FastCatChamp on GST....Live From Ironville!

[MatTheCur]

A heavy 181.6 after a Labor Day weekend of pizza, beer, ice cream, etc. Felt good!

Gotta refeed sometime, yeah?

Good lookin' workout there, sir!

I'm all fired up for the mock meet!! Go FCC Go!!

Did I really just cheer on the interwebs...

Yes.

Yes you did.

[freddie75104]

Yeah, I knew it sounded a little girly as soon as I said it, but what the hell we are all friends here right, can I get an AMEN!!!

Oh yeah, bench 230 x 1 the other day.(att. matt)

[FastCatChamp]

a few days back..........

RTS Generalized Intermediate Program
http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/rts...diate-program/
Intensity Block
Week 8.3

2 Ct. Pause Bench Press
Up to x2 @9 - 5% Fatigue
210x2 @8
220x2 @ 8.5
*225x2 @9
212x2 @8
212x2 @9
e1RM=245

Squat
Up to x2 @9 - 5% Fatigue
270x2 @8
285x2 @9
e1RM=310

Notes: Meh! Never got comfortable Squatting......didnt push it. Did the 285 and skipped the back-off. Bench was solid

[FastCatChamp]

I considered asking you about the floor press as I know jack all about it, but I was pretty sure you were a noob with it too lol

I may program them in for my next go round. I would be a better judge of them after that.

You're the best judge of when to end the set. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor.

I may be learning that as I go here.
The one good part of using RPEs is that you become programmed to take what is there on a given day. I think that I have become much better at that.

I'm all fired up for the mock meet!! Go FCC Go!! Did I really just cheer on the interwebs...

Lulz!

Gotta refeed sometime, yeah? Good lookin' workout there, sir!

I reefed about every day now....ice cream, pizza, burgers......I do.

[FastCatChamp]

RTS Generalized Intermediate Program
http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/rts...diate-program/
Meet Week
Week 9.1

Work up to 92% of Previous 1RM

Squat
245x1
265x1
285x1
***92% of previous 1RM would have had me ending here at 235, so I upped it to something a bit bigger.

Competition Bench Press
205x1
215x1
225x1
***Plenty in the tank here

Deadlift
345x1
375x1
405x1
***Deadlifts have been mediocre in this scheme. Hoping for 435+ at week's end

Notes: Session 9.2 will be less weight than this.....around 10-15% less than what is here in this session. 9.3 will be on Friday. I will structure it like a Powerlifting Meet with three attempts for each lift.

e1RMs after Week 1 were:
Squat - 253
Bench - 236
Dead -433

On Friday, I thinking:
Squat - 275, 305, 325
Bench - 225, 240, 250
Dead - 385, 415, 445

I will go by feel if it goes better than expected on the first two lifts.

[FastCatChamp]

RTS Generalized Intermediate Program
http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/rts...diate-program/
Meet Week
Week 9.2

Work up to 80% of Previous 1RM

Squat
Warm-Up
245x1

Competition Bench Press
Warm-Up
205x1

Deadlift
Warm-Up
345x1

Thats it

[MikePlow]

In for Friday's lift numbers!

[FastCatChamp]

RTS Generalized Intermediate Program
http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/rts...diate-program/
Meet Week
Week 9.3

I structured this final session ike a competition. I warmed up and then had three attempts for each lift. I reviewed the videos for each lift to determine if it was a good lift or not. I believe that I went 9/9 on the attempts.

Squat
135x5, 185x4, 225x2, 255x1
285x1
315x1
330x1

Bench Press
135x5, 165x4, 185x2, 205x1
225x1
240x1
255x1

Deadlift
225x4, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1
385x1
415x1
445x1

Total = 1030
BW was 179.0

Notes: Very happy.....about what I expected. I may have left a bit on the bone in the Squat and Bench, but the final Deadlift was really all I had without getting into some questionable form and rounding. I will post another post later with videos and a quick review of the RTS Intermediate Program.

