Edit: 1st PL meet results on page 11, 2nd meet results on page 13. Page 14 I come back from hiatus and switch training up.
Goal: Enter my first Powerlifting meet in February, in the 275 weight class, and total at least 1550. 350 bench, 600 squat, 600 deadlift.
Age: 27
Height: 5’11"
Weight: ~248 lbs. I’ve been bulking since fall and still trying to add mass.
Best Lifts: 315 bench raw; low b/c of a shoulder injury, so progress has come slowly. 535 box squat with single ply briefs; last free squat was 415, but that was a while ago. 535 sumo stance DL with single ply briefs.
So my gym is hosting a meet at the end of Feb, and I’ve decided I want to enter. There are two days, one for raw/single ply gear and the other for multi ply gear. I’m not sure which to enter yet, as I’ll have to borrow gear from other lifters in my gym.
The program we follow at my gym is the conjugate method, aka “bastardized Westside” method, with 4 training days: dynamic effort upper body on Monday, max effort lower body on Tuesday, max effort upper body on Thursday, dynamic effort lower body on Saturday.
Dynamic Effort Squat Day
Warmup:
sled drags
seated band hip abduction
body weight box squats
stretches
Safety Bar Box Squat:
(bar= 65 lbs; box= 15")
bar x5
155 x5
205 x5
245 x2
295 x2
centurion suit on w/ straps off, belt on
335 x2 x 12 sets
need to work on keeping my low back arched. moved my stance out as wide as possible, this helps stay in good position.
Chain suspended Buffalo Bar Good Morning:
(bar= 50lbs; chains @ 36" from floor)
bar x5
140 x5
230 x5 x 5 sets
My little brother has been in the ICU for almost a week now, so I didn’t make it into the gym since Monday, because of going to the hospital to see him, and also feeling so sad and depressed I didn’t want to go train. However going in and training today really helped my mental state, and it’s a good way to get away from feeling blue. When you’re in the gym, nothing else really matters other than you and the weight.
DE Upper
-Sled drag 3 plates x 12
-Sled press 3 plates x 2
-Sled face pull 3 plates x 3
-Mini band pull aparts 3 sets x 20 reps
-Shoulder Horn 15’s x 3 sets x 10 reps
-Fat bar Bench Press
45 x10
135 x5
155 x5
185 x3 x 8 sets
Missed Tues. training. I was at the hospital late. Lil’ bro is getting better but still not good. Bummed I missed training, I was looking forward to channeling my anger into a deadlift PR.
Thursday 1/6
BW=250.6
Rep day. Saving my CNS for a max bench (with a shirt for the first time) on Monday.
-Sled drag 3 plates x12
-Sled press 3 plates x2
-Sled face pull 3 plates x2
-Mini band pull apart 3 x20
-Shoulder Horn 15’s x 3 x10
hey, like they way u train. sry to hear about ur bro, i hope he gets better soon. i know what u mean about training definitely helping mental state. it’s like the gym is the sanctuary and lifting is how we pray.
with the big 3 does the gym have u guys training based on percentages or are u “autoregulating” mostly? and is the gym setting up ur lifts to peak for the meet?
regarding using gear or not, i say stick with the single ply briefs at most imo. ppl break in gear differently and some ppl may have their stuff tailored, so unless ur measurments are exactly the same as the person’s you’d borrow from, it may not be really worth it. also, not that it would likely happen on 1 day, but u may “ungroove” someone’s tightness in specific spots inadvertently in whatever gear they have. but it def is fun to put a suit on every now and then break pr’s with it.
I’m not sure how to answer this really. I’ve placed all my trust in my coach and I’m pretty much blindly, well almost blindly, following what he says to do. We train Westside style, so I think the speed(dynamic) weights are percentage based, but my partners and coach regulate my training weights based on how my form looks as well. Max effort lifts are as high as possible without missing a lift. Once you miss, or really grind out a single, you’re done and on to accessory lifts.
As far as setup for peaking for the meet, I’m not sure what I’ll be doing, but I’m pretty sure there will be a week-long deload before the meet.
I’m inclined to stick with single-ply as well, but apparently the federation that is holding the meet requires single-ply lifters to walk the squat out. I’ve been training with the monolift exclusively for months now, and I’d rather not go back.
