Mobsters training log

[Steve Gardener]

Monday
@ GN
Double over hand thick bar deadlifts

[Steve Gardener]

Tuesday
Busy, busy...

Vulcan Gripper work
B

Weaver (F)


Bwt: 289lbs on our scales

[Steve Gardener]

Thursday
@ GN (decided to have a lighter back day). Chest n back day

V bench
arms x 12 reps, 20-kilos (per side) x 8 reps, 35-kilos x 8 reps, 50-kilos x 8 reps, 65-kilos x 8 reps, 80-kilos x 8 reps, 95-kilos x 6 reps, 100-kilos x 5 reps

s/s with

LPD
10p x 8 reps, 13p x 8 reps, stack (15p) x 8 reps

then

Seated upright row machine
11p x 8 reps, 16p x 8 reps, stack (20p) x 6 reps

Straight arm pulldowns
4p x 8 reps, 8p x 10 reps

Seated Leg Curl
Awful machine for me to get into
4p x 8 reps, 8p x 8reps.
Could have done more but far too cack handed


bwt: 295lbs so = 291lbs actual

[Steve Gardener]

Friday
Hands took a while to get their 'groove thang on' but once I was finally set my attitude went up a notch and I was all 'torn skin - so what!'.

2HP


Weaver (R)

[Steve Gardener]

Saturday
Trained outside on what's turned out to be the best day of the year weather wise so far. That combined with people walking by made for a very good one hand deadlift session
One hand deadlift thumb over

[Steve Gardener]

Sunday
12 days to ass kicking day...
Shoulders n' arms @ GN

Seated press
1/2 stack x 8 reps, stack x 8 reps, +60-kilos x 8 reps, +100-kilos x 6 reps, +140-kilos x 6 reps

s/s

DB H Curls
10-kilos @ x 8 reps, 20-kilos @ x 8 reps, 30-kilos @ x 8 reps, 37.5-kilos x 8 reps

TPD on LPD machine
8p x 8 reps, 11p (meant to be 10p) x8 reps, 13p x 5 reps V heavy/hard

1 Arm Cable TPD on c/over pulley
30-kilos x 8 reps @, 35-kilos x 8 reps @. Pumped.

Bwt: 20st 13lbs

[Steve Gardener]

Monday
Trained in the PM at WG. No sign of Dunc or Anthony. Tsk. However, training took longer than intended because neighbors dropped by. I'm booked by one for a play scheme gig in August and another will start training with me tomorrow. This training outside lark pays dividends LOL

Double overhand thick bar deadlifts
bar x 12 reps, 70-kilos x 3 reps, 100-kilos x 1 reps, 130-kilos (t/l grip) x 1 rep. All sans belt. 160-kilos x 1 rep - support belt only. 190-kilos x 1 rep both belts. 205-kilos x 5 x 1 reps. This last part took the longest due to the above mentioned distractions. Last rep ugly.

[Steve Gardener]

Wednesday
2HP @ 44mm

[Steve Gardener]

Thur
Rest ((last one pre comp)

Friday
Stuff

Saturday
My back is, as per, giving me gip. I went to the post office this morning and was leaning on the barrier posts to take pressure of my sciatica. So on returning and sans pre-workout coffee I took extra time to stretch and warm up. I took even more care with the warm up sets feeling my way. However, once passed that I was once again into PB territory. Joining me in PB space was Loz who worked to a triple with 200-kilos on our Viking press set up once her arrived.

One hand deadlifts thumb over
B/H: bar x 6 reps @, 60-kilos x 3 reps @, 90kilos x 3 reps @, 120-kilos x 1 rep @
L/H: 150-kilos x 4 x 1 reps (PB)
R/H: 150-kilos x 1 rep, 167.5-kilos x 3 x 1 rep

[Steve Gardener]

Sunday
Last but one session. Stiff as per. Legs

Leg Press
plate x 12 reps, 80-kilos x 8 reps, 160-kilos x 8 reps, 240-kilos x 8 reps, 340-kilos x 8 reps

Leg Extensions
60-kilos x 8 reps, 125-kilos x 8 reps, stack+25-kilos x 8 reps

s/s with

Leg Curls
15-kilos x 8 reps, 25-kilos x 8 reps, 35-kilos x 8 reps

[Steve Gardener]

Monday
The last days training before British. The next 4 days is walking and stretching only.

