Upping the volume for the next 4 weeks, 7x5 up fron 5x5 on the volume lifts and looking forward to it.
Also added 5lbs to TM’s.
One other change for this cycle is I’m going to replace Hyper-extensions with Snatch High Pulls for a bit more shoulder and trap work while still hitting the lower back.
Started taking Iodine last week, could be placebo but definitely feel more alert, awake and energetic.
I was skeptical when I started taking it though so not sure how plausible the placebo idea is.
Back to Keto this week after a weekend binge, had parents visiting for the local christmas markets.
So I’ve decided to compete in a power-lifting meet Q1 next year, probably March. Joined up to the ABPU (Amateur British Powerlifting Union), the tested division.
On advice from @khangles I immersed myself in PowerliftingToWIn. Awesome content. Read the entirity of PowerLiftingtoWIn Programming, PowerLiftingtoWIn Nutrition and a load of program reviews and have, as of yesterday, started using the PNP autoregulated training system, which seems significantly more specific for my goals.
Short term plan is to use the PNP program for a few weeks to find my feet before progressing to the PIP intermediate program.
Yesterday was the first time I’ve squatted in probably 2-3 years, so while I wasn’t ecstatic about the numbers, I wasn’t too disappointed either, If I can squat 200+ by March, which feels doable, I’ll be very happy and confident of putting up a decent starting total, I’d be dissapointed if I total less than 600.
My goal is also to compete in the 82.5kg class, which means losing a bit of weight over the next few months, but from recent experience I can drop at least half a stone of scale weight with a few days of low carb.
Biggest issues at the moment:
1 - grip strength at the end of a workout sucks, but I have pulled 257.5kg without straps so I know the grip is there. Doesn’t help that my gym doesn’t allow chalk but something Ill have to focus on.
2 - I can’t arch for shit, not sure how long it take to work on that so might just live with my current bench style in the short term.
3 - Squat feels super uncomfortable.
Lift without straps unless your hands are getting ripped up for deadlifts and assistance/accessory work. More targeted grip working accessories e.g. double overhand rows or shrugs are an option but probably unnecessary for grip’s sake. Warm ups double overhand until you can’t hold on anymore. Hold at the top on the last reps of deadlift sets. Or fuck all of that shit and switch to hook grip. For comp pulls e.g. heavy singles you can probably hold onto more than you could ever hope to deadlift. Heaviest hooked deadlift is probs Belkin’s 440kg.
Targeted mobility work daily and arch to the max with every bench rep warm up or otherwise. Also a technique thing so look up some vids on or of peoples’ set up and play around until you find something that works. In the end tho a big arch isn’t required and many are successful with moderate arches.
Shouldn’t exactly be comfortable lel. As long as you feel tight, stable, strong, fast etc. etc. then you’ll be alright. If you don’t feel these things e.g. you shaking a lot after you unrack probably look at and improve your set up + bracing
Maybe have a look at @guineapig’s training log and formcheck threads. Myself, chris_ottowa and Vincepac1500 been helping him out for two weeks and his sumo has gotten a lot sexier and just in the space of a few weeks has gone from 170x5 to looking like he could rep 180 for days.
While you are pretty much stronger and bigger than him I daresay he out deadlifts you by a little bit without being some long armed short torso/femur looking freak so you could probably learn from his work with bettering his deadlift and all the tips that were given to him.
Ill try and film a lift on Monday. And will definitely catch up on @guineapig 's log.
My deadlift varies pretty wildly, Some days I can pull 200kg without a warmup (literally, foolish but mildy funny story), some days 160 feels heavy, so evidently my technique is not there and I’m getting it right / wrong by luck.
But yes I do pull Sumo exclusively though Im still trying different widths, from Semi sumo to toes on bar.
I can always ultimately pull over 200 on a single, whether my max is 200 or 250 for the day is, again, a little random. I do struggle on high rep Deadlifting though, even when I can single 250 I can’t seem to double anything over 200.
You may be right: That it is inconsistent/poor technique that produces these fluctuations and I know personally that a misgrooved pull gets real heavy real fast. However I think it’s worth considering that your past programming/decision making is partly to blame.
e.g. if you’ve accumulated fatigue your performance should drop however if you have no idea what’s up then it can be surprising to be much weaker in a given week or workout
I think its probably a combination of the two. With hindsight I always used too much training volume and my 257.5 PB was a shock because I hadn’t trained Deadlifts for a good couple weeks, but was probably a case of actually having time to recover and compensate for the previous training.
Its probably somewhere in guineapig’s stuff but he hook grips in comp and pulls volume/training with straps. The hook grip and straps pulls are actually quite similar and carryover well allowing him to pull from good positions without destroying his thumbs on high reps/volume. That’s him tho
Do the grip stuff as outlined previously but don’t be afraid to strap up when grip is holding you back.
Probably something like that. I think with good planning/programming the only surprises you should get a good ones e.g. a bigger PR than you were expecting.
Well thanks to you pointing me in the right direction I think I finally have strength programming covered, or at least a foundation thereof. Literally spent hours reading PLTW yesterday! After 10 years I feel like I thoroughly know my way around the bodybuilding literature but PL is a whole different rabbit hole to get lost in.
I have been looking at it actually, but having never done it before needless to say even warmup sets are pretty painful. Will see whether I can acclimate, though until recently grip hadn’t been the issue. I blame the chalk rules!
Thanks, I suppose it would have made sense to get the same reps with +20kg, 20:20 hindsight.
How do you deadlift mid 200s and not be able to hold onto 180 for a few?
What kind of grip slippage is going on? Is the bar rolling out your fingers or ripping up your hands? Which hand goes first?
I hook so I dunno the specifics but I think there’s an actual “right” or more effective way to grip the bar in your hands. I think it went something like “There’s a sweet spot lower in the hand/fingers” I dunno
I find with hook there’s two kinds of pain: crushing of the thumb and ripping/shredding of skin.
Other pains include like crushing where pressure is being put on honey bits and other structures that aren’t meant to be crushed and this is just plain wrong.
Shredding means the bar is sitting wrong in your grip and crushing as long as it’s not the bad kind is pretty much the same whether you pull 3 plates or 5+ so stop being a little bitch lol
I wish I knew man. Think it was back in March this year I pulled 250+ for a couple workouts in a row, all without straps (but with chalk).
Joined a new gym a few months back and they dont allow chalk, I can’t believe it’s all down to chalk but all of a sudden grip is letting me down.
I did stop deadlifting for a couple months in-between, so probably a combination of the two again. I know the grip is there and will come back though.
At the moment its a bit of a combo slip-rip, a pull mixed so not much roll going on.
Ha noted, it was definitely crushing pain not shredding, though in my defence it felt like the ‘plain wrong’ kind of crushing. I will nut-up and stop being a ‘little bitch’