Westside/PLing Training Thread

Training Powerlifting
7551

[quote]Pemdas wrote:
I have percentages question. First keep in mind that I that I lift raw.

I have read that you should use 50% of 1RM for speed bench. This just seem like too much. I really slow when I use this much weight. I read in the bands manual that you should use 50% - 20lbs. This worked great for the bands. Does this also apply to chains. I have been doing this with the chains and it feels good so far, but again 50% feels too slow.

I feel the same way with squats. I have read that you should go from 50% to 60% over 4 weeks, but I feel slow as shit with anything over 50% with bands or chains.

Does this mean that I really need to work my speed or am I doing ok.

[/quote]
IMO percentages suck balls all in all and mean dick. Really. Even on ME to a point. sure aim to get in that 90% zone on ME but main thing STRAIN lift heavy what ever that is that day.

Same with DE work, screw the %'s. Find what load allows YOU to work but be explosive. Speed is the main factor if that slows stop for the day or you went to heavy drop the load. Those #'s like a diet or caloric intake equation are a good base to start looking from but you/we need to adjust them to fit us

Phill

7552

[quote]Pemdas wrote:
I have percentages question. First keep in mind that I that I lift raw.

I have read that you should use 50% of 1RM for speed bench. This just seem like too much. I really slow when I use this much weight. I read in the bands manual that you should use 50% - 20lbs. This worked great for the bands. Does this also apply to chains. I have been doing this with the chains and it feels good so far, but again 50% feels too slow.

I feel the same way with squats. I have read that you should go from 50% to 60% over 4 weeks, but I feel slow as shit with anything over 50% with bands or chains.

Does this mean that I really need to work my speed or am I doing ok.

[/quote]

man… don’t get all caught up in that % shit. go by feel. i personally hate bench dynamic work. all it does is tear up my shoulders. But i do get some benefit out of speed deads and box squats every now and again.

I would just start really light and when the bar starts to slow… then you know. the problem with %'s is that you have really good days and really bad days and days in between. what might feel light one day can be heavy the next.

good luck,
meat

7553

[quote]Pemdas wrote:
I have percentages question. First keep in mind that I that I lift raw.

I have read that you should use 50% of 1RM for speed bench. This just seem like too much. I really slow when I use this much weight. I read in the bands manual that you should use 50% - 20lbs. This worked great for the bands. Does this also apply to chains. I have been doing this with the chains and it feels good so far, but again 50% feels too slow.

I feel the same way with squats. I have read that you should go from 50% to 60% over 4 weeks, but I feel slow as shit with anything over 50% with bands or chains.

Does this mean that I really need to work my speed or am I doing ok.

[/quote]

Don’t get mucked up in percentages too much. Speed workouts will have a lot of trial and error to them, so experiment with the weights a little bit to see where you feel like you’re still fast, but not so fast that you look like you’re convulsing.

I’d say you have to train your body to lift that way, too, because what tends to happen is you’ll only push as much as needed to move the amount of weight on the bar plus any accommodating resistance, rather than just push as hard as you possibly can. I had this same problem when I first started out; I moved my bench %s down by 5-10% depending on how I felt for that particular day and just focused on pressing as fast as possible. Same for squats.

Basically, just go by feel. The percentages make for starting points, but since everyone is different, adjustments are necessary.

Edit: Agree with meat about speed bench. Some people can do it every week, but it absolutely kills my elbows and shoulders if I do it more than 2 consecutive weeks.

7554

9/27/07- Wednesday- ME Bench

A)Flat BB Bench
135x6 x5
185x3
225x3
265x1
280x1 (tough lift, ass lifted)
250x2

B1)Incline DB Bench
80x5 85x5 90x5

B2)Wide Grip Pullups (outside shoulder width)
+50x4 x4 +20x1(left shoulder slid out of socket) x7

C1)Flat DB Tri Extension
(30x5)40x8 45x6 40x6 x9

C2)Alt DB Hammer Curl
50x8/side x11/side x8/side 45x8/side

C3)DB Lateral Raise
40x10 45x10 50x8

Notes: Bench wasn’t where I hoped it’d be today. Groove felt a bit off. I know I need a lower body deload next week, but I’m questioning if this week should have been my upper deload. I didn’t get much sleep last night and maxed on squats and snatch grip deads 2 days ago, so I may just be running low. Bench groove was off as well.

