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View Full Version : P Bo's Raw PL Log: Putting the commit in COMMITMENT



P_Bo
05-21-12, 10:18 am
A couple 'bro's' suggested I keep a log here and after checking out the FORVM, I think a found a place where I belong.

A bit about me first I guess to start things off. My name is Pam but most people call me P Bo. I lift out of McDole's Gym in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It's a fantastic place full of toys and goodies. I lift alone most of the time but train with our strongman crew whenever I can - usually on Saturdays. I dabble in strongman and play with the implements from time to time but my main focus and passion/love is powerlifting. I've been competing for a couple of years now and have elite totals in the 148 and 165 weight class. One day I'll venture into equipped lifting when I have a team to lift with maybe but for now I'm utterly happy lifting raw. I use Inzer Z wrist wraps and and Inzer lever taper belt. My waist is so small that a regular belt crushes into my ribs and hips so a taper belt it is. At some point I'll buy knee wraps and maybe some briefs to train in to save my hips a little.

My last meet was March 24, 2012 where I totaled 859 @ 146 lbs. This was my first meet back after having my third shoulder reconstruction June 27, 2011. Nine months of rehab flew by and I came back in a lighter weight class, pound for pound stronger. Injuries can mind fuck you if you let them or you can use them to your advantage to test your mental fortitude. Physical strength is nothing is you are mentally weak.

My next meet is the Hartford Europa Battle of Champions June 30, 2012. I'm not going to talk about what numbers I'm going to hit there, but rather I'll come back and show what I did. Less talking/thinking, more doing!

Here's vid of my last meet. I swear, the slight downward bar movement on my second pull haunts me to this day. I deserved all three reds. Make no mistake, this training cycle I've been hammering away at my pull to correct my weaknesses.

http://youtu.be/qY6cxZ0ZQxM

P_Bo
05-21-12, 10:20 am
There was such a great vibe in the gym today. A bunch of our new strongman equipment came in and this stuff is SLICK!.....177 lb unweighted circus DB, 292 lb unweighted log, 247 lb husfeldt stone (made out of black diamond plate, so it's not really a stone lol) unweighted frame that weighs upwards of 550 lbs, and 205 lbs unweighted farmers handles . I was lifting with our strongman crew today and needless to say they were amped up and giddy over the new toys. Made for such a fun session!

Sumo pulls
warm ups to 285+50 chain
310+50 chain
355+50 chain
365+50 chain x 2 x 3 sets

Front squats
155 x 6
200 x 3

A1 superman GHRS
15 x 2
A2 45 deg side bends
25 lb plate x 10/side x 2

Omni incline bicep curls
15 x 10/10/10 x 2

Here's vid of the top sets of deads and fronts. The last rep of the third set of pulls is probably my biggest pull grinder to date. I refused to give up until I locked it out.

http://youtu.be/JNui7-YL6y4

Bruiser
05-21-12, 10:28 am
Damn good work P Bo! I'll be subscribed to this journey for sure.

P_Bo
05-21-12, 10:32 am
Last meet vid:


http://youtu.be/qY6cxZ0ZQxM

P_Bo
05-21-12, 10:33 am
May 19 training vid:


http://youtu.be/JNui7-YL6y4

C.Coronato
05-21-12, 4:19 pm
Great training, and big numbers on the meet! Best of luck in the next few months.

P_Bo
05-21-12, 4:25 pm
Damn good work P Bo! I'll be subscribed to this journey for sure.
Thanks Bruiser! Good to have you along for the ride.


Great training, and big numbers on the meet! Best of luck in the next few months.
C.C, much appreciated. 6 weeks until GO time.

P_Bo
05-21-12, 4:28 pm
I was going to throw some conditioning in with today's rehab but figured the pile of gravel in my yard waiting to be moved will be good enough conditioning work this afternoon.

A1 paretial raises
7 x 10 x 2
A2 heel elevated step ups
BW x 12 x 2

B1 Waiters
5 x 10 x 2
B2 Drivers
5 x 10 x 2
B3 Swimmers
5 x 10 x 2
B4 4 way hip work
red band x 15/each x 2

mcbeast
05-21-12, 6:10 pm
P Bo, glad to see you made it over here. Good work thus far and looking forward to see what's to come! I will be following for sure!

