Still on the Right Side of the Grass

[Browndog]

8/19/23

Memphis Prep m4-w3

Squat -
Top Single of 145kg, down sets at 125kg 2*2.
Continuing to go with an aggressive plate loading scheme: 70 / 110 / 130...
Slow, but "comfortable". Down sets were OK as well.

Bench -
Top Single at 97.5kg, down sets at 86kg 2*2, 4 Count Larsen at 75kg 6*2
Relatively aggressive plate loading scheme: 45 / 65 / 80 / 90...
Not a bad single, but the bar path needs to be a little more focused towards "up and back". Down sets were solid. Missed the last Larsen set: got 5, and pooped out at the bottom of the 6th.

Deadlift -
Top Single at 205kg, down sets at 185kg 2*2.
Plate Loading scheme: 70/ 120 / 160 / 190...
A little slow at 205kg...I attribute it to how I was wearing the belt (low on the hips). Down sets were much better, switched up where I was wearing the belt (higher on the rib cage).

SBD Saturday -
Paused Squats at 120kg 3*3
Close Grip Paused Bench at 88kg 2*2
Big Wheel Pulls at 203kg 1*3
What a really good session...

I played golf yesterday, and walked a good deal more than I wanted too. My knee was KILLING ME by the 18th hole. I was somewhat concerned coming into today that all that walking, and the knee being so painful would have been a problem today...NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND.

The Paused Squats were as good a set of Squats as I've been able to do...I was probably good for 5-6 reps if pushed. Nice and deep, no pain...I was really surprised, and my spotters were impressed with the pause and the depth.

Bench was really strong. I went with a 3 count paused and had no issues off the chest. or locking out.

The Pulls were really snappy too.

I ended the 3rd week a a hair under 1000lbs. I'm comfortable saying there's another 5-10kg on the Squat; 2.5kg on the Bench, and 10-15kg on the Deadlift come Memphis.

I'm also comfortable saying that the bump in Thyroid medication is having an effect. I felt really strong today...those Squats were ***chef's kiss***.

Week Four should be interesting.

[BrooklynJerry]

Good to see that the meds seem to be helping. I never had a problem gaining weight, I guess we are all built differently. I really like to keep my weight under 198, as it seems better for my BP. I at most eat 2 meals a day. Good luck with the training.

[Browndog]

Good to see that the meds seem to be helping. I never had a problem gaining weight, I guess we are all built differently. I really like to keep my weight under 198, as it seems better for my BP. I at most eat 2 meals a day. Good luck with the training.

Thanks Jer...

Who knows, I may end up back in the 90kg class after this meet...we'll see.

[Browndog]

8/26/23

Memphis Prep - m4 / w4

Squat Competition loading -
135kg Good Lift
145kg Good Lift
150kg Good Lift
Down sets at 127.5kg 2*2

152kg was there, 155kg...probably not. Come meet day I think 155kg is the goal.

Bench Competition loading -
85kg Good Lift
92.5kg Good Lift
100kg Missed at transition
Down sets at 87.5kg 2*2
100kg was a lot closer than it felt. I need to be a little more amped up / angry when the day comes. I'm entirely to relaxed.

Deadlift -
Didn't happen, I tweaked my back getting out of bed Thursday morning, and couldn't even stand up. Got in to see my acupuncturist on Friday for some help in getting things to calm down. Didn't feel great, but at least I could stand up straight .

SBD Saturday -
Paused Squats - 122.5kg 3*3
Close Grip Paused Bench - 90kg 2*2
Big Wheel Pulls - 193kg 1*3

I wasn't sure how today would go. I felt better...good enough to get to the gym. That dart session worked miracles as you can see. Squats were strong, Bench was strong, Pulls were OK...I didn't want to really push this today.

Had I not been an old man getting out of bed on Thursday, I'm confident I would have pulled 215kg. That would have ended Week Four at 462.5kg. I can live with that.

I'm thinking we'll run the same numbers for 1st and 2nd attempts at Memphis. 3rd attempts should look like this:
Worse Case - S 150kg, B 97.5kg, D 215kg
Best Case - S 155kg, B 100kg, D 222.5kg

I have a two maintenance acupuncture sessions on the books just to keep in front of this back issue. I have no idea what the next two weeks of training will be. I assume we'll be as aggressive as we can be this next week and then take our foot off the gas week two. Then in week three I'll drive to Memphis.