I’m still working on making a more definitive plan for what to do when I hit days like this where my strength just isn’t there. Either go home or hit some rep work. Or get a nice pump like I did today!!!

Modi had an excuse for his benching today because he predicted it…I don’t really have one, haha.

-Matt

7555

Thanks guys. Honestly, I never really understood the whole concept of going by feel until the resent few months. I think that I am becoming more in tune with my body; however, I still have those days where I feel kind of shitty going into the gym and I still manage pull a few PRs out my ass.

7556

Thanks Matt. That was a shitsuck fest as far as I’m concerned.

09/26/07 - Upper (ME)

A) Flat bench
barx40
95x15
135x10
185x8
225x5
275x3
315x1
345x1
365xmiss (WTF???)
365xmiss (meow)
315x2

B) Incline DB Press
60x8
75x5
90x5
100x5
110x5
110x5
110x4

C) Overhead Triceps Extensions
70x10
90x10
110x10 (Baseline PR)
120x8 (Baseline PR)

D1) Lateral Delt Raise
25x10
35x10
45x10
40x8
35x8

D2) DB Hammer Curl
45x10
40x10
35x10

Bench sucked.

Here are my excuses in no particular order:

  1. I went into it predicting it would be a bad day
  2. I wasn’t strong enough to lift the weight today
  3. I sucked
  4. I had a shitty spotter (just kidding Matt)

No, really, no excuses, next week will be much better. Today really wasn’t any better or worse than I expected, just the usual shitty day after taking some time off.

PR’s in overhead tri’s were because I haven’t had access to the 110’s or 120’s before, but they felt pretty good.

7557

9/26/07 DE Lower

A)DE Dead
135 x 2
225 x 2
365 x 1 x 5

These felt tight, fast and consistent. Doing some heavy rep work on the DL has done a lot for my confidence and technique.

B)42" Box Jump=BW x 3 x 3

C)32" Single-Leg Box Jump=BW x 3 x 3 each leg

D)42" Box Jump=BW x 5

E)DE 12" Box Squat
Bar x 5
Bar + light bands x 2
135 + light bands x 2
225 + light bands x 2 x 3 slow as molasses

I spent all my pop on the box jumps, but because I kind of fear getting too far away from speed work off the low box I tried it anyways. I should have dropped the load, or at least the bands, or maybe the exercise all together, but being a stubborn bastard I thought I could pick up my speed. Fortunately, I aborted before it got really ugly.

F)Pistol Squat off 16" Box=BW x 12 x 2

G)GMs to pin # 10 (waistband level), paused on pins
Bar x 8
135 x 3
205 x 5 x 3, easy but a starting point

Man, these are a keeper. I noticed some of you are a fan of these and after doing them I can tell why. Fighting out of that dead stop should do wonders for low back/hammy strength and upper back tightness.

H)Poor Man’s Landmine=20 x 8 x 3

NOTES: Damn, I’m all the way to the letter “H” now in some of my workouts. This took me about 90 minutes. I did significantly less volume on the jumping than last week. To be honest, I have no idea how much to do, so I rested between sets until I felt recovered and stopped doing them once I lost some pop.

My right knee talked to me a little on the single-leg box jump landings, but has felt pretty good over the last couple days. I’ve been doing lots of soft tissue work around my ankles and knees. I do believe I mildly strained my right pec minor when doing the box jumps with all my crazy arm flailings. Friday’s pressing may have to get skipped this week.

7558

ME Upper

2 Board - I let the weight sink in and paused for a second.
This was my first time doing this as a ME movement.

Warm-up…no boards
135x3
155x3
175x3
195x3

Added Boards
225x1
245x1
265x1 - I was hoping for to hit this today.
275x1 - (Base line PR) Holy nut sacks, I didn’t see this one coming.

