KevinAlvy's Training Log

Interesting approach. Let's see if it works out.

Comp Squat
Warmups
495x1


SS
45 degree back raises 4x10
Low Row 4x10


Decline Situps
25 2x10


Face Pulls
4x10


Notes: My sister's friend that is a chiropractor said I had a rib popping out. She did some weird cracking stuff and said it is back in

High Bar Squat
Warmups
455x1


Comp Bench
Warmups
340x1


SS
Dips 3x15
Upright Rows 3x15



Notes: Feel pretty good for the push/pull saturday

Saturday

NASA Push Pull

Weighed in at 215

Bench
340 good
363 good
374 miss

Deadlift
585 good
633 miss
scratch

Notes: I thought the 363 was easy, not entirely sure why I missed 374. The 633 sucked. I put 100% into that pull and I couldn't lock it out. Rather than inevitably failing another try at 633 I just called it a day.
______
Moving Forward
On a macro level my training over the past 18 months has been pathetic. I have literally not put up any better numbers in competition. I am sure that I am stronger than I was before, but it is not translating to moving more weight. I feel like my biggest problem right now aside from being hurt all the damn time is that I cannot grind out 1rm's anymore. Since it is probably a bad idea to start grinding out reps with compound movements given how fragile I seem to be, I want to do some burnout stuff with assistance.

I am going to start a hypertrophy/work capacity/pain tolerance block to hopefully heal up some of my existing injuries, build on some stabilizers, and remind myself how to try hard. If my back permits, I will be comp squatting once a week. This week I am just going to mess around, and next week I will lay out some more details.

In my mind there isn't a point to powerlift, injure myself, and get zero to negative gains. If I am going to powerlift I might as well do this right. This past year I've stopped counting macros, stopped olympic lifts (injuries), and haven't followed my own programming very strictly. Powerlifting is going to take a bigger priority in my life again and I hope it translates to moving some more weight.
______
Monday's Lift

High Bar Squat
Warmups
405x3


Lunges
Warmups
185x10


Face Pulls
2x30


SS
RH 2x15
Hammer Curls 2x10


Decline
Situps 45 lbs 1x25
Twisting 45lbs 1x50

Cutting might be a good idea for you, especially in the injury department. Fat is not well-oxidized tissue and is essentially just more weight and stress on your joints and body. I'm planning on cutting a bit in the coming months as well, so we could probably challenge each other so we both remain motivated and on top of things.

I like the tone of your report. You will only get out of this sport as much as you put into it, and now's the time to identify the changes you're willing to make to become better. You've reached the point that most experienced lifters reach--what you're doing isn't really working anymore, so you have to improve everything that has a bearing on your performance.

If you thought powerlifting was fun, you'll love powerlifting while on a strict diet (or even a caloric deficit). But you'll also learn how to make everything you do count.

Self-evaluation as a lifter is invaluable. This is great to see--you've done really well with the obstacles you've faced recently and you're dedicated. You can do this. Make sure you're getting enough rest--I don't recall whether you took that into account in your assessment. If you're not sleeping enough now, start. Not enough sleep=injury.

I'm proud of what you've been doing and happy to be on the team with you. Keep it up.

Chris Anderson wrote:

Cutting might be a good idea for you, especially in the injury department. Fat is not well-oxidized tissue and is essentially just more weight and stress on your joints and body. I'm planning on cutting a bit in the coming months as well, so we could probably challenge each other so we both remain motivated and on top of things.

I am with you on this. I don't think I am really built for the 220's long term. I don't know how aggressively I want to cut though, as I think that poses a risk of injury as well

KKeough wrote:

I like the tone of your report. You will only get out of this sport as much as you put into it, and now's the time to identify the changes you're willing to make to become better. You've reached the point that most experienced lifters reach--what you're doing isn't really working anymore, so you have to improve everything that has a bearing on your performance.

