Take Two- MP's Meet Training Log

Thanks for all of the support guys. Opener of 365 moved pretty well after work yesterday.

Made weight at 196 this afternoon. Feeling pretty good. Gym where the meet is being held is very small so depending on how many lifters are entered (they are taking walk ups tomorrow) it could be a bit of a cluster fuck.

I should be in the last flight of bench which usually lessens the issues. I also tend to warm up a little later than most guys do so I should be alright. Warming up for deads could be a different story and I'm sure based on the gym design it is going to be hot in there so I may spend some time in the parking lot instead.
 
Thanks for all of the support guys. Opener of 365 moved pretty well after work yesterday.

Made weight at 196 this afternoon. Feeling pretty good. Gym where the meet is being held is very small so depending on how many lifters are entered (they are taking walk ups tomorrow) it could be a bit of a cluster fuck.

I should be in the last flight of bench which usually lessens the issues. I also tend to warm up a little later than most guys do so I should be alright. Warming up for deads could be a different story and I'm sure based on the gym design it is going to be hot in there so I may spend some time in the parking lot instead.
You got it baby!
 
meet results- good meet 6 for 6. Got my 400+ bench and had 5 to 10 pounds to spare. Top ten in the nation in the over 40 age category

deadlift between 550 and 600 for a 10pd PR. 100% all out on final pull and didn't know if I would lock it out from my knees up took forever but I got it. 25pd meet PR push/pull total. Top twenty in the nation in the over 40 division with today's dead.

Only other thing worth mentioning is that all lifters and spectators were in the same room throughout the day and it got to over 100 degrees at one point. I always bring way more liquids than I will drink as a precaution. Not today went through over three gallons of preworkout drink and water during the meet just trying to keep from overheating.

Happy but spent tonight. Thanks again for all of the support in this log guys. I really appreciate it.
 
meet results- good meet 6 for 6. Got my 400+ bench and had 5 to 10 pounds to spare. Top ten in the nation in the over 40 age category

deadlift between 550 and 600 for a 10pd PR. 100% all out on final pull and didn't know if I would lock it out from my knees up took forever but I got it. 25pd meet PR push/pull total. Top twenty in the nation in the over 40 division with today's dead.

Only other thing worth mentioning is that all lifters and spectators were in the same room throughout the day and it got to over 100 degrees at one point. I always bring way more liquids than I will drink as a precaution. Not today went through over three gallons of preworkout drink and water during the meet just trying to keep from overheating.

Happy but spent tonight. Thanks again for all of the support in this log guys. I really appreciate it.
Kick ass man - you are truly an animal! Well done MP! Congrats!
 
Meet had a new Forza bench which it seems all of the really big benchers swear by. I had never lifted on one prior to yesterday and I figured the hype was just because it is a consistent bench which feels comfortable when handling really 500+ pounds.

It is way beyond that. When I did my first couple of warm up sets on it I wasn't sure if I was going to like it as it has a very thick pad which you sink way in to and it is hard to arch on. My final warm up single at 315 I figured out the deal. Since I unrack myself, anything above 300 pounds I bring my hips off the bench for added leverage when unracking. When I unracked 315 yesterday and brought my hips up that thick bench pad went right up with them.

On my first attempt with 365 I intentionally drove my legs and hips harder than needed to see how the bench pad reacted and it felt like I still had at least an inch and a half of cushion underneath me. Same thing on my final two bench attempts. I had trained all cycle to make sure my butt stayed down and I wasn't going to change anything up on meet day so I couldn't take full advantage of the bench.

That won't be the case next year at this meet. Not sure exactly how much it will add to my numbers but it will add something for sure. Being able to set your feet for maximum leg drive and then cutting loose without fear of your ass coming up is a major advantage.

Interested to know if Doc or others have competed on a Forza bench before and what their thoughts are. I have to say it caught me way off guard but now I get why some of the really big benchers won't lift at a meet unless it has a Forza.
 
Also forgot to mention all of my benching was done without a lift off and without wrist wraps. You don't get any extra credit for that but you do get some style points and head shakes from guys have your age who have never unracked anything over 200 pounds without wraps and a liftoff.

A special thanks to @brutus79 who made the suggestion many months ago that I try NPP. I can't use AAS where I live because it is illegal but if I could that suggestion may have helped me to make it through an eight week Bulgarian method bench cycle where I benched heavy 6 times per week without any major shoulder, elbow or wrist pain without using wraps.
 
One more thing I forgot to mention about yesterday. Mom and Dad Powers came to see me lift in a meet for the first time. Unfortunately with the heavy rain and long drive and their unwillingness to use a GPS at nearly 80-years-old they got lost and missed the benching but made it in time for the deadlifts.

It probably worked out for the best anyway as hot as it was in the gym but it did cause me a little stress as I called them right before starting bench warm ups and they were only about 15 minutes away and never showed during the bench which lasted for over an hour including warm ups.
 
Meet had a new Forza bench which it seems all of the really big benchers swear by. I had never lifted on one prior to yesterday and I figured the hype was just because it is a consistent bench which feels comfortable when handling really 500+ pounds.

