Prior to beginning bjj, powerlifting was really the only form of physical activity I had ever done. I never touched weights before powerlifting. I had no interest and viewed it as a pursuit of vanity. However powerlifting felt like a real life RPG where I could make numbers go up, scratching a very familiar dopaminergic pathway.
My training history was as follows:
- 2011
- starting strength (SS). First time ever lifting.
- 2012
- Continued SS. Briefly tried Madcow and some other intermediate programs. Spent a good amount of time with Wendler’s 5/3/1.
- Got into running and did my first 5k
- Lifts peaked around 315/225/405 S/B/D, and I lost 150lbs+ bodyweight.
Then I went to college and the stress combined with immersing myself so heavily in math + cs led to me stopping lifting and dieting entirely and I unfortunately gained all the weight back and lost ~all of my strength.
I graduated college and literally the day after I felt such a weight off my shoulders that I started dieting and eventually hitting the gym again. Didn’t go as hard on the diet as I did before, but still dropped ~100lbs.
- 2017
- Re-ran SS. Quickly got back to 3xx/2xx/4xx SBD.
- 2018
- Surveyed various intermediate programs. Juggernaut method, 5/3/1, and probably others I’m forgetting.
- Trained at a cool gym that had strongman equipment and did some fun lifts.
- Competed in my first competition and lifted 450/285/515 for a total of 1250
- 2019
- Switched gyms to a powerlifting specialized gym closer to my job
- Switched programs to Sheiko, a powerlifting focused program
- Competed again and lifted 529/353/568 for a total of 1450.
I was really proud of this performance. About 18 months later, my openers in my second competition were all higher than my highest lifts at my first. My bench in particular increased more than I thought possible, thanks to the volume from the Sheiko program.
Unfortunately, shortly after this competition the gyms shut down and derailed my progress. I didn’t have the discipline to lift with this level of intensity at home and eventually fell off completely. Though it did help me find my way to bjj which I am enjoying a lot, I still miss powerlifting and it will always have a special place in my heart.