I originally started a thread in the regular training forum, but figured that, given how I train, I should probably post one here. The old thread was here. I've copied the original post (correcting some typos) below.
And yes, I realize that I'm just shy of Class I at 181, but I figure that if I compete, it'll be at 165 for now, and I'm close enough that going for Class I isn't a reasonable goal.
The following is my plan for the foreseeable future. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions people may have.
Current Status:
I've been measuring my progress through the strength standards listed here. My current maximums are:
Oly Squat: ~325 lbs
Military Press: 180 lbs
Clean: 120 kg (264 lbs)
I've been stuck at these weights for a little while now due to work/injuries/laziness/miscell aneous other excuses, but no more! I'd like to actually get somewhere with my lifts.
Goals:
I've gotten to know a couple pretty experienced powerlifters, so my goals have shifted accordingly (why not take advantage of their expertise while I have access to it?). Also, based on my numbers, most of my lifts are pretty proportional, and I believe I simply need to get stronger to increase any of the "other" lifts (overhead press, clean, oly squat, etc.). Of course, powerlifting is a lot about technique, but I'm sure that going from a 475lb deadlift to a 585lb deadlift has to lead to some increase in strength.
Set 2 (within a year or two)
Reach the "Elite" mark for the 181lb weight class (I'm currently 175) from the EXRX performance standards. These are:
Bench: 343 lbs
PL Squat: 479 lbs
Deadlift: 548 lbs
Military Press: 216 lbs
Clean: 310 lbs (roughly 140 kgs + collars)
Set 3 (set 2 + a few months)
Total Elite by RAW powerlifting standards (1396lb total), so the above + 26 lbs to any combination of the Bench, PL Squat, and Deadlift.
Plan:
I'll be following a program that's a mishmash of WS4SB (Westside for Skinny Bastards) and Wendler's 5/3/1 program. I've never done a program with periodization before, so figure the 5/3/1 program, with its short cycles, will suit my impatience.
Notation is Sets x Reps @ Weight (as a % of max or flat weight). For the big lifts, I will be increasing the weights following the 5/3/1 program. For the other lifts, whenever I reach full sets x reps (at the higher rep range), I will try to increase the weight slightly.
Light Upper
Speed Bench: 5x2@50%
Close Grip Bench: 3x8-12
Weighted Pullup: 4x8-12
Military Press: 3x8-12
Some elbow flexor work
An ab circuit
Light Lower
WS4SB has this day listed as an off day or technique day. Since I don't play a sport, I'll use this as an Olympic Lifting day.
(Power) Snatch: 5x1
(Power) Clean: 5x1
Jerk: 5x1
Speed Squat: 8x2@50%
Front Squat: 2x8-12
Oly Squat: 2x8-12
Heavy Upper
Bench Press: 5@85%, 3@90%, 1@95%, 6@70% for weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 3x8-12
Cable Row: 4x12-15
Face Pull: 2x15
Rear Delt Fly: 2x10
Heavy Lower
PL Squat: 5@85%, 3@90%, 1@95%, 6@70% for weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Deadlift: 5@85%, 3@90%, 1@95%, 6@70% for weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4.
1-Legged Squat: 3x8
Ab Wheel: At least 15 reps using whatever set/rep scheme I need (currently 4x4).
My current schedule is as follows:
Sunday: Heavy Lower
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Light Upper
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Light Lower
Friday: Off
Saturday: Heavy Upper
Last week was my off week (I've been training heavy, injuries permitting, since the start of January), but am looking forward to getting back into it. My first day is tomorrow.
A friend of mine also just told me about a USAPL meet in Boston in June, and I'm considering competing. If I do go, I just hope I don't get squashed by the competition.
Also, because apparently USAPL rules are very strict about pausing during the bench, all reps of the bench sets were done with longish pauses (0.5 to 1 second). I was surprised at how much harder a paused bench is than one where I can take advantage of the stretch reflex, but I still managed to get my target weight.
Sounds like you have a plan. Looking forward to reading your log.
I highly suggest you train and goto that meet in june, the usapl is strict, but I guarantee you that you will be glad you went.
For the bench, if you are finding that the pause is taking alot out of your press, it may be a set-up issue. If you are getting good leg drive the pause ive found to be not much of a problem. Make sure you are driving through your heals and you are set-up on your traps. The strength reflex you can train to still work after a second.
