Montreal Barbell The PR GYM

Back in the gym after two weeks off

Raw Bench

warm-up

275 x 9

Weight was too heavy to have good form...drop the weight down so i could have good form and be able to throw the weight back. Doing it this way is a good way to work the shoulder too.

225 x 10

225 x 10

225 x 10

Pause bench (5,4,3,2,1 system)

1 set with 245

2 sets with 225

Accessories

tricep push-down

4 sets 8 to 10 reps

Pulley bicep curl + tricep kick back

4 sets of 6 reps

That was good work. Getting ready for the pro-am where i plan to smash my records. I will show everyone that Metal Militia is real deal!!

Ok, i'm a little late but here's my write-up.

First of all i went to the gym friday afternoon to offer my help...but i could not move the equipment and a lot of the small thing were already done. But helped Jane doing some girls and boys weight-in. Could already feel the excitment of the lifter... I weighted myself at 95.5 kilo wich is lower than i expected because i drank gatorade and eat high calorie food all week but sometimes this is what happen when you drink more than u are used to....you get leaner. But by the end of the day i went to 98 kilo! I slept at Chris Skoda place, and he and his girlfriend took good care of me. They are both very nice, quality people. Slept good until 5:30 a.m when suddely i started to stress out...like every meet. Felt bad and weird. I felt better when the first lifter of the bench only flight started....and it was on!

Let's say that i never felt so much excitment and brotherhood in the warm-up... nobody was trying to be the best of the warm-up and with the 2 monolift it was the perfect setup. On my monolift we were me, Joffrey, Jamie, Thom Lamb and Ghyslain. Mike Guay helped us with the gear and some other people. I started with a plate and it felt like nothing...that was a good start. The rest of the warm-up felt good and i was ready to squat. I opened with 750. All i wanted is to get a good lift and start good and i did. Went down smooth and i think low enough. Second attemp was 800 for a meet PR. Went down and for some reason i slow too much in the bottom and lost my pop and my form was not feeling good. Spotter had to take it...no lift. I watched the other lifter and the depth the judge were calling and i made i picture in my head of what my squat should be. I knew i needed to be strong and fast. Went to the bar and did what i had to do...felt like i had 850 in me (another time, another meet!) so 3 white light and my first 800 in a meet!  After my squat flight, a coach of a group of lifter wanted to shake my hand and he told me that my squat was the one that impress him and his guy the most cause it was fast and strong... Always good to hear good things like that.

Bench...warm-up fast. 1-2 plates, 3 plates on 4 board and 4 plate 1 rep in the shirt. Opener was 475 and it went nice and smooth. Second attempt was 506 for the canadian amateur record... Bill Crawford took care of my shirt and told me that it will be hard to touch but to be patient. It was not a problem cause i worked on my form lately and my ability to take my time to touch was at his best. Took the bar, get it down nice and thight and it went up easily. I asked Ross what my third attempt should be and he said 550 but i was not ready for the number so he asked what are you ready for? and i said 540 sounds good in my head. Third attempt i asked Bill to jack my shirt again and went to the bench. Felt like i was strong and did a big meet pr ont the bench.

Deadlift. Warm-up was good. Put my suit on and did a rep with 2 plates and one with 4...they flew off the ground. So opener was 550. Felt good but because i was on my heel (wich is good) at the top i lost my balance and fell backward. Wanted to go straight to 600 but Ross said that i should be wise and save my squat and bench... that was wise and this is what i did. Before going on the platford Cheryl told me to point my feet more straight to have more balance and 550 was good. Went for the record with 606 on the third but energy was low and miss it at the top. Wanted to have a 1900+ total but i guess that a squat and bench PR is still good thing!

I was really happy with my day. It was such an exciting meet and i was happy that Montreal Barbell had the best in Canada again... The team did good. It was hard to be all together because we were not all in the same flight but we helped each other and giving us some congrats and encouraging words while we had the chance. We are building a brotherhood among the lifters and meet after meet it's getting stronger. It is such a feeling when you are warming up, lifting and hanging out with the big lifter and the big name in Canada. I could never imagine that one day such legend as Al Mehan and Bill Crawford would be so nice to me and friendly. It is such a good feeling when Bill Crawford who is so respected in the sport his telling me that i look like the canadian Shawn Frankl and Al Mehan telling me that i will squat a 1000 on the squat soon... One thing is for sure is that lifting under Ross and Cheryl at Montreal Barbell made this all possible. Talking about Cheryl...she did an amazing job with the judge crew. They were FAIR and CONSISTENT and for me this is all that matter. Have not seen Cheryl for a long time cause she was working a lot in the states and it's too bad we did not have time to catch up. Did not have talk much to Ross after the meet but i hope he is happy with my meet. 

