Meet Prep Week 6 Day 2 (7 February 2017)

I did it, I finally broke the 74kg plateau barrier. Weighed in last night at 73.8kg. Finally the cut is going somewhere. It's been stuck for weeks damn it. Now I only got 4 weeks to get this cut done or I'm gonna have to do the bloody PSMF thingy. I hope I don't have to resort to that. The session on this day was, meh. It wasn't bad, wasn't great, just "ok" as Saitama would say. It happens.

Deadlift (deadstop) 150kg x 4 x 2
- I've been feeling a lot of general tightness in my lower back as of late. I've been taking my time to foam roll and stretch very lightly before every session in order to prime my body to lift, but I'm guessing the fatigue is just catching up to me. 150kg went great on this session. It moved rather fast, but a bit on the low end. Not as explosive as I'd like but the power is there. No form breakdowns as far as I can feel from my own body's feedback. RPE 8.5 on these. I'm sure I could have thrown in another 3 set but you gotta stick to the program man.

Bench Press (competition paused) 77.5kg x 5 x 3
- The off feeling on bench continued on from the previous session. This time, my left bicep even cramped up on set 4 and on set 5, my bar path swayed backwards causing me to to really fight the bar to remain stable. I don't know what's going on exactly with my bench but again, I have a feeling that the fatigue accumulation is at its top end. The weight wasn't that heavy, it moved pretty fast in my opinion, just that the session was a bit difficult on this particular day. Probably I shouldn't have deadlifted before bench but I really wanted to give more focus on deadlift on this day. RPE 8.5 as well on these though the last set might qualify for an RPE 9.5-10. Almost died there.

Deadlift to Knees 112.5kg x 3 x 8
- I was surprised at how easy this exercise felt when I did it. I can feel my off the floor speed and technique has really improved the past 6 weeks with the bar consistently following the same path and at the same speed when breaking off the floor. Heck I think my hammies has exploded in size. RPE 7 on these. The only concern I have currently is the fact that at the meet we'll be using a deadlift bar instead of a stiff bar which I'm currently training with. A deadlift bar has the tendency to fuck with an explosive type lifter as the whip causes the bar to break off the floor a bit later as compared to a stiff bar, which breaks off as soon as you initiates the lift. I guess I won't really know until meet day, unless I go to QLS and play around with the deadlift bar one of these days.

Accessories.
- I did my usual 2 rowing movements today as accessories:

- Kroc Rows 32kg x 2 x 12. I feel like my Kroc Rows has gotten a bit weaker. May be a result of fatigue or just no energy but it just felt so sluggish on this session.
- Seated Cable Rows (straight handle) 195lbs x 2 x 15, 1 x AMRAP=17. Planned progression for this exercise is to do AMRAP on the last set each time till I reached 20, then I'll try 20 for each set.

Meet Prep Week 6 Day 3 (9 February 2017)

So, on this session, the gym's air conditioning broke down, hell the entire mall didn't have air conditioning. Being a fancy commercial gym, they didn't even have a damn fan. It was hot. So hot I felt like I needed to chew my air before inhaling. Every 2-3 sets I had to change T-shirt. It was not fun last night. BUT, I did manage to hit a new all time PR on squats, that's definitely a plus. Aaaand I went home after that, because I felt like I was overheating. Fuck that. Even today I feel a little bit sick. I'm very susceptible to heat unfortunately. Turn the heat up and I get sick very easily.

Squats 140kg x 1 x 1, 125kg x 4 x 2
- As usual I work up to an RPE 9 single. On this session, I planned on trying 140kg since 135kg went up rather easily the previous session. Once I got to 135kg here, I knew 140kg was in the bag. Attempted it and hit it, without much difficulty. At the time it felt like RPE 9 but after reviewing the video, it looked a lot more like an RPE 8 since the barbell didn't slow down much at all on the way up. Others around me mentioned that I could have added at least 5kg to it. Usually I'll classify an RPE 9 as a classic grinder where the barbell really slows down at the sticking point, but that didn't happen here. I'll take my 140kg, which was my squat goal last year, and leave the actual test for the platform later. After that I did my programmed squats for the day, which was RPE 8. Very very pleased with this session despite the hellish heat and the less than optimal sleep the night before.

Meet Prep Week 6 Day 4 (10 February 2017)

I told you I'm very succeptible to the heat, felt a bit sick on this session with a bit of a sore throat and a slight fever. I felt lethargic like hell on this session despite eating lots more carbs and fats for lunch prior to the training session. It also doesn't help the fact that I forgot my log book so I had to work from memory of what I programmed in for the day.

Bench Press (competition paused) 80kg x 5 x 3
- I decided to start the session with bench press as I felt too fatigued to begin with deadlifts. My energy levels just felt really low on this day. I toyed around with my form a few times, put on the belt, removed the belt, etc. I've decided to stick with no belt for this meet as I felt like my bar path was too deviated when I have it on and I just can't get my arch as high as I need it to be. I don't think I have the time to change my form. One day I'll get a bench belt for this purpose. The weight felt heavy as 88% should feel like, but I was rather pleased with the way the bar moved. It was relatively fast and consistent on sets that I didn't fool around on. RPE 8.5 on these.