[Farley1324]

Had you done a mock meet or similar before?

[FastCatChamp]

Had you done a mock meet or similar before?

No

I have maxed each lift out on the same day before, but in recent years I hardly ever squatted because of knee issues. My deadlift numbers look deflated, but my 500x1 deadlifts of the past were done when I wasn't squatting and were also done with specialty deadlift peaking programs.

I feel good about the balance in these results.

I am also unscathed after 9 weeks.

I also know what to do next with my programming.

[Farley1324]

Win-Win










Win

[MatTheCur]

Those numbers look pretty awesome, FCC. Good job on it all, and keeping the knee healthy!

[freddie75104]

NICE, thats really pretty cool how the programing ramps you up to the mock meet. Nice numbers and the bonus is the heath status, no pains or strains, now its onward and upward.

Congrats dudE!!!

[FastCatChamp]

Those numbers look pretty awesome, FCC. Good job on it all, and keeping the knee healthy!

Thanks man. Im happy with it all and look forward to hitting up another run of it.

NICE, thats really pretty cool how the programing ramps you up to the mock meet. Nice numbers and the bonus is the heath status, no pains or strains, now its onward and upward.

Congrats dudE!!!

Thanks Freddie.

Its a nice starting point. I now will set my sights on an 1100 total.

[ironwill2008]

I structured this final session ike a competition. I warmed up and then had three attempts for each lift. I reviewed the videos for each lift to determine if it was a good lift or not. I believe that I went 9/9 on the attempts.

Squat
135x5, 185x4, 225x2, 255x1
285x1
315x1
330x1

Bench Press
135x5, 165x4, 185x2, 205x1
225x1
240x1
255x1

Deadlift
225x4, 275x2, 315x1, 365x1
385x1
415x1
445x1

Total = 1030
BW was 179.0

Great job, Gale; way to dig in and get it done!

I am also unscathed after 9 weeks.

Excellent.

[Woody-5]

Sick mock meet dude! Awesome work nailing all the lifts

And a huge hell yea for being healthy and feeling good after a 9 week training cycle

[FastCatChamp]

A few quick ideas on Mike Tuchscherer's Reactive Training Systems Generalized Intermediate Program
http://forum.reactivetrainingsystems...ediate-Program

The pros of this RTS sample program far outweigh any cons.

Pros
First, the entire program is auto-regulated. What this means is that each session's volume is regulated based on the trainee's RPE on each set. Simply put, it gets you away from thinking that you have to do 5x5 or 3x10, etc. You do what you can up to the prescribed RPE for that lift on that specific day. On days when you feel good, you can hit a few more reps and a few more pounds. When you are not feeling it, the auto-regulation dials the weight and reps back.

Second, the training blocks are eye openers for those that don't really understand programming. This program utilized a four week Volume Block followed by a four week Intensity Block. The final week, Week 9, is really a reload week that happens to have a Mock Meet scheduled for the final session. Most see this as tapering. Within each block, the prescribed workloads "waved" the weekly volume. For example, in Week 3, I had the highest # of lifts and the highest total tonnage in my Volume Block. The next week, the # of lifts fell and the total tonnage also went down. This has the effect of beating you down and then letting you get back up again. I understood this type of training in theory, but had never utilized it.

Third, the accessory lifts are specific. They are chosen to compliment the Big 3. I have become a much better squatter quickly because I have done Paused Squats, Pin Squats, Front Squats, and regular ole Squats. Im squatting every time I work with each variant focusing on a specific part of the lift. I look back on my training over the last few years and realize that much of what I did complimented nothing and really only served to tire me out.


Cons
One......this did nothing for my deadlift at all. In session 1 each week, I would Squat and Bench. During the Volume Block, I would then Deadlift the very next day. I did this because that is the way that Mike wrote the program. I would move the Deadlift to later in the week if I ran this again. Since I was never fresh for any deadlifting, I never got into any heavier weights. Lifting the 445 yesterday was like a shock to my system.....at a weight that hasn't challenged me in the past.

