Stayin' Aliiiiiiiiive

I've been absent, but it is only because TWICE I started posts, and TWICE I dropped my wireless mouse and when it hit the floor - like magic, the words all disappeared from the screen. Twice I got frustrated and left postless.
Somewhere between resting my body and eating lots of good food, I CAME ALIVE AGAIN!!!
I've been growing, too. I have managed to turn off the food police that live in my head. I eat lots of sodioum rich foods, Chinese twice a week, and even more sugar than usual (love those gummy monkeys) I'm up to 168 - 6 pounds in two weeks, which was the last time I referenced my weight. And it's all good. I've still got some striations and veins poking out in my thighs and calves. I've never been this big in this condition before....I feel good!
Training is going back in the direction I like it to - that is, with the weights going upward in poundage. Squatted 435 so easily the other night that I almost did a second, but, as we know, I am a wimp. I rarely push through to the last possible rep on my squats...Actually, my sinuses had me so wiped out that day I almost called the training off.
I benched two sets of 245 pause reps last week one x 6 and one x 5.
AND I finally deadlifted again....I went up to 405 again in the deadlift, was it the heavy rack pulls I've been doing that made it come off of the floor so friggin' easily? OR, maybe it was the fact that B wasn't there to watch me. He makes me nervous when I deadlift. My last set was 315x12...I hate those reps!!!!
That's about all I can remember from this past week. I'm still waking up daily with those horibble sinus/migraine type headaches. There is a pond right outside my condo, and it may be the plant life that is growing up around it. I am set to move in about six weeks (only up the road about 2 miles), and hopefully the allergies don't follow, for they have never, ever been this bad.
I am still waivering on the fence about lifting in the national raw unified meet in January...yes, no, I don't know... but I do know that I'm leaning toward doing one in November. Stay tuned on that.

Glue in my Nose

That's Jules Furniss and I at the administrators' table at the Power Frenzy last weekend. She is the bomb! She was part of the tremendous team of people who helped us make the meet a success! THANK YOU JULES!!!

My bench is continuing to coming back around. It is weird to think that something as "simple" as readjusting my feet and wearing higher shoes could be so important, but it seems to be working. I pushed 245 x 6 then 275 x 2 all paused the other night. And foot plates - I put the foot plates back. I'm not tall, even though people tell me that I look tall in photographs - I am only 5'4 1/2".

Last night it was rack pulls - I worked up to 600 :) for three reps! I think one more would have happened had I not had to worry about my bladder bursting down my legs! Not really funny...I often wonder if other women OR men get that bursting feeling when they are pulling (or pushing for that matter)! My whole body, including scalp muscles worked for those. I am curious to see if these do indeed help my deadlift off the floor. I haven't pulled from the floor for several weeks now. Then shrugs, T-Bars, Stiff arm pull downs, incline bicep curls, and "spider curls" - I can't recall the last time I did spider curls!!! I didn't like those, but I don't like doing my biceps, period. What do they have to do with spiders????Then donkey calves. Then into the whirlpool for hot therapy. Why I ignored the whirlpool for years is beyond me, but it helps recuperation in the best way.

I wonder has anyone else been suffering allergies as I have been lately. My nose just closes up lately like someone has poured glue down into my nostrils. And I get a splotchy redness, especially around my throat. I wonder what cavemen thought when they had allergies like that..did they realize it was allergies?

Row Row Row

The second annual First State Power Frenzy is now in the books! It was another great meet.

