Luke 8-22-12 Bench: Final Day with UCLA Powerlifting

i love you guys

will edit this later

Bench
225 x 1
235 x 1
245 x 1 @ 10 PR of 5 pounds
185 x 5
205 x 5

Band Resisted Pause Bench
145 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 3 x 2

Standing Press
95 x 5
115x 5
125 x 5
115 x 5

Pull Ups
BW x 15 x 3
BW x 10

Chest Supported Rows

Triceps Pushdowns

Shrugs
315 x 20
405 x 16
405 x 7 + hurt back - done lifting forever

Weigh In: 170 lbs

Progression
Pre Powerlifting: 205, 200, 220 - 625
After almost 3 years: 445, 245, 485 - 1175

Luke 7-5-12 Bench

Bench
220 x 1 @ 8+
240 x 1 @ 10 PR
245 x fail very close

Pause Bench
195 x 3
205 x 2 + fail

One arm cable rows
Skull crushers
Hammer curls
Shrugs


Weigh In: 166.7 lbs

Luke 4-14-12 USAPL Collegiate Nationals 2012

USAPL Collegiate Nationals 2012, Baton Rouge

I did not have a very good start to this meet. I got sick with cholera (not really) and threw up the night before lifting, stayed up until 2 coughing, woke up at 6:40 and weighed in light at 158 pounds. I had a bad cough the whole trip and almost threw up again between 225 and 315 when warming up for squats. Considering this, I did pretty well.

Squat

207.5 kg (457 lbs) 2 whites. 1 red for depth. easy

217.5 kg (480 lbs) 2 whites. 1 red for depth. 16 pound meet PR. This one felt pretty hard and I only would have gone up 5 kilos, but I decided to go for 500 since I already had a big lead

227.5 kg (501 lbs) 3 reds. Failed just out of the hole. I blame the cholera.

Bench

95 kg (210 lbs) 3 whites. easy

105 kg (231 lbs) whites. pretty easy. 5 pound meet PR.

110 kg (243 lbs) 3 reds. almost had it, but failed in the transition to lockout

Deadlift

195 kg (430 lbs) 3 reds. went up super fast, but I fell forward and dropped it at the top.

202.5 kg (446 lbs) 3 whites. easy. I wanted to repeat my first because I was scared, but Mis made me move up because it was so easy

217.5 kg (480 lbs) 3 whites. easy. 28 pound meet PR. Had 10+ pounds in me.

Total: 540 kg (1190 lbs) 49 pound meet PR

Pretty good meet. I definitely had more in me, but the judging was very strict and I was not feeling near my best. I hit a triple body weight squat and deadlift. Thank you everyone that helped, especially my teammates for cranking my wraps, helping me warm up, and bringing me tums and other requests, Misael for submitting my attempts and helping in general, and Dave for handling my gear, coaching, and eating my tasty cakes.

Max Effort 3-Board Bench. Sat. 3/03.

Max Effort 3-Board Bench 3x1
165 (@8), 175 (@10-), 180 (@10-)-> P.R.!!

Decline Bench 2x5
155 (@8), 165 (@10)
-> stopped early because my upper left pec (under collar bone) tightened up during the middle of the 2nd set. I probably should have stopped mid-rep but I finished the set since the pain was not piercing. I hope this wasn't a strain. It just felt "off" during the rest of the workout and I still feel it 10 hours later as I'm typing this.

Seated Row Machine 3x8
115 (@10-), 115 (@10-), 115 (@10-)

Iso-Lateral High Row Machine 3x8
-> all w/ 2pes (@10)

Shrug Machine (facing in)
2pes x40, 2p+10lb.es x40, 2p+10lb.es x30+(3 more reps each with an 8-second hold)

Bicep Curls (open grip)
60bb x5, 60bb x6, 20dbs x10, 20dbs x10

**** WEIGH-IN: 137 LBS BODY WEIGHT --> I am lean & mean right now haha!! (this is 8lbes less than what I was weighing in at consistently at the end of fall quarter, which was my PR bodyweight of 145 lbs) ****

Bench Singles. Tues. 11/29.

Bench 3x1
-> Warm-Ups: Bar x15, Bar x10, Bar x10, Bar x8, 75x3, 95x1, 115x1
-> First Attempt: 145x1
-> First Attempt (again): 145x1
-> Second Attempt: 165x1 (lifted butt up, & my right elbow is still way in. right arm is also the weak part).

