Bluestreak's 2nd Training Log

[bluestreak]

Personal Stats
* Age: 30
* Gender: Male
* Body-weight: 102kg (225 lbs)
* Body-fat: 14.7%
* Height: 1.95cm/6'5"

Current Strength Stats
Box Squat: 112.5 kg
Deadlift: 135 kg
Bench: 62.5 kg
OHP: 45 kg
Power Clean: 60 kg
(Of the last three, I'm sure I could have done more if I didn't have this shoulder/elbow issue)

My previous training log

Ultimate goal
Compete in a NZ powerlifting competition (open/novice class) within 1 year (by 13 Feb 2010)

Other goals
* 100kg Bench, 150kg Squat, 200kg Deadlift, 65kg Press
* Perform some @#$@# pull ups and chins. At night, I dream of doing chin ups
* Be injury free - that means you left elbow and shoulder!
* Make new friends, amongst the lifting community here in Wellington

2009 will be the best year of my life. It's already had a great start!

The Plan
1) Work on mobility exercises (I bought Magnificent Mobility and Inside Out), start getting the shoulder sorted out and practice form with some light weight (especially with squats - no more box squats for me).
2) Once shoulder is starting to feel better, start adding some weight onto core exercises. Probably will do something akin to Stronglifts intermediate, doing 3x5. Will also incorporate feedback from my powerlifting friend in Aussie, as well the powerlifters here I hope to train with
3) Hopefully, I'll have reached my above strength goals after, say, 6 months. At this point, I'll find a competition and will review my training (I'd like to do Maximum Strength for a round... we'll see)
4) Shortly before the comp, I'll practice for all the little things I'll likely need (i.e. knee wraps, pause on bench, etc)


For those that are wondering why I want to enter a competition... I'm doing this for me. This is so unlike the 'old' me. I want to prove to myself that I am can dedicated/tenacious enough to prepare myself, brave enough to enter a competition and strong enough to lift some respectable numbers ("respectable" is relative and defined by me).

It is NOT about having big biceps, attracting the ladies or impressing people here on this forum. I thought of doing all this offline but decided to track my progress here as I enjoy sharing my progress (the wife just doesn't understand the significance of something like a 150 kg deadlift).

I look forward to getting started on Monday!

[KIB]

Great starting line, Ben. Can't wait to watch this log fill up with posts.
While she may not be cheering on the outside, there is no way that your wife doesn't appreciate the changes that your hard work is bringing in terms of your physique and your mental toughness.

Bring on the respectable numbers!

[mjh]

it will be great to follow this journey, Bluestreak. Make sure to give us plenty of warning about the competition, I'll see if I can't make my way down to be part of the cheer squad.

[Mouse]

it will be great to follow this journey, Bluestreak. Make sure to give us plenty of warning about the competition, I'll see if I can't make my way down to be part of the cheer squad.

Make sure you get there Mike - plenty of photos and maybe a vid or two.

You'll be great Blue - we're cheering you along already.

[Mehdi]

Good luck with the competition goals Ben! Raw competition, like belt only? Or suited stuff?

[Metalpetrucci88]

Can't wait to see how you progress Ben. You've already done so much in stronglifts for us. We'll be rooting for you every step of the way, Good Luck!

[Vlad]

Hi Bluestreak.

Good luck with the program!

If if you are not already doing it, I would really recommend you to massage your infraspinatus (rotator cuff muscle, covers the shoulder plate in the upper back) with a tennis ball against a wall. You can put the ball into a sock, and then it is really easy to massage this muscle. This muscle is the culprit of most shoulder pain, which is actually felt in front of the shoulder. Find spots that hurt (and they are very painful), and you will actually get pain in front of the shoulder as well (it could be a very sharp pain). Massage for 5 min twice a day, and the shoulder will be getting better slowly: infraspinatus is very stubborn.

For the elbow, it is actually triceps and forearm muscles that creat a problem. It is very easy to massage them: triceps with a ball against a wall. Most likely the muscles close to the elbow and those really small (but generating a lot of pain) muscles on the elbow itself will hurt a lot. The forearms are also easy to massage: some muscles with a ball against a wall, an some with fingers, or you can find many other ways to press the painful points in the forearms with something hard.

Hope this could be helpful.

Vlad

[Beppe]

Always in the front row of battle! I can't wait to see your progress on this program and read about your journey to the competition.
Weren't you already practicing bench press pause during warm up sets? I recall taking that idea from you

[mjh]

Hey bluey, are you going to order a stronglifts tshirt to rep at the comp?

