Thanks UN42.
sfp - I wasn’t saying “woe is me”. I was pointing out the my millies are actually pretty good. Likewise, given my millie max and overall size, my bench should be more. I don’t feel good about my bench max. I am not embarrassed by it. But, until I hit 4 plates a side, I am, personally, not going to feel good about it.
Interesting finding today. My wife said that she found a chart, online, where you could put in your height and your wrist measurement and it will tell you whether your body frame is small, medium or large. According to it, my frame is medium…though right on the cusp of large. I wouldn’t have guessed that.
Yeah, I’m a “small” build. I should probably weigh about 155 max according to the bone stats, but I’m 40lbs over that and I should gain about 15lbs cause there is other genetics that come into play. The stats also say I’m morbidly obese at my current weight. Don’t fall into the trap of “standards” because they simply don’t apply to the insane.
Otherwise, I enjoyed your July 4th tribute and deload tribulations. My IT’s flare up constantly and I swear the pain will last forever, but it subsides after a 3 or 4 days and I’m back to tearing them up again. Working hamstring and IT flexibility has helped shorten the recovery lately.
Get down on that bench and make it happen!
Bench Max Day -
OP - I took your advice and just went after it. Fugly rep, but the damned thing went up!
Static Stretching
Bench
barx15x2
95x10
135x8
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1
345x1
365x1 - PR +10# - ugly rep…but a successful one.
Tricep Pushdowns
100x10
130x10
160x10x2
Facepulls
110x10x3
Decided to forego the additional bench work and any other tricep work, to, hopefully, save my ahoulders and triceps for Thursday. Gonna feel out a max attempt on millies.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
Bench Max Day -
OP - I took your advice and just went after it. Fugly rep, but the damned thing went up!
Static Stretching
Bench
barx15x2
95x10
135x8
185x5
225x3
275x2
315x1
345x1
365x1 - PR +10# - ugly rep…but a successful one.
Tricep Pushdowns
100x10
130x10
160x10x2
Facepulls
110x10x3
Decided to forego the additional bench work and any other tricep work, to, hopefully, save my ahoulders and triceps for Thursday. Gonna feel out a max attempt on millies.[/quote]
Is it me, or does anyone else notice at least another 10# out of this man!!! Nice Work!!!
Nice work on the bench, Strik!
Good bench! Now once you get the 4 plates, what? Looking at entering some comps maybe? BTW, I’ve got small wrist and ankles, too. Been told my “frame” ain’t large by docs. Darn, guess I’ll just have to learn to live with it.
Nice!!!
Ugly = still lifted!
I take it the deload is over?
Sweet. Very nice work.
Thanks all!
SteelyOne, you are correct. Pretty don’t count!
Bulldog - lol…yep. The deload is over. It was just a 6 day deload 
Never actually deloaded on bench.
Harry - I ain’t sweatin’ the frame game. I just thought it was interesting. As to what comes after 405#, that is a good question. I don’t foresee any comps unless I get to where I can squat and dead again. I just don’t lift near enough to be a BOF.
RL - I think there were a few more #s there. They will be there next time.
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]marlboroman wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
dont deload weeks suck?[/quote]
Yes sir they do. I hate them and I am not good at them. But I do know that I need them. My advanced age demands it.
Of course, that might be why my progress was so slow, when I was younger. We used to do the same basic workout every Mon., Wed. and Fri. And every one of those workouts included a million sets of bench, going to max. Damn I was dumb![/quote]
I hear ya dude…I know that I need deload weeks , but I cant seem to figure out what works best . I was even thinking of taking every deload week off the rest of the summer , but after the last off week , I think not . felt too stale coming back . [/quote]
I agree completely. I am still trying to find the right recipe for a deload. Too little and I come back feeling weak and off. Too much and I don’t get enough recovery.
[/quote]
What about doing something completely different like conditioning drills or (gasp) crossfit style circuits. Its a deload but can be fun at the same time. It can also kick your ass. We’ve started adding conditioning stuff at the end of our training and make it a contest. Weight is light and volume is high. It kills me but I’m driven to win. If I get chewed about crossfit, it wasnt’ me:)
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]marlboroman wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
dont deload weeks suck?[/quote]
Yes sir they do. I hate them and I am not good at them. But I do know that I need them. My advanced age demands it.
Of course, that might be why my progress was so slow, when I was younger. We used to do the same basic workout every Mon., Wed. and Fri. And every one of those workouts included a million sets of bench, going to max. Damn I was dumb![/quote]
I hear ya dude…I know that I need deload weeks , but I cant seem to figure out what works best . I was even thinking of taking every deload week off the rest of the summer , but after the last off week , I think not . felt too stale coming back . [/quote]
I agree completely. I am still trying to find the right recipe for a deload. Too little and I come back feeling weak and off. Too much and I don’t get enough recovery.
