training for my first PL competition

Puttin in good work, man.

Just from what I see, there doesn't seem to be too much upper back work. Like on your bench days, are you getting any carryover to your competition bench press from decline hammer press and flys? I would definetly involve some back work on pushing days, even if it's just one exercise. You should have at least a 1:2 push/pull ratio throughout the week, however you want to fit that in. Just my opinion. Involve it on whatever day you want. It's hard picking the right exercises sometimes, but you should be picking the ones that will build up weaknesses in the lift.
 
Sean1332 said:
Puttin in good work, man. Just from what I see, there doesn't seem to be too much upper back work. Like on your bench days, are you getting any carryover to your competition bench press from decline hammer press and flys? I would definetly involve some back work on pushing days, even if it's just one exercise. You should have at least a 1:2 push/pull ratio throughout the week, however you want to fit that in. Just my opinion. Involve it on whatever day you want. It's hard picking the right exercises sometimes, but you should be picking the ones that will build up weaknesses in the lift.
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Great point I'll add some type of shrug/row/pull down on bench day and the reason I do a lot of hammer presses is simply because I like them but you are right it doesn't really translate to a better bench. So I'll save my hammer work for my bodybuilding day.

And I notice my biggest weakness on bench is the lockout. Besides dips, floor presses and board presses what other lifts would be optimal for improving that?
 
JM presses, dumbbell skullcrushers for assistance, board presses, floor presses, standing OHP, and CGBP for supplemental stuff. And Sean's right. Good technique is often the difference between locking out a PR and not. You have to put yourself in an optimal position to finish the lift. Start throwing up vids of your top working sets and so you can get some technique help. You'll add to your total far faster that way than any assistance or programming style.
 
Thanks guys when I can find somebody to come film me I will post one but until then anybody want to recommend a good YouTube vid to watch form for bench?
 
Search Dave Tate "so you think you can bench", search Chris Duffin for utilizing your back, and search Dan Green for leg drive.
 
liftandeat said:
Thanks guys when I can find somebody to come film me I will post one but until then anybody want to recommend a good YouTube vid to watch form for bench?
Click to expand...

Elitefts did a "so you think you can bench?" Series that might help ya.

Edit: dammit sean!
 
Just finished my bodybuilding workout this is what I did

Barbell row
135lb x10
185 x 8
185 x 6

Dumbell incline bench
50 lb x 10
70 x 8
80 x 6

Hammer row
2 plates 3 x 10

Hammer press
2 plates 3 sets of 10

Curls 3 sets of 10 with 40 or 50 lb? Can't remember

Tri extension with rope
3 sets of 10

Pretty boring workout I just want to make sure I'm 100% for my squat day. I plan on checking out those bench videos tonight.

Hope you are all having a good week
 
Hey guys I just finished my heavy squat day this is what I did

Warm up
Tire flip 20-30 flips

Back squat
95lb x 6
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x5
Working sets
5 sets of 2 reps at 280lb

Front squat
135x5
225x5
275x3
Working sets
2 sets of 3 at 295lb

Pause at parallel squat
2 sets of 5 at 265lb

Good mornings
Bar x10
65lb x10
95lb x10

Weighted step ups on the smith machine
25s x10 each leg
45s x6 each leg
55s x 6 each leg

I was exhausted again these squat days are straight work! Haha I didn't feel like it was even that heavy but the sets got to me. I was so tempted to put that 3rd plate on and rep it out but I was smart about it and didn't, I decided to follow this program as well as I can.

On a side note I started dieting yesterday. I weighed myself and I was 195 ?. I'm doing my best to track my cals and do about 200-300 below my maintenance (not too drastic of a drop) I pretty much have my diet down just would like your guys opinions on what my macros should look like? Right now mine are set up 40/25/35 C/f/p is this alright?

Thanks guys!
 
Sean1332 said:
Why below maintenance? That's not too beneficial for strength and those rough sessions.
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I completely understand but I want to make the 181 weight class. So I gotta lose like 15 pounds so I figured I would start now and slowly lose the weight.
 
