I’m always getting great compliments on my physique and lifting at the gym. Today someone just gave me a great one, he said, “Dude, you gotta stop looking stronger than me ’cause you’re starting to make me look bad”. I just laughed and said thanks.

That’s the weird thing about bodybuilding/powerlifting or whatever, ya know? I can’t tell my own physique and my own strength. I just let other people do the judging.

I just lift and do my thing. Yeah, my goal is to get big, muscular and strong which is what bodybuilding/powerlifting is all about, right? I just lift ’cause I love doing it and it’s a lifestyle for me. After a hard day’s workout in the gym, you feel amazing for the rest of the day. Really, you feel good after.

I got into weightlifting ’cause I wanted something to do to get healthy and to try to get big, muscular and strong as possible. I just want to do it right and do it responsibly though ’cause too many don’t.

The lifting is going well and happy to be back doing it. I try to post lifting videos of myself ’cause my followers enjoy watching this stuff. I try not to mess with that video stuff much ’cause I rather spend more time lifting than wasting time, ya know? Every now and then I’ll post a video of me on instagram doing a heavy single or a 1 rep max on the big three and sometimes I post videos of me lifting with other workouts too. I post videos hoping to get honest feedback on my form but mostly people like watching them instead so I try to post more as much as possible.

With all this being said, I can’t tell how big I’m getting but people tell me all the time, “Damn dude you’re getting bigger each time I see ya”. I’m thinking to myself, “Um okay but I feel still kind of small” which is true. Instead, I tell them “Thanks, I work hard”. I’m my own worst critic I guess.

I just knew what to do in bodybuilding. I’m self taught pretty much. Taught myself how to do it all since I can’t afford a trainer so I taught myself bodybuilding by reading Arnold’s Modern Bodybuilding and watched a bunch of fitness channels on youtube.

I just lift ’cause it’s a lifestyle, a hobby, ya know? Just want to become the best shape of my life and that’s all.

Kev

The sport of powerlifting training has blown up on social media. It has gotten pretty huge online lately and the sport continues to explode… it’s even more popular now than ever before.

Since I’ve joined the powerlifting community now and have been for the past few years, you can betcha, I follow other powerlifters in social media and have seen plenty of powerlifters training through their social media pages like instagram, facebook and twitter mostly.

Powerlifters post their lifting videos… posting their “personal best” videos, ya know like maxing out and all that stuff. Showing off their newest pr’s is what they do. These guys and gals train during their off-season leading up to their powerlifting competition.

All this is fine and good; however, I’m seeing too many powerlifters lifting the big three lifts in bad form and bad technique everyday. It’s crazy. You point something out to them, it’s either the lifter themselves or their followers/fanbase would get immediately defensive.

What is the bad form and bad technique I’m seeing with the big three lifts: squats, bench and deadlift???

Well the squat: not deep enough… either squatting parallel or above parallel is what I’m seeing a lot. Too many squatters don’t squat deep enough and they’re all calling it a “pr”. Squatting below parallel is the right way to squat, upper leg area or the hip crease getting lower than the top of the knee is the right depth but many powerlifters don’t go that deep. Why do you think they miss a lot of squat lifts on meet day?

For the bench, I’m still seeing a lot of benchers that bench with their butt off the bench which is very dangerous, in my opinion… yet so many think it’s okay to do it and it’s also cheating. So many benchers bench like that, butt off the bench, yet it’s still cheered upon and accepted. I also disagree with excessive arching ’cause that gives you less range of motion.

With the deadlift: I’m seeing many deadlifters online deadlifting with rounded backs all the freakin’ time. Yet once again, it’s cheered upon and accepted. You want to deadlift with rounded backs, you’re asking to be sent to snap city so be my guest if you want to deadlift like that. Plus too many rush their deadlift setup and they deadlift with their hips too low as if they’re squatting it.

Many powerlifters don’t care about their setup and form/technique but I do. I take technique very seriously. I’m always trying to perfect my form on the big three and I’m still learning. So many powerlifters are in such a rush to lift the big weights which is why they don’t care about their technique which is why a lot of ’em end up getting injured.

Yes, lifting butt off bench while benching will cause injury. There’s a pretty good reason why powerlifting competitions want you to bench with your butt on the bench. Butt lifting in benching is a problem and so many do it anyways. Not sure why. Yeah, it probably helps them lift more weight but that’s because they have a huge ego, ya know?

Nothing wrong with lifting weights that make you comfortable and lifting the ones you know you can hit safely and responsibly. Yeah I know, powerlifting is all about lifting the most weight possible but I’d rather be safe than sorry, ya know?