1-Arm DB press
65x4x10

BW = 182 today + 2lbs for shoes

Chin-Ups
BW+45x3x5
BW+45x2x3

Dips
BW+70x4x6 - Didn’t see this coming either. I was going to use 60, but I didn’t feel like put three plates through the chain, so I said f&ck it and just went for a plate and quarter.

Decline Sit-up
10lbx4x6

Great Fing Day.

DONE!!

7559

ME squat
I was whoring it up tonight… i think i’m going to the free clinic tomorrow and get checked out:)

box squat (12inch box)
0x10
135x6
225x4
315x4
405x4
495x2
590x2PR

zercher squats (starting at bottom off pins)
225x6
315x4
405x2
455x2PR

good mornings to pins
135x6
225x6
315x4
405x2 I think this was a PR, but i haven’t done them heavy in awhile.

Abs

best training in awhile.

meat

7560

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
ME squat
I was whoring it up tonight… i think i’m going to the free clinic tomorrow and get checked out:)

box squat (12inch box)
0x10
135x6
225x4
315x4
405x4
495x2
590x2PR

zercher squats (starting at bottom off pins)
225x6
315x4
405x2
455x2PR

good mornings to pins
135x6
225x6
315x4
405x2 I think this was a PR, but i haven’t done them heavy in awhile.

Abs

best training in awhile.

meat[/quote]

Uh, how’s your back feel right now? Should be fun lacing up the shoes tomorrow. That’s some serious shit. Congrats on the PRs.

7561

[quote]novaeer wrote:
maraudermeat wrote:
ME squat
I was whoring it up tonight… i think i’m going to the free clinic tomorrow and get checked out:)

box squat (12inch box)
0x10
135x6
225x4
315x4
405x4
495x2
590x2PR

zercher squats (starting at bottom off pins)
225x6
315x4
405x2
455x2PR

good mornings to pins
135x6
225x6
315x4
405x2 I think this was a PR, but i haven’t done them heavy in awhile.

Abs

best training in awhile.

meat

Uh, how’s your back feel right now? Should be fun lacing up the shoes tomorrow. That’s some serious shit. Congrats on the PRs.[/quote]

for the first time in awhile, my back feels great. it feels like shit when i neglect it. i have a bad habit of blowing off lower back and ab work because they get strong quickly, but they also get weak quickly as well.

abs and lower back are going to be done regularly for now on.

question for you- can you sleep on your back? i can only sleep on my side. if i lay on my back for any length of time, my lower back starts to hurt. i think it has to do with have a thick upper back which leaves a big gap in my lower back. it feels like the longer i lay there, my lower back kind of drops and then the pain sets in. it usually take a good part of the morning to get back to normal.

other than that the back feels great. thanks for asking!

meat

7562

[quote]Pemdas wrote:
ME Upper

2 Board
265x1 - I was hoping for to hit this today.
275x1 - (Base line PR) Holy nut sacks, I didn’t see this one coming.

BW = 182 today + 2lbs for shoes

Dips
BW+70x4x6 - Didn’t see this coming either. I was going to use 60, but I didn’t feel like put three plates through the chain, so I said f&ck it and just went for a plate and quarter.
[/quote]
Great session busting some PRs!

I hear you on the getting too lazy to load plates for dips. When I used to do them, I used to get lazy and just grab the dumbbell I wanted and kept doing sets with the same weight. I just didn’t like chaining all those plates together to get the right weight. :stuck_out_tongue:

7563

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
Pemdas wrote:
I have percentages question. First keep in mind that I that I lift raw.

I have read that you should use 50% of 1RM for speed bench. This just seem like too much. I really slow when I use this much weight. I read in the bands manual that you should use 50% - 20lbs. This worked great for the bands. Does this also apply to chains. I have been doing this with the chains and it feels good so far, but again 50% feels too slow.

I feel the same way with squats. I have read that you should go from 50% to 60% over 4 weeks, but I feel slow as shit with anything over 50% with bands or chains.

Does this mean that I really need to work my speed or am I doing ok.

man… don’t get all caught up in that % shit. go by feel. i personally hate bench dynamic work. all it does is tear up my shoulders. But i do get some benefit out of speed deads and box squats every now and again.

