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That seemed fast.

2013 has come to a close and Chinese New Year is just around the corner (January 31, 2014), which will be there year of the horse!

Thirty Thirty

The most bad-ass and jacked horse that I know: Thirty-Thirty from the 80's cartoon series "BraveStarr"

Anyway, to recap, my 2012 maxes and 2013 goals were:

  • Squat: 510 lb to 550 lb (DONE)
  • Bench Press: 355 lb to 380 lb (DONE - benched 400 lb!)
  • Deadlift: 540 lb to 600 lb (NOPE - current max is 570 lb)
  • Overhead Press: 255 lb to 280 lb (NOPE - current max is 265 lb)

So I only got 2/4 of the goals I aimed for, but I still made some decent progress.

One Word To Describe 2013

  • Gainz

5 Greatest Things That Happened In The Past Year

  1. Hit a ton of PRs (both rep PRs and 1RM). Here are my 1 rep maxes:
    1. Low Bar Squat: 550 lb
    2. High Bar Squat: 520 lb
    3. Front Squat: 420 lb
    4. Bench Pres: 400 lb
    5. Overhead Press: 265 lb
    6. Deadlift: 570 lb
  2. Getting my articles published in other websites:
    1. T-Nation: Master The Reverse Grip Bench Press
    2. All Things Gym: 3 Way To Increase Your Overhead Pressing Strength
    3. Fitocracy: How To Deal With Calluses On Your Hands and How To Bench Press Safely Without A Spotter
  3. Competed in a powerlifting competition, and set the record (amateur, CPF) for the squat and overall total!
  4. Became a trainer at a big box gym. I haven't hit a PR since I started, but I'm sure I'll figure out a way to get my strength back and continue to make progress. Should be interesting to see how things turn out this time next year.
  5. I'm going to be a dad!

 

 

Goals For 2014

  • Low Bar Squat: 550 lb to 600 lb (+50 lb increase)
  • High Bar Squat: 520 lb to 550 lb (+30 lb increase)
  • Front Squat: 420 lb to 455 lb (+35 lb increase)
  • Bench Press: 400 lb to 440 lb (+40 lb increase)
  • OHP: 265 lb to 280 lb+ (+15 lb increase)
  • Deadlift: 570 lb to 600 lb+ (+30 lb increase)
  • Get a 1500 total in a meet (not sure what competition I'll enter yet. All the ones I'm aware of are a little too far for my liking)
  • Get more articles published
  • Get more jacked

A few months ago I was running low on whey protein (actually I still have 3 tubs of that yucky MuscleTech Phase8) so I decided to get some bulk protein.

I picked up a 25 lb box of vanilla flavored whey protein concentrate from CanadaProtein.com.

Previously I purchased a 25 lb box of vanilla flavored whey protein isolate + concentrate mix from them last year, but decided to go with the WPC mainly because it was cheaper, and in the long run, in my opinion, there’s probably not going to be much difference between ingesting WPC vs a WPC + WPI mix (or whey protein isolate, whey protein hydrolysate or any other variation or combination) except on my wallet.

I posted this status on Facebook shortly after purchasing (on June 13, 2013):

facebook-canadaprotein

 

My PR’s at the time for the 3 lifts are:

So, according to my “math” and Facebook status, I should be at these numbers by the time I’m done ingesting all this powder:

  • Squat: 530 lb
  • Bench Press: 395 lb
  • Deadlift: 572.2 lb

As of September 26, 2013 (which is over a month ago prior to today's post), my PRs are:

I still have about 5 lb of the whey protein concentrate remaining, and I have already added 32 lb to my squat, 15 lb to my bench press, and 7.8 lb to my deadlift.

Overall, I have added 54.8 lb to my big 3 lifts using less than 25 lb of vanilla flavored whey protein concentrate.

Therefore...

Whey protein concentrate works!

For every pound of vanilla flavored whey protein concentrate ingested, 2-2.5 pounds will be added to your total. Not a bad deal if you ask me, especially for this cheaper form of whey protein.

So, if you want to add > 50 lb to your overall total in the squat, bench press and deadlift, pick up some whey protein concentrate and experience the gains like I did:

JUST KIDDING.

Seriously though, the gains cannot be solely attributed to only WPC.

To be honest, I'm not much of a supplements guy. I tend to think most of the supplements on the market today are not as effective as they claim to be, if they are effective at all, and in general are fueled by marketing dollars in an attempt to take money out of the pockets of those looking for a quick way to get strong/jacked/slim/toned/cut/fit/healthy/etc.

