Jswain's training log for powerlifting

liftandswim said:
His methods are evolving. Things can get a little hairy when you're trying to judge RPE on the way down, especially when we're talking a 7. So he's prescribing people to hit a percentage of the their top set RPE for a prescribed number of total reps. There's other stuff that I forget at the moment. There's no big changes really, just tweaks to make sure people are hitting weights they should be at the volumes they should be
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I like it. That was the biggest problem i had with my first RTS cycle.
 
Ya mike is always looking to optimize things. Some of his ways to "up volume" for hypertrophy are different and evil.
 
bolt10 said:
Ya mike is always looking to optimize things. Some of his ways to "up volume" for hypertrophy are different and evil.
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Have any links to that? I've browsed around the forum but have a tough time really finding much by mike. All ive seen is load drops, fatigue drops, and rep drops.
 
liftandswim said:
His methods are evolving. Things can get a little hairy when you're trying to judge RPE on the way down, especially when we're talking a 7. So he's prescribing people to hit a percentage of the their top set RPE for a prescribed number of total reps. There's other stuff that I forget at the moment. There's no big changes really, just tweaks to make sure people are hitting weights they should be at the volumes they should be
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I really want to find out how he
1. Picks the NL
2. Picks rep range
3. Varies based on place in programming.

I don't know if that info exists yet openly
 
rob112 said:
I really want to find out how he
1. Picks the NL
2. Picks rep range
3. Varies based on place in programming.

I don't know if that info exists yet openly
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I don't think it does.

The issue most people have with RTS is that it's designed for you to be the best athlete over the course of a very, very long time (10+ years) not in a year or two. People (like me :() are too impatient for that and want big biceps/delts and crap.
 
liftandswim said:
I don't think it does.

The issue most people have with RTS is that it's designed for you to be the best athlete over the course of a very, very long time (10+ years) not in a year or two. People (like me :() are too impatient for that and want big biceps/delts and crap.
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Yea I keep some of the principles, but unless you have time for extra days and stuff it is really hard to strictly follow if you have lots of responsibility outside the gym(unless you cut stuff out aka isolation work). I do like it though, just can't full boar it anymore like that.
 
^that is the primary reason i am making the move from the rts program i was running.
 
7/29 post meet week bench day

Comp style bench:
Work up to 275x3sx2rep @8 rpe

CGBP SS/ bw pullups:
135x8 -> 10
185x8 -> 8
205x8 (overshot intended RPE cap) (no pullups this set)
185x8 (no PUs)
185x8-> 8

CHEST SUPP ISO ROW MACHINE (neutral 180 degree grip)
90x3sx10rep @8 or below RPE

Hammer grip rope curls ss/ w/ facepulls:
70x12 -> 70x15
80x12 -> 80x15
90x10 -> 90x15

Grenade SA tri extensions (straight back and forth between arms without rest):
50x12
50x8
40x12
Lead with left (weak arm) to set the reps

Edit: forgot, i also did a little bit of core at the ene

Extended lever arm plank (elbow under nose) x30s into regular plank x30s

Side of plank x30s

Regular plank weighted with 45x30s

Had a pretty good pump going here. WR is pretty dang good in terms of pumps and energy judging by today. I mixed it with my nanaberry E9 and damn did it taste good too.

Edit: oh yeah. My right wrist is bugging the **** out of me right where the radius meets the carpals. I forgot to mention i went 1 finger wider on bench at the meet (rookie mistake). For some reason the bar felt narrower in terms of grip on meet day. Probably put more pressure than i was used to on my radiocarpal joint. It didnt bug me much on CGBP, but it was a nuisance on comp style (slightly better with my pinky back on the ring).
 
You wear wrist wraps?
 
Even tried loosening it up in my warmup with some DB forearm twists and machine radial deviations and wrist extensions.
 
I've got nothing.
 
RegisterJr said:
I've got nothing.
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Lol. Me either. It didnt start bugging me til monday. If i remember correctly this issue pops up if my elbows flare too bad on bench and my grip is too wide causing radial deviation under that load. I used to get this every once in a while, weirdly enough, now that i think about, grip work usually loosens it up. Which would make sense from Monday cuz it was kinda bugging me during pulls but by the time i got to RDLs it wasnt bugging me any more
 
For friday on squat day I'm thinking about playing around with my oly shoes and stance since it's deload week anyway. I need to figure something out and make it work so i can start progressing again.
 
jswain34 said:
Have any links to that? I've browsed around the forum but have a tough time really finding much by mike. All ive seen is load drops, fatigue drops, and rep drops.
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Nothing concrete, don't think I have much specific for reading. Most of it is just from talks with Mike from previous programming or his informational stuff you have to pay for. It's been a little while since I've done straight RTS so I am a bit rusty too.

