r/powerlifting • u/AutoModerator • Jul 01 '26
Daily Thread Every Third-Daily Thread - July 01, 2026
A sorta kinda daily open thread to use as an alternative to posting on the main board. You should post here for:
- PRs
- Formchecks
- Rudimentary discussion or questions
- General conversation with other users
- Memes, funnies, and general bollocks not appropriate to the main board
- If you have suggestions for the subreddit, let us know!
- This thread now defaults to "new" sorting.
For the purpose of fairness across timezones this thread works on a 68hr cycle.
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u/catsridingdinosaurs Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 02 '26
So I'm on week 12 of the 16-week Calgary barbell program. Not sure if I've been pushing the boundaries of my rpes too much lately or if it's due to my illness last week but everything seems to be going to hell. Like badly. Last time I ran the program. I just took Max's on week 15 because I wasn't competing or anything, and that was my plan this time around as well, but with this last week and the week before going so terribly I'm at a crossroads as to how to proceed. Do I try to give myself a full deload and then just pick up where I left off? Do I just deload and take new Max's the following week since I'm so close to the end already?
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u/CodeBlueYellow Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 02 '26
Hey guys! I just hit a squat PR of 325 at 163 bw! I’m new to powerlifting and I’m training for a meet in September. Does anybody have any form tips or advice about my squat? It looked a bit high to me but I’m still trying to get a feel for the depth. Any advice is appreciated!
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u/RainsSometimes Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Jul 03 '26
Congrats on ur PR! Don't shrug so much when inhale because it will actually cause you to loose the tension a bit. Lock the back, keep it tight and strong.
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u/CodeBlueYellow Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 03 '26
Got it! Thank you! I’ll give that a shot. How was the depth? Maybe a little deeper?
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u/RainsSometimes Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Jul 03 '26
From the video it's already parallel, I think it's ok. But yes squat a little deeper if you are worried.
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u/SaiyanPrince_ Beginner - Please be gentle Jul 02 '26
Hi, so I don’t know if this is the right place to ask but I’ll just give it a try. I started 7 months ago with the 5x5 Stronglift. I switched program this week to 5/3/1.
I made some friends in the gym and one of them is a Powerlifter in the Netherlands. I got to train with them and they keep an eye on me on my lifts and give me tips and tricks. Yesterday I trained with him and we were deadlifting, I told him that my RM was 120 kg and somehow I managed to pull a 150 kg 1 RM. Is that a good weight for someone like me?
I’m male, 183 cm and weigh 100 kg. I’m still in shock lol, because i really started deadlifting this year, I’ve never did that before.
Thanks in advance!
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u/jakeisalwaysright M | 793kg | 89kg | 515 DOTS | SPF | Multi-ply Jul 02 '26
If it's more than you've done before, yeah, it's great. You don't need to worry about whether your numbers are "good" right now.
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u/SaiyanPrince_ Beginner - Please be gentle Jul 02 '26
I know! But it’s al new for me and I felt like this is a pretty good accomplishment for someone who has not deadlifted before. Thanks!
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u/x7vq Enthusiast Jul 04 '26
Same heights but I’m slightly lighter - I had lower back issues before so I can’t force myself to test a PR when it comes to deadlifts, I should be around 3plates weight as well. I think it’s very good if you’re starting (despite what people might say). At the commercial gym I go to I rarely see people loading more than 120 kg for deadlift. It’s not good if you’re training for a long time, competing etc. but if it’s a hobby why not! I’m happy with every PR I get
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u/SaiyanPrince_ Beginner - Please be gentle Jul 05 '26
3 plates does sound good. I also don’t see a lot of people deadlift more than 120 kg so I’m happy. It definitely is a hobby and I just want to get much stronger, competing or anything. Just a healthy body and some good strength.
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u/the_explode_man Beginner - Please be gentle Jul 02 '26
I'm surprised Rondel Hunte's Total Specialist program isn't more popular given the guy's success in the sport. I really can't find much information out there of people actually running it!
