Road to the Record | 11 Weeks Out

I'm excited! This past week of meet prep went better than I expected and I have good mental and physical momentum going into week 11. Before the week started I was really geared up for my new training program, but I was worried that I was going to have some initial problems acclimating to my new "cutting phase" (changing my eating habits to make my weight class) and that I was going to be frustrated if I didn't lift big numbers in the gym. Neither of those things happened, so it was a total win! I also made sure to sleep at least 7 hours every single day (don't remember the last time that happened) and I feel really good physically and proud of myself for making this a priority.

Weeks 12-10 are focused toward working on a few of my weakest areas in my squat and bench press.

To train up my squat I'm doing low box squats for 4 sets of heavy doubles with absolutely perfect form. If I can't do it with perfect form, I don't increase weight for the next set. How low? Really low...my hips are well below my knees. This has really been helping me feel what its like to hold a tight core under a really heavy load and have the confidence to move it quickly and efficiently. Between weeks 12 and 11 I was able to move 35lb more volume and I'm really happy about that. I've also been doing front squats with bands (which I loathe entirely) because my quads aren't very strong...actually, they're kind of pathetic.

As for my bench press, I've moved back to working on my bar speed by doing banded bench press 1x a week and narrow grip bench press 1x a week (on separate days). I hate both of these exercises because they're difficult for me, but last time I spent time working on my triceps my bench press max went up significantly. For me, if I can floor press it, I can bench press it...i.e. my triceps are my Achilles heel and will determine if I can break the bench press record in May.

Twice a week I have 2 active rest days and 1 off day. During my active rest day I hop on the rower, treadmill, or pull the sled to get warm, then mobilize for a good hour. Doing this is needed for my muscle recovery, join health, and is 2 more days of staying focused toward my goal of breaking the Oklahoma Women's Powerlifting Record.

I'm still playing with my macros and my eating habits a little to see how my body responds, but I'm not making any huge changes besides ensuring I hit certain protein and hydration goals. Stay tuned for that.

Thanks for supporting me and following my road to the record. Make sure to follow Top Crop Barbell on social media and find me on SnapChat 👻 samschaefer.now