Westside/PLing Training Thread

Training Powerlifting
8951

[quote]Kalle wrote:
Mountainman2007 wrote:
AlphaDragon wrote:
Mountainman2007 wrote:
I got some great news today. I have the test level of a 60 yo man! Got my blood work back from last week my level is at 300, doc says he likes it to be 800-1000. No wonder I feel like shit. I am gonna try some placebo injections for 6 weeks, if this does not work looks like I will be on test for the rest of my life!

The shitty part is that I have never done gear ever, my shit is still screwed up. I have always trained and lifted in drug free meets. Fuck it may be time to man up and take a few good cycles, what have I got to lose?

I apologize in advance if this seems smartalek or condoning…it’s not meant to be, but sometimes my personality translates poorly into the written word.

Onward:

I don’t know what to say exactly, bro. While I’m much less strong than you are, I can’t help but remember just how many guys out there would like to find a doc who would encourage HRT.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind one, myself.

I realize you are a competitor, bro, but there is a bright side to it.

AD

I know man I just dont want to be on it for the rest of my life. Once you start you cant stop. I am only 26 years old. I would not mind it if I was 50 had kids and all that. But I dont.

That sucks Mountainman, I don’t know what to tell yea, its a tough decision either way.

[/quote]
Do you think there is anything in your diet that could contribute to a lower test reading? Or anything you could change to improve it? Even slightly?

I have started taking DHEA and am considering the metabolic solution diet. Leaning up might help some. Thanks brother.

8952

dynamic effort lower

I believe that my quads are very week from squating so wide. So I am going to start doing some olympic squats to try and bring them up. I forgot how week I am at olympic squats. I hope this will help my deadlift.

Dyn warm up
reverse hypers
abs
calves

olympic squats
bar10
9510
13510
18510
225*5

this was supposed to be my warm up for the dynamic squats on the box, however they kicked my butt. I was so week.

Low sponge bob squats
280 6 sets 2

reverse hypers
abs
calves

8953

dynamic effort lower

I believe that my quads are very week from squating so wide. So I am going to start doing some olympic squats to try and bring them up. I forgot how week I am at olympic squats. I hope this will help my deadlift.

Dyn warm up
reverse hypers
abs
calves

olympic squats
bar10
9510
13510
18510
225*5

this was supposed to be my warm up for the dynamic squats on the box, however they kicked my butt. I was so week.

Low sponge bob squats
280 6 sets 2

reverse hypers
abs
calves

8954

[quote]Kalle wrote:
Mountainman2007 wrote:
AlphaDragon wrote:
Mountainman2007 wrote:
I got some great news today. I have the test level of a 60 yo man! Got my blood work back from last week my level is at 300, doc says he likes it to be 800-1000. No wonder I feel like shit. I am gonna try some placebo injections for 6 weeks, if this does not work looks like I will be on test for the rest of my life!

The shitty part is that I have never done gear ever, my shit is still screwed up. I have always trained and lifted in drug free meets. Fuck it may be time to man up and take a few good cycles, what have I got to lose?

I apologize in advance if this seems smartalek or condoning…it’s not meant to be, but sometimes my personality translates poorly into the written word.

Onward:

I don’t know what to say exactly, bro. While I’m much less strong than you are, I can’t help but remember just how many guys out there would like to find a doc who would encourage HRT.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind one, myself.

I realize you are a competitor, bro, but there is a bright side to it.

AD

I know man I just dont want to be on it for the rest of my life. Once you start you cant stop. I am only 26 years old. I would not mind it if I was 50 had kids and all that. But I dont.

That sucks Mountainman, I don’t know what to tell yea, its a tough decision either way.

Do you think there is anything in your diet that could contribute to a lower test reading? Or anything you could change to improve it? Even slightly?[/quote]

If you went out and consumed large amounts of alcohol the night b4 the exam, that could be a factor as well. I think there was an old article somewhere in the archives here (written by either TC or Tim Patterson) about how to LOWER your T levels in order to get prescribed HRT. Try to read it and see if you are “guilty” of doing any of those things.

Or couple that idea from Kalle with some supplements (Alpha Male or TRIBEX, or whatever)?

AD

8955

[quote]Pemdas wrote:
Man between Kalle, Tony, AD, and myself we have quite the collection of short middle weights.

Something else about those goals AD. I didn’t start training with a westside like template until august of this year. With that in mind, taking into account the progress that I have made and seeing how we are probably around the same build, I think that your goals are too low.[/quote]

I was wondering about that, actually. But I can’t help but wonder how much of our (collective) gains were due to the “newness” of this type of training (I mean, I’ve put about 35 pound on the bench, maybe 40-50 on the Squat, and 30 on the Deadlift, all within 3 months or so).

Do you have a suggestion about how much more I should shoot for? I mean, if people think it’s attainable, I’d (in a perfect world, so to speak) shoot for:

Bench: 300 (+58 lbs)
Squat: 419(+100 lbs)
Dead: 519 (+100 lbs)

But that seems like a heckuvalot! Especially the bench…that is the slowest growing lift, in general.