Deadlift (touch & go) 132.5kg x 2 x 5, 1 x AMRAP=6
- Deadlift was slow on this session. It didn't feel like a drag but it just felt so slow. My explosiveness was not there on this session. Even the reps were not clean as the left side of the barbell keeps descending faster than the other. Last AMRAP set I failed at 6 reps because my grip failed. I forgot to put on the strap but it's okay, it was much needed grip training. RPE 8 on these, just some light volume work.

Accessories.
- I dragged my ass across the gym to force myself to do at least 2 rowing accessories. I was so lethargic by the end of deadlift. I did Lat Pulldown 65kg x 3 x 10, followed by T-Bar Chest Supported Rows 35kg x 3 x 8.

Meet Prep Week 7 Day 1 (13 February 2017)

Shit it's been a very busy few days and I couldn't update my log till today. Anyhow, some updates. MPA just announced the meet to be held at Utropolis Marketplace on 25th & 26th March, so this gives me about 6 weeks out including this week. So, if you want to see what a powerlifting meet is all about, feel free to come over and spectate and that includes you lingleeyen

On with the log. This day marks the first week of the strength phase, which I'm not too good with. I'm okay with planning for volume and such but peaking is not something I have much of a knack for. I programmed to do all 3 big lifts in a day for this week and the next but decided against that for this week only since I want to do my opener for squats and deadlift twice this week to get more accustomed to heavier weights. Those 2 I'd rather not be on the same day so that's what I'm doing this week.

Squats 135kg x 1 x 1, 120kg x 4 x 3
- 135kg was my gym 1RM for a long time, it crushed me at MPA SAM 2016 back in August 2016. Now, it is my opener. I began my workout on this session by working up to a heavy single with 135kg as daily minimum. I'm running a Bulgarian-esque style peak for squats. If I feel great on that particular session I'd go heavier, if not, I need to at least be able to hit 135kg. I'm really happy to say that it was RPE 7.5-8 at most. Felt really fast and explosive, and light as well to be honest. I used to feel this weight as really heavy on my back. I could have went heavier but I was feeling a wee bit tired and fatigued. After that was some backoff sets with 120kg. I failed set 5 as I shifted the load to my left side too much causing the barbell to hit the safeties and couldn't recover. RPE 8.5 on these. I stopped at set 4.

Bench Press (competition paused) 77.5kg x 5 x 3
- I had really really tight hips on this session. I have a feeling it might have been because of the long hours of being seated. I flew back and forth from Kuching over the weekend and had a whole day of product seminar training at work on that day. Leg drive felt horrible and my hips and lower back were complaining the entire time. The weight itself wasn't that heavy. The bar path did sway backwards on some reps because of the terrible leg drive I got from the tight hips. Overall though, I felt that it was a good session. RPE 8 on these. Bench has not been affected by this cut as of currently so I'm quite pleased with it.

Accessories.
- I finished off the session Landmine Rows 65kg x 3 x 10 while watching a fellow gym goer deadlift with the most terrible form I've ever seen. What do you do in that situation? I've always been the kind that if somebody didn't ask I should just shut the fuck up but man it was horrible seeing him deadlift like that. Oh well. Didn't do too much volume on this session.

Valentine's Day Workout (14 February 2017)

Couples who lift together stay together, or some shit like that. We were gonna go for a date that evening but she wanted to squat, though it had to be a really really short session. I tagged along to fool around at the gym so I didn't bring my chalk, belt, roller, nothing. Figured I wasn't gonna do any serious lifting since I wouldn't have enough time to even warmup properly.

I ended up pulling a beltless, chalkless PR of 157.5kg for a good RPE 8.5. My fingers slipped at the top right as I locked out the weight. Heaviest I've ever pulled beltless before was 130kg I believe, a long long time ago. A Valentine's day well spent.

Meet Prep Week 7 Day 2 (15 February 2017)

I lift on the 26th March in Flight E which is on Sunday. I don't know how to feel about it, on one hand, I don't need to take an off day from work on Friday to weigh in, on another hand I'll be absolutely destroyed come Monday. I'll take leave on Monday lah I think.

On this session I went ahead and worked up to a good heavy single for deadlift. I also learned that after max effort on deadlift, I can forget about trying to put in some volume work because the muscles just wouldn't fire due to CNS fatigue. Fried CNS is real yo. So now I know better in how to plan my training, working up to a top single at RPE 9 on the deadlift prevents me from doing any volume work for it while for squats, the same strategy works quite well and allows me to handle more weight. For bench, well I can bench about 15 to 25 reps everyday in the 80%-95% with no trouble in recovering. Elbows might hurt a bit but nothing a bajillion curls and better form couldn't help.

