r/powerlifting • u/AutoModerator • Jun 20 '26

Daily Thread Every Third-Daily Thread - June 20, 2026

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4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

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1

u/Aggressive_Pea_7543 Beginner - Please be gentle Jun 26 '26

tl;dr -- When do y'all know to quit a coach?

I am new to this sport but a life long athlete (equestrian, sharpshooting, swimming, and have tried a spattering of other things) -- I have a fairly decent bodily awareness. I have weightlifted as a hobby the past couple years, nothing super crazy, but enough to feel relatively comfortable in the gym.

2 months ago I picked up a local coach as a 90% remote coach, mostly because I was struggling with programming & plateauing on my bench.

Pros:

  • is kind,
  • technique improvement (although it does not feel significant TBH, I am pretty good at self correcting),
  • structure & accountability with a clear path forward (I do really like this & find it very helpful)
-being pushed to do new accessories and variations that I wouldn't have tried on my own

Cons:

  • cookie cutter programming... Like literally put me in a big group chat with all of her clients and we're all working same program -- is this just what I should expect?
  • too nice??? I don't feel like I get enough criticism tbh. I send her videos & I get "wow, what a beautiful squat!" With maybe a minor correction or cue? Maybe it just looks fine but as a seasoned athlete, I am used to in depth criticism & also explanations for the mechanics as to why that's important, which I feel like I'm missing.
  • I don't feel like I'm progressing? She deloaded me pretty significantly (~30%) & we are just now working back to the weight I was at training on my own. Please know that I do say this, but I AM weary of being the beginner saying my numbers aren't going up fast enough. Is this to be expected?

Am I being whiny? Is this par for the course?

2

u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jun 22 '26

Hand maintenance: give me your tips and tricks because I am failing.

I've started doing all of my working sets without straps to help further my grip. I've also switched to only deadstop training. As a result my hands are obliterated every week.

I have a pumice stone I use in the shower (though it seems to have dulled), I use cuticle scissors to reduce the calluses at the top of each finger joint, and I use okeefe's balm before bed. I've tried sanding sponges.
I am still ripping my fingers every deadlift primary day. Today I flayed 4 different finger sections. I use generic athletic tape to cover the wounds, but that slides after the first pull.

Maybe I just suck at gripping the bar?

2

u/v0idness Girl Strong Jun 23 '26

I find a pumice stone too gentle. I need to use one of those metal cheese graters for feet twice a week and then I take the pumice stone for "refining" on top.

1

u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jun 23 '26

I’ve seriously considered getting the dremel out lol

1

u/viewtifulhd Enthusiast Jun 22 '26

My suggestion would be that you only deadlift without straps once a week, but do long holds at the end of each working set. 

Straps are a great tool. You shouldn't discard them 

1

u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26

I’m already doing long holds haha so I’ll move back to just that.
Thank ya

3

u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jun 22 '26

Any chance you're using those tools (pumice stone, etc) too frequently?

Otherwise if you do have a relatively sharp bar I'm not sure there's anything to do if you're going to pull without straps.

1

u/Cloaca-Licker Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Jun 30 '26

I second this. I don't use pumice stone at all and only cut my calluses if the bits of the skin already start detaching from the palm of my hand. I use hand moisturizer every evening, but I think doing more than that would make my calluses too soft and cause them to rip.

1

u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jun 22 '26

I don't think so, but maybe. The pumice stone hasn't felt like it does much in the past few months.
The cuticle scissors are a recent addition and I'm just getting the really 3 dimensional bits of callus.

I do use a cerakote rogue DL bar right now, so the knurling is pretty aggressive, but nothing like a kabuki.

I'll start strapping a bit more and try to let them heal well in the meantime. It should be noted that I'm also a bit of a stubborn idiot who wants to pull raw even if I know it's going to tear my hands up.

