02 Feb Lab Rat Pre Contest Week 5 Day 1 & 2

I’m training for the XPC Finals at the Arnold Sports Festival® March, 7, 2015.  I’ll be competing as a 242lb raw lifter looking to improve my best meet lifts of 575, 430 and 600.

This past Saturday started different than previous training sessions.  After about three years of sitting I finally found some motivation to get my Vette running again, forgot how much fun the car was to drive!  Brian, Byrd, Adam and I met at the usual spot for breakfast then it was off to Team Samson for squats and pulls.  I walked into the gym with a bunch of motivation, unfortunately there are times when motivation isn’t enough.  McGill Big 3 and goblet squats got some blood flowing then it was under an empty bar for a few sets.

Squat

• 150 2 x 3
• 260 x 3
• 350 x 2
• 460 x 1
• 510 x 2 (medium knee wrap)
• 560 x 2 (tight knee wrap)
• 600 x ZERO

560 x 2 was a PR double, in the 9ish RPE range.  We decided to make a jump to 600 and it just wasn’t in the cards for the day.  No need to speculate why the lift didn’t happen, I’ll be ready for it next time.  I finished the day with some form pulls working up to 445 for a few singles.

I’ve been battling some elbow issues for the last couple weeks and thought they were a thing of the past after last Monday’s training session (405 x 2, 425 x 1, 445 off a 2 board) but I was mistaken.  Halfway through the warm up sets I noticed a slight discomfort but nothing to prevent training.

Bench

• Bar for a few sets
• 135 2 x 5
• 245 x 3
• 295 x 2
• 365 x 1
• 405 x 1
• 425 – miss

Incline d/b  – 3 x 12

Band fly – 100 reps

Band skull – 60 reps

Time for a deload then the final stretch leading into the Arnold.

For discounts on Game Plan products endorsed by 10/20/Life – https://www.powerrackstrength.com/game-plan/

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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
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• Lab Rat – Pulling Out.. of the meet - January 13, 2018