Bobcatlifters CT Big Bench Log

Training Powerlifting
1

Saw another log on this program. My lifting partner and I started this program last Tuesday using day 2 as our day 1. We both love the program as our bench presses had both stalled, mine especially. My workouts are based on a 225 lb max(yeah, not so good but I’m coming off a bicep tear) and my partner with a 315 lb max.

WEEK ONE
Day Two
Pin Press from 1 inch above chest
Me-6x3-200 lbs, these felt a little strange having not done them in a while
Keith-6x3 245

Iso/relax Speed Bench
Me-6x3 105lbs-light weight but more difficult than one would think, chest felt very tight by the end
Keith-6x3 165lbs

Lat Pulldown
230 for 5x5, felt good
Keith-280 for5x5

EZ Bar Curl
Substituted hammers due to injury. Still uncomftable curling with hands supinated.

Rope pull to neck
3 sets 90x12
Keith-same

Day 3
Still sore from previous workout

Negatives
5x5 225-like these, chest was very tight from start. No problems controlling weight on way down
Keith-315 5x5, big difference in benching 315 and 225 as everyone knows

Strong Portion Partials
225 4x4-ackwaard at first but last 3 sets were better. Last rep on last set was painful

Keith-had to drop all the way down to 285, triceps were failing on him. I wonder if it has to do with fiber type. His 5 rep max is about 60 lbs less than his max.

Back Squat
5 reps at 275, 4x4 at 285-had some help on last couple sets, lost breath in bottom position on last rep of last set which could have been disaster without a good spot. Dude waiting for us to finish implies that squatting deep like this is bad for you. He then does quarter squats and I want to punch him. I hate not squatting at least twice a week, hopefully I can at least maintian while on this program.
Keith gets 225 for 5x5. He has been working on his technique, knees used to come over toes and heels would come up. Form looks textbook now. Should lead to new gains.

WEEK TWO-DAY ONE
MINI SESSION ONE
BP Extended Cluster
205-10 reps, not bad, feeling tight already. Felt strong warming up, yet bar feels heavy at top of each rep. Hmmmm, triceps getting fatigured?
Keith-285-10 reps, looking strong.

Decline Close Grip
185x5,5,5,4,4-each set started so easy then became major pain on last rep.
Keith 205-6,6,6,6,5

MINI SESSION TWO
BP Regular Cluster
I come in thinking this would be tough, I was right.
205x4,4,3 dropped to 195x4, then 185x4, I felt like a panzy
Keith-same problem, started at 285, finished at 265 still unable to complete all reps on own.

My question is, should a spotter help you get all 5? Or is this too much for the CNS?

Shoulder Press
65s for 5,5,4 60s for 5,4-not easy, shoulders felt exhausted, tight, and as if they had never done the movementbefore
Keith, 70x5,4,4 and 65s for 6,6

MINI SESSION 3
Keith and I disagree over which was tougher, he thought the 2 mini session, I thought the last. Being humbled by 175lbs was no fun.

Drop Cluster
205, 195, 185, 175, 165-not too bad

205, 195(help me spotter), 185(help me spotter again), 175(wth is this), 165(finally a rep I can complete)

195, 185, 175, 165, 155-much easier

Keith-295, 285, 275, 265, 255-very tough

285, 275(help), 265(help), 255(help), 245(help)-tris are shot

make 15 lb drops instead this time
285, 270, 255, 240, 225(barely)

Tri extensions, me 60lbs plus bar,
keith uses 75lbs plus bar. Yes tris are fried.

Thoughts
I’m a few hours beyond the 3 mini sessions and feel like I’ve been beaten with a bat. I have a feeling that tommorow is going to be quite painful. My shoulders are already starting to get sore which is quite strange. I don’t recall many shoulder workouts getting them. My tris are getting there too. I expect they will be sore to the touch.

I’ve done an ice massage tonight and may do another before all is said and done. Keith was going to soak in epsom salts.

Yeah, we didnt follow the workouts exactly as prescribed this week, but since we were both coming off higher rep programs we decided to use this as a trial run to find exactly what weights to use. We’ll be more exact the next time out.

We’ll keep you posted and invite any comments.

2

Getting ready for week two, day two. Right now my triceps feel beat up pretty good. Shoulder’s are a little sore and chest is fine. My training partner is reporting the same sort of thing. Due to the nature of the workout, I’m not anticipating any problems tommorow although DOMS may have me fooled. I don’t feel overtrained at all, hope I can say the same thing at this time next week.

I might add that I have been doing CW’s 100 reps a day for recovery(sets of 10 push ups and deep knee bends spread throughout the day).

3

WEEK TWO-DAY TWO

Rather than get better, my triceps got worse. DOMS is beating the crap out of them. Keith is having no such trouble, says he feels fine. Shoulders and chest felt pretty good though. The workout wasn’t too bad at all though. Keith and I were both able to add weight to our pressing exercises.

