TCam's Log - The Road to Elite

Training Training Logs
681

##The Road to Elite
Week 7 - Day 5

3 Ct. Paused Bench:
8x3x305

Paused Deadlift w/ Belt - Straps:
3x3x405
3x3x405 - Semi-Sumo

Triceps Pushdown:
25x30
3x25x40

Lying Incline DB Curl:
3x20x25s

DB Lateral Raise:
3x15x25s

Bottoms-Up KB Press:
3x10x25s

Well I made it to the gym, but I cut out a bunch of stuff. I did manage to do the scheduled bench work, despite a good amount of shoulder and elbow pain. All of the reps still moved well. I cut block pulls and put in the paused deadlift because I thought it would be easier. Turns out it felt very hard anyway. Everything else was replaced with the high rep stuff in an attempt to feel better.

Anyway, I survived and Iā€™m ready to deloooooaaaaadddd.

682

##The Road to Elite
Week 8 - Day 1 - Deload

High Bar + 3 Ct. Eccentric + 2 Ct. Paused Squat w/ Belt (lol):
3x3x365
3x3x315

One-Arm Incline DB Bench:
3x8/8x70

A1 | Chest-Supported T-Bar Row:
3x12x90

A2 | Band Triceps Pushdown:
3x20xDbl mini

One-Arm KB Curl:
30/30x30 - Just alternated between left and right arm every 10 reps with no rest otherwise. Actually really good for a pump, which I never get.

Some band pull-aparts

So this is going to be a very deload-y deload. The last 3 weeks really beat me up and I feel like I need to focus on recovery a good bit instead of trying to force my originally written deload. As you can see, I skipped both bench and deadlift today, so I made the squat variation (belted high bar) harder on purpose. The knees have been hurting some for the past week or so, but I believe these squats made them feel a little better. Part of the reason I chose the 3 ct eccentric is to help with recovery. If you arenā€™t aware, eccentric loading is a common rehab method, so by making that part harder, Iā€™m effectively rehabbing the knees while squatting. I still need to massage the area too though.

Also Iā€™m having some pec pain, though I donā€™t think itā€™s strained. Just some tightness that I need to work on. Thankfully I donā€™t bench again until Friday.

683

##The Road to Elite
Week 8 - Day 2 - Deload

Deadlift w/ Belt - Straps:
5x1x495 - Worked up alternating sumo and conventional, doing a rep with each style for each weight. Top sets included 3 conventional singles and 2 sumo singles.
3x3x455 - Just conventional

Beltless Snatch Grip SLDL:
3x8x225

Walking Lunges:
3x12/12xBW - Used multipurpose wraps right above my knees

Lying Leg Curl:
3x8x125

Lat Pulldown - Neutral:
3x10x180

A1 | KB Swing:
3x12x55

A2 | Hollow-Body Hold:
3x0:20 - First time doing this. Seems useful.

No squats today to allow the knees a couple of extra days of recovery without any weighted movements. Deadlifts went pretty well for having to use straps while this callous completely heals. For sumo, I went very wide, nearly touching the plates. It was more of an experiment than an attempt to get a training effect. May include more sumo after I do a mock meet in a month or so.

684

##The Road to Elite
Week 8 - Days 3-5 - Still Deloading

I donā€™t really remember everything at this point, but hereā€™s the gist.

Friday

Bench:
1x345
4x2x325 - Shoulders were feeling awful during all of this.

Push-ups, machine dips, lateral delts, rear delts

Saturday

Squat w/ Belt - Also in Nike Frees:
1x475
4x2x445

Leg curl, leg press, chest supported row, abs

Sunday

OHP:
8x3x185

Beltless Deadlift - Straps:
5x3x435

Triceps, biceps, lateral delts

I went to visit my girlfriend in Mobile for the holiday weekend and I forgot to take my lifting shoes. So squishy sneakers were used. The squats werenā€™t as bad as I thought they would be, but definitely not ideal.