AD

8956

[quote]Modi wrote:
Pemdas wrote:
AlphaDragon wrote:
Wednesday, 12/18/07
ME Lower

Felt really good to “take it easy” on the last ME day before my deload week. Still not sure what to do during the deload, though.

AD

I haven’t figured out what I like for deloads yet either. In the past, I have still gone to gym and did light full body stuff. Like 15 rep light. This time around, I am just going mess around with a band. I have been meaning to try some band exercises(just the band), but I never seem to get around to it. I’ll be at parents for few days, so this seems like a good time to give it a go.

Just remember…eat grow sleep. Don’t starve yourself…even a little.

For my deloads I’ve been picking 3 movements (instead of 4) and using 70% of my RE weight and 50% of the usual working volume.

So if I normally did 4 sets of 6 at 100lbs on my RE day, I’ll keep the warmup the same, and then do 2 sets of 6 at 70lbs. I also drop back to 3 days of training, one Lower day, one Upper day and one combined.

It’s enough to keep me from having that weak as a kitten first day back in the gym, but also allows me to recover from a heavy training cycle.
[/quote]

Hey Modi,

Thanks for this.

But what do you do on ME days?

8957

[quote]AlphaDragon wrote:
Do you have a suggestion about how much more I should shoot for? I mean, if people think it’s attainable, I’d (in a perfect world, so to speak) shoot for:

Bench: 300 (+58 lbs)
Squat: 419(+100 lbs)
Dead: 519 (+100 lbs)

But that seems like a heckuvalot![/quote]

I would just not fret over what you set your goal at, AD. If you really want to set a “realistic” goal, then you’ll need to a few years experience using the template to see what kinds of gains are you getting each year. But, we’re so new that we wouldn’t know any better at this point. I’d just set something (and what you’ve set looks fine) and see what happens at the end of the year. If you happen to reach it before then, you’re more than welcome to up your goals for the end of the year. A goal is not a limit, just something that you’re training towards. And when you reach it, there’ll be high goals for you to get to. :slight_smile:

8958

12/21/07 RE Upper

A1)Flat BB Bench
Bar x some
135 x 3
185 x 3
265 x 5 x 5 PR +5 lbs. for set/rep scheme

A2)Seated Cable Row, moderate semi-sup grip
100 x 5
240 x 5 x 5 PR of some kind

B1)Lying DB Extensions=50 x 7, 7, 6, 6

B2)Alt. DB Curl=50 x 7, 7, 6, 6

NOTES: I didn’t think 5 x 5 with 265 was going to go today on the bench, but I rested plenty and got a good handoff/spot for the last set. I’m definitely starting to use my triceps more–they now get more fatigued than my chest does. I take this as a good sign.

8959

Friday, 12/21/2007: ME Deadlift

A. Deadlift
135 x 8
225 x 3
315 x 1
385 x 1
415 x 0
415 x 0
365 x 1
365 x 1

B. Angled Leg Press
540 x 4 sets x 8 reps

C. Face Pull
70 x 1 set x 25 reps
80 x 3 sets x 25 reps

D. Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curl
50 x 10
50 x 5

It’s the first time in three weeks that I’ve pulled and it showed. The first attempt at 415 I had all the way up to near lock out, but lost focus for some reason and didn’t quite lock it out. It wouldn’t have counted in a meet. The second one I barely got off the ground before dropping it.

Supposedly, if my squat goes up, my deadlift should go up. However, my deadlift has stalled for a while now. I’m a little worried in the back of my mind but I’ll deal with that next year. Everything for this next week and a half will be about getting that 3-plate squat.

8960

12/21/2007 “DE” Lower

Box Squats:
2 chains (40lbs) per side
45x8
135x5
185x2
225x1
275x1
295x1
315x1
Last one killed me, didn’t look so pretty, but it went up…

Speed Pulls(Sumo):
135x5
275x1x5
295x1x5

SLDL:
225x5x3
225x3

Lower back was absolutely toasted and on fire.

Cable Pull Throughs:
200x10
240x8
240x10x4
240x15

Lower back hates me as of right now. I’m taking the next week off, maybe do some very light stuff while at home for break.

8961

DE Lower

Box Squats + (2 Chains per side) ~90lb at the top
45x2x5
95x5
135x2
185x2
225x2
275x1
315x1 40lb PR
335x1 60lb PR
345x1 70lb PR

I tried 315 a few weeks ago and missed it, but that was after like 10 sets, so these are kind of cheap PRs. Regardless, I was really happy with 345 (~435 at the top). It gave me a lot of confidence to smash 435 after this break.

Speed-Pulls
345x10x1

Pull-Throughs
230x4x10

Hack-Squat Sled
(2 Plates + Quarter) each side x4x8

Ab-Pulldowns
120x8
125x8
135x2x8

DONE!! Felt pretty good today considering my condition.

