[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
strict barbell curls
135x10 + 2 rep PR
[/quote]
Meatster-- sounds like your elbows are squeakin’! You might need more EVOO and/or fish oil in your diet (or some 5w-30)
[quote]giterdone wrote:
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
so… i’ve decided that if i have a chance in hell at hitting the 500x20 squat and deadlift i’m going to have to greatly increase my conditioning. I’m going to move my training around to accomodate some conditioning work. Right now we train three days a week. monday is bench day, wendsday is squat/deadlift and saturday is accessory day.
Starting next week i’m going to drop my lifting to two days a week and split the accessory work between the bench and deadlift/squat days. Saturday will be dedicated soley to conditioning. I’m going to take the guys to a park nearby.
There’s plenty of fields and tall hills. We are going to take my sled and weighted vest to do some hill sprints and sled pulls. through the week i’ll do light conditioning work as well.
i get winded walking across the parking lot to the gym:)[/quote]
Do you anticipate continuing to hit PRs at the same pace when training 2 days week? Or is this more of a conditioning phase amd strength gains will temporarily slow down?
[/quote]
i’m only giving up the accessory day. my ME days will stay the same and just split the accessory stuff up between the two. i’m hoping that with the added rest days and being in better shape, I’ll get more PR’s. I know that goes against T-Nation protocol but i get bigger and stronger by getting plenty of rest.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
strict barbell curls
135x10 + 2 rep PR
[/quote]
Meatster-- sounds like your elbows are squeakin’! You might need more EVOO and/or fish oil in your diet (or some 5w-30)[/quote]
i guess that’s what happens when you run out of fish oil.
a few quarts low…
came into the gym sore as shit. we did our last official accessory day yesterday. my lats, shoulders , bicep and forearms were tore up. as a result, i had a hard time lowering the bar under control tonight.
needed to get a good warmup before hitting the boards tonight.
full ROM bench- touch and go.
ox20
135x20
225x20
315x16
4 board bench press- feet up, no liftoff, paused
405x1
475x1
535x1 -hit the uprights with this weight last week. smoked it this week. +20lb PR
bench press- with competition setup and press command
135x1
225x1
315x1
405x1
455x1- something very interesting happened on this set. my lats, shoulder and entire arms are extremely fatigued and sore. as a result, lowering the weight under control was pretty much not happening. i lowered the weight and it basically flopped down on my chest. in the past when that happened with moderate weight, the lift was pretty much over. this time i muscled the weight right off my chest to full lockout. i’m thinking that all the heavy dips and strict overhead pressing has really increased my power throughout the entire stroke of my bench. in the past, i’ve relied on my speed off the chest to get me to lockout. now i’m getting strong through the entire stroke. it’s nice to actually see your hard work paying off.
dips- since my upper body is basically fried i stuck with light weight and just did reps until i got bored.
BW x 20
BW+90lbs x 23
BW+45lbs x 33
good night considering…
Hey MM any tips on avoiding injuries when lifting heavy? I’m young, still in college, but I seem to hurting my body with the heavy lifting. Not that it would stop me, but it surprises me considering my age and how well I eat.
For example today I tested my 1RM squat, which I’ve never done before, and now my left side is hurting, feels like I strained around the oblique/serratus area. Tuesday when I was doing DB bench I seemed to have pulled something on my inner thigh, nothing serious and it was gone within 2 days but still.
Also my left forearm hurts during EZ-bar curls/preacher curls and occasionally there’s some wrist pain as well.
Anyway any advice is appreciated. And congrats on all the progress you’ve made.
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
Hey MM any tips on avoiding injuries when lifting heavy? I’m young, still in college, but I seem to hurting my body with the heavy lifting. Not that it would stop me, but it surprises me considering my age and how well I eat.
For example today I tested my 1RM squat, which I’ve never done before, and now my left side is hurting, feels like I strained around the oblique/serratus area. Tuesday when I was doing DB bench I seemed to have pulled something on my inner thigh, nothing serious and it was gone within 2 days but still.
Also my left forearm hurts during EZ-bar curls/preacher curls and occasionally there’s some wrist pain as well.
Anyway any advice is appreciated. And congrats on all the progress you’ve made. [/quote]
i do believe you have a few different things going on. first off, if strength is a concern of yours, rest should be at the top of your list. recovery time is needed to get stronger and bigger. I feel that most people train too many times a week with not enough recovery time. If one is training light for higher reps, recovery time is less.
so some of your issues may be that you aren’t recovering properly between training sessions.
you also mentioned that you’ve never tested a 1 rm on squat before. when one attempts a 1 rm the entire body is put under a great deal of strain. if it’s not used to that, injuries can happen. overtime you will strengthen your entire body and these things won’t happen as often… but they still will happen. anytime you push yourself to the limits injuries can and will happen. the best you can do is keep your nutrition in check, get plenty of rest between sessions and be sure to train in such a way that you are hitting everything. especially the core.
as for the arms hurting from EZ curls… well they suck. the arms aren’t meant to be curled while being fixed to a bar. your best bet is to do unilateral work for the biceps and the triceps. i throw in barbell curls and things like skull crushers every once in awhile but overtime your elbows, forearms and wrists take a beating.