Pause Bench 4x3 (@ 1 sec.)
125, 125, 125, 125

Pendlay Rows 3x9
95, 95, 95

Pullups 3x8
-> all BW

Dips
-> BWx6, BWx6, BWx10

Shrug Machine
3pes x7 -> (stopped early because my upper back/spine was hurting in that position)
2.5pes x10 -> (switched to facing inward but my upper back/spine was still hurting)
1pes x40 -> (upper back/spine felt much better with only a plate but still hurt after I put the weight down ... is this from bad posture while sitting in front of a computer and writing papers??)

Db Curls 2x10
-> all w/ 20s

**** (WEIGH-IN: 144 LBS) ****

Luke 11-19-11 So Cal Regionals

I will add some videos to this later

Weigh In: 71kg 156 lbs

Squat

418 good, 2 whites

441 bad, 2 reds for depth... looked like I hit depth

463 good, 3 whites PR, state record

Bench

204 good, 3 whites

225 good, 2 whites

231 fail, 3 reds

Deadlift

407 good, 3 whites

451 good, 3 whites

485 fail, 3 reds

Total 517.5 kg 1141 pounds

Luke 8-3-11 Bench Ed Coan wk 7

Sorry Greg, I can't miss a bench workout

Bench

200 x 5 @ 9

205 x 5 @ 10+ (5 pound PR) The last rep wasn't really a grinder, but it slowed down midway. I've learned to push my elbows through to extend arms while forcing my shoulders into the bench. This brings the lockout an inch or 2 lower and helps a lot. I was supposed to hit 201 x 5 x 2, but since I was feeling good I went for 205. It's nice to hit a bench PR finally.

Close Grip Bench

170 x 5 @ 10-

175 x 5 @ 9+ (ties a very old PR)

was supposed to be 175 x 5 x 2, but I struggled last week with 170

Incline Bench

160 x 5 @ 10

160 x 5 @ 9+

Close Grip Lat Pulldown

200 x 5

220 x 5

240 x 5

250 x 5

Biceps

Weigh In: 159 lbs (with clothes and shoes) 156-157?

Also I biked 12 miles today for work

Luke 5-28-11 mock meet

Weigh In: 155.5 lbs

Squat

380: 2 whites 1 red

400: 3 whites

410: 2 whites 1 red, 10 pound PR, felt like I was gonna fail on the way up, but ground it out

Bench

205: 3 whites, harder than expected with press calls and weird rack

215: 3 whites, 5 pound meet PR, hard with press call

220: 3 reds, didn't expect to get this one after second attempt. At least I left nothing in the tank.

Deadlift

415: 3 whites, easy opener

435: 3 whites, 5 pound PR, pretty quick and easy

455: 2 whites 1 red for slamming weight, 25 pound PR, used nose tork, pretty quick and still not too hard so I decided to go for a 4th attempt for a PR

470: 3 whites, 40 pound PR, this was still pretty quick and I probably could have hit 5-10 pounds more. This was a triple body weight deadlift. Also the national junior raw 148 deadlift record is 468. If I can get a little stronger I might cut weight and go for this.

Total (not counting 4th deadlift): 1080 at 155.5

Wilkes (kilos): 138.6 squat, 72.7 bench, 153.8 deadlift for a total of 365.18 for best male lifter

This brings my PR total to 1105 pounds for a wilkes of 373.6 with a deadlift of 158.9

Progression

date..........SQ BP DL Total

10/2009 205 200 220 625

11/2009 215 205 300 720

2/2010 287 209 353 849

6/2010 345 215 400 960

11/2010 365 215 414 994

2/2011 375 220 430 1025

5/2011 410 225 470 1105

Luke 5-12-11 Deadlift

went by myself early so I could go to Lauren's graduation. no chalk or nose tork. still sore from squats

Deadlift
395 x 3 @ 9-
415 x 3 @ 10- PR
430 x 2 + fail PR (Previous max was 429.8 for a single at the meet) I got the first 2 reps and on the third I started to pull and it was coming off the ground, but I was too gassed so I stopped pulling. I then reset and tried for one more and got it up above my knees, but the bar on my thighs and it was hurting and not worth hurting myself to grind it out so I dropped it. I had about 2-3 minutes rest between sets and I felt the effects of this after this set.

Low Box Squats (on super low box plus aeromat- 12"?)
225 x 5 unbelted
245 x 5
265 x 5
275 x 5
super tired during these

Lunges
135 x 16
185 x 10 x 3

Hyperextensions
BW x 100 x 2

Abs

Weigh In: 155 lbs

Luke 5-9-11 Squat

Squat

315 x 5 @ 8

335 x 5 @ 9-

355 x 5 @ 9 PR by 10 pounds. I felt super shitty before this set, like I was gonna pass out.

