The Return of the jedi-This is not Sparta. This. Is. Madness.(now incl. Race to 100kg OHP)

Can I join the Jedi fan club?

For my membership i will provide "Purple Aki" style bicep squeezes/fondles and expect no less than a mug and complimentary "These aren't the roids you're looking for..." sloganed baloons.

I haven't had any actual groping yet, so fill your boots.
As for the balloons, just cut round one of the pics of my head and attach string.

Forgot to mention, there was the Arnold press/V-press superset to enjoy as well
We are both getting 12/10/8 on 24's and 14's for that and would like to move up. Trouble is the dumbbell chain is somewhat broken and there are no 25's and only one 27.5. I am not mad keen on the idea of trying 30's and 16's

Jedi after said woman's woots!

Well, it's always nice to get unsolicited testimonials but, if I have to play the role of 'jedi - the housewives favourite', is it too much to ask that one or two of them look like this;

Powerlifting last night

Squats
Not too bad, we did some work on form first up as I wanted to make sure that my hips were clearing backwards at the start of the squat. This proved trickier than expected. It was also noticed that to make full 'buried' depth my knees are coming waaaay forward and this is pulling me onto my toes a bit. It was decided (mostly by Ding and Jackman and who am I to argue) that there really is no need to go that low and funnily enough I tended to agree. So, the aim was below parallel but not much further. I have to say I quite like this, as I've said before, the fractions of a second buggerinaboutatthebottom are the bits I really don't enjoy. I worked up through some weights to 140 where I wore my new Nora BattyTM wraps. Really liking the extra support, especially when unracking and walking the bar back, which I have been struggling with for some reason. Felt much more stable and less wibberly. Anyhow my plan for the evening had been 160 x 3 so I did 160 x 2. I had Dean behind me whispering sweet nothings along the lines of "Too low, set a bit higher." Meanwhile Jackman is manning the camera and advising "...bit lower." It was like squatting on Play Your Cards Right

"Alright my love...bbbbb...higher....bbbbb....lower.
Oh! 160 by 2 unlucky
...you get nothing for a pair in this game"
So, grew some gonads and went back in for 160 x 3. Niiiiice. Not having to go for extra depth leaves me feeling plenty strong and much more stable. There is a vid but not uploaded yet, here are a couple of screengrabs of the depth. We stationed the photographer at the least flattering and most critical angle which we decided was below and to the side.
They felt lower than this but, well, you know, the camera never lies etc


Make of those what you will but I am fairly happy and 160 x 3 = PB and plenty more to come. Plenty more will arrive in the guise of attempt at 10 x 140 tonight.

Had to wait for bench and started to feel a bit flat and also managed to convince self to abandon plan for reps at 130 and have another go at 140. Eejit. Will stick to the plan next time and not having another go at 140 until I have 130 x 3 or as near as dammit. I also think that working with the heavier 110 for reps on Monday had left me a bit below par.

Thence to deadlifts where the plan was reps at 180 or 190 and as 180 was loaded I went for that. Now this is where memory gets a bit hazy as I'm pretty sure I did stick to the plan and did 3 let go of bar stand up repeat rep singles on the 180 but I can't actually remember doing them I did tell you I'd got a cold. I definitely failed 200 in miserable fashion soon after so I am clinging to the hope that I did do them. I deffo did 4 x 160 after. My brainz got slightly addled by the fact that I sloped off for a slash and opened the door to be greeted by the sight of a sixty year old geezer standing at the urinal having 'a schoolboy p!ss' not to mention WTF.

Anyhow, a bit miffed that I didn't stick to the plan but lesson learned. Will have a bash at 180 to that depth on the squat next week as Jackman is already making 190 look comfortable. Then will try reps at 130 bench and go for 190 x 2 on deads. I also did the embellished dragon flag 'routine' and also have a vid of that. Then took some instruction from a guy that can do the human flag(90 degrees out from pole thing) and errr that was something else to add to the list of last night's fail. At least I kind of know how to do it now and will just have to work on the being actually able to.

That sounds the most eventful and productive evening.

How much do the knee wraps contribute to your lift?

The human flag.... lol, That takes me back - I will never be able to do that again given the preposterous ammount of physics working against me.

I too managed some good squatting lastnight, if only hampered a little by a sore lower back from deading.

Sounds like you had a top session mate, and bravo on the depth. How was your back feeling doing these?

As for schoolboy p1ss..... legendary hahahaha!!

RACK

How was your back feeling doing these?

Back is fine at the minute mate. Am using my new, broader powerlifting type belt when squatting anything like heavy and still wearing my skinny belt at most other times. I know this is supposed to mark you down as a weight-training dweeb but I don't care; prevention is the best cure etc.

Valhalla

How much do the knee wraps contribute to your lift?

I don't think they actually contribute anything in the sense of seeing poundages I couldn't otherwise push but they definitely add an air of stability and security to the proceedings. Much as I described above for the belt, the wraps are very much like belts for your knees

jedi
I sloped off for a slash and opened the door to be greeted by the sight of a sixty year old geezer standing at the urinal having 'a schoolboy p!ss'

you mean he was seeing how far up the wall he could pee?

those are the same as my first knee wraps, awww, fond memories.
wrap your knees as tight as you possibly can, squat, then jump up as hard as you can, see what happens...

daKensta

those are the same as my first knee wraps, awww, fond memories.
wrap your knees as tight as you possibly can, squat, then jump up as hard as you can, see what happens...

Ooooh am I going to "...be like Mike."


