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Tag: NK Powerliften
STEPPING IN TO MY WHY
Ola!
After Ricky stole my monday spot last week for his blog
I AM BACK Â with a vengeance to share some thangzz with you all about my powerlifting WHY. Why? you might think…. well lemme tell you.
A while back I was gifted the opportunity to talk to Maarten Gulickx about  my profession, goals and my life. One of the most important things he shared with me in this conversation was the finding and defining of my
‘WHY’, because at the time my WHY
had been turned in to a complete messy and disastrous  HOW :-(.
Maarten promised me that when I would get back in touch with my WHY, everything I wanted to do, accomplish and go for would sort itself out. It would take time he said, because he is no magician and neither am I , but it would turn out for the better if I just focussed on this essential thing.
And so I did.
Flashing forward; the focussing on my WHY  eventually gave me the space and peace of mind I was looking for.  As expected it took time, effort, moving on from people, places and jobs,  more than several rivers of good ol’  tears but it also blessed me with the love for the sport of powerlifting and the opportunity  to find space in my ‘ life WHY’  to implement  and define my own ‘powerlifting WHY’.
Key ingredients  of powerlifting that influence this last WHY are not only the fact that I strive to better myself everyday but also the fact that in doing so I like to give back to others #representationmatters.  Going the distance, getting my hands dirty and having long term goals also play a big role and of course one  should never forget,  the power of competing for everything you once thought or was told you’d never have or couldn’t do,  can have on a person.
I am really happy that finding my WHY has helped me in my powerlifting journey that  just only passed the two year mark and has already  brought me so much more than I figured it would  around the time my convo with Maarten took place. As we arrived in week 5 of this cycle, my WHY has steered me in all kinds of directions already and April is around the corner with a platform waiting to be directed towards next.  And while coach has been slaughtering me softly on Saturday’s (last saturday he had me do a back-off set of 10 on squats…..)  and I am still figuring out the WHY on these RDL’s that suck the life right out of me every time I look at them,  I will keep at it because in the end  it will be worth it. Because as coach always says; Powerlifting is a metaphor for life.Â
Adios!
ILY
Progress in recovery abductor injury …. step by step …
Step by step the abductor of my right leg is feeling better. Although in my 2nd set with 120kg squat it became worse and therefore I didn’t do my 3rd set with 120kg. I did 3 slow reps instead with 60kg. With my deadlift I kept the weights lights, so I could focus on the movement of my right leg. The deadlift sets felt okay, compared to the last few trainings after the injury 🙂 Bench press is becoming better and better the last few weeks and today I pressed finally 3 reps with 120kg again :-).
In the future 5×5 ????
Followed with Titan Super Ram sets 😀 and I finished with 3 reps with 150kg 🙂 So a very nice training…… In the coming weeks I want to try out a loose Titan Super Katana Low Cut bench press shirt. For today it was to early to do so 😉
Squats 2×3 120kg followed with 3x60kg
Deadlift 3×3 140kg
Bench press 3x120kg and Super Ram 3x150kg
Lack of energy …. so glad I had an recovery training :-)
Still some problems with my right upper leg abductor so I had to do some light recovery training today. Very glad with it, because I had lack of energy. Yesterday I did to much and was late at home. Very light weights, so curious what the reaction will be tomorrow.
Squats 3×5 80kg
Deadlift 3×3 120kg
Bench press 3×3 95kg
Small mistakes makes you focused….
Yesterday’s training felt good at the start and therefore I was easygoing during my squats sets. For a moment I let go of my focus on my technique and strained my right abductor in my 2nd set in 2nd rep. Nevertheless I continued my training and did my 3rd set and bring back my focus on my technique. Gladly I strained lightly my abductor and was able to deadlift. My starting position was a little higher than I normally do. The focus on my technique helps me to work around the (small) injury. The abductor is helping ’the core’ of your upper leg and when you can stay focus on your technique you can do more what you think than on that moment 😉
Please also read yesterday’s blog of Ricky Bakker, click here!
1 hour work-out:
Squats (wobbly) 3×3 100kg + 40kg dumbells
Deadlift (chains) 3×3 160kg + 20kg chains
Bench press (wobbly) 3×3 75kg + 25kg plates
Technique is more important than heavy training
Blog by: Ricky Bakker
Who does not know that expression? Everyone does, and I hear around me that technique is extremely important. I think so too. But do we really do that, and is that really something that you have to do endlessly. I ask myself out loud.
In my new training method, well Wim’s, technique stands central, we are also critical of the technical part. But we also work hard, we also lift relatively heavily. Because that is ultimately our goal. Getting stronger!
For me it remains difficult, I want to see those pounds on the bar. Prove that I have become stronger. Wim ensures me that I give gas but not tooooo much. Going heavier than the schedule is a no go (in his opinion). But will I than become stronger?
Yes absolutely, last week I ended with the most stable squat on high kilos ever. 🙂 Oh and you saw the speed of my deadlift and that in 1 set for 3 reps.
Do you know what a good techniuqe does with my body? It reduces my muscle pain / injures, without having to go to the physiotherapist. So form is more important than I thought.
