[quote]michael_xyz wrote:
Out of curiosity, how come no pulling movements (rows/pull-ups etc.)?[/quote]
We do all of our back work on deadlift days.
CS
Oh right. Does that mean you only train it once a week?
I remember reading something or watching an interview where Ed Coan really stressed the importance of back work for good bench so kinda strange that’s the case.
[quote]michael_xyz wrote:
Oh right. Does that mean you only train it once a week?
I remember reading something or watching an interview where Ed Coan really stressed the importance of back work for good bench so kinda strange that’s the case.[/quote]
Not necessarily. The frequency may not be high, but you can rest assured that back will be completely demolished when it is hit.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]michael_xyz wrote:
Oh right. Does that mean you only train it once a week?
I remember reading something or watching an interview where Ed Coan really stressed the importance of back work for good bench so kinda strange that’s the case.[/quote]
Not necessarily. The frequency may not be high, but you can rest assured that back will be completely demolished when it is hit.[/quote]
Especially if it follows suit with our bench workout yesterday.
CS
[quote]CSEagles1694 wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]michael_xyz wrote:
Oh right. Does that mean you only train it once a week?
I remember reading something or watching an interview where Ed Coan really stressed the importance of back work for good bench so kinda strange that’s the case.[/quote]
Not necessarily. The frequency may not be high, but you can rest assured that back will be completely demolished when it is hit.[/quote]
Especially if it follows suit with our bench workout yesterday.
CS[/quote]
Exactly
Something totally unrelated, but I had to share. I checked the scores from my first ACT back in December (I’m a junior in high school) and I got a 29! I’m so happy. It made my night. This makes me feel a lot better about getting into West Point. I’m hopin’ and prayin’ everything will work out. God has a plan.
CS
[quote]CSEagles1694 wrote:
Something totally unrelated, but I had to share. I checked the scores from my first ACT back in December (I’m a junior in high school) and I got a 29! I’m so happy. It made my night. This makes me feel a lot better about getting into West Point. I’m hopin’ and prayin’ everything will work out. God has a plan.
CS[/quote]
congratulations on the score.
So ed says that doing the westisde stuff ( triceps, upper back, side n rear delts) isnt a good idea for a beginner/intermediate?
Can’t wait to see more from this log. It seems to me that Ed almost follows a traditional body part split(ie. Squat/Quads, Bench/Chest/Triceps, Deadlift/Back, CG Bench Press/Shoulders). The sheer amount of volume done for each body part is nuts.
[quote]GruntOrama wrote:
Can’t wait to see more from this log. It seems to me that Ed almost follows a traditional body part split(ie. Squat/Quads, Bench/Chest/Triceps, Deadlift/Back, CG Bench Press/Shoulders). The sheer amount of volume done for each body part is nuts.[/quote]
Yeah, that’s pretty much how it is. He says that if you push the main lift hard enough, you don’t need that much assistance work on the same day. Hopefully this routine will make me look a little better naked, too haha.
CS
[quote]jacob-1310 wrote:
[quote]CSEagles1694 wrote:
Something totally unrelated, but I had to share. I checked the scores from my first ACT back in December (I’m a junior in high school) and I got a 29! I’m so happy. It made my night. This makes me feel a lot better about getting into West Point. I’m hopin’ and prayin’ everything will work out. God has a plan.
CS[/quote]
congratulations on the score.
So ed says that doing the westisde stuff ( triceps, upper back, side n rear delts) isnt a good idea for a beginner/intermediate? [/quote]
Yes. Ed was telling me that I need to establish a larger base (of strength) before we start zeroing on weaknesses.
CS
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Warm up
-
PVC roll - this hurt sooo good.
-
Lots of stretching
-
Back Squats
Sets 1-2 - 135x6
Set 3 - 185x5
Set 4 - 225x3
Sets 5-6 - 275x8
Notes: The last two sets were brutal. Ed was saying that I had trouble hitting depth because I didn’t sit back enough. He told me to concentrate the weight on my heels, rather than my toes. This made a big difference in the second set. I also felt dizzy, lightheaded, and about ready to pass out after these sets. I almost never go about 8 reps on a main lift. Crazy.
- Hack Squats
2x8x225
- Stiff-Legged Deadlifts
Set 1 - 135x5
Set 2 - 185x8
Sets 3-4 - 225x8
- Bent-over Rows
5x8x135
ENDING NOTES: Again, Ed tried to reinforce that I’m not sitting back far enough, causing me to squat a couple of inches high. I’ll be working on this and really trying to dig deep to fix my form. He wants me to try and compete in a local meet some time in March. Hope I’ll be ready.
CS
cool. readin
Very nice. Is it going by feel sometimes or does Ed have a specific routine for you to follow?
[quote]michael_xyz wrote:
Very nice. Is it going by feel sometimes or does Ed have a specific routine for you to follow?[/quote]
Most of the time it goes by feel, but I’ve watched all of Ed’s videos, and they’re pretty damn similar to what he did back in the day.
CS
“After we did regular bench, Ed asked me what I typically do for assistance work. I told him all the Westside stuff I did. He told me to stop all that and that we need to establish a bigger base of strength before we get into more complicated programming.”
What kind of changes in assistance work has there been? Sorry with all the questions, obviously quite interested in what Ed Coan has to say. It doesn’t look ENTIRELY different to what you could be doing for Westside. In the end, assistance work is assistance work - up to you to decide it. Just wondering what you did and what changes he made/why he thought they were required.