If you thought powerlifting was fun, you'll love powerlifting while on a strict diet (or even a caloric deficit). But you'll also learn how to make everything you do count.

Yes I agree. I have lost my discipline in the things external to lifting, and as a consequence I've stalled.

Regarding dieting, the only reason I like powerlifting/lifting is because I like progress and like to improve at things. I have never disliked powerlifting more in my life than I do now because I am not going anywhere atm. The only thing I really dislike about dieting is the extra time it takes

babyeater wrote:

Self-evaluation as a lifter is invaluable. This is great to see--you've done really well with the obstacles you've faced recently and you're dedicated. You can do this. Make sure you're getting enough rest--I don't recall whether you took that into account in your assessment. If you're not sleeping enough now, start. Not enough sleep=injury.

I'm proud of what you've been doing and happy to be on the team with you. Keep it up.

Thanks Janis. Sleep and rest weren't really an option for me during the spring/summer but now I have the ability to make time for rest. I will be tracking my hours of sleep every night again and trying to keep that at an optimal level.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I am going "all in" to powerlifting again and I think I'll be back on track soon

A fairly long and slow cut is certainly an exercise in patience, but I think that the discipline it takes to eat cleanly also helps in the gym. I think that I owe a lot of my success on Saturday to the fact that I was able to keep my weight close all throughout my training, and I really didn't have to cut at all.

Also, I know that there is an Android app that tracks your sleep patterns for you, but seeing as you are an iFgt, you may have to find an alternative. Basically it uses the motion sensors of the phone to detect your movements during the night as you sleep. I would use it more often but I keep my phone on the charger at night.

Kevin,

My time in powerlifting over the last two years has amounted to a series of crossroads. I'll get to a certain level, slow my progress, and have to change something to improve. Usually, this means dedicating myself more to a particular aspect of training.

First, it was my diet. Not only will paying closer attention to your body composition help, but eating for performance will have an effect on performance. The cult of the dirty bulk is strong in powerlifting, but if you want to be at the top, you need to have the physique of top powerlifters in your weight class. This is something I learned early on, and it was drilled into my head at Westside.

The other thing I learned at Westside is developing work capacity. We can all take our accessory work more seriously; this is something I will be focusing on getting back to after this meet. No more sitting around chatting and casually doing accessory work for me.

If you do everything in your power to get better, it will happen eventually. You might not figure everything out initially, but an answer is always out there. I continue to make mistakes in training (everyone knows my training isn't perfect), but I set a PR total every meet because I do everything to the best of my ability and I manage not to get hurt. Absolute effort will trump a perfect training program every single time.

Ultimately, you have put a lot into getting better in this sport, so you owe it to yourself to continue to improve. You're a very good lifter, but to become excellent, you just have to take the next step. And knowing you, you'll do what's necessary to get there. You certainly have the talent to someday be a top-tier lifter in this sport.

Narrow Pause Incline
Warmups
255x3


Narrow Tng Flat
Warmups
235x10


Dips
3x burnouts


Delt Prehab
2(2x15)


One Arm Pressdown
1x burnout

Chris Anderson wrote:

A fairly long and slow cut is certainly an exercise in patience, but I think that the discipline it takes to eat cleanly also helps in the gym. I think that I owe a lot of my success on Saturday to the fact that I was able to keep my weight close all throughout my training, and I really didn't have to cut at all.

Also, I know that there is an Android app that tracks your sleep patterns for you, but seeing as you are an iFgt, you may have to find an alternative. Basically it uses the motion sensors of the phone to detect your movements during the night as you sleep. I would use it more often but I keep my phone on the charger at night.

Thanks for thinking of that. There is an app, but for the time being a nominal sleep count seems to be enough for me. I have enough metrics I plan on tracking that I don't need to over complicate this

KKeough wrote:

Kevin,

My time in powerlifting over the last two years has amounted to a series of crossroads. I'll get to a certain level, slow my progress, and have to change something to improve. Usually, this means dedicating myself more to a particular aspect of training.

