Montreal Barbell The PR GYM

The day had huge potential - Scott Mendelson was back spotting, calling depth and handing off on the bench, and it was a supportive and friendly group of lifters.  I was nervous about the meet venue and not sure what the atmosphere would be like and it was a great relief that it felt almost like being at Montreal Barbell (except quieter) - Scott's kids were running around (the younger ones) and his oldest daughter was lifting so you could really feel a family vibe....made me wish I had brought Abbie and glad to be there with my dad.

Squat - 424 PR

Warm ups felt good but they were all high; I was nervous.  I missed my first attempt (375) on depth so for my 2nd (375) Scott Mendelson called my depth and I got it.  My original plan, had I got all 3 attempts, was 375, 413, 440.  Ross suggested I jump to 425 next to get closer to my goal for an 1100 lb total.  I popped right up with it, Scott called my depth again and I flew right to the top with it - a squat has never felt so good!  

Bench - 292 PR

My bench has sucked the last 5 weeks - I haven't been able to bench anything over 250 so it was a crap shot going into the bench.  I opened with 253 and muscled it up.  Next I went to 270 and my form got a bit better but it was still heavy as hell.  Third attempt was the nicest bench of the three; I was able to find my line and ride the shirt the whole way down and then back up again.  I was elated!  

The two inconsistent lifts went great and all I needed was a 385 deadlift for an 1100 Total - what a great day!

Deadlift - WTF?!

I blew up from the heat and lifting and after 15 min I still couldn't get my briefs on.  I was second in the deadlift flight.  The only warm up I did was a plate raw.  My briefs weren't up all the way, I was struggling to get my suit on, and they were calling me "45 secs to get to the bar"....got to the bar and couldn't get myself down (my briefs weren't up and they were pitching me forward).  Finally I jammed myself down there but didn't have a full grip on the bar and once I started pulling the bar was slipping out of my hand.  Second attempt I got my briefs up some but didn't tighten my straps and once I pulled I got into a postion where I didn't have the straps to pull back into.  By the third attempt I got serious, jacked my briefs up properly, tightened my straps and gave it all I had - which ended up being too much - the bar popped up to the middle of my thighs so fast that I had to catch it and the bar bounced back down.  

Hind sight is always 20/20 - there are a hand full of things I should have done differently on the deadlift but the major thing that upsets me is that I lost my focus and got flustered.  I had planned for a million different possible setbacks throughout the day and how to handle them, but going into the deadlift with no warm up and my gear not on properly wasn't one of them and it completely caught me off guard!  

It was a fun day regardless, though - I watched Jade Mendelson bench 242 lbs at 14 yrs old, just incredible!  Scott Mendelson was very encouraging and supportive, and everybody made us feel very welcome.  Now we are on the second part of our trip, we're in San Francisco for some R&R - I have to admit that I woke up this morning wishing I was home so I could deadlift tonight!!!  

I pinched a nerve in my back at the beginning of last week which had me limited in my movement so I didn't deadlift.  My deadlift works out better with rest anyways so Ross said it was fine to not work up to an opener this week.  I planned on benching Friday but had a heavy massage Friday morning and I didn't want to bench and have the weights feel heavy or psych me out.  That left squat and bench openers for today.  

Squat

Bar x reps

105 x 5

145 x 5 (briefs on)

235 x 2 (suit on, belt on, straps down)

285 x 1 (straps up from here on)

325 x 1

375 Opener x 1 (knee wraps)

The squat felt good.  My briefs were really tight on me today (I've gained 4 lbs this week) which let me really sit into my suit.  

Bench

bar x reps

95 x 5

115 x 1

135 x 1

185 x hold for 3 secs

Shirt on

225 x 1 no touch

250 Opener x 1

My shirt fit a lot better this week too, and I found my line.  I was able to ride my shirt all the way down and back again for the first time in weeks!  Really glad my form came back today, I was getting worried.

Ross and I leave for California on Thursday and lift on Saturday - my mind is scattered right now, thinking about all possible scenarios, numbers, will the weights feel heavy/light....in general, I feel good about it though.  I lost confidence in my strength, form, technique, mental toughness...I've been really struggling the last couple of weeks.  Today I felt confidant, assertive, determined and like I knew what the hell I was doing - like I'm back to myself (nothing like waiting til the last minute to pull yourself back together!).  

Bench

We had a big bench session Firday night and everybody was feeding off of each others energy - it was a great feeling!  Shany and Joffrey drove in from Gatineau, Joanick from Sherbrooke, Scott MacDiarmid from Cornwall, Al Mehan from Alberta, Carmine, Chris, Ross, me, and Leo Tili came in to help out even though he can't train right now because of a neck injury (you can only imagine how hard that was for him!).  

Bar x reps x 2

95 x 5

115x 3

135 x 1

Shirt on

185 x 1

225 x 1

250 x 1

275 x miss

280 x miss x 2

250 x 1

265 x miss

My form is still off on the bench and it frustrates me but all the possiblities I come up with that could be wrong, I correct, and still isn't getting better so I need to just let it be for a bit and come back to it later with fresh eyes.

