JiP's Powerlifting Log

[JiP]

01.05.18


Max Chins in 5 min - 30

LB Squats
157.5 x 5

Bench
102.5 x 4

Deadlift
182.5 x 5

RDL
170 x 6 x 2


Notes
Think my set up on bench wasn't great. Either way the strength wasn't there. Need to set up better and microload. Think my bench got a lot worse from losing weight; less power belly to reduce ROM.

I tried squatting with my weightlifting shoes on. Too much weight on quads, will stick to wrestling shoes. Saw an article saying it's more comfortable to hit depth, but flat shoe is definitely for me.

[JiP]

05.05.18

Bodyweight: 84.6kg

Warm up test - 30 Chins in 4:30

LB Squats (4:00 min rest)
147.5 x 5 x 5

Bench (3:30 min rest)
93 x 5
94 x 5
95 x 5 x 3

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 5 Rounds)
5 Pull-ups
10 Press-ups
15 Crunches


Squat 4th set


Squat 5th set



Notes
Squats looked good. Going with a closer stance but sticking with the wrestling shoes instead of weightlifting shoes. Don't want to overload my quad. Also don't think my adductors will hold out long term with the wider stance. Everything looked great today and the weight moved faster than expected, especially with the changes.

Bench was also strong. Got my arch nice and solid.

I compete on the 20th May, hence the singlet. I will not be tapering/peaking or deloading afterward, rather just treating it as the max out day of TM. Don't want to mess up training, just want the extra experience.

I've still been having stomach issues the past week and my bodyweight went up to 87kg. I think my amitripline is blocking me up as it's a common side effect. I took some laxatives which did the trick. Dealing with the nausea and cramps is not fun.

[JRMoore82]

Alright! Comp coming up!!

[JiP]

06.05.18

1hr bicycle

Notes
This was meant to be rows and some accessory work but we actually had good weather in the UK so I just couldn't force myself to go inside and lift once I was on the bike. I'm going rock climbing on Thurs so I'll pick up the accessory work then.



08.05.18

Warm up test: 50 Dips in 4:55

Press (3:45 min rest)
56 x 5 x 5

BB Rows (3:00 min rest)
95 x 5 x 4

Light Paused Squat (beltless)
110 x 5 x 3

Circuit (0:45 min rest, 4 Rounds in 19:50)
DB Swing 20kg x 20
CGBP 75kg x 8
Belt Squat 60kg x 10
Pull-ups x 5


Notes
Got my rows done in this session. Shouldn't have done dips right before press, made every set a grinder, was shocked I managed to get all the reps done.

[JiP]

09.05.18

Warm up test: 147 air squats in 5 min

Squats
160 x 7 @9 (Rep PR)

Bench
101.25 x 6 @10 (misloaded the bar)
102.5 x 5 @9.5

Deadlift
185 x 6 @9.5

RDL
170 x 7 x 3

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 4 rounds)
DB Swing 20kg x 20
Pull-ups x 5
DB Press 15kg's x 12
Plank 30 sec




Notes
Today was strong. Everything felt too good to leave it at sets of 5. Squats were deep and technique felt great, felt like I hit the sweet spot today.

Doing the conditioning phase has given me a lot more energy.

[JiP]

14.05.18

Warm up test: 50 Press-ups & 50 Crunches in 4:40

Bench (4:00 min rest)
97.5 x 5 x 5

Squats (4:00 min rest)
150 x 5 x 5

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 4 Rounds)
Pull-ups x 5
Press-up x 15
Half-sit x 10


Notes
Squats felt heavy but moved well. Need to focus on keeping tight and keeping chest up.

[JRMoore82]

Me and you both

[IronKrazy]

147 air squats? Cot dayum lol.

Mirin the load on RDL's. Just started doing these and I've started light. Nice work here.

[JiP]

Me and you both

147 air squats? Cot dayum lol.

Mirin the load on RDL's. Just started doing these and I've started light. Nice work here.

Cheers guys. I like to go pretty heavy on RDL, find them very useful for the top end deadlift strength. And extra back strength in general.