Band Lightened Squat (blues, same as purples? from top)

385 x 5 @ 9

405 x 5 @ 10

405 x 5 @ 9

Leg Press

4 plates per side x 5

5 plates per side x 5

5 plates + quarters x 5 x 2

Transversus

Weigh In: 155 lbs

Luke 5-5-11 Cinco de adlift

GMOPs at pin 9

315 x 5

355 x 5

385 x 5

405 x 10 PR I ended up resetting during this set because my wrists were hurting so one or two of the reps were more like squats. Also I went through all my sets really quickly and I was really tired after the GMOPs.

Stiff Legged Deadlift

265 x 8 x 3

Ultra Wide Sumo Deadlift

265 x 8 x 3

Hyperextensions

BW x 50 x 2

Abs

Weigh In: 156.5 lbs

Bench Assistance. Friday, 4/1/11.

Shoulder Press 4x5
90, 85, 85, 85

Close-Grip Pin Press 4x5
135, 135, 135, 135
-> w/ pin height about 5 inches off chest

Weighted Pullups (semi-wide hammer grip) 4x5
-> all @ BW+35

Upright Rows 4x5
-> all w/ 60bb (not too heavy)

Biceps
-> 60 bb (open curl) -> 20s (hammer grip)
-> 1st set: 10 reps -> 8 reps; 2nd set: 7r -> 6r; 3rd set: 7r -> 6r

Triceps
-> BW Dips -> 100 lbs on Dip Machine
-> 1st set: 10 reps -> 10 reps; 2nd set: 7r -> 8r; 3rd set: 7r -> 8r

Super Incline Flys 1x10, 2x8
-> all w/ 15s

Rear Delts 3x15
(laying down on bench w/ elbows bent ~90 degree angle)
-> all w/ 15s

**** WEIGH-IN: 139 LBS ****

Reintroducing Squats (after almost 3 months). Monday, 3/28/11.

**** NOTE: I took the last 2 weeks off lower body completely. All of last week I fully rested and did not train anything (and week before only did 4 days of light arms focused workouts with some accessory upper body training with dumbbells and resistance bands at home). ****

Back Squat 3x5
135, 135, 135
-> didn't go too heavy, feels ok - certainly didn't feel as light as it used to (when I could squat 225x4)

High Box Squat 3x5
-> not quite depth though (right about parallel)
135, 155, 165

Pause Squat 3 x 3 @ (3 sec.)
95, 95, 95
-> kept these light, felt good

Weighted Crunches 4x5
-> all on a bench with a 25 lb plate behind head

Core Isometric Holds 3 x (5 sec.)
-> (in weighted crunch position with body about parallel to ground)
25 lb plate behind head, 45 plate behind head, 45 plate behind head

Weighted Core/Oblique Twists 2 x (8-10 reps)
-> (in weighted crunch position with body about parallel to ground)
-> both sets with a 25 plate behind head

**** WEIGH-IN: 140 lbs Body Weight ****
(given that I fully rested and didn't train at all for the entire past week, I am happy that I did not lose any weight).

Luke 3-14-11 Pi Day Squat

quick squat session with Darvin and Kevin, skipped a few exercises to study

Squat

315 x 1 warmup

345 x 1 @ 8

365 x 1 @ 8+

385 x 1 @ 9+ PR

400 x 1 @ 10- PR by 25 lbs

Front Squat

135 x 8

155 x 8

165 x 8

Plyos

Box Jumps, Box Squat Jumps, One Leg Step Up Box Jumps

6, 6, 8 x 2 sets each

Abs

Weigh In: 156 lbs

400

Luke 3-7-11 Squat

Squat

315 x 3 @ 8

335 x 3 @ 9-

345 x 3 @ 9

355 x 3 @ 10- PR

365 x 3 @ 10- PR

I'm really happy with this squat PR. I tripled only 10 pounds less than my max. I think 400 is attainable by the end of the year.

Band Lightened Squat (greens from top)

425 x 3

455 x 3

475 x 3 @ 9+ PR

495 x 3 @ 10 PR

Leg Presses

4 plates + quarters (per side for all) x 10

5 plates + quarters x 10

6 plates x 10

7 plates x 10

Foam Roller Transversus

Plyos

Box Jumps, seated box jumps, step up box jumps superset

3 sets x 10, 6, 10

Weigh In: 156.5 lbs PR I think

This was after the week where I ate 14 crunch wrap supremes.

