Neglected blog is neglected

I've been very lax in updating this, naughty naughty....

Lots been happening!

I have the best personal trainer. He tells me that I'm his hero. He wants me to compete :)  I'm like, in complete awe of him.  Not only is he an Adonis of the male species, he's so fun to be around, he always smiles, and always encourages everyone.  I pretty much work so hard during the week so I can be the best I can on my sunday session!  Last Sunday I hit a PB of 47.5kg power clean & press, and a 90kg deadlift x 2.

Squatting is getting easier thanks to a few tips I've had.  Doing bosu squats every now and then seems to be helping with my knee stability, and TRX squats help me work my quads without hurting my poor injury.  (patellar tendinitis)

On Monday I was at the gym working on my power clean and press.  I'm doing a bar warm up then hitting a weight that's heavy but comfortable - which for me is 40kg - and doing as many sets of 5 as I can.

During that session I had another of the trainers in my gym approach me! He asked how long I'd been training for, and watched my clean and press form. I guess he approved by the cheeky grin I got ;D

Yesterday I tried something different, more of an endurance test I guess.  I grabbed my 24kg kettlebell, and pulled out as many 10 sets as I could.  Got to the 32nd set and my knee started clicking horribly.  Gave up on my pride, and stopped there.  I know endurance wise I could've done the 500 I had set out to do, but there's not much point in wrecking myself.  And boy does my ass hurt today =(

Guess who's baaack

Been dosed with a nasty flu for the majority of the week.

First session back today, personal training, was very successful =] Got a PR and close to a second! Lots of power cleaning (if only real cleaning were as fun) overhead presses, and deadlfting.

Last time I was at the gym I got C&P to 42.5kg, could clean 45kg, but assisted on the ohp.

Went to do the 45kg, kinda got a bit stuck (right at the last bit of the press) and could sense my pt was behind me (i thought that he was assisting) and got it over my head.  But it turns out he went to assist but didn't need to, I had managed to get it up myself. Yay!

Deadlifting was equally as good, did a lot of work on form today.  Seems like I've got a weird body structure, small femurs and a long back (I am quite tall) so I can't actually drag the bar against my legs like the ideal. The point behind doing that is that it takes any reliance on your back away, but I have zero reliance on my spine and can keep it straight despite being further forward than the natural.  Managed to pull a 90kg and got very very very close to a 95kg =]

woooohooo =D

I am so bad at this eating caper. But I have done 5 days in a row and trashed myself in the gym. Someone said I looked like I had lost weight so I guess I'm not doing too bad. Hmph.

Cut day #1

I think I didn't eat enough..... But I don't want to start eating now as its really late -_-

Eats today; a yoghurt, banana sandwich, bovril and butter on toast.  I'm getting so used to Int fasting that I can literally ignore my hunger when I put my mind to it.  I'm sure it will wear off within a few days.  

I also did a SIGNIFICANT gym session today, well over an hour and a half & it was speed work as well as weight work. I'm done. 

Elliptical Trainer:
0:04:00 || 0.75km

Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing:  20 kg x 15 / 20 kg x 15 / 20 kg x 15 / 20 kg x 15 / 12 kg x 15
Log Clean and Press: 20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10 / 24 kg x 10 / 30 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 5  

Dips - Triceps Version: 15 reps / 15 reps / 15 reps / 15 reps / 23 reps
One-Arm Kettlebell Swing:  20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10 / 12 kg x 12 

Kettlebell Deadlift:  24 kg x 15 / 24 kg x 15 / 24 kg x 15 / 24 kg x 15 

red items were the last sets, I did a lower weight to fail. 

RAWR

Jesus effing christ.  That BASTARD has joined my gym.  The guy who I was pretty much head over heels in love with.  Who generally treated me very poorly, turned me into a bitter angry person, then told me he would date me if I lost weight. >_<

He just better not come near me when I'm deadlifting (or any other time) or he may find a VERY heavy weight dropped on him. Gr. 

Anyway fuck that.  I had a fantastic day at the gym today.  PT session! 

Elliptical Trainer:  0:13:24 || 1.6km

Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing: 20 kg x 10 reps / 20 kg x 10
Power Clean and Press: 20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10 

(warm up - did 10 kb, 10 cp, 10 kb, 10 cp circuit style.)

Power clean & Press: 30 kg x 5 / 35 kg x 3 / 37.5 kg x 1 / 40 kg x 1 / 42.5 kg x 2 AST / 35 kg x 6 (last rep ast)

Power Snatch: 15 kg x 10 (snatch warm up - just the swing without the squatting part)

Overhead Barbell Squat:  15 kg x 5 (again snatch warm up - only did 5 cause my knees can't tolerate a lot of static squatting)

Snatch: 15 kg x 5 / 15 kg x 5 / 15 kg x 5 - my form is getting there but today I felt like it was horrendous! Haven't done snatches in a week so I'm a little out of practice! Or I feel it!

