After 12 weeks of getting stronger, we took 3 rep maxes on all our lifts to use as a guideline for percentages leading into the meet. I didn't have the best week and I can't really put my finger on why (which is probably the most frustrating part). Squats went ok. I really wanted to beat what I did when I peaked for the Arnold, but I ended up doing the EXACT same... in fact, I missed my 3rd rep both times and finished with 310x2. On that set I felt a pop in/near my hamstring. I say "near" because it was hard to tell if it was actually my hamstring tendon tearing/popping, or just the wrap pulling TOO much over the muscle/tendon. It popped on my second rep, which made me hesitant on my third, but I don't necessarily think that was why I missed. The tendon was sore and tender after but I still wasn't sure what had happened. I approached it as if I pulled it and began the recovery process. Bench... I was expecting to do decent and for some reason I was off. I didn't feel comfortable under the bar and I couldn't get my feet right. I should've hit 185 for a solid triple and missed my 3rd instead. Granted, I've only tripled that 2 other times in my life, but still. #frustrating Deadlifts... I thought these were going well this whole training cycle, but I guess not as well as I thought. This was the second time since June not training with Christian and while it wasn't the reason I missed, it does suck. I ended up with 330x2, which is 10 pounds less than what I hit for a triple last meet prep. The good news was I didn't feel my hamstring at all on these. LESSON: Yes, wraps can be TOO tight. Sometimes having them too tight actually throw you off even more. We decided that for max attempts a good 8 or 9 out of 10 will do just fine for me. Find what works best for you and what you can get the most out of. Monday Squat - 310x2 Wednesday Bench 185x2 (175x3 prior) Friday Deadlift - 315x3, 330x2
Week 13: 3 rep max week and a lesson in "too tight" wraps
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