Tag Archives: weightlifting

Health and Fitness

Here’s me smashing a 290 lb. deadlift heavy single today… it was easy, felt like I could do more…

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I had a great deadlift session earlier this afternoon. Feeling strong on deadlift again. Easily smashed a 290 lb. heavy single. Felt so easy, I felt I could do more. Like the IG post says, I could probably smash a 300 lb. single and will give it a shot next week.

I could probably get past 300 lbs. for more reps very soon.

Trying to take technique and form very seriously and I just had a veteran powerlifter tell me in FB this lift was perfect.

Covid 19 didn’t take away my strength at all to be honest. In fact, it actually made me slightly stronger, lol….

Enjoy.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Leg injury update: it’s actually feeling a lot better this week… not quite 100%, I’d say about 95% better…

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Like the title says, my upper left leg injury is getting a lot better. Not quite yet but getting there. I took like 3 weeks off of lower body lifting completely and that seems to have helped a lot. I might be good enough to get back into lower body lifting this week, but I think it’s a good idea to start off light, we’ll see.

My left shoulder has gotten a lot better too so all of this is getting good.

I knew I never needed a doctor ’cause I knew these would be pretty healable. Remember, when you’re hurting whatever bodypart is injured, you gotta stop exercising that body part completely so it can heal faster. Training that injured body part is not going to make the injury go away.

I’m feeling real good now. I took two weeks off from the gym completely so that really helped a lot. I’m probably gonna get back to the gym this week but I’ll probably lift everything real light, we’ll see.

Who knows, I may be good enough to get back into heavy lifting again. I really want to get back into heavy lifting ’cause it’s holding back my powerlifting numbers. I’m feeling real good now, though better than I was before.

I’ve had minor injuries like this in the past and I learned that the only way to get rid of injuries faster is to stop training. You might lose muscle or a little strength and sometimes you get even more strength when coming back from an injury. Usually many lifters come back stronger in the gym after taking time off from the gym due to an injury so you shouldn’t be worried about losing strength.

Hopefully I still have my 300 lb. deadlift. I smashed a 300 lb. deadlift single in the past a couple of times and who knows, I could do it again. I’ll wait to do leg day and back day on the weekend to give more time for this injury to heal all the way.

I’m gonna go to the gym for chest day tomorrow. I miss the weight room… I hate staying out of it. I hardly ever take time off from the gym but it’s usually ’cause I’m either injured or not feeling good or on vacation somewhere… back to the gym tomorrow.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Leg injury update, still got it a little bit but I can feel it going away though…

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Thought I would give you a little injury update on my left leg… since I took three weeks off of lower body lifting, I can feel the left leg getting better. Still not 100% yet but getting there. I don’t want to get back into lower body lifting again ’cause if I did, I would re-injure it and it would come back and that’s what I don’t want. I can’t go back to lower body lifting at all until it heals 100%. I predict that it could take a couple of more weeks to heal fully… maybe like 2 or 3 weeks, we’ll see how it goes. If it takes a whole month off to heal the injury all the way, I’ll take it.

My left shoulder is bothering me again a little bit so I guess no upper body lifting for a while as well, lmao. That means I gotta stay away from weightlifting altogether if I want my minor injuries to heal completely.

I know these injuries are going away ’cause I can feel them. Even though I can’t get back into weightlifting at all, I won’t stop going to the gym, though. I can go to the gym and just walk the treadmill for an hour but that’s about all I can do. I did end up taking a full week off of the gym last week so that helped a lot.

Like I said, it’s completely okay to take time off from the gym if you’re hurting ’cause that’s what you gotta do. I don’t think anything is torn ’cause if something was torn you would see some nasty discoloring and I don’t have any of that. I think these minor injuries are just a strain or a pull or something, nothing that bad. I want them gone forever so no lifting until they are gone. I’ll take a full month off or more than a month, whatever it takes.