Barbell Deadlift:  60 kg x 5 / 65 kg x 5 / 70 kg x 3

Stretching:  0:05:00

Yes that's RIGHT.  I did a 70kg deadlift.  That's 11 stone, the weight of a relatively normal HUMAN BEING. POW.

PT was very pleased with my progress. I showed him my deadlifts from earlier in the week, and he was like deadlifts deadlifts lets go!  So we did the normal cleans/snatches and once I'd exhausted my overhead lifting we came to deadlifts. Yar.  LOVE LOVE deadlifts.  I told him I could do 60kg pretty easily (as I had done a few days ago) and he started with that.  Lifted it pretty easily for 3, 65 the same. The 70kg was tougher but managed it quite easily. He tells me I have amazing speed with deadlifts, and its likely because I train so much with the kettlebells (I do love them a lot) and they utilise a lot of common muscles.  This is most definitely *my* lift.  He also showed me the proper form (a wider stance than I had done, and closer to the bar) and I also tried the mixed grip (which helps a lot if you use the strong arm for the underhand to keep control) 

I'm starting a cut on monday as well, so gotta come up with a training plan thats not too hard on the weights, probably a lot of bodyweight work and light weights (bridges, press ups, light weights, kettlebells etc) and I'll be eating every single day instead of my normal IF.  Definitely no farmers lifts in the next two weeks lol 

Burning the candle at both ends

*Saturday Gym Session*
Elliptical Trainer: 0.4km 3 m 00
Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing: 20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10 / 20 kg x 10
Log Clean and Press:  20 kg x 10 / 26 kg x 10
Straight Bridge: 10
Tricep Dips - TRX:  10 / 10 / 10 / 10
Body Weight Lunge (vibrating plate): 20 / 20
Farmer's Walk: (18kg per hand)  7m x 4 / 7m x 4 / 7m x 4 / 7m x 4
Lat Pulldown: 35 kg x 8 / 40 kg x 5
Bicep Pulldown:  35 kg x 8 / 40 kg x 5 / 45 kg x 1
Foam Rolling: 0:02:00
Stretching: 0:03:00

zomg farmers walks are HARD. Wanna test your grip strength?  Do a good HEAVY ASS farmers walk as fast as you can.  (A farmers walk is basically holding a heavy weight in each hand, by the side of your hips, and running a distance with it, and running back.)  By the end of each 7m x 4 set I was pretty much throwing the dumbbells on the floor.  Doesn't look difficult but it really is >_< Its in strongman comps for a reason I guess!!  These people use frames which weigh more than the weights I carry at the moment, then they lay shitloads of plates on them!! Argh!

Think next time I'll be leaving the farmers walks to the end as my Lat/Bicep pulldowns really suffered from the fatigue.

I noticed recently that I'm starting to get the tiniest wee biceps too :3

PT tomorrow, i'm going to get my ass well and truly KICKED.  I've felt guilty about not going to the gym (even though I needed to give my knees space to work themselves out after the physio earlier in the week) so I did a workout at home on Thu, Fri and gym on Saturday. God help me, i'm going to die!!!  

Everything is ok knees wise, now I know to go easy on the skwatsss.  Was doing them 2/3 times a week but just keeping them to PT sessions (once a week) until things start to sort themselves out.  I'm having to really listen to my body now.  Not even just in training, I cannot sit with my legs crossed at all anymore as it is pulling the injured tissue. Silly things you wouldn't even think about like the way I sleep, and even the way I drive! Have to do stretches a lot to keep everything working properly.  

I'm feeling very positive about things.  

Starting a cut on Monday.  Dropping IF for a while (its great for bulking and maintenance) and going back to a weightwatchers style diet for about 10 days.  Monday 11/02 - Friday 22/02.  I expect I'll be a complete bitch by.... Monday evening? XD

Bang bang bang

60kg deadlift DONE.

Coulda gone for 70kg!  Got up to 60kg, could pull out 5 reps with some left in the tank.  Had no more weights to add though =(

Stretching: 0:05:00 (quad stretching) 

Two-Arm Kettlebell Swing: 16 kg x 10 reps / 16 kg x 10 reps

Clean and Press: 20 kg x 10 reps / 25 kg x 8 reps / 30 kg x 5 reps / 35 kg x 4 reps / 40 kg x 3 reps
OHP:  20 kg x 5 reps / 25 kg x 4 reps / 30 kg x 2 reps

Barbell Deadlift: 50 kg x 10 reps / 55 kg x 8 reps / 60 kg x 5 reps 

POW

:)