Thoughts and Advice

Afternoon,

Well I am here looking for some advice and guidance…

Background, I started doing any kind of real lifting about 3 years ago (i “worked out” off and on after high school)… I was pulled into Crossfit by a friend… But what I found I loved was the heavy lifting… In that time I have gone through back surgery so my progress was slowed slightly… No I didnt hurt myself lifting…I fell down some steps like a jackass…

Anyway… 2 years to the day of that surgery I will have my first Powerlifting Comp… I am extremely excited… I don’t think my raw numbers are terrible…well my bench is kinda shitty… but I have never been very good at it, but I have progressed alot.

Age: 38
Height: 5’11"
Weight: 251
Squat : 475
Deadlift: 545 currently ( I have reached 565 prior to back surgery, and have not maxed in a long time)
Bench: 300 (kinda low I know)

I really dedicated to training for this meet following the birth of my daughter in August… and I have made great progress in my eyes…But I want more… I have been using Jim Wendler’s Beyond 5/3/1 that is detailed on here… I love the simplicity… but I like anyone else is greedy…I want to keep seeing these numbers grow…

So… How are the numbers overall … What advice do you have for a relative newbie…
Am I out of my mind thinking this is something I should be doing? (well more out of my gourd than normal)…

Anyway…thanks

I can’t figure out what you’re asking. Are you asking for programming suggestions? If you’ve made great progress, and you aren’t stalling on any lifts, I would continue with the 5/3/1 programming. It can take you as far as you want to go. As long as you’re running 5/3/1, programming will not be a limiting factor for you.

I think your bench is in line with all your other lifts. None are great for your bodyweight, but I’ve seen worse in competition. You certainly won’t be the weakest guy there.

Here are the things I’d advise, based on the limited info you’ve given us.

  1. You’re obviously overweight, given your stats. You could probably drop at LEAST 40 lbs of fat (this is a very conservative number) without losing any strength. I’m your height and 60 lbs lighter, so I have a pretty good idea of how much muscle/fat you’re carrying. This will be good for powerlifting (competing in a lower weight class) and being healthier for your daughter. We have similar priorities in this regard.

  2. For your first meet, be SURE you can hit all of your openers. You do not want to miss any of these lifts. I would video each of your lifts, to make sure that your squat is deep enough, you can pause your bench, and your deadlift is not hitched. If, say, you squat an inch high on each of your attempts, and you thought your training reps were deep enough, you’re going to feel awful about your experience. I can’t stress this enough. Have a friend video it, and have him/her use the proper commands so you can acclimate yourself to listening for these. Your fed’s rulebook should be readily available online.

  3. Don’t cut water weight for your first meet. Your numbers are not high enough to be competitive, so there is no reason to do this.

If you have any further questions, or have any other info you feel is worth providing, the people on here may be able to further assist you. Best of luck, and congrats on the kiddo!

For your age, height and weight the numbers are kinda low.

Considering your injury, training history and that it’s your first meet numbers are very good.

Honestly dude, stick with 5/3/1 and they’ll keep climbing. I doubt at this age, especially with a new kid in your life, you’re going to specialize in and fully dedicate your life to powerlifting (and if you do kudos to you), however this is something you can definitely stay dedicated to.

I think you’re still young and you probably have a few decades to get stronger so don’t be greedy and don’t let your ego lead the way. Lift smart, get stronger, do more comps and you’ll know where to move from there.

First meet advice is have fun and come prepared.

Good luck and stay strong.

Thank you guys, Yes I can drop about 25-30lbs pretty easily and I have before… I have some videos I will upload as I can… Honestly I am having fun and yes I am doing this so I am there for my family… and that daughter… child number 5 LOL… My fiance is also a dedicated lifter so we spend a LOT of time at the gym…This first comp is to get my feet wet… From there I can do nothing but grow and improve…

I enjoy 5/3/1 so I will stick with it…

[quote]Haldor wrote:
For your age, height and weight the numbers are kinda low.

Considering your injury, training history and that it’s your first meet numbers are very good.

Honestly dude, stick with 5/3/1 and they’ll keep climbing. I doubt at this age, especially with a new kid in your life, you’re going to specialize in and fully dedicate your life to powerlifting (and if you do kudos to you), however this is something you can definitely stay dedicated to.

I think you’re still young and you probably have a few decades to get stronger so don’t be greedy and don’t let your ego lead the way. Lift smart, get stronger, do more comps and you’ll know where to move from there.

First meet advice is have fun and come prepared.

Good luck and stay strong.

[/quote]

I mean, I have a 15 month old son at home, and I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. And powerlifting isn’t exactly the sort of thing you have to ‘fully dedicate your life to’ to have incredible success at it. I only train a few hours per week. That’s not a huge commitment, lol. Most people dedicate more time than that to watching American Idol.

PL is a very supportive sport, so don’t worry about it. Just try and have fun with it and see if you enjoy competing or not. Why worry about all the details until you figure out whether it’s something you actually want to stick with or not?

You’ll be fine. Your numbers are ok for a first meet, but low for your weight. Drop 30ish lbs and those numbers will verge on decent - but to do that healthily will take a while so chances are by the time you’re around 220 lbs your numbers will be higher.

If you’re enjoying how you’re training and it is working, don’t change it.

For the meet you could set your current maxes as your second attempts and go for a 5-10 lbs PR on your third. Openers would be something between 87 and 93% of your max. I’d focus more on going nine for nine since its your first meet. That’s what I did for my first meet.

Otherwise you could set a reasonable goal (say, a 10 lb PR across the board or a 5% higher PR or something) and have your attempts going 88% of goal, 94% of goal, goal.

Is the squat number w/o knee wraps?

I don’t think your numbers are that bad. You’ll continue to make progress. I think you just keep working and you’ll see the numbers go up. The numbers will be competitive. They aren’t weak, they just may not be first place numbers.

You have 5 kids so you’ll be busy. You do what you can. There are other major priorities other than lifting

I go completely raw on all lifts, at most I wear knee sleeves to keep the knees warm on squats… And yes I have 5 kids… 17,16,12,11 and 3 months… they are my motivation to stay healthy and keep pushing…

I want to compete to satisfy my competitive nature…

Everyone I have met in PL has been incredibly supportive… And lord knows I will have a ton of questions…

I will keep training and working to improve…

Thank you

[quote]flipcollar wrote:

[quote]Haldor wrote:
For your age, height and weight the numbers are kinda low.

Considering your injury, training history and that it’s your first meet numbers are very good.

Honestly dude, stick with 5/3/1 and they’ll keep climbing. I doubt at this age, especially with a new kid in your life, you’re going to specialize in and fully dedicate your life to powerlifting (and if you do kudos to you), however this is something you can definitely stay dedicated to.

I think you’re still young and you probably have a few decades to get stronger so don’t be greedy and don’t let your ego lead the way. Lift smart, get stronger, do more comps and you’ll know where to move from there.

First meet advice is have fun and come prepared.

Good luck and stay strong.

[/quote]

I mean, I have a 15 month old son at home, and I’m the strongest I’ve ever been. And powerlifting isn’t exactly the sort of thing you have to ‘fully dedicate your life to’ to have incredible success at it. I only train a few hours per week. That’s not a huge commitment, lol. Most people dedicate more time than that to watching American Idol.[/quote]

I meant like make it your life’s focus and live at the gym and become a coach.