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

Chest and tri's tonight.
Was a slightly strange workout. I got talked into going for 110kg as a middle set either side of 100's but the fact I had to be talked into it ( I was opting for 105) did not bode well. Neither did the fact that my first set on the 100 didn't fly up quite as easy as last week. Net result 3 very dodgy reps achieved with a dab from the spotter
I think it was a mental failing as much as a physical, a theory confirmed to some extent by regrouping on the 100 and managing 5 much more comfortably than the first set.

Redeemed myself a bit on the steep incline which is now up to 90kg
3 sets of 80lb dumbbells on a shallower incline too.
I suppose I would've been pleased with the progress if I'd managed better reps on the 110 or even better reps on the 105.
Now I have to go through the same 105v110 thing next week.

Nah feck it! I've just decided I will do the 110kg next week but this time smash the b*stard thing in an upward direction.
Less thinking more doing.
....I think

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ORIGINAL: jedi
Nah feck it! I've just decided I will do the 110kg next week but this time smash the b*stard thing in an upward direction.
Less thinking more doing.
....I think

do, or do not, there is no "try"

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

Hi jedi, sorry not popped in for a while. Hope all is well.

Get your head in gear now for smashing that 110kg mark next week

Current avi 208lb
Prep Journal http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/RACK-Leeds-UKBFF-2012-m4666355.aspx

ORIGINAL: daKensta
..
do, or do not, there is no "try"

I am starting to think our little green friend was just having a premonition of England at the RWC.

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ORIGINAL: RACK

Hi jedi, sorry not popped in for a while. Hope all is well.

Get your head in gear now for smashing that 110kg mark next week

Not to worry mate, you can see you haven't missed much when I am making such a fuss about lifting 110kg.
What a drama queen.
I better steer clear of the new Come Dancing or people will start to talk.

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its definatley a mental thing for me as well mate, if you lie there thinking oh **** am i going to lift this or bloody hell this is heavy you probably wont.

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ORIGINAL: jedi

ORIGINAL: daKensta
..
do, or do not, there is no "try"

I am starting to think our little green friend was just having a premonition of England at the RWC.

heeheehee!
nah, I shouldn't laugh.
no, wait! yes I should!

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

ps. I couldn't give a flying unmentionable about rugby, or anything else involving: sweaty men in shorts; leather; studs; bouncing balls.
actually, the last 3 are OK, as long as the first one isn't

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

Back and bi's tonight.
3 x 8 on chins again and much as I might like to keep adding points for style and artistic interpretation the cold fact is that I should now either start addng reps or dangly weights.
Can't go any heavier on the lat pulldown simply because I can't physically manoeuvre myself plus anything heavier down onto the seat. I will have to start eating cakes and fine wines

Tried 50kg curls inc. the oly bar and managed 4 with decent form before scuttling back to the 45, which then felt nice and light. 3 sets on the 50 dumbbells and then did some mea culpa on the preacher bench for being seduced by the crooked stick last week. Close grip cable curls felt as though my forearms were going to snap again
That'll teach me.

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Shoulders tonight but want to get back in time to see France v Ireland so it may be a rush job. Having said that, my shoulder is feeling better than it has for some weeks so might have a go for some 1's and 2's on bench as well as a serious shoulder pressing session.
Looking for a double on 115kg, that would give me massive confidence boost for getting reps with 110 next week.
...it might also give me a sore shoulder again.

Feck it though, they didn't get those Normandy beaches stormed by sitting on the boat.
C'MON!!!!!

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Beaches stormed

115 x 2
As ragged as you like on the second rep but am glad I did it as it shows Tuesday was just a bit of a blip.
Made my shoulder smart a bit, so I didn't do as much shoulder pressing as I was going to.

Have some glutamine on the way and hopefully this will help a bit with recovery and stop this good week, bad week syndrome.

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nice pushing Jedi!

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

ORIGINAL: daKensta

YAY! I've been promoted.

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Didn't enjoy the run much today.
Thought I was doing really well until the turning point at halfway revealed I had been benefitting from a following gale.
The return journey was not much fun. Felt as though I was working hard for a net loss at times.

At least my knees didn't hurt.

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Legs tonight and it went much better than last week.
It was a complete workout for a kickoff and included 300kg on the leg press (where that came from I don't know) and 3 full sets on the stack of the hack squat. No ridiculous burn that I got last week and, despite doing a lot more, a few minutes on the bike and I could walk back to the car like a normal human being. I just can't explain why I seem to be caught in this good week/ bad week cycle but I have started taking the glutamine and hopefully that might even things out.