P_Bo
05-22-12, 12:19 pm
P Bo, glad to see you made it over here. Good work thus far and looking forward to see what's to come! I will be following for sure!

Thanks for urging me to sign up here mcbeast. I made sure to say you referred me when I registered. I love the attitude here: no fluff, no BS, no fronting....just folks with chipped teeth, callused hands and swollen knuckles. Love it!

Hollow
05-22-12, 12:43 pm
Welcome to the forvm P_Bo! Outstanding numbers on your lifts. Wishing you the very best in your upcoming competition.

P_Bo
05-22-12, 8:45 pm
Welcome to the forvm P_Bo! Outstanding numbers on your lifts. Wishing you the very best in your upcoming competition.

Thanks for the welcome fellow Canuck!

P_Bo
05-22-12, 8:47 pm
Decided I'd try squatting in my Oly shoes since thus far I've only tested them out on front squats. You can see in the vid I'm wiggling around a bit to get a feel for the shoe. I actually really like back squatting in them and think they will help. I found it easier to sit back and drive off my heels.

Back squats
red band around knees x bar x 10
95 x 10
135 x 3
155 x 2
185 x 1
225 x 1
255 x 1
285 x 2 x 2

Front squats
225 x 1 *I honestly just wanted to see if I could. I could.

Anderson Zercher squats
135 x 6
225 x 6
245 x 6

Haven't done these in a year+. Needed to get a feel for the weight.

Alligator tucks
50 feet x 2 trips


http://youtu.be/UJLRISMxv70

mcbeast
05-22-12, 11:33 pm
Damn impressive squatting P!! I tried back squatting in oly shoes, just could not get the feel for it. I'm going to give them a try again on front squats again, have not used them in almost a year!

P_Bo
05-23-12, 8:55 pm
Damn impressive squatting P!! I tried back squatting in oly shoes, just could not get the feel for it. I'm going to give them a try again on front squats again, have not used them in almost a year! It definitely felt weird on my warm up sets but I found as I forced myself to sit back more (which I notoriously suck at) things started clicking. I felt solid and stable and had much better drive out of the hole.

P_Bo
05-23-12, 8:58 pm
Today I was supposed to bench but I decided to deviate from the plan somewhat. I squatted heavy and squatted alot yesterday and I felt really good afterwards. What I needed to cap things off was a good nights sleep, but I had anything but. I feel asleep finally at 3 a.m. which is no good considering my alarm goes off at 445 am so I can walk my dog before I go to work. I RARELY skip walking my pup in the a.m. because it is not fair to him to not get exercise before being inside by himself all day while I'm at work. I kiaboshed his a.m. walk so I could sleep until 5:30. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired. I made it up to him and took him for two walks after work, and he might just get a third before bed.

I went to see my chiro who is much more than a snap 'em and crack 'em chiro. He's an ART, dry needling and accupunture, practioner and working on some new modality that I can't remember the name of. He's good, damned good. He dry needled the living day lights out of my inferior pubis ramus all the way along the ledge of the ischial tuberosity. He followed up with ART in the entire area which hurt way more than the needles. He then moved to needling and doing ART on my left tensor faschiae latae before finishing off with ART to the tendons of the 4th finger in the palm of my right hand as they are thickening and causing me pain. I'm a tough cookie to keep in one piece but Dr. Ledger is amazing.

Now, on to my actual non-bench, but kinda bench since I was tired workout.....

Earthquake bar bench
quarters handing on reds x 25 x 3

Elbows out DB rows
35 x 10 x 3

Face pulls
orange band x 15 x 3

DB retractions w/ 3 sec hold
45 x 15 x 3

I need to find a better balance of doing more of these little things instead of hammering away at heavy weights all the time. I get stronger as a result but I have trouble with moderation at times. I'm impressed I played it smart today and reworked my sesssion so it was beneficial versus detrimental.

