10/16- squat realization
Squat- 425x1
Front squats- lawl
GHR- a lot
Notes: Felt like shit after squatting. Did two sets at 225 for front squats, then I remembered why I hate them. Did a bunch of sets from BW to +45 on the GHR.
10/18- press realization
Press- 185x1, 2x3@160
Shrugs- 5x3@405, 5x3@455
Notes: My elbows were feeling really good today, so I added in a couple back off sets. After the sets at 455, I went down to 405 to finish with some high-rep stuff, because I felt like obliterating my traps. My straps were having none of it, as the left one broke right on my third rep. I am going to order some Spud, Inc. straps tonight.
I got some industrial nylon straps from this place for like $4 with shipping. Webbing Nylon - strapworks.com
Each strap supports 4250 lbs.
I’m going to order some Spud, Inc. straps. They’re made from that same material and are guaranteed for life.
10/19- Deadlift realization
Deadlift- 500x1
GHR
Notes: I actually failed the 500 once, as the bar was bent and it rotated and slipped out of my hand not even an inch off the floor. I’d rather have that happen than have it happen halfway up and tear my bicep.
10/23- mini meet/openers
Squat-
365x1
405x1
445x1
Bench-
210x1
245x1
260x1
Notes: These all felt good, particularly the 445 squat. The 260 bench was a little slow, but I was rushing through my warmups and “attempts” very quickly and giving myself little rest, so I’m not worried. I was going to deadlift, but there’s really no point to it; less is probably more for me at this point, as I’m not going to be getting any stronger. Nothing I do this week will help me any, but I can definitely hurt my performance. My training is done for this cycle.
Hope you’re killing at the meet Chris!
I won’t give out any numbers until I get the edited video(s) back, but long story short, I did as well as I could have done and I am very happy with the results. Our team did very well, too; two of our lifters had the highest unequipped coefficients for male and female powerlifting.
Good to hear. I’m assuming Kyle and Janis? Thats pretty cool. Its not easy to get a high coefficient in the in the lighter weight classes. Look forward to seeing some video.
[quote]MightyMouse17 wrote:
Good to hear. I’m assuming Kyle and Janis? Thats pretty cool. Its not easy to get a high coefficient in the in the lighter weight classes. Look forward to seeing some video.[/quote]
Yes, Kyle Keough and Janis Finkelman got the highest coefficient for their respective genders. Kevin Alvarez also got the highest push/pull coefficient. All in all, we had two lifters total Elite (Kyle and Janis) and one total Master (Nathan Poage). I will post the full results once NASA updates the page.
As a side note, my total should place me at #10 for the NASA Teen/HS Unequipped Powerlifting Top 100.
A highlight video of the team’s best lifts should come later today, but I think I will wait until my personal video is done. Kyle edits all the videos, and it’s a big job; we had 10 lifters at this meet.
[quote]black_angus1 wrote:
As a side note, my total should place me at #10 for the NASA Teen/HS Unequipped Powerlifting Top 100.
[/quote]
Awesome!
Is this the chart used to determine class? http://www.rawpowerlifting.com/pdf/RAWClassificationStandards.pdf
Back on that train, high on cocaine.
10/28- light workout
Face pulls
EZ bar curls
Forearm work (rope weight thingy)
Neck work
Cable external rotations
Seated calf raises
Notes: These muscle groups (rear delts, biceps, forearms, neck, rotator cuff, calves) will be the emphasis on my light workouts, and occasionally after my heavy work on my main lifting days. I’m also not going to call them extra workouts anymore, as that kind of keeps me thinking of them as strictly extra, so that means I don’t have to do them, right? Instead, they are just light days. Frequency will key in this training cycle.
10/29- Squat and bench
Squat- 6x2@360
Bench- 1x1@225
Notes: The program I am beginning has me squatting and benching twice a week, and deadlifting and pressing once a week. However, my elbows decided they hate me after squatting, and instead of doing the 6x3 I was scheduled to do, I decided to rack it and leave after one rep. It felt like absolute shit. I think I am going to get some elbow sleeves and see if they help. In the meanwhile, I will continue to take fish oil TID and do as much pulling volume as I can.