Eastern european training squad were in residence tonight and it seemed the one lad who couldn't do 140 on the bench was made to train on his own in case he contaminated the rest with his shamefull weedliness

Mind you, I saw a couple of 'em have a bit of a bash on the hack squat and I felt a bit better after that

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Feel a lot less knackered today than I did after last weeks leg debacle.
I think it's the glutamine.
Which is funny as I've just read a few articles advising me that it isn't.
I confound medical science again

I also found this interesting article on "dynamic tension" during my extensive readings on pubmed.



If I understand the article correctly, big pants pulled up to your belly button create "dynamic tension" which works as some kind of test booster. I see there are dramatic sides though, check out the 'roid rage on that guy.

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^^^^^^^ Quality mate where the hell do you find them!

Do you think this good week bad week is all in the mind mate?

Or is it just your CNS maybe taking a battering from the week before and takes a while to recover?

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No I don't think the good week/bad week thing is mental.
I think it is probably not being able to recover in a week and I would no doubt benefit from a 10 day turnaround instead.
Problem with that is that I would forget what I was supposed to be doing on any given day and it would also ruin my meticulously planned "avoid other gym users" schedule.

I don't take a whey protein supplement so this could also be a contributing factor to my lack of recovery and hence my experiment with the glutamine. So far I am quite hopeful.
...then again this is a good week on the schedule, the test will be legs next Monday.

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Pushing tonight.
Managed 100/110/100 on the bench much better than last week. 5 reps on the 110 although last 2 with a tiny touch of spotting. Didn't push my luck with my shoulder on the steep incline so settled for good reps on 80kg. Then onto shallow incline dumbbells, felt easy enough on the 80's so I cracked the 90's as well

Couldn't get back to the bench for close grip so did some dips instead. Not done any for a while so I just did them as standard arms in, minimal chest recruitment stylee for 3 sets of 15 at bodyweight. Skullcrushers/close grip supersets and then some pushdowns and rope to finish.

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Back and bi's.
Chins 10/9/9 widest grip and strict form. If I get 3 sets of 10's next week will start adding weight the week after.
Pretty standard back workout after that as the gym was busy.
Managed 50kg curls a bit better this week

All in all went okay, even felt I could have done more on biceps.
The glutamine is scoring well so far.

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I used to turn my nose up at whey, dextrose, glutamine etc PWO, but since I started taking whey+dextrose immediately post workout my recovery has improved a lot, hardly ever get any DOMS to speak of these days, which is disappointing in a masochistic way of course, but good in other ways.....

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

ORIGINAL: daKensta

I used to turn my nose up at whey, dextrose, glutamine etc PWO, but since I started taking whey+dextrose immediately post workout my recovery has improved a lot, hardly ever get any DOMS to speak of these days, which is disappointing in a masochistic way of course, but good in other ways.....

I am finding it much the same with the glutamine.
Which is good news for me given that I have a very low level of function first thing in the morning even when I'm not training.

All your talk of 130 for next week has planted a worrying idea that suggests I should try 120 on for size tonight.
I couldna, shouldna, oughtn't to
....but

Hopefully sanity will prevail and I'll stick with the 115.

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ORIGINAL: jedi
Hopefully sanity will prevail and I'll stick with the 115.

There was a flaw in the plan right from the start

Spotted my mate for a 1RM at 140kg, which he has been trying to get for a few weeks.
Had already done my planned double on 115 but couldn't resist when he he suggested trying the 120.
I didn't get it
...but I got a lot more of it than I thought I would.
Not long now.

Shoulder pressing continues to improve and have found I can do lateral raises on cables wihtout upsetting the shoulder too much.

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ORIGINAL: jedi
I didn't get it

my commiserations.
you should have bounced it off your chest harder

whoooops!
looks like my bro' didn't log off before he bogged off tonight.
and now I've stolen his first ever post.
sorry to all involved

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

ORIGINAL: daMikesta
my commiserations.
you should have bounced it off your chest harder

Ah, I see your brother is giving away all the secret daKensta lifting techniques there, requiring an instantaneous, although not very convincing, attempt at a cover story.

Hang on a second, your brother?
OMG there's two of 'em

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ORIGINAL: jedi

Feel a lot less knackered today than I did after last weeks leg debacle.
I think it's the glutamine.
Which is funny as I've just read a few articles advising me that it isn't.
I confound medical science again

I also found this interesting article on "dynamic tension" during my extensive readings on pubmed.



If I understand the article correctly, big pants pulled up to your belly button create "dynamic tension" which works as some kind of test booster. I see there are dramatic sides though, check out the 'roid rage on that guy.

dont knock the article mate this is what first got my brother into lifting.
5 commonwealth games and 3 olympic games later he still going LOL ????

bodyweight 70k lifts in comp snatch 132.5k cl+jk 160k
78k lifts in training sn 145k cl+Jk 170
front squat ATG 185k x1

ORIGINAL: Rusev
dont knock the article mate this is what first got my brother into lifting.
5 commonwealth games and 3 olympic games later he still going LOL ????

