TCam's Log - The Road to Elite

Training Training Logs
341

Cycle 3 - Week 3 - Day 1
Squat/Deadlift

Squat (Single Prong)(Wrist Wraps):
2x415 (Edit: 55 lb. Bar)
2x455
2x485
2x495 (20 lb PR!)
2x500 @ 9.5 (25 lb PR!)(Video)
e1RM: 526

Paused Squat (Single Prong)(Wrist Wraps):
3x325
3x375
3x405
3x415 (PR)(Quads near muscular failure on this one)

1" Deficit Deadlift (Spud Belt):
3x315
3x405
2x3x455 (Triples felt awful after the first rep, so I switched to singles for speed)
10x1x455 (Crushed almost all of these. Edit: These were done with 30 seconds rest between reps)

Plank:
2x1:00

Another great squat workout in the books. I hope I can keep riding this momentum into the meet. I had 500x2 in my mind for the past couple days for this session, so it was pretty much bound to happen. The second rep wasnā€™t the best, I got rounded over a bit, but I hit the groove on the eccentric good enough that there was no chance of missing it and I could just shift my weight back under me to lock it out.

Also got to use the new SBD sleeves and they felt great. I donā€™t think they actually assisted with the squat, since they arenā€™t that tight.

Paused squat went well too. As I mentioned, the 415 set had my quads (vastus medialusesā€¦mediali?) were pretty much about to fail if I tried to go up. Since Iā€™m this close to a meet, thatā€™s not the goal.

Iā€™m actually really happy with how deadlift went. This was my 4th workout in a row deadlifting. The reason I did it is because Iā€™m switching to lower frequency now that Iā€™m starting to taper. From here on, Iā€™ll be squatting Monday/Friday, benching Wednesday/Saturday, and deadlifting Monday/Friday.

342

Cycle 3 - Week 3 - Day 2
Bench

Paused Bench w/ Chains(+50)(Wraps)(Cuffs):
3x255+50
3x275+50
3x3x315+50 (Back cramped on first 2 sets and threw me off, but the 3rd set went perfectly)

Paused Bench (Wraps):
2x3x315 (Easy, pec was feeling iffy between sets. Cut it here)

A1 | Kroc Rows (Straps):
3x15/15 @ 150

A2 | Larsen DB Press:
8x85s
8x100s
2x8x120s (PR)

B1 | Band Triceps Pushdown:
2x15 @ 1 Doubled Mini

B2 | DB Curls:
2x10/10 @ 40s

I donā€™t really have any complaints about the benching. My elbows were hurting from still getting used to the weight back in my hands, but elbow cuffs solved it immediately. Not really any pec pain until the sets without chains and that was just between sets, not during. As long as I donā€™t cramp up during my setup, Iā€™m able to move the weight really fast. Doubles happen this Saturday and Iā€™d like to get at least 365 if not 375 for a match PR. Pec willing, it can happen.

I was very happy to not have to deadlift today. I love my programming, but itā€™s mentally tough to warm up for deadlift after a bench workout. Kroc rows took care of some back work and I havenā€™t done it in a long time. I was going to do some ab work, but the rows felt like they were going to tear my obliques off, so I count that.

343

Friday - Cycle 3 - Week 3 - Day 3
Deadlift/Squat

Deadlift (Single Prong):
2x425
2x475
2x515
2x555 (Match PR)
2x575 @ 9.5 (20 lb. PR!)
e1RM: 613.5(e1RM PR)

High Bar Squat (Spud Belt):
3x365
3x3x405 (Felt like garbage water)

Speed Deadlift (Single Prong):
3x1x515
5x1x425 (Lightning fast)

Straight Leg Sit-Up w/ Med Ball:
4x15 @ BW+100

Super happy about the 2RM PR. I used an Ivanko bar that someone brought to the gym and I think it is 28mm diameter, because there was no letting go of that bar. I feel like I could hold onto 1000 with it. But, the 555 set before I went for my PR was absolute shit. On the second rep I got rounded over and started shaking when I got to about my knees, but I still pulled it. I wasnā€™t sure if I should go for 575, but figured it was a technical issue and I fixed it. 575 was my 1RM for a ridiculous grinder before I started this auto-regulation program.