It is way beyond that. When I did my first couple of warm up sets on it I wasn't sure if I was going to like it as it has a very thick pad which you sink way in to and it is hard to arch on. My final warm up single at 315 I figured out the deal. Since I unrack myself, anything above 300 pounds I bring my hips off the bench for added leverage when unracking. When I unracked 315 yesterday and brought my hips up that thick bench pad went right up with them.

On my first attempt with 365 I intentionally drove my legs and hips harder than needed to see how the bench pad reacted and it felt like I still had at least an inch and a half of cushion underneath me. Same thing on my final two bench attempts. I had trained all cycle to make sure my butt stayed down and I wasn't going to change anything up on meet day so I couldn't take full advantage of the bench.

That won't be the case next year at this meet. Not sure exactly how much it will add to my numbers but it will add something for sure. Being able to set your feet for maximum leg drive and then cutting loose without fear of your ass coming up is a major advantage.

Interested to know if Doc or others have competed on a Forza bench before and what their thoughts are. I have to say it caught me way off guard but now I get why some of the really big benchers won't lift at a meet unless it has a Forza.

Hey MP, great job killing it and setting some PRs. You must be proud right about now! Hard work in the off season pays off on the platform brother.

I don't think I've ever used a Forza bench. I know my fed, RPS, doesn't use them. I spoke with a friend who is close to Gene and he says Gene gets his benches custom built by a fabricator. He's pretty guarded about handing out the specs but his benches have the face savers on them, use snow mobile seat cover material for a non slip surface, and does have pretty thick padding you sink into. My first time on that was weird bc I've never benched on anything that allowed you to sink so much. You're right I couldn't get my same arch but by my last warmup I felt pretty confident using it. It helped I had my coach do my lift offs but it's damn near impossible to keep your setup right. For that reason in training I do like you and lift my hips to aid in un racking when I'm working out alone. Anyway I suck and in my third bench attempt my ass did come off the bench so I got red lighted for that but I really enjoyed the bench more than any other I've used.
 
Thanks for this log MP
I rank it as one of the top 5 I have followed.
It has kept me focused and inspired to keep on track for my first PL meet in August.
 
Hey MP, great job killing it and setting some PRs. You must be proud right about now! Hard work in the off season pays off on the platform brother.

I don't think I've ever used a Forza bench. I know my fed, RPS, doesn't use them. I spoke with a friend who is close to Gene and he says Gene gets his benches custom built by a fabricator. He's pretty guarded about handing out the specs but his benches have the face savers on them, use snow mobile seat cover material for a non slip surface, and does have pretty thick padding you sink into. My first time on that was weird bc I've never benched on anything that allowed you to sink so much. You're right I couldn't get my same arch but by my last warmup I felt pretty confident using it. It helped I had my coach do my lift offs but it's damn near impossible to keep your setup right. For that reason in training I do like you and lift my hips to aid in un racking when I'm working out alone. Anyway I suck and in my third bench attempt my ass did come off the bench so I got red lighted for that but I really enjoyed the bench more than any other I've used.

Thanks Doc. I've lifted RPS a couple of times but never used any of Gene's custom green benches sounds pretty similar to the Forza. Those benches don't favor big archers IMO but definitely allow for maximum leg drive which works for me.
 
Thanks Doc. I've lifted RPS a couple of times but never used any of Gene's custom green benches sounds pretty similar to the Forza. Those benches don't favor big archers IMO but definitely allow for maximum leg drive which works for me.

Gene's benches are worlds apart from the ones in my gym. My coach has a competition bench at his gym so I've gotten some reps in on similar benches.

Still riding the high from the meet lol?
 
Gene's benches are worlds apart from the ones in my gym. My coach has a competition bench at his gym so I've gotten some reps in on similar benches.

Still riding the high from the meet lol?

The Forza was far from anything I had ever benched on.

Let's face it Doc every meet half way decent size meet you go to these days there is a kid at 181 who doesn't look like he has been lifting more than a couple of months pulling 600 so my pull was decent for my age but that's about it.

400+ on the bench in a meet has been a long-time goal and there aren't a ton of guys at 198 or under doing it so that one I am still pretty pumped about.
 
The Forza was far from anything I had ever benched on.

Let's face it Doc every meet half way decent size meet you go to these days there is a kid at 181 who doesn't look like he has been lifting more than a couple of months pulling 600 so my pull was decent for my age but that's about it.

400+ on the bench in a meet has been a long-time goal and there aren't a ton of guys at 198 or under doing it so that one I am still pretty pumped about.

That's why I'm competing against myself more so than the other ppl there :D

You set PRs and are top ten in bench and top 20 in push/pull for your bracket. What's not to be stoked about lol?

Edit* plus reached a long time goal. Sounds like a great day to me
 
I think that brings this thread to a close. Right now the plan for my next meet is the first weekend in December so I will crank up the third edition of MP's Meet Training Log at the end of September.

Thanks again for all of the support guys.
 
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