Testing maxes aka self PL meet

Last Sunday I decided to put my body to the test.

It was time to see where my actual 1 RM's are. 

Since I do most of power lifting exercises I decided to do a "self PL meet". 

The results were a bit surprising as I was sure I would increase my 1 RM on deadlift and improve the depth on my squat. Bench press was a bit disappointing but still an improvement. So I guess I really should not be disappointed. 

It was a morning workout and here is how it went:

Morning BW 82,4 kg. 

Result:

Squat: 190 kg (PR!) - depth about the same as 180 last time.

Bench: 125 kg

DL: 180 kg

Total: 495 kg . 

Squat: 

5 x 60kg, 

5 x 80kg, 

3 x 100kg, 

3 x 120kg, 

1 x 140kg, 

1 x 160kg, 

1 x 170kg (from here on with belt), 

1 x 180kg, 

1 x 190 kg - FAIL

1 x 190 kg (PR)

1 x 200 kg - EPIC fail. The weight really surprised me. 

1 x 200 kg - FAIL.

Bench:

5 x 40kg, 

5 x 60kg,

3 x 80kg,

3 x 100kg,

1 x 120kg, 

1 x 125kg, 

1 x 130kg - FAIL.  

Dedlift:

5 x 60kg, 

5 x 80kg, 

3 x 100kg, 

3 x 120kg, 

1 x 140kg, 

1 x 160kg (from here on with belt - w/o straps),

1 x 180kg, (straps) 

1 x 190 kg - FAIL

1 x 190 kg - EPIC FAIL , 

1 x 180 kg - FAIL!;), 

2 x 160 kg, 

8 x 140 kg. 

I made a video of the "meet". 

I really enjoyed this workout and will do it again after next cycle of 5-3-1. 

5-3-1 progress so far

In November 2012 I started Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 program to gain strength which is a must in natural BB.
I decided to give 5-3-1 with assistance work for bodybuilding a try. (4 exercises, 4 sets, 8-15 rep range).
My estimated 1 RM were:
Military press: ~ 69,5 kg
Deadlift: ~ 164 kg
Bench press: ~ 110 kg
Squat: ~ 150 kg

My bodyweight at start was 78 kg.
After 4 cycles an ear infection, deload week and flu I am at ~83 kg which makes 5kg gain. My goal was not to go beyond 82 kg, but a broken scale messed with me. It showed me at 80-81 kg for about 1 month and a half before I noticed something was off. Mirror is kind to me though so it's not such a bad thing.

Back to 5-3-1.
As already mentioned I had a few set backs. First was a 14 day OFF due to ear infection and the second a flu only a month later. It sucked big time. I lost so much strength and energy.

Here's my 5-3-1 progress in pictures.

As you can see, my strength is going up steadily. There are some ups and downs but it not a big deal as long as linear line is rising. Some drops are also due to the fact that my schedule at work is very irregular and I sometimes do not get enough sleep. Were it not for the illnesses I'm certain my gains would've been even greater.

I like the program A LOT. At first it was a challenge dropping the volume. It still is sometimes.

My best 1RM during these four cycles:

Military press: ~ 88 kg = ~ 18,5 kg gain
Deadlift: ~ 199 kg = ~ 35 kg gain
Bench press: ~ 135 kg = ~ 25 kg gain
Squat: ~ 186 kg = ~ 36 kg gain

I set many personal bests in these couple of months.
I actually deadlifted 180 kg and squated 180 kg. Wasn't low enough but I'll slowly get there.

left - 148 kg | right - 180 kg

Video is also available on both PB's.

Next Sunday is a test your maxes day ;). Hopefully I enter 200 kg club at deadift.

That's it from me. Stay tuned for updates and thanks for following my blog.

My diet = flexible diet

I don't remember writing this yet. I might have mentioned I use IIFYM type of dieting.

If you'd like to know what flexible dieting or modern buzz word IIFYM is all about please click on these links:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/a-guide-to-flexible-dieting  Edited 30th Jan 2013 (can't believe I forgot "the bible" ;))
http://www.iifym.com/ - official website,
http://www.doyoueven.com/2013/01/iifympart1/ - first part of a 4 part series,
http://www.naturalmusclezone.com/prehrana/mala-sola-fleksibilnega-prehranjevanja-iifym-1-del - for Slovene followers of this blog.

