The 330 lb Press: Ordinary Programming, Extraordinary Persistence

by Nick Delgadillo, SSC | November 16, 2017

Chase Lindley, long time WFAC lifter, intern, and future coach, walked out the heaviest press most of us have ever seen at the 2017 Fall Classic. After pressing 308 lbs for his second attempt press, he called for 330 lbs for his third attempt but wasn’t able to lock it out. He may have been a little too ambitious, considering the 624 lb PR squat he had done earlier in the day, but his disappointment was understandable since he pressed 325 lbs ten days prior to the meet during training

Chase resumed training the Monday following the meet and 9 days after the Fall Classic successfully pressed 330 lbs. While the majority of lifters I know who competed that weekend took a few days, a week, or two weeks to de-load (or for a mental break) Chase got back to work and PRed his press again.



I’ve never met anyone who can press 330 lbs before Mr. Lindley. You haven’t either. The important thing to remember is that I’ve also never met the guy who will not miss a single training session in the 3 years that I’ve known him, who will follow a program to the letter, with absolutely no modification, and who will do what it takes to progress on the program. These extraordinary performances are made in the hours alone in the gym, pushing up to a real failure point and then figuring out what to do next to not fail. It’s easy for us to blame our program, our recovery, our bad day, or any number of other things for a lack of progress. Us normal folks forget that grueling persistence is what yields these kinds of results. For Chase, it was a 330 lb press. For you and me, the performance will be more modest, but equally transformative if the process is applied in earnest.



What follows is a look at Chase’s training log for the weeks leading up to the meet. I asked him to let all of us have a look at it to show how basic it is. No rates of perceived exertion (RPEs), no percentages, minimal cycling of reps and volume. Just lots of 5s and lots of hard work. You and I aren’t Chase, but if we’re going to collectively be constantly distracted by new and exciting and complicated and variable programs done by strong people, maybe it’ll be useful to look at one that isn’t so exciting, to reframe our perspective on what really matters.

Chase's Training Log leading up to the meet

8/8/2017 Squat 440x5x5 Deadlift 500x5 Weighted Chin 3x5 w/ 90 lbs 8/9/2017 Press 240x5x5 Bench 315x5 8/10/2017 Squat 560x4 Deadlift 405x5x2 LTE 125x10x3 8/11/2017 Press 280x3x2 Bench 265x5x5 Weighted Dips 3x5 w/ 90 lbs 8/14/2017 Squat 445x5x5 Deadlift 505x5 Weighted Chin 3x5 w/ 95 8/15/2017 Press 245x5x5 Bench 315x5 8/17/2017 Squat 560x3 8/18/2017 Press 285x5 Bench 270x5x5 Deadlift 410x5x2 8/21/2017 Squat 450x5x5 Deadlift 510x5 Chins 15,15,8 8/22/2017 Press 250x5x5 Bench 320x5 8/24/2017 Squat 525x5 Deadlift 415x5x3 8/25/2017 Press 285x3 Bench 275x5x5 8/28/2017 Squat 455x5x5 Press 285x5 Chins 3x5 w/ 70 lbs 8/29/2017 Deadlift 515x5 Pin Press - Nose 245x5 8/31/2017 Squat 525x5 Press 255x5x5 9/1/2017 Deadlift 420x5x3 Pin Press - Forehead 275x5 9/4/2017 Squat 460x5x5 Press 290x3 9/5/2017 Deadlift 520x5 Pin Press - Nose 250x5 9/7/2017 Squat 530x5 Press 260x5x5 9/8/2017 Deadlift 425x5x3 Pin Press - Eyebrow 255x5 9/11/2017 Squat 465x5x5 Press 295x3 9/12/2017 Deadlift 535x3x2 Bench 275x5x5 9/14/2017 Squat 545x3 Press 265x3x2 9/15/2017 Deadlift 500x5 Bench 315x5 9/18/2017 Squat 470x5x5 Press 300x1x5 9/19/2017 Deadlift 550x1x5 Bench 280x5x5 Weighted Chins 3x5 w/ 75 lbs 9/21/2017 Squat 545x1x5 Press 265x5x5 9/22/2017 Deadlift 505x5 Bench 320x5 9/25/2017 Squat 475x5x5 Press 300x3 9/26/2017 Deadlift 555x3 Bench 285x5x5 Weighted Chin 3x5 w/ 80 lbs 9/28/2017 Squat 555x3x2 Press 270x5x3 9/29/2017 Deadlift 510x5 Bench 325x5 10/2/2017 Squat 480x5x5 Press 315x1 10/3/2017 Deadlift 585x1x5 Press 315x1x5 10/5/2017 Squat 570x1x5 Press 275x5x5 10/6/2017 Deadlift 495x5 Bench 330x5 10/9/2017 Squat 485x5x5 Press 315x1, 320x1x2 10/10/2017 Deadlift 565x3 Bench 290x5x5 Chin 3x5 w/ 85 lbs 10/12/2017 Squat 565x3x2 Press 285x5x3 10/13/2017 Deadlift 500x5 Bench 335x5 10/16/2017 Squat 495x5x3 Press 315x1, 325x1 10/17/2017 Deadlift 600x1 Bench 295x5x5 10/19/2017 Squat 585x1x5 Press 290x5x3 10/20/2017 Deadlift 505x5 Bench 340x5 10/24/2017 Squat 585x1 Press 315x1 Deadlift 585x1 10/26/2017 Squat 545x1 Press 275x1 Deadlift 225x5 10/28/2017

MEET DAY Squat 565, 602, 624 Press 286, 308 Deadlift 565, 602, 624

Chase's Training Log after the meet