07 Sep Lab Rat – PowerBuilding Beta Test Conclusion

I recently completed a 10/20/Life PowerBuilding Book Beta Test.  Coming off a PR performance at Redemption III in Ft. Myers, FL.  I decided it was time to get healthier and change the pace for a little.  May 28th I tipped the scale around 282lbs, currently I sit in the high 240’s. 

Besides looking like teammate Danny Vega my new focus was AMRAP.  The final week of 10/20/Life PowerBuilding Beta Test guided by teammate Tucker Loken consisted of as many reps as possible (AMRAP) or the polar opposite of how I previously trained for years.  As many of you know, the goal in powerlifting is one rep with as much weight as possible.

Squats and deadlifts were split into separate days instead of continuing to follow the combo day.  This allowed me to be fresh for each lift.

• Squat – 415 x 5 (knee sleeves)
  • I had higher expectations, plain and simple.
• Bench – 320 x 9
  • I wanted that 10th rep but knew that it wouldn’t happen the way the 9th rep moved.
• Deadlift – 495 x 6
  • My deadlift was stagnant for a while so I feared it would have dropped substantially, content with this.

AMRAP week of PowerBuilding.. #1020L #1020life #powerrackstrength #teamsamson #teampowerrackstrength #inzer #powerlifting #powerbuilding #betatest #squat #benchpress #bench #deadlift #precontest #competition #training #gymlife #crossfit #wod #bodybuilding #muscle #fitfam

A post shared by Jason Kowalewski (@jasonkowalewski) on Sep 7, 2016 at 12:07pm PDT

Overall, I’m very happy with the final product of PowerBuilding.  During my last pre contest training cycle I was walking around in the 280-282lb range, now I’m walking around in the 247-248lb range.  I’m curious to see how much impact the weight loss and differing style of training had on my total.  I’ve got a feeling not much if any strength was lost.  I feel much better on a day to day basis, I’ve got flexibility to pursue a wider variety of activities based on being more athletic overall and the girlfriend approves of the “not bloated” look, wins across the board.

Over the last two weekends I’ve assisted Team Samson training partners at powerlifting competitions which gave me the urge to step back on the platform.  From here I plan on running another 10 weeks of PowerBuilding, I’m hoping to push the weight/reps further as my body has had time to adjust and I’m in much better condition than I was starting this cycle.  After that I’ll switch to a 10/20/Life offseason followed by pre contest training.  Hoping to step on the platform in May at RPS Redemption IV.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

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