Calling all PLer’s — HELP!
I was on schedule for a big powerlifting meet coming up November 15. I had a routine set to peak my strength at the right time, my lifts were going up, and then… life got in the way. I wound up having to travel for two weeks straight. I was only able to get into gym on the weekends with the thought of at least maintaining (which i believe I did). And three days back into my routine, I was warming up with some 135 lbs deads. Halfway through a set of 10 my lower back tightened up.
I stopped the set, rested, did some more stretching, drank lots of water (I think this was part of the problem), and stretched some more. I worked up to some singles in the lower 400 range and finished with two sets of triples in rack pulls at 500. So my strength wasn’t too diminished. That was on Thursday. Sunday I went back in, did some upper body work and legs presses where I wasn’t putting too much stress on my lower back.
FORGET IT!!!
I lived in extreme pain for the next three days. I could barely walk, I couldn’t get out of a chair, stairs were a major trial, and I suffered the most whenever I sneezed. Thursday I felt 20% better. By the end of Friday, I felt 60% better. And today I’m wondering why I was being such a wuss.
So here’s my dilema. My meet is three weeks out and my whole lifting schedule is down the drain. I essentially only get two weeks as I can’t lift heavy the week of the meet. So what do I do to get the most out of the next two weeks WITHOUT setting me back again. Calling all PLer’s. Help!!
October 25, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Deload. At this point rest your body, do light weight for one week and take the next week (meet week) off. Get a deep-tissue massage if you can and you should be good for your meet. Hope everything works out and you go 9×9 with nothing but white lights!
Hang in there, you’ll do great.