USPF California State Championships, Los Alamitos, Ca.
Entered: 220 Open
Squat
1st: 606 missed (lost my balance on the way up…fuck!)
2nd: 606 missed again (2 reds on depth…double fuck!)
3rd: 606 Good lift (very pissed at this point)
Bench
1st: 462 missed (mis-grooved and let it drift over my face…fuck me!)
2nd: 462 Good Lift (really fucking easy)
3rd: 501 missed (my first attempt at 500 in comp. Got it half way up but ran out of gas)
Deadlift
1st: 694 Good lift
2nd: 727 Good lift (5 lb PR)
3rd: 733 missed (almost made this one. had it 3/4 of the way up and stalled at lockout)
Total: 1796 (6 lb. PR)
1st place 220 lbs Open
Overall a very mediocre meet. I left a lot of weight off the bar for stupid technical things that rarely affect me. I never lose balance in the squat or get called for depth, and I managed both of those this meet. It was a big step backwards for me and I am fucking pissed. It took me a while to write this up since it was leaving such a sour taste in my mouth. I did get the 3rd ranked deadlift in the country this year in the 220 lb. class and was on Powerliftingwatch.com. I guess that is something.
I am going to fucking kill it in the gym and get those numbers that I know I’m capable of.
I’ll have some of the vids up in a bit.
David[/quote]
Damn, wish it would have been your day but I have a feeling things will really click at nationals.
I’m trying to figure out if I’m going to compete in late June or not. It would be my first official competition (I had a small competition at the gym I joined in late February of this year). I can’t really figure out how to use Sheiko to get me to the competition in late June though. As it stands now my 12 week cycle would finish around May 30, and then I leave for a week to get married. But whether I do that or not the main short-term goal is to qualify for USAPL nationals in late January, 1400 @ 165.
I’ve been told it is really important to compete often right from the beginning. I’m curious what your thoughts on that are? I was thinking getting a few training cycles in uninterrupted might be advantageous.
And I got my first squat suit today, Metal King V Type Squatter. Getting that sucker off was a new level of pain for me.
I read where you said a little over 10 months ago you went 10 for 10 and hit 1780 @ 220, now you went 4 for 9 and hit 1796 @ 220. You’ve definitely added strength and I’m sure it won’t be long before it all comes together.
I’ve been told it is really important to compete often right from the beginning. I’m curious what your thoughts on that are? I was thinking getting a few training cycles in uninterrupted might be advantageous.
[/quote]
I agree with competing early and often. It helps get you accustomed to the flow of a meet, timing your warmups, timing your wrapping/gear setup, platform protocol, pacing yourself throughout the day…all of the stuff that can throw you for a loop on meet day.
I like to compete every 3-4 months if possible. Do my training cycles fall perfectly into those time periods? Sometimes. I like sheiko style training too, and a major benefit is they are built in 4 week modules. Usually, I only have to adjust up or down a week to accommodate a meet. I don’t always do a competition style peak/taper cycle. Sometimes the meet will fall in right at the end of a conditioning cycle. I might do this more often.
Overall, I believe you’ll be ahead of the game if you try and hit a meet at the end of a training cycle. At least try and simulate competition lifts in the gym if possible.
I agree with competing early and often. It helps get you accustomed to the flow of a meet, timing your warmups, timing your wrapping/gear setup, platform protocol, pacing yourself throughout the day…all of the stuff that can throw you for a loop on meet day.
I like to compete every 3-4 months if possible. Do my training cycles fall perfectly into those time periods? Sometimes. I like sheiko style training too, and a major benefit is they are built in 4 week modules. Usually, I only have to adjust up or down a week to accommodate a meet. I don’t always do a competition style peak/taper cycle. Sometimes the meet will fall in right at the end of a conditioning cycle. I might do this more often.
Overall, I believe you’ll be ahead of the game if you try and hit a meet at the end of a training cycle. At least try and simulate competition lifts in the gym if possible.[/quote]
This is really good advice. I will plan on competing in late June. I will compete raw however since I just got the squat suit and started this cycle without it . . . i.e. I want to see how much this cycle improves my raw squat before I become an equipped lifter (I’ve never done Sheiko before).
How many Sheiko volume blocks will you put together before tapering? Have you run 3 volume blocks in a row? If so, what did you think?
If I didn’t do the late June meet I was going to do a “simulated meet” in the gym at the end of the cycle.
How many Sheiko volume blocks will you put together before tapering? Have you run 3 volume blocks in a row? If so, what did you think?
[/quote]
So far, I’ve only paired a 4 week volume block (Shieko #29) with the Sheiko 5 week competition taper. In preparation for the USPF Nationals on July 3rd, I have 12 weeks to get in 2 4 week volume blocks and 4 weeks of competition taper/gear prep. This should be interesting to see how it works.
You’re competing raw, so that makes things easier to deal with as you get closer to the meet. I would include in your plan a week or two of 90%+ attempts with all commands/bench pauses to dial in openers. Maybe drop them in weeks 10 and 12.
Really nice log. Deadlift is super strong! After watching you smoke that 462 bench, it looks like you have a ton left in you. Best of luck on the 2000 total at 220. I’d be happy to total that at 275 multiply
[quote]Alpha wrote:
I’m still super impressed with your numbers man.
Do you like the sheiko a lot? I am trying to decide between that and Wendler’s 5/3/1 for my next program cycle…
Any opinions on either or other programs you like?[/quote]
Yes I do like Sheiko style training. I have only run a couple cycles with it, but it was always productive in some way. Wendler’s program is very similar to the Bigger Faster Stronger (BFS) high school football training program. I performed a modified-for-powerlifting BFS program for over 2 years and it worked great. It took me from a 205lber to a 225lber in that same time.
You can’t lose with either of them. Just start with really conservative numbers and don’t miss the reps.
Thanks for the support. You’re doing some training on your log that makes me want to blow chunks just reading it. No way I could keep up with that pace.
[quote]Monopoly19 wrote:
Really nice log. Deadlift is super strong! After watching you smoke that 462 bench, it looks like you have a ton left in you. Best of luck on the 2000 total at 220. I’d be happy to total that at 275 multiply
Monopoly[/quote]
Thanks buddy!! Appreciate the kind words.
Technical problems killed my bench at the last meet. Probably left 20-30 lbs. off the bar. Still in search of that first 500 lb. meet bench…
Now that the USPF is offering a multiply/monolift division, I might have to join the multiply ranks sometime in the near future. ;>
The 545 w/135 chains was a HUGE PR for me. This is the most weight I have ever walked out and squatted to a below parallel box. I had my partners gauge my speed and they were confident with the weight selection on the last set. I would have probably gone up only 20 lbs. by the way it felt, but I trust their judgment with gauging speed and strain. I didn’t use knee wraps and used the huge briefs and suit. They fit me like an old pair of underwear and coveralls. To say I was stoked was an understatement. Thank you, Greg!!
Good mornings:
135x10
225x5
315x5
Ab pulldowns
2x10
Hamstring kickbacks w/ green bands
2x20
Bench:
Sheiko Template
Finished with a wobbengoggen dip of Copenhagen…serendipity…