Powerlifting can be safe and easy as long as your technique and form is good.

The powerlifting industry trying to push out that butt off the bench and rounded back deadlifting is okay but man, they are setting their lifters up for injury.

I would much rather lift with good form every time. My numbers are kind of low in the big three lifts but hey, what can I tell ya? I just leave my ego at the door and just smash the lifts that I know that I can safely hit. I’m being patient and taking my time. I can’t bench over 300 lbs. and can’t squat/deadlift over 500 yet but I’ll get there. It’ll take more time with patience and consistency.

Kev

Yup, that is definitely my goal in powerlifting is to be able to one day bench over 300 lbs. and squat/deadlift over 500 lbs. It’s funny that some people criticizing my powerlifting in a negative direction. I’ve only gotten into powerlifting for a few years now… started in 2018… yeah, I discovered powerlifting pretty late in life. Been doing this powerlifting/strength training thing for 2 years now so I’m still learning and got a lot to learn.

I’m doing powerlifting training all self-taught pretty much. I do work with a few other powerlifting friends but they live all the way out in the Albany area and I only get coached by them at the meets… other than that, I’ve been teaching myself powerlifting. Although, admittingly, I would like to hire a coach or get a powerlifting partner ’cause it would be pretty useful. I just need to find a powerlifting coach/partner more locally, ya know? I’ll try.

I do my best to do good technique on the big three lifts: bench, squat and deadlift. Ever since I started powerlifting, I was never the best at squats but I’m getting better at squat form and technique now.

Yes, my goal someday is to lift the big ones like everyone else. Someday I would love to bench over 300 lbs. and squat/deadlift over 500 but it’ll take more time to get there. I was reading a book about powerlifting and it’s actually quicker to gain strength than building muscle and I’ve noticed that. Maybe in several more years or more I’ll get to those numbers that I want, maybe sooner than that…

…. anyway, I’m gonna take my time, stay humble and not rush. Not get ahead of myself. Train and smart and train good. Consistency really is key to getting the big numbers. No other way around it. Stay consistent, do every rep in good form and technique every time and you’ll get there before you know it.

It’s funny that some make fun of me at the low numbers but they feel heavy to me with my bodyweight being at 150 lbs. so that’s okay for someone just starting out in powerlifting.

People also tell me that I need to get big and fat, gain weight in order to get to the bigger weights. Um, no. I’m not gonna stuff my face with a lot of calories and not gonna get fat. I do wanna gain more weight but I want to do it right and safely. I want to gain muscle pounds, not “fat” pounds if you know what I mean. I just read a great book on Powerlifting by Dan Austin and Bryan Mann and even they say you don’t want to get fat. So with that being said, you still need to train and eat like a bodybuilder too. So I do both bodybuilding and powerlifting. I do bodybuilding to gain muscle growth and size, I do powerlifting to get strength.

A lot of people make the mistake that as a powerlifter, you can eat whatever you want and stuff your face with calories ’cause powerlifting responds to food. No. In my view, when you’re a powerlifter, you must be a clean eater and have proper nutrition like a bodybuilder. Continue to eat your proteins, complex carbs and healthy fats.

I want to one day be able to lift the big ones, lift a bar with all kinds of weight plates and load it up but I’m gonna take it slow, ya know? If you rush, it’ll lead to bad form and lots of injuries. Gotta train responsible and smart and that’s what I’m gonna try to do.

Kev

Well it’s been several weeks already of me going back to the gym and I’m already getting used to powerlifting training again. Feeling really good doing bench and deadlift again but squats, I’m just still trying to get good form with that.

I’m always pretty good with bench and deadlift but squats I’ve always had a little trouble with ’cause it’s the most complex lift really. I am finally able to get the good form down with squats by using lighter weights. When I’m squatting above parallel, I could squat like 130 lbs. – 150 lbs. but when I’m squatting below parallel, I can only hit like 125 – 130 lbs which is okay in my eyes.

Squatting below parallel is kind of tough ’cause I’m kind of a short guy and it feels wicked deep squatting below parallel. To squat below parallel in powerlifting the hip crease (or upper leg area) needs to be lower than the top of the knees. That means you must descent until the hamstrings touch your calves and your hips are below the knees. That’s the legal powerlifting squat in order to get all 3 white lights. It’s tough to do but I’m getting better at squats now, I think.

