Chris T's journey to powerlifting

[jswain34]

Woooh! 2 comp lift prs in the same training session. That has to feel good man, nice work.

 

[christ83189]

Feels awesome! Thanks man. I just felt like they were there so went for it. Its kinda funny my knee was kinda bugging me a little bit before hitting the gym but it didnt give me any trouble while lifting.

 

[BeastFitness]

Congratz on the PRs man!

 

[christ83189]

Congratz on the PRs man!

Thanks alex!

 

[MrKleen73]

Congrats on those PR's hitting some nice numbers!

 

[herderdude]

That table, do i just apply that to the big 3?

Yeah, the big 3, or OHP or whatever your main movement is for the day if it's closely related to the big 3. It was actually developed based on the Olympic lifts, but Louie Simmons and others have used it successfully in powerlifting.

The one thing that I'll do different from the chart is that in the 60-70% range, I'll usually do 28-40 reps for upper body. For hypertrophy in an off season phase I'd edge just a little above the chart, but only in the 60-70% range.

 

[christ83189]

Ok well i got some research to do and rethinking my plan. Ill see if i can get a plan based on that dialed in to start next week. Thanks man.

 

[herderdude]

Ok well i got some research to do and rethinking my plan. Ill see if i can get a plan based on that dialed in to start next week. Thanks man.

Anytime, brother. Easiest is to pick a proven program and run it. After about a year of having the thinking taken care of for you, you'll be able to naturally fall into programming for yourself. Knowing you like submaximal volume, I'd recommend Juggernaut or Cube Kingpin.

 

[jimbuick]

Anytime, brother. Easiest is to pick a proven program and run it. After about a year of having the thinking taken care of for you, you'll be able to naturally fall into programming for yourself. Knowing you like submaximal volume, I'd recommend Juggernaut or Cube Kingpin.

All of this.


I ran Juggernaut and wasn't a big fan personally, but I don't care for submax work by itself.

Cube is always a good bet, as long as you can tolerate the deadlift volume.

 

[christ83189]

Mid-workout update. Delt veins are coming nicely. Thats exciting. Never had those before lol

 

[RegisterJr]

Look at you and your PRs. Nice work man.

 

[christ83189]

Shoulders today.

OHP

95X8
135X8
145X8
155X5
185X5 (Got 3 without any leg drive which is a PR)
Push press
225x3
245x nope felt way heavier than expected
225x3
185x5
Back to strict press
155x8
135x8

DB seated shoulder press

65x8
70x8
75x8
80x6 PR
75x8
70x8
65x8

DB lateral raises SS/ upright rows
25x8x3/100x8x3

Cable rear delt fly SS/ chins
22.5x8x3/ BWx6x3 (yikes need to work on these more)

BB landmines SS/ weighted dips
70x10x3/ BW+45x10x3

 

[MrKleen73]

Nice work keep at it Chris!

 

[christ83189]

So i took herderdude 's advice and got me a layout for cube kingpin and started it today. Like it so far. Higher reps than im used to for the first weeks bench workout and it thrashed me.

Comp bench
135x10
185x8
225x8
225x7
225x8 (aim was 3 sets 8-12 reps)

CGBP
240X6
235X6
225X6 (Aim was 3x6)

Comp bench pause 1" off chest
210x7
205x7
195x9 (aim was 3x10)

Lat pulldowns
4x15
160
160
145
130

DB lateral raises
3x10@25

Pull ups 3x amrap
9,5,10

Like i said the higher reps thrashed me today... Feels good though

Thats it. Finishing up on the stairclimber now.

 

[christ83189]

Its not the leanest ive ever been but its the most satisfied ive ever been with my physique. The only time ive ever been leaner i was 183 pounds now im 225 and almost as lean as then.

 

[MrKleen73]

Looking Good Chris! Nice shoulders, and you have the appearance like you have a pretty thick back even though I can't see it.

 

[christ83189]

Yeah i think ill have my wife take pictures front side and back here in a few weeks. Im happy with how i look right now. Could go a little leaner. But my wife is pregnant and keeps coming home with junk food and i cant keep myself from eating everything in sight so its probably gonna be a while before i start cutting lol

 

[MrKleen73]

Yeah i think ill have my wife take pictures front side and back here in a few weeks. Im happy with how i look right now. Could go a little leaner. But my wife is pregnant and keeps coming home with junk food and i cant keep myself from eating everything in sight so its probably gonna be a while before i start cutting lol

If you can maintain your current BF you can probably add some size while she is doing that. If you don't have something specific to be at a certain weight I would just keep working on that strength and eating as good as possible but a little relaxed. It always helps the wife when she feels she isn't alone on everything so joining in every once in a while is a good thing IMHO.

