Final year as a junior powerlifter - I still don't even lift

29/06/17 - Thursday - Medium Bench and Deadlifts

Bench went really well, most of the deadlifts went well except set 3 and 5 so that's good. I knew my sumo positioning was off because of my hip/knee but my partner took a video and I did not realise how much it has regressed and it really isn't surprising why I don't get any leg drive whatsoever atm. I just need to play around with my positioning again and get familiar in a new, better, position.

Medium Grip Bench Press

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
67.5kg x 2
72.5kg x 7x6

7 sets of 6 got tiring in set 6 and 7 but all reps were really good so happy days.

Sumo Deadlift

Bar x lots x lots
70kg x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 2
135kg(B) x 1
142.5kg(B) x 3x5

https://www.instagram.com/p/BV7siRUFS8W/?taken-by=steedmanrachel8 - check the second video for me deadlifting terribly, check the first video for my partner benching 62.5kg x 6 for a little pb.

My positioning felt off but the pulls were really easy.

Sumo Deadlift Pull to Knees /w 2 sec pause

127.5kg(S,B) x 2x5

Not bad at all.

Coan Rows

70kg x 4x6

Felt harder after all the volume compared to last week but I'm pretty sure that's a volume/intensity pb.

Session done. Box squats and bench press tomorrow.
 
spluff said:
just a thought you trained chest 3 days in a row - isn't that too much as your body needs recovery time?
Click to expand...

Typically yes and it would be made worse as I'm also benching again today at some point today but I'm only doing this because of how my training schedule has falling this week. I also built a very high tolerance to training volume in my previous phases so I've actually felt very good every bench session this week and set some form of pb in each session. Typically, I'd only bench twice a week. Benching more than twice a week is also fine, but the lack of rest between sessions isn't an ideal approach. Fortunately next week is a deload and then the next training block starts.
 
05/07/17 - Wednesday - Heavy Squats

Training schedule for the end of last week and this week have gone out of whack so I still finished my last heavy session of the cycle today to nicely prepare my numbers for the next cycle starting on Monday. Going to work on some Bench tomorrow and maybe deadlifts before flying out to South Africa on Friday in preparation for the World University Powerlifting Championships the following week. I'm coaching so I can still train and I'm going to take full advantage of the training hall.

Today was lots of fun with the SSB, box squats and my suit on with the straps down.

SSB (maybe 20kg, maybe 25kg, maybe up to 35kg - no one knows - it felt more than 20kg so I'll count it as 25kg).

Bar x 3x5
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
85kg x 2

105kg(B) x nope (depth) - suit on straps down (essentially briefs)
115kg(B) x nope (depth)
125kg(B) x 1 (increased box height to just below parallel)
130kg(B) x 4 -pb
117kg(B) x 6x4

Would have liked to have done my deadlifts as well but never mind. Really happy with the session overall, it might not look like much but that took a decent amount of time to get through.

Hopefully fun stuffs tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
06/07/17 - Thursday - "Deload" Bench, secondary deadlifts.

So the deload week really has gone out the window but with the volume being so much lower than what I have been used to I'm hitting heavier weights and still feeling fresh. I now have two days off and then an actual deload bench session on Sunday before the new cycle starts.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
77.5kg x 5x4

Easy peasy.

Floor Press

77.5kg x 4
85kg x 4
90kg x 4 - PB

I'll take that. Pleasantly surprised with that but need to work on keeping a bit tighter on the eccentric.

Conventional Deadlift

70kg x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 2
140kg(B) x 1

Conventional Deadlift Block Pulls ~3.5"

157.5kg(B,S) x 2x4
147.5kg(B,S) x 2x5

Rather happy with that too, I think that's a conventional block pb.

Coan Rows

75kg x 4x6

5kg pb and felt decent.

That concludes the session. Shame I didn't get any bench accessories done, as I haven't for a while now, but I did what I could and I got the main work done at least.
 
08/07/17 - Monday - Light Squats

After more than 25 hours of flying back from South Africa, naturally the first logical thing to do is go and train some squats. Sure enough, many squats were done.

SSB Box Squats

Bar x lots x lots
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
85kg x 2

Briefs on
105kg(B) x 3
112.5kg(B) x 7x6

Not bad. Definitely didn't feel as good as it usually does though in terms of technique.

