RPS Resurrection Meet Prep - May 6 Olive Branch, MS

[Pete Rubish]

This will by journal that I use to document my meet prep over the next fifteen weeks leading up to the RPS Resurrection meet just outside of Memphis, TN. I like keeping the journal in here as it's always at the top and I don't have to go back and find it. After cutting 22.5 lbs to make 229 lbs for this last meet, I feel very confident about making 220, so long as I walk around at 240 or so. So with that in mind, I won't hide it. I'm going to take the 220 world record total of 2100...

http://meets.revolutionpowerlifting....ressurrection/

Best Official Numbers:

Squat (knee sleeves): 766 lbs
Bench Press: 446 lbs
Deadlift: 871 lbs

I feel there will be two major weaknesses that will need to be addressed prior to this meet.

1) Plain and simple, bench needs to come up. So to get it moving, I'm benching 3x a week this prep.
2) My hip mobility and low back flexion at the bottom of my squats needs to be addressed as I am losing tons of tightness at the bottom and I could be squatting a lot more.

The layout:

Day 1 - Bench
Day 2 - Squat & deadlift accessory
Day 3 - Bench
Day 4 - Rest
Day 5 - Bench
Day 6 - Deadlift
Day 7 - Rest

[Pete Rubish]

Day 1:

Paused Bench: 2x2x275
DB Bench Press: 30, 25, 20 x 80s
Strict Press: 2x13x135
Pec Fly Machine: 2x30x110
Reverse Pec Fly Machine: 30x100, 30x90, 3x30x80
Preacher Curl Machine: 10x10x50 w/3 Second Eccentrics

Day 2: (everything is beltless for now)

High Bar Squats: 20x325, 12x325
Paused Deadlifts: 5x495, 2x5x545
Seal Rows w/cambered bar: 3x15x135
Single-Leg Hamstring Curls: 10, 15, 20 x 30/leg
Tons of Shrugs

[Pete Rubish]

Paused Bench Press: 3x2x275, 11x275
Incline Bench Press: 20, 17 x 205
Shoulder Press Machine: 25, 24 x 2 plates/side
Reverse Pec Fly Machine: 25x110, 25x100, 25x90, 25x80, 25x70
Straight-Bar Cable Curls: 8x15x70
Tricep Pushdowns w/Straight-Bar: 3x30x100

[Pete Rubish]

Paused Bench Press: 5x2x275, 11x285
Close-Grip Bench Press: 14, 13 x 225
DB Seated Shoulder Press: 25, 28 x 55s
Lying Cable Curls: 8x15x50
Tricep Pushdowns w/Rope: 2x30x110, 30x100, 30x90, 30x80
Reverse Pec Fly Machine: 20x120, 20x110, 20x100, 20x90, 20x80

[npcdusty]

looking forward to seeing your post for this one Pete.

[Pete Rubish]

looking forward to seeing your post for this one Pete.

Thanks buddy! It appears all of my meets are always 3 hours from you lol. Feeling VERY confident about this though. Tomorrow is the final day of week 1 and I'm loving the high reps so far. I've put on some size already.

[npcdusty]

well the good news is this meet will be closer to us this time, it only takes me about 1hr and 30 min. So maybe I can make it to this one... Hopefully we can get some time to catch up at the booth/cage and all. I would def like to make it to one meet this year to support.

[SMuncey]

Crush it brother!

[Buckfever]

I think this is going to be very exciting, because it's a nice long prep, which gives you a lot of ability to really tweak it and keep pushing forward without the time constraint of a shorter prep. Like others have said, go get it man!!!

[Pete Rubish]

well the good news is this meet will be closer to us this time, it only takes me about 1hr and 30 min. So maybe I can make it to this one... Hopefully we can get some time to catch up at the booth/cage and all. I would def like to make it to one meet this year to support.

May 6 is a crazy busy time of year though for anyone with kids though, so no worries either way. But I am preparing for this like I never have prepared for a meet before and it's going to be a good one.

The Cage will be a blast! I am going for 660x15 on deads beltless this year!

Crush it brother!

Thank you! So far, so good!

I think this is going to be very exciting, because it's a nice long prep, which gives you a lot of ability to really tweak it and keep pushing forward without the time constraint of a shorter prep. Like others have said, go get it man!!!

The beauty of this one is that I can start so much lighter with the weights and gradually build them up. My joints feel so good not having to go so heavy right off the bat. I think building up my foundation with no assistance too (no belt, wraps, cuffs, sleeves) will benefit me as well.

[Pete Rubish]

Some notable numbers from recent training sessions:

High Bar Squats (beltless, sleeveless): 20x345
Beltless Deadlifts: 10x650 @ RPE 8
Paused Bench (no wraps, cuffs): 9.5x300
DB Bench: 35 x 90s

[Pete Rubish]

Today was a good day!

Low Spoto Press w/2 Second Pauses: 2x2x305
DB Bench Press: 32, 25, 20 x 100s
Military Press: 12x155, 21x115
Tricep Pushdowns w/V-Handle: 4x30
Lying Cable Curls: 8x10
Reverse Pec Fly Machine: 5x30

[Pete Rubish]

Quick update of some notable lifts as of late:

Beltless Deadlifts: 10x695
Paused Deads: 3x5x605 beltless
Front Squats (no sleeves, no belt): 2x10x290
Paused Bench w/soft pauses: 5x330 @ RPE 9
DB Bench: 28 x 110s

[Buckfever]

715X10 beltless.

WOW!!!

[Pete Rubish]

715X10 beltless.

WOW!!!

It is quite crazy to see how far it's come! I was very pleased with that, but I don't know how much longer I'll be able to train without a belt. It's starting to feel crazy heavy. The most notable lifts as of recently are:

Beltless Deadlifts: 10x715
Beltless Paused Deads 1 inch off floor: 3x5x655
Beltless Front Squats: 2x10x325
45 Degree Barbell Back Raises: 2x15x325
Paused Bench Press: 5x350 @ RPE 9
DB Bench Press: 17x130s

[Pete Rubish]

Thought I would give another update here. The Arnold was a great one this year. This was my fourth year in a row having the privilege to lift in the cage and it was my favorite year yet. I fell shy of my goal of 10x735 and only got 7x735 beltless, barely missing the 8th. But it was the largest crowd I've ever lifted in front of and getting to go up against Mikhail Koklyaev was an experience I'll never forget.

As far as this meet prep, I am 9 weeks out and feeling pretty great about everything. I now have my bench back up to 370x5 paused and a hitting the 140 lb dumbbells for 15. These are both without compression cuffs on my elbows, which I find gives me a huge boost. I will reattempt the deadlifts this week with a belt on.

[Pete Rubish]

Okay, so a brief update for you guys here! I am now weighing 237.6 lbs as of this morning. I've dieted down from as heavy as 253 lbs which I was weighing the week following my last meet on January 14. I am aiming to position myself to be walking around at 235 lbs in order to make the weight cut to 220.4 for this meet in 7 weeks. Strength has taken a hit, but once I get to 235 and can slowly increase my calories, I should be okay.

[npcdusty]

your going to kill it Pete.....

[Buckfever]

Working the bottom of the movement on the Squat real nice.

[Pete Rubish]

your going to kill it Pete.....

I hope so! Getting a little nervous about my deadlift in particular, but hoping it comes around!

Working the bottom of the movement on the Squat real nice.

Squats have come a long ways. I'm feeling so much better now that I'm spending 30 minutes a day stretching out my hips, quads, and glutes. My depth has improved dramatically and my body feels so much better. My confidence has gone way up on squats now.