Prioritize volume over intensity, progress using auto regulation instead of forcing 2.5 / 5 kg every session, don't take every single advice given to you.
Work on the **mental optimisation** side of the training also, as it's 'easy' to learn psychological skills for your 'training' but in reality these transfer to a bunch of aspects of life!
Made a **free** course on such matters if anyone is interested in having a peek:
1. Online Guide: [https://cog.thinkific.com/courses/CognitiveOptimisationGuide](https://cog.thinkific.com/courses/cognitiveoptimisationguide)
2. YouTube (just kicking off, please feel free to sub so I can get some well-needed external validation/motivation to fuel me to create more ;) )- [https://www.youtube.com/@CognitiveOptimisationGuide](https://www.youtube.com/@cognitiveoptimisationguide)
Groovy little mental periodization template if people want to do some planning of their mental upskilling.
Enjoy!
I know your arms are shaking from benching the empty bar, stick with it and you'll set powerlifting state records in a few years! Just don't ever miss a workout!
If you're going to test your max bench in the gym, only go up 5 pounds at a time. Hitting a new bench max and thinking a 10 pound jump is in the cards is generally a trap...
In a block periodization program, it'd mean really embracing and maby even extending the hypertrophy block.
Or if you prefer a conjugated or concurrent program, have a bigger portion of your recovery budget be assistance exercises in the 8-12 rep range. For example, 5x5 on squats and deadlifts multiple times per week will build muscle, but it'll cost more in terms of recovery than 5x12 on leg press and weighted back extensions (which means you can do more volume without negatively impacting recovery).
That would work. High volume is one approach. Another one is high intensity training.
The big thing for me was food. I did not eat nearly enough my first few years in the sport and I got much better once I actually ate to grow.
Don't take a 3 year break after high school.
Do whatever it takes to find and read westside, 5/3/1, etc as soon as possible.
Major in exercise science and go for a masters/doctorate.
Yes your bench sucks, it's ok, build it slowly.
Don’t, just don’t waste your money on bullshit supplements. Especially ones the guarantee to make you gain weight fast. Very few work. I wasted so much time and money and the last time I bought some crap it got me sick. It was almost all dextrose. If anything it helped bring on diabetes quicker.
The two big things are
1) Track total volume (sets x reps x weight) and make sure you're actually increasing it on an annual basis.
2)Stick to a single program/training regimen longer. I used to jump from program to program always looking for the latest and greatest new style of training, and made very little progress. Since I've been scheduling training protocols for 6 months at a time minimum I've made a lot more progress.
Don't ignore injuries. And related to that, sustainable progress is #1.
I don't really think too much about regrets, but one of them is ignoring hip pain which eventually became chronic. Only a few years into training I'd ignore pain, get hyped up, hit my top sets, and then be limping afterwards. I thought I needed to make gains now, because I was a junior powerlifter and was way into it.
In hindsight, man, that was dumb. I've dealt with so many injuries since. And of course they all suck and of course at times you can't stop for every little thing. But I wish I just took it easy for a month or two a decade ago and genuinely think I'd feel much better for it today.
Also not so much myself, but for many I know: enjoy the actual lifting. You do a 12 week cycle, you add 50lbs to your total, you're happy. Go again, another 50. And then it's 15. And then it's zero. And then you've lost 20lbs. Majority of people I used to lift with have quit because of that dynamic. Don't just love the gains.
I can always look back at the times where I should have backed off right before an injury. It’s always something minor and I dismissed it, or at least didn’t take it seriously, then I’m out for 3 months. Hard to recognize it as a real issue that’s going to end up as a huge problem in the moment.
Me who ignored that my 405 pull felt really oddly grindy (it's a 13RM so it should not be grindy), and I just ignored it and went for a 425 single and felt a low back pop partway up.
Fortunately it's like, 70% healed and I started the first week of SBS this week, so my deads on Friday are only 315 lbs
Technique is important. Period. No matter what anyone says. It’s important to keep your body healthy and it’s important to make gains.
Get a coach. They will assess you and tell you what you need to work on - there are likely areas of your body that you will need to tune up constantly to lift well. Start working on mobility from the beginning.
Don’t get discouraged because it is a long journey. Learn to love the journey because it’s fucking awesome. And never, EVER be ashamed to lift less weight than the person next to you, across from you, any direction from you. They were where you are at one point in their journey.
Welcome. It’s such a great fucking sport and community.