I would just start really light and when the bar starts to slow… then you know. the problem with %'s is that you have really good days and really bad days and days in between. what might feel light one day can be heavy the next.

good luck,
meat

[/quote]

Good point and I agree on the dynamic bench and shoulder shit All it ever did for me was give me pain in the shoulders and elbows. Paused work did me much better and regular old RE. I thnk the speed work is actually a lot of what was holding my bench back prior and that in still recovering from the beating on the joints and shit

Phill

7564

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
ME squat
I was whoring it up tonight… i think i’m going to the free clinic tomorrow and get checked out:)

box squat (12inch box)
590x2PR

zercher squats (starting at bottom off pins)
455x2PR

good mornings to pins
405x2 I think this was a PR, but i haven’t done them heavy in awhile.
[/quote]
Make sure you go to a clinic that is sufficiently equipped to handle someone of your whoring caliber. I wouldn’t want the doctors/nurses to faint when you ask them to examine the aftermath of having 590 on your back.

7565

[quote]Modi wrote:
Thanks Matt. That was a shitsuck fest as far as I’m concerned.

09/26/07 - Upper (ME)

A) Flat bench
barx40
95x15
135x10
185x8
225x5
275x3
315x1
345x1
365xmiss (WTF???)
365xmiss (meow)
315x2

B) Incline DB Press
60x8
75x5
90x5
100x5
110x5
110x5
110x4

C) Overhead Triceps Extensions
70x10
90x10
110x10 (Baseline PR)
120x8 (Baseline PR)

D1) Lateral Delt Raise
25x10
35x10
45x10
40x8
35x8

D2) DB Hammer Curl
45x10
40x10
35x10

Bench sucked.

Here are my excuses in no particular order:

  1. I went into it predicting it would be a bad day
  2. I wasn’t strong enough to lift the weight today
  3. I sucked
  4. I had a shitty spotter (just kidding Matt)

No, really, no excuses, next week will be much better. Today really wasn’t any better or worse than I expected, just the usual shitty day after taking some time off.

PR’s in overhead tri’s were because I haven’t had access to the 110’s or 120’s before, but they felt pretty good.
[/quote]

Man they are never 100 spot on the first real day back its usually the second week for me I really get the benefit of time off
Nice work bro
Phill

7566

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:
novaeer wrote:
maraudermeat wrote:
ME squat
I was whoring it up tonight… i think i’m going to the free clinic tomorrow and get checked out:)

box squat (12inch box)
0x10
135x6
225x4
315x4
405x4
495x2
590x2PR

zercher squats (starting at bottom off pins)
225x6
315x4
405x2
455x2PR

good mornings to pins
135x6
225x6
315x4
405x2 I think this was a PR, but i haven’t done them heavy in awhile.

Abs

best training in awhile.

meat

Uh, how’s your back feel right now? Should be fun lacing up the shoes tomorrow. That’s some serious shit. Congrats on the PRs.

for the first time in awhile, my back feels great. it feels like shit when i neglect it. i have a bad habit of blowing off lower back and ab work because they get strong quickly, but they also get weak quickly as well.

abs and lower back are going to be done regularly for now on.

question for you- can you sleep on your back? i can only sleep on my side. if i lay on my back for any length of time, my lower back starts to hurt. i think it has to do with have a thick upper back which leaves a big gap in my lower back. it feels like the longer i lay there, my lower back kind of drops and then the pain sets in. it usually take a good part of the morning to get back to normal.

other than that the back feels great. thanks for asking!

meat

[/quote]

Damn fine work Met I have a shit ton of sqautting ti do to even get close to you. maybe if we hacked the extar 4 inches off my legs itd help :slight_smile: Just a short cut if you will.

