16 Feb Dan Dalenberg | Arnold 2018 Training Update

I recently lifted in the Lexen Fall Classic in Columbus, Ohio where I totaled 2400 via a 950 squat, 715 bench and 735 deadlift at 242 multi-ply. Now I am deep into contest prep mode for the XPC Finals at the Arnold Classic in March 2018.

I’m a little behind on my log! Rather than trying to get all the individual sessions posted up, I’m going to sum up how things have been going and where I stand right now at about 2 weeks out.

Squat

As usual, the squat has given me some fits this training cycle. The root of the problem seems to be that my stance had crept in some. Not surprising, as this is what usually happens when my bodyweight is lighter.

What happens in gear when the stance gets too narrow? It becomes really hard to keep spreading the floor and instead of the hips coming down, the knees travel forward and you get robbed of power. I had a couple really bad sessions as a result. I managed to clean it up last week and hit a decent 900 squat. It still felt a little weird, but positioning was much better and it moved well despite a challenging training session. The rep in the video is actually the third of 3 tries to get it right. Feel better in general about the squat but not as confident as I would like to be.

Deadlift

After all that squatting I wasn’t sure I even wanted to pull, wasn’t sure I had in me. Then, I went on to pull a very easy 675. Typically I am very poor gym puller, so hitting this nice and smooth gives me great confidence. My deadlift will be there.

Bench

Better! Got my sleeves tightened way up and hit all 3 attempts to various board heights. One more session to get in, feeling good. In the video the weights are 655, 655, 705 and 740. I will likely open at 675 to get it down just a little faster. 650 is a little too light.

Bodyweight

Holding steady at 237. All my gear fits well and I feel good. Not a terrible cut to make 220, so in a good spot.

Overall

Besides the squat, I feel good. I only have a few business days between now and leaving for the meet, which is good. We have President’s Day off this weekend so the extra day off will be good to get some rest and relax. I spent this past week at our manufacturing plant in Arroyo, Puerto Rico which turned out to be a good week. Usually business travel is very stressful but this trip had a different vibe. The days were still long, but managed to get back to the hotel by 10pm or so each night. I’m used to leading meetings and work on trips but this time around I was there more to learn than anything, so the pressure on me wasn’t bad. I did miss a couple accessory sessions but I suspect the extra recovery is going to make me better off.

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Daniel Dalenberg

Dan Dalenberg is a pro level raw and equipped powerlifter with elite totals in the 220, 242 and 275 class. Best official raw meet lifts include an 804 squat, 507 bench press, 715 dead lift and 2006 total. Best equipped lifts include an 950 squat, 715 bench, 735 deadlift and 2400 total at 242. Dan has been training under Brian's guidance using the 10/20/Life methodology since late 2010.

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