9/15/13 Skwaaaaats

            Sorry I'm already slacking on this but this wasn't a normal week. Sunday I had the privilege to lift at Skiba's Barbell in Carteret NJ and meet powerlifting legend Dan Green 

 

For those of you who don't know, Dan green holds the raw world record totals at both 220 and 242 with his best lifts including a 826lb squat, 518lb bench, and a monstrous 815lb pull. Just being in the same room as him reminded me why I compete in this sport. A huge thanks goes out to AnimalPak who puts on these events that allow people to meet their idols.


While I was at Skiba's I just worked on getting used to my oly shoes a little bit more. I hit a bunch of random singles up to 345, nothing spectacular but things are starting to feel more comfortable.

Bench 9/13/13

               So today was my accessory bench day. I've been playing around with my assistance work a bit to see what feels good and what doesn't. Today's lift went as follows:


Bench: bar x 5, 135 x 3, 165 x 1

Slingshot bench: 205 x 1, 225 x 1, 255 x 1

Here's a video of my slingshot bench: 

Not the cleanest lift in the world but the racks on the bench we're too high for me to set my shoulders.

After this I went back to raw benching and hit 4x1@185 paused.


Assistance:

Bandbell Bench - 35lb Bells, 4x10 Superset with 4x10 Barbell Row @ 135

Bandbell Incline Bench - 25lb Bells, 4x10 Superset with 20 Band Pull Aparts

Finished with some anti rotation ab wheel rollouts and called it a day. Nothing too exciting but tomorrow I get to lift with some Universal Nutrition sponsored athletes so expect some cool footage

                So word on the street is that people actually care enough about my contributions to the world of fitness that it was requested that I restart my training blog. So here it is:

I'm currently in the middle of a training cycle leading up to the Ultimate IPA Powerlifting meet in Ithaca, NY on Oct 19th where I will be competing in the Raw Junior 148lb class.

In the past year I've posted a 1000lb total (375, 215, 410) in the Junior Raw 165 class and a 955lb (325, 205, 425) total in the Raw Junior 148 class. Although these meets went well, they're still no where I'd like to be.


But enough of the excuses, lets get down to training. Today was my heavy pull day and it went as follows:

Sumo Deadlift - 135x3, 225x2, 315x1, 365x1, 405x1x4
I've been trying to do as many reps as possible above 405 to help me from a mental standpoint

5 Second Paused Squat  - 135x3, 185x3, 225x3, 275x1

Snatch Grip RDL from 2" Deficit - 135x8, 135x8, 185x8, 185x8







If you want something to absolutely destroy your posterior chain, these should be your go-to. They work from your traps to your hamstrings and the wide grip forces you to keep your  lats locked in.

After this I finished with 3x10 Anti Rotation Ab Rollouts and called it a day. So there's day 1 in the books. Don't fret, there will be much more excitement to come

WE'RE RELAUNCHING!

Hi everyone! Exciting news....we are relaunching our blog! It's been a little less than a year since we last posted....and a lot has been going on! Steve and I relocated to New Jersey, where we both work as personal trainers at 24 Hour Fitness in Paramus. So far, its been a great experience for us! As far as the lifting goes....we're been making serious progress. I have done 2 meets since the Albany Strength meet last October, and Steve has done 3 meets since his last one. Here are the results from our latest meet which was USAPL New Jersey States on August 10, 2013:

Chrissy: Junior 114 Raw, First Place
Squat: 145
Bench: 88
Deadlift: 215
Total: 448

Steve: Junior 148 Raw, Second Place
Squat: 325
Bench: 205
Deadlift: 425
Total: 955

Right now we are in training for our next meet, which is an IPA meet on October 19. We are so pumped for it, especially since its being held in good old Ithaca, NY! We lifted in this same meet last March, and it was a great meet for both of us. We've decided that we like lifting in the IPA more than USAPL...lifters for lifters baby!....so NJ States was most likely our last USAPL meet. We're ready to do some big things in the IPA!

So you can expect training updates, fitness tips, and pretty much anything else we feel like posting! Sorry we were on hiatus for so long...life got crazy! But we're back and better than ever!