344

Saturday - Cycle 3 - Week 3 - Day 4 - 3 Weeks Out!
Bench

Bench (Comp pause/grip)(Press command given):
2x275
2x315
2x345
2x375 @ 9.5 (Paused PR!)
e1RM: 402.7

SlingShot Bench:
2x385
2x405 (Thought about 425 but decided against it for pec safety)

Lying Incline Band Row:
4x12 @ 1 Doubled Avg.

A1 | DB Reverse Fly:
4x12 @ 45s

A2 | Band Fly:
3x20 @ 1 Doubled Mini

If you had told me I was going to hit a paused PR a few weeks ago, I wouldnā€™t have believed it at all. This was practically easy, I just rated it at 9.5 because I wasnā€™t sure of another rep, almost definitely could have hit another double above it though.

Not too many more bench workouts to make it through before the meet, just gotta keep listening to my pec and I think Iā€™ll still hit a PR there.

3 WEEKS OUT

345

Cycle 3 - Week 4 - Day 1
Squat/Deadlift

Squat (Single Prong)(Wrist Wraps):
2x415
2x445
2x465
2x485
2x505 @ 10 (5 lb. PR!)(Video)
2x475 (Little extra volume)

Speed Squat (Single Prong)(Wrist Wraps):
5x1x415

1" Deficit Speed Deadlift (Single Prong):
2x405
8x1x455 (30 seconds rest)(Some hamstring pulling)

Lying Hamstring Curl:
3x20 @ ā€œ50ā€

I wasnā€™t sure what I wanted to do in this workout honestly. When I wrote this cycle, I had in mind trying to eventually get up to 485x2 before the meet via a few weeks of doubles. But I hit 15 lbs. over that on the first try, so I wasnā€™t sure if I should just go for more PRs or just get some heavy doubles. So I decided to go by feel and hit another PR. If you watch the video, youā€™ll see why I marked this an RPE 10. The second rep was questionable, since I had to shift my weight so much on the way up. Still counting it and hopefully if I have to do that in a meet, it will be okay.

Never hit 415 faster than on the first couple sets of speed squat.

Deficit deads felt pretty awful with the single prong. Last week I used the Spud and I crushed 10x1x455 with a couple triples preceding it, but not today. It wasnā€™t difficult at all, just not very fast relatively. Iā€™m currently contrasting ice and heat on my hamstring. I had felt some pulling on Friday and felt it again today. I should be fine though.

346

Cycle 3 - Week 4 - Day 2
Bench

Paused Bench w/ Chains(+50)(All bench work til meet = Wraps, Comp pause/grip):
2x245+50
2x275+50
2x315+50 (Threw on elbow cuffs here)
2x2x335+50 (Match PR for weight. PR for volume)

Paused Bench:
3x2x335

A1 | Pull-Ups (Shortened ROM):
6x6

A2 | Barbell Curls:
2x20 @ Bar (Supinated)
2x20 @ Bar (Pronated)

B1 | Deficit Push-Ups:
2x20

B2 | Cable Triceps Pushdown:
2x20 @ ā€œ95ā€

DB Lateral Raise:
3x15 @ 25s

Really happy that I was able to get to my goal weight for the day on bench, but all of my joints felt like pure shit. Both shoulders, both elbows, and both hips all made benching as hard as possible for me. I didnā€™t want to put my elbow cuffs on anymore until the meet to avoid depending on them, but I figured I would rather press the weight than have to stop because of pain. Edit: On a positive note, this was the first bench work with no pec pain at all since last straining it.

