[quote]LoRez wrote:
Here’s a really open-ended question: How did you get so strong?
I saw earlier in your log that you started training about 4 years ago.
What was your background before you started? How strong were you to begin with? What mistakes would you have avoided along the way? Have you always trained basically the same way you do now?[/quote]
I could seriously write pages and pages on the question you just asked me. I’ll try to keep this short, sweet and to the point.
Athletic background:
Hockey, Football, Wrestling, Kickboxing, Shotokan/Kyokushin Karate, Judo/Jiu Jitsu
How strong was I to begin with:
The first time I touched a barbell was at the beginning of 9th grade football. I was 14 years old and around 5’6’’ 215lbs. I squatted to 295 to a depth that was acceptable in football (this was probably a couple inches high), I benched 155lbs with a pause and I deadlifted 305lbs with a hitch. It was funny how they were super strict about bench press but you could squat and deadlift like shit and that was fine with them hahaha. Football coaches… Anyway, I was always pretty strong and usually a good deal bigger than other people.
Major mistakes:
Getting fat, cutting too fast, not doing enough conditioning work, not doing enough mobility work, not doing enough myofascial release work, trying to use pre-written programs, BEING AFRAID OF FAILING WITH HEAVY WEIGHTS!!!
What I do now:
Split:
Monday- Bench Press Day
Tuesday- Squat Day
Friday- OHP/Assistance Day
Saturday-Deadlift Day
How I set up my training sessions:
I use the same basic approach for all training days. I’ll use bench press day as an example:
Bench Press
(Week I) Work up to 5rm
(Week II) Work up to 3rm
(Week III)Work up to 2rm
The most important thing here is to try and beat your calculated 1rm each time you bench. For example, if I benched 315x5 on week I, my calculated 1rm would be 367lbs, so on week II I would have to bench 335x3 for a calculated 1rm of 368 to beat it. I always take the smallest PR possible, even if it’s just 1lb. Sometimes hitting this PR is super easy, sometimes it’s not.
I will follow up this heavy set with some drop sets for volume. I will do either 3x5-8@80% of the top weight I used that day (that would be 80% of my 5rm on week I, 80% of my 3rm on week 2 and 80% of my 2rm on week 3)or; if I am close to a meet, I will do 10 paused singles @ 80% and I’ll do 1 every minute on the minute.
Accessory Work:
I really just do what is difficult for me at the moment. This way I’m always addressing my weak points. I also like to do a lot of supersets for accessory work. For a bench day this could be dumbbell presses superset with dumbbell rows, barbell rows superset with narrow grip bench presses, etc… There is no specific weight or rep schedule here. I just do it until I’m torn up. If I still have some time I’ll do some bodybuilding movements like curls, tri pushdowns or delt raises after this.
Conditioning Work:
Sometimes I will incorporate this into my accessory work by doing strongman moving events instead of static strength lifts. I also rely on a lot of kickboxing training (mostly heavy bag work) for this. I’ll do HIIT on the heavy bag or sometimes I’ll swing a sledge hammer at a big tire for time. This has helped me lose a lot of fat in the past year. I’m looking leaner and leaner all the time and have dropped 50lbs without losing ANY strength. I actually improved my lifts somewhat during this time period.
Diet:
I don’t eat a lot for being as big as I am. I’m just genetically a big dude. I eat around 3,000cals a day and I don’t really focus on the macros. I eat plenty of protein though. When I add it up it is usually between 250-300grams per day.
Misc:
I also don’t like to do a lot of accessory work for my deadlift. I’ve found that doing some kettlebell swings and weighted ab wheel roll outs after pulling is completely sufficient for increasing my pull.
I will cycle my main lifts if I’m far out from a powerlifting meet. (i.e. block pulls, deficit deadlift, deadlift w/ chains, sumo deadlift) When I do this, I’ll change lifts every 3 weeks
I only deload if I feel like I need to
If I am close to a powerlifting meet, I will replace my ohp day with something closer to bench press (bench w/ chains, incline bench, narrow grip bench, etc…)
That’s basically it. It all seemed so simple until I wrote it down lol. If you’re interested in a template just send me a PM with your current training maxes and a couple videos of your lifts so I can identify your weak spots. Thanks for the interest in my training!
