I am feeling very happy with myself today as I have just received the information about the Commonwealth Championships and I finally feel like an athlete!!!!

Lisa

Pondering success and failure

I am back to reality and my inbox is out of control again. However I am still walking around with a huge smile on my face, and I do feel as though the world has shifted a little. It is such a great feeling to achieve goals, and then think about setting new ones. I have been thinking about how close I was to missing my last attempt on the bench, and that one lift would have meant that I would have bombed out of the competition and wouldn't have been selected in the team. So while I am disappointed that my bench was well down on expectations, however in the end another 7.5kgs wouldn't have made any difference to the result. I have learnt so much from this 1 lift. Competition lifting is different to training, and to succeed not only do you need to lift well but you need to know how to cope with a range of circumstances that are thrown at you on the day.
Lisa

At the presentation dinner last night I was named in the Australian team for the Commonwealth Titles to be held in Christchurch Dec 6-9.

I also received my medal for first place 56kg division.

Australian National Powerlifting titles are over, and it was a day of high drama. It is 6am the day after and I am exhausted, however I will give you the highlights now and put a full report later.

• squat 105kgs
• bench 67.5kgs ( I missed my first 2 attempts - wow what a drama!!)
• dead 135kgs
• Total 307.5kgs

The total was well down on expectations but I guess that is why it is a competition. It is about performing on the day and as a result I have achieved 3 huge things.

• PB increase on all lifts, total PB increase
• I have qualified to compete in the Commonwealth titles in December in New Zealand.
• 56kg div - National Champion! (to be officially confirmed)

Nic placed 2nd in a very competitive and exciting competition. Thank you Nic for an amazing 18 month journey...and there are so many in the team that pull all this together. Rod, Liz, Tim, and my fabulous family and supporters.

Lisa

It is 5.40am comp day. I slept a little better than I have all my previous comps, while it wasn't optimal there was some quality to it. I currently weigh 56.1kgs, and I have about 2 hours before I step on the scales. I expect to weigh 55.8kgs so that is good. We have a hotel room organised for the day, and I dropped some food and a change of clothes off last night. There are a few of us meeting there at 7am, so if anyone needs to they can sauna off some weight before weigh in. We also have a place to keep our gear, shower, nap etc. It will be a long day as the boys don't finish until mid to late afternoon.

My starting weights are as follows;

• squat 100kgs


• Bench 67.5kgs


• Dead 127.5kgs

I am happy with this as they are all comfortable lifts that I am capable of doing 3-4 reps on. I find it good to nail the first lift, then you can go crazy with attempts.

Well, that is it until post comp. After I eat and rehydrate I know I will be going nuts!!

Lisa

1 day to go.

Today I woke very early and took my daughter to rowing, I swung by the gym on the way home and had a quick steam to get things moving for the day. While I am nervous I am calm, and I will have a quite day and only have a few things to do.

• 11am sauna
• 3pm Timmy to boxing
• 6pm competitors meeting

My competition equipment is packed, my food is prepared and I am just focussing on that last 1.5kgs, most of which I expect to sauna of soon.

Nothing more to add now.....just visualising the big lifts to come.

It is just a little over 36 hours to go, and I am pretty nervous. I am swaying from calm yet excited to petrified. I have had a relaxing day, and the good thing is my weight seems to be slipping down today. I guess I just have to see what the scales tell me in the morning, and get my plan of attack going then. I have to drop my daughter to rowing at 5am, so I will have plenty to plan. I think a couple of naps will be in order during the day as well.

2 days to National titles.

I have today and tomorrow off work to prepare properly and focus on Saturday's performance. I have quite a busy, yet relaxing day coming up and it looks like this;

• 10am last training session - light weights and technique
• 12pm massage - oh I need this
• 2.15pm hair appointment

I think the kids and I will have Vietnamese for dinner and I can have my favourite rice paper rolls - very light and pretty well balanced from a nutrient perspective.

I will also spend some time reviewing my training videos, and packing (and repacking) my comp bag!

I am 1kg heavier than the same time last comp preparation, so I will have to work a little harder tomorrow to make weight. I am not concerned as I had it pretty easy before States and I ended up 700gms under as well.

Off to get my coffee.

Lisa

I did my last heavy training session today and I benched 70kgs. I would normally be very excited about this, but I am tired and rather nervous, however I am sure I will be very happy about it tomorrow. Yeah!!