I'll be doing a write up for Powerlifting USA and will copy and paste it into my blog, so no elaboration until then. I now just want to give my heartfelt thanks again to all of the terrific people who come out to help us. No way in H-E- double hockey sticks would our meets be the success they are without people such as Tone Barbaccio, Jules Furniss, Roadhead Morris, Shawn Lattimer, Joel Killen, and the crew (wish I knew all of their names) from Jersey Iron. Then there is the Iron Bodies Fitness crew out of Oxford, PA - Brad Vargason, Doug Hollis, Danny Blankenship, Matt Wilson etc. (wish I knew all of their names too)And Len Walker - I bow down to to you. Jeff McVicar, Brian Weston, Tommy DiChiara, Hank Stoklosa and Jon Stoklosa, Carl Seeker - You are the bomb!!! My darling son Slater Clampitt and friends Jarett McManus and Michael Rhoades helped with video taping the event and energizing music... I know I'm missing dozens of people here! Nope, could NOT have been the success without any of you. Most of these people show up time after time for us and throw themselves into the trenches without prodding or hesitation for the love of the sport and camaraderie betwixt themselves. And Jack Osborne, owner of The Training Center where we hold our meets - I treasure your generousitiy and enthusiasm more than words can express. Yes, I feel blessed.


Friday, since I was at the Training Center all afternoon and evening for weigh-ins, and it was back day, and since The Training Center does have dumbells in five pound increments up to 190...Heck, what a better way to spend a few moments than pulling on some really heavy dumbells for some dumbell rows! I haven't done anything heavier than 125's for quite some time, due to the fact that is as heavy as Midway's dumbells go (though 130's and 135's are on order:) !! ). Picked out a 170 - I figured a few were possible...10 reps was the result! So B threw down a 190 and said " you might not be able to move this, but try it for your own satisfaction." Hey - four...I did four reps on each side with the 190 pound dumbell...I did post the video of me rowing on the Video Gallery page of my free site. I guess you could say that I appeased myself to satisfaction!

Groove

My benching has come back around full circle. I'm just letting the bar hit where it wants to hit, which is extremely high compared to most benchers, my natural groove, but, well, heck, it is working. Screw the scientific theories.
I am changing my foot placement back to a more natural placement. Apparently it made somewhat of a difference, for last evening I managed 245 x 5 pause reps, with help on #6. So, not quite as spectacular as it used to be, but at least it is not on the downward spiral that it had been.
I do not like benching in flat shoes. I need a heel. Time to dig the Magic Harley boots out again.
Heels make me feel more elevated, even though I am lying on a bench. Feeling "up" helps the bar go "up"...does that make any sense at all?

It seems as if my body has responded kindly to the rest I gave it recently. I never quite got those "shoulder stripes" etched in for the Masters. I am known for having really good "shoulder stripes" (striations). Seems as if my body was retaliating and turning on survival mode by trying to hold onto fat storage and water in most unusual places during my severely over trained, over reached state. But right now -I feel good, I look good (for me to say either one of those statements is a FAR REACH on any given day, much less BOTH!)
I have been very good to myself - I've been hopping in the whirpool at the gym twice a week recently. I have been getting adjusted by B two or three times a week ( and they are grueling adjustments, oh God they are), I have been resting more, relaxing more - yes, I looked the word up, I think I finally know what it means....though I haven't quite gone so far as to by that elusive dictionary with the "R" word in it yet...
I am coming back around, I promise!
FIRST STATE POWER FRENZY is Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stay tuned for the lo down !

Dribble

Not quite in the "bouncing" state that I seek yet, however I am finally coming back around.

Maybe I should call it my "dribble" state, rather than bounce back state. I did train legs last night with B, and my dear friend Joel made a special guest appearance and trained with us.

It had been a very long time since I trained legs with B. He's still recuperaating from a meniscus tear, and I'm still recuperating from crash-burn, but we both did good. I managed 315 x 12 for a nice set.Those high reps always burn me out, even though I think one or two reps more were in me. (high reps = more than 6)However I did pick off 405 for 2. I have not had that much weight on my back since April. I did forget how much I LOVE having that heavy bar strewn across my shoulders! OOooh!!! :D

I recently changed my squatting shoes (yes, AGAIN). I am now sporting a pair of VANS when I get under the bar. I wore them one night because I didn't feel like dealing with the extensive lacing my UB's require. I didn't expect to like them, but, by cracky, they seem to be Magic shoes! Vans have a bit more grip than Chuck Taylors, and they also have a bit more cushioning on under the foot, not much, but a bit. That and they look good - Hey!

Then it was just work work work for the rest of the session.