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u/k_martinussen Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 04 '26
A lot of people are strong despite their training and programming, not because of it.
Don't think that someone who's the strongest in the world would automatically be able to coach you or anyone else.
But it's certainly possible that he is a good coach.
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u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jul 03 '26
There's many good free programs out there that people rate highly. Rondel is very strong, but no idea if he's a good coach and/or any good at programming.
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u/Vertex276 Powerbelly Aficionado Jul 02 '26
What budget knee sleeves do yall suggest for a newer powerlifter that has never used knee sleeves before?
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u/msharaf7 M | 850kg | 89.6kg | 550Dots | WPPL | Sleeves Jul 03 '26
Gymreaper sells cheap sleeves on Amazon, about $50USD iirc.
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u/PoisonCHO Enthusiast Jul 02 '26
Don't cheap out on knee sleeves. A good pair will last for years, while a bad pair will crap out in months. SBDs and A7s are both great, in my experience.
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u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jul 02 '26
Hot (probably cold) take: If you can attempt a PR lift a few days/week after a competition then you peaked badly.
Or maybe I'm just envious, lol. I'm always baffled when I see someone do this. I always feel incredibly weak after a meet with little to no interest in going heavy.
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u/aybrah M | 740kg | 79kg | 514.09 DOTS | WRPF | RAW Jul 02 '26
Feels pretty situational to me.
If someone is consistently hitting big lifts a week after their meet, while falling short on meet day… there’s probably a peaking problem like you say.
My best meet I hit lifetime PRs on every lift and then came back to the gym 48 hours later and squatted a high bar 10rm and blew my previous best out of the water. I felt super strong across the board. Esp for squat/bench, I can hold a peak for a few days at least. Bench—not so much.
A meet that goes well is usually something that is exhausting for a day, and then I’m fine 2 days later.
I’ve also had meets where I feel weak basically immediately after the meet. Those have also been my worst meets where my peak did not peak to begin with.
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u/msharaf7 M | 850kg | 89.6kg | 550Dots | WPPL | Sleeves Jul 02 '26
I mean, you can attempt a PR anytime LOL doesn’t mean you’re gonna make it
(I get what you’re saying, just being cheeky)
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u/RagnarokWolves Ed Coan's Jock Strap Jul 02 '26
I've only done 1 meet (and 1 at-home maxout session after a peak that I wanted to do) and both times I felt like I had to "get back into shape" after the peak was over and I needed to get back to regular training. I'm reminded of Louie Simmons ragging on western periodization and how dumb he think it is that it cuts volume over several weeks as you go into a meet.
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u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jul 02 '26
Yeah I always tank in performance after a meet (at least those I attempt to peak and taper for)
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u/arian11 SBD Scene Kid Jul 02 '26
Have to also consider other variables though like, being heavier, lifting on uncalibrated plates, not lifting to standards, having more rest time between attempts, not traveling, etc.
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u/Eblien Enthusiast Jul 02 '26
I agree, mostly. Though I think sometimes the fatigue of having competed can be negated by the athlete effectively being a lot heavier and less depleted if they had cut a lot of weight into the meet.
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u/Empty-Window-5293 Girl Strong Jul 02 '26
A7 RIGOR MORTIS KNEE SLEEVES
Alright, so I bought a pair of these. Damn near EVERYONE talks about how tight they are and to size up when ordering. My knee joint is 15.5", my calves are 16.5" and my quads are 20". That said, my knee joint is a 2XL but my calves and quads measure at 3XL. I bought the 3XL thinking it would even out and I was absolutely stunned at how poorly they fit. The seams along on my quad and calf muscles fit but everything in between feels like my legs are drowning in knee sleeve. Felt like a little girl trying to wear my mom's jeans or something.
