Why I Hate Power Lifting - bet that got your attention!

I don’t Power Lift. I don’t want to Power Lift. Ever. Ever ever.

Liberating just saying it! I hate lifting so heavy that I feel I’m going to pop a foo-foo valve. I hate trying to get ‘PB’s’ and set gym records. I don’t want to compete against others while pretending that I’m only really competing against myself (whateves!). I don’t care whether I ever bench my own body weight for reps. And what’s more …. while I’m quite interested and often enthused by others’ achievements – the bottom line is that I don’t really care if you do either. That’s not meant to be offensive – on the contrary – I am a follower of many ‘strengthi̅es’ but your achievements are yours and the greatest delight in your achievements should belong to you. Does that make sense? I think it does because it means that what I do I should only do for my enjoyment and not some perceived greatness that I might be receiving from nameless others on silly social media sites.

What has inspired this ramble today? Yet another trend has hit the fitness world and yet again I don’t seem to ‘fit’. Throughout my life I have often felt like a square peg trying to jam myself into a round hole. That’s my own dumb fault and I’ve come a long way since high-school when I truly suffered for my quest. I have (and do) read and re-read the story about the apples and bananas. If you don’t know it, here it is in a nutshell;

If you are an apple and you meet someone who doesn’t like apples, you can try to be a banana – because you know they love bananas and you want them to like you. But you’re an apple. Not a banana. So all you can ever hope to be is a pretend-banana, which would make you a low-grade of apple because all energy is going into being that pretend banana. But guess what? You will never be a true banana, and that person only likes bananas. So, in short, you’re still an apple and will always be an apple and nothing you can do will make that person like apples.

Back to training. It seems to take me a while to get into new trends. I tend to balk at all things ‘celebrity’ and by that I mean all highly popular trends. I prefer to take a back seat and see if they are credible for me. There are many that I have not felt drawn to when the masses flocked there; I don’t do kettlebells – they hurt my wrists. I have never picked up a battle rope – none at my gym and no inclination to buy one. I have never tried official Crossfit – but I have done plenty of workouts in my garage that I could probably call ‘Kirsten’ and it would fit into the WOD books. And I don’t care for power lifting/strength lifting – ie. lifting ultra-heavy shit with the goal being to get it from Point A to Point B.

I’ve been told, I’ve read articles and I've listened to podcasts that strongly state that lifting heavy really is the only way to increase muscle. Who am I to disagree? Maybe they are right – though anyone who claims to be the ‘god’ of what is right just turns me off big time, especially when they mock others to get their own point across – maybe they are wrong. Who really cares? I just know it’s not for me.

Why? Well I tried that heavy stuff for a while and I found the following things happened quite rapidly;

·         I took all focus of my muscle connection, putting more effort and energy in technique. For example, this meant that a lot of my bench press strain was in my back and my legs – less so in my chest. I’m sure it did actually work my chest – but there were many other muscles in play too – quite possibly due to the aforementioned bad technique. In short, I lost that connection that I rely on to really make my muscle scream.

·         My mind took a huge hit when I started to lift for strength progress. I know there are a dozen different apps and programs that are designed to spur along the trainee with automated weight increases etc etc. I detest them. Can’t think of anything that I would like to do less than be challenged to lift heavier by a robotic app.

·         And most important of all, by a country mile – I started to hurt. The heavy squats (most definitely performed badly by me) caused some sort of awful strain and ongoing pain in my lower back and in the middle of my upper back. I had never, ever had these injuries before and, all of a sudden, I had pain and strain. The ache lasted post workout and into the night and I had to find certain ways to sleep and sit to offer relief. I had a nasty screaming in my elbows from my arm position with the low bar squats and they would start paining when I even looked at that bar! This put deadlifts in the same boat. I just started hurting!

With the niggling injuries came the mind games. I was going backwards in weights rather than forwards. Oh that wonderful feeling you get when you get to the gym and know that, not only am I unable to lift heavier – I can’t even lift the weight I was on not 6 weeks ago!!! And I was indoctrinated to think that a nice ligh/high volume program was completely useless for anything. So I found ways to skip the gym. And that, quite frankly, for me – is unheard of.