Couple of updates:

  1. My left pec tightened up a lot while we were in a movie on Saturday and felt kind of strained afterwards. Thatā€™s why I did OHP on Sunday.
  1. Iā€™m going to deload for another week. With the shoulders, knees, and pec hurting, I really want to focus on recovery so that I can actually hit the final 3 weeks hard. Iā€™m not necessarily worried about injury or anything. Just want to actually feel good during this little peak.
685

##The Road to Elite
Week 9 - Day 1 - Deload Again

Paused Squat w/ Belt:
5x2x405

Beltless Paused At Knee Deadlift:
5x2x405 - Did something stupid to my back on the very last rep

HS Yates Row:
3x8x230

Lat Pulldown - Medium MAG Grip:
3x8x180 - 2 pronated, 1 supinated

Cable Fly:
3x15x25s

Standing Single Leg Curl:
2x20/20x50

Went pretty heavy on the paused squats to keep my gains through this 2 week deload. The volume was low enough to be a deload still though.

Paused deadlifts felt fine until that very last rep, like I noted. I finished that rep too much with my back instead of my glutes and I tweaked something. It feels like itā€™s right in the middle, like my spine. But I wonā€™t be able to really tell til tomorrow or Thursday. I donā€™t think it will be an issue, just kind of annoying since Iā€™m already trying to focus on other recovery modalities. But, at least Iā€™m deloading!

686

##The Road to Elite
Week 9 - Day 2 - Deload

Extra Warm-Up:
2 x [Bird dog x10/10, Hollow body hold x0:20, Side Plank x0:20/0:20]
2 x [Mini band hip abduction x15, BW lunge x8/8, Avg band GM x15]
(This was to make sure my back was okay and my core was ready to protect it)

Beltless Deadlift - Straps:
5x5x405 - Mostly no pain. Focused on using my quads to get it off the floor and not extending the lumbar at lockout.

DB Suitcase Deadlift:
3x8/8x85 - No pain, just difficult

DB Shrugs w/ 2 ct pause - Straps:
3x12x100s

Close Grip Lat Pulldown:
3x15x140

Band Good Morning:
3x15xLight

Iā€™m writing this the morning after this workout and my back seems to be completely fine. I havenā€™t felt a twinge of pain like I was feeling in certain positions for the past two days. Deadlift bring pain, deadlift taketh away. But really, the pulls moved well and were probably at an RPE 5, though it felt heavier than that.

Today is the first day I feel like this extra deload has worked. Iā€™m ready to get back into it finally, so Iā€™m glad I took the time. Today Iā€™m going to test my pecs a little bit by doing some light benching.

687

##The Road to Elite
Week 9 - Day 3 - Deload

Paused Bench:
4x8x275 - RPE 5-6. No pec pain.

Cable Low Row - V-Grip:
3x10x200

A1 | Cable High Row - Underhand:
3x15x80

A2 | Triceps Pushdown:
3x10x80

HS Chest Press:
3x15/15x45

EZ Bar Curl:
2x15x60

Single Arm DB Curl:
3x10/10x30 - No rest, alternating between left and right

Facepull:
3x15x65

Going into this I was planning on staying at 225 at the most, but I felt nothing in my pec and the weight was moving very easily. So I decided to test it a little more with the higher rep sets with 275, which is still only like 67%, but still a useful test weight. I guess As far as I can tell, Iā€™m ready for some more heavy benching over the next few weeks!

688

##The Road to Elite
Week 9 - Day 4 - Saturday - End of Deload

Squat w/ Belt:
6x1x455

Beltless Deadlift - 60 sec rest:
8x1x455

KB Swing:
3x20x55

Thatā€™s it. I had a massage scheduled that I had to get to and I didnā€™t have time for accessories. Squats felt heavy and didnā€™t move as fast as I would have hoped, but I still maintained my form well. Deadlifts were a little slow off the floor, but fast after that.

Tuesday begins the final 3 weeks leading up to testing on August 6.