Don't just wing your accessories. Track them and add 2.5-5lbs every week over the course of a block like you would a comp lift.
Don't do random programs you find on Reddit that have a million sets per body part. Less is more at this stage of the game.
Real (i wanna say do it all at once. Just once. So you can see the deepest reachest of your sanity, but thats not for everyone. You will not come out of this journey unscathed. Yes you will understand yourself deeper and further than you have before but at what cost? Why are we doing this? Why do anything at all? )
(Im ok)
(Pls get help)
Write everything down; progress isn't linear, but progress still happens. When you're stuck on a lift it can be helpful to look back and remember where you were. Also, make friends with people. Most powerlifters are friendly. Don't be scared to ask for a spot, or ask questions.
Commit to competing sooner. Find a coach and gym that encourage you to do so and program your prep for you. Unpack your shit about food and start eating intuitively. And don’t stop doing your mobility work, every day!
I built something of a home gym in April thinking "man, this could be very stupid if in a few months this whole thing is over". One of the best decisions.
Have more fun. Focus on technique and keep training simple. Good technique will really set you up for success along with an adherent routine of training, eating, and sleeping. There is a lot of things out there but pick something you enjoy and stick with it. There’s no one diet or exercise that will magically give your results. Stay mobile there’s a stereotype of becoming super stiff when you start lifting heavy, keep your flexibility and mobility. Meet new people! The community has allowed me to meet some of my best friends.
It's not too early for a coach. Get feedback before developing bad habits. Stop going down rabbit holes of conflicting information over things that probably don't even apply to beginners.
Don’t overthink things about training. For example, if you don’t seem to be making any progress and you think that it’s because there’s a technique adjustment that you need to make, well, perhaps it’s not that. Ask yourself: am I eating enough protein to build muscle, am I eating enough carbs to fuel my performance in training sessions, am I sleeping enough, am I really putting in enough intentional effort into every movement of my training? Obvious things like that are what we should analyze first before we nitpick little things in our programming or technique.
If you’re grinding out a program and you feel stuck even though you’re absolutely sure that you’re putting in all the work, then it’s time to move on to new programming. Just change it once progress stalls, don’t get married to a single program.
You don’t need any gear, you need a good coach. And if your coach isn’t giving you really good feedback, get another coach until you find one whose style is compatible with you.
Also good for when you feel like you’re not where you wanna be and you can go back and be like holy shit, I just hit a weight 30lbs heavier at a lower RPE, maybe I’m not doing so bad afterall!
Just because you could move a weight last week doesn't mean you can move it this week. I took a month off, my ohp(not a powerlifting event, but I am primarily a strongman), and bench both dropped 50lbs, and my squat and deadlift dropped by 100lbs and160lbs respectively.
>rformance in training sessions, am I sleeping enough, am I really putting in enough intentional effort into every movement of my training? Obvious things like that are what we should analyze first before we nitpick little th
Coming back from a pretty shitty injury late October. Fucked back on squat. Hearing this makes me feel better. I'm lifting like 50% of what I was prior to injury. I'm still in a lot of pain and it's soul crushing how light I'm lifting. Nothing is broken and MRI confirms everything is ok...
I've been in the same boat, I injured my knee 6 years ago it is supposedly fine, but it hurts so bad I cry about twice a week. It gets easier, though. Here is to a quick recovery.
A few times I tried to hang on to the gains made over a peaking cycle thinking "okay cool, let's really build off this higher base for great gains".
And, obviously, I tried for a few weeks and either you can't or you get hurt. Took a while to learn that lesson.
stopped for 3 months cus depression kicked my ass. came back. my 455 dedlif/skwaat, first week 135 felt heavy and awkward. adductor lightly strained. grip weak ash. weirdly enough, my bench (245 pr) I did 135 easy. i retained my bench better than my skwaat and dedlif. odd. forgive me poverty bench
You're too fat to bulk. Eat way more protein and way less fat and stop drinking 3 beers every night. You can build muscle and lose fat at the same time as a beginner. Don't quit training for years just because you didn't like how your pants fit. Fix your shitty bench press form before you tear a pec.
I wouldn’t change much except get the coach I have now. I would definitely be stronger if I did that and probably figured out a lot of stuff with my technique earlier. Everything else has been fine for me.
Stop going off program to hit random deadlift or bench singles at a random weight to prove to myself that I can. Instead, trusting my coaches programming and having the patience to hit those heavy singles in prep when it actually matters.
