Pr on squat, tied on DL right.
What happened to the Bench Max?
622,5 kg total is awesome. But I’m new to this so every time I see those numbers I think holy f**k.
Congrats to you and the team
So BUCS nationals.
I’ll start by saying that our team killed it. On the Saturday in the 74s we took 1st and 3rd - with it being the 3rd place lifters first meet! Man just hit want he wanted to hit and waltzed into 3rd while everyone else vying for 1 and 2 were playing mind games on the final deadlift. A 440 something and a 414 Wilks there.
Our captain was robbed of 2nd in the 83s, he needed another 10kg to take it, had hit that on both his 2nd and 3rd squats which were unfairly redlighted. No jury so couldn’t dispute the calls but if depth wasn’t there on his first go at it, it was there on the second. He pulled the weight he needed to for 2nd as his last deadlift but lost his grip just before the down command. Gutted for him as he missed 3rd by 2.5kg. Still finished with a 420 something Wilks but he wasn’t happy.
With another of our 105s hitting a 405 Wilks and me finishing with 382.81, our team Wilks (top 5 lifters from the squad averaged) should be 412. The winners last year hit 385ish so we’re waiting on official release of results after Scottish nationals this weekend but we think we’re in with a shot at the win.
If not, the top 5 teams go to worlds in July, and we’re even more hopeful to be in there.
So how my day went. I was tired after handling guys on Saturday but got home for 8ish, and started relaxing. In the end I only got 5 hours sleep. Nerves, hype from the day, too hot a bath beforehand, whatever. It is what it is, and I woke up on Sunday knowing that I have hit PRs on little sleep before and would do it today.
Weighed in at 94.01kg. Really reassuring as I didn’t do too nasty a cut. Just drank a lot the few days before (peaked at 10L on Friday), limited my intake to 2L and got a load of calories through fats and lightweight carbs on Saturday, and peed a load of weight off. Felt a bit rough for the first hour or so after starting eating again but it was just nausea. I’ll take something with ginger in it next time to keep my tummy feeling chipper.
Squat
Warmups went great - just like in training.
215kg opener moved extremely well. Got one red for depth but I disagree.
227.5kg 2nd was solid too - 7.5kg comp PR and 500lbs squat in comp.
237.5kg for a big comp PR. Sniff of ammonia, a little shout, a hair off of my normal depth and I got it up without too much trouble. Got 1 red and depending on the angle I review it at I agree it’s borderline so I won’t complain. 2.5kg lifetime best and 2.5xBW for the first time.
Bench
Again, warmups solid. Worked long pauses between commands so I didn’t get caught out on the platform.
120kg opener moved nicely. The bench was more slippery than what I’ve trained on so I’ll adjust training to reflect that. Ties my comp best.
130kg - sank too far into my chest and I lost a bit of arch. Came up off the chest quick but I pushed it towards my feet and it stalled way below my normal sticking point. A couple of things happened just before I walked out which messed with my pre lift routine, but at the end of the day I should have taken the safer jump to 127.5kg. I was buoyed up by the squat success and made the wrong call. I won’t do that again.
130kg - executed this far better but was too fatigued. It stalled at my normal sticking point, got uneven, one end went down slightly and the judges called the spotters in since it was a red anyway.
Weight cut no doubt played a part in bench failure. I’ll remember that for south wests (especially as I have another kilo to go) and if I have to I’ll take 5kg jumps from my opener. The 10kg jump to 130 will be a psychological barrier until I hit something north of 120 in competition so I won’t try it again until that has happened.
Draw a line under it, remember it was technique and mind, not strength, and get set for the other lift which actually matters.
Deadlift
Smashed 220kg for a final warmup and went for my enthusiastic opener.
240kg - crushed.
Another enthusiastic jump.
255kg went up feeling heavy but moving fast. Better than the paused rep from a few weeks ago in training.
I hit 612.5kg with that lift, I knew I wasn’t getting my perfect days 635kg total after bench, so I took the 600 landmark as my win for the day. Ties deadlift PR from floor but I’ve done 260 off a deficit in training (albeit months ago weighing 98kg).
I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t try the deadlift I was originally planning on finishing the day with.
