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Thread: 52 Weeks To My 1st USAPL Raw Nationals as a Masters 1 (age 40-49) Lifter

  1. #21
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    Oct 2008
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    Default 500 lbs squat video

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    This is from Tuesday, December 4, in which I worked up to a 500 lbs single with 2 backoff sets (see last log entry). Since I knew I only had enough time for one lift, I thought I would record it all and show what a typical heavy session looks like for me. Feedback is welcomed. Thanks for watching!


  2. #22
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    Default The Trend Continues

    For the third time in the week, I only did one lift* on a trip to the gym. On Sunday, it was a case of time and energy. I didn't have the time, and just didn't feel like I had the gas to do much more than deadlift. So that's what I did. Hopefully, we can get more done this week, but I haven't been to the gym yet.

    * - I did 2 sets on the ab machine. Not sure if that counts as a lift.

    My body weight was up to 217.4 lbs on Sunday morning, 5 weeks before my first meet of 2019.

    Sun. 12/9/18
    5:55 - 6:55 pm

    1. Deadlift
    155/4 - done in Oly shoes
    155/4 - switched to slippers
    265/4
    355/1 + 1 + 1 + 1 - probably 10-20 seconds between each pull
    425/1 + 1 - added Versa Gripps here
    465/1 @7.5 - added mouth guard
    505/1 @7 - added belt
    535/1 @8.5
    535/1 @9
    495/1 x 6 - finished these in 12:30. I was tired, and that's not nearly the pace that I normally keep. Looks like my call to stick with one lift* was a good idea.

    2. Ab Machine
    120/15
    150/15

  3. #23
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    Default Mixed Feelings

    My first session of the week was another as-basic-as-basic-gets session.

    Thu. 12/13/18
    8:02 - 9:00 pm

    1. Squat
    135/5
    225/4
    315/3
    385/2 - Added the mouth guard here, but my right wrist hurt a little after this one. I shook it off, and called myself stupid for not having used wrist wraps.
    425/1 @6 - Added wrist wraps. Wrist felt fine.
    455/1 @5.5 - Added belt.
    485/1 @8
    505/1 x 2 - both @9
    475/1 @9 - harder than expected
    455/2 @9

    2. Ab Machine
    120/15 x 4

    I'm happy with the sets at 505 lbs, but was disappointed with the backoffs. Last week, I was able to follow a 500 lbs single with 475/2 and 445/5. Today, I felt like I was worn out a bit after the 505 singles. I only got 4.5 hours of sleep last night, and have been running on a sleep deficit for quite some time. I don't know if it was just that, or some other factors, but all in all I'm okay with how it went.

    I'm exactly one month away from the meet as of today.

  4. #24
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    Default That's More Like It

    I managed to get a pretty full session in after work on Friday night, 30 days before my upcoming meet on January 13. It's the first time in almost 2 weeks that I was able to get in more than one lift in a session. That's more like normal.

    Fri. 12/14/18
    8:32 - 9:56 pm

    1. Bench Press
    95/6
    145/5
    185/4
    235/2
    255/1 @5 - added mouth guard
    275/1 @6 - added wrist wraps
    295/1 @7.5
    305/1 @8 - started getting handoffs
    315/1 @9.5
    * At this point, I started alternating sets with pulldowns & rows, but will list them after BP. Also, I didn't get any more handoffs. Mouthguard in for everything. *
    285/2 @9 - I could tell my feet/back/elbows were out of position after the first rep. Adjusted between reps, but only got 2.
    285/3 x 2 sets, both @9
    265/5 x 2 sets, both @9

    2. Pulldowns - overhand, not-too-wide grip
    120/12
    150/8
    195/10 @8.5 - added Versa Gripps
    210/8 @8.5

    3. Seated Cable Row - same bar used for pulldowns
    210/10 @9
    210/8 @9 - fatigue setting in

    4. Torso Rotation
    120/15 R + 15L - these were harder than expected, so I guess I was tired

  5. #25
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    Default

    Good work!

  6. #26
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    Default A Nice Stretch, a Curveball, and Maybe a Huge Discovery

    Quote Originally Posted by DavidCC View Post
    Good work!
    Thank you!