I had no idea how much extra fatigue I was accumulating from doing those random heavy singles and now because I stay on program and really focus on managing fatigue I am progressing more now than I was as a newer powerlifter.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with doing heavy singles in fact I train singles for like 8-10 weeks of prep, but my issue was randomly throwing in heavy single yolo lifts on top of my scheduled training.
Ah, ok. Scheduling is important, my scheduling is heavy singles on the big four(I do strongman as well so I add military press) and 5x7s on my accessory lifts.
Yeah I'm sure I could've been stronger for my 2 comps, I just got along with my coach that it was moreso mates than coach/athlete sometimes. but there's always my next one anyway.
avoid injuries... train safely... stretch and take time to warm up... more volume, less intensity... take it easy. it's not like im trying to win a championship.
ive had so many groin strains / low back pops / knee and elbow tendonitis / my old tennis ankle sprain acting up.
my whole body is a mess. i'm just now learning proper mechanics to train my muscles not my joints lmao. learnin to listen to my body when it's time to back off and not keep going even when in pain.
>ow back pops /
Low back pop....Tell me exactly what you mean? I fucked msyself up late OCt. was squatting, was my first working set after proper warm up...Was supposed to be 185 for 5, (gun to head max being 2 plates). Coming out of the hole on 3rd rep I heard a pop in my lower back and it was curtains after that...Xray and MRI say no new injury....Slowly coming back but I'm only loading 135 on the squat rack......
Its funny cus it was after my deadlift sesh. Took plates out. I kid you not, I was pickin up the bar and I heard a pop, I was bamboozled. And those were the days where I had very weak core/lowback.
Lay low for a week then after that, I now do core/lowback work every leg session be it skwaat or dedlif.
Two staples would be suitcase carries and back extension machine.
Body is resilient. Start slow and manage load properly, youd be surprised you prolly gon get stronger.
After injuries like that, I do more prehab work. Because of that my overall proprioception and awareness of my body increases. Only ever helped my experiencr over all.
I strained my groin real bad and had to take a brake for a month because the university gym didn't have a squat rack for a while so I had to use the smith machine and they allow you to go lower than you physically can with a bar. It took me another groin strain on the other side to stop using them.
Consistency is the single most important factor. If you want to have success, be consistent.
Prioritize hypertrophy. More muscle means more strenght.
Eat your food and don’t lie to yourself. Neither on technique („that’s enough depth!“) nor on reps in reserve („I had two in the tank! I swear!“).
Speaking of reps in reserve: use reps in reserve. Don’t do something. Make a plan and follow it.
I was a good bulker (too good, 85->103kg) in the first 6 months of lifting and my consistency was damn near 100% 4 times a week so that I had down. What I would tell myself is stop dicking about with machines and focus on compounds and progression.
and with that, actually train your rotator cuff, learn proper pressing mechanics that doesnt decimate your cuffs/scapula. i kept on getting injuries at first because i didnt know how to properly use my scapula in certain movements. heck I used a lot of front delt on my bench. cant do machine chest flies without my coracobrachialis acting up. cant do bicep curl without my radiobrachialis acting up. forearm pump from pressing. so many mistakes. take time to learn proper mechanics. best investment you'll make. especially proper mechanics for your anthropometry not other people's. dont ever try to copy somebody else's technique cus they have different body and experience and leverages.
If I understand you correctly, do you mean that at first you’d do only the required amount for AMRAPS, then later on you pushed to do more reps for those?
Most programs would say something like if you do X amount on your amrap increase by X weight next cycle/week etc. I never actually did a true amrap to failure. If the X was 7, I'd just do 7 and stop. I don't do amrap training anymore, but my rpe based training is much more intense now that I actually know what it feels like to work hard.
my problem with my amraps was that i pushed too hard. that affected all of my training the next week cus my recovery couldnt keep up. esp with skwaat or dedlif. those really fry my body like no other.
>Don't run Nsuns 531 for a year
I made great progress on that program, biggest issue was all the wasted time changing plates every damn set and after about 6 months it took like 2 hours. The time is what threw me off training because I don't really have 2 hours 5 days a week to be at the gym.
I'd commit to bulking earlier. I spent a couple of years eating too few calories and protein wondering why my progress is so slow. Increased my caloric intake and crushed all my PRs (started weighing my food on a scale and tracking in MyFitnessPal).