Thanks for the suggestion about the bench. I definitely need to work on my form for all lifts. I'm still working on my arch for the bench as well.
Heavy Lower
All weights in pounds unless otherwise specified.
PL Squat: 5@135, 5@185, 5@225, 5@275, 5@295, 5@305, 5@310
Deadlift: 5@135, 5@225, 5@315, 5@365, 5@385, 5@395, 5@405
Pistols: 3x8@5
Ab Wheel/Barbell Rollouts: 4x4@35
I felt weak on the squats, but still managed to hit my 85% of 365 for 5 reps. I was hoping to go for 5 reps at 315 because 3 plates is cool, and almost 3 plates is not, but I was pretty certain that I wouldn't have been able to make it. Deadlifts were good, as usual, but the deadlift is my strongest lift, so no surprise there.
Light Upper
Speech Bench: 5x2@135
Close-Grip Bench: 8, 8, 4 @ 215
Pullup: 4x8@50
Military Press: 8, 8, 4 @ 140
EZ Bar Reverse Curl: 2x12@45
Power Snatch: 5x1@70kg
Not a great workout. For the lifts that mattered, I only managed to match or beat my previous max in the pullup, and I think I cheated by hyperextending my neck for the last few reps. To be honest, though, this is closer to what I expected. Last week was probably a positive outlier because of the rest I had gotten from the week before.
I switched power snatches to today because (1) I was way too tired after power snatches and power cleans last Thursday and (2) my abs are still really sore from Sunday. I'll do the ab circuit on Thursday and keep it up for a few weeks to see how it goes. The snatches weren't great today either, especially at the end of the workout, so I may drop them from Tuesdays altogether and just alternate power snatches/power cleans and jerks on Thursdays.
Light Lower
Box Squat: 4x2@225, 4x2@185
Power Clean: 5x1@100kg
Front Squat: 7, 6 @ 245
Oly Squat: 2x8 @ 245
Ab Circuit (Situps, Leg Raises, Woodchoppers)
I'm trying to use box squats to train me to explode out of the bottom of the squat. I still don't quite get the hang of it. 225 was a bit heavy to be exploding, so I lowered it to 185, which was relatively light, but it still didn't feel "explodey" to me.
I only did power cleans today because I got yelled at for dropping jerks. Apparently, when I drop a weight form overhead, it shakes the whole floor, and people complain. Dropping from the shoulder still shakes the floor, but not enough to get yelled at...
Front squats and back squats were better today. I still didn't hit full reps, which I have done before, but I also had something disagreeable for lunch today, so I have yet another excuse. I'm sure I'll hit it next week...
Heavy Upper
Bench Press: 3@135, 3@185, 3@225, 3@235, 5@240
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: 3x8@95
Cable Row: 12, 12, 10, 10 @ 170
Face Pull: 2x15@70
Rear Delt Fly: 2x12@80
I'm technically supposed to only do 3 reps at 90% of my max, but I felt like I could do more, so I did. I'm pretty sure my bench max is going to be higher than 265 next week, but I'll wait till then to see. I definitely felt more of a heel drive this time around, though I'm still working on my arch.
Nothing much to report on my other lifts except that I cheated a little on some of the cable rows.
The odd deadlift weights are because I used 20kg bumper plates for my first two plates. The bumper plates at my gym have a 2mm larger radius or so, which makes it a little easier to load plates.
Squats were slightly better than last week. I was a little worried about hitting proper depth, but my buddies insisted that I was fine.
Light Upper
Speed Bench: 5x2@135
Close-Grip Bench: 8, 8, 4 @ 215
Pullup: 4x12@0
Military Press: 8, 8, 7 @ 140
EZ Bar Preacher Curl: 2x8@75
My spotter for the first set of close-grip benches let go of the bar right after he pulled it up, so I struggled for a few seconds to get the bar forward into position. This tired me out a bit and was probably not great for my shoulders, which probably affected the rest of the presses in my workout. To be fair, I didn't give him very good instructions. I also actually did 5 or 6 reps for my last set of close-grip benches, but the spotter I had (different guy) started touching the bar inappropriately, so I'll only give myself an honest 4.
