FightingScott's Log

Training Training Logs
341

[quote]power_bulker wrote:
FightingScott wrote:
11/25/2008 - Upper Back

Dumbbell Row:
65X10
115X5
135X5
155X10 (Fell Apart)
155X15

I would train back all day if I could but I got to get on the road. Weather is bad.

I noticed from a few logs that people prefer the DB row. What do you think of the DB row vs. BB row (assuming you use good form in the BB row)? It seems like I can progress faster on the DB rows, but the form is inconsistent. [/quote]

Sorry, but this will be long. I just love training back.

Both have given me incredible results. What sets the Barbell Row apart from the Dumbbell Row is both its weaknesses and its assets - it is very demanding on the entire body. It’s right up there with Deadlifts.

The Summer Before Last I concentrated heavily on Free Back Squats and Barbell Rows. I think I left my Senior Year of High School Messing around with 155-185 on Barbell Rows and I came into college flirting with 275. My form was pretty loose. If you need a reference point, just look at Ronnie Coleman in The Unbelieveable Video or Jay Cutler whenever he does them. I strongly believe this looser form is actually the way to go for Barbell Rows.

As long as you keep your lower back arched and strong you will be safe. Some people may criticize this way of doing Barbell Rows and suggest that you’re doing a movement that’s obviously using hips and hamstrings as well as lats. Whatever. As long as you keep your lower back arched you will be safe and as long as you keep a perpendicular enough of a body angle you will hit the lats and you just simply won’t be able to cheat that much. This is the way I see all the super strong people doing Barbell Rows. I have done them the super strict “Pendlay” way and I find that this is more dependent on the upper back than the lats, and that a great amount of energy is expended trying to stay perfectly still and strict - so much that it compromises the effectiveness of the exercise. Keep reps in between 6-12.

Do 1 heavy set (maybe 8) then 1 lighter but still heavy set (maybe 12). I figured this out before learning about DC. Try to make a PR on each set, but don’t leave the gym if you don’t make a PR for weight or reps in at least 1 of these sets - it should be doable.

In this time my bodyweight also went up from around 150 to 175. I also got slightly leaner and I was lean to begin with. Almost all the weight I gained was in my lats, lower back, traps, and glutes. In hitting Barbell Rows heavy I also increased my Deadlift a fair bit. So in terms of full-body strength gains I think Barbell Rows are superior to Dumbbell Rows. In my experience, they are better than Cleans or Olympic Style Pulls of any sort. I would advise you to train your Barbell Rows on Lower Body days after you Squat so that they do not interfere with your Lower Body workouts.

I find Dumbbell Rows to be the best for packing on strength and size in the Lats. That, and you can move up in weight with Dumbbell Rows very quickly. The gains come fast and they haven’t stopped for me yet - but you will not see the total-body strenght gains in adding weight to Dumbbell Rows that you will see from adding weight to Barbell Rows. Nor will you see the same Bodyweight Gain - which could be a plus depending on your goals. Dumbbell Rows have also given me more Lat Size than Barbell Rows. I know this for a fact since Barbell Rows gave me lats instead of just bare ribs, but Dumbbell Rows have given me a large web of stretch marks right where my lats meet my triceps.

As far as form goes, I do mine sort of like the set up Kroc uses - except instead of putting my free hand on a back raise I do them in a Power Rack and put my free hand on a barbell that rests on about the 5th pin (about Mid-Shin if you’re rack pulling). I also take the narrow sumo stance that he takes. I do not use a belt because with the rep ranges I use (10-25) I find that it inhibits breathing. This is the heaviest set Kroc had ever done at this point and the reps are pretty slow and involve a lot of cheating. I think the ideal rep speed and form for this exercise can be seen when he’s doing 225X25 or 175X30something strapless. So imagine that cadence and strictness with the set up similar to what he uses in this video.