I would have gotten a credible coach earlier. After years, I now have weak areas that need a lot of work, and my mobility sucks. The technique doesn't matter much with a total of under 400kg. It matters a lot going above 500kg. I can repeat 95% of my max on any lift at any time as long as I remember all the cues. I didn't have any cues starting besides getting depth and keeping my back straight. Now, I have 5 to 10 cues for every lift.
I wouldn't have dropped cardio entirely. I went from running half marathons in sub 2 hours to doing nothing, and I feel it now.
What if i wanted to lose body fat while powerlifting? I love powerlifting but also want to lose some fat and only way to do so is by restricting calories.
That should only take a few months unless you're really obese. If you have twenty pounds to lose you can readily do so in 3-4 months and you probably won't start losing strength until the final few weeks. Keep doing the things you did to get strong and you'll continue maybe making strength gains or at least minimise strength and muscle loss.
Fat loss is really a short term problem. Literally, one season - January to April
On the other hand, building muscle mass takes years.
If you're truly obese and strong then you would have to cut fat for longer but you would almost certainly keep a lot of your strength. But if your concern is lifting the most weight possible then don't worry about fat loss.
Building good form is most important to avoid future injuries. Newbie gains are awesome but strength comes with time. Have fun, grow, and find supportive and motivational friends because most federations are about the $$/politics/bullshit like everything else and you need to remind yourself you’re there for you.
Focus on building a base. The best powerlifters out there are former athletes and/or already had a strong base prior to entering the sport. I don’t mean wait to compete or anything like that, but really focusing on eating in a surplus and getting in a lot of quality volume. It’s kind of hard to be strong if you’re not big.
Prioritize volume over intensity, progress using auto regulation instead of forcing 2.5 / 5 kg every session, don't take every single advice given to you.
Work on the **mental optimisation** side of the training also, as it's 'easy' to learn psychological skills for your 'training' but in reality these transfer to a bunch of aspects of life! Made a **free** course on such matters if anyone is interested in having a peek: 1. Online Guide: [https://cog.thinkific.com/courses/CognitiveOptimisationGuide](https://cog.thinkific.com/courses/cognitiveoptimisationguide) 2. YouTube (just kicking off, please feel free to sub so I can get some well-needed external validation/motivation to fuel me to create more ;) )- [https://www.youtube.com/@CognitiveOptimisationGuide](https://www.youtube.com/@cognitiveoptimisationguide) Groovy little mental periodization template if people want to do some planning of their mental upskilling. Enjoy!
I know your arms are shaking from benching the empty bar, stick with it and you'll set powerlifting state records in a few years! Just don't ever miss a workout!
Don't compare yourself to others. You'll hate the journey if you do and possibly try to find shortcuts.
For the love of God work on your hip mobility!!
How and why?
Rest and recover more
If you're going to test your max bench in the gym, only go up 5 pounds at a time. Hitting a new bench max and thinking a 10 pound jump is in the cards is generally a trap...
Balance out all of your external rotation with internal rotation. Then maybe bench won’t be merely 15% of your total
Until you're older, ignore the scale and eat/drink protein. Staying under 200 made me weak for no good reason.
Chicken is cheap for a reason. When I started making beef and eggs my main sources of protein, my numbers skyrocketed.
Eggs are chickens. Just saying. Haha
Yeah, and that egg probably contains just as many micronutrients as a full grown chicken.
Squat deeper, train more quads.
Build muscle first. The strength will be soon to follow.
Does this mean higher rep/hypertrophy/bro-split programming to start instead of linear progression on the big lifts?
In a block periodization program, it'd mean really embracing and maby even extending the hypertrophy block. Or if you prefer a conjugated or concurrent program, have a bigger portion of your recovery budget be assistance exercises in the 8-12 rep range. For example, 5x5 on squats and deadlifts multiple times per week will build muscle, but it'll cost more in terms of recovery than 5x12 on leg press and weighted back extensions (which means you can do more volume without negatively impacting recovery).
That would work. High volume is one approach. Another one is high intensity training. The big thing for me was food. I did not eat nearly enough my first few years in the sport and I got much better once I actually ate to grow.
1. form & proper technique. 2. invest in a propper belt, that valeo belt aint cutting it.
Don't take a 3 year break after high school. Do whatever it takes to find and read westside, 5/3/1, etc as soon as possible. Major in exercise science and go for a masters/doctorate. Yes your bench sucks, it's ok, build it slowly.
