So squats I was aiming for 180 - a 15kg PR. Well, actually, I amended that to 182.5, just because that would officially get me over the 400lb mark, for precisely as much as that matters!
So I worked my way up, singles at 140, 160, 170 before attempting 182.5kg. First attempt I rose maybe three inches out of the hole. Second attempt...
Better, if not exactly pretty. But I felt sure I could lift the weight, just had to control and stabilise. Not exactly minor issues, but I wasn't going to give in. But I took the 1.25kg plates off the end - even if just for the mental feeling that it was that tiny bit lighter (all of 1.4%!) and went at it again:
Again, not entirely pretty. But by Gads it went up, and produced a happy chappy at the end!
Bench... meh. 90kg again, felt heavy. Have to nail down my technique. Who cares, they're only chesticles!
Deadlift... goal here was 200kg, a 20kg PR. I'm nothing if not ambitious. Coming in to my final 'warmup' at 160kg, I thought 'unrealistic' as well. Went for double overhand, no chalk, no belt, and could hardly move it. Of course I'd had no rest, either. Switched to hook, got it above the knees but lost the grip. Ah well, continue on!
The next obvious step was to skip straight to my previous 1RM of 180kg. Belted up, chalked etc. got set... and it went up really fairly easily! I wasn't shocked - only 10kg more than my 5RM of a week ago. Still, it was pleasant.
So 190kg was the next cab to depart from the rank, only the first time, it didn't depart! Got it about an inch off the ground, just wouldn't come. I realised as I stood back up that I hadn't really done a valsalva - just a general sort of tightening. So I reapplied some chalk, got myself set, and ripped it up - felt damn good, nice speed, and locked it out solidly. Grip slipped a little on the left hand as I started setting it back down, and tore a little hole, a tiny speck of blood. I had been intending to leave it at that, partly because I was running a bit late, but the lure of 200kg was just too strong!
So I whacked a couple of 'half' plates to go with the 4 plates on each end, and took a quick breather. In the end, perhaps slightly too quick - but I couldn't hang around too long. I grabbed the bar, set myself, big breath, and pulled - damn solid. Sliding up the legs. Barely felt heavy (this may be a lie.) But then as I passed the knees, my left hand began to slip. I kept pulling... closer, closer... an inch or so from the top, just about to lock the knees out, and my left hand started giving way, and I had to take it back down so as not to completely drop it from the top (no bumpers, no platform!) Damnit! So close to a 200kg pull, but not quite any cigars on offer for this chappy. Just a ragged hole on my left thumb where the knurling had chewed away a bit of flesh as the bar slipped.
I wish I had video, but I someone was in the rack so I had to go elsewhere to dead, and there were no convenient camera-propping locations.
Still, quite pleased with the session - a total of 460kg - over 1000lb - and a bit of work on my bench would bring that to 500kg pretty easily. And there's still a ways to go on my squat and dead, without question.
And we won't mention my lack of racing at SSS R5. I'll be back! Much stronger, hopefully leaner, and with some of my bike-handling skills returned...
No comments:
Post a Comment