265kg - ridiculous amount of hype for this lift, I gave it everything I had mentally from the moment ny handler put the attempt in. Walked out to crush it, bent down, felt something gurgle in my gut, lost tightness right off the floor and got it up to mid shin. It wasn’t in a position where I could hold a grind, and I dropped it. Nearly passed out, don’t remember that bit.
262.5kg was there, that would’ve been a PR too, but I didn’t want that, or the 620kg total it’d give me. I didn’t even want the 622.5kg total this would’ve given me - I just wanted the 265 pull. So no regrets for going for it, shame I missed it.
The day was done, I hit a 37.5kg PR total, something like a 15-20 PR Wilks, and I had a freaking blast.
In placings I will have been tanked in the 105s - the winner totalled 720 something. 93s I might’ve cracked top 10, more likely 15.
This was a team Wilks comp for me first, and a personal records comp second, although I did switch it up for that final pull haha.
Solid weekend at the bar.
Final wafflings.
Short term goal now is to get down to 93kg on the dot for South West’s.
Similar strong performance on squat, smarter performance on bench and deadlift.
No idea on chances of placing, if it’s there my handler will get me it, if not I’m gonna pad that total and Wilks and again, enjoy this weird hobby we all kill ourselves for.
Long term, whatever happens re world’s, and some sort of decision about whether to go 93s or 105s for that - if we made it.
I will be taking a break from daily maxes after South West’s anyway, and hit some volume. Won’t be able to get to a gym every day anyway, and its what my body needs. Man needs arms and pecs.
Either get ripped and jacked in the 93s or accept that it’s the big boi life for me and let the 105s take me.
I start work as a junior doctor in July (@furo I’m in Severn! Find out where exactly on the 5th) and training is gonna weird after that.
But. I want:
- A 240 squat, probably soon.
- A 272.5kg/600lbs deadlift by xmas.
- And not to freaking suck at bench.
- Whilst looking sexy and being a happy bloke. I’m halfway there already.
Thank you everyone who has kept me accountable on this site over the last few months.
8 Likes
Big Calves 
Some nice lifts Max. Maybe except bench.
Uhh your gut on the last pull. Beware it looked like you pulled some deep AB muscles there.
Hope you’re good.
Cross my fingers for the go at the worlds
Huge congratulations man! I know you didn’t get everything you wanted, but that was a very impressive performance. It’s a shame you missed the 130kg bench but your benching seems to have taken off recently and I’m certain you’ll get it next time.
Severn will be great! I know a couple of people down that way.
Good job max!
Nice work man!
Thanks everyone! @mortdk the calf shout out made me laugh, I have toothpicks below the knee lol
BW 96kg - also discovered my scales weigh me about 1kg heavy relative to competition scales, so this is good to know.
Yesterday’s half hour nap when I got back from uni turned into 4 hours so no gym. I felt like death all day, but much better today. Still, I’m apparently not recovered yet based on how squats felt.
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120
Ss/ Pullups
5 x 5
Squat - daily max
Low bar
150kg x 3
Belt on
170kg x 3
190kg x 3
210kg x 2 - was gonna go for a triple but this was RPE 9.5 and my lower back was complaining. Actually ties PR but I’m strong enough to hit better, which is the plan over the next week.
Back off sets will make a return but not today.
Bench - warmups
Floor press
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ GHR reverse hypers
5 x 20
Bench - daily max
Floor press
Wraps on
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
Bench - back offs
Comp. bench
100kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Pullaparts
3 x 20-30
So in terms of strength I am still a bit wiped. Lower back got a bit pissy at my top set of squats. Will be front squatting tomorrow to give it a rest.
Best way to describe the big barbell lifts at the moment is that they felt a bit clumsy. Still nice to blow the cobwebs off.
Plan is triples for the next week or so, day off, then singles leading up to a couple of day’s rest before the meet.
Will also get a heavy EMOM deadlift session in as well to train my capacity to hit multiple heavy singles with reduced rest periods like in a meet. That was one thing I noticed but didn’t mention about the meet - deadlifts move fast as hell and I struggled to recover between attempts.
Side note, nutrition has been on point the past few days. Crushing the next meet is great motivation.