8962

AshyLarry, you forgot about the 5lbs of support chain and we were using the big collars today, so that might even be a little more than 45lbs per side.

8963

Sheiko #29- W1 D3- 12/21/07- Friday

1 Hour 45 Minutes

1)Bench Press (all paused)
140x5
170x5
195x4
210x3 x3
225x2 x2
210x3 x3
195x4
170x4(+2)(Misread it so I jumped back on the bench)
140x8

2)DB Flys
15x10 x10 x10 x10 x10

3)Squats
190x5
225x4
265x3 x3 (belt on)
280x3 x3 x3 x3 x3

4)Pushdowns (rope)
30x10 x10 x10 x10 x10

5)Good Mornings
115x5 x5 x5 x5 x5

6)DB Hammer Curls
35x10 x10 x10

2 Hours later- Hot Epsom Salt Bath

Notes: I can understand the “lack” of upper back work in Sheiko. My lats, traps, scap retractors, and thoracic erectors are all sore…I believe that this serves to balance out all of the pressing work.

This workout felt quite easy today. Wouldn’t have even taken an hour and 45 minutes but it was my first time back in the gym back home and I kept running into people. Rest on the heaviest squats was around 3 minutes.

Left elbow bothered me a little but the curls and pressdowns helped.

-Matt

8964

Current Maxes
Squat 215x3 (see below)
Bench 145x3
Deadlift 265x3

I’d like to hit 315, 225, and 405, by next year. At the rate I’m progressing, I think it will be tough, but doable. I’m still counting on some of those newbie gains. I’d also like to chin a 45 pound plate for five or ten reps, but we’ll see how that goes.

ME Squat

Competition Squat (with a box to gauge depth)
45x10
75x10 (misload; two dimes on one side and one on the other. I thought people were looking at me funny, but I couldn’t figure out why.)
85x8
95x5
115x3
135x3
155x3
Retied my Converse nice and tight.
185x3
205x3 (PR+10)
215x3 (PR+20)
205x2

Walking Lunges 60x20, 70x20, 70x20 (PR+10)

Holy leg pump, Batman!

Assisted Manual Hamstring Raise (on a seated calf machine) 6, 6, 6

Pulldown Abs pin 6x3x15

My low-bar position feels much better. It still doesn’t feel good, but it feels better. I’m focusing on pinching my shoulder blades hard, keeping my chest proud, and pulling my elbows down as I descend. And I wore two t-shirts, as advised by the squat rx dude, which definitely seemed to help. Before if felt like walking the bar out was the limiting factor in my squats, but not so much anymore. I’ll have a two plate squat for a triple before the new year.

How do you guys prepare to hit squat depth in competition? Do you just keep squatting off boxes and rely on habit? I’m just wondering if I will know how deep to squat if I don’t have mirrors or boxes.

AD, I’ll have to try those towel face pulls. Nice idea.

8965

2007.12.21

Sheiko #31 Week 1 Day 3

Squat
230x5x1
275x4x1
325x3x2
370x3x2
390x2x3

Bench Press
130x5x1
155x4x2
185x3x2
210x2x6

Dip
BW+10x6x5

Squat
255x5x1
300x5x1
345x4x4

Pull-up
BW+10x5x5

Good Morning
140x5x5

Hanging Leg Raise
BWx11x3

8966

[quote]Pemdas wrote:
AshyLarry, you forgot about the 5lbs of support chain and we were using the big collars today, so that might even be a little more than 45lbs per side. [/quote]

Ah you’re right I totally forgot about the collars, that puts the top closer to 405, nice…just have to work on not caving…

8967

[quote]Fabius Cunctator wrote:

How do you guys prepare to hit squat depth in competition? Do you just keep squatting off boxes and rely on habit? I’m just wondering if I will know how deep to squat if I don’t have mirrors or boxes.
[/quote]

It is sort of just a feeling. I can almost feel the pressure build up in my knees and go away as soon as I pass parallel. Also, my stance is pretty wide, so for the most part, I just go down until I can’t and then spring load off my stretch reflex. I also tend to always have people around to judge my depth if I am unsure.

8968

Last workout before the holiday and it sucked

Bench
220x8
220x7 - Fuck this

235x3 - Done

Overhead Tri Extentions Elbows supported on a bench

130x2x8
135x8
140x2x8

Chest-Supported T-bar Rows
90x2x6

DONE!

8969

ME upper.

Been out of town, just got back before the workout, feeling pretty sick think I have a sinus infection, have a slight fever. I should have went to bed but I decided to try and train. Workouts like this help you appreciate the good ones.

dyn warm up
reverse hypers
lat pull downs
dumbbell press

floor press
bar10
9510
13510
1853
2253
2752
315*1

8970

So what are the thoughts on doing Rack Pulls as a second exercise on ME days?

Andy Bolton does it. Jackass does it. Both these guys are pros and may or may not enjoy some d-bol with their morning coffee.

Is it a good idea for a mere mortal to try or will my lower back explode from squats and rack pulls all in the same day?