First Competition

[Bergie]

I have decided to try my hand at a powerlifting competition. There is an APC meet on 4/10 about hours away that seems like a good one to attend.

I am currently in the middle of a Madcow 5x5 program that should be ending on 4/1. How should I program my training for that 10 day period between Madcow and the meet?

[Jason B]

Madcow is another term for the Bill Starr 5x5 right?

I'll talk about setting up your training for the final days in a second, but the most important thing you'll need to do before your first meet is get an idea of your openers. Your opener should be a weight you could hit on a day where you wake up with the flu, pull your hamstring getting out of bed, and find out your dog died last night. In other words, you should be good for your opener on your worst day, that way you know you will get it no matter what. That also ensures you get a total, and builds confidence for the lifts to come. It doesn't matter what you open with, it matters how you finish. Here's a couple great resources opening choosing openers and attempts:

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/openers.htm
http://www.usapowerlifting.com/newsletter/05/features/features.html

Have an idea of your openers before you even show up, but you won't finalize them until you are warming up and see how you feel. Unless your meet director wants the openers early for some reason, if so just be conservative. It's much better to smoke your opener and make a slightly larger jump than have to grind out an opener and be toast afterward.



Now, about setting up your training. For this, I need more information. I assume since you are using a Starr routine, you are past the novice stage, but correct me if I'm wrong. How long have you been seriously training the squat/bench/deadlift? What are your current numbers on your work sets? What weight class will you be?

[Bergie]

Thanks for your input Jason.

I have been lifting for about year and a half, Starr 5x5 for the past 5 wks and SS before that.

I plan on lifting in the 198lb masters (50-55) class.

Here is the entry from my last workout.

squats
125x5
160x5
190x5
190x5
This was my light day. current 5RM is 250.

Press
85x5
100x5
115x5
131.25x5
bar slowed some but I have pressed a whole lot slower before.

Deadlift Not a good deadlift day
195x5
236x5
It didn't really feel heavy but my forearms where saying "what the hell was that?"
275x5 This one felt very heavy.
315x2
This one was not going to happen. I managed a set of 2. I tried for an other single and my body would have none of it. Looking on the bright side, I did get 2 rep max. But is still sucked not to get 5.

My current bench, which I didn't do this particular day is 202 for a 5RM.

http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/images/misc/progress.gif

[Jason B]

Ok, based on your 5RM's, your calculated maxes are a 290 sq, 235 bench, 320 dl. These are very approximate so don't get hung on the specific numbers, they just give you some idea of where you are. If these are your 5RM in a 5x5 program, your maxes are probably a little higher with proper peaking. What I want you to do is sometime in the weeks of March 7th, 14th, or 21st, you're going to work up to a max triple on each lift. You can do the squat and bench on the same day, but don't do the squat and deadlift on the same day, or you can do each lift on a different day, however you want. You don't have to change your program all around, just pick a day when you're feeling pretty good, when your warm-ups feel nice and light, and work up to a heavy set of 3. The idea is to peak for this set of 3, so don't do a bunch of work sets first and wear yourself out. If you end up getting 2 or 4 reps, don't sweat it, the idea is to get a heavy low-rep set in to get a better idea of where you stand. Try not to make it a max single though, get 2 or more reps. It's ok if you reach failure (have the safety precautions there), but if you know for sure you're done you can rack it. The idea here is to strain a little, so don't fear it.

The reason we strive for a triple is that a good max triple is usually a good number to open with, it should be an easy single. When you complete the set for each lift, post your numbers here.

Here's how the weeks before the meet will work. You final deadlift will be 10-12 days before the meet, preferably on Mar. 31st (Wednesday). Your final squat will be 7-8 days before, preferably on April 3 (Saturday). Your final bench will be 6-7 days out, preferably on April 5 (Monday). You will be working up to your (tenative) openers on these days and that's it, no assistance work (aside from maybe some light lower back/ab work). When you post your results from those heavy sets I'll tell you what to work up to. Your schedule will dictate what days you do this, I don't know your commitments outside of lifting, so let me know what days you plan to do these workouts.

Remember the idea is to smoke the opener, so don't fret if it feels easy, that's what you want. Nobody gives a shit what you open with, what matters is that 3rd attempt.

[Bergie]

That sounds good. I will plan on finding my 3RMs during the week of 3/7.

My workout schedule is MWF. I do bench, press, deadlifts, and accessory exercises around mid day and do my squats that same evening at home.

