[quote]sfp wrote:
You’ll be in good shape to begin, then. Just make sure you follow Skid’s advice, not mine, for the initial arithmetic.[/quote]
You mentioned that MJ has a spreadsheet. Where is it? I looked through his log but didn’t see a link to one. Granted, I speed searched it.
Skid’s arithmetic? Is that in his log?
Test your maxes. Whatever number you get, take 90% of that and use that as the working max for the program.
All percentages are figured off that working max.
Progression is done by adding 5 lbs to bench and military press and 10 lbs to squats and deadlifts at the end of a successful cycle. New percentages are figured off the new working maxes.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
Test your maxes. Whatever number you get, take 90% of that and use that as the working max for the program.
All percentages are figured off that working max.
Progression is done by adding 5 lbs to bench and military press and 10 lbs to squats and deadlifts at the end of a successful cycle. New percentages are figured off the new working maxes.[/quote]
Good grief you are fast! I think you answered before I hit “submit.”
By cycle, do you mean wave? Or cycle as in all waves gone through?
Thanks
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
skidmark wrote:
Test your maxes. Whatever number you get, take 90% of that and use that as the working max for the program.
All percentages are figured off that working max.
Progression is done by adding 5 lbs to bench and military press and 10 lbs to squats and deadlifts at the end of a successful cycle. New percentages are figured off the new working maxes.
Good grief you are fast! I think you answered before I hit “submit.”
By cycle, do you mean wave? Or cycle as in all waves gone through?
Thanks[/quote]
1 Cycle = wave 1 + wave 2 + wave 3 + deload wave
I’m on this danged computer all doggone day. Constantly trolling for new posts. I need a life…
[quote]skidmark wrote:
1 Cycle = wave 1 + wave 2 + wave 3 + deload wave
I’m on this danged computer all doggone day. Constantly trolling for new posts. I need a life…[/quote]
Thanks.
And, I am the same way. I sit here all day trying to put fires out (figuratively speaking) and refresh the forum list every few minutes, as I would otherwise have to actually work. It doesn’t help that no one here works out…unless talking about it counts.
I got caller ID on my desk phone, so I can screen my calls. Now if I could just get them to disconnect it, I’d be set!
Yes, I am trying to avoid work…
I have a question and am hoping to draw upon the wealth of experience on the forum. It is still 3 weeks away, but I am coming up on max testing. In reading various logs, I have discerned that it is not good to jump too much weight between sets…i.e. if my estimated max is 300#, don’t do a set at 200# then jump directly to 300#. At the same time, I would think it bad (fatiguing) to go 205#, 225#, 255#, 285#, 300# and, possibly, beyond.
How do you approach it? What would you consider the maximum jumps in pounds to be? Since it is said that if you fail at a weight the 1st time, you are not as likely to get it the second go around (barring some obvious failure in form or approach), do you shoot high on a set and then come back? Meaning, if you think 305# is what you are going to hit, do you try 310#, then fall back to 305# if it fails, as opposed to trying 305# then 310#?
I my case, my stated max, right at 2 months before the upcoming testing, was 285# on bench and 350# (devoid of any semblance of form) on deadlifts. I want to maximize my efforts without short-circuiting my body with too great a jump or fatiguing it by too many small jumps.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Yes, I am trying to avoid work…
I have a question and am hoping to draw upon the wealth of experience on the forum. It is still 3 weeks away, but I am coming up on max testing. In reading various logs, I have discerned that it is not good to jump too much weight between sets…i.e. if my estimated max is 300#, don’t do a set at 200# then jump directly to 300#. At the same time, I would think it bad (fatiguing) to go 205#, 225#, 255#, 285#, 300# and, possibly, beyond.
How do you approach it? What would you consider the maximum jumps in pounds to be? Since it is said that if you fail at a weight the 1st time, you are not as likely to get it the second go around (barring some obvious failure in form or approach), do you shoot high on a set and then come back? Meaning, if you think 305# is what you are going to hit, do you try 310#, then fall back to 305# if it fails, as opposed to trying 305# then 310#?
I my case, my stated max, right at 2 months before the upcoming testing, was 285# on bench and 350# (devoid of any semblance of form) on deadlifts. I want to maximize my efforts without short-circuiting my body with too great a jump or fatiguing it by too many small jumps.[/quote]
weight jumps really depend on how strong you are. a 500lb bencher is going to take bigger jumps than a 200lb bencher.
definitely don’t shoot too high on your test attempt. i’m as happy as a pig in shit if i increase 5lbs from the last test. i would shoot for a conservative max. if, and only if, you hit that with good speed and no sticking points would you then go for another attempt at a higher weight.
so if you are hitting uppwards of 300lbs right now, i would shoot for 305 then if that went up easy then maybe go for 310.
i would pyramid up as follows-
0x10
135x8
185x4
225x2
275x1
max attempt x 1
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
I made the 10# jump, again, to 260# on the 5x5. I got the reps, but as the video will show, it wasn’t easy. I sacrificed some form at the end…but, dadgummit, I got the bloody reps in. Next week will only be a 5# jump.