So I stopped with it. I jumped off the strength train and right back into what I love most. Training my muscles in any way that makes them scream, with a progressive program in place for the long term. Just to clarify – I still train as heavy as I can with the rep range I am undertaking. I try to leave nothing behind. I’m no wimp. But I’m no power lifter either. And I don’t want to be one. If that means I look less than I could – so be it. I can live with that. Because the joy I get from training comes from the style of training I undertake.

On that, I have been with the wonderful Jo Mountfort for about 4 months now and I have to say that I’m loving every second of it! I’m challenged, my butt is whopped and I can see progress. I really do love the programs and it’s a different style of programming than I’m used to, which is a great change. I feel very renewed and revitalised. And guess what? Jo is a Miss Universe a few times over (WFF) and now a Pro – and she doesn’t do power lifting.

Nutrition is also going pretty darn well. I’m 2kg lighter at this point of my prep than I was last time so that gives me wriggle room. There is always pressure in prep to get as lean as necessary while not getting there too quickly or too soon. But I fought the weight-clock last time around and I have no intentions of doing that again. I would rather stand down from a comp than frantically scramble for a date with my weight. I have Giselle (NZ) looking after me and she works closely with Jo. Together they are a formidable team. That makes our little trio pretty darn awesome in my eyes.

It's finally time for a pic. I don’t do them often and the higher the onslaught of ‘selfies’ on FB, the less inclined I am to post them least I be grouped in with the regular monotony of asses and biceps that inundate our feeds as a comp gets near. But I will post them here and it takes a concerted ‘click’ to get to them so I feel better about that – haha – ‘taking the moral highground’ = PUKE!!

INBA 2012                                                           Clearly not 'comp lean' - yesterday

So all in all, everything goes well right now. House renos are beginning in a few weeks, work is as busy and challenging as usual - but I gotta say that I love it! - and this ol Darwin comp is looming in a few weeks. Apart from that, my three children are booked to the brim with school work, sports, dance, social lives and even a part time job for my oldest princess. Around all of this I'm trying out some new healthy recipes for them (thank you Ms Stringer!) and we are planning some pretty outstanding holidays for the year ahead.

Never a dull moment. Ever.

There are plenty of interviews in which the trainer asks questions of the competitor. What about  something different? How about the competitor asking the trainer questions about why they did what they did? Chose what they chose? Guided in the way they guided?We saw a hole in the market and we jumped in there! Here is our Reverse Interview. Candice asks me the hard questions about her training regime. Remembering Candice was and is still an incredibly close friend of both mine and Michelle's and I have to be honest that I was shit-scared about getting her ready for that comp.

Why? Because I already knew some of her weaknesses. I knew what she did and didn't like and some of it isn't negotiable in training. So the things we laughed and joked about in the past were things I knew I'd have to implement into her training.And seriously speaking here - for those that continuously mouth off with motherhood statements that sound something like, "I would never follow a trainer that .....(prescribed such little food/gave me too much cardio/allowed me to get hungry/didn't alter my program to suit my precious list of 'wants')" - you can feck off. Candice said it much more nicely than that in her interview but I'll say it straight. There are tons and tons and tons of liars on Facebook. You can debate and argue with them forever and a day but they'll never admit to the untruths so it's a waste of good energy.

I put that out there because I'd like to say that we could prep a person on tons of food with absolutely no cardio and the whole experience is mildly uncomfortable at worst. But that'd be bullshit. Your level of comfort is subjective and each person handles it differently. Some say they are uncomfortable and allow their support team to do just that - offer support. Others won't admit the discomfort, preferring to put on a "it's all bloody great!! Not hungry at all!! So much food - even when I'm leaning down - that I can't keep up with it!!" and that's a tactic in itself - a good one. But let's not forget that being "full" in comp prep is not the same as being "full" after the buffet sitting at the local Sizzler. So let's not assume that Miss Noname on FB who says she ploughs through 2000cals per day and is shredding before our eyes is being completely honest - chances are she's telling big pork pies.