1 Like
BW 95.7kg
Squat - warmup
Front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
4 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Shins to bar
4 x 5
Squat - daily max
Front squat
Belt on
140kg x 3
150kg x 3 @ 8.5
Squat - back offs
Low bar
Belt still on
120kg x 3
150kg x 3
170kg x 3
Ss/ Narrow neutral chins
3 x 5
Bench - warmup
Comp. bench - sleeveless competition height
Elbow sleeves, wrist wraps on
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Pullaparts
5 x 20-30
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
115kg x 3 @ 9
Bench - back offs
Close grip bench
100kg x 3 x 3
Ss/ Reverse hypers
3 x 20
Accessory work
Bar rollouts
40kg x 2 x 5
Ss/ DB curls
40kg x 2 x 10
Took stuff a bit easier today, although the front squats were actually just 2.5kg off my best triple.
Still not feeling 100% but improving and the lifts felt more natural today.
3 Likes
How long do your sessions take these days? Any thoughts on how you will approach training next year?
@furo about half an hour to 40 minutes each to warm up to my top set on squat and bench, then depending on how much socialising/shit talking I’m doing another 20-30 minutes each for back off stuff.
Deadlifts don’t add all that much time sine I can work through warmups pretty quick and don’t tend to get that heavy.
Looking at doing something lower frequency and intensity with higher volume after South West’s - Sheiko might be a good fit but I need to find a cycle that fits with timing. I’m on a placement in a different town in 5 weeks so won’t know when I’ll be able to get to a gym other than weekends.
BW 95kg - pretty late in the day so maybe a bit dry but nowhere near what I was like on Sunday so the weight loss is going well. Was 95.4kg on the gym scales in my leggings and a t-shirt this afternoon after a bit to eat.
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120
Ss/ GHR reverse hypers
5 x 10
Squat - daily max
Low bar
150kg x 3
Belt on
175kg x 3
200kg x 3 @ 9.5
Squat - back offs
Low bar - paused
Belt on
170kg x 2 x 3
Ss/ GHR situps
2 x 8
Bench - warmups
Floor press
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Pullaparts
5 x 20-30
Bench - daily max
Floor press
Wraps on
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
Bench - back offs
OHP
Bar x 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3 x 5
Ss/ Pullaparts
7 x 20-30
Been having a bit of chest soreness so I hit ohp for back off pressing today. Felt very comfortable for how infrequently I do it.
Really looking forward to getting this triples phase over with, strength feels really absent right now, but it worked out for me last time I did it and I’m looking to hit some triple PRs on the competition lifts before I go back to singles. Race against the date though haha.
2 Likes
BW 97.2kg - celebratory end of term kfc yesterday coming in to sabotage my good vibes with the sodium etc. Also shout out to mum for the early easter egg delivery fuelling this session.
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120
Ss/ Lu raises
5 x 15
Squat - daily max
Low bar
150kg x 3
Belt on
170kg x 3
190kg x 3 @ 8
202.5kg x 3 @ 9 - far better than the past few sessions but I do want to get above 210kg fairly quickly.
Squat - back offs
Front squat
Belt on
120kg x 3
140kg x 3
152.5kg x 3 - ties a much fresher PR from when I was front squatting much more regularly
Ss/ Facepulls
3 x 20
Top low bar and fronty triples
Bench - warmups
Comp. bench
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Pullaparts
5 x 30
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench
Wraps and belt on
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
117.5kg x 3 @ 9
Bench - back offs
Close grip bench
100kg x 3
105kg x 3
110kg x 3
Ss/ Pullaparts
3 x 30
Gonna head to a different gym tomorrow and they have competition equipment so didn’t kill myself with volume and accessories today so I feel fresh for a good practice session tomorrow.
1 Like
BW 96.2kg
“Comp. equipment” was an overstatement haha but this place did have strongman equipment and a deadlift bar so I had some fun after doing the specificity work as best as I could. Will definitely be back here for another fun session after South West’s.
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125
Ss/ Actual reverse hypers
20kg x 5 x 15
Squat - daily max
Low bar
155kg x 3
Belt on
174kg x 3
195kg x 3 @ 8
210kg x 3 @ 9.5 - well there’s the minimum triple I was hoping to hit this microcycle
Squat - back ups
Reverse band squat - minus just over 60kg at the bottom and almost slack at the top.
