Keosawa's Powerlifting Log

[Keosawa]

Some updates:

Well, from Jan. 1-Jan. 6, I was back home in RI with my family. I got their on the 1st, had to retrieve my bag the following day, and got snowed in. I did a squat/deadlift session on Saturday; this went OK, as my lower back was pretty fried from shoveling the previous day. I worked up to something like 385x5 squatting (these didn't move too slow, but I was GM'ing everything, so I just called it there and finished with 235x4x5) and did 410x4x10 on deadlifts (my modified CAT week). Deadlifting got better as the sets progressed.

I then (stupidly) pushed my bench day back until Monday, which was the day I flew home, because I figured I'd bench better at home versus my gym in RI. Well, I got stranded in Detroit on Monday, then could only get to Madison, WI (I live three hours away) on Tuesday; I didn't get a chance to train then, either, and I also didn't have any of my stuff. I finally got to go in and bench today (though I still don't have any of my stuff--my bag's in Detroit), and I'll log that here:

Paused Bench Press
Barx10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x1
250x1
275x1
295x1
315x1 (bar wavered and dipped on one side; Janis grabbed it near the top)
315x1 (smoother than the previous one, but still slow)
w/ feet up
230x6
230x6
230x10 (PR, pretty easy)

OHP
150x5
150x5
150x5
150x5

Tricep Pushdowns, fat triangle shit
110x15
120x15
130x15
140x15
120x10, 10

Lat Rows, four sets

Front Raises
20x12, 12
20x12, 12
20x12, 12

Hammer Curls
40x8, 8
40x8, 8

Notes: I have video of my session, but I have no cord with which I can save it to my computer, so it'll be stuck on my camera for the time being.

I had been wanting to do a heavy singles session for a while, and now was the right time for it. Warm-ups felt great and the singles up through 295 moved as fast as they ever have. I was going for a near-max single, but I felt after 295 like I had a lot more in me, so I went for a small (5-lb.) paused PR with 315. Honestly, it moved a lot slower than I thought, and both times I had misgrooving issues. As I continue to try and fix my weaknesses, this should become less of an issue; something clearly is holding my max bench back, and I think doing a lot more shoulder work will help fix the issue.

Overall, I'm happy with the PR, and with the session. My bench press needs a considerable amount of work, but I'm ready to really work on it this year and try to fix some of my perceived weaknesses.

 

[Denoginizer]

Dat 3-plate bench!

 

[golvmopp]

my lower back was pretty fried from shoveling the previous day

Snowshovelling is no match for the mighty Keosawa!

 

[Keosawa]

Dat 3-plate bench!

Yes! I had done a sloppy touch-and-go single with this a long time ago, so it's nice to erase that with a more legit, paused rep. My bar is still wavering around midpoint (like it did at the meet), but this time it was a lot less severe, and I don't think the bar actually goes down (it just stops for a split second).

Snowshovelling is no match for the mighty Keosawa!

lol--shoveling is my kryptonite. Without fail, it turns my lower back into mush. But at least now I'm home and can ice it.

 

[Keosawa]

Still sloppy, but it's getting better. Slowly.

 

[Keosawa]

Squats w/ wraps
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
420x4
420x4
420x4
without wraps
315x4
315x4
315x4

Squat Belt Hip Walks
+135x4 trips, on platform (80-ish steps)

Hip Abductors
80x20
90x20
100x20
70x10, 10 (30-sec. rest)

Leg Extensions
110x8
110x8
110x8

GHRs, five-second isometric at bottom
x8
x8
x8

Leg Curls
BWx100

Notes: This was my first day back squatting since the previous Saturday, and I didn't do much heavy squatting over that session, so I felt like I was just getting back into it here. Here are just a few thoughts associated with today's training and where I stand in relation to my meet:

1.) This is the beginning of my "wrapped" mesocycle. My wrapped NBL will go up a lot, as will my wrapped frequency (oftentimes I'll be squatting in them twice per week). My overall volume and frequency will go up as well. I am at that time now where I can flip the switch and really hammer training in prep or the meet, and that's what I think I will end up doing.

2.) 420x4x3 is solid but unspectacular. The weight felt a little heavier than it should right now, but my guess is that a few weeks of training will fix that. I wanted 4x4 at a minimum, but I felt myself breaking down too much, so I supplemented with lighter-intensity unwrapped squatting on a rest-pause (5 mins. for those).

3.) I'm deadlifting today, so I really tried to keep the RPEs down. If I do top sets, it'll likely end up being on my second session. I'll probably be taking 420 for a top set (the goal would be 8 reps at a minimum) on my next squat session.