 

[christ83189]

Thats what ive come up with lol I pretty much decided im bulking right now. Ive been taking dmz and was on rad140 osta and gw for the first month of dmz so ive been adding size for sure

 

[christ83189]

Ive gained probably 10 pounds and im leaner than when i started so i figure so far so good. Not to mention august of last year i was 183 lbs

 

[MrKleen73]

Thats what ive come up with lol I pretty much decided im bulking right now. Ive been taking dmz and was on rad140 osta and gw for the first month of dmz so ive been adding size for sure

Nice!!!! I loved RAD, that stuff treated me very nicely! DMZ is the bomb too! You should definitely be adding some size, and no wonder those PR's are dropping like flies!

 

[christ83189]

Yeah im definitely happy with where im at. Most of the gains actually came from just eating a ton and lifting heavy. My bench went from 245 1rm to 275 for 2 in 2 months all natty. This is my first cycle on anything like sarms or ph's.

 

[herderdude]

Damn man You are built. You learn how to squat and pull and you'll really be moving some weight.

 

[christ83189]

Damn man You are built. You learn how to squat and pull and you'll really be moving some weight.

Thanks man. Yeah im really trying to up my numbers on squat and deadlift. Although i just reached some big goals of mine (bench over 300, squat over 400, and deadlift over 500) im not even close to satisfied. Since joining this forum my 415 pound squat seems fairly paltry. And 515 pound deadlift is better but still seems alot smaller than it did before i hit it. My goals now are squat over 500 and deadlift over 600. And bench over 400. Some good goals to keep me busy for a while and as long as my numbers keep going up slowly but surely ill be able to stay excited about it. I still get excited about every rep PR and every 5 or 10 pounds i add to each lift.

 

[christ83189]

Getting excited and anxious waiting for stuff to come in the mail. Got an 11 pound bag of protein from myprotein.com along with a bag of bcaa's. Gonna be logging 24 hour pump (or monopump, not quite sure) from nutraceutical innovations so i got that on the way too. Got some samples of rise and swell from mind and muscle coming and just won a tub of controlled labs white flood too. Got all kinds of goodies on the way. Stoked. Seriously wasnt expecting all the cool opportunities when i joined this forum.

 

[herderdude]

As you should be proud! When I joined I could squat and pull 455. Since then I've worked with many members who are still here and some that aren't, along with some others in person. It helps so much, I've added ~200# to each lift in the past three years.

 

[christ83189]

Not to mention all the knowledge and advice from everyone on here. And ive only been on here for like a month. Cant wait to see how far i can go.

 

[christ83189]

As you should be proud! When I joined I could squat and pull 455. Since then I've worked with many members who are still here and some that aren't, along with some others in person. It helps so much, I've added ~200# to each lift in the past three years.

Thats what im wanting! Im excited to see how far i can make this body of mine go.

 

[smith_69]

happened to just stumble upon this journey of yours- looking good so far bro- in for the rest of the ride

 

[christ83189]

happened to just stumble upon this journey of yours- looking good so far bro- in for the rest of the ride

Awesome! Happy to have you along for the ride brother

 

[christ83189]

herderdude, so when i back squat i do exclusively high bar. Ive noticed pretty much all powerlifters do low bar. But when i do low bar it hurts like crazy with the bar on my traps and rear delts and feels awkward. But it seems like people squat alot heavier low bar for the most part. Is it something i should work on trying to get used to you think? Or is it like a preference thing? I mean Im sure its probably just uncomfortable cause I've never done it really cause i remember when i first started doing back squats in general it was uncomfortable high bar too but now im used to it. Should i stick to high bar or should i start working in low bar too?

 

[herderdude]

You'll definitely move more weight low bar. I'm 99% certain. Most do. How I've heard it done successfully is working the bar down a quarter inch per squat session. That's one way. Does it hurt your shoulders where you place the bar or because you can't crank your shoulders back far enough? I grip just barely inside the collars and find the shelf before pulling the bar down into me and pulling my elbows toward one another at the same time.

You will eventually get used to it If it's just pain from the bar placement. If it's pain because you don't fit under the bar, You just have to do some shoulder mobility. I had to do some mace swings tonight so I could fit more easily under the bar myself.

 

[christ83189]

Yeah its just pain from bar placement makes it uncomfortable.

 

[MrKleen73]

Nice work Chris, yeah you will end up moving more weight on low bar squats. If it is just discomfort from the pressure of the bar on the muscle and not discomfort in your shoulder joints then it is something you will get used to. If it is mobility related your actual joint will ache or hurt from it.

I can squat more when I do low bar squatting but trained myself to squat more high bar because my quads get nothing out of squats if I dont. So I am slowly trying to get back to doing them as well. Your numbers are pretty damn good man. I have been lifting since I was 12 and you are right there with me. I am in the same boat with you. I spent most of my lifting career focusing on other goals and strength focused training is a bit new to me.

