My journey to a 1500 raw total

[Kenny Powers]

Yep, you heard it, im going for a 1500 raw total. So now you are probably wondering, who the hell am i and how far am i from this total?

Ive been training for just over 3 years and powerlifting for around 6 months. I weigh about 188 right now after getting over a pretty bad sickness where i lost about 6 lbs. I plan to compete in the 198 weight class for the time being and i am taking my time working my way to the top of the weight class as i would like to stay lean and not put on any bad weight.

I train using an Ed Coan 4 day routine (all main lifts periodized) with

Squat Monday
Bench Wednesday
Deadlift Friday (Coan Phillipi program)
Bench assistance Saturday

Now for some stats and numbers so you know what im working with and how far i need to come to reach my goals of a 1500 raw total.

- I am 5'10 188

- My best gym squat was 330x10 or 385x2 however i have not truly maxed in a long time and have never done a full meet so i have no competition numbers for squat

- My best competition lift for bench was 315, going 3 for 3 in my first and only meet

- My best gym deadlift is 545x2, though i have only been doing deficit deads recently

So right now i am right around a 1300 total if i can put it all together at a meet. I was happy to see that i performed well in my first meet and actually hit a 30 lb pr though i had been hitting my opener easy in training before the meet. I have 200 lbs to put on my total to reach my goal and i would like to do so by apa raw nationals next year which gives me about a year to acheive my goal.

My next planned meet is an all raw meet which will be held in october, so i will get my feet wet then and see what i need to work on, and im damn sure it will be alot ;)

Are my goals lofty? Oh hell yes they are, but why set goals if you know you can acheive them?

So if you want to follow along and see if i can pass or fail, be my guest i would be glad to have ya. First workout of the new journal will be up later tonight.

I am very interested as well in any and all advice from more experienced guys, even if its to tell me how much i suck. It all helps, so training talk is encouraged.

[Kenny Powers]

Two main components of my journal are as mentioned training discussion from anyone and everyone and also lifting videos. I will try to get videos anytime a new PR or some sort of particular attempt of note is made. However, i also will fulfill any requests to get vids of any specific movement if asked at any time. So feel free to ask if you want to see any lift or how i do any lift.

The vids i take are for technique purposes as techinque is paramount in this little "sport" that we all love so much.

So for anyone who follows, thanks and enjoy the ride

[Kenny Powers]

Squat- Week 3 of Coan Periodized Program

Squat w/ belt and knee sleeves

295x8
295x8

Paused Squat (2 secs in hole) w/ belt and sleeves

245x5
275x5

Clean Grip Front Squat

225x3
225x3
225x3

GHR

+25x5
+25x5
+25x5

Thoughts

-i havent been able to be consistent in the gym in a while due to work but still felt solid today
-sets were not that tough, squats had good speed and power and were not close to failure at all
-fronts felt great, been a long time since i have done them and was super fast with them today, will experiment with more of these in the future and likely more sets as well, will at least go up to 235
-good session in general though ghr was much tougher than usual, need to check the bench setting next time

[EatMyWay2TheTop]

I'll be following your log closely as Im gunning for the same ballpark. Good luck.

[Kenny Powers]

thanks brotha, good luck on acheiveing your goals as well!

another workout coming in a few hours

[Kenny Powers]

Bench - Week 3 of Coan Periodized Program

Paused Bench Press

235x8
235x8

Close Grip Bench T&G

205x8
205x8

Incline Bench T&G

195x8
195x8

Floor Skullcrushers

Ez-bar + 70x15
Ez-bar + 70x15
Ez-bar + 70x15

Review

-nothing too challenging, though my endurance sucks haha
-a little frustrated in that my setup for bench was a little off today, but found the groove at the end, should be good going into my next workout
-anxious to up the weight and get back to the heavy stuff :)

[roots]

nice raw numbers, that 545 deadlift for a double is serious weight. Do you train deficit deads every week?

