Strength Program; Opinions?

Training Powerlifting
41

[quote]fabiop wrote:
OP, you’re awsome! Everybody and their uncle is telling you to DO MORE BACK WORK and you just keep on showing us all your progress on bench press ! ! ! Your program is just too much bench, and too little of everything else; for the moment, you’re getting beginner gains (really, 165x3 is a beginner level, nothing more). You should devote a day to squat, one to deadlift, and row as often as you bench! I’m saying it for your long term gains, joint health, posture and global performance! [/quote]

x 2
If you do more back, you will see gains in every exercise…period.

42

lets not get to crazy! Sheiko is a perfect example of a program that has you benching 3 times a week. As long as you very the intesity you’ll be fine BUT, That program also has you squating twice a week and deadliftingg once a week. I said before and am in complete agreement with the others you are to geared towards benching.

I’m sure everyone will agree benching is fun and a big bench is impresive BUT, Big squats and big deads are more impressive and overall will help you in your goals more. Just something for everyone to think about.

43

Thanks for the advice, and to show this is what ive been doing of lateley which has kept me still gaining at the same body weight… Oh Friday I got 175 for my max EASILY!! probably could have gotton 185 but decided to wait a couple weeks for another maxout…\ Today im going to switch my 5x5 to 6x4 to keep from hitting a pleatu.

Monday-
5x5/ Bench [ 80-85% max]
3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
3x5/ Dips with weight
Tuesday-
3x3/ Dead Lift [ Heavy ]
3x5/ Pull Ups with weight
3x5/ Dumbbell Rows
Abs/ Failure
Wensday-
3x3/ Single arm Dumbbell shoulder press
3x3/ Plyo-pushups
Thursday-
3x3/ Dumbbell rows [ Heavy ]
6x3/ Squats [ Heavy ]
Friday-
[5,5,3,2] warm up/ 1,2 or 3 rep max
5x3/ Incline Dumbbell press
3x5/ CGB

44

Im sure the Russians who begin the Sheiko program have supremely strong lats already and have received the go ahead from their coaches to begin the program because they were physically balanced. I am sure even Boris Sheiko spends a significant amount of time on lat work for his athletes when not on his ridiculous cycles.

Id consider using a different program OP… but if it doesn’t kill you, more power to you I guess.

How much do you squat op? how much you dead?

45

[quote]Ski_USMC wrote:
Im sure the Russians who begin the Sheiko program have supremely strong lats already and have received the go ahead from their coaches to begin the program because they were physically balanced. I am sure even Boris Sheiko spends a significant amount of time on lat work for his athletes when not on his ridiculous cycles.

Id consider using a different program OP… but if it doesn’t kill you, more power to you I guess.

How much do you squat op? how much you dead?[/quote]

I have been doing single leg deadlifts, really works the core… 30 pound dumbbells in each hand… At the Y they only have a smith machine and i dont like squating with those, so i use the leg press that goes all the way down with 350…

46

[quote]Clevelands23 wrote:
Ski_USMC wrote:

How much do you squat op? how much you dead?

I have been doing single leg deadlifts, really works the core… 30 pound dumbbells in each hand… At the Y they only have a smith machine and i dont like squating with those, so i use the leg press that goes all the way down with 350…[/quote]

So you really don’t squat then?

Are you training for anything? Are you looking at Sport performance?

47

[quote]Ski_USMC wrote:
Clevelands23 wrote:
Ski_USMC wrote:

How much do you squat op? how much you dead?

I have been doing single leg deadlifts, really works the core… 30 pound dumbbells in each hand… At the Y they only have a smith machine and i dont like squating with those, so i use the leg press that goes all the way down with 350…

So you really don’t squat then?