Deadlift (deadstop) 166kg x 1 x 1
- 166kg was my 1RM previously tested in December. It was slow and grindy before, on this session this weight moved very smoothly with adequate speed, as the video review confirms it. RPE 8.5-9 on this with at least 1 rep left in the tank. I might take this as a second attempt depending on how my opener feels on the meet day, which I think will be 155kg. I will tackle deadlift exactly how I did back in August. Back then I opened with 155kg but failed both subsequent attempts at 167.5kg. The goal for this meet though is to at least hit 175kg, with a 180kg being a cherry on top. Working up to this weight I did get some volume in so it wasn't all that bad. I couldn't get any more work in however, after reaching the top single. My body just said nope, I'm done.
- Ramp up weight:
70kg x 4
90kg x 3
110kg x 3
130kg x 2
142.5kg x 2
152.5kg x 1
157.5kg x 1

Bench Press (competition paused) 70kg x 7 x 3 superset with Barbell Pendlay Rows 60kg x 7 x 3
- I wanted to save some time on this session by supersetting my rowing movement with my bench press. For bench, the weight felt light here. I managed to deal with the tight hips I got the day before so my setup got much better. I had some pain on my left elbow on set 3 and I think I figured out why my elbows have been complaining lately. It's the position where I touch my chest. I experimented with that throughout the session and I found out that if I went a bit lower than normal on my chest, about 1" lower, I get more pec activation and my elbow pains get reduced significantly. Some days I wish I have a coach to point these things out for me, sigh. It was a good session though, I learned a lot of new things. RPE 7.5 on these, didn't feel all that difficult.

Meet Prep Week 7 Day 3 (16 February 2017)

This session was really a meh session. I felt like I was dragging myself to get shit done. My left elbow was really inflamed and it was complaining throughout the workout. I've identified it to be one of the tricep tendons and I have a feeling it's because of the high frequency squatting and benching. It doesn't hurt to bench but it does hurt to stabilize the damn bar which is pretty damn important. Powered through it and made it safely though, thankfully. One thing about meet preps is that I know I will always have some sort of pain throughout the cycle. Last time it was my shoulders. This time it's my elbows.

Squats 135kg x 1 x 1, 122.5kg x 5 x 2
- Like I said, it was a meh session. My daily minimum of 135kg felt heavy on this day, about RPE 8.5. Speed was a bit slow in the middle and again I lost some tightness in my upper back coming out of the hole. I think my hand positioning is not exactly ideal but I doubt, at 6 weeks out, that it is a good idea to play around with a huge variable such as hand placement. The back off work after that felt a bit heavy too, about RPE 8. On set 3 I hit the safety bar on my left side, causing me to lose balance and failed the set, couldn't recover the rep. This makes me think that I might be leaning to my left side a bit too much due to some muscular imbalance, probably a side effect of mixed grip on the deadlift.

Bench Press (competition paused) 80kg x 3 x 3, 2 x 2 superset with Dumbbell Rows 24kg 5 x 5
- 80kg is really difficult unrack on my own especially with a bum elbow. It felt painful to stabilize at the top but if I twist my hands inwards as if to bend the bar, the pain subsides. Huh... Maybe I've been holding the barbell wrongly all these years. The weight moved fast and efficient though, especially with the slight adjustment on where I touch the barbell on my chest, which I experimented on during the previous session. RPE 8.5 on these. I could have done 3 reps for each of the last 2 sets but I didn't feel like pushing it too far. Can't afford an injury now man. I supersetted with dumbbell rows. I didn't call them Kroc rows which I always do as I only did 5 reps per hand per set at only 24kg. Hardly anything difficult but good enough as an accessory for this block.

Accessories.
- I decided to get a pump on my quads before I went home to aid recovery of the lower body, so I did Leg Extensions x 3 x 20 at some random weight. I didn't bother checking, it just felt alright.

Meet Prep Week 7 Day 4 (17 February 2017)

Aight, this entire week has been painful. Started getting elbow pains on Wednesday and it got worse on this session, up to the point that I didn't dare to do the programmed manpon presses after my squats. My warmup felt terribly awful with the bar swaying back and forth with 0 consistency, so I took that out of this training session. Plan is to take a deload next week, I think my body needs it. While deloading, I plan to do a mini crash diet, eating 150g of protein a day, whatever fat that comes with that and 0-30g carbs, full on keto. I don't think I'll need the carbs on a deload week so I hope to accelerate my fat loss a bit. As of writing I am sitting at 73.6kg with 0 drop in strength. I need to hit 71kg-72kg in another 4 weeks.

On with the log.