4.) Finally, I've been scared to death, for whatever reason, about my squat depth, so I filmed everything from the side. After seeing these squats, I think I should be fine, but I do have to be conscious of it moving forward. It won't be the end of the world if I were to bomb out due to depth anyway, because I'm feeling like I'm going to (finally) try and fix my squat stance in the long lay-off I have after RUM.

 

[Keosawa]

RUM Intense Cycle
W1D1

Squat
295x9x4

Paused Bench Press
215x6x6

Notes: This begins my RUM prep cycle, which will consist of the smolov base cycle for squats, smolov jr. for bench, and a cluster-set wave for deadlifts.

Over the weekend, I had a couple more mediocre training sessions. Honestly, my training hasn't gone spectacularly well this cycle, besides some solid benching and a few good squat sessions. I've decided that gambling on a peaking program would be best for me at this point. We'll see how it turns out. I set my numbers down a bit initially, so as to ease into it.

 

[Keosawa]

RUM Intense Cycle
W1D2

Squat
(rep x set)
315x7x5

Rear Delt Flys, three sets

Lat Pulldowns, four sets

Hip Abduction, three sets

Notes: The first week of this base cycle for squat should be pretty easy, beyond possibly the modified wrapped day (I'm not sure at all how well I'll be able to sustain my workload over five sets in wraps, but I set my starting max low to be conservative).

So, unsurprisingly, this went pretty well. I don't feel as fluid or as fast as I have in the past with this, but I take that as a good thing; that leads me to believe that I have room to improve here. This time, I'm committed to maintaining a baseline of assistance training, and I was able to get in some additional work after squats--it wasn't at regular intensity by any means, but something is better than nothing. I will pace myself on that stuff so as to not burn out early.

The next few days should be fun. I bench on back-to-back days (230x5x7 tomorrow and 245x4x8 on Thursday), and though the individual sets aren't really difficult, the total workload will probably kick my ass. On Friday, I deadlift in the morning and return in the afternoon to squat. This will be the case up until the meet; I have no classes or other obligations on Fridays, so I might as well use that time for a double session. More benching (260x3x10) will take place on Saturday, followed by squatting (425x3x5) in wraps on Sunday. To manage the volume and off-set some of the deadlifting, I've halved the total workload on day four of Smolov, doing only five sets instead of ten. This, however, will allow me to continue squatting in wraps right up until the meet. 430 for triples shouldn't be too bad, but again, I'm not sure how well I can sustain the volume; 420x4x3 kicked my butt last week, so if the exertion on these is just too high and I fail reps, I'll reduce the weight a bit for subsequent weeks.

Anyway, here's video.

 

[ravenman2000]

Cool stuff, and good luck! I know you have run Smolov before (even back-to-back cycles) and you know how you respond, so this approach probably isn't as rash as it might seem on the surface.

What are some approaches you use to managing tendinitis? Lots of ice, stretching, and wrapping? Ever try the compression therapy some people do with bicycle inner tubes? I'm guessing you won't want to revert to floor presses this time.

I'll be looking forward to the video updates.

 

[Keosawa]

Right now, it's ice pretty constantly, some light stretching, and foam rolling all the sensitive parts in the area. I do use compression bands, but I tend only to use them right before I start pressing, as it'll have a pretty immediate effect and will help get me through the session. In the past, I've experimented with capsaicin, but it is a real pain in the ass to apply and leave on for the day. I might pick up some tiger balm this time for my training sessions.

And I'm excited about this cycle, man--thanks for stopping in. I'm going to log every session on here, hopefully in a diligent fashion.

 

[Keosawa]

RUM intense cycle, W1D3

Paused Bench Press
230x5x7

Notes: Another slow-as-molasses bench session. It may or may not be partly due to the bench setup I've been using; I'm guessing fatigue from recent training is also playing a role. The first time I ran this, I was really beat up by the end of the first week, then caught a second wind and felt much better. Things will probably get worse before they get better, but I'll weather the storm and acclimate.

 

[Keosawa]

RUM intense cycle, W1D4

Paused Bench Press
245x4x8

Rear Delt Flys
10x15
10x15
10x15

Face Pulls, in kg
42.5x20
42.5x20
42.5x20

Some external rotations (after finishing benching).

Notes: This bench session went much better than the first two, something I attribute to 1.) feeling a bit better and starting to acclimate to the training load and 2.) smearing everything that hurt with Tiger Balm beforehand. The only thing that was bothering me was my left front delt, which is strained pretty good at the moment. I'm going to ice it aggressively over the next two days, and hopefully I see improvement with it in time for Saturday's 260x3x10.

Otherwise, this is great progress, and if every session goes like this, I'll cruise through this training cycle.