Deloading (sort of) done and arm blasting.

I finished deload week on Friday and went full speed ahead on Saturday.

Used deloading to try and improve my form on Overhead press, Deadlift and Bench press. Squat form is OK, so no need for any major improvements there.

Did I mention I HATE deload?! I know it is a must (and I needed it) but I still hate it. Just cannot change the mindset to do less volume/weight.

I also increased the loads on 5/3/1 quite a bit. It's quite funny doing 9+ reps on 1+ minicycle you know. People look at you in a funny way. Just kidding there. But it is kinda funny. I increased all my upper body work loads by 7,5 kg and lower body loads by 12,5 kg.

On OHP I managed 8 reps for 60kg on 5+ day so  think it is OK. Although I did 12x63kg on 1+ I'm satisfied since I really improved on form. Lowered the bar to chest as opposed to only lowering it to chin as in 1+. I felt my shoulders a lot more with proper form.  I think I have still got room for improvements. Must find a way to stabilize my body better.

Deadlift 5+ was scheduled yesterday. Well I only managed 9x138 kg this time. I was really concentrating on form and was very tired before coming to gym. Stress and stuff. My father is in the hospital again, so is my father in law and my best friends mom.



So.. Deadlift. As far as I can see I still have to be faster with my hips. Have to push them forward sooner. I still lift my toes up as I lift, which is not a good sign I think. Feet should be firmly on ground. Music sucked big time..

And now to arm blasting part.
I have this idea that my arms are lagging behind other parts of my body. I decided to hit them every time I go to the gym for two weeks (7 workouts), just to see what happens. Well it is happening. My arms have visually grown. I still can't believe it when I look in the mirror or put a t-shirt on. I am really surprised about the results. I have no plan I just hit 3-4 random exercises for 12-15 reps for biceps and triceps. I will go by the plan from now on to see if it is only the pump that gives me the feeling of the change I am seeing.

First workout of 2013 - 1st January 2013

Gym was almost empty but there were a couple of guys in the gym I can always count on being there! You'll meet two of them in the video.
Some of us are really in love with iron. 

And another rep PR was set that day. This time bench press with 11 reps @ 96kg. I need to improve on form though. Arch my back a bit more and tuck in my elbows. Still doing classic BB style benching. I really want to learn the powerlifting style.

Deadlifting new repetition PR 9 x 145 kg and 5/3/1 progress report

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I've started doing 5/3/1 program.

I'm seeing some great progress. I'm breaking all sorts of records. Mostly repetition PR's but I think I will start breaking 1RM MAX records soon.

Still have a lot to learn about using proper form. Here is the video of my second cycle of 5/3/1 1+.
Great workout for the last day of 2012!

As you can see the 1st lift was WAY off. The bar should have been above my feet. Well it was not. I really have to pay attention to this otherwise I risk injuring my back and I really do not want that.

Also I have to start pushing my hips forward sooner. So I have been told.

Estimated 1RM.

As you can see from the image above the progress is steady. There are some drops in weight on some days which can be attributed to bad daily form, not being rested enough or just a lousy day.  I'm making the biggest gains on deadlift. I am slowly knocking on 200kg club doors. At least formulas say so. In reality it is probably still quite far away.

My weight is ranging from 79,5 - 80,5 kg at the moment which is probably due to antibiotics I have been taking for my ear infection. I had two weeks of from gym. I adjusted my macros accordingly. Dropped them by 500-700kcal (I previously maintained 78,4kg @ 2500kcal). Still managed to gain too much unwanted weight though. I will have to make a mini cut. Two weeks should be enough to get me to back 78-79 kg range.

Merry Christmass everyone

Double S in christmaSS on purpose. MASS time ;).

Gaining strength - Jim Wendler style!

As the title says my current goal is to gain strength.
To reach it I am using Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 program. I am currently in second cycle and am already seeing great results. It is just amazing how my strength is going up.

