littlesupergrrrl powerlifting

Three Months, Three Meets

2011-11-02T23:00:00.001-05:00

My blog has been quiet, but I have been busy competing. I have competed in three contests over the last three months, which by powerlifter standards is a lot.

USAPL TWIN CITIES OPEN

First up was USA Powerlifting's Twin Cities Open at Minneapolis CrossFit. These days, I don't often get to compete in my home state, let alone my home city. Ironically, although the meet site was only about two miles from my home, we managed to get lost on the way to the venue. That's just how things are in Minneapolis. If you never go to an area of town, it can be super confusing. Needless to say, by the time I arrived, late, to the meet site, I was thoroughly discombobulated. Luckily, my friend Lance Karabel was there, which cheered me up right away.

As in any powerlifting meet, squats were first up. On my opening squat of 286-pounds, one of the side spotters was slow to grab his side for the walk back into the rack. Thus, I had the distinction of having a five-man spotting crew for my next two attempts of 308 and 314. I went three for three on squats, hitting a squat PR on my third attempt with 314 pounds. So close to the Minnesota state open squat record. Soon.

Bench press was a mixed bag. I opened up with an easy lift of 214 pounds. This was enough to break my own Minnesota state open bench press record. I jumped up to 231 pounds for my second attempt. Another good lift, raising the bar on the Minnesota state record higher. This lift also matched my #1 ranked bench press, previously done at the 2010 Olympia. I wanted more, but it was not to be on this day. I put in 237 pounds for my third attempt. But it was stuck right off the chest. One of the things about being an archer is with max effort weights everything has to be perfect and you have to hold your arch tight. I flattened out on this attempt. After that, there was no way it was going up.

By the time we got to deadlifts, I was ready to just go for a PR total, rather than a PR deadlift. I went three for three finishing with 275 pounds. I ended the day with a PR total of 820 pounds.

Here is a video of my lifting:

Part of the point of doing this meet was as a warm-up for the big show at the Olympia. It was a great idea. This way I was in my weight class a month early. Plus, I worked out technical difficulties like depth early.

USPA OLYMPIA PRO POWERLIFTING INVITATIONAL

Next up was the Olympia Pro Powerlifting Invitational and Bench Press Invitational in fabulous Las Vegas. This is really one of the big shows in powerlifting. The lifters are inside a walled off area - kind of like a little cage, with half walls. So spectators can't come in to the warm-up area, but they can see everything. It is such a different atmosphere from a standard powerlifting meet. Spectators are milling about and asking for pictures. The lifters are all crammed into this little warm-up area. The amazing thing is everyone is respectful towards one another.

This was a great meet for me. I went three for three on squats again, hitting a new PR squat of 325 pounds, and I felt like I could have done more!

I opened with 214 pounds on the bench again for a solid opener. I went to 226 pounds on my second attempt for a USPA American record, but missed it. With a small gear change, I was able to come back and nail the 226 pounds on my third attempt and take the American record. Onward to deadlifts. Warm-ups felt horrible. I felt like I could barely pull 225 in the warm-up room. So I dropped my opener to 242 pounds. In retrospect, this was a smart move. I could still get to the weight I wanted for a third attempt, but not wear myself out getting there. I hit 242 on my opener and 264 on my second attempt. I put in 286 pounds for my third attempt. This is going to sound ridiculous to people who are good deadlifters, but for me I knew it would be the hardest deadlift I ever pulled. I just kept telling myself, "Don't quit, no matter what." Sure enough, it was super slow off the floor and throughout the whole pull. Paul kept yelling verbal cues at me. After what seemed like five minutes of pulling, I locked it out for a new deadlift PR. Finally. I ended the day with a PR total of 837 pounds at 114.

One of the best parts of the Olympia is getting to hang with my girl, April Shumaker, Team Supergirls teammate. Here we are at the O. And there is my 325-lb. squat.

One of the funny things about that picture with April is that I was spitting in that Starbucks cup to make weight for the second day. The bad part about lifting two days is making weight twice. Luckily, at this meet I was close to my weight class. After I lifted on the first day, I only had to spit for about an hour to make weight again. Then, I got to eat dinner!

The second day, bench only went great. I ended up with a bench press of 237 pounds for a new personal record and American record. It is also the number one bench press in the country this year for a 114 lifter (single ply).

ELITE BARBELL FALL CLASSIC

After the O., there was no time for resting. Instead, it was back to the weights. I had planned to do the Elite Barbell Fall Classic on October 29. This left me with only four weeks of training. One of the things that makes this easier is that we train heavy bench press twice a week, so I had plenty of bench press training. The Elite Barbell Fall Classic utilized a monolift for squats, so I spent my squatting time getting used to lifting in the mono with no walkout. I was lucky to get to lift at Twin Cities Barbell with real squat experts like Debbie and Greg Damminga. This training paid off at the meet.

I again went three for three on squats with 303, 320, and a PR squat of 336 pounds. On bench press, I opened at 226 pounds for a good lift. I then went to 242 pounds for a personal record bench. Another good lift. I put in 253 pounds for my third attempt. This was an attempt at Margaret Kirkland's American bench press record in the AAPF. It was not to be on this day. Like at the TCO, my set up was not solid and I let my arch flatten out a little. That was enough of an error to get stuck part way up on the lift.

Deadlifts were so so. I opened at 253 pounds and pulled 275 on a second attempt. I had wanted to go for 303 pounds. But the 275 was heavy. So I put in 292 pounds. On this day it was nailed to the floor. We had quite a bit of time between bench and deadlifts. I think my back tightened up and I was just worn out at this point. I tend to do better on deads in meets that run quick. However, this was enough for a PR total of 853 pounds.

Three months, three meets, three PR totals. Not bad.

Is Your Office Making You Fat?

2011-05-28T11:07:00.003-05:00

Recently a co-worker asked me for weight loss advice. She wanted to know how many calories she should be taking in a day to lose weight. I talked to her at length about diet. When I got home, I looked through my old notes from Nutrition class at Gustavus Adolphus College and found I had a tool for calculating based on body weight how many calories a day a person needs to maintain current body weight. Obviously, it is just an estimate, but can be a good starting point. A few days later there was a birthday in the office and I saw this same co-worker with a plate full of birthday treats. I was so disappointed. But I am not the weight loss police, so I said nothing.

It is hard to avoid. In my office, which I guess is similar to many, if there is any reason to have treats, there will be treats. Maybe it is Monday, so we need treats. Seriously, every birthday is cause for treat overload. Whatever happened to treats being treats? Meaning they are special and rare. Last week alone, there were treats three days out of five!

When I first started at this office, I was lifting at 105. So right away I got in the habit of completely ignoring all the treats. The third month I was at my office, I walked into my individual office one morning and someone had put a decorated plastic bag full of mini chocolates and a chocolate muffin on my desk. I was about a month out from a contest and in hard-core weight cutting mode. My first thought was, "Who is trying to sabotage me? Who would do something like this?"I was about to go out and confront the support staff in their cubicles, but then I realized that it was Boss's Day.

In addition to the endless treats, of course there are the office candy dishes. The book "Mindless Eating" points out how even a handful of M&Ms can add up over a year to pounds gained.

I don't know what the solution is. On an individual basis, ignoring the treats is a good option. Maybe bringing healthier treats. But one thing is clear. If you work at a sedentary job and constantly dive head first into the treat spread, it is almost inevitable that you will be a fatty boombalatty.

Fun with Raw Bench Training

2011-05-19T21:21:00.001-05:00

Here is a clip of some of my raw bench training before the Twin Ports Raw Open! 132 pounds for 10 reps at a body weight of 114 pounds.

Vanity Sizing, Body Image, and More

2011-05-13T12:18:00.009-05:00

It is no mystery that the obesity epidemic is out of control in this country. Yet, often times people who are heavy don't acknowledge it or act like society is being unfair to them. That being in shape is somehow an unattainable standard. Recently, I got stuck in a conference room with a colleague who had a copy of the U.S. Weekly with Khloe Kardashian on the cover. Said colleague expressed her dismay that the media was slamming Khloe Kardashian for her bodyweight as Khloe is three inches taller than her own 5'7 and smaller than her own size 14. She acted outraged that this would be considered heavy. Hmmm... maybe Khloe Kardashian is being held to a higher standard because she makes big money off putting herself in the spotlight and she is not exactly svelte, but.... you also probably shouldn't be 5'7 and a size 14. Just sayin'... Societal norms have changed so much, that as a captive audience for this rant, I was put in the position of it being politically incorrect for me to express my opinion. No one likes a skinny girl with an opinion. But by just standing by and saying nothing, am I complicit in the societal acceptance of obesity?

The truth of the matter is the rate of obesity in the United States has risen dramatically over the last 25 years. For instance, in 1986 less than 10 percent of Minnesotans were obese. Now the figure is 20-24 percent. And that's just the obese category- not including the merely pleasantly plump. If you doubt my stats, see the CDC's site: www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html. Americans consume more calories today than in the 1970s, with 1985 - 2000 being when the biggest increase occurred. Check out www.endotext.org/obesity for the stats. This includes a greater consumption of refined sugars and larger portion sizes. During the same time period, activity levels decreased and more people became engaged in sedentary occupations.

Interestingly, dress sizes have changed to match our increased girth. The "love your body types" love to reference that Marilyn Monroe was a size 12, but in today's sizes she would likely have been a size 6, maybe even a 4! At 5'5, her body weight ranged from 118 to 140. Her measurements varied as follows, bust: 35-37, waist: 22-23, and hips: 35-36. Note, I am 5'0 and my hips are 34 inches! And I am anywhere from a size 0 to 4, depending on designer.

The thing that bothers me is that it has become socially acceptable to be heavy, even obese. And socially unacceptable to express the opinion that perhaps loving your body means working out and mixing in a salad now and then. Whatever happened to personal responsibility and self-respect? Maybe instead of complaining that the media is unfair and sets unrealistic body image expectations for women, we should take a look at our own behaviors. The plain and simple fact is we are bigger because we eat more and are less active than we were 50, even 30 years ago. I know it's hard. But if you can't take care of your body, what can you take care of? And in truth your body may be the only thing that will be with you for your entire life. Take care of it and it will take care of you.

Training Update

2010-04-18T21:18:00.004-05:00

Lots going on. I am getting ready for Women's Nationals right now. Bench press is going great! Here is a clip of a 215 bench to a half board in my new Super Katana! Thanks Titan! Best bench shirts in the world!

Aside from that, I competed at the Florida State meet in February and got to hang out with April and Bill Shumaker. I got a PR squat of 270 at the Florida State and matched my best total of 710.

Count Down to Bench Nationals

2009-08-31T22:27:00.001-05:00

Wow - I am tired from doing squats tonight, but wanted to get these video clips up of yesterday's bench workout. Here is a double at 195:

Here is 185 with a pause done the same workout:

More to come soon!

Training Updates

2009-07-31T20:59:00.002-05:00

Training has been going great! I am getting ready for two rapidly approaching meets. First up will be the Alki Beach Bench/Dead in Seattle on August 15. Then, in September, I will be headed to Bench Nationals in Cleveland to defend my title at 114 pounds. Last Sunday, I was back in my bench shirt for heavy bench. I had not been training much in my shirt for about 4-5 weeks. Plus, I am fat, comparatively speaking. So, the shirt fit tight. I worked up to a single with 210! This was touch and go - not paused.

After that, I was tired and just did some chin-ups and rowing to finish up. I was lucky to have the Balyeat brothers helping me out. Paul put my shirt on and did lift-offs and Lucas was in charge of boards.

Monday was squat day. Here is how squats went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x2x1
175x1x1
180x1x1
190x2x5
185x2x1
165x2x1

Pause Squats
135x8x3

Glute/ham
10 sets of 3

Twin Ports Open

2009-07-03T18:36:00.003-05:00

Recently, I have been training my squats and deadlifts raw, but training with my bench shirt for bench press. This is because Bench Press Nationals is coming up in September and I will need to wear my shirt there. My original intent was to lift at the Twin Ports Open and to squat and deadlift raw, but bench in my shirt. However, about 6 weeks out from the meet, meet director, Joe Warpeha, decided to make the meet a "raw only" meet. This meant that I could not bench in my shirt. Squats have been going great for me. So, I decided to lift anyway, primarily to test out my raw squat max.

I woke up the morning of the meet weighing 115.2. YIKES! This was exactly where I did not want to be! Fawn Friday and I were driving up to Duluth the morning of the meet and I needed to have coffee to make this drive. If I had been 116, I would have just lifted in the 123s. But being close enough to make it to the 114s, I decided to try. Fawn and I put on our sweats and turned up the heat in my Mustang on the way up to Duluth. Come to find out - this trick does work!! Good for about two pounds on someone small like me.

After a long drive up to Duluth, we finally got to weigh in. I weighed in at 51.5 kilos - a half kilo under where I needed to be. Then, it was time to rehydrate, eat, and get ready to lift! One of the cool things about this meet was there were 10 women lifting in the full-power division and 2 more doing bench only! I don't remember ever lifting in a local meet with so many women. Needless to say, the competition was fierce!