Unless you're going to break records, there's no real reason to try to cut down. I'd rather just hit PR lifts than hurt my strength. Just my opinion, man. Risk vs Gain is all. Risk losing/not gaining strength for...? Something to think about. I cut 14lbs of water the week of a meet once. It was stressful as ****. My last meet, I just stayed within my weight class, and was happy and strong.
 
Maybe I'll just clean up my diet then and that'll probably drop a few pounds. The other reason I was dieting was because I'm going to Hawaii in a month lol but I'll take your advice and just clean up my diet not try to create a calorie deficit. You talked me into it Sean lol
 
Alright guys I just finished my explosive bench day this is what I did

Bench
Bar x10
95lb x10
135 x6
185x 6
Working sets
8 sets of 3 at 195lb

Close grip
2 sets of 5 at 205lb

Pause at 1 inch off chest bench
3 sets of 8 at 185lb

Floor press
135x 10
185 x 8
225 x6

Upright barbell row
3 sets of 8 at 95lb

Decline barbell press
3 sets if 10 at 185lb

Dumbbell row on bench
3 sets of 10 at 60 lb

Tricep push down with straight bar
3 sets of 10 at around 100lb (can't remember)

Aright guys today felt really light, almost has me wanting to redo my bench numbers just to get more of a challenge. I really focused on my form after watching those YouTube vids. I think I have it down but I ran into the same problem multiple times. My hamstrings would cramp up mid set because I focused so hard on keeping everything tight like the video said. Do you guys ever have that problem? Maybe I'm a little dehydrated? but it made me stop mid set a few times.

And about those 2 back exercises I through in, are those solid enough exercises for my bench day?

Thanks guys!
 
Your legs are going to cramp up every once in a while. Especially when doing 8 sets. But it sounds like you're getting tight enough and I wouldn't readjust those numbers. Keep it light and build momentum, you got plenty of time before the meet.

As far as the back exercises are concerned, I hate upright rows. Because they wreak havoc on my old shoulder injury. So no real input.
 
Hey guys just finished my dead lift workout for reps here is what I did

Warm up
Bike 10 min

DL
95lb x5
135 x5
225x5
Working sets
3 sets of 10 at 315

DL at deficit
4 sets of 5 at 285 :( (was suppose to be 2-3 sets of 10 but I needed a break after each 5 reps)

Block pulls
135x5
225x5
Working sets
3 sets of 6 at 335

Straight leg DL
3 sets of 10 at 135

I just wasn't feeling it today I'm in the middle of finals so I just couldn't get my mind off of school and my diet has been lacking the last 2-3 days I've just been so busy but tomorrow is my last final and I'll get my diet back on track. I couldn't keep up with my Deficit DL I had to break the reps in half so I could finish the amount of reps.

I was going to do some farmers but I decided just to call it. I didnt feel like I was helping myself at all. Nothing makes we feel worse than a bad training session. I'll get back on it tomorrow.
 
The first few weeks of Cube Kingpin deadlifts are a whole new ballgame, man. I think all I did for assistance the first couple times was chest supported rows because my lower body and lower back were shot. Stick with it, though. You'll adapt to the workload, and that's when the real progress begins. I put 50lbs on my deadlift in four months on Cube Kingpin.
 
herderdude said:
The first few weeks of Cube Kingpin deadlifts are a whole new ballgame, man. I think all I did for assistance the first couple times was chest supported rows because my lower body and lower back were shot. Stick with it, though. You'll adapt to the workload, and that's when the real progress begins. I put 50lbs on my deadlift in four months on Cube Kingpin.
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That's awesome man that's exactly what I want to hear. This program is certainly a lot more fun than the 5/3/1.
 
