It is December and this was a tough month with setbacks for my progress regarding powerlifting. Most of the gains you see are due to progression in November, a month i did not post my progress to my blog.
I have added all the new features to the Stronglift 5x5 app. I am especially thrilled about the Dip and chin up progressions and also got myself a dip belt, which is due to arrive for the new year. If I want to progress to muscle ups and handstand push ups, I think this is a nice addition to my already established routine. The scores on beyond the whiteboard for the back squat are skewed. I did not do them with proper form once i passed the 110kg mark as my ego took over. The week before christmas i decided to scale back from 140kg to a 100kg squat to get my butt down again and will be more vigilant about what counts as a rep and what not. Three things for you which i could have done better.
1. Work on your Air squat until you have full range of motion, than progress to goblets and back squats
2. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch
3. Consult a physiotherapist
The next half year i will be going to a "back to basics" phase. As i was in Paris during christmas week i had to stand a lot and walk about and felt pain in my lower back. So pay attention to form and avoid the mistakes I made by progressing to fast being eager to show off how many plates i can load on my barbell (and only move a few centimetres...). I have a physio in my family which i consulted on stretches and I feel better after following the advice. Next check up will be in January to see how my progress on mobility is and maybe introduce some new stretches.
Currently I am not tracking my runs as vigorously as I used to. I got fed up with the Iphone + arm fiddly wrap thing set up. Also as my practise runs passed the 10 Mile mark I got problems with battery lifetime of the I phone during my run. This is a very frustrating experience, espcially when half of your long run is not being fed back into the measurements. My better half was so kind as to give me a Garmin 220 Forerunner as a christmas present, so I will be back on track soon. Stepping on the scale i discovered that I gained 10kg in muscle mass which could also explain my rather poor performance at the frankfurt marathon as I weighted 10kg more than in Dublin the year before. We will see what the "back to basics" approach will yield for the Vienna marathon in 2015, which i signed up for.