[-JM-]

Kenny, I too will be following along. I have a similar target.

Lofty goals are much more fun!!

Good luck!

[Kenny Powers]

nice raw numbers, that 545 deadlift for a double is serious weight. Do you train deficit deads every week?

thanks my man

i have been recently. they are my main lift in the Coan Phillipi program which i just started and i was using them for about 2 months before hand as well. i feel like they will give me excellent carryover to regular deads and improve my power off the floor.

im hoping that when i get to a mid 500s deficit pull, i will be able to handle 600 on regular deads. that is my short term goal and if i want to hit 1500 im going to have to pull 600+


Kenny, I too will be following along. I have a similar target.

Lofty goals are much more fun!!

Good luck!

awesome man, ill do the same for you. more powerlifting the better

and hell yea they are, gonna feel badass when i can squat 500+, bench 365 and pull 600+

:D

[Kenny Powers]

Coan Phillipi Deadlift Week 2

Deficit Deadlift off 2.5 inch blocks

435x2
495x1 (no blocks, off the floor)

Deficit DL SPEED WORK (60 sec rests, focus on speed and explosion)

355x3
355x3
355x3
355x3
355x3
355x3
355x3
355x3

Massive Superset with RDL, BB Row, Chin then repeat

RDL

365x8
365x8
365x8

Strict BB Row

265x8
265x8
265x8

Chinup

+35x8
+35x8
+35x8

Thoughts

-all in all, not bad for just getting back into deadlifts after a pretty substantial hiatus
-wasnt supposed to do 495, guys i was lifting with were doing some singles and i wanted a taste of some heavy weight haha
-crushed 495, easy rep and probably could have repped it out 5+ times
-assistance work is lagging, should improve soon, rdls and chins were especially weak today but i will continue to improve

[Chalky Palms]

Lifts looks solid, deads are strong as well. Those are big numbers to be pulling for your weight. Good luck with the goals!

[-JM-]

Assistance is lagging you say? I cant wait to see it when its on point.

[EatMyWay2TheTop]

Strong session to say the least

[KoSh]

I'll be watching this one. My goal is to hang with you now, and you're pretty far ahead of me (Read: I'm not even close) :)

See that figure in the distance in your rear view mirror?

No... Further back...

Not that one either...

I'm the little speck that's barely visible... Keep an eye out, I'm coming! :)

[Kenny Powers]

Lifts looks solid, deads are strong as well. Those are big numbers to be pulling for your weight. Good luck with the goals!

thanks chalkster, im trying to stay consistent and keep driving to those goals. this week has been a good start so far, im feeling solid


Assistance is lagging you say? I cant wait to see it when its on point.

haha, give it a few weeks hopefully. ive been up to 445x5 on RDL before and up to +75x8 on chins before, so i have a ways to go before i get back there. i just need to continue to imrpove my work capacity and strength


Strong session to say the least

thanks my man, im not satisfied yet! lots of work to do as always...;)


I'll be watching this one. My goal is to hang with you now, and you're pretty far ahead of me (Read: I'm not even close) :)

See that figure in the distance in your rear view mirror?

No... Further back...

Not that one either...

I'm the little speck that's barely visible... Keep an eye out, I'm coming! :)

hahaha, i know what you mean man. we have a few guys im trying to hang with that are just owning all my lifts so we all have improvements to make

thansk for the support man, and ill swing by your log to see whats happening in that bad boy

tear it up man, competiiton is alwayssssssssss a good thing in my eyes!

[Time+Patience]

Coan Phillipi Deadlift Week 2

Deficit Deadlift off 2.5 inch blocks

435x2
495x1 (no blocks, off the floor)

Deficit DL SPEED WORK (60 sec rests, focus on speed and explosion)
355x3

RDL
365x8

Strict BB Row
265x8

1 question for you... The Deficit Deadlifts, are you standing on a block, ie you are elevated higher making the bar placement lower on your shins, or vice versa- the bar is on blocks thus making it higher against your shins.

