Time to get strong!

[ApriliaRS]

Thought it was about time i started properly recording my workouts now that i'm powerlifting, so might as well start a journal.

Anyway, i'm 17 (only just) and have been going to the gym for a year and a bit. About 3 weeks ago i decided that powerlifting was what i wanted to pursue so joined Powerhouse (best decision i've made for a while haha). I've just started a 9 week Westside Barbell style program and am aiming to compete on the 6th of December.

I had been dieting for about 6 weeks prior to joining 'The House' and lost about 6kg, but started losing too much strength so eating like crazy again now. Currently at about 80kg and around 12%bf. Maxed out a few days ago and lifts were as follows:

Squat: 160kg

Deadlift: 180kg

Bench: 95kg (paused - first time pausing)

So first two workouts:

ME Squat 7/10/08

Good Mornings – First time doing these

40x8

50x8

60x8

70x8

80x8

90x5

100x5

110x3

120x3

130x3 - 3RM, not too hard but want form to be right

GHRs – First time doing these, killing my hamstrings

3x10

Reverse Hypers – First time doing these

10x50lb

10x50lb

10x75lb

Pull-Down abs – First time doing these

12x30kg

12x30kg

12x30kg

10x30kg

10x30kg

10x30kg

Straight leg raises

5x10 – Struggling!

Awesome workout. Lots of pain, lots of sweating, lots of fun. Still getting to know most of these exercises, hopefully they’ll start shooting up.

ME Bench 9/10/08

2 board bench press

20kgx5

30x5

40x5

50x5

60x5

70x5

80x5

90x3

100x1 – Annoyed about this, thought I had three reps in me.

Lying tricep extensions

35kgx10

35x10

35x10

35x8

35x8

35x6

Right elbow that I broke last year has really been playing up recently (too much squash and tennis), and was giving me grief on these hence not quite making 10 reps (triceps were also completely dead by this point…) on the last 3 sets.

Tricep Pushdowns

130lbx10

130x10

130x9

One arm press

R: 30lbx15 L: 30x13

R: 30x15 L: 30x12

R: 30x14 L: 30x14

These absolutely destroyed any strength that I had left in my triceps, really felt it in my shoulders towards the end of each set too. Will begin with left arm next time.

Great workout again, loving Westside training so far. Absolutely annihilated my triceps – hopefully will help get my bench up a bit.

[SoaringSwine]

Good stuff bro. No doubt you'll get good results on the programme. With those lifts we're going to be neck and neck come comp time. I'll have to up my game cause no doubt you'll be gaining your strength back fast.

[ApriliaRS]

Good stuff bro. No doubt you'll get good results on the programme. With those lifts we're going to be neck and neck come comp time. I'll have to up my game cause no doubt you'll be gaining your strength back fast.

Yeah should be interesting, really hoping i get a decent jump strength-wise on this program - training all these weird and wonderful muscles that i've overlooked in the past. Hopefully i can keep up with you... :?

[MTLKATO]

MEAN AZ LIFTS BRO, WISH I HAD A POWER HOUSE GYM TO DO SOME POWERLIFTING TRAINING

[ApriliaRS]

MEAN AZ LIFTS BRO, WISH I HAD A POWER HOUSE GYM TO DO SOME POWERLIFTING TRAINING

Cheers. Yeah, Powerhouse is truly awesome.

[AK]

Good luck with your powerlifting :clap: and put up some big numbers on the 6th!

[ApriliaRS]

Good luck with your powerlifting :clap: and put up some big numbers on the 6th!

Thanks, i'd love a 500kg total by the end of the year but that might be a bit ambitious - putting everything into my training though, might as well try.

Today's workout:

DE Squat 10/09/08

Box Squats (12”) @ 50%

80kgx2x10

First time really getting familiarised with box squats. These were as explosive as possible.

Reverse Hypers

85lbx8

85x8

85x8

One Leg Squats

80lbx10

80x10

80x10

80x10

Thought these would be a breeze but man they were tough! Tipped over a few times, legs were like jelly afterwards.

DB Rows

90lbx6

90x6

90x6

90x6

Getting really sweaty and tired at this point; dug it in a bit.

Barbell Shrugs

80kgx15

80x15

80x15

Really good getting more familiar with the box squats and doing some new exercises, makes things more exciting. This workout really took it out of me though, but all good fun.

[ApriliaRS]

DE Bench 13/10/08

Speed Bench @ 40% (37.5kg)

3x3 Wide grip

3x4 Regular grip

3x3 Close grip

All sets substantially under 3 seconds. First time benching this fast so just getting used to it, felt good though.

Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

30lbx8

30x7

30x5

25x7

This really killed my triceps, lost all strength at lockout and really struggled with the last set of 30lb so decided to drop the weight – couldn’t even finish the set with 25…

Dumbbell Side Raises

20lbx10

25x10

25x10

Dumbbell Rear Delt Raises

15lbx10

15x10

15x10

Quick workout, lots of fun and not too strenuous – felt good to be doing some speed work for the first time on bench.

ME Squat 14/10/08

Good Mornings

20kgx8

30x8

40x8

50x8

60x8

70x8

80x8

90x5

100x5

110x5

120x5

130x3

140x3 – 10kg PR in one week

Big strength increase on these, felt good doing three plates. My wrists were playing up though (old tennis injuries) and had a bit of trouble getting the bar centred correctly on the heavier sets because of this.

GHRs

Body weight x 10

BW + 12.5lb x8

BW + 12.5lb x8

Last week these were hard, felt much stronger this week – grabbed a 12.5(lb?) plate.

Reverse Hypers

95lbx8

95x8

95x8

Pull Down Abs

25x15 – Felt really light

35x8 – Bit too heavy…

30x10 – Sweet as

Felt much stronger on these than last week.

Straight Leg Raises (Superset with Pull down Abs)

3x20 – First set felt easy, second and third were HARD

Solid workout, felt pretty tired afterwards.

[poos_n_wees]

Good Mornings

20kgx8

30x8

40x8

50x8

60x8

70x8

80x8

90x5

100x5

110x5

120x5

130x3

140x3 – 10kg PR in one week

Impressive PR! Hard to believe that you only started doing GMs this month GHRs are strong too.. with added weight even

LOL, clearly I'll be in here often for some inspiration! Keep up the good work! \:D/

[ApriliaRS]

Good Mornings

20kgx8

30x8

40x8

50x8

60x8

70x8

80x8

90x5

100x5

110x5

120x5

130x3

140x3 – 10kg PR in one week

Impressive PR! Hard to believe that you only started doing GMs this month GHRs are strong too.. with added weight even

LOL, clearly I'll be in here often for some inspiration! Keep up the good work! \:D/

Cheers, really pleased with the GMs - lower backs feeling it today though haha. Don't think my training partner will want to train with me after those GHRs, kept making him repeat any rep that wasn't perfect...

[ApriliaRS]

ME Bench 16/10/08

2 board bench press

20kgx5

30x5

40x5

50x5

60x5

70x5

80x5

90x3

100x1 – This really pissed me off…

Lying tricep extensions

40kgx6 – Really killing my elbow, pretty heavy too

35x10

35x10

35x10

35x10

35x10

35kg wasn’t too bad, pleased to get all the reps – definitely up the weight next week.

Tricep Pushdowns

140lbx10

140x10

140x10

Big jump on these, feeling much stronger

One arm press

R: 30lbx15L: 30x15

R: 30x15 L: 30x12

R: 30x15 L: 30x12

Not too happy with this, slightly better than last week though.

Decent workout, triceps feeling a bit stronger but not so much on the 2 board bench.

DE Squat 18/09/08

Box Squats (12”) @ 54%

87.5kgx2x10

Speed was good, felt faster towards the end of the sets too.

Reverse Hypers

100lbx8

100x8

100x8

One Leg Squats

120lbx8, 8

120x7, 7

120x7, 7

120x6, 6

Big jump on these, felt a lot stronger but left leg couldn’t quite match the right so I just matched the number of reps I got with my left leg…if that makes any sense. My glutes were on fire! Will get 4x10 next week with both legs.

DB Rows

95lbx6

95x6

95x6

95x6

Pretty tired at this point. 5lb jump though, pleased with that. My grip was giving out on the last couple of sets with my left hand.

Barbell Shrugs

90kgx15

90x15

90x15

10kg jump from last week, felt strong.

Hardcore workout. Had to go to McDonalds on the way home haha. On a side note, my weight was at 81.2kg today, down from about 82.2 two or three weeks ago. Will have to start eating a bit more, not too sad though - will help making the 82.5kg class.

[SoaringSwine]

Eh, that's wierd about your 2 board. You're quite strong on the accessory tricep movements... Probably just a technique thing, you'll nail it when you get it.

[ApriliaRS]

Eh, that's wierd about your 2 board. You're quite strong on the accessory tricep movements... Probably just a technique thing, you'll nail it when you get it.

Yeah it's starting to get to me - i'll have to have a think about what i could do to bring it up. Congrats on your 200kg DL btw, i'll have to step it up if i'm gonna keep up with you...

[ApriliaRS]

DE Bench 19/10/08

Speed Bench @ 45% (42.5kg)

3x3 Wide grip

3x4 Regular grip

3x3 Close grip

All sets substantially under 3 seconds. Much faster than last week even though the weight was up 5kg. Pleased with this, but still not 100% satisfied.

Lying Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

30lbx8

30x8

30x8

30x7

Better than last week, I almost managed to get all the reps on that last set.

Dumbbell Side Raises

30lbx10

30x6, 25x4

25x10

Better than last week but lost strength on this really quickly so had to drop the weight down.

Dumbbell Rear Delt Raises

15lbx10

15x10

15x10

Concentrated on getting the form perfect and feeling it – will up the weight next week.

Fast workout, lots of fun and a decent improvement from last week.

ME Squat 21/10/08

Good Mornings

20kgx8

30x8

40x8

50x8

60x8

70x8

80x8

90x8

100x8

110x5

120x5

130x3

140x3 – Belt on

150x3 – 10kg PR in one week

Felt great! Much stronger than last week.

GHRs

BW + 20 x5, 3BW

BW + 20 x5, 3BW

BW + 20 x5, 3BW

Went to the next plate up that I could find, couldn’t quite squeeze out the full 8 reps on each set without sacrificing form significantly so last 3 reps of each set were just bodyweight.

Reverse Hypers

105lbx8

105x8

105x8

Pull Down Abs

35x10

35x5, 3, 1 – Terrible set! Just couldn’t do it.

30x10

Not feeling too good on these this week, not too bad though.

Straight Leg Raises (Superset with Pull down Abs)

3x20 – First set was easy, second and third weren’t, but better than last week.

Awesome workout, absolutely stuffed afterwards. Then had to run for the bus...

[SoaringSwine]

Cut down on your sets bro! Maybe go up in 20s, then lower it when you get closer to your max.

[poos_n_wees]

Whoaaa... look at you!

Good mornings are insane :twisted:

[ApriliaRS]

Cut down on your sets bro! Maybe go up in 20s, then lower it when you get closer to your max.

Haha, yeah will do.

Whoaaa... look at you!

Good mornings are insane :twisted:

I was just starting to love them, but now it's on to something else for the next 3 weeks

ME Bench 23/10/08

2 board bench press

20kgx5

30x5

40x5

50x5

60x5

70x5

80x5

90x3

Still not feeling good on these, it’s starting to get a bit off-putting. Anyway, had a little help with setup so hopefully I can bring this up – might just be a mental thing though.

Lying tricep extensions

Elbows weren't in great shape so had to stop after 2 sets, added the extra 4 sets to pushdowns and elbows are thanking me a lot.

Tricep Pushdowns

140lbx10

150x10

150x10

150x10

150x10

150x10

150x10

Big jump on these again, feels great to do the whole stack. My elbows felt good too.

One arm press

R: 35lbx15 L: 35x15

R: 35x15 L: 35x14

R: 35x15 L: 35x12

Nice jump on these – went up 5lbs and got more reps.

Good workout, feeling strong on everything except the board presses.

DE Squat 25/09/08

Box Squats (12”) @ 57%

92.5kgx2x10

Much faster this week, feeling great (may have something to do with the 800mg of caffeine pre-workout…) Last set was the fastest at 2.94 seconds.

Reverse Hypers

110lbx8

110x8

110x8

One Leg Squats

130lbx10, 10

130lbx10, 10

130lbx10, 10

130lbx10, 10

Another big jump, up 10lbs and completed all the reps. Couldn’t see properly after about the 2nd set, almost died – god I hate these haha.

DB Rows

100lbx6

100x6

100x6

100x6

Absolutely fucked at this point, felt really good mentally though. It was nice to move up to the ‘heavy’ rack of dumbbells. My left hand just wasn’t cooperating and had real trouble keeping hold of the weight.

Barbell Shrugs

95kgx15

95x10, 3, 2 – Grip failing

95x15 – Terrible set haha, traps were all good but didn’t really have enough control over my arms. 10kg jump from last week.

This was the most intense and satisfying workout of my life. Thought I was going to pass out, throw up (managed to keep it in), or just fall asleep. So pleased to finish.

[ApriliaRS]

Found this pic from about a month ago, thought it was kinda cool. About 4kg heavier now, maybe a tiny bit fatter haha

[poos_n_wees]

:shock: Daaammnnnnnnnn, back looks great. Thick and solid.. nice work! :clap: I'm betting recent pics would be more impressive.

Couldn’t see properly after about the 2nd set, almost died – god I hate these haha.

:pfft: Gotta love the one legged squats.

[biggurl27]

:ditto: big wide back for 17 years old :shock:

[ApriliaRS]

:shock: Daaammnnnnnnnn, back looks great. Thick and solid.. nice work! :clap: I'm betting recent pics would be more impressive.

:ditto: big wide back for 17 years old :shock:

Cheers guys, guess i've gotta stop taking pictures of my self now that i'm a powerlifter though :shifty:

[biggurl27]

Don't be daft! Some of the best phsiques around are those of PL's, just cause you don't want to swan about in a small piece of cloth like us BB'rs doesn't mean you can't have a great physique and show it off. Good to see an up and coming PL looking after his body, some PL's eat way too much and get too tubby ahhaha

[SoaringSwine]

Don't be daft! Some of the best phsiques around are those of PL's, just cause you don't want to swan about in a small piece of cloth like us BB'rs doesn't mean you can't have a great physique and show it off. Good to see an up and coming PL looking after his body, some PL's eat way too much and get too tubby ahhaha

I think you'll find only the SHWs do that BG, and there are too many of those left. It's in any other PL interests to keep their BF relatively low so they are competitive in their weight class.

[biggurl27]

Jolly good :wink:

[poos_n_wees]

I think you'll find only the SHWs do that BG, and there are too many of those left.

OK, it took me waaaayyyyyy too long to figure out what that meant