adpowah's training logs

Final two workouts before my trip I got a clean 285 and then a 290. I'll post the videos later. I also did a 315x4 in the slingshot.
 
Browner said:
How do you find the slingshot? I've just got one and going to start incorporating it once a week in my training to see if it has any carry over to my competition bench
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Well there are some pros and cons in my experience.

Pros:
  • It let's you experience much bigger weights, this is good for feeling the overall pressure you are going to experience and builds confidence.
  • The help is mainly off the chest, most people's weakest portion of the movement.
  • It is fun to play around with new stuff.
  • It is fairly easy to use, after a few sessions I felt pretty confident in it.
Cons:
  • Make sure you get the one for the weight range you intend to use it, I got the red one (I think it is for the 300ish range) before I was low 200 bencher and I found I couldn't even touch my chest unless I was at 225 (probably won't be an issue for you personally but it was what I experienced).
  • It doesn't super carry over to my bench press imo. The motion is slightly different, the acceleration is different etc. It is fun and I like having the tool but I couldn't imagine a situation where I got the majority of my volume from it.
  • It is supposedly safer but I feel the motion is different enough that it probably comes with its own set of overuse type injuries.
  • Sometimes people have no idea what it is and talk to me too much about it. One time I felt like a charlatan when I used it on 315 and some gym bros were like "sick lift bro, 3 plates that's amazing", but I imagine that occurs with any kind of gear.
 
adpowah said:
Well there are some pros and cons in my experience.

Pros:
  • It let's you experience much bigger weights, this is good for feeling the overall pressure you are going to experience and builds confidence.
  • The help is mainly off the chest, most people's weakest portion of the movement.
  • It is fun to play around with new stuff.
  • It is fairly easy to use, after a few sessions I felt pretty confident in it.
Cons:
  • Make sure you get the one for the weight range you intend to use it, I got the red one (I think it is for the 300ish range) before I was low 200 bencher and I found I couldn't even touch my chest unless I was at 225 (probably won't be an issue for you personally but it was what I experienced).
  • It doesn't super carry over to my bench press imo. The motion is slightly different, the acceleration is different etc. It is fun and I like having the tool but I couldn't imagine a situation where I got the majority of my volume from it.
  • It is supposedly safer but I feel the motion is different enough that it probably comes with its own set of overuse type injuries.
  • Sometimes people have no idea what it is and talk to me too much about it. One time I felt like a charlatan when I used it on 315 and some gym bros were like "sick lift bro, 3 plates that's amazing", but I imagine that occurs with any kind of gear.
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Thanks pal. I have a "Bench Blaster Extreme" from gunsmith fitness, basically an identical copy of the slingshot, and is designed for loads over 140kg. I found that it takes some getting used to, as it wants to pull you in a different motion than you would usually use. Plus I find it hard to set up, as I like to push into the uprights with my hands to try and get a bigger arch, but you cant do that with the slingshot on.

I bench (or variation of), 4x per week, so going to add this on one of the days as an overload movement and see how it goes over the next 6 weeks leading into my meet. On the days I use it will be something like;
x1@8 rpe
x3@9rpe
x3x2 @ load drop by 5%

I guess the proof will be in the pudding come meet day.
 
My non-HST-bench-prioritizing training program goes as follows:

Feeling good or pushing hard:
  • Long warmup: 30 straight arm pulldowns, 30 face pulls, 30 rows, 30 high rows
  • Speed work: 2x2@185
  • Hypertrophy work: 3x8@225+ using paused, double paused or chest-to-mid press paused half reps
  • Daily 1rm: Work up to a heavy single that is 5lbs more than the previous session
  • Slingshot: 315 amrap (worst is 1, best is 4)
  • If I have any energy left I may do some tricep work, isolation, slow reps. Some leg press...

Low energy/not motivated:
  • Daily 1rm: Work up to a heavy single that is 5lbs more than the previous session
  • Slingshot: 315 amrap (worst is 1, best is 4)

Some things I have found that help:
  • My gear progression is: nothing > +wrist wraps > +belt > shoes off. This helps me regulate when I am not feeling strong or need great support to get more stable.
  • Day over day training can be super valuable. Some of my best weekly strength gains have come from doing a "feeling good" work out day over day. I almost always find my second 1rm moves faster and smoother than the previous day. Obviously this is super high fatigue so I usually take 2 days off after a day over day.
  • Volume before 1rm: It sounds terrible and like it would blunt the 1rm and it is true but for long term growth I feel the hypertrophy needs to be a higher priority than daily 1rm work. I'd definitely structure this different if I was hitting rep work that projected me above my 1rm goal but I am not yet.
  • I purchased an OpenBarnbell acceleromter and it is incredibly useful! I found when I first started this that any rep below 0.17 m/s would be right on the line between failure and completion. Over the course I've completed some 0.10 m/s lifts and it has really helped me work on my ability to stick with a lift and keep it moving. This also helps me stay honest on my RPEs since I know anything in the 0.15 to 0.10 is my 9-9.5 rpe and 0.22 to 0.17 is my 8-8.5 rpe.
  • Keeping training fun can be more important than being optimal.
 
Nothing too new I am continuing with my bench only training. I re-hit 290 but forgot my accelerometer so I am not sure exactly where it was but I would guess 0.14 range, not a total grinder but not incredibly fast either. I have hit some other PRs recently with my hypertrophy being a 3x4 and getting a 245x4, 255x4 and 265x4. Also I decided to start moving past 315 in the slighshot for reps and instead go for singles. I got 335 for an extremely strong rep and 345 for a pretty ugly rep.

I'd say my rep goal is 275lbs, raw 1rm is 315 (the main goal) and slighshot is 365.