[bluestreak]

Sunday, 15 Feb 09 - 10 am

Today I went through ALL the Inside-Out exercises as best I could (I only have the e-book at the moment). I also went through all the easy exercises in Magnificent Mobility (once again, only have the e-book). I also did some light rotator cuff exercises with little or no weight. My shoulder feels better already. I'll get some heat on it and do some extra tennis/ball foam rolling once I'm done writing.

With the mobility work, I figure I'll create two sets of exercises: a larger set I can do on off-days and a shorter version for pre-workout. Note I'll still be doing the foam rolling every day.

Regarding my weekly workout schedule, I've decided to stick to 3x per week. In the past, if I was doing well, I'd push myself to workout 4x per week (if not more) but 3x is plenty with heavy weight. Mon-Wed-Fri workout days, Tue-Thur-Sun mobility & foam rolling days and Sat is reserved (family day).

I also decided I will not be working any more evenings or weekends. It often meant I could get a lot of work done in the first 2 days but the rest of the week was shot and training sessions suffered.


@KIB - I think that which the wife appreciates most is that I don't spend my evenings playing computer games anymore. I've been 'clean' now for a full year.

@Mehdi - I'm planning on lifting raw - no suit. It will be the open/novice class

@mjh - I'll be sure to let everyone know, when the time comes. The wife will likely be there with the video camera. As for the t-shirt, good timing - I was wondering how I could represent SL.

@vlad - thank you for that. I was doing the tennis ball for the infraspinatus but stopped in my last month of training (kept forgetting tennis ball). I've also started the tricep and forearm massage.

@Beppe, Metal, Mouse - I've got to do what I can to motivate myself, in order to keep up with you guys. Thank you for support

[Metalpetrucci88]

I cannot say enough about M2 dvd. Such a wealth of information for the lower body dynamic stretching. I don't own Inside-out, but I have been saving some dollars here and there to buy it, I know in Maximum Strength there are a few shoulder mobility exercises Cressey got from Inside/out and they work wonders, so the whole dvd must be packed with great info as well.

I agree with 3x a week being plenty, you are lifting pretty heavy, and the body really does need that extra time to grow...we're not doing isolation lifts here It's always a juggle to have family, lifting, and work balanced but planning out how you want your schedule to go is half the battle. Nice to see your shoulder is feeling better too. All the best my friend.

[dst]

Wow, it takes guts to enter something like that! Well done for having the balls to actually think about it and enter!

the wife just doesn't understand the significance of something like a 150 kg deadlift

Yup I can relate to that. When I got the 160kg deadlift I was well chuffed, mentioned it to the other half and she said "But big weights will make you look bulky" bah, that was 5mins I wasted that I wont get back again!

Good luck, will be watching this blog!
Let us all know how you get on with the Magnificent Mobility exercises. I was thinking of getting it for my 'library'.

[bluestreak]

Tuesday, 17 Feb 09
Yesterday and today I got pretty much nothing done.

Yesterday, I showed Simon the basics of the squat, OHP, deadlift. Today I showed him my warmup routine and another guy, Casey (father of one of the personal trainers) the basics of squat, OHP and deadlift. So I've got two people started on SL.

I told them I'm happy to spot them, let them work between sets, etc but I'm not their personal trainer. I need to focus on myself. Tomorrow I've got my first meeting with my MMA friend that knows all the local powerlifters. I look forward to training with him.

Having this goal of competing has really focused me - it's now constantly in my mind. My previous goals, about weight to lift, were more like milestones. I want to acheive them but I expect that, one day, I'll be lifting a lot more then that.

One of the things I read in I/O was that people with a problem in one shoulder tend to have a problem with their hips on their opposite side - very true in my case. So I need to put a lot of effort into shoulder, ankle and hip mobility.


@dst - M2 is great, though haven't tried everything yet. When I was doing the personal training with Mehdi, I can see now that he got me to do some of the M2. They have helped a lot.

@Metal - Maximum Strength has only a few (I think two) exercises from I/O. I look forward to getting the DVDs as I only have the e-books.

[Rugger]

Right on bluestreak, a competition on the horizon will focus your training like you wont believe. Good luck, and hell, maybe I'll see you there.

[Beppe]

Aren't you excited that your shoulder/elbow problems are going to melt away? Good luck with the training, let us know!