Week Out From Arnold

Saturday I went up to the APF Florida State to help out a team mate, Greg Staruk. Greg has had trouble at meets the last couple years. He's bombed maybe 4 of the last 5 or 6 he's tried. Training will look spot on and he'll get on the platform and fall apart. This last cycle we really focused on all the technical stuff; depth, touching, etc... We really didn't get heavy until the last few weeks. He had a couple perfect weeks, fell apart about three weeks out and then finished strong. I had to yell at him because he wanted to hit openers a week out and thankfully he listened. I just wanted him to chill, lift light, and stay loose.
His weight was right on so he didn't have to worry about that. Meet day he was worked up a little but not to bad. He opened conservative and nailed it below parallel perfect. Made his second with three whites then jumped to a nice 27lbs PR of 744 and three more whites. He's been messing with three different shirts for the past few months. He finally sent two of them to Ginny and she built a shirt for him. Touching was on and off and his presses were really slow. But at the meet he went 3 for 3 for a 10lbs PR 540 that went up faster than I've ever seen him press. He probably had at least ten more pounds. Deadlifts...different story. He opened light thankfully because it was a grind... I called a number for his second that would have been a total PR and get one of his goals of breaking 1900. But not that day. He missed it twice. He was pissed of course but I did have to point out it had been about 18 months since he had even finished a meet... Now hopefully his confidence will make him be a better meet lifter because he proved big time that he can do it.
I didn't do anything Saturday, except handle Greg, and absolutely nothing on Sunday. I needed an unwind. Layed around, napped, watched a little of the Daytona 500, but most of the day watching old country music on YouTube.
Tonight, Monday, I went in and did a little stretching, mobility, rolling, and band decompression. Did a bunch of safety bar squats to a high box focusing on sitting way back. Back felt actually better afterward. Tried a few sets of seated good mornings with the SSB. Back still felt good. All of this was just the bar with no weight. I did some leg presses with only two plates on each side for high reps to just move some blood. Then I went through the same stretching/mobility routine again. The last thing I did was band decompress again and it really pulled on the erectors. Now I feel like crap... Oh well. It's going to hurt so I just have to deal with it.
I'll go in as much as I can this week to do the same kind of stuff before I fly up Thursday evening. My weight is still off but steady at 275 so I shouldn't have to worry about cutting. Now it's just time to get my mind right and be ready to make good lifts. Getting anxious but I'm ready to do this.

Last Night of Deadlifts Before Arnold

Tonight was the last heavy night of pulls. I was supposed to work up to an opener and do two singles. Well, that didn't happen. It was a total disaster. I got to 500 and everything went to hell after that. So, I end this cycle with disastrous sessions... Now all I can do is pray.
I may end up having to open DL's with a token of something just to make sure I stay in after squats. That's pretty much all I'll be thinking about for the next two weeks. Now it's rest and recuperation time.
Laying here with ice strapped to my lower back and doubts all in my head...

Last Heavy Squat Day for Arnold

There's a reason why I squat on Saturdays then bench Sundays... I can really feel it in my lower back when I try to bench first in the week. Like I said though, if you get a chance to bench with one of the best in the world...you do it.
I was going to work up to my opener today and shut it down, at least that was the plan. It took forever for me to feel like I was warm. My first suited squat was at 565 and it was okey. I took 635 next and it felt like a 1000. 685 was next and it went perfect so I decided to go ahead and go for my opener and get it done. I'm opening around 780, that is kind of a big jump but I've made bigger ones. As soon as I unracked it I was off so I reracked... Got under it again and it came out better but something was off. Looking at the video I was hula-hooping from the start and when I started back I got on my toes and couldn't recover. Instead of fighting it I told them to take it. I considered giving it another go but decided to just call it a day. I did punish my quads with some heavy leg presses and then some high rep extensions.
I'll pull on Wednesday hopefully up too my opener for maybe two singles. That'll be it until The Arnold. I'm as ready as I'm going to get.