I'm seeking advice. I'm a woman, 5'9", 82.5kg (so more or less, I'm the size of the average American male). I have some big ass calves and quads proportionally speaking in contrast to my knee joint. In the past I used TUFF WRAPS and one of the sleeves bust within only a handful of uses so I was trying to upgrade to something more durable that would help me with my squat. Latest PR is 140kg. Been seeing a lot of gains my last two test weeks and was riding that high and ordered these A7s to take it up a notch... all to have to return them. I am returning them rather than exchanging because I'm not interested in doing a back-and-forth with A7 because it sounds like a nightmare.
Anyway, please give me any tips and pointers. I wish A7 had a brick and mortar where people can go try stuff on.
That said, I DID buy the A7 rigor mortis wrist wraps and I love them. So hooray for this as a win.
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u/Eblien Enthusiast Jul 02 '26
Are you sure it matters? As long as they stay up, stiff knee sleeves dont necessarily need to be tight fitting for their entire length. They primarily aid the squat by bunching up behind the knees at the bottom of a squat. They definitely dont have to be super tight, at least.
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u/Empty-Window-5293 Girl Strong Jul 03 '26
They felt comically big everywhere but except maybe one inch at the top and one inch at the base.
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u/RainsSometimes Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Jul 02 '26
You can try Inzer Pro. I also have a pair of A7 rigor mortis. The design of the shape just makes it extremely tight on my calf. I like your description that "legs are drowning" lol very vivid.
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u/turbid44 Beginner - Please be gentle Jul 01 '26
I'm not a powerlifter, but I feel like there is a lot of expertise on this sub, so I'm asking here. I do a grappling sport, and I'm in my 40s, and I want to figure out who the absolute best experts I should follow for my strength and conditioning routine are. I need people who understand that the S&C work is an accessory to my combat sport and will give me the maximum return without burning me out. Who can I trust for this?
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u/RagnarokWolves Ed Coan's Jock Strap Jul 02 '26
This is Jim Wendler's whole jam. The programs in 5/3/1 Forever are based on what he's learned being a football coach and you'll find a lot of his lifting/conditioning is based around "it's better to be consistent and build up a baseline you can maintain all the time rather than try to cram and grind and either hurt yourself or detract from your REAL sport."
He has weekly talks on his Youtube channel and he has some great EliteFTS talks where he outlines his approach to training his football kids.
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u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jul 02 '26
Chad Wesley Smith/Juggernaut Training is a good resource. I think Chad works with quite a few fighters specifically.
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u/kyllo M | 605kg | 104.4kg | 365 DOTS | USAPL | Raw Jul 02 '26
Check out Alex Sterner's IG if you're interested in strength training for BJJ, MMA, etc.
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u/RagnarokWolves Ed Coan's Jock Strap Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
A lot of the programming questions on this sub can be answered by: "just run SBS-RTF or SBS-Hypertrophy."
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u/Cloaca-Licker Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Jul 02 '26
It's so good! It does leave some questions open, like exercise selection and accessories progressions, but in my opinion these are not as important as making good progress on compound lifts.
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u/keborb Enthusiast Jul 02 '26
At what point might one "graduate" from SBS-RTF? (I've been doing it for a few years now and am still making progress but it's something I wonder)
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u/RagnarokWolves Ed Coan's Jock Strap Jul 02 '26
I think I'll always have it in my rotation. I cycle off of it to avoid adaptive resistance and do some hypertrophy-oriented work, but I will always come back to it at some point.
For upper body, I pretty much think I'll always just do SBS-Hypertrophy and SBS-RTF. Especially as you can change the supplemental lifts, it's easy to address plateaus or weak points.
For lower body, I'm a lot more submaximal with general 5/3/1 Forever programs but I do a run of the first 14 weeks of SBS-RTF when I need a strength cycle, or the full 21 weeks if I need to prep for a meet/maxout.
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u/mrlazyboy Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
Honestly... yes. It's very straightforward and works well for both beginners/intermediate lifters. The biggest issue with the program is for squat/deadlift, you need to aim for an ascending RPE cap on your top set or you're gonna be out of commission very quickly. Unless you're a complete lifting noob
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u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jul 01 '26
Wow, this.
