Montreal Barbell The PR GYM

Shawna and I arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 12, so that we could get acclimated to the difference in atmosphere and weather. We checked into the Marriotte so that we would sleep well and be rested, they had a Starbucks downstairs so that was just too handy. We went in to weigh in the next morning and ate a light breakfast. I weighed in at 238.6 lbs a little light but not bad considering the travelling. Shawna made weight easily too. The gym looked great, it was large with a boxing ring in the middle, they had two monolifts and about 4 or more Forza benches.

Meet Day Saturday April 14

We arrived before 9 am and sat and waited. Manditory rules meeting was supposed to be at 9:30 am and lifting was to start at 10 am, but nothing was happening, equipment was not set up and we waited for 45 minutes not knowing what was happening. There was one flight of full power lifters, 11 people, mostly raw. Shawna was fifth up in the flight and I was 10th.

Scott Mendleson decided that he  would not lift at this meet and instead worked the meet doing everything to help the lifters, back spotting the squat and handing off on the bench and giving helpful advice. Shawna and I warmed up on the main platform with pound plates, but the squat bar was not a real squat bar, instead it was a shorter 45 lb bar.

Squat

280 kgs, 617 lbs  Scott called my depth and I waited then flew up with it easy. I got one red light for depth, they said that one side was not as low as the other. Later in the video I saw that it was not as deep as I would have liked or as deep as it felt. But got the lift and was in the meet.

Second attempt - 325 kgs, 716 lbs stand up was too forward and I descended with the weight like it was crushing me. I went down as far as I though without losing it - there were no chains on the monolift - and went back up early, knowing it was high, it just didn't feel right from the beginning.

Third attempt - same weight, unracked it, couldn't balance the weight, called for a rerack this time. Then, stood up better, started forward again, then moved back but went down too slow, again got to a point where I thought I should go back up before I loose it, and agian know that it was not anywhere close. Shawna said the the lift looked good and I was in control this time and did everything right. I was very disappointed with just getting my opener but the weights felt very heavy and I was shaking.

After the squat, I knew that we really needed to have a handler. Wrapping my knees and wrapping Shawna's knees and taking off her suit just took too much energy. I  felt rushed and out of breath and my arms were cramping.

Bench

warm ups were the same as in the gym but just held 315 raw instead of benching it. 225 lbs raw felt very heavy and my one warm-up with 425 lbs I pushed up slow and hard trouble locking out. But, I've had this happen before and the energy on the platform should make the weights feel lighter.

First attempt - 215 kg, 474 lbs, flew. Scott commented and said it was a beautiful bench.

Second attempt - 240 kgs, 529 lbs. Everything was great, I planned to bring the weight down faster, but at the bottom I overshot a bit and dumped the weight forward, then at the press command, I pulled it back and grinded it up, I pushed as hard as i ever have with my legs and got it all the way to the top and locked out my left arm but my right arm was all the way back with no where else to go and not locked out, everyone screaming and it just sat there, no lift. When I got up off the bench I was dizzy and felt like I was going to vomit. I don't think I ever pushed so hard in my life.

Third attempt - same weight, didn't go up as well and couldn't finish it. ran out of steam on that one. nothing left.

Deadlift

|n short the deadlift was a fiasco. We warmed up raw quickly before the other lifters, Shawna went up to 135 lbs and I did 135 and 225 lbs, then we went to put our suits on. Shawna's legs were blown up and sweaty and the briefs were damp and it took us 15 minutes to get them on, but we couldln't get them up all the way properly. She asked how much time before the deadlft starts and they said 30 mins. Well, they started in 20 mins instead, because most of the lifters were raw and most were opening with light weights, I was last in the flight with 525 lbs. Shawna was second in the flight. We told them we needed more time, Shawna had not been able to get one suited warm up in at all yet. Then they just started the flight and Shawna was second up. She didn't even have her suit on. She was hanging in the monolift trying to get her suit on, when they told her she had 45 secs to get to the bar for her first attempt deadlift. This really messed with her and made her angry. She had a huge PR in the squat with 425 lbs and a huge personal success and PR in the bench with 292 lbs and now she was confident with the deadlift her best lift and was well on her way to getting her goal of an 1100 total, 500kgs. But, they were calling her to the platform and her gear was not on yet and she didn't have any warmups at all. I decided that she should go and try the attempt anyway because she can now pull 363 lbs on a bad day and she will probably get the lift. Shawna went up to the platform and struggled to get down to the bar because her briefs were not all the way up. She was angry and frustrated and tried to put that aside and make the lift anyway. It didn't work, she couldn't pull it. 

