Don't let the coward in your head, control the badass in your heart

COH

Squat
Bar (3x5)
60kg (2x5)
100kg x5
140kg x3
*light sleeves*
160kg x3
180kg x1
200kg x1
220kg x1
*heavy sleeves*
240kg x1

Speed Deadlift
60kg x3
100kg x3
140kg x3
180kg x1
200kg x1
220kg x1


As is customary after even the shortest of breaks I've completely forgotten how to deadlift. Felt atrocious. Squatting felt better than expected.. Back in knee wraps this weekend, and will hopefully pull 250+.

COH

Bench + monster mini-band
60kg (2x10)
80kg x10
100kg x8
120kg x3
*remove band*
140kg x1
152.5kg x2

Paused Close(r) Grip Bench
125kg (2x5)

Speed Bench (45s rest)
100kg (8x2)


Lat Raise/Cable Pressdown/Facepull
(3x12)

COH

Deadlift
60kg (3x5)
100kg (2x5)
140kg x5
180kg x3
200kg x1
220kg x1
240kg x1
252.5kg x2

Safety Bar Squat
60kg (3x8)
100kg x5
140kg x5
160kg x5

Neutral Grip Pull-Ups
BW x5
+10kg x5
+15kg x5
+20kg x5

COH

Bench
60kg (3x12)
80kg x12
100kg x10
120kg x3
140kg x1
157.5kg x2

Close(r) Grip Bench (Paused)
130kg (2x5)

Speed Bench (45s rest)
105kg (8x2)

Lat Raise/Cable Pressdown/Some other sh*te
(3x8)

COH

Squats
Bar x infinity
60kg (3x5)
100kg (2x5)
140kg x3
180kg x2
200kg x2
*heavy sleeves*
220kg x1
*new metal silver knee wraps*
240kg x1... Never wearing these again
*metal mysticals*
260kg x2

Speed deads
Up to 230 x1


The new knee wraps are about as comfortable as a good old fashioned gunshot to the knee cap. Top set felt ok, probably another rep there but my back is still killin me after the holiday i hope it calms down before the comp. Registered for it today, but if i dont think i have a shot at 700 ill give it a miss... Next weeks training will decide all! Trained with kevpants tonight.. He is a very very large man!

COH

Bench + monster mini band
60kg (2x12)
80kg x12
100kg x10
120kg x3
140kg x1
*remove band*
152.5kg x1
160kg x2

Paused Closer Grip Bench
135kg (2x5)

Speed Bench
110kg (8x2)

Shoulder/Tricep Stuff

I had a spotter on the bench that told me that the top set was all me, which instantly tells me 2 things. 1 - My spotter was a pleb. 2 - It probably wasn't all me. The paused bench wasn't as easy as I'd like it to be, and my back is still really f*cking sore :mad: emo emo emo emo emo. I'll deadlift my way back into the light tomorrow

COH

Deadlift (+ ~40kg chain from a slight deficit)
*Double Overhand/Beltless)
60kg (3x5)
100kg (2x5)
140kg x3
*Belt/Mixed Grip*
180kg x2
200kg x1
220kg x1
240kg x1
*Remove Chains and Deficit*
260kg x2

Safety Bar Squat
60kg x5
100kg x5
140kg x5
180kg x3

Neutral Grip Chins
Loads


Had zero confidence coming into today's deads, and was actually planning on leaving it til tomorrow in hope of locating my testicles in the meantime. Then I accidentally ended up listening to a speech by Kirk Karwoski online and proceeded to level down about a gram of caffeine and smash the sh*t out of today instead. This is precisely the type of thing you should hear before making any decision regarding training ever...

For me its that other person, its battle, its war... its take no prisoners. Either I win or the weight crushes me that's it. There's no in-between. If I go up there its just a matter of confidence but I cannot be stopped. Its my platform, that's my place to be, those are my weights, its all mine. That's my area. I'm gonna win. And if the weight crushes me one time I'm gonna come back and I'm gonna get it again because you might beat me in a battle but I'm going to win the war and that's all there is to it

Legend.

