16 Oct Lab Rat – Back at it!

I’m currently in an offseason training cycle after competing at RPS Redemption in Ft. Myers May 30th.  I ended up lifting in the 275’s vs. the planned 242.  I achieved a 1610lb total via 580 squat, 440 bench and 590 deadlift.  Best numbers at 242 were 550, 425, 575 for 1550.  I don’t have a meet on the horizon yet but there are several goals in mind.

After a brief lull in training I kicked off another block of offseason training last Saturday.  I’m still working to address weak points exposed during my last competition and the end of this training cycle.  I still intend to follow a three day training split with a Squat/Deadlift combo day.  Squats to a box will still be my primary movement however the box will be a little lower than the last offseason.  I’ll be switching back to pulling conventional off of 2″ blocks.   Boards will be used during my primary bench movement, more detail on that in a little.

Saturday 10/10

Warmup consisted of the McGill Big 3, some goblet squats and a few sets with an empty bar.  Going forward I’d like to incorporate some suitcase carries as the weather isn’t Florida hot anymore.  Depending how the days go I might add some reverse sled drag work after pulls.  The workout was done at a fairly low RPE to get back into the swing of things, I’ll increase this fairly quick.

Squats (safety squat bar)

• 2 x 5 w/ 155
• 2 x 5 w/ 245
• 2 x 5 w/ 295
• 335 x 5

Deadlift (2″ block)

• 2 x 5 w/ 245
• 2 x 5 w/ 335
• 385 x 5
• 425 x 2 (floor)

Monday 10/12

My bench feels strong, which makes me question things.  Just like my squat and deadlift this week was a fairly low RPE so I’m not going to jump to conclusions yet, as the RPE increases I’ll see how things feel and possibly increase or decrease by a half board to place me in a weaker spot.

Bench

• 2 x 5 w/ 135
• 2 x 5 w/ 225 (2 board added)
• 2 x 5 w/ 275
• 315 x 5

Incline D/B – 4 x 12

Band Fly – 100 reps

D/B skulls – 4 x 12

Wednesday 10/14

There were a total of three people including myself at Team Samson, motivation was at a minimum already so this didn’t help.

McGill Chins – 20 (alternating grip)

Barbell row – 4 x 8 w/ 225

Barbell shrug – 3 x 8 w/ 315, 2 x 8 w/ 405

Leg press – 5 x 20

Hammer curl – 4 x 12

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Jason Kowalewski

Jason Kowalewski is an up and coming raw powerlifter residing in Jacksonville, Florida where he trains with Team Samson. In his younger years he was a “gear head” who built his first drag car before obtaining a driver’s license. Within the last 6 years his primary focus has shifted from motorsports to powerlifting. Jason began training under Brian’s tutelage in February 2013. He was actually one of the initial test subjects, hence the name Lab Rat. Since then he has seen significant improvements on all lifts with his commitment to Brian and the 10/20/Life methodology. To date his best total is 1653.4lbs via 633.8lb squat, 435.4lb bench and 584.9lb deadlift at 242lbs.

Latest posts by Jason Kowalewski (see all)

• Lab Rat – Chasing a 600lb Bench - January 30, 2018
• Lab Rat – Back to the Off-Season - January 20, 2018
• Lab Rat – Pulling Out.. of the meet - January 13, 2018