First, it was my diet. Not only will paying closer attention to your body composition help, but eating for performance will have an effect on performance. The cult of the dirty bulk is strong in powerlifting, but if you want to be at the top, you need to have the physique of top powerlifters in your weight class. This is something I learned early on, and it was drilled into my head at Westside.

Yes, I understand that. As I said before I will be tracking my macros and likely fiber since I am a subscriber to IIFYM. I really can't compare my physique to the top tier of my weight class because they are using drugs though. Sub 10% BF at 5'7, even with elite genetics, likely tops out at 198. I would be one of the first people to say that all else equal, more muscle mass=more weight lifted. I am focusing on hypertrophy during this block for that reason.

Quote :

The other thing I learned at Westside is developing work capacity. We can all take our accessory work more seriously; this is something I will be focusing on getting back to after this meet. No more sitting around chatting and casually doing accessory work for me.

I am with you on this. Neurological and inter/intramuscular coordination is only gained through hammering out a lift over, and over, and over. Without the coordination to perform the lift with optimal bar path, muscular gains are limited. This comes back to my reflection that I am stronger, but can't move more weight. Lifting more weight =/= stronger. Lifting is a skill as well

Quote :

If you do everything in your power to get better, it will happen eventually. You might not figure everything out initially, but an answer is always out there. I continue to make mistakes in training (everyone knows my training isn't perfect), but I set a PR total every meet because I do everything to the best of my ability and I manage not to get hurt. Absolute effort will trump a perfect training program every single time.

Ultimately, you have put a lot into getting better in this sport, so you owe it to yourself to continue to improve. You're a very good lifter, but to become excellent, you just have to take the next step. And knowing you, you'll do what's necessary to get there. You certainly have the talent to someday be a top-tier lifter in this sport.

Yep. Right now I am starting by carving the big pieces out of the statue. Starting with what I used to do, and seeing if I need to start carving the details

High Bar Squat
Warmups
315x3


RH
5x10


Face Pulls
3x30


Rope Curls
2x


Notes: Was going to go heavier on squats, but I had some relentless doms in my legs

What the fuck is a "website wizard"? You mean webmaster, right?

Or webby, for short.

KKeough wrote:

What the fuck is a "website wizard"? You mean webmaster, right?

Or webby, for short.

I apologize that you are uneducated in sorcery. You would not understand my wheys

KevinAlvy wrote:

Pretty much what my back feels like.

KevinAlvy wrote:

Yes, I understand that. As I said before I will be tracking my macros and likely fiber since I am a subscriber to IIFYM. I really can't compare my physique to the top tier of my weight class because they are using drugs though. Sub 10% BF at 5'7, even with elite genetics, likely tops out at 198. I would be one of the first people to say that all else equal, more muscle mass=more weight lifted. I am focusing on hypertrophy during this block for that reason.

Your weight class (220) is not your ideal weight class. You're competing against guys who are not only on something and thus very heavily muscled, but usually taller than you (guys like Dan Green, Chris Duffin, Jay Nera, Sam Byrd, etc. are all around 5'10"-6'0").

You might not want to hear this, but your ideal weight class is probably 181. That's likely not a reasonable goal for the next meet, but it would be a good long-term goal. At 5'7", you're about as tall as many of the top 181-lb. lifters.

Regardless of weight class, the important thing, if you want to go from someone who's on the cusp of an Elite total to someone who's a couple-hundred pounds above an Elite total, will be attaining sub-10% bodyfat. Again, this doesn't have to be a short-term fix; I took well over a year to bring my weight down.

I know dropping two weight classes might seem impossible, but when I got serious about competing in powerlifting, I dropped roughly the same amount of weight (180 to around 150 during meet week) over the first year or so. I still have the photos of myself at my heaviest:

Spoiler:

It is not at all easy, and it very well may have a detrimental effect on your strength--your bench press will almost certainly drop, if only initially--but you'll be more competitive long-term.