I just hope none of the medal ceremonies involved a big bloke in a check suit or there was probably a nasty international incident.

I remember reading an article about two Welsh weightlifting brothers in a copy of Sportsweek magazine back in the late 80's possibly early 90's. I take it that would have been you two?
I was involved in pitching for the mag's advertising business at the time and the article stuck in my mind.
We didn't get the account although I thought the campaign would've been pretty good.
....perhaps if they'd gone with it they might not have gone bust within a year of launch



If it was the two of you then I have to say that I salute your achievements and promise to treat your journal with a touch more respect in future.
Probably.

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ORIGINAL: jedi
Ah, I see your brother is giving away all the secret daKensta lifting techniques there, requiring an instantaneous, although not very convincing, attempt at a cover story.

nah. chest bounceage isn't really an option with the weights I'm (we're) doing these days, though I will admit to doing it in the past

Hang on a second, your brother?
OMG there's two of 'em

yes.
though he's still a greenhorn, so don't start worrying.
yet

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

Goddammit!!

Started feeling ill again over the weekend.
Same abdominal symptoms that have been the bane of my recent history.
Absolutely gutted about this as I thought I would be putting this behind me after the appendix came out.

Am off to see the Doc in a minute
...which isn't all bad news coz she's hot
I guess I'm not feeling that bad then

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yes it was me and my brother with my parents and the yorkie dog in the picture if i remember corectly sitting on our sofa at a strange angle looking up at the lense.

bodyweight 70k lifts in comp snatch 132.5k cl+jk 160k
78k lifts in training sn 145k cl+Jk 170
front squat ATG 185k x1

so how's the old guts then?
fine I hope

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

Went to the gym despite still feeling a bit crummy.

Anyway not expecting too much I was surprised when 100kg went for 7, then did 5 on 110 (spotted) and back to 5 on 100 (spotted). I mention the spotter because he was of the hands off, watch you suffer variety, stationed for emergency rescue only. Consolidated on 80 for steep incline and up to 90lb dumbbells again on shallow. Plenty of dips, a bit of close grip and then rope to finish.

I must've been doing some work somewhere as I now seem to have Lip up fatty and lip up fatty fatty reggae* in my arm.


*
busta blood vessel

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Still not feeling 100% but decided to do Monday's missed legs.
300kg on the leg press again, and more reps than usual on the hack squat.

I would've been thinking I was quite strong but the East European Krew (EEKs) were in residence again and doing 120kg powercleans for fun and then some 140kg jerks off the rack (all weights not including the oly collars).

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3 x 10 widegrip, strict as possible chins.
Grip felt totally rock solid and just kept managing 1 more rep til they were done. I guess I might as well try adding weights next week. Can't say I am looking forward to it much.

Curls were all good as am working on stricter form so that elbows dont move away from side of body and the bar is just squeezed up to a tad more than 90degrees. Easier said than done but I'm sticking with it have had good results with this before.

Got a slight shock in that I weighed myself on the gym scales and came to 13st 3lb whereas I'd thought I was still just under 13.
No wonder I look f00kin massive

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Warmed up on light shoulder isolation stuff; front raises, upright rows, cable laterals and the like.

Then some 1s and 2s on bench.
Did a few singles on 100kg to get warmed up then loaded 120 and absolutely smashed it.
I really can't believe it, it went up nice and smoooooooth, without too much of a struggle
...although not too sure I agree with my mate's insistence that there was another rep

Absolutely chuffed.
When I started back I thought this was something I would be very lucky to achieve by Xmas but have killed it 2 months early.

Where next?

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well done Jedi, there must be something in the air tonight

SQ:230 BP:162.5 DL:250 OHP:120

Pretty standard leg workout tonight.
Although this in itself is noteworthy given that I only did them last Wednesday so they haven't had a full week to recover and I still made it through everything.
Thumbs up for the glutamine.

Also worth noting is my lack of running this weekend. This is a slightly worrying development in that the reason is
...I just don't like doing it at the minute.
Bit of an irony, now that I can run pain free, I don't want to.

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Good bench and tri's tonight.
8 x 100kg 5 x 110kg 5 x 100kg, on flat bench.
90kg x 5 on steep inclne which I was pleased with.
Less reps on the 90lb dumbells on shallow incline though.

Dips, close grip and pushdowns to finish.

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ORIGINAL: jedi

Good bench and tri's tonight.
8 x 100kg 5 x 110kg 5 x 100kg, on flat bench.
90kg x 5 on steep inclne which I was pleased with.
Less reps on the 90lb dumbells on shallow incline though.

Dips, close grip and pushdowns to finish.

Are you training for strength or size mate?

Are you looking to up all your working sets up to 8 reps or just keep them to 5 for your chest?

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