Female Powerlifters Var Log

[saymass003]

I have been a member of this site for 2 years, and ran many cycles, but I never thought to log them.
A Little about me:
I have been lifting for about 5 years, powerlifting for a little over a year.
Age: 39
Weight: 116 (but I compete in the 52kg weight class)
Bf: 18%
Cycles: 6 or 7
I did my first powerlifting meet in April my numbers were
Squat: 248
Bench: 127
Deadlift: 282

This log will be following me as I gear up for my next meet in October. My cycle and meet prep will be 12 weeks in length. The goal of this cycle is to push my sub-masters state records a little higher before I become a masters, and to qualify for next years nationals (I qualified for this years nationals but I didn't feel like my numbers were good enough to place well).

The plan for my cycle is
I am already running 1 iu of HGH daily, and to it I will add
Beginning Monday July 11, Week 1 and Week 2- 10mg var
Week 3,4, and 5-15mg of Var
Week 6,7,8, and 9 -17.5mg of Var
Week 10,11, and 12 - 20mg of Var (I have never went this high before so I will be watching closely for sides).

My training will be
Monday-Squats
Wednesday-Bench
Friday-Deadlift
Saturday-Overhead press

[Proximal]

Good luck, will be interesting to follow!

[kelkel]

Will be following as well!

[almostgone]

Good luck!! Will be keeping an eye o this as well.

[saymass003]

Day 1 Var dosage 10mg split into 2 doses
When I start a cycle I change a few things immediately. I change my shampoo to Renepure Dr, and I also start taking Viviscal hair vitamins. I do this because on my first cycle I suffered some hair loss. Since starting the shampoo and the vitamin while on cycle I have had no hair loss. I don't know which one is working, but I don't want to stop one and find out it was the one that was working.

I normally squat on Monday, but my coach/training partner is leaving town so we moved it up a day. I'm battling a little groin pain so we will see how it goes.

Squat training
90x5 (Warmup)
115x5 (Warmup)
135x3 (Warmup)
150x5
170x5
195x5

Pause Squats
160 for 3 sets of 3

Leg Press
225 for 4 sets of 15

Leg curls 75 for 4 sets of 15

[GirlyGymRat]

Subbed

[saymass003]

Well, training didn't go as planned. This is a new program and I am not sure I like it.There are too many warm up sets for me. Never have I ever unracked a squat and thought holy sh** this feels heavy, not even on meet day. However, 195 felt HEAVY as soon as I unracked it today. It was so heavy I didn't even want to walk it out. 3 weeks ago I hit 231 for a single and today I only hit 195 once. I guess all training days can't be perfect. I have 12 weeks to get it together. I have my eye on that submasters American record of a 259 pound squat... We will see whaht happens.

[AKD_FitChick]

YOU GO LADY! So happy you are logging and can't wait to follow you on your cycle!!! Good luck. I love the idea of power lifting! Too bad my knees can't handle it to much! Damn you are strong. I love when woman are strong. I think it's so sexy, I just think it's empowering to watch woman be strong and push their bodies. I am 5'11 and a leaner shape (I am pretty small boned) and don't put on muscle mass easily so any amount I can is amazing for me!

Good luck and I know you can reach your goals!!!

[saymass003]

Day 2
I didn't train today since Mondays are usually squat days. Sometimes I struggle with my eating enough on non training days. I only had 2 meals today... I need to do better. Part of the problem is that I am on summer break from school right now, and my life is lacking a daily routine.

On a positive note, the scale is inching up slowly and I am happy about that. For my last meet I trained at a bodyweight of about 119, and I cut down to 113 for weigh-ins the day before the meet. I have been trying to get back up to about 119 or 120 but the scale hasn't really been moving. I figured once I got back on cycle my weight would go up. It's crazy because my water cut sucked last time, and I said I wasn't going to do it again, but I realized how much better my training was because I had a liitle more weight on me. Also, I found the best way for me to cut water was in the jacuzzi. Now that I know that I won't even worry about making weight until the day before the meet.

[AKD_FitChick]

I love that you want to gain weight. I have such a hard time adjusting to gained weight. I am not big by any means, but being a numbers gal I stare at that number. I accepted this cycle to not worry about the weight. Thank goodness I accepted the water weight gain and KNOW it goes away after cycle. I love your outlook and knowing that your body does better with a little weight on it. How tall are you?

