Push/pull comp advice
Hi all! So exactly 6 weeks from today I, at the ripe ol' age of 42 will be participating in my 1st push/pull competition. Nothing too serious, just for charity but I want to do the best I can. I am looking for any and all advice. Anything to do with increasing my lifts would be welcome but not having been through the experience of a lifting comp before the mental side of it is where I feel I am lacking. On the day of how do you prepare yourself? Ive been reading through old forum and group posts and found interesting pieces on all sorts but perhaps there is something I'm missing. Like I said its for charity. Im not doing this to win anything, I just want the experience and bragging rights that will come with it. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from everyone.
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Thought I would post an update. 2 weeks to the day to go. Been eating like a madman, im at 236 right now, up 7 since I began this. I fucked up a pull 3 weeks ago and tweaked my back so I had about a week and a half where I couldnt deadlift as much as I wanted. Foolish mistake, pulled when i wasn't tight. A trip to the chiropractor and rest and we're good now. Bench is good, been adding 5-10lbs every training day, sticking with the 5 reps, 5 sets at 80%. Pause reps are hard as hell! No doubt about that. But I feel strong as hell doing them. I havent re done my 1rm on eith lift in 4 weeks just been adding weight that feels good. I will check it this week to see where i am at.
Thanks again to everyone who responded and a big one to IrishMack. Your advice has helped a newb like me out quite a bit.
6 weeks to comp? Brutal. Well if you already know what your 1 rep max is you could increase both bybat least 40 pounds. You will be training for only 4 days 5 max amd no cardio or high reps because now you need to increas max power/strength. For bench you will focus on speed for positive and then count to 3 while you bring the bar back down. You want to burst.
Do 80% of 1rm 5 times for 5 sets. Its a tried and true range. You HAVE to do 5 reps no matter what so if you fail then rest for 1-2 minutes then finish the set.
The next week redo your 1rm and then do 80% again.
After the first week you should be able to add 10-15 pounds to your max. Also for those six weeks you will need carbs like never before so increase those for the six weeks. Same thing applies to deads but you cant do the 3 seconds for that because you are judged for the descent too. Deads are a little different, do 85% 1rm because its the biggest muscle groups. By the fourth week you should be a shit ton stronger and you should have gained some weight too. Just dont eat a lot of fat, use sweet ptotatos for complex carbs as well as oats. Your diet of protein and carbs should be like tren cycle low prot high carb because the carbs will do all the work.
The other 2 days will be strength training exercises triceps 3rd day from bench, back is 3rd day too. It keeps it spreadout so you dont disrupt the repair. You also need creatine and lots of water to cushion the joints and make your muscle full.
Excellent! Thank you for taking the time to set this out for me. Im going to write this out so I have a set training schedule. The diet points you bring up have put a few thoughts in my head that I will do some digging on tonight. Much appreciated!
RustyhookerMight get gymjunkie and irishmack in here too
Yea i was hoping them, plus Makwa would weigh in on some advice...
Strength training and all its nuances is a foreign language to me. I know a couple of words here and there but I am not very fluent in it.
RustyhookerStrength comps are kinda odd in the prep. I didnt have anything helpful. Lol
The deeper into this I dig, the more true that statement rings.
I like Macks plan...
I'd start a lifting routine of a 25-50% decrease in weight from the normal weight you've been utilizing. From there, I'd focus on time under tension, form, balance and mind muscle connection making the muscle burn. You could hit a normal heavy day for good measure, and if your are blasting out good solid reps, then you're making progress. I do like the idea of sprints for lung expansion and ventilation...I'd say 1-2 times per week, do 15 second sprints with 30-45 second rests...total time would be to sprint for 5 minutes...
I'm thinking about some cal/mac plans, right now...
Sounds good! So I would continue at those weights
(25-50% decrease) straight up to the comp? I like the idea of sprints as well. This is exactly the sort of info I'm looking for. Much appreciated.
