Andy Awad's Training Log

Sheiko is probably a very good choice for you right now, Andy. The frequency should be appropriate for you.

Yes, I am convinced that now is not the time to try Smolov Jr for my bench.

Kyle Keough wrote:

I think you'd be fine if you squatted like this at the meet, but be careful.

That's good to know. I'll train to make my depth more convincing, but I guess for now it's a good thing Poage isn't judging squat depth.

Thanks, Chris and Kyle. I'm going to look into that.... Right now actually.

2/21/14

It's been I while Since I felt heavy weight on my bench, so I decided to go for a heavy double today. The idea was to get the feel for heavy weight above my chest again.

paused bench
warm up to 300 (275 and 300 felt wobbly)
325 x 1, missed 2nd.
325 x 1 butt came up.

185 x 10

I felt great on my way to the CRWC today. Even though I haven't done a very heavy single in a while, I was feeling really confident about 325 for 2. However, it just wasn't in the cards for me today. I hate to make excuses for a poor performance, but I have recently started using wrist wraps and I still haven't fully adjusted to them. The change in bar path that has resulted from better wrist alignment still feels funny. For my lighter sets (everything up till about 255) I feel incredible. My bench feels stronger and faster than ever. But once I start getting to about 285, I really start to notice a different bar path than what I am used to. I think the problem arises because my stabilizing muscles engage slightly differently than they did when my wrists would bend back more when I didn't use wraps. The reason I don't realize this on the lighter sets is because I was able to do a decent job maintaining my wrist alignment on them before I started the wraps. However, when the weights got heavy, my wrist position changed and therefore my bench form changed as well. Now my weaknesses present themselves in the form of a wobbly bar during the eccentric phase. A problem I have never experienced with my bench before.

Normally, after missing a heavy double, I wouldn't attempt it again. But, I needed to feel some heavy weight. Additionally, my form was pretty bad in general today. On my last set of 185 for ten, I really tightened my back up and felt it helping a lot with the set. I think my bench really needs some lighter weight higher rep work right now to get used to my new set up. I'm still going to use the wraps at the meet because I don't want to revert back to my prior heavy weight wrist position. I'll have one very light day before then where I really focus on my setup and keeping a smooth bar path. Unless my bench feels extraordinary next Thursday while I'm warming it up to 300, I'm not going to attempt a PR. If it feels mediocre, I'm thinking a first attempt of 315 and a second of 330. If it feels good, I'll go for 320 or 325 first and then take it from there.

I want to get in the gym and do a few light sets (about 50%) with low reps for all three of my lifts before Thursday. I was thinking of either doing deadlift today and squat and bench tomorrow, or, doing all three today to get the feel for doing them all sequentially. Anyone have thoughts? I'm leaning towards doing all three today after I get out of class at about 6:30.

Might be too late but i would advise staying away from skwats and deads but a light bench might be fine. Not lifting before a meet sucks but think of it as depositing energy into an account and withdrawing it on meet day

Grant, thanks for your reply. It was a little too late for me though. I ended up working my skwat and bench today, but I avoided deads after running into Kyle and seeking his counsel on the matter. As you say, not lifting before a meet is tough. I've gone extended periods of not lifting many times over the years, but this time around is different, and the thought of not getting to the gym for even a few days seems daunting....I think that's (generally) a good thing. I really felt like I had to get a squat and bench session in because my set up and (for squat) depth have been so variable recently. I wanted to come in and settle on what my grip and stance would be as well as get a few full depth singles in.

Squat

warmed up to a single at 335. Felt solid. I made sure my depth felt really deep. After talking with Kyle, I'm gonna go with a 385 opener on Thursday. If that feels amazing, I might tackle 425. If it feels rough, I'll shoot for 405.

