Jswain's training log for powerlifting

SweetLou321 said:
Is it good?
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Honestly, I've never been so i can't really say. I'm able to get in, do my own thing, and get out at my gym. I don't think I'd be able to say the same if i went to barbell. Other than the fact that some of the strongest powerlifters in the world lift there, i see no reason to go there vs my gym.
 
SweetLou321 said:
Is it good?
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Guy at my gym spent a bit of time, couple months I think, driving up couple hours one way to train there on the weekend. He said there's so many guys it takes like 4-5 hours to deadlift. The rotation is huge cuz so many guys wanna train around/under the Lilliebridges. He said Eric will be there for 8 hours on a Sat eating meals all day from his cooler cuz it takes so long between working up on squat then pulling in the afternoon.

Said its a great gym and people are cool but you have to be ready to train w the team and all the time commitment that entails when there.
 
Hyde said:
Guy at my gym spent a bit of time, couple months I think, driving up couple hours one way to train there on the weekend. He said there's so many guys it takes like 4-5 hours to deadlift. The rotation is huge cuz so many guys wanna train around/under the Lilliebridges. He said Eric will be there for 8 hours on a Sat eating meals all day from his cooler cuz it takes so long between working up on squat then pulling in the afternoon.

Said its a great gym and people are cool but you have to be ready to train w the team and all the time commitment that entails when there.
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Pretty consistent with what ive heard. Fck that.
 
Yeah I see vids of tuscherer just getting it done in his little garage rack and you kinda remember that while you have to mean and want this and it does take consistent hard work it doesn't have to take 12 hours a week. Not raw anyway!
 
Hyde said:
Yeah I see vids of tuscherer just getting it done in his little garage rack and you kinda remember that while you have to mean and want this and it does take consistent hard work it doesn't have to take 12 hours a week. Not raw anyway!
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Little garage gyms for the win. My dream is to just have a badass gym in my barn some day.
 
11/28/15 Hyper Block wk 7d3

-front squats (cube rep block 3b)
Standard grip today
55x5
95x5
145x5
195x5
235x5
265x3x5

-high bar squats (fuk these, man)
285x6
330x6@9
330x6 low bar...just wanted to see if there was a profound difference. I was still slow as fuark out of the hole but def stronger.
Drops w/ buffalo bar
305x6
305x6
305x6
Ssb 225x20 (x12 ->30s rest pause -> x8)....was a huffin and a puffin. Ssb suffocation in full effect.)

Tbar rows (5x8) ss/ ghr (3x10) and bottoms up kb bw walking lunges (2x10)
180x8 / ----
230x8 / double monster mini x10
250x8 / " "
250x8 / " "
250x8 / 35lb kb x10 per leg
250x8 / " "

Notes:
-i suck at squatting. And god dam is it frustrating the hell out of me. I can probably deadlift 150-170 lb than my raw w/o wraps squat.

-left rear delt was cramping like a mfer on high bar sets. Which is why i switched to buffalo bar for the back downs.

-the x20 set was just something i threw in since Ian and James were torturing themselves with high rep squatting. Figured id join the fun. I used to do a x20 @50% set at the in 5s week of 5/3/1 when i ran that.

-i figured out how i have been using "so much weight" on tbars. There are two places to load the plates on this rig. One behind you and one in front of the handles like ive always seen. Ive been using the loading pins behind me. Shorter lever arm for the weight to fulcrum. Changes the lever type significantly in my favor.

Thats it. singles week OP tomorrow.
 
I understand wanting to be part of a team and the comradery that goes along with it. But I never understood the notion that you have to train with a crew or around other people stronger than yourself to get strong.
 
And that's not really that crazy of a difference between your squat and deadlift. Maybe a bit more than normal, but I wouldn't worry about it. You're just good at deadlifting.

Solid session, man.
 
Thinking these may be the secret to squat gains.

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liftandswim said:
I understand wanting to be part of a team and the comradery that goes along with it. But I never understood the notion that you have to train with a crew or around other people stronger than yourself to get strong.
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Totally agreed with this.

liftandswim said:
And that's not really that crazy of a difference between your squat and deadlift. Maybe a bit more than normal, but I wouldn't worry about it. You're just good at deadlifting.

Solid session, man.
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And i also agree with this. Im not a good powerlifter, just an above average deadlifter at this point in my lifting career. Thanks for leveling my head out Ian.
 
liftandswim said:
I understand wanting to be part of a team and the comradery that goes along with it. But I never understood the notion that you have to train with a crew or around other people stronger than yourself to get strong.
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Not that you HAVE to, just that we tend to progress better with the help of input from others. More eyes to catch flaws, more minds to bounce ideas off of, more motivation and accountability, and someone that will hopefully call you on your bull**** and not let you settle for a subpar lift or effort.

In a lot of ways, like what the guys here on AM do for one another. But Pre-Internet.
 