Unlike Barbell Rows, my form is pretty strict. I allow my shoulder to round forward at the bottom of the row so I can fully stretch my lat, then I pull as fast as I can and pull the dumbbell into me - right in the middle of my abs. I don’t move my feet or hips at all. Speed is key for getting the most reps possible. I currently try to do them strapless. I would recommend that on Barbell Rows you use straps all the time to maximize the weight you can pull but on Dumbbell Rows make sure you keep pushing up both your Strapless and Strapped numbers or just always tug strapless. For some reason, I also feel that a set of strapless dumbbell rows with 155 for 15 will work my lats better than a set done with straps at 165. Maybe it’s just something about having to squeeze the bar harder. But If I’m rowing a 185lb dumbbell with straps, then my lats will probably get a better workout from than they will from a 155er - but the difference in weight needs to be pretty signifigant for you to justify using straps on Dumbbell Rows. So remember that when you’re struggling without straps and you’re tempted to throw on some straps.

342

12/1/2008 - Max Effort Lower Body

Deadlift:
Worked up to 475 and missed. Again a dumb idea. Who knows what I could have done if I was just patient yesterday and waited. My erectors were killing me all day and now they’re super toast. It’s hard to walk the line between not doing stupid shit and having enough balls to make progress.

Chain-Suspended GM:
135X5
225X1
315X1
335X4

Could have done maybe one more but I was about to shit myself from straining.

Dumbbell Kroc Row:
Worked up to 165 for a set of 4 then a set of 3. Put on the straps and did an easy set of 10. Do I push the reps on 155 up to 20, or do I try 165 again?

Snatch-Grip Shrugs:
315X10
405X20
455X5 (After maybe 30 seconds of rest from the last set)

Hanging Leg Raises:
2 sets of 10.

I was gonna do some sort of squat but I knew my back wouldn’t be able to take it. PR in Good-Mornings. I actually wish I failed here because then at least I would know that I didn’t get 475 because my strength had taken a real dive for the day. But this means that 475X2 is probably really close to my limit even if I was lifting under optimal conditions.

When I missed 475 on the third rep yesterday - which I probably would have gotten if I wasn’t feeling totally wiped (I felt wiped out today as well) I missed it right below the knees. Go figure. I’ll toss that up to being tired and not that my sticking point off the floor has changed.

Based on how I have lifted in the past, I think 475X2.5 puts me around a 487 max, which is an improvement from what I think would be a 476 max when I did 455X5. But for how long its been I was hoping for a more signifigant strength gain.

I would really like to get 475 and then 495 for a decent amount of reps. Mainly because I know Hanley is about to hit up 495 for reps across the pond and he doesn’t even pull conventional in competition.

I think my low back strength is sufficient for bigger pulls given my RDL and Good-Morning Numbers, but it’s possible that my Abdominal Strength is holding me back from using that lower back strength. So Suitcaise Deadlifts will become a priority. I thought I had strong abs relative to everything else.

For some reason I have felt really mellow for the last 2 days but now at this moment I have the energy I wish I had a while ago when I was training.

I really don’t know what to make of all this. Whatever. 475 is the heaviest weight I’ve ever pulled in a Conventional Deadlift.

343

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
power_bulker wrote:
FightingScott wrote:
11/25/2008 - Upper Back

Dumbbell Row:
65X10
115X5
135X5
155X10 (Fell Apart)
155X15

I would train back all day if I could but I got to get on the road. Weather is bad.

I noticed from a few logs that people prefer the DB row. What do you think of the DB row vs. BB row (assuming you use good form in the BB row)? It seems like I can progress faster on the DB rows, but the form is inconsistent.

Sorry, but this will be long. I just love training back.

Both have given me incredible results. What sets the Barbell Row apart from the Dumbbell Row is both its weaknesses and its assets - it is very demanding on the entire body. It’s right up there with Deadlifts.