I need a jacuzzi so bad. I need a way to drop water weight. I have done HCG the last 10 days of the last cycle and it helped me start the weight dropping. Have you ever done that. I have done rounds of HCG in the past 5 years just for fat cutting, but I ran it with Var and I liked it.

Hope your day is GREAT!

[saymass003]

I am short 5'0.
I spent years stuck on the number on the scale. That's why my body never really made any progress. I stopped smoking in 2007 and I gained a lot of weight. I got up to 140 on my 5'0 frame, and it made me look like a ballon. Once I lost all the weight I said I never wanted to get above 110 again. So I would watch the scale and if it got to 108 I would panic. When I started cycling my husband kept telling me to let the number on the scale go and focus on the mirror. I didn't listen at first, but once I switched from a bodybuilding routine to a powerlifting one I had to eat more to be able to perform.

No, I have never tried HCG. I might have to try it after my meet. I am using HGH which already makes you retain a little water, and then I add the var in and my weight starts to go up. This morning I was 117.8
If you need to water cut but you dont have a jacuzzi, you can do it in a hot tub of water. I copied this from an article on jtsstrength.com

While they’re all effective, in this article, I’m going to describe how to do it using a bath tub (seeing as saunas and hot tubs aren’t always available).

Step 1: Make sure you have a friend with you at all times. Trying to cut water by yourself is one of the most dangerous and stupid mistakes you could ever make.

Step 2: Fill the bathtub with hot water. Really hot water. It obviously shouldn’t be boiling but when you step inside, it should be significantly hotter than you’d ever consider bathing in.

Step 3: Slowly immerse as much of your body as possible in the water. I emphasize slowly because when the water is extremely hot, it will burn if you go in too quickly.

Step 4: Soon, you’ll start to sweat. Stay in the bathtub for 10-20min then slowly get out for a break. I emphasize slowly because if you try to stand up too quickly, you may get lightheaded.

Step 5: Dry yourself off and check your weight to see how much you lost in your first round. This will be a good gauge moving forward for the rest of the cut.

Step 6: Take 5-10min out of the bathtub to lie down and relax. Once you feel up for it, head back into the bathtub for round two.

Step 7: Repeat this process over and over again until you’re roughly .5lb – 1lb above what you need to weigh the next morning, then go to bed. This process could take anywhere from 1-10+hrs depending on how much weight you’re trying to cut.

[NACH3]

Subb'd!

excited to see your numbers go up

Best of luck

[NACH3]

What's your PL split going to be(are you putting in any accessory work)? I'm curious to see what movements and how you split up your BPs - I've had a lot of PLs that also did BB - we've been Powerbuilding and I'm living it - what's your take on it?

[saymass003]

What's your PL split going to be(are you putting in any accessory work)? I'm curious to see what movements and how you split up your BPs - I've had a lot of PLs that also did BB - we've been Powerbuilding and I'm living it - what's your take on it?

My accessory work is still BB style. My big 3 lifts will be decreasing in volume since I am in meet prep, but my accessory work is still in the 10-15 range. As we get closer to the meet the accessories will be pulled out so I can focus on the big lifts.
My Training looks like this:
Monday Squats and three sets of 15 accessory exercises
Wednesday- bench and 4 sets of 15 accessory exercises
Friday- Deadlifts and 3 sets of 10 accessory exercises
Saturday OHP and 4 sets of 12 accessory exercises

I love powerbuilding and I think coming from a Bodybuilding backgroung and already having a solid muscular frame is what helped me have an easy transition into powerlifting and have good numbers at my first meet.

[saymass003]

Day 3 of meet prep and cycle

I must be the only person in the world who can't take NAC. I have always taken livercare but on my last cycle I decided to try NAC. Two weeks into that cycle and the NAC had me wheezing so I went back to livercare. I decided to give it another try since I ran out of livercare last week. I am experincing some breathing problems which is a rare side effect of NAC. I will discontinue it and go back to livercare tomorrow.

Anyway, my schedule is off this week since we did squats on Sunday. I should have just taken 2 days off to get back on schedule, but I don't like to take time off so today was bench day.