First up was squats! Squats are fast becoming almost my favorite lift. If anyone ever wants to host a squat/bench meet, let me know.... Squats were really the whole reason I was at this meet. My best raw squat up to this point was 193 at the Arnold. I missed 203 at the Arnold due to being distracted by the lights. I opened at 182. Felt easy! Three white lights. Off to a great start. I then put in 203 for my second attempt, just as planned. This weight also felt easy. What a change from the Arnold, which was only in March! Three white lights again! Next up was 215. Weight felt heavy, but it went up. Two white lights = good lift. Good enough for me! :) New personal record and state record by 21 pounds! Can't get much better than that.

The bad news was that squats took a lot of my energy. The meet was really long. We had to wait and hour and a half between squats and bench press. For me, this is not good. I tend to lose my energy if I sit around forever like that. GRRR! Bench press was kind of an unknown since I had been training in my shirt for the last 7 weeks. I opened with 137 pounds. No problems - three white lights. Next up was 148 pounds. Good lift - three white lights again. I decided to try for a raw PR with 160 pounds. But it was stuck on my chest. No lift - good job spotters. Mike Siegler was on hand to cheer Fawn and me on. He said I would have gotten my third bench if Paul had been there to yell at me. LOL!

For me, the meet pretty much went downhill from there. We had another hour and a half wait between bench press and deadlifts. YAWN!!! My back was sore from squats and arching on the bench press. I felt like I usually do in a three-lift meet - "WHAT - I still have to deadlift?!?!" My main goal at this point was to just not bomb on the deadlift so that my squat record would count. I opened at 215. Good lift - but it felt frickin' heavy. This was just sad since I deadlifted 260 at the Arnold. I lowered my expectations based on this opener and went to 236 on my second attempt. Again it was a good lift - three white lights. But it felt super heavy. I decided to go for 253 instead of the 264 PR I had wanted to do. No luck. Even 253 was nailed to the floor. Oh well, end of a long day.

Next up, I am going to Seattle for a Bench/Dead on August 15. After that will be Bench Nationals!

Raw Squats

2009-06-16T22:47:00.001-05:00

Monday was the last heavy squat day before the Twin Ports. My schedule called for two singles at 205. I was a little intimidated because I have never done this before, but the weight went up and felt good!

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
175x1x1
190x1x1
200x1x1
205x1x2

Pause Squats
135x8x3

Glute/ham raise
3 sets of 10

Sit-ups on Decline
25x10x3

Hypers
25x8x3

Gym PRs, a YouTube Channel, and More...

2009-06-11T22:29:00.003-05:00

I have been crazy busy the last few weeks with a move at work, some big projects at work, moving at home, and of course lifting! But I have had hardly any time to update my blog. Despite all the hectic stuff that is going on, training has been going great.

Last Sunday was heavy bench day as usual. I did some warm-ups and then got into my shirt. In my shirt, I hit 185 for 4 sets of 2, but it felt really difficult. Like I just wasn't totally on. I was going to do some board presses. Based on my training to my chest, I thought I would go light. Well, it ended up being my best board press day yet.

Here is how the two-board presses went:

205x2x1
215x2x1 - this felt great, so I decided to go for 225
225x2x1 - this felt equally great, so we put 235 on the bar
235x2x1 - This is my best two-board press to date. If only the two-board were a contested lift....

I was lucky to have the Balyeat brothers helping me with my two-boards. When you can't reach the bar and want a hand-off of 235 pounds having a Strongman around sure comes in handy! Here is a video from my brand new Youtube account for your viewing pleasue:

The week before (so almost two weeks ago), I also did 195 to my chest for a double. Here is a video of that bench.

Raw squats have also been going great. On Monday, Fawn and I had our usual heavy squat day. Here is how it went for me:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
175x1x1
185x1x1
195x2x2 - This was my first time doing doubles with 195!
Back-off set - 165x5x1 - no belt

Pause Squats
120x8x1
125x8x2

Glute/ham machine
3 sets of 10

Abs - Weighted Sit-ups on Decline Bench
25x10x3

Cardio: 30 minutes on treadmill

Light Bench and Some Other Stuff

2009-05-28T22:01:00.002-05:00

Usually I think light bench is boring. But I have been mixing it up a little with some fun stuff, like my weight releasers. Here is how it went on Wednesday:

Bench
45x8x1
95x3x1
100x3x1 - plus weight releasers

It took some playing around to get the releasers to release right, so there were a few sets messing around.

100x3x3 + weight releasers +20 pounds (total weight 136) - med grip
100x3x3 + weight releasers + 20 pounds - close grip
100x3x2 + weight releasers + 20 pounds - wide grip (kind of - not shirt wide)

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
70x3x4

Pull-ups
3 sets of 3

Chin-ups
3 sets of 3

Cardio: 30 minutes on treadmill

Then, today, I added in some extras with outdoor cardio, including the Stillwater stairs, pull-ups, push-ups, and abs at home.

Heavy Bench

2009-05-25T20:42:00.002-05:00

As usual, Sunday was heavy bench day. It was somewhat of a heavy bench party - Fran Huston showed up with Justin from Lifetime Fitness to work in her shirt as well. I am in the middle of a shirt cycle. I never like being in my shirt very much, but it gets easier after a few weeks. Here is how it went for me:

Bench Press
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x3x1
145x1x1

Shirt
170x2x1
175x3x1
185x2x1
195x1x1 - felt good

Two-boards
210x2x1
215x2x1 - slow
Amazingly, these did not feel like a truck like last week.

Raw Three Boards
180x2x1
180x3x1 - better groove

Rep-out set
135x7x1 (med grip)

Tricep Push-downs (with rope)
30x8x3

2 point DB rows
30x8x4
20x10x1

Rower - 2:30 minutes

A Special Deadlift Treat

2009-05-22T22:48:00.002-05:00

Deadlift is not my favorite lift. But tonight I had a special treat for deadlift night - Jo Rivet showed up to coach me! Fawn and Fran will also along for the fun. Jo totally revamped my workout and pushed me to do more than I would have done on my own. Here is how it went:

Sumos
135x5x2
175x3x1
190x2x1
205x1x1
215x1x1
230x1x2

Conventionals off block
165x5x1

Sumo-stance bent-over rows
75x8x2

Sumo Rack pulls
225x2x2
245x2x1

Heavy Bench!!

2009-05-18T22:39:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I trained in my bench shirt again. I am really lucky that Paul has learned how to put on a bench shirt. It was a beautiful sunny day and the Press Gym was almost empty. The only other people in the Power Room were Cheryl Anderson and Mitch Edelstein, which turned out to be perfect. Cheryl and Mitch are very serious about training, but also fun to chat with so it worked out great.

Here is how my workout went:

Bench Press
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x2
135x3x1
145x1x1

Shirt
170x2x1
180x2x2
180x2x2 - with first rep paused

Two Board (in shirt)
200x2x1
210x2x1 (felt like a truck to quote Katherine Clark!)

Three Board (raw)
180x3x2

Tricep Push-downs
35x8x3

DB two point rows
25x8x5

This was a great workout. I am really happy with how my shirt training has been going.

In Pursuit of Excellence

2009-05-15T22:20:00.004-05:00

I don't usually talk about my real job. In my work, I see a lot of the problems of society first hand. It seems to me that a lot of the problems in American society stem from a lack of work ethic. There is a trend towards not valuing hard work and the pursuit of excellence. Instead, there is the pursuit of self-pleasure without a regard for the consequences. Many people would rather take the easy way out than work hard for something. And the feel good, hand-holding "we're all ok" politically correct culture enables this tendency to take the easy way out. But I think real happiness and achievement comes from hard work and knowing that you put your all into what you are doing. Some people may wonder why I go to the gym every Friday night and deadlift. My answer is the pursuit of excellence. Many people may not understand wanting to be excellent at something like lifting weights that doesn't have financial rewards, or really any rewards other than your own personal satisfaction. To me, there is nothing better or more addicting than the feeling of pushing your own limits. And lifting weights is a perfect way to do that.

Lifting weights is not just about pushing your physical limits. It takes mental toughness. It takes dedication over time. You only get really great at lifting weights by doing it over a long period of time. That is just the nature of the sport. Muscle builds over time - slowly. People may not realize this now, but I worked for four and a half years to break the MN state bench record at 114. And that is just a state record!

A heavy weight can be mentally intimidating. Interestingly, I find this more true in the gym than in competition. I think my lifting partner, Fawn, would say the opposite. Recently, I have been training in my bench shirt. This is mentally tough for me. I get intimidated because I am afraid the shirt might do something unpredictable to me - like throw the weight back towards my face. A lot of people outside powerlifting may consider gear to be cheating. But shirts are hard to master it is a whole different skill. Training in my shirt I realize is as much a mental game as a physical game.

Tonight, like almost every Friday, was deadlift night. I am lucky that I have friends and training partners who are also interested in the pursuit of excellence. Training is not just work; it is fun. Tonight I was lucky to have Fawn Friday and Fran Huston join me at the Press for deadlifts. Here is how it went for me:

Sumo Deads
135x8x1
135x5x1
165x1x2
185x1x1
195x1x10

Conventional Deads
170x5x3 (reset between reps)

Sumo Rack Pulls
185x3x1
205x3x1
215x3x2

There's Nothing Like a Good Training Partner...

2009-05-05T21:01:00.002-05:00

Last night was Monday night squats and Fawn's first workout back after two weeks off for vacation. I don't know how people lift without a good training partner. I don't really know how I ever lifted without a consistent training partner from time to time over the years I have been lifting. Last week I was on my own for squats. That is tough! Even though the weights were light, it was high volume - the eight sets of 3 workout. Lucky for me, Fawn is back and missed training as much as I missed having her here.

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x4x1
155x3x1
160x3x7

I am experimenting with putting my bar placement back higher (like it used to be). But it feels weird right now, even though I squatted like that for years!

Pause Squats
125x8x3

These were a killer last night. The Power Room at the Press felt like a sauna!

Glute/ham
3 sets of 10

Shirted Bench Press

2009-05-03T21:47:00.003-05:00

Today was heavy bench day. I decided to get into my bench shirt again and try out my new wider, "legal limit" grip. Paul was along to do hand-offs and spot. He also managed to put my bench shirt on all by himself! The new wider grip seems to be going pretty good. Here is how it went:

Bench Press
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x3x1
145x1x1

Shirt
170x1x2
170x3x1
175x3x4

This was in what I thought was a loose F6. It was not so loose today though since I am weighing in at around 116!

Rep Out - raw set
135x5x1

Incline DB Press
30x8x3

Chest-Supported Rows
55x6x1
60x6x3

Raw Squat PR Clip

2009-04-26T20:57:00.003-05:00

Here is a video clip of my raw squat PR with 210 with Paul yelling at me:

Benching in Wisconsin

2009-04-25T21:25:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, I journeyed to Wisconsin (just over the border) for some bench press fun with Shawn Cain and crew. Shawn trains with a crew of lifters at a home gym in Jeff Tarmin's basement. From my perspective, the best thing about this home gym is the bench press. While it is not an ER Rack, it adjusts down low enough so even I can reach the bar even with wide (legal limit) grip. I am experimenting with going out to a legal limit grip for when I am in my shirt. This was my first day of trying it out. I wore an old, loose F6. I did not crank the shirt down or even belt it. So, I was not getting much pop off my chest, but everyone said that my benches looked fast at the top. Here is how it went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x2x1
145x1x1

Shirt
170x2x1 - to two board
175x2x1 - to one board
175x2x1 - to chest
175x1x1 - to chest
185x2x2 - to chest

Two-board
195x2x1

One-boad
195x2x2

Overhead Press
65x5x5

Chin-ups
5 sets of 3

Raw Squat PR!

2009-04-20T22:25:00.002-05:00

Fawn is in Hawaii this week- lucky duck. I am not sure how I am going to make it through 10 days without Fawn around. Lucky for me, I have other friends who can be convinced to train with me. Tonight, I wanted to do max testing on squats. Strongman Paul Balyeat, fresh off a competition in Orlando with the scars to prove it, showed up to spot and critique. Despite feeling a little tired, the workout went great. Finally a squat PR!! Paul has video clips which I will have up shortly.

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x4x1
155x2x1
175x1x1
190x1x1 - felt heavy - backed down for a few singles and to build confidence
180x1x2
190x1x1 - better this time
205x1x1
210x1x1

Back-off set
135x10x1

Walkouts (10 seconds)
225
235

Glute/ham raise
4 sets of 10

Abs with Paul

Lifting heavy weights requires mental focus and perseverance, and a good training partner. I was really intimidated by the 205 number. I had missed 203 at the Arnold. And there is just something intimidating about a bunch of weight on your back. When 190 felt heavy, it just really threw me off mentally. But I was able to come back and get the 205 and then that gave me the confidence to go for 210. That is the cool thing about lifting heavy weights - is overcoming that fear and making a good lift.

Busy Times...

2009-04-16T20:31:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy recently that I have not even kept up with updating my blog. But that doesn't mean that we have not been working out!