Oh, and my weight is currently 208lbs...

[Browndog]

9/2/23

Memphis Prep - m5 / w1

Squat -
Singles at 120 / 130 / 140kg
Really fast Squats. Surprised just about everyone in the gym with how fast they were. I'm more of a "torque" guy , than a "raw power" guy. Oh and depth was good, and the weight felt light on the shoulders

Bench -
Singles at 77.5 / 85 / 92.5kg
Having some issues keeping my chest "Up" at the bottom of the stroke. 92.5kg wasn't hard, but it didn't move the way it needs to to drive 100kg through lockout.

Deadlift -
Singles at 170 / 185 / 200kg
First Pulls from the floor since the back tweak. Everything felt fine. Bar and hips moved together off the ground. Pretty fast at 200kg too...

SB No D Saturday -
Paused Squats at 127.5kg 2*2
Paused Bench at 80kg 4*4
Kettlebell RDLs 40kg each 6*2
Squats felt good, depth no issue. Bench moved great...could have used a longer pause, but I was working on a technique thing, and sorta forgot that extra count.

So, two weeks out. I feel pretty good physically, and I'm in a good frame of mind mentally.
One more week of a heavy Single coming up: S - 150/155; B - 97.5/100; D - 215/220
The following week is a quick taper, as well as travel. I'm driving down to Memphis, splitting the trip into two days just to give my hips and knee as much of a break as I possibly can.

[BrooklynJerry]

Glad to read the back is behaving. Good luck with the training before the meet.

[Browndog]

9/9/23

Memphis Prep - m5 / w2

Squat -
130 / 140 / 150kg *1
All good lifts. They felt good, and they felt comfortable...and that's the first time I can say that going into a meet in years.

Bench -
85 / 92.5 / 97.5kg
1st and 2nd attempts were pretty flawless, the 3rd moved so fast off the chest that I lost the groove at transition, and almost missed the lockout. I still contend that come meet day, 100kg will be there.

Deadlift -
185 / 200 / 215kg
All good lifts.
Coach pulled me aside, and let it be known that I need to be mentally ready to pull 227.5kg, because if the day goes the way he envisions it, he's loading 227.5kg.
215kg moved OK, I'm gonna need to be technically perfect if 227.5 is the call on my 3rd. Not saying it's impossible, but I haven't really had that number in my mind for this meet. As always, I'm gonna trust my coach, he sees things that I don't or can't, because I'm too close to the situation. He hasn't been wrong yet...

Had a nice back down SB No D day today. Really low RPE work. I don't feel that beat up for being this close to the competition.

Did my most recent round of blood work to check my Thyroid levels, as well as systemic inflammation. The results came back showing absolutely no inflammation markers to be concerned with. That surprised me it did...
Thyroid markers are better but not "optimal". I am feeling markedly better though. The constant pain and perceived muscle weakness that I've ben fighting for the past few years is much better. I'd say this is the best I've felt since 2019, not withstanding that my knee is not what it was back then.

Anyway, there we are. 3 days of light movement work leading into the meet. Monday - Deadlift; Wednesday - Bench; Thursday - Squat. I'm actually going to drive to Memphis, and I plan to leave Wednesday, and stop half way. I'll get into Memphis Thursday afternoon, and go over to the training center the USAPL is providing to get my Squats in.

I compete Saturday afternoon.

I'm as ready as I can be, though I'd really like a do over on the timing of how my doctor handled the Thyroid issue this spring. If he'd seen me in May, and not July, I think things would be markedly different. But it is what it is, I'm ready and confident that I can step on the platform and not embarrass myself the way I did in Daytona.


Ohhhh, and once again I forge to mention THAT I WEIGHED IN AT 210lbs MIDWEEK - GOAL ACHEIVED.
Now let's hope I can hold it there through next Saturday, I'd hate to compete as a "guest".

[Bill Anders]

Fantastic work, BD!