16.05.18

Warm up test: 27 Chins in 5 min

Front Squat (3:00 min rest)
105 x 3 x 5

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 5 rounds in 20:37)
Pull-ups x 6
Bicycle Crunch x 10 (each side)
DB Press 15's x 12
DB Swing 20kg x 20


Notes
First time doing front squats in about 5 years. I always hated them as a weightlifter and my best was a very weak 135, with a 120 clean. Due to my crooked spine the asymmetrical loading is more pronounced, meaning I need to be careful they won't overload my left quad and cause issue. Will be diligent on not over-doing it. I feel like they address some weak points I have so I would like to improve there.

I had tremendous DOMS in my hams/adductors and could barely walk after the squats.

[JiP]

18.05.18

1hr riding bicycle

Warm up test - 54 dips in 5 min

Press
57 x 5 x 4


Notes
Was feeling pretty beat up. Wanted to keep it quick today. Need to keep my head neutral on squats in future, mild pain in cervical spine has returned. Also undecided if I'm going to keep front squats in, may just use HB back squats instead. Feel that I am at risk of overloading my left quad again.

Competition on Sunday. Plannned top attempts are 195kg, 120kg & 220kg. I feel those should all be doable.

[JRMoore82]

Good luck!

[JiP]

20.05.18

BW: 85.6kg (189lb)

Squat
175 x 1 (385lb) - 3 Whites
185 x 1 (408lb) - 3 Whites
195 x 1 (430lb) - 3 Whites

Bench
105 x 1 (232lb) - 3 Whites
112.5 x 1 (248lb) - 3 Reds (foot slipped out, finished lift but 3 red for downward movement of bar)
112.5 x 1 (248lb)

Deadlift
200 x 1 (441lb) - 3 Whites
210 x 1 (463lb) - 3 Whites
225 x 1 (496lb) - 3 Reds (Missed at lockout, not strong enough)

Squat 185


Squat 195


Deadlift 210


Deadlift 225 Miss


Notes
Squat went well. In competition I suddenly begin to sink my squats as I'm afraid of getting red lighted for depth. Due to my back this causes large drop on right side and corkscrew of hips. Going forward I need to learn to hit a reasonable depth and risk getting called out, it will be safer to lift that way with the state of my back.

Bench wasn't fantastic. I had been using my wide grip, which I thought was better but causes a drop on left side and I have been red lighted for downward movement twice now on easy lifts. When I took my grip in everything was smoother and the last lift was fast. For the future, just need to stick to pinky on ring grip.

Deadlift, I should not have taken the 225. My coach/buddy said I'd be silly not to take it, but I am always someone who either gets a lift and makes it look easy or just miss. I should have gone for the original planned 220, would have made it without question. I am planning to add in speed work and perhaps rack work.

Total was a PR at 517.5kg (1140lb). I was expecting to hit 535, so I am slightly annoyed. The mistakes that dropped the total were silly and easy to fix, so that's positive. I also did not taper/deload at all and have only been doing pure strength work for 5 weeks now. So I need to not be too hard on myself. I will be maxing out again in ~3 months when I finish this strength cycle and am hoping to lift significantly more.

[JiP]

20.05 18


Warm up test: 120 air squats in 5min

Bench
98 x 5 x 5

Squat
152.5 x 5 x 5


Notes
Long day surrounding this session, important job other interview and some other things. Was pretty fried.

Both lifts looked good and moved well.

[JiP]

26.05.18


Warm up test - 26 Chins in 5min

Press (3:45 min rest)
58 x 5 x 5

Speed Deadlift (EMOM)
155 x 1 x 15

Circuit (0:45 min rest)
Belt Squat 60 x 10
CGBP 75 x 8
Pull-ups x 5
DB Swing 20 x 20
Plank 30sec


Notes
Went out for dinner and had a few drinks with it, felt like I was going to puke whole workout. Left hamstring/adductor has horrendous DOMS again, much more than anything else. I assume my crooked squat is overloading it. I realised I am probably squatting too deep, especially in training, as I film my squats from the left but it's my right side that dips lower. Need to film some from the other side and see how the depth is.

I was so fatigued after last session I felt like I had the flu. Also the tendinitis in my left arm from low bar squats is starting to get pretty bad. Starting to think the 25 squat reps in one session might be overkill/injurious.

[RipCJ]

Good job at the meet last week.

I think you could clean up your squat walkout a bit. Why do you unrack the bar with one foot forward and one foot behind? I personally feel strongest with both my feet directly under the bar. You also took quite a lot of steps to get set.