At GN
Vulcan Gripper


2HP on 70mm set up


Bwt: 21st 4lbs on their scales

At WG
3" W/Roller.
light pin+30-kilos x 3 n/s reps, then 3 x 3 reps with set up + 40-kilos x ouch! I'd forgotten what an evil burn and pump one gets... ouch++!! Right f/arm x 16.5-inches after 3rd set, left 15.5-inches.

[Steve Gardener]

Sunday
The morning after the night before. Last year, after the British Grip Championships, my main rival (Paul Savage) wrote 'I feel like a train wreck'. David Horne, bless him, rubbed it in by saying 'that's how you should feel if you gave 100% in competition'. Well I'm a train wreck. I'll be able to look at my first place trophy by way of compensation though... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

The last 4 days pre-competition which are effectively rest days were spent pottering around the house. Doing errands, sorting out equipment for the event and so on. Wednesday, with no sign of the medals or an email saying they were being made, I chased the company up. Even today no bloody reply.

Saturday
There are a few indicators that my body is prepped for competition. Muscles, like on a race horse made ready for the Grand National, quiver, spasm and cramp. The night before I get antsy and find it hard to settle and even though I'll not have slept well I'll awake early. So even though I think I'd feel better more well rested and less on edge I know that these are, for me, actually good things.

So when I was awake at 6am I had a banana then another hour or so's rest then checked emails and had my usual breakfast. I started taking over the bits and bobs (coffee, tea etc) to the gym around 9.30am and a little after 10am saw the first arrivals showing their faces. I knew we'd be down as 3 had dropped out and one more, David Horne, had said he's not competing but is such a competitive athlete (plus he's done this before and Stew had said as much this week) that I wasn't too surprised when he changed his mind. Waiting a few extra minutes for Mark Martin-Dye we kicked off shortly after 11am. I'll write about my performance as the results are a matter of record (see link later) and some impressions of other lifts and lifters.

Vulcan Gripper 20mm block set.
My right bicep and tendon, especially in the last 2 or so training sessions, had been twinging to the point of discomfort and not allowing me to crush down on the harder settings. It had done the same, following a brief test, with torsion grippers so I decided to use my left (non-dominant) hand.

Opening with a level 13 effort, following warm ups, shows I'd have been 2nd just with that effort. I followed with a level 15 which David Horne matched tying us for 1st place. But my whole mindset in the last few gym sessions had been to win each and every event. So When David missed his 3rd and 4th attempts on level 17 my more successful one put me in the lead. I missed a level 18 which I thought I'd caned but which Liz Horne, refereeing said wasn't quite shut. No matter - job done. First place

Two hand euro pinch
Because the set up is adjustable we go in groups. So those at 42mm wide go together, those at 44mm next and so on. We flip a coin as to whether it's thin to fat or vice-versa. I was the ONLY lifter at 44mm so when my turn came (fat went first so I was towards the end) I followed myself. I did, however, have the competitive advantage of knowing what David Horne, the leader at that point, had done and so I only needed to lift more to win. I COULD have gone for more but it's all too easy to balls stuff up so, with a combination of the width and using different slightly heavier calibrated plates (in fact oh so heavier 1.25kg discs a side) I beat David by a mere 31g (111.61kg to his 111.57). Those that followed did not beat David or myself so that was another win.

Mark's over bodyweight 3rd lift was also a highlight.

Double overhand axle deadlifts
We had a quick chat about the rules and it was going to be strict (see forum comments on Mighty Mitts... ahem). I'd been pulling 205-kilos for multiple singles in training but, as you'll see, so nearly ballsed it up never mind going for any record.

