What I Want to Do I Do Not Do

Had some time to kill at work this afternoon. (I also work at a golf shop)

So, I did…

Walking Lunges
100
Bodyweight Calf Raises
200
Basket of Balls Curls
100ea. arm

My elbow is continuing to feel good, so I’ll keep adding in more volume for bench a little at a time. I worked the face pulls and chins into the workout, sorta super setting them with the bench stuff.

Snatch Grip Sotts Press
45x2x5, 55x5, 60x5, 65x5, 70x5, 75x5
Snatch Grip Push Press 10min. EMOM
95x3
Speed Bench
45x12, 95x12, 120x10x3
Pause Half Way Up Bench
120x2, 145x2, 165x2, 175x2, 180x3x2
Close Grip Floor Press
95x15, 115x15, 135x8, 155x5, 177x4

CIRCUIT x5
200m Row
5 Behind The Neck Press 95lbs

Band Face Pulls
100
Chin-ups
33

On my way home from the gym I was feeling like I should try and PR my front squat today. So after eating and lounging for a bit, went on a walk with the dog, then walked out to my garage and…

Front Squat
45x5, 135x3, 185x1, 205x1, 235x1, 260x1 PR!

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I felt like I had no energy at the start of my workout today. I felt the same in the middle and at the end too, ha. I was going to do some Kang squats but did the high bar squats instead, which actually felt pretty good. I also had a little circuit planned for the end, but it wasn’t happening today.

Strict Press
45x12, 95x6, 120x3, 145x6
Behind The Neck Press
45x10, 75x6, 100x6x4, 75x6
Overhead Squat
45x2x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x5
High Bar Back Squat
135x5, 225x3, 245x1, 265x1, 290x1
Hang Snatch High Pull
85x10x3
Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollout
30

So where is all this programming @blackchucks ? Hit me!

I was treating today sorta like a dynamic effort day.
It was also the first time I have pulled sumo since my meet. Felt fantastic. I was going to do 10 singles, but the dudes I was with were not gunna hang, so on the fifth set I went for some reps and they felt good. From 135 to the last working rep I tried to move the bar as fast as I could. I like it.

I also am weighing 187lbs today, I will be happy if in a few days it’s still the same. I always feel like I’m one poop away from 180.

Sumo Deadlift
135x5, 225x3, 315x1, 405x4x1, 405x6
Conventional Deficit Deadlift
135x3, 185x3, 205x6x4
Lat Pull Down
70x12, 85x12, 100x12, 115x12
45 Degree Back Extension
45x4x10
Seated Low Cable Row
80x3x12, 80x30
Strict Toes To Bar
BWx4x6
Dumbbell Row
55x2x12 each arm

So the thought behind it is…
Prilepin’s Chart has four sections.
4 weeks in the first section, 8 weeks in the second (hypertrophy…), 4 weeks in the third, and 4 weeks in the last section.
Each “block” will have a slight deload and give me a lot of practice with those percentages. My thought is to take my time, and get good at lifting. More efficient, better neural patterns, and lots of time to perfect my form. Which should culminate in some decent PR’s at the end of the 20 weeks and give me some new numbers to run something like sheiko with, peak, then do another meet.
Along the way, I am going to pay better attention to how I feel, and if it’s a good day, go for rep PR’s. Don’t pay too much attention to the conditioning stuff, they are just ideas. And the first four weeks, below, I will be incorporating very high frequency pulls.

Also, coffee is essential to my well being.
weight x sets x reps

Block 2.A

Block 2.B

Block 3

Block 4

I think basing it around Prilepin’s chart is a good idea; and I think having a plan is a good idea. I’m not convinced this is optimal for getting better at powerlifting or getting bigger though.

If you’re raring to go, absolutely have a crack and see where it takes you. I’d just do it a bit differently, not include so much Oly work specifically in particular. It simply doesn’t carry over to PL very well.

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Rowed 1000m to warm up, then I did…

75 Power Cleans 115lbs
75 Toes To Bar
75 Double Unders
75 Push Jerks 95lbs
75 Burpees

This was split with a partner. It was fun, good conditioning.

Then I did 100 push-ups.

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@blackchucks I was thinking a bit about how you set things out. This might get a bit wordy, BTW. My apologies in advance.

Firstly, this is what I’ve found to be an optimal daily format:

  1. Main lift (your Prilepin based progression would work nicely)
  2. Primary assistance (ie squat variation for squat, etc, can even be more volume of the main lift like FSL). THIS IS OPTIONAL
  3. Secondary assistance 1 - hits your weak point for the main lift
  4. Secondary assistance 2 - hits your strong point for the main lift
  5. Balance assistance - aka fluff LIKEWISE OPTIONAL

So, your day is basically three exercises, with some optional extras depending on time, recovery, etc.

Then there is a layer of what I think of as stuffing: small but beneficial exercises that can shoehorned in between warm-up sets or working sets: pull aparts, fatman pull-ups, push-ups, pull-ups etc. They are also optional, but I can’t envisage a situation where you would opt out because they place zero burden on time or recovery but let you add a bunch of work to areas that often need it. I’ll confess here to being of the opinion that the upper and middle back cannot be given too much attention.

