Hiya wanted to introduce myself!

[phyrdh]

Hi My name is Ross Harkins, I a good while ago, and have just been watching and reading! I reckon this is probably the best british based powerlifting site around at the moment, no bull, people tell it like it is, and I respect what the majority of people write on this forum, it's great.

A wee bit about me, I'm 27, and started powerlifting 3 years ago, before that I just used to do what most guys did in the gym, I DID'NT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT PROPER TRAINING OR WHAT WAS FUNDAMENTAL AND IMPORTANT. I've only really been lifting in nationals at home in N.Ireland and now here in Scotland (I went to University here and met my wife here, now we've settled for the time being!) I've only had one international, the 4 nations 2004 where I bombed on the squat, I was a nervous wreck and was very inexperienced, that's always what seems to get the better of me at comps, I've quite often done great things in the gym and have ended up leaving them there in the gym, as I've had a steep learning curve at some of the comps I've been at.
I used to compete at 82.5kg recently I've naturally moved up a class as I guess my body is finally demading to gain some much needed weight!!!

I hit a 265kg squat (narrowly missed 270) a couple of weeks before my last comp (I fucked up as I broke my ankle on a slippy platform at my most recent comp on my opening squat!!!), reached 155kg my last bench and have deadlifted 290kg.

All single ply gear, IPF:

squat:- Titan Centurion squat suit, Inzer wraps, lever belt,

Bench:- Titan F6 (not perfected the learning of the shirt properly yet)

Deadlift:- Titan Centurion squat suit (tighter than one I use for squats)

I hit these weights when I peaked at 85.6kg bodyweight, a bit too light for the 90kg class, so I've definately got a good bit more bodyweight I can gain to get further up the ladder in this weight category. I've discovered that I'm definately more suited to being heavier, as my levers were very much improved since I'm tall. I squat wide, bench with a big arch, wide grip and deadlift sumo style.

I hope to get back on the lifting platform in March, hopefully I'll regain all the strength I've lost after being out of the gym 6 weeks in a cast. I hate being out of training and I hated losing the opportunity to do well. I'm from N.Ireland and always used to lift int he N.Ireland champs and got beaten into 2nd place all the time by the likes of Gerry McKenna and Wallace Clarke, when they did'nt make their weight category and moved into the 82's with me. I've lived in Scotland a while now, so decided to do comps in Scotland, as opposed to flying home for a weekend to do the Northern Irelands each year. NO OFFENCE TO THE SCOTTISH GUYS BUT THE STANDARD OF LIFTERS COMPARED TO THE SAME WEIGHT CATEGORIES IN NORTHERN IRELAND WAS NOT AS HIGH, I was in with a good chance of winning a comp for the first time ever by competing over here, the heaviest squat in my class was 245kg and the heaviest deadlift was 275kg, highest total 680kg. I can't wait to get back into it, my day will come some day I guess, I hope :( :rolleyes: :p

cheers

Ross Harkins

[cornelius parkin]

Good to have you on the site man:)
At least you can eat away freely to get up to a full 90kg:mrgreen:

[gerthebear]

hey man, good look with the training

[Boar]

great lifts !!

terrible luck with the ankle ?? was it a spectacular slip and dive orjust a quick shift n crack ??

best of luck mate with your next comp

[phyrdh]

Good to have you on the site man:)
At least you can eat away freely to get up to a full 90kg:mrgreen:

Thanks mate! Yeah my wife was not happy about me wasting away sitting watching daytime TV, so she said It's ok for me to get fat!!! she told me to keep taking the weight gain drinks to fatten me up, as I tend to lose weight when I don't train, it's always been harder to gain weight, and it's worse when I'm not training.

[J Power]

hi Ross ,me and monica met you at four nations in milton keynes .
hope to see you lifting at the BAWLA british next year.

[phyrdh]

great lifts !!

terrible luck with the ankle ?? was it a spectacular slip and dive orjust a quick shift n crack ??

best of luck mate with your next comp

it was totally weird it happened without warning and I did'nt see it coming at all, I went down nice and deep with 240, then came out of the hole and was about 3/4 of the way up pushing out against the suit and the floor with my legs and feet, when suddenly my right foot went east extremely fast, and was basically suporting this weight on my left leg only at that stage, then I went down fast, did a half split, with my right leg, banging and twisting my right knee, and my left foot gave way and it snapped both sides it swole up like a softball.

It was shite!! I was in the second group of lifters 90k-125k+ as the lighter guys had finished, all the other guys squat pretty narrow, just down and up, I squat fairly wide compared to the majority except the really big guys. they had moved the racks back from the rough to the smooth, and there was friggin talc everywhere from group 1, even the path to the platform was like a xmas card scene, I'd even used a towel to wipe my feet on, but the place was'nt cleaned up right and the platform was'nt made safe and ready, not a mop to be seen that day, a recipe for an accident waiting to happen.......and I was it :mrgreen:

sod it anyway, I'm just tring to make a plan for when I get back again, next spring I plan to hit 270/160 and get close as possible to 300 on my pull. I discovered that shirt work with boards is my quick fix solution to my benching woes, I think I've sorted everything as regards what works for me. Also I learnt another lesson about precomp squat preparation. Normally I trainn with old suit bottoms, then later in the cycle loose wraps, then a tighter comp suit bottoms and wraps, and left the time to do straps up til nearer the time, but I've changed my mind, from now on I'll work up to a max double with straps up once a week after the first 4 weeks of a cycle, then hit sets of doubles or triples with just bottoms on and a belt either free or off a low box.

