High School Powerlifter

Training Logs
61

Not a training update, but I’m looking for some advice. Next week I have AMRAP sets on the big 3 of 1-4 reps. On all of these sets, if I hit a double it would be a PR, not much lower than my 1RM. I feel like having these as the heaviest sets all training cycle make it really hard to judge attempt selection because I’m not sure what I’ll be able to hit for a top double. The candito program ends after this week, and I was thinking I’d work up to openers on the Monday or Tuesday of the next week. Which day would be better for me? Should I include anything other than working up to openers on that day? Should I try to fit a sub maximal single somewhere in my programming this week?

14 days out

62

Switch these for something that isn’t so hard on your back. Chest supported rows, cable rows, dumbbell rows.

Squat depth looks fine, but it would be better to get a side view if that’s what you are concerned about.

Bench pause looks fine too. I would pause all reps, or nearly all and especially for top sets.

It sounds like you are getting little bit too ambitious. Don’t open with anything heavier than your 3rm, and since this is your first full meet you could go even lighter. If 370x3 is a PR then 355-360 would be a safe opener. You don’t need to decide on your planned 2nd and 3rd attempts just yet, but unless you hit some big PR’s next week I would aim for 410-415.

Do double overhand holds for your grip, at the end of workout. 50% for 15 seconds, x3.

Just do the AMRAP sets and figure it out based on that, unless your program specifies that you must do a 2rm then don’t worry what your 2rm is. You already have some 3rm’s, count that as 90% and use that to come up with planned 3rd attempts. Open at about 87%, 95% for your 2nd, and then your planned 3rd. Look at your opener as your last warmup. If your 2nd attempt feels harder than expected then maybe take a few lbs off your 3rd.

What else do you have planned for that week?
What I have always done so far is last deadlift the week before the meet, week of the meet I do squat and bench openers on Tuesday (somehow I always end up competing on Sunday, otherwise I would do that on Monday) and on Thursday squat and bench up to 80%x1 (go through your warmups). Some stretching or mobility work and nothing else that week. This is based on Mike Tuchscherer’s standard taper, minus deadlifts.

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63

I wasn’t planning on doing anything else but maybe I’ll follow that template you just laid out

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64

That should work.

Candito doesn’t have directions for what to do the week of the meet?

65

Not that I’ve seen

66

OK, so look now, Mike T’s standard taper is this:

5 days out - openers - Could be up to 92% but for you I suggest about 87%. I prefer opening light myself anyway.

3 days out - work up to 80%x1

That’s it. He’s all into treating the DL same as the squat but a lot of people find it causes more fatigue and low back soreness so that’s the one part you might want to change. If you still want to practice your DL that week then maybe on the day you do openers you can just work up to 80% for your DL and not pull again until the meet. This sort of taper is a little bit more on the aggressive side, as opposed to some people who just take the whole week off from lifting, but I think it works well and you are young too so you should be fine.

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67

Thanks Chris. I really appreciate it

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68

Great workout yesterday. Super happy about how it went. This was workout 1 of week 5 of the candito 6 week program. This is my last heavy deadlift of meet prep.

1-4 reps@375lbs/170kg
I got 4 reps, and it was easy. I might open with this weight at my meet. I had 0 grip issues today, which is great because the knurling on this bar is worse than the knurling on the bar I’ll compete on. I used chalk for the first time in a while. First time using baby powder ever. It made a noticeable difference. The bar slid up my thighs more easily.

12 days out

69

Not the greatest workout today. I had 220lbs/100kg for 1-4 reps programmed on the second last workout of the candito 6 week program.

I got 3 reps and failed a fourth. Looking at the video, it appears that I did not get a long enough pause on any of the reps. I got a good pause on the first rep of 215lbs last week,so even though I think I could’ve paused at least the first 2 reps for a good length, I didn’t. There was also some difficulty with the spotter, which could’ve taken away from my focus on the set. My left glute kind of cramped up on the thirds rep from leg drive. I might open bench at 95kg/209lbs or 97.5kg/215lbs

10 days out

70

170kg looks like a safe opener for deadlift.

The biggest issue with how you pause on bench is that the bar is wobbling around when it’s on your chest, it needs to be motionless to get a press command. Some judges are fucked up, but if you come to a full stop once it touches your chest you will usually get the press command in under a second. Just focus on keeping everything still when you bring it down to your chest.