PIN PRESS from 1 inch above chest.
The warm up for this had me worried. The bar was shooting off my chest easily but I could sense fatigue near lockout from the get go. Felt better after getting the blood flowing though.

6x3 at 205 for me, last reps on last 5 sets were tough, but got through all. If tris were readyf or this one I think I could have gone heavier.

Keith-6x3, 255, 255, 255, 255, 255, 245

Iso Speed Bench
8x3 at 125 lbs -my tris are shot and chest is getting sore. I felt slow on these today.

Keith-8x3 at 165 lbs, says his chest is now sore.

Lat Pulldown
5x6 at 235-much easier than last week, although the stretching of my tris at the top made me cringe

Keith-5x5 at 290

Bis and Face Pulls-both of us went up in weight.

Not too bad of a workout today. The weights seemed easier than last time and I feel like I’m getting comfortable on the bench again. I hadn’t benched much since my injury, but it feels like home now. Looking forward to Thursday. I just hope my triceps are near normal. Negatives suck when you are beat up. Looking to add weight to my squat as well(hoping to get 290 for 5x4-6)

4

WEEK Two-Day 3

Well, the soreness in my triceps has gone away for the most part. They still feel a little sore, but nothing compared to Tuesday. Contrast showers may have helped, I’ve done a lot of em. During my warm up I felt fatigued. I was concerned that the weight I planned to add to the bar might be a bad idea. Was really excited about the workout though, mainly because it was squat day.

MAXIMAL ECCENTRICS
I jumped up to 235 today. Felt strong on each set though the last reps were brutal. Chest was already screaming for mercy at the end.

235x5 for 5 sets.

Keith-325x5 for 5 sets. His wrist bothers him as soon as he racks weight.

Partials from pins
I start at 215, way too light
215x3, 225x3, 235x3(still light), 240(now it gets tougher)

Keith starts at 295, needs help, drops to 285 and almost gets it, finishes with 2 sets at 275 on his own. He is still getting used to movement, i’ve done these before so I am already comfortable. Hoping to go to 245, 250 next week.

Squats
I am pumped for these and planned to get 290 for sets of 4. From the start I feel a little off though. The bar feels much heavier than it did the previous week. I start out at 275x4, and that feels tough. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem. I jump to 285 and manage only 3. Finish at 290 and 295 for sets of 2. Not pleased, plus I let my ego get in the way. Looks like my squat may have to suffer for a little while, my back just doesnt feel strong today. Keith gets 235x5 for 5 sets. Technique is almost perfect, far cry from what it was before he dropped weight.

Leg Curls-keith goes 160, I manage only 130. The machine is a piece of crap. I feel very uncomfortable on the thing and it feels like my hammies may tear whenever I use the thing.

5

WEEK THREE-DAY ONE

MINI SESSION ONE
Extended Cluster
215x8 reps-I feel great, strong
Keith-slept an 1.5 hours due to girl he is dating keeping him up all night. Feels weak from start

Decline close grip
195x5,4,4,4,4-felt good
Keith-205x6,6,6,5,5

MINI SESSION TWO
Regular Cluster
205x5-had help on last rep
195x5,5,5,5-Tough, but got all of them
Keith
285 doesnt work, drops down to 265 by end

DB Shoulder Press
60x6,5, 65x4,4,3-
Keith, 60x6, 65x6, 70x5,5,4

MINI SESSION THREE
DROP CLUSTER
195,185, 175,165-5 sets, not bad
Tricep Extension, 60lbs plus bar

NOTES-Let this be a lesson to you, do not let your g/f keep you up all night before a training session like such. Keith wasn’t sure he could max out at 285 todya, let alone the 315 he got a couple weeks ago.

Anyway, I am enthused by the results thus far. I feel like I could have benched 240 today. I also don’t anticipate the same soreness I dealt with last week. My shoulders and tris feel pretty good as of now.

6

WEEK 3-DAY TWO

Pin Press from 1 inch above Chest
195x3, 200x3, 205x3,3,3
Keith-265x3, 260x3,3,3,3

I felt weak today, went too heavy on first set and had to drop down to 195 for a set. Thought I would have done better. Worked a long day on Monday, but had plenty of rest for today’s workout. Not sure what the problem was.

Speed Bench
125, 8x3
Keith-155, 8x3

Lat Pulldown
240x6,6,6,6,5-finally something I can feel good about.
Keith-305x6,6,6,6,6,6-That is the entire stack, time to move to chins for him, me too if bicep feels good enough.

Barbell Curls
Keith uses easy bar +90 lbs. His arms are shredded now, veins all over arms and shoulders.

I do hammers instead, right bicep still not where it needs to be. 40x6,6, 45x5,6, Drop set 30, 25, then rope.

Face Pulls
100x12, 120x10,10

I was quite frustrated by the strength I had today, hopefully this is only temporary. I do have a sinus infection which may be partly to blame. I feel like I’m getting enough calories. Rest is my only concern. I didn’t get enough sleep Sunday night and had to work long hours monday. Still, i was confident going in. Hopefully the next workout goes better.