P_Bo
05-27-12, 8:52 pm
I wasn't expecting much on pulls today since I was TIRED. 2 nights of really poor sleep, combined with some recent stress and I'm sure my cortisol was through the roof. I'm squatting and pulling considerably more at this point of my meet prep compared to last meet prep so the lack of sleep and stress really isn't coming at a good time. But that's okay - these are the sessions where you dig deep, do your utmost best and walk away knowing it was good enough to move yourself forward. I also knew after I pulled I was heading to the cottage for a weekend of R&R - so however hard I buried myself I'd sleep it all off over the weekend. :)

Sumo pulls
warm ups to 355 + 50 chain
378 + 50 chain x 1 x 2

A1 Rev hypers
115 x 10 x 2
A2 superman GHRS
BW x 12 x 2

If there is one thing I've learned about myself, it's that I can grind. I've also recently learned that I used to give up to soon on a squat or pull - I learned at my last meet that I have the ability to push through lifts that completely stop and can get them moving again.



http://youtu.be/cNPLKQ-DBFU

mcbeast
05-27-12, 10:18 pm
Thanks for dropping by my log P Bo..Support of likeminded individuals is always appreciated. Real strong pulling your doing in here, gotta get some of the men in check! Glad you enjoyed the weekend at the cottage, saw pictures & it looked very relaxing!

BigChrisF
05-27-12, 11:04 pm
That's some nice work, and welcome to the forum.

Hollow
05-28-12, 8:14 am
If there is one thing I've learned about myself, it's that I can grind. I've also recently learned that I used to give up to soon on a squat or pull - I learned at my last meet that I have the ability to push through lifts that completely stop and can get them moving again.

You definitely dug deep to make those pulls! Outstanding! I hope you were able to catch up on some rest at your cottage.

P_Bo
05-29-12, 9:42 pm
Thanks for dropping by my log P Bo..Support of likeminded individuals is always appreciated. Real strong pulling your doing in here, gotta get some of the men in check! Glad you enjoyed the weekend at the cottage, saw pictures & it looked very relaxing!
No prob Eddie. I don't have as much time to spend as I'd like on the interwebs but you brought me here so I will of course do my best to follow your log and support you in your goals.


That's some nice work, and welcome to the forum.
Thanks for the welcome BCF.


If there is one thing I've learned about myself, it's that I can grind. I've also recently learned that I used to give up to soon on a squat or pull - I learned at my last meet that I have the ability to push through lifts that completely stop and can get them moving again.

You definitely dug deep to make those pulls! Outstanding! I hope you were able to catch up on some rest at your cottage.
Thanks Hollow1. I've come to hate that unsatisfied and disappointed feeling of not finishing a lift. This hate has made me stronger. The cottage was fantastic - a lil' too much beer and food but I'm no worse for the wear since I have 4.5 weeks to make weight still lol

P_Bo
05-29-12, 9:43 pm
4.5 weeks out...things are getting heavy....the fun has begun!

Back Squats
red band around knee + bar x 10 x 2
95 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
225 x 1
255 x 1
275 x 1
295 x 2

Left SI started acting up on 275. You can see me shoot back and waiver on the way up. Due to this, I was nervous with 295. I managed to grab a spot, well, more so just help to rack the bar since this is when my SI will light up badly. The first rep of 295 was high but I made sure the second rep was better.

Anderson Zercher squats
255 x 6 x 2

A1 Swiss ball good girls
15 x 2 - about a 3 sec hold each rep
A2 45 deg side bend with 25 lb plate
10/side x 2


http://youtu.be/G4PXcQ36Xq8]

P_Bo
05-30-12, 11:03 pm
I did more of a rehab type bench last week using the Earthquake bar instead of actually benching. I was supposed to bench 170 for 2 doubles today if I were to pick up where I left off. I was feeling pretty good so I skipped that idea and decided I'd take 175 for double which was supposed to be this week's numbers if I hadn't done a week of rehab/Earthquake bar stuff.

Bar x 10
95 x 5
115 x 2
135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 3* the double was easy so I figured I'd grind out a third rep.

Considering the clips we use to hold the weights on are min of 3lbs for the pair, that 175 was closer to 180. I'm pretty happy with that as I'm further ahead than where I thought I'd be at this point of my meet prep.