As usual, Monday night was squat night for Fawn and me. This was kind of a heavy workout.

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x4x1
155x2x1
175x2x1
185x2x2
175x2x1

Walkouts (10 seconds)
205
225
235

Pause Squats
95x8x1
115x8x1
120x8x1

Glute/ham raises
3 sets of 10

Yesterday we did a quick light bench workout. Our good friend, Vicki, came by the Press Gym. We wanted to go hang out with her, so we made it a quick workout.

Mini-band benches
45x3x1
65x3x1
75x3x9 - three different grips

I have also been doing a lot of walking outdoors now that it is spring in Minnesota.

Light Bench Day

2009-04-02T19:56:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I threw in some bands to add some variety to light bench day. For those of you who don't know, bands add some weight at the top and are supposed to build explosive power. I could definitely use some of that on the bench press! After warming up with the bar, here is how it went:

Bench with mini-bands
45x3x1
65x3x1
75x3x3-regular comp grip
75x3x2 - wide grip
75x3x3 - close grip

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
75x2x1 - hard
70x4xx2
75x1x4
65x5x1

Pull-ups
3 sets of 3-4

Chin-ups
4 sets of 3
1 set of 2

Cardio; 30 minutes on treadmill

Girl Squat Party!

2009-03-30T22:08:00.002-05:00

Tonight was a surprise squat party. Anna White and Tammy Dian showed up to join Fawn and me for Monday night squats! We are all planning to do the Twin Ports Open in Duluth at the end of June.

Here is how things went for me:

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
170x2x6

Fawn then convinced all of us to try out band box squats. Fawn loves these. This is the first time I have tried them.

45 +mini bands x3x1
65+ mini bands x3x8

Glute/ham
1 set of 8
2 sets of 10

My legs felt tired today. I am wondering if it is from walking around Stillwater yesterday or if I am still recovering from doing Fawn's kettlebell class on Friday.

Heavy Bench

2009-03-29T18:40:00.003-05:00

I am doing some high rep (for me) training right now on bench press. Here is how things went today:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x6x1
120x8x5

Then, I got to play with my weight releasers. The releasers themselves are 16 pounds.

130 + weight releasers x1x1 (146)
130+ WR + 5 lbs. x1x1 (156)
130 + WR +10 lbs. x1x3 (166)

Pull-ups
3 sets of 3

Chin-ups
4 sets of 3

Shrugs
95x8x1
115x8x1
125x8x3

Tricep Push-downs w/ rope
25x8x3

Deadlifts

2009-03-28T17:47:00.002-05:00

I am trying out conventional deadlifts right now. This was a suggestion from Shawn Cain. I am considering it an experiment. We will see.

Conventional Deads
135x8x1
155x5x1
175x5x5 (reset between reps)

I also pulled some sumo singles with 135 and 145 working on form.

Front Squats
45x5x1
65x5x1
85x5x3

I was at the Press early, so I also did Fawn's kettlebell class. That was hard, especially after all those deadlifts!!

Monday Night Squats

2009-03-23T22:43:00.002-05:00

Sometimes the best thing about a Monday is that it is squat day....

Squats
45x8x2
95x8x1
135x3x1
160x3x7

Front Squats
45x6x1
65x5x1
85x5x2
95x5x2

Glute-ham raise
5 sets of 8

Ab Roll-outs
5 sets of 8

This was all after walking about 6 miles yesterday and about 2 up and down the hills of Stillwater on Saturday. My calves are still sore from that!

Light Bench Day

2009-03-18T22:16:00.002-05:00

Today was light bench day. I decided to do something a little different - floor presses.

Floor Presses
45x5x1
95x5x1
105x5x5

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
75x2x1
65x3x1
65x5x1
65x4x1

Chest-supported Rows
50x6x1
50x8x2

DB Rear Delts
15x8x3

Back to Training

2009-03-16T22:36:00.003-05:00

Today was the most beautiful spring day we have had yet this year in Minnesota. So, of course, this means the powerlifters all come out of hibernation and show up at the Press Gym. The power room was packed!! Fawn and I were no different than the rest of the pack. After a week off, we were ready for Monday night squats!! Luckily most everyone else was deadlifting, so we had our little squat corner to ourselves.

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x
135x3x1
155x3x8

Front Squats
45x5x1
85x5x3

Bulgarian-style split squats
12 kilo bells x5x3

Ham-glute machine
8x3

We also did bench press yesterday. So my shoulders were super sore today. I could barely get the bar in position to squat! And this is after just a week off!

Here is how bench press went yesterday:

Bench
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x4x1 - this felt super heavy so I backed off
125x5x5

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
75x3x1
65x3x3

Pull-ups and Chin-ups - 5 sets of 3

Quick Update on the Arnold

2009-03-09T21:15:00.006-05:00

Fawn and I with the Gillingham brothers - Brad, Karl, and Wade.

I am back home from the Arnold Sports Festival and still in major recovery! There is so much to tell about the Arnold, but I am exhausted, so this is just a brief update. The Arnold is the biggest sports event I have ever been to. This year there were 37 sports involved, 17,000 athletes, and 170,000 spectators. Fawn and I with the Gillinghams

The powerlifters had a great venue in the Grand Ballroom. It was different from any other meet I have competed in due to the fact that there were bright lights shining down on the stage where the lifting was done. This event is really the way powerlifting needs to be presented. There were two announcers most of the time explaining the lifts and entertaining the crowd. There was also a big video screen where the lifting was shown, so that everyone had a good view.

I went 7 for 9 and ended up with a PR raw total of 606.2. As usual, squats were first up. This is where the lights really threw me off. I usually spot a place on the wall to look at when squatting. With the lights, I couldn't find a place to spot. I opened with 171, which went easy. Second attempt at 192 was also easy. I had done this weight in the gym a bunch of times, but never in the meet. I then put in 203 for my third. I missed this part way up. I think my focus was thrown off by trying to figure out where to look rather than thinking about driving through this heavy squat.

Next up was bench press. Fawn calls the bench press the time to rest between squats and deadlifts, but I always get excited when it is time to bench press. Lucky for me, Kevin Hutchinson showed up when we were warming up bench press and offered his assistance. I opened at 143. This felt great and light! As planned, I put in 154 for my second attempt. I have hit this with a pause in the gym, but it is hit and miss. I could feel I would have it this day though. Sure enough 154 went up easy. It was a little slow off the chest, but other than that easy. I thought this might be the day I would get 159. I have never done this weight in the gym with a pause. Even touch and go, it is hit and miss for me. Sure enough it came off my chest maybe a centimeter and was stuck there. Something to work for!

The deadlift is not my lift. After bench press, I thought, "What?!? I still have to do another lift?" This is not a good attitude. My lower back was already tired from squats and arching on the bench press. Warm-ups felt super heavy. I lowered my opener from 225 to 215. My first attempt at 215 went up fine. I decided to stick with my original plan and went to 242 for my second attempt. It was heavy, but went up fine. So, I decided I wanted to have a crack at a personal raw record and asked for 260 for my third attempt. This was the slowest deadlift ever. But I kept going and it went up. I was really proud of fighting through this lift. It almost made up for missing that third squat.

Some of the highlights of the weekend included the Governator actually coming to talk to the powerlifters. He showed up during the geared lifting, men's deadlifts, and gave a little speech. He stuck around and watched the deadlifts for a little while. Then, he and his huge security entourage were on to the next event. It is amazing to see the security at an event like the Arnold. There was even a bomb sniffing dog that came through the warm-up area while we were doing our warm-ups.

Fawn and I also got to have our picture taken with all three Gillingham brothers! The Gillinghams are legendary in strength sports! And they are from Minnesota. You would think we could get a picture with them anytime, but I have never actually seen all three of them together before. Brad Gillingham won the GNC Pro Deadlift event at the Arnold with a huge 400 kilo deadlift! Karl is famous in the Strongman world. All three brothers are super strong!

More pictures and videos to come soon!

Successful Openers

2009-03-02T22:32:00.003-06:00

On Friday, Fawn and I met up to do squat and bench openers. This was our last workout before the Arnold. In powerlifting, openers are critical. A lot of people don't understand that there is a lot of strategy to powerlifting. You can't go below whatever weight you call for your opening attempt. You can only go up. So, if you miss your opener, for any reason, it is psychologically challenging. I've always admired lifters who can come back from a missed attempt, or even more so from two missed attempts.
Of course, I don't admire what got them in that position to begin with though.

So, the conventional wisdom is to pick a weight for your opener that you can do with perfect form 3-5 times. Here is how my openers workout went:

Squat
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x2x1
170x1x1
175x1x2

Bench
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x1x1
142.5x1x2 - with pauses
142.5x3x1 -touch and go

We finished up with some abs and that was it. I have been doing some cardio since. Still trying to get in my weight class....

Aside from that, just trying to stay healthy. It flabbergasts me that people do not just stay home and sleep when they are sick. Instead, it seems like everyone wants to be out and about infecting the rest of the world. I just don't understand it. Like tonight, I was doing cardio and there were all these sick people at the gym. As if doing a workout is going to help you get better faster. And these were not people preparing for an athletic competition - just regular people doing workouts. It would make a lot more sense to stay home, rest, and drink some tea.

One More Workout Left...

2009-02-26T19:08:00.002-06:00

Last night was light bench night, which isn't very exciting, except that Fawn and I now have only one workout left before the Arnold! Friday will be openers for squat and bench. Since we are doing our openers for bench on Friday, we kind of took it easy last night.

Bench
45x8x1
95x8x1
110x3x1

Regular Grip
110x3x1

Wide Grip
110x3x1

CLose Grip
110x3x1

Pull-ups/Chin-ups
5 sets of 3

DB Rear Delts
15x8x3

Cardio - 30 minutes on treadmill

Last Deadlift Workout Before the Arnold

2009-02-24T21:07:00.002-06:00

Last night was the last deadlift workout before the Arnold for Fawn and me. My legs were still tired from squats on Friday! Even my warm-ups felt heavy. Since we were only ten days out from the meet, I decided to take it easy. I seem to do better on deadlifts with more recovery time anyway. Here is how it went:

Sumo Deadlifts
135x8x1
165x1x2
185x1x1
205x1x3
185x3x1

Glute/ham raise
3 sets of 8

Abs on Decline bench
25x8x1

That felt like enough.

Last Heavy Bench before the Arnold

2009-02-22T17:11:00.003-06:00

Today was the last heavy bench day before the Arnold. I am planning to go for 159 on my third attempt at the Arnold. So, with that in mind I want to open with 143. This will be my heaviest raw opener ever on the bench, so I wanted to test it out today.

Bench Press
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x2x1
145x1x1 - paused
145x3x1 - all paused
150x3x1 - touch and go
155x3x1 - my technique was horrible, but the weight went up
150x3x1

Weight Releasers
125 bar weight + 16 pounds of weight releasers x1x1
130 bar weight +36 pounds of weight releasers x1x1
135 bar weight +36 pounds of weight releasers x1x2

Chin-ups and Pull-ups

Cardio - 30 minutes on treadmill

I really feel like I could bench 170 raw if I could just get the weight moving off my chest!

A Squat Day Without the Press Gym

2009-02-22T17:06:00.003-06:00

Friday was the last heavy squat workout before the Arnold. Unfortunately for me, there ended up being a snow storm. I hate driving in snow, so decided to do squats closer to home. This was a challenge. I was in a health club without powerlifters, or even anyone who looked like they could spot a squat without messing it up. I did have a power rack though!

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
165x2x1
175x2x1

At this point, I decided to set the pins higher for my own safety. I think I was still hitting depth, just not as deep as I usually go and I had to think about not hitting the pins.

185x2x2
190x2x1

Pause Squats
135x8x3

Abs

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
75x1x1
85x1x2
90x1x1

There's truly no place like the Press Gym.

Some Special Deadlift Coaching

2009-02-17T22:00:00.005-06:00

Out of all three lifts, the deadlift has always been the biggest struggle for me. The bench press came easy right away. Squats took a little longer, but now I love squats almost as much as the bench press. But the deadlift still eludes me. So, if there is any lift where I need extra special coaching, it is definitely the deadlift.

Yesterday, I had the day off for President's Day. With the Arnold less than three weeks away, that made it the perfect opportunity for Fawn and I to venture over to Wisconsin and get some more expert deadlift coaching from Shawn Cain. We met up in Stillwater and headed over to the home gym where Shawn trains. The gym is in Jeff Tarmin's basement and is truly a hard-core powerlifter gym. It has a nicer platform and nicer bars than the Press. Plus, the best quality bench press in the area. I am still coveting that bench press. The powerlifting equipment is great, but there are no frills. Just a couch, for if you need to sit down in between sets!

In this setting, even my deadlift had to improve. I ended up pulling 250, which may not sound that great, but I realized it is the most I have pulled in the gym since before my umbilical hernia surgery (about a year and a half ago). I am usually a way better deadlifter in competition than in the gym. My first attempt at 250, barely budged. But I came back and tried it again. It was a struggle, but I got it. Below is a video of it. Also evidence that no one looks good doing a max effort lift!