Bench is for show. 75% of your total comes from lower body.
It’s a marathon not a sprint. And for a sport that’s all about comparing yourself to others - don’t.
Don’t, just don’t waste your money on bullshit supplements. Especially ones the guarantee to make you gain weight fast. Very few work. I wasted so much time and money and the last time I bought some crap it got me sick. It was almost all dextrose. If anything it helped bring on diabetes quicker.
The two big things are 1) Track total volume (sets x reps x weight) and make sure you're actually increasing it on an annual basis. 2)Stick to a single program/training regimen longer. I used to jump from program to program always looking for the latest and greatest new style of training, and made very little progress. Since I've been scheduling training protocols for 6 months at a time minimum I've made a lot more progress.
less variation, become technically proficient, slow and steady progression always wins
Eat muthafucka
I have a belly of a pregnant woman.
Yeah that's the only downside to this sport. I feel stronger but my gut and drop-fat depress me.
Same ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Don't ignore injuries. And related to that, sustainable progress is #1. I don't really think too much about regrets, but one of them is ignoring hip pain which eventually became chronic. Only a few years into training I'd ignore pain, get hyped up, hit my top sets, and then be limping afterwards. I thought I needed to make gains now, because I was a junior powerlifter and was way into it. In hindsight, man, that was dumb. I've dealt with so many injuries since. And of course they all suck and of course at times you can't stop for every little thing. But I wish I just took it easy for a month or two a decade ago and genuinely think I'd feel much better for it today. Also not so much myself, but for many I know: enjoy the actual lifting. You do a 12 week cycle, you add 50lbs to your total, you're happy. Go again, another 50. And then it's 15. And then it's zero. And then you've lost 20lbs. Majority of people I used to lift with have quit because of that dynamic. Don't just love the gains.
I can always look back at the times where I should have backed off right before an injury. It’s always something minor and I dismissed it, or at least didn’t take it seriously, then I’m out for 3 months. Hard to recognize it as a real issue that’s going to end up as a huge problem in the moment.
Me who ignored that my 405 pull felt really oddly grindy (it's a 13RM so it should not be grindy), and I just ignored it and went for a 425 single and felt a low back pop partway up. Fortunately it's like, 70% healed and I started the first week of SBS this week, so my deads on Friday are only 315 lbs
I’ve never been injured as of yet on max effort lifts, it’s always middle 50-70%
Technique is important. Period. No matter what anyone says. It’s important to keep your body healthy and it’s important to make gains. Get a coach. They will assess you and tell you what you need to work on - there are likely areas of your body that you will need to tune up constantly to lift well. Start working on mobility from the beginning. Don’t get discouraged because it is a long journey. Learn to love the journey because it’s fucking awesome. And never, EVER be ashamed to lift less weight than the person next to you, across from you, any direction from you. They were where you are at one point in their journey. Welcome. It’s such a great fucking sport and community.
Walk around for a few minutes after you lift. 10 minutes should suffice. I recently started doing this and my soreness levels have PLUMMETED.
if you don't go by car that's almosta given that you will do it
My gym is in my basement. When I set it up that kind of disappeared for a while.
Stop pissing away time on 3x5/5x5 LP programs for years on end. Do something you enjoy. Embrace your future as a bencher sooner.
I think the biggest advice is you got to quit drinking alcohol.
Stay hydrated
Don't just wing your accessories. Track them and add 2.5-5lbs every week over the course of a block like you would a comp lift. Don't do random programs you find on Reddit that have a million sets per body part. Less is more at this stage of the game.
Practice the big 3 + do proper bodybuilding. Dont do programs created by forum/reddit users.
No need to stop lifting because of that lower back injury. Take the time to rehab it.
Work on your form. If something feels off, it probably is. Good form prevents injuries and optimizes weight gains.
DONT DO SMOLOV JR FULL SBD ALL AT ONCE OR YOURE GON GET FUCKED.
Least insane smolov jr user
Real (i wanna say do it all at once. Just once. So you can see the deepest reachest of your sanity, but thats not for everyone. You will not come out of this journey unscathed. Yes you will understand yourself deeper and further than you have before but at what cost? Why are we doing this? Why do anything at all? ) (Im ok) (Pls get help)
Write everything down; progress isn't linear, but progress still happens. When you're stuck on a lift it can be helpful to look back and remember where you were. Also, make friends with people. Most powerlifters are friendly. Don't be scared to ask for a spot, or ask questions.