Those are definitely some impressive numbers. We sound like we have similar bodytypes. When I was PLing I had strong legs, I could get nearly 1200 combined on my Squats and Deads, but the Bench held me back.

I'll be following up on your jounal to see if I can pick up any new tips, I might incorporate some of that Speed work that you are doing.

Do you utilize bands or chains? If so how do you like them?

Get to those heavy weights!

[Kenny Powers]

1 question for you... The Deficit Deadlifts, are you standing on a block, ie you are elevated higher making the bar placement lower on your shins, or vice versa- the bar is on blocks thus making it higher against your shins.

Those are definitely some impressive numbers. We sound like we have similar bodytypes. When I was PLing I had strong legs, I could get nearly 1200 combined on my Squats and Deads, but the Bench held me back.

I'll be following up on your jounal to see if I can pick up any new tips, I might incorporate some of that Speed work that you are doing.

Do you utilize bands or chains? If so how do you like them?

Get to those heavy weights!

deficit deadlifts are done by standing on a box, so i am elevated and the ROM is longer. the bar is basically on my shoetops. i like them because they aid in my speed off the floor when i get back to regular deads. unlike partial pulls (less ROM) i get good carryover to regular deadlifts

haha, yea well actually id say my squat is probably the worst of all my lifts. none are that amazing, but my back work seems to stand out a bit imo. my bench isnt that far behind anymore at 315 paused so thats ok. i basically need to increase everything haha

no bands or chains, imo people have a tendancy to get a little too fancy with that type of stuff. ive never been motivated as a raw lifter to try any of that any farther than some light experimentation. i make better gains when i focus on basics and linear periodization. for me, thats enough

glad to have you man!

[Kenny Powers]

Bench Assistance

MP (periodized, week 2)

160x8
160x8

2 Board Paused Bench

225x5
255x5
275x5

WG Floor Skullcrushers

Ez Bar + 70x12
Ez Bar + 90x10
Ez Bar + 90x10
Ez Bar + 70x15

Pressdown

10 reps
12 reps

Thoughts

-well, was feeling pretty good about this one until i remembered i forgot to do speed bench lol
-board press was good with solid speed, will likely not go heavy like that any more and will relegate them to more of a semi speed movement, focusing on good bar speed and slowly working up while maintaining the same speed
-floor skulls are working well, seem to be effective for tearin up the tri's
-MP feling good, should be smooth sailing for a while until things get heavy later into the periodization
-overall, nice and relaxing weekend session

[Kenny Powers]

think im going to focus on upping the volume a little on the accessory work. my rest times have been lazy and i think that some more volume can help. ill plan to add about 3-5 more total sets per day.

still up in the air what i will do. for sure one more set of pause squats and a few more sets of front squats since thats my bread and butter. maybe some high wide stance box squats as well idk

[Chalky Palms]

think im going to focus on upping the volume a little on the accessory work. my rest times have been lazy and i think that some more volume can help. ill plan to add about 3-5 more total sets per day.

still up in the air what i will do. for sure one more set of pause squats and a few more sets of front squats since thats my bread and butter. maybe some high wide stance box squats as well idk

Nice pressing. Why work your bread and butter? I'd use the extra sets to hit your weaknesses.

[Kenny Powers]

Nice pressing. Why work your bread and butter? I'd use the extra sets to hit your weaknesses.

Thanks CP. What i mean by that is that those exercises seem to work well and carryover well to the actual competition lifts for me. Unlike things like leg press which really dont seem to help at all.

I am keeping the periodized main movements the same but shaking up some of the assistance work and the volume. And i am definitely taking your advice in adding in some work to my weakpoints, mainly my super ****ty hips and triceps.

[Chalky Palms]

Sounds good. How old are you by the way? I'd absolutely hate you if you were younger than me with those numbers lol.

