From Mayor´s to Malaga. Training 7.2-13.2.

Now it is the time for the weekly update that I promised. It is rather training oriented, albeit there is still things happening on other areas!

Hoping for sun

I am heading to Malaga in couple of days to train BJJ and kickboxing. 9 days of training, little bit of fun and hopefully sun await me and my friend Sakke. So that is exciting and getting ready to pack is always an inspiring feeling. 

Nice to meet the great people of Costa del Sol Fight and Fitness again!

After Malaga its straight off to London to help with arrangements and work as an announcer for British Powerlifting Unions qualifier for their Nationals. So London calling! After that other parts of the UK to check out possible venues for comps and to bench with a group of merited powerlifters. Not at all bad the two weeks ahead of me I would say.

And that is about it, now for the diary, sorry, training log part!

7.2.

Bodybuilding day of the CUBE-style training. It is the most fun of all of the tormentign training days of the program. And as a change of pace, arm work. Yeiii! With my cousin, Pommi. (hes actually called Ville, but Pommi is better. And cousins Kalle and Ville just sound stupid...)

Lockouts, height 6

9x5x60-160 Arm was snapping straight nicely after warming up.

Arnold press, no back support and really clean and contracting on top 4x12x21kg 

Inverted row 4x10

Triceps 1-arm with a rope 4x10x10kg

Biceps hammer curl 4x10x21kg

Delt raises, three ways 3x10+10+10x12kg

Pulldowns 4x15

Calves on a leg press 3x20-40

Overhead tris supersetted with standing extensions 3x10+10x30kg

Biceps triceps and delts one pump set of 30 reps each

So that was it, really nice dfeeling of working muscles with no wear and tear on joints. And an arm pump...

9.2.

Benching was to be served today, after a exhilarating day with the youth group. Poems from one of them especially. Naivistic but great and good use of wording.Enthusiasm and teenage tantrums, all the stuff that makes it worth it. And a future chance to get to study the poetry of the Finnish national saga, Kalevala with one of the groups boys.

Doesn´t sound like much to a foreigner, but the sagas are some seriously mind blowing stuff. 

Pride, Force-like power of singing and knowledge, situations so dire that black steeds must be summoned of sadness and sorrow, the Swan from the river of Death and many more that would put shame on modern fantasy. All composed of a very unique style of rhyming. 

Don´t take my word for it, Kalevala is the real shit according also to fantasy scenes original innovator Mr. Tolkien and hes R.R. companion George Martin, known for the Song of Fire and Ice.

Väinämöinen, the greatest hero of Kalevala. On occasion also a greedy and self-centered bastard. Here facing off the Louhi, god-witch of the North shaped into a giant bird to carry her army against those who stole her greatest treasure.

But benching, that´s also the stuff of dreams! And I had the opportunity to lift today with the best female bencher ever in her respective category, Emma James. We did an hour long session on the bench and then some assistance.

Greetings to Mayor´s Gym for letting us train there. Needed a place in the center of Helsinki with a no-nonsense attitude and great equipment, and that was Mayor´s! 

Bench, narrow grip speed: 8x3x130

Bench with Catapult: 5x160, 2x5x190 good lockout, hand straightened all the way

Double pause bench: 4x8x90

Incline Dumbell press:10x30

Cable flyes: 1x20

Pullover: 2x12x40

Pec machine: 3x10+one drop set. 

Pecs were fried with real workout on the bench and a good set of assistance, inspired little by Emmas more bodybuilding style approach to assistance that fit my training now.

Quote of Emma: "You have to support the rest of your body with some assistance work. If you don´t, then youre just a fucking idiot." 

That was it, All that was needed to feel like a real bodybuilder was rice and chicken, protein shakes and some cardio. Physique competing might actually be for me after all.

Bikini Fitness 2016

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10.2.

90 minute kickboxing workout. Consisted of all business. Light sparring for warm-up, 400 bodyweight movements and then an hour of training on basic punches, blocks and meat and potatoes stuff. Topped off with 4 2 minute sparring rounds and a finisher on pads plus some stretching. 

If I´d do this more often, I´d actually be a able to land a decent shot!

Shins were a bit hurting afterwards.

11.2.

Legs stiff as hell, but squats was the warm-up of the day before boxing!

20 minute warm-up

Squats with and without belt, low bar 3x10x130

Front squats, oly style, no belt: 3x8x90

Pause squats, high bar, no belt: 3x12x90

Then boxing 4 rounds of mitts and three rounds of sparring.

12.2.

Whole body stiff as an iron bar, but had to do deadlifts before massage, so no complaining and to the gym!

Sumos did not feel good. Stiff and fucked up so mostly with straight legs. Luckily the weights so small it does not hurt the body. Still making it a priority to dial technique and flexibility in.

Sumo deadlifts, belt: 5x2x180, 

Conventional deads, no belt: 3x5x140

Emmas partials 3x12x80

Straight leg deads: 2x12x60

Pull-ups: 3x5xBW

Inverted row: 3x10-15xBW

Pulldown: behind neck: 4x15-20x60

Rear delts: 4x20x14kg

75 min. massage, back, calves and hamstrings

13.2.

Last session of this weekly cycle, the bodybuilding day again:

This time the triceps took their time, but at the end they did fire properly and lockouts felt good

Lockouts, height 5: 8x5-10x60-160, always hold the weight extended and squeeze tris

Arnold press seated, no back support: 3x10x21-27

Triceps extension, leaning back almost, superstrict: 3x10x40kg

Dumbbell laterals 2x20x14kg

Triceps, 1-hand rope extension, Dr. Abbas style:4x10x10kg

1-hand hammer curls: 4x10x21kg

Triceps overhead+standing extension superset: 2x10+10x30kg

Calves on a leg press: 4x10-20x270kg

Biceps with dumbbells: 2x20x14kg

Me and my cousin shaking hands after the bodybuilding and accessory day of our training week

That was one weeks worth of training, Next week will be cut in half on training here in Finland and training for combat side of things on Spanish soil! Maybe some bar action also on Costa del Sol, who knows.

Adios amigos!