I, while reffing, seemed no doubt to sit out many, many attempts that others made taking only token warm ups to keep blood in my back etc and stop from cooling down too much. I knew what my gym lifts were so when I opted for what would have been an immediate event winning 190kg I could have stopped there. However in training to conserve strength and save my back I'd been pulling and then throwing the weight down at the top. So I pulls 190kg easy and then like a moron throws it down without thinking. D'uh!! You can imagine what people said. I know I can do more and even though I have trouble standing fully erect I opt for 200-kilos. Without noticing I hitch it a little and so it's another fail. More comments follow. But I take a moment, with the benefit of a few contests by way of experience, not to balls it up again and so rather that follow the previous plan I take 200kg again and get a 2-1 from the refs. Screw a 3rd attempt at a heavier weight... too risky and of course a wins a win. Phew! 3 for 3.

Dinnie for reps
This is brutal, brutal and did I say brutal? event. It just plain wears you down and you may well lose skin. The lifters have two options - a lighter 146kg 'stone' (actually a loaded set up) or the heavier 187kg 'stone' (ditto) thus mimicking the famous Dinnie stones. They have to lift their chosen weight at least 2" off the floor (I literally laid down face on the mat to judge all bar my own attempts). GThe back gets pumped, the legs and tendons are on fire and it's all too easy to rip and tear skin on the hands. 90-seconds feels like an age.

Liz Horne, wife of David and our only female lifter, did well pulling the light stone for 1. Everyone else got PB's. Worthy of mention was David's effort - with damaged shoulder taped up and in some pain - with 15 hard taken reps. They were made worse by no one counting (I was still face on floor, now bleeding from my right forearm from a glass fragment down there, checking the height was good) but fortunately a count back on video showed his 15 reps. Jim Wylie's 21 reps was, if only briefly, the British record regardless of hand and in between my calling out 'good' when each rep made the height I was also shouting at him to set me a good target. At some point, probably around rep 15, he tore skin on his palm but still managed 6 more.

Once again I went last and did enough. 22 reps. No skin tears but man was I puffed out - wow wee. Another win and 4 for 4.

Weaver to the front - no straps
Final event and no records down so whatever we did set the pace. I had my beady eyes on Stew Killick following his recent effort with Weaver to the rear during our super series and, as I told him, I wanted to beat him and used that to motivate me in training. I hit 4.01kg on my 3rd and missed 4.6kg for my 4th. Stew creamed me with a 4.10kg 3rd and a missed 4.6kg. Thus he won and I managed 2nd on the 5th and final event of the day.

I had had a good feeling about my winning the event but having people to push me, so nearly bombing on one lift and the like meant that it was a far from easy win. There was no nonchalant attitude at any point on my part. But, come the end of the day, 4 wins and 1 second place meant an overall first place. Next up is the show days at the NEC May 22nd and 23rd followed by the Euros

www.davidhorne-gripmaster.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=35

[Steve Gardener]

Monday
Went to GN and did what the hell I felt like. I had half a mind to do something which will help me with the display stuff I'll do at Bodypower/NEC gig so:

2HP @ 70mm
set up (43.6kg) x 6 reps, 63.6kg x 3 reps, 73.6kg x 1 rep, 83.6kg x 1 rep, 93.6kg x 1 rep, 103.6kg x F, then 4 x 1 reps* (got better as I did more), 108.6kg x 1 rep, 111.1kg x F (did not budge).

2" W/Roller
** super setted with heavy pinch work
set up (hvy pin) + 30-kilos x 3 reps, +40-kilos x 3 reps, +50-kilos x 2 reps. Nice pump.

Bwt: 294lbs on their scales.

[Steve Gardener]

Friday
Shoulders n' arms
Seated machine press
1/2 stack x 8 reps, stack x 8 reps, +60-kilos x 8 reps, +120-kilos x 8 reps, +140-kilos x 6 reps

Alt DB Curls (supinated)
Right wrist then bicep twinging from the get go
10-kilos @ x 8 reps, 17-kilos @ x 8 reps, 27-kilos @ x 8 reps

TPD on COP
stack x 10 reps, +20-kilos x 10 reps, +40-kilos x 10 reps

[Steve Gardener]

Saturday
2HP
worked +85-kilos (106.7) x 5 x 1 reps

MDB
3 x 1 with MDB with each lift longer than the last.