Overall
I believe that training in a program that uses RPEs to auto-regulate workload is superior to any other way that I could train. It tailors to my ability level and also to my recovery level every time that I hit the gym. One does has to be honest with the RPEs that they mark. I tend to err on the side of caution if Im not perfectly certain of what RPE to mark. Im not smart enough to know why, but training like this agrees with me while more linear programming tends to have me spin my wheels.

For those wanting to look at this sort of programming, the RTS website is an excellent resource (its website is up above)

Also excellent, is Izzy's site below. He has written a number of RTS style programs that can be downloaded free of charge or with a donation
http://www.powerliftingtowin.com/programmingtowin/

[FastCatChamp]

Great job, Gale; way to dig in and get it done! Excellent.

Thank you Bill. It always feels good to get to the end of a training block and hit some decent lifts.
Now, back to the grindstone.

Sick mock meet dude! Awesome work nailing all the lifts

And a huge hell yea for being healthy and feeling good after a 9 week training cycle

One goal was not to miss any of the lifts. I've been reading up on how powerlifters choose their weights during meets and tried to apply some of that to how I went about the Mock Meet. Lift 1 needs to be something that you easily handle with an @7 or so. Lift 2 an @8-@9. Lift 3 obviously something bigger that you are confident in handling. I actually went five pounds over what I had decided on with the Squat and Bench and then 10 pounds over in the Deadlift. Funny that adrenaline gets cranking even in a home gym when you are alone.

That last week was basically a deload or at least a ramp down. Health is at a high point right now which is a huge change from past training cycles that have lasted many months.

[ironwill2008]

It always feels good to get to the end of a training block and hit some decent lifts.
Now, back to the grindstone.

And so as it always has been, so it will always be.


It's the journey, not the destination.

Funny that adrenaline gets cranking even in a home gym when you are alone.

Lulz. You bet it does!


Adrenaline is a hell of a drug................

[FastCatChamp]

Volume Block
1.1

Squat
Up to x4 @9 - 5% Fatigue
235x4 @7
250x4 @7.5
265x4 @8
*275x4 @9
260x4 @9
e1RM=320

Paused Bench Press
Up to x4 @9 - 7% Fatigue
200x4 @7
210x4 @8
*220x4 @9
205x4 @8
205x4 @9
e1RM=255

2 Ct. Paused Bench Press
Up to x3 @9 - 7% Fatigue
185x3 @7
195x3 @8
*205x3 @9
190x3 @8
Hammy Cramp....LOL
e1RM=230

Notes: I am reloaded with only a few changes to the programming. I have fewer variations of the lifts than I did in the last nine weeks. I have chosen the lifts that I think that I am best at and have scrapped a few......Example....keeping 2 Ct. Benching and Paused Squats while getting rid of Deficit Deadlifts and Incline CGBP. Will see how this goes.

Whats good about this session is the the e1RMs are about perfectly aligned with what I actually lifted last week in my Mock Meet. That lets me know that my RPE notations have been pretty spot on.

179.0..........again! (This is +3-4 pounds from 10 weeks ago). Calipers read 33mm at three sites for a 10-11%bf est.....mirror confirms

[freddie75104]

Round 2...

[FastCatChamp]

Volume Block
1.2

Deadlift
2x5 @80%, 1x5 @72%
355x5
355x5
315x5

OHP
Up to x6 @8 - 5% Fatigue via Repeats
*115x6 @8
115x6 @8.5
115x6 @9

Front Squat
Up to x6 @8 - 5% Fatigue via Repeats
155x6 @7
*155x6 @8
155x6 @8.5

CGBP
Up to x6 @8 - 5% Fatigue via Repeats
*185x6 @8
185x6 @9
175x6 @9

Notes: Nothing Special here.....just a start to the volume work that will increase over the next few weeks. Just trying something different for the Deadlift scheme. It is on its own deal here for the next few weeks.