Luke 2-19-11 USAPL CA State Championships

Weighed In at 66.9 kg (147.5 lbs)

Competed in the Raw Open 148 (67.5 kg) weight class, although I had signed up for junior

Squat

152.5 kg (336 lbs) 2 whites 1 red- easy but I got 1 red for depth

162.5 kg (358 lbs) 3 whites- made sure I sank this one, felt a groin stretch at the bottom, not too hard

170 kg (375 lbs) 2 whites 1 red- PR by 5 pounds, I nose torked this lift and it really helped. I could have gone a little heavier, but I did get 1 red for depth, so it was a good choice. Finally got that 2.5 x body weight squat.

Bench

90 kg (198.4 lbs) 3 whites- not as easy as planned, pause was longer than expected

95 kg (209.4 lbs) 3 reds- failed 2 inches off chest at former weak point. I just felt really weak in bench at the meet and I also wasn't focused at this point

95 kg (209.4 lbs) 3 reds- retry of second, same result. I nose torked this lift, but no improvement. This really pissed me off since I hit this weight a year ago at the meet and I've recently benched 220 and 210 x 2. Missing my second attempt and not getting a chance at 220 ruined my chances for a 1025 pound total which would qualify me for nationals, however I still had a shot at a 1000+ total. I blame my bench weakness partially on cutting weight, because bench strength is always the first to go. I'm gonna try to gain some weight and do some volume for bench.

Deadlift

177.5 kg (391 lbs) 3 whites- 2.5 kg lower than I initially planned for safety margin

190 kg (419 lbs) 3 whites- PR by 5 pounds. I nose torked this lift a little bit, and it was pretty hard. I was shaky on the way up.

195 kg (430 lbs) 3 whites- PR by 16 pounds. Nose torked. 2.9 x body weight. This one was really hard, I though I was gonna fail this one and it felt pretty slow. Vit's slap probably helped me get this, along with my roar. Really happy with this PR which brought my total to over 1000.

Total: 455 kg (1003 lbs) 70 kg (154 lbs) meet PR

I was very happy about my squat and bench PR's, but pretty pissed at my bench. This meet is strong evidence that powerlifting has done nothing for my bench since I officially am weaker than a year ago. I think I need to try my own thing for bench. I got drug tested after the meet. I was 22 pounds away from qualifying for nationals even though I competed raw. Good meet overall, great turnout from UCLA. Thank you everyone who was there and also to everyone who has helped me train for this.

7/9 overall

4 CA junior state records

1st place for 148 weight class

Class 1

Squat--2.7.11

Squat:
255 (opener) x2
285 (2nd attempt)

What do you guys think about that depth? White or red?

Pause Squat (3 second pause):
185x3x2
195x3

Leg Press:
2 plates on each side x8
2 plates and a quarter on each side x8x2

Plyos, Abs, Cardio

Weigh In:
167-168

Luke 2-3-11 Deadlift

Deadlift

135 x 9

135 x 3

225 x 5

275 x 2

309 x 1

349 x 1

369 x 1

395 x 1 @ 9.5 opener

414 x 1 @ 9.5 PR

the following may be off by 2 or 4 pounds or maybe not due to use of 20kg plates

Good Mornings

235 x 5

255 x 5

275 x 5 PR

295 x 5 PR

Low Box Squat

235 x 3

275 x 3

295 x 3

305 x 3 PR

315 x 3 PR

Banded Hyperextensions with 2 blues

4 sets

windshield wipers abs

2 sets

Weigh In: 150.5 lbs

414

395

2.3.11--Deadlift

Deadlift:
warmups included for reference for meet
135x5x2
215x3
275x2
305
worksets:
329
359xf. Completely a grip issue, you can watch the video I uploaded. I ripped it off the gorund, but it slipped out of my left hand. Balls.

Good Mornings:
135x5
185x5
205x5
225x5x2

Low Box Squat:
135x5
185x3
195x3x3
205x3

Banded Hypers:
1 blue bandx10
2 blue bandsx10x2

Weigh In:
167.3

Luke 2-1-11 Bench

Bench

190 x 3 @ 9.5

195 x 3 @ 10

195 x 3 @ 9.5

All reps were paused. There was no pad on the bench so I couldn't get great arch or leg drive. Everything felt really hard.

Pause Bench with 3 second Terence count

175 x 3 x 3

Skull Crushers

60 x 10

80 x 10 x 2

Curls

Shrugs on smith machine

worked up to 4 plates + 25 per side x 3 to work on deadlift grip, but not kill my grip for thursday

superset with wide grip pull ups on squat rack

BW x 12, 16, 16

Weigh In: 151.5 lbs