689

##The Road to Elite
Week 10 - Day 1 - 25 Days to Testing

Squat w/ Belt - Oly Shoes - 120 sec rest:
7x3x425 - Mostly good. Went too deep on some reps and it threw me off.

Paused Bench - 120 sec rest:
7x3x315 - All good and got better as it went.

Deadlift w/ Chains (+75) - Belted:
7x2x425+75 - Back to previous form but with higher belt position. Feels good.

HS Row:
3x8x360

A1 | HS Chest Press:
3x20/20x45 - Pec prehab as usual

A2 | Hollow Body Holds:
4x0:20

And weā€™re back! Iā€™m mostly happy with how this went, especially the bench and deadlift. Squats werenā€™t bad or anything, but I wasnā€™t in as much control as I would have liked. It may have been because I havenā€™t used my Oly shoes for anything other than control type movements (paused squats and such) in a long time. I decided to use them today because Iā€™d like to use my flats for my chain squats on Thursday instead of Oly shoes then. Basically staying within one degree of the comp movement on both days instead of two degrees away if I were to use both chains and Oly shoes on Thursday.

If I havenā€™t mentioned it already, Iā€™m belted for all squats and deadlifts from here to testing.

690

##The Road to Elite
Week 10 - Day 2 - 23 Days to Testing

Deadlift w/ Belt:
2x1x545 - Smooth
1x565 - Less smooth, shifted to the side. But not bad.
4x2x495 - Straps to protect the hands

Squat w/ Chains (+75) - Belt:
6x3x385+75 - This wrecked my posterior chain thoroughly.

HS High Row:
3x8x270

A1 | Standing Single Leg Curl:
3x12/12x80

A2 | Cable Suitcase Hold:
3x0:30/0:30x75 - Just too lazy to go get dumbbells. This worked fine.

KB Swing:
3x20x55

My hips and glutes were pretty sore going into this, so I wasnā€™t sure exactly what I was going to do. I knew I wanted 3 singles followed by a 4x2. First rep of 545 wasnā€™t great, so I just repeated it instead of moving up and it was better that time. The 565 wasnā€™t perfect because I shifted and rounded some, but it wasnā€™t a grind or anything. I just got out of position and had to finish it from a tougher position. First time hitting 565 on this bar, so Iā€™m happy with it. Very stiff bar with 90% of my 1RM with the deadlift bar at the deadlift only meet in October isnā€™t bad, so this was actually a decent confidence booster finally.

Squats were feeling great from the get go. I originally had 325+75 planned, but I hit 315 and then 345 stupidly easy, so I moved up to 385. It was hard, especially on the erectors. The chains basically made this feel like a more subdued version of a SSB squat.

Video of 565 and the last set of squats:
Tyler Campbell | Health & Fitness Coach on Instagram: "Deadlift: 2x1x545, 1x565 (shown), 4x2x495 Squats w/ Chains: 6x3x385+75 (last set shown) Not my favorite deadlift rep because I shifted to one side and I got stuck in a bad position around the knees. But it wasn't horrible for being 90% of my PR with a deadlift bar. #powerlifting #powerliftingmotivation #fitness #fitnessmotivation #bodybuilding #bodybuildingmotivation #lifting #gym #strong #squat #bench #deadlift #workout #rpowerlifting"

691

##The Road to Elite
Week 10 - Day 3 - 22 Days to Testing

Paused Bench:
3x2x365
Add Blue SlingShot
1x365
1x395
3x1x410

A1 | Deficit Push-Ups:
30, 23, 25 - Just went til my pecs were fatigued a good bit

A2 | DB Hammer Curl:
3x12/12x55s

A1 | Cable Fly:
3x20x35

A2 | KB Rear Delt Fly:
3x20x35s

This was a nerve-racking workout because of the over-100% Slingshot bench. I havenā€™t used the Slingshot since the last time I strained my pec when I was using 385 with it. But everything went well, despite my shoulders feeling kind of shitty, and thus my elbows also feeling shitty. The 365 sets werenā€™t nuthinā€™ but a peanut and really the 410s moved quickly too. Itā€™s all about staying healthy through these next couple of weeks and Iā€™ll be good for a PR I think.

