Squats on Squats on Squats. Journey to 500lbs!

Hell with the facility! Train people where you're gonna be training these next few months! Reduce the overhead.
 
jimbuick said:
Move to Houston and open one with me. Srs.
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Dude I would love to haha

herderdude said:
Hell with the facility! Train people where you're gonna be training these next few months! Reduce the overhead.
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Ya I'll be doing it out of my house for the next couple months. I have access to some good outdoor facilities once this snow stops and more stuff is being built that I'll have control of soon. :soon:
 
Beginner RTS link: Invalid Link Removed

That is for anyone interested again.

I'll try and update later with a video of the lifts, but I decided to hit the first planned workout of the week yesterday. I had a whole list of exactly what weights to hit and time frame for the lifts as well and worked up to my openers. 410/225/420. Everything felt real easy and light. I have one more workout this week and then I'll hit my mock meet Friday.

Bumped everything to yesterday because several people wanted to train and I'll probably be up in Maryland again this weekend for a weightlifting competition.

PS the amount of pizza, wings, and sides I ate yesterday was HNGGGGGGGGGGGG and overfilling. :lol:
 
Ok so when I don't have a full training week my motivation to type up the usual log is not there. So I'll keep this brief.

Sunday:
As I already noted I decided to lift on Sunday up to openers rather than Monday. I had like 4 people text me saying they wanted to get a lift in and I should be heading out of town Friday afternoon anyways.

I wanted to keep everything super "chill" for this. Not get worked up at all and keep a super low level of arousal. It did seem to work out that way.

Mike had sent me a full template with exactly what warm ups to hit and how long in between based on if I was actually in a certain flight at a real competition, so I did the warm ups just like that. Again I worked up to 410 Squat, 225 Bench, and 420 Deadlift. The bench pause was a little short, but that is because I had a random buddy call it out who doesn't powerlift (he called out the press command on my warm up before it and it was the longest pause ever so he may have been a little quick to the trigger on this one lol). I honestly felt like I had done nearly no work when I was done...that der work capacity.

[video=youtube;L93lmfkxl0w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93lmfkxl0w&edit=vd[/video]

Tuesday:
Went in today and hit a couple easy triples on Squat (@8) and four easy triples on Bench (@8.5) and then just went through my Deadlift warm ups. I forced myself to take some solid rest periods and again felt like I didn't really do much today. :o

I took videos of all the lifts today but it seems so boring so I won't post any.

In other news my body has decided no amount of dirty eating will allow it to get fat. This is a pic after probably the worst week and a half of eating (quality wise not quantity..ate a ton) in forever. Should note I am 165-167lbs on most days and given the ab vascularity I hope I won't dip below 165 again. :D

*Don't judge the epic selfie attempt haha*
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Sean1332 said:
Strong openers, man!

Veins on your abs?? Photoshop!
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Everything felt super easy. I honestly felt so good on Sunday I kind of wanted to just do the mock meet then haha

Ya maybe it is finally goodbye 165lbs weight class...inb4 my body changes its mind.
 
Pause was fine, just listen to the judge. It might be that quick, but certainly won't feel like it. lol. Nice work man, goodluck at your meet!
 
CountryLiftin said:
Pause was fine, just listen to the judge. It might be that quick, but certainly won't feel like it. lol. Nice work man, goodluck at your meet!
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Thanks! Ya just wanted it a tad longer because it was longer in the last two comps I did so I'd rather have a long pause than too short.
 
Personally, I am more worried about jumping the gun then the length of the pause honestly. IMO a pause = a pause in the span of 1-3 seconds. You really aren't going to ever see a pause longer than that, and 3 seconds is pushing it. Just get it there, open your ears and blast that weight when you hear up brother!
 
So got the confirmation all my new lifting equipment will be here tomorrow! I am going to spend today clearing out all the proper room in the basement and getting the wood I need to make my platforms. Beyond excited haha

Going to the Cheesecake Factory tonight...all this food better help facilitate a solid mock meet at the end of the week...
 
Sean1332 said:
1080 calories! I think I read that it has 111g of protein. Dunno how that's possible lol
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:eek:

I can't wait!

I hate this training week and waiting to hit a mock meet. :(
 
Not gonna lie the level of boredom with not hitting the gym the past two days has been brutal. Still been eating a lot and hope things go well tomorrow!

Stress levels the last two days have been insane, so hoping it doesn't cause issues, but TRAC still seems to be going well so not too worried.
 
Stir crazy...you will probably go in 100%ish and kill it next session, though
 
Today is the day. Pretty excited right now!

Pissed that the weather delayed my shipment though...hopefully my rack gets here today even though I won't be able to set it all up until next week. :sad3:
 
I seriously can't wait to get out of school and have some money and get my own setup for training! You lucky duck. What all did you get?
 
CountryLiftin said:
I seriously can't wait to get out of school and have some money and get my own setup for training! You lucky duck. What all did you get?
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Grabbed a rack from Rogue, a bench, landmine attachment, some competition bumpers (they look pretty :p), a Westside Power Bar, and the Rogue Bella Bar (not for me haha).