Ok, now it was my turn. I was helping Shawna and didn't even start changing into my suit and I was in the same flight. I got my briefs up part way and asked a stranger to help my pull them up, Shawna helped me get into my suit and my turn was up. Put my belt on and went up to the platform. But, this didn't bother me because, I have been in this situation before and I know that I don't need any warmups for the deadlfit. I walked over, and just picked it up with poor form and locked it out, Done, I was finished the meet and tired, Second and third attempts were with 575 lbs but I had no desire to pick them up, because my goals were all gone and I didn't care anymore about my total. Plus, I was just woopped, really tired.

So, I ended up with just my openers, happy to stay in the meet, but not very happy with my results.

The meet atmosphere was relaxed and friendly and it was similar to our meets. It was a fun meet and we got to see the real Scott Mendleson and his family. Shawna was on her way to the best meet in her life before the deadlift and I think she was more frustratred than i was. We got to see Scott's young 14 year old daughter bendh in the same  style that he banches and she almost locked out 240 lbs, very impressive. She is going to be very strong. He said he doesn't want her squatting yet until she gets older. The weather in LA was great, we relaxed by the pool the next day, both happy with the kind of meet it was but unhappy with the way it turned out for us.

This week was very simple, low reps, just warm ups and first attempts.

Wed Apr 6 Deadlfit

No deadlift training. I believe the deadlift requires a lot of recovery time and I will be stronger if I stop deadlifting two weeks out. My planned opener for deadlift is 525 lbs.

Fri Apr 8 Bench

worked up the same as warm-up to 315 raw then put shirt on

425

475 lbs

went up easy but felt heavier than last week. I didn't like that it went up slower than last week, but I am confident with that weight for an opener

Sun Apr 10 Squat

only 6 days out from the meet, worked up to my opener of 620 lbs, did it fairly easily and that was it. My big decision was which of my squat suits to wear. I was pulled strongly to stay with convention and stay with the suit that I trained in and know well, the canvas Frantz suit. But the new white suit that Ghislain made for me was made taller and gave me more pop off the bottom, so I decided i would lift at the meet with the Ghislain suit even though I only squatted in it once before. It was easier to hold my form in that suit and I felt a spring out of the bottom of it.

My planned openers were now

squat  280 kg, 617 lbs

bench 215 kg, 474 lbs

deadlift 230 kg, 529 lbs

My goals were to hit at least a 1900 lbs total and on a great day break a 2000 lb total. The next week I would spend just sleeping, resting and eating as much as I could, I was weighing 238 lbs and wanted to get up to 244 lbs just before leaving for the meet.

What an experience!! Al Mehan fly down in the middle of his training program for the 2011 Canadian Nationals and Pro/Am to be held June 4, 5, 2011 at Montreal Barbell. Al arrived Wed afternoon and was pumped to start deadlifting on our schedule Wed night at 6 pm.

Wed Mar 30 Deadlift

I did my usual work up sumo full gear and went up to 6 plates, 585 lbs and missed it at the top. Then, went 600 lbs and missed it above the knee again. Each time I got pulled forward and did not get the straight line up. It felt strong and this would be my last deadlift session before my meet on April 15 in California. Jamie and Nathan came up from Cornwall to train with us and they both are very strong and have huge potential.

Firday Apr 1 Bench

My real training with Al was eating. He considers it a full time job and his goal was to get me to eat and gain 5 lbs while he was here. It was working. On Friday already my bench shirt felt tighter. I worked up my usual 1 plate, 2 plates 3 plates raw, then went 425 for one warm-up and went straight to my my planned opener of 475 lbs. It flew up faster than ever. Then, I went to my planned second attempt which would be a world record in my category, 530 lbs. that went up all the way to the top but my left arm felt unlocked. Then I went to 535 lbs and got it all the way up and locked it out. It felt great, like never before and I never pushed so hard on the bench. I took the weight down faster and got more out of the shirt, plus I had my feet set in the right place to push all the way to lock out. A huge new PR for me. I wanted to go more, so I went to 550 lbs, it went well, but I ran out of steam and missed it at my usual transition point, but I felt that now I can do  this weight.

Mike Guay did huge PR of 825 lbs, Al Mehan pushed up 740 easily, Scott McDarmiad shocked himself when he was able to touch and do a full bench press with 405 lbs then later went up to 500 lbs. Shawna struggled with her bench form and missed 280 lbs. It was a great night and Al later told me he was so energized by the bench session that he laid wide eyed in bed until 2 am.