just stay with it and over time your body will adapt to the stress. the things you are mentioning are pretty common. when i think about injuries, i think about muscle tears and dislocations from lifting. your injuries just come with the territory and with proper training and rest will lessen.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
i do believe you have a few different things going on. first off, if strength is a concern of yours, rest should be at the top of your list. recovery time is needed to get stronger and bigger. I feel that most people train too many times a week with not enough recovery time. If one is training light for higher reps, recovery time is less.
so some of your issues may be that you aren’t recovering properly between training sessions.
you also mentioned that you’ve never tested a 1 rm on squat before. when one attempts a 1 rm the entire body is put under a great deal of strain. if it’s not used to that, injuries can happen. overtime you will strengthen your entire body and these things won’t happen as often… but they still will happen. anytime you push yourself to the limits injuries can and will happen. the best you can do is keep your nutrition in check, get plenty of rest between sessions and be sure to train in such a way that you are hitting everything. especially the core.
as for the arms hurting from EZ curls… well they suck. the arms aren’t meant to be curled while being fixed to a bar. your best bet is to do unilateral work for the biceps and the triceps. i throw in barbell curls and things like skull crushers every once in awhile but overtime your elbows, forearms and wrists take a beating.
just stay with it and over time your body will adapt to the stress. the things you are mentioning are pretty common. when i think about injuries, i think about muscle tears and dislocations from lifting. your injuries just come with the territory and with proper training and rest will lessen.
[/quote]
Thanks man. Regarding my rest/training…I train 4x/week now with everything getting hit twice per week (except legs…thighs get once per week and calves get 4 times per week). Generally most exercises get 1-3 top sets…most main exercises get 1 heavy set followed by one lighter set (both near/to failure). Sleep at college was average but now that I’m home it’s good. What do you typically think is a good amount of recovery to have?
I did notice a benefit from switching to EZ-bar curls from BB curls, but I guess it’s still not great.
I am concerned with strength but more so with size (although I’m always trying to gain strength to get the size). A few months ago I went for a 1RM floor press and I was new to the exercise so I brought my shoulder forward and fucked it up. I’ve stuck with DB’s since then and it finally seems better so I’m planning on testing my 1RM bench tomorrow morning. I’m kind of worried though to be honest.
I haven’t trained my core directly in awhile either…trying to avoid gaining much size in that area I guess. I’m about to start cutting though so maybe I’ll throw it in again. I’m guessing you stick with basics like leg raises and whatnot?
[quote]pumped340 wrote:
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
i do believe you have a few different things going on. first off, if strength is a concern of yours, rest should be at the top of your list. recovery time is needed to get stronger and bigger. I feel that most people train too many times a week with not enough recovery time. If one is training light for higher reps, recovery time is less.
so some of your issues may be that you aren’t recovering properly between training sessions.
you also mentioned that you’ve never tested a 1 rm on squat before. when one attempts a 1 rm the entire body is put under a great deal of strain. if it’s not used to that, injuries can happen. overtime you will strengthen your entire body and these things won’t happen as often… but they still will happen. anytime you push yourself to the limits injuries can and will happen. the best you can do is keep your nutrition in check, get plenty of rest between sessions and be sure to train in such a way that you are hitting everything. especially the core.
as for the arms hurting from EZ curls… well they suck. the arms aren’t meant to be curled while being fixed to a bar. your best bet is to do unilateral work for the biceps and the triceps. i throw in barbell curls and things like skull crushers every once in awhile but overtime your elbows, forearms and wrists take a beating.
just stay with it and over time your body will adapt to the stress. the things you are mentioning are pretty common. when i think about injuries, i think about muscle tears and dislocations from lifting. your injuries just come with the territory and with proper training and rest will lessen.
[/quote]
Thanks man. Regarding my rest/training…I train 4x/week now with everything getting hit twice per week (except legs…thighs get once per week and calves get 4 times per week). Generally most exercises get 1-3 top sets…most main exercises get 1 heavy set followed by one lighter set (both near/to failure). Sleep at college was average but now that I’m home it’s good. What do you typically think is a good amount of recovery to have?
I did notice a benefit from switching to EZ-bar curls from BB curls, but I guess it’s still not great.
I am concerned with strength but more so with size (although I’m always trying to gain strength to get the size). A few months ago I went for a 1RM floor press and I was new to the exercise so I brought my shoulder forward and fucked it up. I’ve stuck with DB’s since then and it finally seems better so I’m planning on testing my 1RM bench tomorrow morning. I’m kind of worried though to be honest.
I haven’t trained my core directly in awhile either…trying to avoid gaining much size in that area I guess. I’m about to start cutting though so maybe I’ll throw it in again. I’m guessing you stick with basics like leg raises and whatnot?[/quote]
A couple of things guy:
A: Why would you try a 1RM with an excercise that you just started. I think this is a no brainer and Natural Selection is just begging for you.
B: If you want to get strong focus on 5-7 rep range and leave the 1RM stuff alone. Pushing weight up with all your body ONCE does not Conan build.
