Getting Back Into Powerlifting

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

I’ve been out of the PL game for about a year now and I’ve got the itch again. I’ve always trained under a coach with a couple of training partners too. However, now I’ll be training with only one guy and I’ll be guiding him. I made a training program for myself which I’ve never done before and I want some input.

Bench Day and Upper Body Days

Max Effort Lifts
Week 1-2 BB Close Grip Bench 5 Reps 1 Reps
Week 3-4 BB Floor Presses 5 Reps 1 Reps
Week 5 RE DB Inclines 40?s
Week 6-7 Incline Bench 5 Reps 1 Reps
Week 8-9 Flat BB Bench 3 Reps 1 Rep
Drop down to get 2x8 after Max attempt

Assistance for Max Day (High Reps)
3 weeks each 3 sets 20+ reps on final set
A. Machine Rows, DB Rows, T-Bar Rows
B. Close Grip Bench, Skullcrushers, Tate Presses
C. Face Pulls, Seated Rows to Neck, Band Face Pulls
D. DB Cubans, BB Cuban Press, L-Laterals

Upper Day (Hypertrophy range)

3 weeks each 3-4 x 6-12
A. DE Bench with minis, Push Presses, DE Bench
B. Chins, Lat Pulldowns, Pullups
C. Mid Pin Presses, JM Presses, EZ Bar Close Grip
D. Reverse Preacher Curls, BB Curls, DB Curls

Squat Day and DL Day:

ME Day:

Week 1-2 Conventional Reverse Band Pulls 5’s 1’s
Week 3-4 High Pin GMs 5’s 3’s
Week 5-6 Front Squats with Bands 5’s 1’s
Week 7 Rack Pulls 1rm
Week 8 Low Box Squat 1rm
Week 9-10 Full Squat 5’s 1’s

Assistance Stuff
3 weeks each 1-2 sets 20+ reps
A. Hamstring Curls, Close Leg Press, Low GMs
B. Seated Calf Raises, Leg Press Calf Raises, Standing Calf Raises
C. DB Side Bends, Hanging Leg Raises, Reverse Crunches

DL Day:
Alternating DE Deads with Oly Pulls each week.
DE Deads: 6 sets of 2 + 1 80% rep
Hang Snatch Pulls 4x5, 4x3, 5x3, 5x2, 6x1

Assistance Stuff
3 weeks each 3-4 sets 6-10 reps
A. Hypers, Single Leg Hypers, Dimel Deads
B. Leg Press Calf Raises, Standing Calf Raises, Farmer’s Walk
C. Decline Situps, Lat Pulldown Abs, DB Side Bends

If anyone has got anything to add please do. I am training raw now. My Metal pro squatter and double ply rage x are staying in the closet for awhile.

2

I see you’ve got alternating rep ranges on your assitance work but maybe change the rep ranges for the max effort stuff, alternating high (5RM) and low (1-3RM).

What’s your squat stance like? Because you’ve got mostly posterior chain stuff for assitance work and that’s great for everyone, but you’d get the most out of it if your stance was wide it seems.

Everything else looks good.

3

I squat obscenely wide. A pro squatter will do that to ya.

Nobody has anything to add? I must be a genious!

4

[quote]Florida Titan wrote:
I squat obscenely wide. A pro squatter will do that to ya.

Nobody has anything to add? I must be a genious![/quote]

I definitely looks good, in fact I’m going to keep a copy for myself! Thanks!

A couple comments to consider (or ignore since I don’t know your weaknesses and you’re already more advanced than I).

I noticed there is not a lot of grip work (maybe you don’t need it).

I also noticed that on your Max. SQ/DL cycle you are going to be going Front Squats and then Close stance leg press during wks 5-6. So you’re posterior chain work will be almost non-existent those days. Just a thought.

Make sure you let us know how its going and good luck!

5

Where in Florida are you located? Also are you going to include any Olympic style lifts (power cleans, push-presses)

6

Rugger: Good eye. I’ll switch my leg press to later on in the cycle. I don’t need any grip work atleast not yet. I’ve done rack pulls with 540 with out a problem.

Soup: Tampa.

7

Welcome back.

If you bench in a shirt in meets, I would recommend training in your shirt pretty much every week. I am also a big believer in doing some kind of top end work (such as 3-5 boards) working up to a heavy set of 3-5 (either raw or equipped) and then doing some full range singles in your shirt. Planning a deload week every now and then-like you did with dumbbells- is a good idea. I think inclined benching may have some relevance to a raw bencher and it will make you look good in a tank-top but I beleive it has very limited value to an equipped bencher. I would shitcan the inclines for the most part.