[Kenny Powers]

Sounds good. How old are you by the way? I'd absolutely hate you if you were younger than me with those numbers lol.

lol, in grad school but im a little older than usual for grad school.

how about you?

and these numbers are nothing yet, gotta improve a lot to get to raw elite status!!!!!

;)

[KoSh]

You owned my max in MP.

I hate you.

:)

[Kenny Powers]

You owned my max in MP.

I hate you.

:)

lol, but i do mine seated so i cheat

:p

[Kenny Powers]

Squat Day Week 4 Ed Coan Periodized Routine

Raw Squat

305x8
305x8

Speed Sumo Deadlift

245x3
245x3
245x3
245x3
245x3

Box Squats

225x3
245x3
255x3
265x3
275x3
225x5

GHR

BWx15
BWx15
BWx15
BWx15

Power Shrug

245x10
335x8
335x8

Thoughts

-tired, and tired as hell of my ****ty flexibility and horrible box squat strength, so i will pound them until i improve because i suck at them
-feel like i got a good amount of work done though, i like the slightly jacked up volume, power shrugs were a nice finisher, i love that exercise

[KoSh]

Strong stuff, man. Pulling away from me. Bastard. :)

[Kenny Powers]

haha, you better step it up then man!

;), jk

[EatMyWay2TheTop]

Strong looking session for sure

[-JM-]

Thats a tough looking session man. In fact it looks hateful.

How many times do you actually squat a week with that program?

[roots]

yeah man, thats an intense session haha. How long were you at the gym for? It would've taken me at least 2 hours to do all that

[Kenny Powers]

Strong looking session for sure

thanks my man


Thats a tough looking session man. In fact it looks hateful.

How many times do you actually squat a week with that program?

ha, i squat twice a week now. do some heavier work on this day and then some lighter work on my dl day


yeah man, thats an intense session haha. How long were you at the gym for? It would've taken me at least 2 hours to do all that

thanks man, i was there for about an hour and a half. part of that BS'in with the guy i workout with

[Kenny Powers]

Changes

I was on a ketogenic diet which was working fairly well for losing a few lbs and tightening up, but it was absolutely killing me in the gym. My strength has dropped off the table in a really bad way. For example, benching 275 for one felt as hard as benching 315 for one six weeks ago. Squatting 305 for 8 was harder than 335 for 10 which i did about a month ago.

I am cutting out of this program and getting my carbs back. I will not eat carbs at night or for my first meal on non workout days. On workout days i will eat moderately high carbs, lower fat numbers and high protein. On my non workout days, lower carbs, high protein and moderately high fat.

Hopefully it wont take long for the carbs to give me my juice back at the gym because im tired of feeling weak in the gym!

[Chalky Palms]

lol, in grad school but im a little older than usual for grad school.

how about you?

and these numbers are nothing yet, gotta improve a lot to get to raw elite status!!!!!

;)

I hear ya, I'm chasin that goal too. I just turned 22 last month. As long as I stay injury free I'd say I have a shot. Your journal is good motivation so far.

[-JM-]

Hopefully it wont take long for the carbs to give me my juice back at the gym because im tired of feeling weak in the gym!

Me too. I have been having the same trouble. Squatting exposes this the most I think.

[KoSh]

Kenny,

Can't wait to see what you do on a different diet. This is going to be a fun journal to follow :)

[Kenny Powers]

I hear ya, I'm chasin that goal too. I just turned 22 last month. As long as I stay injury free I'd say I have a shot. Your journal is good motivation so far.

word, similar goals ftw! lets see who can get there first haha ;)

thanks man, glad to be able to provide some motivation, even if it is a little bit


Me too. I have been having the same trouble. Squatting exposes this the most I think.

killer man, its brutal. i felt like i lost 25 percent of my strength. why are your carbs low? diet or just unable to get in the food?


