JiP's Powerlifting Log

[JiP]

11.1.17


Squats
100 x 2
120 x 2
140 x 2 x 5

Deficit Deadlift - 2.5"
160 x 5 x 3


Notes
Decided to have a medium day because of my strained hamstring and general fatigue. Hurt a bit but not too bad. Just trying not to fall apart before comp.

[JiP]

12.1.17

Bench
Elbows fully flared to the side
bar x 25 x 2
40 x 25

Notes
My left pec still hurts a lot at a full stretch. It's also painful from a couple of basic physio exercises. I thought my initial rehab had worked but possibly I went heavy again too quickly.

Strange thing is when doing normal bench press I have no pain whatsoever so this is all very confusing whether I should keep training heavy or not. It doesn't feel like the same pain from my initial injury, it feels like much more of a dull pain rather than sharp. When I fully flare my elbows I can feel it but the pain goes away quite quickly.

I'm not sure if you can get tendinitis in the pec tendon. I've done a bit of reading but it appears tendinitis would precede a tear in the tendon which doesn't match my original injury. This is all very confusing. My plan right now is to press on with the flared elbow bench rehab rather than let my ego take control and risk further injury.

If any of my large reader base have any input, it would be much appreciated.

[JiP]

13.1.17


Pause Bench
50 x 5
60 x 5
70 x 5
80 x 1
92.5 x 3 x 5

Chins
BW x 6 x 2

Notes
Woke up 2 days in a row with no chest pain. Only feel it slightly when unracking but no pain lifting. It did however hurt on chins so decided to call it a day on the accessories.

[RipCJ]

My plan right now is to press on with the flared elbow bench rehab rather than let my ego take control and risk further injury.

I would probably do the same.

[JiP]

I would probably do the same.

Thanks for the confirmation. I did go heavy yesterday with no pain and no extra pain today which further adds confusion, but it's definitely not a bad thing.



14.1.17


Squats
80 x 2
100 x 2
120 x 2
135 x 2
150 x 2 @7.5
165 x 2 @8.5
170 x 2 (375lbs) @9
155 x 2 x 2 @9

Bench
bar x 25
40 x 20 x 2

Deficit Deadlift - 2.5"
160 x 5 x 2






Notes
Watched a video with Mike Tuscherer on goal setting and fatigue (have always been interested in RPE & RTS) and decided to use RPE today. I had no idea what my maxes were and this was getting a bit frustrating. The plan was to hit 5x2 with a max set @9. I was unsure I could even hit 160 x 2, so to get 170 x 2 with a rep in the tank was pretty fantastic. I have used auto regulation in the past and will definitely use it in the future. Technique issues are definitely showing with these max weights, with my knees coming in slightly. All in all, I was very happy with how upright my position was and overall technique. I still have a lot of work to do, as I would like to entirely eliminate any knee caving and still need to fully remove my hip shift. Those squats look a hell of a lot faster on video though.

Minimal pain on bench. I think flared elbow bench is just painful in general, as it made my right pec hurt a bit too. The pain went away after the first couple of reps so that's great.

Deficit pulls feel quite horrible but I look forward to the gains they'll provide. The plates I'm standing on are uneven and I have to use a much wider stance than usual, but I doubt that reduces their effectiveness. I went beltless today on deads.

All in all, a pretty great session with the meet 15 days away. Down to work on singles next week.

[JiP]

17.1.17


Squats
140 x 1
160 x 1
170 x 1
160 x 1
150 x 1 x 3

Deadlift
150 x 1
175 x 1
200 x 1
210 x 1
200 x 1 x 3


Notes
Squats felt heavy today, although they looked fairly fast.
Stuck with the RPEs rather than trying to hit a load that were too heavy. Right quad was pulling a bit which didn't help.

Deads moved well. 210 was easier than I expected. But it certainly wasn't easy.

[JiP]

19.1.17


Squats
60 x 3
80 x 3
100 x 3
120 x 3 x 5 (65%)

Deadlift
100 x 3
120 x 3
140 x 3 x 5 (65%)

Stretching

Notes
Chest still hurts, but figure since it doesn't hurt when I lift it must be an overuse injury or something. Thought rest would do it more good than rehab right now.