Also, I added pin presses (I think that is what they are called). This is the first time I have ever done them. I struggled, mightily, with getting the bar in the right position over me. Again, evident on some of the reps in the vid.
The really high pin preses would have seemed pointless, except that I was able to move considerably more weight than I otherwise could. At least getting my wrists, elbows and shoulders accustomed to higher stress/weight. Is that the point of them?
The workout…
Bench
barx15
barx20 - did 10 shoulder dislocates between these sets
95x15
135x12
185x5
225x5
260x5x5
I changed the angle of the vid on set one, to better show where the bar was hitting. It is hitting over my sternum, at the bottom of my pecs.
1st Set - - YouTube
Last Set - - YouTube … wasn’t sure I was going to get them going into it.
Really High Pin Presses
295x5
345x5
365x5
- YouTube … cool thing about these is that it is 40# more than I have ever even attempted on a bench…flat, pin, incline, decline, whatever.
Medium Pin Press
295x4
300x5
- YouTube … you can really see me struggling with bar placement on these.
Close Grip Bench
185x10x2
Supersets
Machine Flyes
140x12
140x10
Pushdowns
90x10
90x9
That was it. It felt good to get the reps, but wish my form had held better, especially the arm positioning.
Any comment on the pin presses? Again, they are new to me. I don’t even know if I am doing them right…
[/quote]
bench is look’n better. keep working on getting the same bar path on all your reps. also, do your best to hold your breath as long as you can. i can hold my breath for an entire set of 5 reps on bench. doing so will keep you very tight. any breathing makes you loose.
on the pin presses, you will have to play around to find the perfect bar placement. i find that laying an aerobics mat across them under the bar keeps them from sliding around. the form doesn’t look bad at all. just be sure when the weight gets heavy to not allow your elbows to flare as soon as you press. this puts the pecs in a very vulnerable position. you don’t need to do a hard tuck, just keep a slight tuck to take the stress off the pecs. also, when you lockout, hold it for a second or two. this will prepare your body for lifting heavier weight over time.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
weight jumps really depend on how strong you are. a 500lb bencher is going to take bigger jumps than a 200lb bencher.
definitely don’t shoot too high on your test attempt. i’m as happy as a pig in shit if i increase 5lbs from the last test. i would shoot for a conservative max. if, and only if, you hit that with good speed and no sticking points would you then go for another attempt at a higher weight.
so if you are hitting uppwards of 300lbs right now, i would shoot for 305 then if that went up easy then maybe go for 310.
i would pyramid up as follows-
0x10
135x8
185x4
225x2
275x1
max attempt x 1
[/quote]
MM- Thanks. I will do just that.
In all honesty, I would be really frustrated with a 5# jump. Not because I expect to make massive jumps after every cycle, but because my lifetime PR is 35-40# higher than my max back at the beginning of April. I am hoping that getting back under the bar will, initially, propel me close to that number again. My goal is 315#, but I would not weep over 300#. That is a huge psychological goal for me.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
bench is look’n better. keep working on getting the same bar path on all your reps. also, do your best to hold your breath as long as you can. i can hold my breath for an entire set of 5 reps on bench. doing so will keep you very tight. any breathing makes you loose.
on the pin presses, you will have to play around to find the perfect bar placement. i find that laying an aerobics mat across them under the bar keeps them from sliding around. the form doesn’t look bad at all. just be sure when the weight gets heavy to not allow your elbows to flare as soon as you press. this puts the pecs in a very vulnerable position. you don’t need to do a hard tuck, just keep a slight tuck to take the stress off the pecs. also, when you lockout, hold it for a second or two. this will prepare your body for lifting heavier weight over time.
[/quote]
I believe that I can transition to holding my breath. The only issues would be when I have to take the pauses, like on the last set. The breathing, on those reps, is part of psyching myself for the rep. Is that bad, as in something to be avoided?
No aerobics mats, but plenty of towels! And I will focus harder on the flaring. I am doing everything I can think of to work my triceps up, to alleviate the flaring. Unfortuantely, it never goes as quickly as we would like.
Thanks for checking those out and continuing to guide.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
MM- Thanks. I will do just that.