I've been slowly grabbing stuff for this venture for awhile. Bought chains, rings, weights, and bands and made boards, mats (cut up for elevated lifts and deficit lifts), and platforms already.

I think that is it, but I am probably missing some stuff I already have.
 
Will keep this pretty brief as I don't think there is too much to say. I did like the spreadsheet Mike provided for attempts and warm ups. Seemed to help streamline things quite easily and I feel it helped me hit some of these numbers.

Squats:
Attempt 1: 410
Attempt 2: 435 PR
Attempt 3: 450 PR

Felt good on pretty much all of these.

Bench:
Attempt 1: 225
Attempt 2: 235
Attempt 3: 245 PR

I need someone dedicated to calling my pauses. Too short. Also after watching the keeping you butt on the bench video I think there are some things I can work on with my lower body positioning. Otherwise I felt solid with the weight here.

Deadlift:
Attempt 1: 420
Attempt 2: 445
No Third Attempt

Meh. These felt all over the place. Didn't feel "hard", but form seemed off and the second attempt had my glute/lower back tightness/issue pop up again. I tried to roll out my glutes and put 460 (455 is my PR) on the bar for a final attempt, but I just couldn't get into position with out feeling like I was going to risk something so I just called it there (no pain or discomfort now that I am home, but w/e). Disappointed in this.

Total: 1140lbs @165lbs bwt (20lbs PR)

Overall I was pretty happy. Don't feel overly beat up and hit some new PRs. Deadlift is annoying, but I honestly need to just man up and stop complaining and get better there. Off to Maryland for the weekend to watch the Baltimore Open Weightlifting Competition on Saturday and Sunday now. :)

Video:
[video=youtube;2QPb7LHuhJI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?edit=vd&v=2QPb7LHuhJI[/video]
 
Sean1332 said:
and vid is private
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Oops. There should be public now.



Also that feel when I need to head out of town but the delivery service can't tell me when my rack will be here. :(
 
Just watched. Those lifts were smooth man. Don't be upset about giving up your third deadlift. You'll have another chance.

500 is coming soon!
 
Sean1332 said:
Just watched. Those lifts were smooth man. Don't be upset about giving up your third deadlift. You'll have another chance.

500 is coming soon!
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Ya I'm not too mad, I still crushed the other lifts. More just upset that I did something so I couldn't even attempt the final lift.

500 is the goal and I feel I am moving in the right direction. :D
 
You make squats look so easy man. Awesome. Get some leg drive in that bench and work on body tightness for those deads. You're looking great man.
 
Awesome lifts man. None of them looked like real grinders either. You have some great squat form IMO...form on other lifts looks real good too. Congrats on having your hard work pay off!
 
Great day, Bolt! Sweet Jugg shirt, too. You left yourself a little bit on each of your lifts, you'll continue to improve just as quickly.
 
Thanks guys. Squats are easily my best because I never have to really think I can just do them.

I'd have shot a bit higher in all lifts but this is what Mike had planned and it went great so no complaints there.

I'm at some crossfit place right now just rolling and mobilizing and I'm not too sore.

Finally my rack will be here Monday! :D :D :D
 
Hell, Mike knows the importance of 9-for-9 as well as anyone. I want a 9-for-9 so bad.
 
herderdude said:
Hell, Mike knows the importance of 9-for-9 as well as anyone. I want a 9-for-9 so bad.
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Ya that's why I really wanted that dead lift. Really wanna go 9/9 in April.
 
Ok so this weekend was filled with a ton of nonsense, but it was a good time to totally unwind, relax, and eat a lot to recover from Friday's lifts.

I got the new training cycle for this 11 weeks leading up to my next meet. Some cool new stuff in there and some slight changes. I will be having more volume working up to the top set (like Herder suggested :D), that you will see reflected in today's (and all training from now on until otherwise noted) training.

I really wanted to have my new stuff all set up and have my whole "pre-meet prep" done on the same equipment, but fate wasn't having any of that. Rack should be here tonight, but if it gets here late enough I'll just lift at my old gym tomorrow as well. :(

Restarting the week counter since this will be my training cycle leading up to my next competition. Pretty excited as that will be pretty much exactly one year of competing for me. Haven't really mentioned it much, but my total has been moving up consistently and considerably for this time frame, so I am amped to see what I can get up to this next couple of months.



Week 1 Day 1- February 10:​

Drove straight to the gym from where I was in Maryland all week. Not used to driving over an hour to the gym, so I did feel a little out of it going in. Nothing serious though and I was good to go by the time I hit my warm ups.

Squat w/Belt Work up to x4 @9 No Drop
2ct Pause Bench Work up to x4 @9 No Drop
Close Grip Bench + Minis Work up to x7 @9 No Drop **

**My home set up isn't finished yet (hopefully by tomorrow or wednesday) and while at my old gym the only rack I can do band bench work on was taken so I switched this with close grip incline press for the day. Don't like making audibles, but I'd have had to wait way too long if I had opted to wait for the rack to open up. :mad:

Squats w/Belt:
Warm Up- Bar x 10, 135lbs x 5, 205lbs x 5, 275lbs x 3, 315lbs x 1
335lbs x 4 @7
355lbs x 4 @8
385lbs x 4 @9

Working up in weight will be a bit different as I try to hit @7 and @8 before my final sets. I felt a little off as I warmed up so I went lower than what I had planned to work up to. 355lbs didn't seem too bad so I adjusted again and made a bigger jump to hit 385lbs (original plan for the day). That felt good so glad I made the call to hit it.