Have you chilled out on the foam rolling and stretching, or just stopped notating it? I ditched nearly all of that stuff a few months ago.

[JiP]

Good job at the meet last week.

I think you could clean up your squat walkout a bit. Why do you unrack the bar with one foot forward and one foot behind? I personally feel strongest with both my feet directly under the bar. You also took quite a lot of steps to get set.

Have you chilled out on the foam rolling and stretching, or just stopped notating it? I ditched nearly all of that stuff a few months ago.

Thanks for the input dude. I never really thought about my walkout to be honest, although I did realise it's a bit excessive. I will start trying to make it more efficient. I've just stopped noting the rolling, although I have done minimal static stretching. I still do 10-15 min of dynamic stretches and muscle activation exercises along with 10 mins rolling. I think dynamic stretching and activation work is pretty essential. Foam rolling, the jury is out, but the psychological relaxation effect is worth the 10 minutes in my opinion given it's no risk.


Day 3

I took this day off, spent some time in the sun and with friends. It was only my light squats, rows and some circuit stuff.



Day 4

Warm up test - 50 Press-ups & 50 Crunches in 4:10

Squats
162.5 x 5 @9 (370lb)

Bench (bought new bench, significantly lower than previous one, comp height)
105 x 3 + 1 fail (pinky on rings)
105 x 1 (Index on rings)
100 x 5 (POR, flaring elbows)
100 x 5 (POR, flaring elbows)
100 x 4 (IOR, flaring elbows)

Deadlift
192.5 x 5 @10

Block Deadlift
190 x 5 x 3

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 4 rounds)
Chins x 6
Half-sit x 15
DB Press 15's x 12
DB Swing 20 x 15
Press-up x 12


Notes
So I finally decided to buy a comp height bench as in competition my bench is always awful. This was certainly also the case today, clearly my old bench set up was totally different. One of the main problems I noticed is my elbows were way in front of the bar, I was tucking them way too hard. Flaring them felt much better/stronger. I worked hard on my set-up today, doing thoracic extension stretch and copying a youtube tutorial on how to get a big arch. I need to also keep my elbows under the bar and hopefully my bench will improve.

Squats and deads were great. I think I could have broken my all time squat PR of 170 x 5 from 2011. I am dubious about the block deadlifts, I feel RDL/SLDL or perhaps paused deadlifts/deadlifts with chains would be a much better accessory. Partial movements don't do it for me.

I am going on holiday for 4 days on Sunday, so will coincide that with a deload as I am quite fried.

[JRMoore82]

Have fun!!

[JiP]

02.06.18


Warm up - 27 Chins in 5:00


Bench (4:00 min rest)
99 x 5 @8
99 x 5 @8

Squats (4:00 min rest)
155 x 5 @7
155 x 5 @8

Circuit (0:45 min rest)
Chins x 6
Plank x 30sec
DB Press 15's x 12
DB Swing 20 x 20


Notes
Decided to keep the weight on track but just drop the volume significantly, as I won't be doing half of this training week. These will be my volume weights for next week, I couldn't believe how light they felt today.

Bench set up felt much better, the weight was also moving much faster with elbows flared. Was doing a good job of keeping elbows under the bar. Took my grip on squats out another finger-width, which seems to have fixed the tendinitis in my left elbow. Squats looked great.

I've been sleeping 10-11hr a night when I have days off work to boost recovery. I've also been focusing on deep breathing when I start to feel stressed and generally trying to reduce stress with meditation (something I use for mental health anyway).

[JiP]

07.06.18


Warm up - Max Press-up & Crunch in 5 min: 70 & 70

Bench
99 x 5 x 5

Squat
155 x 5
157.5 x 5 x 3 (347lb)

Circuit
Pull-ups x 6
Bicycle Crunch x 10 (each side)
Press-up x 14
DB Swing 20 x 20

Set 1


Set 2


Set 3



Notes
I spent the rest of my deload eating lots of scones with clotted cream/jam in Cornwall. Also did a fair bit of drinking and relaxing, tried to clear my head of lifting and eat/do what I felt like.

Squat wasn't meant to be 157.5 today but ego took control, they didn't move badly but did feel heavy as hell. I think I will continue using 4 sets as 5 seems too fatiguing for a single session. I may move a set to the intensity day as a back off.