The two top sets were not exactly easy, but they did move pretty quickly. I wasnā€™t sure if I had done this weight before, but it turns out I did it 9 days out from my last meet and it remains the heaviest bar weight Iā€™ve used with chains. The sets without chains went: Terrible, Good, Good.

Pump/prehab work followed. Probably solely going to do pull-ups with the shortened range of motion from now on. I can actually use my lats and avoid elbow pain, I see no downsides.

347

Friday - Cycle 3 - Week 4 - Day 3
Deadlift/Squat

Deadlift (Single Prong):
Up to an attempt at 2x545, missed second rep due to being way out of position. Did another single after. Feeling terrible.

Squat (Single Prong):
4x3x315 (Same deal. Knees and ribs hurting for some reason)

Some abs.

Obviously not my usual post style, but I canā€™t remember what else I did. I felt pretty bad all day on Friday, from my back, to my hamstring, to my knees. It carried into the workout unfortunately. It sucks that it happen 2 weeks from a meet, but I canā€™t let it get to me. It was a fluke and things like this can happen while over-reaching.

348

Saturday - Cycle 3 - Week 4 - Day 4 - 2 WEEKS OUT
Bench

Paused Bench (Competition everything):
2x315
2x345
3x2x365 (Volume PR at 365)

SlingShot Bench (TnG):
3x2x405 (Volume PR at 405)

Cable Low Row:
12x180
12x195
12x210
12x225

Triceps Pushdown:
4x12x120

Barbell Curls:
2x25x45

Much better lifting than the night before. Benching felt really good and I was moving the first reps at 365 like speed work. I didnā€™t wear my elbow cuffs until I completed a set at 365. Threw them on for the remaining for protection.

405 felt heavy in my hands for the first set, but by the third set it moved easily. Thatā€™s probably going to be my second attempt at the meet.

2 WEEKS OUT.

349

Cycle 3 - Week 5 - Day 1
Squat/Deadlift

Squat (Comp gear: SBDs, Single Prong, Wrist Wraps):
2x415
2x445
3x2x475
3x1x475

Speed Deadlift (Beltless):
5x3x345

Cable Ab Pulldown:
3x15 @ 120

Machine Hip Adduction:
2x20 @ 110

Lying Hamstring Curl:
2x20 @ 50

Phew squats felt like shit. I still hit my goals for the day, but it took a lot out of me. 475 is still going to be my opener regardless, I just have to assume Iā€™m going to benefit heavily from the deload week coming up. I am happy that Iā€™m able to grind out to a much higher degree than I used to be able to do. That should prove helpful for a 1RM.

I just kept the deadlifts really light because Iā€™m going to be doing my last heavy deadlift session tomorrow. Had to change my schedule a bit to Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, so this should be interesting. Hopefully Iā€™ll feel a little better than this past Friday.

Edit: Extenuating circumstances = No training on Tuesday, moved to Wednesday.

350

Cycle 3 - Week 5 - Day 2 - 10 Days Out
Last Heavy Deadlifts

Deadlift (Single Prong):
2x425
2x475
2x515
2x2x540 (Opener)
3x1x540

SLDL (Beltless/Straps):
3x8x275

Paused Bench (Meant to be easy 3ā€™s @ RPE 8):
3x275
3x315 (Left pec sore between sets and pulling a lot. Cut it here)

GHR:
3x12

Cable Ab Pulldown:
3x15 @ 120

Deadlifts went a lot better than this past Friday, in which I failed a double at 545. I didnā€™t feel as strong as Iā€™ve ever felt today, nor was I able to really get in the zone for lifting, but I still hit what I wanted to hit. Deadlift training is over regardless of how I feel and in 10 days I will have to show up.

Slightly worried about the left pec pulling the way it was. In hindsight, I didnā€™t warm up nearly enough. Iā€™ve been contrasting ice/heat and massaging it since the workout. Hopefully I can bench on Friday for my last heavy session.