Training
Bench Press
5 x 45 (warmup)
5 x 55 (warmup)
3 x70 (warmup)
5 x75
5 x 85
7 x 95

1 set of overload work in the slingshot 5x 155
Close grip bench press
4 sets 10 at 55lbs

dumbbell fly
4 sets of 12 at 20lbs

Tricep pressdowns
4 sets of 20 at 25lbs

Pushups
4 sets until failure

My bench felt great today. Because I started in BB I don't have a nice arch, and I bench more flat back. So I spent this off season trying to work on my technique. Today's weight wasn't heavy but I am extremly happy with how my form looked ( I video every lift so I can check my form). I'm used to having my coach/training partner hand it out to me but he is away. I was happy that I was able to stay tight, and keep my elbows from flaring. It was my best looking bench session yet. I am only hoping I can keep it up when the weights start to get heavy. This is a great start to my prep!

[saymass003]

Day 4
No 2 cycles are ever the same. The one thing that has remained constant every time I cycle is how var interrupts my sleep. When I first started cycling I couldn't sleep at all while on var. Since I have introduced the HGH I do get some sleep, but its just not a deep sleep.

I stopped the NAC yesterday and my breathing already feels better.

No training today. I hate non training days, but my body welcomes the break. I have deadlifts tomorrow so I need all the rest I can get. My deadlift is the lift I am most hopeful for improvement on. My squat numbers are really good, my bench is decent, but my deadlift needs to come up. In my last meet I took first in the sub-masters division and second in the open. My squat was higher, our bench was the same, but the girl who beat me was pulling in the 300's. My goal for this meet is to pull 300+. As soon as the off season began I switched from conventional to sumo. I think it has really helped my deadlift and 3 weeks ago I pulled 265 for 2 sets of 2, and they moved fast. Now that I am on cycle I am hoping to see the numbers go up even more.

[NACH3]

L

My accessory work is still BB style. My big 3 lifts will be decreasing in volume since I am in meet prep, but my accessory work is still in the 10-15 range. As we get closer to the meet the accessories will be pulled out so I can focus on the big lifts.
My Training looks like this:
Monday Squats and three sets of 15 accessory exercises
Wednesday- bench and 4 sets of 15 accessory exercises
Friday- Deadlifts and 3 sets of 10 accessory exercises
Saturday OHP and 4 sets of 12 accessory exercises

I love powerbuilding and I think coming from a Bodybuilding backgroung and already having a solid muscular frame is what helped me have an easy transition into powerlifting and have good numbers at my first meet.

I thought I had read that you BB, as well! This is how I Really love training now(power building) and yes having that strong base to work from just creates more strength gains to come! This will be fun to watch...

Day 4
No 2 cycles are ever the same. The one thing that has remained constant every time I cycle is how var interrupts my sleep. When I first started cycling I couldn't sleep at all while on var. Since I have introduced the HGH I do get some sleep, but its just not a deep sleep.

I stopped the NAC yesterday and my breathing already feels better.

No training today. I hate non training days, but my body welcomes the break. I have deadlifts tomorrow so I need all the rest I can get. My deadlift is the lift I am most hopeful for improvement on. My squat numbers are really good, my bench is decent, but my deadlift needs to come up. In my last meet I took first in the sub-masters division and second in the open. My squat was higher, our bench was the same, but the girl who beat me was pulling in the 300's. My goal for this meet is to pull 300+. As soon as the off season began I switched from conventional to sumo. I think it has really helped my deadlift and 3 weeks ago I pulled 265 for 2 sets of 2, and they moved fast. Now that I am on cycle I am hoping to see the numbers go up even more.

Do you ever do snatch grip deads?? They pull your form in tight and you really get that leg drive thru your heels as you can shoot your hips back further and lower using more posterior chain - it's made a big difference on my dead lift and lots of strongmen/& PLs will work snatch grip deads in at least every other wk(it has more benefits than just adding strength to your deadlift... But also keeps your form in check and on point

[saymass003]

L

I thought I had read that you BB, as well! This is how I Really love training now(power building) and yes having that strong base to work from just creates more strength gains to come! This will be fun to watch...



Do you ever do snatch grip deads?? They pull your form in tight and you really get that leg drive thru your heels as you can shoot your hips back further and lower using more posterior chain - it's made a big difference on my dead lift and lots of strongmen/& PLs will work snatch grip deads in at least every other wk(it has more benefits than just adding strength to your deadlift... But also keeps your form in check and on point

I talked to my coach, and he said we will incorporate the snatch grip into our next off season training. Thanks for the advice.