Belt on
210kg x 1
225kg x 1
235kg x 1
245kg x 1
255kg x 1
265kg x 1
275kg x 1 - ahahahahahaha can’t believe how light this felt on my back and how fast it moved out of the bottom considering it was still 210kg odd down there
Ss/ Facepulls
3 x 30 and stopped when it realised how many sets on reverse bands I was gonna do
Bench - warmups
Comp. bench - no idea about height but the bench was too wide, the back of my triceps were pressing into the edges and that was making me lose a bit of tightness at the bottom.
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Pullaparts
5 x 30
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench
Wraps and belt on
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
120kg x 2.5 - booooo
120kg x 2.5 - booo
Bench = booo
It needs to be better in 2 weeks time. It will be.
Deadlift - attempted heavy day
Conv. pulls - deadlift bar
60kg x 2
100kg x 2
130kg x 1
150kg x 1
175kg x 1
200kg x 1
225kg x 1
250kg x F
250kg x F
So deadlift bars do not necessarily help me out. Fatigue is gonna play a role too, but I’ve always suspected that I gain a lot of speed off the floor on pulls by throwing a ton of force into a stiff bar and having the weight gain that force straight away, whereas on a slack bar that force dissipates.
I see why people talk about pulling the slack out.
Conditioning
Prowler
Backwards drag x 10m straight into high pillars x 10m
Sled x 1
50kg x 1
90kg x 1
120kg x 1
Face off with partner - each of us going on alternating minutes
120kg
1
2
3 - Partner quit, EMOM from here
4
5
6
Diiiiiiiiiiiiiie
3 Likes
Excellent effort at the comp mate.
When I did deadlift variations 5ish times a week last year I got around a Deadlift bar once. (Pulled with a stiff bar otherwise) it completely fucked up my thing as I was able to pull ~10 kilos more on it and it just fried me + I tried to lift more than that with a stiff bar couple of days later and - as you may guess - it didn’t go well.
I did a fair share of grinders though, which definitely played a role in all this.
Just telling you so you don’t need to experience the same
2 Likes
Nice try on bench, especially the second video, close to 3 reps.
Your squat 3’s wasn’t looking as tight as the singles.
And an awesome workout too. 275 is something just to walk out
@mortdk you’re right - I wasn’t particularly happy with my bar path on the top set either. The reverse bands help bar path immensely by almost acting like a Smith machine - the bar feels like it’s on rails.
@danteism thanks man. It was kinda annoying at the time that I couldn’t pull something big on it but since I won’t really be using it that often it’s no biggy. I do need to figure out what I’m gonna do for my deadlift in the 11 days I have before the comp though.
BW 95.6kg
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 125
Ss/ Chins
5 x 6
Squat - daily max
Low bar
150kg x 3
Belt on
175kg x 3
200kg x 3 @ 8
212.5kg x 2 @ 9
212.5kg x 2 @ 9.5
Should’ve gone for the triple on the first time round, but hey, ended up with 4 total reps at 212 so that’s a win of some sort I guess
Squat - back offs
Front squat
Belted
120kg x 5
135kg x 4
150kg x 3
Ss/ Wide neutral chins
3 x 6
Bench - warmups
Comp. bench - competition height, nongrip surface
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Pullaparts
5 x 30
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench
Wraps and belt on
100kg x 3
110kg x 3
120kg x 2 @ 9.5
120kg x 2 @ 9.5
Again triples here eluded me.
Bench - back offs
Wide grip bench - pointer fingers on rings
100kg x 3
105kg x 3
110kg x 3
120 is still moving like an opener, but I lose so much energy after one rep now haha. I’m so conditioned to doing single reps without back off work. Hopefully the singles I’ll be hitting soon reflect that and I can still bench in the 130 range despite my E1rm probably being 125ish. When I was benching 135 I had tripled 120 pretty easily though.
Wider grip felt ok and I’ll do it more often and see if it helps my bench in the long run but it’s probably too close to comp to change my setup for competition. Always felt a bit tighter closer in and I don’t have short enough arms that taking a really wide grip gives me some ridiculous 3 inch rom.