In general you also have to keep in mind his approach is more from straight powerlifting efficiency. Even when it is a "get jacked" approach, it is more of a "get jacked but still with a high emphasis on sports specificity" unless there is a major deficiency that needs addressing (which usually was approached in his additional GPP work).

I don't think that means other approaches are wrong or his is inherently the most "right", just keep in mind there isn't going to be a bunch of typical bodybuilding type in a pretty standard RTS split and anything beyond that he usually deals with on a one on one situation, so it'd be hard to find his writing on it for free.

So ya long story short, sorry I can't help better. If anything just stalk some of the RTS forum logs for current clients he has logging there to get ideas. :)
 
Cool man. Thanks. That was all good info even though you thought you werent providing much
 
jswain34 said:
Cool man. Thanks. That was all good info even though you thought you werent providing much
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Just wish I could help more, because I know what you are saying, I just don't know the right way to implement what you want. :o

liftandswim said:
It's bolt. He's a modest mofo.
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Because I talk to some of these people sometimes (or just listen to them) and they are so freaking smart so there is no reason for me to feel smart. :lol:
 
bolt10 said:
Just wish I could help more, because I know what you are saying, I just don't know the right way to implement what you want. :o
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All good man! I appreciate whatever you've got to say. Maybe some day i will be able to throw in a 5th lifting day as a GPP day. Then i'd probably love rts even more. It obviously worked for my deads and if i wouldn't of missed my groove so badly with 345 i might have gotten a pretty good bench PR out of it too.
 
Alright. Gonna move this discussion over from sean's log so i dont cloud it up with wrap noobness. I'm probably going to pick up a pair of knee wraps. trying go get them ordered today since elitefts is having their sale. Thinking of going with the patriot wraps since their sales pitch says it is an extremely versatile wrap and can be used by basically any type of squatter (they mention: narrow v wide stance, fast v slow decent). Therefore, im thinking these could be a good starter pair due to the versatility. Keep in mind id probably be self wrapping and at this point have only the slightest clue how to do so.

You guys agree with me that this would be good to use for my first pair of wraps? I'm going to train in just sleeves the vast majority of the time and just use these for pre meet training for meets that allow wraps. (If there is a separated wrap and sleeve division id compete just sleeved).
 
A few people would say to start in the baddest wraps out there and learn your way through them from looser to tighter. How would you describe your squat style?
 
You can have my old titans. They're gross but free lol

Edit:
APT Blue Arrows
Inzer Gripperz
Titan Titaniums
Iron Rebel Anacondas
^All wraps I have worn, that are springy and offer great rebound with mild stopping power, and thin self wrappable material

EFS Heavies
^Hard to self wrap, cast like, stopping power, minimal rebound

Overkill
Brutal, cast, rebound, self wrappable, can't hit depth if you crank 100% on the turns

The guy at my gym said he's a fan of the Patriots. Rebound, springy, but locks in. He's a narrow squatter.

Don't go less than 2.5
 
herderdude said:
A few people would say to start in the baddest wraps out there and learn your way through them from looser to tighter. How would you describe your squat style?
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Wider than shoulder width (probably like 1.5x). Slower decent. Dont typically get a lot of rebound out of the hole.
 
Sean1332 said:
You can have my old titans. They're gross but free lol
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Lol. I'll take free. Ef it. Are they salvageable?

Edit: thanks for that edit. Thats what i needed. I like the idea of being able to self wrap, not too much stopping power, and some rebound. I also like the way the patriots sound, but again i am a complete wrap noob.
 
jswain34 said:
Lol. I'll take free. Ef it. Are they salvageable?
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Yeah they're in good condition man. No tears, fabric in tact. I'm weird and want a diff wrap every meet lol PM me your address and I'll ship next week

They are hand me down and new wraps are always fun, so at least you can get an idea before you pull the trigger on a pair
 
Wider and slower I like stopping power wraps. Rebound wraps only work as fast as you go down with them.

Another thing to note, the classifications can get skewed. Blue arrows are the softest and stretchiest, but they're so stretchy that you can turn them into a cast. And if you don't fully stretch a cast wrap, you will be left wondering if you'll ever hit bottom, but when you turn around you will rebound like crazy.

A good example of this is my most recent meet. Light opener wrap, easy depth and rebound. Tighter wraps slowed me down and really forced me to open into it.
 
herderdude said:
Wider and slower I like stopping power wraps. Rebound wraps only work as fast as you go down with them.

Another thing to note, the classifications can get skewed. Blue arrows are the softest and stretchiest, but they're so stretchy that you can turn them into a cast. And if you don't fully stretch a cast wrap, you will be left wondering if you'll ever hit bottom, but when you turn around you will rebound like crazy.

