lifting heavy shit for fun

Bench mini-PR

I only got 4 reps at 60kg(132lb) today, which while it is a (one) rep PR, it’s not the 5 reps that I wanted or should have gotten, and it makes me pissed off. At myself.

I didn’t sleep well last night and was super-tired all day today. I thought jsut going to the gym would lift my spirits, but once I started benching, even the sets at 50 and 55kg felt heavy, and I think I just mentally gave up on 5 reps at 60kg, before even trying.

I’m very good at mentally blocking myself from getting lifts I should be able to do (sometimes it works the other, positive way, but it’s negative way to often). I need to learn to be albe to control this somehow, or just a little better than right now at least. It makes me so frustrated, making me feel like I’m super lazy or something…

Grrr! Need more mental energy.

Especially since school starts up again next week…

Ah, well, sorry about the negativity. I’m sure I will get my five reps on the weekend, before moving up to a triple at 62.5kg. I should try focus a little more on the progress that I have made, and that I actually got a PR today too, even though it was very tiny.

Geared Deadlifts

Worked up to singles at 130kg(287lb) and 135kg(298lb) RAW, which felt good, better than in a long time. Hope I can go above this next week.

Then tried out my “new”(actually old used gear from graduated club member) deadlift gear.

It was sewn in a little at the sides at the bottom, but could still get it on with some work. However, I never really managed to work the gear when deadligting conventional, and this was the first time ever even trying with sumo stance, and as could be expected, it didn’t go to well.

Did three atempts (without the shoulder band up) at 135kg, first time the gear wasn’t on probably, so didn’t work at all, second and third I could get it of the ground, but just up to about my knees. Not that it’s too heavy, just me not knowing how to work the gear yet.

I think I will take out the sewn part and start with the gear a little less tight to get a hand on it first, before making it tighter.

Also, I’m not sure if I will use this gear, or the same I use for my squat yet. We will see.

From now starts geared season. It makes my skin unhappy, in a way that shows…:(

Bench PR

Again!

Benching on Monday came with the second PR on my new Madcow-inspired benching program, which I started exactly 20 days ago.

Worked up to 60kgx3(132lb), which was a little heavy, but still felt good, and like I could have done one or two more reps, so I think the planned x5 next time is going to go well.

I really like how this program feels, and how good it’s going, but I will also have to start training with gear soon, but I hope to go as heavy as I can on this program before switching to a gear-based one.

Four platforms but only two warm-up spots. I feel bad for the competitors.

High school powerlifting

Right now I’m on my way to the Japanese National High School Powerlifting Competition. Me and some of the guys (and guys from other university clubs) are going to work as spotters.
The high school federation is the only one that really pays us well to be spotters, both because they get extra money from the government for promoting teen sport, and because we don’t have a mutual-benefit agreement like we have with the general JPA (Japan Powerlifting Association, part of the IPF), where we work as spotters at their tournaments for almost nothing, in exchange that they come as judges to our competitions for almost nothing.

So, let’s go see some Japanese kids lift heavy stuff!

The positive power of squats

Some tumblring and squats have lifted my mood!

87.5kg(193lb) felt heavier than I thought it would, but 5x5 still went up nicely.

Now, off to mini-trip for me and the bf’s anniversary!