Bench

The plan after talking to Kyle was to warm up in small increments to one or two singles with 275. I did this, and 275 ended up feeling quite light, lighter than it ever has. So, since the wrist wraps were finally feeling good with some weight, I decided to test 295. It felt amazing - with a solid pause and press command. The best it ever has. The only time I remember 295 feeling that good was when I benched 340 in December. This was a great boost of confidence for me. If my warm ups feel good on Thursday, I think I'll go for a solid opener, around 315. Then, I may go for a 5 or 10 lb PR. even if Thursday doesn't feel as good as today on my bench, I'm still happy to know that the wraps are doing their thing and I'm confident I'll start to see them helping on my heavier sets soon.

Until Thursday I will eat and sleep and hopefully actually get some work done for school.

Notes:

Today was the first time I chalked my back before squatting...What the heck was I thinking not doing this before???? It also helped a decent bit with my sliding issues while I bench.

So I'll briefly go over my experience at the intramural meet.

First off, let me say that it was great, and thanks to everyone who helped in organizing it.  I couldn't have asked for a better introduction into the world of competition.  I had a few friends from outside of the lifting world come to watch, and they seriously had a great time.  I'm being sincere when I say that they have a new found appreciation for the great sport of powerlifting.

My plan going in was to determine a total based off of how my squat went.  I didn't want to pick a total, miss my second squat attempt and have no chance of making it.  My plan was to choose a 385 first attempt, and then decided on the second based on how it felt.  If I missed my second attempt, I would shoot for a 1250 total, If i hit a second attempt of at least 405, I knew a 1300 total could be a possiblity, granted I PR'd my bench and deadlift each by 5 lbs.  I didn't really want that pressure, so I went for 425.  I got it, and was happy.

Squat:

Opened with 385, which felt really good.  Squat was the only lift I didn't have an idea of what I wanted for a second attempt.  I decided on 425 because it seemed feasible and it would be a good solid PR for me.  I hit a good feeling 405, and a good feeling, but quite shallow 435 during my last squat session.  I knew if I payed strict attention to all of my form and kept tight I could get it.  It went up and it was good.

Bench:

Warmed up to 285 and it felt great.  I decided to open with 315.  I knew I wouldn't miss it, and based on how it felt I was going to pick my second attempt.  If it felt good I was going to go for 335 for a second attempt, and if it felt great, I was going to go for 345, which would give me a PR.  It felt great so I went for the PR.  I realized that missing 345 would still ensure me an easy 1250 total, but not rule out a 1300 total in the event of an epic massive deadlift PR in the event that pulling was feeling extraordinary (I would have needed 560).  Fortunately I would not be faced with either of these possibilities as 345 was good.  I think it ended up being about as perfect of a weight as I could've picked.  It went up smooth, but not so smooth that it left me wishing I'd picked something a little heavier.

Deadlift:

I typically take a long time warming up my deadlift compared to the other lifts.  I quickly learned that I may not necessarily be granted this luxury in a competition setting.  The plan was to warm up to 4 plates, then 455, then 495.  I got to 405, and time was running out.  Kyle advised me to jump to 475 and call it good to ensure I got enough rest before my first pull.  I was a little nervous about it because I've always gone 455 then 495 when I warm up to a heavy pull, and, for whatever reason, most of the time 455 feels heavy and 495 feels smooth.  I pulled 475 and it pretty much felt like I expected it to, a little heavier than 455 usually does.  After that I trusted that my body was ready for something heavy.  At this point, I reassessed my situation in the meet.  I had planned to open with 525.  I felt confident that I could get it, but if I hit it, that would have given me a 1295 total, which, seemed like a disappointing total to end on if I missed my second attempt.  If I got it and it was fight, I wouldn't want to go for a 530 second attempt simply because it would be so disappointing to miss it having hit 525.  For this reason I changed my opener to 515.  I was confident with it, and if it felt tough, it would leave me with more in the tank than 525 to go for 530.  If it felt really good, I'd maybe go for 555.  It felt pretty good.  Not great, but definitely like I had more than 530 in me.  I chose 550 because it seemed like a possibility and it would ensure a PR.  I hit 545 once with wraps.  Grip hasn't been an issue for me, so I was confident I could match it granted I kept my focus and stayed with it.  I took a little while to set up and get focused.  I heard Kyle tell me to commit to it and I squeezed the bar tight and went for broke.  It was kind of a grind, but it went up and was good.