Kenny,

Can't wait to see what you do on a different diet. This is going to be a fun journal to follow :)

haha, thanks brotha.

if today was an indication, big things. i felt a LOT better today, see next post

[Kenny Powers]

DE Bench

Paused Speed Bench

185x3
185x3
185x3
185x3 with chains
185x3 with chains
185x3 with more chains
185x3 with most chains
185x3
275x1

CGBP

225x5
225x5
225x5

Dead Hang Chinups

+45x6
+45x6
+45x6
+45x6
+45x6

Floor Skullcrusher

Ez Bar + 70x12
Ez Bar + 70x12
Ez Bar + 70x12
Ez Bar + 70x12

Chest Supported Tbar Row

2 plates + 25 x 10
3 plates x 10
3 plates x 10

Thoughts

-feel sooooo much better with carbs back in the mix
-strong on bench, was snapping the weight up, speed was super fast, could have easily gone much heavier, ALSO chains weight 15lbs per side, top set had 3 per side
-cgbp was taken light as my tricep was bothering me a good bit since i have been sleeping on it kinda badly lately
-chins were nice and easy, working my way back into this exercise, will increase next time

[Pete22]

Strong stuff in here Kenny, nice DE session.

[EatMyWay2TheTop]

Looks like big things are coming for you mate

[killxswitch]

I subscribed. Looking forward to seeing your progress. 1500 is a lifetime goal for me, lol. Impressive chins and everything else in this latest workout.

[KoSh]

Great work, man.

I hate seeing people get real work in while I deload. Boo that.

[-JM-]

To echo the others, that does look like a tough session. Impressive chins!!

I am dropping carbs very low on non WO days and just taking them in moderately on WO days. I am trying to shed some lard.

[Kenny Powers]

Strong stuff in here Kenny, nice DE session.


Looks like big things are coming for you mate

thanks fellas!


I subscribed. Looking forward to seeing your progress. 1500 is a lifetime goal for me, lol. Impressive chins and everything else in this latest workout.

thanks man, and its a lifetime goal for me too haha, im about 250 lbs off right now so im not exactly knocking on the door haha

ill check your journal out as well


Great work, man.

I hate seeing people get real work in while I deload. Boo that.

haha, be jealous fool! jk, ;)


To echo the others, that does look like a tough session. Impressive chins!!

I am dropping carbs very low on non WO days and just taking them in moderately on WO days. I am trying to shed some lard.

appreciate it flynn

how is that working out for you so far? the diet was effective as hell for me in dropping some fat but i was just done for strength gains, had nothing

[Kenny Powers]

on another note my hips are really starting to give me some serious problems. i have had extremely tight (and i mean, extremely tight) hips and awful flexibility for a long time. it has resulted in a mutitude of issues, including not being able to hit depth with ANY stance without considerable hip pain and discomfort.

additionally, it has resulted in some inflammation in my lower back and resulted in some weakness in my deadlift and squat and associated assistance exercises

i will be making a few changes because this trash needs to be fixed.

-i will be doing an intensive foam rolling program, dynamic stretching and static stretching once a day as well as some band work for my hips

-i will make a concerted effort to maintain proper posture at all times and also be concious of being in better position while sitting at my desk at work

-worst of all, i will be dropping all freeweight squats and do everything to a box to learn to sit back and maintain proper posture and slowly improve flexibility

-initially, the box will be higher than parallel, since i am physically unable to reach depth without pain in my hips, today we found that i could get just under 2 inches above parallel (not even close to a quarter squat, still much deeper than that) and use that as a starting point

-ill be focusing on proper form, a wider powerful stance and pushing my knees out, sitting back and keeping my chest up

HOPEFULLY, the above changes will teach me better balance and improve my flexibility allowing me to make better gains in time as i will not be held back by my flexibility issues. My chiro buddy tells me that foam rolling will take about 2 to 3 weeks to take effect, so hopefully within a month i will be making some pretty positive changes. I will be recording some of these sets and post them for feedback.