Saturday Apr 2 Squat

The goal for me was to hit my planned opener which I have now lowered from 700 lbs to 300 kgs or 660 lbs. When I worked up to it, I felt so shaky and it felt so heavy, that I decided again to lower my opener now to 620 lbs. Something was going wrong in my standups which caused me to loose balance and the weights to feel very heavy. I then did 620 three times before I got it right, Al called my depth. It was a lot of work and it bit frustrating to struggle with weights that were very light a few weeks ago. But, it may be that this was the first time I was trying to really get down low with the weight and like someone told me when I first started powerlifting, that the last inch or two is worth a hundred pounds.

Al did a very impressive and easy 940 lbs for 5 reps, Shawna went up to her opener and was starting to feel better in her squat form. She just quietly goes about her business and gets her planned lifts. It was a great squat session, everyone worked very hard. We went back to the bakery and coninued our full time job of eating.

Planned to be a very light day. But, wanted to try a new opener of 660 lbs (300 kgs) instead of opening with 700. Weights still felt heavy and I was shaking, but pushed through anyway. I know that even though it feels heavier, I am still strong. But, I am waiting for the magic day when the weight feel light....

145 x 10 knees hurt, nerves in quads gave out on a couple of reps

145 x 6 better but still giving out

145 x 6 ok, good now

225 x 6

full gear on now, straps down (canvas suit today)

425 x 3

straps up

505 x 3 almost to parallel

580 x 1

knee wraps on (sprayed them with stickem, really worked well)

660 x 1 waited for up call from Cheryl to make sure it was a good opener, felt heavy. looked easy in video

720 x 1 felt like a ton at the stand up, down to parallel, needed an inch more, stood back up but not as good as before.

I wasn't sure what to do today. Still feeling shaky and weaker from the heavy lifting and waiting to recover... but, I didn't want to lose the feeling of lifting the heavy weights. So, I didn't listen to my own advice or resting and went heavier and pretended to myself that it wasn't heavy. Actually, today on Monday, I don't feel nearly as badly beat up from squatting as I do normally, so it may have been just right.

Looking forward to the coming week with Al Mehan flying in Wed to train with us. Going to be a big PR week for everyone!!!

This was not part of my training plan for the meet, instead this was supposed to be the heaviest week of training before the meet. But, after talking with Shawna and Al Mehan, we decided that I should take another week of rest and do my heavy week two weeks before the meet, when Al comes down to train with us. So, for my training this week - lots of sleeping, resting, eating and drinking water. I didn't even load weights at the gym.

Tuesday, raw bench

skipped, not training

Wednesday, deadlift

skipped, not training

Friday, Shirt bench - light training

135 x 10

225 x 5

315 x 1

loose shirt

425 x 1

455 x 1

475 x 1, went up the best.

Still taped my elbow, everything felt good. Consulted with Shawna and we decided that I should stop there. I am planning to go very light in the squat on Sunday, then next week go heavy, hoping that with rest the weights will feel light. Then, two weeks of rest and perform my best at the meet.

Funny, how now I am calling a light squat day, squatting only up to 700 lbs. But, I am still feeling not recovered, so my plan was to take an easier squat day and only go up to my opener. The plan was to test 700 lbs as an opener.

145 x reps

235 x 6

full gear on, briefs and suit straps down

415 x 3

straps up

505 x 2

knee wraps

620 x 1

700 x 1

Both felt heavier than they should have. The last time, two weeks ago when I squatted 700 it felt light. So, I decided that 700 is too much weight for an opener, because some days it feels iight and others its too heavy and when I travel and go through a three hour time zone change, things may feel different. Plus, in training I am only squatting two lifts over 700 lbs, so if I opened with 700, I would have to do three lifts over 700 and I am not trained for that. My plan now is to open with 300 kgs instead and make it easier on myself, then go to 7 something for a second attempt.

A great squat day, Joffrey, Shany and a guest lifter came to squat with us, Joanick, Ghislain, Shawna, me and Leo.

After last weeks big squat where 775 felt like it crushed me, I was going to take an easier week this week. But, when Shawna and I sat down and planned out our training weeks, we realized that we had only four more squat sessions left before the meet. This meant that we had two heavy sessions and two deload sessions left. So, I had to go heavier today if I wanted to feel 800 on my back before the meet and still recover. We drew up a plan for ourselves of what we would lift in the next two weeks, and my plan came out to 785 this week and 800 next week. I was sore and achy and normally would not have lifted heavy today, and this was the first time that I stuck to a plan even when I didn't feel right.