I also think that those who spend a lot of time and money on supplements don't really track their own results to determine if whatever they're taking really produces any measurable results and rely on marketing hype and/or the reasoning of:

"These studies and/or before-and-after pictures indicate it should work, therefore, it's working for me!"

Aside from whey protein (which has a double function for me, not only as a source of protein but as a coffee creamer), a cheap multivitamin, fish oil, caffeine and ephedrine, I don't really take anything else. I'm currently testing out adding coconut oil to my coffee. It makes my lips oily and makes my coffee tastes a bit better, but I don't think I would notice any changes if I suddenly stopped ingesting it.

I used to take creatine, one of the most effective supplements supported by many studies, but since I ran out and stopped taking it, I haven't noticed any negative changes. I was expecting to get weaker and/or not have the stamina to complete my workout, but this wasn't the case.

Much of my progress (and I would bet, most of everyone else's progress) comes from solid consistent training, eating good enough, eating enough, sleeping enough, hard/smart work, persistence, and all those things that marketed as some sort of magic bullet to instant gains.

If I alter any of these things, I'm pretty damn sure they would have a big impact on my progress.

In the end, I'll probably pick up some creatine down the road once there's a sale, just to try it out again. Also, I'll likely continue taking some form of whey protein (likely WPC, because it's cheap) because it's an easy way to ingest and store protein, and it makes instant coffee tastes a million times better.

But, the road to a 600 lb squat, 405+ lb bench press and 600 lb deadlift for me is going to be fueled by consistent hard work, a lot of food, a lot of sleep, and...you know, all that non-sexy stuff that can't be sold in a bottle.

Remember that powerlifting competition I did way back in June?

Just to recap, I hit these numbers in the 90 Kg (198 lb) weight class:

  1. Squat: 235 Kg (518 lb)
  2. Bench Press: 170 Kg (374.8 lb)
  3. Deadlift: 255 Kg (562.2 lb)

TOTAL: 660 Kg (1455 lb)

Here's a video showing all the lifts:

Anyway, turns out I actually got the Men's Amateur record for the squat and overall total!

I found this out about a month afterwards when the record was posted on the spreadsheet available at CPF's website.

It looks like this, without the yellow highlighting or Chong Li picture:

CPF Powerlifting Amateur Records

Well, I seen a picture on Facebook of someone posting a shot of their record certificate they received a while back and thought to myself,

"I should get a record certificate..."

I did some research and found out that I had to submit an application form along with $10 for the certificate.

I mailed in the form along with a cheque a few weeks ago, and just received these in the mailbox:

Squat

Total

Looks nice!

A lot better than having to refer to an Excel spreadsheet all the time.

Still, I think I'd rather have a sword. One day...

Friday the 13th training session.

Michael Scott

Heavy Bag

Trying to keep my upper body, especially arms, as relaxed as possible.

  • Punches: 3 minutes
  • Punches: 3 minutes
  • Punches: 3 minutes

Front Squat

Trying out a wider stance.

  • 45 lb: 10
  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 3
  • 280 lb: 1
  • 330 lb: 1
  • 370 lb: 1
  • 405 lb: 1 * PR!
    • +5 lb 1RM
  • 230 lb: 5
    • No belt.

Deadlift

Hook grip.

  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 460 lb: 1
  • 500 lb: 1 * PR!
    • No belt PR
  • 550 lb: X,X,X
    • Thumbs couldn't take it for the first two tries. Tried straps, for the third attempt...no go. DAMMIT.
  • 500 lb: 5 * PR!
    • Straps + hook grip
    • 5 rep max

Breathing Paused High Bar Squat

  • 45 lb: 10
  • 140 lb: 10
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3

Paused High Bar Squat

Belt at 460 lb.

  • 410 lb: 1
  • 460 lb: 1

High Bar Squat

  • 405 lb: 10 * PR!
    • 10 rep max!
    • +35 lb PR

Mat Pulls

Tired after 405x10!

6 mats.

Hook grip.

Straps combined with hook grip at 500x5.

  • 140 lb: 5
  • 230 lb: 5
  • 320 lb: 3
  • 410 lb: 1
  • 460 lb: 1
  • 500 lb: 1
  • 550 lb: 1
  • 600 lb: X
  • 550 lb: X
  • 500 lb: 5