Tomorrow is supposed to be my last heavy squats. Not sure how heavy I will go, since I got to 90% earlier this week.

351

Cycle 3 - Week 5 - Day 3 - 9 Days Out
Last Heavy Squats

Squat (Comp everything):
1x365
1x405
1x445
5x1x475

Paused Squat (Beltless):
3x3x315
6x315 (Wanted to get the 5x3 over with)

GHR:
3x12

Hanging Leg Raise:
3x10

Also lot of plate moving due to sharing a bar with my girlfriend. Grip, back, core work?

Edit
Bench:
2x50x45 (Just some movement for the pecs)

Iā€™m pretty happy with how this went considering I just pulled over 90% last night as well and squatted at 90% on Monday. Hopefully this week will have been enough to get me supercompensatinā€™ right into the meet. The 5 singles felt heavy, but moved fast enough. Canā€™t complain.

Iā€™ve decided against benching tomorrow as my last heavy day. My left pec has been sore all day, so I guess thatā€™s strained now. Iā€™ll just have to work up to my opener on Monday and thatā€™ll be it. Iā€™ve resigned myself to still bench heavy at the meet and hope nothing goes wrong. Iā€™ll probably take a full 8 weeks off from benching after the meet.

Iā€™ll probably just do some upper back and light pump work tomorrow.

352

Friday - Cycle 3 - Week 5 - Day 4

Left pec felt miraculously completely fine and so I benched a little bit (very slowly warming up) and I just worked up to a very easy single at 335. My right pec was tight though, so I figured I wouldnā€™t be able to get in an appreciable amount of volume without injuring myself, so I cut bench there.

Followed that with light high-rep lat pulldowns, flies, JM press, and curls, plus a few trips with the Prowler that the gym owner finally fixed.

I started my water loading today (Sunday) with a little over 1.5 gallons. Iā€™m pissing a lot already and Iā€™ll be doing 2 gallons for the next 2 days.

Tomorrow Iā€™m working up to all my openers (475/365/540) and Iā€™ll be done with all lifting other than some groove work on Wednesday with around 40%.

353

5 Days Out - Planned Warm-Ups and Openers

Squat (Single Prong - 3rd Hole, Wrist Wraps, SBDs):
Bar work
2x3x135
2x225
1x275
1x315
1x365
1x405
1x445
1x475 (Somewhat slow due to positioning, but easy)

Bench (Paused, Wrist Wraps):
Bar work
3x135
1x225
1x275
1x315
1x335
1x365 (Fast, good groove, easy)

Deadlift (Single Prong - 4th Hole, Wrist Wraps):
Bar work
2x2x135
1x225
1x315
1x365
1x405
1x455
1x495
1x515
1x540 (Fast, good groove, easy)

Squat has been feeling off because of grooving wrong. Iā€™ve been staying too upright which makes me go even lower than I already do, putting me in a weak position. If I can lean forward correctly, I will smash all my squats.

Very happy with bench and deadlift. I was worried about my pec because it has been tight today, but I foamed rolled it a lot and made it through. Iā€™ve been having issues with my elbows at 315+, but today it wasnā€™t there at all. For deadlift, I went back to the more stiff bar to combat the shaking problem Iā€™ve been having with the thinner bar. So much better for me. Not sure what kind of bar will be at the meet unfortunately. Iā€™ll deal with whatever it is though.

Water loading is going well. Red meat cut out as of yesterday, extra sodium today, cut carbs to about 100g, and I took in 272 oz. of water. Tomorrow will be the same amount of water, extra sodium, and almost cut carbs completely. Sitting between 224 and 226 each morning.

354

3 Days Out - Groove Work

Bench:
5x3x135
3x1x135

Deadlift:
3x3x225 (Clusters of singles)

Squat:
5x1x235

Just getting some groove work in. Water cut is going well. Woke up at 222.6, so this should be very easy and Iā€™ll probably actually have to monitor my weight loss so that I donā€™t dip too far below weight. Makes me wonder if I could cut to 198 if I really had to. lol

Probably wonā€™t update the log until after the meet.

