Prep for this meet is going to be structured pretty similarly to the last two preps I've done, as I've had great success with it. I squat and deadlift heavy every other week, or twice per month. In Week 1, I'll squat heavy and do speed pulls, and in week 2, I'll deadlift heavy and do speed squats. My coach and I have found that this alternating schedule keeps me fresh for both the squat and the deadlift, and allows me to train both at maximal intensity while still being able to recover and stay healthy. For the bench press, I have 1 week of heavy singles and Catapult / Slingshot work, and the next week will be more of an RE session where I'll work up to a 1 x AMRAP set with a lighter weight and do some lighter volume with the Catapult / Slingshot. The remaining two days of my training week are a bodybuilding / accessory only type day, and a speed bench day. These are both performed weekly without much deviation, other than dropping the volume once I get closer to the meet. Here's how last week went down.
5/30 - Heavy Squat / Speed DL
Warmup:
Body Tempering w/ 90 lb Pitbull Log - Quads, IT Band, Groin Wall Squat Breathing Drill Lat Hang Breathing Drill Half Kneeling Quad Inhibition Static hip stretches
Duffalo Bar Squats (belt + sleeves) 547 6x3 Bar speed felt pretty great on these. Hips still holding up nicely with the wider stance. 547 1x8 Speed Deadlifts 470 10x2, 60 second timed rest periods Close Stance Paused SSB Squats (3 count pause, beltless) 445 3x8 These freakin' broke me. Not pleasant after the load of squat and deadlift volume prior to this.
Hanging Leg Raises 5x15
6/1 - Heavy Bench
Warmup: T spine mobility drills on the foam roller Band snatches, pullaparts, internal rotations 3x10
Bench Press 365x1 405x1 440x1 Pretty damn pleased with how this moved. After not touching much over 365 on the bench this offseason, I was a bit shocked to see 440 being called for in week 1 of the program. I was 5 weeks out from the Arnold the last time that I took 440+ in training. However, this moved nearly as fast as it did back then. Looks like the hypertrophy focus of my offseason didn't take away from my strength development too much. Bench Press w/ Black Metal Catapult 465x2 465x2 475x2 485x2
Football Bar Incline Press (wide grip handles) 255 4x6
Rope Pushdowns 4 sets 25 reps, slow negatives
6/3 - Accessory Day
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns 5x15
Seated DB Front Raises (palms up) 5x15
Seated DB 1 1/2 Side Laterals 5x10 - A 1 1/2 lateral = raise the dumbbell halfway up, hold for 1 second, lower the dumbbell back down to the start position, and quickly explode back up to the top of a full range of motion. That = 1 rep. I get a fantastic pump from these.
Rear DB Laterals (head on bench) superset w/ Band Pullaparts 4x10 on laterals, superset w/ mini band x failure
TRX Face Pulls 100 reps in as few sets as possible, think I finished in 4 sets
GHR's 5x10 with bands. Worked up to a light band for the top set
6/4 - Speed Bench
Speed Bench Press 325 10x2, 60 second timed rest periods, no pauses off chest
Close Grip Football Bar Floor Press 5x3, worked up to 315 on my final set
Swiss Bar Standing Military Press 185 4x8 Haven't done standing militaries in forever, as they generally bother my back. All the corrective work I've been doing must be paying off because these felt great. Kept the weight light to start.
Incline DB Tate Presses superset w/ DB Hammer Curls 4x10-12 reps
Everything's feeling great to start this prep off. Looking forward to what lies ahead!
