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Help with Comp periodization

The Hamburgler

The Hamburgler

Spotter Loader
Alrighty, at this stage I've got my first powerlifting comp on June 26 (very exciting :D). As most who have read my log will have seen - most of my training has been "hmm I feel like doing this today" without much thought of gradual progression or periodization so I was after a bit of advice in regards to preparing for the comp.

My questions largely relate to my squat programming, and weekly organisation (ie what day to do shit, including accessory).
If decided on programs for both Deadlift and Bench Press (which I will post further down) that run for 6 weeks each based off 1RMs I'm going to test on the 25th (Easter Monday, and provided my shoulder is better - might push back bench a couple of weeks) which leaves me 8 weeks til the comp (so the last 'Friday' of deadlift will get pushed back to be the comp on Sunday).

At this stage I've roughly organised my week into:
Monday - Heavy squat, Wide Grip/heavy bench press
Tuesday - light deadlift
Thursday - light squat, Close Grip/light bench press (the bench program says Monday and Friday but figure it won't matter too much)
Friday - heavy deadlift

From this I basically need help planning my squat, and accessory exercises. Atm I'm leaning towards doing shoulder and tricep exercises eg DB press on bench on the Monday and Thursday, with upper back work eg Chins and any DL/Squat accessories on the Tuesdays and Friday eg GHR, Good Mornings, Bulgarians.

Thus I came up with this:
Monday -
Heavy Squat
Wide Grip Bench periodization
Modified Bamboo Press 2x15-20
DB Press 2x10-15
External DB Rotation 2x15-20
Tuesday -
Light Deadlift
Chins Ups - pyramid to a max set with 16kg
GHR (just the ghetto feet under BB version) 2x5-7
Theraband Pull Aparts 2x20-25
Good Mornings 1x15-20
Thursday -
Light Squat
Close Grip Bench periodization
*accessories the same til I get decent dip bars*
Friday -
Heavy Deadlift
*accessories the same minus GHR*

These are the DL and BP programs:
Deadlift
Third Cycle

In the 3rd part you are performing competition style deadlifts. The reps are indicated below. This mesocycle lasts 6 weeks. Reps and sets vary.
Assistance exercises: chins without weight, wide grip bent-over rows, hyperextensions.
Third cycle percentages:
Week 1
Day 1: 44%x1; 60%x3; 70%x3x3
Day 2: 44%x5; 60%x3; 70%x2; 80%x1; 90%x1
Week 2
Day 1: 44%x1; 60%x3; 70%x3x3
Day 2: 44%x5; 60%x3; 70%x2; 84%x1; 94%x1; 86%x3
Week 3
Day 1: 44%x1; 60%x3; 74%x3x3
Day 2: 44%x5; 60%x3; 74%x2; 90%x1; 94%x1; 90%x3
Week 4
Day 1: 44%x1; 60%x3; 74%x3x3
Day 2: 44%x5; 64%x3; 80%x2; 95%x1; 101%x1; 93%x3
Week 5
Day 1: 44%x5; 76%x3x4
Day 2: 44%x5; 70%x3; 84%x2; 94%x1; 103%x1; 96%x3
Week 6
Day 1: 44%x5; 80%x3x4
Day 2: 44%x5; 70%x3; 84%x2; 96%x1; 105%x1


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Bench Press
note: these won't be the exact numbers I use



Patrik Nyman's Prilepin Bench program

Based on a 75 kg (165 lbs) raw bench and a 75 kg (165 lbs) raw close-grip bench we get the following cycle. Kilograms are rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg. Notation: sets x reps @ weight.
HEAVY BENCH (Monday)

Week 1 (89 %): 3x2 @ 67.5 kg

Week 2 (80 %): 5x3 @ 60 kg

Week 3 (86 %): 5x3 @ 65 kg

Week 4 (90 %): 3x2 @ 67.5 kg

Week 5 (80 %): 5x3 @ 60 kg

Week 6 (86 %): 5x3 @ 65 kg

Assistance work

JM Press, Pressdown or similar 3x8
Some kind of lat row or pulldown 4-6x6-10
Some kind of shoulder press 3x12
(Tate press or one-handed pressdown 2-3x16)


CLOSE-GRIP BENCH (Friday)

Week 1 (82 %): 5x3 @ 62.5 kg

Week 2 (85 %): 5x3 @ 65 kg

Week 3 (73 %): 6x3 @ 55 kg

Week 4 (82 %): 5x3 @ 62.5 kg

Week 5 (85 %): 5x3 @ 65 kg

Week 6 (73 %): 5x3 @ 55 kg

Assistance work

Dumbell triceps extension or Tate press 3x12
Face pull 3x8-12
Dumbell side or rear raise 3x12-16
Hammer curl 3-4x12-16


Notes
  • All bench reps should be paused on the chest before pressing up.
  • Explode the weight up no matter how light the weight.
  • You should be able to complete all bench sets without going balls to the walls, i.e. roughly one rep short of failure. If these percentages turn out to be too severe, you will need to lower the weights.
  • Be careful not to train the triceps too hard on the heavy bench day. As a general guideline, you should probably leave the JM press etc. 1-2 reps short of failure.
  • Advanced lifters can add chains to the close-grip bench, adding approximately 10 kg/22 lbs extra resistance to the lockout.
  • If your max is below 100 kg/220 lbs or so, you might want to do these calculations by hand and round to smaller plates than 2.5 kg/5 lbs as to get closer to the actual percentages. As an example, for a 60 kg max, 89% and 86% will both equal 52.5 kg.