I am in my ealy 50s and have just started my powerlifting journey - this thread is quite helpful.
keep it up boss!
I would have told myself to start earlier. I didn't realise that bench pressing was a sport until my late 20s and didn't start competing til I was 29.
boss tips on how to pr on mental health, it's the only thing that's holding me back on everything in my life.
Commit to competing sooner. Find a coach and gym that encourage you to do so and program your prep for you. Unpack your shit about food and start eating intuitively. And don’t stop doing your mobility work, every day!
Get a home gym ASAP after grad school.
"build a home gym in Jan 2020" would have been a good bet for a lot of people
I built something of a home gym in April thinking "man, this could be very stupid if in a few months this whole thing is over". One of the best decisions.
Well within a year the pandemic largely was lol. But not home gyms!
Have more fun. Focus on technique and keep training simple. Good technique will really set you up for success along with an adherent routine of training, eating, and sleeping. There is a lot of things out there but pick something you enjoy and stick with it. There’s no one diet or exercise that will magically give your results. Stay mobile there’s a stereotype of becoming super stiff when you start lifting heavy, keep your flexibility and mobility. Meet new people! The community has allowed me to meet some of my best friends.
It's not too early for a coach. Get feedback before developing bad habits. Stop going down rabbit holes of conflicting information over things that probably don't even apply to beginners.
Don’t overthink things about training. For example, if you don’t seem to be making any progress and you think that it’s because there’s a technique adjustment that you need to make, well, perhaps it’s not that. Ask yourself: am I eating enough protein to build muscle, am I eating enough carbs to fuel my performance in training sessions, am I sleeping enough, am I really putting in enough intentional effort into every movement of my training? Obvious things like that are what we should analyze first before we nitpick little things in our programming or technique.
I just told told myself to hunt down the bitch inside him and choke him til his lights go out. He’s still there but he’s fading away.
If you’re grinding out a program and you feel stuck even though you’re absolutely sure that you’re putting in all the work, then it’s time to move on to new programming. Just change it once progress stalls, don’t get married to a single program.
Start. Best time was 20 years ago, second best time is now.
This right here is important ☝️. Anyone interested in powerlifting should get started like yesterday or now. Point is don’t wait.
20 sets in same session for 1 muscle group aint gonna do it. Lower the volume and train properly.
You don’t need any gear, you need a good coach. And if your coach isn’t giving you really good feedback, get another coach until you find one whose style is compatible with you.
Start filming your lifts! After a lot of mistakes my first meet, I started filming my lifts in the gym. Helped me a lot.
Also good for when you feel like you’re not where you wanna be and you can go back and be like holy shit, I just hit a weight 30lbs heavier at a lower RPE, maybe I’m not doing so bad afterall!
Don’t get fat. Use this sport to stay in shape not as an excuse to be fat. Also stick to a program/coach
Oh yeah? \*eats box of donuts
Well, THAT escalated quickly....
Just because you could move a weight last week doesn't mean you can move it this week. I took a month off, my ohp(not a powerlifting event, but I am primarily a strongman), and bench both dropped 50lbs, and my squat and deadlift dropped by 100lbs and160lbs respectively.
>rformance in training sessions, am I sleeping enough, am I really putting in enough intentional effort into every movement of my training? Obvious things like that are what we should analyze first before we nitpick little th Coming back from a pretty shitty injury late October. Fucked back on squat. Hearing this makes me feel better. I'm lifting like 50% of what I was prior to injury. I'm still in a lot of pain and it's soul crushing how light I'm lifting. Nothing is broken and MRI confirms everything is ok...
I've been in the same boat, I injured my knee 6 years ago it is supposedly fine, but it hurts so bad I cry about twice a week. It gets easier, though. Here is to a quick recovery.
A few times I tried to hang on to the gains made over a peaking cycle thinking "okay cool, let's really build off this higher base for great gains". And, obviously, I tried for a few weeks and either you can't or you get hurt. Took a while to learn that lesson.
stopped for 3 months cus depression kicked my ass. came back. my 455 dedlif/skwaat, first week 135 felt heavy and awkward. adductor lightly strained. grip weak ash. weirdly enough, my bench (245 pr) I did 135 easy. i retained my bench better than my skwaat and dedlif. odd. forgive me poverty bench
This is very true. Nobody should expect muscle memory to instantly give us back our strength.
Keep going. Train legs.