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71

395lbs/180kg x 4 reps squat
Pretty good workout today. I was insanely hyped for this set, way more than I expected lol. This is the last workout of the candito 6 week program. I had 1-4 reps programmed

To be honest, I am worried about depth. Let me know what you think. Also, advice for what my opening squat attempt at my meet should be is appreciated

9 days out

72

great work Noah keep it going

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73

Depth looks about borderline, hard to tell exactly with the t-shirt and shorts but seeing as it’s a CPU meet you should aim for another inch or two. If it looks like it might not be depth then they usually just give reds.

Part of the problem is most likely the fact that you are too hyped up, all the focus is on moving weight rather than technique. Stay calm and focused on your opening attempts.

The strength is there for sure, but just to be safe maybe about 385 would be a good opening weight. You can make a big jump to your 2nd attempt, like 30-35lbs, and then 3rd based on how that goes.

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74

I’m just looking back through your log, maybe this here is what you should open with. Depth was perfect on that day too, do exactly what you did that time. I think this last session you were just too excited for a big PR.

I’m not sure how good you are at doing singles vs. reps, but you looked like you could probably do 385x3 there so based on that 420-425 would be a safe 3rd attempt. I get the feeling I said something along these lines already. And keep in mind that you are going for a total and not just a squat, any IPF-affiliated meets always moved fairly quick so if you burn yourself out on squats you will be feeling it the rest of the meet. Aim for realistic PRs, it doesn’t have to be a 100% all-out max.

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75

Current plans for openers
Squat: 374lbs/170kg
Bench: 209lbs/95kg
Deadlift: 385lbs/175kg

8 days out

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76

Decent training session today. I worked up to openers. I recorded last warmups to see if there’s any difference in how they look to my openers

Squat: 375lbs/170kg
I felt confident about squatting to depth here. This was a bit slower than I was expecting.

Bench press: 210lbs/95kg
Definitely a long pause on this rep, felt good.

Deadlift: 385lbs/175kg
I felt like my lower back rounded a tad more than I expected, but it moved well, so I’m not too concerned.

Over the next few days, I’m going to try to figure out realistic attempts and goals. If anyone has advice for that let me know.

5 days out

77

I actually switched the order of squatting and deadlifting today because someone else was using the squat rack. These weights are all a bit lighter than my last warmups will be at the meet.

Squat: worked up to 315lbs/143kg
Kind of weird with my knees going forward in the hole, and kind of sketchy depth to be honest, but I didn’t want to redo the rep.
Bench press: 175lbs/80kg
Felt good, I think I got a good pause
Deadlift: 325lbs/148kg
Felt great, moved fast. My leg moved in a little for some reason, but I’m not too concerned.

Time to rest up and eat. I still need to figure out second and third attempt plans for the meet.

3 days out!

78

I decided to give myself a rough guideline of attempt selection for the day of my meet. Feel free to give advice for modifications to this.

Squat
1: 170kg/374lbs
2 (less aggressive): 180kg/397lbs
2 (more aggressive): 185kg/407lbs
3 (less aggressive): 190kg/419lbs
3 (more aggressive): 195kg/430lbs

Bench:
1: 95kg/209lbs
2 (less aggressive): 100kg/220lbs
2 (more aggressive):102.5kg/226lbs
3 (less aggressive):105kg/231lbs
3 (more aggressive):107.5kg/237lbs

Deadlift:
1: 172.5kg/380lbs
2 (less aggressive): 182.5kg/402lbs
2 (more aggressive): 187.5kg/413lbs
3 (less aggressive): 192.5kg/424lbs
3 (more aggressive): 197.5kg/435lbs

2 days out

79

How did the meet go?

80

Sorry it took a while to get this out, I’ve been busy since the meet.

Saturday was my big day! My first ever powerlifting meet. It was The 2019 Lab Spring Classic sanctioned by the OPA/CPU/IPF. I hit some REALLY big PRs and a 500kg/1102lbs total. Everyone at the meet was so nice. Everyone was polite, strangers were fist bumping each other, everyone was cheering for everyone. I loved the atmosphere. It was awesome to watch some people squat and deadlift over 600lbs in person. There were 42 competitors, and 3 flights.

I started off the day by weighing in at 73.96kg in the 74kg class. It surprised me that I was this light, but hey, I won’t complain about making weight by 40 grams lol. Going into squats I was worried about depth and the nerves really did get to me.

