[quote]
A whole bunch of great news, way to go![/quote]
More good.
Benched 315x2 this morning. Another PR.
Going to change my name to Oldman Powers.
[quote]whup wrote:
That’s impressive, good luck. I am interested in starting Sheiko in the future, and plan to bug you for info, if your willing. [/quote]
I’m looking forward to it, especially if I don’t have too much trouble recruiting spotters for squatting in the Holiday season.
Yeah I’m more than happy to help. Watching Wade Hooper’s videos training for worlds and the Quest Invitational can give you an idea of Sheiko-style training. Because he is one of the best in the world though he does a crazy amount of volume, at a very high intensity, 5 days a week. But I think that is the great thing about Sheiko, there are answers for how people should train at all different levels.
[quote]Bagger wrote:
[quote]
A whole bunch of great news, way to go![/quote]
More good.
Benched 315x2 this morning. Another PR.
Going to change my name to Oldman Powers.[/quote]
Haha, so when do you compete?
Week 5, Day 1 (Thursday, school gym)
Squat
1x5x225 (50%)
2x5x270 (60%)
5x5x315 (70%) [belted]
Bench
1x5x140
1x5x160
1x4x180
1x5x200
Pendlay Rows
1x5x135
1x5x155
1x6x175
1x12x145
Floor Skullcrushers (EZ-bar)
1x12x30
1x12x40
1x12x50
1x12x60
Lat Pulldowns (~V-bar)
1x10x84
1x10x108
1x7x132
Sumo Good Mornings
4x5x185
Side-Lying External Rotations
2x10x2.5lbs
Leg Lowering
5x8
I was snowed out yesterday (~15 inches) so this session was delayed by 1 day. Wasn’t able to make it to the regular gym today so I used the school gym.
Back in January when I was doing a 5x5 program (which didn’t work worth a shit) I worked up to 5x5x310 on squat. Today 5x5x315 was pretty difficult but I can squat about 70 pounds more raw than I could then. The fact that I can get a lot stronger without using heavier weights is pretty damn cool, praise Sheiko and praise volume!
Much better day on bench than last week. I really do think it was the massage right before my session that messed me up last week. Anyway I felt like I left a rep in the tank and my technique was MUCH tighter than last week. I’m still horribly weak on bench, but at least the technique is improving.
[quote]mrodock wrote:
Haha, so when do you compete?[/quote]
When my legs are as strong as yours. 
[quote]Bagger wrote:
[quote]mrodock wrote:
Haha, so when do you compete?[/quote]
When my legs are as strong as yours. :)[/quote]
Sheiko
Week 5, Day 2 (Saturday)
Deadlift
2x4x270 (50%)
1x3x325 (60%)
1x3x380 (70%)
9x2x430 (80%)
DB Triceps Extensions
1x10x20
1x10x25
1x10x30
1x10x35
2x10x30
Leg Lowering
4x10
Side-lying external rotation
2x10x2.5lbs
Hip Adduction Machine
1x15x95
1x10x95
Deadlifts felt really damn hard on the first set, then it got easier. Maybe I didn’t get my body primed well enough. Anyway I beat my 8 sets of 2 from 4 weeks ago so I figure that is good for something. Can’t believe how much my hands hurt today, it was kind of funny.
I plan to get in the deadlift suit (which will be altered to fit better) next week which should be fun.
Week 5, Day 3 (Sunday)
DB Incline Press (paused, neutral grip)
1x12x35
1x12x45
1x12x55
Squat
1x5x225 (50%)
2x4x270 (60%)
2x3x315 (70%) [belted]
5x3x340 (75%) [belted]
Pendlay Rows
4x8x145
Sumo Goodmornings (beltless)
4x5x185
Hammer Curls
1x12x30
1x10x30
Side-lying external rotations
2x12x2.5
Leg lowering
1x12
1x10
Wasn’t the easiest deadlifting and squatting on back to back days, but I made it through. My muscles can handle it a lot easier than my silly left hip. Glad I have more than 72 hours off!
There is some good lifting going on here. I feel guilty now, you have been dropping in my log giving me advice and complements, and this is the first time I have made an effort to read yours. I didn’t realize you were a sheiko man yourself, which makes a lot of sense considering the quality advice you have given me. How long exactly have you been training sheiko style?
[quote]VikingsAD28 wrote:
There is some good lifting going on here. I feel guilty now, you have been dropping in my log giving me advice and complements, and this is the first time I have made an effort to read yours. I didn’t realize you were a sheiko man yourself, which makes a lot of sense considering the quality advice you have given me. How long exactly have you been training sheiko style?[/quote]
Thanks man and absolutely no reason to feel guilty.
I have been training Sheiko-style since early March of this year. I followed a Sheiko protocol for bench until late June and realized I was spinning my wheels.
Most of what I have learned about Sheiko is from Eric Talmant’s seminar (I purchased the DVD’s). I like the Sheiko approach to the squat very much. I am playing with some different things with deadlift (upping intensity and keeping volume nearly the same without doing partial lifts), so we shall see how that plays out. In general though I think Boris Sheiko had a solid plan to take a novice lifter to a nationally and even internationally competitive lifter. Increase volume gradually over the course of ~6 years and keep intensity about the same, and once that isn’t getting the athlete stronger, raise intensity and potentially lower volume.
If there is one thing I have learned from Sheiko’s programs it is that deloading every 3 or 4 weeks is silly. It is not necessary if you have a properly designed program. By changing the volume and intensity each week you can work hard without kicking your ass too thoroughly. It is funny how the easier weeks of a volume block (1 and 2) are generally very difficult for me, and the harder weeks (3 and 4) are generally not as hard.
I am really interested in learning more about block periodization though.
Nice workouts, Mrodock.