A good example of this is my most recent meet. Light opener wrap, easy depth and rebound. Tighter wraps slowed me down and really forced me to open into it.
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Gotcha. Well, i guess i will try the titans sean is sending me and then make adjustments from there keeping what you just wrote in mind. Wraps are a whole different ballgame.
 
jswain34 said:
Gotcha. Well, i guess i will try the titans sean is sending me and then make adjustments from there keeping what you just wrote in mind. Wraps are a whole different ballgame.
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That will be best. You won't know what you like until you try a few different kinds. Hell, I got my first pair from Wal-Mart lol. Start pretty loose and work your way up on the tightness and you'll be good. And remember that the more knee bend you get, the better they will work for you.
 
herderdude said:
That will be best. You won't know what you like until you try a few different kinds. Hell, I got my first pair from Wal-Mart lol. Start pretty loose and work your way up on the tightness and you'll be good. And remember that the more knee bend you get, the better they will work for you.
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Will do. I'm sure i wont have a problem keeping them loose until i get better at wrapping. Now i just have to figure out how to self wrap them. I've read to wrap outward and try and pack as much behind the knee as possible. Also to flex the quad while wrapping to set the patella in place to avoid displacing it while wrapping.

Anyone have anything to add or change?
 
Great discussion. Let me know what you think, because I'm contemplating wraps.

Looking now for a video I saw recently on self wrapping.
 
RegisterJr said:
Great discussion. Let me know what you think, because I'm contemplating wraps.

Looking now for a video I saw recently on self wrapping.
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Sounds good i'll keep ya posted. I'll only have 3 heavy squat days on the cube before this meet on 9/26. I'm gonna have to cut a
Few weeks off of the cube in some fashion if i want to do it.
 
Titan titanium are nice. Not as stretchy or thin as blue arrows, but still good rebound and they have a small amount of stopping power.

I have eliteFTS Kraits that are just impossible to self wrap and the few times I let people wrap me in them it sucked really bad. Could barely concentrate it hurt.

Yea am a puss I guess because mr Lou self wraps them with a smile
 
rob112 said:
Titan titanium are nice. Not as stretchy or thin as blue arrows, but still good rebound and they have a small amount of stopping power.

I have eliteFTS Kraits that are just impossible to self wrap and the few times I let people wrap me in them it sucked really bad. Could barely concentrate it hurt.

Yea am a puss I guess because mr Lou self wraps them with a smile
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I'm a huge fan of the Titaniums, both knee and wrist.
 
rob112 said:
Titan titanium are nice. Not as stretchy or thin as blue arrows, but still good rebound and they have a small amount of stopping power.

I have eliteFTS Kraits that are just impossible to self wrap and the few times I let people wrap me in them it sucked really bad. Could barely concentrate it hurt.

Yea am a puss I guess because mr Lou self wraps them with a smile
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Rodja said:
I'm a huge fan of the Titaniums, both knee and wrist.
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Thanks for the input fellas. Excited to give them a try. There are so many different wraps that all apparently provide different benefits for different squatters. Its kinda overwhelming when you are just deciding to test out wraps for the first time lol.

Not only you guys, but everyone in here made the process a hell of a lot easier and for that i thank you.
 
jswain34 said:
Thanks for the input fellas. Excited to give them a try. There are so many different wraps that all apparently provide different benefits for different squatters. Its kinda overwhelming when you are just deciding to test out wraps for the first time lol.

Not only you guys, but everyone in here made the process a hell of a lot easier and for that i thank you.
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Finding the right equipment is a pain. I can't even tell you how many pairs of knee wraps I've tried at this point.
 
Also dorsiflex your ankle along with flexing the quad. You want the area you're wrapping to be as small as possible so you can get it tighter. Also its really scary when you forget to flex your quad and it feels like the wrap is going to pull your patella into your ankle or you get a calf cramp because you forgot to dorsiflex.
 
Rodja said:
Finding the right equipment is a pain. I can't even tell you how many pairs of knee wraps I've tried at this point.
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Thst is what im trying to avoid. Dont have the money to be throwing around on multiple wraps right now.
 
herderdude said:
Also dorsiflex your ankle along with flexing the quad. You want the area you're wrapping to be as small as possible so you can get it tighter. Also its really scary when you forget to flex your quad and it feels like the wrap is going to pull your patella into your ankle or you get a calf cramp because you forgot to dorsiflex.
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Cool. Thanks. And yeah...that really doesnt sound very enjoyable. Im gonna have to reread the last page or 2 before using these damn things.
 