Just did my bodybuilding day this is what I did

Barbell row
3x15 at 135

Dumbell incline press
60s x 10
70s x 8
80s x 6

Hammer pull
3x10 with 2 plates each side

Strict military press
3 x 15 with 95lb

Face pulls
3 x 10 (can't remember weight)

Reverse flys
3 x 10 with 20lb dumbbells

Curls at the curl rack
3 x15 with just 10lb each side (I hate curls)

Hammer incline press
3 x 10 with 2 plates each side

Curls on machine
3 x 10 idk how much weight


After typing this out I think I did too much lol such an easy session compared to my others.

Hope you guys are having a good week. Weekends almost here. Have a good one guys.
 
Hey guys I'm back I had to take a few days off due to traveling and family stuff. I finished school so I'm back home for a week vacation. But anyways I just did my explosive squat day and this is what I did

Bike warm up 10 min

Squat
95 x5
135x5
185 x5
225x5
Working sets
6 sets of 2 at 245

Front squat
135x5
225x5
Working sets
2 sets of 5 at 265

Pause at parallel squat
3 sets of 6 at 225

Weighted lunges
3 sets of 10 each leg with 95lb

Leg press
Warm up with 2 plates each side
3x10 with 5 plates on each side


Felt good today nice and refreshed. All the back squats i did felt really light. The front squat was the only one that I felt I struggled with but got through it.

Hope you are all having a good week
 
Just finished my bench for reps workout. This is what I did

10 min bike warm up

Bench-
135x6
185x6
Working sets
3 sets of 8 at 235

Close grip
2 sets of 3 at 245

Pause at 1 inch off chest
2 sets of 8 at 215

Weighted dips
3 sets of 15 with 25lb
(Didn't have my weight belt today and my home gym doesn't have any) how the hell can a huge warehouse gym not have 1 dip belt? Stupid LA workout

Floor press
135x10
185x 8
185x 8
(Wanted to go to 225 but my tris were pretty tired so I decided to play it safe)

Barbell row
3 x 10 at 135

Tricep rope extension
3 x 10

Felt great today. I'm still really concentrating on technique and I only cramped up once today in my hamstrings.

Tomorrow is dead lift day depending in how my legs feel I might take it off or power through it.

Thanks for reading guys.
 
Just did my Heavy dead lift workout this is what I did

10 min row warm up

DL
135x5
185x5
225x5
315x5
Working sets
3 sets of 2 at 370 (no problem)

Deficit DL
2 sets of 4 at 340

Block pulls
2 sets of 2 at 405

Straight leg
3x10 at 225

Back extensions
3x15 with plate

Kept it simple. I'm starting to figure out that heavy days are the easiest. A lot easier than rep day. I felt great all the way through the workout a lot of energy.

Tomorrow is bodybuilding day. Have a good one guys.
 
liftandeat said:
Just did my Heavy dead lift workout this is what I did 10 min row warm up DL 135x5 185x5 225x5 315x5 Working sets 3 sets of 2 at 370 (no problem) Deficit DL 2 sets of 4 at 340 Block pulls 2 sets of 2 at 405 Straight leg 3x10 at 225 Back extensions 3x15 with plate Kept it simple. I'm starting to figure out that heavy days are the easiest. A lot easier than rep day. I felt great all the way through the workout a lot of energy. Tomorrow is bodybuilding day. Have a good one guys.
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Strong workout. Lots of pulling
 
PumpHouse said:
No real rush. They won't fill up too quickly. What do you think of the cube so far?
Click to expand...

I love it I've always considered myself a power lifter but never have I trained like this. I wish I started this program earlier haha. I can't wait to see my progress after week 10.
 
Just did my bodybuilding/weakness day this is what I did

BB row
135x10
155x10
185x8

DB incline press
3x8 at 80lb DBs

DB row 1 hand over bench
3 x 10 60lb

Behind neck press smith machine
3x10 with 35s

Hammer pulls
3x 8 with 2 plates each side

Behind head DB tri extension
3 x 8 with 80lb

Then abunch of bicep/curl work.

Fun day I had a great upper body pump. Squat is next!

Thanks for reading guys.
 