Getting injuries suck as I have had them before and they do take forever to heal. Yeah, you may lose a little muscle and a little strength during recovery but like I said, don’t worry… you’ll get it all back pretty quick. I do miss the deadlifting already and I want to get back into it pretty badly but not until I’m 100%.

I don’t regret taking time off from the gym for these injuries, though ’cause it’s almost at the end of the year and it’s a good time to heal anyways ’cause once I do heal fully… I’m gonna get back into kicking ass in the gym in 2020.

When I look in the mirror, though… I couldn’t believe how big my arms and my shoulders are getting, though. Hate to brag about myself but my arms are getting impressive.

I’m getting better… just gotta stop lifting for a while longer. I know it sucks but that’s what I gotta do. I want to get back into strength training for powerlifting real soon but not right now. Hopefully I’ll be 100% in the month of Dec.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Still no deadlifting and lower body work until left leg heals 100%…

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Another week of skipping deadlifting and leg day workouts. I hate it so much and it’s pissing me off but it’s the best thing I can do if I want this left leg injury to go away completely. It is getting better, though. Slowly but surely. I can tell whether or not I still got it by either standing for a long time or even sitting. I don’t need no doctor ’cause I know it’s a healable injury so I’ll recover it fine by myself.

I could get back to deadlifting and lower body work if I wanted but I’m not gonna ’cause if I did then the injury would come back and would take even longer to heal. It’ll probably take a few more weeks to get rid of it.

As I soon as I do heal 100% and when I’m completely injury free, I’m gonna get back to serious lower body lifting. Get right back to deadlifting and squatting so I can prepare for my first USAPL powerlifting meet whenever that will be. I don’t know if I’ll do a USAPL meet this year but definitely sometime in 2020. I just want to give myself more time and bring my numbers up on the bench, deadlift and squat.

I might lose a little bit of muscle and “strength” but I’ll be back on fire real soon. It’s crazy, ya know. I rarely get injuries in the gym and I haven’t gotten injured in a long time. How did I get this minor leg injury? I blame the leg press either that or doing so much for the legs. I’m gonna have to cut out some quad exercises so I won’t get it again.

My leg is getting better the more I don’t put weight on it so I’ll give it a lot more time.

I brought my gym days back down to 3 days a week but as soon as my leg fully heals, I’ll get right back to 4 days a week as soon as possible. When you have a leg injury you gotta stop deadlifting ’cause the deadlift takes a lot of leg work. The deadlift targets the whole lower body pretty much.

As soon as my leg heals completely, back to some serious lifting. I think I’ll take a whole month of Nov. off of lower body lifting so I can give it more time. Sounds like a good idea, I think.

Kev

Health and Fitness, sports

Well, I finally joined the USAPL powerlifting federation… I decided to do it after all!!!!

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Well well well, look 👀. I am now an official member of USAPL. Powerlifting is my new life and glad I discovered it. I joined USAPL so I can start doing their local and state powerlifting meets around the New York State. As far as the big National meets go, I’m not gonna rush into that so for now I’m gonna stick with local and state. I’m not gonna go too crazy with doing powerlifting meets for the USAPL ‘cause I’m only gonna do like 1 or two a year through NY State. Now I’m hoping to break some state records in the future. Let’s do this. I’m proud to join the USAPL finally and getting stoked. Let’s do this!!! Toldja I was serious about it. #powerlifting #USAPL #bench #deadlift #squat @knautel @jasmine_nautel

A post shared by Kev Brock (@kevbrockmusic) on

Well y’all, I actually did it this week. I joined the USAPL. My powerlifting career officially begins. It was $65 for registration fee and if I ever did my first USAPL meet, I would be competing in the Masters Division since I’m an over 40 lifter.

Yeah, doing powerlifting meets is gonna be expensive… the admission fee to compete in USAPL meets could cost around $60 – $100 or more. Powerlifting might be “pricey” yes but hey, like they all say “You can only live once”… which is true. Since you can only live once, I wanna do “great” things in my life and powerlifting is my calling. Powerlifting gives me something to do and makes me feel like an athletic person.