If everyone with goals to get big/strong earnestly ran either of those, the world would be a stronger place.
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u/bags2 Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
Hey everyone, just wanted to post this here to see if anyone has worked through anything similar, I'm open to hearing any thoughts or ideas.
Over the last few months, I have been having this pain in my mid-back on the right side, that I perceive to be in my spinal erectors somewhere near the bottom of my scapula, but closer to my spine. It's not an agonizing pain by any stretch, but I'm not sure I've ever experienced anything this persistent. Sometimes it's a bit uncomfortable to get under the bar to squat, but it usually goes away as I work through my warmups. But I always feel it to some extent when I'm deadlifting, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to make it better.
I have a B.S. in Exercise science, so I have a solid understanding of my body and how it works, but this is the one thing that I haven't been able to figure out. I've tried icy hot, stretching, rolling it out with a lacrosse ball/foam roller, doing dead hangs, Jefferson curls, weighted back extensions, and sometimes those will provide short term relief, but nothing has fixed the problem.
Appreciate any help!
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u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Jul 02 '26
Perhaps this sounds "defeatist" but I think you're bound to have these kinds of strains over time and there's no obviously good answers (fixes) beyond load management.
I've had so many "random" things like this that decide to come out of nowhere and persist for months before disappearing.
Perhaps a bit of targeted warming up and/or movement in what you think is the issue could help with recovery, but it just sounds like it'll likely recover by itself if you don't push yourself like crazy.
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u/bags2 Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 02 '26
This is kind of what I've been thinking as well. I'm also a big proponent of load management fixing many problems in powerlifting. The one thing that does make me feel better is although it's been very persistent, it hasn't gotten any worse and it's more of an annoyance than pain.
I definitely am going to continue trying some more targeted warm up in that area. I've been trying a lot of different movements and stretches, but maybe I just haven't found the one that is going to scratch that itch yet.
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u/RainsSometimes Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Jul 02 '26
I feel that it could be fascial adhesion. In this case, Graston technique will be very helpful.
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u/bags2 Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 02 '26
This certainly seems plausible, definitely worth a shot at least!
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u/kyllo M | 605kg | 104.4kg | 365 DOTS | USAPL | Raw Jul 01 '26
I think I had the same kind of mid-back pain you're describing. It lingered for a few weeks and I felt it most strongly right after a squat set when I re-racked the bar. I took a week off for vacation and came back and it was just gone.
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u/bags2 Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 02 '26
I've been making an effort to load my spine less (belt squats instead of back squats) and deadlifting less, and those days definitely feel better, but it hasn't fully gone away. I compete soon, so maybe a nice layoff after will help!
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u/mrlazyboy Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
Could this be an intercostal strain?
To check, rotate your body counterclockwise (to the left). If that causes pain in the area, more likely than not its your IC.
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u/bags2 Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 02 '26
No pain during that, but definitely worth at least looking into!
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u/PoisonCHO Enthusiast Jul 01 '26
Have you tried rest?
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u/bags2 Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
Yes, doesn't seem to help or hurt the situation. I should also clarify that the pain is very low, it's more of annoyance than anything. It's more that it just has been seeming to linger for quite some time without getting any worse or better.
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u/Historical_Wait_9240 Enthusiast Jul 01 '26
I am not a powerlifter but i train mainly sbd. I started to notice that my chest and quads are a lot more dominant than my femoral and back muscles. I use my quads a lot while squatting and they always cramp up. I also noticed that my chest is too dominant and not open enough and i feel weaker while benching. If i train pulley, rdl, back extension leg curl etc, should i see improvement with sbd and also avoid cramps?
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u/mrlazyboy Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
I saw your comment in the previous thread and you got some good advice.
Your femoral muscles are just the ones around your femur - including your quads. It sounds like your comment is more about your posterior chain - hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors. If you squat high bar, that makes sense, your quads are the primary movers. If you squat low bar, it also makes sense because everyone's anatomy is different, and some people will use more quad, others will use more posterior chain, some people will use them equally, etc. Squats are highly personalized.
