Deload Week: Day 2
Bench:
Bar X 6
135 X 3
185 X 1
225 X 1
240 X 1 - These were all fast. I’m planning on opening high and going for broke.
Face Pulls:
40 X 8
Skullcrushers:
Bar X 8 - These really hurt my right elbow for some reason.
Dips:
BW X 15
Sit-ups:
BW X 25
That’s it. No more lifting until the meet on Saturday.
Meet Report
I decided to move up a weight class, so I didn’t have to cut any weight. I’d been sleeping at 184 most nights and the day of weighins I abstained from any water and this got me down to around 174 when I weighed in. This was a bit of a surprise for me. I had no trouble putting the weight back on, and I did this by drinking six or seven bottles of water and eating six slices of a ten slice Costco pizza. By the end of the night, I was up to 185.
I slept well and woke up energetic and on time. I ate a half bowl of oatmeal and some eggs, and then downed a banana and a bottle of water. When I got to the meet, I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that I’d be lifting against Zach Henson, an APF lifter who holds multiple national records. He trains at Big Iron Gym and is a very good guy and an even better lifter. I’m pretty familiar with him, but he had not told me that he would be competing. I tried to get him to do the meet raw, but he opted not to and stuck with single ply lifting. At this point, I knew there was no chance of me winning my class and I decided to lift against myself.
I opened with 405 and got it easily. I jumped to 450 and also got that easily. However, I wasn’t mentally in the meet. I wasn’t focused and I couldn’t get “in the zone” at all. However, I managed to psyche up for my last lift of 475 and I got it with about 10 lbs to spare. This now puts me at 2nd in squat for the 167-200 lb weight class at my high school.
I opened bench at 240 and got it pretty easily, but I decided to go for a second attempt of 245. I got this even easier than the 240 and so I jumped to 260. This was a true max, but it was a clean lift and I’m very proud of it. In four weeks, I managed to put 20 lbs on my bench by doing floor presses and gaining around 6 lbs of bodyweight.
I was a bit of a spaz during deadlifts. I started warming up very late, and missed my 405 warmup. My 435 opener went up fast, but felt very heavy. My second attempt of 465 was probably a true max when I reviewed it on video, but at the time my handlers convinced me to jump 20 lbs. I got this about a half inch off the floor and then I was done.
I hit my goal total of 1200 and surpassed my goal for squat. However, I came in third at this meet behind Zach Henson and a lifter from Plattsmouth that I had beaten at the Peru State Meet. I’m very happy that I’m done with high school powerlifting. It’s time to start lifting against competition with the same advantages as me, and I’m really excited for this.
I really think meet videos should be up very quickly. I have a friend who is editing together a team montage and a meet video for me. I’m pretty excited about this as all my lifts looked clean and the internet judges should have nothing to say. =)
Here’s a hype video produced for the state meet. We wound up getting 2nd.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
210 X 3
210 X 3
210 X 3
225 X 2
225 X 2 - I took ten pounds off each lift. I’m taking things a little light to start off.
Floor Press:
185 X 3
185 X 3
185 X 3
185 X 3 - I’m never going to stop doing this exercise.
Face Pulls:
90 X 10
90 X 10
90 X 10
90 X 10
Lateral Raises:
15’s X 10
15’s X 10
15’s X 10
15’s X 10 - I took a more upright posture for this lift.
Dips:
50 reps - 20/10/10/5/5
JM Press:
135 X 3
135 X 3
135 X 3
30 Sit-ups
I’m lowering the intensity to start off my new cycle.
Sumo Deadlift:
135 X 5
225 X 5
315 X 5
315 X 5
315 X 5
315 X 5
315 X 5 - The first few sets were a little awkward, but I cleaned it up towards the end.
Romanian Deadlift:
135 X 5
135 X 5
135 X 5
135 X 5
Pull-ups:
20 reps - 5/5/5/5
1-Arm Dumbbell Row:
95 X 5
95 X 5
95 X 5
Hammer Curls:
35’s X 8
35’s X 8
35’s X 8
35’s X 8
Rope Curls:
80 X 8
80 X 8
80 X 8
80 X 8
Decline Bench Sit-ups:
22 X 12
22 X 12
22 X 12
Hyperextensions:
22 X 12
22 X 12
22 X 12
I decided to work sumo because I needed a break from the heavy weight. It was a fun change. I may try sumo for a few of my summer workouts.
My friend threw together a montage of all of my school lifters at the state meet and it turned out pretty decent. It’s got my best lifts from the day. He accidently put in my 435 deadlift instead of my 465, but when he edits together my meet video it’ll be on there.
I realized that everyone’s squats but mine and Lokey’s were way high. It sure makes me glad to be done with high school. Anyway, here it is.
Also, I want to clear something up. I have never been a state champ. I chose my username because my first powerlifting meet was a state meet and I competed in the 165 weight class. I lost the meet and it was my goal to win a state championship in my class. I’ve used this to drive my training for the past three years.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
200 X 5
200 X 5
200 X 5
225 X 3 - This was all super easy. I paused for a pretty long time for the 225 reps.
Face Pulls:
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
Lateral Raises:
15’s X 10
15’s X 10
15’s X 10
15’s X 10 - I will be raising the weight.