The defict and chain was a spur of the moment thing more than anything, chosen as penance for my emo'ness, and I used a regular powerbar instead of the deadlift bar. The 240 chained deficit was pretty tough, probably a token PR of sorts. On locking out the first rep of the 260 I held it there for about 10seconds then did something completely out of character and reset completely. Second rep was a grinder... covered in burst blood vessels as a result, but I have now located my plumbs and am beginning to look forward to this comp now. Especially since the GPC changed its rule-book and now officially allow wrist wraps in the raw squatting. Common sense prevails

COH

Bench + mini band
Bar x loads
60kg (3x12)
80kg x12
100kg x12
120kg x5
140kg x1
*Remove Band*
155kg x1
165kg x1... Touch and go isn't the word

Paused Bench
140kg (5x3)

Speed Bench
115kg (6x2)

Lat Raise/Cable Pressdown/Hammer Curl
(3x15)



Another weekends eating like the one just gone and I'll have to cut to get down to the 110s :cool:

COH

Squats
Bar x millions
60kg (3x5)
*Rehband Sleeves *
100kg (2x5)
140kg x5
180kg x2
200kg x1
220kg x1
240kg x1
*Heavy Sleeves*
260kg x1
*Knee wraps*
272.5kg x2

Deficit Deadlift + 40kg Chain
60kg x5
100kg x5
140kg x3
180kg x1
200kg x1
220kg x1
240kg x1



Squatting finally felt good today.. that's the last heavy session ahead of the comp next week anyway. I'll bench Friday and try to pause something respectable for a double then probably deadlift again at the weekend just to find my line off the ground. After that I might hit openers ... then again I might not. They changed the schedule of lifting and am now up on Saturday instead of Sunday due to low numbers registering for the raw lifting. I'm working on the Friday so day before weigh in is no longer an option so there's no point in cutting to do the 100s and being exhausted and depleted on the day since I'm guaranteed to be in the first flight of lifters. Roll on the 110s :cool:

Hanley

Bar steward.

COH

Bench
60kg (2x12)
80kg x12
100kg x10
120kg x1
140kg x1
*Paused*
150kg (2x2)

Lat Raise/Facepulls/EZ Curls
(Loads x loads)

COH

Defict Speed Pulls [+40kg chain]
60kg (2x5)
100kg x5
140kg x3
180kg x2
200kg x1
220kg (2x2)

Safety Bar Squat
60kg x5
100kg x5
140kg x5



Had played around with the idea of pulling a conventional heavy double, but at this point I have a lot more to lose by attempting it so just did some speed work and a handy three sets of safety squatting to keep the hips loose. Combined with the fact that I'm hungover and haven't eaten yet today mean't that I'm just glad I did anything at all.

kevpants

COH wrote: »

I'm working on the Friday so day before weigh in is no longer an option so there's no point in cutting to do the 100s and being exhausted and depleted on the day since I'm guaranteed to be in the first flight of lifters. Roll on the 110s :cool:

We'll be competing with eachother I think. I'm about 108kg right now and have a week of work from hell ahead of me. No guarantee I'll get there Friday afternoon either considering I've a deadline of close of Friday for the biggest deal I've ever worked on in my life. Not sure I feel like trying to finish that up on Friday while being hideously dehydrated even if I get done in time. Great excuses for pigging up to 109.9kg for the next few days.

Hanley

kevpants wrote: »

We'll be competing with eachother I think. I'm about 108kg right now and have a week of work from hell ahead of me. No guarantee I'll get there Friday afternoon either considering I've a deadline of close of Friday for the biggest deal I've ever worked on in my life. Not sure I feel like trying to finish that up on Friday while being hideously dehydrated even if I get done in time. Great excuses for pigging up to 109.9kg for the next few days.

Please just don't lift. Have a pose down followed by eating contest.

COH

kevpants wrote: »

We'll be competing with eachother I think. I'm about 108kg right now and have a week of work from hell ahead of me. No guarantee I'll get there Friday afternoon either considering I've a deadline of close of Friday for the biggest deal I've ever worked on in my life. Not sure I feel like trying to finish that up on Friday while being hideously dehydrated even if I get done in time. Great excuses for pigging up to 109.9kg for the next few days.

Nice! Plenty of time for cutting next year... TBH even if I could make the 6pm weigh in Friday I'd probably still do the 110s. Its bad enough having the full 24hrs to bloat out, but starting that process late the evening before instead of the customary 24hrs would suck.

Hanley wrote: »

Please just don't lift. Have a pose down followed by eating contest.

The eating contest is already in full swing - I'm sitting in Aussie BBQ getting athletic while filling out my Dominos Pizza order for later. Multi-tasking like a boss :cool:

Today - Staying fresh...