Tomorrow is heavy squats.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH5-JjQDxxl/

692

##The Road to Elite
Week 10 - Day 4 - 21 Days to Testing

Squat w/ Belt:
3x2x475
Add Light rev bands (-85 at bottom, 0 at lockout)
1x475
1x515
1x525
1x535

Pin Leg Press:
6x360
3x6x450 - Just set up the safety deal so that I hit them at full depth, then pause on it.

Incline BB Row - Straps:
8x225
6x275 - Too much
3x6x245

Lying Leg Curl:
2x15x95

90/90 Crunch:
3x15x50

Original plan for this week was 3x2x465 and 3x1x515 reverse bands. The 475 sets were probably not easy enough to warrant that increase, especially the first set. But I want to really push these to get something out of it. The reverse band increase was done because of how easy the 515 was. The 535 was a decent little grind at lockout. Hopefully I can get something around my PR (540) when I test, but based on the 535 at lockout, I have some work to do.

Week 10 - Day 5 - 20 Days to Testing

Paused Bench:
9x2x295 - Alternated between comp grip and one finger wider.

Deadlift w/ Belt - Straps:
6x3x455 - This was rough after yesterday. Just used straps to protect hands for more important pulls.

Push-Ups: Decline/Flat/Incline Cluster:
3x10/10/10

Single Arm Triceps Pushdown - Alternating Arms w/o Rest:
12/12x30
10/10x30
8/8x30

DB Curl - Alternating Arms w/o Rest:
3x12/12x30s

Facepulls - Paused:
3x15x50

Also mowed my parentsā€™ lawn, so 60 mins of LISS cardio.

Always tough to get into these Sunday workouts since theyā€™re my 4th day in a row after 3 high intensity days. Bench was easy, deadlift was not, but 2 more intense weeks to go!

693

##The Road to Elite
Week 11 - Day 1 - 18 Days to Testing

Squat w/ Belt - 120 sec rest:
7x3x435 - Back to flat shoes for remainder of block. Felt more solid than last week, but definitely getting harder

Paused Bench - 120 sec rest:
7x3x325 - All good again

Deadlift w/ Chains (+75) - Belted:
7x2x445+75 - Pretty fast. About 90 secs rest untimed, other than last set due to talking

HS Row:
3x8x360

A1 | HS Chest Press:
3x20/20x45

A2 | Hollow Body Holds:
3x0:20

I think Iā€™ve come to enjoy this hellish workout each week. As hard as it is, the low rest periods make it interesting and each exercise is over reasonably quickly once Iā€™m warmed up to the working weight.

Next week will be pretty tough with 445, 335, and 455+75 respectively. Squats are especially cool though, because on week 2 of this cycle, I had a 4x4x445 on my heavy day and it was incredibly difficult according to my log that day. So next week, 10 weeks later, Iā€™ll be doing more total reps with shortened rest periods and I am expecting it to be pretty easy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIEYQzeDdOG/

694

##The Road to Elite
Week 11 - Day 2 - 16 Days to Testing

Deadlift w/ Belt:
1x545
1x565
1x585 - Rounded a good bit due to rushing my setup, otherwise pretty fast. 20 lb PR with Ohio Power Bar over last week.
4x2x515 - Straps

Squat w/ Chains (+75) - Belt:
6x3x405+75 - Surprisingly easy, but more rounding here too.

HS High Row:
3x8x270

A1 | Standing Single Leg Curl:
3x12/12x80

A2 | Cable Suitcase Hold:
3x0:30/0:30x75

KB Swing:
2x20x55

Despite the form issues that I had during this workout, Iā€™m really happy with how strong Iā€™m feeling. A few weeks ago I was struggling with 545 pulls and I was worried I went too heavy on the chain squats last week to be able to progress reasonably this week, but I added 20 lbs and it wasnā€™t any harder.