Good stuff man, makes me want to follow the program. I like the volume and I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to all these programs. I'm thinking about giving this a try in a few weeks when I finish what I'm doing now.
 
wrathman10 said:
Good stuff man, makes me want to follow the program. I like the volume and I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to all these programs. I'm thinking about giving this a try in a few weeks when I finish what I'm doing now.
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Definitely man! I used to do the 5/3/1 but I eventually got bored with it. I like how this program changes reps/sets schemes every week for each lift. Keeps it fresh
 
Did my heavy squat today

Warm up bike 10 min

Squat
95 x6
135x6
185x6
225x6
Working sets
3 sets of 2 at 305

Front
2 sets of 3 at 315

Pause at parallel squat
2 sets of 5 at 275

Leg press
3 plates each side x10
6 plates each side x10
8 plates each side x8

Lunges on smith machine
45s x 10 (5each leg)
45s and 25s each side 2 sets of 10

Felt amazing today. So strong I don't remember the last time I front squatted 3 plates each side. And it felt easy. I had a lot of energy so I hit the accessory exercises pretty hard. I honestly felt I could hit a PR today but I'll keep it for after the 10th week (Mock meet).

Fack I just realized I was looking at week 6 and I'm on week 5. So I'll continue on week 5 and switch next weeks heavy squat for the rep squat which Is what I was supposed to do. Damn.

Can't wait to see my PRs in 5 weeks.

Thanks for reading guys.
 
Just did my heavy bench workout this is what I did

Bench
Barx10
95x10
135x5
185x5
225x5
Working sets
3 sets of 2 at 245

Close grip
2 sets of 2 at 265

Pause bench
2 sets of 5 at 225

Weighted dips
3 sets of 10 with 50lb dumbbell

Skull crushers
3 sets of 10 with 40lb dumbbells

Tri ext with rope
3 sets of 15

Flys
3 sets of 10 with 40lb dumbells

Just another day. Felt good. My tris were on fire by the end of the workout.

DL is next

Thanks for reading guys
 
Just did my explosive deadz day here is what I did

Row warm up 10 min

Dead lift
95x8
135x6
225x6
275x6
Working sets
6 sets of 2 at 315

Deficit deadz
3 sets of 6 at 295

Block pulls
2 sets of 5 at 335

Lat pull down
3 sets of 10

Hammer low row
3 sets of 10

Farmers
4 sets if about 20 yard walks with 80lb dumbbells


I know I know, my accessory lifts kind of sucked. I wanted to give my lower back and a$$ a break from all that pulling from the ground. But I felt good other wise. My traps and grip strength feel much improved.

Thanks for reading guys and have a good weekend!
 
Did my BB day this is what I did

Standing military press
Barx10
95x10
135x8
155x6

Upright row
Barx10
65x10
95x10
105x8

Shoulder press on machine
3x10 at 140

Reverse flys
3x15 with 20s

Curl work

Fun day. I always hate doing curls but always feel so great after I do them. It's probably the pump haha

Hope you all are doing well. Thanks guys.
 
Ok guys I just did my squat for reps workout this is what I did

Bike warm up 10 min

Squat
Barx10
135x6
185x5
225x5
Working sets
3 sets of 6 at 280

Front
2 sets of 3 at 295

Pause at parallel
2 sets of 6 at 265

Lunges on smith machine

Leg press on air resistance machine
3x15

Ran into a problem today. On my first set of lunges I think I might have gone too heavy because I feel a pull on the inside of my lift upper leg. Close to my groin. I feel like a pull that feels like it is connected to my left testicle. Sounds weird but after that I just decided to do some lighter leg press work to see if it would go away but it hasn't. I can feel it only when I extend my left leg. Maybe it's just something that will go away on its own. We will see

Thanks for reading guys.
 