355

USPA 2014 Battle of the Beasts

TL;DR:
Squat - 240 kg / 529 lbs (24 lb. meet PR)
Bench - 182.5 kg / 402.3 lbs (2.3 lb. meet PR)
Deadlift - 267.5 kg / 589.7 lbs (34.7 lb. meet PR)
Total - 690 kg / 1,521 lbs (96 lb. meet PR)
Bodyweight - 220.4
Wilks - 420 (Up 30 points)

Video at the bottom

If you havenā€™t been following
This was my third powerlifting meet, my previous two were in March of this year and February of 2013.
This was the first meet Iā€™ve come into being close to 100%. The only injury Iā€™ve had recently was a pec strain 10 weeks out that made me cut way back on bench training for 4 weeks and then ease back into for the remaining 6. I was able to salvage that to about 95% of what I think Iā€™m capable of currently.

Cut and Weigh-Ins (24 Hours)
Starting about 3 weeks out, I cut out weekend food binges and I dropped from 230 to 225-226 pretty easily. On the Sunday before the meet, I started cutting carbs and loading water at 1.5 gallons, followed by 2 gallons the next 2 days with sodium loading, and then I made weight accidentally sometime Wednesday night/Thursday morning. So I just coasted from there, eating and drinking as I felt I needed to. Weighed in at 220.4, right on point. If necessary, I would have had 1.5 gallons distilled water on Wednesday and cut sodium out, then cut water/food at 24 hours from weigh-ins.

Refeed
I was planning on being thoroughly disgusting, but it wasnā€™t necessary since this cut was so easy. I had Flipz, Poptarts, Chipotle, Chex Mix, Mugshots Burgers, and frozen yogurt. Plus half/half gallon of Gatorade/water and 15g creatine.

Meet Day
Woke up around 7am and had some oats and whey. I canā€™t eat much before/during meets. Started drinking Cannibal Ferox before squats, caffeine after bench, and Nuun/Gatorade/creatine all day. Food was a banana, 2 poptarts, and an Ostrim stick. I was in the last flight of each of the lifts.

Squat
Warm-ups went well. Some knee pain was present, but I wasnā€™t going to allow that to be an issue. Worked up to 425.

-1st Attempt at 215/474: GOOD - Felt heavy on my back, but it moved like I could have done 4 or 5 reps. Confidence boner up.

-2nd Attempt at 232.5/512.6: GOOD - Again, felt somewhat heavy, but moved pretty easily for a 7.6 lb meet PR.

-3rd Attempt at 240/529: GOOD - Huge 24 lb. meet PR! I hit ā€œ525ā€ with light plates in a Goldā€™s gym on New Yearā€™s Day this year; I hurt my back shortly after, and got crushed by 525 in my last meet. So this was amazing for me. My upper back caved on this attempt, but it was not particularly difficult. I think I made the right choice instead of the next weight up (534.6).

Bench
Warm-ups went well, no pec pain whatsoever, just back tightness. Iā€™ve cramped both of my previous meets but avoided it today.

-1st Attempt at 165/363.7: GOOD - No problems on this one. Went up easily.

-2nd Attempt at 182.5/402.3: MISS - Iā€™m still confused about this one. I canā€™t figure out why I missed it. Iā€™m not able to arch back over my face right now because of the pec, so maybe thatā€™s it. But I hit like 2 sticking points and couldnā€™t get it.

-3rd Attempt at 182.5/402.3: GOOD - This was my freak out moment for the meet. I screamed and lost my voice, laid back, and crushed it. I had to get this so that I wouldnā€™t be 40 lbs in the hole basically. This was a 2.3 lb meet PR (Iā€™ve paused 405 in training). If no pec strain 10 weeks out, I think I would have been good for 190/418.9.

