You'd think the judges would have seen that....?

Well done Phil. :)

Thanks everyone.

At this point, my goals are not that serious. The serious competition is big a jump and a little late in life for me. I would be really happy to raise my meet style bench (pause) by another 10 or 15 pounds in the next 6 months. That pause definitely adds to the difficulty.

My buddy is trying to talk me into a shirt. He even has one that will fit me. He said if I ever try it, I'll never want to go back to raw. Sounds like crack to me :biglaugh: . I'll stay raw, me and the bar. I'll be just as strong if I wear a shirt or not.

Thank Ross. Sanctioned by SSA - Syndicated Strength Alliance. Not sure if it was worth the $20 sanction fee (plus the $40 singlet required by SSA). It's not that big a federation and I'm not sure what I get by being sanctioned.

I decided I would like to start doing an Upper/Lower split routine again. I'd been doing more of a full body routine the past few months, concentrating on Bench for the meet and Squatting almost every workout.

Considerations for the new routine:

• My elbow is still bothering me, especially pressing (flat and overhead).
• I want to eventually work on increasing my Bench for a meet in June.
• I want to start Deadlifting again.
• I want to work on posterior chain, especially lower back strength. I've been neglecting this.

I spent the week revisiting some lifts I used to do when I did the Upper/Lower previously. Needless to say, I was sore with DOMS (and still am) the entire week.

Tuesday 2/24/09

Squat
6x45
6x95
4x135
3x165
2x195
1x225
2x1x250

Good Morning
8x45
4x95
4x135
2x6x165

Bulgarian Split Squat
2x8x30's

Russian Twist
2x6

HIIT 10 minutes = 3 min slow 8x(20 sec fast/10 sec slow) 3 min slow

Notes:
Didn't have too much energy this workout. It was harder than it should have been. Judging from how my back felt the next day, I think I went way too high on the Good Mornings.

Thursday 2/26/09

Pull-Up
1x8
1x7
1x5
1x3

Barbell Row (off the floor)
4x5x115

Dumbbell Overhead Press
8x30's
8x40's
8x50's

Dips
3x6 +25

HIIT 10 minutes

Notes:
My elbow hurt during that last set of DB OH Press. I probably shouldn't have done the dips either.

Saturday 2/28/09

Overhead Squat
8xBW
6x45
3x65
3x6x75

Deadlift
5x135
5x225

Cable Pull Through
1x12x100
2x12x120

Hanging Knee Raise w/kickout
2x8

Dumbbell Sidebend
2x12x45's

HIIT 10 minutes

Notes:
Really liked this workout, it more like what I used to do regularly. Felt good to deadlift again. I'm definitely going to take these real slow with working sets of 1x5 once a week and gradual progression.

Sunday 3/1/09

Chin-Ups
2x(2x3 +15)

Overhead Press
3x5x115

Barbell Row (off the floor)
4x5x115

Skull Crusher
1x8x60

High Pulls
2x10x60

HIIT 10 minutes

Notes:
No more pressing or tricep work until the elbow is better. I can pull OK. So I'll start off by concentrating on the lower body stuff and upper accessory with Bench Press in mind.

I just can't seem to get into the swing of things posting again. :arg:

I started a new program based on the Upper/Lower splits I've done in the past. I'm also doing it in four week cycles where I increase weight and/or reps (depending if it's a core lift or accessory) for the first three weeks, then a deload week with less volume and intensity using the week 2 weights. The next cycle starts again with week three weights and reps.

Lower 1 focus is Squats (5x5) and Deadlift accessories
Lower 2 focus is Deadlift (2x5) with Squat accessories
Upper 1 focus is Bench Press (5x5), Pull Ups and assorted accessories
Upper 2 focus is Barbell Row (5x5), Speed Bench and assorted accessories

So far it's going good. The 4th week deload is new to me and it's forced right now. I do not feel I need it, but I think I've over trained in the past and hopefully I'm smarter about it now. I'm purposely progressing slowly to try to avoid hitting plateaus too early.

I'm planning on entering another Bench Press competition in late June, so Bench Press will likely morph into heavy doubles and triples in an effort to raise my 1RM. I'd be very pleased with a 265 lift (at 181 and 52 years old), I did 250 (failed at 255) at a meet in February.

Very cool. Stick with it...the plan looks good to me.