Now i am taking some time off the gym to recover and get ready for the pro-am. I'm on vacation in the carribeen next week and it will give my head and my body some rest. Back at it by the end of the month and i have a great desire to smash my pr... head feel strong. Plus, i have a canvas squat suit to try!! Want to thanks all my training partners at Montreal Barbell cause you were supportive and an inspiration in and out of the gym. See you soon my friends! 

Today was squat opener for the meet. I have setup my warm-up for the meet too.

bar

145 x 10

145 x 5

brief on

325 x 3

suit on strap down

505 x 1

strap up

600 x 1

loose knee wrap on

675 x 1

Opener

750 x 1

The weight felt good all the way. If i'm not losing my balance on my way up, it should be a sure shot.

For this meet i don't have to cut weight...actually i will try to gain 5 pounds this week... Lot's of gatorade and cake. KFC i'm coming at you!! I did a lot of meet in 2010 (5) and learn something about me at everyone of them so for this one i am more calm...more ready.

Great night with lot of good people!

Warm-up

bar x 2 sets of 10 reps

135 x 8

225 x 1

4 board

315 x 3

shirt on

405 x 1

475 (Opener) x 1

I tried to take my time to have good form, stay tight... felt really good. Nice and smooth!

Tommorow is squat opener... i'm ready to smash it!

Tuesday raw bench

Energy was kind of low so i did full bench... mm style... to work on form.

135 x 12

225 x 10

225 x 9

225 x 9

225 x 8

275 x 1

315 x 1

Acc.

Tricep rope push-down

2 sets (20 reps and 40 reps)

Wednesday deadlift

Today was opener for the meet

145 x 10

235 x 3

put brief on

325 x 1

put worthless, useless ,crappy Inzer Hardcore suit on strap down

415 x 1

strap up

550 x 1

This is planned opener for the meet but with this suit on it's not working at all. I will try with my squat suit but if it's not working i might go with brief only. I will probably lower my opener to something like 525-530 to left me more energy for my second attempt wich will be a amateur record.

Acc.

Lat pullldown

4 sets 6 to 10 reps

Seated rowing

4 sets 6 reps

I'm eating more and drink gatorade. Feel better day after day. Looking good for the meet. 

Lack of sleep and energy

bar x reps

145 x 8

235 x 3

brief on

325 x 2

415 x 1

505 x 1

suit on

595 x 2

Loose knee wrap on

685 x 1

meet planned opener

750 x 1

Ross wanted me to do it again...i had depth but he wanted me to go deeper than that.

750 x 2, last one was high and hard.

CNS was down sunday...no energy and my mind was weak. I need to go heavy one week and lighter for reps on the other. Last week i did a deep 800 so i should have gone with lower weight.

Accessories

Belt squat

2 plates each sides, raw

5 sets of 8 to 10 reps

Today (monday) some stress at work is gone...hopefully it will help my mind to get stronger to be ready for the meet. I know what i have to do for the next 2 weeks and i will be ready. I will be ready. I will... 

Train at my hometown commercial gym...shirted bench in the power rack.

raw warm-up

135 x 10

225 x 3

275 x 1

315 x 1

4 board

365 x 1

put shirt on

405 x 2

455 x 2

405 x 3

405 x 3

425 x 3

455 x 2

500 x miss at lock-out with right elbow

All of them touch. Took me a while to have the good groove cause was not use to bench in the power rack and at an another gym than montreal barbell. I am not use to do sets of 3 in the shirt. I want to do set of 3 reps every other week to get some strenght that will be usefull for the big one. I had one guy, Randy,  that helped me with everything...he was great but i did'nt had the best shirt setup. But it was ok for some 3 reps bench. I will do them one week at this gym, and go the other week at Montreal barbell for the big one. After that i did some lock-out but my tricep was done so i call it off.

Sumo deadlift

145 x 10

235 x 5

brief on

325 x 3

Lightened method

add mini-band release

415 x 1

505 x 1

595 x 1

645 x miss

work set

4 sets with  505 x 3 reps

Accessories

Lat pulldown

4 sets of 6 reps

Seated machine row

3 sets of 10 reps

abductor

4 sets of 10 reps

Because my energy level is up this week, i decided to take advantage of it and do the old Sebastian Burn raw bench routine wich is more volume.

Raw bench

bar warm-up

135 x 15

225 x 5

275 x 2

315 x 3

335 x 3

Decline bench press

275 x 5

295 x 5

315 x 5

335 x 5

315 x 6

Incline bench press

225 x 5

245 x 4

275 x 3

295 x 1

315 x 1

320 x 1 PR

325 x 1 PR

330 x 1 PR

Tricep rope push-down

1 set 40 reps

1 set 20 reps

I had not done incline press for quite a while and was surprise by all the PR. I guess that i am feeling stronger this week... hope it will last till the meet.