The Summer Before Last I concentrated heavily on Free Back Squats and Barbell Rows. I think I left my Senior Year of High School Messing around with 155-185 on Barbell Rows and I came into college flirting with 275. My form was pretty loose. If you need a reference point, just look at Ronnie Coleman in The Unbelieveable Video or Jay Cutler whenever he does them. I strongly believe this looser form is actually the way to go for Barbell Rows.

As long as you keep your lower back arched and strong you will be safe. Some people may criticize this way of doing Barbell Rows and suggest that you’re doing a movement that’s obviously using hips and hamstrings as well as lats. Whatever. As long as you keep your lower back arched you will be safe and as long as you keep a perpendicular enough of a body angle you will hit the lats and you just simply won’t be able to cheat that much. This is the way I see all the super strong people doing Barbell Rows. I have done them the super strict “Pendlay” way and I find that this is more dependent on the upper back than the lats, and that a great amount of energy is expended trying to stay perfectly still and strict - so much that it compromises the effectiveness of the exercise. Keep reps in between 6-12.

Do 1 heavy set (maybe 8) then 1 lighter but still heavy set (maybe 12). I figured this out before learning about DC. Try to make a PR on each set, but don’t leave the gym if you don’t make a PR for weight or reps in at least 1 of these sets - it should be doable.

In this time my bodyweight also went up from around 150 to 175. I also got slightly leaner and I was lean to begin with. Almost all the weight I gained was in my lats, lower back, traps, and glutes. In hitting Barbell Rows heavy I also increased my Deadlift a fair bit. So in terms of full-body strength gains I think Barbell Rows are superior to Dumbbell Rows. In my experience, they are better than Cleans or Olympic Style Pulls of any sort. I would advise you to train your Barbell Rows on Lower Body days after you Squat so that they do not interfere with your Lower Body workouts.

I find Dumbbell Rows to be the best for packing on strength and size in the Lats. That, and you can move up in weight with Dumbbell Rows very quickly. The gains come fast and they haven’t stopped for me yet - but you will not see the total-body strenght gains in adding weight to Dumbbell Rows that you will see from adding weight to Barbell Rows. Nor will you see the same Bodyweight Gain - which could be a plus depending on your goals. Dumbbell Rows have also given me more Lat Size than Barbell Rows. I know this for a fact since Barbell Rows gave me lats instead of just bare ribs, but Dumbbell Rows have given me a large web of stretch marks right where my lats meet my triceps.

As far as form goes, I do mine sort of like the set up Kroc uses - except instead of putting my free hand on a back raise I do them in a Power Rack and put my free hand on a barbell that rests on about the 5th pin (about Mid-Shin if you’re rack pulling). I also take the narrow sumo stance that he takes. I do not use a belt because with the rep ranges I use (10-25) I find that it inhibits breathing. This is the heaviest set Kroc had ever done at this point and the reps are pretty slow and involve a lot of cheating. I think the ideal rep speed and form for this exercise can be seen when he’s doing 225X25 or 175X30something strapless. So imagine that cadence and strictness with the set up similar to what he uses in this video.

Unlike Barbell Rows, my form is pretty strict. I allow my shoulder to round forward at the bottom of the row so I can fully stretch my lat, then I pull as fast as I can and pull the dumbbell into me - right in the middle of my abs. I don’t move my feet or hips at all. Speed is key for getting the most reps possible. I currently try to do them strapless. I would recommend that on Barbell Rows you use straps all the time to maximize the weight you can pull but on Dumbbell Rows make sure you keep pushing up both your Strapless and Strapped numbers or just always tug strapless. For some reason, I also feel that a set of strapless dumbbell rows with 155 for 15 will work my lats better than a set done with straps at 165. Maybe it’s just something about having to squeeze the bar harder. But If I’m rowing a 185lb dumbbell with straps, then my lats will probably get a better workout from than they will from a 155er - but the difference in weight needs to be pretty signifigant for you to justify using straps on Dumbbell Rows. So remember that when you’re struggling without straps and you’re tempted to throw on some straps.

[/quote]

what do you think about the db row form where you kneel on a bench and your body is completely straight to the floor

344

[quote]crod266 wrote:

what do you think about the db row form where you kneel on a bench and your body is completely straight to the floor[/quote]

I find it uncomfortable. Feels like my ribs are hitting other ribs. It’s not any more strict. You can still cheat by performing hip extension. You just cheat by doing a partial kneeling squat instead of cheating by doing a partial squat.

345

12/02/2008 - Repetition Upper Body

2-Board:
Worked up to 255 and only got 5 reps - defiantly not getting a Rest-Pause Rep PR with that weight. Felt like continuing from this point would be fucked, so I came back at night.

2-Board:
Worked up to 245 with the fantasy of getting 20 reps rest paused and I only got 12. My best at that weight is 14. So it’s a backwards step of either 10 pounds or 2 reps. Fuck Me.

Incline CGBP:
165X13 RP

BTN Smith:
135X5
175X13 RP (Bad ROM - not a true PR)

I figured my recovery was fucked so I didn’t do the Chain Push-ups.

Instead of doing Pec Stretches with Average Bands I did the DC Style Extreme Stretch by holding 75lb Dumbbells in a Neutral Position and stretching for a count of 90.

Then I did the Extreme Triceps Stretch with a 40lb Dumbbell From the Behind-The-Head 1-Arm Extension position. Usually I just push on my elbow.

I don’t know what’s up with me. There are too many variables. I doubt that my CNS has become accustomed to these exercises and that’s the chief reason for my stagnation. I think it’s more likely that because I didn’t keep up my high-calorie/high-protein diet over Thanksgiving Holiday and because I have been training like a dumb motherfucker lately, I have only been able to PR in a few things like Good-Mornings and Incline Close-Grips but I haven’t been able to PR in the shit that matters.

I’ll just eat and sleep a lot then see what happens next Repetition Upper Body day. If that day gives me little or no PRs, then I’ll know I have to change something.

It is also entierly possible that my lack of progress is due to me being a little bitch. If this is the case, that needs to be addressed.

346

12/04/2008 - Dynamic Effort Lower Body

Average Band Box Squat:
135X2
205X2X4
225X2X4

Average Band Pull Through:
1X20

Barbell Roll-out:
1X20

Leg Extension:
Stack X 14 then a drop set of about 50 reps

Machine Calf Raise:
1 Light Set

My Back is still sore from the whole Deadlifting like a dumb mother fucker on Sunday and Monday, so I really didn’t want to put a bar on my back after Squats. That’s why I did Leg Extensions. If this machine is set up right, it’s actually pretty good.

I fooled around with some Snatches before Squats but my form is so bad right now that they’re really not worth including in my training.

I’ve thought about it and I need to keep my light days light and my heavy days heavy - so no more working up in weight or testing maxes on Dynamic Days.

If anyone gives a fuck, the stack weights 310.

347

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
If anyone gives a fuck [/quote]

I’ve been watching.

348

[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
FightingScott wrote:
If anyone gives a fuck

I’ve been watching.[/quote]

That’s good.

349

You have a really bad habit of not adhering to a written out plan. Testing maxes on DE days? Doing Pulls the day before actually doing them? Patience sire, patience.

P.S. Stop rationalizing your mistakes.

350

[quote]detazathoth wrote:
You have a really bad habit of not adhering to a written out plan. Testing maxes on DE days? Doing Pulls the day before actually doing them? Patience sire, patience.

P.S. Stop rationalizing your mistakes.[/quote]

I’m a fuck up. What can I say?