Ross had a great night on the bench and hit a nice PR - so did Shany, Chris and Scott!  Most of us went to McDonald's after to eat and that was a sight - there were about 22 burgers between the 8 of us - and we all got to sit and talk, laugh and go over the night;  somebody said it's like we're all family and that's exactly how it felt.

Squat

We usually squat on Sunday (two days after bench) but Al's flight was Sunday morning so Ross decided to squat on Saturday instead so we could all train together.  Everybody, except Al, was slow moving Saturday morning and groggy.  It took me over an hour to get going (even after 3 ephedrine and a Rockstar).  

Bar x reps

105 x 5

145 x 5 (briefs on)

195 x 3 (briefs & belt on)

235 x 2 (Suit on, straps down)

285 x 2 (straps up from here on)

325 x 1 

375 x 1 (knee wraps from here on)

402 x 1

450 x missed on depth

The squat felt good - Ross and I did all our warms up with the pound plates then moved over to the other monolift and our last three lifts (opener, 2nd attempt, possible 3rd) in Kilos.  Al was calling our depth - I came up before he told me to on the 375 but he said I was right there, my dip broke parralel.  Next was 402 and this time he called me up - it was the best feeling 402 I've ever done, my feet were flat on the ground and I felt solid the entire lift.  Ross called 450 next and as I stood up with it I started to shake but once I locked my knees out the weight felt fine.  I started down with it and started shaking again and it completely distracted me, scared me and I was thinking a whole bunch of things that I didn't need to be and came up after 2/3 of the way down.  I went back and looked at the video and it didn't look as bad as it felt - that will be a lesson to me to finish the lift even if it feels awful!

Chris, Shany, Ghislain and Mike Guay all hit PR's yesterday!  It was an intense day with a lot of encouragement and support!  We all work better together - we bring out the best in each other!

It was a great weekend!

135 x 10 (5 conv/5 sumo)

185 x 5 (briefs on, belt on)

225 x 3 (suit on from here on)

275 x 1

315 x 1

365 x 1

390x 1

405 x miss x 2

Form was right on tonight, and everything felt great - I was really happy with 365; it felt solid. I kicked 390 out in front of me a little bit but pulled anyways, it went wrong a few more times but I finished it (today I have a broken blood vessel in my eye).  I don't know why, but I kicked 405 out in front of me both times I went for it - the first time it didn't come off the ground.  I reset right away and went for it again (kicking it out in front of me on the left side) and pulled too early but tried to muscle it anyways but only got it to me knees.  Really happy with how the weight felt tonight - wasn't sure if I had lost strength or just going through a funk, we'll see how tomorrow goes on the bench...

I rested this week, i.e. didn't train - I did get a lot of other little things done and that felt good.  Woke up on Sunday and decided to go in a squat until it didn't feel good...

Bar x reps x 2 - form was a bit off, Ross told me to go warm up on the boxes instead

Box Squats to parrallel

105 x 5

145 x 5 (briefs on)

195 x 3 (briefs on, belt on)

Put my suit on and moved back over to the other monolift with the "big guys" and started squatting

235 x 3 

285 x 2

325 x 1

375 x 1 (knee wraps)

415 x 1 (knee wraps)

Everything felt better than last week, but still heavier on my back then I want it to be - form was good all the way up except for 415, my chest went forward.

I am fighting a sore throat and some sinus stuff, my knuckles are really stiff when I wake up, and my lower legs (ankles, shins, knees, calves) have been killing me all week.....30 is no joke, lol!  Ross picked up some vitamins for me so I've been taking those the past week hoping they help me out (Vitamin C, D, B and Zinc).  Ross and I are 3 wks out from our meet in California and should be ramping it up but we're going to take some more time to recover.  I'll just keep working up to my openers to make sure they feel good and solid, then go from there depending on what Ross thinks should come next - and I'll keep eating, drinking and sleeping.  

Squat

Bar x reps

105 x 5

145 x 5 (briefs on, belt on)

235 x 3 (suit on)

285 x 2

325 x 1

375 x 1 (knee wraps)

415 x miss x 2

My plan for the day was to take it easy and just do my opener to depth - sounded easy enough, until I got under the weights.  Everything was heavy and I couldn't get tight enough to handle the weights; it felt like when I first started lifting and had no muslce control.  Messed with my head a little but I think I just need some rest.  I'm going to take this week off from lifting and see how I feel next week.

We had a full house today and Kacey Baines and her husband, Warren, from Epicentre stopped by too.  Sundays are by far my favorite day!

Bar x reps

95 x 5

115 x 2

135 x 1

Shirt on

185 x 1

225 x 1

255 x 1

275 x miss x 2

250 x miss

Last week my tricep was fried and I couldn't take the pressure of loading my shirt, so this week Ross duct taped my tricep (just above the elbow and just below the elbow) and it helped a lot.

