This week hasn’t been anything spectacular, although my deadlifting confidence had a bit of a boost on Wednesday, which I really needed! Other than that, there was training, work, eating and sleeping. Just a normal week really.
Lift Big Eat Big t-shirt
Monday 27th January 2014
When we trained with our mate Loz, he pointed out that my squats were a bit shallow and recommended taking the weights right down and working on depth and explosiveness. So this is what we did this evening. And it felt lame only lifting 52.5kg! I suppose the roll I’ve been on with my squats recently means nothing if they’re too shallow! (Note: my squats have been to parallel but I very rarely break parallel. This is now changing…)
So training went like this:
- Squat
- 20kgx10, 8
- 40kgx3
- 52.5kgx3 (6 sets!)
- Rack squats
- 20kgx5, 5
- 30kgx5
- 40kgx5
- 50kgx5
- 60kgx5
- Walkouts
- 100kg
- 110kg
- 120kg
- 130kg
- Glute Ham raise
- 2 sets of 8
- Dumbbell step ups (onto a bench)
- 15kgx8 (3 sets)
- Single leg hip thrusts
- 3 sets of 10 per leg
Tuesday 28th January 2014
I love a good rest day. Nothing else really happened. I’ll leave it there 😉
Wednesday 29th January 2014
I had to go to an exhibition at Olympia for work today and was convinced by one of the exhibitors to have a caricature done. Here’s the result…
Me according to a Dutch artist…
If this is the first time you’ve read my ramblings you won’t know about my deadlift neuroses! Last week I couldn’t get 95kg off the floor.
This week I found out that sumo stance deadlifts are allowed at the comp. I’ve never been a huge fan of sumos but I know that I can pull a fair amount that way. So after going through the rigmarole of pulling conventionally, I gave sumo a go. Turns out I’m stronger in this stance so I guess I’m pulling sumo wherever possible!
I actually logged my session with Mike properly this week. It went like this:
- Axle deadlifts
- 50kgx5
- 60kgx5
- 70kgx5
- 80kgx5
- 90kgx3
- 100kgx1
- 105kgx1
- Axle sumo deadlifts
- 60kgx1
- 70kgx1
- 80kgx1
- 90kgx1
- 100kgx1
- 105kgx1
- 110kgx1
- Cable pull throughs
- 30kgx10
- 40kgx10
- 45kgx10
- 50kgx10
- Pull ups
- 4, 3, 3
Then there was GBK…
I ❤ GBK
Thursday 30th January 2014
One of my training buddies also competes in powerlifting and trains out of Bethnal Green Weightlifting Club. She asked me if I fancied coming along with her one day so I took her up on her offer.
The gym is amazing: no pretensions at all. It’s not shiny and new. Everything looks well used and, well, old. But everything is perfectly functional. Everything you could need to build strength and be badass is there. And I had a fucking brilliant time!
Usually, you’d follow one of the workouts posted on the board but Anna went all freestyle on me and we did this:
- Squats
- 20kgx10, 10
- 40kgx5, 5
- Box squats
- 40kgx5
- 40kg+bandsx5
- 50kg+bandsx5, 4
- 40kg+bandsx5, 5
- Glute Ham raise
- bodyweight onlyx10, 10, 10
- +2.5kgx5, 5, 5
- Bench press
- 20kgx10
- 30kgx5
- 40kgx5
- 45kgx3
- 42kgx3, 3
- Dips
- 3 sets of 10
Friday 31st January 2014
Our tickets to Britain’s Strongest Man arrived today. I am so fucking excited. It’s 2 days before my birthday (and the day before my second ever comp!) and, I later realised, on the same day as the last matches of the 6 Nations! Pants!
Britain’s Strongest Man tickets! Woohoo!!
Saturday 1st February 2014
Last weekend, Super-girl training’s trainer’s wife had a baby. Obviously training wasn’t going to happen this week. And actually, the chance of a lie in was most welcome! In fact, I slept until 10.10am! I haven’t slept that late in a long time. I treated myself to boiled eggs and soldiers for brekkie!
Breakfasting like it’s 1988
As a rest day, I had a chilled out day with some knitting friends which involved a massive slab of courgette, ginger and lime cake at the Garden Museum.
Tea and cake. I’m such a lady!
Followed by watching England losing to France in the 6 Nations. Much sadness 😦
Sunday 2nd February 2014
Pressing day again. I was going shopping with Tara after so decided not to cycle to Putney. Unfortunately, there were engineering works, so I had to go to Hounslow to get the train. All was well until, engrossed in Instagram, I missed my stop and had to walk for 15 minutes through one of my least favourite places in West London to find the train station.
Training went OK:
- Axle clean and press
- 27kgx5
- 32kgx5
- 37kgx3
- 40.5kgx4, 4, 3
- Log clean and press
- 30kgx5
- 35kgx3
- 40kgx0 – but managed to clean it 6 times!
- Crucifix
- 6kgx20secs, 20secs
- Rotator cuff stuff
- 3 sets of 10 @ 2kg (external)
- 3 sets of 10 @ 2kg (internal)
- Face pulls
- 40kgx10
- 45kgx10, 10
Shopping didn’t. I couldn’t find anything that I liked but there was more cake…
Tea and cake. More proof of my lady-ness!
And I bought this fucking awesome mug!
I really fucking do!
Sorry that this post is even more boring than usual. Hopefully I’ll be back to my normal chatty self next week! Hope it’s a good one for you 🙂