Its going to be a long road, but considering how much of a tremendous pain that this has been for quite a while, its time to fix this issue once and for all. When im done, ill probably be stronger, more flexible and ready to get after that 500 lb raw squat!

[EatMyWay2TheTop]

I also had issues with hitting depth on the squat and dynamic and static stretching should help you tremendously. Seems like you'll get it sorted out pretty quick.

[Time+Patience]

Squatting form in general is a difficult task, not everyone does it right, even the more experienced lifters still have trouble to this day. For me I don't really get a great "feel" when I squat. I'll sure as hell get a good workout, but somedays I don't feel my muscles driving, like I can feel my chest, shoulders, lats, and tri's working together on bench press.

Work on that stretching, a lot of people don't do it often, me included. I used to get into it consistently, but only for a month, then I would slack off.

If you can work on it for a long time, it should come, and since you're main focus is to prevent injury and improve your Squat, you should be rather consistent with it.

Nice lifting BTW.

[Kenny Powers]

I also had issues with hitting depth on the squat and dynamic and static stretching should help you tremendously. Seems like you'll get it sorted out pretty quick.


Squatting form in general is a difficult task, not everyone does it right, even the more experienced lifters still have trouble to this day. For me I don't really get a great "feel" when I squat. I'll sure as hell get a good workout, but somedays I don't feel my muscles driving, like I can feel my chest, shoulders, lats, and tri's working together on bench press.

Work on that stretching, a lot of people don't do it often, me included. I used to get into it consistently, but only for a month, then I would slack off.

If you can work on it for a long time, it should come, and since you're main focus is to prevent injury and improve your Squat, you should be rather consistent with it.

Nice lifting BTW.

right on guys. i think ive got a pretty good little routine setup here with some foam rolling, band work and static stretching. im feeling looser and better already. i know given a few weeks the changes will be huge

[Kenny Powers]

Squat

Box Squat, ~3 inches higher than parallel

225x8
245x8
265x5
285x5
315x3
275x5 (lower box, 2 inches higher than parallel)
225x8

GHR

BWx15
+25x12
+25x12
+25x12
+25x12
BWx30

Thoughts

-squat felt better, did a decent job sitting back, still had some reps that were coming forward too much, but have good eyes from training partners to keep me in line
-lower box squats were tough to get to with sitting back, but my flexibility keeps improving so im sure it will feel great next week
-ghr tore up the hammies, good stuff

[roots]

nice work. Do you plan on competing raw for a while, or do you eventually want to add gear ?

[Kenny Powers]

Back/Triceps

Chinup, dead hang

+50x5
+50x5
+50x5
+50x5
+50x5

RDL

315x10
365x8
405x5
405x5

Widegrip Tbar Row Machine

3 plates x 15
3 plates +25 x 12
4 plates x 10
4 plates x 10

Close Grip Floor Skullcrusher

95x15
105x12
115x8

DB OH Extension

80x12
80x12
80x12

Power Shrug

315x10
315x10

Thoughts

-due to some injury problems im trying to mix a few things up, but will still keep the emphasis on the big 3
-this is something i will do likely for a good few weeks until i get back home to my regular gym with my regular equipment in a couple months
-felt good today, was a nice combo and got it done in about an hour

[Chalky Palms]

solid work all around, nothing wrong with changin things up for a bit. Gotta love the heavy romanians.

[-JM-]

Plenty of volume in that session duder. Nice job.

Hope your injuries heal up soon man. I think I only now appreciate how much injuries can both physically and mentally take their toll.

What age are you, if you dont mind me asking?

[Kenny Powers]

thanks bro's. mid 20's my man. and you?

