Montreal Barbell The PR GYM

A great bench night again. Joffrey and Shany came, Scott MacDiarmid visited for the first time from Cornwall, Joanick, Chris, Shawna and me.

bar x reps

135 x 10

135 x 10

225 x 4

315 just hold and rack

put shirt on

405 x 1

455 x 1

tighter shirt on

475 x 1

495 miss one arm not locked out

525 miss

Came in not feeling strong or wanting to push hard, but the weights kept going up then at 525 felt really good and motivated but it didn't go. I am still at 228 lbs and the shirts are not as tight as I would like, but I am feeling stronger and eating better so this should change soon.

Shany came to bench for the first time since her big 407 lb bench at the Metal Militia Power Wars in June at Montreal Barbell which put her at #4 in the World All-time rankings. She hadn't been in her shirt since then which is about six months and her form was off in many ways but she quickly dialed in and benched up to 365 lbs at 10 lbs less bodyweight. She was very happy with her bench tonight and so was I. Joffrey was able to touch for the first time today in his shirt. He took a very long time bringing down 545 lbs, but he was patient and held his form. He took so long he said he felt himself starting to pass out from lack of air, but got the press call and pushed back up for a good lift. He then took 575 lbs and went down faster with it, touched and pushed it all the way up again. Great job Joffrey. A huge PR.

Scott MacDiarmin said he never touched in his double ply Super Katana, but tonight on his first set in his shirt with 405 he came so close, I thought he touched. Then he touched easily with 455 and then benched 495 very easily.

Shawna was the star again tonight. She just entered another whole realm of benching and got another 20 lb PR. She went 185 lbs, 215, 235, 255, 265 PR, 270 PR, and then a big 280 lbs PR. She just amazes us with her strong mind and her attention to every detail of getting her form right. When she took out 280 lbs it felt like it crushed her, so she held it longer to get the nervous system used to it, then she maximized every part of the bench to get it right and looked like her arch was going to collapse in the bottom but she patiently held it and pushed harder. Then at the press call, she drove her heels and sailed the bar backwards and it went up very smoothly straight to lock-out. A beautifully executed lift. She was very happy and we were all very impressed and happy for her too.

135 x 12 (6 conventional, 6 sumo)

All sumo after this

135 x 6 

225 x 6 

briefs on

315 x 5 singles

suit on

405 x 1, 405 miss

495 x 1

Right inner quad and quad at the top of the leg hurt, has hurt for two months now. When i pulled the 495 I swayed over to take the weight off my right leg and put it all on my left leg. I was going to go heavier, but decided to listen to Shawna's advice to stop right there because form was bad and I could make the leg worse.

500 miss raw conventional

405 x 1 raw conventional

done. Just watched then as Shawna went for another pr and got 360 lbs tonight, amazing again.

I am going to stay with the sumo and keep lifting in full gear each week until the sumo becomes smoother and quicker and beats my conventional.

bar x reps practice holding the shoulders back, down and tight

135 x 10 felt heavy

135 x 6 felt like nothing

225 x 7 till shoulder hurt

225 x 10 more aggressive 

225 x 8

225 x 7

and that's it. I noticed that because my shoulder hurts, I bench differently with my right arm the hurt one than with my left arm. With my left I keep my elbows out and keep my shoulder tight and it goes well. With my right arm, I turn the elbow in right away to take the pressure off the shoulder and I end up using more tricep to push the weight up. In the shirt this would mean less shirt support.

A great Bench night, Camine, BIG Leo, Chris, Jared, Daniel, Phil, Alex, Shawna, Cheryl and me, a good hard pushing atmosphere. Highlights, Jared found great form and did a fast 365 raw, Chris hit 500 again after getting it first time last week, Shawna made 250 lbs look easy again after getting it first time last week as well.

bar for reps, a lot of reps about 20 just to warm up and get the set up feeling right

135 x 10 explosively

went to the airport to pick up Cheryl

135 for a few reps again,

225 x 4 or 5

315 x 1

loose shirt

405 x 1 fast

460 x 1 slow lockout

tighter shirt

500 miss felt heavy

475 miss

done. goal was to work my form and lift some heavy weight just to maintain. Everything felt good tonight. Legs were sore after from pushing so hard. I will try to remember to set my legs up a little further in front next time to be more solid touching and not caving in at that point.

I enjoyed benching tonight, a great group of people, great atmosphere.

We came to deadlift but really we just tagged along with Shawna who really came to deadlift - she started her deadlift planning a few days ago with the meals she's been eating and the goals she has had in her head.