Squats 115kg x 6 x 2
- The goal with this squat session is to train my speed and upper back tightness. I programmed the weight to be slightly heavy but still something I can handle for 6 sets. The entire session was a bit miserable due to my left elbow and my setup couldn't be as tight as I'd like it to be. The weight did move fast and easy though so no big deal there. I practiced my walkout a lot also in this session. Off season I will train a 2 step walkout ala JP Cauchi's form but for now, I'll stick with my 3 step walkout. RPE 8.5 on these which wasn't too bad. Lower back was complaining a bit though so I had to be extra careful. I pretty much squatted, deadlifted or did a combination of both 5 straight days this week and my lower back was starting to really show signs of fatigue.

Deadlift (deadstop) 132.5kg x 8 x 2
- I didn't get to do any volume work for deadlift prior to this session so I decided to add these in. 8 x 2 is perfect for when I'm trying to train for speed and to limit the fatigue on my CNS. Truth be told I didn't even break a sweat after this deadlift session, as compared to my squats which had me soaking wet in sweat. Speed was a bit slow as well like my squats, I just felt a bit beat up after a long week of training. Good session though. RPE 8 on these.

Accessories.
- The gym was a mess on this day. I just can't stand it when plates are strewn about the platform and power rack where I usually train all the time. So for a cooldown accessory I did Plate Cleanup 10 x 10 (or something like that). Fuckers just don't put their plates back on the plate tree. It's right fucking there. Boils my blood man.

Meet Prep Week 8 Day 1 (20 February 2017)

That elbow pain I had last week, it's almost gone. But I'm not gonna risk a real injury by not giving it time to get back to 100%. My lower back is feeling a bit fatigued too the past few weeks. That is why I've decided to take this week as a deload week. I have no set program for deload. Basically I'll be doing a much lighter version the competition SBD and maybe 1 or 2 accessories. I'd rather take this time to work on technique and form rather than work on getting some work volume in, so I'll be doing sets of doubles and triples only, even though some of the weights are like my 10RM weights. Also, since it is deload week, I will be avoiding carbs this entire week to help me with my cut. I won't be training really hard so I don't think the loss of energy will be much of an issue. This will give me a greater deficit which will hopefully let me break my weightloss plateau.

On with log. Aight, I'm also gonna note the RPE of each weight next to it instead of putting it in the comments to make it easier for me to pull out the data for when I need it next time. And I'll underline the exercise I did, just for tidiness sake.

Squats 95kg x 6 x 2 @RPE 6, 130kg x 1 x 1 @RPE 7.5, 135kg x 1 x 1 @RPE 8
- 95kg was a joke for sets of doubles. I don't think anything below RPE 7 is beneficial in terms of training aside from being warmups. I've done this weight for 8-10 reps before. Either way, it was much needed rest for my back and elbow. I focused on speed, form and technique on this session, reinforcing some cues that I tend to forget. I'm currently thinking of pulling my hands inwards a bit more to create better tightness in the upper back which has been an issue for me the past few weeks. It's risky to changing form this near to a meet but I think it will be beneficial. Next session will be an experiment to find the best hand placement. The top single of the day was basically my opener/daily minimum. It should've been much easier than RPE 8 but I think that's just fatigue and lack of energy. Next time I'll do the top single in the beginning of the session like I always did.

Bench Press (competition paused) 60kg x 6 x 3 @RPE 7 superset with Dumbbell Rows 26kg 6 x 6 @RPE whatever
- Bench felt weird the first few warmup sets and working sets. It was as if I forgotten how to bench; bar path inconsistent, bad unrack, butt coming off the bench, scapula detracting on
some reps. I got my shit together after set 2 though and got my groove back. Again, I focused on form, technique and speed to reinforce cues. Elbow held up pretty well too, so that was good. No pain whatsoever so I think I can go a bit heavier the next session. Superset is proving to be a really good way to save time so I will continue doing this going into off season later, despite the extra effort to set up the exercises I want to do.

Deadlift (deadstop) 110kg x 6 x 2 @RPE 6.5
- Deadlift was great on this session. I hardly even sweat on these but I achieved what I intended; to give rest to my back and work on technique and form. I found that shorter setup at the bottom produces a much smoother rep every time so from now on I will try to spend as little time as possible setting up my grip. Not much to say about deadlift for now, it's been going really great lately.

Accessories
- Again, my accessories consisted of cleaning up the gym of plates strewn about the general vicinity of the platform and power rack. I couldn't give a fuck about the rest of the gym but I just have to have my "temple" clean and tidy. Quite a good cool down exercise to be honest even though I'm filled with spite the entire time.

Meet Prep Week 8 Day 2 (21 February 2017)

This session felt like one of those grind days, where you just grind and grind even though you're fatigued, tired, and want nothing more than some massage and lots of sleep. The lack of energy is not that bad IMO, I can live with this. Keto is easy so far, the hunger is very unsubstantial. Besides, it will be only for a week. What's bothering me is the fact that everything felt strained, everything felt fatigued, everything felt sleepy. It was still a deload session so the weights I moved weren't that heavy but still, it just wasn't one of those great sessions. Well, grind is the name of the game.