Did a light day to keep myself from going nuts. Usually feel better after a light day than a rest day anyway.

[JiP]

21.1.17


Squats
120 x 1
140 x 1
160 x 1
170 x 1
180 x 1 (396lbs) @ 9.5
170 x 1 x 3

Bench
bar x 20
40 x 20
50 x 15
60 x 10
70 x 10

Belt Squat
25 x 10
50 x 10





Notes
Squat was good. 180 moved better than expected. Technique was pretty solid, although my back did cave slightly. I would definitely count that as a 'technique PR', given how awful my old technique with max weights was.

Pec still hurts at full stretch but does not hurt when benching. I've googled around to see if anything else could be the problem but a tear seems like the only thing. Can't afford to see a specialist.

Wanted to give belt squats a try as Max Aita loves em. I can see the appeal.

[JiP]

29.1.17

Bodyweight 91.5kg

Squat

Warm up room had 4 racks between about 15 lifters, I pretty much went from the bar to 140kg in 5 minutes then was out on the platform 30 seconds later. My first attempt was a grinder so I dropped my subsequent attempts 5kg. But they came out pretty well.

165 x 1 - 3 Whites
170 x 1 - 3 Whites
180 x 1 (397lb) - 3 Whites


Bench

95 x 1 - 3 Whites
105 x 1 (242lb) - 3 Whites
115 x 1 (254lb) - 2 Reds (downward movement on bar, counting it as training max as locked it out)


Deadlift

200 x 1 - 3 Whites
210 x 1 (463lb) - 2 Whites (Not sure what I got the red for, possibly lockout)
Passed on third attempt


495kg / 1090lb Total





Notes
Squat turned out good after my tough opener which shook confidence a bit. I will now be changing my technique to a more quad dominant squat, by bringing my stance in a reasonable amount and pushing my knees forward rather than sitting back. I will also be doing a lot more high bar squats and belt squats over the next few months to build my quads up.

On bench I was asked to rerack my initial 95 as my butt wasn't on the bench. After that little hitch I still managed to get my set up pretty solid and was happy with the results (especially given my training has been plagued by a chest strain). I really didn't expect to get the 115 off my chest so was pretty happy to lock it out even though it was red lighted.

Deadlift felt heavy. I was hoping 220 would be in the bag but my 210 was extremely hard. My deadlift hasn't felt good for a while now and it used to be my most comfortable lift. I think it has something to do with using hook grip, I just don't feel like I get locked into the start position like when I did with mixed grip. I'll experiment and try to get it feeling comfortable again. My hips also rose way too fast and I think my back rounded.

The competition standard was huge! Last time I did this competition (7 years ago), there were around 20 lifters. Today there was over 60! Warming up was a bit tricky but managed okay. I came 12/15 in my group I think, with there being many squats in the 250kg range and some deadlifts over 270. Tony Cliffe (British record holder with 330kg squat in the 120's) was one of the spotters. I was tempted to mention I follow him on instragram but thought it would sound weird.

There was a 120 class lifter who squatted 310, benched 200 and deadlifted over 300. There was some very strong guys around which was great to see. Also a Junior in the 74's deadlifted 250 which was very close to the world record. Lots of British unofficial record lifts were done (I assumed they have to be in a national meet to be official).

Lew couldn't lift unfortunately as his belt and knee sleeves weren't regulation and it shook his confidence too much. He gets very anxious and the amount of lifters there made it too difficult for him as well. I think his confidence is shaken as far as competing goes but hopefully he'll keep working and we can work on some psychological aspects for the future. I was hoping to total more than I did but overall I'm happy with the result given I've only been training again for around 16 weeks.

Also one of the guys strained so hard on his squat he puked and it was exploding all out of his nose and mouth. Was pretty hilarious.

[JiP]

30.1.17


HB Squat
40 x 6
50 x 6
60 x 6
70 x 6
80 x 6
90 x 6

CGBP
50 x 10 x 3

Foam rolling / stretching


Notes
Practicing HB squats. Need to perfect technique. Wasn't bad today.