I didn't even think about it, but I had hit a 1320 total.  Considerably better than I hoped for.  There were a few people there who, given a different day and different weight attempts, could have out totaled me.  It was a really great experience for me, and I was so happy to be a part of it.  Now it's time to focus on my squat form and gradually getting some more volume into my programming.

Hey congratulations for winning my man and congrats on hitting PRs. People may have had a shot to out total you but you chose smart attempts and you listened to what your body was saying. The easiest way to add pounds to your total is to hit smart attempts. Missing attempts means missing pounds

Andy Awad wrote:

First off, let me say that it was great, and thanks to everyone who helped in organizing it.  I couldn't have asked for a better introduction into the world of competition.  I had a few friends from outside of the lifting world come to watch, and they seriously had a great time.  I'm being sincere when I say that they have a new found appreciation for the great sport of powerlifting.


It was a really great experience for me, and I was so happy to be a part of it.

Congratulations on the numbers, but this stuff right here is what I really care about.

Brometheus wrote:

Hey congratulations for winning my man and congrats on hitting PRs. People may have had a shot to out total you but you chose smart attempts and you listened to what your body was saying. The easiest way to add pounds to your total is to hit smart attempts. Missing attempts means missing pounds

Thanks man. All I did was follow the advise I've been hearing from all you guys and paid attention to what I see you guys do.

Chris Anderson wrote:

Congratulations on the numbers, but this stuff right here is what I really care about.

Man I mean it when I say a big thanks to you for organizing this. Having the chance to do this, regardless of the results, was the highlight of my school year. There is nothing like competing that is both so physically and mentally challenging and rewarding at her same time.

I've started my new training cycle. As tempted as I was to go with Sheiko, I opted not to yet. I'm almost certain that if I decided to do it I would see some good gainz, but I just didn't feel like the time is right for me. It is very intensive training for all three lifts, and I really felt like that right now I need to get some extra work in on some other stuff as well -- especially overhead pressing. Before I begin a cycle like that I want to be a little bit of a more rounded strength lifter. My oh pressing right now is nowhere where it should be in relation to my bench. I've had shoulder injuries before, and I don't want to ever have to deal with one again. Sheiko will be next

My current plan is to go three days on, one day off. I decided to go with this type of cycling for two reasons. First, I was having trouble fitting everything I wanted to do within the confines of one week while still getting the rest I think I should get. Second, this way, if I miss a day, I can just pick up at the same point without worrying about trying to get back on track for squat day on Monday or something like that. I'm trying to build up my training volume and get a little better at working in the 8 - 12 rep range (i'm pretty much useless over 5 reps right now). After two cycles I'll do some 5-6 rep stuff, which is where I find my best strength gainz lie. So every eight days I will:

squat 2x
front squat 1x
pressing 3x (alternate bench and ohp)
deadlift 1 x
powerclean 1 x

plus some accessory work that I feel is important for me right now.

3/03/14

beltless squats

225 x 8 x 2
275 x 8 x 2

Went really deep with these. I also am working on my how I balance myself. I try to keep my weight planted in my heels, but I found when I shifted slightly closer to being balanced over my mid foot I feel stronger and my hammies engage more. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I shifted my weight to my heels. Just a little more over my midfoot.

Lunges
4 x 7 with 40 lbs dbb

bent over rows
135 x 12
155 x 15
185 x 12
205 x 8
225 x 6 (too heavy)

pullups
4 x 9

3/04/14

Bench press (feet up)
185 x 10
205 x 10
225 x 10
225 x 8

close grip
135 x 10

These were tng for the most part. It was the only way I could get myself to think of going over 6 reps (pathetic I know).

Incline
135 x 8 x 3
155 x 6

dips (body weight)
3 x 13-15

3/05/14

Some cleaning work. Kept everything really light and am working mostly on the top half of the pull. Deadlifting has taken care of the bottom motion for me, but I suck at the top. I only went up to 95 lbs today and kept it as solely a technique day. I still think I'll feel it in my traps tomorrow.

