The weeks speed by quickly when you’re getting ready for a big meet. As of tomorrow I’ll be eleven weeks out, and I gotta say, I’m feeling very focused and ready. My goal for this week is a 1,200lb total, which for me would break down to roughly a 405lb squat, a 275lb bench, and a 525lb pull.
I’ve been working particularly hard for this meet, and I must say, knowing that I’m putting in the work engenders a lot of confidence. It’s far better to sweat in training than to bleed in battle, as the saying goes. And as Olympic gymnast Peter Vidmar was fond of saying, it’s better to put yourself under pressure in training and relax during competition, than the reverse of that, which is a common pattern among inexperienced competitors. Now on to this week’s journal.
This Week’s Training
My training volume has returned to pretty much normal levels, and I had some significant performances this week as well. For the first time since starting the Matt Kroc deadlift cycle, I’m feeling confident that I’ll make it through the entire sixteen weeks. Lots of videos this week – enjoy!
Weekly Training Volume: 61,475 lbs (Last Week’s Volume: 46,763 lbs)
Significant Lifts:
- Squat 360×1
- Bench Press 195 (5×5)
- Deadlift 400 (5×3)
- Dumbbell Bench 205’s x5
Monday, July 21, 2014, 9:45 AM
Bodyweight: 201.8 lbs
Volume: 14,325 lbs
SQUAT
Set 1: 45 lbs × 5
Set 2: 95 lbs × 5
Set 3: 135 lbs × 5
Set 4: 185 lbs × 3
Set 5: 225 lbs × 2
Set 6: 275 lbs × 1
Set 7: 315 lbs × 1
Set 8: 345 lbs × 1
Set 9: 360 lbs × 1 (Video of all squats with commentary below)
BARBELL HIP THRUST
Set 1: 300 lbs × 10
Set 2: 300 lbs × 10
Set 3: 300 lbs × 10
LEG EXTENSION
Set 1: 165 lbs × 10
Wednesday, July 23, 2014, 12:20 PM
Bodyweight: 200.4 lbs
Volume: 13,623 lbs
BENCH PRESS
Set 1: 45 lbs × 5
Set 2: 95 lbs × 5
Set 3: 135 lbs × 5
Set 4: 165 lbs × 1
Set 5: 195 lbs × 5
Set 6: 195 lbs × 5
Set 7: 195 lbs × 5
Set 8: 195 lbs × 5
Set 9: 195 lbs × 5
Set 1: +25 lbs × 1
Set 2: +25 lbs × 2
Set 3: +25 lbs × 3
Set 4: +25 lbs × 4
Set 5: +25 lbs × 1
Set 6: +25 lbs × 2
Set 7: +25 lbs × 3
Set 8: +25 lbs × 1
Set 9: +25 lbs × 2
Set 10: +25 lbs × 1
BICEP CURL (DUMBBELL)
Set 1: 70 lbs × 10
Set 2: 70 lbs × 10
Set 3: 70 lbs × 10
Thursday, July 24, 2014, 12:20 PM
Bodyweight: 200.8 lbs
Volume: 15,655 lbs
DEADLIFT
Set 1: 135 lbs × 3
Set 2: 135 lbs × 3
Set 3: 225 lbs × 3
Set 4: 275 lbs × 1
Set 5: 315 lbs × 1
Set 6: 365 lbs × 1
Set 7: 400 lbs × 3
Set 8: 400 lbs × 3
Set 9: 400 lbs × 3
Set 10: 400 lbs × 3
Set 11: 400 lbs × 3 (Video of all eleven sets with commentary below)
HIGH-BAR SQUAT
Set 1: 45 lbs × 5
Set 2: 95 lbs × 5
Set 3: 135 lbs × 5
Set 4: 185 lbs × 5
Set 5: 225 lbs × 5
Set 6: 275 lbs × 2
BACK EXTENSION
Set 1: 135 lbs × 8
Set 2: 135 lbs × 8
Set 3: 135 lbs × 8
Saturday, July 26, 2014, 8:00 AM
Bodyweight: 203.2 lbs
Volume: 17,872 lbs
BENCH PRESS (DUMBBELL)
Set 1: 100 lbs × 10
Set 2: 160 lbs × 10
Set 3: 210 lbs × 5 (Video below)
Set 4: 160 lbs × 10
Set 1: 45 lbs × 8
Set 2: 95 lbs × 8
Set 3: 115 lbs × 8
Set 4: 115 lbs × 8
Set 5: 115 lbs × 8
TRX ROW
Set 1: 203.2 lbs × 8
Set 2: 203.2 lbs × 8
Set 3: 203.2 lbs × 8
Set 4: 203.2 lbs × 8
BICEP CURL (DUMBBELL)
Set 1: 70 lbs × 8
Set 2: 70 lbs × 8
Set 3: 70 lbs × 8
Set 4: 70 lbs × 8
A big believer in practicing what he preaches, Charles Staley trains and competes just like his clients. Every Friday you can read what Charles has done this week in his workout sessions.