But again, I did have form issues in the form of back rounding. I need to reel in the deadlifts when I get into the heavier ranges. I tend to get too psyched for heavy pulls and I rush the setup. Recently Iā€™ve been taken twice as long to get tight and itā€™s been working well, so I should have continued that on the 585. For squats, I was too focused on moving the weight than arching the upper back, which lead to mid-lower back rounding.

The good thing with the squats is that Iā€™m not really folding over, as in hips rising first, just losing some tightness. So think Iā€™m synchronizing the glutes and quads pretty well and I should be able to fix the upper back with more focus before the descent.

Big bench workout coming up tonight.

695

##The Road to Elite
Week 11 - Last 3 Days

Friday - 15 Days to Testing

Paused Bench:
3x2x375 - First set was a little wonky, but the other two were good.
Add Blue SlingShot
1x375
1x405
3x1x425

A1 | Deficit Push-Ups:
30, 28, 23

A2 | DB Hammer Curl:
3x12/12x55s

B1 | HS Chest Press:
3x20/20x45

B2 | Single Arm Cable Rear Delts:
2x15/15x15

Saturday - 14 Days to Testing

Squat w/ Belt:
3x2x485 - Really hard, but smooth by the last set
Add Light rev bands (-75 at bottom, 0 at lockout)
1x485
1x515
3x1x535 - Really happy with these

Pin Leg Press:
6x360
3x6x450

Incline BB Row - Straps:
4x6x245 - Snatch grip

Lying Leg Curl:
15x95
15x110

90/90 Crunch:
2x15x55

Sunday - 13 Days to Testing

Paused Bench - 60-75 Sec Rest:
8x2x305 - Alternated between pinkies on rings and ring fingers on rings

Deadlift w/ Belt _ Straps:
6x2x495 - Not my best, but still alright considering being fatigued

Push-Ups Ladder on Smith Machine - Floor/1st Rung/2nd Rung:
12/12/12
10/10/10
8/8/8

DB Curl - Alternating Hands w/o Rest:
3x12/12x35

Facepulls:
3x15x50

Feeling pretty good right now surprisingly. Iā€™m hitting some pretty heavy weights consistently and Iā€™m getting much more confident. The reverse band squats are potentially helping me very much, since unracking and walking out is a big part of the psychological aspect. The bands also donā€™t hit the bar for a decent amount of time before engaging, so itā€™s helpful for grooving my descent. I set them slightly lower than last week, so that I would get less assistance, and the 535s were easier than last weekā€™s, though still pretty hard.

The Slingshot bench is feeling pretty good too, so hopefully the pecs can hold on and Iā€™ll actually peak my bench without an injury for once. Knock on so much wood.

Last set of SS bench:
Tyler Campbell | Health & Fitness Coach on Instagram: "Another big bench day with 3x2x375 raw followed by 3x1x425 with the slanger! Last set shown. #powerlifter #powerlifting #fitness #fitnessmotivation #bodybuilding #bodybuildingmotivation #bench #mbslingshot #gym #workout #strong #rpowerlifting @tylerwilliams_cp2 @cabass4"

Last set of rev band squat:
Tyler Campbell | Health & Fitness Coach on Instagram: "And then there was a heavy squat day too. 3x2x485 raw followed by 3x1x535 w/ reverse bands. Last set shown. #powerlifting #powerlifter #powerliftingmotivation #bodybuilding #fitness #fitnessmotivation #gym #workout #lifting #strength #strong #squat #skwats @tylerwilliams_cp2"

696

##The Road to Elite
Week 12 - Day 1 - 11 Days to Testing

Squat w/ Belt - 120 sec rest:
7x3x445 - Really hard by the end. RPE 9.5 on the last set.

Paused Bench:
7x2x335 - Just cut off a rep and did normal rest periods due to some pec tightness. Could have easily done 7x3 with short rests strength-wise.