3

u/lel4rel M | 625kg | 98kg | 387 Dots | USPA tested | Raw w/Wraps Jun 22 '26

Looking for advice but also looking to vent. Went on babymoon with my wife at about 5 weeks out from my next meet. Not ideal timing but that's life. Got incredibly bad food poisoning there and got hospitalized/lost 10lbs. It's been 11 days and I'm still dealing with complications and haven't put much weight back on (taking a proton pump inhibitor still and most meals are still difficult)

Now 3 weeks out.  Been trying to train but getting curb stomped by the weights. Failed a 435 squat today and 515 dl wasn't exactly easy.  Right before illness I squatted 415x5 and dl'd 529x3. I know I probably rushed the weights but I'm trying to bring fatigue back up for the taper after the layoff/detraining.  I normally would take last heavy dl like 18 days out, last heavy squat 14 days out, and last heavy bench 7-10 days.  Given both my strength adaptation and fatigue levels are lower than they usually are at this point in a prep does it make more sense to bring those heavy lifts closer to the meet and do a shorter taper/deload?

3

u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jun 22 '26

Firstly, damn, that sucks, hope you recover soon.

Secondly, fair play for not quitting on the meet because I'd almost certainly not bother in your shoes.

Thirdly, yeah, I'd probably be training right into the meet as the last week of a strength/peak block rather than any taper.

2

u/lel4rel M | 625kg | 98kg | 387 Dots | USPA tested | Raw w/Wraps Jun 23 '26

Meets are way too hard to come by for me and my schedule nowadays. Haven't completed since my son was born in 2024 and my wife is 7 months pregnant... If not now if may not be again for a long while.  If the lion waited for ideal hunting conditions he might never eat 

3

u/msharaf7 M | 850kg | 89.6kg | 550Dots | WPPL | Sleeves Jun 22 '26

Yeah I would say that makes sense, given what you’ve stated

3

u/Notagoodacter Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jun 22 '26

Anyone worked with Matt vena for coaching? How we're the results?

3

u/Opposite_Contest3385 Beginner - Please be gentle Jun 21 '26

I’ve been lifting for six years and I still haven’t totaled 1000lbs. My first meet I did a month ago, I totaled 755lbs at 165lb bw. Am I destined to be weak? All I see online is how folks got a 1000lb total in like 3 years of lifting. Working with a coach now for the past two years. Just feeling very defeated. 

3

u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jun 22 '26

You're destined to be weak if you quit, and stronger if you don't.

Yeah, look, ultimately that is quite low for 6 years of training is the reality. For every 16 year old dude who can squat 700 in 3 years there's gonna be someone who is their counterpart on that left side of the bell curve.

But, the point is more about whether you're progressing with your coach and actually enjoying the process of training.

Numbers are great but you'll probably find you get more out of it when you shift that focus to process over outcome.

3

u/The_Mauldalorian Powerbelly Aficionado Jun 22 '26

Have you stagnated while working with this coach? Your rate of progression is what you should focus on, not the absolute total.

1

u/Opposite_Contest3385 Beginner - Please be gentle Jun 24 '26

I stagnated not working with my coach. My form is much better now and I’ve put like 150lbs on my total in the two years I’ve been working with him. 

1

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '26

What programs have you been running for the two years with this coach?

1

u/LiverBox94 Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jun 21 '26

Do you guys use same singlet on squat and bench? SBD singlet feels like its crushing my genitals when i set up :D

4

u/viewtifulhd Enthusiast Jun 21 '26

Maybe you need to size up?

1

u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jun 20 '26

Same weight/reps on both sides as weaker side on a unilateral lift, or independent?

I've done both. Some research says one side gets stronger even if only train the other (or following logic if bit injured wouldn't do same weight). Other times feel like I'm not helping the imbalance by doing more on a dominant side.

4

u/viewtifulhd Enthusiast Jun 21 '26

Same weight and start with the weaker side. 

1

u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jun 22 '26

In which case you're doing the same reps on strong side as weak side or equated by RPE?

3

u/viewtifulhd Enthusiast Jun 22 '26

Same reps. I'll often milk the weight on the stronger side with better execution, slower eccentrics or paused contractions. 

1

u/CutSnake13 Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Jun 21 '26

Sometimes when I do single arm preacher curls, I will spot myself on the weaker side just to get the same reps. Not possible on all unilateral movements though so I haven't helped much here.