# A Couple Questions 10 Weeks Out From Potential First Meet **URL:** \ **Category:** Training Q&A \[Moderated\]\ **Created:** [October 2, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/a-couple-questions-10-weeks-out-from-potential-first-meet/7179 "2019-10-02T22:21:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FrankD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@FrankD](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/FrankD)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/a-couple-questions-10-weeks-out-from-potential-first-meet/7179/1 "2019-10-02T22:21:37Z")
Hello BBM Team, First, thank you all for the wonderful content you put out and the good work you are doing. After years of bro-style work and dabbling in various fitness trends, I started the SSNLP in August 2018 and switched over to BBM-style programming in January 2019. Your content on training, nutrition, and pain science has truly transformed my physical life. I finished law school and took the bar exam this past summer, started work at an associate at a law firm, and my wife and I just had our second child. Motivated by all your good content and the desire to keep training hard, I have switched to 5am workouts and earlier bedtimes to fit my work schedule and avoid taking away from family time. What was I going to do, not train? Anyway, thank you! Background statistics: - 30 year old male - 5’10", 197 lbs, 33 inch waist - 1rms (tested late July 2019) 335lb Squat, 225 Bench, 405 Deadlift. Current e1rms are close to those numbers or a few pounds higher. Questions: 1. I have cycled through 6-8 week programs (3 days/week, plus 1-2 days GPP and some sporadic martial arts training) of strength and hypertrophy for the last few months. I am currently 3 weeks into a hypertrophy block, based on a slightly modified version of the legacy 3 day gpp - hypertrophy bias. I am thinking of entering a local powerlifting competition (my first) on December 11. This would give me 10 weeks, starting next Monday, to prepare. Do you think I should finish my hypertrophy block and then spend the remaining 6 - 7 weeks on a strength/peaking block? Or should I switch next week and do 10 weeks of strength/peaking? 2. Any recommendation on how to program these next 10 weeks? Specifically, I am wondering if switching from 3 days to 4 days would be the right call at this time. On one hand, I figure the extra volume might be good leading up to my first meet. On the other hand, I wonder if switching from 3 days to 4 would be too big of a change leading up to a meet. Thank you in advance for any advice you have; it is much appreciated. Keep up the excellent work! ---
**Author:** ![Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/jordan_feigenbaum/32/1315_2.png) [@Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Jordan_Feigenbaum)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/a-couple-questions-10-weeks-out-from-potential-first-meet/7179/2 "2019-10-03T15:34:56Z")
Hey Frank, Thanks for the props and I’m pumped at the prospect of signing up for your first meet soon 🙂 Congrats on all the recent life PRs as well! I think if you sign up for this meet, you should do the Strength I template for the balance of what you have left. In other words, if you have 9 weeks to go, do the last 9 weeks of the that template. However, if you waffle long enough to not sign up until about 3-4 weeks out, I’d just do one of our free peaking templates. -Jordan ---
**Author:** ![FrankD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@FrankD](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/FrankD)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/a-couple-questions-10-weeks-out-from-potential-first-meet/7179/3 "2019-10-05T22:36:00Z")
Thanks so much, Jordan. I really appreciate the advice and encouragement. And your comment about what to do if I “waffle” long enough prompted me to take action: I purchased Strength I and will start week 5 on Monday. And I will be signing up for this meet in the next couple days. Thanks for giving me the push to go for it! Now I just have to figure out this whole singlet business . . . ---
**Author:** ![FrankD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@FrankD](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/FrankD)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2019, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/a-couple-questions-10-weeks-out-from-potential-first-meet/7179/4 "2019-10-05T22:44:47Z")
Oh, one more question, if you don’t mind. I know you generally prefer other conditioning methods over running for HIIT and LISS conditioning unless people are fairly trained runners. I have been running on and off for years. In my context of meet prep, would you strongly advise against running for my GPP conditioning? I work out in my basement and a treadmill is all I have for cardio equipment. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what would be best at this point. Thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/jordan_feigenbaum/32/1315_2.png) [@Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Jordan_Feigenbaum)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/a-couple-questions-10-weeks-out-from-potential-first-meet/7179/5 "2019-10-06T15:29:38Z")
> [@FrankD](#): > > Oh, one more question, if you don’t mind. I know you generally prefer other conditioning methods over running for HIIT and LISS conditioning unless people are fairly trained runners. I have been running on and off for years. In my context of meet prep, would you strongly advise against running for my GPP conditioning? I work out in my basement and a treadmill is all I have for cardio equipment. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what would be best at this point. Thanks again! I would not run for conditioning while prepping for a powerlifting meet. I’d stick to walking in your case 🙂