Bench
60kg (2x10)
*Paused*
100kg (2x5)

Squat
60kg (2x5)
100kg x5
140kg x5
*Elite Percentiles*
180kg (2x5)

Deadlift [beltless]
60kg x5
100kg x5
140kg x5
*Yawn*
180kg (2x5)



Thought about doing openers, but they're pretty f*cking heavy so I'd prefer to rest up, recover and get my weight up instead. Breezed through everything today - felt like stretching more than training really. Lots of mobility work over the next few days, and tens of thousands of carby sodium rich kcals to get my weight to 109.99999 Saturday morning. I weighed myself this morning pmd x2 and was a bee's dick under 104kg.... lots to do! The lads look like they are going to come in strong as hell for this one... can't wait to see how it comes together on the day for everyone. I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't excited as f*ck to be sharing a platform with Andy Bolton

kevpants

Cannot understand how you're so light!? You look bigger than me but I'm 4kg heavier?

COH

kevpants wrote: »

Cannot understand how you're so light!? You look bigger than me but I'm 4kg heavier?

Must be my insanely low bodyfat :pac:

Today...

Band Face Pulls
Band Tricep Extensions
Band Row
YTABC>Z's
Foam Rolling
Stretching


My shoulders are killing me for some reason.. And I have a disproportionate level of DOMS after everything@60% the other day but its all good. All that's left to do is to bring the f*cking pain on Saturday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0puTfOFlc5Q

See ya'll next week f*ckers

COH

9AM - I weighed in handily at 105.5kg on the day of the comp... didn't bother cutting but I actually probably weighed less on the platform than when I cut to under 100. Apart from a minor niggling shoulder issue I felt great coming into the competition... nicely deloaded, well fed and well rested. Got told that my flight was due to start at 10.45 so chilled out and took my time taking all the stimulants ever and stretching out. Plan coming in was to go 'opener/small PR/Big PR' on squat and bench then see what I'd need on my 2nd attempt deadlift for 700. So with that in mind I proceeded to the monolift...


Squat warm ups went...
*light sleeves*
70kg (2x5)
120kg x5
170kg x3
200kg x1
*Heavy Sleeves*
220kg x1
240kg x1

Squat 1 - 260kg - Good lift. No drama, felt solid.
Squat 2 - 275kg (5kg PR) - Good lift. Felt great. Smashed it.
Squat 3 - 290kg - No lift. Missed it on the way up. Balls!

The order of lifters changed as the flight went on and instead of wrapping up 4 people out I wrapped up a bit early and as such couldn't feel my feet approaching the 290. Being an knee wraps longer than necessary f*cking sucks... but it was close!

*Insert jaffa cakes + more stimulants*

My shoulder felt rough so I began warming up for the bench early to get a nice bit of volume in.

Bar (3x12)
60kg (3x12)
80kg x12
100kg x12
120kg x5
*Paused*
130kg x3

Bench 1 - 140kg - Good lift. Easy.
Bench 2 - 150kg (2.5kg PR) Good lift. Smooth.
Bench 3 - 160kg - No lift.


Could have taken an easier 3rd on the bench but 160 was in my head. Delighted to finally have the 150kg bench monkey off my back... but I knew that having missed my thirds on the squat and bench that I'd need a PR deadlift for 700.

I warmed up as I always do... and they all felt fast and solid.
60kg (3x5)
100kg (2x5)
140kg x3
180kg x1
200kg x1
225kg x1

Deadlift 1 - 250kg - Good lift. No drama.
Deadlift 2 - 275kg - No lift. FML. Serves me right for being impatient.
Deadlift 3 - 275kg - Not a chance in hell.

Here's a vid...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ_7oeAM2Lw

Thoughts and feeeeeeeelings....

Not cutting is fun and all that, but I'd have easily made the 100s if I had known that there were weigh ins from 10am friday as opposed to the 6pm they had advertised. If I'm going to stay in the 110s then realistically I need to be walking around at 115.

End result - 675kg total and Men's Open <110kg 1st place.

Should be happier, but I only went 5/9. Souvenir trophies are nice and all that but I didn't get what I wanted, although I was annoyingly close. On the plus side the omens are good, I'm failing thirds and all time PR attempts instead of missing openers and easy seconds. I won't compete again until either the IPO or GPC nationals early-mid 2013 but watch this space because I'm going to absolutely destroy the next one

Big thanks to VIS VIRES, JOE, Kevpants, DaZa and everyone else for their help on the day.

kevpants

That was a 290kg squat attempt??? I thought it was 285kg!? At least that's what I recommended you go for when you asked. So this is how it went huh?

COH: What'll I go for?
kevpants: 285kg, it's there
COH: Awesome

*COH runs to the desk*

COH: 290kg please Anita

Pavel66

Very impressive!