Hyde said:
Not that you HAVE to, just that we tend to progress better with the help of input from others. More eyes to catch flaws, more minds to bounce ideas off of, more motivation and accountability, and someone that will hopefully call you on your bull**** and not let you settle for a subpar lift or effort.

In a lot of ways, like what the guys here on AM do for one another. But Pre-Internet.
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I guess this is my point. Pre-Internet, a crew is a great.

Hate to say it, but if you need the motivation of others and to be held accountable...good luck ever being strong.

I hear ya though. Just playing devil's advocate
 
11/29 hyper block w7d4

-5/3/1 strict OP (5/3/1+ week)
45x5
80x5
100x5
125x3
155x5
175x3
195x1+ (x4 = e1rm of 213-221).
Bonus sets
205x1
215x1 - easier than last cycle
220x1*PR
Was debating on going for two wheels or just waiting for next mesocycle. I felt like i may have had it there. So i went for it.
225xF about 1/2 way up. Probably going to have banded pin presses in my strength block to work on ******* for both op and bench.

Hope to get that by the new year. Have one more shot at it.

Glad OP strength is going up. Hopefully bench will go up accordingly. Gotta love gaining weight. This hyper block has gone really well imo. People have been telling me my arms and back look bigger. And my jeans are fitting tighter (not happy about that lol they were already tight).

Did band pull aparts randomly throughout.

May be a split session today. My gf wants me to go to LA fitness with her later so i may hit some shoulder and back accessory stuff. Also the fly and curls i usually do on this day.
 
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liftandswim said:
So close! Good job, man.

That 2 plate OHP is alluding me too. Maybe when I gain some weight back.
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I have no doubts you'll hit it rather quickly once you get back to gaining again.

Thanks man. And I know, i felt like i had enough on the 220 that it'd be close. Not in the cards. I'm gonna try my damndest to get it next month. I'll probably just hit the 1+ weight for a single and keep climbing up. Then drop down for the amrap.
 
jswain34 said:
I have no doubts you'll hit it rather quickly once you get back to gaining again.

Thanks man. And I know, i felt like i had enough on the 220 that it'd be close. Not in the cards. I'm gonna try my damndest to get it next month. I'll probably just hit the 1+ weight for a single and keep climbing up. Then drop down for the amrap.
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Hope so!

Yeah, you were already fatigued too. That's big. You got it next time
 
Gf flaked on going to the gym. Ended up asking me to go to home goods to help her carry a mirror she's been wanting to buy. We don't get to do much stuff together bc our work schedules, so it's a trade I'm willing to take.

Missed out on some ant delt, pec, ham and quad volume this week. I'm not sure on how to go about this deload because i already lost some volume this week.

Edit: probably just going to continue as planned.
 
11/30 Hyper block w8d1 deload

-Deadlift:
Conventional, beltless, doh
135x5
225x5
275x5
330x3x3

-Hammer strength incline chest press machine ss/ neutral grip cable low rows:
45x10 / 80x10 wu
70x10 / 100x10 wu
90x3x10 / 140x3x10

-bw dips ss/ machine rear delt fly:
2x8 / 90x3x12

-weighted carry (i can't remember the name of this variation...its the one where you do a suitcase carry on one side and a waiter carry on the other)
70lb farmer/35lb waiter x ~50 yards x 1 each arm in each position once.

-ab rollouts
1x10

Notes:
-Man, my conventional deadlift feels all out of whack. I may do conventional the next 4 weeks to give my hips a little break and increase the rom. I have no idea what my 1rm would be anymore. Last time i tested it was ~515...8 months ago. Should i just use that?

-accessories for this deload will just be like whatever exercise i feel like doing. As long as it targets the muscles im after I may just play around with different variations of things.

-i need keep up on my rear delt stuff. My shoulders feel like **** when i dont.

Nothing very difficult. My left scap is so fd i cant keep my arm overhead without going into thoracic extension. Need to roll out my lats more.
 
I'd honestly consider paying someone for programming. If i had the spare cash. I don't enjoy it. Plus I honestly think its better to have someone program for you. Easier to be objective.
 
jswain34 said:
I'd honestly consider paying someone for programming. If i had the spare cash. I don't enjoy it. Plus I honestly think its better to have someone program for you. Easier to be objective.
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I love programming for myself tbh. But yeah, I hear ya. It's definitely difficult to remain objective, at times.
 
jswain34 said:
I'd honestly consider paying someone for programming. If i had the spare cash. I don't enjoy it. Plus I honestly think its better to have someone program for you. Easier to be objective.
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100% this. Esp with all my injuries. Programming has been a nightmare. This is why I got chads new book. Hoping to have some options once I'm healthy.
 
