Hawai'i's Training Log

Training Logs
1

First some info.
19 years old.
5’8 maybe 5’9 i dont know.

Weight around 170 right now, compete collegiately in wrestling at 157. Going to school on the east coast that has a decent gym and at home I work out at 24hr fitness which is decent and the YMCA which is amazing. I follow Westside for four days of the week. DE upper and lower, ME upper and lower. In the middle of the week I also do an OL/power day.

Best lifts:
Bench 225
Squat 385 double off a parallel box
Deadlift 335 without chalk or straps. 385 with straps(stopped using straps completely on my deadlift.
Push press 195 single
powerclean 195 double
snatch 145
front squat 225

My typical week.
Mondays
ME squat day.
Ill qork up to my max and then at that weight perform 3-6 sets of doubles and singles.
Ill then do speed deadlifts. Ill do six singles after warming up.
Some grip training and ab stability.

Tuesdays I do my DE bench day.
Ill do 7 sets of three at 165-185 depending how good my bar speed is that day.
Heavy tricep work consisting of rack presses or board presses. Normally at or above my 3rm of my bench.
Then I do my heavy lat work. (BOR’s, heavy dumbell rows, pulldowns)

Wednesdays is my Ol/ power day.
I start with powercleans and work my way up to my max and perform three sets at that weight.
Then I move on to my front squat. I try to do 5 sets of heavy triples at this weight.
Then my push press where I increase in weight from 135 to my max.
I finish up with snatch doubles and for my ab stability I normally do overhead squats.

Thursdays is my DE squat day.
I either work at 315 with triples or I will work up to 265 or 275 with light bands. Normally on this day I use a slightly lower than parallel box.
I work the posterior chain with either heavy good mornings or RDL’s/Stiff leg deadlifts.
Heavy weighted situps and static holds finish this day for me.

Fridays are my ME bench day.
Work up to my max single and do three sets at my max.
Then I do shoulder work with lateral raises or OHP.
This is normally my easiest day after my max work.

My goals are to stay with in 15 pounds of my wrestling weight while still improving. I have been on this altered westside template since early march and have seen good and steady gains. My maxs jumped in all lifts. I went up 75 pounds in the box squat, 40 pounds in the bench and 20 pounds in the deadlift.

My summer goals are to hit raw lifts in the big three at a 265 bench, 425 squat, and 375 deadlift. I have other smaller goals on other lifts.

My diet is pretty clean. I follow a modified zone diet. I eat lots of white meats with some reds mixed in. A lot of good fats and solid carbs(veggies, fruits, potatos). I’m a little soft at around 12 percent right now. At preseason certs I will most likely be at or around 9 percent and weigh around 165. It will be an easy drop to 157…

2

How many inches tall is the box? If it is any higher than 8", chances are you aren’t going to parallel, which would explain why you have a higher squat than your deadlift.

Also, why aren’t you using chalk?

Why are you training westside? Most people on this board will tell you that you are too weak and inexperienced to train westside.

How long have you been lifting?

3

I use a ten inch box. And I can guarantee you I’m at parallel because the tops of my quads are beneath my hip joint.
My squat is higher than my deadlift because my deadlift strength exceeds my grip strength. I can move heavier weights with straps but my grip isnt at that level yet.

I don’t use chalk because I’m not training to be a powerlifter. My ultimate goal for the next three years is to grow into my weight class and be an All-American. I don’t get grip aids in wrestling so why should I have them in lifting right now?

And what’s wrong with following the westside template? It consistently produces good results and it has been giving me good results. Why not continue a program that works?
I’ve been lifting since I was fourteen and until I was seventeen I did the usual isolation type workouts and I stalled.

No lifts progressed at all. I didn’t squat. I didnt max at benching. I just did my thing and made no progress. When i was 17 I found sherdog and started following the Bill Starr 5x5 up until the end of my wrestling season. Now that I can lift as often and as hard as I like, I started following the Westside template.

4

If the top of your quads are beneath your hip joint, you are above parallel. Parallel means the top of your knee is above the crease at the top of the hip. This is much lower than most people think. I am your height, and I have to use an 8" box to achieve parallel.

Chalk isn’t a grip aid. It just keeps your hands dry. It helps you psychologically, because your body won’t apply maximal force if if thinks there might be any slippage in the hands. I wouldn’t worry about chalk becoming a crutch.

I have no experience with Westside, so I can’t comment any farther on that, except that most people start using it before they are ready.

5

What kind of program are you following? And what school are you at in Pa? I saw you’re trying to qualify for collegiate nationals.

6

The program in my log is one that I put together over the course of a year through incremental changes as I learned more about myself. It is not based or inspired by any famous program. I basically have two lower body days and two upper body days per week, and beyond that I train what I feel is needed.

7

TOday was a good day.
ME lower body day.
Worked up and completed two singles at 405. a personal best for me.
Did speed deadlifts and worked up to 355 without straps or a belt. A little chalk, like Gael mentioned, but that was it.
Did some heavy weighted situps and ab stability work and called it a day.

8

Nice Squat PR! Feels good, doesn’t it? 4 plates is impressive.

Good choice on the chalk. Rock climbers have vice-like grips, and chalk doesn’t seem to hurt them any.

9

it was a really great day for me lol. just trying to keep progressing.

10

felt horrible yesterday and didnt make it in to the gym. just got back now from my ol/power day.
warming up i still felt kinda crappy but i managed to salvage a semi decent workout.

started off with powercleans and worked my way up to 205 which was pretty good.
then i did snatch high pulls at 135 and then snatches which i worked up to 135. then went to my front squat and finished at 225. my push press stalled at 185 yet again. all in all it was an okay workout.

schools is finishing up for me so i figured i would post some summer goals here. I have a sticky on my desktop that has goals on them but i already exceeded a few so its time for some revamping.

When i return to school i will:
Bench 265
I will squat 455
i will deadlift 375-405
i will push press 225
i will power clean 225
i will snatch 175
i will front squat 255

11

i was just rereading my box height. What i meant to say is that the top of my quads are above my hip joint. small clarification that goes a long way.

12

today i got to the gym and didnt have my training partner with me since he was studying for exams. i was supposed to me bench today but im doing it tomorrow. so today i got in warmed up and looked around and just felt like deadlifting.
warmed and did 6 sets. triple triple double single single single.

Pulled 365 which is what i was pulling with straps a few months ago. Just used a little chalk and its made all the difference. did good mornings and GHR’s, heavy weighted situps then went to wrestling and rolled around for an hour. not necessarily the workout i had planned but it still had some plusses

13

still had a somewhat crappy workout yesterday.
went in still feeling under the weather. did my ME bench day.
worked up to 225 and did two singles and a double.
rack press at 245. 4 sets of 3.
heavy front raises and then face fulls.
rounded it up with some dips and then dipsetted out of there. taking my usual sunday off and going in for a heavy squat day tomorrow hoping to feel better.

14

first good workout in almost a week.
me squat day. did my usual warmups and finished with 3 triples at 385 and two singles and a double at 405. a personal best for me.
did my deadlifting as well.
worked up to singles at 365. another PR. did my heavy ab work and went back to the dorms.

15

just got back from a 10 day hunting and fishing trip upstate. getting back in the gym this afternoon. the little 10 day “deload” is either gonna go really well or really bad. we’ll see.

16

now that im home and back on myschedule, im about to head back into the gym again. its good to be back. ive been biting at the bit. ME squat today.

17

Hit 425 oiff a parallel box and a 385 dl. two personal bests

18

tuesday was anormal workout. nothing spectacular. but i hit a 205 clean, 155 snatch. not a bad day.