Some very minimal hack squat work, not going over 135.

dumbbell rows
70lbs 10 x 4

Some armz
super set hammer curls with dumbbell skull crushers

10 x 4

curl bar 20x
skull crushers with bar 20x

Tomorrow is a rest day (thankfully) and then the next three days are a little different.

3/07/14

Squat
warmup
135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 3
315 x 5 x 3
225 x 8

I don't plan on going over 315 with my squat for a little while right now.  I'm hitting depth pretty inconsistently, and my goal right now is to solidify my form and make sure I'm hitting every squat with convincing (breaking parallel) depth before upping the weight.  This will also give me an opportunity to work on my volume and think about cues.  Today I noticed good things happen when I thought about engaging my gluts and driving my hips.

OHP
95 x 9
115 x 7
115 x 7
125 x 8 (last 3 push press)
These keep feeling better every time I do them.

Bulgarian squat
bar x 12 x 4 each leag

one arm ohdbbp
50lbs x 8 x 9 x 9 x 12 (could probably go heavier with these next time)

(super-set the bulgarians and one arm press)

box jump to depth jump on lower box x 20

This was a tough one for me today.  In an effort to be more productive during my work day, I'm giving morning workouts a try.  So far this was my second time doing it.  It was OK.  The main advantage is that the gym is pretty empty at 8 am.  No problem finding a place to do whatever you want.

Also, I kept my rest intervals short (for me) today. I'm really trying to work on my conditioning a little, and I am not in the mood for adding cardio after workouts right now.

3/9/14

I went out of town yesterday and had been pretty short on sleep for the whole week, so I opted to just take the day off. So today I did the workout I had planned for yesterday. This probably ended up being up a good thing. Last week left me wiped out and I don't think I would have enjoyed this workout nearly as much had a done it yesterday.

Deadlifts (beltless)
225 x 4
275 x 3
315 x 2
365 x 6 x 4
315 x 10

I switched my pronated and supinated hands for these in an attempt to strengthen my non-dominant side. Not sure if this is worth it or not. It is more work for me though, that is for sure. I'm really working on my form, specifically not bringing my hips up before my torso. Thinking about this, I really felt my quads start to burn. I kinda liked it.

HS low rows
4 sets (tried these one arm at a time...I like)

HS high rows
3 sets (Went to heavy with these so they felt like shit)

chinups
8 (wanted a few more than this, but dang I was tired)

All in all today's workout was great. Deadlifts were incredibly fun today. I hadn't done any since the meet, so they were long overdue. The sets of 6 at 365 felt really easy, as well as the 315 x 10. I'm am 99% sure I've never done anything over 135 for over 8 reps, so I guess this was a 10 rep PR for me. And thus I begin my journey to adding more volume to my training. I Will probably stay in this weight and rep range for a little while with my deadlifts.

Side note 1: My shins are really taking a beating from deadlifting. I think with my build (short arm to torso ratio) I may not be able to get around this. Anyone else have this issue? I may try a thin pair of shin guards.

Side note 2: I finally saw footage of my lifts from the intramural meet. It was good in many ways. First, because I felt cool watching myself. Second, because I got to see some of the not so good things going on with my form. I've videotaped myself on some things before, but this was more revealing somehow (probably me gaining experience and developing a more critical eye). I will try my hand at making a compilation with Windows Movie Maker (just downloaded it), but it will probably take my a decent amount of time.

I am not sure if switching hands makes you stronger but i do not know of a reason why it wouldnt. To go with that, i have heard guys say that by switching their hands that it helps with shoulder pain (im guessing on the supinated shoulder) so switching might a good change

Shins do get banged up on deadlifts because it comes with the territory and it affects some more than others. It does not affect me whatsoever but i know daveman and janis can get pretty banged up at times

I definitely suggest compiling a video and just filming yourself as a whole. I have a little stand thing I take to the rec and film myself sometimes (when I'm looking straight sexy) at my near max attempts when form REALLY starts to breakdown. We can't all have coaches or other powerlifters helping out all the time, so reviewing yourself is the next best thing.