[JamesA1990]

Well done on the meet! The 180 squat for a 3rd looked smooth and you sunk it!

[JiP]

Thanks man. I was very worried about getting red lighted so didn't take any risks on the depth.

[JiP]

31.1.17


HB Squats
90 x 10 x 2

Belt Squats
50 x 12 x 4

Notes
Was itching to get started on my hypertrophy work. Back was still a bit too sore, was cramping up like crazy. Watched many videos on how to properly high bar squat as I always sucked at it as an olympic lifter. Pretty happy with the results. Also I bought an Ironmind hip belt to use for belt squats and it's great. Max Aita and co claim it's one of the best tools to use for hypertrophy work, especially for someone like me with an overly strong back and someone used to sitting back in a squat.

I'll be training 5x a week for the hypertrophy work. Was difficult to fit it all in. One good benefit of having a garage gym and currently still being unemployed.

Here's the current plan for anyone interested. The goal is 15-30 sets per muscle group per week, where compounds can count for multiple muscles. I was planning on adding in a bit more direct delt and chest work. There aren't really many isolation lifts I felt would benefit me. But yes, I will be curling 4x a week. It will be 5 week training blocks, deload every 5th week. Volume/intensity will increase slightly per week, with a plan to overreach in the fourth week. I expect my strength should still increase steadily too.


Mon
CGBP – 5x10
HB Squat - 3x10
Belt Squat – 3x10
DB Row – 3x10

Weds
CGBP – 5x10
BB Rows – 5x10
DB Press – 3x10
Hammer Curls - 3x10

Thurs
HB Squat – 3x10
Belt Squat 3x10
RDL - 3x10
DB Curls 3x10

Fri
Bench 5x8
BB Rows 5x10
DB Press 3x10
Hammer Curls - 3x10

Sat
LB Squat - 4x6
Deadlift 6RM
Belt Squat 3x10
DB Curls – 3x10

[JiP]

1.2.17


CGBP
62.5 x 10 x 5
Superset chest fly's 5kg 3x10

BB Rows
62.5 x 10 x 4
Superset front raises 5kg 3x10

DB Press
20s x 10 x 3

DB Curls
10s x 10 x 3

Notes
Might have to rethink my exercise selection a bit. Think BB Rows at high volume might be overkill.

[JiP]

2.2.17

LB Squats
Beltless, new technique
112.5 x 6 x 4

Belt Squats
50 x 12 x 3


Notes
Trying low bar with the closer stance and pushing knees forward. Felt pretty good. Definitely needs work. Dropped my max by about 10% for the moment to accommodate the changes. Will auto regulate rather than stick to strict percentages so I don't waste time.

Back was too fried for RDL.

[JiP]

3.2.17


Bench
75 x 8 x 4
Superset front raises 5s 3x12

DB Rows
30 x 8 x 5
Superset chest fly's 5s 3x10

DB Press
20s x 10 x 3

DB Curls
10s x 10 x 3

Notes
Swole patrol.

[JiP]

5.2.17


LB Squats
125 x 6
135 x 6

HB Squats
90 x 10 x 2

Deadlift
162.5 x 6

Belt Squats
50 x 12 x 3


Notes
My hip flexors are shot to ****. That's 10 sets of squats this week, not counting the Monday practice day. And 9 sets of belt squats. But given I have no idea what my tolerance is to volume, this is the only way to find out. I'm hoping as this is an adjustment week I'll feel better next week.

New squat form is looking pretty good. Weight also moved well. Still gonna have to play it by ear a bit rather than use strict training % to see if it's even lower than my old max. But I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

I think I'm gonna go back to mixed grip on Deadlift. Hook grip blows. I was only doing it to be a purist really. But it's definitely making my training less fun.

[JiP]

7.2.17


CGBP
70 x 10 x 5
Superset chest fly's 5s 3x12

Chins
BW x 6 x 2

DB Rows
25s x 10 x 3
Superset front raises 5s 3x12

DB Press
20s x 12 x 3

DB Curls
10s x 10 x 5


Notes
Moving house this week. Hopefully doesn't affect recovery too much. Mental health has been bad past few days, not much sleep. Better now.

