6 weeks later

its been 6 weeks since i last logged my training here. since then, i've taken time off to rest my shoulder, then back, took a trip to hanoi, and experimented with my programming and technique somewhat.

came across the russian powerlifting standards while reading random stuff on the interwebz. kinda humbling to see that i'm still a level 1 noob. made me rethink the need for variation at the expense of focus on the competition lifts. here are the standards if anyone even reads this.

russian powerlifting standards:

Classification	67.3	75.0	82.3	90.0	100.0	110.0	125.0	125+
Youth 2	287.5	310	332.5	350	367.5	380	387.5	395
Youth 1	360	392.5	417.5	437.5	462	475	487.5	495
Level 3	417.5	455	485	510	535	555	567.5	575
Level 2	457	497.5	532.5	557.5	585	605	620	630
Level 1	458	527.5	565	592.5	620	640	665	667.5
CMS	520	565	602.5	632	665	687.5	700	715
MS	570	620	660	692.5	727.5	752.5	767.5	782.5
MSIC	632	692.5	745	785	827.5	857.5	882.5	912.5

anyway, in full russian spirit i've decided to run 3 separate cycles for my squat, bench, and deadlift. i've arranged them in a way that has me squatting twice, pulling twice, and benching four times each week. the main reason behind this is to focus on the main lifts, allowing the mind-numbing volume to reinforce technical adjustments. in general these adjustments are made in an effort to improve lifting efficiency in terms of leverages and load distribution amongst muscle groups. 

for the squat, the stance has been widened and feet turned out to reduce rom as the knees track forward way less, and to distribute more of the load to the posterior chain which i assume is a strong point for me. hopefully this increases the carryover between the squat and deadlift. for the deadlift the feet are turned out slightly, allowing the knees to push out slightly at the bottom, increasing the amount of legs and glutes involved. the weight is also brought back to just in front of the heel. for the bench, grip has been brought in to pinky on ring, tuck has been increased significantly, and bar is now lowered to the upper abs (or where the upper abs would be if i actually had abs). weight is distributed between the feet and traps, with nothing on the glutes. that's about it i guess. 

been at this for the past week, and it feels good so far. here's how training has looked:

monday

squat 

148kgx5x5

bench (3s pause) 

80x3, 80x5, 80x3

90x3, 90x5, 90x3

100x3, 100x5, 100x3

bench (comp pause)

116x1

tuesday

bench (5s pause)

101x2, 106x3, 111x2

bench (comp pause)

118x1

deadlift

201x3, 211x2, 220x1x3

thursday

squat

168x3x5

bench (3s pause)

103x3, 103x5, 103x3

111x3, 111x4, 111x3

bench (comp pause)

118x1

saturday

bench (5s pause)

103x2, 103x3, 103x2

111x2, 111x3, 111x2

bench (comp pause) 

120x1

deadlift

174x5x5

sumo 

140x5x3