again!) and work back up. They're only chesticles, after all...

Powercleans and, well, I repeated 80kg, just to be 'fair', and - to be 'fair' - I got them up. But not one of them didn't see me bending my arms as I passed my knees. Scrutinising the video, they stay that bent until they're supposed to bend, and then they whip around. So I'm not even, really, pulling the bar up - I'm just robbing myself of power! And screwing up my timing - my feet are hitting the floor again while the bar is still going up, about nipple-height. Maybe three out of the twelve I caught low, but the rest racked fine. So strength is not the issue, but technique certainly is. Not sure how best to fix it though.

Then one real chin plus a few jumping chins.

11 January 2012

Ziggy Stardust

Now I'm just being completely random. Back in the gym again, back to moving metal. And rubber.

Squats 117.5, starting to feel heavier again. Lost my groove once or twice, but otherwise they felt fairly solid, and depth is still okay, so next session I get back to the 120kg mark, and for now it's feeling much more solid. Hopefully I'll be able to continue that back up past 130!

Press at 60kg, and it's just a bit too much - basically did sets of 3! I was feeling okay on the first set, but then let the bar get out in front of me on the 3rd rep, struggled it up, and had nothing left for a fourth. My setup at the bottom is bothersome, as I either have the bar on my delts and back on the fingertips, or in my hands and hovering. The first is seeing me having bent wrists as I roll the bar in to the hands, and the second is too tiring to hold there and reset at the bottom, rather than holding at the top and bouncing at the bottom. Anyway, I'll reset back to 55 and see what we can do!

Again I ran out of time for cleans and so did deadlifts - 3rd heavy set in a week! Not the best idea, and it was a bit too much - I got 167.5kg up 5 times, but the last two were hitched up. So I'll absolutely definitely do cleans next time, and take a bit of a rest from deads for a week, let me recover a bit!

Finished with a chinup - tried from a dead hang, but that was a bridge too far. Perhaps I should just aim to get a set of 5, feet on the floor, knees bent but not jumping, then try for dead hangs... probably a smoother progression.

10 January 2012

BBN Tuesday too early

So I figured I might as well go - better to rock up late than not at all! In the end it meant that I only missed one motorpaced F150, and I was knackered after 3 anyway, so perhaps it was for the best!

After a month off the bike, it was good to be back out there, and while my endurance and recovery have suffered, the engine seems to still be there - speeds were all in the high 50s, with a top (supposedly. I'm not trusting my garmin much at the moment) of 59.2. This business of sitting behind a motorcycle makes it oh so easy! Mind you, the jump was only from about 45, so it still required a decent acceleration.

Anyway, good session, even if I did go on to lose to my daughter three times in a row. Oh, the ignominy! New nuts and so on should be arriving this week, so I'll finally be 'safe'. With any luck.

09 January 2012

Procul Harum

Was I a whiter shade of pale? I guess you would have had to have been there! No, still not back on the track - an outing to the zoo had been planned before notice was given of training on Sunday, and though I attempted to drag people away in time, 'twas not to be. Ah well. Balance, and all that. Unfortunately it seems that Tuesday training is now at 7am, and I won't be able to get there for that. Perhaps I could try for the second half.

Anyway, Squats 115kg, all good, bench 77.5kg and failed again - muscles didn't quite click for it. Ran out of time for powercleans, so did deads again - 165kg, 5 times, and cut down on the time between reps. Felt solid, felt good, and celebrated with one more solitary chinup, this time from (very nearly almost) a dead hang. Woot!

06 January 2012

Jeebus!

It's occurred to me that I've not been on my track bike since this, nearly 4 weeks ago! I think Tuesday mornings are happening, I'd better get down there... especially since the cycling victoria website would have me believe that the Vic Masters are coming up on 4-5 February, not March at all...

Anyway, gym. Metal. 60kg on the press, not quite. I suspect it's psychological, having the two larger plates on either side rather than a bunch of little ones, but perhaps I just need to microload. We'll see. If I miss again, I'll reset, then microload, no drama.

Squat, 112.5kg, back up to bodyweight again, nothing special. I tried using a belt on the last set, and wow did that make it easier. That might be a seriously worthwhile investment...

Deadlift, 162.5kg, 5 reps, felt okay. Video shows that I'm rounding my back, but before the plates leave the ground, it's solid (if a bit round) while the load is on. So should just be a matter of being more careful in the setup. I'm also taking too long between reps I reckon, nearly 30 seconds between 4 and 5, so should tighten that up without compromising getting properly set.

And most importantly - I did a chinup! Started with feet on the floor, not a dead hang, but no jump and chin over the bar. Couldn't do another one, and didn't have time to hang around to try 3 sets of 1, however ridiculous that might have been anyway. But there we go, an achievement for the new year.

Oh, and I remembered that a while ago I guesstimated progress in the gym by the end of the year. Based upon one session a week and 5kg jumps, which held for not very long at all, but interesting nevertheless:

Deadlift: Predicted: 130kg. Actual: 160kg
Squat: 185kg. Actual: 110kg (130kg 3x5RM, 140kg 1RM)
Bench: 120kg. Actual: 75kg.
Power Clean: 105kg. Actual: 80kg.
Press: 90kg. Actual: 57.5kg.


So, goals for 2012 in lifting? Well, according to my spreadsheet the current rate of increase should see me squatting 340kg, pressing 175kg, benching and cleaning just on 200kg, and deadlifting about 275kg. Somehow, call me a pessimist, but I suspect I shan't be seeing those numbers! So what will I be happy with? Hmm. Say dead 250kg, squat 200kg, Bench and clean 150kg, Press 100kg. What's realistic? Especially if I lose more weight, probably more like 200, 170, 110, 80. But we'll see how we go.

Cycling goals? Well, that can wait until I've got some track work to report on...