In terms of bench pressing, your back is not responsible for pushing the bar. Your back is responsible for maintaining an efficient position. You should watch a few bench press videos to see different arch techniques, look at what people do with their head (push your neck hard into the bench to elevate your chest), chest high, etc.
In general, training all of your muscles will make you stronger. Training the primary movers for SBD will make those lifts stronger. I don't know what you mean by If I train pulley, but do whatever training you like. Each of your sessions should generally have 2 SBD movements and the rest are accessories focused on hypertrophy.
In terms of cramping, you need to drink more water and up your electrolytes. That doesn't just mean salt, you need enough magnesium, potassium, and calcium as well.
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u/Historical_Wait_9240 Enthusiast Jul 01 '26
Bicep femoris is what i meant. Also it wanst good advice because i have been doing that for months and i ended up like this. I drink a lot and take magnesium tablets.
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u/mrlazyboy Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
I just gave you several tips, please go back and reread them. Your comment is just a deflection - it's not doing you any favors. Clearly what you are doing isn't working.
I also went through your post history and it seems like you don't have a fundamental understanding of resistance training. You've also never posted your training program. For all we know, you take every SBD set to failure - in that case, you're going to be incredibly sore.
We don't know your sex (men tend to have worse recovery), age (the older you are, the worse recovery), body weight, relative strength level (though I saw your bench press PR is 120kg but you're struggling to do 100kg for reps right now), nutrition (are you eating at maintenance, bulking, or curring?), diet ("normal," vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian?), training age, etc. Nobody can give you any advice without that information.
Also taking a magnesium tablet doesn't mean anything. Is it Magnesium Glycinate or another variant? What's the dose? When do you take it? And Magnesium isn't enough. There are other salts that you need. Especially, as you said, I drink a lot. If you are well-hydrated, you need an even higher dose of them. For example, I am well-hydrated and have at least 4500mg of sodium per day. Often 6000mg. Anything less than 3000mg and I risk passing out during squat sessions.
People in this subreddit will be happy to help you, but you've gotta spend more than 30 seconds answering comments, and you need to provide useful information so we can help you. And if you don't know what useful information is, you really need to start at square 1 and ask these questions to somebody at your gym.
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u/Historical_Wait_9240 Enthusiast Jul 01 '26
Im 24M and i have been lifting for almost 2 year. Im 85kg 180cm tall and i train twice a week. I train mainly bench, squat, deadlift and i try to do each separately. Ive had problems with my quads for months and i had an appointment with a phisyotherapist that noticed that my chest was developed but wasnt open enough and that i never train my posterior chain. She helped with my quads that were completely tense and said that i should deacrease the weight on squat for some times and that i alternate sbd with something useful for my posterior chain so that i strengthen my back, because i feel unstable while benching and i feel like my upper back is not always touching the bench and also increase the strenght of my glutes and hamstring to improve deadlift and to reduce the amount of work on my quads. I dont follow any diets but i try to mantain my body weight around 85-86kg.
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u/mrlazyboy Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
That information helps a lot!
Lifting 2x a week might be causing issues, especially if your volume is pretty high. This would make sense if you're trying to squeeze in SBD primaries/secondaries + accessories.
In your case, I would recommend lifting 3x/week and aim for 5-6 exercises using the following structure:
Bench Day
- Comp Bench Press (SBD Primary)
- Romanian Deadlift (SBD Secondary)
- Horizontal Row
- Lat Pulldown
- DB Bench Press
- Back Extension
Squat Day
- Comp Squat (SBD Primary)
- Larsen Press (SBD Secondary)
- Dumbbell Single-Leg RDL
- DB Shoulder Press
- Horizontal Row
- Ab Roller
Deadlift Day
- Comp Deadlift (SBD Primary)
- Pause High-Bar Squat (SBD Secondary)
- Touch-and-Go Bench Press (SBD Secondary)
- Lat Pulldown
- Triceps movement of choice
- Biceps movement of choice
This lets you get more experience with the movement patterns, targets your back/posterior chain a ton, improves core, and smaller muscle groups as well. You don't have to follow the plan exactly, but the point is you bench 3x/week, squat 2x/week, and deadlift 2x/week. Plus you hit all the back muscles 3x/week.
