Doug Dienelt Meet Preparation

Doug Dienelt

January 26, 2010 08:32 AM

I start serious meet preparation 3 months out. I am a big fan of Louie Simmons and have used variations of the Westside system for 14 years.

Monday heavy bench and Thursday explosive bench.

Heavy bench Monday:
Bench-45(bar)x10/95x10/135x8/185x6/225x5/275x3/285x1/295x1
I do not max out in workouts due to the chance of injury and would rather get best lift in a meet when it counted.
Sometimes I will do these on floor or incline for variety.
I will put a shirt on one month out just to get used to it.
Pullups-3x10xBW
Dips-3x10xBW or 45lb plate

Explosive bench Thursday:
Bench-185x3x9(Going a total of nine sets with close-medium-and wide). Sometimes I will do these with incline for variety.
Front DB raises-25x10/35x10/45x10
DB tricep extension-35x8/45x8/55x5
Standing tricep extension-80x8/90x8/100x8

Heavy squat & dl Tuesday:
Squat-135x10/225x8/315x5/405x3
I am a big fan of 13" & 15" box squats. As a meet approaches will take away box and start putting on knee wraps one month out if it is a three lift meet (my favorite).
DL-135x8/225x5/315x3/405x3/455x1x3.
One month out go to lifting off of 4" blocks working up to the weight I am going to lift in the meet. Gives me a chance to feel the weight without injuring the back.
Stiff legged dl-135x10/185x10/225x10
Reverse hyper extension-225x10/315x10/405x10(outstanding device).
Good morning-135x10/185x10/225x10

Explosive squat & dl Friday:
Squat: 135x10/225x5/315x2x10 off 13" box with approximately 30 seconds between sets.
DL: 135x10/225x8/315x15x1
Reverse hyper extension-225x10/315x10/405x10
Leg Press (very wide):225x10/315x10/405x5/495x5
Good morning or stiff legged dl-135x10/185x10/225x10

Rules I try to live by:

• Get enough rest. This goes for everyone of course, but for the senior athlete it is imperative. A minimum of 72 hours between major muscle groups.
• Learn and use proper technique. Proper alignment and position can make a HUGE difference in how much I can lift.
• Be incrementally progressive and don't let my ego get in the way. Having goals and a plan to progressively reach them will set the foundation for the big lifts.
• Experiment and find what works best for my particular body. Get out of my comfort zone to make progress consistently.
• Focus and expect success in both meet and practice. I seem to compete very well and think this is a major reason. I use some NLP (Neural Linguistic Programming) techniques to help with this.

Doug started competitive lifting at 50 and typically competes at198lbs. or 220lbs. in USAPL, WABDL (2009). He has won masters national & world championships in IPF, WDFPA, and USAPL.

Doug's goal for 2010 is to break 1500lbs. @ 198lbs. This is what he says about Power to the People Professional:


Doug Dienelt, RKC, ACSM, CSCS, IPF, WDFPA, & USAPL Masters Champion lives in Davis California and can be reached at dienelt@sbcglobal.net

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