Legs/Shoulders

Parallel Box Squat

225x5
255x5
275x5
305x5

BTN Press

135x10
145x8
165x6
175x6

Olympic Back Squat 60 sec rests

225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5
225x5

Smith WG Upright Row

135x10
145x10
155x8
165x8

Thoughts

-good workout, getting more flexible by the day from my stretching
-wasnt too challenging today, just kinda getting back into it
-olympic squats felt great, used my oly shoes and depth was very good, i will increase next time

[roots]

crazy pressing there, especially BTN. I always found those aggravated my shoulder compared to pressing in front.

[Chalky Palms]

Strong pressing Ken, why BTH though?

[Kenny Powers]

crazy pressing there, especially BTN. I always found those aggravated my shoulder compared to pressing in front.

thanks man. opposite for me for whatever reason. i tore my labrum about a year and a half ago, but btn is always easier for me


Strong pressing Ken, why BTH though?

appreciate it cp. feel better for me and carry over very well for my benching and also grow my shoulders liike crazy. my shoulders are my best bodypart, but are shrinking a bit since i havent been good on my pressing lately. im getting back into it to get that strength back up

[-JM-]

Nice session Kenny.

What is the general outline of your program?

Im 30 btw.

[Kenny Powers]

Nice session Kenny.

What is the general outline of your program?

Im 30 btw.

thanks man.

chest/bi's, off, back/tri, off, legs/shoulders, off

though i throw in extra rest days when i need them. also, i do some hamstring work on my back day so in reality, the legs is more of a quads day

this is just something i will be working with until i can get back to my home gym and can be better about my diet and such. with work, its getting harder and harder to do.

EDIT:

a better way to put it is this. bench/bi, off, deadlift/tri, off, squat/shoulders, off

[JSully]

odd, I tore my labrum with BTN presses.. good luck with that..

I like your goal and at that bodyweight you'll be a monster in the field..

[KoSh]

Absolute monster sessions bro. Keep going!

[Kenny Powers]

odd, I tore my labrum with BTN presses.. good luck with that..

I like your goal and at that bodyweight you'll be a monster in the field..


Absolute monster sessions bro. Keep going!

thanks brothas!

and yea jake, i know what you mean. its crazy how some things bother certain people but are easy for others. who the hell knows my man?

[Kenny Powers]

Getting Organized

New "routine" loosely based on an upper/lower program with heavy and light days.

Upper 1

Incline Bench Press 5 sets, 2x4-6, 2x8, 1x12+
Military Press 3 sets 2x4-6, 1x10+
Overhead Extensions 5 sets between 8-15 reps
Chinups 5 sets, 2x4-6, 2x8, 1x10+
Deadlift 4 sets, 3x4-6, 1x8+

Lower 1

Preacher Curl 4 sets
Calves 4 sets
Box Squats 6 sets 3x4-6, 2x6-8, 1x10
Pull Through 3 sets/Ghetto GHR 2 sets

Upper 2

Paused Flat Bench Press 5 sets, 2 heavy worksets 3-5, 3 speed sets
BTN Press 4 sets 2x6-8, 1x8-10, 1x12+
Floor Skullcrusher 5 sets
WG Pullup 5 sets
BB Row 5 sets
DB Fly 2 sets

Lower 2

BB Curl 4 sets
Calves 4 sets
RDL 4 sets
Olympic Squat 5 sets, higher reps
Power Shrugs 3 sets

[EatMyWay2TheTop]

Interesting routine

[Time+Patience]

With your new routine, how are your Rest days set up?

And I'm assuming the 2nd portion of your Upper and Lower workouts are your heavier days. I know most routines have the routine set up with the Speed Bench, or DE days on a day of their own, but you have them set up after the Heavy Flat Pause Presses, any reason? Or are you just experimenting?

405 on the RDL is sick, very impressive.

[Kenny Powers]

Interesting routine

lol, thanks man. we will see how it works out, im pretty flexible with my training, so if something needs to be modified, it will be


With your new routine, how are your Rest days set up?