Albany Strength Meet Recap

Hi everyone!!! So I had my FIRST EVER powerlifting meet this past weekend and it was such a great experience! I can't wait to do it again! But anyways, lets get right to it...so in my previous post I talked about being nervous about not making weight. Friday I pretty much fasted all day (and died) and Saturday morning I weighed in at 104! I was feeling really crappy though, even after I got gaterade and food in me. I felt that cutting weight definitely hurt me at this meet. I plan on moving up to the 114 weight class, which is where my weight normally is anyways so it should feel much more natural for me. Also, there was another person in the 105 weight class with me who happened to be the NY State champion, soooo....yeah that was a little intimidating. Obviously I was nowhere near her with my lifts. I also was the first person to lift and in the first flight so that was scary since I've never done a competition before. But once my first squat was done the nerves started going away. But anyways, lets get into it. I'll go lift by lift:

Squats:
I opened with a 105lb squat. Felt alright, kinda threw it a little too much in the bottom and almost got stuck (oops) but that weight is super light for me so I guess I got a little too excited haha.



My second attempt was 125. Also a light weight for me. I still felt a little shaky from not eating, but this one felt stronger and easier.


My third attempt was 135. This one got called for depth which was a surprise to me. I thought I got it. Looking back at the video after, I definitely think I hit depth but it is pretty close. I didn't have the dip at the bottom that I did with my first 2 squats. Steve thinks that because this squat looked different than the first two, it threw the judges off a little. What do you guys think? I think I got robbed here!

So I ended on a 125lb squat. Not what I was hoping for (I've hit 140 in the gym) but still pretty good for my first meet.

Bench:
Unfortunately I don't have any bench videos because Steve was doing my hand-offs. But I opened with 65 which was really easy. Second attempt was 75, which was also really easy. Third attempt was 80 which I should have smoked, but I touched it too far down on my chest and wasn't able to get it back up. One thing that threw me during benching was that they didn't get bench rack heights for anyone. It was either high or low. And low was still not low enough for me and they wouldn't let me lower it for some reason. My arms had to be completely straight to reach the bar and I had to make sure my butt stayed down. It was hard and obnoxious and Steve said he's never seen a meet where they didn't take bench rack heights before. I guess they were just trying to save time? Who knows. So I ended with a 75 bench. I was happy with that. I've only done 80 once in the gym and never with a pause, just touch and go, so 75 was a good place to be.

Deadlift:
So we had some issues with the deadlift. The only full video I have is of my second attempt, but I'm going to post the 2 second start of my first attempt just to illustrate what I'm about to explain. So usually at these meets, they are using bumper plates which are all the same size (the size of a normal 45lb plate). This meet wasn't using bumper plates. My deadlift opener was 115lbs. With normal plates, this weight uses the small plates. Plus at this meet, the clips weighed 5lbs each. So my first attempt deadlift was really low to the ground because they were using normal plates. This meant that I was lifting with a deficit, which makes it harder to pull the weight. When I do this at the gym, I usually put a platform under each end of the bar so the deficit is eliminated. Here's the (really quick) video just so you can see how low it is:

After I did this lift, Steve asked the head judge if there was anything we could do to fix the deficit. His response? "Well maybe she should lift more weight". OH. OK. I mean if I could, I would! Can you guys believe he said that?! How freakin rude. Steve was really, really mad about this. For my second attempt I did 130lbs. Luckily they used 35lb plates which are almost as big as the 45s, but not as quite. So I was still lifting from a deficit. Annoying, but I got it. Here's the full video of my second attempt:


Super easy. My third attempt was 145, something I should have been able to do easily, but I missed it. So I ended the day with 130 for deadlift. I was a little annoyed with myself because I know I can do it and all the confusion with the plates and lifting from a deficit and the head judge being mean just kinda threw me off. I know I'm making excuses but whatever.

So my first meet ended with a 330 total. Obviously that's still pretty good for a first timer. Not what I went in hoping to do, but I'm still happy with it. Like I said earlier, I plan on moving up a weight class so I can lift strogner and heavier and hopefully next meet I'll go in feeling good. I probably won't have to cut weight again, so that's definitely a plus! Thanks for all your support everyone! I can't wait till I get to do this again!!

Steve 10/24/12

Hey all,

   Sorry its been forever since my last blog post! I've been working so much doing PT and Group Ex that by the time I get home I don't really want to think about fitness anymore haha.

                 But anywho, my training has been going great. I'm currently running the Grosso Method that I outlined in my last blog post. This week is my PR week for all of my lifts. Monday was squat which didnt go the greatest. I hit 350 and made it look good last week but I missed 360 at the top this week. Its been difficult for my squat to progress since I cant squat for reps because of my hip. This coming wave I'm going to try working my squat in the 4-6 rep range and see how my hip holds up.

