So the meet is in a few weeks, November 12th, and it’s my first one.
Im going to be in the 181lb weight class and my initial goal was to total at least 1150. It’s looking like I may just break 1100, which i will be happy with, but i have a question…
Should i make sure my second attempts give me at least that 1100 total, or just stay conservative, go 9/9 and maybe leave some weight on the platform?
I hope to be doing this for awhile, so im in no rush to get to that total, and it looks like at 5’11", i really should be in the next weight class up, which im assuming will drive my total up as well.
Current gym maxes are 375, 245, 460.
Second question, with these numbers, is it ok to do a semi-mock meet the week before without impacting recovery too much? I have been squatting 3x a week, benching 3-4x, and deadlifting 2x, and i seem to be recovering fine.
The lifts will always change depending how you feel. But I’d shoot for your goal on your thirds. Make sure your openers are very easy. As for the mock meet I usually only go up to second attempts on my lifts but I don’t hit them all the same day. Your meet is the same day as me and I believe another lifter. What fed and what state is it? Small chance but one of us might be there
I wouldn’t. I usually hit my opening deadlift 10 days out, squat and bench a week out. The week of the meet I barely touch the weights, just form stuff with 50%. Give your body sleep and food that week and trust that you have trained properly. The platform is what matters.
220 sounds unrealistic to me. I hear what you are saying, it makes sense, but it took me a long time to get up to this weight. I’ve been sober a little over 5 years, so I started at 135lbs. Being at the weight I’m at now took quite awhile. If I really wanted to get up there, what would an “off season” look like in your opinion?
And thanks for the feedback.
I don’t know about off-season but I figure just eating at a continuous excess combined with training that focuses on reps a fair bit would do it over time. If you’re at a calorie excess of about 300-500 calories per day, you’ll add weight. Get your macros right and train to stimulate muscle growth and a fair bit of that weight will be muscle.
So, bar the six or so weeks before meets you may do better to gun for rep PRs and do a bunch of BB style assistance.
Thank you, and you confirmed what i kinda have planned. After the meet i was gunna relax some, do some stuff for GPP for a few weeks maybe up to two months, and eat a bunch. Then 4 weeks at the lowest % from Prilepin’s chart, doing high frequency focusing on technique. Then go into an 8 week hypetrophy phase, again using the next percentage up on that chart, and i have some + sets. Ill probably add some more of those in, more AMRAP type stuff.
I think i need to talk our gym owners into getting a power rack, I often am working out alone, and get a little nervous on squats when its getting heavy or im going for a rep pr…
I like my seconds to either be a 5 lb PR or just a safe bridge between my first and third. My first being an easy weight to get on the board, and my third always being whatever I feel I am maximally capable of during the meet. Be conservative with seconds, but go for broke on your third. Thats why you are there! Just don’t overestimate your abilities.
No. The last 1-2 weeks before a meet are for recovery, when your body will supercompensate for the abuse you put it through during your meet prep so that you can be peaked, and at your strongest on meet day. Running a mock meet in this fashion would only be to reassure yourself of your strength levels. It will NOT make you stronger, but it CAN make you weaker on meet day. At this point you have put your work in. You need to trust that you did things right and show up on meet day ready to bang some fucking weights around. Don’t fuck it up the week before the meet because you are unsure of yourself.
@MarkKO was being generous! Guys 6’0" and over should probably aim for 300 lbs. You are 5’11", do the math!
Yep. I’m 5’9" and at a decent body comp (15% bodyfat or less) I’d be around 198 lbs and not big by any means. Currently round about 214 lbs at 23%. I’d need to be between 220 lbs and 242 lbs at 15% to be competitive at my height I think, unless I could keep getting stronger within an easy cut of 198 lbs. So yeah, 220 lbs was generous but it’ll be a big improvement on where you’re at now.
Another example is a buddy of mine who’s basically my height but weighs around 181 lbs. He’s up, he’s only just moved up and used to compete at 165 lbs last year. He’s got a very respectable DL (around triple bodyweight, best is 539 lbs) and a good squat (451 lbs I think) but his bench is around 253 lbs. He’s nowhere close to competitive in the 165s or 181s, because the guys at the top of those classes here are all around the 5’6" mark or shorter. He’d need to be at least 198 lbs to have a shot at being competitive, most likely 220 lbs.
Dang. Looks like I’m gunna need to up my grocery budget.
Do y’all do shakes, weight gainers, or just eat?
I’m totally ok with just eating, I know it will probably be more than I realize though…
Just take your time doing it. Everyone is different in terms of their genetics and ability to gain mass. Since you are 5’11" and were 135 at one point I envision you being rather lean. I on the other hand gain weight extremely easily. At 5’6" i was able to get from 175 to 245 in about 2.5 years, though I did put on more fat than necessary and am now dropping some weight to get my body comp right again. Weight gainers were never necessary for me. Just lots of eggs, beef, and carbs.
I mostly just eat. I do use wpc as a cheap, convenient lean protein source and as a backup though.
I think a big help for you will also be getting your peri-workout nutrition down pat. I recently started paying more attention to it, and it would really seem like making sure you’ve arranged things so you get enough carbs and protein/BCAAs around and during training is a big help. Plazma is great for that if your budget will stretch.
If you are fairly lean (which I’m guessing you are) you’ll be able to do well with lots of eggs, milk and ground beef as your primary protein sources. They’re also quite cheap, which helps. For carbs, I like oats, white rice and potatoes. Also cheap. Just make sure you get plenty of vegetables too.