So if anyone could help out that'd be great :) I'm quite open to any suggestions anyone has! (except give up)
I'm most concerned about my squat cos that has a lot of room for improvement, bench press sucks regardless haha

ps they have the accessory exercises listed, I won't be doing all the ones they've suggested (obviously)
 
Last edited:
You're over-thinking it way too much.

Pick a really simple program to follow until the comp, like 5/3/1 with heavy singles added in.
With 9 weeks to go you could do 2 full cycles of 5/3/1, finishing with a peaking week, then just deload the week before.

I don't think 5/3/1 is particularly any better than a heap of other ways i could name, but its simple and progressive, and that's what you need.
 
Periodization - isn't that what you guys will get once i mention PMT, uteruses and being hormonal enough times....sorry greyburg :D
 
And the Ugly said:
You're over-thinking it way too much.

Pick a really simple program to follow until the comp, like 5/3/1 with heavy singles added in.
With 9 weeks to go you could do 2 full cycles of 5/3/1, finishing with a peaking week, then just deload the week before.

I don't think 5/3/1 is particularly any better than a heap of other ways i could name, but its simple and progressive, and that's what you need.
Click to expand...

Could the comp lifts be done twice a week with it?
That's basically what I want really . . .
 
I suppose. Simply structure it so that you perform your main lift one day and the accessory work for it on another day.

Bench / Dead

Squat / Bench

Dead / Squat

Do the 5/3/1 numbers on the main day and 5 x 10 @ 55% on the assistance day. Maybe bring the assistance reps down for DL's.
 
might be worth hitting up jdizzle/hashi about sheiko programming :)

you want to do the basics (squat, bench, deadlift) a lot more than any accessories (think 5/3/1 boring but big template).

all in imho :)
 
Holy shit. Thats alot of words for something as simple as lifting.

Stronger people then all of us have created much simpler, straight forward programs, go with one of them.

5/3/1, madcows 5x5, etc.
 
Like said you have overcomplicated something so simple, at your level you sohuld be getting stronger each session no ifs or butts..

Simply add weight do a basic program. Doing all this fancy shit wont make u grow. It is designed for people who simply cant stay at an optimal performance limit because they are at near insanity strength levels.

Best of luck...
 
Christian said:
Like said you have overcomplicated something so simple, at your level you sohuld be getting stronger each session no ifs or butts..
Click to expand...

I can/do but I can't sustain it (if that makes sense). Tend to go alright for a couple of weeks then burn out a bit if I'm just trying to add poundages 3x a week


Christian said:
Simply add weight do a basic program. Doing all this fancy shit wont make u grow. It is designed for people who simply cant stay at an optimal performance limit because they are at near insanity strength levels.
Click to expand...

Yeah I understand why the pros would do a 5 month program just to add 5lbs to a lift. I'm just after a basic 4-8 week program because I know if I just did 5x5 for example, I'd fail horribly @ week 7 knowing my luck :p
5/3/1 is definitely an option though.


Maybe I should have simplified my post to:
I want to Squat, Bench and Deadlift twice a week, with one heavy day and one light day for each - what is the "best" way of configuring this eg what The Ugly posted and what sort of progression should I follow ie weeks 1/ 2 3 sets of 10, weeks 3/4 4 sets of 8 etc etc for 'heavy day' then 3x3 80% on light day or something along those lines anyway . . .
 
Download 5/3/1 read it.

Do...

5/3/1 Squat
5x10 bench @60%
Situps

5/3/1 Bench
5x10 squats @60%
Chins

5/3/1 Deadlift
5x10 MP @60%
powercleans/shrugs/pullups

5/3/1 MP
3x8 Deadlifts/rackpulls/deficits/sldl (what ever is the weakspot) @60-70%
5x10 rows
 
leachy is on the money, really try your hardest in the last set. do some 1RM after that if you want.

keep it simple graham.
 
i started PPP may last year for my weak deads.. started at 100kg struggling

after 3 full cycles of PPP then 2 Full cycles of 5x5 its now 175kgs for 2 reps..

Thats 12 weeks of PPP
then 12 weeks of 5x5
12 weeks of ppp
etc etc

so ive added 75kgs in a year on my deads.. by just making it simple imo..


I found out what the problem was

Diet and sleep... wasn't the training after all.. cleaned up the diet and slept an hour extra everyday..
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the advice, I'll be talking to Markos at Easter about it and decide on a training scheme then

Christian said:
I would look to your diet and supplementation if you are crashing 6-7weeks in.
Click to expand...

Sleep is the number 1 issue (diet a close second)
Ie last night 5 hours
I'll starting posting Eatings and sleepings in my log so you can all yell at me haha
 
The Hamburgler said:
Thanks for the advice, I'll be talking to Markos at Easter about it and decide on a training scheme then



Sleep is the number 1 issue (diet a close second)
Ie last night 5 hours
I'll starting posting Eatings and sleepings in my log so you can all yell at me haha
Click to expand...

It would be my pleasure to yell at you bout your eatings and sleepings....;)
 
Hamburgler, you need to just get your dead arse under the bar and lift buddy.

Focus on getting stronger, you should know how to do this.

The closer you get to this competition of yours the more focus should be paid to the activities of the event.

Your template, I feel should be a focus on improving your metabolic conditioning.
Drop in I'll show you.
 
The Hamburgler said:
Thanks for the advice, I'll be talking to Markos at Easter about it and decide on a training scheme then



Sleep is the number 1 issue (diet a close second)
Ie last night 5 hours
I'll starting posting Eatings and sleepings in my log so you can all yell at me haha
Click to expand...

Then you answered your problem.. No periodization work is going to make up for lack of sleep.
 
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