The dip belt at my gym was also broken today, so I just did regular pullups. I have a dip belt at home which I'll use from now on because it takes them forever to fix broken equipment.
My bicep strength also sucks. For some reason, preacher curls have always been tough for me.
Plus, no snatches from here on out. My form for snatches is pretty terrible, and I figure that I'll wait until I can get a proper coach. I'll still use power cleans on light (DE/RE) leg days since I have much better form in that lift.
Final note: I've been squatting in some crappy old running (I think) shoes. I finally got around to ordering the VS Dynamo shoes, but when they arrived yesterday, they were small enough to pinch my feet painfully. Nuts. I've returned the old shoes and asked them to send me a new pair, but I'll probably have to wait until next Monday to get them.
Light Lower
Speed Squat: 8x2@185
(Power) Clean: 1, 1, 1, Miss, 1, 1 @ 100kg
Front Squat: 2x7@245
Back Squat: 2x4@245
No ab work
I think I injured myself again. A few months ago, I injured my lower back in some way. It hasn't bothered me for about a month. However, I felt something funny in my lower back while doing front squats. Imagine putting some tape over a relaxed muscle, say your biceps, then flexing. That tearing/popping feeling is the feeling I got in the left side of my lower back, but much deeper in my body. This time, it was not centered as it was last time. The pain is a little further to the left.
I actually managed to finish the squat portion of today's workout. I only managed half of the normal number of squats because I started getting a pretty intense headache about half way through my second set of front squats.
Surprisingly, it didn't really hurt much to do squats. However, I couldn't do any situps because it would hurt once I tried to raise myself to a sitting position.
Hopefully I'll still be able to do my heavy lower body work on Sunday as I'm eager to find out my max squat and deadlift, but I may have to sit this one out.
Today is also the first time in about half a year that I've missed a 100kg clean. Terrible.
So I did go lifting on Saturday, but my computer died so I was unable to post until I got into work today. On Sunday, I did some mobility drills and some unloaded exercises (pistols, overhead squats with a broomstic, etc.) because of my lower back. It already feels much better.
Finally, 2.5 plates on the bench. I swear I'll stop messing around with the 5/3/1 and stick to the original plan (max reps at 95%). Next week, I'll assume a 275 max and base all of my weights on that. 275 went up very easily, so I was surprised that 285 basically stapled me to the bench.
I couldn't do my normal cable rows because of my back, so I tried using one of the machines at my gym which is a chest-supported rowing machine, but not a proper T-Bar row. I was fiddling with what weight to use, but finally settled on 90, though it felt like much more.
Finally, 2.5 plates on the bench. I swear I'll stop messing around with the 5/3/1 and stick to the original plan (max reps at 95%). Next week, I'll assume a 275 max and base all of my weights on that. 275 went up very easily, so I was surprised that 285 basically stapled me to the bench.
Since you're training to compete, I wouldn't use 5/3/1. Wendler wrote that out of him trying to go from elite powerlifter to just maintaining a decent strength base. Most of us on the forum that are doing this are only competing with our own PRs.
By the way, some pretty good numbers to build on. Look forward to following your progress.
Interesting. I mainly picked 5/3/1 (though I'm not really doing 5/3/1, not by the book, anyway) because it seemed like a simple periodization scheme which would be easy follow, especially since I've never done any sort of periodization before. I'll definitely keep your suggestion in mind, though. Do you have any suggestions for a better program?
And thanks for the support! I just hope I get over this lower-back injury soon so I can get back into some real lifting.
Looks like it'll be upper body day today (deload week), so I'll be able to complete it as written. I'll be doing half my usual number of reps. Thursday will be a very like lower-body day. I finally got my shoes too. They're a wee bit big, but I'd rather have that then have them be too small. Now I wish I were healthy enough to use them!
Check out what Frank S. and Northernwisco are doing. Also, Louie Simmons has a good ebook on the Westside methods. But, I do agree with you on the 5/3/1 periodization scheme being a good one and the program as a whole being solid.
damn i had a really long post and hit back and lost it ahhhh
5/3/1 can still work for competitive lifters, just need to make sure you start the program far enough out. Westside can work for anyone providing you actually know what your weaknesses are. People that say that it doesn't work, or that its mainly for geared lifters really have no clue as each persons program is completely different then the next (ie a raw lifter wouldn't do much board work, %'s on the squat would be higher with less tension too).
