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

[K.Diesel]

I went on a cruise from the 15th to the 20th! But, with travel days and work before and after, I didn't touch a barbell for 16 days. I did work out once on the cruise ship, but as you might imagine, there are no racks on there. This isn't exactly how most people would suggest approaching things when you're 7 weeks out from a powerlifting meet, but oh well. I finally got back in the gym yesterday, and figured that I should get a feel for where I am 40 days out from Maryland States.

Bodyweight notes: the morning we left (2/14), I weighed 214.8 lbs. The morning after we returned, I weighed 223.4 lbs. Yesterday, I was back down to 218.6.

Sun. 2/24/19
5:07 - 6:55 pm

1. Squat
135/6
185/4
235/3
285/2
335/1 - added mouth guard
385/1 - added wrist wraps
435/1 @6 - added belt
465/1 @7
485/1 @8
425/4 @8

2. Bench Press
95/8
155/6
205/4
235/2
255/1 @5
275/1 @7 - added mouth guard
295/1 @8.5 - added wrist wraps
305/1 @9 - started getting handoffs
270/4 @9

3. Deadlift
265/1 + 1 conventional (+ means step back from the bar and reset)
265/1 + 1 sumo
went all sumo from here
335/1 + 1
425/1 - added mouth guard
475/0 - added belt, but forgot to start using chalk. The bar didn't budge.
475/1 @6 - added chalk, went much better
505/1 @7
535/1 @8.5
Conventional w/Versa Gripps: 475/3 @9

Overall, this isn't where I'd like to be at this point, but it could be worse. I may have lost too much ground to have a legit shot at 655 kg in 6 weeks. I'll train as hard and smart as I can, and try to eat and sleep more. We'll see what happens.

[codger]

Not too shabby for 16 days of no lifting. If you don't want any of those numbers, I'll take them!

[K.Diesel]

Not too shabby for 16 days of no lifting. If you don't want any of those numbers, I'll take them!

I'm not saying that I'm ungrateful for where I am. It's just that when I entered this meet, I hoped/planned to be a bit beyond those numbers (like 2-3%) at this point.

As it stands, those numbers are looking even better now. I haven't been to the gym since Sunday, and have felt miserable while working through an illness. I crashed right after work last night, and went to the doctor today. She told me I have something viral and need to rest until at least Monday. Even if I go back to delivering mail on Monday, I'd probably wait until Wednesday to get back in the gym to make sure whatever it is has passed. I know I won't be able to hit those numbers next week. There's no way I'm going to make that total on April 6.

So, I'll probably do the meet anyway since I can't get a refund (unless this one gets snowed out too). Assuming I can get back on track, I need to find a meet around June/July to give myself another shot at the qualifying total. Otherwise, I'm probably going to need to rename this log.

[codger]

Hope you shake the viral thing soon, and that you hit those qualifying numbers. I'm hoping we can meet in Chicago if I can hit the master's 3 qualifying total at a meet at the end of April.

[K.Diesel]

Hope you shake the viral thing soon, and that you hit those qualifying numbers. I'm hoping we can meet in Chicago if I can hit the master's 3 qualifying total at a meet at the end of April.

Sounds like a plan to me, my friend! Overall, I'm feeling much better. The last thing I've been dealing with is a diminished appetite. I think I felt the effects of it tonight...

I got to the gym tonight with about an hour before they closed. A small woman came up to me after maybe my 3rd set and asked how long before I was done. I knew I had a ways to go, so I told her she could work in. She took me up on it. Her heaviest sets were with 65 lbs, so we had to move lots of plates between sets. But she squatted to legal depth, and she was a real trooper in loading and unloading the bar, so I wasn't mad at her.

Tue. 3/5/19
8:51 - 9:49 pm

Squat
135/6
185/4
235/3
285/3
woman started working in, moved rack down on peg, did 2 sets
335/3 - added mouth guard
385/2 - added wrist wraps
longer rest while the lady did her last 2 sets - did 10 dips and 10 pullups while waiting
425/2 @8 RPE - added belt. This was harder than I expected.
445/2 @9 - geez... this was a lot harder than I expected.
415/2 @7.5
415/2 @7 - best work set of the night
415/2 @7.5
415/2 @8.5

It's probably worth noting that after being out sick for several days, this was also my first day delivering mail since Wednesday. So, maybe I was tired. I know I haven't been eating as much as normal lately, and definitely not as much as I ate on the cruise, so that's probably a factor too. Whatever. I did what I could. Eat, sleep, and on to the next one. Hopefully I'll do a heavy bench on Thursday, then if all goes well, do a light(er) squat and bench before heavy deadlifting on Sunday.

[DavidCC]

I got to the gym tonight with about an hour before they closed. A small woman came up to me after maybe my 3rd set and asked how long before I was done. I knew I had a ways to go, so I told her she could work in. She took me up on it. Her heaviest sets were with 65 lbs, so we had to move lots of plates between sets. But she squatted to legal depth, and she was a real trooper in loading and unloading the bar, so I wasn't mad at her.

