Looks like some great work combined with "no pain, no gain" taken to 11. I'm sure you'll be dialed in for nationals.

thanks, I hope so.

Looking back, I dont think I've ever been 100% healthy for a meet. Without the hamstring tear, I would have been close for the last meet. I have had a lot of things improve significantly since meeting my regenerative injections doc a little over two years ago, so despite being older, I feel like I am headed in the right direction.

1/30

squat
155x5
245x5
335x3

loose briefs
425x2
515x1

tight briefs
605x1

suit & knee wraps
705xf. Bah. I felt weak coming up out of the hole - it barely came up at all. I had my suit laces too loose, but I still shouldnt miss 705. I guess losing 10 lbs in 2.5 weeks makes you weaker.

I tightened the laces on the suit a bit.
705x1
Harder than it should have been.


briefs only
515x1x4

belt squats
2 plates x 12
3 plates x 10
4 plates x 8
4 plates + 25s x 6

standing hamstring curls
I did one light set, moving the weight very slowly. I felt no pain at all, so I figured I would try some GHRs to test the hammy a bit.

GHR
15x2
No pain whatsoever - woohoo! I think it is 100% healed. These were harder than they used to be though. Time to get the hammy strong again.

Yeah buddday!

Thanks!

Thanks!

1/3

DL - sumo. I decided to wait until I lose at least another 10 lbs before trying conventionals again. I think the knot in my back last week could have been caused by or made worse by some back rounding from conventionals. I'm down to about 257, and my belly is smaller, but I need it gone if I am going to do conventionals.

225x5
335x3
405x2

suit
495x1
585x1
605x1 (85% of 716 goal)
No hamstring pain. People watching said my form was good on everything 4 plates and over. DLing is a lot easier to do when I am lighter. 605 was the most I have pulled successfully since tearing the hamstring.

belt squats
4 plates x 12
6 plates x 10
8 plates x 8
8 plates + 25 x 8
10 plates x 8

Legs were pumped. I need stronger legs.

GHR
15
vs green band x 15 - this was challenging

Nice work Cha!

Thanks Rich!

I’ve been busy with work & stuff, so I have neglected updating my log. I didn’t realize how far behind I got.

1/5

Benched up to 585x1 off 2 boards, then missed 635. Bleh

Secondary was loose rage X off boards, maybe low to mid 500s

Assistance was rows, face pulls, etc


1/7

Squats up to 715x1
I strained or pulled my left hamstring on the ascent. It is the same leg that I had the torn muscle in, but it’s a different muscle. This pull is on the outside part. The tear was on the inside part. Its still not good, but nothing to be alarmed about.

I tried some raw squats with 2 plates and that didn’t feel great, so I did a bunch of light belt squats, which felt fine.

Standing hamstring curls – slow and controlled, pumping the muscle up. These were good.

Seated band hamstring curls, slow and controlled. These were also good. I worked the sore muscle in a way that got blood pumping through it without making it worse.


1/8

Speed bench
Up to 315x3x3

TRX rows

Face pulls

Tricep pushdowns

Cable pulldowns


1/10

DL

225x5
315x3
405x2 – this made the sore hammy tight. I decided to put the suit on and pull light singles.

405x1
455x1
505x1
545x1
These all felt fine and people said form was very good.

Belt squats in briefs
2 plates per side x 12
3 plates x 12
4 plates x 12
5 plates x 10
6 plates x 8 – the last couple reps were hard. The whole thing felt good.

Standing hamstring curls – slow and controlled, pumping the muscle up.

Reverse hypers
90x15
140x15x2
I need to do these more often.


1/12

Bench
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1
365x1

Triple ply SDP
2 boards
585x1

Tight black SDP
635xf
635xf
Weak. I think I stretched the damn shirts out when I was fat. I’m 254 now. I was about 268 the morning of the meet and I was probably 5 lbs over that by the time I benched at the meet. Benching over 600 again might be very hard, and/or it might require a different shirt or some alterations to the ones I have. I’ll wait until I get closer to 242 before altering any shirts.

Raw
Chains
275 + 4 chains (2 per side) x 3
295 + 4 chains x 3
275 + 6 chains x 3
275 + 8 chains x 3

Seated cable rows
200x15
240x12
260x10

Face pulls

Tricep pushdowns

Good work. I hope that hamstring recovers fully before Nationals.

Thanks! I hope I get my bench press back before then too, lol. I am worried that I stretched out all my shirts and they wont work when I'm 242.

I didn't really know that was possible until I read your earlier post. Hopefully you can get them altered successfully (didn't know that was a thing either -- I've seen shirt blowouts and would want to have a very good tailor for that one) or can get new gear to your liking.

oh yeah, its a thing.

https://ginnyspowergear.com/

Ginny^ is the best at gear alterations. She does them for almost all of the best lifters in the sport.

I'll figure this out eventually. I just hope I can figure it out in time to put up some big numbers in April at 242.

Learning to sew is the most important skill for geared powerlifting.


(Source: the multiple sewing machines in our garage.)

So Kara does (did) her own alterations?

I know a lady who's one of the best lifters in the world (she's got the highest McCulloch score of all time for either sex) who does a little of her own alterations, but she doesnt do anything too complicated.

She did, yes. Seems like the best way, as you can always tweak, session by session if needed.

Just her shirts, obv, as she didn't wear a suit for squats.

1/14

squat

155x5
245x5
335x3

briefs
425x2
515x1
565x1

suit & knee wraps
655x1
725xf - I got way forward with it. The gear situation is way different now than it was a month ago.
725x1 - harder than it should have been, but I got it. I felt the left hamstring a little on this one, so I moved on to lighter stuff.

briefs only
425x2
475x2x2

belt squat
2 plates per side x 12 x 2
2 plates x 15

standing hamstring curls

GHR

That would be a good skill to have.

I didnt know she didnt wear squat suits. What was the reasoning behind that?

1/15

speed bench
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x3
315x3x3

standing 1 arm cable rows

face pulls

cable pulldowns

Two reasons.

1) It was uncomfortable. Even when she put on a champion suit in her early USAPL days, she didn't like it. So she just stopped wearing them.

2) It's humiliating when there's such a squat and deadlift discrepancy in geared lifting. She would have never wanted to 'squat' 700+ while only deadlifting 500.

Wow, that makes her squats numbers way more impressive. Squat suits are not comfortable at all.

For those unaware, G4S's lady is one of the best female powerlifters of all time. She squatted 534 @ 148 with no squat suit & totaled 1,422. imo, her sumo DL form is in the top 5 I have ever seen.

I have another cold. This one is not too bad. I've been doing what my doc friend does when he feels a cold coming on: frequently gargle with salt water, nasal rinsing, and take lots of zinc. I think all this is helping, but its still got me feeling worse than normal. I did a few side planks on Friday and nothing else. Yesterday, I decided to hit the gym. I didn't push myself hard though.

1/19

bench press
135x10
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1

blue SDP
2 boards
545x1
585x1

tight SDP
2 boards
605x1

cable rows
180x15
220x12
260x10

face pulls - 2 sets

(and 585 @ 165, but who's keeping track...)

Wow. Quite awesome.

1/21

squat
85x10
155x5
245x5

briefs
335x3
425x2
515x1
565x1

suit & knee wraps
655x1 - daughter called my depth (she's a certified USPA judge). She buried me about 3" deeper than necessary lol.

725x1 - I was going forward and back on the descent and on the way up. It still moved fast. My quads were very sore for some reason, which made it difficult to squat. Also, I still was feeling effects of the cold, so I shut it down and just did some light standing hamstring curls. I feel like the cold is 90% gone today.