Killer session

I agree on the sleeping thing I always slept on my back and still start that way but wake up Fucked and go to my side,

The new GF has one of those tempurpedic beds that has seemed to help a bit

Phill

7567

[quote]maraudermeat wrote:

for the first time in awhile, my back feels great. it feels like shit when i neglect it. i have a bad habit of blowing off lower back and ab work because they get strong quickly, but they also get weak quickly as well.

abs and lower back are going to be done regularly for now on.

question for you- can you sleep on your back? i can only sleep on my side. if i lay on my back for any length of time, my lower back starts to hurt. i think it has to do with have a thick upper back which leaves a big gap in my lower back. it feels like the longer i lay there, my lower back kind of drops and then the pain sets in. it usually take a good part of the morning to get back to normal.

other than that the back feels great. thanks for asking!

meat

[/quote]

Heavy good ams wreck the shit out of my lower back. I think I sprained my SI joint one time on them so I’m a little reticent to go heavy on them.

As far as sleeping on my back, I can do it but my wife prefers that I don’t. Otherwise, I turn into a chainsaw buzzing through a stand of redwoods with my snoring. It’s not apnea and it’s not weight related. I’ve always been a big-league snorer, can match up with the best of them.

I think my dad is the only one who can beat me. What kind of mattress do you have on your bed? We have one of those uber-thick pillow mattresses plus a mattress pad on top of that. I’m stiff for a few minutes in the morning, but OK after a few minutes walking around.

My problem is the tightness in my hips and knees since I have to drive into Arlington every day and I’ve got a desk job. If I don’t move around and stretch at work, they get tighter than a slingshot.

7568

[quote]novaeer wrote:
maraudermeat wrote:

for the first time in awhile, my back feels great. it feels like shit when i neglect it. i have a bad habit of blowing off lower back and ab work because they get strong quickly, but they also get weak quickly as well.

abs and lower back are going to be done regularly for now on.

question for you- can you sleep on your back? i can only sleep on my side. if i lay on my back for any length of time, my lower back starts to hurt. i think it has to do with have a thick upper back which leaves a big gap in my lower back. it feels like the longer i lay there, my lower back kind of drops and then the pain sets in. it usually take a good part of the morning to get back to normal.

other than that the back feels great. thanks for asking!

meat

Heavy good ams wreck the shit out of my lower back. I think I sprained my SI joint one time on them so I’m a little reticent to go heavy on them.

As far as sleeping on my back, I can do it but my wife prefers that I don’t. Otherwise, I turn into a chainsaw buzzing through a stand of redwoods with my snoring. It’s not apnea and it’s not weight related. I’ve always been a big-league snorer, can match up with the best of them.

I think my dad is the only one who can beat me. What kind of mattress do you have on your bed? We have one of those uber-thick pillow mattresses plus a mattress pad on top of that. I’m stiff for a few minutes in the morning, but OK after a few minutes walking around.

My problem is the tightness in my hips and knees since I have to drive into Arlington every day and I’ve got a desk job. If I don’t move around and stretch at work, they get tighter than a slingshot.[/quote]

Haha, I was going to say the same thing. I can fall asleep instantly on my back and snore away, but for some reason as soon as my wife jams her elbow into my ribs I wake right back up. I can do this several times in a row, but somehow the elbow alway shows back up.

[sarcasm]Wouldn’t it be just aweful to have so much upper back mass that you couldn’t lie on your back?[/sarcasm]

7569

[quote]Phill wrote:

Man they are never 100 spot on the first real day back its usually the second week for me I really get the benefit of time off
Nice work bro
Phill[/quote]

Agreed 100%. I knew it going into the session, and on my own I probably would have been happy doing a few sets of 3 at 315, but since I was training with Matt, and knew I could rely on a good lift/spot, I figured why not take advantage of it.

I’ve never come back strong after a week or more off. That’s why I’m not really worried about yesterday’s lift. But I sure as hell don’t want to make a habit of missing lifts that are 15-20lbs below my max!

7570

[quote]Phill wrote:
Good point and I agree on the dynamic bench and shoulder shit All it ever did for me was give me pain in the shoulders and elbows. Paused work did me much better and regular old RE. I thnk the speed work is actually a lot of what was holding my bench back prior and that in still recovering from the beating on the joints and shit

Phill
[/quote]
I was just talking to Matt about this yesterday. I haven’t made any progress with the DE work and am dumping it in favor of RE work for the next several months. And hopefully my elbows will be a little less achy as well.