Definitely more there in the bench and deadlift - next comp 700 no problem (155 BP and 270 DL)

COH

Squat
60kg (3x8)
100kg (2x5)
140kg x5
180kg (2x10)

GHR/Lat Pulldown/Facepull
3 sets each


Exciting stuff! Zzzzzzzzzzz

Hanley

You're over training.

COH

Hanley wrote: »

You're over training.

Here's the thing... I've been training naturally for over 3-4 years no sow so I'm pretty sure I must have peaked out my genetics - therefore I had to train. Plus, I'm 30, and no longer probably produce GH or testosterone, so I have to squat to make myself produce it because that's what squatting does, did you know that? I'm also a bodybuilder by default (10reps and all that) so too long a break and I'll lose the mind muscle connection.

Sciencefact.

I admit though the face pulls probably were excessive.

Hanley

COH wrote: »

Here's the thing... I've been training naturally for over 3-4 years no sow so I'm pretty sure I must have peaked out my genetics - therefore I had to train. Plus, I'm 30, and no longer probably produce GH or testosterone, so I have to squat to make myself produce it because that's what squatting does, did you know that? I'm also a bodybuilder by default (10reps and all that) so too long a break and I'll lose the mind muscle connection.

Sciencefact.

I admit though the face pulls probably were excessive.

Now I know why you carry 5lb of protein everywhere.

COH

Bench
60kg (3x12)
80kg x12
100kg x10
120kg x8
140kg (3x5)

Lat Raise/Facepulls
(3 x infinity)

kevpants

Hanley wrote: »

Now I know why you carry 5lb of protein everywhere.

I carry 5lb of protein everywhere. In my pants.

COH

Operation 'Un-Sh*ttify-My-Deadlift' - Day 1... Elite level - Maximum

Block Pulls (9inch Blocks)
60kg (5x5)
100kg (2x5)
140kg x5
*Belt*
180kg x5
200kg x2
220kg x2
240kg x1
260kg x1
270kg x1
280kg x1

Speed Deadlift - mini bands/band platform/slight deficit
(5x2@140kg)

Hamstring Curl
(3x8)

HammerCurlz/Cable Pressdown/EZ Curlz/OH Extension
(Maximum hypertrophy x capital gunishment)



Have never blocked pulled before.... certainly feels more natural than rack pulling. The 9 inch block means I'm pulling from just below the knee cap. I'll spend another couple of weeks pulling from these then I'll drop it down to 6 inch blocks. First day using the band platform today - kept it at 50% of the blcok pull top set and used mini bands as the resistance is greater than when I used to choke them under my feet. More weight for a next few weeks, when I drop the block pulls down to the 6 inch blocks I'll add more band tension to the speed deads. The way the platform is designed means that you are pulling from a small deficit, may an inch... I could elevate the plates to compensate but I'm happy doing the speed work from a deficit anyway. Hamstring curls for no other reason than they make my back feel nice, and arms because I need bigger arms. QED

COH

Bench + mini band
(bar x loads)
60kg (3x12)
80kg x12
100kg x12
120kg x1
*Remove Band*
142.5kg (3x6)

Close Grip Paused Board Press (3 inch block)
60kg x12
80kg x12
100kg x12
120kg x8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O02DfAFi9NI

Lat Pulldown
(5x10)

Cable Pressdown
(5x10)

COH

Squats
bar x millions
60kg (3x5)
100kg (2x5)
140kg x3
165kg x2
180kg x1
*Belt/Wrist Wraps/Rehbands*
200kg (2x10)

Safety Squat
Bar x5
65kg x5
85kg x5
105kg x5
125kg x5

GHR
(3 x Max)

Inverted Row
(5x15)

EZ-Curl
(5x15)



Literally hobbled after that session... 3 hours of personal training after in which I limped around cursing becuase my glutes and hamstrings were cramping something fierce... like a boss. I like to think they like me because I practice what I preach :P

Squatting was tough but manageable, usually put a belt on around 140 but didnt feel like I needed it up to 180. Loving the rehband sleeves, zero pop out of the hole but maximum warmth for the joint, savage investment. Safety squatting was dog rough because my hamstrings and glutes were fried after the squat top sets so I took my stance in to put all the emphasis on the quads and buried them. GHRs were a disaster - max effort is a nice way of saying I failed on around 5 reps each set. More weight and reps on everything next week

COH

Fat Bar Overhead Press
45/55/65kg x5

Swiss Bar Bench/Lat Pulldown/Lat Raise/Reverse Fly/Single Leg Press
(3x10)

Absolute nothing of a session... exactly what I wanted. Felt nice on all my sore bits. Heavy block pulls and speed deads tomorrow.