Here is the progression:

135x8x1
165x3x1
185x2x1
205x1x1
2251x1
235x1x1
250- missed
250x1x1
225x1x1

Fawn hit another PR with 315 pounds!! I am hoping that I can trade her some of my bench press prowess for a little help on deads.

As our reward for all this hard work, we went out for bison burgers at Barkers in Hudson afterwards. Yum! Powerlifters are great! They love to work out and love to eat and most like to drink beer (or in Fawn and my case - gin and tonics). Talk about enjoyment of life!

My Favorite Day of the Week - Heavy Bench

2009-02-15T21:47:00.002-06:00

Today was one of our last heavy bench workouts. After having some fun yesterday, I didn't feel 100 percent, but still got some good work in.

Bench
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x3x1
145x3x2- these felt heavy, but were technically solid
135x3x2 - paused
145x1x1 - paused

I then got to play with my weight releasers. I did 130 on the bar with 36 pounds on the weight releasers for 166x1x3

Chin-ups and Pull-ups

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
75x3x5

Cardio - 45 minutes on treadmill

Down to the Last Few Heavy Workouts

2009-02-14T17:11:00.003-06:00

With the Arnold right around the corner, Fawn and I are down to our last few heavy workouts and hard-core weight cutting. Wednesday was heavy bench day for me. My goal was to hit 160 with a pause, but this weight just keeps eluding me. Here is how the workout went:

Bench
45x8x1
95x8x1
120x3x1
135x2x1
140x1x1
150x1x1 - this even felt heavy
160 - paused -missed

I then attempted 160 touch and go, and it went up. It's the pause that kills you. After all this, I backed off and did a set of 8 with 135.

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
75x3x1
85x1x5

We also did some face pulls and chest-supported rows.

Friday night was squat night. I felt worn out from the whole week, but still managed to get some work in.

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
170x2x1
180x2x2
175x2x2

Bulgurian -style split squats
12 kilo bell x5x5

Abs!!!

Deadlifts

2009-02-09T22:47:00.002-06:00

Fawn and I are gearing up for the Arnold. Tonight was one of our last deadlift nights. This was kind of a take it easy week for me on the deadlift. Fawn and I are planning to get some more expert coaching from Shawn Cain next week. So, I didn't want to go too heavy today so that I would be ready for next week.

Deadlifts
135x8x1
165x2x1
185x1x1
195x1x7

Conventionals
135x5x1
155x5x3

Glute/ham raise
8x3

Abs

More Bench Press...

2009-02-08T20:02:00.001-06:00

Today was light bench day for me. While I love the bench press, I do not love light bench day. I continued to practice restraint today though as I am planning to go for a raw max with a pause on Wednesday! So, here is how it went:

Regular Grip
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
125x3x2
135x3x1

Wide Grip
120x3x3

Close Grip
125x3x3

Overhead Press
45x5x1
65x3x1
75x3x5

Face Pulls
60x10x1
70x10x1
70x8x1

Chest-Supported Rows
55x8x1
55x6x2

Cardio - 30 minutes on the treadmill

Raw Squat PR!

2009-02-08T09:46:00.009-06:00

My training schedule got a little messed up this week with the Minnesota State meet being held at the Press Gym on Saturday. Friday night the Press Gym closed down early for set-up, so I decided to get my squats in a day early on Thursday. I wanted to test my max before the Arnold. The best raw squat I have done in a meet is 187 and in the gym was 190. On Thursday, I hit a new PR with 200 pounds! It was the slowest squat ever, so at that point I figured I was finished.

Here is how it went:

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
160x1x2
170x1x1
180x1x1
190x1x1
200x1x1

back-off sets
175x2x4

Here is a link to a video of the 190 and 200 squats : http://picasaweb.google.com/pmbalyea/MauraLifting#

Quarter squats
215x3x1
225x3x1
235x3x1

Glute/ham raise
8x3

Abs

Self-Restraint and the Bench Press

2009-02-08T09:41:00.004-06:00

Everyone knows how much I love the bench press. But mainly I love lifting heavy on bench press. Lifting lighter weights is kind of boring for me. I guess I found the right sport.... But sometimes you need to back off the heavy weights. You can't go heavy every week. After struggling with a paused 155, last week I knew that it was time for a back off week this week on Wednesday. Here is how it went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
125x3x5 - paused all reps

I worked on my technique and keeping my feet flat and my butt on the bench. Things are looking good!

cambered bar bench - to a two board
45x5x1
95x5x3

Chin-ups
5x3

Dips
10x3

Working My Nemesis - the Deadlift

2009-02-06T22:42:00.002-06:00

My lifting partner, Fawn Friday, had the great idea that we should head over to Wisconsin to get some deadlift coaching from Shawn Cain before the Arnold. So, on Monday, John Hansen and Fawn met me in Stillwater and we trekked over to Wisconsin to get some expert coaching. We are lucky to have a lifter of Shawn Cain's caliber and expertise so close by.

Shawn and his crew train in Jeff Tarman's basement. It is a great home gym with everything a powerlifter needs. There is a high-quality deadlift platform, a squat rack made by Shawn Cain, a bench press made by Shawn Cain, a power rack, York plates, and several fancy bars.

Here is how things went for me:

135x8x1
165x1x1
185x1x1
205x1x2
215x1x2
225x1x2
230x1x1
240x1x1

Afterwards, Fawn, John, and I went out for burgers and beers. While not the best for our weight cutting goals, it sure was good! Plus, we earned it with that workout, especially Fawn who hit a deadlift PR with 300 pounds!! After working with Shawn, I am hopeful that I can hit a raw deadlift PR at the Arnold!

Bench Press, Overhead Press, Overreaching, and Redemption

2009-02-01T21:45:00.002-06:00

After having such a great overhead press day on Thursday, I was convinced that I could overhead press 95 pounds and that I should try it today. I am still convinced that I will soon overhead press 95 pounds, but today was not the day. Apparently, overhead press is like any other lift. You probably can't max out on it twice in one week only two days apart. Wow - you would think I would know that kind of stuff after ten years of powerlifting. But I am greedy.

So, I started out the day with overhead press:

45x8x1
65x5x1
75x2x1
85x1x1
90 - missed - so much for 95...

Today 85 pounds was hard! After overreaching on overhead press, I somehow had to redeem myself on the bench press. I managed to do 160 touch and go for two singles - although my technique was not so pretty.

Bench Press:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1

Old Comp Grip
125x3x1 - with pipe

Wide Grip - with pipe
115x3x1
125x3x1
135x3x1
145x3x1
150x1x1

Training with the pipe is supposed to help increase your arch. For me, it gives me a little more stability on the bottom and I seem to be able to handle a little more weight. So, I decided to go for 160 with my new, raw competition grip. I got that for two singles - although my technique was questionable.

Close grip
135x3x3

Overhead Press - more practice with lighter weights...

Chin-ups
5x3

Second Squat Workout of the Week

2009-02-01T20:53:00.004-06:00

Squatting at Raw Nationals!

Usually Fawn and I squat on Mondays. But we are switching up our schedule a little so we can get some special deadlift coaching before we head to the Arnold. So, we did squats on Friday. Squats have been going great this training cycle. I doubled 180 for the first time ever raw! It felt pretty good too. I am starting to love squats almost as much as bench press!

Here is how things went:

Squats
45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
165x3x1
175x2x1
180x2x3

Pause Squats
95x5x1
115x8x1
125x8x3

Abs!

Monday we are heading to Wisconsin for some special deadlift training! I can use all the help I can get for deadifts!!

I Am a Pressing Machine....

2009-01-31T13:06:00.003-06:00

On Thursday, I went to my secondary gym, if it can be called that (it is really more of a health club), to do cardio. Since cardio alone is a pretty boring workout, I also threw in some abs. I was then inspired to work on my overhead pressing. It is amazing how much easier it is to overhead press if you haven't done a full bench workout first!

Even though I have been a bench presser for now almost half of my life, I had never trained overhead presses until maybe a month ago. I love the overhead press! Sometimes in life you are just given a talent for something. You don't usually get to choose your talent. I think you just have to embrace it. Well, my gift seems to be pressing in all forms - bench press, overhead. I hit a 90 pound PR overhead easy in bad, squishy shoes. In fact, I doubled it! Then, I followed that up with three more singles at 90 pounds. Awesome! My goal is to overhead press my body weight soon!

Tough Bench Workout

2009-01-28T23:09:00.003-06:00

Not every workout can be great, even on bench press. I have been working really hard on my raw bench press in preparation for the Arnold. But tonight, it just did not all come together. I felt tired, a little off. Well, it is the middle of a long week with crappy weather, so my energy might have just been a little low. Or maybe it was bad karma for my being peeved that someone had the audacity to be on MY bench press when we first arrived.

I wanted to do 155 for a paused single again. I got the 155, but it was hard with technical flaws. Last time I did it, it was perfect, competition standard.

Here is how the workout went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x1x1
145x1x1
155x1x1 - with pause - but technically flawed

140x4x1 - with mini-pauses
145x5x1
145x4x1

On both sets of 145 (touch and go), the first three reps were great and the last one or two were ugly. Sigh... I think it is time for a back-off week.

One-Board
155x3x1
160x3x1

Chin-ups
5 sets of 3

Squats in My New Zhinkas!

2009-01-19T21:01:00.003-06:00

Some of you may know the Press Gym as the "Zubaz Gym". Well, step back Zubaz. The ladies now have our own Press Gym-designed work-out pants - Zhinkas - and they rock! Being a fashionista, I already bought two pairs! There are numerous different designs. Check out the classic zebra print design in my squat video below.

Today was squat day. Fawn and I got in an early workout due to today being Martin Luther King, Jr. day. We celebrate a lot of holidays with squats! This was great because then we got to have lunch afterwards, instead of just our usual protein shakes.

Here is how the squats went for me:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
160x3x7
175x1x1

Here is a video clip of one my sets at 160:

Quarter squats
185x3x1
205x3x1
215x3x1
225x3x1

Ham/Glute machine
8x3

KB abs for obliques - 12 kilo bell (1 set), 16 kilo bell (1 set), 20 kilo bellx3x3

Weighted Sit-ups on Decline bench
25x8x3

I Must Really Love Lifting Weights...

2009-01-13T22:13:00.004-06:00

We have been having a string of inclement weather incidents in Minnesota ranging from snow storms to extreme cold as in negative temperatures. With the Press a good 30 mile roundtrip from where I live, I finally got tired of scheduling my workouts around storms. I broke down and got a secondary membership at a local club close to home today. Of course, I could have made up a home workout with my hula hoop for cardio and my pull-up bar. But that didn't seem quite good enough. So, it was the second gym membership at a place that will remain nameless.

It is always interesting to go to a gym that is not a power gym. Today, some of the poor gym etiquette I observed included a man doing abs on a ball directly in front of the power rack. Really, the power rack is not the place for high-rep ab workouts. Maybe in front of the Smith machine, but not the power rack. He probably thought I had poor gym etiquette because I demanded he move from in front of the power rack. As soon as I started squatting, he moved even further away. Of course, there was no one else doing squats. There were some people doing something vaguely resembling a squat on the Smith machine.

So, here is how my squat workout went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
150x3x8
160x1x1
170x1x1

Good Mornings
135x5x4

Pull-ups
bodyweightx5x2
bodyweightx4x1

Weighted Sit-ups on Decline
25x10x3

Weighted Side Bends
35x8x3

I finished up with 30 minutes of cardio.

The Joys of Having a Weight Class

2009-01-12T19:51:00.005-06:00

With the Arnold coming up, I am on my post-holiday cut-down routine. Or at least I am supposed to be, and will be getting serious this week. Truthfully, I am really thankful to have a weight class. It keeps you in check, as long as you don't just keep moving up weight classes. I know, I know, I just moved up a class. But the 105s was never a natural place for me to be. Now, the 114s, I should be able to maintain a long time.

Years ago when I was cutting down to 105, I was complaining to my friend and fellow lifter, Fran Huston, about having to cut weight. I think it was one of those days when all my friends were going out and having drinks and dessert or such, and I couldn't. So, I was sad. I complained to Fran, "Why can't I just be a normal person?"

Fran replied, "Who wants to be normal? The normal person gains five pounds every year."

While I don't have the exact stats, Fran is right. Many people have a gradual weight gain each year and then all of a sudden you wake up 20 pounds heavier than you used to be, or worse. This can happen without even really thinking about it.

Having a weight class means you can never get too far away from that weight class, as long as you compete on a regular basis. Because as soon as you get a few pounds away, you probably have to start cutting again. So, right now, I am 117 pounds, but soon to be 112. Yes, that is under the weight class. But I have also learned that is sure is nice to get to eat dinner the night before you lift!

Raw Bench PR

2009-01-08T21:16:00.002-06:00

With the Arnold coming up, I have been working hard on my raw bench press and it is starting to pay off. Last night I benched 155 raw with a pause which is the most I have ever done raw with a pause. I have done 160 and even 165 touch and go before, but not with a pause. So, that was pretty exciting. Here is how it all went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x1x1
145x1x1
155x1x1 - paused

140x6x2

This is all with my new and improved slightly closer grip.

cambered bar
95x6x3

Dips
bodyweightx10x3

Monday Night Squats!