I think whatever you pick, just stick to it and you will be fine. No reason why you can't bring your bench up to 300+ while your back recovers.
For me ive always found a little different approach works best depending on the lift. For squat I like accomodating resistance and full range stuff. For bench I like heavy accomodating resistance and partials and for deads I like straight weight from the floor. In 6 months this could all change though haha.
Thanks all for the insights. I think the meet in June will mainly be to go see what competition is like and meet other powerlifters. I'm not anticipating breaking any of my records, especially since I won't be able to seriously train my lower body for the next month.
Oy, I've been bad about posting updates. Not having a computer and a regular-feeling schedule kind of messes me up.
This was on April 14, 2009
Light Upper
Speed Bench: 3x2@135
Close Grip Bench: 3x4@215
Pullup: 4x4@50
Military Press: 3x4@140
EZ Bar Preacher Curl: 2x4@75
Half reps because this is supposed to be a deload week. The back felt slightly better. I was able to do military presses mostly without pain.
Heavy Upper
Bench: 6 @ 135, 165, 175, 185
Flat Dumbbell Bench: 3x4@100
Cable Row: 4x6@170
Face Pull: 2x10@70
Rear Delt Fly: 2x8@80
The lower back is much improved, but it's at that dangerous stage where it doesn't hurt at all under normal circumstances, but is still injured. This is when I usually reinjure myself by jumping in too early.
Otherwise, nothing exceptional, since this is a deload week, so I'm not pushing myself.
Deload lower body workout, so it wasn't supposed to be heavy anyway. I avoided any exercises that would have put stress on my lower back. I have to figure out what else to do on lower body days for the next few weeks while my back recuperates.
I have tried those before while fiddling around with some new exercises, but I could never seem to do them quite right. Whenever I squatted down, the dip belt dug into my hip flexor hard, which really hurt. I was using a Grizzly-brand belt, though, which is made out of pretty stiff leather (at least, I think it's leather). I'll give them another shot with a softer belt.
Light Upper
Speed Bench: 3x2@145
Speed Bench with Bands (the red ones...supposedly 70-90lbs): many at various weights
Close-Grip Bench: 8, 6, 6 @ 215
Pullup: 4x8@50
Military Press: 8, 8, 5 @ 140
EZ Bar Preacher Curl: 2x8@75
I borrowed bands from a buddy who was at the gym today and tried some speed benches with bands. I think it could be pretty useful, but we don't reliably show up at the same time often enough (he's a postdoc, I work full time) for me to use them regularly. Still, a very interesting tool.
866>884? Who knows. The rest of the upper body work didn't feel too bad. I finally hit full reps on pullups, but I think I'll stay at this weight while working on some of my other lifts. Besides, it's not really my focus for the forseeable future.
Light Lower
Overhead Squats: 3x10@60kg
Oly Back Squats: 3x10@135
Good Mornings: 3x10@95
Deadlifts: 3x10@60kg
Pistols: 3x8@5
Woodchoppers: 3x10@50
Ab pulldown thingy on the cable machine: 3x10@190
My back feels much better. Today was primarily just a light circuit day with weights that I could easily handle for high reps. I don't want to atrophy too much, plus I heard that it's generally good to use light weight and get blood flowing to the proper muscles on the path to recovery.
I managed to get seven reps at 235, but I didn't pause (or, at least, didn't pause for very long), so the true number is probably a wee bit lower. Like last month, I was a bit gassed after the sets of 5. I thought that was simply an exceptional case, but I guess the 5-rep weeks are just tough for me.
Heavy Lower (5-rep week)
Still recuperating.
Back Squat: 5@135, 5@185, 5x5@225
Deadlift: 5@135, 5@185, 5@225, 5x5@275
Pistols: 3x8@5
Barbell Rollouts: 4, 4, 2, 2
My back feels much better, though oddly enough, it only hurts (just a little twingy pain) when I squat. Deadlifts were perfectly ok. I'll start ramping up the weights on my heavy days and start hitting the heavy weights again the next training cycle.
I should mention that I did try doing some hip-belt squats, but (1) the benches at my gym are a little too cushiony and (2) I could only load about 3 plates on before the plates got uncomfortably, uh, close. The dip belt at my gym doesn't have a very long chain. On the bright side, not going past parallel and the soft leather helped save my hip flexors from some pounding. At that point, I figure that I could either do 135lb hip belt squats or 135lb regular squats, and my back felt ok.
