bean counter's log

[bean counter]

Sunday 23 April
Week 10, GPP

Bodyweight: 93.6 kg

Big daily fluctuation and this is nearly down to my weight class!

Elliptical
25 mins gentle

Rotator Cuff Stuff
X 3

Mobility

[Chris McCarthy]

When is the Comp again? At this rate you could cut into the 83's!

[bean counter]

When is the Comp again? At this rate you could cut into the 83's!

14 May, i.e. three weeks yesterday. Don't even go there! I'm already going to be the tallest 93, which is never a great sign.

[Mahendra]

Lol! It's a sign. 83kg

[bean counter]

You guys are trying to steal my gains.

[bean counter]

Monday 24 April
Week 11, Day 1

Bodyweight: 94.0 kg

LBBS
SBD knee sleeves, belt, wrist wraps
177.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8+ [0.33 m/s, 0.03 worse than last week]
182.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 9 [0.29 m/s]
155 kg: 5 X 3 @ 7, 7, 7, 7, 7.5+
Totals: 17 reps, 2,685 kg

Hmmm. A bit of knee pain while warming up, then my technique felt off, as it has done quite a bit recently. Single at 177.5 kg wasn't good so I dropped my @9 target single from 185 kg to 182.5 kg. 182.5 felt kinda grindy and awkward, but bar speed wasn't too bad, so maybe I'll go for 185 kg next week. After poor warmups and top singles the triples went well, especially set three where I really felt like I'd found my groove. I'm at an annoying in-between waist size for the holes on my belt currently. Only one more full competition squat session before I compete.

Bench
92.5 kg X 5 X 3 @ 8, 8.5, 8
Totals: 15 reps, 1,390 kg

OK. Wrist was getting a bit sore so I used wraps on the final set. Felt quite a lot of strain in my pecs throughout and in my shoulder a bit on rep 15. Considering switching to 4 X 4.

DB Seal Row
32.5 kg: 4 X 8 @ 7.5, 7.5, 8, 8
Totals: 32 reps, 2,080 kg

This is routine by now.

Elbows were more sore than they have been recently following the squat and bench from this session.

[bean counter]

Tuesday 25 April
Week 11, Day 2

Bodyweight: 94.1 kg

2ct Deadlift
160 kg: 1 X 1 @ 7
160 kg: 1 X 2 @ 8
165 kg: 1 X 2 @ 8.5
170 kg: 1 X 2 @ 9-
Totals: 7 reps, 1,150 kg

Idiocy. I thought these were all 10 kg heavier at the time since I usually load 25, 25, 20, but loaded 25, 20, 20 yesterday and forgot I'd done so. But then when I was rewatching video of the 165 kg double I realized. So what I thought was a really good slot turned out to be fairly mediocre. Damn.

SSB Squat
SBD Knee Sleeves
105 kg: 1 X 6 @ 6
110 kg: 1 X 6 @ 7-
115 kg: 2 X 6 @ 8, 8.5
Totals: 24 reps, 2,670 kg

OK. The last couple of sets started hitting my mid-back hard, although none of this was too tough to actually squat up. Aggravated my lower right leg soreness slightly by the end.

Seated DB Press
20 kg: 4 X 10 @ 7, 7.5, 8, 8
Totals: 40 reps, 1,600 kg

OK. Superset (in a slow powerlifter kinda way) with SSB squat.

[bean counter]

Thursday 27 April
Week 11, Day 3

Bodyweight: 94.3 kg

I'm still not sleeping amazingly, but overall fatigue levels have definitely dropped from last week.

Sumo
Belt
192.5 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8? [0.28 m/s]
200 kg: 1 X 1 @ 8.5? [0.27 m/s]
167.5 kg: 5 X 3 @ 7, 7, 7.5, 7, 7.5
Totals: 17 reps, 2,905 kg

Good! In bar speed and terms my singles were way better than what I've been doing recently, even when I pulled 200 kg sumo for the very first time. I'm particularly pleased how 200 kg was nearly as fast as 192.5 kg. The only difference I can think of in execution is that I took more warmups and got a bit psyched up for the singles. Given my lack of experience with sumo I still have no idea extrapolating from these to competition attempts. Maybe 190/200/207.5. Given the context of this competition I have little interest in taking attempts I have much danger of missing.

After 200 kg went so well I nearly took at shot at 205 kg, but then decided to be sensible and save myself for the volume. Triples were kinda technically messy. Due to my eccentric technique then tended to land a bit in front of me and the gym floor meant I then couldn't then easy roll the bar back into the perfect start position again. The reps were more awkward than hard.

Writing this the next day my hips are sore, but another good thing to come out of this session was that I made it through a reasonable amount of volume and intensity without being bothered by any hip, groin or knee pain at the time, demonstrating some level of adaptation to sumo training.

Comp Bench
Wrist wraps
95 kg: 1 X 3 @ 7
95 kg: 2 X 4 @ 8.5, 8
Totals: 11 reps, 1,045 kg

OK. Strength levels are within where I feel they need to be at the moment, accepting my current limitation. I think I'll probably bench 110 kg at the competition, going 100/110/x. Spotter grabbed the bar after three reps on the first set, although it was a planned set of four. I mentioned a drop to 4 X 4 recently, however my shoulder was a bit grumbly during this session, so I was happy enough to let volume taper down a bit.

Lat Pulldown
65 kg: 1 X 8 @ 8
60 kg: 2 X 8 @ 7, 7
65 kg: 1 X 8 @ 7.5
Totals: 32 reps, 2,000 kg

Fine. Accidentally did 60 kg on the second set due to pin swapping with someone that was working in. Since that turned out to be easy I did another set with that weight on short rest just to get through to the end of the session quickly.

[Chris McCarthy]

I think your instincts with regards to your pulling attempts are pretty good...you'll have more in you for the third, I think, but it's sensible not to get carried away.

Unless you want to, of course...

[Mahendra]

I think your instincts with regards to your pulling attempts are pretty good...you'll have more in you for the third, I think, but it's sensible not to get carried away.

Unless you want to, of course...

I vote for getting carried away.