2009-01-06T20:40:00.002-06:00

Holidays are great, but it sure is nice to be back to my regular lifting routine. Fawn and I met up last night for some Monday night squats at the Press Gym. Here is how it went for me:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
165x2x1
175x3x5

For about the past six years, I have had a fairly high bar placement on squats. I am experimenting with carrying the bar a little lower on my back. So far, it is going great!

Good Mornings
95x5x1
115x5x1
135x5x3

Bulgarian-style split squats
12 kilo bells x6x3

Abs

I even finished up with 30 minutes of cardio!

Back to my Regular Training Schedule

2009-01-04T20:26:00.003-06:00

With all the travel and holidays, my training has been a little off for the last two weeks. Now, I am back on track though and focused on getting ready for the Con-Cret Raw Challenge at the Arnold!

Friday, I met up with Fawn for deadlifts at the Press. Lisa Marvin and John Hansen also joined us. This was a rough workout due to New Year's Eve and New Year's Day celebrations immediately preceding it. I worked up to 210 for a single and then did 6 singles at 195. I also did some conventional deads at 155.

Today was "light" bench day. Right now, I am working three different grips on light day - close grip, old competition grip, and wide grip. Part of the reason for this is that I am experimenting with moving my grip in a little for my raw work. But I don't want to get too far away from my standard competition grip, which was already a little different than my shirt competition grip. The world of bench press can get very complicated for what seems to be such a simple movement. Here is how it went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1

Regular Grip
135x3x3

Wide Grip
125x3x3

Close Grip
135x3x1
140x3x1
135x3x1

Chin-ups
3 sets of 5

Chest-Supported Rows
50x6x1
55x6x3

Overhead Press
45x6x1
65x6x3
75x1x1
80x1x1

Heavy Bench!

2008-12-27T15:16:00.002-06:00

Anyone who has benched with me knows how difficult it is to do lift-offs for me. Yesterday, I decided to do heavy bench here in Washington state. My little sister, Jessi, was with me. But there was no one else around to do lift-offs. So, Jessi stepped up to the plate. The gym has a Forza bench, but it was too far for me to reach the bar. So, I set up a bench in the power rack. Things went pretty good. The weight felt light so I am wondering if the bar was a standard 45 pound bar.

45x8x1
95x8x1
120x3x1
135x1x1
140x1x1-paused
145x1x1 - paused
150x1x1 - paused

135x4x3 - some reps paused

Overhead Press
45x6x1
55x6x1
65x6x2
65x6x1

I finished up with a few sets of chin-ups.

Christmas Eve Squats

2008-12-26T14:41:00.002-06:00

In the Twin Cities, we are lucky to have the Press Gym. There are not many gyms left like the Press. Right now, I am visiting my parents in Washington State. I managed to get a squat workout in on Christmas Eve, at a gym not nearly as cool as the Press.

I am experimenting with carrying the bar a little lower on my back. That seemed to go great for this workout. Here is how it went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
160x3x1
165x3x7

Good Mornings
95x5x1
115x5x3

Abs

Pre-Christmas Vacation Bench Press

2008-12-22T22:38:00.003-06:00

This has already been a challenging winter in Minnesota. It seems to be alternating between snow storms and negative temperatures. But that didn't keep me away from the Press Gym for one last bench press workout before heading out of town. Christmas vacation does not mean a break from training, but it does mean I won't be at the Press for about a week. Plus, I will be eating my Mom's yummy cooking, and am hoping to not come back weighing 120!

Sunday was light bench day. But it turned out to be interesting. I am working three grips on light bench day. My regular competition grip, wide grip (legal limit), and close grip. I am experimenting with different grips. I moved my grip in a little for my heavy raw day because I am thinking I will be stronger raw at this grip. Raw benching is really a different world from shirt benching. I don't want to get too far away from my wider comp grip though. So, that is part of the reason for working the three grips on light day.

The big light bulb moment of the day was realizing that my close grip bench is seemingly as strong as my competition grip. Plus, instead of getting stuck on my chest, the weight comes up a little before I hit my sticking point. So, I am thinking the new mid grip I am using for my raw benching should be great.

So, here is how it went:

Warm-ups
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1

Old Comp Grip
125x3x1
135x3x2

Wide Grip
125x3x3

Close Grip
125x3x1
135x3x1 - these seemed freaky strong, so I went up
140x3x1 - at this point, I wanted to experiment with more
145x2x1 - missed third rep a little ways up

My goal is to do 155 with a pause in 4 weeks or so.

Assistance work

Chin-ups
2 sets of 5
1 set of 6 (with assist)

Chest-supported Rows
50x6x3

Barbell Overhead Press
45x6x1
55x6x3

This was my first time with this exercise. It comes with high recommendations, including a recommendation from Ryan Kennelly for off the chest strength.

Squats on my Own

2008-12-11T21:23:00.003-06:00

I missed Monday night squats due to the snow storm. So, I made them up on Tuesday on my own. Well, not entirely on my own - Mike Siegler was around and gave me some critiques.

Here is how things went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
165x3x1
170x3x5

Good Mornings
130x5x3

i also did some glute/ham raises and abs. Wow - it really makes you realize how lucky you are to have a good training partner when you have to lift on your own!

Light Bench Day!

2008-12-07T22:57:00.002-06:00

Today was a bench press party at the Press Gym. I was joined by Fran Huston and Lisa Marvin for bench press fun. Paul was also along to do lift-offs. Wow - what a good guy!

Today was another pin press day for me. Here is how it went:

Pin Presses:

45x8x1
95x3x1
120x4x4
125x4x3
130x4x1
135x1x1

Chin-ups
bodyweight x5x1
bodyweight x6x3 - with assistance (thanks Paul!)

Due to my serious inadequacies on chin-ups, I bought a pull-up bar for at home at Target. Watch out - I will soon dominate chin-ups!!!

Chest-supported Rows
55x7x4

Lying Triceps Extensions
22.5x7x4

Cardio: 30 minutes on treadmill

Deadlift Party!

2008-12-06T17:58:00.002-06:00

I braved the snow to head to the Press Gym for deadlift night last night. Fawn was missing having worked out earlier in the day due to other obligations. Luckily, I was joined by Lisa Marvin and Paul. Jen K. and her boyfriend, Tony, also met us at the Press. Jen is the daughter of one of my co-workers. She and Tony are interested in learning more about lifting. I helped them on deadlifts and bench press. Paul got show off his new sandbag to other lifters aspiring to do a Strongman show. A good time was had by all!

I am still working on a few different things in hopes of improving both my squat and deadlift. Last night, I started off with safety bar squats, then I did some conventionals, and finished up with a few singles sumo style.

Here is how it went:

Safety Bar Squats
65 (bar)x8x1
85x6x1
105x7x4

Conventional Deads
135x8x1
155x4x1
160x4x5

Sumo Deads
160x1x2
170x1x1
185x1x2

Reverse lunges

Self-Responsibility and Fitness

2008-12-04T20:36:00.002-06:00

I am a big advocate of self-responsibility in general. A lot of it comes from working in a job where I encounter a lot of people who are not so responsible - I am an Assistant County Attorney for my real job.

The whole idea of self-responsibility and fitness occurred to me today when I was reading about the Canadian Supreme Court's ruling that airlines have to give the functionally disabled because of obesity two airline seats for the price of one. Ok, I may be off on some of the details. I have not researched this thoroughly, which to a lawyer would mean reading the actual opinion. I just read the news article. But hummmm...... obesity is not a disability. Ok, yes there are a few people here and there who have some kind of disorder, but most people who are obese became that way through their own poor choices. And it does not happen overnight. Sorry - the truth hurts.

The truth is not popular. But guess what, people love to make excuses for themselves. So people who are obese blame it on genetics, a glandular disorder, etc. I believe what Jesse Ventura said years ago -most people who are fat say they they have a glandular disorder. "I'll tell you what it is - it's the salivary gland." Ok, I don't intend to be mean, but seriously, if you don't care about your own body, what do you care about?

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am not a natural skinny girl. Hell yeah, I have awesome genetics - but skinny, no. I work my ass off for my body - diet, exercise, the full deal. Am I perfect? Only if I have a weight class to be in. LOL! But seriously, why wouldn't you want to take care of your body? It is the only thing that is GUARANTEED to be with you your whole life. Here is my philosophy. If you take care of your body it will take care of you.

Now, I may be tempting fate here, but I don't get sick. I haven't been sick since 2005. Yeah, I can remember the exact details because it is so rare. I don't usually even get colds. I don't believe in the flu shot. I just believe in taking care of yourself.

Ok , so my message of the day - VALUE YOUR BODY!!!

My Favorite Day of the Week - Heavy Bench Day!!!

2008-12-04T20:11:00.004-06:00

Some people think working out is boring. A lot of people never do it. But for me, I look forward to heavy bench day all week!! Powerlifting may be addictive, but at least it is a healthy addiction.

Yesterday was heavy bench day for me. I actually don't like having heavy bench day in the middle of the week. I get tired from work and such. But right now that is when my help is available, so I'll take what I can get.

I decided I wanted to be in my shirt today. This is because I was thinking of doing the Minnesota State meet - bench press only - in February in my bench shirt. Well, now I am having second thoughts due to the Arnold. I am thinking I should focus on my raw bench. When you try to do both at once, I think you won't be as successful as you could if you just focused on one goal at a time. That has always been my weakness - having too many goals.

Well, yesterday was ok. In setting up my arch, I twisted my knee weird on my first set in my shirt. I worked the kink out, but it took a few sets. I never knew I got so much out of leg drive, but I guess I do.

So, here is how it went:

Warm-ups
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x3x1
145x1x1

Shirt
175x3x1 - to two board
175x1x1 - to one board
175x1x1 - to chest
175x3x1
175x3x2 - with first rep paused

Floor Presses
100x8x3

Shrugs
120x8x3

DB Overhead Press
20x8x1
25x8x2

High Volume Squat Day

2008-12-01T22:42:00.003-06:00

Today was supposed to be a heavy squat day, which meant high volume for this workout. Fawn and I were joined by Anna White, so at least I had more rest between sets! Here is how things went:

Squats
45x8x1
95x6x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
165x3x9

That's right 30 squats at my working weights!

Good Mornings
45x5x1
95x5x1
130x5x3

Glute/ham raise
8x3

Sit-ups on Decline
25x8x3

Now I am hungry, even after having a Press Gym protein shake with Fawn and Anna!

Thanksgiving Weekend Training!

2008-11-30T20:00:00.002-06:00

Just because it was Thanksgiving weekend did not mean a break from the gym. Of course, this is a good thing, since there were plenty of treats to work off.

First off, Fawn and I met up on Wednesday evening for heavy bench press. I have a bunch of new bench press toys that I am playing around with. For Wednesday, it was the weight releasers. If you have not used them, weight releasers are great! Mine weigh 8 pounds each. You hook them on the bar and they drop off when you get to your chest. I can also add more weight to them. But for now, I was just using the extra 16 pounds of the releasers themselves. I did 140 plus weight releasers for a single, then followed by a double with 140. I then went down to 135 for two more sets like this. So, with the 140, the weight coming down was 156 before the releasers dropped off. WIth the 135, it was 151. Fun stuff! I then did floor presses - 3 sets of 7 at 100. This was followed up by shrugs and overhead press.

Friday was deadlift day. Fawn and I met up for an early afternoon deadlift workout at the Press. Aaron also joined us for deadlifts. I am trying some new things on deadlifts as well. Primarily adding in training conventionals to try to get stronger. This week, I did conventionals with 150 for 3 sets of four. That is just sad - my bench press reps are only about 15 pounds lighter! Oh well, I am sure I have more in me on deadlifts. But this was a moderate/light week. I also did some sumo deads, safety bar squats, and abs. Fawn and I finished up with some heavy kettlebell swings.

Today was light bench day. I was lucky to be joined by Fran Huston and Lisa Marvin. So, it was a bench press party! Paul was also along to do lift-offs. I am doing a cycle with pin presses for my light day. I am hoping that this will help my off the chest strength. On the bench press, I can lock-out pretty much anything. So getting the weight off my chest is the big battle. Especially with doing the Raw Challenge at the Arnold. I am looking to improve my raw bench press. Today was pin presses with 115 pounds - 8 sets of 3. That was followed up by chin-ups, chest-supported rows, and lying triceps extensions. I also did some cardio to try to work off all my treats!!

Monday Night Squats!

2008-11-24T22:39:00.003-06:00

Monday night is squat night. It's good to have consistency if you want to be good at something. Fawn and I hardly ever miss a squat night!

With training for the Raw Challenge at the Arnold, I am doing most of my squat training raw. Tonight was a moderate light night. I did 8 sets of 3 with 145. No gear, no belt. Then good mornings - 120x5x5. Then some glute/ham raise and abs. This was enough for tonight!

I am hoping to make some improvements on my raw squat from my squat at Raw Nationals. That is the thing about powerlifting. You always want to do a little better. That is why it is so addictive!