When I start doing USAPL meets like the instagram post says I’m only gonna do like 1 or 2 powerlifting meets a year… maybe 3 if I get lucky. For now, I’m only going to do local and state meets for the USAPL.

Will I ever compete on the bigger national meets like the RAW Nationals like they have every year? Yes, I will absolutely compete on the RAW Nationals someday but I’m not gonna rush on that one and gonna take my time. I’m not gonna compete on the RAW Nationals until I start hitting the bigger weights. When I start hitting over 500 lbs. on the squats, bench and deadlift maybe I’ll start thinking about the RAW Nationals but I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. I also want to compete for the Arnold Festival too someday but I’m not gonna rush on that either.

I’m just gonna start small and build my way up. I’m hoping to be one of the greats in powerlifting someday so I joined the USAPL in hopes of making that dream come true.

So when will be my first USAPL powerlifting meet??? I don’t know. I’m thinking about doing the Northeast Ironbeast in Loudonville, NY in Jan. I’m nursing a left leg injury so I’m hoping it heels all the way before then. I’m sure it will. I’m still trying to recover from the left leg injury completely. I skipped leg day last week and will skip lower body workouts this week too so I can give it more time to heal ’cause I want the injury gone for good. My left leg has gotten better, though. I still feel it a little bit and still feeling a little leg weakness but I’m not gonna go back to lower body workouts until I don’t feel it at all.

Whenever I do heal completely and fully, I’m going to train real hard on deadlift and squats.

Now that I’m a USAPL member, I’m going to have to take some time to read their powerlifting rulebook ’cause it’s important.

Yeah, powerlifting is my new lifestyle and I’m glad to be a part of the community. My numbers for deadlift, squats and bench maybe kind of small right now but give it time, I’ll build them up real soon. Building strength will take some time.

Powerlifting really is a blast. Love it so much, I can see why the sport is getting so popular and exploding nowadays. It’s a blast to show off what you can do and it’s fun to watch other lifters as well. I want to win and kick ass in powerlifting. Win all kinds of trophies and medals, break state and world records. Get ready, y’all. This is only the beginning. So happy that I found a sport that I do.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Hate to skip leg day this week but it’s the best I can do…

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I rarely skip leg day and I haven’t done that in a long time but if that’s what is gonna take to get rid of my left hip flexor injury then so be it. It is probably the hip flexor that is hurt a little bit. Hip flexor upper quad area under the hip is slightly hurt a little bit. I probably got a slight tear or a pull or something but it’s getting better already since I stopped the deadlifting. If it doesn’t heal fully in a few weeks then I’ll wait longer. I’ll do whatever it takes for it to heal 100%.

This injury isn’t a big deal so would probably take 2 or 3 weeks to heal completely. I just won’t train the lower body for a few weeks.

My upper body is real good now so I can continue to train the upper body but lower body I’m gonna need a little break from.

Yup, in the rules of bodybuilding and powerlifting if you’re feeling any pain anywhere, you gotta stop ’cause you’re not going to get rid of the injury if you continue to work out through it.

I’m sick of feeling it and gotta do what I gotta do… it sucks ’cause I wanna get back into serious deadlifting.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Should I get a powerlifting coach or a lifting partner when it comes to powerlifting training??? Yes, I should lift with someone…

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I already do have a few powerlifting coaches/partners but they live all the way out in Albany so they only coach me “part-time”. For now, I try to coach myself in powerlifting. For the big three lifts, I learn my form by watching powerlifting youtube videos online through youtube channels such as Mark Rippetoe, Alan Thrall, Omar Isuf, Silent Mike, Mark Bell, Jonnie Candito and all those powerlifting guys that teach you online. That’s how I taught myself in powerlifting pretty much.

My powerlifting friends that live out in Albany also taught me a lot.