Elbows out bent over DB row
40 x 10
45 x 10 x 2

Seated Arnold Press
32.5 x 12 x 2

Alligator Tucks
90 lbs (pulling a plate w/ each foot) x 50 ft x 2* damn, these were deliciously hard.



http://youtu.be/tvVdTsXBqyA

mcbeast
05-30-12, 11:26 pm
What an arch! Real strong work P, way to grind thru that 3rd rep!

Hollow
05-31-12, 9:15 am
What an arch! Real strong work P, way to grind thru that 3rd rep!

I'm echoing what mcbeast said. Outstanding work P_Bo!!!

P_Bo
06-03-12, 12:00 am
What an arch! Real strong work P, way to grind thru that 3rd rep!


I'm echoing what mcbeast said. Outstanding work P_Bo!!!

Thanks Gentlemen....why move the bar further than necessary when you can just bring yourself closer to the bar? ;)

P_Bo
06-03-12, 12:03 am
Lifted bright and early today since we were heading to watch 4 of our strongmen compete this afternoon. I'm not used to lifting at 9 am so I wanted to make sure my glutes/hammies were nice n' warm. Solution? Drove to the gym sitting on two heat packs Not gonna lie, it was quick nice.

After this pull, I have only 2 more heavy weeks of training before my meet. I decided to drop the chains here on out and pull straight weight to see how it's moving. Needless to say, it's moving well and my plan of attack worked to bring my pull up.

Today's plan was just 385 but since the weight was moving so well, I said screw the plan.

Sumo pulls
warmed up w/doubles of a conv single/sumo single to about 265
287 x 1
311 x 1
356 x 1
378 x 1
400 x 1

I finally got my 400 raw pull. To be honest, I was so amped up after that it was hard to focus on getting my accy work done. lol

A1 rev hyper
115 x 10 x 2
A2 Rickshaw shrugs
140 + rickshaw x 10 x 2

B1 4 way hip work
red band x 10 each way x 2
B2 Hammer curls
30 x 12 x 2

I got a little greedy and was going to take 400 for a double but after realizing it wasn't going to be an easy pull I shut it down. I need to train smart, not with ego.


http://youtu.be/Ar4kYZEeS68

mcbeast
06-03-12, 12:40 am
So strong! Pull was EASY!

Bruiser
06-03-12, 8:14 am
Great pull! You made that look easy.

P_Bo
06-03-12, 12:51 pm
So strong! Pull was EASY!


Great pull! You made that look easy.

Thanks Eddie and Leigh. Between deficits with chains, then just chains, then to just straight weight from the floor, it better have been easy or I just wasted the last 6 weeks. LOL.

P_Bo
06-05-12, 8:08 pm
All the dots are connecting for my meet June 30. I pushed a bit harder than the plan and I'm glad I did because I'm further ahead than I expected. I'm the right amount of beat up at this point but know I still have more left in me. I'll unleash this on the platform. I'm shutting down my heavy lifting a week early and will do enough work next week to stay primed while protecting my SI and adductor/hammy that is acting up. Openers the week after and then is GO TIME.

Squats
bar x 10
95 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
225 x 1
245 x 1* add belt
275 x 1
315 x 1

Front squat
225 x 1

Realizing it's stupid to push it right now, I came to my senses and walked away lol

A1 Ball hamstring curl w/ hip extension
AMRAP x 2
A2 GHR Abs
15 lb DB behind head x 15 x 2
A3 waiters
5 x 15 x 2

Would have liked these a tad deeper, but all in all, I'm happy how this went.


http://youtu.be/PFnmgKQ7EIo

mcbeast
06-05-12, 8:23 pm
Real strong work P! Looked pretty good, it would definitely pass in an SPF meet! Haha.

BryanSmash!
06-05-12, 8:24 pm
Great squatting Pam, strong lifts!

P_Bo
06-05-12, 8:38 pm
Real strong work P! Looked pretty good, it would definitely pass in an SPF meet! Haha.
Bahahaha, not deep enough then. The angle isn't the best since the camera is sitting fairly low and a bit towards the front of my knee. Regardless, still not deep enough in my books. I've never missed a squat due to depth and I don't intend to start now. I don't have someone calling depth in training but do at meets - I guess I've been blessed with good handlers.

Great squatting Pam, strong lifts!
Thanks Bryan! I appreciate you popping by my log.