I made a vow that I wouldn’t miss a lift in my training cycle in powerlifting on the big three: deadlift, bench and squat. Lately I haven’t been missing lifts on the deadlift and bench but for some reason I missed a couple of lifts on squats ’cause I’m still learning the form. Think I got it now so I’ll try my best not to miss a lift on squats again. When I do miss a lift on squats, I’ll take some weight off and go a little lighter so I can make that lift to end the squat session with.

I’m really hoping to bring up my numbers on the big three lifts before the year ends. Really improve. Hoping to make my deadlift go past 300 lbs. for reps, go past 200 lbs. for reps on bench and I want to bring up my squat numbers some too ’cause that’s kind of low right now. Low squat numbers was intentional ’cause I’m trying to squat with the right “depth”… break parallel that’ll make the powerlifting judges happy.

I just figured that the more you improve your deadlift, the more you improve your squat numbers too ’cause the deadlift takes a lot of leg work. Deadlift works out your entire lower body just like the squat does.

I’m training smart this time around. Now that I’m back in the gym after a little vacation from it, no more messing around and train like a real powerlifter.

The problem with powerlifters even the longtime veterans, they miss a lot of lifts in their training during off-season. I’m not gonna do that. If you want to bring your numbers up, you gotta do the numbers that you know you can hit. You gotta leave room in the tank in order to hit the bigger ones.

I’m gonna keep my powerlifting training going throughout the fall & Winter and bodybuilding training too. Consistency is key to getting stronger.

For deadlift today, I just easily smashed a 280 lb. single. So if I could do that, I could probably go past 300 lbs. in another month or two. I’m almost there, anyway.

Kev

Last week, I thought I would give Almond Milk a try… the unsweetened Vanilla kind and to my surprise, I really liked the taste a lot. Almost like a milkshake and tastes like Almonds which is where it got it’s name from obviously.

I switched to Almond milk ’cause it’s way more healthier and nutritious than dairy milk, in my opinion. I’m planning to avoid dairy more and more. The only dairy food I would take is 1% Lowfat Cottage Cheese and Plain Non-fat Greek Yogurt and that’s it. I eat those ’cause they are great sources of protein.

Now I’m going to add Almond Milk to my clean eating. Doing research, I read it’s good for fat loss and muscle building. It also helps give you stronger bones. Almond Milk is also low in calories than dairy milk… has no sugars, no gluten and none of that other stuff.

While I’m doing all of this weightlifting, trying to get big and strong, I’m also trying to lose more bodyfat so I can hopefully get lower than 10%. Get a full six pack and get really ripped.

I think dairy milk is actually bad for your health and almond milk is way better. I don’t use milk for a lot of things, though. I use milk when I eat my Shredded Wheat plain cereal (I also eat this for my clean eating, shredded wheat plain is the only healthy cereal out there, lol) and I use milk when I have oatmeal for breakfast. I also have a small glass of milk for dinner every night but I’m gonna use Almond milk from now on. Almond Milk is also good for healthy fats that you need and has little protein as well.

Almond Milk is very popular in the bodybuilding and fitness world so I thought I would finally give it a shot. They all use it. If you see a huge muscular person shopping at the grocery store chances are, you’ll see a carton of Almond Milk in his/her shopping cart.

Kev

In the past when I was doing bodybuilding in the gym, I originally never wanted anything to do with barbell at all. I avoided the barbell work but that was up until I discovered the sport of powerlifting. Now I’m all over the barbell. I discovered powerlifting two years ago thanks to friends that are powerlifters and they got me into it really. Thanks to powerlifting, I’ve had a change of heart with the barbell and now I’m all over it.

I’ve been doing barbell work bench, squats and deadlift… the big three lifts used for powerlifting meets. Then I decided to get into a few more barbell exercises for more additional strength/muscle work: the standing overhead barbell press and the barbell hip thrusts.

I got into doing barbell overhead press (standing) for shoulder work. Dong research on powerlifting, all powerlifters should do standing barbell overhead press ’cause it helps improves bench strength and yes it seems to be helping. Plus, if you want to have overall upper body strength, gotta do standing barbell overhead presses. If you’re going to bench and deadlift, gotta do standing overhead presses too. They all go hand in hand if you want to get real strong.

I’ve gotten into Barbell Hip thrusts for hypertrophy training ’cause I needed stronger glutes (or better known as the butt). When I went to physical therapy in the past, I was told that I have weak glutes and I really needed to strengthen them. So now that the gym is back, I’m doing a few things for the glutes and the barbell hip thrust is one of them. I learned that if you want to improve your squat and deadlift numbers, gotta have wicked strong glutes and gotta shape up your butt some. I would say that my glutes definitely needs more work and I’m working on that too. I learned that if you have wicked strong and muscular glutes then you’ll see big improvement in squat and deadlift for sure.