If you want to find out more about it just visit his website http://www.jimwendler.com/2011/09/531-for-a-beginner/

And some report on my progress. I am slowly gaining weight. I am currently at ~78-79kg. I aim for 82 kg maximum weight gain before starting to cut for competition.

I gained a bit too much in the last 10 days. I had an ear infection and had to stay at home. No cardio an no training. I did lower my intake but obviously not enough. Nothing to worry about. I should be at my short-term goal weight of 77,5kg in about a week or so.

Diet wise I am still following IIFYM which I think is excellent. I track my calorie intake with myfitnesspal.

My current macros are:
- 300 (+/- 15)g Carbs
- 200 (+/- 15)g Protein
- 60 (+/- 5)g Fat

And the most important fact.. I am still learning a lot of new stuff about training, nutrition, recovery, etc. I learned A LOT in competition prep but I have still got a lot to learn.

I find team 3DMJ's video posts very informative specially Alberto Nunez's Lean Gains video series. I made a Youtube playlist.

Competitions are over for this year

With attendance at 1st FBZS-IFBB Maxximum Open on 27th October I concluded with competitions for this year.

I learned a lot from the two competitions I attended. I kinda successfully applied some lessons learned at IBFF World 2012 for MaxxOpen. I was darker, applied some glaze and was a bit fuller on stage. Still didn't fill up the glycogen stores enough so my muscles were still not as full as the should be.

The week to MaxxOpen I gradually increased carb intake. Started with 120g on Sunday after IBFF World 2012. Then 224g on Monday,  231g Tuesday, 303g Wednesday, 375g Thursday and on Friday I stopped counting at 600g. I think I got up to 900g.
Although I increased my carbs drastically (at least for me ;)) my weight started to drop even more! Reverse dieting they say.

So. My plan for next year is to gradually make lean gains and retain a fit form throughout the year. I don't want to diet too much again. I plan to go up to 82kg max. Should make the dieting much easier next year. I plan to loose more body fat in the process so cardio will be on schedule every other day.

Some images from Maxximum Open ;).

The night before the competition.

The night before the competition.

 

Me, Jure Rus and Boštjan Bavcon - Natural Muscle Zone members.

Natural Muscle Zone competitors and their supporters. There were even more supporters but we could not find them all. I think all of us wouldn't fit in this picture ;).

Natural Muscle Zone at Maxximum Open.

Authors of these images are Nika Krušič (Nikart Photography), Maxximum portal (most of the pics in this post), Aleš Oblak and some that my friend Simon took with my Nikon D90 (with wrong settings ;)).

You can view more official pictures here:
http://maxximum-portal.com/Galerija/1/1/320/ - newcomer category
http://maxximum-portal.com/Galerija/1/1/324/ - classic bodybuilding up to 175cm

Oh yes.. I forgot to mention I competed in two categories - Newcomer and classic bodybuilding up to 175cm.
Newcomer I placed 6th of 9. It's such a great feeling when you make the first call-out. I was actually surprised I made it into top 6.
In Classic I placed 6th of 6.

I'd like to thank EVERYONE who gave me advice, gave me support and took pictures ;).

My biggest thanks goes to my family. My wife and my daughter who were very patient and gave (still do ;)) me all the love and support one could wish for. Sadly they could not be with me on my last competition. I missed them a lot.

I Could go on and on but let's finish this post ;).

Maxximum Open 2012 - 1st Slovenian Maxximum Open

Maxximum Open 2012

Tomorrow I will attend another competition. This time it is Maxximum Open, which is organised by FBZS-IFBB (www.ifbb.si).

Competition will take place in Maribor, Slovenia.

My expectations are to be better prepared this time. Although it has only been one week since my last show, my appearance has improved A LOT! I started loading phase immediately after IBFF 2012. I have been gradually increasing my carb intake.

Now. I noticed a very peculiar effect while increasing carbs. My weight has dropped even more. Although I increased carbs up to 375g I only weigh 74,2kg (morning weight before #2 ;)). Needless to say that my muscles are fuller.

I will not be showing any pictures yet. Tomorrow or a few day after I will post my competition pictures. Should be a whole lot better then the ones from IBFF 2012. IF I don't do something wrong again ;).