24 Sep Lab Rat – Becoming a “Real” Powerlifter & the End to an Off Season

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.

Off season training was very well structured until week 7.  As the Battle of the Boardwalk quickly approached several members of Team Samson and I started assisting Byrd and Brian with breaking in new INZER gear.  As a “RAWNG” lifter this was a huge transition, these guys make it look much easier than it really is!  Adapting to the new Leviathan Ultra Pro™ was almost effortless with the ability to tighten the suit as the weight increases, the SDP is a different story.  Several weeks were spent breaking in various bench shirts before and after alterations.  As more and more team members started wearing gear the gym started looking like a powerlifting gym again.  Yes, wearing gear is step one to becoming a “real” powerlifter according to Adam.

I got my hands on a set of Inzer Double Gripper knee wraps for the first time not long after my last competition, since then I’ve been itching to see what they’re all about.  Knowing I had some items to address during my first off season block I knew this would have to wait.  I wrapped up week 10 wearing knee wraps with a 535lb squat, 45lbs from my best competition lift.  After wrapping knees for a little while I setup the deadlift bar and worked up to an easy 495 where I decided to shut it down.

A new off season plan is being constructed to address newly exposed weak points and continue to hammer existing ones.  More as this develops!

Helping @briancarroll81 break in an #inzer #leviathan 625 for a double #1020L #1020life #powerrackstrength #teamsamson #teampowerrackstrength #powerlifting #squat #benchpress #bench #deadlift #offseason #training #gymlife #crossfit #wod #bodybuilding #doyouevenlift

A post shared by Jason Kowalewski (@jasonkowalewski) on Aug 15, 2015 at 11:18am PDT

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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