31 Aug Lab Rat – Traveling the World – Pre Contest Week 5

I’m training to compete in the RPS Chalk & Iron September 30th.  I competed in the APF Equipped Nationals (June 17th)  where I totaled 1631lbs (squat – 606.X lbs, bench press 418.X lbs, deadlift 606.X lbs) at a body weight of 239.9lbs.

Due to an unexpected trip to London for work I was stuck doing another “mini meet” last week.  I was supposed to fly home Friday so I wouldn’t miss Saturday’s heavy squat / deadlift however that didn’t go as planned.  I ended up extending my travel for a second week forcing me to get some quality training in while in the UK.  In talks with Todd Guggisberg he mentioned checking out Strength Asylum, home of Eddie Hall.  Surprisingly, this was only an hour train ride from the hotel.  I jumped on the train Saturday morning hoping to find a monolift and a belt / wraps to borrow.

Squat / Deadlift – Saturday August 19, 2017

As I walked into the Asylum I knew this would be the place for me.  After signing a few papers I walked around to see exactly what equipment was offered and if luck would be on my side for a  belt.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate a monolift nor belt so I adjusted my training accordingly.  The day originally called for few heavy singles near an opener then a reverse band set.  As always I started the session with the McGill Big 3 and a few sets with an empty bar.  It felt GREAT to be training.

Squat

• 2 x 5 w/ 135
• 2 x 4 w/ 225
• 2 x 3 w/ 315
• 3 x 3 w/ 405

Deadlift

• 2 x 3 w/ 315
• 405 x 2
• 455 x 1
• 2 x 1 w/ 495

Pause Squats (safety squat bar) – 3 x 5

Single Leg D/L – 3 x 15

Suitcase Carry – 3 rounds per side

Bench – Monday August 21, 2017

I had full intentions of heading back to Strength Asylum however one of my colleagues recommended a gym much closer to the hotel, actually in the same city.  A quick Facebook search appeared fairly promising as they had pictures of a recent powerlifting competition. Could this be what I’ve been searching for over the last few months?  After work I drove to the industrial park where I was greeted with a brick building, large roll up garage doors and some rather large individuals standing outside.  Atlanta Gym.  As I crossed the threshold of the door and glanced left I saw it in all it’s glory, a MONOLIFT.  Scanning around further I knew this was the gym I truly needed to train in, an old school dungeon if you will.  After a quick conversation with one of the guys there I found a training partner and we started sliding plates on the bar to bench.

Bench

• 2 x 5 w/ 133
• 2 x 4 w/ 221
• 287 x 3
• 309 x 2
• 375 x 1
• 2 x 1 w/ 397
• 419 x 1 (2board)
• 441 x 1 (2 board)

Close Grip Bench – 3 x 5

Incline D/B – 3 x 10

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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)

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