Every little bit of goodwill makes the world a slightly better place. Not everyone would have been so accommodating.

[codger]

Eat, sleep, and on to the next one.

Words to live by!

[K.Diesel]

Since I never shared it, here's the video from 2/24 of what I was hoping my openers would be at the meet on 4/6. If you follow this log, you may recall that these were my first lifts after a cruise, and 16 days since I had done any barbell training.



Fast forward to today, and I've decided to reset my focus, but not necessarily my goal.

I did manage to train on Thursday 3/7 (decent bench day), and then on Sunday 3/10 (bad comp lifts day on 4 hours of sleep). Then we bought a new (to us) van on Tuesday 3/12! But the actual process of buying the car, having to go back for more paperwork (lowered our payment, I'm not complaining) and other life stuff kept me out of the gym for another week. I haven't been eating as much as I should. I've been sleeping a bit more. Not as much as I really need, but at least it's going in the right direction.

Regardless, I can't change the reality that since February 8, I've only trained 6 times, plus one goof-around session on the cruise last month. That's just not going to yield the result I hoped for in April. So I'm looking ahead to a meet in Virginia about 4 months from now to make a better attempt at qualifying for Nationals in October. My first order of business is to address the elephant in the room: I compete in the 105 kg weight class... but I'm not exactly close to 105 kg. I'm not even 100 kg. So I need to gain some weight. Making everything bigger is my top priority over the next 2.5-3 months. I'll still do regular singles, doubles or triples on the competition lifts to keep tabs on where my top strength is. But most gym time is going to be for hypertrophy, especially after the meet in 3 weeks. I still want to get an accurate read on what I should open with. I'll pick 2nd and 3rd attempts on the fly at the meet.

I'm planning on a 3-day split, with a lower day (probably Sundays), an upper day (probably Mondays), and a full-body day (probably Thursdays). I knocked out the first two days at another YMCA in Hagerstown, Maryland. I was there for work Sunday-Tuesday, and fortunately, Y memberships allow you to travel to any of them in the country. I liked this gym better than any of the ones in the Baltimore area. Also worth noting that since breakfast and lunch were provided, and I was getting reimbursed for dinner, I didn't skimp on meals. I probably haven't eaten this well over 3 days without being on a cruise ship or at Disney World.

Sun. 3/17, Lower Body
6:05 - 6:53 pm, gym closed at 7:00

1. Squat
135/8
186/6
235/4
285/2
335/1 - added mouth guard
385/1 - added wrist wraps
435/1 @6.5 RPE - added belt
465/1 @8
465/1 @9
425/3 @8
425/3 @9

2. Standing Calf Raise - plate loaded, old school
empty sled/10 - not sure how much the sled is, but it isn't much
+90/15
+180/15

3. Glute Ham Raise - the fact that this gym had one already had me happy about the place
bodyweight/12 x 3 sets

Mon. 3/18, Upper Body
6:30 - 7:54 pm

1. Bench Press
135/8
185/5
225/3
250/1 + 1 - impromptu rest-pause, added mouth guard
275/1 @7 - added wrist wraps
295/1 @7.5 - started getting handoffs
305/1 @8
305/1 @9
285/2 @10
255/3 @9 - back to unracking it by myself
255/4 @9 - got a 2nd wind from somewhere
255/3 @9.5

I was able to work in with a guy who I took one glance at and new he was a powerlifter. Turns out he's a 25 year old freak that's competing in a USPA meet this weekend. He was in the gym to hit his openers. I handed off and spotted for him twice - the first time was his easy projected opener of 535. The 2nd was 545 with an exaggerated pause that flew up with no problem. Those are not typos, and yes, he was lifting raw. Unreal.

2. Pull-ups
BW/8 very wide
BW/10 wide
BW/10 medium neutral

3. Standing DB OHP
45's/10
55's/10
60's/8
50's/12

4. Pulldowns
175/10 neutral bar
175/8 ^ bar

These were some old school attachments, with different grip widths and angles than what I have access to. I just wanted to use them.

5. Seated Calf Raise - plate loaded
130/15
110/15

I know, this isn't an upper body exercise. But I didn't see this apparatus the day before, and wanted to use it.

6. Torso Rotation
90/15 left + 15 right

Once again, I liked this rotation machine better than the one at my normal gym. At my home gym, your lower body is stationary and you turn your upper body. On this one, it's the opposite. I think another Y in the Baltimore area has one similar to this, but I don't think I'd travel just for that. But if I'm there for another reason, I'll definitely use it.

[K.Diesel]

Peace everyone! I haven't updated the log in several weeks, and there have been a few contributing factors. I coached and lifted at USAPL Maryland States on April 6. In short, I went 9 for 9 but only totaled 600 kg (1322.8 lbs) . If you'd like to see how it went, along with commentary, here you go. Thank you for taking a few minutes to watch!



