Notes: My bench feels a little achy right now (and not super fast), but I put it together at 265x6. A couple of observations:
1.) My bench is in good shape right now. Not great shape, but good shape. The good news is that I'm about as strong as I've ever been on bench. I shouldn't have an issue benching 308 again at the next meet, and I should be capable of 314+. My strength is almost exactly where it was (and maybe a hair ahead of) last cycle.
2.) The bad news is that I'm not really making much progress anymore, and I'm basically only tying most of my PRs from May and June. At some point, I will probably have to take a close look at my bench training and make some modifications. Heavy-duty sport-specific training has been good to me, but it might be time to start hitting weaknesses through exercise variants a little more aggressively. Regardless, I'll still be doing competition benching regularly, because I've learned from experience what a mistake drifting too far from the competition lift can be, particularly on bench.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:23 pm
Notes: I didn't feel great on this session, but I got my shit together after 455. 495x3 was a PR and a good set (1RM for this setup is currently 510), but I had to grind the reps out to get it (particularly the third). My lower back was so taxed that I actually found I was stronger when I kept a more upright position, which is almost never the case for me. Deadlifting on Friday will be interesting (the goal is 535x5 with 30-second rest intervals), but overall I'm doing well in my training right now.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:57 pm
Off Blocks, 1" Below Knee 315x3 405x5 405x5 455x5 475x5
Notes: I'm pretty fried from the last month of deadlift training, so I think I will do a DE session next week, and then pull a few semi-heavy singles with some lockout work on my last session (the following week). For the last two weeks, I've felt fried and my speed off the floor has been crap. It's time for me to pull back a bit, because I can't recover in time for the deadlifting I'm doing. I was disappointed with today's results, but now I'm fine with it. My pulling hasn't been AWFUL; it's just time to manage my deadlift training.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Sat Oct 26, 2013 9:27 pm
Notes: I felt really lousy warming up--like I had no energy--and that might be due to the fact that I deadlift the previous day. My back was pretty tight, but 465 was smooth, and 515 went up fine, too. I'm getting some good high-intensity reps in on my wrapped squat and I haven't missed anything yet. I'll work up pretty heavy again next week, too, then I'll cut the intensity down a bit for the last pre-meet squat session. 515 is 8 lbs. over my planned third attempt, so I should be fine with a 485 second (barring something bad happening) and I know I am strong enough to hit 507 for a third. The lack of heavy work was a pretty major oversight in my training for the July meet, and I have done a pretty good job of rectifying that.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Sun Oct 27, 2013 11:01 pm
Paused Bench Press Barx10 Barx10 95x5 135x5 185x2 235x2 255x2 275x5 (PR; lulzy pauses, but what the fuck ever)
Floor Press 135x20 135x20 135x20
Face Pulls, in kg 42.5x15 47.5x15 52.5x15 57.5x15
Notes: Tendinitis has flared up with a vengeance in both arms, and there's no stopping it besides avoiding benching altogether, so I'm going to substitute floor pressing for benching for the next session or two. For whatever reason, I can floor press just fine, and that'll allow me to maintain my bench strength while still recovering. The hope would then be to spend my last training week benching; if I handle this correctly, I should feel good for the meet.
The bar-speed off my chest on this day was pretty lousy--I couldn't lower weights fast at all (again, tendinitis), and I couldn't stay tight at bottom, which meant no explosion--but I was able to adrenaline my way to a pseudo-PR of 275x5. Even though the pauses weren't great, that matches my best-ever touch-and-go 5RM, which is a pretty cool milestone to hit. My paused rep numbers are now all better than my old touch-and-go PRs from when I was a fatty.
So, overall, this was a cool session. I trained (again) with Grant, and his paused bench press is getting much stronger. It's great to see someone pay attention to small technical details and make progress off of that effort. His bench is looking a whole lot stronger than when he tested a couple of months ago, and I think he's in line to hit a very nice number--and possibly even surprise himself--at the November meet.
Quadfather Class I
Posts : 985 Join date : 2013-02-12 Age : 32 Location : Des Moines, IA
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 12:28 am
K E O S A W A wrote:
So, overall, this was a cool session. I trained (again) with Grant, and his paused bench press is getting much stronger. It's great to see someone pay attention to small technical details and make progress off of that effort. His bench is looking a whole lot stronger than when he tested a couple of months ago, and I think he's in line to hit a very nice number--and possibly even surprise himself--at the November meet.
Bromance. Defying all of the rules of the UI Powerlifting team
Chris Anderson Anabolic Furnace
Posts : 3023 Join date : 2011-11-02 Age : 31 Location : The City of Iowa
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 1:32 am
Social interaction is hereby banned in the club.
Real talk, I'm planning on benching with you guys some time next week. I'm only benching once, so I'm flexible.
Quadfather Class I
Posts : 985 Join date : 2013-02-12 Age : 32 Location : Des Moines, IA
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 10:49 am
Chris Anderson wrote:
Social interaction is hereby banned in the club.
Real talk, I'm planning on benching with you guys some time next week. I'm only benching once, so I'm flexible.
To rewrite Mean Girls "We bench on Wednesdays"
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 2:50 pm
I'm not going to be benching on Wednesday--I need to give my bench a break--but I will be floor pressing, and I'll be there at about the same time as Grant, which is usually ~4.