[saymass003]

Day 5
It's still early in the cycle, so nothing to report there.

Deadlift Day
I will not complain about how bad today sucked. It was another day where the weight just felt heavy. I was so upset that I questioned if I was ready to go back into meet prep. I talked to my coach and told him how the weight was moving. He assured me that its still early and everything is going fine. Next week is a lighter week so we will use it as a deload. He suggested that maybe I should deload before I started prep but I was hard headed and now I am regretting it. Oh well, lesson learned.
Working sets at 87%
Warmup
5 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 225
2 sets of 3 @87%(245)

Paused Deadlifts 3 sets of 3 @67%(185)

Cable rows 4 sets of 15 @75

Pull downs Dorian Yates style 3 sets of 10 @ 65

[AKD_FitChick]

Don't get down. It's still early in your cycle. You are doing great. Just trust the process and keep pushing through! You can do this!

[GirlyGymRat]

We all have strong days and weaker days. It will pass. Just don't let it get in your head!

[saymass003]

Day 7
No training today. I went hiking with my daughter, and I enjoyed it. We had a much neeeded girls day and it was great. I love that we could have done anything we wanted today, but we chose to do something fitness related. My legs were on fire by the time we finished doing all that climbing.

In cycle related news-
Shoulder Acne has decided to show up already. I always try my best to prevent it, but sometimes no matter what steps I take to prevent it it comes anyway. What I will be doing to make it go away is
-I apply Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar to the area and let it sit for 15 minutes
-I wash the area with Pure African Black Soap
-I apply Retin-A
Usually after 7 days it is cleared up. I know the acne that one gets during a cycle is hormonal, but this works for me.
If it gets really bad I have antibiotics for it

This might be TMI, but my sex drive is through the roof right now. However, I notice that when I get to higher doses (like 17.5) I have absolutely no desire for it at all.

[AKD_FitChick]

Sorry to hear about the acne part KNOCK on wood I don't get that.

I like your side, I too actually noticed more much sex drive this weekend and MUCH more intense....is that odd? Also finally got my first side enlarged female parts....BLAH......It's okay, my man is okay with it for now ha ha. I know TMI, but jeez my first round didn't effect me like that.

A hike sounds so nice.

I had a dream that I may not be able to wear jeans again after you telling me you lived in gym pants and I was sitting on my floor crying over my jeans.......

[saymass003]

Sorry to hear about the acne part KNOCK on wood I don't get that.

I like your side, I too actually noticed more much sex drive this weekend and MUCH more intense....is that odd? Also finally got my first side enlarged female parts....BLAH......It's okay, my man is okay with it for now ha ha. I know TMI, but jeez my first round didn't effect me like that.

At the bolded, its normal and it only gets better. Some on the enlargement will go away after your cycle ends. I too asked my husband if he minds that it gets bigger and he assured me that he doesn't. When we are on cycle together... OMG!!

A hike sounds so nice.

I had a dream that I may not be able to wear jeans again after you telling me you lived in gym pants and I was sitting on my floor crying over my jeans.......

Sorry you had a bad dream. It may not happen to you, but if it does just look at the bright side, leggings make muscular legs look awesome!

[AKD_FitChick]

Sorry you had a bad dream. It may not happen to you, but if it does just look at the bright side, leggings make muscular legs look awesome!

I love your outlook!!!! Motivating!!!

[saymass003]

Day 9
The water retention in my legs made my knee sleeves a bitch to get on today. By the time I got them on I was sweating! I thought about ordering a size bigger to train in, but my coach says you have to practice the same way you compete. My acne is clearing up! I might be back in tank tops by the time my husband comes home this weekend!

Today's training Squats
I was so happy to see that my workout was lighter weight today. It wasn't easy, but it felt good. Anyone who has trained 5 sets of 5 knows it is no joke.

Squats
5 x45 (warmup)
5 x 95 (warmup)
5 x 135 (warmup)
5 sets of 5 @67% (165)

Pause Squats
2 sets of 3 @60% (150)

Leg extensions
3 sets of 15 @ 65

Leg curls
3 sets of 15 @ 55

Overall today was good! The weight moved fast and everything felt smooth.

