This past Saturday was the culmination of the Juggernaut AI training cycle. Considering the program has been set to 40%PL and 60%BB, I was very happy with the progression of the competition lifts.
This is also the first time I have ever maxed out all three lifts in a single day. I had no idea how my body would respond or recover. The attempts given to me from the app all seemed to be pretty good, though a bit on the light side. I had the freedom to increase my estimated 1RM which would bump the attempts up. While I wanted to do the lifts correctly with proper form as if they would be judged on the platform, I also did not want to get too crazy with monitoring my time between attempts, etc. Part of me just wanted to go in and max out but adhere to a few of the rules. My goal was to set new PRs at this bodyweight. Had I been able to walk out of the gym being able to squat 430, bench 315, and DL 515 or more, I would have considered it a great morning.
Squat
I went 395, 420, and 445.
I had more in the tank after the final squat and considered loading up another heavier attempt, but decided against it due to time and to also preserve a little energy. I wanted to maintain the high of going heavier than my final planned attempt and ride that into the bench. Since being at the new gym, being able to use the squat bar feels better. I don’t feel like I am putting so much weight on the bar where the bar whip messes with me, but the bar does feel better. Hard to explain. All I know is that I like it better than what I have used over the year.
Bench
I went 298,320,331x.
I have no explanation as to why I tried something new on the final lift, but I tried to wear my belt. It had zero effect. Either that makes no difference to me or I was doing it wrong. I wish I hadn’t even tried it given I was going for another PR. After I hit 320, I felt a little tired and wondered how much gas was left in the tank for deadlift. A little fatigue was starting to set in for certain. Looking back, I am not certain I made the best decisions with my attempts. I wonder if I had done below 320 and then under 331 if I could have actually hit something heavier than 320. I will have to see the next time I go for a heavy.
Deadlift
I went 495,520,550x.
After I pulled 495, I knew that 515+ was there, so I figured I might as well load 520. While it wasn’t easy, pulling 520 was not difficult for me so I felt like it was a good weight selection. I would like to get confident enough here to be able to open with at least 500+ if I were at a meet. The next weight was not my best choice. Looking back, I think I could have done more than 520, but getting 550 to my knees was where my back finally tapped out. I thought about lowering the weight and seeing how that might go, but given that I had already hit a PR on everything, I thought I would end the morning feeling good with my lower back still in a good mood.
Final Numbers
When the dust settled, I ended up going 445/320/520 for a 1285 total. My all-time best lifts before dropping bodyweight were 506/350/601 and if I could have done all of that on a single day that would have given me a 1457 total. A drop in 172lbs is not something that I feel great about, but given my overall health improvements, I can’t be upset either. I feel much better now than I did at the higher bodyweight and the only advantage then was heavier lifting. I haven’t really looked to see how my numbers would stack up in USPA or USPL against other masters lifters my age yet. I have felt good enough to what to sign up for a meet sometime in 2022 though I don’t have anything specific planned out. I don’t even know who would count/coach me through all of that.
Post-Meet
I did a 30-minute walk on the treadmill after to shake my legs out. I had a busy weekend with the family planned so I knew I was not going to get a ton of rest. After coaching, I came home and took a nap! Saturday mornings are the hardest mornings for me to wake up and go into the gym. I felt really good all day and not too beat up. The following day, when I went to CycleBar for Lauren’s 100th ride, I felt the lifting in my legs, hamstrings, and hips big time. So much so that I stopped pushing super hard in the ride and just rolled with it. Today, I started the next training block with the Juggernaut app and adjusted the split to be 50/50. The hypertrophy work felt good and I wasn’t too beat up today at all, with all systems feeling nice and recovered.