Deadlift
Warm-ups did not go well. They felt fine, but I worked up to 405 and then my friend ran to the warm-up room to tell me I was up next. Missed 4 warm-ups and had to jump 135 lbs.

-1st Attempt at 245/540: GOOD - I was all kinds of flustered running out, I forgot to take my shorts off and they had to tell me to. I still ripped it off the floor like nothing and had a triple in me easily.

-2nd Attempt at 267.5/589.7: MISS - I locked this fucker out and my left hand decided it was time to let go. I was infuriated about this. Meet director gave me a tip about wrapping my wrists and I waited.

-3rd Attempt at 267.5/589.7: GOOD - Easy as the first time around, but I held onto it this time. It was about 2 seconds from giving out again when I got the down command. My goal was 600 this meet, but Iā€™m glad I didnā€™t go up any higher. Like bench, if I had missed this, it would have destroyed my total. Gym PR is the same at 590. 35 lb. meet PR.

I didnā€™t quite hit all my goals, but I went 7/9 with all white lights on the 7, since I donā€™t let the judges question my depth, as you can see in the video. This was a 96 lb. meet PR and I am very happy with that. I broke into the Master class for the USPA, but still have 121 lbs. to go for Elite. Also blasted through the 400 wilks barrier to 420. Very happy overall and proud of being able to overcome the two missed attempts.

Note on USPA: Super consistent judging and smoothly ran meet. Zero complaints here. Iā€™ve competed in SPF and APA otherwise.

Next meet should be 6 months away. Goals are to keep everything healthy, refine my programming and technique, and get closer to 1,600.

356

Great job brother!

357

Thank you, Alpha!

Transition Phase

Box Squat (Chucks, Beltless, Rehbands):
5x3x315

Circuit:
A1 - Prowler Push 4x50 yards (25 yards high handles / 25 yards low) @ 165 (Assuming 75 lb implement)
A2 - Pull-Ups 4x8
A3 - KB Swing 4x12 @ 80
A4 - Deficit Push-Ups 4x15

Thatā€™s it. First workout back is 1) Damage control/assessment and 2) Easy. This is the first time Iā€™ve box squatted in a really long time. I think Iā€™ve done it once in the past year, so it took a while to get my hips to cooperate at the wider stance. Iā€™ll work on that a bit, since I can feel that Iā€™m awful at them. I used to be better at box squatting than free squatting. lol

Circuit was done for fun and conditioning. There may be a few of these within each transition phase. Iā€™ll be writing Cycle 4 of the program this week and starting within the next couple of weeks depending on how I feel.

358

Transition Phase

Military Press:
3x5x135
5x3x185

Barbell Walking Lunges:
10/10 @ Bar
3x8/8 @ 135 (Fuuuuu)

Dips:
2x20

Bench:
5x20 @ Bar

Hammer Curls:
3x10/10 @ 45s

Edit: Yoke Walk:
4x50 yards w/ empty yoke (275)

Just fucking around for the rest of the week while writing out my next cycle. Heavy walking lunges are the devil.

359

Congrats on the huge PRā€™s! A 96lb total PR is huge for such a short time period. Seems like the programming was a huge success!

360

Thanks, Iron! Itā€™s been working really well. Very happy with the results thus far.

My programming: RTS Style Auto-Regulation / High Frequency

Intro
I posted a Reddit link here, but apparently we canā€™t use external links here. So Iā€™m just pasting instead. If you can make it through all ~1,800 words, let me know what you think or if you have any questions.

I have been running about 18-20 weeks/3 cycles of this program leading up to my meet from this past weekend where I was able to get a 96 lb. meet PR. Iā€™m sure a lot of that can be attributed to coming in healthy, but I think I still left about 25 lbs. on the platform due to missed second attempts (ā€œtroll attemptsā€ as someone on YouTube called them). Iā€™ll be continuing this training for at least another meet (~4 months away).