That weird thing in my leg went away. I just did my explosive bench workout this is what I did

Bench
Barx10
96x6
135x6
185x6
Working sets
6 sets of 2 at 215

Close grip
2 sets of 5 at 235

Pause at 1 inch off chest
3 sets of 6 at 195

Weighted dips
3 x10 with 55

Jm presses
Barx10
3 sets of 8 with 95

Floor presses
3 sets of 10 with 135 (stayed light)

Behind head dumbbell tri extension
3x10 with 60lb

My bench sets felt really light so I did some more accessory lifts. My triceps were completely torn after the workout they felt great. I can't wait to see how sore they will be.

Thanks for reading guys.
 
Just did my DL for reps day this is what I did.

DL
Barx10
135x6
185x6
225x5
275x5
315x3
Working sets
3 sets of 5 at 355

Deficit DL
2 sets of 6 at 325

Block pulls
135x5
225x5
315x5
Working sets
2 sets of 3 at 365

Straight leg DL
3 x 8 at 225

I was in a hurry today I have work at 12 so I just did my main DL movements.

I travel home tonight then I'm going to Hawaii on Monday I'll try to keep up on my workouts but idk if the place I'm staying has a gym. If not I'll find a gym and get a few workouts in during the week hopefully.

Thanks for reading guys. Have a good weekend.
 
Worked out at my home gym today with a friend it was my Bb day so I just did a bunch of incline pressing, bicep work, back work (mostly rear delt work)

Honeslly went a lil crazy today. I did way too much. So much I can't even remember it all. Tomorrow is off then Monday I'll squat then Monday night I'm off to Hawaii.

Thanks for reading guys!
 
Finally became a member of the USPA. Did you guys all have to pay with paypal? And the entry form for the meet is not up yet so I'll wait till it comes up to sign up.
 
I bought my USPF card when I weighed in. That was super easy.
 
Hey guys well I'm back from my vacation, over the last week my diet was terrible, I barely trained because my hotel gym sucked it only had cardio machines and dumbbells up to 50 along with one press machine and row machine. So I did some pretty useless workouts. But I did have a great time lol

Today I started week 6 of the cube which was my heavy squat day this is what I did

30 min walk at an incline (basically just to burn calories because I gained like 5 pounds on vacation)

Squat
Bar x10
95x10
135x8
185x8
225x6
275x4
Working sets
3x2 at 295

Front
2x2 at 315 (form was questionable I should have done a few warm up sets)

Pause at parallel
2x5 at 275

Leg press
8 plates total x 10
12 plates total 3x10

Then I saw my gym just got some sleds ?
So I pushed those around for about 10-15 min

I felt way better than I thought I would feel I almost think my body really wanted/needed that break. I can't wait to bench tomorrow

Thanks guys.
 
Just did my explosive bench day this is what I did. I had my mind set on doing wayyy too much pressing

Bench
95x10
135x8
185x6
Working sets
6x2 at 225

Close grip
2x5 at 245 (struggled with this)

Pause press
2x6 at 185

Incline press barbell
135x8
185x4 (too heavy so I dropped it)
135x6

Weighted dips
3x10 with 40#

Machine cheat press
3x10

Barbell row
3x10 at 135

Dumbell tricep ext behind neck
3x10 at 70#

Pull downs with supinated grip
3x10

Assisted dips till just before failure.

Felt weak today barely got through my working bench sets. I weighed myself and I lost around 7 pounds on vacation. Hopefully I gain it back quickly. And my legs are way more sore than usual but I guess that's the price of vacation.
 
Just did my dead lift workout for reps this is what I did

Warm up
Row machine 10min

Dead lift
95 x 6
135x 6
225x6
315x 6
Working sets
3x5 at 355

Deficit deadz
2x6 at 325

Block pulls
135x6
225x6
315x6
Working
3x4 at 375

Shrugs
3x12 at 225

Straight leg deadz at a deficit
4x6 at 225 (want to do 3x10 but was starting to get tired)

Farmers
3 walks with 60lb dumbbells like 20-30 yard walks

Wanted to do some Jeffersons today but after the straight leg DL I felt I was done dead lifting. I felt pretty good today I didn't really struggle with any of my 3 main DL movements till the straight leg. I'm feeling like I'm getting stronger.
 
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