Dips:
55 reps - 20/10/10/5/5/5
JM Press:
140 X 3
140 X 3
140 X 3 - These felt good.
I completely forgot to do my floor rep sets today. They were supposed to be 5 rep sets. This made all my tricep work much, much easier. I’m going to hit it hard next week though.
Squat:
135 X 6
225 X 3
315 X 5
315 X 5
315 X 5
315 X 5
315 X 5 - I went below parallel on each rep. I’m going to have to do that more regularly.
Step-ups:
60’s X 5
60’s X 5
60’s X 5
60’s X 5
Pull-ups:
25 reps - 5/5/5/5/5
1-Arm Dumbbell Row:
95 X 5
95 X 5
95 X 5
95 X 5
Hammer Curls:
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10 - These were hard.
Rope Curls:
100 X 8
100 X 8
100 X 8
100 X 8 - This was difficult.
Decline Bench Sit-ups:
33 X 15
33 X 15
33 X 15
Hyperextensions:
33 X 15
33 X 15
33 X 15
I supersetted my curl sets with my ab and lower back work. This helped me shave 15 minutes off of my workout. At the end of the workout, I had a massive pump in my legs, lower back and abs.
This is the meet video with all my attempts. Other than the song, I think it was very well-done.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
215 X 3
215 X 3
215 X 3
230 X 2
230 X 2 - These reps were great.
Floor Press:
205 X 3
205 X 3
205 X 3
205 X 3 - These were fast.
Face Pulls:
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
Lateral Raises:
20’s X 8
20’s X 8
20’s X 8
20’s X 8 - I prefer the swinging motion. I feel it more. I’ll probably switch back.
Dips:
55 reps - 20/10/10/5/5/5
JM Press:
140 X 3
140 X 3
140 X 2
140 X 3 - I dropped the bar on my chest on the last rep of my third set.
30 Sit-ups - DNC
I was sick this past weekend and didn’t eat or drink properly at all.
Sumo Deadlift:
135 X 3
225 X 3
315 X 3
365 X 3
385 X 3
405 X 3 - I modified my stance so it’s more ‘Franklesque’. My pulls were fast.
Romanian Deadlift:
135 X 10
135 X 10
135 X 10
135 X 10 - I may lower my range of motion and bump up the weight.
Pull-ups:
25 reps - 5/5/5/5/5
1-Arm Dumbbell Row:
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5 - Some of these reps were a little sloppy.
Hammer Curls:
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10 - These were better than last week’s.
Rope Curls:
100 X 8
100 X 8
100 X 8
100 X 8 - I may go for ten rep sets next.
Decline Bench Sit-ups:
33 X 15
33 X 15
33 X 15 - I supersetted these with hammer curls.
Hyperextensions:
33 X 15
33 X 15
33 X 15 - I supersetted these with rope curls.
I will be sticking with sumo for at least this training cycle. I like how fast I am off the floor. I’m still experimenting with my hand position. Grip seems to be an issue unlike with my conventional pulls.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
205 X 5
205 X 5
205 X 5
230 X 3 - My brother grabbed for the bar on my last set of 205 but it was fine.
Face Pulls:
60 X 10
60 X 10
60 X 10
60 X 10 - This machine had different calibrations for weight.
Floor Press:
185 X 5
185 X 5
185 X 5
185 X 5
Lateral Raises:
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10 - I’m back to the swinging form.
Dips:
BW X 15
BW X 13
BW X 7 - I was short on time.
JM Press:
140 X 4
140 X 4
140 X 4
140 X 4 -
I’m out in North Carolina visiting my brother at college and I completely forgot to update my log yesterday. The student rec center is closed today for the Easter weekend so I won’t be able to squat. I’m not sure how this will affect my training as it’s been two weeks without any heavy squatting.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
220 X 3
220 X 3
220 X 3
235 X 2
235 X 2 - All these reps were good. They weren’t very fast, but they weren’t grinders.
Floor Press:
210 X 3
210 X 3
210 X 3
210 X 3 - The last two sets were tough. I’ll keep this weight.
Face Pulls:
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
Lateral Raises:
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
Dips:
55 reps - 20/10/10/5/5/5
JM Press:
145 X 3
145 X 3
145 X 3
145 X 3
Considering I didn’t properly at all over the weekend and drank large amounts of alcohol, I’m pretty happy with how my workout turned out.
Sumo Deadlift:
135 X 3
225 X 3
315 X 3
375 X 3
395 X 3
415 X 3 - My shins were completely trashed after this. These were decent.
Romanian Deadlift:
145 X 10
145 X 10
145 X 10
145 X 10
Pull-ups:
23 reps - 5/5/5/5/3 - These were all perfect dead-hang reps.
1-Arm Dumbbell Row:
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5 - These were all good. I’ll bump to 6 rep sets.