Got a tweak in my lower back. May be pushing volume too hard too soon, given the drastic change of training post-comp. Will listen to my body and see how it goes.

[JiP]

8.2.17

LB Squats
130 x 6 x 4

RDL
140 x 10 x 2

https://youtu.be/-vXA-GgO7Lo

Notes
Realised I have been going about 3 inches lower than parallel and my back is rounding with new form. Good news in a way, as it explains my back pain and also I can squat to depth without rounding. So that's good.

I am still feeling very beaten up. The high bar squats and CGBP are used as light version of the comp lifts, but I think I may still need to use medium/light days where appropriate. I'm learning.

[JiP]

9.2.17


HB Squats
95 x 10 x 3

Comp Bench
82.5 x 8 x 4

Belt Squats
50 x 12 x 4

DB Rows
25's x 10 x 4


Notes
I'm getting a lot of muscle pains that seem to go away with a little massage on stretching. Not something I'm used to from strength training, usually a very bad sign. But they just go away very quickly. My chest tendons were so sore today I didn't even think I'd be able to bench, but all the reps moved well.

Fatigue from moving and poor sleep has made me feel awful this week. But the weights are still moving well.

[JiP]

Turned out the pain in my quad wasn't fleeting and I have strained it. It bloody hurts and isn't all that easy to walk on.

Also realised I have been training too heavy too regularly. I should be running my program like heavy/medium/light. My difficulty was working out if exercise variations should be trained to max as they would constitute light work compared to the comp style lifts. But now I realise the variation intensity should also be dialled back a bit.

At least I kept training despite how hard I was finding it. Even if I was being dumb and hugely increasing my injury risk.

[JiP]

11.2.17


Incline Bench
50 x 10 x 5
Superset incline flyes 5s 3x12

DB Rows
25s x 10 x 5
Superset front raises 5s 3x12

DB Press
20s x 10 x 3

DB Curls
10s x 10 x 5


Notes
First time doing incline bench. Felt good, got real swole.

Leg feels better today. Much less painful to the touch. Have been icing and compressing a lot. Think it'll still require rehab though. Will use Starr Rehab and most likely end up stronger because of it.

[JiP]

13.2.17


HB Squats
97.5 x 10 x 4

Bench
82.5 x 8 x 4

BB Rows
75 x 8 x 4

DB Curls
10's x 10 x 3


Notes
Wasn't even expecting to train squat today given my leg pain and was fully planning on doing rehab work. I thought I would keep increasing weight until the pain showed up but it just wasn't there. 3 days ago it was swollen and I couldn't put it through any significant range of motion, 2 days ago I could bodyweight squat with pain and today it's totally fine. Obviously I'm not as astute at diagnosing my own injuries as I thought, as there's no way a muscle tear could heal like that. It had all the hallmarks of being a tear, I've also torn my right quad in the past (confirmed by physio) and it felt exactly like that. Weird. But I'm not complaining.

Squats are looking great, no lower back rounding. Still getting significant swell when doing them which makes everything else harder. Decided to throw BB rows back in the mix as doing DB rows 3x a week doesn't feel right.

[JiP]

15.2.17


LB Squats
137.5 x 6 @ 8.5
145 x 6 @ 9
137.5 x 6 @ 8.5
137.5 x 6 @ 8
137.5 x 6 @ 9

DB Press
20's x 10 x 3

DB Curls
10's x 10 x 3

DB Hammer
10's x 10 x 2

4th set of squats


Notes
Still working out technique with the new form, wanted to use RPE to push the weight today as I have no idea what my max is with new technique. Hit my stride on 4th set, forcing knees out to help open up my hips was the key.

RPE is an interesting tool and I've been interested in Mike Tuscherer's techniques for a while. I feel I can auto-regulate quite well without RPE, but I definitely wouldn't have done as much work today without using it as my original planned weight was 135 x 6 x 4. Ideally I like to hi percentages based off Prelipin's chart, where I'm worried I could be over-reaching with RPE. But I guess the answer to that problem is use a more conservative number like @8.