                  Bench was today. Traditionally bench has been a lift where I make very very slow progress but ever since I started lifting high volume my numbers have been shooting up. Today's workout went as follows:

Foam Roll
Dynamic Warm Up
Glute Activation

Bench: 45x5, 135x3, 165x2, 195x1, 220x1, 185x4, 185x4, 185x4

Here's my 220 from today:




    

This looks kind of slow in the video but I felt like I smoked it. And after being stuck at 205 since December this felt awesome. I'll have 2 plates on the bar very soon.

 After I benched I did:

3 x Dips: Bodyweight x 13 /  Inverted Rows w/ 25lb plate on my chest x 8
3 x Incline DB Bench  8 x 40's    /    Neutral Grip Chins x 8


Tomorrow is deadlift day and come hell or high water I'm pulling 440. My next meet is December 1st in King of Prussia PA and I'm going to be bringing the heat in the 148's. You heard it here first 
 

Pre-Meet Post

AHHHHHHHHHHH WE ARE SO BAD AT UPDATING THIS!!

Sooo sorry. Well, anyways, I have been working really hard training for the Albany Strength meet I'm doing this weekend! I've had a few setbacks but I think I'm finally ready. The hardest part is definitely cutting down to 105. This morning my scale at home said 107.3, and the scale at work said 104. So I'm not quite sure where I'm at, probably 107 though. I debated just going up to 114, but I've been working so hard dieting that it seems stupid to just throw that away. I still have a few days and I think that I can get down to 105. It's only 2 pounds at this point. Worst case scenario, I weigh in over 105 and compete at 114. Cutting weight is the absolute worst though. I cut out all carbs and dairy (my 2 favorite food groups) so I have been struggling. I've been doing well though. I want to take a moment to just apologize to Steve....over the course of the (almost!) year we have been dating, he's had to cut weight a couple times himself. At school I was totally inconsiderate and would eat in front of him and bring him to school events or out to the bar without giving it a second thought. Now that I know how hard it is to cut weight, I feel so bad for not being supportive of him while he was doing it. And let me tell you, having people eat whatever they want in front of you is painful. My family is Italian....enough said. So Steve, I'm sorry I paraded you around food when you were basically starving yourself. Now I know what its like and I HATE it. That being said.....anyone standing in between me and a gigantic cheeseburger (and fries) after the meet Saturday better be prepared to receive a roundhouse to the face (kidding.....maybe).

NOW onto my lifts! I mentioned setbacks earlier...many of you know I've had a knee problem ever since high school. As a senior I partially tore the lateral meniscus in my right knee and never had any surgery or anything to repair it. I just did PT and tried to have it heal on its own. PT didn't work, it just always hurt. After awhile I came to terms with the fact that my knee never would be back to normal and I learned to work around the pain at dance. So, as you might imagine, squats were rough when I first started lifting. For a few months now I've been doing Boyle's glute activation work before every workout. And guess what? No knee pain! My knees have been great for awhile now. Until 2 weeks ago, when I tweaked my right knee deadlifting. Now, this was weird because my knees are usually iffy on squats, not deadlifts. What happened was my knee kinda fell in when I was pulling. And it was on my warmup (95lbs) so that was a little scary. I stopped lifting after that. I didn't squat that week until Saturday. I rehabbed my knee all week then hit a squat PR (140lbs). I felt pretty good about that and thought my knee was fine again. However, its been kinda hurting ever since. I was still able to squat and deadlift last week, but I didn't go up to heavy weights and it hurt a lot afterwards. So this week, we decided I wasn't going to deadlift at all until the meet. I'm going light anyways this week. I squatted yesterday and felt alright, but I only went up to 85lbs. So I'm rehabbing all week again and I guess we'll see what happens Saturday. But I am pretty nervous about it. I just hope my knee holds up alright.

Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good about the meet! My bench feels WICKED tight. I started doing the same prep that Steve does, so I'm in a better, tighter position. That's actually the lift I feel most confident about, which is weird because bench has never been my best lift. But I am really excited to do this meet Saturday! My current PRs are:
Squat: 140
Bench: 80
Deadlift: 145

So I'm hoping to hit at least those and maybe go over! I've never done an 80lb bench with a hold, just a touch and go. So that's the goal for this weekend. I will update the blog after the meet! Thanks for all your support guys, I'm super pumped!! Also can't WAIT for carbs :)


Oh, one more thing. Any lifters out there reading this, what's your stance on knee sleeves for squats? I was thinking about using them but I tried them on in the store and it actually hurt my knee more. Thoughts? Advice?  Thanks!!

Stay Strong!