I was going to wait until next week when I try for a new max Deadlift to post but I’m just too stoked. Two days ago I tried for a new max on the Bench Press but only added +5 lbs. for 230 lbs. But today I tried for a new max Squat and jumped from 300 lbs. up to 350 lbs., a 50 lbs. increase in 5 weeks.
I attribute most of that to improved form from using the Westside Barbell program for powerlifting. If you want to improve your powerlifts their program works. Another thing that may have helped is I finally got a real powerlifting belt instead of one of those thin bodybuilding ones. I used it for the first time today and it made a huge difference in stabilizing my core which likely translated to a better lift, since a stable core helps transfer energy to the bar more efficiently.
I really can’t believe I Squated 350 lbs. a year ago that would have crushed me, I mean just stapled to the floor. Not to mention that when I “thought I was powerlifting” for 3 years in my mid 30’s I never got above 300 lbs. and now in less than a year in my 50s, I hit it with a little left in the tank.
Just for the record I’ve pretty much made the transition over to powerlifting for right now. For the first half of the year I was exclusively bodybuilding with great success, gaining 32 lbs. in 7 months. However, for the last 4 months while my goal was ostensibly cutting I’ve really been just sort of flailing around. So to regain focus I decided to switch over to powerlifting now that I’ve build up a decent base of size to work from. The advantage of powerlifting for now will be more tangible short and medium term goals, especially with the Westside program that has you chasing max’s in some lifts twice a week. I’ll try to stick with this for a while until I plateau or get bored and need to switch to something else.