Seated Good Mornings

45kg x 3x10

Done - yay.

19/07/17 - Medium Bench

First bench session in while but I was pleasantly surprised with how it went, not feeling as great as I was before the week off but still better than I expected.

Bench

Bar x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 2
80kg x 7x5

Better than I expected.

Floor Press

85kg x 4x5
85kg x 4/5 - Definite 4 but not 100% confident if my triceps were fully on the floor before pressing on the final rep.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWvAnxGAduG/?taken-by=porridgeisyummy

Bench Grip BOR

50kg x 3x10

Didn't have time for the last set or the other accessories.

Happy with the session and hopefully the next session will feel even better as I get back into lifting properly.
 
Last edited:
Two heavy sessions in a row with well under 24hours between sessions and things did not go too badly at all. Still another session on Saturday to go before my first rest day, of which I'm extremely looking forward too.

20/07/17 - Thursday - Heavy Deadlifts

For once I was feeling loose in the hips and the warmups were moving pretty well. Top end strength suffered a little bit from my time coaching in South Africa where there was no training, change in diet and blah blah... regardless however, I still managed to get everything done.

Sumo Deadlift

70kg x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 2
140kg(B) x 1
155kg(B,S) x 3x4

Not bad, but definitely enough for the session. Most reps were without straps but my hands have become soft and squishy in the past week or so and I simply couldn't hold the bar, it wasn't a lack of grip strength rather just sore skin.

Sumo Deadlift Block Pulls ~3"

165kg(B,S) x 2x4

Not bad at all.

Coan Row

65kg x 4x10

Easy peasy and a minor pb as I did this for 8's last cycle.

21/07/17 - Friday - Heavy Bench

Very, very early start today but ensured I had a proper warm up and fortunately bench went rather well. I was tight for time so only managed the main work and will either do the accessories later after work or tomorrow.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 5
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 2
85kg x 7x4

Nice set/rep pb there as I think I've only ever done that weight for 5 or 6 before so 7x4 was a huge win.

Slingshot Bench Press

92.5kg x 5x4

My hands were incredibly sore form the knurling by the end of benching so I was pleased with he fact it was time to leave and to continue at a later time.

Very happy with how things are going so far and hoping progress continues for a while.
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Numbers looking good ;)
Click to expand...

Things got a little better today.

22/07/17 - Saturday - Medium Squats

Another early start and fortunately it was another good session.

SSB Box Squats /w Briefs

Bar x lots
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
85kg x 2
105kg(B) x 2

120kg(B) x 7x5 - Briefs on

Happy days, moved pretty well but became verrryyyyy tired by the end of the session. This has given me confidence for my heavy session on Monday.

Conventional Deadlift Block Pulls ~3.5"

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg(B) x 2
143kg(B,S) x 2x6

Hands were extremely sore so straps were needed. The pulls went up easy enough but fatigue was kicking in. Back didn't feel as tight as it should have been but I don't think there was any deviation in form.

Pendlay Rows

50kg x 4x10

Nice.

Back Extensions

BW x 3x12

Really happy with that session as everything feels good right now and I'm looking forward to the heavy squat session coming up. I have a rough idea what numbers I want to hit but ultimately it'll be a case of putting some weight on the bar and going for it.
 
24/07/17 - Monday - Heavy Squats

Back and hips were a tad tight to begin with but with a proper warmup and a good few sets with the bar things got better and turned out to be a really good session.

SSB Box Squat

Bar x lots x lots
45kg x 5
65kg x 4
85kg x 3
105kg(B) x 2

120kg(B) x 1 - Suit on straps down
140kg(B) x 4 - big pb
145kg(B) x 4 - another pb
128kg(B) x 5x4 - volume rep/set pb

https://www.instagram.com/p/BW8WYDEgnTH/?taken-by=porridgeisyummy - 128kg x 4

Happy days. The 140kg set was more of an actual box squat rather than the 145kg where the last rep was more of squatting to a box rather than a box squat. Either way I'll take the 140kg pb and increase my maxes accordingly.

Seated Good Morning

45kg x 10
55kg x 10
65kg x 10

More weight is needed on the seated good mornings.

Really happy with that session, I'm going to lower box for the next session to make sure that the depth is closer to competition standard. The video makes the depth look high but a photo of myself sat on the box is actually depth, so I'll remove a plate and see what happens.
 