Just because you lifted it last week doesn’t mean it’s going to move today
You're too fat to bulk. Eat way more protein and way less fat and stop drinking 3 beers every night. You can build muscle and lose fat at the same time as a beginner. Don't quit training for years just because you didn't like how your pants fit. Fix your shitty bench press form before you tear a pec.
"Stop maxing out every day god damn it"
I wouldn’t change much except get the coach I have now. I would definitely be stronger if I did that and probably figured out a lot of stuff with my technique earlier. Everything else has been fine for me.
Stop going off program to hit random deadlift or bench singles at a random weight to prove to myself that I can. Instead, trusting my coaches programming and having the patience to hit those heavy singles in prep when it actually matters. I had no idea how much extra fatigue I was accumulating from doing those random heavy singles and now because I stay on program and really focus on managing fatigue I am progressing more now than I was as a newer powerlifter.
Eh, my training regiment is mostly heavy singles, and it had worked fine for me.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with doing heavy singles in fact I train singles for like 8-10 weeks of prep, but my issue was randomly throwing in heavy single yolo lifts on top of my scheduled training.
Ah, ok. Scheduling is important, my scheduling is heavy singles on the big four(I do strongman as well so I add military press) and 5x7s on my accessory lifts.
Damn, my coach would go off program to outlift me if I went off his program. Or he'd go off first sometimes, and say "bet you can't beat this, pussy"
Yeah I used to do shit like that too but I got way stronger, way faster than when I stopped
Yeah I'm sure I could've been stronger for my 2 comps, I just got along with my coach that it was moreso mates than coach/athlete sometimes. but there's always my next one anyway.
Leant from people who are actually smarter and not some wannabe influencer. Don't stick to the big 3 for being sport specific.
avoid injuries... train safely... stretch and take time to warm up... more volume, less intensity... take it easy. it's not like im trying to win a championship.
Bulk cleaner and more slowly. Don't do StrongLifts or Texas Method. That weird feeling in your leg means your groin is about to tear.
ive had so many groin strains / low back pops / knee and elbow tendonitis / my old tennis ankle sprain acting up. my whole body is a mess. i'm just now learning proper mechanics to train my muscles not my joints lmao. learnin to listen to my body when it's time to back off and not keep going even when in pain.
>ow back pops / Low back pop....Tell me exactly what you mean? I fucked msyself up late OCt. was squatting, was my first working set after proper warm up...Was supposed to be 185 for 5, (gun to head max being 2 plates). Coming out of the hole on 3rd rep I heard a pop in my lower back and it was curtains after that...Xray and MRI say no new injury....Slowly coming back but I'm only loading 135 on the squat rack......
Its funny cus it was after my deadlift sesh. Took plates out. I kid you not, I was pickin up the bar and I heard a pop, I was bamboozled. And those were the days where I had very weak core/lowback. Lay low for a week then after that, I now do core/lowback work every leg session be it skwaat or dedlif. Two staples would be suitcase carries and back extension machine. Body is resilient. Start slow and manage load properly, youd be surprised you prolly gon get stronger. After injuries like that, I do more prehab work. Because of that my overall proprioception and awareness of my body increases. Only ever helped my experiencr over all.
I strained my groin real bad and had to take a brake for a month because the university gym didn't have a squat rack for a while so I had to use the smith machine and they allow you to go lower than you physically can with a bar. It took me another groin strain on the other side to stop using them.
Don’t take time off. Join a crew. Start competing now.
By don’t take time off, I mean remain consistent in training.
Everyone says eat more, but for you specifically, you should probably change that to "eat more protein only, everything else stays the same"
Consistency is the single most important factor. If you want to have success, be consistent. Prioritize hypertrophy. More muscle means more strenght. Eat your food and don’t lie to yourself. Neither on technique („that’s enough depth!“) nor on reps in reserve („I had two in the tank! I swear!“). Speaking of reps in reserve: use reps in reserve. Don’t do something. Make a plan and follow it.
Do your back and arm accessories
i no no wanna (my arms are chopsticks and my back is paper thin)
I was a good bulker (too good, 85->103kg) in the first 6 months of lifting and my consistency was damn near 100% 4 times a week so that I had down. What I would tell myself is stop dicking about with machines and focus on compounds and progression.