I have decided a few weeks ago to wear my full gear for each deadlift session. Before, I used to lift raw and then go in the suit for the meet, but found that the suit threw me off too much because it was different and I hadn't trained in it enough. So, suit on all the time from now on. Also, I am working on my sumo for the last few weeks as well and since two weeks it is starting to feel almost not too bad, sometimes even good. So, I am going to stick to sumo even though I love conventional because sumo will take me higher.

135 x 6 conventional and x 6 sumo

225 x 3 conventional and x 6 sumo

315 x 3 singles sumo

briefs on

405 x 1, 405 x miss, got out in front

suit on

495 x 1 easiest yet, flew

585 miss at the knees felt like I had it but pulled me way forward

585 miss above the knees was not in a good position to bring the hips forward, but this was the best I've done with this weight, very happy, will get it next time as soon as I figure out my balance.

Shawna was the amazing star again tonight. She came in quietly on a mission, You can see it in someone's eyes when they are like that. We didn't have the camera, but when i saw what she was doing, I drove home to get it, didn't want to miss taping this training session. Shawna is experimenting with making bigger progression jumps in her lifts. Tonight she went 225, 275, 315, 340 pr and 350 lbs. pr. A very quick progression to her first pr at 340 lbs. We were actually planning to load 300 after the 275, but without thinking went to 315 and that worked out well. Shawna got more determined with each lift and each one got better and smoother. Her goal tonight was to get the lift on the first try not like last week taking two or three tries to get each lift. It worked well and let her get to her PR lifts quicker with less work along the way. Congratulations Shawna, very strong!!

A quick light raw bench day with Carmine, Chris, Shawna and me.

bar x reps

135 x 10

225 x 8

225 x 8

225 x 7

225 x 8

225 x 1 pause then explode up

Shoulder hurts when I bench raw, so I stop as soon as it hurts. Doesn't seem to have any bad effect on my shirt bench, A nice easy quiet day, fun to bench with the group.

Another Great Bench night on New Year's Eve with BIG Leo Tilli who brought Michael Santer, Joffrey Laurin, Joanick Boilard, Chris Skoda, Carmine Arlia, Shawna and me. Everyone worked very hard and everyone put up incredible numbers, with none of the guys in shirts benching below 500 lbs. The stars seemed to align for Shawna again but this time everything was just right and she hit huge pr's, more later....

bar x reps

135 x 8 to 10

225 x 4

315 took it out just to hold it and put it back

loose shirt

405 x 2

460 x 1

tighter shirt

495 x 1 went up well but didn't lock out right arm

520 miss got half way up

520 miss got part way up

I am happy to start working on the other side of 500, weights felt heavy but I was able to control them.

It was a great group atmosphere.BIG Leo taped some 5 lb plates to our heaviest dumbells to make it come out close to 200 lbs each, then he got down on the flat bench and did 4 and a half reps with 200 lbs in each arm. Michael visited for the first time a very strong guy, benched 405 raw for a few easy reps - he wanted to move quicker, he wasn't used to taking so long between sets like we do. Joffrey came back after being away for a few months and he was like a raging bull but very focussed, he had trouble touching but was getting within and inch. He doubled 545 and went all the way up to 6 plates, 585 very strong, it was great to train with Joffrey again. Joanick is settling down his bench and following form and he made 5 pates and 525 look very easy. Carmine is in the new tight shirt for the second time and he came within an inch of touching and he took out 500 lbs twice, very brave. His arch was the biggest I have ever seen him set up with and I just know that with a bit more time to get it right, Carmine will have the 'ah ha" and his bench will shoot up very quickly. His form is excellent right now. Chris Skoda impressed double time. He came to get his business done and he did it. Two weeks ago he benched 455 for the first time, last week he benched 475 lbs and the plan this week was 500 lbs. He came, he battled and he conquered. Chris now joins the 500 lbs bench club. Congratulations Chris, very well deserved. The other star of the afternoon was Shawna. What can I say except, quiet, focussed, determined and extremely powerful. 210, 230 bench flew like never before, that was so easy lets go for 245 pr, got it smooth, what now, 255, got that, 260 got that, strong and smooth. let's go crazy and take out 275 lbs, she took it down nice but at the bottom it rolled forward on her. An incredible afternoon with a 20 lb bench pr. Shawna manages to still give 110% focus to her lifts (mostly because she thinks about it for days before she gets into the gym to do it) while still coaching and helping other lifters. She makes her lifts look easy but you gotta know that they are not easy. Its just that she has smoothed out her lifts by doing only what is required, by being deliberate in her movements and consistent in her path. It looks easy because it goes right. Shawna pushes her arch so hard that last week she pulled muscles in between her ribs and this week she pushed so hard again that she pulled some new ones.

A visitor came from Energy Cardio to inquire about joining the gym while we are in the heat of benching. He looked around and then said, "c'est bizarre"  he said this is bizarre.