Secondly, here is something I have done in the past which was not sufficiently effective to be kept:

  1. Explosive Oly variation (clean, snatch grip high pull, snatch, etc)
  2. Main lift
  3. Variation of opposite main lift
  4. Upper/middle back work, usually pull-ups

Now, when I did this I rarely worked above three reps for anything but rows - and the loads reflected that. So did my muscularity and recovery. Arguably, using more diverse rep ranges and loads might improve the effectiveness of this approach, but I doubt it would make a huge difference.

The real issue with the second option as far as I can tell is that you don’t really address your weak points much, and you forego a fair amount of volume on your main lifts. Often, both are key drivers of progress so short-changing yourself on them isn’t exactly smart. The other issue is that I never, ever found Oly lifts of any kind did anything for my PL progress, and definitely did precisely nothing for my hypertrophy. Sure, Oly lifters are pretty jacked but they do tons and tons of the Oly lifts. If you’re not doing many Oly lifts, you won’t get jacked from them. Attacking your weak points and your strong points with bodybuilding style exercises and rep ranges is much more efficient and effective in this scenario.

Really what I’m getting at is that I understand you like doing the Oly lifts. I just remember that after your meet you mentioned that you need to get bigger - I agree, at your height you need to fill out. You also mentioned wanting to get better at PL. The Oly lifts almost certainly won’t help you do this as well as more a conventional approach to powerlifting assistance.

Your idea of basing your training blocks around Prilepin’s chart is great, and will likely work very well. I am fairly sure, however, that you will yet even better results if you pair that progression with a fairly standard approach to your assistance work, hitting your weak points with high reps to get bigger and stronger.

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Thank you for this!
I think I am going to lean more towards the approach that you outlined. It makes more sense, especially as I would like to see my main three numbers improve. I believe I get a little greedy and think I can do both and see equal progress, but I don’t think that is possible. Seems like it’s one or the other.
I believe I should keep a conditioning day. So my thought is on that day, do some kind of oly lift as a warm up and then move on to a metcon style workout where maybe I’ll incorporate another oly lift and keep it fun.

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I didn’t have time to do more goodmornings or rows, but they were feeling good. Everything else was good, I believe the Deficit snatch DL was a PR. Grip always goes first on those.

Strict Press
45x10, 95x5, 115x2, 135x2, 153x3x2
Snatch Grip Deficit Deadlift
95x5, 165x1, 215x1, 265x1, 285x1, 290x1
Power Clean
95x3, 115x1, 135x1, 150x1, 165x1, 185x1, 198x1
Front Squat
45x5, 95x3, 145x1, 195x1, 215x5x3
Goodmornings
95x3x8
Pendlay Row
95x6, 145x6, 195x3x3
Band Pull Apart
120

@blackchucks I think that is an excellent idea. Conditioning will help overall, and that way you get to do some Oly work without it costing you space for PL training.

Felt a little sluggish today. Started to feel better mid way through the benching but then started slowing down again. Overall, I’m very happy with how the weight felt though. This is my third time doing the close grip flat bench in the last three weeks and I have added 585lbs of total volume. Shoulders and elbows still feel great!
I did the pull aparts, curls, and chins between the bench sets.

Spoto Bench Press
45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 165x5, 185x5, 195x4, 200x3
Competition Bench
45x12, 95x12, 125x10x3
Close Grip Flat Bench
45x12, 65x12, 85x10, 115x8, 135x5, 165x10, 185x2x2, 190x2x3
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press - 25’s
3x20
Band Pull Aparts
100
Dumbbell Curls - 25’s
60
Chin-ups
15

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Today was a rest day, but my wife wanted to workout and I never pass up those opportunities.
It wasn’t enough to warrant a drive to the gym so we just did some stuff in the garage.

I did…

A VERY LAZY CIRCUIT x3
5 Dumbbell(75lb) Row each arm
10 Kettlebell(30lb) Swing
5 Pendlay Row 135lb
5 Chin-ups

Then…

Band Face Pull
60
Double Kettlebell Clean & Press (30lb ea.)
2x10

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A buddy came over and we just worked out in the garage. Probably did more talking than lifting, but it’s all good. It was a fairly easy day. I did the squats just to loosen up my legs and get my core turned on. I’m looking at a pretty heavy lower day tomorrow.

Overhead Squat
45x5, 65x5, 85x5, 105x5, 135x3, 155x3
Strict Press
45x12, 65x8, 95x5, 115x3, 125x5x2
Behind The Neck Press
105x6x4
Dumbbell Fly/ Barbell Curl Superset
25’sx4x10/ 65x4x10

Good day! I’m working on closing the gap between my conventional and sumo deadlift and between quad dominant squats and my low bar squat. So I’m doing more conventional pulls for now…
This was the first time doing low bar squats since my meet. They felt good, the box stopped me just above parallel.
Question for you guys… When doing box squats, I’m slow off the box, then about two, maybe three inches off the box, I fly up. What’s weak?

Conventional Deadlift
135x10, 225x5, 315x3, 345x1, 375x6
Trap Bar Deadlift
135x5, 225x3, 290x6x4
Low Bar Box Squat
45x5, 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 335x1, 355x1, 365x1
Leg Extensions/ Lat Pulldown Superset
100x4x20/ 142x2x10, 112x2x12
45 Degree Back Extension
45x3x10
Seated Rope High Row
60x4x10