13 Mar Dan Dalenberg | Powerbuilding Offseason | Week 1, Day 1 &2

I recently lifted at the Arnold XPC Finals. This was my first meet at 220 since 2010 where I managed a 955 squat, 675 bench and 675 deadlift for a 2305 total and lightweight best lifter win. Now that the meet is over and I won’t be competing again until the fall I am taking my first of two offseason blocks to train more like a bodybuilder and look better than Paul Oneid. 

I felt really good after the meet! Typical soreness and the like, but nothing that wasn’t expected. The first week, I didn’t do anything. I walked a little and did some McGill work but that was it. My body needed a break so it was good to not worry about training. My primary goal for the next 10 weeks is eating even better, getting leaner and training like a bodybuilder. For the first week back I asked Paul for some ideas, since our goals are basically the same right now. Moving forward, I will be using some of the content that Tucker and Brian are putting together to create a powerbuilding offseason.

Day 1- Legs

On paper this looked really easy. It wasn’t.

Calf Raises- 20, 15, 12, 12. I rigged up a short block and used a safety bar to load some weight. 135 for all 4 sets. My calves are LIT UP. Usually I think calf raises are dumb and don’t get anything out of it. I think since I wasn’t using a fixed range machine and had to balance myself with the SSB it recruited much more muscular activity.

Banded Side Walk/Banded Abductor Super set- 15, 15, 15, 15. This was another one that I thought was dumb. It wasn’t. I thought glute pumps weren’t real. They are.

Hamstring Curl (banded)/Single Leg Deadlift Superset- 15, 12, 10, 10.

Leg Extension (banded)- 20, 15, 12, 10

SSB Squat- 12, 10, 8, 8. 225 for all sets. Was cramping up pretty bad by the end. This session was much more challenging than I expected.

Day 2- Chest/Shoulders/Arms

Machine Press- Superset 2 grips: 12, 10, 8, 8

Machine Shoulder Press/Dumbbell Side Raise Superset: 12, 10, 10, 8

Cable Front Raise- 12, 10 , 8 ,8

Pec Fly- 15, 12, 10, 10

Machine Preacher Curl/Tricep Pressdown Superset- 15, 12, 10, 8, 8

Cardio- 15 minutes LISS

Pretty good session. My upper body is definitely more conditioned to the higher volume.

So far so good

I’m looking forward to the next several weeks. I feel really good and bodyweight is dropping nicely. It will be fun to see what I look like come June.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

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.

Latest posts by Daniel Dalenberg (see all)

• A Binge for the Record Books - August 20, 2018
• Training on the Go - July 6, 2018
• Dan Dalenberg | Deload and 5k week! - June 18, 2018