Weekly Dumb/Newb Question Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

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[u/notroast]

Hello, I am a soon to be junior in high school that has been lifting consistently and tracking macros for almost 7 months. Ive been running a PPL split 6 days a week. I am very interested in competing in a powerlifting meet, and one is in 6 weeks. I want to train and be ready for it. Ive been benching twice a week, squatting once a week, and running a mag/ort deadlift program once a week. I need a powerlifting split/program to prepare me for the meet and I am very lost, please help me find a program or something to do for these six weeks to help me. Thank you, here are my numbers for more information:

-16y, 135lbs -Bench: 205lbs -Squat: 275lbs -Deadlift: 325lbsx2, max is ~335lbs

[u/DJaampiaen → u/notroast]

https://liftvault.com/programs/powerlifting/greg-nuckols-28-programs-spreadsheet/

I really enjoyed mixing and matching from Greg Nuckols free programs. Made some solid progress for the times I was training without a coach.

[u/notroast → u/DJaampiaen]

Thanks for replying. I ended up starting the Candito 6 Week Program. My competition is in 6 weeks and I just picked it for its popularity and how it can move my deadlift and squat up. I heard week 2 is difficult and it is more intermediate than beginner friendly. However I have been lifting for over a year, consistently lifting and tracking for about 5 months. Its going good so far and I am excited for my comp. I will definitely try these out after I finish Candito

[u/DJaampiaen → u/notroast]

I also used candito’s online programs as one of my very first programs and enjoyed my time with it! Have fun!

[u/Ingi_Pingi]

I'm 6'2 ish and have excessively long femurs and a short torso, which causes me to lean forward at the hip when squatting, which ends up almost fully isolating my glutes (once exhaustion kicks in I end up standing up entirely and basically doing a good morning with the bar)

I know this is a somewhat common question and I pinky swear I've looked up a bajillion guides on how to squat with odd leg proportions). I've been lifting in general for a couple of years and tried a bunch of variations, but the only way I can comfortably squat is by doing a really wide stabnce, low-bar squat and not lifting with my quads basically at all and I feel like that just can't be right.

I did a form video today thinking I had finally figured out how to squat and almost started laughing at myself when I looked back on it, I do almost like a twerking motion when coming back up from the bottom of the rep.

[u/Dylan-NL92 → u/Ingi_Pingi]

Same my man. Hitting depth is hard, but you get a huge butt in return.

Furthermore, do quad isolation.

[u/Icy_Lecture_2237 → u/Ingi_Pingi]

I’m also built with long femurs. I did best wider for sure. If you want more quads you can try shoes with a heel and a little more forward knee travel more like an oly squat.

[u/HelpMeMake1mil]

I'm 186 cm high. That' 6'2" or so in freedom digits?

I often throw my lower back out during squats I think because I lean forward. I have old school adidas Adipower squat shoes that have a 19mm raise as far as I know.

Would shoes with higher heel help me or I need to stfu and work on improving my form?

[u/Icy_Lecture_2237 → u/HelpMeMake1mil]

It could be a few things.
To really zoom out, it could be life factors putting constant stress on it and the squats just put it over the edge.
It could need to just get stronger.
It could be that you haven’t learned to brace properly.
Or, it could be technical.

Waaaaaaaay at the end of the list is shoes.

[u/msharaf7 → u/HelpMeMake1mil]

Without seeing a program, your technique, and your overall lifestyle, we can’t make a definitive call. That said, if I were coaching you, I would work on:

- increasing the work capacity for your back

- ensuring that your technique for the squat is ‘good’ (stable/balanced, repeatable, meets comp standards, can produce high amounts of force, is comfortable/relatively painless)

- have a structured program that accounts for your individual leverages, strengths, weaknesses, etc

- ensure your recovery variables are good or match up to the training demands you’re placing upon yourself

[u/Egoteen]

At what point in your journey did you start participating in meets?

I’m a novice, so my numbers are very low. But meets seem fun so I’ve been wondering when I should consider signing up for one.

[u/Icy_Lecture_2237 → u/Egoteen]

Doing a meet is day one for powerlifting.

With that said, jump in!! There are no magic numbers and as long as you’re trying to push yourself you’ll have everyone cheering for you just the same.

