16-week meet prep?

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi,

Thanks for all the great resources that you’ve made available on this site–the information here has completely changed my approach to training.

I’ll be finishing the Bridge 1.0 a the end of this week. Next week I’m planning to start the 12-Week Strength template in preparation for a powerlifting meet on April 27. If I start the 12-week program next week, I would finish it at the end of March, about four weeks before the meet. Would it be better to delay the 12-week program so that I’ll finish it closer to the meet? If so, what sort sort of programming would you recommend in the meantime? Alternatively, if I start the 12-week template next week, could I extend it to 16 weeks?

About me: 6’, 203 pounds, 34’’ waist, 64 years old. I’ve competed in two meets to date.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might provide.

2

Codger,

Thanks for the post and good luck at your meet! If it were me, I’d do the first 4 weeks of the 12WS template back to back and then run the rest of the template as programmed right into the meet.

3

Thanks for the advice! Sounds like a great approach, which I’ll follow!

4

Hi there,

I have a related question. I just finished my first PL meet in early December (1150 lb total) and then jumped into the Bridge 1.0 right after that as I didn’t really know what template to try and this was readily available.

Once I complete the bridge 1.0, I’ll be 20 weeks out from my next meet (in June) and thinking ahead as to what templates might be appropriate. Bridge 3.0 + Strength fits neatly into 20 weeks, but I wouldn’t be able to manage the 2 hour workouts in the Strength template. So curious to know what you would recommend. I’m 48, 6’1", 210 lbs, lifting consistently for the past year and dealing with some elbow pain for a few months that I just keep trying to train through as it’s more a nuisance than anything.

Thanks.