Meet Prep With Basic Barbell Training

[ReconquistaBarbell]

So, I want to go to a few powerlifting meets in 2021, lift some cool(er) numbers and maybe do something meaningful.

Best lifts for 1 rep as of now are:
Squat 440 (meet)
Bench 292 (meet) and 300 (gym)
Deadlift 485 (meet) and 507 (gym)

I'm 30 years old, 5'11", weighting 200-203, my heaviest and leanest ever at this bodyweight. My first meet will be in early march and I'll lift as a 198 in this one. Subsequent ones I'll lift as a 205 or 220.

There are ten weeks until the first meet, with the first five being more general, the next four more specific and the last one a taper.

First training session in, back from Christmas, light day. Bodyweight fasted was 201 lbs.

12/27
Squat
270x5x2

Press
160x5x3

Power Clean
155x3x5

Chin-up
3x8

[ReconquistaBarbell]

Training today went well. Bodyweight fasted was 200.6 lbs.

12/29
Squat
335x5x3

Bench Press
250x5x3

Deadlift
395x5

Barbell curl
45x10x3

Sit-up, hips at 90°
3x10

A note on weights, I use kg plates, so for the sake of brevity, conversion to lbs will be at the nearest 5 lb increment. I'll be more precise on PRs.

[ReconquistaBarbell]

Last training session of this God forsaken year. Kind of PRed on the press. I recently did 161x5x5, today did 163x5x3, never done that before.

Bodyweight fasted: 199.9

12/31
Squat
275x5x2

Press
163x5x3

Power Clean
170x3x5

Chin-up
3x10

[ReconquistaBarbell]

So, I intended to do one more heavy workout before changing to a Texas Method split on monday, but it is better to do volume day on saturday, therefore I just skipped one workout and changed the program two days earlier than planned.

Note to self: volume days are cruel.

Bodyweight fasted: 200.2

01/02
Squat
310x5x5

Bench Press
235x5x5

Deadlift
400x5

Barbell curl
50x10x3

[ReconquistaBarbell]

Light day, not much to see here. Went light on the ancillaries as well, no point in getting super sore.

Bodyweight fasted: 199.5

01/04
Front squat
220x5x3

Press
155x5x5

Chin-up
3x12, 11, 10

Back ext.
3x10

Sit-up, hips at 90°
20x10x3

[ReconquistaBarbell]

First intensity day. I'm doing the compressed version of TM for the press and bench, with a few singles about 5% heavier than the set of 5 on the squat and the bench.

Over the next 3-4 weeks the goal is to ramp up to a new 5RM, and then cycle reps for a peak and a taper on the last week.

Bodyweight fasted: 198,9

01/06
Squat
360x1x3
345x5

Press
170x1x5

Bench press
275x1x2
255x5

Close grip bench press
200x5x3

Power clean
175x3x5

[ReconquistaBarbell]

Week 3/10 - 01/09 - Volume day

Bodyweight fasted: 198.4 lbs

Squat
320x5x5

Bench press
240x5x5

Deadlift
410x5

Barbell curl
53x10x2

Second week of Texas Method, third out ten of the meet prep. Volume day was surprisingly easier than last week's.

[ReconquistaBarbell]

01/11 - Light day

Bodyweight fasted: 199.7 lbs

Front squat
240x5x3

Press
160x5x5

Chin-up
3x 13, 11, 10

Back ext.
20x10x3

Sit-up, hips 90°
20x15x3

[ReconquistaBarbell]

01/13 - Intensity day part 1:

Bodyweight fasted: 193.3 -> No idea where this came from. Either my scale is batshit crazy or I lost a lot of water for no reason that I know.

Squat
370x1x3
355x5

Bench press
275x1x3
260x4 + 1 -> spotter stole my fifth rep, I did one more as a rest-pause to compensate.

Power clean
180x3x5

Strength was ok despite the weird bodyweight.

[ReconquistaBarbell]

01/14 - Intensity day part 2

Bodyweight fasted: 199.3

Press
175x1x7

Close grip bench press
210x5x3

Weighted chin-up
20x5x3

Added a second chin-up day, this time weighted.