What's a detailed itinerary look like for the competition?
And I thought strengthlifting was an obscure sport; I’ve never even heard of a push/pull comp. what does it entail?
Deadlift and bench press
You’d almost think it’d be deadlift and strict press to differentiate from standard powerlifting minus the squat. I would recommend training with a deficit to begin with the pull, wearing thick soled boots then transitioning to slippers in the weeks leading up to the comp. As for the bench, I would slowly increase your arch and widen your grip little by little as the competition approaches to give yourself the greatest mechanical advantage. It’s probably a little to late to implement these techniques.
But that’s what I’d do if I were to train for competition.
Deficit deadlifts off-season —> deadlifts in slippers in comp
High bar squat off-season —> low bar squat in comp
Flat back bench with fingers in the rings offseason —> arched bench with grip as wide as possible in comp
I agree it may be a bit late. Should have asked as soon as I decided to do this. But the widening if my grip and deficit deadlifts are good calls. How benificial they can be in 6 weeks is up for grabs. But hey...I'll give it a go.
Thanks for the good info
Just bear in mind, like you said, it’s for charity. I’m assuming there’s not exactly a lot at stake here as far as personal recognition. If gripping wider and wider starts bothering your shoulders it’s not worth it if there’s no cash prizes involved.
Of course. Im not trying to have my 1st go at this be my last. I would never go very far with my grip anyway. My standard is my middle finger on the ring in the knurling. My idea of wide is possibly my index finger just beyond that ring.
Oh. That’s already pretty damned wide as it is. Interesting. We’re about the same height but I find pinky just inside the rings to be most comfortable.
That’s illegal.
Ah, thank you, these are the things I need to know. And yea, my training partner tells me I'm a bit wide too. I was going pinky to the ring for quite awhile bit I find here more comfortable. I'm able to keep my elbows tucked and get good reps without any strain on my shoulders
You bulldog it? Try gripping the bar diagonally across your palm so that the part closest to you is in the crook between your thumb and index finger and the part farthest away from you is in the butt of your palm directly above your ulna. You can do it with a wrench or something and understand the physics behind why this is advantageous. If you hold the wrench in the bulldog position like it’s a locked bar and bring your elbow from a flared position to an elbows-forward position like at the bottom of a bench press, you’ll feel a powerful torque throughout your forearm. If you were to let go of the wrench, your thumb will forcibly twist towards you without contracting any muscles. Now imagine it’s a barbell and your hand has nowhere to go. That torque force will be transferred into the elbow giving you a mechanical advantage in pressing when you push and flare out of the hole. This isn’t great for equipped benching, but for raw benching I found this technique to be a game changer. I find it makes a pretty significant difference in pressing efficiency and helps you to tuck the elbows even better than a false grip allows.
That's it? I thought there was more...
Perhaps there is...but at this event we are only doing the 2 lifts. As far as itinerary for the day of. Im not sure beyond the basics. Weigh in is the night before, rules brief at 8am, start warm ups at 8:30, lifts start at 9:30 the next morning.
Those weights, plus alternate heavy weights a little too...
Roger that
Tren ace and drol hunned migs each ED 2 weeks up to the comp!
Lol kidding. Kinda. Hopefully Gymjunkie will stop by with a few tips from his strongman comps. Stay as hydrated as possible! It'll help prevent injury. Get some pump up songs, here's one:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fA6wd4acf-U
Wishing you the best brother!
Damn good link, sir...
Thanks! I appreciate that. It'll be fun for sure. Just put that song on my playlist. Had never heard it before. I told my training partner this morning that because Im so mellow when working out I need to put up a pic of my mother in law that I can see while pulling just to get me pissed off. I will have to check the rules on that one. Lol
Thanks brother.
Lol...pic of mother in law...
Sad but true. That woman makes me mental.
Yep...we'll have to start another forum in groups to talk about that stuff...lol