While all this is good; however, I do want to get a powerlifting coach and lifting partner of my own. I should really find other local powerlifting friends that can help me even more and I’m gonna try. While some people say my form is good on the big three lifts: the deadlift, the squat and the bench… I feel that my form is not all the way perfect 100% but I’m still trying.

The squat is my least favorite lift of the big three ’cause it’s so challenging to get depth right but I’m getting the hang of it and getting better, though. To get depth right for the USAPL, the hip crease joint needs to be lower than the top of the knee and I’ve been trying to get that. I can get that easily with the lighter weights but when the squats get heavy,  it’s challenging to get depth right. I think the squat is the most challenging of the big three, it really is.

I would like an experienced coach or a lifting partner so they can help me perfect my form on the squat. I also could use more help on building strength faster and so my numbers can go up quicker. Some people say it’s impossible for numbers to go up quicker and build super human strength faster but it is possible. Just need to stay consistent and there are some tricks out there.

I really shouldn’t train powerlifting all by myself ’cause I think it would be fun to train with other people. At my local gym at the Battenkill YMCA in Greenwich, I’m always seeing guys doing the big three lifts there all the time: squat, bench and deadlift. Each time I see those guys do those lifts, I keep asking myself: “Are these guys competitive powerlifters?” They may be and it don’t hurt for me to ask them next time I see them and I could ask them to be my coach/partner. Don’t hurt to try.

If I want to become a great powerlifter… become one of the bests, a powerlifting coach with experience would help. I just gotta ask around. Talk with other powerlifters and meet other lifters and who knows what might happen. I gotta network more in the powerlifting community and I have been. Gotta get yourself out there and get yourself known in the community.

I’ll find somebody hopefully and gonna try. I wouldn’t mind paying them either if that’s what it’s gonna take.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Think I need a break from deadlifting, squatting and quad lifting until my minor leg injury heals all the way… yep, still got it…

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Yup, like the title says I think I need a little break from deadlifting, squatting and training the quads completely until my minor left leg injury heals completely. Both of my quads are completely fine, though. I think what’s hurt is my left hip flexor is what they call it. The upper thigh area on the left leg, that’s the hip flexor I think. The injury is not superbad, I’m good enough to walk around and move but I should have gave it a lot more time off. Starting this week, no deadlifting, no squatting at the squat rack and no quad training of any kind until my leg injury heals all the way. It’ll probably take two or three weeks or a little more.

I can still train the lower body when it comes to leg day, though. I can still train the calves and the hamstrings but not the quads.

My left shoulder weakness is gone, my left shoulder is 100% good so now I’m back to regular heavy lifting on the upper body… but the lower body I need to settle down for a while again. I’ll take time off of training the quads until it heals 100%.

The human body is weird, ya know? At one point, you think the injury is gone and once you get back to lifting heavy, you get it back. I should have waited a lot longer and I will this time. Still have it a little bit but not terribly bad. I just want it gone completely so I can get back to heavy deadlifting again.

Injuries are frustrating and annoying but I do get ’em admittedly. Once in a blue moon, that happens. I just don’t panic. Keep staying positive and just keep moving, staying active. That’s what you want to do. When you’re injured from the gym, you shouldn’t be lazy and be bed ridden ’cause of it. You gotta keep moving and keep going about your day ’cause that helps heals the injury too.

I don’t go to the doctor ’cause all they’re going to do is give me orders to stay out of the gym and I can’t do that. There are ways to work around injuries. You can either train light weights or not train the hurt part at all. I’d suggest not training the hurt part and that’s what I’m gonna do. Like I said in the past, you want injuries to go away faster, gotta stop putting weight on it and I’m gonna do just that. The reason I had it for a long while ’cause I keep putting weight on it by continuing to workout through it and I gotta stop that but deadlifting is addicting, though. No more of that for a while.

It’s okay to take time off from barbell training once in a blue moon but the only reason you should take time off is when you’re either injured or sick. Don’t take time off from barbell training just because you feel like it and want to slack off from the gym.