351

12/05/2008 - Repetition Upper Body

Flat Bench Press:
45X5
95X3
135X3
185X3
225X14 RP

CGBP:
195X10 RP

EZ-Bar Curl:
115X5
125X5
135X5
115X7
75X21

Reverse Grip EZ Preacher:
75X10

Weighted Dips:
BWX5X2
75X5X2 or 3

This entire week of training has full on sucked. And it has sucked hard. I have sucked. No PRs today.

I don’t know if trying this whole rest-pause thing was a total failure or not. But it was defiantly not as productive as it should have been. I did move all of my lifts up except for my Military Press and Arnold Press. At first PRs were somewhat sizeable. I even got new stretch marks. Then PRs were small. Now PRs are non-existent.

Back to the drawing board. I picked up Glenn Buechlein 's “Tao of B” off Elitefts.com. He Benches once a week. Maybe it’s time for me to try Benching once a week. It’s something I’ve never done before, so it makes sense to try it.

Here’s my whole plan so everyone can either (1) Tell me right off if it’s good or sucks.
(2) Give me shit when I don’t follow it.

SUN - Max Effort Lower Body
MON - Upper Back + Arms
TUE - OFF
WED - OFF
THU - Dynamic Effort Lower Body
FRI - Max Effort Upper Body
SAT - OFF

Here are some rules I think I need to follow:

(1) Keep Sunday heavy and make Thursday light. Heavy GMs, Heavy RDLs, Heavy Abs, and all lifts over 80% will occur on this day. Thursday will be Depth Jumps, Dynamic Box Squats, light posterior chain work, and bodyweight abdominal work.

(2) ALL pressing work will be done on Firday

(3) NO extensions of any sort. This is from Glenn Buechlein. One can learn to grove Tate Presses, Rolling Extensions, Pushdowns, and JM Presses in a way that allows one to handle an absurd amount of weight without adding a pound to their bench. This pretty much happens to me every time without exception when I try to do extension exercises.

(4) NO dumbbell pressing. It has become painfully obvious to me that Dumbbell Pressing has very little carryover to barbell pressing for me. A 30 pound gain in a 10RM for Dumbbell Pressing can now, for me, result in as little as a 10 pound gain for my Barbell Bench Press.

(4) Never miss a weight once.

(5) Either leave with a new Max, a new 3RM, or a new 5RM. Never leave the gym until this happens. I can’t be as accepting of failure with my bench training. I need to condition myself to die before I leave the gym without a PR.

I have gone too long without major progress so I figure I am fucking due, and if I don’t take advantage of that I can’t live with myself.

(6) No Dynamic Effort Deadlifts. I can pull 315 with a good sized set of chains pretty damn fast but I can only deadlift 475 for 2 gruelingly slow reps. These just don’t help me so I need to leave them behind.

(7) Do the same Max Effort Bench Exercise for 2 weeks in a row. I’m not a fucking Advanced Trainee. I do NOT need to cycle Max Effort Bench Exercises every goddamn week. The only reason I cycle Max Effort Lower Body Exercises ever week is because I can’t deadlift 2 weeks in a row (you think I’d be smart enough not to pull 2 days in a row…).

352

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
12/05/2008 - Repetition Upper Body

Flat Bench Press:
45X5
95X3
135X3
185X3
225X14 RP

CGBP:
195X10 RP

EZ-Bar Curl:
115X5
125X5
135X5
115X7
75X21

Reverse Grip EZ Preacher:
75X10

Weighted Dips:
BWX5X2
75X5X2 or 3

This entire week of training has full on sucked. And it has sucked hard. I have sucked. No PRs today.

I don’t know if trying this whole rest-pause thing was a total failure or not. But it was defiantly not as productive as it should have been. I did move all of my lifts up except for my Military Press and Arnold Press. At first PRs were somewhat sizeable. I even got new stretch marks. Then PRs were small. Now PRs are non-existent.

Back to the drawing board. I picked up Glenn Buechlein 's “Tao of B” off Elitefts.com. He Benches once a week. Maybe it’s time for me to try Benching once a week. It’s something I’ve never done before, so it makes sense to try it.