[JiP]

20.2.17


LB Squats
150 x 5

HB Squats
110 x 8 x 3

CGBP
70 x 10 x 6





Notes
Squats looked really good today. I watched an Alan Thrall vid where he explained the importance of chest down, it was a cue I always thought was pretty dumb before given how important it is too stay chest high in olympic lifting. But I was confusing forward lean with proper chest position, and doing some odd looking low bar squats. I stopped at 5 because I thought my technique had broken down, but it wasn't bad at all. Still need to force my right knee out to get rid of my hip shift, which I found is a good cue to fix that as well.

I've had a fever for the past 4 days. Thought I was over the worst of it today but half way through my squats I felt really light headed and tired. I pushed to get my bench done, but was exhausted after that. I decided to push back my training half a week rather than skip the rest of the week. My deload is scheduled for week 5, where I thought an entire week might be a bit long anyway.

Also it was 17c in England today because of some tropical winds, so that was nice.

[JiP]

21.2.17


Incline Bench
52.5 x 10 x 5
superset front raises 5's 3x10

Deadlift
180 x 6 @9
170 x 6 @9
145 x 8 - RDL, no belt

DB Row
27.5's x 10 x 5

DB Curls
10's x 10 x 3


Notes
First heavy deadlifts from the floor since the comp. Couldn't pull last week cos of my quad strain. All in all my 210 deadlift at the comp was weak and my training leading up to it was bad. I got to a good pull only training one heavy set of 5 a week with some speed/RDL/deficit work added in before. But I figure I could have been holding myself back by not trying a slightly higher volume (2-3 heavy sets), since I've never tried it. I don't plan on going crazy since deadlifts are very fatiguing, but we'll see how it goes. I also dropped hook grip today and changed my set up slightly as I was starting with toes too far forward, felt great.

Still didn't feel 100% today after fever but almost there. Great day despite not feeling perfect.

[JiP]

24.2.17


HB Squats
80 x 3 x 10 (technique work)
102.5 x 10 x 4

Comp Bench
85 x 8 x 3
87.5 x 8

DB Row
27.5's x 10 x 2


Notes
Fcked myself up big time after deadlifts, still had severe DOMS today. Cut my accessory short which I'll finish tomorrow.

Was getting real stressed about my HB technique and strange hip/torso shift. Tried many different things to fix it and eventually got it looking pretty good. It still appears like my right leg isn't in the right position no matter how hard I push it out to balance my hips. I was honestly starting to wonder if I have mild s****osis or something, as my torso never looks even in progress pictures.

What helped in the end was just forcing out my knees as hard as possible (although this created a new unevenness at some point) and also a wider grip.

Oh I also noticed my left side dips slightly on bench, I'm just a mess of imbalance.

[JiP]

26.2.17


LB Squats
140 x 6 x 5

Incline Bench
52.5 x 10 x 5
Superset front raises 5s 3x10

DB Row
27.5 x 10 x 5
Superset chest fly's 5s 3x10

Curls
10s x 10 x 5


Notes
This was a long day and everything felt heavy from start to finish.

Squats were looking relatively good with the more forward start position. I've managed to find a good depth rather than sinking them that I'll need to get used to.

[.aeterna]

Some good work in here. I gotta buy a house so i can have a home gym

[JiP]

Some good work in here. I gotta buy a house so i can have a home gym

Ah thanks man. Home gym is the best, I hate training in any kind of gym; even more hardcore ones. I just prefer to do **** on my own really!



28.2.17


HB Squats
112.5 x 8 x 4

CGBP
72.5 x 10 x 7

Belt Squats
50 x 12 x 5
superset front raises 5's 3x12

DB Press
20's x 10 x 2


Notes
This was a lot of work. Left hamstring feels strained but my ego forced me to press on. Probably not the smartest idea but we'll see tomorrow I guess. I wanted to increase my squat sets from 13 to 14 this week but thought given how I felt 4 sets today would have to do. Technique was good.

My shoulder aches. Everything feels like it aches today. I am looking forward to the deload, after the final heavy session of this cycle tomorrow.