Since I am at Wim, we evaluate each session. Sometimes short (I’ve often hear more tension here, double elastic, etc.) and sometimes longer about the way how to train (attitude / mental approach). The always recurring questions: what do you see yourself? What do you think of it yourself? What did you feel? They ensure me that I am not a robot athlete but someone who thinks, feels and learns.
Evaluating helps me to see where the mistakes are, what is going well, what is improving and gives me the opportunity to adjust thimgs during my training.
My progress is in various parts. Nice that this is taught to me.
Recovery training……. only really recovery training tomorrow :-)
Still have this happy feeling inside me, about the fact that I squatted (half) suit yesterday.
It will take some time control it again and manage the pressure. Hopefully an equipped meet will be held in a few months time. The nationals end this month comes too early, because I’ve got another mission to take care of 🙂
Today’s training (60 minutes)
Squats 3×3 130kg (pause)
Deadlift 3×3 160kg
Bench press 3×3 110kg
First (half) suit training squats and sumo deadlifts after more over a year…..
Today I had my 1st (half) suit training, since January 2017 (just before my operation)…….. Three words to describe this feeling………. IT FELT AWESOME….. like a little kid in a candy shop or toy store 😀 ………..
Most important thing to know when you start up your suit training: don’t be obsessed to hit the right depth on your first suit training…. Start to get used wearing the suit and treat it like it is your friend. The suit is made to help you squat bigger weights….. just like the feeling of insecurity. This feeling is your biggest friend when you give it a place to be there and support you, to give all what you have got. All of your feelings are there to help you at the moment you feel it. The feeling of insecurity is there, because that moment is important for you and feeling the feeling of insecurity gives you the opportunity to focus on your technique to fullfill your goals…. Nothing more or less…..in the beginning and at the end feeling insecure is your biggest friend like failing is your biggest master 😉 please read the final blog of Iris aka powerlifter.nl, click here!
Back to my training today…… Although I’m an equipped lifter, wearing the suit (half) it felt strange and tight for now 🙂 With that knowlegde I excecuted my sets rep for rep….. Just to make each rep a little bit deeper than the previous one. For today it felt awesome. When I will wear a looser suit in the future and my bodyweight will be -120kg again, hitting the depth will be easier and also control the pressure in my head. Last week I squatted 212,5kg on the Master Classic Powerlifting Nationals and today 3x235kg half suit 😉
Sumo deadlifting with (half) suit is a NO GO for the future. It was nice to do, only I felt to much pressure in my head at the start of the movement till the lock out. So I’m pleased with this result, so I can continue the way I did with my conventional deadlift where I control my breathing and pressure very well. Last week I deadlifted 242,5kg, so 250kg+ will be possible in the future.
Next test will be a bench press session with a very loose shirt 😀 Last Friday I bench pressed wearing the Titan Super Ram. Maybe I will do that next week Sunday….. Keep you posted ofcourse. Check out the video below of today’s (half) suit training 🙂
F A I L I N G I S Y O U R B E S T M A S T E R
F A I L I N GÂ I SÂ YO U RÂ B E S TÂ Â M A S T ER
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Eight weeks back I had no idea where I got myself in to. I think I know a lot more since then, but I am still searching fore some overall clarity. I am learning new stuff by doing new things. It gives me a new understanding about what I’m capable of doing. Am very gratefull for it.
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Overall I can say that some things feel good and a lot feels akward. And that akward feelling makes me somewhat insecure. It’s not a big deal…but enough of a deal for me to point it out. Knowing that it eventualy will make me embrace that feeling.  As I heard today (watching the Winter Olympics) that even the best of the best (top) atheletes have insecurities.
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This week most things I planned went as planned!
Particularly me following my training in the order I’m supposed to: 1,2,3, 4 and not 1,3,2 and 4. ?
I wouldn’t be me (silly human) if I didn’t mess something up. Ofcourse misloading plates during one of my work outs. Due to lack of my counting ability. This mistake came to bite me in the a$$ during this central training. I wasn’t able to hit all the numbers like I wanted to. Well you live and you learn right?
And F A I L I N G is a part of that. I’m learning to accept and adapt to this roalercoaster ride. Eventhough it’s difficult from time to time. But I’m learning from the best Master.
Untill we meet again..
Wobbly squats with 70kg dumbells & bench press with Titan Super Ram
People know that I’m an equipped lifter instead of a classic lifter. Classic lifting is just ‘like training’. Now I’m back in training and I have control over my breathing, so I can control the pressure in my head, equipped lifting it starts to itch again……. Therefore today I added the Titan Super Ram in my training 🙂 Last Sunday I ended with 127,5kg in my 3rd attempt and today I bench pressed 3x140kg using my Titan Super Ram 😀Â
The question is now: Shall I do some squats on Sunday, wearing a suit (half) which is loose and knee wraps and show the difference between classic squats and equipped squats? what do you think? Leave comment below 😉
I started the training with wobbly squats instead of 15kg dumbell (each side) I added 35kg dumbells (each side) just for fun 3×3 130kg (total weight) with pause 🙂 and deadlifting 3×2 190kg.