2ct Pause Bench:
Warm Up: 45lbs x 5 x 2, 95lbs x 5, 135lbs x 5,
180lbs x 4 @7
190lbs x 4 @8
200lbs x 4 @8.5

These felt real good today. Undershot RPE a bit and maybe should have just gone for 205lbs, but either way I liked how it felt. Set the legs up a bit different and will play around a little bit more with foot positioning to hopefully find an optimal set up.

Close Grip Incline Press:
Warm Up: 135lbs x 10
150lbs x 7 @7
155lbs x 7 @8
160lbs x 7 @9


Numbers are a little below the norm for today, but considering how solid my lifting was on my mock meet two days ago I expected this (actually thought I'd be a little weaker so was pretty happy today).
 
All my stuff showed up about 30 minutes ago...I feel like a kid on Christmas. :party:
 


Week 1 Day 2- February 11:​
Deadlift w/Belt Work up to x4 @9 No Drop
Bench Touch and Go Work up to x7 @10 No Drop
Front Squat Work up to x7 @9 No Drop

So my rack isn't fully built yet, but I really couldn't resist deadlifting at home with the new bar. So deadlifts were at home then I drove 5 minutes to the gym to finish the rest.

Deadlift w/Belt:
Warm Up- 40kg(88lbs) x 5, 70kg(154lbs) x 5, 110kg(242lbs) x 3, 130kg(286lbs) x 2, 150kg(330lbs) x 2
160kg(352lbs) x 4 @7
170kg(374lbs) x 4 @8
180kg(396lbs) x 4 @9

Couple things to note. First, my home set up will be in Kilos so that's what I'll be writing the weights in from now on, just including lbs for a bit as I transition. Second, I really like my new bar. Will be the nicest bar I've had consistent access to. It does seem stiffer than what I usually use and there is less slack to pull out of it. Did seem a bit harder to pull, but that could be still some fatigue (possibly the extra work up sets @7 and @8) or just getting used to the new grip and stiffness. Either way I felt my form was very good today.


Bench Touch and Go:
Warm Up: 45lbs x 10, 95lbs x 5, 135lbs x 5, 175lbs x 7
185lbs x 7 @8
195lbs x 7 @9
205lbs x 7 @10

Felt great here. I was going to go 175, 185, 195 for working sets, but that seemed to easy so I got up to 205. Really hope this bench momentum keeps clicking because I feel much more confident with bench recently.

Front Squat:
Warm Up: Bar x 10, 135lbs x 10, 165lbs x 5
195lbs x 7 @7
205lbs x 7 @8
215lbs x 7 @9.5

Died out on the 7th rep on the last set. Legs were fine, but the elbows began to drop. Probably could have squeaked out one more if I had to, but still overshot RPE just a bit here.

I felt really good today. Felt strong, enjoyed the new bar for deads, and feel recovered and healthy. :D

inb4 argument about my move to kilos. :p
 
communist. This is America we don't use no killergrams

good workout man, again jealous of your setup. I'll go deadlift later on the straight piece of 1.25" chromoly 4130 steel (JK but that's what it feels like, except it is actually a bigger round bad)

You say the bar is actually stiffer? mine don't have any slack now. What kind of bar did you get again?
 
CountryLiftin said:
communist. This is America we don't use no killergrams

good workout man, again jealous of your setup. I'll go deadlift later on the straight piece of 1.25" chromoly 4130 steel (JK but that's what it feels like, except it is actually a bigger round bad)

You say the bar is actually stiffer? mine don't have any slack now. What kind of bar did you get again?
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Idk if it is stiffer or there just isn't as much slack to pull out with the plates. Could be in my head too as it is new stuff. Either way I like the new bar (Westside Power Bar from Rogue). Or maybe I just don't have enough weight on the bar to get much bend. :p

I really hope I have time to put the rack together tonight..I don't wanna go back to the other gym to lift anymore. :sad:
 
CountryLiftin said:
communist. This is America we don't use no killergrams good workout man, again jealous of your setup. I'll go deadlift later on the straight piece of 1.25" chromoly 4130 steel (JK but that's what it feels like, except it is actually a bigger round bad) You say the bar is actually stiffer? mine don't have any slack now. What kind of bar did you get again?
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Actually, kg plates ain't a bad idea. Knowing kgs is better than writing your attempts on a piece of paper in your hotel room - and then losing it...
 
napalm said:
Actually, kg plates ain't a bad idea. Knowing kgs is better than writing your attempts on a piece of paper in your hotel room - and then losing it...
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If you can't multiply/divide by 2.2 in your head GTFO. But really I was just joking. The only meet I did was in LBs so I've been good! Hahaha. Not a bad idea though you're right I suppose.
 
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