Friday Legs -including genuine terror at the prospect of 140 x 10
Fist time for a while that I've genuinely had butterflies/nerves in attempting something in the gym (including chatting up hot wimmin)
Worked up through 3 or 4 sets to warm up including 100 and 120 then 140 was loaded and....
140kg x 10PB (although I did use my wraps)
Was amazed that I could manage it. Even more amazed that it probably damaged me less than the 120 x 15 from a couple of weeks ago. I think if I'd had a calmer head there might've been a few more available. The major stumbling block wasn't so much the lack of leg strength (no touch from spotter) it was more the kind of puffing and blowing and not getting enough oxygen in. I'm thinking we could either carry on moving up and try for >8reps on 150 or try for >12 on 140. Interesting times.
Is it weird that I felt sort of disappointed that there wasn't puking, passing out or prolonged bout of floor grovelling after the set?

Fronts
60 x 12
90 x 8

+some leg extensions.

Weird sensation in the legs after, they didn't feel as pumped solid as after the normal leg day volume and felt fine really unless they bent to a certain angle where at which point without warning they were prone to collapso.

It looks as though the bizarre squats two days in a row regime has paid off so we are now contemplating deadlifts twice a week as well.
No....really.
The idea is that I just don't feel comfortable with the lift yet and need more 'time at the bar' so to speak. I'll be looking for reps at reasonable weight. Heavy enough to test me but not too heavy that I can't control my form.

Vid of my new, improved, harder dragon flag 'routine'.
It's getting there, taking them waaaaay down to the bench now and managing to complete the embellishments. just need to really nail the form and increase the time I can hold.

ALWAYS nice to see a cool abbage vid Mr Jedi!!!  Impressive stuff!
 
 

Thanks Chrissie, those Dragon Flags are all young Miss Kinsella's fault as she was the first to post a vid of same and piqued my interest. I am also trying to master the human flag thing but videos of that are verboten until it looks a lot less like I am trying to audition as a male pole-dancer than it does at present.

Saturday Overtime
I know. Training? At the weekend. tjnr
Actually it was good, gym to ourselves and really good bi's and tri's workout. We did one bicep then one tricep exercise which I haven't done before but it was good as it delayed the superpump situation which hampers my performance on isolations. Highlights included 100kg close-grip bench (yikes!) and 50kg Oly curls (noticed my elbows were much more comfortable on the Oly bar than the E-Z bar).

Hee! I know, Liz is to blame for getting my other half to do these too.......thankfully, I only do them in the privacy of my garage......
 
Human flag thing always brings to mind george sampson.......which is probbo a good reason NOT to be doing them.....

Woe to me, I cannot see your Dragon flag video here at my workplace.. Though on one hand Im slightly deflated, on the other im elated at the fact I have some quality viewing when I return to my humble abode this evening!

I would like to congratulate you on the squatting, when my current routine's number is up, im contemplating doing some quality strength training as im really getting into the power movements right now.

In celebration and commemeration of my old journal, i present you the :



UUUULLLLLAAAAHHHHHH!!

jedi
Training? At the weekend. tjnr

tnfb either.

is my brain not working right, or have you started typing gibberish?

daKensta

is my brain not working right, or have you started typing gibberish?

"wytaw?"

Also, in the words of jedi Cantona
"Don't...breeeng your ball to ze park...if you don't want uzzers to keek it."

ChrissieG

Human flag thing always brings to mind george sampson

Oh gripes, that's not that hat wearing, arm flailing eejit who murthered singing in the rain is it? Not someone I want to be like in any way I can think of
...excepting ability to do a human flag.

Valhalla

In celebration and commemeration of my old journal, i present you the :
UUUULLLLLAAAAHHHHHH!!

You can't beat a good UUUUUUULLLLLLLAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!
Have you had a username change? I remember the uuuuuulllllaaaahhhs but not the Valhallaaaaaaaaahs.

Have numbed my hand using power tools all day so good chance of grip failure tonight. Still struggling to shake off my cold and feeling a bit 'chesty'. Nothing a nice dose of heavy bench and deadlifts for reps shouldn't fix

Indeed I have changed my username.

And yes, They were indeed my martian cheers of Triumph!

May the deadlifting gods smile upon you tonight my friend, as I am hoping they do on me.

EDIT: My excitment is quenched! The Dragon flags have been watched.. Quality viewing! I need to get some of my lifts on film too.

ah, I think I comprehend now.
tng means "touch 'n' go" though, silly.

I could do with shifting this cold as it has just started to affect my performance.
Had a slightly dismal day yesterday with a complete cr@p out at 120 on the bench and then not much better at 110 and then 100. I'd like to use the excuse that my tri's were feeling the Saturday overtime session but Jackman did it too and was pressing 120 like it was hollow.
To be fair, I did stage a slight recovery on incline and I usually feel that more in my chest so I think the tricep theory has a bit of merit. Another item of note was an attempt at super wide grip bench. Which had to be abandoned due to extreme shoulder protest. That was odd I used to switch to wide grip when my shoulder hurt at the old gym. This means it is either;
1. getting worse
2. a different injury
I am thinking it might be a bit of both. I tend to think it hurts at the front but with the wide grip it was more of a total failure, stabbing affair into the back of the joint. Not good.

Deadrep disast.
I still just don't have the technique down on these at all.
Worked up to 140 x 6 of the rep let go stand regrip rep variety.
Back to 110 x 8 of the keep hold of bar type.

I didn't think I would set the world on fire but that was not good. I had an emergency trawl round the net for technique clues and think I've found something. I feel as though I have been unduly influenced by a Dave Tate vid in which he advocated getting shoulders behind the bar. This was in direct contradiction to Ripptoe's advice that the shoulders should be above/in front of the bar. I read last night that in Ripptoe's opinion anyone who sets up behind the bar wil just swing forward until their shoulders are over the bar as they lift anyway. This made some sense and is in fact what I think I'm doing, meaning that my leg drive is largely wasted. Will try it the other way Thursday.
Back is much worse after reps on those weights than it was after pulling 200