A Pleasantly Periodized Pilgrimage in Pursuit of Professional Powerlifting Prowess (20-Week Advanced Meet Prep - Raw)

This is the exact same program (5-day split) that I used in prep for the Hybrid Showdown 4. In this prep, my total improved from 2,099lbs to 2,121lbs, and that was on a less than perfect day of attempt selection (I only made my second attempts). My deadlift exploded from 854lbs to 881lbs, which had been a big goal of mine for a long time. I gave 903 a run for its money on my third, but just wasn't strong enough. 

This program would best be classified as block periodization, with a heavy influence from the sports performance world and westside conjugate. It's broken down into 5 phases. Hypertrophy 1, Strength 1, Hypertrophy 2, Strength 2 and Peak. A common issue that I see with lifters is that they tend to lose muscle mass gained early on due to reduction in overall training volume leading into a meet. I believe that the phasic structure I've laid out above is the way to go within the block system if you wish to hold on to that muscle, and use it's potential to create the most strength possible for meet day, assuming you have the time to run this long of a prep. 

If you are someone that is interested in strength and you have a strong training ethic, this program can be valuable to you in more than 1 way. The obvious value is the program itself. Run it and reap the rewards. The other value here is seeing exactly what a prep for a top level lifter looks like in a system that you may not be familiar with. 

I wrote this prep on a plane trip to Ireland to throw my dad's ashes off of the Cliffs of Moher, and I made the sheet look pretty on the flight back. Enjoy the colors.