Training Log – Openers for RPS Long Island Insurrection

It’s been forever and a day since I posted a training log update. That’s because nobody was reading them. Sad but true.

But I’m not offended. I realize that as long as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia reruns are available on Netflix, I’ll never be the most entertaining short bald guy on the internet.

This week, I hit my opening lifts for my next powerlifting meet – the RPS Long Island Insurrection on November 16. I’m on pace to hit PRs across the board, total 1400 for the first time, and redeem myself for my flop of a performance at my last powerlifting meet.

Here are the lifts:

I took my deadlift opener two weeks out and my squat and bench openers one week out. Here’s the breakdown:

Deadlift – 505 … 93% of all-time 1RM (545)
Squat – 485 … 96% of all-time 1RM (505)
Bench – 325 … 91.5% of all-time 1RM (355)

My initial thoughts were good and bad.

The good: the bench was a smokeshow. Could have done 5 reps. It gives me huge confidence to go in, open with 325 and hit 360+ on my third attempt. And my shirt is awesome. Thanks, Pete.

The bad: my squat and deadlift were a little slow for my liking. If you remember, when I took my openers about a year ago (right before I had my best meet ever), I had the epiphany that the best way to determine openers is bar speed, NOT best 3-rep max or 5-rep max. That said, it’s no wonder my bench felt best – it was easily the lowest percentage of my 1RM. Opening at 485 on the squat – 96% of my all-time PR – is probably a little aggressive and I’ll likely knock it down to 475 on meet day, especially considering I’m not 100% comfortable squatting out of a monolift. The deadlift wasn’t bad at all, just a little slow. It wouldn’t hurt to open at 495 instead – it would just make it a little tougher to jump to my second and third attempts.

And the camera angle on the deadlift clip was really bad. But it helps hide my bad form.

All in all, I feel great heading into next weekend. My last meet was NOT a good experience. A laundry list of adverse circumstances (most notably cutting down to 181 pounds and enduring a 13-hour day) made for a lousy showing and I’m pumped to turn things around. I’m proud to say that I’m strong enough to open 20-30 pounds heavier on all my lifts compared to this time last year. Hell, I’m opening 10 pounds heavier on the bench than my 2nd attempt from back in April.

Now it’s all about recovery and sticking to the plan. See you on the platform.