Also, I now understand what you mean about wearing someone else’s suit. See following post…
Saturday 1/8
BW=252.6; seems to be going up again after a stall just under 250
-Sled drags: 3 plates x 6 trips
-Mini band seated hip abduction: 3 sets x 10 reps
-IT band, hamstring, hip flexor, groin stretches
-Body weight box squats: several sets of 5-10, focusing on technique
-BB 15" box squat
bar(55lbs) x5
105 x5
145 x5
195 x5
235 x3
Centurion suit on w/ straps off, belt on
285 x2, 325 x2, 375 x2 x 8 sets
Metal suit on; size 48 but tailored
415 x unrack & rerack several times to feel suit out
415 x3 with short ROM, coach just had me go until suit really caught me & affected form
Titan pro suit on size 54 i think
415 x2 short ROM agian
-38" chain suspended Buffalo Bar (50lbs) Good Mornings
bar x10, 140 x5, 190 x5, 230 x5 x3 sets
-Cable pull throughs
50 x5, 90 x5, 110 x5, 140 x5 x2 sets
Cable pulled me down on my head and right shoulder on the last rep, I think I have a minor AC separation or sprain. I hope it heals quick, I want to bench on Monday!
Putting a squat suit on is freaking horrible! Between the leg hair ripping off, feeling my skin being broken and bruised by the legs of the suit, and hanging from the straps to try to fit into it, I was freaking exhausted. Then, off to squat!
Turns out that my legs are too damn big to fit into these loaner suits. The guys at my gym say I have the legs of a 308 but the upper body of a 220. So these suits are too small for my big ass and thighs, but are also too big for my hips. Coach says he’ll think about what kind of suit to put me in for the meet.
-Sled drag 2 plates x12
-Sled press 2 plates x1
-Sled face pull 2 plates x1; had a little bit of pain in my R shoulder doing this so I cut it short
-Mini band pull apart 3 x20
-DB shoulder horn 15’s x 3 x10
-Straight Bar No Contrast DE Bench
bar x10
95 x10
135 x5
165 x3
185 x3 x5 sets
Max Effort Time! Titan Katana shirt size 52 on
225 x2 on 3 board
275 x2 on 2 board
wrist wraps on
315 x2 on 1 board
belt on
345 x2 full range -PR!
375 x1 full -PR!
405 x1 full -PR!
-Purple band rows x20
Just feeling the shoulder out. No pain, so on to heavier shit!
-Sled drag
3 plates x12
pretty tough on the wet asphalt tonight
-Sled hip flexor drag
10 x2
-Seated mini band hip abduction
3 x20
-Green band TKE (terminal knee extension)
3 x20
-PVC roller
IT bands, glutes, hip flexors, quads
-Sumo stance rack pull from lowest pin
135 x10
225 x5
315 x5
belt on
405 x3
cent. suit on
435 x3
465 x3
495 x3
525 x3
heaviest triple i’ve ever done
-GHR
BW x 3x10
-Seated pulley abs
50 x 3x10
-Rev hyper
180 x 3x10
Major, hell yeah i made that shit up. lol, anyways, i like how you had some genuine use from bench shirt, to add that much right away is incredible.
Regarding the squat suit, I know what you mean about how it’s uncomfortable, wait til you have knee wraps on and the person who puts them on does it so tight that you think your patella was dislocated. Then try walking to the bar hahah, that’s the hard part, squatting is easy after that. Yeah you may end up with just the briefs if no suit is gonna fit you right, either way I like how ur gym looks in the vids and the meet will be fun regardless. I like your “blind faith” in your training partners. You add more of a religious aspect to weight training than I could have ever inferred.
-Sled drag 3 plates x 6 trips
-Sled hip flexor drag
10 lbs x 2 trips each leg
-Green band TKE (Terminal Knee Extension) 3x20
-Stretches
-Seated mini band hip abduction 3x15
-BB 15" Box Squat (bar=55 lbs)
bar x5
105 x5
145 x5
195 x5
235 x3
centurion suit on, belt on
285 x2
325 x2
375 x2
415 x2 x 6 sets
Form was shit at first, got better as weight got heavier
Metal Pro Squatter size 52 on, didn’t go up all the way, gave up on this suit, my giant ass prevents the fit again!
Metal squatter size 54 on, more stretchy, fits ok, previously worn by a 300 lber!
415 x2 short ROM
465 x2 short ROM
505 x2 short ROM
555 x1 short ROM, unrack was fucked up
555 x1 came up before the call
555 x1 almost parallel
505 x1 a little high
505 x1 a little high, but closer
-Sled drag 3 plates x12
-Sled press 2 plates x2
-Sled face pull 2 plates x2
-Mini band pull apart 3x20
-Mini band tricep pushdown 3x20 each arm
-DB shoulder horn 15’s x 2x10
-Reverse green band bench
135x10
225x5
275x3
305x3
335x3
375x1 PR!
405 miss; once again I jumped too high chasing a bench PR, probably should’ve attempted 385 or 395
-BB bent row from floor
95x10
135x10
185x 3x10; had to regrip during each of these 3 sets
205x 5x5
I’ve done these heavier starting from pins, but I tried them from the floor to keep my form better
