Hardcore Powerlifting Workouts

This weekend I trained with the Independent Powerlifting Association in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. These guys, and girls, are group of competitive lifters who take powerlifting very seriously but still like to have a good time in the gym. Training with them is a little humbling but it is making powerlifting fun again, which is good because I retired from powerlifting after the 2006 Canadian Powerlifting Union Nationals after I realized I wasn't having fun anymore.
Here was our workouts this weekend:
Saturday, Max Effort Bench Day:

• 1 Board Press, 45 x 5, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 3, 315 x 3
• Squishy Board Press (soft board) 315 x 3, 275 x 3, 275 x 5
• Dumbbell Floor Press 50 x 10, 75 x 8,6,6,6
• Wide Grip Lat Pull Downs 4 x 10
• Face Pulls 4 x 15

Squishy board presses are new to me and I love them. Simply find a 6 inch thick material that squishes but quickly fills back up whenever you stop pressing on it. Benching with the squishy board between your chest and the bar simulates the feeling of bench shirt. The deeper you bench, the more the squishy board accommodates resistance, making the bar heavier become heavier as you press it off your chest. See the video below for a demonstration:



On Sunday we did Max Effort Squats in a mono-lift:

• Raw Wide Stance Squats, work up to a max triple (I just did moderate triples because these are new to me and my currently weak hips)
• Dimmel Deadlifts 135 x 5, 225 x 5,
• Rack Pulls 315 x 3, 405 x 3, 425 x 2,2,3
• Leg Extensions 4 x 10
• Leg Curls 4 x 10

Here is a great video to demonstrate the Dimmel Deadlift, named after the late great Matt Dimmel: