Happy 40th!!

Last night, my girlfriend and I celebrated our 40th birthdays. We were born 3 days apart in the same hospital in small country town and went to the same schools, played in the same hockey team, went on holidays together and all those other things that best friends do.

So it was only fitting that we celebrated this milestone together, and the fun doesn't stop there. Today we fly out to Italy together (with our partners of course) to continue the celebrations.

As you can see last night there were no power belts or gym hair in sight.

With my Mum

My family

..plus Michael (xx)

powerlifters!!

I am about to go pack my bags for Italy!!

ciao.....

"The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment." Anonymous

• 2 more days of work,
• 3 days till my birthday party,
• 4 days till we fly to Italy,
• 10 days till my 40th birthday (we will be in the Italian Riviera!)
• 11 weeks and 1 day till I lift at the Commonwealth Titles

It was my last squat session for 3 weeks today and I am so pleased to be having a rest. Funnily enough my body seems fine - it is my mind that needs the break from the pressure.

I squatted 80kgs for 3 reps and then 1 rep @ 85kgs. It wasn't too difficult and I was more interested in form than anything else. This is an increase in last cycle and I am confident I will be improve my PB significantly in Dec.

Lisa

And on the 7th day........

Rest day is my favourite day of the week. All I do is sit on the couch and read, watch TV and sleep. I also get up and walk to the kitchen to make one of my 6 or so meals of the day. Actually I went into the city very briefly today to buy some new work out pants (dragging tonnes of weight up and down my thighs reduces the life of even the highest quality work out pants), and while I was there I brought home my favourite Sumo Salad -Spicy BBQ Prawn. I added some avocado to it, and it was the perfect lunch.

I am just about to lie down on my rather large couch with the balcony doors open and have a sleep for an hour or so. Then I will have fruit salad and soy yoghurt for afternoon tea.

Lisa

My latest challenge; I am growing again.

The first photo was taken in April and the second last month, so only 4 months apart. Of course this is just my back and powerlifting is very back dominant, but due to the large compound lifts the muscle growth is consistent. I am finding that I am getting quite self conscious about my size, particularly my chest and arms as they do come in for comment on a regular basis. I can cover up in the winter, but it is getting harder as the weather becomes warmer. The other issue with this growth is that it makes it more difficult to make my weight category (56kg) each time I lift at competition as I am simply getting heavier.

I am qualified for the 56kg category for the Commonwealth Titles, and while I am still 12 weeks out Liz and I have already started on getting my body weight down. I only need to drop 3-4kgs, but as a strength athlete it is essential to keep my calories up and nutrient balance consistent so I can train and recover. I also am not able to "throw in" a few extra hard cardio sessions. The whole thing is a real balancing act and I am sure I am posing quite a challenge for Liz as I know from time to time this rocks my usual steely mind.

After a huge training session, and often the next day, I would love to add a extra food to assist recovery but I need to have my weight division on my mind the whole time. I am finding this really tough since nationals, and I have to admit to having a self pity moment this week.

Just as a point of interest this is what I looked like before I started power lifting. So if anyone is looking to build muscle I would strongly suggest to throw in a few PL exercises and as they say "put some weight on the bar".

Time to hit the gym for some shoulder and core stability training.

Lisa

In 10 days time Michael and I leave for a 2 week holiday in Italy as a special treat for my 40th birthday! We are flying over with a girlfriend and her partner who also turns 40 in the same week. We will be spending 3 days all together in Rome and then we are off on our own. I have been so busy with training, work, family and recovery that I haven't really spent much time thinking about it. I am very excited about the fashion, food and culture. I would love to bring back some great pieces to add to my wardrobe. It will be so relaxing to be away from all the things that are currently going on and only have to worry about ........nothing.

Breathe and reboot

Happy Birthday Liz!

It was squat training today, and I have a really sore butt....and only 3 hours later. I am going to be in a lot of pain tomorrow and the next day. As I mentioned a few posts ago my glutes and hamstrings are being targeted at present and I am feeling it. I am sure by the time Commonwealth Titles comes around my butt will be so high it will be under my shoulder blades!!

After training I hit the cold room and sauna hoping that the immediate treatment might reduce the DOMS I am expecting to hit by the time I wake tomorrow.

Lisa

This is my last lift at Nationals this year - 135kgs. I had a tough deadlift session yesterday, due to fatigue and a number of other factors that distracted my effort, and at sessions like that 135kgs seems to be an impossible lift; I need to remind myself I can do it. I struggled to get the weight off the ground yesterday which is very unusual for me as I have good explosive power in those legs.

It hit home that I need to be on top of my nutrition, including nutrient balance everyday without exception, and the distractions that make the mind wander need to be left at the gym door. I have developed routines for preparing myself for each session, and I can't deviate if I am to be a successful athlete.

Lisa

I ordered my Australian Team tracksuit and t-shirts this week, and I should receive them in a few weeks. It is very exciting (and incredibly scary now).

Recovery

I have been doing quite a bit of research over the past few weeks on recovery and recuperation. The faster I can recover, the better I can lift at the next session, the more I can build power and strength and I can minimise injury.

I do love the sauna and the benefits I have been getting over the past months from sauna use, however I decided I need to make sure I am getting the best use of my time in relation to recovery. As my lifting progresses, even my light days are reasonably heavy weights and from time to time my recovery has been less than what I would like it to be. I have also been looking at cardio as most of the successful male lifters I know do very little or no cardio at all, and I certainly rest from cardio close to competition. My main reason for doing cardio is to keep my weight down, and my heart healthy.

So what have I been doing? I have changed my sauna routine to include cold therapy before the heat, and I have done some more active recovery cardio and stretching. I am doing no more than 25 mins cardio at anyone time, and no more than 3 times a week. I have also dropped my spin to once a week and I am thinking I may drop it as a regular part of my routine. Over the past 2 weeks I have been quite happy with my increased rate of recovery, so as I get to heavy reps in the next 2 weeks it will be a good test to see what strength gains I see.

Lisa

Glute and hamstring training.

After Nationals my coach(s) decided that I may have a weakness in my glute and hamstring strength which is slowing my progress in the deadlift. So at the moment my training includes a number of exercises targeted directly at glute/hamstring activation and strengthening. As a powerlifter I have strong glutes hamstrings so the additional training hasn't been noticeably difficult, however when you are suffering badly from DOMS it is hard to isolate which exercise is responsible. On the positive side powerlifting has been the best thing that has happened to my butt, so as far as more goes I say BRING IT ON!!