Considering the title of this thread, you might understand that I was a bit bummed going into and coming out of the meet. I had to come to grips with the reality that totaling 655 kg within the next 3-4 months in order to qualify for Raw Nationals 2019 isn't going to happen. (NOTE: Does anyone know if there's a way to rename your thread/log?) After taking some time to think it over though, I've made peace with where I am right now. I've decided to look at it from a different perspective:

• I'm a few weeks from my 43rd birthday.
• I've been in a prolonged stretch in which I was having trouble finding time and energy for the gym.
• I can still squat and deadlift over 500 lbs and bench over 300 on a bad day at the end of a work week, and after 4 hours of sleep. That's not exceptional in the world of powerlifting, but in general terms, that's not too bad.
• There's still potential for improvement, and I can still get to Nationals... just maybe not in 2019.

With that context, I'm searching for a way to get back on the road to Gainzville. For the first time in a long time, I don't have an immediate target in sight in terms of a competition. I don't even know if the next "thing" I do is going to be a powerlifting meet. It could be, but I'm also thinking about trying a strongman competition, and even a bodybuilding/physique show. I've been looking at the calendars for some different organizations, and have yet to decide what's next. So I've been tinkering with some ways to make my training a bit more generalized for a while, rather than specific to powerlifting while I decide what I'm doing next. Another major change has been my training location. After 11 years at the YMCA, I have switched to a gym that is closer to home (7-10 minutes door to door, depending on lights/traffic), reasonably equipped, less expensive, and most importantly is open 24 hours every day of the year. I'm hoping this will have a positive impact going forward.

Yesterday morning, I weighed 212.8 lbs. That's about a pound lighter than I was at the meet on 4/6. As for what gym sessions look like right now, here's tonight's session for an idea.

Mon. 4/29/19, 11:31 pm - 12:36 am

Alternated sets of exercises 1-3. This part took about 45 minutes.

1. Squat
6 reps each at 135, 225, 275, 325 @5, 325 @6, 325 @6.5.

I wore knee sleeves the whole time, and my mouth guard for the 325 sets. No belt or wrist wraps.

2. Kettlebell Swings
25 lbs x 15
35 lbs x 15
40 lbs x 12
45 lbs x 12, 12, 12

3. Decline Sit-ups (slight decline)
BW x 10
10 x 10
20 x 10
25 x 12, 12, 12

Used a plate for the 2nd set, and kettlebells for the sets after that.

I alternated sets of exercises 4 & 5. This took about 15 minutes.

4. DB Incline Press - about a 45 degree incline, neutral grip at bottom of the negative (like a fly), pronated at top of the press
45's x 12
55's x 12 @7, 12 @7.5

5. Chest Supported Row
90 x 6 overhand + 6 neutral
135 x 12 @8.5 overhand
135 x 12 @8 neutral

This apparatus is made such that I can actually stand on the floor and lean on the pad to do these rows, rather than be suspended off the floor. On the second 135 set, I staggered my feet with the left in front. This made a huge difference, in that it kept my chest from feeling like it was being crushed against the pad, which made breathing a lot easier. I don't think it took anything away from the effectiveness of the rows.

I alternated sets of exercises 6 & 7. This took about 5 minutes.

6. Leg Extension
120 x 12
120 x 15 - it burns!

7. Tricep/Dip Machine
150 x 20 x 2 sets - arms felt pumped after this.

I've been training basically every other day, so God willing, I'm back at it on Wednesday. If you made it this far, thanks for reading all of this.

[K.Diesel]

Looking back at my last post, I realize that I didn't explain my current training plan. So here's a synopsis:

* After such a poor showing at MD States, I decided to reset my working weights, and build my way back up.

* I plan to train every other day. If I feel especially tired or beaten up, I'll take an extra day of rest.

* For the time being, I'm doing full body sessions. Volume is relatively low on everything. Work sets are 3 x 6 on main barbell movements, and 2-3 x 12 on most assistance/supplemental/other movements. I have a plan in mind for when things get too heavy to get the reps in.

* I started with working weights on squat, bench and deadlift that are all 60-something percent of what I did at the meet last month. For the overhead press, I just knocked some weight off of some push presses I'd done a week or two ago. I plan to add 5-10 lbs per session to squat and deadlift, and 5 lbs or less (I have micro plates) per session to bench and overheads.

That's it, in a nutshell. Here's how it went last night.

Wed. 5/1/19, 10:46-11:51 pm

Alternated sets of exercises 1 & 2.

1. Overhead Press
bar/10
6 reps each at 80, 100, 120, 120, 120. All 3 work sets were @6 RPE.

2. Deadlift
6 reps each at 135, 225, 315, 365, 365, 365. Work sets were

Alternated sets of exercises 3 & 4.

3. KB Snatch
25/12 left + 12 right
35/12 left + 12 left x 2 sets

4. Pullups
BW/12 x 3 sets, different grip each set

5. Waiters Walks
120 x 3 rounds: 20, 38 & 35 seconds each round


Notes:
I'd never done those waiters' walks before. I'll be doing them again.

Next time I get around to this day, I'm going to separate the DL and OHP.