In all honesty, I would be really frustrated with a 5# jump. Not because I expect to make massive jumps after every cycle, but because my lifetime PR is 35-40# higher than my max back at the beginning of April. I am hoping that getting back under the bar will, initially, propel me close to that number again. My goal is 315#, but I would not weep over 300#. That is a huge psychological goal for me.[/quote]
That cracks me up. 35-40 off is not bad at all, Strick! When I was college I took a weight lifting class one semester, and was benching about 170 at the end of it. Not great, but I was happy. Then I didn’t lift for about 20 years. When I started again a couple years ago, guess what I pressed?
Whatever you guessed, guess lower…a lot lower…like around 90. Pretty soon I was pretty happy when I could do 135. For one rep. Then overjoyed when I broke the 200 barrier. I can’t believe now, when I warm up with 135, how light it feels. I was such a weanie! Still am, but just less of one.
Now you see why my thread has it’s name. You’re doing awesome, Strick. Keep it up, and you’ll be at 315 in no time.
[quote]sfp wrote:
That cracks me up. 35-40 off is not bad at all, Strick! When I was college I took a weight lifting class one semester, and was benching about 170 at the end of it. Not great, but I was happy. Then I didn’t lift for about 20 years. When I started again a couple years ago, guess what I pressed?
Whatever you guessed, guess lower…a lot lower…like around 90. Pretty soon I was pretty happy when I could do 135. For one rep. Then overjoyed when I broke the 200 barrier. I can’t believe now, when I warm up with 135, how light it feels. I was such a weanie! Still am, but just less of one.
Now you see why my thread has it’s name. You’re doing awesome, Strick. Keep it up, and you’ll be at 315 in no time.[/quote]
Thanks sfp… And truth be told, I would be thrilled to be that close had I done absolutely nothing for the past decade. Over the past couple of years I have worked out, off and on, with my dumbbells and home gym, though. Starting at the beginning of the year, I restarted and have worked out consistently since then. So, I had 3 months under my belt before getting the free weights. My dumbbells go to pairs of 65# and the home gym to 160#. One reason I got the free weights was that my 1st set of bench, on the gym (160#), had gotten to 25 reps. On the seated OH press, with 65s, I was hitting 23 to 24 reps. It was getting ridiculous.
Had it not been for that lifting, though, I suspect my max would have been 20-30# less.
I understand the log name. But we all seem to understand, at least on this forum, that we are all different. There is no need for shame, embarassment, timidity or the like, when you/we are actively working to better ourselves. If we go by what we can lift alone, then we are all pussies and should form the Cult of MarauderMeat! 
I also realize that the name of your log reflects your persona. What you are achieving, and have achieved, though, is worth its weight in…well, weight.
Funny, and good, thing is…I get almost as much of a rise out of seeing folks here get PRs as I get from my own.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
…
Funny, and good, thing is…I get almost as much of a rise out of seeing folks here get PRs as I get from my own.
[/quote]
That’s what it’s all about.
Actually, I’ve already formed the cult of MM. I’ll send you membership papers in a bit.
[quote]sfp wrote:
Actually, I’ve already formed the cult of MM. I’ll send you membership papers in a bit.[/quote]
Why am I always the last to know?? Count me in!
[quote]skidmark wrote:
LittleStrick wrote:
…
Funny, and good, thing is…I get almost as much of a rise out of seeing folks here get PRs as I get from my own.
That’s what it’s all about. :)[/quote]
x2.
Powerlifting, and lifting in general is the only sport I know where people get excited when their competitors are attempting to lift a weight.
I think it’s just plain cool to see people explore and expand their personal limits.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
skidmark wrote:
LittleStrick wrote:
…
Funny, and good, thing is…I get almost as much of a rise out of seeing folks here get PRs as I get from my own.
That’s what it’s all about.
x2.
Powerlifting, and lifting in general is the only sport I know where people get excited when their competitors are attempting to lift a weight.
I think it’s just plain cool to see people explore and expand their personal limits.[/quote]
you should go to a meet sometime. i competed in bodybuilding for many years. in bodybuilding EVERYONE was the enemy. no one talked and everyone was looking everyone else up and down and giving the ol’ stink eye.
In powerlifting,for the most part, everyone is very helpful and supportive. it’s like an extended family. I only wish i had switched over sooner.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
you should go to a meet sometime. i competed in bodybuilding for many years. in bodybuilding EVERYONE was the enemy. no one talked and everyone was looking everyone else up and down and giving the ol’ stink eye.
In powerlifting,for the most part, everyone is very helpful and supportive. it’s like an extended family. I only wish i had switched over sooner.
[/quote]
There is actually one in OKC, on Saturday. But I am already locked into the Girl Scout/Kids at the zoo thingy. There is another in August.
I did a web search on PL federations and there appear to be as many federations as lifters. Are some, or is one, better than others?
The best one is the one closest to you with the most meets.
That depends. Are you gonna juice or not. If you plan on not, then NASA seems to be as good as any.