Get and keep your head together this week and you'll knock those lifts out of the park next Saturday. Looking forward to it!

[Cole Gorton]

Good luck sir!

[Browndog]

Good...Morning/Afternoon,

So Raw Natls is done and dusted. I appreciate everyone who has followed this journey back to the competition platform...THANK YOU!

So I drove down to Memphis in two days. The traffic around Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Nashville was crazy. I came home a a completely different way, but couldn't avoid Cinci unless I added an hour to an already 14 hour drive. Anyway, onto everything about the Meet itself.

Memphis maybe a "murder capital", but the event was self contained at the Convention center and the adjoining hotel, so we were "safe". We only went offsite once for barbeque...and that was worth it.

I say "we", I had 26 teammates competing alongside me this weekend.

For the first time the USAPL had a Training Hall available for the competitors. That was a nice bonus, and I took advantage of it on Thursday, working out the kinks from driving. Surprisingly my hips and knees handled the drive without any issues (narrator: but that was a false dawn). We had two women in Primetime, and they both finished 2nd...two little pocket rockets they are!

Friday was a slower day for the team, with just four people competing in the morning. Since it was slow, I signed up to be a commentator for the afternoon session. I got to handle platforms 1 and 2 for the livestream, along with a young man whose name I've already forgotten (senioritis)...nice kid though. Trying to watch and comment on 4 platforms at the same time is like trying to herd cats. So I focused solely on 1 and 2...I did a decent job I think...and I didn't swear once.

Saturday was Platform Day. I went off in the afternoon. I felt pretty good: well fed, well hydrated...full of Aleve. Weighed in at 93.99kg...I'm in the meet, and not a "guest" (seriously, I was worried I wouldn't make weight, even though I was stuffing my face every waking moment). I was far outclassed by the men in my flight, but they were all delightful to be around, and very supportive.

Finally we get to the meat of the matter - RESULTS:
Squat
130kg 3 Good Lift
140kg No Lift
140kg 2-1 No Lift
I ran into bracing problems on the 2nd lift and got lightheaded...(not again). I changed my belt position for the 3rd attempt, and it messed with the landmarks I look for for depth...I thought is was good, but the side judges red lit me, coach said it was close (the judging was very strict...but fair).

Bench
87.5kg Good Lift
92.5kg Good Lift
97.5kg Good Lift
I didn't get to take 100kg. The lightheadedness was still causing issues through out the day. That said, 97.5kg flew...I don't remember any of it as I was right on the borderline of blanking out...I'm surprised I didn't TBH. Everyone on the team said it was the fastest 97.5kg has moved this whole training cycle...so YAY!!!

Deadlift
197.5kg Good Lift
212.5kg 2/1 No Lift
220kg No Lift
The opener felt good., but a little slow. The 2nd was a good lift, but I was sloppy at lockout: soft knees, and didn't really get the hips through. 227.5kg wasn't there, so we loaded 220kg...and it wasn't there either...too tired to get in a good position to pull, and I let the bar drift away from me off the floor...sigh.

Ya know, I did the best I could. I trained as hard as my body allowed. My nutrition was on point. The Peaking cycle had me in a really good place. I felt great on meet day...what a shame to waste a day of good hips and knees.

Sunday was crazy! We had 13 men and women competing. It was all hands on deck as far as we had all four coaches, and anyone still in attendance in the warm-up area to act as handlers/wranglers. In the morning session I handled one of our Junior lifters who set an American record in the bench, as well as placing 4th in her weigh class. In the afternoon session I acted as a runner between platforms putting in attempts and providing moral support for those in the bullpen. Everyone had a day, PRs in abundance, podium finishes. I think we came home with best Female Team, and I know best Female Masters Team...

TLR
Great time
Not so great results

I learned:
1) I need to get this bracing issue addressed. this is the 5th time in competition that I've had blackout issues...and it's not a medical issue.
2) I need to be more mindful in training sessions of proper technique...you play like you practice, and I've been sloppy on my Deadlifts...it cost me 212.5kg.
3) I need to get this Thyroid issue dialed in. I was way too tired coming into Deadlifts...and that's not me. I'm usually a bundle of energy.

Back at it today...