    I've trained 4 times since my last post, and I've worked a lot of hours delivering mail and packages. Hopefully the latter will start to slow down within the next week, and I'll be able to eat, train and sleep my way into the meet on 1/13. Speaking of which, here's a brief discussion of the curveball I was thrown by USAPL with their new qualifying totals for national meets. The short version is that the number I knew I could coast to on a bad day is gone, and now I need a 10 kg PR total to qualify. I don't know if I'll be able to pull that off in 2 weeks. We'll see.




    Tue. 12/18/18
    8:43-10:00 pm

    1. Sumo DL - on a whim, I decided to try sumo pulling for the first time in 2 years
    155/3, 3 - did these in my weightlifting shoes
    155/3 - switched to slippers
    265/3
    355/3 - added mouth guard
    425/3 - added Versa Gripps
    475/1 @5 - added belt
    505/1 @6
    535/1 @7
    555/1 @8

    495/1 + 1 + 1 - cluster set
    495/3 @8
    495/4 @8.5

    The discovery is that my sumo deadlift might have somehow gotten much better... by completely abandoning it for conventional deadlifts. The 555 lbs is the heaviest deadlift I've pulled in the gym in forever, and maybe even the heaviest I've ever done (gym PR?). Honestly, I don't know. My meet PR is 578.7 lbs (262.5 kg), which I pulled sumo at <205 lbs 3-4 years ago. After that meet, my deadlift started declining for reasons I've never been able to identify. Once my DL dropped by 15 kg, I got desperate, so I switched back to conventional, and it started improving. I'm not desperate now, and I'm excited by this development. If things go well again on Sunday, I'm rolling with this at the meet.

    2. Ab Machine
    100/15
    125/15
    140/15

    Wed. 12/19/18
    8:33 - 9:53 pm

    1. Bench Press
    95/6
    155/5
    205/4
    235/3 - added mouth guard
    260/3 - added wrist wraps
    280/3 @8
    280/2 @9
    280/2 @9
    280/3 @9.5 - did 2 sets of chins before this set, so I guess the extra rest helped
    265/5 @9.5

    2. Pull-ups
    Assisted - full stack/12 wide overhand
    Assisted - half stack/10 wide overhand
    BW/10 x 4 sets - grips were wide overhand, medium overhand, medium underhand, and medium neutral

    3a. DB Incline Press - alternated with 3b
    85's/10 @8.5
    75's/11 @10 - tank must have hit E

    3b. Face Pulls
    40/1 (too heavy) + 25/5 (too light) + 32.5/15
    32.5/20

    Sun. 12/23/18 - a problem with my right shoulder has resurfaced, and a new problem with my right elbow has developed. It feels unstable.
    5:28 - 6:53 pm

    1. Squat - used my rarely used competition SBD knee sleeves. They're the same size as my normal training sleeves, just tighter from having less wear and tear.
    135/3, 3
    225/2, 2
    315/2
    375/1 - added mouth guard
    415/1 @5 - added wrist wraps
    445/1 @5.5 - added belt
    470/1 @7
    495/1 @8 - wasn't sure that I hit depth on this, even after watching it, so I repeated it
    495/1 @8.5 - good lift
    515/1 @9 - maybe even @9.5... I folded/pitched forward a bit in the hardest part of the lift.
    455/3 @8
    455/5 @8

    2. Bench Press
    95/6
    145/5
    195/3 - right elbow felt shaky
    225/3 - added light elbow sleeve
    245/3 - added mouth guard
    265/3 @8 - added wrist wraps
    265/3 @10 - something is clearly wrong with that arm

    Wed. 12/26/18
    8:55 -9:55 pm

    1. Bench Press
    95/5
    145/5
    185/4
    215/3
    240/2
    260/1 @5
    275/1 @5.5 - added wrist wraps
    290/1 @7
    305/1 @8
    315/1 @9 - used Titan Ram here. I could tell it was out of position after I unracked it, and shifting things around while holding the bar probably cost me a rep or two.
    265/5 @9.5
    265/5 @10 - touch & go set

    2. Seated Row - used triangle handle
    120/11
    180/13 @9
    210/8 @9

    3. Ab Machine
    100/15
    125/15
    Last edited by K.Diesel; 12-29-2018 at 01:08 AM.

  7. #27
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    Default Injuries and Openers

    I've been pretty bummed over the last week. While my right shoulder has been feeling a little better since my last post, I'm now pretty sure that I have tendonitis in both elbows. I've also developed pains in my right hip, lower back and leg that google tells me could be related to the sciatic nerve or piriformis. So, a variety of activities are hurting to varying degrees these days. Things like delivering mail, opening doors, picking up children, sitting on a sofa, and training for powerlifting are all somewhere between uncomfortable and painful. I've also noticed that my achieving depth in the squat as the weight gets heavier is troublesome. I think that whatever is going on with my hip/back is involved. It feels like I'm in the hole, but when I look at video, I'm borderline. Not exactly something I'm used to, and it's definitely not something I hoped to be facing in the final weeks before a meet.