Last Heavy Bench Before Arnold

Saturday is usually my squat day but Rob Luyando was gonna be in town and who would turn down that opportunity. Everything was feeling really good during warmups and it stayed that way. I told Rob just to tell me what to do and thats how the day went. Touched my opener (560) twice, second attempt (585) to a half board, then my third (605) was supposed to be to a one board... After pressing what I thought was 605 which would have been a 5 lbs PR I got up and they told me it was actually 620. So I unknowingly got a 20 lbs PR instead! Thanks Rob. He wanted me to feel a little more weight so he called for 645 to a two board. I set up and took the weight and then noticed he was holding the one board... Unfortunately I missed it. I tried it again to a two board and same thing. Just not there yet. That was the most weight I've ever held and honestly it didn't feel crushing like new weight sometimes does.
Rob hadn't been in a shirt in a couple months but you could hardly tell. He worked up to a nice 950 to a two board. After presses we talked and he showed me some cool band rehab/prehab exercises. He also set up a MHP demo. Gotta say I love the fudge brownie Up Your Mass, ordered some already.

Bench/Back 3 Weeks Out from Arnold

I forgot to post Saturdays training. It was another super deload day. Two fingers in presses up to 315 for triples. Then some real close grip press's 205 for three sets of fifteen. Some push downs and I was done.
Tonight was a light back night. I did some db rows 3x15 @ 80's. Then chest supported rows with 60's for 3x12. Some band face pulls 2x25. Decided to do some barbell shrugs at the end. Worked up to 405 then thought I would shrug behind my back back down. I haven't done those in forever. It created some weird pressure with the 405 and I almost blacked out... Getting too soft. The last could sets were fine though. Ended the night with super sets of hammer curls and band press downs.
The coolest thing about tonight was no real pain and it was fun. Training hasn't been enjoyable the last few weeks and I love to train. So, I am really looking forward to doing a few weeks of bodybuilding type stuff.
I'm finally starting to get the anxious feeling you get close to a meet. I can't believe I'll be lifting at the Arnold... This coming weekend I take at least openers on everything and that'll be it until the meet. I'm going to Orlando for Brian Schwabs meet in two weeks to help two of our guys out. Look forward to seeing some Florida lifters there.

Squats 3 Weeks Out from Arnold

No squats today. I am so totally beat down physically and mentally I decided to just do less than a deload. I did high rep sets of leg extensions and leg curls, reverse hypers, and band crunches. I wanted to do some leg presses but I was too lazy to carry plates over too it. I helped out with the other guys and took off.
Today is also my youngest son, Stones, birthday. So, we're off to celebrate a 3 year olds birthday. I'm gonna try to have a little more drive tomorrow to do something. This whole back thing is stressful and really wearing me out. I'm gonna finish the Arnold and take some down time. I've done five full power meets in 15 months. I need a break. Plus, I'm gonna put on some weight and move up to 308.

Deadlifts 4 Weeks Out from Arnold

This session was more of an experiment than anything. I wanted to try and pull 600 to see if my back could handle it. All my warm ups felt pretty good. Worked to 535 and it was fine, then went for 600. The weight got a little out in front of me and I felt a strain on my lower back so I let go. I went for it again and it didn't feel right as soon as I loaded up during set up. So I didn't even try to pull it.
We finally got a leg press, so after pulls I did some high rep presses then some hypers to try and push some blood thru those lower back muscles and finished with some ghr.

Bench 4 Weeks Out From Arnold

Day 2 at the elitefts UGSS.  It was bench time.  I was really looking forward to go for a PR of 605.  All the warm ups went perfect.  I took my opener of 560 off of a 1 board then 580, 2nd attempt, off a 1 board, then went for 605 for a touch.  All of them went smooth and fine.  Then on the 605 I took and touched pretty easy but got going to fast back and lost it at the top.  It felt good and the strength was there just another technical issue to deal with.  I think I haver a real good shot at 600 in March.

Squats 4 Weeks Out From Arnold

Today was awesome, no other way to describe it...  It was the elitefts UGSS.  All the Team Elite lifters that will be competing at The Arnold were there.  This was the heaviest day of our training cycle and there were some BIG lifts made.  Brian smashed 1050 and Chad destroyed 1110.  What an opportunity and I am grateful for the chance to train there.
I wasn't really on with my squats, but I did prove to myself that I can push through the back issues and squat.  I worked up to a PR of 810 and missed it.  The 780 which will be my opener was fast and easy but, I didn't get video of it.  After watching the video it is very apparent that I am not driving out of the hole with my head.  I am just going forward and I cant recover from being that far over.  So for the next couple weeks I will have to really focus on technique or I will have to get way better at goodmornings...
After squatting I had to do everything I could to stay loose.  I stretched, decompressed, rolled, hang, rolled some more...  I had gone to the chiropractor last Tuesday and Thursday and I'll go back this Thursday.  He's working on my hips, they are all out of alignment.