MEET WRITE-UP (videos to come)
Alright, here we go. First, a recap of my attempts (PR indicates personal record, AR indicates NASA Teenage 198lb American record):
Squat-
446- GOOD
457- GOOD
473- GOOD
479- GOOD, PR, AR
Bench press-
259- GOOD
276- GOOD, PR
287- GOOD, PR
Deadlift-
507- GOOD
529- GOOD, PR, AR
551- GOOD, PR, AR
Total: 1311- PR, AR
Unofficial total- 1318
So, a 6lb PR on my squat, a 23lb PR on my bench, and a 27lb PR on my deadlift, for a total PR of 82lb, 89lb unofficially. A 1300lb total and 550 deadlift are good milestones for me.
Overall, I did a lot of things well for this meet that contributed to my success. First and foremost, I stuck to my plan. Every single one of these attempts, with the exception of the 4th squat, was pre-planned and written out in advance. I had been planning my attempts for about three weeks; writing them down on a notepad, and changing an opener here, lowering a third attempt there, and so on and so forth until I had attempts that I knew I could hit, but would set me up for a good total. I also stuck to my plan throughout training; following my peaking program to the letter and never losing sight of my goals. I missed a grand total of two reps in my training.
Another change I made was in my warmups at the meet. Previously, I had started warming up very early, spreading my warmup sets out throughout all three rounds of the previous flight. This time, I waited until the 2nd round of the previous flight began, and I went through my warmups a lot quicker, which is more like I did in training. I hit my last warmup single right as my flight started for every lift. My timing for getting ready for my attempts was also improved, specifically during the squat; timing the wrapping of your knees can be challenging, and I didn’t feel rushed or that I began wrapping them too early for any of my attempts. The result was that my squat felt better than it ever had, and it set me up well for the rest of the meet.
I made a few key training adjustments, as well. Specifically, I made it an emphasis to train the bottom of my lifts (read my article for more information ), especially with the pause on the bench press. Thus, I felt much more comfortable with a heavy weight on my back or in my hands in the hole or off my chest. I practiced the competition lifts more often than I had the previous year of training, and my technique was much more sound as a result.
The final key factor that I believe was a direct benefit to my performance was my weight. I was able to keep my weight very close to my weight limit throughout my entire training period, and I really didn’t have to cut at all. I then put seven pounds on after weigh-in, giving me a good bloat and plenty of glycogen and ATP storage, so I had energy throughout the day.
Speaking of energy, I also had enough caffeine, beta alanine, and DMAA to kill a small child throughout the day; I just mixed everything into my Gatorade and sipped it constantly. This kept my energy high, but because I didn’t take it all at once as I previously have done, I didn’t experience any crash. I also don’t take much caffeine in day-to-day, keeping my tolerance fairly low. Jamie Lewis gets credit for this one, as he uses massive amounts of stimulants during his meets.
As for things I didn’t do so well…fuck you. I’m awesome. Let me bask in my glory before I ship to Basic Training and become a weak ecto faggot, losing all my gainz and doing the work of the devil, i.e. cardio.
10/30- press #1
Press- 6x3@160
Shrugs- 2x10@315, 2x3@405
Leg press calf raises- 5x20
Band pull-aparts- 5x20
Notes: These Spud straps are incredible; they’re thick, solid, tight, and very motivational. The only problem is that they are a rather slick material, and with the absolutely shitty knurling on the bar I was using, they were slipping a bit. So, I will probably keep my shrugging to Sunday or Saturday, when I will be at a different gym with bars that have sharper knurling.
My meet video:
Awesome lifts! Made it look easy.
11/1- Deadlift #1
Deadlift- 6x3@425
Rows- 5x10@135
Notes: didn’t have much energy for assistance work after this. I will probably have to use straps later on in the cycle, as these bars are still godawful and I can feel it slipping on almost every rep. The reps themselves were plenty fast, though; as long as I eat and sleep right, this program should deliver the gainz.
And here is our team “highlight” video.
11/2- bench light #1, squat heavy #1
Bench- 6x2@225
Squat- 6x3@365
Notes: I am going to lower the training maxes a bit, as I had to use wraps for my last three sets on squats. A lot of it has to do with the fact that I pulled yesterday, and I wasn’t expecting to have to squat today (normally I would do it tomorrow, but I have drill this weekend), but this program is just going to get harder and I have no reason to risk missing a rep early in the cycle. I’m not even training for a meet, so I’m better off starting light and working my way up.