I have been thinking about my bench goal, however as I am being a little aggressive on the squat and deadlift I might as well follow the same with the bench...so here we go.

Goal #4, bench 75kgs

Goal #3, Squat 112.5kgs

I did my last squat session today, 2 sets of 2 at 105kgs. I actually failed the last rep - I fell backwards at the bottom of the rep - so I am putting it down to bad technique and loss of form rather than strength. My comp PB is 100kgs, so it is all up from here!

My time of planning..

Sunrise in Brisbane. I have been waking early as I am going to bed early- actually crashing on the couch - and as a result I am up before Sunrise. I really enjoy this time of the day, as I get to log on to work and clear a lot of items, see what is happening for the day then make a plan on how to cope with the busy day ahead. Today I do feel like there is so much to do that I am getting a little out of control, so after doing the urgent items I closed my work down. I have a resource issue at work and until that is addressed the stress will continue to build and more will not get done. I have realised this morning that I need to choose the things I will do and be comfortable with the fact that I can do no more if I want quality of life. So, pushing that out of my mind until later this morning, I am now focusing on my squat session. breath and reboot

There will be 3 of us doing last squats today at the gym, and it will be great to have other competitors lifting so the atmosphere will be sensational. It is just what I need right now to move me from nerves to adrenalin! Of course I will lift first as I am the only girl and do the lightest lifts, but that helps me deal with the nerves for Saturday anyway. I like watching other lifters as there is so much to learn from successful lifters like Nic and Pavel.

Off to get my long black, then a big feed of oats, then........new PB's!!!!!!!!

Lisa

The final stage of this journey is about to begin. I am nervous, scared and excited all at the same time. This is the first time I have competed at a National level, and while I qualified in December last year, I think I only now realise that I am really about to be there. I always get nervous and anxious before important events, however this time I need to deal with the pain as well. Powerlifitng really hurts! I also need to make the jump from lifitng heavy weights to being psyched up and getting the neurons to fire and the adrenalin pumping. Lifting is so pyshcological. I need to focus on my goals, and write them down to make them happen. I have 5 goals for Sat 1. weigh in number, 2. deadlift kgs, 3. squat kgs, 4. bench kgs, 5. total kgs. Here are my first 2, and I will add my squat number tomorrow, and the final 2 on Tuesday.

Goals for Saturday

#1, weigh in @ 55.5kgs

#2, Deadlift 140kgs

6 days and counting down..

Yesterday after training, I cruised around and went and had a look at a new gym. Nic is leaving to live in Russia for 12 months soon after the comp, so I think it is time to see what is out there in the way of gyms. I have another powerlifting coach to look after my lifting, but I decided a few weeks ago to go to a gym with more facilities, like a sauna, steam room, and more classes. I was blow away by Goodlife in Fortitude Valley. The fortnightly fee is about half what I pay in sauna costs, so it was a no brainer to join. The sauna and steam facilities are excellent alone, and I am really looking forward to using their spin and boxing rooms as well as the great looking cardio equipment. I also get access to all their gyms in Aust....I am pretty happy with that. So this afternoon I will get on my bike, ride to the gym and have a relaxing steam. It is co-ed so hubby is coming along to have a look and we can steam together, which is something we enjoy doing except often the wet areas are segregated so we can't.

I am having some interrupted sleep because I am getting nervous, but other than that all is good and on track. 2 more lifting sessions then a lot of rest an watching the calories.

I am hungry now, so i think I will cook up some scrambled eggs and mushrooms to have on my gluten free toast.

Looks like it will be another great day,

Lisa

Australian National Powerlifting Titles are 8 days today. I am nervous, but I have had a great preparation. My body is fit and strong, and my lifts have had the progress I was hoping for after State titles. My health and energy have been great, although I may have picked up a minor tummy bug while I was in Sydney this week. My weight has been a little higher than last preparation, but the stress of the heavy weights keeps the scales high, and it is coming down gradually now.

The lifts I did this week total 297.5kgs for a best lift on each discipline which is above my current comp PB, and I still have last training to do on bench and squat. I am feeling reserved about possibilities at this stage, but I am very happy. My lifts this week are;

• squat 100kgs for 3 reps
• bench 67.5kgs for 3 reps
• dead 130kg for 2 reps

My last deadlifting session was this morning, and I did 2 sets @ 130kgs which is my comp PB. The last set was very tough, but I fought through it and locked out both reps. I am pleased with the effort as it was physcologcal as well as physical.

I have just had my massage and accupuncture therapy for the week and feel a little drowsy, and very tired. I am going to reward myself with a glass of red and a healthy meal from my favourite Vietnamese restaurant for dinner. I am quite hungry and I need some good recovery food, and a glass of red for the soul.

The next week will be tough so I am going to take advantage of a few relaxing hours. I have turned my phone off and am about to have a little nap.

Lisa

Another Bench PB today!

I am feeling very happy tonight as I had another great PB bench session today. 67.5kgs for 3 reps. I did 1 set at 65kgs, then 2 at 67.5kgs. All the lifts were good, my technique was correct and I didn't fail any of the attempts. You can't get much better than that!

I need to rest up now, as I have my last deadlift session tomorrow.

Lisa

I am off to Sydney until Wednesday night for work. I am really pumped about my training today, and in a way it is great to have 2 days totally away from powerlifting as I will be fully rested and extremely keen to have a sensational bench session on Thursday morning.

I am exhausted now. As the weights get very heavy the central nervous system take a battering and I am feelign that type of fatigue now. Time for my favourite yoghurt then off to bed as I have an early start tomorrow.

Lisa

The new red squat suit had it's second outing today, and it was much more comfortable. I do have some bruising, but not broken skin. I was able to get depth pretty quickly and did a few good sets of 3 reps @ 100kgs. I could have done more, so I am looking good for 2 reps at a new PB next week.

I am getting excited now!!!!!!!!!!

I have had a great weekend.

I did a light bench work out yesterday morning then a sauna, massage and accupuncture. Today I had a cruisy morning then I went into town and bought a fabulous overcoat from Alannah Hill. Everything was 20% off and I have been waiting for their sale to buy the coat. I don't really need one here in Brisbane, but I am travelling to Sydney this week and Michael and I are also going to Melbourne for a few days in mid August, so I will definately need it then. We had lunch at our favourite local cafe and then bought the bikes. We rode around on the bikes for a bit, then I rode it to the sauna. I felt so free and happy riding up and down the small hills to James St Market near my home.

It is funny how something so simple can be so destressing. As the bike is quite "retro" and bright pink I had quite a few comments on it. The seat is low and the handle bars are high so it is very comfortable to ride. I only plan on riding in the local area, however I can take it to the gym (once my comp is over and I am not lugging my huge PL bag), to the sauna, market, massage therapist, and to my sisters. The seats on the bikes go up and down very easily so you can comfortable put your feet on the ground while sitting on the seat, so I expect the kids will take them out too. The seats are the best though; they are really wide and comfory so my PL butt has plenty of room.

I feel a long way from work stress and the pressure of Nationals right now - what is that saying from Sex and the City.

"Breathe and reboot"

Michael and I bought bikes today. They are Electra "Townies", and I have a 3 speed pink bike, and Michael has a 24 speed silver bike. They are just like the ones I used to ride to primary school many years ago.

13 days to go................

In fact this time in 2 weeks I will be about to go out to my favourite cafe for breakfast without a care about the nutrient balance of the meal I am about to order.

I am in extremely good shape right now. The body is strong with no injuries, and my bruises etc from the equipment are all healing quickly. I am sleeping pretty well, and my recovery seems solid. My focus now is the last 5 heavy sessions, then bringing my weight down carefully to hit the scales at 56kgs. Rest is also key right now. My lifting this week was;

• Squat 4 reps @ 95kgs
• Bench 4 reps @ 65kgs
• Dead 3 resp @ 125kgs

I have also had;

• 4 saunas
• 2 massages/acupuncture sessions

I have also done a few walks to move the lactic acid around. As a result of all of this I am feeling a lot stronger and much less fatigued than my run into State's.

I am being careful and cautious, and am getting excited. (although I have to admit to be really looking forward to a red wine and big carb recovery meal after I lift!)

Lisa

125kgs for 3 reps today. I am on fire.

Hmm......life is so busy. The one thing I need that I don't seem to have is time. I can't believe how much I am working, and how often work thoughts invade my life. I am pretty sure that I handle professional stress better than most, so I can't imagine how some others are coping in these crazy busy times. There is so much information, the inbox is so full it is a choice of what I won't do that day, and those items not covered are lost into a black hole. I recently heard a story of a senior manager who went on leave for a few weeks and came back to 1000 or so e-mails. He simply deleted them. My inbox has 500 in it as the moment, and some of them go back to Jan this year. So I guess if it hasn't been resent or dealt with it by phone it isn't important any more. I think I will go delete anything older than 30 days...............

65 kg bench today!!

I did 1 set of 4 reps @ 62.5kgs, and then 2 sets @ 65kgs - this is more than my competition PB one rep max of 62.5kgs. 70kgs is looking close - woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My new red squat suit caused another traumatic squat session. I have lots of bruises and this time it actually broke the skin!

I squatted 95kgs for 4 reps, and while I didn't get the required depth on quite a number of the squats as the suit was so painful on my quads, the reps I did get were strong. I can't wait till next week as the suit will have stretched and I will be another 1kg lighter. I am positive that my squat will bring me a strong PB in 18 days!!!

Lisa

National Powerlifting titles are 3 weeks today - wow it is coming up so quickly now.

My lifting preparation is very good, my weight is a little higher than last preparation but I will get it down in time. I picked up some slices for Charlotte's rowing camp today, and made the mistake of tasting the chocolate hedgehog slice - oh my it was so yummy!. It took all my will power not to eat anymore than a 10gm sliver off the end. Only 3 more weeks.

If you can access Youtube.com there is a video below...if not, all you can see is space!

I have certainly put on some size since my last comp, as I found out trying to squeeze into my deadlift suit today. My quads were so swollen and pupmed by the end of the session the suit was quite painful by the end. It was tough to even bend over the bar to lift!

However, I lifted well - the most important thing. It wasn't too tough and I should see at least another 5kgs added to my PB in 3 weeks.

1 set of 4 reps @110kgs
2 sets of 4 reps @ 115kgs

All of that lifting and effort has my poor legs very bruised, and I am sure I am carrying an extra 5 kgs of fluid in them as they attempt to recover. Tomorrow I will post video of one of the sets - it is pretty hilarious watching me trying to bend over the bar.

Oh, I broke the buckle on my powerbelt - Nic reckons it was a dodgy one as he did the same thing twice recently. Off to the Inzer site to get an authentic one.

Lisa

My earlier post today about the arnica cream was very timley. I have just done my first bench session in my bench shirt and I am very sore and bruised. Thankfully I am on leave this week and all I have to do is lie on the couch and rest (and eat), until tomorrow's deadlift session.

On a very positive note I did 3 sets of 4 reps @ 62.5kgs. Quite unbelievable this was my comp one rep max in April this year - just over 2 1/2 months ago. If I wasn't so sore and exhausted I would be jumping for joy! I am hoping my massage therapist has some time today to release my shoulders and chest.

What I am eating today.

A lot of people are very curious about what a power lifter eats, so this is what I am eating today.

My first meal was a bowl of oats, with soy protein powder and soy milk. Very creamy and yummy.

After training, as I am on holidays, we all went to my favourite local organic cafe and I had gluten free toast with egg whites, mushrooms and spinach.

Lunch will be a chicken salad - not sure what I will put in it yet.

Afternoon tea will be vege soup with tofu.

Dinner will be chicken with sweet potato and pumpkin mash, and green veggies.

Then I finish off before bed with my favourite Barambah organic yoghurt and frozen berries.

Powerlifitng tip of the day.

As most of you know I am a bit of a hippie, and my cupboards are full of natural remedies. As a power lifter I am always being bruised, and as I have started to wear my lifitng suits again the bruises are increasing. I absolutely swear by Arnica cream to reduce the bruising and inflamation. I actually take it to the gym and apply it as soon as I take my suits of and then a few time during the day. Compared to when I haven't used it, I am estimating that I am healing 3 times faster.

It really is a natural wonder.

I'm back..........

....and so much to catch up on.

Let me say first that there is nothing better for the soul than a hug from your Mum, chicken soup and a raging fire in the cold weather.

So last week I had a great lifting week, and ended up doing 4 to 5 reps on the following max weights;

• Squat 80kgs


• bench 60kgs


• Dead 110kgs

I have had my 3 days rest and relaxation and am ready to roll with less then 4 weeks to Nationals. I squatted with knee wraps and a suit today. It was really just getting used to the equipment again, so Nic didn't push me too hard. I did 3 sets of 85kgs for 4 reps each. It felt fantastic and I am very keen to get into my new squat suit next Monday and push hard.