Thanks for you help.

[Bergie]

Here is the results of my search for a 3RM on each of the lifts.

Deadlift.
Warm up
125x2x5
150x1x5
195x1x3
225x1x3
275x1x2

325x2 Crap didn't make a 3RM but I new 2RM and PR

Bench
warm up
45x2x5
105x1x5
145x1x3
185x1x2

210x1x3
five min rest
215x1x3 New 3 RM
five min rest
220 1 rep only but, its a new PR

Squat
Warm up
45x2x2
105x2x5
160x1x3
215x1x2

275x1x3 New 3RM
five min rest
280x1x1 New PR

[Jason B]

Ok, here's what I'm thinking for openers: 270, 210, 305.

Now, this could change based on a couple questions, but that will be pretty close. Questions: How easy/hard were the 275x3 squat, and the 215x3 bench? If you absolutely smoked them we could bump up five pounds to those numbers, but with only getting 1 rep with only 5 pounds more on each lift, I'm hesitant to do that. Another way to think of it is this: did the first rep of those 3RM feel strong and move fast?

Oh yeah, did you pause the bench? You're familiar with how the bench works in a meet, right? You will have to pause on the bench and wait for a press command. If you didn't pause your sets it's no problem, we'll just take your opener down about 10 pounds.

The deadlift opener may seem light to you, but keep in mind this will be at the end of the day, after you've maxed the squat and bench. First time competitors struggle with this often, keep in mind the fatigue you will experience, and the long time between lifts can actually hurt, fatigue will begin to set in. Bring some caffiene to take after the bench, you will most likely need it.

Let me know what you think and we'll finalize those days to hit your openers, and talk about how to jump to your second and third attempts. You can resume your normal training schedule until Mar. 31, where you'll take your deadlift opener and that's it. Then you'll do your squat on Apr 2nd or 3rd, and your bench on the 5th.


EDIT: A little philosophy about the final 10-14 days before the meet, you're not going to get any stronger in that time, but you can sure as hell get weaker. Don't overdue it, especially as a master's lifter, now's not the time to test your recovery ability, take it easy leading up to the meet. You will not get weaker after an easy 10 days, but you can sure as hell get tired if you overdue it. Finalizing your openers should be your only training objective.

[MilkEnthusiast]

Hey buddy,

Have a fun time. Maybe this thread will help

http://www.startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=9469&highlight=meet

[Bergie]

Ok, here's what I'm thinking for openers: 270, 210, 305.

Now, this could change based on a couple questions, but that will be pretty close. Questions: How easy/hard were the 275x3 squat, and the 215x3 bench?

Oh yeah, did you pause the bench?



The first rep of the set was fairly easy for both the squat and the bench, with the bench being a bit more of a strain than the squat was. Just to play in conservative, I will use the number you suggested. I can always go a little more aggressive with 2nd an 3rd if I am feeling stronger right?

I have paused on the bench for my lighter work sets but not the heavy one. I did not pause with the 3RM test. So I probably should drop the weight down. From now I will will work out with the pause on all sets to get a better feel for where I am.

Thanks again!



Hey buddy,

Have a fun time. Maybe this thread will help

http://www.startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=9469&highlight=meet

Thanks for the link Milk

[Jason B]

The first rep of the set was fairly easy for both the squat and the bench, with the bench being a bit more of a strain than the squat was. Just to play in conservative, I will use the number you suggested. I can always go a little more aggressive with 2nd an 3rd if I am feeling stronger right?

I have paused on the bench for my lighter work sets but not the heavy one. I did not pause with the 3RM test. So I probably should drop the weight down. From now I will will work out with the pause on all sets to get a better feel for where I am.

Thanks again!

Good deal, I'd drop the bench to 200 for the pause. Again, you can always adjust those numbers based on how your opener testing days go, and how you feel when you warm up. If you "off" when you're warming up for competition (feel tired/sluggish, weight feels heavy), take 5-10 pounds off your opener if you feel you need to. If you feel "on" and feel really strong that day, bump it up five pounds.

There's so much emphasis on the opener because it's such a confidence builder. If you smoke your first lift (esp. the squat), it sets the tone for the rest of the day. I'll talk about the jumps to second and third attempts in a little bit.

[Jason B]

Someone posted this in another thread, this is another great article about selecting your lifts, probably the best I've read.

http://www.marylandpowerlifting.com/page.asp?contentID=135