Hammer Curls:
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
Rope Curls:
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
Decline Bench Sit-ups:
44 X 15
44 X 15
44 X 15 - These were hard. I supersetted them with hammer curls.
Hyperextensions:
44 X 15
44 X 15
44 X 15 - I supersetted these with rope curls.
I think 415 for 3 is an all-time best for me on deadlift. I need to lose a little fat though. I blew up too fast having moved up a weight class, and it’s impairing my positioning a little bit.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
210 X 5
210 X 5
210 X 5
235 X 3 - These were all paused.
Floor Press:
190 X 5
190 X 5
190 X 5
190 X 5 - I’m going to keep this next week.
Face Pulls:
110 X 10
110 X 10
110 X 10
110 X 10
Lateral Raises:
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10 - I will move this up.
Dips:
BW X 15
BW X 10
BW X 10 - I’m going to take this day easy on dips.
JM Press:
140 X 5
140 X 5
140 X 5
140 X 5 - These were great.
I think I’m going to have to deload my bench next week or maybe the week after. I may also have to change my sets/reps around.
Squat:
135 X 6
225 X 3
315 X 3
370 X 3
370 X 3
405 X 2
405 X 2 - I used wraps for my first set of 405. I could barely get to depth. It flew up though. My last sets
405 X 2 of 405 were harder than expected.
Step-ups:
70’s X 5
70’s X 5
70’s X 5
70’s X 5
Pull-ups:
BW X 8, 5, 5 - I’m going to do sets to failure on this day.
Hammer Curls:
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
Decline Bench Sit-ups:
44 X 15
44 X 15
44 X 15 - I supersetted these with hammer curls.
Hyperextensions:
44 X 15
44 X 15
44 X 15
I had to lift in the morning and I was very short on time. I had to cut out a lot and modify my workout.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
240 X 2
240 X 2 - The 225 sets were harder than 240.
Floor Press:
210 X 3
210 X 3
210 X 3
210 X 3
Face Pulls:
110 X 10
110 X 10
110 X 10
110 X 10 - These were good.
Lateral Raises:
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
20’s X 10
Dips:
57 reps - 20/10/10/5/5/7
JM Press:
145 X 3
145 X 3
145 X 3
145 X 3
Prom was this weekend. I was pretty dehydrated but today’s workout was decent.
Sumo Deadlift:
135 X 3
225 X 3
315 X 3
385 X 3
405 X 3
425 X 3 - The last rep of 425 was all over the place but I got it. I’ll repeat the weight next week.
Romanian Deadlift:
155 X 10
155 X 10
155 X 10
155 X 10
Pull-ups:
24 reps - 5/5/5/5/4
1-Arm Dumbbell Row:
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5 - I was cheating a little bit on these.
Superset
Hammer Curls:
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
Decline Bench Sit-ups:
44 X 15
44 X 15
44 X 15
Superset
Rope Curls:
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10 - I cheated a lot with this.
Hyperextensions:
44 X 15
44 X 15
44 X 15
425 for 3 is another personal record. My last rep was really stop and go, but wasn’t hitched at all. Still, I’m going to stay with the same weight for next week. I think sumo is my new form of choice for deadlift.
Bench:
45 X 6
135 X 3
215 X 5
215 X 5
215 X 5
240 X 3 - I almost lost the last rep over my face. It did not feel good on my shoulder.
Floor Press:
190 X 5
190 X 5
190 X 5
190 X 5 - This was great.
Face Pulls:
110 X 10
110 X 10
110 X 10
110 X 10
Lateral Raises:
25’s X 10
25’s X 10
25’s X 10
25’s X 10 - I’m keeping this next week.
Dips:
BW X 15
BW X 11
BW X 9
JM Press:
140 X 4
140 X 4
140 X 4
140 X 4
The slight decrease in my accessory lifts and my struggle on my main bench sets makes me think a deload is necessary next week. I’m not sure how I’ll go about that. My deadlift and squat sets have been decent and I really don’t want to waste a deload on that.
Squat:
135 X 6
225 X 3
315 X 3
375 X 3
375 X 3
405 X 2
405 X 2 - I was beltless for the 375 sets. The 405 sets were fast.
Step-ups:
80’s X 5
80’s X 5
80’s X 5
80’s X 5 - I was losing my grip the whole way.
Pull-ups:
BW X 9, 5, 5
1-Arm Dumbbell Row:
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5
100 X 5 - I was cheating more with my left than right.
Superset
Hammer Curls:
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
40’s X 10
Decline Bench Sit-ups:
55 X 10
55 X 10
55 X 10
Superset
Rope Curls:
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
100 X 10
Hyperextensions:
55 X 10
55 X 10
55 X 10
I had trouble getting on the internet last night so my logging in my workout was a little sketchy. Anyway, I hate school lunches because they served nachos on squat day and that’s the worst fuel possible. My beltless squats did not feel good at all, and it was only when I threw on my belt that I felt strong at all.
A portion of my training is for aesthetics, and this guy has to be my favorite bodybuilder of all-time. He’s also a perennial runner-up. Sound familiar? =)