Squats 130kg x 1 x 1 @RPE 7.5, 135kg x 1 x 1 @RPE 8.5, 100kg x 5 x 2 @RPE 7
- Funny how 135kg done in two days in a row turned it from RPE 8 to RPE 8.5. I experimented with a new grip today. Much narrower to get my upper back as tight as possible. It felt different, now the bar position on my back is more mid bar than low bar. I found the walkout to be a tad more difficult as well as the bar became more difficult to balance. However, I did in fact engage my traps and rear delts a lot more and my elbows could get below the bar more comfortably which in turn reduced my elbow discomforts. Plus my wrists weren't hurting as well as now the weight of the bar is mostly on my back and not my hands. I will need to practice this form as I think this might as well be the form for me.

Bench Press (competition paused) 65kg x 5 x 3 @RPE 7 superset with Barbell Rows 110lbs 5 x 6 @RPE whatever
- In the previous session, my elbows didn't hurt but my form was a bit fucky. This session, my left elbow did give some issue but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. The weight moved fairly consistently and I was really pleased with that. Technique was on point, bar path was good, arch was getting better. Overall a great bench session. I discovered in this session the reason why my butt has been shooting up from the bench when I perform a paused rep. It is because of lost of tightness from the self unracking technique I talked about a few posts before. I just couldn't reset my setup properly with the bar right above my face. Best solution, get a hand off on heavier sets and unrack normally on lighter sets instead of the butt off unracking technique.

Deadlift (deadstop) 130kg x 5 x 2 @RPE 7.5 superset with Abwheel Rollout 3 x 8
- I'm really loving the concept of a giant set/super set where I can get a lot more done with less time. I've decided to add some abs component after deadlift as I have been neglecting abs a little bit for the past few weeks. It actually helped my deadlift because my abs were engaged more and I was able to create a more rigid core via Valsalva. I did feel some lost of tightness in my upper back on this deadlift session though but I think that's just due to fatigue. I practiced my technique on this session and I feel confident with a short setup now. The setup starting from grip setup all the way to lift initiation takes around 1-2 seconds now and my reps feel a lot more explosive and powerful.

Accessories
- I think I might remove accessories as I intend to do giant sets starting on my off season later. All giant set/super set and it saves a heck of a lot of time.

Meet Prep Week 8 Day 3 (24 February 2017)

This session did not have any planned workout, I went to the gym with the goal to just do what my body feels like training. Turns out it wasn't that bad. I didn't like the non-structure of it though so I cannot be doing that often.

Squats 135kg x 1 x 1 @RPE 7.5, 140kg x 1 x 1 @RPE 8, 110kg x 5 x 2 @RPE 7
- Squats felt awesome on this session. I went ahead and tried my PR of 140kg again for shits and giggle and guess what, it wasn't so hard at all. I did slow down at the usual sticking point but the whole rep was smooth without much struggle at all. I can gladly say that the new hand placement is definitely helping since I can keep my upper back much tighter making the rep smoother. After the top set, I did some doubles for some volume. Overall, great session. I have a feeling that my squat will eventually overtake my deadlift one day as I can feel like my deadlift progress is slowing down.

Deadlift (deadstop) 142.5kg x 10 x 1 @RPE 8
- I decided to train my setup and speed on this session so I slapped on 3 plates and pulled 10 singles. Speed was good. Slowed down by set 7 but that's pretty normal. Wasn't heavy per say, but I was definitely feeling the fatigue from the squats beforehand.

This post has been edited by Npad: Mar 9 2017, 04:17 PM

Meet Prep Week 9 Day 1 (28 February 2017)

It's peaking week baby. Time to lift some heavy ass weights and train my CNS to fire the muscular motor unit I've built throughout the hypertrophy weeks and the months of bulking before. Deload last week really helped in letting me recover so that I can come back stronger this week. I also bought some bands of unknown tension from SuperSave for really cheap to do some reverse banded squats on this session.

Squats (singles) 130kg @RPE 7, 135kg @RPE 7.5, 140kg @RPE 8
- Ever since last week I really deviated from the training plans I've programmed in the beginning of this prep cycle. I've been going for a day to day feels based programming ala RTS a bit, and I found it to be better in the way that I don't feel like I'm sandbagging just to finish up the preplanned workout. On this session I squeezed in a lot of volume in my warm-up to my working weights. I only did 3 singles and they felt great. my all time 1RM of 140kg felt like something I could push to do for a triple. Squat strength is definitely coming out of the woodworks and I can't wait to test it out on the platform.

Reverse Banded Squats of unknown band tension (singles) 150kg@RPE 7.5, 160kg @RPE 8.5, 170kg @RPE 10
- I could have measured the band tensions at the bottom position of the squat but I decided against it to keep the mystery alive, for now. The aim for this exercise was for me to not get intimidated by big weights. Seeing more than 3 plates on each side is a bit scary when you've never threaded into that territory before. I also wanted to have a feel of heavy weights on my back, hence the reason I let the bands stay loose at the top. I might measure the bands tension next week when I want to dial in the exact weight I am doing. The session went great in my opinion. I crushed that 170kg squat, even with bands, I was really glad I could grind it all the way up. It really helps with the mental side of things.

