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| Bench press crew in Leeds |
Arriving to the United Kingdom one could presume to be welcomed with a warm breeze, smell of tea and a line of courteous people waiting in an orderly fashion in fast moving lines.
One would be wrong.
It was cold, damp and rainy when I arrived, just the weather my neighbour in the next seat at the plane had talked me about. For 2 hours at least, straight. English weather, she said, made her move from the country 10 years ago. And saying that took 2 hours. Not short on words, but also dished some good advice on gin so it´s all jolly good!
On top of that, the automatic systems of the passport control were broken. The line was about 2500 people deep, and I informed myride who was waiting to pick me up that she would have to wait. Her advice was to light somebody on fire...
I declined the offered route of action, but instead of that found another way around the situation. A lady came to fetch people with non-EU passports to another line, a shorter one. I did not hesitate but jumped in with the team, muttering something that could have vaguely been Russian or Mongolian mutter.
When she had escorted us non-Eu residents to the line, I promptly did a maneuver to enter the line I was supposed to be in, only about 1000 people further. Selfish? Yes. had no right to do it? Yes. Fun and productive for maintaining mental health? Yes!
That one out of the way, a night in Gatwick hotel, and the following day a drive to Welvyn Garden City to set up 1RM Gym for BPU qualifier number one this year. When all was said and done, traveling etc. had taken enough out that I did not have energy to go out to eat with the crew.
I was still sickly at this point, grey I was told was my skin colour, which made me a minority with no support group! I managed to cope still, and was rather OK to announce at the competition next day. And what a positive competition it was!
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| 1RM Gym, before being transformed to a competition venue |
The spirit in the 1RM gym was great! Steve Plunkett and Anthony Gee really did lend a hand on arranging the comp, and everyone involved did it for the love of the sport. Competitors were offered great stage to make their debutes, comebacks or lifts of any kind. Organizing was fine example of work and Paula and Dan whom I shared the table with were right on top of their jobs. Reallu pleased.
I would like to make a further notice of the speech Emma James (head of the BPU, biggest single ply female bencher and holder of degrees so complicated for a Finn I can´t help but think she has made some of them up herself) gave.
Topic was something abstract called "Elite".
In sports circles, at least those that have rigid measurable system, it is easy to set up a system which shows how much you must lift, how far you must throw etc. to be called Master of the Sport, Elite or whatever. But in UK, I hear that Elite in powerlifting does not call for a specific number or years of lifting. It is abstract mention somehow earned or given to yourself, that should apparently separate you from the rest of the lifters.
English has a good vocabulary to state my take on the subject. Words like "bollocks", "hogwash", "shite" or the sentence "inadequately defined state, that if self appointed must be deemed meaningless in any context" all express my opinion on that.
Ms. President said in her speech that workload, passion, willingness and effort are what makes the lifter precious. And therefore everyone with those qualities who gets on the platform is "Elite". Well put, and sums up the thing pretty well in my opinion, regardless of the banner or idea that anyone lifts.
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| Something that I consider more elite than a RAW 1000kg total |
There were also lifters on the platform that would be considered Masters of the Sport or "Elite" even by numerical means only. 400 kilo single ply squat from Artur Schrczazc, 850+ raw total at 110kg from a new BPU committee member David Jenkinson and and a female 56kg class 360 raw total from also part of the committee Emmy Louise.
Worth mentioning would be a whole load of other people, but no idea for name listing as I previously agreed that they are all worth mentioning. And then there is also that I don´t remember the names so well.... Sorry, all were great and Hassan Zaid especially had gone a long way since we chatted at Worlds in Riga (?) for the first time.
The day was finally over with Dan Evans giving out awards in a way that made many feel special, and after that we headed for Birmingham. Not to have too little traveling, the following day took us to Manchester, then Leeds and back to Manchester again!
In Leeds, I enjoyed a bench session at Ralls Gym, with a crew of great lifters and none other than the mister 1000lb deadlift, Andy Bolton himself! They had a rigid, solid system of lifting that made it an enjoyable session, and I saw some light at the end of the tunnel also benchwise.
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| Sparring with the champ |
I was lead to Gracie Barra Manchester to attend the advanced class of BJJ. And advanced it was, at least as far as teachers are concerned! Lucio Sergio, a world and European champion black belt, was in charge of the class. It was one of the most enjoyable classes I have attended. Very welcoming, training very factual and down to earth, and as an icing to the cake, three rounds of sparring with a black belt, two of them with Lucio himself!
A humbling experience of course, but in the most positive way. I did my best which I didn´t regard that little, all things considered. But this time I was no match to even being choked out. I managed to outpower or outlast couple of different submissions and do some clumsy attempts to pass his guard, but eventually he made me tap from chokes three times. Very unique for me. Last time I remember that happening was with Euros champ JP Pietilainen, another black belt and a heavyweight on top of that.
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| The team at Gracie Barra Manchester |
Here is my training blog updates on the week in England:
2.3.
Bench with Emma, Andy and the crew in Leeds
Narrow grip bench: Warm-ups till 110x5, then 8x3x130, speed and groove began to find its place, and the last ones were really good, speed bench at its best
Bench with Metal Catapult 3x5x130, 170, 200, 200 was hard, but good grinding
Double-stop bench 3x8x100
Incline machine 4x10-20
Incline bench: 3x15x60
Pullover with dumbbell 2x20x26kg
Push-ups with feet on a bench: 2x15
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| Andy and the bench at Ralls Gym |
3.3.
Weights:
Lockouts: pretty crap and ended with 2x5x150 because shoulder didnt stay in bench but tended to come up
Then 12 sets of tris, different dips first and then extensions with supersetting and even drop sets, followed by 4x20 of Dr. Abbas 1-handed extensions for rehab
Still to top it off, 12 sets of bis and 3 sets of 1-hand concentration curls with superset approach
Very bodybuilderish, very much fun!
1 hour break and on to the Gracie Barra BJJ session. 75min. session, some position sparring and 3x5 actual sparring
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| The kind owner of the gym and a black belt himself, Mark Elliott, me and El Professot Lucio Sergio. |
4.3.
Shoulders.
Push press to open up the shoulders, 5x5x50-90
Behind the neck press to stretch, 4x10x40
Arnold press seated 5x8-12x20-30
Triple drop side laterals: 3x10+10+10 with 20,15,10kg dumbbells
Side laterals behind back: 3x20 per hand
Rear delts on a machine: 4x12-20
Abbas tris: 3x15 just to engage the tri
5.3.
Back:
Deadlifts, sumo. Went awfully wrong, a single with 190 was enough to let it go and try another day. Tried conventional, but after 2 sets with 140 gone painfully, decided to wait till Sunday and try again.
Ring pull-ups with a stop, 6x3, coupled with 6 sets of "core" excercises
Barbell rows: 2x10 overhand, 2x10 underhand, 80kg
Chest-supported row: 4x12
Pulldowns: 4x10-20, 1 quadruple drop set to top it off
OK session after all, and a good upper back pump. Back was not sore even after deadlifting 190 with arms only, that is a positive.
Friday came a bit too quickly for my taste after all. I had an enjoyable time on my stay, and not least because of my company and all the great persons I had the opportunity to meet.
But no time to mourn as I am going there soon again, 22nd of March is time for the South West Qualifiers in Devon and I will be working there!
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