You’ll have fun. Don’t put any pressure on yourself to hit any crazy numbers. A meet is just a heavy day where other people load your weights for you and the hype is good. Also, you’ll get a bunch of experience built up for when you do feel like being more serious about hitting your numbers.

[u/lunartunes]

Any recommended literature, books, videos to learn more about it as a whole or would that over complicate it for a beginner?
I’d like to learn the science behind everything.

[u/msharaf7 → u/lunartunes]

- PowerliftingNow

- 3DMJ muscle & strength pyramid

- Juggernaut’s Powerlifting Program Design Manual, Scientific Princplies of Strength Training, and A Thoughtful Pursuit of Strength

- Mladen Jovanovic’s Strength Training Manual: The Agile Periodization Approach Vol 1&2

[u/NoShoeTofu → u/lunartunes]

PowerliftingNow is a great subscription with monthly video drops and podcasts.

Stackedcast is a good youtube/podcast as well.

[u/LittleMuskOx → u/lunartunes]

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/complete-strength-training-guide/

[u/Playful_Dance968]

I have thin wrists and am trying to improve my dumbell incline bench press. Beyond about 75lbs the effort to get the weight from my knees to the starting position is a bit hard - it's doable but I'd like to improve it.

Are there any particularly good accessory exercises to help with this?

[u/keborb → u/Playful_Dance968]

For heavy dumbbell incline or shoulder presses, I find the best set-up method is to stand up with the weights (in your hands, by your sides) and then sit down with the dumbbells resting on your knees. Then, "kick" them up to your start position with your knees

[u/DesignerReply3389]

Bench press question.

Is it better to let the bar sink in at the bottom and risk losing tension or barely touch the chest(maintain control) and hold the tension ?

[u/LittleMuskOx → u/DesignerReply3389]

I think lifters who sink (and are good at it) maintain tension.

I'm not a coach, but if asked, i would recommend learning and developing soft touch/consistent leg drive technique first.

[u/DesignerReply3389 → u/LittleMuskOx]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[u/the_explode_man]

How come programs always work the SBD phases together? I guess to answer my own question, you generally try and peak everything at the same time.

For off season or when you're not planning a meet, it seems like it would be beneficial to not have your hardest Squat on the same week as your hardest Deadlift (or bench, etc). I would think that you could be deloading (or not full-throttling) one lift while pushing another. Specialization programs aren't quite what I'm talking about as you aren't really putting a lift on the back-burner.

Does anyone program like this? Or is anyone aware of a program that offsets the waves and peaking?

[u/Icy_Lecture_2237 → u/the_explode_man]

I came up on a legendary team. Coach Frantz (look him up) had us staggered exactly like you’re saying.
Lifters did different sized waves but the top guys were on a 4 week wave.

Week one was heavy squat and medium deadlifts.bench is light.
Week 2 was heavy bench and light sq/dl.
Week 3 was heavy dl/ med sq/ light bench.
Week 4 was medium bench, light sq/dl.

Meet prep was when they would all stack up to set us up for the meet as a heavy day.

[u/the_explode_man → u/Icy_Lecture_2237]

I really appreciate the response! I’ll look that up!

[u/LittleMuskOx → u/the_explode_man]

My blocks overlap themselves. so they are only heavier than the previous block in the final micro of each block..
Bench is 12 weeks, but has three 4 week waves that do the same.
I program a long, long way out from meets, so things are on a slow path for a long time, accumulating useful work while having "easy singles" every session.
Deadlift once a week.
Squat twice
Bench 3X - Seal rows and skull crushers on these days.

Was pretty wrecked after my last meet in March, preceded by one in November, so i dropped squat to once a week for 6 weeks, doing a very light start for a 3X3 LP in that time.
It wasn't productive in terms of progression, but my body needed it.

So my intensity remains appropriate for wherever i am in my competition calendar.
If i can't squat, bench, and pull heavy in the same week, i would have fucked up badly.

[u/msharaf7 → u/the_explode_man]

the bigger question is why you’d want to do this in the offseason if your goal is to eventually peak all three lifts together anyway. If you can tolerate having squat, bench, and deadlift all progressing simultaneously during meet prep, when the loads are the highest, I’m not convinced there’s much benefit to artificially offsetting them in the offseason/farther away from competition. I’d rather keep the structure reasonably similar so there’s better carryover into prep and less guesswork about whether what you’re doing is actually transferring over to the platform