25/07/17 - Tuesday - Light Bench

Light bench today and it actually felt like a light session...with a hella lot of volume.

Medium Grip Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
75kg x 7x6

Absolutely awesome.

Medium Grip 1" Board Press

72.5kg x 5x6

Still rather easy. Going to up the weight on both exercises for next time.

DB Bench

22kg x 10
24kg x 10
26kg x 10

Nice to see DB Bench finally moving.

OHP

30kg x 3x10

Nice and easy, a little more weight next time.

Tricep Pushdown

50kg x 10
55kg x 10
60kg x 10

Got to build those triceps.

Rather happy with that session. Things seem to be moving in the right direction.
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Monster volume!
Click to expand...

It's slowly coming down and the the volume in my deadlift sessions is considerably lower as you will see below.

26/07/17 - Wednesday - Light Deadlifts

Today was simply a good session. Still challenging as always but hips felt ok and my positioning has improved massively in the past month or so.

Sumo Deadlift

70kg x 2-3 x 5
100kg x 3
120kg x 2
138kg(B,S) x 3x6

Avoided using straps for as long as possible until my hands just became all squidgy towards the end and holding the bar was more challenging than the weight itself.

Paused Sumo Deadlift

125kg(B,S) x 2x6

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXBgpfCAa5V/?taken-by=porridgeisyummy - 125kg x 6 "Paused"

Coan Rows

70kg x 4x8

Felt harder than they should have been but I was shattered by this point. Still went up with acceptable form and technique so I'll take it.

SSB Good Mornings

35kg x 10
45kg x 10
55kg x 10

Should have been 8's but never mind.

That's the session done and finished. Bring on 10 sets of bench tomorrow before the accessory work...
 
27/07/17 - Thursday - Medium Bench

Today was a definite challenge but everything moved really well and the session was filled with some pbs.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
78kg x 2
82.5kg x 6x5

Very happy with how that went.

Floor Press

87.5kg x 4x5

+2.5kg up from last time, albeit 1 less set, so I am very happy with that.

DB Incline Bench Press

22kg x 3x8

DB OHP

20kg x 2x7
18kg x 7

It was supposed to be for sets of 8 but fatigue was just too strong by this point. I don't think it would have mattered what weight I picked up, it would have been the same outcome.

Tricep Pushdown ss/w Face Pulls

60kg x 8, 40kg x 15 x 3

Finished.

Really happy with that session as it shows that things are slowly moving on nicely. Final session of the week tomorrow consisting of squats, deadlifts and accessories and then a nice 2 days to rest.
 
01/08/17 - Tuesday - Heavy Bench

Today was a very good day. Training has been going well and sure enough it showed today. This was my first day in the bench shirt for quite a while so I was working up to a heavy single down to a 1 board (2").

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 2
90kg x 1 - Slingshot

Equipped Bench

110kg x 1 - 2 board
120kg x 1 - 1 board
130kg x 1 - 1board
140kg x 1 - 1board !!!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXQ_h2TAK4a/?taken-by=porridgeisyummy - 140kg x 1 - 1board

Absolutely chuffed with that. It'll be another 9 - 10 days until I'm in the shirt again and the aim will be for a little bit more weight down to a lower board (1").

Bench

87.5kg x 6x4

So not only did I hit a shirted pb, I also hit a raw pb! +2.5kg up from the last heavy session (raw).

That is enough for today, I shall continue with the accessories either tomorrow or Thursday.
 
02/08/17 - Wednesday - Heavy Bench, Light Squat

Today was a mixed bag of emotions. Bench was pretty easy, despite not feeling like things were 100% and fortunately managed a slingshot pb. Squats however were another story and I'm currently in no mans land with the box squat and the suit with the straps down after my knee/hip situation last week. The issue with the box squats and suit is that you need a certain amount of weight on your back in order to meet depth. After the knee/hip was a bit funny last week, and not training squats for a week (as a result of things not functioning properly - that's the important part of this) the strength isn't there for A) the weight, and B) Keeping intended form - this does not mean that my form was bad, it just means that the forces produced and loading of the muscles is different to what it should have been.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
60kg x 3
80kg x 3
88kg x 2 - technically the most I have actually bench raw all cycle by 0.5kg...