Squat Walkout 180kg for 10 seconds @RPE Death
- This was one of the longest 10 seconds I've had in recent memory. Unracking this weight (4 plates) was no joke, it really took all my effort to stay tight and not collapse under it. The usual rack height I used was a bit too tall as well as I got so compressed that I lost about 0.5"-1" in height, maybe. All I know is that it didn't clear the J-hooks the way it usually does. It was difficult to even rack it back up as I had to tip toe a bit and I really felt drained from staying tight the entire time. It felt good though, allowed me to really dial in my walkout. As my squats get heavier, I cannot afford to waste energy in being inefficient with my walkout.

Bench Press (with competition commands) 70kg x 5 x 3 @RPE 8 superset with Barbell Rows 110lbs 5 x 6 @RPE whatever
- I had my GF to give me commands on this session. I usually have no frame of reference to how long I should pause, getting these commands really help ingrained the habits of waiting for the commands and to actually get the bar to stop on top of the chest to get that press command. Weight moved fast and easy but there were some inconsistencies on some reps on where the bar touches my chest. All I can do is keep practicing. Next training session will be maximal and supramaximal weights on the bench. This will be fun.

Accessories
- I did some supinated front raises with a 4kg dumbbell while waiting for my GF to get done. Got the shoulders moving and warm, a very good prehab exercise if you have the time.

This post has been edited by Npad: Mar 9 2017, 04:17 PM

Meet Prep Week 9 Day 2&3 (2&3 March 2017)

I'll admit, I slacked this entire week in either logging my training, planning my training or both. I caught the shutter bug recently, and I've been reading photography tutorials, searched the garage sales for camera and lenses and all that jazz. I got quite the obsessive personality so when something new caught my eye my entire attention will go to it. Finally got my first DSLR this past weekend and for now, my attention can go back to logging my training. This log will be a bit different than normal as I can't do commentary on things that happened a while back, as I can't exactly say how I felt or the RPE for those sessions. It will be quite pointless, but nonetheless, it will be a reference point on what numbers I've hit this week.

2 March 2017

- Bench Press 75kg x 5 x 3

- Deadlift Singles
- 142.5kg
- 152.5kg
- 157.5kg

- Sumo Deadlift Singles
- 142.5kg
- 152.5kg
- 157.5kg
- 166kg

3 March 2017

- Squats 100kg x 5 x 3

Bench Press Singles (with competition command)
- 80kg
- 85kg
- 90kg

I really need to get a Slingshot to properly overload the bench press. That's definitely next in my equipment acquisition list.

Meet Prep Week 10 Day 1 (6 March 2017)

It's the 2nd week of peaking and over-reaching. This session was the last heavy session for deadlift before hitting only openers next week and some very light work the week after. Only 3 more weeks, I am currently feeling a lot stronger and I'm ready but the nerves are starting to hit me. Also, some updates on my weight, last week my lightest was 71.9kg, this morning was 73.1kg. This is definitely because of the carbs I eat during the weekends that's making me retain water. When I went to a medical checkup on Saturday I was 71kg! I'm not sure which scale to trust now. I know for a fact that I am losing fat, I just gotta trust the process. It's still a bit nerve wrecking though. I will make weight no matter what.

Squats (singles) 130kg @RPE 7, 135kg @RPE 8, 140kg @RPE 9
- The reason I did squats on this session was to warm up. I didn't put in much volume work in the warm up leading up to the top 3 singles and I even forgot my knee sleeves. I was wearing my chucks which I wear only for deadlift. Safe to say I was out of my elements. I did still manage to hit 140kg even though it was a bit of a grinder. I am feeling very confident with my squats right now, my setup is way tighter and secure, my descent is slow and controlled, and my ascent is more explosive to get me through that stupid mid point sticking point.

Deadlift (singles) 155kg @RPE 8, 166kg @RPE 8.5, 171kg @RPE 9
- All singles today. Well I did some touch and go with weights below 100kg for warmup but after that, I focused on singles and getting the bar moving as fast as possible, while being as smooth as possible. I hit a new all time PR on this session with 171kg. I expected as much, I would've been disappointed if I didn't manage to get that. A new problem reared it's ugly head and that is my damn grip. My left hand could barely hold on to 171kg, even though the whole movement was actually pretty easy. It was smooth and fast, much smoother than my opening weight of 155kg. In the end I only managed to hold the barbell at the top for maybe 1 second after lockout, after which it just slipped through my fingers. I'm not sure if I could increase my grip strength in 3 weeks but damn it I will try. Gonna add in some isometric holds for the remaining few sessions I have.