I'm thinking of running CWS' juggercube program, with a few different accessories that work better for me. Starting next week. Thoughts on it?
 
liftandswim said:
What was wrong with what you were dong
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Yah, true. I'll just split up deads into more sets with less reps. I just dont have confidence in my own programming tbh.
 
jswain34 said:
Yah, true. I'll just split up deads into more sets with less reps. I just dont have confidence in my own programming tbh.
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That's why you run a few blocks and then peak and test. If you improved, awesome. If not, back to the drawing board. You're hitting PRs in training still. That should mean something
 
liftandswim said:
That's why you run a few blocks and then peak and test. If you improved, awesome. If not, back to the drawing board. You're hitting PRs in training still. That should mean something
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I knowwwww. You're right. I just get bored. I'll just add in a little more volume on squats and maybe split some of the exercises and add them into another session on Tuesdays.

I'll just make a few minor alterations and keep on trucking.
 
I hear ya. Straight sets and submaximal work isn't always the most fun, but it keeps you healthy and gets you strong. But hey, at the end of the day we do this for fun. So if you start dreading the gym. Mix it up!
 
liftandswim said:
I hear ya. Straight sets and submaximal work isn't always the most fun, but it keeps you healthy and gets you strong. But hey, at the end of the day we do this for fun. So if you start dreading the gym. Mix it up!
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This. Simple change would be changing variations after a test, some amraps, chains/bands.
 
SweetLou321 said:
This. Simple change would be changing variations after a test, some amraps, chains/bands.
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Squat amraps were exactly what i had in mind actually. Maybe one of these days ill be able to do the amrap i had programmed in on the 3rd week of deads.
 
I think L&S is spot on: don't throw the baby out w the bath water here. If you want some variety, that's easy. But totally undoing the foundation if it's working is silly.

Nice job on the 220 strict! I just hit a 225 push a couple months ago for the first time ever, gonna be a while before I can press that without legs!
 
Hyde said:
I think L&S is spot on: don't throw the baby out w the bath water here. If you want some variety, that's easy. But totally undoing the foundation if it's working is silly.

Nice job on the 220 strict! I just hit a 225 push a couple months ago for the first time ever, gonna be a while before I can press that without legs!
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I hear ya, Hyde. Backbone will stay the same.

And thanks! I have never really done much push press. Probably less than 10 reps my entire life. I've got no doubt you'll get there. How has your training been going, missing the monolith yet?
 
jswain34 said:
I'd honestly consider paying someone for programming. If i had the spare cash. I don't enjoy it. Plus I honestly think its better to have someone program for you. Easier to be objective.
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I agree. I'm so busy too that if I didn't most of the time I'd be too busy thinking about my own programming rather than working. Having someone tell you what to do also seems to keep me focused and trusting the plan where as I always second guess myself when planning for myself...
 
bolt10 said:
I agree. I'm so busy too that if I didn't most of the time I'd be too busy thinking about my own programming rather than working. Having someone tell you what to do also seems to keep me focused and trusting the plan where as I always second guess myself when planning for myself...
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Bingo. 100%.
 
jswain34 said:
I hear ya, Hyde. Backbone will stay the same.

And thanks! I have never really done much push press. Probably less than 10 reps my entire life. I've got no doubt you'll get there. How has your training been going, missing the monolith yet?
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I don't do it either, just strict, so I only get maybe 20lbs it feels like from the push. Still, who doesn't want 20lbs?

Training has been good, getting ready for deadlift only with very short notice if you wanna follow along:

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Ah hell ya man cool.
 
bolt10 said:
I agree. I'm so busy too that if I didn't most of the time I'd be too busy thinking about my own programming rather than working. Having someone tell you what to do also seems to keep me focused and trusting the plan where as I always second guess myself when planning for myself...
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This is me 100%. I have struggled with this for forever honestly. Esp this off season. I'm hoping CWS new book has some good outlines I can eventually just follow lol.
 
SweetLou321 said:
This is me 100%. I have struggled with this for forever honestly. Esp this off season. I'm hoping CWS new book has some good outlines I can eventually just follow lol.
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Yeah, same. Would love a good 5 day/week template. Both "hypertrophy phases" and "strength phases" would be nice if we're getting greedy lol.
 
jswain34 said:
Yeah, same. Would love a good 5 day/week template. Both "hypertrophy phases" and "strength phases" would be nice if we're getting greedy lol.
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I'll know tomorrow morning.

You got his free program when he gave that out right?

I'm curious to see myself what is written. If I can make it work I just might. I'm tired of second guessing, I enjoy his research based methods too.

Edit we will all know.

Idk if I still have your guys emails. I'll more then likely call out who I don't have.
 
SweetLou321 said:
I'll know tomorrow morning.

You got his free program when he gave that out right?

I'm curious to see myself what is written. If I can make it work I just might. I'm tired of second guessing, I enjoy his research based methods too.

Edit we will all know.

Idk if I still have your guys emails. I'll more then likely call out who I don't have.
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I thought i did but i can't find the email now. While looking i did end up finding his bench, dead, squat manuals. So thats cool. And same here in terms of running one of the programs. As long as i like it and feel that i can stick to it long term I'll probably run it. I also enjoy that he throws some science into his work.
 
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Yeah I learn a lot from just the forums tbh. The info that gets tossed around here is great. Just gotta take a little from every source and realize where you are in your own training, then go from there.
 
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