[quote]VikingsAD28 wrote:
There is some good lifting going on here. I feel guilty now, you have been dropping in my log giving me advice and complements, and this is the first time I have made an effort to read yours. I didn’t realize you were a sheiko man yourself, which makes a lot of sense considering the quality advice you have given me. How long exactly have you been training sheiko style?[/quote]
I feel the same way… I ask and ask and ask… and hopefully one day I can give advice back.
Like always, your volume is crazy and I can’t wait till you max out again.
[quote]Phillip Wylie wrote:
Nice workouts, Mrodock. [/quote]
Thanks Phillip, looking forward to seeing your big total at the Arnold!
[quote]ALKoHoLiK wrote:
[quote]VikingsAD28 wrote:
There is some good lifting going on here. I feel guilty now, you have been dropping in my log giving me advice and complements, and this is the first time I have made an effort to read yours. I didn’t realize you were a sheiko man yourself, which makes a lot of sense considering the quality advice you have given me. How long exactly have you been training sheiko style?[/quote]
I feel the same way… I ask and ask and ask… and hopefully one day I can give advice back.
Like always, your volume is crazy and I can’t wait till you max out again.[/quote]
You could give a lot of people good advice RIGHT now. But this shit isn’t rocket science, you’ll figure out a good chunk of it before long.
I am really pumped to max again! After this meet I won’t max for about 5 months so I better savor it.
When I hit the 600 pound suited squat I swear it took me a month to fully recover from it.
Week 6, Day 1
Bench
1x5x125
1x5x145
1x5x165
1x3x185
1x5x205
Squat (cambered bar)
1x5x225 (50%)
2x4x270 (60%)
2x3x315 (70%)
5x2x360 (80%) [belted]
Floor Skullcrushers (EZ-bar)
1x12x45
1x12x55
1x16x65
Pendlay Rows
1x5x110
1x5x140
1x5x160
1x5x180
Squat (cambered bar)
1x3x250 (55%)
1x3x295 (65%)
4x3x340 (75%) [belted]
Sumo Goodmornings (beltless, cambered bar)
4x5x205
Side-lying external rotations
2x15x2.5
Lat Pulldowns (V-bar)
1x10x80
1x10x105
1x10x125
1x8x145
Leg lowering
3x10
I am really happy with this session. Bench went well even though the shoulder is still kind of screwy. Squats felt pretty difficult today. After my last set at 80% and then later at 75% I absolutely felt like another set would have been extremely difficult. I knew it would be difficult keeping up with the squatting with what I am doing on deadlift. No problem, I shall get through it and be stronger for it.
Bench plan leading up to the meet (provided my shoulder agrees)
Week 7, Day 1
Bench
1x4x140
1x4x165
1x2x190
215 (shoot for 4 reps, but try to leave a rep in the tank)
Week 8, Day 1
Shirted bench
work up to a paused 3RM
Week 9, Day 1
Shirted bench
work up to a paused 2RM (~10 more pounds than last week)
Week 10, Day 1
Shirted bench
work up to a paused 1RM (~15 more pounds than last week)
Week 11, Day 1 (10 days from meet)
Shirted bench
work up to ~90-92% of last week for a single
Week 12, Day 1 (3 days from meet)
off
Consider doing close grip bench with chains on Day 2 of weeks 7-11.
I asked Modi… and I also wanted to know if I could get your opinion on my DL form
I know it’s dark, I worked out late lastnight…
I watched it in Modi’s thread first, haha.
It is quite obvious you rely mostly on back strength for your deadlift. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think you could get some more out of your legs.
So my suggestion would be to initiate the pull with the hips slightly lower, and the torso slightly higher (focus on the chest feeling stretched, elongated). From there I want you to try to initiate the pull with your quads by using leg drive (push into the ground and in the direction you are looking while maintaining your balance point on the center of your foot). While you are breaking the bar off the floor keep the upper back extremely rigid so that it does not fold. You have a very strong lockout so if you can improve your strength off the floor I think you will be pulling 500+ in fairly short order.
The other thing is I would prefer you get into a position that is very close to your ultimate pulling position and then if you want to push off slightly that is fine. But changing body angles dramatically right before initiating the pull can lead to less precision.
Next time you take video I would like to see some warm-up sets along with your top set(s).
I would really encourage you to do Kelso shrugs, I highly recommend Paul Kelso’s shrug book. Lay on an incline bench and with a barbell do shrugs where you retract and depress the scapula. That should help you maintain your upper back arch.
I would read the deadlift chapter in the book Starting Strength if you have access to it.
I think it is very possible your leverages would improve with a semi-sumo stance. You can use your back a ton, but still get some legs and hips into it. See below for an example you’ve probably seen before:
One other tip, watch videos of a lot of good pullers, especially good pullers who don’t have insane leverages. Sometimes someone can have such good leverages that they can almost cheat the system.
I am finishing my last final now (take-home exam) so once I am done with that (tonight or tomorrow) I will review some notes and let you know if I have any more feedback or any alterations to the feedback I have given you.
Thanks a lot MroDock.
I know my back is my strong point as that is something I’ve tried to work the hell up since I broke it. I will try to get lower, however I really thought I was getting lower than normal.
Fuck
[quote]ALKoHoLiK wrote:
Thanks a lot MroDock.
I know my back is my strong point as that is something I’ve tried to work the hell up since I broke it. I will try to get lower, however I really thought I was getting lower than normal.
Fuck[/quote]
The problem is not how low you get, the problem is how low you are when the bar breaks the ground. If you are utilizing leg drive correctly then the bar will break the ground while your hips have raised very very little. Your torso angle should not change as you initiate the pull and then break the bar off the ground. If you look closely, your torso angle changes quite a bit during this period of time.