[AKD_FitChick]

So glad your acne is clearing up!!! My sleeves get tight too!

Your 5 sets of 5 after warm up! How many do you do in your warm ups. i couldn't squat 165 if I tried......my back can't support that. Thought about trying a weight lifting belt to get there.

You're a power house.

Can't wait to see your progress! I want to see your legs, bet you have amazing legs! I dream of having sexy legs.

[saymass003]

So glad your acne is clearing up!!! My sleeves get tight too!

Your 5 sets of 5 after warm up! How many do you do in your warm ups. i couldn't squat 165 if I tried......my back can't support that. Thought about trying a weight lifting belt to get there.

You're a power house.

Can't wait to see your progress! I want to see your legs, bet you have amazing legs! I dream of having sexy legs.

My legs are nothing special. They are not nearly as big as I would like them to be. I am going to post some squat and deadlift videos sometime this week.

For my warmups I do 5 reps at each weight.

I wish I was a powerhouse! I'm still trying to get there. I'm competing in a much bigger meet this time because I really want to see where I am. Even though I won my age category and came in second in the open I feel that I can do much better. October is a ways away and I plan to make this my best cycle yet!

[saymass003]

Day 10

So glad I didn't have to train today because my legs are so sore. One thing I love about being on cycle is the enhanced recovery, and I can't wait until that kicks in. My weight is staying pretty steady at 118, but I know once I up my dose next week I will retain a little bit more water. Once I get to 120 I will add in cardio 2 times a week because I don't want to have to cut more than 6 or 7 pounds. My weight cut last time sucked, but I cut too much and weighed in at 112.1.

I'm excited for bench tomorrow.

[AKD_FitChick]

I am curious to how you cut? I heard carb depletion. You can drop some serious weight. Do you also drop once you get off cycle? I noticed my swelling went down.

Can't wait to hear about your bench!

[saymass003]

Day 11

Well, my coach made some changes to my workout schedule. A second bench press day has been added on Saturday. On the second bench day the weight will be light and we will work on speed. Today was chest and triceps, and secondary bench day will include shoulders, and biceps.

Bench
10 reps @ 45 (warmup)
5 reps of @ 65 (warmup)
5 reps @ 75 (warmup)
4 sets of 5 @ 100
2 sets of 3 using the bench block @ 125

Incline dumbell press
3 sets of 12 @35

Tricep press downs
4 sets of 15 @35
Close grip bench press
4 sets of 12 @ 45

Today was a great day! I feel like my bench press is progressing nicely. The weight on bench are heavier starting next week and I am looking forward to that! I saw some baby veins in my quads today! I love it!! I want more!

[AKD_FitChick]

Day 11

Well, my coach made some changes to my workout schedule. A second bench press day has been added on Saturday. On the second bench day the weight will be light and we will work on speed. Today was chest and triceps, and secondary bench day will include shoulders, and biceps.

Bench
10 reps @ 45 (warmup)
5 reps of @ 65 (warmup)
5 reps @ 75 (warmup)
4 sets of 5 @ 100
2 sets of 3 using the bench block @ 125

Incline dumbell press
3 sets of 12 @35

Tricep press downs
4 sets of 15 @35
Close grip bench press
4 sets of 12 @ 45

Today was a great day! I feel like my bench press is progressing nicely. The weight on bench are heavier starting next week and I am looking forward to that! I saw some baby veins in my quads today! I love it!! I want more!

Baby veins!!! I want those. So happy for you! You must be lean to have baby veins! Your workout looks great! Can't wait to watch your growth even more

[saymass003]

Day 17
OK, so I know i have been MIA, but things have been crazy around here. My cycle is still going strong and things are shaping up nicely. The only side I have noticed besides what I already mentioned in previous post is that the hair on my legs is growing so fast. It's crazy, and I feel like I have to shave everyday now! Yesterday was my birthday and squat day!

Squat 90% 2 sets of 3
220 for 2 sets of 3 was heavy as hell and moved slower than my coach would have liked. I understand speed is key, so I'm hoping next time we have a heavy day it will move faster.

Pause squats 3 sets of 3
170 3 sets of 3. Everything moved well and fast. Probably because I was ready to get it over with and celebrate my birthday!