I might be doing another powerlifting meet at the Wilton YMCA ’cause there’s another one of those in Nov. and I want to be completely injury free for this one. I didn’t hear anything new from Albany Strength so I think I might be doing the YMCA meet instead.

I love powerlifting. It’s an amazing sport and you can’t keep training through injuries even minor ones. Gotta stop that. If you want to smash your big lifts, gotta be completely injury free 100%.

Kev

 

Health and Fitness

Bench press doesn’t give you chest gains, hey??? That’s not what I’ve been experiencing…

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There are a lot of bench press critics out there and I can’t understand why. Many aren’t fans of the flat barbell bench ’cause they claim it doesn’t give you big gains but that’s not what I’ve been experiencing. The bench seems to be helping me pretty good as you can see here. Starting to get the look that I want ’cause of it. I am feeling my pecs getting bigger week after week.

When I first started bodybuilding, I was struggling to grow my chest. I didn’t have much pecs at all in the past but lately, I finally started to figure it out. I feel it’s important to do other chest exercises other than the flat bench.

I’ve learned that you gotta do both the pushing and squeezing movements. I’ve also learned that you gotta get a full contraction by squeezing the chest hard at the top which I’ve also been doing. I’ve also been doing the incline barbell bench, dumbbell flies on bench, dumbbell press on bench, cable crossovers and started doing dips. All that seems to be helping me greatly.

Doing heavy bench press around the 1 – 5 rep ranges seems to be helping too. Some say that doing heavy sets and few reps is only for strength building yes but it can build muscle too, of course.

Don’t listen to bench press critics ’cause they’re all full of it, in my opinion. I think it’s one of the best chest exercises ever and they don’t call the bench the king of all workouts for no reason.

I do want to get giant pecs but that’s gonna take some more time and I’m not gonna rush. Just be patience and keep working for it. I’m finally starting to get that “bodybuilder” look which is what I was after all along.

I did all of this by myself… with no personal trainer and no workout partner. I never used steroids either and no supplement products at all. Just good eating, staying dedicated and consistent. You stay dedicated and consistent, you’ll reach your goals that you want.

I look pretty good here but still got a lot of work to do and I’ll always have a lot of work to do. Even though I consider myself a powerlifter now, I still train like a bodybuilder. I can’t give bodybuilding up. I do both powerlifting and bodybuilding.

Kev

Health and Fitness

Watch me smash a 300 lb. deadlift which I did earlier today…

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Here I am smashing an easy 300 lb. heavy single to end my deadlift session with earlier today. After nursing a minor upper left leg injury for a few weeks, I felt I was good enough to get back into some serious lower body work and that’s what I did this weekend.

Since a few weeks ago, I was able to smash a 290 lb. deadlift heavy single, I predicted that I would be able to smash a 300 lb. deadlift that I was trying to get back to. Here I am doing just that. Me smashing a 300 lb. deadlift single. Keep in mind, though, this is not a new P.R. Just a heavy single.

After this, I realized that I never plateaued at all in my deadlifting. It was my left leg injury that was holding me back like I was saying. Since I’m able to do 300 lb. singles for deadlift now, I could probably pull even more than 300. In the video above, that lift was a little shaky but I was able to lock it out pretty smoothly anyways.

Now my legs are wicked ass sore. My legs aren’t too friendly with walking up and down the stairs now, lmao… so I’m gonna be like this for a few days. My legs are sore ’cause I settled down on the lower body lifting for a few weeks but I feel real good. It’s just that deadlifting is so addicting and it’s so hard to stay away from, I can’t help myself. LMAO!!!

I think the left leg injury came back a little bit but not so bad. I’ll get right back to settling down on the lower body lifting so it can go away for good ’cause I’m sick of feeling it. I thought my leg was good enough to get back into heavy lifting again but jumped into it too soon again. I was proud of today’s lift, though. Now I’m on the road to 400 lb. deadlift and I think I can get there in 2020.

I love powerlifting.

Kev