 

[christ83189]

Nice work Chris, yeah you will end up moving more weight on low bar squats. If it is just discomfort from the pressure of the bar on the muscle and not discomfort in your shoulder joints then it is something you will get used to. If it is mobility related your actual joint will ache or hurt from it.

I can squat more when I do low bar squatting but trained myself to squat more high bar because my quads get nothing out of squats if I dont. So I am slowly trying to get back to doing them as well. Your numbers are pretty damn good man. I have been lifting since I was 12 and you are right there with me. I am in the same boat with you. I spent most of my lifting career focusing on other goals and strength focused training is a bit new to me.

Yeah like i said its just discomfort from the bar on the muscle. Its not a mobility issue or anything.

And thanks man ive been working hard at it. It makes me wish i had gone for a more strength training based approach sooner. But if theres anything i got out of 2 years of crossfit i definitely learned alot about proper lifting technique and form and the importance of mobility.

 

[BeastFitness]

Yeah like i said its just discomfort from the bar on the muscle. Its not a mobility issue or anything.

And thanks man ive been working hard at it. It makes me wish i had gone for a more strength training based approach sooner. But if theres anything i got out of 2 years of crossfit i definitely learned alot about proper lifting technique and form and the importance of mobility.

Be be underdevelopment in terms of musculature. If its not that then you'll just get used to the discomfort

 

[herderdude]

Be be underdevelopment in terms of musculature. If its not that then you'll just get used to the discomfort

I don't think he's underdeveloped. I coach four different 120# or less girls who squat in the mid 200s with a low bar. they just had to get used to it.

 

[christ83189]

Deadlift ME day

Conventional
225x8
315x5
415 5x2

Block pulls (my gym sucks and doesnt have blocks and the rack doesnt go low enough for my liking so i pulled off of 2 plates, 2 maybe 3 inches off the ground)
445 2x3

Deficit DL (standing on 2 plates)
385 2x6

Lat pulldowns 4x15
160
160
140
120

BB Shrugs 225 3x10

DB Walks 3x30 sec 100# each hand

Pull ups 3x AMRAP
9,5,10

15 MINUTE STAIRCLIMBER to finish off.
Liking this layout. Definitely makes me work like i like to. Ive never done deficit DL's so that was different. All my pulls felt really good and had good speed. Happy with how the day went.

 

[jimbuick]

I wouldn't do deficit DL off of more than 1 plate.


Just enough deficit to get some extra leg drive, but not enough to change the leverages drastically.

 

[christ83189]

Well idk if this is what youre thinking but my gym doesnt have bumper plates. Our 45's are maybe an inch thick and my programming called fora 2" deficit. It felt good though wasnt too much of a stretch to get the full range of motion

 

[RegisterJr]

Latte to the low bar convo, but it took me a few months of consistent low bar squatting to get used to it. Since switching a year ago my squat is up 100# at better depth.

 

[smith_69]

Well idk if this is what youre thinking but my gym doesnt have bumper plates. Our 45's are maybe an inch thick and my programming called fora 2" deficit. It felt good though wasnt too much of a stretch to get the full range of motion

JUST LIFT IT- 2" 10" whatever

lol- sorry had to

 

[christ83189]

Latte to the low bar convo, but it took me a few months of consistent low bar squatting to get used to it. Since switching a year ago my squat is up 100# at better depth.

Yeah i can tell its gonna take me a bit to get used to it. But im gonna switch it. Ill still do high bar too but im gonna work over to low bar for the main working sets eventually

 

[jimbuick]

I was referring to iron.


Important to note, Lilly lays out a "basic" outline for Cube Kingpin but the user is supposed to choose the assistance work that carries over the most for their weaknesses.

 

[jimbuick]

Yeah i can tell its gonna take me a bit to get used to it. But im gonna switch it. Ill still do high bar too but im gonna work over to low bar for the main working sets eventually

That's probably worth it.


When I'm not closing in on a meet I do almost exclusively high bar Olympic type squats.


Gotta build them quads somehow.

 

[RegisterJr]

Gotta build them quads somehow.

Front squats!

 

[jimbuick]

Front squats!

Yep, those too.

 

[christ83189]

Yep those are good in a "I hate you" type of way...

 

[christ83189]

I was referring to iron.


Important to note, Lilly lays out a "basic" outline for Cube Kingpin but the user is supposed to choose the assistance work that carries over the most for their weaknesses.

They're not iron either... They're stupid decagon like rubber coated almost. But not like bumper rubber.

 

[christ83189]

Almost like coated with truck bed liner. But theyre like decagon on the outside with flat sides so theyre awkward and shift every time i put them down.