Are you training for anything? Are you looking at Sport performance?[/quote]

I’m kinda gifted with leg strength, so i don’t really emphisize it… I do weight lifting, and at the meets we do Clean and Jerk, and Bench… my bench is what i really need to work on, I have a sort of small upper body and chest

48

I don’t know if your still looking for ideas but,

The strongest I’ve ever been was achieved by

Monday
bench press to a heavy set of 5 reps - wrmups were a fairly dynamic pyramid
military press to a heavy set of 5 reps
db triceps ext up to a heavy set of 8 reps

Tuesday
squat to bench ( about 2" inches above parallel) for a heavy set of 5 to 8 reps
or deadlift up to a set of 5 to 8 reps, these two lifts were alternated from week to week.
warmup was dynamic squats or deadlift depending on what my lift was that day.

Friday
bench press to a max set of two reps and done. I work in either rows or weighted chins after this.

I don’t really remember how I lifted before I got strong.

Nothing fancy, it might not be technical enough or “intense” enough for most people but while doing this training protocol and eating like a bear going into hibernation my bench press went up to 470# from 350# and the deadlift went to higher (9) reps (my technique wasn’t optimal here-feet were almost touching creating a longer range of motion) at 590# from a virtually non-existent deadlift within 3 years.

It worked for me.

49

[quote]Clevelands23 wrote:

I’m kinda gifted with leg strength, so i don’t really emphisize it… I do weight lifting, and at the meets we do Clean and Jerk, and Bench… my bench is what i really need to work on, I have a sort of small upper body and chest[/quote]

Thats an interesting format for a weight lifting competition.

How much you clean and jerk?

How wide do you bench at competition?

Anyways, obviously you need to work your bench, but you need to figure out what is really holding back progress. The best way to progress in both lifts is back training. You should cut the bench frequency down a little, maybe spend some time on the technical aspects of the clean and jerk on rest days. If you really need to slay yourself in the gym, increase the volume per work session, and especially the density of assistance exercises. I dont know your height/weight/bodyfat, but if your scrawny you need to gain some size, and therefore need increased rest.

Of course your a beginner and you can progress well right now, but start thinking of weak-point training and you’ll be ahead of the curve. Like, say your triceps are holding you back, add more dips and close grip bench, as well as skull crushers.

Your clean and jerk will go up if you cowboy up and put a barbell on your back, and pull one off the ground. Your spinal erectors (the muscles in the lower back that heavily influence a clean from the floor) need to be significantly stronger than your clean, and therefore an excellent way to progress the clean is by increasing the spinal erector strength. If you watch olympic lifting competitions, the bar will need to be front-squatted into a position to where the jerk can be made, therefore, squat heavy.

I personally suggest using a Westside Barbell format, but with the rest days spent toward technical training of the clean and jerk, and GPP.

50

[quote]Ski_USMC wrote:
Clevelands23 wrote:

I’m kinda gifted with leg strength, so i don’t really emphisize it… I do weight lifting, and at the meets we do Clean and Jerk, and Bench… my bench is what i really need to work on, I have a sort of small upper body and chest

Thats an interesting format for a weight lifting competition.

How much you clean and jerk?

How wide do you bench at competition?

Anyways, obviously you need to work your bench, but you need to figure out what is really holding back progress. The best way to progress in both lifts is back training. You should cut the bench frequency down a little, maybe spend some time on the technical aspects of the clean and jerk on rest days. If you really need to slay yourself in the gym, increase the volume per work session, and especially the density of assistance exercises. I dont know your height/weight/bodyfat, but if your scrawny you need to gain some size, and therefore need increased rest.

Of course your a beginner and you can progress well right now, but start thinking of weak-point training and you’ll be ahead of the curve. Like, say your triceps are holding you back, add more dips and close grip bench, as well as skull crushers.

Your clean and jerk will go up if you cowboy up and put a barbell on your back, and pull one off the ground. Your spinal erectors (the muscles in the lower back that heavily influence a clean from the floor) need to be significantly stronger than your clean, and therefore an excellent way to progress the clean is by increasing the spinal erector strength. If you watch olympic lifting competitions, the bar will need to be front-squatted into a position to where the jerk can be made, therefore, squat heavy.