Accessories
- I did cardio for once, first time in this entire damn cycle in fact, I think. Me being a fatass, I chose the seated bicycle machine and just cycled for 10 mins while maintaining heart rate at 145BPM. Got quite the sweat going.

This post has been edited by Npad: Mar 9 2017, 04:18 PM

Meet Prep Week 10 Day 2 (7 March 2017)

I'm logging the training from this session about 2 days late, because yesterday, some idiot decided to ram my car from behind while I was waiting for the red light to turn green. Fuck my life. Now I don't have a car to go to work for the next 2 months and it ain't even my fault. This is some added stress that I really don't need to prep for this meet man. I'm quite bummed to be honest. Nevertheless, life goes on. Training goes on.

On this session I basically bro it out. Did some feet up bench press as to let my lower back recover a bit. It is a bit painful, seems like the old injury flared up again. Doesn't hurt when I squat or deadlift though. So I'm pretty sure it's because of my arch on the bench. I don't think the technique is at fault, I think I just need a deload on the back as I'm quite beaten up in that regards currently.

Legs Up Bench Press(Competition Paused) 70kg x 5 x 3 @RPE 8.5 superset with Barbell Rows 70kg x 5 x 5 @RPE 8.5
- Like I said above, I wanted to give my lower back a break. Doing leg up bench press allows me to stay tight while remaining as flat as I can. A Larsen press is way more difficult and probably more useful for the intention I had on this session, but I really didn't want to do something that was wildly different variation of the bench press. Supersetted with barbell rows as usual to increase my efficiency and conditioning. Not much to say about it really, was quite easy and I worked up a good sweat.

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 26kg x 3 x 10 @RPE 6
- I did this one purely out of vanity sake. I was being a bro essentially. I chased the pump and boy was I pumped. Quite sore today though, not sure if that's good or bad. Very easy weight that I think I could do at least 15-20 reps each set. I'll incorporate a lot of these in my off season later. I need bigger pecs.

Tyre Flip ?kg x 3 x 8
- The gym recently opened an outdoor section where they have a large tyre, a battlerope, a grass turf and large variety of plyo boxes. I played around with tyre flips on this session, simply because it was fun. It's nice to work out shirtless once in a while getting all dirty with a damn tyre. Really worked my forearms and traps doing this. I think I might be able to improve my grip strength as well as conditioning if I incorporate more of these. No idea how heavy the tyre was though, it was light enough even my GF could do it for a few reps with ease and her max deadlift is 95kg.

This post has been edited by Npad: Mar 9 2017, 04:19 PM

Meet Prep Training Reflection

I was looking at my training plan for this strength/peaking phase and man do I suck at following a program. More so than that, I think I really suck at writing a program when it comes to peaking and overreaching.

Base building and hypertrophy is easy, I have a good idea of what works well currently. Full body workout works best. For squats, multiple sessions per week with an emphasis on submaximal weight ~70%-80% works well. Also, huge volume for squat works well. No need for fancy variations. For bench, extreme frequency and going ~75%-90% and undulating volume works best. So if I train 4 times a week, I need to bench 4 times a week. I also need to perform at least 1 variation per session to assist any weak points. For deadlift, a shit ton of variation works well. Just 1 session of normal deadlift a week is fine, with weights ranging from 75%-85% with medium volume. The assistant variations are what I think contributed the most to my deadlift gains recently, as I really pounded on the off the floor speed weakness.

However, for peaking and overreaching, there are so many factors that I did not even consider at the time of the writing. I neglected the effects of the accumulated fatigue on my joints, the weight loss plan, feasibility of doing multiple singles at above 90%, and much more. I've learned that doing banded variations allow me to go supramaximal which helps mentally in being confident, and physically in allowing me to experience the weight in a controlled manner. I also learned that my elbows can't take the constant abuse when going near 100% on squats or bench so the exercise selection needs to be revamped. I will probably write a review and lessons that I've learned coming off of this training cycle later after the meet or during weigh in week where I don't expect to be training much.

Anyhow, I didn't train yesterday as I couldn't get to the gym on time. No car remember. My ride was a bit late but it's ok, no harm done. Today, I am planning to do banded squats again to train at supramaximal weights and probably some light weight bench press. I am going off program and by feel. Next week is opener practice week so it's all on cruise control from then on. All I gotta do is make sure I stay healthy all the way until game day. I can do that at least.

Meet Prep Fuckarounditis (12 March 2017)

Who said one can't fall into the traps of fuckarounditis coming into a meet?

Last week has been shitty to say the least. I didn't get to train on Thursday and Friday because of transport issues and such. All because some idiot decided hit my car.

Anyhow, since it was a boring Sunday with no plans, me and GF decided to go do some bouldering at PCP. Fun little conditioning session. Sweat balls man. And my forearms, gawd... I'm just still too fat for rock climbing or bouldering I think. Just holding on to my own body weight took a lot of effort. At least I had a good forearms workout to hopefully improve my grip strength.

