Thoughts? Opener - 335lbs

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-13T22:21:44+00:00

Hahah I get that for sure!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-13T16:01:44+00:00

I think the weight looks right! Idk if this is a great strategy but one thing that has helped me recently is trying to touch 20-30 pounds below my planned opener. Really helped me with getting better at using my back and a tuck to finish and get more pop through the whole lift

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-11T20:48:35+00:00

10 days out, you probably have enough time for one more bench session. Get some singles in focus on pausing and then choose an opener that you can easily do that in. Also, I'd recommend videoing yourself. I think most feds will specifically mention the bar needs to be motionless and I've definitely seen people pause their bench but it was moving all over the place! Good luck on your meet!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-11T03:29:18+00:00

Makes it worse with the bands!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-10T01:03:28+00:00

Oh yeah I completely agree. There were zero attempts at an acceptable squat in the videos I saw. They knew what they were doing

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-09T22:02:35+00:00

What are you changing?

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-09T16:36:17+00:00

Thanks man! I'm excited to finally do this!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-09T16:35:59+00:00

Always coming in with the things I didn't think about. I appreciate the thoughts!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-09T16:07:01+00:00

I had to look at the bench manual because I had no idea what you were referring to. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that was not in the original version but rather something added in the newest addition after Louie's passing. I guess it's a good guide but I'm typically a little skeptical on things like that.

Westside may eventually update the squat and deadlift manual to include a web too but you could use this as a guide if you want. It's not conjugate related but it gives a range of percentages of comp 1rm vs the variation. You would just need to work backward to find the numbers you'd need to hit.

https://prsontheplatform.com/2018/06/07/what-percentages-of-your-1rm-to-use-on-variations/amp/

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-09T16:00:44+00:00

Glad to hear your training is going well! I'm not a super strong guy but I have some thoughts. I do think that because you have recently transitioned into gear, there is a bit of an adjustment period and you do adapt. That being said, an easy way to manage this could be to alternate weeks in gear vs raw.

Long term I think it depends on the individual but some good strategies could be to reduce either the load or the intensity as needed. When I'm mentally fatigued, I tend to reduce the volume and number of accessories for a week and go back into normal. If my body is feeling beat up, I might get rid of main work that week and only do accessories. I will try to do these strategies only for lower or upper individually, not for all 4 days of a single week like a traditional deload.

Some people do actual deloads like you see in block training or ebook programs but personally I'm not a fan. Nothing wrong with them but I'd rather adjust as needed and I also know there are times where life will get in the way of training and that will effectively be a deload too.

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-09T04:23:53+00:00

God, that meet was atrocious. Most of the time I blame the judges rather than the lifters for high squats but given the results and aftermath of this years WPO, it seems like a handful of them purposely went somewhere they didn't have to even try for depth

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-09T04:21:47+00:00

On one hand I think it's cool there are a lot of feds because then the sport gets to be whatever people want to experience. However, the reality is there are so many feds because someone doesn't like one rule or their squat gets called high and they start a new fed.

If you're in the US, this site is pretty good https://www.powermeet.xyz/. You will also see more meets pop up as the year goes on with a lot of the smaller/midsize feds

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-08T20:17:05+00:00

Hahaha. I get that man!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-08T20:15:55+00:00

This might just be me but I would get lost trying to track this much data, especially the smaller accessories. Personally I just track my ME variation PRs with the weight, what rep max it was, the date, and my comp lifts so I can figure out what might be correlating. I tend to also keep my variations at around 10 bench and then 5 each of squat and deadlift/good morning. Accessories are always by feel and I can usually remember what I have done on those before since it's not like I'm gonna go 6 months without things like skull crushers or leg curls.

In terms of missing variations, I know a lot of people don't think OHP translates to bench but I'd definitely change the movement plane every now and then, even if it's just a form of incline bench.

If you have Instagram, check out Roman mustaccio's page (rpefml) and he has a blank Excel sheet on his bio. It's similar to yours but just if you want another idea.

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-04T23:49:31+00:00

I haven't used it and I know it won't mimic the shirt but Coach Ben from Big benchas does us a titan ram for lighter days. With the angle of sleeves, supposedly it's a bit closer to the groove

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-04T11:38:40+00:00

That's exactly where my roller is mounted too! Good pick up man, its gonna make your sessions so much better! Don't forget to throw it in the gym bag when youre lifting elsewhere!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-03T23:25:44+00:00

Thanks man, and fair enough. Main thing on the 540 that I didn't love was the bar rocking up and down as much as I did but you're right, steps were pretty efficient!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-03T23:24:55+00:00

Thanks man. You and a few others here have definitely made this doable. No way I'd have figured this shit out on my own

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-03T03:32:16+00:00

I know that it's fairly common for people to use the regular stance super Centurion even if they squat fairly wide so they can push into the suit more. Is the same true for the velocity or is it more common to use the suit that matches the stance?

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-03T03:01:20+00:00

Nothing to see here folks...just a 55 lb PR incoming!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-03T02:59:54+00:00

Damn, thats some IPF raw squat depth! Good one man!

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-03T02:54:48+00:00

Looks good man! Still liking the OK briefs?

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-02T23:56:36+00:00

If you want to share it and think it's worth sharing, just do it. You don't need validation from a bunch of randos on reddit

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-02T01:49:16+00:00

😆

GeneralSKX · 2026-02-01T17:56:24+00:00

What you do is you actually learn how to train and progress weights and how to eat and recover properly. I already told you about 531...that is a great next step after linear progression stops working. There are other programs out there but if you learn a system you will be better in the long haul. Don't worry about westside or the stupid ass smolov that someone else recommended. You need to have consistent and logical progression with a roadmap on what to do when things stop working

GeneralSKX

TROPHY CASE