Accessory work
Dips
BW x 3 x 12
Ss/ Incline DB curls
12s x 3 x 12
Quick pump.
1 Like
Personally I’d do one heavy-ish session (think 90% or so) and 1-2 lighter sessions (around 80%) rest at two days out and do pulls against pins one day out - say 4 pulls of 6 seconds
But that’s just me, and I’m not a powerlifter, even less do I compete in it. What you want to do is to have something relatively heavy in you hands before the competition without sacrificing recovery. Also I wouldn’t go into the competition straight after rest day, as I feel it hinders my performance (of course you may be different)
But again, you are most likely better at peaking you than I am
@danteism thanks mate! The pulls against pins sound interesting, might not be feasible in my gym though since we have half racks and I’d just pull the pins out 
Maybe if I stuck some plates on the ends of them…
A rest 1 day out is inevitable because I’m handling a friend on the Saturday and I doubt anyone would appreciate me trying to get a lift in between their warmups. It’s worked alright so far so not too fussed. This peak is going to be incredibly difficult no matter what - I really don’t expect to be near my best lifts and will probably have to play it very smart on the day in order to at least match my total from BUCS.
BW 95.7kg - this is going well
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ Band facepulls
5 x 30
Squat - daily max
Low bar
Belt on
150kg x 1
175kg x 1
200kg x 1 @ 8
215kg x 1 @ 9
222.5kg x 1 @ 10 - not bad for a first single back, positioning was good, it was just slow and I’m sore. 93.6% of my best though and ideally it should move a bit better.
Squat - back offs
Low bar - paused
Belted
175kg x 2
190kg x 1
200kg x 1
Bench - warmups
Comp. and close grip bench
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Pullaparts
5 x 30
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench - competition height
Belt and wraps on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 @ 8
120kg x 1 @ 9
125kg x 1 @ 9 - went well.
Bench - back offs
Pad press - 1inch manpon on the bar, soft touch and pause.
110kg x 2 x 3
Kinda like Jen Thompson’s tshirt press but with a block. Or just a more regulated Spoto press. Anyway, hard.
Deadlifts - heavy day
Deficit conventional pulls - yellow 15 bumper
70kg x 2
100kg x 2
120kg x 2
150kg x 1
Belt on
170kg x 1
200kg x 1
220kg x 1
240kg x 1 @ 9.5
250kg x 1 @ 10
To recap, squats disappointing but I expect them to pick up. Bench actually alright, I’ll push up towards 130 over the next week. Deads were 10kg off my best pull off the same deficit but this was significantly less hyped and a lot prettier.
3 Likes
BW 95.2kg
Squat - warmup
Low bar, front, and overhead squats
Comp. sleeves on
5 sets from bar to 120kg
Ss/ GHR
5 x 8
Squat - daily max
Low bar
Belt on
150kg x 1
175kg x 1
200kg x 1 @ 8
215kg x 1 @ 9
225kg x 1 @ 10
As you can see that was a rough rep. Still happy with how I held it together but 2.5kg over this flew up at BUCS as my 2nd. Aiming for 230 as my 3rd on the day at SWs.
Bench - warmups
Comp. and close grip bench
5 sets from bar to 90kg
Ss/ Facepulls
5 x 30
Bench - daily max
Comp. bench - competition height
Belt and wraps on
100kg x 1
110kg x 1 @ 8
120kg x 1 @ 9
127.5kg x 1 @ 9.5 - lost all my upper back on this but it moved ok.
Bench - back offs
Floor press
Bar x 5
40kg x 5
60kg x 2
80kg x 1
90kg x 2
Wraps on
100kg x 2
110kg x 2 x 3
The goal for BUCS is to match my 612.5 total but as a 93. I’m confident on the weight front, just a case of seeing if I can get this peak to work out and playing attempt selection smart. Will probably accept a smaller squat and gun for a better showing on bench. Ideally I’ll have it locked up with my 2nd pull but if I come into them with a weak subtotal it’ll have to be my 3rd which clinches it. Mental battle coming up.
I am not the right guy to answer this BUT i’ll just call for some other big guys here, so @MarkKO @BOTSLAYER @T3hPwnisher can you help Max.
1 Like