And I didn't realize that I started the 4/23 and 4/26 logs with the exact same words. I should read more to get a little more variety into my writing =/.
Light Upper
Speed Bench with bands (red): 3x2@95, 5x2@115
Close Grip Bench: 8, 8, 5 @ 215
Pullup: 4x8@50
Military Press: 3x8@140
EZ Bar Preacher Curl: 2x8@80
My speed benches are not very speedy, though it may just be because I'm using too much weight. The red bands are, supposedly, 90lbs combined (depending on stretch and tension, of course), and I find that the speed off my chest decreases drastically from 95 to 115. It is a tad bit embarrassing to not be able to use a full plate =(.
Otherwise, I was able to get full reps on everything but close-grip benching. When doing close-grip, I find that I start to twist to the right for the last few reps. I guess that means that my left side is weaker? I'll need to pay more attention to my form in the future.
Light Lower
Overhead Squat: 3x10@60kg
Back Squat: 3x10@155
Non-hyperextensive hyperextensions: 3x12
Pistols: 3x8@5
Ab pulldown: 3x10@190
Woodchoppers: 10@70, 10@60, 10@50
Last week, my rear delts were really sore during my heavy upper body day. Now I knkow why: overhead squats. I think I may keep doing them as part of my light lower body days just to stay in practice! I'll probably replace front squats, since that's how I keep getting injured. It's impossible to do overhead squats with bad form.
I think the woodchoppers isolate whatever muscle it is that I pulled. I could distinctly feel the twinge when doing woodchoppers from right to left, but it felt perfectly fine from left to right. Still, the pain wasn't large enough for me to complain about. I'll still take it light for a couple more weeks before jumping into heavy lifts again.
I'm also really liking the ab pulldown things. Unfortunately, I'm already using the whole stack on this particular machine, but one of the others may have more (maybe the lat pulldown?).
This was the first week that I used real weightlifting shoes (VS Dynamos). It didn't seem to make a difference, but once I hit a reasonable weight (225 or so), the difference was huge. I felt much more stable, and was able to push off of the ground more easily.
My lower back is mostly healed, I think. I'm still going to take it easy until my next cycle.
I'm not sure if I hit proper depth on the back squats. The shoes change things a bit because of the slight heel, so my knees are going forward a bit more than they should. I'll need to do some more practice to get proper form for a raw powerlifting-style squat.
Three pounds on the pistols is actually an improvement for me, since I'm mainly using teh weight as a counterbalance. I've also found a new way to hold the weight which makes it a little easier to balance. Previously, I had been using both hands to hold the weight in front of me, but I find that it's easier to balance if I use the same hand that I'm standing on (i.e. pistols on the left leg, use the left hand to hold the weight outstretched). There's a little less flailing about the keep my balance that way.
Light Upper
Speed Bench with bands (reds, 70-90lbs): 8x2@95
Close-grip bench: 7, 8, 6 @ 215
Pullup: 10, 8, 8, 8 @ 50
Military Press: 8, 7, 7 @ 145
EZ Bar Preacher Curl: 2x8@80
I'm getting the hang of bands right now. I'm still working on getting my shoulders in the right position so I can use all of my muscles in the final push. Apparently, my shoulders are not pulled into the bench enough. I should also read some beginner's articles on benching.
The close-grip bench reps are accurately recorded. My spotter touched the bar a bit on the last rep of the first set, where I was struggling a bit, so I didn't count it.
Also, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this, but the new shoes help with military presses as well. I suppose any movement that is done standing will benefit from a more stable base.
Light Lower (Done May 7, 2009)
Overhead Squat: 3x10@60kg
Oly Squat: 3x10@185
Back Extensions: 3x12@0
Pistols: 3x8@3
Ab Cable Pulldown: 3x10@190
Woodchoppers: 3x10@70
Nothing much to report. I think I'll start throwing overhead squats into my light days, perhaps in place of front squats (or maybe substitute one set of front squats and back squats or something). I haven't done regularly in a while, and after doing them for the past few weeks, I remember why they're considered such a good exercise!
Going for Master, then Elite
Linear Mode