And I'm assuming the 2nd portion of your Upper and Lower workouts are your heavier days. I know most routines have the routine set up with the Speed Bench, or DE days on a day of their own, but you have them set up after the Heavy Flat Pause Presses, any reason? Or are you just experimenting?

405 on the RDL is sick, very impressive.

probably going to try to stick to M, T, off, Th, F but this will change depending on how much rest i need.

i may throw the heavy flat bench out entirely, and do all speed work there.

the reason that my routine is so crazy and i had to drop the coan routine is because this gym i am forced to train at this summer has terrible equipment. the bench is literally about 10 inches from the ground. i am completely unable to arch at all, and my bench is almost flat backed. it sucks. not to mention there is no ghr, and no way to setup deficit deadlifts because of the "rules" of the club

im just going to try to eat well and do the best i can to add some size and strength so when i get back home i can get back to my conventional training where i have the proper equipment to do so. so im sort of doing some bodybuilding type stuff in the meantime.

i dont want to do it, but i cant do any sort of powerlifting training here and its frustrating.

maybe i will do some high rep flat db presses on my second upper day to keep it a bit more of a "lighter day".

good suggestions man, and i need to keep those thoughts in mind!

[Kenny Powers]

Bench Assistance Week 1

Speed Bench

165x3
165x3
165x3
165x3
165x3

BTN Press

135x10
145x10
145x10
115x15

High Incline DB Press

70x10
70x10

Pulldown

195x5
195x5
195x5
195x5
150x10
150x10

Incline DB Extension

80x10
80x10
80x20

[Nate IRL]

I saw your video on another post and I'm really trying to zone in on my bench form after some major 5x5 disappointment. Next Monday I'm gonna mimic your setup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYND02lbxUA&feature=player_embedded

Is this your form on every set or only when throwing the big weight? thanks

[Kenny Powers]

I saw your video on another post and I'm really trying to zone in on my bench form after some major 5x5 disappointment. Next Monday I'm gonna mimic your setup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYND02lbxUA&feature=player_embedded

Is this your form on every set or only when throwing the big weight? thanks

all the time man, every time.

fixing my form and developing a good arch and solid base to press from was the best thing i ever did for benching. dont get discouraged, you just have to practice until you get locked in.

if you can, take some vids of your setup so your form can be evaluated and perfected. if done properly, id bet you can easily get 25-40 lbs out of your current bench max, if not more

[Kenny Powers]

Squat Week 1

Squat

275x8
275x8

Pause Squat

245x5
245x5

Olympic Squat

225x5
225x5

Leg Curl

80x12
80x12
80x12

Preacher Curl

60x10
60x10

[KoSh]

As usual, you're kicking some serious ass.

I'm never going to catch you! hahaha!

[Kenny Powers]

As usual, you're kicking some serious ass.

I'm never going to catch you! hahaha!

lol, i was terrible today i thought. i felt weak and slow, but the oly squats were great, i think i might be stronger on those than my regular squats. im going to experiment some more with olympic shoes and see what happens.

and yea you can catch me man, at least you can kick my ass with that MMA training you are about to do haha

:D

[Kenny Powers]

Bench Week 1

Bench

205x10
205x10

Close Grip Bench

175x10
175x10

Incline Bench

155x10
155x9....wow

Lever Tbar Row

135x10
160x8
160x8
160x8
135x12

Floor Skullcrushers

105x10
105x8
105x8
85x12

Tate Press

30x8
40x6
50x3
55x3

Wow my work capacity sucks. Pretty horrible, a far cry from my 315 competition bench.

[-JM-]

Kenny,

I noticed your speed bench back there. Do you compete in gear? If not, im just wondering about your opinions or experience of its effectiveness for raw lifting.

Still solid WOs despite the unfortunate gym rules and lack of equipment. Those high rep and volume sessions are stinkers. I HATE them. They arent easy.

[EatMyWay2TheTop]

Good workouts Kenny