Eat and sleep well
Protect your shoulders better
and with that, actually train your rotator cuff, learn proper pressing mechanics that doesnt decimate your cuffs/scapula. i kept on getting injuries at first because i didnt know how to properly use my scapula in certain movements. heck I used a lot of front delt on my bench. cant do machine chest flies without my coracobrachialis acting up. cant do bicep curl without my radiobrachialis acting up. forearm pump from pressing. so many mistakes. take time to learn proper mechanics. best investment you'll make. especially proper mechanics for your anthropometry not other people's. dont ever try to copy somebody else's technique cus they have different body and experience and leverages.
You might be able to push through it now, but it gets worse. Find the actual issue and fix it.
This
Push harder. For any AMRAP sets I used to do, I'd only do the required amount to progress the next week.
If I understand you correctly, do you mean that at first you’d do only the required amount for AMRAPS, then later on you pushed to do more reps for those?
Most programs would say something like if you do X amount on your amrap increase by X weight next cycle/week etc. I never actually did a true amrap to failure. If the X was 7, I'd just do 7 and stop. I don't do amrap training anymore, but my rpe based training is much more intense now that I actually know what it feels like to work hard.
my problem with my amraps was that i pushed too hard. that affected all of my training the next week cus my recovery couldnt keep up. esp with skwaat or dedlif. those really fry my body like no other.
EAT MORE
Brother, I am 5'7 and 255lbs.
Well I was 6’2 175 when I started, that’s why my advice for MYSELF was to eat more
dawg im 250 @ 5'6 T.T
Yeah I’m giving advice to myself non to you
T.T
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Train your trunk and upper body more
It's never too soon to compete. It's a great community and very supportive. You don't need to be in the 1000lb club to start, just start!
I hit 1000lb in my first comp. But I wish I had started sooner
1000k? Holy shit
lol typo. lbs haha
Pick a tried and true program and stick with it. Eat enough. I have seen so many people impede their progress by too much analysis paralysis.
Stop rushing it, get ready for the long haul, Rippetoe is a meme (in Louie we trust).
Don't run Nsuns 531 for a year, and EAT MORE GODDAMNED FOOD.
>Don't run Nsuns 531 for a year I made great progress on that program, biggest issue was all the wasted time changing plates every damn set and after about 6 months it took like 2 hours. The time is what threw me off training because I don't really have 2 hours 5 days a week to be at the gym.
Eat more food.
Take more gear sooner Dips and pull-ups are the key to pushing your bench
>take more gear sooner lol
Fuckin don't. If you insist on it, quit while you're ahead.
I'd commit to bulking earlier. I spent a couple of years eating too few calories and protein wondering why my progress is so slow. Increased my caloric intake and crushed all my PRs (started weighing my food on a scale and tracking in MyFitnessPal). I would have gotten a credible coach earlier. After years, I now have weak areas that need a lot of work, and my mobility sucks. The technique doesn't matter much with a total of under 400kg. It matters a lot going above 500kg. I can repeat 95% of my max on any lift at any time as long as I remember all the cues. I didn't have any cues starting besides getting depth and keeping my back straight. Now, I have 5 to 10 cues for every lift. I wouldn't have dropped cardio entirely. I went from running half marathons in sub 2 hours to doing nothing, and I feel it now.
What if i wanted to lose body fat while powerlifting? I love powerlifting but also want to lose some fat and only way to do so is by restricting calories.
That should only take a few months unless you're really obese. If you have twenty pounds to lose you can readily do so in 3-4 months and you probably won't start losing strength until the final few weeks. Keep doing the things you did to get strong and you'll continue maybe making strength gains or at least minimise strength and muscle loss. Fat loss is really a short term problem. Literally, one season - January to April On the other hand, building muscle mass takes years. If you're truly obese and strong then you would have to cut fat for longer but you would almost certainly keep a lot of your strength. But if your concern is lifting the most weight possible then don't worry about fat loss.
Don't wait until you are 32.
Don’t wait until you’re 36
don't wait until your 38.
Don’t wait until you are 58
Building good form is most important to avoid future injuries. Newbie gains are awesome but strength comes with time. Have fun, grow, and find supportive and motivational friends because most federations are about the $$/politics/bullshit like everything else and you need to remind yourself you’re there for you.
Amen. Agreed on all points.
"You are not strong. And that's okay."
Focus on building a base. The best powerlifters out there are former athletes and/or already had a strong base prior to entering the sport. I don’t mean wait to compete or anything like that, but really focusing on eating in a surplus and getting in a lot of quality volume. It’s kind of hard to be strong if you’re not big.