Still getting the hang of the new bench and new set-up, keeping elbows under the bar is tough. Been struggling to hit the right position on chest, every rep is looking a bit different at the moment. Should settle down well, was good to hit the PR despite all that.

[JiP]

10.06.18

30 min bicycle, left the keys at home so had to go back for them

Warm up test - 30 Chins in 5:10

Tempo Squat (5-1-0)
130 x 3

Tempo Bench (5-2-0)
80 x 5 x 3

Speed Deadlift (on 1:30 min clock)
155 x 2 x 8

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 2 Rounds)
CGBP 75 x 9
Plank 30sec
Pull-ups x 6
DB Press 15's x 10


Notes
My left adductor/hamstring was too sore to squat. Somehow it didn't bother me on pulls. But it was extremely painful. This is an issue I've been having a lot, I don't think there's much I can do about it as my squat is about as even as it's going to get with my crooked back.

Had wanted to include some tempo work on my light day for a while. Felt great, helped to iron out more technique issues on bench. Was pretty tough too.

[JiP]

11.06.18

Bodyweight - 87.1kg

Warm up test - 114 Air squats in 5 min (hamstring pain)

Press (3:45 min rest)
59 x 5 x 3
59 x 2 (neck pain)

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 4 Rounds)
Pull-ups x 6
Half-sits x 15
Dips x 8
DB Swing 20 x 20


Notes
Not a great day. Got a minor strain in my hamstring and strained my neck mid-press. Christ it's sore now. Don't think either of these will be anything significant but I don't think I'll be able to do this weeks intensity day. I kept going with the accessory work even when it was hurting my neck, not sure if that was detrimental or hardcore.

Bodyweight has increased from 82.5 to 87.1 in 4 months. More aggressive gain than I would have liked, but glad to have put on some muscle. Will lean out again after this cycle.

[JiP]

12.06.18

Notes
Neck is very painful today. I had this issue in the past, saw PT who advised to keep head neutral on lifts. I haven't been paying this enough attention, this problem shouldn't take long to fix. I did have to take the day off work as I can only move my head through a small ROM. Taking paracetomol and ibuprofen to take the edge off, wouldn't mind something stronger though. I will start rehabbing hamstring tomorrow, although I don't think this will take longer than a few days either.

I think I may be testing the boundaries of my recovery at the moment, given how much difficulty I am having even completing a full training week. I may switch to sets of 3 and have a slight reduction in volume on squats/deads, which was the plan eventually anyway.

By missing this day I have missed two intensity day's in a row, which is irritating. But hopefully by doing everything else this week I will still reap the benefits.

[.aeterna]

Sup bro, the 210kg deadlift looked like an easy warmup. I can see why your buddy recommended that you bump it up 15 kilos. Deadlift is weird though because some people have amazing speed off the ground but issues with locking out (i'm in the same camp). Others have a horrible time breaking off the ground but as soon as it's up, they can lock it out no matter what.

Looks like you got a good plan for that going forward with the rack pulls. Those nagging injuries, especially with the neck, sound concerning so I'd probably take a break altogether

[JiP]

Sup bro, the 210kg deadlift looked like an easy warmup. I can see why your buddy recommended that you bump it up 15 kilos. Deadlift is weird though because some people have amazing speed off the ground but issues with locking out (i'm in the same camp). Others have a horrible time breaking off the ground but as soon as it's up, they can lock it out no matter what.

Looks like you got a good plan for that going forward with the rack pulls. Those nagging injuries, especially with the neck, sound concerning so I'd probably take a break altogether

Cheers dude. I've never got a pull that high and missed it before, I did start to puke so I think I kind of gave up at that point. The neck should be a straight forward fix, it's my fault for not keeping my head neutral on squats and other lifts.


13.06.18

200 Air squats

Notes
Still had strong neck pain, did small amount of press-ups and stretching. Pain in ham flared up on squats, but died down again.


14.06.18

1hr walk at lunch
Single leg glute bridges
Lunges
Single leg deadlift
20 min static stretching
100 Air squats

Notes
Worsley wants me to follow rules for injury: basic mobilisation, pain free ROM, eccentric exercises, explosive exercise, sports specific movement (barbell squats), in that order. I've already done the first 3, so should be able to progress to squats over the next few days. He wants me (if pain free), to hit my 5 rep maxes for this week but no volume work.