I was beginning to think there for awhile that I would never be able to squat heavy again. However, I have renewed faith in myself. I just have to keep myself reigned in...it's coming!!

Remember I said this - I will weigh-in at the Masters Nationals next year at 162, in the best condition of my life. :) You've got 10 and a half months to begin to believe me!

WOW! Do I feel really good right now. Four lengthy intense adjustments this week, a bit o' massage here and there, and some hot whirpool therapy this afternoon, coupled with a few hours on the beach this past week collecting sunshine for no reason other than that, and hanging in the waters of the bay here and there, almost makes me want to really start to explore the meaning of "relax" more often.....I dunno....could I stand to become less wound - I doubt it!! LOL
My hip feels just about normal at this very moment. Though I appreciate all younz who e-mail me and are concerned about my plight, the advice about big weights and wear and tear on my hip ...well, that is not the cause of my pains. Granted, it's not helping it heal, but it is not the direct cause. The times that I feel most aggravated are after walking and driving long distances, not after squatting 400+ pounds in the gym.
B was playing around with my hip and socket the other night, and he made a noteworthy remark. He thinks that I have a chip or divet in my hip socket that is causing the ball joint to catch and throw itself out.
Here is the news that is hard to swallow- after making such a stink for so long that I do not do "cardio", I may actually have to change my habits. If walking is tearing me apart, I have to do something else. I may have to hop on a machine here and there...though bicycling on a stationary bike has always aggravated my hip flexors, and the eliptical jars my lower back - the Step Mill is about the only machine I can hang with. Perahps real stairs for 20 minutes or so, or I may have to drive to the beach where the sand is level near the water and take walks on the sand there. It may not seem such a big deal to those who do hours upon hours of "cardio" a week, but it's a change. I'll do what I need to do.
Maybe I'll try some sprinting on the beach...or some other type of real cardio as opposed to "cardio". I'll keep you posted on that.

Balance

I'm still here. Things are coming around. Slowly...oh, how I hate when things go slowly...

but I'll get there.

My physical condition still predicates that I train in upper rep ranges. I'll just think of it as "cycling". Cycling does have its place in training regimens.

I thought I was backing off the other night with the leg training. No squats, as I am "cycling" and my hips hurt anyway. In fact, I had my back/hip adjustment from B and he said that my pelvis was more twisted out of place than he had ever seen it, as well as my spine. Needless to say, that adjustment hurt like H-E- double hockey sticks.

Anyhooo, I did straight on leg pressing. Let me tell you yesterdays trips up and down my three flights of stairs were the most grueling EVER! WTF??? Must be the high reps I'm not used to? I did 20-15-6-15.

The other day, I was listening to a trainer tell his client about the mind having more power than the body, as most of us that train with weights at a high level know that the adage "Mind over Matter" is indeed a true. His conversation got me thinking of this problem, where my mind knows it has superior power to push through over the physical, and is so used to doing so, that it doesn't listen to the physical when the physical is crying out signals that need to be listened to. Balance, it's all about balance in life, isn't it?? EVERYTHING is about balance. Training, eating, relationships -

Off topic, the weather has been SUPERB! How much better can you get than low 80's , abundant sunshine, low humidity? It is now the time of year we locals of the Delaware resort area wait for, after all the tourists go home! We claim our beaches and roads back for awhile.

I got my photographs back from the Masters that were shot by Dan Ray. He was such a pleasure to work with. And his work is fanastic! I'll be putting them up on my Members Section.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

So sorry I've not visited my own blog for over a week now. I have trouble writing anything when I'm not getting excited about the way things are progressing. Nothing of note to post. I'm just plugging along.

I have been very busy as a Realtor lately, and that is a good thing.

I finally got my photos back from Kevin Fleming from our shoot in July before the Masters - here is a sample. The man is just golden with the camera. http://www.wilddelaware.com/ is his photo blog with recent wildlife and nature photos. He used to work for National Geographic.
I am not sure I am the type of "wildlife" he is used to shooting, but we got some fantastic shots!