Wow - that feels better. Now time to start;

Candice: Were you hesitant to take on a friend as a client? Why/Why not? When you started talking about competing and mentioned that you would like to train with us, my knees started shaking and my stomach went into a few knots. I had to really sit down and think about what was going on with me and why I was so nervous about the thought of training you. Firstly, you are an incredibly dear friend and I was terrified that you wouldn’t be happy and fulfilled with your end result. I trained someone once who did not fulfil what she wanted to and she clearly blamed me for that. I worried that this scenario might undo our friendship and that just couldn’t happen as far as I was concerned. So on one hand I would have been less anxious if you had gone with someone else as your coach….. BUT…. On the other hand, you are so precious to Michelle and I and we didn’t want to miss out on the chance of being right by your side as you got back up there and showed off what you had. I have a great memory and I could not ever forget the way you mesmerised the INBA Darwin stage that first year and took out the overall title. I wasn’t actually there but I saw the pics and heard what the audience had to say and clearly you have a special gift for being able to transform yourself into the most graceful and commandeering competitor – we cannot take any credit for your stage presence (unfortunately!) – but Candice - you’ve just got ‘it’! Don’t ever for get that.

Candice: Were you worried about how much weight I was carrying at the start of prep or did you see it as an achievable challenge?? 

Okay. Hard question. Yes. I certainly did have concerns that we were looking at about 10 kgs to have you in a competitive condition. My concerns were stronger than Michelle’s because I had ‘been there/done that’ and I knew how awful it was to claw back from being on the higher end of the weight spectrum than is optimal for prepping. Michelle consistently reminded me that we were going for a look and not a weight and that really helped me to keep my eyes on your physique changing in front of us and not just your scale weight.

I knew it was achievable but Michelle and I made a vow that we would not delve into the area of starvation and cardio combined – we are seriously opposed to anything that will cause hormonal damage. Of course I did not want egg on our face when we got close to the end and found that we needed some drastic measures to get the result we needed and we certainly did need to lower your food more than I would have liked to. Being a competitor myself, I am keenly aware of how much food I need in me to stay satisfied and I literally jumped right into your ‘diet’ with you because I just had to feel what you would be feeling so that I would know whether we were asking too much of you. Drastic measure I know!!! And it was uncomfortable for me too!! Haha. Not something I would do for any Tom, Dick or Harry!

So yes, I knew it was achievable but I knew it would be really hard work. And I have to mention how proud we were of what you managed – especially during those last few weeks. Michelle and I knew that you went through a terrible tragedy and we knew that the possibility was there that it would de-rail you. Instead you took the challenge of achieving your goal and you ran with it. And from there on in, nothing was a problem to you. If we could relay to you the difference in your psychological state from that point on ….

Candice: For you and Michelle, what were the hardest things about coaching a friend? From my end, it was a good mix of sympathy and tough love, but what did you guys think?

Hardest things … mmm … as opposed to training someone we don’t know;

-          The number one hardest thing is that we ‘chat’ on messenger every day (Muscle Chicks are still a force to be reckoned with!!), and we could not hide from you! And you could not hide from us!! Haha – and funnily enough we are closer than ever – thank god.

-          Making nutrition changes and impressing the importance of strict adherence. I can be a little sharp and to-the-point with trainees if they don’t get with the program. With you I always had that fear that I would upset you too much and that our friendship would be damaged. As I said before, that simply could not happen! And now and again I had to remember our old slogan – “friends that tan butt naked together, are friends forever” despite strong messages being sent and received.

-          We were really, really tough on you at points. I’m not a huge fan of long preps – they did not work for me and I felt that weren’t the best way with you either. My experience is that long preps start with a hiss and a roar and they peter out after about 5-6 weeks and the weight loss either stalls or goes backwards and it’s quite hard to kickstart both the body and the mind. My preference is to maintain a weight within kicking distance of where I want to be and have a short sharp prep from there. I sense this would be a better option for you too but we started a long way out and the stalling happened and it took a few tough-love sessions to get back on the straight and narrow. Not my favourite thing to do but I’m so glad we persevered.

-          Not being at your comp and having to rely on messages was really, really hard!!! Getting teary-eyed at my computer and not being able to give you the biggest hug ever – hard!!!!

-          But I have to say that your comp prep and outcome is something I am immensely proud of.

Candice: Training with you guys was very different to what I had done in the past. Why did you opt for higher rep sessions? They definitely tested me mentally every single day and there were many,  many tears shed in the gym!! I fondly remember one of my leg sessions that contained about 7 billion friggin lunges...

I have to honestly say that your gym tantrums just brought a smile to my face .. haha!! In all seriousness though, we had spoken at length about training styles and, like myself, you had expressed that the low rep/ultra-heavy (relatively speaking) training programs were not a style that you enjoyed. We also canvassed your limitations and quickly ascertained that heavy squatting was never going to be an option for you. With all of that in mind, I took the mindset that what you enjoy doing, you’ll do your best with.