 

[Keosawa]

Friday AM:

Deadlifts
405x16 (2:30 min. cluster set)
405x9
405x9
405x9

Friday PM:

Squats
(reps x sets)
335x5x7

Notes: Friday's AM session went fairly well; deadlifting felt solid and the bar-speed wasn't too bad. I gave myself three minutes on the cluster set but finished at about 2:30. The goal I had in my head was 20 reps, but I decided to stop after 16; I could have probably eeked out a bunch more, but I figured I'd be a little conservative for now and just get in the proscribed reps. The hardest part was probably just the burning of my lungs from doing something that resembles aerobic training. 405x9x3 was pretty easy.

So, I was happy about the session. It was a fun one, it wasn't terribly easy, and I got in some good quality work. Next week is 455x cluster AMAP, then 405x10x3; my goal for that cluster will be in the range of 12-14 reps. The following week is 500x cluster AMAP, then 405x11x3; 8-10 reps puts me right where I need to be for the meet. If I can pull 500x10 within four minutes' time while doing Smolov, I'll be capable of a good deadlift. So, let's go make it happen!!!

For the PM session: squats felt a little off-balance and slow, but 335x5x7 didn't give me much trouble. I would have liked to have the bar-speed be a little better on these, but I didn't come close to failure, either. I figured I might be a little fatigued from the morning deadlifting, and my glutes, which are now sore, just weren't activating well. Overall though, I'm happy with the progress. I'm still managing the sets very easily. The key, for me, will come with the wrapped squatting day; I'll have to see how easily I can (or can't) sustain those sets.

Anyway, that's it! 260x3x10 for me today. Left shoulder's back to a point where it's feeling fine; hopefully it holds up during the session. Last year, I remember really struggling with this day, so hopefully today I go in and dominate it.

 

[Keosawa]

Paused Bench Press
260x3x10

Face Pulls, two sets

External Rotations, four sets

Notes: The bar-speed on these was "meh," but I can tell my bench is starting to click. My left shoulder was pretty unhappy from start to finish, but the good news is that a.) I was able to manage it and b.) it got a bit better, not worse, as the session went on.

Overall, this was a good session, and I can just tell that I'm going to start moving these faster when my shoulders get over the shock of the increased frequency.

Today, I've got my 5x3 (formerly 10x3) day. I'm feeling good, but I've decided to drop the weight down to 410 (this is my wrapped day); this is one instance in which I feel that less will be more, and using lighter training weights will allow me to do these without wrapping that tightly. It'll be easier on my body, and it'll allow me to possibly go beyond the five sets for the day, if I'm still feeling good. Time to keep pushing and keep making progress; after today, there will be only two weeks of training left, and I have to get as much out of them as possible.

 

[Keosawa]

RUM Intense Cycle
W1D7

Squats
w/ wraps
410x3x5

unwrapped
355x3x5

Leg Curls
BWx200

IYT holds, 30-sec. apiece, five positions

One-armed rows, three sets

Band Pushdowns, five sets

Notes: Today was my fourth squat day; here, I do five sets with wrapped squatting. I'm glad that I brought the weight down from 420 to 410, because even though the reps themselves weren't terribly difficult, it will be easier to sustain with lighter weight. I'm using a "lighter" wrap for these sets, so the resulting intensity isn't that different from what I'd otherwise be doing. The important thing here is just acclimating to the work and absorbing all the volume, so taking the percentages down a bit was a good idea. I have the flexibility to go up as much or as little as I please, so next week will be somewhere between 420-430, and I'll end the third week somewhere between 430-450.

I decided to do the remaining five sets without wraps. My modification of the program doesn't have me doing these sets (because I'm deadlifting), but I felt OK, so I just went ahead with it. 355x3x5 was easy, though it's hard for me to squat unwrapped after squatting in wraps--it feels very odd, and you can see that in how slow my first reps looked.

Overall, the first week has gone well. Squatting feels good; I'm not really tight or achy, and so my body feels pretty good. This will likely change as I keep going, but I'm being very aggressive with my SMR, so I'm hoping that will pay off. Benching feels a lot worse, but I think I will turn a corner at some point soon. I'm hoping for a less painful session today, and I'm hoping for better bar-speed.

The goals for today's session are:

1.) Match or increase bar-speed from last week's 9x4 and 6x6 days.
2.) Protect my shoulders on bench as much as I can.

If I can be successful in those two goals, I will consider this day a success. Just logging the reps is not good enough at this point, and every rep needs to be performed as well as possible for me to make the sort of progress I want.

 

[Keosawa]

Paused Bench Press
220x6x6

Squats
305x9x4

Notes: As far as goals #1 and #2 for today's session go, I was pretty successful on #2, and partially successful on #1, but overall this day was very successful. I'll go through the details:

On bench, I measured out my first set of 215x6x6 (done last Monday) as averaging ~.6 sec. for a concentric. Today, I measured out on 220x6x6 at ~.45 sec. on my first set. So, that's a huge increase (.15 to .2, or 25% to 33% faster than last week with five more pounds) in a short period of time. I think I am really acclimating to the bench volume and starting to see my bench take off. We'll see if this continues on, but this was one of my best paused bench sessions in a long time. Next week, I will try to be even faster with 225.