7

WEEK 3-DAY 3

Maximal Eccentrics

245x5, 250x5,5,5,4
Keith-335x4,4,4,4,5

The negatives felt good today, the weight is getting heavier, but it seems eaier to control with each week.

Partials
245x3, 250x3,3 255x3,3
Keith-275x3, 285x3,3 290x3,3

Felt much stronger on these as well, wnated to go even heavier, but didn’t want to deal with the depression of a missed rep. I seem to be improving at these rapidly. This was also the first day that keith had felt comfortable while doing these.

Back Squat
275-4,4,4,4,4
Keith-245x4,4,4,4,4

My first 3 sets felt terrible. I don’t know if its because I have no blood in my lower half or what? I guess I only had 3 warm up sets before starting my work sets so that could also be a factor. Anyway, I noticed the weights weren’t shaking when I got to the top of the movement like they usually do so I decided to concentrate on keeping my speed up. My last set turned out to be the best one of all.

Leg Curl(seated, which sucks, crappy gym)
140x5,5,5,4,4
Keith-170x4,4,4,4,4

We still can’t figure this one out. I can out squat Keith and go even deeper than he does yet he kicks the crap out of me on these. I tried 170 and could hardle move the thing, forget about getting one rep.

I’m glad this workout went better than the last. I still haven’t figured out exactly went wrong with that one. Anyway, my faith in the program has been reaffirmed. I would guess that my max is up to 240-245 right now.

8

WEEK 4-Day 1-Sunday
Comes after an extra 2 days of rest.

Mini Session One
Extended Cluster
220x1,1,1,1,help on next 2, not pleased
Keith-285x1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1

Decline Close Grip
205x5,5,4,4,4
Keith-225x6,6,6,6,5

Mini Session Two
Regular Cluster
205x5, help on last couple, 195x5,5,5,5
Keith-265x5,275x5,5,5,5

D-bell Shoulder Press
60x6, 65x5,4,4,5,5
Keith-60x6, 70x6, 75x5,5,5

Mini Session 3-Monday
I saw that Peteman had been doing his 3rd session on mondya, we were feeling spent and the gym was getting crowded so we decided to call it a day and try again in the morning

Drop Cluster
220, 210, 200, 190-very easy
225, 215, 205, 195-still easy
225, 215, 205, 195-tough
Got my old max though, easily too

Keith
285, 275, 265, 255
295, 285, 275, 265
300, 290, 280, 270-had to help a little

Skull Crushers
70lbs+bar-5,5,5,4,4
Keith-90lbs+bar-6,6,6,6,5

Doing the 3rd session on a separate day made for some serious increases on the lifts. If you look back, I struggled with 195 during the last session. The extra rest made a huge difference, hopefully this won’t lead to fatigue during pin presses tommorow. We also added some ab work to today’s short session.

We’ll also be playing a little bit of basketball during the week to prepare for our high school’s alumni tournament. Hopefully this won’t hurt our progress too much. Its important to us to show that we still have it when others have lost it completley or are losing it. Then you always have people asking if we’ve been lifting b/c we’ve put on some mass over the years(hey I was 135 as a senior, I’m 165-170 now, not huge, but not a complete bag of bones either).

9

Well, after 4 weeks, my partner and I decided to call it quits on the program. We didn’t give up on it b/c we weren’t progressing, but b/c we were starting to feel a bit run down. I’ve come down with pneumonia and couldn’t get much out of the last couple workouts and my shoulders were starting to feel beat up. I’ve also dropped about 5 lbs since I became sick so its time to listen to my body and rest up.

The good news is this. I tested my max after about a 4 days off and found that it had gone up by 15 pounds from 225 to 240. I felt like complete garbage that day as well and really believe I could get 245-250 if I wasn’t so run down. I’ve also noticed a size increase in my triceps and chest. My pecs definitely look and feel fuller. My upper back has gotten much stronger and I don’t think my squat suffered too much, although I have some technique and speed work to do inorder to get back in the groove. My gains weren’t spectacular, but I am quite pleased with the results. Keith also PR’d by 10 pounds, he got 325 while dieting. Thats not bad for a 180 lb guy. His chest looks thicker and his arms are looking freaky(look competition ready). He is working out with his old high school baseball team and has a number of softball tournaments coming up so he will not be continuing the program either.

I think I may come back to this program in the future. I’ve never had a better tricep workout in my life and the proram had me pysched b/c I knew I was getting stronger week by week.

In the mean time I plan to continue taining for strength. I figure the size will come if my strength continues to improve. Right now I am thinking about doing Singles Club, or a wave loading program(I was successful in increasing my squat with wave loading so I was pleasantly suprised when I saw Ian King’s latest article)

Anyway, thanks for the program CT, I always enjoy the articles and your unique approach to training. I’ve loved every routine I’ve tried by you. Keep em coming!