Deadlift w/ Chains (+75) - Belted:
7x2x455+75 - All easy and quick. Used straps starting at set 4 to save my callouses.

HS Row:
3x8x360

A1 | HS Chest Press:
3x20/20x45

A2 | Hollow Body Holds:
3x0:20

Woo Iā€™m done with this day for a while! Also my last workout as a 26 year old! The squats felt awesome during warm-ups, but the 445 sets werenā€™t as easy. Probably only 3 or 4 of the total reps had broken form though, so Iā€™m still good with it.

I need to focus on some pec recovery from now til Friday so Iā€™m feeling confident for the heavy stuff. I didnā€™t have any pain, just some tightness.

Iā€™ve gotten really good at chain deadlifts over the past few weeks. Makes me wonder what my max is with chains.

697

##The Road to Elite
Week 12 - Days 2-4 - Cycle Complete

Friday - 8 Days to Testing

Deadlift w/ Belt:
1x545
1x585 - Easier than last week.
4x2x515 - Straps

Squat w/ Chains (+75):
3x2x425+75
3x1x425+75 - Saving myself for heavy squats

Close Grip Lat Pulldown:
3x10x180

Single Leg Band Curl:
3x20/20xMini

There wasnā€™t any special about this workout really. I cut the volume a little bit everywhere in order to save myself for the next two workouts. Deadlift will be wherever it is for this mock meet. Pretty much up in the air since Iā€™ve only pulled above 565 like three times in the last 6 months.

Saturday - 7 Days to Testing

Paused Bench:
3x2x385 - Volume PR for sure
Add Blue SlingShot
1x385
1x415
1x435 - TnG because I wasnā€™t in control
1x435 - Muuuuch better. Most Iā€™ve ever handled with a SlingShot.

A1 | Deficit Push-Ups:
40, 30, 23

A2 | DB Hammer Curl:
3x10/10x55s

B1 | Cable Fly:
2x15x25s

B2 | Facepull:
3x15x50

I wasnā€™t sure if I would be able to do these 385 doubles, so I was prepared to do just singles. The first set went really well, probably as easy as Iā€™ve ever moved the weight. My PR with 385 is a double @ RPE 8.5 and I think I was basically matching that. The second set was comically bad. I touched too high and during the pause the bar slid about an inch from upper abs into the crevice under my pecs. It didnā€™t move well but knew it was all technical, so I went for the second rep and got it. Third set was easy again.

Really happy about cleaning up that second attempt at 435 with the SS. Shoulders and elbows were pretty wrecked after all of this though.

Sunday - 6 Days to Testing

Squat w/ Belt:
3x2x495 - Match PR, I think. First reps were all good, seconds were tough. Not really any harder than the previous two weeks at 475 and 485 though.
Add Light rev bands (-65 at bottom, 0 at lockout)
1x495
1x515
1x535
Raised bands a couple inches to last weekā€™s tension (-75, 0)
1x545

Pin Leg Press:
3x6x540

Lying Leg Curl:
3x15x95

Dead Bug + Hollow Body Hold:
2x10/10

I had the same wonder about doing these doubles as I did with bench yesterday and again I was able to hit them all without thinking about stopping a rep short. Iā€™m getting a lot better at the eccentric portion of the squat, which should pay off. The reverse band sets were pretty rough, but I got amped up for the last two. I still hit a really hard sticking point when the bands released, so unless I have a lot of supercompensation ready to go, I doubt Iā€™ll be hitting an all time PR (over 540) on Saturday, but Iā€™m happy to get near it again after all that time with the knee problems.

The only issue I had during this workout was shoulder and elbow pain, specifically on my left side. I think it was just the two really heavy days putting pressure on the shoulders and the elbow was just radiating pain. Iā€™ll be good to go in a couple of days worth of deloading.

Cycle has thus completed other than the deload. Regardless of the numbers I hit, Iā€™ve successfully completed a training cycle without injury. As stupid as it is, this is huge for me and my training going forward.