On squat, I moved about .2 to .3 slower (eccentric and concentric), a decrease of ~11% to 16% from last week (295 last week, 305 this week). That's a small regression, likely due to the fact that I'm still acclimating to the volume--I squatted ten sets on the previous day, so I am probably still recovering from that training.

My squat was just OK, but my bench was great. Physically, I feel good for all the squatting--my legs just sort of still have that "dead" feel that comes with a ton of training. I am still achy on the bench, and my shoulder acted up a bit, but it was nothing compared to the 260x3x10 day. If I can continue aggressively pushing recovery, I should really start moving these bench weights well.

Watch to the end of the video for a little surprise.

 

[Denoginizer]

Just logging the reps is not good enough at this point, and every rep needs to be performed as well as possible for me to make the sort of progress I want.

Thanks for the words of wisdom. Sometimes my training partner and I get too focused on just grinding through sets and not making sure the quality, technique and bar speed are there. I'll keep this in mind on my session tomorrow.

 

[Keosawa]

Thanks for the words of wisdom. Sometimes my training partner and I get too focused on just grinding through sets and not making sure the quality, technique and bar speed are there. I'll keep this in mind on my session tomorrow.

I think all of us are guilty of this from time to time. I know I am. I try to do everything as close to perfect as possible, but I doubt I ever have a training session in which the effort is absolutely "perfect."

 

[Keosawa]

RUM Intense Cycle
W2D2

Paused Bench Press
(rep x set)
235x5x5
235x10

Notes: Today was supposed to be 235x5x7, but we were running short on time with our meter, so I combined the last two sets. The bar-speed was good, and I felt like I could have easily broken my rep max (235x12) had I wanted to.

Otherwise, I stayed within the program. There was a slight uptick in bar-speed from this week (versus last week w/ 230). Concentric speed with this weight is in the .4-.5 range, and that's pretty good. The test will be to see how well my concentric speed holds up on heavier days. If I get to a place where my first reps on the 265/270 days are ~.5 sec., that will put my max somewhere in the range of 320 lbs. I'm halfway through the program and this is definitely the best my bench has ever felt--it might be unrealistic to expect more than a very modest increase, but I think a third attempt in the neighborhood of 320 would be reasonable for this meet.

 

[Keosawa]

Okay; going to update the past few days of training:

Wednesday:

RUM Intense Cycle
W2D3

Squats
(rep x set)
325x7x5

Thursday:

RUM Intense Cycle
W2D4

Paused Bench Press
(rep x set)
250x4x8

Friday:

RUM Intense Cycle
W2D5

Deadlift
(rep x set)
405x10x4

Squats
(rep x set)
345x5x5
345x10

Notes: I'll go through everything day by day:

W2D3 (Wednesday): I really focused on bar-speed for these sets with 325. The weight itself wasn't difficult, and I wasn't close to failure on any of the sets. Most of the training was pretty easy, though I did start to slow down towards the end. The first few sets with 325 (particularly the second) measured out to be as fast as I've ever squatted this weight, and faster than when I was towards the end of my Smolov training last spring. My squat still "feels" slow, but the eccentric-concentric is measuring out quite well.

W2D4 (Thursday): Solid bar-speed on these paused benches. Definitely a slight regression from the first two sessions, but those were so fast that this was bound to happen. My shoulders have officially recovered from the training; now, I've got some achiness in my joints that makes pressing a little harder, but I'm biting down and grimacing through it. As has been my policy with pain since starting this program, I will just beat it to death with more volume.

W2D5 (Friday): This was supposed to be two sessions, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to combine them into one. Long story short, I did not want to train on this day. I sucked it up and ran off of anger until I felt a little better. I kept myself from doing a too-emotional cluster set and instead opted for 405x10x4 deadlifting; those reps moved as well as they have for me in a long time, probably since I pulled 600 lbs., and I probably could have managed 405x20 had I really pushed it. The bar-speed at lockout was fantastic, and I will probably pull at the field house again next week because the bar there felt so much better than the CRWC ones. Thank you to Grant for training with me, and to Janis, for being supportive when it mattered.

I used a thicker bar to squat with, and that felt very awkward (and very tough). Again, first-rep speed was the worst. I wasn't near failure on anything, but my legs are so achy right now that it's hard to get the right muscles to fire at the right time. 345x10 was my way of saying fuck-you to the programming, and to show it who daddy is. I went home and took a cold-water bath for my legs; this will become a regular practice if it helps me feel at all better. At least it cuts down on the amount of time I'm spending icing.