I personally suggest using a Westside Barbell format, but with the rest days spent toward technical training of the clean and jerk, and GPP.[/quote]
I think my weak point is my back, which is why i have been using Tuesday as mainly a back day… I’m not doing any Cleans cause thats not till school starts in late August… But my single arm shoulder press showed me that one shoulder is stronger than the other and im working on that on Wensday… My back is sore from pull-ups and rows, and before when my bench was like 145 i could Clean 175 max and probably Jerk it [ before i was workin out my back, its much stronger now ]… I would think that Hang Cleans are kinda a back exercise too cause when i did do them i was sore in my upper back the next day…
Size- 5’7ish Weight- 136 BF- 8%… I bench kinda wide to use my Pecs. I’m hopeing to Stay in the 139 weight class but with alot stronger lifts…

51

Thursday i did 6x3 heavy squats, and it was too much! i was achy and exausted for fridays workout… so im cutting it back to 4x3 ramping set…

52

http://www.eteamz.com/idahoweightlifting/handouts/

Try the football program.

53

[quote]Clevelands23 wrote:
Thursday i did 6x3 heavy squats, and it was too much! i was achy and exaustedquote]

That’s normal.

54

[quote]BlackLabel wrote:
Clevelands23 wrote:
Thursday i did 6x3 heavy squats, and it was too much! i was achy and exaustedquote]

That’s normal.[/quote]

But it affected my energy in the gym and my bench press, and i read that being achy, and real tired is a sign im heading for overtraining…

55

try growing some nuts and eating more bro. Do you really think great strength comes without some achs and pains??? i cant see how squating heavy affected your bench. there hardly related. Sometimes your just going to have days were a weight thats ussually not that hard is difficult. you cant be a hulk everyday.

56

[quote]blackngrey609 wrote:
try growing some nuts and eating more bro. Do you really think great strength comes without some achs and pains??? i cant see how squating heavy affected your bench. there hardly related. Sometimes your just going to have days were a weight thats ussually not that hard is difficult. you cant be a hulk everyday.[/quote]

I dont want to get fat, i wanna keep my 6-pack, i have a good diet… i do squats thursday and benches friday.

57

by eat more i dont mean eat a bunch of cheese burgers. Forget it… you wont understand.

58

im sorry man, im a small guy myself, built myself from scratch and still a work in progress. if you cant accept that youll be gaining a lil bit of fat in your quest to get bigger, stronger posting here is a useless case. and if you cant listen to anything that 90% of what the posters here said, whats the point? dont focus on your bench too much. that 160lbs that your pulling would rise if you focus on building strength for your whole body. try some Starting Strength… eventhough you’ve been working since you were freshman, it doesnt mean you know how to build muscle already. listen to the people here. besides, at 5’7" weighing 136, you need serious weight to gain.

59

i mean pushing for bench, not pulling. lol.

60

[quote]alumbrado wrote:
im sorry man, im a small guy myself, built myself from scratch and still a work in progress. if you cant accept that youll be gaining a lil bit of fat in your quest to get bigger, stronger posting here is a useless case. and if you cant listen to anything that 90% of what the posters here said, whats the point? dont focus on your bench too much. that 160lbs that your pulling would rise if you focus on building strength for your whole body. try some Starting Strength… eventhough you’ve been working since you were freshman, it doesnt mean you know how to build muscle already. listen to the people here. besides, at 5’7" weighing 136, you need serious weight to gain.[/quote]

but i have added a good amount of back work, 3x5 pull-ups with weight 3x5 DB rows and on thursday i do 3x3 DB rows to help get used to heavier weight and get rid of the soreness i created from tuesday… so far its effective… im going to stop doing direct ab workouts cause they really dont do nothing and add an isometric hold on my shoulder press to give them a shock