jswain34 said:
Cool. Thanks. And yeah...that really doesnt sound very enjoyable. Im gonna have to reread the last page or 2 before using these damn things.
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"Raw" or no, knee wraps are gear. And like any gear, you can get 100# out of them. But also like any gear it takes a lot of reps and coaching in them to learn how to maximize them. We're here to help, but we can only take you so far. I'm confident you'll fill in the gaps.
 
herderdude said:
Also dorsiflex your ankle along with flexing the quad. You want the area you're wrapping to be as small as possible so you can get it tighter. Also its really scary when you forget to flex your quad and it feels like the wrap is going to pull your patella into your ankle or you get a calf cramp because you forgot to dorsiflex.
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The one time I used wraps the guy didn't tell me to flex my quad and my knee cap hurt for like a week
 
7/31 post meet deload squat day

-Mastadon bar low bar squat

70x10
125x8
165x5
215x3
270x3
320x3sx1rep (first beltless, second tight belt aka levered tight, third lose belt aka not levered but on). I have an issue bracing properly if there isnt something there to cue myself on. I know its something i need to work on, but my belt less work in the meantime will probably be with just a loose belt (not levered).
370x1 loose belt. Felt great, almost went to 400, but talked myself out of it reminding myself it is a deload.

-SL Jakked custom leg press (82.5 degrees) (picture below)

Plate weight only:
90x15
140x2x15

3 way hip machine glute extension:

100x3x15

Notes:

I used my OLY shoes on squats today. I'm going to give them a shot this training cycle. I think it will take some of the pressure of my hips by increasing my ankle angle. Hopefully it doesnt cause my knees to hurt instead. I kept my foot and bar positioning the same. If i run into problems it will probably be with drifting forward. But as long as i cue myself to push my elbows under i should be alright.

I'll be using that custom leg press machine for leg press accessory for the cube. Really liked the feeling them in my legs and not my lower back how i do on the standard leg press. The guy that owns my gym had it custom made by some dude after he got in an accident and effed his back up.

Invalid Link RemovedInvalid Link Removed
 
rob112 said:
Titan titanium are nice. Not as stretchy or thin as blue arrows, but still good rebound and they have a small amount of stopping power.

I have eliteFTS Kraits that are just impossible to self wrap and the few times I let people wrap me in them it sucked really bad. Could barely concentrate it hurt.

Yea am a puss I guess because mr Lou self wraps them with a smile
Click to expand...

I have self wrapped those and they suck. Same goes for self wrapping the heavies. I can stand the pain no problem its my hands and forearms cramping up that kills me.
 
All I can add is I wrapped for all my squats for 5 straight months. I learned how I liked them and how tight to go for warm ups and attempts. It was 2-3 sets per week that whole time. Got probably close to 100 put of them at the meet I'd guess. Food for thought.
 
SweetLou321 said:
All I can add is I wrapped for all my squats for 5 straight months. I learned how I liked them and how tight to go for warm ups and attempts. It was 2-3 sets per week that whole time. Got probably close to 100 put of them at the meet I'd guess. Food for thought.
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I still have to figure out how i want to use them. Thinking just heavy days but i dont know if that will give me enough time to get comfortable with them.
 
jswain34 said:
I still have to figure out how i want to use them. Thinking just heavy days but i dont know if that will give me enough time to get comfortable with them.
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I'd drop cube if you want to compete in 12 weeks and go wrapped myself.

I'd do something more like

12-3x5 rpe 9
11-3x4 rpe 9
10-3x3 rpe 9
9-work up to 3 rm in wraps and calculate 1rm
8-deload 80%x2x1
7-80%x5x3 or 3x5
6-85%x4x3 or 3x4
5-deload 80%x2x1
4-90%x2x1 reverse band 100%x1
3-over reach 92.5%x4x1 reverse band 102.5%x2x1
2-taper 95%x2x1 reverse band 105%x1
1-meet week 50% 3x5

Rough idea. I'd do all that in wraps and at least 1 or 2 warm ups in them. Similar to how I peaked for my meet. Gives you an idea. Then I'd do some more squatting on another day without wraps and pull that day too after squats. And if you are recovering pull after the main squat above.
 
So basically you're suggesting i run another RTS cycle. Which i am not objected to by any means. I'd run your lay out above then do comp bench. Then later in the week id either front squat or just squat in sleeves with the mastadon bar to get more work and then pull afterward.

For the record i would only have 7 weeks of training time if i wanted to compete in that meet at my home gym on 9/26. I'm really questioning as to whether thats enough time for me to learn wraps. I dont think itd be a waste to do it even if i only make a small amount of progress on bench or deads before the meet. As i think i can pull more than the 560 if im on again.
 
I have that same bracing issue belt less at times. It's like you watch kabuki on YouTube and do it in the living room no problem. Get to the gym under some weight and it is harder.

Nice work on dat deload ma man
 
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