698

##The Road to Elite
Week 13 - Deload - Day 1

Squat w/ Belt - Bare Knees (Forgot sleeves):
5x1x405 - I havenā€™t squatted over like 225 without sleeves in years. Went fine though. All reps were very fast.

Deadlift w/ Belt:
3x1x455 - All fast and easy

Standing Single Leg Curl:
2x20/20x60

DB Curl - Alternating Hands w/o Rest:
3x10/10x35s - Supinated
2x10/10x35s - Hammer

Almost all of me is feeling pretty good right now. The shoulder girdle and elbow area still has some tightness, but itā€™s getting better quickly. Thursday will just be some bench singles with 275 and then similar joint blood flow things like I did tonight.

My friend got the GymAware bar velocity tracker from the Ex Phys lab at school, so that will be attached to the bar during my testing. Should be interesting.

699

##The Road to Elite
Week 13 - Day 2 - 2 Days to Testing

Paused Bench:
5x1x275

Facepull:
3x15x50

Triceps Pushdown:
3x15x50

Single Arm Cable Curl:
2x15/15x25

Some band pull-aparts and mobility stuff

All done and ready to test! Most everything is feeling good, just some lingering elbow pain during bench, but Iā€™m thinking it will be gone by Saturday.

700

#The Road to Elite
Mock Meet

Squat
Warming up I wasnā€™t feeling particularly good. This was the first time Iā€™ve squatted without a mirror inā€¦I have no idea how long. A year? But anyway, I was basically squatting too deep because of it and I was worried that would screw me over. My last warm-up was 455 and I got pitched forward. Decided itā€™s time to do or die and went up to 495.

  • 1st Attempt: 495 - Pretty easy, just feeling a little loose in the core today.
  • 2nd Attempt: 525 - Felt hard, but the video showed differently and it moved at 0.44 m/s
  • 3rd Attempt: 545 - 5 lb all time PR!!! Was absolutely not expecting to go for this today. By far the hardest squat of my life, my sticking point was a few inches below where it usually is, which basically meant the entire concentric became one big sticking point. I also almost fell over backwards at the top. Moved at 0.21 m/s.

Bench
I was able to get into a surprisingly good arch despite my erectors being dead. It helps having a good bench. Warming up went fine and I had no pec, shoulder, or elbow pains whatsoever. I was very confident on bench based on my training cycle and the lack of any aches. I just needed to groove everything correctly and Iā€™d be golden. Went 315 to 365 and then right to 390.

  • 1st Attempt: 390 - I donā€™t really remember this. It was very easy.
  • 2nd Attempt: 410 - 2 lb all time PR! This was honestly hilariously fast for a PR.
  • 3rd Attempt: 425 - Mother fuckin 17 lb all time PR!!! With more in the tank too. Couldnā€™t be happier with how this moved.

Deadlift
Used a deadlift bar for this despite not having pulled on one since February, I believe. I didnā€™t focus on deadlift during this cycle and I basically sandbagged it. After hitting the squat and bench, I really just wanted to hit anything over 600. Warmed up to 545.

  • 1st Attempt: 585 - Pretty smooth. Some grip slipping.
  • 2nd Attemp: 605 - Got shaky with the bar whip and nearly lost my grip at the top. The bar wasnā€™t very knurled relative to my OPB, so I wasnā€™t prepared for that. No big deal though. 5 lb PR for full meet situation. Called it here.

Totaled 1,575 for a 26 lb PR up from 1,549!

This was probably the most successful program that Iā€™ve ever written for myself. I was smart about avoiding injuries and I kept everything submaximal until the very end, when I used reverse bands and the SlingShot to feel supramaximal weight. I employed zero AMRAPs and zero RPE auto-regulation for the first time in many, many cycles. Sometimes having numbers to hit and just hitting them is what needs to be done.

The next 2 weeks I have vacations on the weekends, so my training will not be super focused. I will have a plan set out by the time Iā€™m back on the normal schedule and I may or may not compete before years end.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BI0ZXyVj6A5/