As far as deadlifts, I'm on the same boat. I'm increasing my volume, so naturally with more deadlifts comes more bruised shins. I was thinking about just wearing some of my old knee high socks I have from soccer, but I think I'm just gonna ride it out and tell myself that the bruises build character.

Brometheus wrote:

I am not sure if switching hands makes you stronger but i do not know of a reason why it wouldnt. To go with that, i have heard guys say that by switching their hands that it helps with shoulder pain (im guessing on the supinated shoulder) so switching might a good change

Shins do get banged up on deadlifts because it comes with the territory and it affects some more than others. It does not affect me whatsoever but i know daveman and janis can get pretty banged up at times

I'm not sure if it will make me any stronger either, but I think it may help balance me out some.  It's just an idea I had, and I don't think it will do me any harm.  I don't usually have shoulder irritation from deadlifting, but I have in the past, and it has been the supinated arm.  I think it was a mobility issue that has mostly sorted itself out.

SSchwartsenator wrote:

I definitely suggest compiling a video and just filming yourself as a whole. I have a little stand thing I take to the rec and film myself sometimes (when I'm looking straight sexy) at my near max attempts when form REALLY starts to breakdown. We can't all have coaches or other powerlifters helping out all the time, so reviewing yourself is the next best thing.

As far as deadlifts, I'm on the same boat. I'm increasing my volume, so naturally with more deadlifts comes more bruised shins. I was thinking about just wearing some of my old knee high socks I have from soccer, but I think I'm just gonna ride it out and tell myself that the bruises build character.

I'm a fan of videoing myself, but all I have is my phone, and sometimes I just don't feel like asking someone to video for me.  Perhaps I'll invest in a reasonable priced camera with stand - it seems like it'd be worth my while.

Bruised shins do build character, but if they're bad enough they also interfere with future deadlifting sessions.  I'm using some old soccer socks that I purchased a few years back after watching the world cup.  They are effective in preventing cuts to your shins, but do little in the way of preventing bruising.  I may actually try some very thin shin guards.  And if those don't help maybe I'll just ditch deadlifting and re-pursue my dreams of playing professional soccer.

3/10/14

Front squats

145 x 5
195 x 3
195 x 3
195 x 3
145 x 5 x 3

I am keeping the volume and weight low on these as I am focusing on being able to maintain position. They are starting to go much better and my wrists don't hurt me at all today. That's a first. Nelson showed me some good things for wrist mobility that I'm going to start doing.

puased Bench
225 x3
265 x 1
285 x 4
265 x 7

close grip feet up bench really long pause
225 x 5
225 x 4
225 x 3

My benching was really rushed and I had very little rest because front squatting took longer than I planned and I was running late for class. The pauses were all on the long side for this session, especially for the feet up work. They weren't quite on the order of hulk smash long, but I'd say the were about a solid 3 sec. Also, I believe 265 x 7 was a PR of some sort. Now that I'm doing some higher rep work I guess I get to look forward to setting all sorts of rep PRs, which is exciting.

2 sets of about 20 reps for some gun work.

Damn, you're right on my ass with your bench. What did you hit at the intramural meet?

EDIT: Wait, you hit 345, which kicks my ass. How is 265x7 a PR for you? I just hit 262x7 last week and my bench is about 20lb below you.

I think I could have got one or two more of I didn't do the 285 set first. But (apart from a recent session where i did 255 x 8,)I Just haven't done anything over 225 for more than 5 reps before. For a very long time the only way I trained my bench was with 3 to 5 sets of 5 with slightly varying intensity. so kinda by default this happened to be a pr for me.

Also, I'm just not very good at high rep work, which I think is most likely due to a lack of training over 5 reps. I don't think I've ever done 225 for over ten reps, which is probably cake for you.