Right from the start my arms were shaking and all the weights felt heavy in my hands.  I felt like I was touching a lot lower than normal too, and wasn't getting a lot of pop out of my shirt.  Ross told me I wasn't pushing my belly up to the bar as much as usual and my shirt was riding up to my neck.  I let my head get defeated pretty early in the night so it was really hard to dig deep and get serious when things weren't going right, and I obviously didn't figure it out.  I am happy that my tricep didn't bother me this week, that's huge!  I just need to get my head right now.

Ross, Carmine, Chris, Cheryl and Leo were in benching too - Carmine and Chris did triples in their shirts and surprised me, their form is coming along really nicely.  Cheryl is back home for the weekend and benched a strong double with 225 lb.  Leo Tili came to get some bench work in, even though he isn't feeling that well, and was very supportive and encouraging - as usual.  The star of the night - ROSS!  He got a really nice PR on the bench with his 525 lb bench - he used his form and from what I could see, it looked like he had great leg drive.  He hit all of his usual sticking points but was able to push right through them.  We are all very happy for him - he deserves every pound of that bench!  

Took a break from squatting to deadlift tonight.

135 x 5 conv/5 sumo

135 x 3 conv

185 x 3 (briefs on, belt on)

225 x 1 (suit on)

275 x 1

315 x 1

365 x 1

410 x miss x 2

415 x miss

All my pulls were nice up to 365, which is the nicest 365 I have ever pulled.  Ross and I decided on a big jump going to 410 and I would've had it if I believed I could get it.  The first try at it was exactly that, a "try" - I went down for the bar and tested it instead of just pulling with everything I had- the weight didn't move.  I reset right away and went for it again and pulled harder - I thought it wasn't off the floor so I started back down with it then realized it was up so only then did I really start to try, got it to my knees but by that point I was burnt out.  Took a break to think about it then Ross loaded 415 and I missed it, it didn't even budge off the floor.  Ross and I decided we'll need to re-work my jumps in weight, and I need to get more aggressive and believe I can pull whatever it is I'm trying to pull, instead of testing it.  

I'm really happy with the way 365 went up and felt - it was deliberate and controlled and I believed I could do it strongly.    

Still squatting to try to figure out my form.

Box Squats

Bar x reps

105 x 10

105 x 3

125 x 3

Took one of the boxes away, tried to squat to depth

125 x miss

Put a piece of foam on top of the box (Kuma was nice enough to lend us her bed)

125 x 3

145 x 3

Extra wide stance (Put briefs on for the rest)

145 x 3

1 inch more narrow stance

145 x 3

1 inch more narrow stance

145 x 3

Narrow stance

145 x 3

I was doing a bunch of reps and Ross came over and told me it's better to do 3 of them properly then rush through 10 of them sloppily - good point.  I put my briefs on because I don't train raw in the squat, ever.  I was leading back looking for my briefs for support - which is a good thing - but was wearing my hips out at the bottom.  My knees still cave in at the bottom - Ross thinks I break my line to get depth (like tucking your elbows to touch on the bench) which then releases the support from my suit.  I  honestly have to idea what happens at the bottom of the squat - whatever it is it isn't deliberate.  That's what I'm trying to fix this week though; I want every movement to be deliberate.  I started to get a little frustrated by the end of it because I still don't "feel" what I'm doing - I'm determined to figure it out though.

I only benched the bar tonight.  My right forearm, elbow and tricep are still bothering me and just the weight of the bar tightened it up and made it warm, so I stopped there.  I'm not too worried about the bench right now.  I will see how the shirt feels on Friday and if it still hurts I will just wait another week.  

My head feels good this week, went through a few weeks where I wasn't feeling like myself and this week I feel like I'm back to my old self - feels good.

I got very frustrated with myself after my bigger lifts on Sunday (knees caving w/ 465 and going so far forward w/ 485) and after talking with Ross, I'm going to follow in Ghislain's footsteps and squat everyday this week.  Nothing heavy, just enough weight to reinforce proper form.

Box squats to parrallel

Bar x reps

105 x 10

105 x 10

105 x 10

125 x 5

Remove box

125 x 5

125 x 3 (pause at bottom for 3 secs, each rep)

125 x 5

125 x 3 (pause at bottome for 3 secs, each rep)

The biggest mistake I make in the squat is at the start of the lift I break at the knees first, instead on the hips.  I've been telling myself for weeks NOT to do this (which visualizing the lift and talking myself through it works for me on the other two lifts) but it just isn't sinking in.  I need to find the feeling and the only way to find it, is to squat.

The first two sets I was still breaking at the knees first, then Ross came over to help me and talked me through it - then I felt it.  I sat much further back when I broke at the hips first and the knees were just pivot points.  When I break at the knees first I shoot myself forward a good 2-3 inches from the start - and fight to make up for it in the bottom of the squat trying to find depth.  I'll keep squatting light this week to try and program that feeling into my head.