Here’s my whole plan so everyone can either (1) Tell me right off if it’s good or sucks.
(2) Give me shit when I don’t follow it.

SUN - Max Effort Lower Body
MON - Upper Back + Arms
TUE - OFF
WED - OFF
THU - Dynamic Effort Lower Body
FRI - Max Effort Upper Body
SAT - OFF

Here are some rules I think I need to follow:

(1) Keep Sunday heavy and make Thursday light. Heavy GMs, Heavy RDLs, Heavy Abs, and all lifts over 80% will occur on this day. Thursday will be Depth Jumps, Dynamic Box Squats, light posterior chain work, and bodyweight abdominal work.

(2) ALL pressing work will be done on Firday

(3) NO extensions of any sort. This is from Glenn Buechlein. One can learn to grove Tate Presses, Rolling Extensions, Pushdowns, and JM Presses in a way that allows one to handle an absurd amount of weight without adding a pound to their bench. This pretty much happens to me every time without exception when I try to do extension exercises.

(4) NO dumbbell pressing. It has become painfully obvious to me that Dumbbell Pressing has very little carryover to barbell pressing for me. A 30 pound gain in a 10RM for Dumbbell Pressing can now, for me, result in as little as a 10 pound gain for my Barbell Bench Press.

(4) Never miss a weight once.

(5) Either leave with a new Max, a new 3RM, or a new 5RM. Never leave the gym until this happens. I can’t be as accepting of failure with my bench training. I need to condition myself to die before I leave the gym without a PR.

I have gone too long without major progress so I figure I am fucking due, and if I don’t take advantage of that I can’t live with myself.

(6) No Dynamic Effort Deadlifts. I can pull 315 with a good sized set of chains pretty damn fast but I can only deadlift 475 for 2 gruelingly slow reps. These just don’t help me so I need to leave them behind.

(7) Do the same Max Effort Bench Exercise for 2 weeks in a row. I’m not a fucking Advanced Trainee. I do NOT need to cycle Max Effort Bench Exercises every goddamn week. The only reason I cycle Max Effort Lower Body Exercises ever week is because I can’t deadlift 2 weeks in a row (you think I’d be smart enough not to pull 2 days in a row…).
[/quote]

This is looking really good.

Question about the “No extensions of any sort”, what will you do in place of these?

353

[quote]BlackLabel wrote:

Question about the “No extensions of any sort”, what will you do in place of these?[/quote]

Board Presses, Close-Grip Presses, Close Grip Inclines, Dips, Push-ups, Floor Presses, Military Presses, etc.

354

12/07/2008 - Max Effort Lower Body

Box Squat:
45X2
135X2
225X2
315X1
365X1
405X2 Missed 3rd Rep
405X2

Platform Sumo Deadlift:
225X3
315X3
315X11

Suitcase Deadlift:
135X1
185X1
225X1

45’ Hyper:
10 Reps

I might have done something else. Maybe a set of Dumbbell RDLs or something between Squats and Sumos.

No PRs other than doing 405 for a double twice instead of just once. Pretty good for 5 hours of sleep. It’s finals week. I think I could have gotten 3 reps if my form had been as good on the first set as it was on the second set. I fell forward and my stance was far to narrow. Still, the last rep of the last set was quite a grinder. It might have been up there in the 6-9 second range.

355

12/09/2008 - Upper Back + Arms

Barbell Row:
45X5
135X5
225X5
315X5
335X5

Dumbbell Row:
65X5
115X5
135X5
165X15
175X12

EZ-Bar Curl:
125X8
125X6 Drop Set to 75X20

Reverse Preacher:
75X4
45X20

Face Pull:
8 Plates X 10

Dumbbell Rows were strapless. I want 175X20.
I want it soon.

I will be alternating between Back Width workouts and Back Thickness workouts. This one was a Back Thickness workout.