I believe in squatting and deadlifting the same day (that’s how you’ll do it on game day- right?). But this approach does not work for everyone.

8

[quote]Florida Titan wrote:
I squat obscenely wide. A pro squatter will do that to ya.

Nobody has anything to add? I must be a genious![/quote]

I would spread out your abdominal assistance work over your squat/DL days. For instance, do your leg raises at the end of your S/DL ME day and your weighted situps at the end of your S/DL DE day. I couldn’t tell whether you planned to spread this out or not from the way the plan is written.

I really like seeing your cuban work and face pulls – my advice is always not to neglect shoulders and abs, and you haven’t. You may want to add some direct front shoulder work (didn’t see it, though I may have just missed it) as well.

Nicely done. Maybe you are a genius.

9

[quote]Florida Titan wrote:

Assistance for Max Day (High Reps)
3 weeks each 3 sets 20+ reps on final set
A. Machine Rows, DB Rows, T-Bar Rows
B. Close Grip Bench, Skullcrushers, Tate Presses
C. Face Pulls, Seated Rows to Neck, Band Face Pulls
D. DB Cubans, BB Cuban Press, L-Laterals

Assistance Stuff
3 weeks each 1-2 sets 20+ reps
A. Hamstring Curls, Close Leg Press, Low GMs
B. Seated Calf Raises, Leg Press Calf Raises, Standing Calf Raises
C. DB Side Bends, Hanging Leg Raises, Reverse Crunches

I’m interested in why do you sets of 20+ reps.
Is there any rhyme or reason behind it?

(don’t think that i’m flaming you, i really want to know)

10

[quote]Pinto wrote:
Welcome back.

If you bench in a shirt in meets, I would recommend training in your shirt pretty much every week. I am also a big believer in doing some kind of top end work (such as 3-5 boards) working up to a heavy set of 3-5 (either raw or equipped) and then doing some full range singles in your shirt. Planning a deload week every now and then-like you did with dumbbells- is a good idea. I think inclined benching may have some relevance to a raw bencher and it will make you look good in a tank-top but I beleive it has very limited value to an equipped bencher. I would shitcan the inclines for the most part.

I believe in squatting and deadlifting the same day (that’s how you’ll do it on game day- right?). But this approach does not work for everyone. [/quote]

I have no desire to use a bench shirt or do a meet again any time soon. I train in a commercial gym now with only one other person that is somewhat interested in powerlifting. Equipped lifting takes a lot of work and I don’t have 3+ guys to help me out. I just want to bring up raw power with this cycle.

I’ve squatted and deadlifted in the same workout for two years only because we were told to. I want to try and do things differently here.

11

[quote]sdspeedracer wrote:
Florida Titan wrote:
I squat obscenely wide. A pro squatter will do that to ya.

Nobody has anything to add? I must be a genious!

I would spread out your abdominal assistance work over your squat/DL days. For instance, do your leg raises at the end of your S/DL ME day and your weighted situps at the end of your S/DL DE day. I couldn’t tell whether you planned to spread this out or not from the way the plan is written.

I really like seeing your cuban work and face pulls – my advice is always not to neglect shoulders and abs, and you haven’t. You may want to add some direct front shoulder work (didn’t see it, though I may have just missed it) as well.

Nicely done. Maybe you are a genius.[/quote]

I plan on switching exercises every 3 weeks and doing an ab exercise at the end of each lower body day. I’ve noticed over the years that my shoulders get beat up quickly if I do additional front delt work. My delts get plenty of pounding from benching and front squatting and I don’t need much more.

12

[quote][quote]Hrastnik wrote:
Florida Titan wrote:

Assistance for Max Day (High Reps)
3 weeks each 3 sets 20+ reps on final set
A. Machine Rows, DB Rows, T-Bar Rows
B. Close Grip Bench, Skullcrushers, Tate Presses
C. Face Pulls, Seated Rows to Neck, Band Face Pulls
D. DB Cubans, BB Cuban Press, L-Laterals

Assistance Stuff
3 weeks each 1-2 sets 20+ reps
A. Hamstring Curls, Close Leg Press, Low GMs
B. Seated Calf Raises, Leg Press Calf Raises, Standing Calf Raises
C. DB Side Bends, Hanging Leg Raises, Reverse Crunches

[/quote]

I’m interested in why do you sets of 20+ reps.
Is there any rhyme or reason behind it?

(don’t think that i’m flaming you, i really want to know)[/quote]

The only reason I’m doing it is because Matt Kroczaleski has been doing it for awhile now with some success. If it doesn’t work for me after a full cycle I’ll ditch it.

Plus it’ll help with managing fatigue and volume. I don’t want two days in the 5-8 range. I don’t like training already sore muscles.