As regards the benching I always trained completely raw, but I've discovered it's a big mistake, as my raw start is poor but my lockout is strong, so I actually get more out of shirt work and/or boards depending o which combination I feel like, but for the future I'll wear a loose shirt and start high on the boards, no more than 4 boards, then remove a board when I hit new territory. After a pec tear a year ago, I was told that I need more upper pec mass to protect it from getting torn again, as this is where I hit problems, the upper chest was getting hurt, I even nearly did the same to the other side, so my raw stuff will be incline dumbells. heavy shoulder work seems to help me too and heavy lats and upper back and extra tricep movements too, I just rotate what's needed and keep it fresh.

As regards deadlifts, my training for this is really simple, I just pull conventional raw for about 8 weeks, then switch to sumo the last 4 weeks, but from now on I'll tweak one small thing, I'll pull with the suit on for those 4 weeks, I'll just pop the suit on later in the sets. The only other thing I do is finish with is to pull off boxes, we set the height to be knee level, almost all lockout and training the finish.

I don't use any machines everything is free weights and is pretty compound, I don't do isolation like curls or laterals or flyes, just the powerlifts and other moves which are each powerlift broken down in stages, and heavy dumbell pressing, overhead, close gripping, heavy bent over and chest supported rowing. My bicep work is heavy reverse grip bent rows!!!!
I like this type of training as it produces good results.

cheers guys

[Funky_monkey]

great numbers, very impressive. sorry to hear about the ankle.

[phyrdh]

great numbers, very impressive. sorry to hear about the ankle.

Thanks mate! yep it's great fun, I'm crawling around my house like a baby pushing my bum across the wooden floors using my hands, pissing into a volvic bottle, resting my left leg on a bucket so I can take a crap in my toilet LOL! :p :p

AT least my triceps and core muscles are getting plenty of work still, what with all the manouvering myself around and up the stairs with my hands, I can do things like washing myself by standing on my right leg and resting my left leg on the side of the bath. I now realise and respect what disabled people have to go through to some extent!

Just can't stand the daytime TV anymore though, I've run out of videos and DVD'S to watch:(

[cornelius parkin]

DAMN your arms look even longer than mine:p
Yeah i hear you bout day time tv luckly my sleeping pattern is 9am until 3pm so i miss all that day time shit:p

[Justin Hurley]

Welcome Ross.

[garry bamsey]

welcome mate dont let the ankle put you off I snapped bot arms in 98 squatting 300kg when it rolled off my back and didnt let go :p I had a 9 inch pin in my right arm through my humerous and 9 inch flat plate on my left humerous theres a video of it somewhere,Dave Mannering has it I thought i disoclated my arms and wanted to come out for bench only when i seen my arms rotate 360 degrees i knew something was wrong i went to hospital and went in theatre came out in 5 days straight to gym done leg work for 6 weeks then started with bar on bench could nt even get that down but persivired and lifted in welsh champs exactly 16 weeks to the day and squatted 260kg with one finger on each hand holding bar , benched 140kg raw felt all my scar tissue stretch and deadlifted 230kg people thought i was mad but if i hadnt got back staright away i doubt i would e lifting today it is all in the mind breaks heal and are stronger .ligaments are the worst fuckers to heal so keep your mind strong and when you start squatting again you wont even remember your ankle remember

PAIN IS TEMPORARY
PRIDE IS FOREVER:twisted:

[Hanley]

welcome mate dont let the ankle put you off I snapped bot arms in 98 squatting 300kg when it rolled off my back and didnt let go :p I had a 9 inch pin in my right arm through my humerous and 9 inch flat plate on my left humerous theres a video of it somewhere,Dave Mannering has it I thought i disoclated my arms and wanted to come out for bench only when i seen my arms rotate 360 degrees i knew something was wrong i went to hospital and went in theatre came out in 5 days straight to gym done leg work for 6 weeks then started with bar on bench could nt even get that down but persivired and lifted in welsh champs exactly 16 weeks to the day and squatted 260kg with one finger on each hand holding bar , benched 140kg raw felt all my scar tissue stretch and deadlifted 230kg people thought i was mad but if i hadnt got back staright away i doubt i would e lifting today it is all in the mind breaks heal and are stronger .ligaments are the worst fuckers to heal so keep your mind strong and when you start squatting again you wont even remember your ankle remember

PAIN IS TEMPORARY
PRIDE IS FOREVER:twisted:


Jesus.... That's insanely fucking hardcore. You're dead right tho, gimme broken bones all day long but I'm live in fear of the next time I damage a ligament!

[gerthebear]

i sprained my ankle 2 years ago and it still haunts me...ive worked hard over the last week and did alotta hours in the job and now my ankle is very painful from the last weeks..i know about that kinda pain and boy does it hurt and piss you off..dl's tommorow..not too happy abiout it due to the soreness

[Jimmy M]

hi ross its james.tom told me about your ankle,keep your chin up, you'll be back lifting in no time.hopefully i'll see you at tom's once your better mate.james

[bulldog]

thats impressive gary

[Hanley]

i sprained my ankle 2 years ago and it still haunts me...ive worked hard over the last week and did alotta hours in the job and now my ankle is very painful from the last weeks..i know about that kinda pain and boy does it hurt and piss you off..dl's tommorow..not too happy abiout it due to the soreness

Ger go see my physio. Seriously I wouldn't be surprised if he had you fixed up in a month.

[tod]

hi ross