The basic idea of my program has stayed the same throughout, but Iā€™ve been altering it each cycle as I feel it out and Iā€™m sure it will continue to change. The following is what it has become so far.

This works on the ā€œslotā€ idea that I got from Mike T, in which you have slots for each lift and you have a certain number of them each week. Just think of them as variations of the main lift. Iā€™ve been working on 6 week cycles, with a 3 week volume phase and 3 week intensity phase. The auto-regulation part has included fatigue sets, but I think I am switching to repeat sets instead (i.e. working up to an RPE 9 and then staying at that weight until itā€™s no longer a 9, as opposed to working up to RPE 9 and then dropping 5-7% and working back up to a 9).

Hereā€™s what my week looks like:

Monday Wednesday Friday Saturday
Primary SQ Main Secondary BE Main Primary DL Main Primary BE Main
Primary SQ Supp Secondary BE Supp Secondary SQ Supp Primary BE Supp
Tertiary BE Supp Secondary DL Supp Tertiary DL Supp Primary DL Supp

Squat
I hit a 24 lb. PR at the meet on this lift and I also doubled my previous meet PR (505) in training. I started out squatting 3 days per week with 3 slots, but found that my knees could not handle it from day to day. I moved it back to 2 days per week but kept the 3 slots, and I found that I could handle 2 slots at once on Monday.

  • Monday is my main squat day. One slot is my primary movement (i.e. the competition form squat) which follows either the rep or heavy day protocols from the Cube method (see note below). The second slot is the primary supplement; usually paused squats in the 4-6 rep range at RPE 8-9 plus repeats. Theyā€™re either paused at the bottom or on the concentric at my sticking point.

  • Friday is my main deadlift day and secondary squat day. After my primary deadlift work, I move to my secondary squat supplement, which is usually front or SSB squat between 3-5 reps, up to 8 earlier in the cycle. I donā€™t really use RPE for these two squat variations because Iā€™m awful at both of them and canā€™t trust how I feel, because how I feel is like quitting.

| Note: I found that I do not work well on fully dedicated volume/intensity phases with my squats, but instead work better alternating the types of days like on the Cube. The only thing about the Cube that I did not like was the inclusion of all of the three aspects of training (speed, reps, and heavy) every week when itā€™s not necessary. What I mean by that is Iā€™ve noticed people generally already excel at one of the three naturally. For instance, Iā€™ve always been very explosive, but I cannot grind well. Grinding ability is built with the rep and heavy days. So I decided to throw out the explosive work (also being done on warm-ups anyway) and just alternate rep and heavy days. By doing so, my 3 weeks of volume include 2 rep days and 1 heavy day, and my intensity phase is 2 heavy days and 1 rep day, so it stays in line with the programming cycles. Iā€™ve found itā€™s unnecessary for bench and deadlift. Adjust for your own strengths/weaknesses.

Bench
Iā€™ve had 5 slots on 3 days for bench since the beginning and it has worked well until I strained my pec (chronic) about 10 weeks out from the meet. I still hit a 2.3 lb. meet PR, but I believe I had 415-420 (15-20 lb PR) in me if that strain had not happened. I do not do an unbelievable amount of work per day on bench, as that is usually when I get injured. I gain my volume via frequency.

  • Monday includes my tertiary supplement done after squats. This is generally either overhead press (alternating seated and standing) or DB press (various angles) done in the 6-10 rep range at RPE 8-9. This is the furthest supplement from the competition movement that I still consider supplemental as opposed to accessory.

  • Wednesday is my secondary bench day. The first slot is a full ROM movement like close grip or long pause (3 count) bench in the 4-6 rep range at RPE 9. Second slot is shortened ROM via Spoto or floor press for 5ā€™s at RPE 8. Itā€™s in that order because Iā€™ve found going from short ROM to long ROM is when my pec strains, but it may be fine for others.