C: If you have no size/strength or significan development, you might want to focus on once per week on the bodypart splits. Especially if you’re going heavy. I think this is what MM was trying to tell you.
If you disagree or whatever send me a PM.
/hijack sorry MM
[quote]Loudog75 wrote:
A couple of things guy:
A: Why would you try a 1RM with an excercise that you just started. I think this is a no brainer and Natural Selection is just begging for you.
B: If you want to get strong focus on 5-7 rep range and leave the 1RM stuff alone. Pushing weight up with all your body ONCE does not Conan build.
[/quote]
A: I had been doing it for about 3 weeks and it’s really not such a new exercise compared to bench. It was in the Dave Tate program I was doing.
B: I do focus on that rep range and 8-12 or so as well, I was just interested in my 1RM…it’s not something I generally test.
bench night- decided to do my military presses first tonight.
standing military press
0x10
95x4
135x4
185x2
225x1
300x1 +5lb PR
bench warm up- 4 board press- no lift off
225x4
315x4
405x4
495x4
paused bench with competition press command
225x4
315x4
405x4
skull crushers- i’m using these as my main tricep movement for this cycle. going to give heavy dips a rest for awhile.
135x8
185x8,8,8
dips
BW x 40
triceps are sore today.
so… the group has made a decision about our next training cycle. we’ve decided to give the powerlifting stuff a little break and concentrate on bodybuilding style of lifting for a couple months. i feel like i need a break from all the low reps and variations. we are going to slowly increase volume and reps as our conditioning improves. i’m hoping that after doing some hypertrophy training, i’ll come back even stronger. i also have a couple nagging injuries that i haven’t given the chance to heal up.
tonight was squat, upper back and biceps.
squats- full ROM, paused at bottom. kept the weight light(er) and will slowly increase reps, sets and weight over time.
0x8
135x8
225x6
315x8
405x8
front squat
135x20
pullups
BW +45 x 6
BW x 10 dead hang, long pause at bottom
barbell rows
135x10
225x30
cybex curls
some x some
reverse dumbell curls
some x some
doesn’t look like much becuase it really wasn’t. we are going to ease into the volume and hopefully decrease rest times between sets.
Uh-oh,… Does this mean that we will see you doing 800LB half reps “with a spot” in the smith???
Blasphemy!
[quote]DoveofWar08 wrote:
Uh-oh,… Does this mean that we will see you doing 800LB half reps “with a spot” in the smith???[/quote]
i prefer to call it the bench/row workout. it saves time training when both of you can get your work in at the same time. i made a video about it awhile back.
and… no. that won’t happen.
[quote]DixiesFinest wrote:
Blasphemy![/quote]
don’t you worry. i’ll be back at the heavy shit in no time. just need to give the joints a break and get healed up.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
[quote]DoveofWar08 wrote:
Uh-oh,… Does this mean that we will see you doing 800LB half reps “with a spot” in the smith???[/quote]
i prefer to call it the bench/row workout. it saves time training when both of you can get your work in at the same time. i made a video about it awhile back.
and… no. that won’t happen. [/quote]
That is a funny video, and sadly, very common at my gym as well.
[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
[quote]DoveofWar08 wrote:
Uh-oh,… Does this mean that we will see you doing 800LB half reps “with a spot” in the smith???[/quote]
i prefer to call it the bench/row workout. it saves time training when both of you can get your work in at the same time. i made a video about it awhile back.
and… no. that won’t happen. [/quote]
Now that was entertaining.
conditioning day- upped the volume quit a bit from last week. it was drizzling the entire time and the wet grass made it a lot easier to pull the sled. i’m thankful for that becuase i spent the entire yesterday putting dual exhaust on my F250 (yes… i’m a redneck) and then making my daughter a sand box (lots of digging and carrying sand bags around).
what we did-
warmup- sled drag. took turns between the four of us dragging across a few soccer fields. i used the harness for one turn and then for the rest of the time just threw the strap over my shoulder. i’m going to do it this way from now on. it adds some upper body as well.
hill sprints followed by hill sprints while pulling the sled. we did 4 sprints w/out sled and then 4 with the sled. these got really hard at the end. i shut it down once i couldn’t keep my momentum going up the hill. i felt like i could have pulled something once the body slowed. i think i will use this as a gage for increasing the volume.
sled row - one with no weight and then one with a plate. these were much faster than last week. i’m sure the wet grass helped.
cool down- sled drag across fields again. Each of use took a turn.
i have 10, 50lb sand bags left from making the sand box for my daughter. i think i’m going to get some canvas bags to put the sand in and use them for more conditioning work. if anyone knows where to get some durable bags, let me know.
this conditioning stuff is grow’n on me.
Thissss is a super awesome thread! Love it.
_Mel
Hey MM been lurking and learning from this thread for a while, I’m on third cycle of 5/3/1 but I want lose a little weight and up my conditioning. I was thinking of condensing the 4 days into 2 and then have 3 days of conditioning. My question is do you think it’s possible to hold on to or even gain strength in this time. Thanks for your time.