[freddie75104]

Hey FCC, you ever use you're do wins, I just got myself a pair of adidas powerlift 2.0's I m kinda liking them so far. I've never owned a pair and I thought they might take some getting used to but man, I slapped them on and went for it, they felt as natural as any shoe Ive ever worn to train in. It wasn't a real heavy day for me today, just some light squatting and power snatches, but I must say they worked better than I anticipated.
It reamains to be seen how it effects me on V.day or I.day when the weights are much heavier. What has you're experience been?


BTW ^^^^^ NICE START FOR ROUND 2

[Farley1324]

Lifting shoes are all but a must have IMO

[freddie75104]

Lifting shoes are all but a must have IMO

Im seein what you're sayin...

[Woody-5]

Strong start to round two! Liking those squats and paused bench!

What's the DL scheme going to be?

Strong CGBP esp after the OHP sets

[FastCatChamp]

Hey FCC, you ever use you're do wins, I just got myself a pair of adidas powerlift 2.0's I m kinda liking them so far. I've never owned a pair and I thought they might take some getting used to but man, I slapped them on and went for it, they felt as natural as any shoe Ive ever worn to train in. It wasn't a real heavy day for me today, just some light squatting and power snatches, but I must say they worked better than I anticipated.
It reamains to be seen how it effects me on V.day or I.day when the weights are much heavier. What has you're experience been?


BTW ^^^^^ NICE START FOR ROUND 2

What Farls states below is the gospel My DoWins have been very durable. Ive had the same pair for 3 years or so.

Lifting shoes are all but a must have IMO

Strong start to round two! Liking those squats and paused bench!

What's the DL scheme going to be?

Strong CGBP esp after the OHP sets

Deadlift
Week 1 - 2x5 @80% 1RM, 1x5 @72%1RM
Week 2 - 2x5 @82%, 1x5 @74%
Week 3 - 3x3 @85%, 2x3 @76%
Week 4 - 8x1 @87%
Week 5 - 5x1 @90%
Week 6 - 3x1 @92%+
Week 7 - 1x1 @100%+_____

I also am going to work Rack Pulls from Mid-Shin once per week.

The Deads are on a traditional scheme that will run from higher rep/volume work in the first few weeks and then focus on pulling singles as I get near the final week. Will see how this goes.

[FastCatChamp]

Volume Block
2.1

Squat
Up to x4 @9 - 7% Fatigue
240x4 @7
255x4 @7.5
265x4 @8.5
*280x4 @9.5
260x4 @9
e1RM=326

Paused Bench Press
Up to x4 @9 - 9% Fatigue
205x4 @7
215x4 @8.5
*225x3 @9
205x4 @8
205x4 @9.5
e1RM=253

2 Ct. Paused Bench Press
Up to x3 @9 - 9% Fatigue
185x3 @7.5
195x3 @8.5
*205x3 @10
185x3 @9

Notes: never got session 1.3 in the books. Ended up having a longer than expected meeting at work last week that took up the one spot that I could have done 1.3 My only other options were to get up at 5am or to go at 10pm after the kids were in bed. I just skipped it and moved on to today's session. Today, I bumped up most of the sets by 5 pounds. I was also forced to squeeze the rest times which resulted in a few elevated RPEs.

[Woody-5]

DL scheme looks solid! In for 500!

Nice work on those squats and paused bench with short rest times. Looking good with that 280x4 squat!
225x3 paused bench is awesome

[freddie75104]

I dont think I would worry to much about a missed session, especially at your caliber, you rarely miss and you're auto regulation system will fix it without any problem, IMHO.
I do, on the other hand understand how it feels to miss because of unforeseen circumstance, I feel slightly out of place because I didn't get the work in that was scheduled.

On ward and upward