On weeks that my Max Effort Lift is a Squat Variation I will work on Thickness. On weeks that my Max Effort Lift is a Deadlift variation I will work on Width.

On Thickness workouts I will focus on strapless Dumbbell Rows until I hit 175X20. 175 is all the weight my Dumbbell will hold. At this point I will change my goals for Thickness days.

On Width workouts I will focus on exercises that will help me progress to a 1-Arm Chin-up. Until I reach this goal, I can’t really consider myself to have a strong back. I can only consider myself to be good at Dumbbell Rows.

356

If you want to hit a OAC, I don’t think training it every other week is going to be the best method.

I got my best gains training it three times a week.

Day 1- Focus on 1 arm eccentric
Day 2- Focus on two arm concentric
Day 3- Focus on 1 arm concentric

357

[quote]Bloobird wrote:
If you want to hit a OAC, I don’t think training it every other week is going to be the best method.

I got my best gains training it three times a week.

Day 1- Focus on 1 arm eccentric
Day 2- Focus on two arm concentric
Day 3- Focus on 1 arm concentric[/quote]

I’ve trained my back frequently in the past, but lately it’s occurred to me that I really don’t need to train this strong point of mine more often than a week and that I can make sizable PRs every training session even if I only train the upper back once a week.

Even if this means it will take more time to get an OAC, I’m willing to do that so I can reserve some physical capital for increasing my powerlifting total.

358

[quote]FightingScott wrote:
Bloobird wrote:
If you want to hit a OAC, I don’t think training it every other week is going to be the best method.

I got my best gains training it three times a week.

Day 1- Focus on 1 arm eccentric
Day 2- Focus on two arm concentric
Day 3- Focus on 1 arm concentric

I’ve trained my back frequently in the past, but lately it’s occurred to me that I really don’t need to train this strong point of mine more often than a week and that I can make sizable PRs every training session even if I only train the upper back once a week.

Even if this means it will take more time to get an OAC, I’m willing to do that so I can reserve some physical capital for increasing my powerlifting total. [/quote]

Cool, I didn’t necessarily mean for you to change your training, just providing input :). You total always comes first.

359

12/11/2008 - Dynamic Effort Lower Body

Depth Broad Jumps:
4 sets of 4 jumps

Average Band Box Squat:
235X2X8

Dumbbell Lunge:
125X Not Sure But Not Many

45’ Back Raise:
BWX20X2

Pulldown Abs:
20X2

I think the Depth Jumps hurt my speed on the Box Squats. The reason I’m using Average Bands instead of light bands is that the Band Manual has a 12 week training cycle where, for those with a squat under 500lbs, you do 3 weeks of light, 3 weeks of average, 3 weeks of strong, then a 3 week deload before you test your Squat.

I have used Average Bands in the past and my speed has been better with them. Still, instead of pressing on to using the Blues I will defiantly cut this 12 week cycle short and either do a straight weight cycle or a light band cycle. Hell, I’ll have access to all sorts of cool shit for the next 3 weeks so I could do a Straight Weight Safety Squat Bar cycle or something crazy like that.

I also don’t really know what I’m doing with Depth Jumps. They were actually pretty hard on the knees and I’m not receiving any sort of physical or muscular signal that indicates they’ll help me at all. It just seems like JUMP OFF BOX - KILL KNEES - REPEAT. The box was only a foot high.

I also think this is the end for heavy dumbbell lunges. The weights I’m using are ridiculous in comparison to my squat and the choices I have are to either do Lunges with 115 and use good form but not get stronger or do lunges with 125s and flop all around the place.

I may just replace them with Leg Extensions when I’m at the college gym. At my home gym this winter and summer I’ve got access to specialty bars, a reverse hyper, a GHR, a Hack Squat, and a good Leg Press so I have a lot more options.

360

You might want to try reactive squats, broad jumps or hurdle/box jumps over depth jumps if you knees hurt.