After coming off my best meet performance of my career, I am now officially a beat up powerlifter. I'm having some minor low back issues that I'm working on mending up, and then I'll begin to find a competitive option. My goals for 2017 are to compete in a bodybuilding show and also get back to the platform 100% healthy.

For programming and coaching inquires, please email SmitleyPerformanceSystems@gmail.com or visit brandonsmitley.com


Friday wrapped up another wave of speed work on the bench press. I feel like I made some good progress with the close grip variation during this time, as well as just getting a little faster with that bar. My small hands sometimes have a hard time with it while doing speed work because I've really got to grip the hell out of the bar. I also mixed up some of my back training and added in a bit more rowing. Since it looks like I'll probably be competing in my shirt, I need to get my upper back a little stronger specific to benching in a shirt, so a lot more rows than pulldown variations. The weighted side planks also kicked my butt on my left side (the side that has a hard time firing). I'm doing a lot better job of learning how to isolate that in training, while trying to keep my left lat turned off. It's still a work in progress, but there was still no low back pain on my bent rows and the side planks...so more baby steps! Only two more weeks until I get to take the bar!


Items Used in this Training Session El Gordo Fat Bar Mini Bands Spud Ab Strap Tsunami Lat Bar

Warm Up Cats & Camels - 10 Quadraped T-Spine Ext - 10 each Band Dislocations - 10 Alternating Band Dislocations - 10 each Band Pressdowns - 15 Band Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns - 15 Band Face Pulls - 15 Single Arm Band Fly - 15 each Band Rows - 15 Band Curls - 15

A1) Fat Bar Speed Bench Press vs Doubled Mini Bands 75x10 75x5 - add bands 95x3 105x3 125x3 145x3 165x6x3

B1) Close Grip Fat Bar Bench Press vs Doubled Mini Bands 190x3 215x6 - PR

C1) Fat Bar Bench Press vs Doubled Mini Bands 145x3x20

D1) Cambered Bar Chest Supported Rows 4x10

E1) Standing Spud Strap Cable Rows 3x12

F1) Bent Over Rows (Supinated) 3x12

G1) Tsunami Bar Lat Pulldowns 4x15

H1) Band Reverse Pec Dec 4x25 H2) Wtd Side Plank 3x30 sec per side


Brandon Smitley
Tagged: Training Log
ELITEFTS - TABLE TALK PIC

EliteFTS Table Talk— Where strength meets truth. Hosted byDave Tate, Table Talk cuts through the noise to bring raw, unfiltered conversations about training, coaching, business, and life under the bar. No fluff. No hype. Just decades of experience — shared to make you stronger in and out of the gym.

ELITEFTS - join-th-crew-hero-shopify

Join the Crew!

Support us and access premium content monthly!