Good session. Glad the shoulder is coming good.
[quote]mday wrote:
mday wrote:
I finally dialed the traps in on the bench and hit the groove on my lower chest.
I meant lats not traps…[/quote]
Thats some good benching. How did you dial in your lats?
[quote]j_willy3 wrote:
mday wrote:
mday wrote:
I finally dialed the traps in on the bench and hit the groove on my lower chest.
I meant lats not traps…
Thats some good benching. How did you dial in your lats?[/quote]
For me the key to a proper bench is to really lock in my upper back and traps, pull the shoulder blades together and down (shoulders on the bench), create a good solid base with a moderate arch in my lower back. I bring the bar down slowly to my lower chest with my elbows tucked in as much as possible. I try to focus on bringing my chest up to the bar (I’m not very good at this yet). At the bottom of the motion, I pause for a second and then focus on pushing the bar up and back using the tension in my back. When I do this correctly, it activates my lats as much as my chest or triceps.
[quote]mday wrote:
For me the key to a proper bench is to really lock in my upper back and traps, pull the shoulder blades together and down (shoulders on the bench), create a good solid base with a moderate arch in my lower back. I bring the bar down slowly to my lower chest with my elbows tucked in as much as possible. I try to focus on bringing my chest up to the bar (I’m not very good at this yet). At the bottom of the motion, I pause for a second and then focus on pushing the bar up and back using the tension in my back. When I do this correctly, it activates my lats as much as my chest or triceps.
[/quote]
That’s a great description, mday! Thanks
[quote]mday wrote:
j_willy3 wrote:
mday wrote:
mday wrote:
I bring the bar down slowly to my lower chest with my elbows tucked in as much as possible. I try to focus on bringing my chest up to the bar (I’m not very good at this yet). At the bottom of the motion, I pause for a second and then focus on pushing the bar up and back using the tension in my back. When I do this correctly, it activates my lats as much as my chest or triceps.
[/quote]
I need bench lessons…I keep my elbows out more of a chest bench. I’m going to have to try the elbows in more and the chest to the bar.
Thanks for the input.
You’re really commited now mday. Numbers look great, and that shoulder pain should subside with a little down time the week before your meet.
You know your shit Mday. I’m sure you’ll be ready for your meet.
Both you guys are going to do great at your meets.
Sorry about the lack of updates…Dealing with two sick kids and a sick wife the last few days.
I got a good session in last Friday and this Monday so things are still on schedule. Just no time to update the log or respond to others.
I will catch back up with everyone later this week.
[quote]mday wrote:
Sorry about the lack of updates…Dealing with two sick kids and a sick wife the last few days.
I got a good session in last Friday and this Monday so things are still on schedule. Just no time to update the log or respond to others.
I will catch back up with everyone later this week.
[/quote]
I know what it is liek with one sick kid plus sick wife, so two sick kids I can only imagine. Hope they get well soon.
Hope al get well soon.
Hope everybody’s getting better.
[quote]mday wrote:
Sorry about the lack of updates…Dealing with two sick kids and a sick wife the last few days.
I got a good session in last Friday and this Monday so things are still on schedule. Just no time to update the log or respond to others.
I will catch back up with everyone later this week.
[/quote]
There’s something going around early this year. Maybe it was all that cool wet weather we had. My girls have the crude too.
09/26/08
Life is finally returning to some level of normalcy. My kids were back at school yesterday, my wife was at work, and I got a workout in this morning. The session was a little interesting because I switched my routine up (going back to the WS4SB after six weeks on a Sheiko program), and they replaced all the equipment at the gym (some very nice equipment).
Overall, I was happy with the session…
A. Flat Bench
worked up to 240 for a set of 3. This was a PR for reps
B. Dips
0/22, 0/19
C1. DB Rows
80/10, 80/8, 70/10
C2. Seated Face Pulls
85/8, 65/10, 65/12
D. BB Shrugs
225/12, 225/12, 225/11
E. DB Curls
35/10, 35/10, 35/7
After not having worked out much for a week, and with all the new equipment, the session was more tiring than expected. I also moved a lot quicker through the workout than usual. This caused me to run out of gas at the end. It just felt good to be back in the gym.
I am going to stick with the WS4SB up until the meet in November. I spent six weeks working on form doing the Sheiko routine where I used a lot of volume in the 70% to 85% range. I was squatting and benching two or three times a week and DL once. This really helped my technique and overall strength but I was never completely rested from one session to the next. Benching three times a week was just too hard on my shoulder also.
With the WS4SB program I will bench, DL, and squat once a week working up to a 3-5 rep max lift. I will then add in a lot of accessory stuff each day. I think this will give my body a chance to recover while still focusing on getting stronger in the three lifts. This weekend will be dynamic lower body (Saturday) and repetition upper body (Monday). Next Tuesday will be max. effort lower body and Wednesday will be some GPP work (Prowler, sled, stone carries, etc).
I am starting to set my lifts for the meet in November and I am making sure to get extra calories in. My weight should be very close to the 242lb on the day of competition. I am carrying a little more bodyfat than in May, but I probably gained a good 15 pounds of muscle.
It is good to be back. I will catch up with everyone today and this weekend.
mday
Good to see you back into it mday! and it’s good to hear that everybody is recovering.
[quote]mday wrote:
…
A. Flat Bench
worked up to 240 for a set of 3. This was a PR for reps
…
With the WS4SB program I will bench, DL, and squat once a week working up to a 3-5 rep max lift. I will then add in a lot of accessory stuff each day. I think this will give my body a chance to recover while still focusing on getting stronger in the three lifts. …[/quote]
Good to see those PRs coming again, Mday. I can’t wait to see how this series turns out for you and what additional exercises you are using.
Sheiko works, no doubt about it, but it is more like a way of life than a training program to my mind. Glad to see you on WS4SB.
PR’s, baby! Yeah!
Way to go with the PR Mday. That’s a good way to return back to the saddle.
Looking forward to reading how this workout progresses. Congrats on the bench PR.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
Sheiko works, no doubt about it, but it is more like a way of life than a training program to my mind. Glad to see you on WS4SB.
PR’s, baby! Yeah![/quote]
Sheiko really helped me build more confidence and experience with the big three lifts but it is really demanding on the body. It was especially tough on my shoulder (benching three times a week and squatting twice).
I really like the WS4SB program in that it focuses on the big three but also includes a lot of accessory stuff to keep it interesting.