Also, on Saturday I went to the hospital to get the results of my medical check up. I'm healthy as an ox, except for the part where my good cholesterol is a bit low. I'm also very obese according to BMI, but we all know how "well" that applies to people who lift. However, it's apparent that my hate of cardio is affecting my health. The doc prescribed 30 minutes LISS cardio at >100BPM at least once a week to combat this. I knew avoiding cardio was gonna come back to haunt me one day. Welp, this coming off season I'll program a cardio and conditioning day I guess, since we have the tyre outside anyway. Actual powerlifting training will be 3 days so total training days will be 4 days a week as per usual.

Meet Prep Week 11 Day 1 (13 March 2017)

Final heavy sessions this week. I'm not entirely sure if I will deadlift heavy this week though, I might just work up to my opener and do some isometric holds on those. My body is feeling strong, but a deload/total rest is definitely needed very soon. I feel very beat up. Bodyweight has been hovering about 72kg-73kg range so I have about 5kg to water cut. That's about 7% which, while feasible, is definitely on the high side. Nothing to lose sleep over though, I can do this.

Squats (singles) 130kg @RPE 7, 135kg @RPE 8, 140kg @RPE 9
- I worked up to 140kg on this session. The feeling of the top single was really heavy, I actually thought I stopped in the middle of the squat but reviews from my training partner (my GF) says otherwise. The bar moved fast and without much struggle. It didn't stop as I perceived, nor did it slow down. I am confident to hit 135kg as my opener then 142.5kg as my second for a small PR. I will then go for either 145kg, 147.5kg or 150kg depending on how I feel on meet day. I am definitely aiming for that 150kg though.

Banded Squats (singles) 145kg @RPE 7, 150kg @RPE 7.5, 155kg @RPE 8, 160kg @RPE 9, 165kg @RPE 9.5, 170kg @RPE 10
- I looped the bands a bit differently this time as compared to the last time I did banded squats. I made it so that it has less tension in order to make the movement more difficult. It shows when 170kg was RPE 10. I was literally stuck in the middle and grinded like hell to get it up. I was loud, I was screaming, I didn't hold back nothing on that last single. I'm ready. There's nothing in my attempt list that my back can't support. The only issue is standing back up with it. Slight thing to work on is staying tight while racking the weight. I noticed my self losing tightness when racking the weight causing me to collapse a bit. I need to keep myself tight even after the movement. I experienced some pain in my ribs and spine due to this on this session as I was compressed without my muscles bracing for it.

Meet Prep Week 11 Day 2 (14 March 2017)

Didn't have any serious training planned for this session as I was feeling very beat up from the squat overload the day before. I decided to do some light-medium bench press to practice on my form and some conditioning work. Also, I fucking hate people. I really wish to have a home gym one day. Some idiot decided that in the middle of my set was the best time to load the machine next to me. Inconsiderate bastards, they almost knocked the barbell in my hands a few time. I seriously lashed out this time and yelled at them. So, PSA, like seriously, I do 1 rep, it takes 5 seconds. Please, wait till I'm done to load your machine. I wait for you to be done loading your machine before even laying down on the bench. I know you're done with your set, you want to load for you buddy. Just wait, please. You are risking MY life because you couldn't be bothered to wait 5 seconds. I think I made myself really clear last night. One day, I really hope to graduate from a commercial fuckboy gym and go to a real training facility.

Bench Press (Competition Paused) 75kg x 3 x 4 @RPE 7.5, 80kg x 3 x 1 @RPE 8, 60kg x 1 x AMRAP=8 @RPE 7
- Nothing too serious on bench on this session. Everything was smooth and fast. I even gave myself a lift-off at 80kg with ease; this was not really comfortable for me 2 weeks ago. Next session will be the last bench session and I will overload this time using the bands again. I need to get used to heavy-ish weights.

Barbell Rows (with body English) 80kg x 3 x 4, 60kg x 3 x 8
- As usual, just did some rows as an antagonistic movement to my bench. This might be the last heavy-ish rows for this cycle. I even cheated on most of it. I don't give a fuck about rows, the same way most people don't give a fuck about their squats. After this I will drop most accessories just to reduce fatigue. I'm seriously really fatigued. After this meet I will take a good long week off the weights and just gonna do some conditioning and cardio.

Tyre Flips 100kg x 3 x 10
- I found out the tyre weight today, it was 100kg apparently. Did some "cardio" tyre flips as a finisher of the day. Gotta get that heart pumping.

Somebody actually walked into the bar before. Lucky for me it was really light and just a warmup set, about 60kg I believe. Still took all my strength to regain balance though and my left thumb was so sore the day after because most of the weight hanged on it. I had wrist issue on that hand for a few months due to that incident. If that bar were to fall on my chest that day, at best my ribs would have cracked, at worst I would have died. Man did that guy get a scolding from me, I haven't seen him in the gym ever since then. A lot of these people act like little children in the gym, never aware of their surroundings. They think the gym is a playground where they play with the barbell.