The fine peeps at Kingspoint held a mock meet today for charity. It’s been over 2 years since I did a meet and this was a perfect soft landing.
I didn’t get brave, thus the 3 white lites (sheets of paper!) on all lifts, but they all felt really good so I did add a little extra than originally planned for the last deadlift. I was only 5 pounds under my (meet) best squat two years ago, 4 pounds more than that on benchpress ... and a whopping 45 pounds short on deadlift. While that’s been the most problematic this year, it did move pretty good, even with conventional stance, and I know that it’s just a matter of doing the work. Of course, today has got me thinking about numbers for the October meet. Target in KGs - squat 80, bench 60, deadlift 90
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So-so feels at the gym today. I thought we were testing, but we are still working up. Kept missing on depth on the squats. Despite being heavy, it felt good. Just not deep enough. And failed out at bench. But it was at 115# so I suppose as we get closer to the top, I'm more likely to crap out. I'll try to remember how I felt HERE, and that this is my week of putting it all out it there. 6:30 AM seems to come SO early. I am sure I don't have full energy on the Monday and Wednesday training sessions at this time. And then I feel extreme pressure to get to work and get cracking (as it's tight to even make to the office by 8:30 those days... so rather late...). And yet, I end up with such a GREAT DAY after. I think it's a mix of physical (endorphines, etc) and mental (something I love, something for ME)... and totally amazing to have a day full of momentum. I sound like a fanatic. Was at a conference this week. It was a beautiful venue and really also put me into the Christmas spirit. There was a bit of over indulgence, ... I will spare you the details, but I have had my fill of sushi for a while. A long while. Like... forever. And also, not enough sleep. So too much of one thing, and not enough of another. Just for the record, it does NOT balance out (plus/minus). But I still felt pretty good in the gym today. We didn't do anything overly difficult, but it was not super light either (a single 150# squat followed by some doubles @ 140# , as well as some paused benching at 95# and 100#). I have a vacation day tomorrow, so can take a little extra rest in the AM (sleep in til 7 AM!), and don't train until 11 AM. It's Deadlifts, so will be a bit tiring, and I am out with the Mavens tomorrow night, but at least I won't start at a deficit. And there's always the weekend for a little nap. :) Remember this post: my-flip-flop-broke-in-the-shower-the-gym-today.html? Well, I cobbled the broker one together with string for a bit, because it was hard to find time to get to shopping for a new pair. It looked very sad. I finally got to shopping this past weekend, and.... it's kind of hard to find flip-flops in Canada in October. Oops. Anyway, rather than go to a tonne of places, after my one mall pass-through, I reluctantly picked up a pair of these; in a really weird green. I was kinda disappointed beacuse they were more expensive than what I thought I'd get (just a regular flip flop for the shower at the gym = <$10). And these were more like $30. Well.... guess what?! I used them this AM and they are the most comfy thing ever. More comfy than bare feet! Love , love, love them! Seems I have had a number of updates in the last 2 weeks. Nothing specific is going on; just really enjoying myself, happy, fulfilled. Some moments of 'blech' occasionally interrupt, but I feel as though this is one of the ways I count my blessings. I talk about them here, and acknowledge it that way. It also reinforces my contentment.
It was a good day at the gym today. We gradually are working back to meet-level weights with the new form (high-bar squat and conventional deadlift). I miss low-bar and sumo. But I am gradually improving with these movements, and I know it will make these lifts stronger no matter what style I choose. And the high-bar does seem like less stress on the lower back (which is weird, because I don't think it's supposed to be. But it could just be because it's so much lighter, still). 140# squat and 155# DL today. 15# and 45# to add, respectively, to hit my July OPA-meet PR. There was still gas in the tank, so I might be closer than I think! It would be good to be there by the end of the year. Then in January I can start to prep for a spring meet. I won't do a meet until I can add 40# to my meet total. Road to a 500# total....... Long and winding. But sunny and clear! I was talking to the Mavens last week about long term goals with powerlifting. And I told them what I am about to tell you. I want to qualify for nationals in 2021. It's a long way away, I know. But I will be in the next age group up, and I figure I can improve at least for 2 more years... (I don't really improve in any great leaps, but I think it's reasonable to make some small gains for at least that long). and then even maintaining, for the year I would be Master Level II, the standards should be do-able.
I think it would be an amazing experience, and if I can't do it by then, well, it's unlikely I'd ever be able to do it. So I am setting the bar (pun intended) for a meet around my 50th birthday with PR #s. Now I just have to do the work, which I enjoy anyway! Today a lady and I exchanged the usual casual hellos at the gym as we passed in the changeroom. "Morning" she said. "Have a good day". I responded in kind, to which she replied: "For sure. The worst part of my day is now over (pointing to the gym floor), so it's all good."
The rest is a brain ramble, pretty much just like it actually happened:
THERE IS NO WORST PART OF MY DAY!?!?! How amazing is that? It took a lot longer than I expected. I joined the gym nearly 2 years ago...and still have a way to go to "fit". I have come a long way, though, and looking at the transformation, it still seems like a big accomplishment. There has never been anything fast or easy about it... Just steady, incremental progress.
When I think about how many choices I had to make the last two years that added up to this.... The good and the bad.... It's a wonder I made it. I couldn't of done it without encouragement of an amazing PT who helped me the movements, manage the progress, and probably most importantly… Have fun (or something close to it ) while doing it. The mavens encouraged me too. I'm lucky to have such good girlfriends. And Garth has been amazing. He's been a cheerleader, but has also helped managing food, encouraging me to prioritize the gym... And listened to me go on and on about powerlifting. But the truth is and I say this without an ounce of either shame or pride.... Mostly this was ME. Of course of course I couldn't have done it without the support mentioned above ...for sure. But I did the work. I made those choices. Ok; so I take it back. I AM PROUD. Blessed and proud. I am not a runner. But I do walk on the tread mill for some cardio and to warm up. It was truly just walking for a long time, but in the last year or so I tried to put in little jogs now and then. It was never a target to run. Nevertheless, my 1/2 hour on the treadmill is now around 1.5 mins of running for every 2 mins of walking: hitting a new distance record (30 mins is all I can take) tonight.
I just gradually added more time on the run. At first, just over 20 seconds was all I could do, and then needed a 3 minute rest. So; it's certainly not going to make me a marathoner, but I have a rhythm that I can maintain, and that feels good. |
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