Minor discomfort in ham on glute bridges, but strong other than that. Neck is improving.

I hadn't done any real static stretching for around 8 weeks. This was dumb. I thought it was superfluous to training, but that was short-sighted. I will include it on a regular basis again. I felt very stiff in positions that were usually very easy for me.

[JRMoore82]

Getting work done man!

[JiP]

Getting work done man!

Thanks man. It's definitely coming along.


17.06.18

Rehab - Hamstring bridges, single leg DL, single leg squat, lunges, 50 air squats
Warm up test - 27 Pull-ups in 5 min

Squats
110 x 3
130 x 3 - No pain

Pause Bench (3:30 min rest)
95 x 3
100 x 3 x 5

Deadlift
195 x 5

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 4 Rounds)
Pull-ups x 6
Half-sits x 15
Press-ups x 15
DB Swing 20 x 20

Static Stretching - 15 Min


Notes
No pain in hamstring. Still didn't want to push the squats too early. Minor neck pain still, but only on bench set-up.

Deadlift was strong, pushing into PR territory. Still struggling to get the groove on bench, lots of messing around still to do with the new set-up/bench.


I will be auto-regulating to a degree from now on, moving down to triples & aiming to hit a certain load each week rather than each session. I found this useful both physically and mentally during my previous training cycle. Will still aim to increase 2.5kg a week on squats/deads and 1kg on bench/press, so linear progression.

Planned weekly volumes/lifts from week 9:
Squat heavy 2 days 25-30 reps average 160-165kg, Light paused/tempo squats on 1 day
Bench heavy 3 days 30-35 reps average 95-100kg, CGBP, long pause bench & press spread across week
Deadlift heavy 1-2 days, 3RM then block work using the same weight for 12 reps, Speed deadlift on 1 day
Usual accessories in circuits - DB Swings, belt squats, chins, dips, press-ups, rows etc

[JiP]

20.06.18

Warm up test - 72 Press-ups & crunches in 5:06

Squats
172.5 x 4 + 1 fail (380lb)

3ct Pause Bench (2:30 min rest)
85 x 3 x 5

Block Deadlift (4:00 min rest)
200 x 3 x 3

Circuit (1:30 min rest, 4 Rounds)
CGBP 75 x 8
Belt Squat 70 x 8
Pull-up x 6
DB Swing 20 x 20


Notes
Back was fried from last session. Annoyed I didn't hit a new 5RM, but it's there next time. Hoping the block deadlifts pay off, feel like I'm only going to get half the results from using half a movement.

Training with a local powerlifter who invited me to his gym on Saturday. His total is around 670kg / 1477lb. Should be interesting.

[JiP]

21.06.18

20 mins bicycle

Comp Bench (3:45 min rest)
100 x 3 x 2
101 x 3
102 x 3
103 x 3
102 x 3


Notes
Went in to practice my bench technique and got carried away. Got back to my old technique which is way better and less injurious. Big arch, more stable, index on ring grip. Still doesn't feel as good as it used to on the old bench, but much better.

[JRMoore82]

Bench. Always messing with my form as well.

[JiP]

23.06.18


Squat (4:30 min rest)
160 x 3 x 6 (volume PB)

Press (3:45 min rest)
55 x 5
60 x 5 x 3 - Cracked my neck on the last rep AGAIN

Circuit (1:00 min rest, 4 Rounds)
Pull-ups x 6
Half-sits x 15
DB Swing 22.5 x 18
Press-up x 14


Notes
Training at a real gym with that strong lad today. Got some good pointers on keeping the bar tight and general set-up. Think I was squatting too deep.

Unfortunately my neck has gone AGAIN from strict press. I also had some pain in my lower back (which I ignored through squats) and now it feels close to my whole spine. Obviously something is going wrong, I believe it's a combination of: too much deadlifting in general, too much deadlifting with a kyphotic back (rack pulls) & not enough rest.

I don't think strict press is specifically causing the issue, but I may have to drop it unfortunately as this is clearly not working out. I will also reduce my heavy pulling, but possibly do a higher volume of RDL/SLDL with strict technique.