[/quote]
What about doing something completely different like conditioning drills or (gasp) crossfit style circuits. Its a deload but can be fun at the same time. It can also kick your ass. We’ve started adding conditioning stuff at the end of our training and make it a contest. Weight is light and volume is high. It kills me but I’m driven to win. If I get chewed about crossfit, it wasnt’ me:)[/quote]
For delaod weeks I usually will do 2 or 3 full body days, using different lifts than the 4 main lifts.
My big 4 are TBDL, Bench, Box Squat and Mil Press. For deload I have used TBDL with the raised handles, leg press, regular narrow(er) stance squats, dips, DB bench and presses etc. No real plan. Just go get enough to work up a sweat and not feel like a total slacker.
I don’t always deload a full week… sometimes just 5 or 6 days. It just depends on what the bigger schedule of work/life has in store. For example, if I am on night shifts when the week of deload is to end, I start back up early, before the night shifts.
LA
[quote]LA wrote:
[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]marlboroman wrote:
[quote]LittleStrick wrote:
[quote]bulldog9899 wrote:
dont deload weeks suck?[/quote]
Yes sir they do. I hate them and I am not good at them. But I do know that I need them. My advanced age demands it.
Of course, that might be why my progress was so slow, when I was younger. We used to do the same basic workout every Mon., Wed. and Fri. And every one of those workouts included a million sets of bench, going to max. Damn I was dumb![/quote]
I hear ya dude…I know that I need deload weeks , but I cant seem to figure out what works best . I was even thinking of taking every deload week off the rest of the summer , but after the last off week , I think not . felt too stale coming back . [/quote]
I agree completely. I am still trying to find the right recipe for a deload. Too little and I come back feeling weak and off. Too much and I don’t get enough recovery.
[/quote]
What about doing something completely different like conditioning drills or (gasp) crossfit style circuits. Its a deload but can be fun at the same time. It can also kick your ass. We’ve started adding conditioning stuff at the end of our training and make it a contest. Weight is light and volume is high. It kills me but I’m driven to win. If I get chewed about crossfit, it wasnt’ me:)[/quote]
For delaod weeks I usually will do 2 or 3 full body days, using different lifts than the 4 main lifts.
My big 4 are TBDL, Bench, Box Squat and Mil Press. For deload I have used TBDL with the raised handles, leg press, regular narrow(er) stance squats, dips, DB bench and presses etc. No real plan. Just go get enough to work up a sweat and not feel like a total slacker.
I don’t always deload a full week… sometimes just 5 or 6 days. It just depends on what the bigger schedule of work/life has in store. For example, if I am on night shifts when the week of deload is to end, I start back up early, before the night shifts.
LA
[/quote]
Ouroboro - crossfit? I thought that had something to do with someone one getting sized for clothes of the opposite sex!? Sorry…that is the best I could come up with
LA - thanks for dropping by. I have played with several deload ideas. Some are better than others…obviously. This last one seemed to work fairly well. I seem to do better if I don’t lock my deloads into a hard pattern of every 4th week, 5th week, 3rd or what have you. Throwing in partial deloads, when I feel like I need it, is working…for know.
This past go, I lifted heavy on Bench, last Sunday. Then I went moderate weights for the rest of the week, as a deload. Then stayed heavy on bench for the max attempt, yesterday. Not taking the whole cycle as a deload seemed to keep me better primed.
I would throw in more variance in exercises, while deloading, but I am limited by what resources I have. I am limited on bars to straight and EZ curl. And, unfortunately, my dumbbells don’t go heavy enough for anything except arm work. It worked, though. So I am not complaining.
Great benching. Hope the back is feeling better.
Sometimes you just gotta get past the mental block with a fugly lift, then it gets better.
I didn’t think it was fugly at all, just slightly ugly - slugly.
Just kidding - congrats, great lifting.
That 365 looked pretty easy to me. I’d say you were good for at least another 10lbs. Way to go, pr’s are sweet.
nice work , lots of barspeed.
maybe you want to try random shit on your deload.
you could do a few sets of Money moves- Bench, Dead, Squat OH press for your 531 at say 60% or 70%
and then do some barbell complexes, very light DB swings or snatches for time,
or dare I say pushups- having my extended gym-less deload right now I have to say the volume of pushups
has made my shoulder’s feel tons better.
or go off the deep end and deload with silly shit like weighted air humps
Thanks, Steve, OP, SG. Back was killing me after bench. I was arching as hard as I could…trying to shave every cm off my ROM.
And PRs are indeed sweet. Had that not gone, I would have been in a foul mood.
And for sfp…I feel better about my bench, now. 365# was a big milestone for me…getting to add a 25#er to each side. Getting closer to good…for me.
Thanks, Kevin. I really do need to do pushups. I weigh so damned much, though, that they aren’t much of a back off exercise
Next deload will be the last week of July. Since I will be out of town, with the family, I am hoping to get a couple of gym visits in. If I get 2 in, 1 will be at a hotel fitness center. Probably nothing more than a universal. But, at least, it will put some stress on me. The 2nd place is a Y, and it has good facilities.