New Training Cycle!

2008-11-22T17:03:00.005-06:00

Fawn and I started our new training cycle to get ready for the Arnold Sports Festival this week! Both Fawn and I were lucky enough to get invited to lift in the Raw Challenge at the Arnold. This was based on our performances at Raw Nationals! Here's a photo of me benching at Raw Nationals, courtesy of Joe Warpeha.

I am doing a bunch of new stuff. I have big goals for my raw bench and am hoping to do better on the deadlift.

Monday night was squat night as usual. Anna White also joined us for fun with squats. I did 8 sets of 3 at 155. I also did some good mornings, glute/ham raises, and abs!

For the bench press, I have some fun new bench toys. First, I now have my own set of boards, including a 1/2 board. This is even less board than a 1 board. Since, I have a short range of motion to begin with I thought it might do me some good. I also now have some PVC pipes for working on my arch and trying to shorten my range of motion even more! Maybe some day I can be like the Japanese bench team!

Deadlifts, I am working on conventionals hoping that will make my deadlift overall stronger. We will see.

Tomorrow is light bench day!!

Hudson Natural Open

2008-11-09T22:09:00.006-06:00

With all the raw lifting and bench only meets I have been doing, I have had more than a year without doing a full meet in gear. Yesterday at the Hudson Open was my return to three-lift geared meets. This was more of an adjustment than I would have thought. Since I had moved up a weight class since my last three-lift geared meet, I had to figure out what gear even fit me in the 114s. So, it was something of a learning experience. Even though I was up a weight class, I was still weighing heavy and actually had to cut a few pounds to get to the 114s! Yikes!

Squats were pretty decent. Warm-ups felt heavy, so I opened with only 225. That went up fine - three white lights. I then went to 240 for my second attempt. I had a major sticking point part way up on this lift. So, I did not feel that confident and just went to 250 on my third. 250 went up way easier than 240! I think what happened is that I went super deep on the 240 and that made it harder to come back up. Anyway, I felt like I would have been good for 260.

Despite going 3 for 3 with nine white lights on the squat, I was happy to move on to the bench press. This was the lift I was there to show off on. I had been training to do 205, which would have been a new personal record. I opened with 175 which went great - three white lights again! This was my heaviest opener ever on the bench so that was pretty cool. I then went to 190 on my second attempt. 190 went up smooth with no problems. Three white lights. That was also a new Minnesota state record for three-lift meets, so it was the most I have ever done on the bench in a full meet. I realized that later. I then went up to 205. This came off my chest a little and then stalled. Next meet........

Deadlifts were a disaster. I just don't know what to do about this lift. I was already worn out by this point of the meet. So, I opened light with 215. That went fine. So, I went up to 240. 240 was a good lift - three white lights. I went to 260 on my third and totally missed it. I have some major work to do on this lift.

Mike Siegler, Jr. was nice enough to get video clips of Fawn Friday, Cheryl Anderson, and me. He made a cool compilation video - The Clash of the Mini-Titans!

One of the really cool things about Hudson this year was the number of women lifting. There were veteran women like Cheryl, Judy Drenth, and myself. There were also a ton of new lifters like Anna White and Fawn. And some brand new lifters too.

In other cool news, Team Minnesota won the border battle!

Next up for Fawn and I is likely to be the Raw Challenge at the Arnold Fitness Festival in Columbus, Ohio in March.

Down to the Wire

2008-10-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

Fawn and I are both getting ready for the Hudson Natural Open, which is November 8 in Hudson, Wisconsin. So, we are starting to wrap up our training. Monday was our last official squat workout (although next Monday is openers). Wednesday was heavy bench.

Monday we were joined by Anna White, who is also lifting at Hudson. Paul Balyeat was also around to critique and spot heavy lifts. I was finally able to find a squat suit that worked for me. I ended up doing some singles with 240 and then some heavy 1/4 squats and abs.

Heavy bench went a lot better this week than last week. I hit 185 for a triple in my shirt. I then went up to 190 for an easy double. That was so easy that I then did a triple with 190. Then, I did some heavy boards - 205 for a double to a one board and 215 for a double to a two board. I am feeling ready for a big bench at Hudson!

The Joys of Gear......

2008-10-21T21:02:00.003-05:00

For about the past year, I have been lifting raw only on squats and deadlifts. The bench press is a whole different story because I do so many high-level bench meets. Now, I have decided to do the Hudson Open in gear, so for the last few weeks I have been trying to adjust back to being in gear. This is not as easy as it sounds. I have several new philosophies. Number one, if you want to be both a raw and geared lifter, you cannot abandon your gear for a year. I am now of the belief that you should never get too far away from your gear. I have been able to have a lot of success on the bench press both raw and in gear, but I am in my shirt at least every couple of months. Plus I am a natural bencher, so that helps.

The other factor for squats and deads is that I am a whole weight class heavier than the last time I was in full gear, so stuff just does not fit the same. It has been an adventure to say the least.

Last night was squat night. I decided to try my Size 32 Centurion I wore in the 105s. I got into it, but could not hit depth at all. It did provide much entertainment for Paul and Fawn. Paul even invented a potential new Strongman event called the "Titan Carry". Check out the photo!

Anyway, I attempted to hit depth with 240, but that did not go so great. I MAY have new and improved gear next week from Titan. Meaning gear that might fit me in this weight class. Hopefully......

Heavy Squats!

2008-10-14T22:26:00.003-05:00

Last night was squat night. Fawn and I were lucky to be joined by Strongman competitor, Paul Balyeat, who critiqued our form. I am still trying to figure out being back in gear. Here is how it went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
135x3x1
165x3x1
185x2x1
205x2x1
215x2x1
225x2x2
215x2x2

This is all in an old, loose suit.

1/4 Squats in Rack
225x3x1
255x3x1
275x3x1
300x3x1

Then, Paul challenged me to 5 minutes on the rowing machine. I think the rowing machine is torture, but figured since Paul had been so nice to help us out that I would accept the challenge.

Deadlifts!!

2008-10-11T13:59:00.003-05:00

Fawn and I met up for our usual Friday night deadlifts last night. We don't have many workouts left before the Hudson Open, so it was time to get serious!

I am trying to figure out gear again for squats and deadlifts and trying to figure out what gear fits me in my new weight class. So, I tried out two suits. I ended up doing a bunch of singles at 225. This felt pretty good.

I then did some good mornings, a few sets of abs, and some heavy kettlebell swings with Fawn.

Deadlifts
135x8x1
165x3x2
185x1x1
205x1x1
215x1x1
225x1x7

Good Mornings
95x5x2
115x5x3

Heavy KB Swings with 28 KB

Monday Night Squats!

2008-10-07T22:43:00.002-05:00

Fawn and I will both be competing in about one month at the Hudson Natural Open in Hudson, Wisconsin. This is just across the border from the Twin Cities, so is nice and convenient for us. Last night it was time to do some heavy squats. I am transitioning back into my gear for this meet. I am thinking this will be my warm-up for Women's Nationals. So far, the experience I am having is that the squat is the hardest lift to transition back and forth between raw and geared lifting. Some people might say the bench press. But I have not taken any significant amount of time off from training in my shirt. So, I guess I really don't know. However, I did not squat in gear for about a year up to now!! Plus, I am a weight class up, so all my gear fits a little different....

Here is how it went last night:

Squats
45x8x1
95x6x1
135x3x1
165x2x1
185x2x1
210x3x6 - This was with suit bottoms and wraps.

Walk-outs
225
245
255

Box Squats
115x2x8

Deadlifts

2008-10-05T20:41:00.002-05:00

Deadlifts are not my favorite lift. But I am working on them. Fawn and I met up on Friday for some deadlift work. Here is how it went for me:

Sumo Deads
135x8x1
165x3x1
185x1x1
205x2x5

Romanian Deadlifts
135x5x1
155x5x1
165x5x3

Hypers

Abs

My hamstrings were super sore after this workout. Good thing I had a massage on Saturday!

Another Bench Press Day

2008-10-01T22:49:00.002-05:00

Well, I have done other things since the last heavy bench day. In fact, maybe too many other things, but I am too tired to update all that right now. Today was heavy bench day. Usually my favorite day of the week. But today I was feeling really tired. So, I did some raw boards and a few other things.

Bench
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x3x1
140x3x1

Boards
155x3x1 -two board
160x3x1 - two board
155x3x1 - one board
160x3x1 - one board
170x3x1 - two board
175x3x2 - two board

DB Floor presses
30x10x1
40x8x3

DB Rows
40x6x3

Random ab exercises

Heavy Bench!

2008-09-24T23:04:00.002-05:00

Today was heavy bench press day. Fawn and I were joined by Paul, aka Monolift for bench press. Paul was nice enough to do lift-offs for us, so that Fawn would not have to do a mini-deadlift workout just to lift-off for me!

Here is how it went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x3x1
140x3x8

I played around with a slightly more narrow grip. This seemed to help me off the chest a little. I have a theory that a wide grip works great in a shirt, but not so much raw. We will see... I am on a mission to improve my raw bench.

Foam presses
150x3x1
155x3x2

Overhead Shrugs
Weight - 55 - not sure of sets and reps

Chin-ups
5x1
4x1
3x1

I also did some cardio over lunchtime today, including the Stillwater stairs!

Squats!

2008-09-23T21:10:00.002-05:00

Monday night is squat night! This is one thing that makes Mondays fun. Last night, Fawn and I met up at the Press Gym for squats. Unfortunately, we didn't have any of our other regulars around. But we managed great on our own. I am working in gear in preparation for Hudson. So, this was all done in my old, loose suit bottoms. Here is how things went for me:

45x8x1
95x6x1
135x4x1
165x3x1 - added belt
185x5x2 - added knee wraps
195x5x1
185x5x2

Box Squats
115x3x5

Weighted Straight Leg Sit-ups

Bench Press Party!

2008-09-22T22:10:00.002-05:00

I always love the bench press, but yesterday was an especially fun bench workout because a bunch of friends joined me. I was joined by both Fran Huston and Fawn Friday, two of my favorite powerlifters! Plus, Strongman competitor Paul Balyeat came along to help out. Paul always makes me do crazy things on light bench day and yesterday was no different. It was another day of bands, which I am starting to really get into. Here is how it went:

45x8x1
95x8x1
85x3x1 +mini bands
95x3x9 +mini bands - three different grips

These were superset with hanging rows from Paul's gymnast rings.

Then, I did some crazy push-ups with chains on my back, super set with chin-ups. What a fun day!

Squat Party!

2008-09-17T22:48:00.002-05:00

Some people don't think working out is fun. This is something I overheard at work the other day - two people discussing how working out is never fun. Hmmm... for some reason, my lifting partners and I always have fun working out at the Press Gym. Monday night was a squat party! Fawn Friday and I were joined by Anna White. We are all planning to compete at the Hudson Natural Open, which should be a blast.

I have decided to do the Hudson meet in gear as a warm-up for Women's Nationals. So, Monday, I got into my loose suit bottoms and some knee wraps. On squats and deads, I have not competed in gear for about a year and a half! Yikes! And I have not been training in gear for the last year or so.

So, here is how things went:

45x8x1
135x3x1
155x3x1
175x3x1
185x5x3 - with knee wraps

Pause Squats
115x8x3

Weighted Sit-ups on Decline Bench
35x8x3

I then finished up with some cardio.

Light Bench with a Twist

2008-09-14T22:50:00.002-05:00

Following my successful 198-lb. bench press at Bench Nationals, I am now planning to bench 205 pounds at the Hudson Natural Open in November. To help me in training for this effort, I enlisted Strongman competitor, Paul Balyeat, to help me with light bench training today. This was definitely a lot harder workout than light bench usually is.

We started off with some band training on the bench.

Mini bands + bar - warm-ups
Mini bands + 75 - warm-up
Mini-bands + 85x3x8 - three grips - regular, wide comp grip (shirt grip), close grip

This was super set with hanging rows from Paul's crazy gymnast rings.

Then some chin-ups from the gymnast rings.

Next was super sets with overhead tricep lockouts and dumbbell rows.

Overhead Tricep lockouts - 55x6x4 _ I think this is about what I did - not sure of sets and reps.

Dumbbell rows - 30x8x3

Dumbbell floor presses - 30x8x3

We finished up with some crazy thing Paul calls "metabolic training". This involves doing crazy exercises like push-ups, mountain climbers, and some crazy jumping thing for a minute straight. I had to do two sets of these. Doesn't Paul know that powerlifters don't do anything for a minute straight??? He said it would make me leaner and stronger. Hardest light bench day I've had for a while.

Double Workout!!

2008-09-11T20:52:00.003-05:00

I was at a conference for work earlier this week, so last night Fawn and I doubled up and did both squats and bench! Who says powerlifters don't work hard?? I was on a high rep day (for a powerlifter). Here is how it went:

Squats
45x8x1
95x5x1
135x3x1
155x5x5

Bench
45x8x1
95x8x1
115x3x1
135x8x3

I know - my bench and squat warm-ups are just way too similar.

Bench Press Nationals!!!