Making 198 a goal for next year would be a good start. After that, 181 could be a long-term goal. You will have to dedicate your life to it, but nothing easy is worth having.

KKeough wrote:

KevinAlvy wrote:

Yes, I understand that. As I said before I will be tracking my macros and likely fiber since I am a subscriber to IIFYM. I really can't compare my physique to the top tier of my weight class because they are using drugs though. Sub 10% BF at 5'7, even with elite genetics, likely tops out at 198. I would be one of the first people to say that all else equal, more muscle mass=more weight lifted. I am focusing on hypertrophy during this block for that reason.

Your weight class (220) is not your ideal weight class. You're competing against guys who are not only on something and thus very heavily muscled, but usually taller than you (guys like Dan Green, Chris Duffin, Jay Nera, Sam Byrd, etc. are all around 5'10"-6'0").

You might not want to hear this, but your ideal weight class is probably 181. That's likely not a reasonable goal for the next meet, but it would be a good long-term goal. At 5'7", you're about as tall as many of the top 181-lb. lifters.

Regardless of weight class, the important thing, if you want to go from someone who's on the cusp of an Elite total to someone who's a couple-hundred pounds above an Elite total, will be attaining sub-10% bodyfat. Again, this doesn't have to be a short-term fix; I took well over a year to bring my weight down.

I know dropping two weight classes might seem impossible, but when I got serious about competing in powerlifting, I dropped roughly the same amount of weight (180 to around 150 during meet week) over the first year or so. I still have the photos of myself at my heaviest:

Spoiler:

It is not at all easy, and it very well may have a detrimental effect on your strength--your bench press will almost certainly drop, if only initially--but you'll be more competitive long-term.

Making 198 a goal for next year would be a good start. After that, 181 could be a long-term goal. You will have to dedicate your life to it, but nothing easy is worth having.

I will also be working on my cut towards 198














































lolololol jk 308 here I come!

KKeough wrote:

Your weight class (220) is not your ideal weight class. You're competing against guys who are not only on something and thus very heavily muscled, but usually taller than you (guys like Dan Green, Chris Duffin, Jay Nera, Sam Byrd, etc. are all around 5'10"-6'0").

I have some bad news,

Quote :

You might not want to hear this, but your ideal weight class is probably 181. That's likely not a reasonable goal for the next meet, but it would be a good long-term goal. At 5'7", you're about as tall as many of the top 181-lb. lifters.

I don't mean to toot my own horn but I have a significant amount of lean body mass for my height and age.



From a strategic standpoint, I am likely to have more muscle than someone taller and leaner than me. Especially given that fact I can easily cut 15 lbs within 5 days. (I did last meet)

Quote :

Regardless of weight class, the important thing, if you want to go from someone who's on the cusp of an Elite total to someone who's a couple-hundred pounds above an Elite total, will be attaining sub-10% bodyfat. Again, this doesn't have to be a short-term fix; I took well over a year to bring my weight down.

I know dropping two weight classes might seem impossible, but when I got serious about competing in powerlifting, I dropped roughly the same amount of weight (180 to around 150 during meet week) over the first year or so. I still have the photos of myself at my heaviest:


It is not at all easy, and it very well may have a detrimental effect on your strength--your bench press will almost certainly drop, if only initially--but you'll be more competitive long-term.

Making 198 a goal for next year would be a good start. After that, 181 could be a long-term goal. You will have to dedicate your life to it, but nothing easy is worth having.

All of that said, I've been inching to cutting distance of 198. 181 is not maximizing my leverages, nor allowing me to use my competitive advantage of LBM. I weighed 230 last Sunday and weighed in with zero problem at 215. The idea of dropping a weight class is nothing new to me, and I have thought it through a lot in terms of maximizing my deadlift levers. I am cutting, I am cutting very very slow, and 181 is not going to maximize my levers nor my competitive advantage of my height.