I'm hoping to become a more rounded lifter and gradually continue building up my strength base by, a. Increasing my frequency, and b. lowering the intensity and getting in more high quality reps for a few weeks.

3/12/14

Squats

warmup
no blet
225 x 8
275 x 7

with belt
315 x 7
315 x 8

For an 8 am squat session, this went phenomenal for me. I'm trying to become more of a morning gym warrior, and it has been a struggle, especially when it comes to squatting. Good to see that there is hope. There was no question of depth today, or at least I really hope not because I don't know what I'd do with myself if there was. I actually think I'm getting better at squatting. this was an 8 rep PR for me. I did some sets with out the belt first so I could compare to see if I'm getting better at using it. The answer is yes, I am noticing it helping a decent bit on squats. Also, I'm realizing that my squat is only as strong as my back is tight, i.e., get lax with back tightness have a very hard time getting out of the hole. Still trying to figure the belt out with deadlifts yet.

So squat question for those interested: We all have heard to keep our weight on our heels, and obviously having your weight on your toes is bad, and even dangerous as there is potential to fall forward. My question is how much should your weight be balanced towards your heels? Although I find it keeps me more upright when I try to keep almost all of my weight on my heels, I definitely feel like the motion is more difficult for me and I'm getting less out of my quads. I find I get optimal drive out of the bottom when I have my weight more distributed toward my mid-foot, but I also feel like I'm coming a little more forward. Any thoughts anybody?

lunges with 25s
2 x 9, 1 x 10

legs were tired from squats

T-bar rows

1 plate x 15
1 + 25 x 15
2 plates x 12
2 plates + 25 x 10
3 plates x 7
drop set 2 plates x 7
drop set 1 plate x 8

I focused on engaging my lats for these, which really helped me to keep my shoulders back and down (a problem I've been having with rowing movements), as well as made the motion quite a bit stronger.

SS glut ham raises with pullups
4 sets

3/13/14

Today was a volume shoulder day for me.  I'm trying to get one of these in about every 16 days or so right now.

Press (very strict)
95 x 10
115 x 9
135 x 6 (these were pretty fast and kinda sloppy, but I tried to keep my legs from helping)
135 x 7 (last three push press), drop set to 95 x 5, 65 x 5

seated Arnold presses with 35's
3 x 10
1 x 17
(probably could go a little heavier with these next time)

kettle bell clean (from floor) to strict press (in kg's)
16 x 12
20 x 10
24 x 8
28 x 5

lateral raises super set with some core work
4 sets


3/14/14

hang cleans

practiced hang cleans with 95 and 115 pounds.  Starting to get better at these.  kept the reps low and focused on speed.  I'm still really bad at dropping my hips when I catch the weight and am catching right now standing upright.  However, I'm getting a lot better at using my hips and traps to get the weight up.

hack squats

115 x 10
135 x 10
155 x 10
185 x 12

Finally I have figured out how to get my butt out of the way on these.

20 box jumps to depth jump onto a higher box

some arm work (good bicep pump today)

Thanks! Shoulder is 100% again and I definitely got some great advice from the seminar. I haven't had a lot of time to update this week but you can now see where I was before and after the seminar. You are definitely right about the consistency! See you around CRWC.

"We all have heard to keep our weight on our heels, and obviously having your weight on your toes is bad, and even dangerous as there is potential to fall forward. My question is how much should your weight be balanced towards your heels? Although I find it keeps me more upright when I try to keep almost all of my weight on my heels, I definitely feel like the motion is more difficult for me and I'm getting less out of my quads. I find I get optimal drive out of the bottom when I have my weight more distributed toward my mid-foot, but I also feel like I'm coming a little more forward. Any thoughts anybody?"

When I used to squat very narrow, I never had my weight distributed on my heels. I imagine it'll depend upon how much forward lean you have and how much you sit back. Even now, after making these changes, I tend to squat with my weight balanced through the middle of my foot.

Thanks for that input, Kyle. I think this is what I'm going to work with for a while. It just feels like a more advantageous position for me.