A good deadlift night with Carmine, Chris, Shawna and me. Cheryl deadlifted on Monday morning right after squatting on Sunday. Her flight Sunday was cancelled so she got an extra day at home and used it to deadlift.

135 x 5 conventional + 135 x 5 Sumo

225 x 4 conventional and sumo

315 x 3 conventional, tried a higher starting position and just pull the bar straight up - went very well, bar flew very easily.

Put briefs and suit on (first time with briefs - was usually too tight to get down with both on, but gear is looser now)

Conventional

405 x 1    flew

525 x 1

565 x miss  - tried it the new way, but too too long in the bottom, tough to get and hold air.

565 x miss  - tried this right away without rest the old way "grip and rip", it went up faster and higher, to knee level

Sumo

405 x 1   felt effortless for the first time with sumo, usually sumo feels heavy

500 x 1

565 x miss, came up high, missed it at thigh level but too much forward, lost my balance forward. Shawna said that I didn't believe it and that is why I missed it - ouch, she's right. How do you make yourself believe something you don't believe? Faith? Determination? Make up you mind to do it? Well, Shawna showed us how to believe in a lift with her lifts tonight....

565 miss again, but this time the line was better.

Sumo is starting to feel better and a bit more effortless at the lower weights. I will keep at it because I believe that eventually sumo will surpass my conventional. But, I like conventional so much.

Camine made 565 fly and then went for 635 big pr but it was not his day for it. Chris got 405 really easy and missed 500, but then went sumo with briefs and it flew but too far forward for lockout.

Shawna, well she was impressive. I believe she broke though yet another mental toughness barrier. She tried bigger jumps in weight and 315 didn't budge off the floor, she went at it again and  moved it slightly. I thought she should rest and try again. But, she didn't, she went right at it a third time, but this time with an aggression I have never seen, She got down and grabbed it and started pulling right away, It got out in front and normally she would have let it go, but she just muscled it up and you could see that she was not going to let this one go. Then, she went 330 and missed it and then got it right away again. Then, she went for a big pr 340 lbs and this was amazing to watch. It came up two inches off the floor and out in front, she pulled it back and fought to get it to below the knees, it stalled, she fought to pull it up to above the knees and to mid thighs, but she was bent over with her hips out back, then she kept holding on to the bar and unbelievably managed to move her hips in to the bar and locked out her legs. It was a near perfect lift, just her shoulders were not back. But, what an amazing fight and she won. A new level of mental toughness, it was great to witness it. Shawna is very determined right now. She wants to push hard at the meet and see where that takes her.

Today was 4 th squat training session before the 2011 Battle of Montreal at Montreal Barbell. Everyone did very well. Joanick, Cheryl, Chris, Ghislain, Shawna and me.

bar x reps

145 x about 12 to 15 reps

235 x 6

briefs on

325 x 3

425 x 3

Metal Suit on

505 x 3

505 x 3

505 x 3

505 x 3

Inner quad is still hurting that is why I stayed with 505. Shoulder didn't hurt as much today with the bar on my back, so I am pleased with that. I was more aggressive with my lifting and it made the weights feel lighter and I got through my training faster.

Everyone did very well today. Ghislain made a squat suit and wore it for the first time today and got himself back up to heavy weights - 775 lbs squat and he got lower on some of his squats, missing just an inch or two for legal depth. Joanick worked his way up to 775 lbs going deeper and smoother, he looked strong today too. Cheryl squatted in briefs and squatted deeper and better than I have ever seen her. Chris put on a suit with his briefs for the first time and did four sets of 505 working his balance and form. His form is getting better every week. After squatting Chris benched and went up to 455, missed it the first time and on his second he got his feet right and he made 455 fly right to the top and made it look easy, It was amazing. Shawna drove down from her Christmas visit with her mom in Ottawa and stayed determined and focussed. She hurt her ribs on both sides in her last bench session on Friday pushing her arch so hard - she may have bruised ribs which is very annoying. Her suit is almost too tight in the legs - she did a lot of  work and many sets and you could see her legs turning purple but she didn't complain. We will have to widen the legs on her suit before the meet because it may not fit her in a few weeks. Shawna squatted 325 for one of the nicest form squats I have seen her do. Then, she did 350 three times and got two of them with almost perfect smooth form just not deep enough. She tried 375 lbs and stood up with well but lost her balance in the bottom of the lift and caved in and fell back. That was five sets of squats with knee wraps and with near maximum weight and this was her first heavy squat since her wisdom teeth were pulled about 5 weeks ago. She still has a lot of work to do on getting her squat right, but when she does, I am sure she will get some very impressive squats just like she does in her bench and deadlift.

We got many Christmas wishes from people and we spent the nicest Christmas ever with our family.