2008-09-02T21:06:00.005-05:00

I just returned from Bench Press Nationals last night. The meet was awesome! I went three for three, won the 114s, and benched 198!

This year's Bench Press Nationals was held in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina. This is one of my favorite meet sites. This year, Jen and Donovan Thompson and Tim Anderson were the meet directors. They put on a great show. The meet hotel is the Omni Hotel in downtown Charlotte. It is a perfect location because you can just walk down the street to any number of restaurants and there is plenty to do within walking distance (even for powerlifters). Pretty cool. The hotel also has a fun rooftop pool!

I was super lucky this year to have Greg Jones as my coach for the meet. Greg Jones has been powerlifting since I was in 4th grade, I think, and is super knowledgeable about the sport! He is also the one who taught Fawn Friday how to put on my bench shirt. Greg Jones really knows his stuff when it comes to bench shirts. My opener was 170 pounds. Usually I can touch this in my shirt with no problem. Well, it was cranked down more than usual and I actually had to pull 170 to my chest! That threw me off for a minute, but I still put the weight up and got three white lights! After my opener, I already knew I had won the 114s. So, it was time to have fun! I went to 182 for my second attempt. Three white lights again. So, it was time for real fun. On the suggestion of Greg Page I went for 198 (yes - those are the same two Gregs from Raw Nationals). The lift went up great for another three white lights. I couldn't have asked for a better meet.

Greg Jones drove from Georgia just to help out Damian Fronzaglia and me. Damian won the 165s with Greg's coaching. So, Greg "Slow-Talkin'" Jones was 2-0 for the weekend. Now, we just need to convince him to come along to Luxembourg for Bench Worlds! Here we are - Greg Jones' champions!

Training for this meet was kind of tough. I really had no idea what to expect. Going into Bench Worlds, I felt ready. This meet, I really had no clue how I would do. I didn't talk much about that prior to the meet because I really like to maintain a positive attitude. I had spent the summer having too much fun and getting fatter. I actually had to lose a pound to get into the 114s! Yikes! I did Raw Nationals at the end of July and only had four weeks to train for this meet. It turned out great!

I am now pumped up and ready to train for the Hudson Open coming up in November. I am planning to bench 205!!

I am really lucky to have Fawn Friday for my training partner. She is always willing to go out of her way to help me train for these crazy bench meets, even though Fawn doesn't even really like the bench press! Since I started training with Fawn, I have done four meets: Minnesota State, Bench Press Worlds, Raw Nationals, and this one. These have all been great meets for me. Thanks Fawn!! It is amazing what an asset a great training partner can be!

I know I say this all the time, but I also want to thank the Press Gym and Titan Support Systems. The Press Gym is the kind of gym most powerlifters dream of. We are so lucky to have a gym like this in the Twin Cities. Titan Support Systems makes the best powerlifting gear out there and is run by Pete Alaniz, one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet.

Ready for Bench Nationals!!!

2008-08-29T17:49:00.003-05:00

I am in Charlotte, North Carolina for Bench Nationals this weekend. I feel ready to lift in my new 114-lb. weight class! Although lifting has not started yet, I wanted to say some thanks. Number one, my lifting partner, Fawn Friday is absolutely phenomenal and learned how to put on a bench shirt just to help me when I was training for Bench Worlds. Fawn is really invaluable. Second, the Press Gym. Seriously, the best place to train in the Twin Cities. Dan Stock, owner of the Press, is super supportive of powerlifting. The other great thing is there are so many powerlifters at the Press that there is almost always someone around to help with lift-offs and things like watching technique! I also want to thank Titan Support Systems for all the top-notch powerlifting gear. Ready to lift!! More updates tomorrow.

An Athletic Mindset

2008-08-18T22:53:00.003-05:00

Athletes like challenges. That is pretty much the entire nature of competing in a sport. Challenging yourself to do more and to be the best you can possibly be. An athlete loves to take on a new challenge, even something small.

This is what caused me to run a half-marathon. Yes, once upon a time, I ran a half-marathon. I actually ran two of them. A long time ago, I used to run two miles about five days a week. I didn't do it because I liked running. In fact, I hated running. Instead, I did it to stay in some semblance of shape. I was also doing gymnastics at the time. One of my teammates knew that I ran, but obviously didn't know I hated it. She asked me if I wanted to do this half-marathon. At first, I just said, "What?!? Are you crazy?" But once the idea got into my head, I wanted to do it just to see if I could! After running so much to train for it, I started to love running. Crazy, I know!

Well, tonight my challenge was much smaller. Jim Cahill happened to be at the Press Gym when Fawn and I were doing squats. He was talking about doing high rep training. Then, I started talking about doing the rep your weight contest at bench nationals. Well, 115 was already loaded on the squat bar. So, you know what happened next... Of course, I had to see if I could rep my body weight 20 times on the squat. It was not easy, but I did it!

Here is how the rest of the workout went:

45x8x1

95x6x1

135x3x1

155x2x1 (belt)

165x2x1

170x2x6

Pause Squats

115x8x2

Squat your bodyweight for reps

115x20x1

We finished up with some abs! I had thought I might do some cardio, but after 20 reps on the squat, I had enough for one night!

Gym Deadlifts

2008-08-17T23:33:00.002-05:00

Friday night I met up with Fawn Friday for deadlift night. Lisa Marvin also joined us. This was awesome because I had not seen Lisa in forever. She used to train with Fran and me. She also did a powerlifting meet about two years ago.

It is a good thing I have such a fun group of people to deadlift with because deadlift is the lift I just struggle with. It is my least favorite of the three lifts. I don't know - maybe I just have a bad attitude. Deadlifts are just odd to me. I can always deadlift way more in competition than in the gym. Something that would feel easy in a meet can be a major struggle in the gym. Bench and squat are not like this for me. Squat, I usually figure I'm good for a little more than I've done in the gym, but mainly because I don' t to to an all-out max effort in the gym. Bench press I can always do as much in the gym as in a meet. So, deadlifts are just a struggle for me.

Friday was kind of a random workout. Here is how it went:

135x8x1

165x3x1

185x3x1

210x1x1

215x1x1

225x1x1

235x1x1

RDLs

135x5x3

Abs

Monday Night Squats!

2008-08-11T22:56:00.002-05:00

Squats are the perfect way to start off the week! Tonight, Fawn and I met up for our usual Monday night squat workout at the Press Gym. Here is how it went down:

45x8x1

95x8x1

135x3x1

155x3x1

165x3x7

Pause Squats

115x8x2

Bulgarian-style split squats

12 KBsx5x1

16 KBsx5x2

Abs - yes we even did some abs!

Bench Press Fun!

2008-08-10T23:10:00.002-05:00

Today, I was joined for heavy bench press by Fran Huston, Shari Cowles, and Justin (who trains with Fran). This was the first time Shari was come to train with us. She is a new lifter and has done one meet so far. So that was pretty cool. She was not benching today, but did some squats. We worked technique with her.

I am now getting ready for Bench Press Nationals. It has been a busy summer for lifting! So, I was back in my bench shirt today. Justin was a great help with the shirt and lift-offs. And as always it was nice to have Fran's eagle-eye for technique!

At nationals, I will be lifting at 114, which for now is my new weight class. There are three other women entered so far - Diann Nelson, Mary Cencich, and Julie Smith. Pretty cool. I am really looking forward to seeing Ann Leverett lift at 105. She is in her 50s and still amazing! I want to be like her when I grow up. I am also looking forward to seeing what Diann Nelson puts up. She is a freaky strong raw bencher.

Today I did some shirt work to my chest - mainly reps. Then did a few sets of pull-ups. That was about all I had energy for. Two more heavy workouts left before nationals!

Squat Party!!!

2008-08-04T23:01:00.002-05:00

Tonight Fran Huston joined Fawn and I for squats at the Press Gym! Brad Madvig was also there squatting. So, it was a squat party!

I was talking to someone at work today and saying that I was looking forward to doing squats and that it would be fun. He said he couldn't believe I thought squats were fun. Well, they are fun! I don't love the squat as much as Fawn does, but what could be more fun than hanging out with other powerlifters at the gym and doing squats?? Well, maybe the bench press!

So, enough rambling. Here is how it went:

45x8x1

95x8x1

135x3x1

155x3x1

160x3x8

135x5x1 (victory set - no belt)

Neutral Grip Pull-ups

5, 4, 3, 2, 2

Abs

- Reverse crunches on decline

- Weighted Sit-up son decline bench

Raw Nationals!!!

2008-07-29T20:04:00.008-05:00

Raw Nationals was totally awesome! I went 9 for 9 and won the 114s!

Training for this meet was kind of odd because I was super focused on Bench Worlds for ten weeks. Then, I had only about four weeks before this meet once I got back to the U.S. Luckily for me, Fawn Friday kept me from missing any squat workouts leading up to Bench Worlds, and I jumped right back into squats on my second day back in the U.S.! Deadlifts went a little rougher. I didn't deadlift for about four weeks leading up to Bench Worlds. Oh well, everyone can use some time off from the deadlift. After I recovered from my Bench Worlds jet lag, training was great leading up to this meet. Anna White, our other female, Press Gym team member, joined Fawn and I for several workouts. This made things even more fun!

I am super lucky to train with these two women. Not only is Fawn a great training partner, but she has great support around her. Aaron Friday, Fawn's husband, and Ralph Friday, Fawn's father-in-law, drove us down to St. Louis for Raw Nationals. This was awesome! All Fawn and I had to do was chill out in the back of the mini-van! Fawn packed tons of healthy snacks for us to eat on the way down too. How lucky for me!

I was busy attending to my social life the last few days before we left - yes, lifters have social lives too! So, I didn't really follow my own advice that I doled out to the girls about getting enough sleep. Then, my last day at work went kind of crazy with a surprise election law project that took the whole day. Well, these things happen. Good thing we got to St. Louis a day early. I was able to rest up and hit the platform feeling on top of my game!

I had some really good competition from Diann Nelson. This woman is amazing. She is 52 years-old and lifts in the 114s and is freaky strong! I can only hope to be like her when I get to that age! I knew going into it that she has a great raw bench, so I was hoping to get a decent lead on her on the squat. Unusual position for me to be in!

It turned out to be my day! I opened light with 165 on the squat and sank it deep for three white lights. Diann made 154 on her opener. I went to 176 on my second to try to stay ahead. She went to 165. Both good lifts again. Not wanting to take a whole lot of risks at this point, I went to 187 on my third. Hit it perfect - three white lights again. My day was off to a great start. Diann missed her third attempt at 176. So, I was about twenty pounds ahead at this point.

I was ready to go show it off on the bench press! I opened with 137 on the bench press. For those of you who have read my shirt numbers, it really does make a difference! Diann opened with 143. I couldn't believe it - someone opening heavier on a bench press than me! We both made our openers. She jumped up to 154! This is a great raw bench! I played it conservative trying to maintain my lead and went to 143. I made 143 perfect - three white lights again! Diann missed 154 - not locking it out. I went to 148 for my third attempt. I made that and she missed 154 again.

By this point, my lower back was feeling sore from all that squatting and benching. I couldn't believe I still had the deadlift left! I just wanted to survive the deadlift at this point. I did 215 for my opener -three white lights! I jumped up to 231 for my second. Three white lights again! I then went to 248 for my third. Three white lights again! What a meet! Twenty-seven white lights! This has only happened one other time in my lifting career - Zumbro Valley Open 2003 where I first broke the Minnesota state record on the bench press.

This meet was amazing for me. Not because I did numbers that I hadn't done before. But I just felt totally on every lift. This was especially great having just come off Bench Press Worlds. It really does wonders for your lifting to have a phenomenal training partner like Fawn!

It was also great to see the other members of Team Press Gym milling around in their Zubaz. We had so much support and help! The two Gregs - Jones and Page were also on hand to help. These guys are great and super knowledgeable! Angela Simons, our Minnesota State chair was also helping out. How lucky for Fawn, Anna, and I!

Fawn and Anna both did great in their first national meet! I can't wait to see how they improve from here.

I really want to say thanks to Dan Stock and the Press Gym. For those of you who haven't been there, the Press Gym is really the best place to train in the Twin Cities. I can't say enough good things about it!

Now it is on to Bench Press Nationals which will be Labor Day weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina. I can't wait!

Light Bench Night

2008-07-16T23:48:00.002-05:00

Although I love the bench press, I do not love light bench day. Tonight was a light bench workout for me. Fawn and Anna White were doing their last heavy day before Raw Nationals, so that made things a little more exciting. I just worked some close-grips.

So, here is how it went:

45x8x1

95x4x1

95x8x1

95x3x1 (close-grip)

95x3x1 (regular grip)

105x3x1 (close grip)

110x3x2 (close grip)

115x1x1 (close grip)

120x1x1 (close grip)

125x1x1 (close grip)

Chin-ups

bodyweightx5x3

Fun with Squats!