Squat: (old pr 405lbs/184kg 9 weeks ago)

Attempt 1: 170kg/374lbs 3 whites

This built a lot of confidence with good depth and speed. Didn’t feel super easy, but it looked pretty fast. Nothing really felt super easy all day, but I think that’s just the nerves. I hit some huge PRs later. After this attempt I really got into the zone. I barley watched people in my flight squat and I didn’t think about any cues. I didn’t want to overthink anything. I just got into the zone and did my thing.

Attempt 2: 185/407lbs (PR) 3 whites

This was a 2lbs PR. Moved way better than my previous PR did in the gym.

Attempt 3: 195/430lbs (PR) 3 whites

I took a smelling salt cap before this for the second time ever. I am very happy with this attempt. This is a 25lbs/11kg squat PR compared to 9 weeks ago. It wasn’t even an all out grinder. It’s possible that I could’ve hit a 200kg squat. Even if I could’ve possibly squeezed out more from squats, I am beyond happy with this lift, especially after worrying about depth in training.

Bench Press: (old pr 225lbs/102kg 9 weeks ago)

Attempt 1: 95/209lbs 3 whites

Felt good, relieved some concern about my butt lifting off the bench, unsteadiness on the chest, and feet shifting. I felt that I found a good groove here and stuck with it for the rest of my bench attempts. Again, I didn’t want to overthink anything for this. While approaching the bar the only thought that went through my head was “you care so much about this.”

Attempt 2: 102.5/226lbs (PR) 3 whites

This was a 1lbs PR. Didn’t move quite as fast as I would’ve liked to set me up for a strong third, but still a PR.

Attempt 3: 105/231lbs (PR) 3 whites

We decided to go for 105 instead of 107.5 to make sure I got it. Looking back, I possibly could have hit 107.5, but 105 was still a PR, and it was a goal to go 9 for 9. A 107.5 bench press would’ve been a real grinder though, so who knows if it would’ve taken away from deadlifts.

Deadlift: (old pr 385lbs/175kg 9 weeks ago)

Attempt 1: 175/385lbs (ties PR) 3 whites

We changed this from 172.5/380lbs after bench to set me up better for a 500kg/1102lbs total. Unfortunately, no vid of this. My foot slipped a little bit out of position on my setup, but I still pulled this super smoothly. I didn’t have the conscious thought of “you care about this” before deadlift attempts, but I really wanted them. I took pre workout for maybe the third or fourth time ever before deadlifts, and was absolutely lazed focused.

Attempt 2: 190/418lbs (PR) 3 whites

This was a 33lbs/15kg PR, and moved much faster than my previous deadlift PR did in the gym 9 weeks ago. This built confidence for my next deadlift, and secured me a good total, 8 for 8 attempts, and 24/24 white lights. I decided to send it on my last deadlift of the day.

Attempt 3: 200/441lbs (PR) 3 whites

I took a smelling salt cap before this and got the crowd to yell at me. I am honestly still in total disbelief that I hit this deadlift. It’s a 56lbs/25kg all time PR. I’m just amazed. I never thought this was in the cards. Shoutout to @flipcollar for helping me get my head right. This wasn’t even an all out grinder. It’s possible I had a bit more in me.

500kg/1102lbs total, 27 white lights. Amazing day. I’m honestly surprised it went so well, I was pretty anxious about how I’d perform going into the meet. Mostly I was worried about squat depth, but also that I wouldn’t pause my benches long enough, I’d mess up my deadlift lockout, I’d skip commands, or something. None of this stuff went wrong at all. I had a perfect day. There were 2 other subjuniors. One 74kg and one 83kg. I beat them both which is nice lol. The 83 injured himself non lifting related a few days out so it really messed up his squats. He said 500kg was his goal for his total, so I guess we’re pretty close in strength. My 500kg/1102lbso total placed me in third in my weight class regardless of age. There were 8 people in my weight class that I was competing against. Also, for what it’s worth, (nothing) my wilks would put me in 10th best total in the province in 2018 as a subjunior. Yeah kind of cool, but also who cares.

Thank you to everyone who helped me. Seriously. @chris_ottawa , I can’t thank you enough for all the help you’ve given me. Thank you to @flipcollar for helping my mentality towards deadlifts. Thank you to everyone who came and supported me. Thank you to Sam, my handler, for picking great attempts for me, and helping me go 9 for 9 with 27 white lights at my first ever meet. Thank you to Magnus and Chap for letting me train with you guys at your gym on the Ohio Power Bar and cheering for me. Thank you Damien Wilmot, for running a great meet.

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