When you get into powerlifting training, you can’t just do the big three lifts only. Gotta do other things too and still can’t ignore hypertrophy training either. Can’t stop the bodybuilding training ’cause more muscle helps more strength too.

Been a few weeks back in the gym and my lifting coming along well. Getting back on track.

Kev

Another week down of the gym. Having weekend off of gym and then chest day on Monday. When just going back into gym after some time off from it, you’re going to feel weak going in for a little bit and it may seem like you lost some muscle gains and strength gains but the reality is you haven’t really. As I said in a post before, when you don’t work out and don’t lift at all for a while, your muscles will atrophy (means shrinking) yes but your muscles and strength won’t atrophy right away.

I’m starting to feel strong again after a few weeks back in the gym which feels really good. My lifting is starting to pick back up and I haven’t lost a lot of strength to be honest. I don’t think I really lost any and pretty much have it still. The numbers on the big three in powerlifting training are still pretty much the same. I think maybe I still do have the 300 lb. deadlift so I’m planning on giving it a shot in a few weeks. I know I can still do a 300 lb. deadlift ’cause I’ve done in several times in the past.

I’m still planning to bring up my numbers big before the year ends, though.

And once again, plans to bring up my numbers on the big three squat, bench and deadlift:

1. Stay consistent
2. Never miss a lift
3. Train heavy with good form (do heavy sets and few reps, like 1-5 reps each set)
4. Stay injury free
5. Get plenty of rest

Do all those 5 things and you’ll start to go somewhere in powerlifting.

I don’t have any injuries at all right now… thanks to the pandemic which helped healed them all, lol. Lessons learned, never get injured again.

I’m hoping to win first place in my weight class in a powerlifting meet sometime in the future when this pandemic is gone so I’m going to work really hard to get there. I’m hoping to compete in powerlifting in 2021 ’cause I haven’t done a powerlifting meet in a long while.

I’m getting better at squats, though. Trying to squat with depth, the hip crease (the upper leg) area needs to be lower than the knees which is a deep squat and I’ve been squatting that way lately so it’s pretty deep and feels good too. Barbell squats is definitely the best workout for legs for sure. I’m really getting into squats and liking it more. Takes a while to get used to, I guess. Once you squat with good form, you’ll like it more.

So happy to finally be back to lifting again and hope it stays this way.

Kev

I’m trying to come up with ways so I can really bring up my numbers on the big three lifts: bench, squat and deadlift in powerlifting. I already came up with a few ideas that I need to stay consistent with the training like I’ve been doing in the past and also never missing any lifts during training. I’ve learned that you’re not going to get anywhere in powerlifting if you’re going to keep missing lifts all the time. You need to keep doing the lifts that you know you can handle. That’s how you actually get somewhere.

I’ve also decided to shorten my training sessions for the big three slightly. Admittedly, I think doing 6 sets for a few reps each is a bit much. So I’m going to do 5 sets for training sessions on the big three from now on. I’ve learned that less is more so maybe that’ll help some. A lot of powerlifters especially the more experienced and advanced powerlifters go from 5 sets to 10 sets during their training sessions.

I think I’m gonna go for 5 sets from now on. 5 sets per training session on the big three sounds good to me. I don’t need to spend more than an hour training on the big three ’cause it does seem like forever, you need to rest a long time in between sets too. Powerlifting is a different game than bodybuilding, both training styles are way different.

I did 5 sets of bench last Monday and felt real good. Seems quicker. Powerlifters always doing so much in their training and in my opinion, less is more. Lets give that a try and see how that goes.

I’m hoping to get a 200 lb. bench and 200 lb. squat before the year ends. If not then I should definitely be able to get to at least 170 – 180 lbs. on both. We’ll see. I’m gonna train smart this time around so I can start going somewhere with my numbers.

In powerlifting training, you don’t want your numbers staying the same or going down ’cause that’s bad and I’ve had that happen lots of times. Gotta stop that. The whole point of powerlifting is that you want your numbers on the big three to keep going up, up, up and up. That’s the name of the game.

If I want to become a great powerlifter someday and earn respect in the industry, I gotta keep going up on the numbers. I’m gonna try the best I can for the rest of this year and all of next year.

I love powerlifting. So glad I got into this sport. Hope to stay in it for a long time.

Kev