Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Phase 3 Powerlifting

I have been working pretty diligently on a program for my upcoming meet and I am going to put my plan into action.  I believe this is going to be an awesome way to train for meets and hitting new PR's.  Some of the things I have spent several months looking at for this program...

  • rep correlations in regards to maximum strength and how accurate they can be
  • problems associated with the initial stages of linear periodization and how these can be remedied 
  • problems associated with the last few weeks of periodization and fixes for these as well
  • short cycles within a longer cycle that will always let you know where you are in terms of your 1-rep max within a few pounds.  These cycles also build on each other allowing you to plan properly for the next cycle. 
  • a system that lets you work with heavy enough loads that your top level strength stays intact but doesn't burn you out by exceeding certain thresholds too often.
  • factors in rep work for your big lifts to allow for hypertrophy throughout the entire training cycle and increases your 1RM as well. 
  • How to use your opener and second attempts weights to actually build for that big third attempt and know whether you are really good for it. 
  • How not to leave reps on the table that help build your 1RM faster.
I'm still fine tuning this whole thing but as noted, I will be using it for my meet and I'm pretty excited about it.  I fully believe in peaking your lifts and believe for raw guys this is the best way to prepare.  However most peaking programs I have used have flaws because they don't account for the varying wave of strength levels throughout the cycle.

What if you are having a crap day and miss what was planned?  Did you get too liberal with your planned max (a common mistake of guys who fail with linear programs)?  What now?  Chalk it up to a bad or sweat not being able to make the lift at the meet?

As noted, I'm fine tuning this thing but I really think it's going to be pretty awesome once I get all of the kinks out.  Will write more about it as I iron things out.   

2 comments:

  1. Have you had a chance to look at Mike Tuchscherer's "Reactive Training Systems"? He talks about Rates of Perceived Exertion (RPEs) and Fatigue Stops. Where RPE's are a subjective measure of your strength at a given time rated on a scale from 1 to 10...see

    http://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com/articles/training-articles/49-chapter-2

    And a fatigue stop is when your strength is decreasing within a worlout. It might be worth a look.

    Anyhow, I'm looking forward to your write-up.

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  2. I haven't looked at his book but I am aware of his RPE method and think it's a great system. And of course Mike is a great lifter and has made that work really well for himself. I need to pick up his book and read his stuff more in depth. Thanks for the chapter excerpt link.

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