Quadfather Class I
Posts : 985 Join date : 2013-02-12 Age : 32 Location : Des Moines, IA
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:05 pm
K E O S A W A wrote:
I'm not going to be benching on Wednesday--I need to give my bench a break--but I will be floor pressing, and I'll be there at about the same time as Grant, which is usually ~4.
I get out of class at 4:45 on Wednesdays so I usually roll in just after 5
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:44 pm
Chris Anderson wrote:
IN
brb, training with someone who's actively betting on me to fail.
Chris Anderson Anabolic Furnace
Posts : 3023 Join date : 2011-11-02 Age : 31 Location : The City of Iowa
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:55 pm
Broceidon wrote:
To rewrite Mean Girls "We bench on Wednesdays"
This should work fine for me.
K E O S A W A wrote:
brb, training with someone who's actively betting on me to fail.
Dat motivation.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:12 pm
Chris Anderson wrote:
Dat motivation.
Editing out idiotic ranting.
Last edited by Keosawa on Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Tue Oct 29, 2013 9:07 pm
I've decided to take an indefinite leave from the forum, as I think that would be for the best right now given my circumstance. I apologize for being a disruptive presence on here, and for making things difficult for anyone. I have the moderator account, which I've changed to IowaPowerlifting; I'll have the password available in case anyone needs it. I'm going to lock this thread for now.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:34 pm
My self-imposed time out is over, and I'm going to bring my log back. Thanks for being patient, brahs.
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:45 pm
Notes: I did about five minutes' worth of bat hangs before squatting, and my SI joint felt a lot better today. In fact, it's felt better (overall) this week, and that's probably because I didn't pull for as much volume last week. After this week's shortened DE session, I should be good to go for a final deadlift session before the meet.
As far as the squatting went, it was the same as last week--fast until about 365, and then I seemed to hit a wall. 405 and 425 moved slowly, but I started to find my groove at 445. The plan for today was to do 485x4--a 5-lb. PR over 480x4 and a set that would be in line with 465x7, 495x3, and 505x2--but I ended up hitting a grinder of a fifth rep. I didn't have a ton of energy, but I was able to squeeze out the reps. I've made good progress on my squat this training cycle--I think my initial 5RM was 450 or 455--and am getting more and more comfortable with higher-intensity attempts.
Notes: To try an alleviate some of the tendinitis I've been experienced, I opted to swap in floor pressing for this session; I'll likely do the same for Saturday's session. It's not ideal this late into a training cycle, but to be honest, I think I'm going to be just fine, provided I make sure I recover from this over the next week. My press is as strong as it's ever been right now, and I just need to come into the meet feeling good.
I wanted to get in a little high-intensity work so that I could compensate by cutting down on the volume a little, and so I ended up hitting a small (5-lb.) PR on the floor press with my reactive slingshot. That rep felt solid, and my form was pretty strict despite the rep moving slowly.
Anyway, there's not much more for me to say here. I've got a week and a half to go before my training ends, and I'm feeling as strong as I have ever been right now. Everything's coming together now, and I just feel ready to go.
DE Deadlifts 135x3 135x3 225x2 275x2 315x2x11 (11 sets of 2)
Block Pulls, 1" Below Knee 365x15 365x15 365x20
Notes: My video has a LONG piece of commentary about today's session, so if you're interested in move info, just listen to that. I'll give a short version: the plan was to do a DE session to let my SI joint rest up in prep for the meet, and I felt pretty strong (and pretty fast) on these sets. I also got out of training without my SI joint bothering me at all, which was great.
Notes: Rather than continue my progression up to a PR attempt (525+), I decided instead to attempt to build confidence by doing a very heavy double. Again, my goal on these wrapped days is just to get in a few heavy singles and build some confidence by squatting 500+ week after week. This is the third straight week I've gone over 500 (505x1, 515x1, and 500x1/500x2) after missing 496 twice at my last meet.
The best rep of the three was on my first set, but I got too loose on the second set, got forward, and quit on it. I was unusually upright for these squats, and it was throwing my off--that might have been because I squatted early in the day, on an empty stomach, and my belt wasn't fitting as snug as usual.
After missing the double on the first set, I tried it again. The first rep of the second set was much slower, and my bar tilted in sort of a weird way, but I gathered myself and squeaked out the second rep. This has been a goal of mine for a while (I think since I did 501 lbs. last October at a meet for the first time), so I'm happy to have gotten it. It gives me a LOT of confidence to be able to squat 500 lbs. for multiple reps.
My meet plan remains the same: 463, 485, 507. I have been tempted to boost those numbers, but I need to just focus on getting back on track. To hit a nice total, all I need is 485, and that should be in the bag at this point. 507 will not be easy, but I would be surprised if I missed it. If I squat 507, I'm at a 1378 total with just my other two openers (298 and 573), which means I'd only have to find about 12.5 kg on subsequent attempts for my total goal. That shouldn't be too difficult for me, as I feel much more confident in those two lifts, and I'm coming in to this meet a bit stronger than the last one.
That's all for previous sessions. Not going to bother with vids, as this is already TL;DR territory.
KevinAlvy Elite
Posts : 2446 Join date : 2011-10-30
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Sun Nov 03, 2013 7:38 pm
returnoftheking.jpeg
Keosawa American-Record Holder
Posts : 3174 Join date : 2011-10-30 Age : 37
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:42 pm
Subject: Re: The 1400 or Bust Log 
Thu Oct 24, 2013 8:56 pm