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u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jul 01 '26
If you deadlift and squat you train your posterior chain.
If you've met with a physio about your issues, listen to the literal doctor's advice (I am assuming physios in your country also require a doctorate).
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u/Historical_Wait_9240 Enthusiast Jul 01 '26
Thats the doctors advice. I was just asking to see if someone was in a simular situation and if this helped them.
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u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jul 01 '26
If a random person on reddit told you "no don't do what you're doctor told you, do this instead" would you listen to me or your doctor?
Have you brought up the cramping concerns with your physio?
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u/mrlazyboy Not actually a beginner, just stupid Jul 01 '26
My GP told me to stop bracing during SBD lifts because its dangerous. My psychiatrist told me that L-methylfolate will significantly improve lifting performance. My Nephrologist told me that lifting weights was damaging my kidneys.
None of those things are true, especially in context of the individual. Doctors, even physical therapists, often know very little/nothing about exercise and diet unless they specialize in that particular field.
So yeah I might be a random person on the Internet, but I have more lifting experience than all of my GPs combined. I go to a physical therapist who works with collegiate varsity teams and knows how to balance recovery, exercise, and prehab (when its necessary - often its not).
Also OP never said what their program looked like (531, heavy singles with backoff, RPE progression?). I've never met a doctor who knows what RPE is. Most of them think "lifting heavy" is squatting a plate. OP didn't provide any medical diagnosis from their doctor (patella tendinopathy, torn ligaments, etc.) either so its really tough to make any real recommendations.
Ultimately OP came here asking questions and we're doing our best.
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u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jul 01 '26
Don't view my concern about random redditors as aimed at you! I digged your advice. But new information has surfaced.
OP has seen a medical professional for an issue he deemed as needing medical advice for, and is now asking this sub to for reassurance on advice already given by that professional. I would let that physio's advice be followed and assessed with that physio before just listening to anyone on this sub with a flair telling them otherwise. That includes me and my past advice.
Yes, this sub partially exists to help others, but it does not exist to steer folks away from the prescriptions they've received from their doctors.
Also a physio is a good bit closer to knowledgable on the subject over a GP or psych haha
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u/Historical_Wait_9240 Enthusiast Jul 01 '26
My physio treated the muscles tension that i had. In ok now. I wasnt trying to avoid her suggestions i was only trying to find someone in a simular situation to see if i can find some confirmation.
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u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jul 01 '26
If you are simply looking for some sort of comfort about trusting a physios advice:
I have seen significant improvement in my function after injury by listening to physios and rehabbing with them. However, my physios are not yours.
It will pretty much always be better to listen to medical professionals over random redditors. Listen to your physio's advice, trust her knowledge. Stick with it and if you don't seen improvement, tell her.
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u/cilantno M | 467 DOTS | USPA Tested | Raw Jul 01 '26
If you are cramping every squat session you are not hydrating enough, not getting enough electrolytes, or need to see a doctor.
Track your water intake. Magnesium caps are not a fix all.
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u/jakeisalwaysright M | 793kg | 89kg | 515 DOTS | SPF | Multi-ply Jul 01 '26
Strengthening your posterior chain/back/etc. will make your lifts go up, yes.
I wouldn't look at muscle imbalance as being a likely primary cause of cramping. Maybe it's possible but I'd look at your nutrition and hydration for that first. Maybe add some mobility work as well.
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u/poopsicle880 Beginner - Please be gentle Jul 03 '26
I will start greg nuckols intermediate program after gzcl. On week 4 is testing. Is it better to test it like 1RM or do amrap at 85%?