Today’s guest post is from my sister, Alex Bonvechio. Alex has been competing in powerlifting for almost 2 years now and will take a crack at an elite total at 148 pounds in October. Here’s her take on how she went from a total beginner to an accomplished lifter in such a short time. Enjoy!
Tony agreed to coach me in powerlifting from the ground up less than 2 years ago, when day 1 was a sub 150-pound squat, 95-pound bench, and a sub 200-pound deadlift. Neither of us knew what we were getting into. Perhaps the most surprising is that I’m already training for my fourth powerlifting meet, and I’m looking to earn an elite total of 770 at 148 pounds.
I agreed to write something for Tony a long time ago. He asked for something that highlighted my experience in a meet or what it’s like to powerlift as a female. I’m finally getting around to it now, with a little more experience under the bar.
While I love competing, and being a female powerlifter is pretty bad ass, I also have love for the whole process. What I’ll reflect on here is the best training block I’ve had to date. Tony’s programming has always been awesome, but small tweaks in my personal approach to training helped me to add 70 lbs to my recent meet total in just 16 weeks.
1. GOING BELTLESS
Squats at 80 percent of my 1RM or less I try to do beltless. Most of my working sets were over 80 percent, so I’d go beltless for my accessory pause squats at 225 and under. There were times where I belted up for my last set so I could maintain form, but when I got through an entire set beltless, it felt like a huge victory.
I only use my belt for deadlifts when I get closer to 90 percent, as it helps me to rely less on my back and focus on leg drive. Heavy reps beltless have done wonders for my relatively weak core, and maintaining good position in both the squat and the deadlift.
2. RESETTING FOR DEADLIFT REPS
The deadlift has been my nemesis for the past year, mostly because I’ve struggled to lock down a solid set up and form that feels powerful. Although resetting each rep takes more time and energy, I reset each rep from my warm ups to my working sets for months. I checked my ego, and trusted the process.
[Editor’s note] Alex picked this up from Adam Pine, not me, so I can’t take credit. Adam is a kickass coach and the BEST deadlifter I know, so make sure to check out his website.
https://instagram.com/p/5m93OrqE3b/
3. SWITCHING UP MY TRAINING ENVIRONMENT
It’s too easy as a powerlifter to get fixated on needing your favorite bench, bar, matching plates, or blaring music while training. I split my training between 5 different gyms over the last 16 weeks, ranging from a personal training studio to a hole in the wall gym in northern Vermont where not all of my favorite amenities were always available. Learning not to rely on a single thing besides your own strength to get through a tough session has done wonders for my confidence.
4. FORGOING A SPOTTER
In an effort to build more confidence with heavy weight, I stopped asking for spots/handoffs for weights I knew I could handle. All safety precautions considered, I challenged myself to earn my reps.
After hitting a heavy set of 5, I would challenge myself to hit working sets of 3 with that weight solo. If I let my form get nasty and the last rep would be a gamble, then I’d rack it, and drop the weight. Adapting to heavier training without spotters has also allowed me to lift alone when lifting alone is the best choice.
5. RETHINKING MY CAFFEINE INTAKE
I work a 9-5 job, so during the week I train at night. It was my old routine to stroll into the gym at 6:30 p.m., white Monster in hand, 3-plus times per week. I never asked myself why.
If I had gotten 7-plus hours of sleep the night before, (which I usually do), was it really necessary? This cycle, I’ve been evaluating my need for a caffeine boost on a daily basis, and rely more on my own drive to be better than caffeine to power through training. Saturday sessions are the exception (I still love Monster). But being generally less caffeinated has felt better for me overall.
6. SAVING MY CRAZY-ASS BENCH PRESS SETUP FOR TOP SETS
This was a huge ‘duh’ moment for me. My bench set up takes over 20 seconds on average and really cranks on my already-cranky lower back.
I used to go through this for every warm up, including the bar. Only recently did it occur to me to save this for heavy working sets. If I’m doing volume at less than 75 percent, I’ll cool it on the arch and use a less aggressive position. Now, I warm up with a quick and dirty set up that involves less of an arch and keeps my back fresh for when I need it. Genius.
7. LEARNING TO CUE MYSELF
I usually train solo, so I don’t always get real-time coaching. I’ve learned this isn’t a bad thing. I’m accountable for committing good lifting form to memory, from mastering my set up to knowing my weaknesses.
I have a few simple, effective cues in my toolbox that I use for tough sets. My personal favorites are “standing tall” through the entire squat, “tuck elbows” on the way down for bench, and “brace core and ass” and “push” for deadlift. I try to lift as if Tony is there, rather than feeling like I can squeak by with bad technique just because nobody is watching.
8. TRAINING IN GOOD COMPANY
I’m of the opinion that training partners can seriously affect your performance, for better or worse, so now I choose wisely. I go out of my way as much as possible to lift at Cressey Sports Performance or AMP Fitness, because the people are top notch, positive, and want everyone to succeed. Spending time with stronger people has no doubt helped me to be a better lifter.
https://instagram.com/p/4uM_xsqE9F/
FROM GOOD TO GREAT
Many of these seem obvious, but could be the difference between a novice lifter breaking through plateaus, or stalling out and losing interest. Having a great coach helps too. Use these tips to climb the ranks from a beginner lifter to intermediate and beyond.