[AKD_FitChick]

Day 17
OK, so I know i have been MIA, but things have been crazy around here. My cycle is still going strong and things are shaping up nicely. The only side I have noticed besides what I already mentioned in previous post is that the hair on my legs is growing so fast. It's crazy, and I feel like I have to shave everyday now! Yesterday was my birthday and squat day!

Squat 90% 2 sets of 3
220 for 2 sets of 3 was heavy as hell and moved slower than my coach would have liked. I understand speed is key, so I'm hoping next time we have a heavy day it will move faster.

Pause squats 3 sets of 3
170 3 sets of 3. Everything moved well and fast. Probably because I was ready to get it over with and celebrate my birthday!

Happy Belated Birthday!!!! I have noticed the same side of hair growth. It's kind of nuts actually.

Plus the headache I have been getting frequent I am wondering if it's due to var? Any thoughts on this?

[saymass003]

Happy Belated Birthday!!!! I have noticed the same side of hair growth. It's kind of nuts actually.

Plus the headache I have been getting frequent I am wondering if it's due to var? Any thoughts on this?

I have never experienced headaches on var. The few times I have ran clen it gave me crazy headaches. Are you taking any stimulants?

[GirlyGymRat]

Happy Belated Birthday!!!! I have noticed the same side of hair growth. It's kind of nuts actually. Plus the headache I have been getting frequent I am wondering if it's due to var? Any thoughts on this?

Headaches likely not from var.

[saymass003]

Well, the day I have been dreading has arrived. I didn't expect it to come this soon into prep but.... I had to add in cardio this morning. The scale has reached 121.5, and I don't want to cut more than 8 pounds. I have added 35 minutes of fasted cardio on non training days.

[saymass003]

Day 18 Bench Day

The last 2 nights I have been waking up drenched in sweat, but it has been hot as hell here lately. I see my temper has been flaring a little too.

I am so happy to have my partner back. I never really realized how great his handouts were until I had to bench without them. I was super excited for this bench day because I have not went heavy yet this prep.

10 x 45 (Warmup)
8 x 65 (Warmup)
6 x95 (warmup)
3 x 120
3 x120
3 x 125

1 set of overload work in the slingshot 160 x 2

Incline dumbbell
3 sets of 12 with 40 pound dumbbells

Triceps pressdowns
3 sets of 15 @ 35

Dips
3 sets until failure

[GirlyGymRat]

Day 18 Bench Day The last 2 nights I have been waking up drenched in sweat, but it has been hot as hell here lately. I see my temper has been flaring a little too. I am so happy to have my partner back. I never really realized how great his handouts were until I had to bench without them. I was super excited for this bench day because I have not went heavy yet this prep. 10 x 45 (Warmup) 8 x 65 (Warmup) 6 x95 (warmup) 3 x 120 3 x120 3 x 125 1 set of overload work in the slingshot 160 x 2 Incline dumbbell 3 sets of 12 with 40 pound dumbbells Triceps pressdowns 3 sets of 15 @ 35 Dips 3 sets until failure

I notice less patience when cycling.

Nice session

[saymass003]

Day 19
This morning I asked my husband if I was more bitchy this cycle. His answer was, no more than any other cycle. Oh, well I guess I have been a bitch for all my var cycles and I didn't even know. LOL

Well, it's official. I paid the registration fee for my meet yesterday. I'm excited and nervous. There is no way to explain the feeling of hitting the platform. It's like the moment the judge gives the first squat command I go in this zone. The rest of the meet is a blur. I don't want to talk to anyone, I just put my head down and go to work. Tomorrow puts me 9 weeks out!

Today was deadlift day. I have a love/hate realtionships with them. When I first started deadlifting I loved it because I was hitting pr after pr. Then it was like the progression just slowed down. Deadlifts is was the reason I placed second at my last meet so I'm hoping for better this time around. I'm off to a great start as I had a fantastic deadlift session today.

Deadlift 90% for 2 sets of 3
8 x135lbs
5 x 185lbs
3 x 225
255 for 2 sets of 3 This was so easy I was tempted to go up, but I decided to stick to the plan for this week. In a couple weeks the percentage is 93, if that feels light I will go up.

Paused Deadlift 2 sets of 3
195lbs 2 sets of 3

Pendlay Rows
135lbs for 3 sets of 8

Dumbell pullovers
30lbs for 3 sets of 12