    Anyway, last Sunday was such a debacle that I decided to rest from lifting for a full week. The set by set stats are not even worth recounting. Here's how today's session went. My goal was to see how close I am to the openers I had in mind a month ago.

    Sun. 1/6/19
    5:30 - 7:00 pm

    1. Squat - wearing elbow sleeves from set 1
    135/5
    225/2 - I planned on doing 4, but the right hip started feeling warm after the 135. I figured I better save whatever reps I had in the tank.
    315/1, 1
    365/1 - added mouth guard, depth looked fine
    415/1 @5.5 - added wrist wraps
    450/1 @5.5 - added belt, moved as fast as the 415
    475/1 @7 - looked good
    495/1 @8 - depth was borderline to me
    535 - walked it out, held it in start position for 20 seconds, racked it

    2. Bench Press
    95/7
    155/5
    205/3
    245/2 @5 - added mouth guard
    270/1 @5
    290/1 @7.5 - added wrist wraps
    305/1 @8.5 - this might have been @8 with a handoff
    335 - got a handoff, held it in start position for 20 seconds, racked it. I did this before my last deadlift because I didn't have a reliable spotter until then.

    3. Deadlift

    Conventional, in shoes:
    265/1, 1
    355/1
    445/1 - added mouth guard

    Sumo, in slippers:
    495/0.75 - My grip gave out. I wasn't using chalk or Versa Gripps. Brilliant, I know.
    495/1 @7
    535/1 @8

    Conclusions: I weighed 215.8 lbs when I woke up today. Overall, I'm much happier with this session than I was with last Sunday's. Considering that I got these lifts done in 90 minutes, and I've never completed a 3 lift meet in 90 minutes, having a lot more time between attempts - even lifts heavier than these - should allow these numbers to hold.

    However, I'll be warming up in the 8:00 hour next Sunday morning, which is much earlier than I'm used to lifting, and I'll have to wake up around 5:00 am in order to get to the meet on time. So with all of that in mind, I'm thinking of opening with:

    SQ - 222.5 kg (490 lbs), and might drop to 220 kg
    BP - 137.5 kg (303 lbs)
    DL - 242.5 kg (534 lbs), and depending on how I feel after my 3rd BP, I might drop it as low as 237.5 kg

    I plan on training Wednesday or Thursday. The heaviest I'll go is 70% on SQ, 75% on BP, and if I DL at all, maybe 60%. I usually won't DL that close to a meet, but since I've done it so infrequently lately, I might do some. No matter if I hit the QT or not - and I'm not optimistic - I think I'm going to change my training focus for a month or so after this meet. More details on that later.

    If you made it to this point, thanks for reading all of this.

  8. #28
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    Jul 2017
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    Delaware
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    Default

    Hey man,

    Nice lifts! Good luck at your meet this weekend and hopefully you put up that total. I was also a little blindsided by the increased totals needed for Nationals, hopefully it just leads to a bigger PR for you.

  9. #29
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    Default Possible Openers w/video

    Quote Originally Posted by Kyle Martin View Post
    Hey man,

    Nice lifts! Good luck at your meet this weekend and hopefully you put up that total. I was also a little blindsided by the increased totals needed for Nationals, hopefully it just leads to a bigger PR for you.
    Thank you! That's my hope too - that being forced to get better just to make it to Nationals yields big results. Honestly, I think that 655 total is out of my reach on Sunday. But I'm fine with that. I'm going to do my best, and I've already entered our state championships on April.

    In my last post, I detailed my possible openers for the meet. Here's video of those lifts and some of the preceding sets. Thanks for watching!


  10. #30
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
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    114

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    I've enjoyed following along with your meet prep. Best of luck at the competition.

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