Okay – let’s just get one thing straight here too; I think you are an amazing competitor with some real spunk up your sleeve and a stage-auora that radiates for miles. But I don’t think for you, for me, for just about anyone I personally know – that it’s worth training in a way that you dislike just for the sake of a physique competition. I hold the opinion that what you love doing, you’ll do best, and long-term enjoyment and fulfilment in training is of way, way, way more importance than trying to conform to a certain style because it is supposed to be the optimal way to train for a comp. I firmly believe that relative intensity is the key to any workout, whether you are doing a high rep/ high volume session, or mid-range.  For me it doesn’t really matter whether your weights would be termed ‘heavy’ by the status quo – as long as you lift with the intensity that sends you to failure, then I’m happy. And if there truly was only one superior way to train, there wouldn’t be so many champion bodybuilders all doing it differently. So your high rep, quick-paced workouts were designed especially for you with the info I had about you in mind.

I knew they were going to get more challenging as we moved on and, to cut the cardio aspect as low as we could, we ‘upped’ the intensity of your weights sessions to include; volume, timed rest periods and varied reps/sets with a few added bonuses in there like; finishers, drop sets and supersets. We needed to cut your legs so I focussed your workouts around those legs and pretty much smashed them as much as I could while still allowing you to crawl to work each day. The tears were tears of gratitude really .. weren’t they?

Candice: They weren't gratitude tears I can assure you. Haha!! And in terms of nutrition - we followed IIFYM for the first portion (cue gasps, head shakes, snickers from the fitness community...) why? What are the merits of this? Again is it finding what works for you and what you will enjoy/stick to?

We followed IIFYM for a start for a few reasons. First and foremost, both you and I are what I would call ‘foodies’. We eat emotionally and love to jump on a bandwagon that tells us what to eat, when and how much. We don’t care for the ‘why’ as what we really want is someone to take responsibility for our choices and our outcomes. For both you and I, that resulted in too much weight gain – in my opinion anyhow. I don’t subscribe to unlimited weightgain all for the sake of gaining muscle. As per above, neither of us make a living from competing (thank god!!) and it is therefore important that we enjoy life day-to-day first and foremost. Being able to sculpt ourselves into a certain look is only a hobby that can be all-consuming but isn’t the be-all of life.

So I really wanted you to think about what you were eating, when you were choosing to eat it and why you chose what you chose. I wanted you to track your progress and be able to say that a certain formula of food combined with a certain training program would produce a certain result. Knowing what breakdowns of macro-nutrients you were eating, craving, cheating with and including or excluding is a huge key in the menu you should write for yourself, regardless of any competing. I really did not want Final Stage to be another meal plan system and I admit to forcing you to look at nutrition more than perhaps you wanted to at times.

It did become quite quickly obvious that simply following macro-nutrient splits was not going to be effective for the whole prep. You were prone to stock-piling your food to the end of the day .. eating minimally throughout the morning and afternoon and then having a disproportionate dinner. This still met your macro split but it wasn’t and isn’t an optimal way to eat and I think a system like Intermittent Fasting would be terrible for you (and don’t get me started on how many people I think bastardise this concept to suit their need for a semi-binge style of evening eating!). So that’s when we started giving you some pretty firm guidelines about when we thought it was best to eat, the spacing out of proteins in particular, and the clumping of carbohydrates around certain times of the day.

For the 5 weeks from one comp to the next (which is incredibly hard to maintain momentum in), I trialled a carbohydrate timing system where I changed your carb-intake weekly and we really did get some fab results in my opinion. Your feedback was that carbs pre-workout were great for training boosts so I gave you that timing twice but I insisted on changing it weekly to pre-empt any sort of plateau.

Yes – it’s always about finding out what suits someone best. And that is not all down to just physical results, it’s about keeping your head and heart as happy as possible too because, as I’ve said twice now, what you love most is what you’ll do best with.

CANDICE - FINAL RESULT
To summarise our final result with Candice - she was down by 8-9kgs for the first comp in which she came a fierce second. We then lifted the intensity and was down 11kg for the second comp in which she flew in at 3rd - we did it!!