I also decided to try go back and try the canvas suit on that I had been training with to see how it compared to the suit I wore last week that Ghislain made for me. I felt that the canvas suit did not let me hold form as well but at the heaviest weight my core was steadier. I want the best of both world's, the stopping power and rebound that Ghislains suit gives and the core support that the canvas suit gives. So, I asked Ghislain to make me another suit, exactly the same, but this time just a bit tighter in the hips and also make it 4 inches taller so it gives me support in the chest and back. Even though this is a very basic error in training to change suits during a training cycle, I will try the new suit next week because Ghislain's suit lets me hold form better and I may squat easier with it.

stretching and light massage on legs and shoulders

145 x 10

235 x 6

Put on briefs and canvas suit

staps down

415 x 3

straps up

505 x 2

knee wraps on

620 x 1

720 x 1

785 x 1 high

The plan for this session for me was to drop 720 down low and see how it felt as an opener and to squat 785 with control and no fear. 720 felt heavier than I expected and I didn't get as low as I wanted to. I have gained 13 pounds and the briefs and suit are tighter than before and its harder to sit back and hold good form. The 720 didn't feel good but on the video it looked alright. Considering the way I felt today, my goal was just to handle 785 and know that I can. I stood up better (my other stand-ups were not good today, didn't lock out my knees) but at the top I tried to breath but couldn't get air in, the weight was crushing me, so I started down without taking a breath of air. I think if I lock out my knees more the next time at the stand-up, I should be able to breath through my nose. I started down slowly controlling the weight and it took a long time to go down, too long. I started back up too early but came up easy and held the weight at the top. There, my job for the day was done, I held the weight and now am confident that the next time it will not kill me. Major success.

I remember in Florida when I trained, Mike Ollocco squatted 1000 lbs and after his shirt was soaking wet. I was amazed that only one rep could make him sweat so much. Well, today after the 785 lb, I sat down and looked at my shirt and it was soaking wet, after just one rep. But, I am still not pushing as hard as Shawna who squatted 485 lbs today and again broke blood vessels in her face. We are kind of on the same track, she is preparing for the meet trying to work up as high as she can, only she is aiming for 500 lbs and I am aiming for 800 lbs. I think it would be a better comparison if she was aiming for 400 while I aim for 800 or if she is going for 500 at her body weight I should be going for 900 for the same effort. Hmmm... She eats more than I do, maybe that's why. I will eat more this week and see what happens.

bodyweight was 240 lbs this morning

The heavy squats on Sunday are taking more out of me than I expected and it almost takes me a week to recover. When I squat heavy, that's all I want to do, I don't  want to bench or deadlift, just want to wait until next week to squat heavy again. but I only have four training weeks left before the meet, so I have to bring up my other lifts.

Tues Light Bench

bar x reps

135 x 15

225 x 5

225 x 10

This day of training is now only for getting blood in the muscles. I am not going to build any more raw strength before the meet and that is what this day was originally planned for. So, before the meet, I will go light on Tuesdays and just before the meet, I may eliminate these days from the training plan and give more time to recover. The weights felt heavy today which means to me that my nervous system is not recovered yet. When I feel like that, I don't feel like lifting or training and all I want to do is rest and sleep. I feel tired all the time.

Wed Deadlift - All Sumo

135 x 10 singles for form and warm up

225 x 6

315 x 3

briefs and suit on

405 x 2

495 x 1

585 miss at the top

Was very happy with this session. Had a good massage on legs the day before and was surprised that the quads did not hurt and I deadlifted straight with both legs even right up until the last deadlfit. Six plates went up well, just too slow at the top and I wasn't willing to fight to get it. Was not planning to go this heavy, so I was happy.

Friday Bench

This was the day I was going to test my tricep and put the bench shirt on. Many people did not show up tonight, so it was only Carmine and Shawna and me.

bar x reps

135 x reps

225 x 6

315 hold only then rack

loose shirt on - loose shirt was tighter for the first time, finally my arms are getting a bit bigger.

405 x 3 no touch, normally I would force the touch but I didn't want to push the tricep, so I just took it down lower each time till it stopped, then back up

455 x 2 no touch, tricep was still good, very happy

500 x 1 no touch

500 miss, forced the touch but missed at lockout

Only had Carmine to hand off and spot. Didn't want to push the tricep too much so I was happy with finishing the day without reinjuring the tricep. I did what Al Mehan suggested to protect the tricep. With duct tape, I wrapped up the lower bicep and tricep tight but not too tight, then the same on the forearm then connected the two with tape. This kept the tricep from pulling away from the elbow and straining the cord that crossed under the elbow. It worked very well and I will do it again next week. Meanwhile I will have the tricep massaged often to heal faster. I will give myself one more week to baby the tricep and then I will forget about it and not think about it when I bench.

I pushed hard in this training cycle preparing for the meet and now a few weeks before the meet, for me it is a matter of active recovery and  balancing how hard to push without causing an injury. My head wants to push harder, but I want to be smart about it too. I want to make it to the meet with no excuses. I am actually getting quite excited about the meet.