  • Saturday is my main bench day. First slot is the competition bench (paused) for 4ā€™s at RPE 9 during the volume phase and 1-3 range at RPE 9-10 during intensity. Second slot is my primary supplement, which is overload with either SlingShot or chains worked in the same rep range and RPE as the main movement.

Note: Please pause your shit. If youā€™re raw and you can make it so that your lockout is actually your weakness, youā€™ll be doing well. Constant paused work accomplishes this. Also, elbow cuffs help a lot during high-frequency benching.

Deadlift
I hit a 35 lb. meet PR because of this programming. My grip gave out on my second attempt at 589.7, so I stuck with that weight for the third. If you watch the video on the meet report, itā€™s clear I had 600+ in me. I have loved high frequency pulling. I have 4 slots per week over 3 days.

  • Wednesday pulls are done after bench. The secondary supplement is two factors out from the competition form. Sumo blocks, blocks w/ chains, snatch grip blocks, or any other combo of those. 4 reps at RPE 8-9 plus repeats throughout the cycle.

  • Friday is the main deadlift day. Primary movement is done for 4 reps at RPE 9 during volume and 1-3 reps at RPE 9-10 on intensity. Squat happens after that slot, then another pull. Early in the cycles (far from a meet) this can be Pendlay rows, but it transitions to RDL and SLDL later. 5-8 reps at RPE 8.

  • Saturday happens about 12 hours after the Friday workout for me. I still do deficit or paused pulls regardless. 4 reps at RPE 8 throughout the cycle.

Note: There is no reason to live if you cannot deadlift. Get it done if you want your pull to move up. Straps may be necessary on some days. Start with once or twice weekly pulling if necessary. And yes, doing deadlift after bench twice weekly is on purpose. Thatā€™s the order of a powerlifting meet.

Other Notes

  • Rep outs - Iā€™ve started implementing ā€œplusā€ sets for my main squats. These are AMRAP sets like you would do on 5/3/1 on the last set. They work well for me, increase volume on the competition form, and display progress. This can be done on my squats because I follow the Cube protocols as written (3x8, 5x2, etc) and just add the plus set at the end, but I am thinking about doing a drop set at the end of bench and deadlift on my upcoming cycle. This will mean doing my repeat sets and after the last one, dropping the weight ~10-20% and repping that out. A good way to measure progress would be to pick a weight and always rep that out, assuming your working sets were above it. I think 75% would work well. I also do plus sets on supplemental movements when I feel good.

  • Accessory work - Usually high frequency / full body programs are not accompanied by a lot of accessory work, but I like to do what GZCL (Cody Lefever) calls T3 work. Itā€™s in the 8-20 rep range and I generally superset them for conditioning, training density, and time restriction. I spend about 2 hours in the gym, 15-20 minutes of that is accessories. Hereā€™s what that looks like for me:

Mon - SQ T3 Wed - BE T3 Fri - DL T3 Sat - BE T3
Back Back Glutes Back
Quads Triceps Hams Shoulders
Hams Biceps Abs Pecs

  • Deloads - These come in the form of ā€œtransitionā€ weeks if you need them. Transition weeks generally come between the phases. Mike T describes them as being whatever you need them to be, whether that be hypertrophy, speed work, or (p)rehab. I did not implement them in my last 3 cycles, but I may use them in coming cycles. This is when I may use speed work just to make sure Iā€™m keeping my explosiveness.

  • Supportive Equipment - I like to do beltless work as often as possible. Obviously the closer you are to a meet, the more belted work you would do. This will change based on the lifter. Generally I do my supplemental exercises beltless unless Iā€™m feeling particularly fatigued (like on Saturday morning deadlifts for example).

  • If you want to use this, make it fit to your own needs. If you want to get your squat up and your knees can handle it, swamp the deadlift and squat slots. Also, use supplemental exercises that help your main lift. If close grip does nothing, switch it to incline bench. Floor press not available? Do board press. Progress on lifts you are bad at and youā€™ll be good. This goes for all programs anyway.