Thanks. 
(Sorry for clogging up your log with Qs!)
[quote]michael_xyz wrote:
“After we did regular bench, Ed asked me what I typically do for assistance work. I told him all the Westside stuff I did. He told me to stop all that and that we need to establish a bigger base of strength before we get into more complicated programming.”
What kind of changes in assistance work has there been? Sorry with all the questions, obviously quite interested in what Ed Coan has to say. It doesn’t look ENTIRELY different to what you could be doing for Westside. In the end, assistance work is assistance work - up to you to decide it. Just wondering what you did and what changes he made/why he thought they were required.
Thanks.
(Sorry for clogging up your log with Qs!)[/quote]
Ya I’m not so sure I understand the whole ‘westside’ assistance thing. If your weakness on westside is you just all around need to get stronger theres no reason you couldnt do the exact same assistance work you’ve been doing now on westide following the ME and DE work.
[quote]michael_xyz wrote:
“After we did regular bench, Ed asked me what I typically do for assistance work. I told him all the Westside stuff I did. He told me to stop all that and that we need to establish a bigger base of strength before we get into more complicated programming.”
What kind of changes in assistance work has there been? Sorry with all the questions, obviously quite interested in what Ed Coan has to say. It doesn’t look ENTIRELY different to what you could be doing for Westside. In the end, assistance work is assistance work - up to you to decide it. Just wondering what you did and what changes he made/why he thought they were required.
Thanks.
(Sorry for clogging up your log with Qs!)[/quote]
The biggest change that we made was involving the splits on the lifting days. As surprising as it sounds, the program is essentially a bodybuilding split with a lot of heavy lifting.
Bench day - chest and triceps
Squat day - quads and hams
Deadlift day - back and maybe some hams
Assistance day - light bench, shoulders, biceps, calves, abs.
Hope this answers your questions.
CS
Saturday, February 4, 2012 - Assistance Day
Warm up
-
5 minutes stationary bike
-
Lots and lots of stretching
-
Leg Extensions/Leg Curls SS
Leg Extensions - 3x15x100
Leg Curls - 3x15x70
Just trying to get a nice pump out of these.
- Wide-grip Lat Pulldowns
3x15x80
- Barbell Curls
3x12x70
- Seated Dumbbell Curls
3x10x15s
- High/Low Cable Curl SS
High - 3x12x20
Low - 3x12x60
- Roman Chair Sit-ups
3x15
- Calf Raises
2x20
ENDING NOTES: Easy workout today. Ed said that the purpose of this workout is to help recover from the week of heavy workouts. I got in, got a nice pump, and got out, all in about 45 minutes to an hour. Back to heavy lifting on Monday.
CS
Good shit. I don’t think anyone’s asked you this yet, but what kind of atmosphere do you have when you train with him? What I’m really trying to ask is, do you feel the pressure to ‘get better and fast’ now that you are training with Ed? I remember in one of Dave Tate’s articles he talks about when he was new at Westside the pressure and responsibility to quickly become better was overwhelming, because of the expectations from Louie and all the strong lifters that he began training with. Do you have any of this when training with Ed?
[quote]Terrax wrote:
Good shit. I don’t think anyone’s asked you this yet, but what kind of atmosphere do you have when you train with him? What I’m really trying to ask is, do you feel the pressure to ‘get better and fast’ now that you are training with Ed? I remember in one of Dave Tate’s articles he talks about when he was new at Westside the pressure and responsibility to quickly become better was overwhelming, because of the expectations from Louie and all the strong lifters that he began training with. Do you have any of this when training with Ed?[/quote]
I don’t think that it’s even close to the pressure that I would have at Westside. Yes, I train with the greatest powerlifter of all time, but I’m not surrounded by 20 of the world’s strongest guys. My training partners are a couple of 20-something year olds that are only a bit stronger than myself.
Ed isn’t trying to push me over the edge as soon as I step into his realm. He doesn’t want to turn me off. He’s trying to ease me into his style of training. I’ve been mentally brainwashed by Westside and the Conjugate Method, so getting all of that out of my brain is a bit of a challenge.
Obviously Quads isn’t Westside, but are there some guys that would fit right in? Yes. There are some strong motherfuckers in there. I witnessed my first 500 lb raw bench my second time there, so it’s definitely a strong place.
I always feel the pressure and the urgency to get better, but not from others. The feeling of the pressure and the urgency to get better comes from within. It’s not an outside force that I can be subjected to without questioning it. It is something that just comes natural to me. Being the self-motivated individual that I am, I don’t need a push. I know myself well enough to give that extra ounce of effort without having to be told to do so. I am where I am today and I have achieved the things that I have because of that self-motivation.
How many other 16 and 17 year olds do you know that followed one of the most complicated training methods in the world? How many teenagers do you know that would get up at 5 in the morning to go and do cardio? How many teenagers do you know that would skip going out on a Friday and a Saturday night because they couldn’t miss an opportunity to get better and stronger? How many teenagers do you know that are willing to drive 45 minutes each way, spending their hard earned money on gas, to train with the best ever?
These are just a few examples of how committed and dedicated I am to becoming one of the best ever. Now, the next ten years of my life may not allow me to do so because of the career choices I will have to make (I’m going into the Army after college and most likely won’t get to compete for quite a while), so this is why I’m trying to establish the biggest base possible at my age. The desire to compete has always been there, I just have to unleash it.
Does that help?
CS