Slingshot Bench

95kg x 4x4

A lot easier than I anticipated so hopefully that means things are well and truly are on the up. My left wrist giving me grief from yesterday but it'll clear up in a few days.

SSB Box Squat

Bar x lots
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
85kg x 2

Squats in Briefs
113kg(B) x 1
118kg(B) x 3x6 - Things just weren't feeling right so I left the squatting in briefs there

65kg x 2x6 - back to raw

Might just be one of those sessions but the knees felt ok getting to depth so I might go for a while without the box with the SSB providing the knees hold up.

And that's it. Not the best of sessions but I might work on raw squats for a while if the knee allows it. Time to start from square 1 and take things very steady.
 
07/08/17 - Monday - Light Squats

Today was the day where I decided to venture back to full depth squatting, still with the safety squat bar because I knackered my wrist from benching..., so naturally I was just testing he waters to see what was going to happen. I kept things exceptionally light and made sure that the ankles, knees and hips were functioning as intended. Turns out that my plan of taking a step back to go forward worked... who would have thought it.

SSB Squat

Bar x lots x lots
45kg x 5
55kg x 3
65kg x 6x6

The banded ankle stretch has been helping clear up tight tissue around the joint and sure enough things were moving better. There's still long way to go (I feel like I say this every few months...) but slow and steady will be the way froward.

SSB Good Morning

Bar x lots
45kg x 10
55kg x 10
65kg x 10
70kg x 10

Sigh... I can GM more than I can currently squat (albeit my squats were very sub maximal and it is not a strength issue at all). I'm still pleased with my good mornings though.

Finished up the session with ankle and hip mobility work. Feeling much better.

08/08/17 - Tuesday - Medium Bench

My wrist since my shirted bench session has been horrifically strained and I've been unable to do anything, naturally I was very apprehensive about this session. I managed a full mobility warm up without any issues and then applied as much compression as possible with elbow sleeves and wrist wraps. Took me a while to get going with the bar but the more I did the better the wrist felt.

Bench

Bar x lots x lots
40kg x 5
50kg x 3
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
80kg x 2
85kg x 5x5

Huge PB right there! I was pleasantly surprised that my strength hasn't seemed to have diminished that much despite not ebbing able to press as aggressively I would have liked either. And the wrist is feeling ok too.

Floor Press

90kg x 5x5

Another huge pb. I'm looking forward to the end of this training cycle so I can focus more on floor press and increase the pause duration so it's less of solely a partial lift and provide the ability to generate some force through the mid range from a dead stop rather than using some of the stretch reflex. I some cheated a few reps is what I'm getting at.

That was all i and time for that session and I wasn't to fussed either as I didn't want to abuse the wrist considering I've gone from struggling to open doors to benching a pb in a matter of days. I'll take it.
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Sweet benching
Click to expand...

Things have been going pretty well lately and I hope they continue until the end of this block. I'm thinking that afterwards I might revert back to a hypertrophy phase depending on how I'm feeling and depending on where my weight is falling.

09/08/17 - Wednesday - Heavy Deadlift

After a full day of travelling and a very early start with minimal food I was not expecting much from this session. Turns out I managed a few deadlift pbs.

Sumo Deadlift

60kg x 5
80kg x 3
80kg x 3
100kg x 3
120kg(B) x 3
140kg(B) x 2
160kg(B) x 3x4 - Really happy with this

Took lot of patience off the floor but all went up pretty well. Rather happy with this considering it was my old comp pb for multiple reps and sets.

Sumo Deadlift Block Pull ~3.5" - 4"

170kg(B) x 2x4

Took even more patience but they went up!

SSB Good Mornings

70kg x 3x10

Felt nice and strong.

All deadlifts were done with straps because the bar available pretty much 0 knurling. Really happy with how the session went and it shows that training is going in the correct direction.

11/08/17 - Friday - Medium Squat

Short and sweet today with some SSB work, no suit, no box.

SSB Squat

Bar x lots x lots
45kg x 5
65kg x 3
70kg x 6x5

Started with lots of ankle mobility work and it paid off. I know it's only 70kg's but I'm happy with it. I'll push for a top set of 4 in the next session with some back off work to see what my ankles/knees/hips allow in terms of weight being shifted safely.

And that's it. Hopefully some bench press and deadlifting tomorrow before more squats on sunday...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom