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Full Workout Logs - Starting 1/19/2015

Routine B of Two by Two Training Plan

Weeks 7-11 of 11

By Gary F. Zeolla

These workout logs are continued from Full Workout Logs: Starting 12/7/2014 - Routine B of Two by Two Training Plan - Weeks 1-6 of 11.

Contest Plans

God-willing, I will be competing in a powerlifting contest on February 28, 2015. I will be entering the men’s 114 pound weight class, open (all ages) and masters (50-54) age divisions, raw with wraps gear division, drug-tested division. I should get in a total of 11 full training weeks with my current routine before the contest. I have many goals for it in regards to records I hope to break, but I will hold back going into further details until I actually do so. May the LORD be glorified by my participation in this event.

Age: 53.
Height: 5'1".
Bodyweight, body fat, and lean body mass: See each week.
Note: Body fat percent and LBM are being measured with a Sequoia Fitness: Warrior Digital Body Mass Caliper. If you need one, it is available from Amazon.

Gear as indicated; if not indicated, then completely raw (no supportive gear).
Warm-ups are in brackets. All weights are in pounds. Format: pounds/reps.
Workout times include set-up, warm-up, lifting, stretching, and clean-up.

See also my Cardio Logs - January through April 2015.

Week 7 (Week A)

Bodyweight: 121.6 pounds.
Body fat: 11.2%, 13.6 pounds.
Lean body mass: 108.0 pounds.

Poor sleep might have affected these numbers, as I had several sleepless nights this week. I know I say that a lot in these logs, but it is the story of my life. I often sleep very little due to health problem flare-ups, noise, or stress. This adversely affects my training, health, and life in general, but such is my life. But I use that sleepless time to pray, so that is something.

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 Bench Assistance

Monday – 1/19/15

Gear: Nike Sneakers; Crain: power belt, Redline wrist wraps.

Decline Benches: [45/20; 75/10, 100/6, add belt & wraps: 120/3, 135/1] 147/6, 155/4, 162/2

Seated DB Presses: [10s/10, 17s/6, add belt & wraps: 22s/3] 25s/8, 26.5s/6, 27.5s/4

Lats: [Pulldowns (underhand): 45/10, 70/6; Chin-ups: add wraps: 2.5/3] 7.5/8, 10/6, 12.5/4

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:23

I did the DB presses standing last time, but I tried them seated this time, but I didn’t like it. It was hard getting the DBs off of my rack with my Power Hooks and moving back away from them, and it felt awkward pressing, so much so that I tweaked my right shoulder and arm. I didn’t think much of it at the time as I just assumed it was my problematic right shoulder from my bicycle accident acting up. But they bothered me some afterward, so all I can do now is pray it is nothing major. In any case, I will go back to doing them standing next time.

But here, to account for the DB presses being done seated and second, rather than standing and first like last time, I dropped the weights some, and good thing as they were very tough. But I got all of my planned reps on them and on the other two exercises.

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 Squats

Wednesday – 1/21/15

Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1) (squats); APT heavy knee sleeves (dead stop squats).

Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 180/6, add belt & wraps: 225/3, 255/1] 280/5, 292/3, 305/1

Dead Stop Squats: [115/10, 145/6, add belt & wraps: 175/3] 195/6, 205/4, 215/2

Bicycle Abs: 22, 22, 15

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:37

Despite the sleeplessness, I did not feel tired at all during this workout, so I thank the LORD for that and for squatting over 300 (over 2.5x bwt.) for the first time this decade. That felt really good!

I changed my second exercise from low squats to dead stop squats. They’re similar enough that I used the same weight for the latter as I had planned on using for the former. For a description of these exercises, see Squat Assistance Exercises.

I gave up on the final set of bicycle abs, as I really didn’t think three sets were needed since my abs were already pumped.

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Benches

Thursday – 1/22/15

Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.

Benches: [45/20, 75/10, 100/6, add belt & wraps: 120/3, 135/1] 147/5, 155/3, 162/1

Dumbbell Benches: [32s/10, 42s/6, add belt & wraps: 52s/3] 57s/8, 60s/6, 62s/4

Barbell Rows: [45/10, 57/6, 70/3] 80/8, 85/6, 90/4

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:21

It was another one of those days, with one hassle after another, so it was relief to work out and get away from it all. Despite being tired and stressed out from the hassles, this workout went well, getting all of my planned reps.

One thing though; the second set of benches was the hardest set of the day. That has been the case for a while. I’m not sure what it is about that set that makes it so hard.

Also, my shoulder and arm did not bother me at all during this workout, but they were aching afterwards and more so the next day, so I don’t know what to make of it.

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Deadlifts

Sunday – 1/25/15

Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.

Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 195/6, add belt & wraps: 250/3, 305/1] 335/5, 350/3, 365/1

Stiff Leg Deadlift (conv.): [135/10, 175/6, add wraps: 215/3] 240/8, 252/6, 265/4

Dip Bar Leg Raises: [0/10] 3s/17, 3s/17, 3s/17

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:10

Thanking the LORD for another milestone; pulling over triple bodyweight for the first time this decade.

I forgot to mention in regards to my upcoming contest that it will be the first time I compete in six years, so I am really looking forward to it, especially if my training continues to go so well.

Week 8 (Week B)

Bodyweight: 121.6 pounds.
Body fat: 10.9%, 13.3 pounds.
Lean body mass: 108.3 pounds.

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Bench Assistance

Monday – 1/26/15

Gear: Nike Sneakers; Crain: power belt, Redline wrist wraps.

Incline Benches [DBs: 10s/20, Barbell: 45/10, 80/6, add belt & wraps: 110/3], 120/6, 125/4, 130/2

Dips: [bwt./10, 7.5/6, add wraps: 15/3] 25/8, 30/6, 35/4

Lats: [Pulldowns (overhand grip): 45/10, 70/6, 90/3] Dip Bar Pull-ups: bwt./8, 2.5/6, 5/4

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:17

My right shoulder and arm bothered me throughout this workout and afterwards, but not so much as to keep me from working hard and getting all of my planned reps. I think this is going to be yet another nagging pain that doesn’t significantly affect my lifting but which I will just have to accept and work around. Despite the pain, this was a good workout.

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Squats

Wednesday – 1/28/15

Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1) (squats); APT heavy knee sleeves (partial squats).

Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 180/6, add belt & wraps: 225/3, 260/1] 275/6, 287/4, 300/2

Partial Squats: [135/10, 190/6, add belt & wraps: 250/3] 275/6, 290/4, 305/2

Sit-ups: [bwt/10, 7.5/6] 16.25/10, 17.5/8, 18.75/6

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:43

I was feeling very stiff while warming up for this workout, having a hard time breaking parallel, so I dropped my planned weights for my work sets by five pounds. I was still stiff for the work sets, so the first rep of the first and last sets was probably a little high, but the rest were good. The final rep of each set was a full max, but I got my planned reps of 6, 4, 2.

The stiffness is scary as it could be the coming on of a recurrence of my Stiff Person Syndrome, a very rare auto-immune disorder. It was very problematic at one time, but I had been doing much better. All I can do now is hope and pray it abates.

But then for the partial squats I was able to go a little heavier than I had planned, probably because they were not affected by the stiffness. So this was still a good workout, except for taking too long. But my workouts often seem to take longer as I progress through a routine and get into heavier and heavier weights, but still, I need to try to pick up the pace some.

If anyone is interested, details on my Stiff Person Syndrome are found on the following section of my fitness Web site, which I just updated: Stiff Person Syndrome.

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Benches

Thursday – 1/29/15

Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.

Benches: [45/20, 75/10, 100/6, add belt & wraps: 120/3, 135/1] 147/5, 155/3, 162/1

3 Second Pause Benches: [75/10, 95/6, add belt & wraps: 115/3] 130/6, 135/4, 140/2

DB Rows (elbows in): [32/10, 42/6, 52/3] 57/8, 60/6, 62/4

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:21

In the evening after yesterday’s workout, another even older health problem flared up, my neurological “tics.” These have actually been bothering for about a week, but last night was particularly bad, and they kept me awake much of the night. I restarted the Cal/Mag sup that I used to take for them but didn’t think I needed anymore, so here’s praying that calms things down.

Despite the lack of sleep, I felt good for this workout, but it still did not go well. I should have dropped the weights slightly for benches as I did for squats; but as it was, I repeated the same weights/ reps that I did last week. I am very frustrated with benches, as they have stagnated this entire routine. But all of my bench assistance work is progressing well, so it doesn’t make sense. But I will be rethinking my bench training.

In any case, I normally take an extra day off every four weeks. It’s only been three weeks since I took a day off, but I only have three training weeks left before my contest, so it makes sense to take this Sunday off and split the time-period in half. Maybe the day off will do me good and help with the various things I’ve been struggling with. It will be Super Sunday, so that will give me something to do when I am normally in my home gym.

If anyone is interested, discussions of my “tics” and the Cal/ Mag sup are on the following page of my site. But I am waiting to update it to see if the sup helps or not. Calcium, Magnesium with D (Country Life).

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Deadlifts

Monday – 2/2/15

Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.

Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 195/6, add belt & wraps: 250/3, 300/1] 330/6, 345/4, 360/2

Platform (3” Deficit) Deadlifts (sumo): [135/10, 185/6, add belt & wraps: 225/3, 260/1] 290/6, 305/4, 320/2

Side Bends: [12/10; 25/6] 35/10, 37/8, 40/6

Stretching: 5-10 minutes

Workout time: 1:28

I slept rather well Thursday through Saturday night, possibly due to the Cal/ Mag sup, so I was hoping I could say I felt great for this workout after the day off. But shortly before I went to bed Sunday night I had an allergic reaction and barely slept; then my tics flared up in the early morning, waking me up. Then the night after this workout, the tics again flared up, plus a couple of other problems, that all added up to yet another sleepless night, so I am feeling rather tired and discouraged today (Tuesday).

I don’t mean to bore anyone talking about my health problems and injuries, but it was because of such that I stopped competing six years ago. When I first thought about competing again, I was doing better in these regards, but now I’m back to where I was. But I already had my contest registration ready to go, so I went ahead and mailed it shortly before this workout. The entry fee is non-refundable, so I am going. I will have to trust the LORD that the contest proves worthwhile despite the adversities.

That said, I was able to take a nap before this workout, so I actually felt good for it. I did the same thing for deadlifts that I did for squats; I dropped my planned weights by five pounds, and I am glad I did. The last rep of each set was a full max, but I got all my planned reps. PDLs then went as planned. This was thus a hard but good workout.

College Routine

About this time I happened to come across a copy of a training routine I used back in college. It was interesting to compare what I did back then with what I am doing now, so I posted it at College Routine.

Week 9 (Week A)

Bodyweight: 121.0 pounds.
Body fat: 11.5%, 13.9 pounds.
Lean body mass: 107.1 pounds.

These numbers are again being adversely affected by my ongoing sleepless. But this does show how important sleep is for body fat loss, muscle gain, and even muscle maintenance.

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Bench Assistance

Wednesday – 2/4/15

Gear: Nike Sneakers; Crain: power belt, Redline wrist wraps.

Decline Benches: [45/20; 75/10, 100/6, add belt & wraps: 120/3, 140/1] 152/5, 160/3, 167/1

DB Inclines: [15s/10, 25s/6, add belt & wraps: 32s/3] 37s/8, 40s/6, 42s/4

Lats: [Pulldowns (underhand): 45/10, 70/6; Chin-ups: add wraps: 2.5/3] 10/7, 12.5/5, 15/3

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:28

Week 7's work sets for decline benches were not that difficult, so I increased the weights by five pounds and was hoping to again do 6, 4, 2, but I only did 5, 3, 1. But no matter, as that is still an increase and within my planned rep ranges.

I was leery to do overhead presses as I aggravated my shoulder on them last time, so I did inclines instead. And that worked; my shoulder did not feel strained on them.

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 Squats

Thursday – 2/5/15

Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1) (squats); APT heavy knee sleeves (dead stop squats).

Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 180/6, add belt & wraps: 225/3, 260/1] 280/5, 295/3, 310/1

Extra Low Squats: [135/10, 165/6, add belt & wraps: 195/3] 215/6, 225/4, 235/2

Bicycle Abs: 25, 25

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:44

I didn’t feel as stiff for this workout as last time, so I had an easier time hitting depth on my warm-ups, and only the first rep of my work sets was high, so I thank the LORD for that.

I changed to extra low squats for my second exercise as I think it is the best exercise for strengthening the bottom of the squat. Even with using wraps, I am struggling to get momentum out of the hole. By “extra low” I mean squatting about 2-3” lower than just breaking parallel. Thankfully, I did not have problems hitting that extra low depth, probably because I was so warmed up from squats. For details on this exercise, see the following page of my fitness site: Extra Low Foam Squat Box.

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Benches

Sunday – 2/8/15

Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.

Benches: [45/20, 80/10, 100/6, add belt & wraps: 115/3, 135/1] 150/5, 157/3, 165/1

Dumbbell Benches: [35s/10, 45s/6, add belt & wraps: 55s/3] 60s/7, 62s/5, 65s/3

Barbell Rows: [45/10, 60/6, 75/3] 85/7, 60/5, 95/3

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:26

With the struggles I’ve had on benches, I was pleased with this workout. I got all of my planned reps for all three exercises, so I’m still on pace to reach my goal on benches. But I will see what happens next week when I put in my last heavy bench workout.

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Deadlifts

Monday – 2/9/15

Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.

Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 175/7, 215/5, add belt & wraps: 255/3, 285/1, 320/1] 340/5, 357/3, 375/1

Stiff Leg Deadlift (conv.): [135/10, 180/6, add wraps: 225/3] 250/7, 262/5, 275/3

Dip Bar Leg Raises: [0/10] 3s/18, 3s/18, 3s/18

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:29

I tried a slightly different approach for warm-ups on deadlifts, but then got confused and had to do one more set than I had planned. I didn’t like it, and it added to my workout time, so I will stick with what I have been doing. But despite the mis-start, this was a very good workout, and I got all of my planned reps. It helped that I finally got a good night’s sleep before this workout, but then more problems caused another sleepless night afterwards.

But despite all of the problems along the way, this routine is going well. Back in December when I started this routine and making plans to compete again, I set goals for the contest of: 310, 170, 370, 850. This week I did: 310, 165, 375, 850. I still have 1-1/2 weeks of hard training left, plus a couple of light workouts before my upcoming contest. Here’s trusting the LORD that I am able to finish strong.

Week 10 (Week B)

Bodyweight: 121.6 pounds.
Body fat: 10.6%, 12.9 pounds.
Lean body mass: 108.7 pounds.

These numbers look good, but I might have messed up the body fat measurements. I’ll see what happens next week.

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I mentioned last week about experimenting with a different approach on warm-up sets. The reason for that is I’m not feeling quite ready for my first work set. On squats especially, I am having a hard time sinking my first rep. With a contest fast approaching, that could cause me to miss my opener. As such, I reviewed my workout logs and am made some changes in accordance with what seems to work best for me.

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Bench Assistance

Wednesday – 2/11/15

Gear: Nike Sneakers; Crain: power belt, Redline wrist wraps.

Incline Benches [DBs: 10s/15, Barbell: 45/10, 70/7, 95/5, add belt & wraps: 112/3], 125/5, 130/3, 135/1

Dips: [bwt./10, 7.5/7, add wraps: 15/5] 3/7, 35/5, 40/3

Lats: [Pulldowns (overhand grip): [60/7, Dip Bar Pull-ups: bwt./5] 2.5/7, 5/5, 7.5/3

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:17

I got all of my planned reps, so a good workout. One thing though, the dips bothered my tender shoulder, so like overhead presses, I don’t think I will do them anymore. And besides, reviewing my workout logs, it looks like my bench progresses best when I do inclines and declines on BA day, so I might stick with variations of them from now on.

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Squats

Thursday – 2/12/15

Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (1) (squats); APT heavy knee sleeves (partial squats).

Squats: [45/15, 135/10, 180/7, add belt & wraps: 215/5, 247/3] 275/6, 290/4, 305/2

Partial Squats: [175/7, add belt & wraps: 220/5, 260/3] 290/5, 305/3, 320/1

Sit-ups: [bwt/10, 10/7] 17.5/10, 18.75/8, 20/6

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:43

A very good workout. I sunk the first rep of the first work set with no problems. I’m not sure if that was because of my new warm-up plan or not being as stiff, but I’ll take it either way. The rest of the reps were good as well.

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Benches

Sunday – 2/15/15

Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.

Benches: [45/15, 80/10, 100/7, add belt & wraps: 120/5, 135/3] 150/5, 160/2, 170/1

3 Second Pause Benches: [85/7, 105/5, add belt & wraps: 122/3] 135/5, 140/3, 145/1

DB Rows (elbows in): [40/7, 55/5] 60/7, 62/5, 65/3

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:20

This was my last heavy bench workout before my contest February 28. I’ll bench again next Sunday, but I’ll be cutting weight by then, and it will be too close to the contest to go heavy.

That said; this was a very good workout, except for once again the second set of benches. It was supposed to be triple, but I got out of my groove on the second rep, came up uneven, and really had to struggle to lock it out evenly. That took it out of me, so I didn’t even try the third rep. But no matter as the third set was the important one, as with it I reached my goal for benches. But the real question is if I will be able to do it at the contest. That is iffy, as by experience I know that benches take the biggest hit with cutting weight. But I shall see.

The 3 sec pause benches also went well. The last set especially was easy. I could have done 5-10 pounds more. That is good in case there is a sadistic head judge. I should easily least get my opener even if he makes me wait 3 seconds for the “Press” command.

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Deadlifts

Monday – 2/16/15

Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.

Deadlifts (sumo): [45/15, 135/10, 195/7, add belt & wraps: 255/5, 315/2] 345/5, 365/3, 380/1

Platform (3" Deficit) Deadlifts (sumo): [135/10, 175/7, add belt & wraps: 225/5, 270/3] 300/5, 315/3, 330/1

Side Bends: [15/10; 27/7] 37/9, 40/7, 42/5

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:38

This was my last heavy deadlift workout before my contest (and ditto above).

That said; this was an excellent workout. The final rep of every set of DLs and PDLs was a full max, a perfect way to end my heavy deadlift training going into my contest. The 380 bettered my original goal by ten pounds, so I am very happy with that. But again, I shall see what happens at the contest.

However, the night after this workout was yet another sleepless night, so I am once again tired and frustrated today (Tuesday). Since I mentioned about my “tics” and taking a Cal/ Mag sup for them, I will give a quick update. That sup did not help with the tics, and after taking it for a week or so, I began have major problems sleeping. So I stopped it and tried a Mag/ K sup I had used before, but it also caused the sleeplessness. This has been a problem for me with sups and meds for a long time; most cause sleeplessness. I’m not sure if that means I am allergic to it, or if it is just a negative side effect, but it happens all of the time. That is why I take so few sups and no meds. For what sups I am taking, see the following page of my fitness site: Current Supplements.

Week 11 (Week A; final heavy workouts)

Bodyweight: 120.4 pounds.
Body fat: 11.2%, 13.5 pounds.
Lean body mass: 106.9 pounds.

These measurements are probably more accurate than last week’s. They are from Wednesday morning (2/18).

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Bench Assistance

Wednesday – 2/18/15

Gear: Nike Sneakers; Crain: power belt, Redline wrist wraps.

Decline Benches: [45/15; 85/10, 105/7, add belt & wraps: 125/5, 140/3] 155/5, 162/3, 170/1

DB Inclines: [15s/10, 25s/7, add belt & wraps: 35s/5] 40s/7, 42s/5, 45s/3

Lats: [Pulldowns: 45/10; Chin-ups: bwt./7, add wraps: 5/5] 11.25/7, 13.75/5, 16.25/3

Reverse Curls: [CB: 35/10; BB: 45/7] 50/10, 52/8, 55/6

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:42

This was my last Bench Assistance workout before my contest. I could put in a light BA workout next Wednesday, but I don’t think I will bother. That said, I got all of my planned reps, so a good workout.

I haven’t done reverse curls since I changed my routine around a few weeks ago to try to keep my workout times down. But I was having grip problems in my last deadlift workout, almost losing it on my final rep on my first two sets of deadlifts. As such, I thought it good to do reverse curls here to help with my grip at my upcoming contest, and I will be sure to include them from now on. Of course, that added to my workout time, but I was not overly tired afterwards.

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Squats

Thursday – 2/19/15

Gear: Crain: squat shoes, power belt, Genesis wrist wraps, 2.5 meter Genesis knee wraps (2) (squats); APT heavy knee sleeves (dead stop squats).

Squats: [45/20, 135/10, 185/7, add belt & wraps: 225/5, 255/3] 285/5, 300/3, 315/1

Extra Low Squats: [135/10, 160/7, 185/5, add belt & wraps: 205/3] 255/5, 235/3, 245/1

Bicycle Abs: Skip

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:47

This was my last squat workout and my last heavy workout before my contest next Saturday (2/28/15), and it went very well. I got all of my planned reps, with the last rep of every set of squats and extra low squats being a full max. But most of all, I was thrilled to be able to put 3 plates on the bar for squats for the first time this decade; that 315 bettered my original goal by five pounds.

My obliques felt really beat after side bends on Monday, and with this workout taking a bit too long, I skipped the bicycle abs. But still, this workout was great way to finish off my heavy training. I just have two light workouts left to finish off my training.

Training Plan Review

Starting shortly before my last powerlifting contest back in June of 2009, my health began deteriorating. By the summer of 2013, I was in a terrible state. As a result, I was only able to work out at a low intensity and with very light weights. But in October 2013, things began to turn around. My health did not improve, but with much reliance on the LORD, my attitude toward it did, and I began to deal with my problems much better. As a result, I began to gradually increase the intensity of my workouts and the weights used.

By the summer of 2014, my lifting had improved so much that I began thinking about competing again. There was a contest on February 28, 2015 that I had been looking at, so I set some goals and began my “Two by Two Training Plan” on August 20, 2014 to prepare for it.

Now at the end of that plan (2/20/15), my lifts have gone up significantly, so that I am once again handling respectable weights. In my last heavy workouts, I equaled or bettered my original goals; and I feel like I am peaking at just the right time. I’ve had to make a few adjustments along the way, and have a few more to make for next time, but overall, the basic design of the training plan has worked very well.

I have sustained a few minor injuries, had several flare-ups of my health problems, and many sleepless nights, but none of this has been serious enough to adversely affect my training, and I have not missed a workout this entire training plan.

In addition, I’ve been reading over my old workout logs from the ‘00s. In them, I often mention about being overly tired after a workout and thus struggling with what to do. This eventually led to me giving up on competing. But now in my 50s I am doing more volume than I was back then in my 40s, but I am not getting overly tired. This is probably because of having a better training plan based on all of those years of experience, along with doing more cardio, being more meticulous about my eating plan, having my supplements for the most part figured out, not taking any medications, and most of all, having a better attitude towards my lifting and life in general.

Given all of this, whatever happens at the contest, I want to take this opportunity to thank and praise my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ for bringing me this far. It is truly miraculous how much things have turned around in the past 1-1/2 years. May the LORD be glorified by my participation in my first powerlifting contest in six years.

Cutting Weight

I ate normally Thursday evening after my last heavy workout and throughout the day on Friday to recover from that workout. But starting today (Saturday, 2/21/15), I am cutting weight. I weighed 121.6 pounds on 2/11, but without trying, I was down to 120.2 this morning, probably because of working so hard in my final workouts. That means I only have 5.7 pounds to lose in six days to make the weight class limit of 114.5 pounds by weigh-ins at 10am Friday morning (2/27). I say “only” as I had more than that to lose for some contests when I competed in the 00s.

I will follow the plan I lay out in my powerlifting book: eat only low-fat animal protein and low-calorie veggies. The protein will prevent muscle catabolism, and the veggies will provide needed nutrients, along with fiber to keep me “regular.” But with having less weight to lose than I originally thought, I might be able to be a little more liberal and eat some fat and carbs.

I will increase sodium and thus fluids the first few days, and then cut back on them the last day or two as need be. The idea here is the increase causes the body to excrete more fluid, and it continues to do so for a day or two even when intake is restricted, thus leading to water loss. I'm not sure how well it works, but it is worth a try. I also stopped creatine intake, as it tends to cause water retention.

This plan worked great for me in my 40s, but I am anxious to see what happens now in my 50s.

Rest of Week 11

Benches

Sunday – 2/22/15

Gear: Nike sneakers; Crain: power belt, Genesis wrist wraps.

Benches: [45/20, 80/10, 95/7, add belt & wraps: 110/5, 122/3] 135/5, 142/3, 150/1

Dumbbell Benches: [35s/10, 45s/7, add belt & wraps: 50s/5] 55s/7, 57s/5, 60s/3

Barbell Rows: [45/10, 55/7, 65/5] 75/7, 80/5, 85/3

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 1:16

 I was already down 118.6 pounds Sunday morning, so I ate some carbs throughout the day and thus was able to go harder than I had originally planned for my morning cardio and this workout. That was good as with the contest being six days out and usually benching every seven days and not doing a BA workout in-between, I figured it would be best to go somewhat hard for this workout, but not too hard.

With working harder for my last bench workout than usual, hopefully I won’t feel “off” for the contest on benches as I often do and thus have often missed my third attempt. But with not going too hard, I will still be rested. So I did my normal workout but with lighter weights, using my first set weights from the previous workout for my last set and figuring the weights down from there. My opener was thus my final bench set. And even with the two work sets before and cutting weight, it was still felt easy enough for an opener.

This pattern is my plan for my “back-off” workouts at the start of my next routine, except to do one more rep for each set. And the workout overall was of the right intensity for a back-off workout, so it will be a good pattern for figuring my weights for the start of my next routine. This was thus a very productive workout.

______________________________

Deadlifts

Monday – 2/23/15

Gear: Nike wrestling shoes; Crain power belt; APT: knee sleeves, wrist bands.

Deadlifts (sumo): [45/20, 135/10, 195/7, add belt & wraps: 255/5, 315/2] 345/1

Stiff Leg Deadlift (conv.): Skipped

BB Calves: [95/10, 115/7] 130/10, 135/8

Dip Bar Leg Raises: [0/10] 0/15, 0/15

Stretching: ~5 minutes

Workout time: 0:47

My weight was up to 119.2 Monday morning, so I hope I didn’t make a mistake eating carbs on Sunday. But it is probably just water due to replenishing some glycogen and the added sodium, and this is about where I wanted to be at this time, so I should still be okay. I ate a piece of fruit before my morning cardio and before this workout, but that will be it for carbs until after weigh-ins. I will cut out all remaining fat as need be.

With the contest now just five days away and usually deadlifting every seven days, I wasn’t sure what to do for deadlifts. I didn’t want to skip them and go 12 days without deadlifting, but I thought it best not to do an even somewhat hard workout like for benches, so I compromised and just did my planned warm-ups sets and opener. And the 345 felt good for an opener.

I stopped doing calves raises when I changed my routine a few weeks ago, but I was having a problem walking out the weight for my final squat workout. There will be a monolift at the contest, but I will probably walk it out as that is what I am used to, and I missed a couple of attempts back in the 00s due to losing my balance using the monolift. So I did calves raises here, and I will be sure to include them from now on. I then did a couple of light sets of abs since I skipped them on Thursday.

And that is it. I am done with training, except to maybe hit my heavy bag on Wednesday to help with cutting weight.

Bodyweight update

This morning (Tuesday, 2/24/15), my weight was down to 117.8 pounds. That is much better, and I am back on schedule. I don’t think I will have to eliminate fat entirely, which is good as that will keep testosterone levels from dropping too much. To aid in that regard, I’ve been eating a spinach omelet for breakfast, made with two whole extra-large eggs and 2/3rds cup of spinach, with a glass of reconstituted protein powders. I really like it, so after my contest, instead of my normal oatmeal with fruit and nuts, I might eat the omelet occasionally, but add in an Ezekiel English Muffin with jelly or brown rice syrup for carbs.

Another bodyweight update

Bodyweight: 117.8 pounds.
Body fat: 9.6%, 11.3 pounds.
Lean body mass: 106.5 pounds.

These measurements are from Thursday morning (2/26); the day before I need to weigh-in for the 114.5 pound weight class, and I was shocked when I weighed myself. I expected to have lost about a pound since yesterday with cutting sodium and fat, but I gained 0.4 pounds.

However, this weight is from first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything and before going to the bathroom. But I usually have to urinate when I get up, and if I check my weight afterwards, I usually lose about a pound. This morning I lost 1.4 pounds, so I am probably just now releasing water from the increased sodium earlier in the week. Also, I’ve been eating a lot of veggies, but I’ve still been having problems moving my bowels, but I finally did later.

I ate the breakfast I mentioned about before, as I figure that will be out of my system by tomorrow morning. But for the rest of today and tomorrow morning until weigh-ins, I will only drink small sips of water and eat small amounts of chicken and turkey breast. That should do it. If I am still overweight in the morning, I will take a long, hot bath. That usually takes off a pound, but I’d rather not as it is very draining.

That said, I always suspected I was down to single digit body fat percent when I was about ready to step on the weigh-in scale, but this was the first time I actually measured it.  Also, I’ve only lost 0.4 pounds of LBM but 2.2 pounds of fat since I started cutting weight.

I will post about how weigh-ins went and a contest report next week.

For a contest report, see IPA Pennsylvania State Powerlifting Championships - 2015.

These workout logs are continued at: Full Workout Logs: Starting 3/6/2015 – Two by Two Plan (Variation A); Routine A, Weeks 1-6 of 12.

Full Workout Logs: Starting 1/19/2015 - Routine B of Two by Two Training Plan - Weeks 7-11. Copyright © 2015 By Gary F. Zeolla.

Powerlifting and Strength Training
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