2008-07-14T22:48:00.004-05:00

So to keep going with my play theme, some people think working out is no fun. But really we have tons of fun at the gym! Working out is especially fun if you have good training partners! Tonight, happened to be Raw Nationals team night at the Press Gym. Anna White joined Fawn Friday and me for our last heavy squat workout before Raw Nationals. Fellow team members Brad Madvig and Jim Cahill also happened to be squatting at the Press tonight. This was quite a crew!

Here is how the squats went for me:

45x8x1

95x8x1

135x5x1

155x2x1 (added belt)

170x1x1

180x1x1

190x1x2

170x1x2

Victory set

135x6x1 (no belt)

Here is a clip of the 190:

I am really getting excited for Raw Nationals. It is going to be awesome!

Fawn, Anna, and I then finished up with some abs -

Weighted Decline Sit-ups

25x12x2

Hanging Leg Raises

10x2

We then played around with some handstands and Fawn attempted to teach us some cool yoga moves!

Why Do We Stop Playing?

2008-07-13T22:35:00.006-05:00

Many people claim that your metabolism slows down as you age - that this is just part of the normal aging process. I remember when I turned 30, people kept saying things to me like, "Oh, it won't be so easy to stay little now." Blah, blah, blah. Hmmm, I am now 32, and in better shape than when I was 23, and I did more cardio then! I am not an exercise physiologist, but I have done a lot of reading on the subject and most of the slow down in metabolism is from a loss of lean muscle mass, not the natural aging process. Here's the deal - the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism will be even at rest! Pretty cool!

What happens is people become less physically active as they age, for the most part. So they lose muscle mass, and as a result their metabolisms slow down. I understand that maybe not everyone wants to spend hours in a gym, although it is pretty fun. But why do we stop being active in our everyday lives in general? You know how when you were a kid, you were always running around playing. There were all kinds of active games - hula hoop, jumping rope, tag, softball/baseball, climbing trees, playing at the playground, etc.

Today, I was out doing my cardio, if it can be considered cardio: walking around Stillwater. There are a lot of hills here, so maybe it counts as cardio. I walked by a playground and it occurred to me that playgrounds are great places to get a mini workout in. At the playground, I walked by, there were bars to swing across or do pull-ups on, a rope thing to climb on, jungle gyms of course, and then swings for when you are finished with the other stuff. How fun! So, I wondered, why do we stop playing when we get to a certain age? Is it because it's not adult-like to go swing on the swings and swing across the playground bars? That we're socially trained that we're not supposed to do that sort of stuff?

It is really too bad. Because this country is in dire need of a national fitness program. And part of it is because we are so sedentary in our everyday lives - most people don't walk places as part of their every day life for instance.

I have a hula hoop and convinced Fawn Friday to get her own hula hoop over the Fourth of July. A hula hoop is not a fitness program in and of itself, but we certainly burned some extra calories playing with our hula hoops. And that is just the thing. It wasn't considered work, it was play. Here is a clip of our hula fun:

I know some people might say rude things like "You're a lawyer. It is so undignified to play with a hula hoop." But oh well. People have also told me I look too happy to be a lawyer. Guess what - you can be smart, fit, and happy!

So, that is my rant of the day. More play, less fat!!

Deadlift Party!

2008-07-12T22:12:00.002-05:00

After doing a major bench-only meet, it is hard to transition back into the idea that I am actually a three-lift lifter and need to train deadlifts instead of just the bench press! Lucky for me, I have a crew of great deadlift training partners to keep me on track! With Raw Nationals only two weeks away, Friday was the last heavy deadlift workout for the women of Team Press Gym. Fawn and I were joined by Anna White, who is the third member of our women's half of Team Press Gym.

After having a crappy deadlift workout last week, where 205 felt heavy, this workout was my last chance to convince myself I can still deadlift before Raw Nationals. Thankfully this week was a lot better. Here is how it went:

135x8x2

155x3x1

175x1x1

185x1x1

205x1x1

225x1x1

235x1x1

240x1x1

225x1x1

I started to do some shrugs. Then, we all realized that a major thunderstorm, complete with tornado warnings, was going on outside. So, we cut the workout short and headed for cover.

Squat Party!

2008-07-07T22:30:00.003-05:00

After a fun holiday weekend, Fawn and I met up with Anna White tonight at the Press Gym for a heavy squat workout! This is the women's half of Team Press Gym for Raw Nationals. I think a weekend of relaxation helped our squats. Fawn looked like the squat machine she is and appeared to be well on the road to a 250 raw squat! I am not a squat machine and had to be satisfied with keeping my squat above my bench press.

Here is how it went:

45x8x1

95x8x1

135x3x1

155x2x1

170x2x4

175x1x1

Here is a clip of one of my sets with 170:

Victory set

140x6x1 (no belt)

Walk-outs

200

215

225

Team Press Gym is going to rock at Raw Nationals!

Back in the gym!

2008-07-03T23:48:00.002-05:00

After about 19 hours of straight travel, I finally arrived back in Minneapolis around 4:00 on Sunday. My lifting partner, Fawn Friday, picked me up at the airport and proceeded to take me to her house where there was a little shindig of kettlebell people in progress! I think I fell asleep on the couch around 7:00 p.m.! No one was able to rouse me for hours after that!

Since we are training for Raw Nationals, there was no time to rest from lifting though. Monday afternoon, we were hitting squats at the Press Gym! Flying half-way across the world definitely takes it out of you, believe me! At least, it was on the way back home that it really hit me. I think on the way to the meet you have so much adrenaline it doesn't matter.

So, I decided to go relatively light for squats on Monday. I did one set of three with 165. I then decided that was too heavy and did 160 for 5 sets of 3. I finished with a victory set of 6 reps at 135. Seriously, my bench is almost catching up with my squats! LOL!

Fawn then convinced me to do her kettlebell class on Monday evening. This was a little too much for me to handle. I think I only participated in about half the class.

As if this was not enough, Wednesday we did bench press. I literally felt like I was sleepwalking the whole time I was at the gym. I could really tell the difference on my bench. Again, I just went light. I did 5 sets of triples I think at 115. I then played around with a wider grip and arch technique suggested to me at Worlds. I went up to 135 for a double playing around.

Tonight was deadlifts, since we all are going out of town for Fourth of July weekend. I am finally starting to feel like a normal person again. Here is how things went tonight:

135x8x1

155x1x1

175x1x1

185x1x1

195x1x1

210x1x4

210 felt heavy tonight! Oh well, so has everything else this week!

Bench Press Worlds!!!

2008-06-30T21:15:00.003-05:00

I am now back from the 2008 Bench Press Worlds! It is always fun to get to spend five days with people who love lifting weights, and particularly the bench press, as much as I do. The Japanese team even had t-shirts that said, "I love bench press!" Pretty cool. There is so much to tell that I can't cover it all in one post and I am still recovering from the flight home of course. But here is a quick update!

This year, I lifted at 114 - one weight class up from where I usually lift at Worlds. This was a whole new experience because I didn't have to sit in the sauna and dehydrate myself and I also got to eat dinner the night before I lifted! Amazing! So, I went into the meet feeling really good.

I opened up with 165 (75 kilos). This was a light opener for me. I had been training pauses at 17o and 175, so the opener went great. Perfect - three white lights, which means none of the judges saw a technical flaw. I went to 182 (82.5 kilos) for my second attempt. This lift was also perfect and I got three white lights.

This was where the gaming for team points really started. Originally, our team coach put my third attempt in at 198 (90 kilos). I was ready to do 198! But he said he was going to move me down if the lifter in front of me made her attempt at 187 (85 kilos). This was to protect team points. She made her lift, so we moved mine down to 187. I hit that perfect too - three white lights again! This put me in seventh place out of 11 lifters in the class. The reason our coach moved me down was that 198 would have only moved me up one place, and I could have lost two places if I missed it.

The U.S. Women's team finished second place overall. Check out the team photo above with our team trophy - Teale Adelmann (123 lb.), Gina Benton (123 lb.), Devan Doan (181 lb.), Jen Gadreau (132 lb.), CiCi Smith (165 lb.), and me.

I have much more to share about the trip. More updates soon!

Quick Update From Prague

2008-06-23T14:11:00.001-05:00

I have arrived in Prague! Now I have a few days to acclimate and rest before I lift on Thursday! I can hardly believe I am here! More updates soon.

Thanks

2008-06-22T00:30:00.005-05:00

In less than 24 hours, I will be on my way to Prague, preferably sleeping through the flight, to lift at the Bench Press Worlds. Training for a meet like this is not easy. Even if you think you are not nervous about it, it is there subliminally. I cannot tell you how many dreams I have had about various aspects of preparation: forgetting my passport at home, still being 114 the day before the meet (only now I am lifting at 114), etc. This year, since I am lifting at 114, I didn't have the added stress of weight cutting. But I did have a lot going on a work with an appellate brief and my first oral argument before the Minnesota Court of Appeals all in the last month.

There are many people who have helped me with training and preparing for this meet. First and foremost, is my lifting partner, Fawn Friday. Fawn has been absolutely indispensable both as a lifting partner and a friend. She learned how to put on a bench shirt like a pro from Greg Jones and has been putting my shirt on for about the last four weeks! I could not have a better lifting partner! Fawn is training for Raw Nationals, but still has taken the time out of her deadlift workouts to help me work in my shirt. Fawn is also the one who has been there any time I had a moment of doubt. The great training cycle I had is in large part due to Fawn!

Shawn and Aaron Friday have also been a great help. Shawn in particular has done countless hand-offs. So many that he is now an expert in how to hand off to me. Aaron also did some hand-offs. These guys have also put up with the disruption of having me benching on their deadlift day and have been thoroughly supportive through out the process.

Earlier in the training cycle, I was really lucky to have several girl bench press parties with Fawn, Fran Huston, Deb Duffy Smet, and Jala Beer! These were sooo fun! Deb was working in her bench shirt too so I had company. Fran Huston also came out last week to look at my technique. This was really helpful. If Fran says a lift is good, you know it is technically solid.

I also want to say thanks to Jeremy Biewer for all the bench shirt help and hand-offs earlier in the training cycle. For Jeremy, lifting off to me was no big deal since he can shrug 900 pounds! Jeremy is competing while I am gone at the Lifetime Fitness bench press meet. Good luck to Jeremy!

One of the luckiest things that happened to me was that Greg Jones came through the area about half way through my training cycle. Not only did I get him to look at my bench press, but he taught Fawn how to put on a bench shirt like an expert!

So with all this help, I am now ready to go bench some heavy weight! Too bad I can't take the whole crew to Prague with me!

Last Bench Workout Before Worlds!

2008-06-21T00:03:00.002-05:00

Tonight was my last heavy bench workout before Bench Press Worlds. In less than a week, I will be lifting in Prague! I can hardly believe it is already here.

Here is how things went tonight:

45x8x1

95x8x1

115x3x1

135x2x1

145x1x1

Shirt

165x2x1 - to two board

165x1x1 - to one board

170x1x2 - to chest - second with pause

180x1x1 - with pause

210x1x1 - to two board

175x3x1 - to chest

Just one more day to pack and then I am off to Prague!

My New and Improved Weight Class... at Least Temporarily

2008-06-18T22:20:00.002-05:00

The big news is that I am lifting at 114 at this year's Bench Press Worlds. This is a first for me and I am pretty excited. Usually I am watching every morsel I put in my mouth at this point and doing mad cardio. Not so this year! I actually got to eat a hamburger and dessert last Sunday! It is going to be fun to go to a meet where I don't have to sit in the sauna for hours on the day before I lift!

Last Light Bench Night

2008-06-18T22:18:00.003-05:00

This was my last light bench night of the training cycle. I kind of took it easy tonight since the last heavy workout is Friday. So, here is how it went.

45x8x1

95x8x1

115x3x1

120x3x3 - close grip

120x3x1 - paused

135x1x1 - paused

Plate Raises

25x8x2

Pull-ups

bodyweight x5x3

That was enough for tonight!

For Anyone Who Likes the Bench Press...

2008-06-17T22:36:00.003-05:00

There will be a LIVE web cast of the IPF Bench Press Worlds. Check it out at www.powerlifting-ipf.com! I lift on June 26, although I can't say what time of day here in the U.S. It will be 11 a.m. Czech time!

Team Raw Nationals Night at the Press Gym!

2008-06-16T22:04:00.002-05:00

If you haven't already heard, the Press Gym is sponsoring Team Minnesota for Raw Nationals. Tonight, the Power Room was filled with half of our team! Anna White joined Fawn Friday and I for squats! Brad Madvig was also squatting and Jim Cahill was in deadlifting. Quite the crew! We are going to clean up at Raw Nationals!

This was my last squat workout for two weeks, until after Bench Press Worlds! It is kind of sad because Raw Nationals is so close after Bench Press Worlds, but maybe two weeks of rest for my legs will be good for me. I also threw in some deadlifts since I hadn't done them for about three weeks with all my bench press focus.

Here is how it went:

Squats

45x8x1

95x6x1

135x3x1

155x3x1

165x2x6

145x5x1- victory set

Deadlifts

135x8x1

165x1x1

185x1x3

That was enough for me for one night! It was really fun to have Anna join us again. We are all going to make a lot of progress on our squats training together!