Assuming everything continues as it has been going I expect to hit 315 sometime in December.

On a different note: I recently compiled my full 4 year training history that I have been meaning to share with some phone graphs and overservations.
 
Minor update, I hit 295. It was slow but at no point did I think I was going to miss. I am going to try and keep working on 295 until it is a little cleaner but it was definitely a psychological win.
 

Meh calling it good enough on my 315 journey. Obviously it isn't perfect or even great. It's a shame that I didn't pause it (under the load, I sure thought I did but it is obvious I did not) and that my friend touches the bar though he doesn't really change the lift. Anyways there you have it.

For the next couple of weeks I am going start getting back to full body training.
 
No real new updates. I am getting back into full body training with a long term goal of a 600+ sumo deadlift. I decided sumo over conventional because I can just train sumo way more often than I can conventional...kinda.

So getting back into sumo-ing I figured I'd just work up to 405 and then pull it for a handful and slowly work that up to 20 total reps and then move to the next weight up (455, 495, etc). Well the first few weeks it went fine and I got up to 405 for a 5,2 (7 total reps) however the next workout I went 4,3,1 (8 total reps) and it did't feel great but I muscled thru it. Since then I am hitting only about 2-4 total reps so I drastically over estimated how fast I could recover from this and I need to rethink how I intend to tackle this. The big thing is I am getting some pretty extreme hip pain, the good news is it is definitely muscular so I just need to figure out what is going on and fix it. Anyways I will probably pull 225 or 315 and just let the minor pain be the indicator when to back off. If that doesn't cure the hips then I will do a deeper dive.

On the bench front I have just been going raw 225 for 10-12 reps, maybe another set. Then I slingshot up and each workout do a single amrap cycling 275, 295 and then 315. My last 315 I hit for a fairly commanding 5, probably could have gotten 6 but it was a PR regardless over my previous 4. I don't think I could reproduce the 315 raw yet but bench definitely didn't take a huge hit after moving back to full body training.
 
@Browner I had told you previously that I didn't see a lot of carryover from the slingshot because of the acceleration and movement. I recently found putting the slingshot on my bicep rather than elbow (basically just as high on the arms as possible) made the motion much more natural but it did reduce the assistance. Granted the assistance could have been more because it's positioning helped me more in my weakpoint but nonetheless I think I would backtrack my comment about the carry over now and say that as long as it is positioned well I can see good carry over.
 
Minor updates on my sumo pulls. I've been working on my mobility and really reducing the intensity but increasing the total volume. I recently pulled 405 for 2x3 or 4 sets and it felt really good. I try and pull each workout and taking more time working on my hips is really starting to show. My pulls are mostly pain free (other than doms) and I just try and a set or a rep. I pulled a triple and I definitely felt the pain again so it seems like if I keep the reps within a set low, it doesn't flair up. I suspect my form is falling apart and I probably need to record myself, I am guessing I am getting a bit of knee cave as I get fatigued within a set.

Anyways, also in the news I am trying much more cardio/high rep type work and that has been going well enough. At the same time I am still pushing my sumo and I pulled 500 off of blocks (maybe 3-4 inches) and it was extremely challenging (which is fine). Anyways on Sunday we did a thrusters 10 rep emom for 10 minutes. So by Monday my legs were pretty smoked, even in my warmups I knew I didn't have much to give. Well I worked up to 405 for a single and went smooth and pain free, then did 425, the same. So I put on 445 and it went a little slower but very smooth (this is a sumo PR for me). So I figure let's just go up slow but go until I can't anymore, so I put on 455. This pull was much slower and much more grindy but it didn't feel terrible so I stuck with it and completed it. Once I walked away my hips and legs started crying and it was uncomfortable to stand for about 10 minutes. But I am pretty much healed up now and looking to get back to my volume work.
 
adpowah said:
@Browner I had told you previously that I didn't see a lot of carryover from the slingshot because of the acceleration and movement. I recently found putting the slingshot on my bicep rather than elbow (basically just as high on the arms as possible) made the motion much more natural but it did reduce the assistance. Granted the assistance could have been more because it's positioning helped me more in my weakpoint but nonetheless I think I would backtrack my comment about the carry over now and say that as long as it is positioned well I can see good carry over.
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Thanks for the update. I have found I get quite good carry over with it. I wear it the same place you have described (up past the elbow). Plus its great fun to use.
 
I've been trying to work in more high rep work and so far it has been working out well. Last night was the first time I really gave myo reps a shot and it worked really well. I did them for pretty much my whole upper body routine, the highlight was slignshot bench @225x15,3,3,3 and then after a bit of rest a raw 135x15,3,3 which was pretty brutal. I am going to try and increase the number of myo sets I can do over time. I'll probably try and do that every Monday and heavier upper body lifts on Fridays, basically a very loose DUP concept.

Sumo has been going well, I am pulling pain free regularly which is great. My recent highlights are 500 off of 2" blocks, 455 from the ground and 435x1,1,1,1,2. I am going to attempt some sort of higher volume protocol on Friday maybe using 315 or 225, probably some sort of half rep situation where I just move the bar from barely off the ground to right below the knees for high reps...maybe even myo reps. So basically the opposite of upper body going heavy on Mondays and high rep on Fridays.
 
Deadlifts and Myo reps are brutal, I love them but they are generally not recommended for myo reps and neither are squats but again I like doing myo reps full stop
 
@mickc1965 yeah I am going to have to be real honest with myself when it comes to fatigue. I am hoping that because I can recover better from sumo than I can from conventional that I will be able to use some myo or at the very least higher volume work. I am sure after a week or two I will get the sense if I am grinding myself into injuries or if I can handle it.
 
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