Westside/PLing Training Thread

Training Powerlifting
9311

[quote]Fabius Cunctator wrote:
Pemdas wrote:
Fabius Cunctator wrote:

I’m really puzzled by my lack of benching strength this week. My incline and overhead strength has been increasing, but my strength on flat movements has stagnated. I think it might be that three weeks maxing out on a bench lift is too long, but that still doesn’t make sense because I’ve done it before successfully.

Just because it worked in the past does not mean it will continue to work in the future. When I first started using a westside template I squat 4 weeks in a row and I PRed every week. I can’t even come close to doing that now. Also, just because you don’t PR every time you walking into the gym doesn’t mean that something is wrong. Obviously, I try to PR something even if it is just some accessory stuff, but don’t over think one “bad” week sometimes it just happens.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll try another three week bench cycle or two for bench lifts to see if it is just a bad week or not.[/quote]

That’s the right idea. Experiment…learn…adapt…get stronger…repeat.

9312

2008.01.28

Sheiko #32 Week 3 Day 1

Squat
235x3x1
280x3x1
325x3x2
375x2x5

Bench Press
135x3x1
160x3x1
185x3x2
215x2x3
225x1x3

Pull-up
BW+15x5x5

Hanging Leg Raise
BWx12x3

Notes
Back still slightly tight. Need to focus on the deadlift form and work on keeping my hips down.

9313

[quote]Tony Hsiao wrote:

I’m sorry to hear about your herniated disk, skid. I don’t know too much about how our spine work, so I can’t give you any advice. Way to go trying to train around it, and I hope the second opinion will produce some kind of plan for treatment so you can go back to full strength soon.[/quote]

Thanks for the kind words, Tony. It’s more of an annoyance than anything serious at this point. Good lesson, too. No more squatting to the pins - if I want to control depth on the descent, a box is the way to go. I should have been using a high box for the partials - the sudden slackening of weight and following compression is too hard on the spine when using the pins. Pins are fine for Anderson squats, but not good for descending partials.

I’m catching all sorts of sh*t for even having had as much weight as I did on my back from the Phys Therapist, friends and wife. I keep telling them the weight wasn’t the problem, but the way I was using it… It’s like blaming the knife for cutting yourself.

PT’s saying I won’t be able to lift that much ever again. I think I’ll choose not believe that for the time being. Louie Simmons BROKE his back and look at him.

The belt squats are just weird. The weight distribution is very challenging, since the weight hangs behind the heels if you try to do a powerlifting squat. I’m using free weight hanging from my dipping belt and so once the legs begin to bend it becomes a quad exercise. To really emphasize the posterior chain, a cable setup would be better. I’m going to try looping the chain around a barbell, load only one end and see if I can figure out a stance/angle that’ll hit the glutes more.

I’m trying to keep the lower body strength up as much as I can, since I’ve already been out a month pretty much and will lose a week after the operation as well.

It’s been great to see everybody’s progress over the last few months. Everyone’s getting much stronger. Good to see meat posting again. Keep it up, guys!

9314

Tuesday, 1/29/2008: ME Squat

A. Squat - Wide Stance
135 x 8
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
305 x 1 (PR +5 lb)
285 x 1
285 x 1
270 x 3 (PR +5 lb)

B. Good Morning
205 x 4 sets x 5 reps

C. Glute-Ham Raise
BW x 4 sets x 8 reps

Today was a good session. I was able to up 5lb on my PRs for singles and triples, which was what I had set out to do. I felt pretty good warming up and was able to grind out those PRs. This was my third week doing wide stance squats so I’ll change to something else next week. I might be getting a little better at forcing myself to change things up instead of going on for weeks with the same exercises. :stuck_out_tongue:

9315

[quote]Tony Hsiao wrote:
Tuesday, 1/29/2008: ME Squat

A. Squat - Wide Stance
135 x 8
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
305 x 1 (PR +5 lb)
285 x 1
285 x 1
270 x 3 (PR +5 lb)

B. Good Morning
205 x 4 sets x 5 reps

C. Glute-Ham Raise
BW x 4 sets x 8 reps

Today was a good session. I was able to up 5lb on my PRs for singles and triples, which was what I had set out to do. I felt pretty good warming up and was able to grind out those PRs. This was my third week doing wide stance squats so I’ll change to something else next week. I might be getting a little better at forcing myself to change things up instead of going on for weeks with the same exercises. :-P[/quote]

I am surprised that you can still get away with 3. It only took 2-3 months before 3 weeks was way to long for me. Good job on the PR…only 10 more lbs;)

9316

[quote]Pemdas wrote:
I am surprised that you can still get away with 3. It only took 2-3 months before 3 weeks was way to long for me. Good job on the PR…only 10 more lbs;)
[/quote]

Well, I think my body is a slow learner. For some reason the first time doing a movement after a while, nothing feels right. That first week always seems like just a feeling out session.

Then, the next ones are really where I get into the groove and start to “feel it”. I’m still in the frame of mind where I want to stay with the same exercise and “milk it”, since I’m happy that I’m progressing. But, I have been running into walls lately so I’ll quit while I’m ahead and learn to switch things up a bit.

Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve done box squats and I’m actually looking forward to doing them again. :smiley:

9317

[quote]Tony Hsiao wrote:
Pemdas wrote:
I am surprised that you can still get away with 3. It only took 2-3 months before 3 weeks was way to long for me. Good job on the PR…only 10 more lbs;)

Well, I think my body is a slow learner. For some reason the first time doing a movement after a while, nothing feels right. That first week always seems like just a feeling out session.

Then, the next ones are really where I get into the groove and start to “feel it”. I’m still in the frame of mind where I want to stay with the same exercise and “milk it”, since I’m happy that I’m progressing. But, I have been running into walls lately so I’ll quit while I’m ahead and learn to switch things up a bit.

Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve done box squats and I’m actually looking forward to doing them again. :-D[/quote]

Just some food for thought. Free squats and box squats are basically the same movement if you are using the same stance, bar position, and relative depth. I would be inclined to change it something less similar.

9318

ME Upper

Incline
45x?
95x2x5
135x3
155x3
175x3
195x3
205x1
215x0
205x1
215x0 - What the f$%k
205x1
210x1
215x1 - There we go. Baseline PR

This was my first time working up on incline. It took me a while to figure out my setup, but I finally got it in the end. I probably went a little over board on the volume today, but whatever. I know that I can hit 225 next time around. This shit destroyed my tris.

3-Board Close Grip
230x2x3 - I was spent from the incline.

Pull-Ups
BW+20x7
BW+25x6
BW+35x5
BW+45x3
BW+55x1

Seated Row
160x4x10

OH Shrugs
95x15
135x10
155x3 sets I stopped counting reps. I was just messing around.
185x3 I like these. I think I am going to keep these in for awhile.

DONE!!

9319

DE lower
dynamic warm up
reverse hyper 180 2 sets 10
foam roller
tke
land mines 3510 4510

low box squats off foam
14010
2303
230+120 lbs chains *2
280+chains 4 sets 2
320+chains 4 sets 2

that was it for tonight not feeling real hot. was at hospital last night a close friend of ours passed away she was only 22 years old.

9320

[quote]Mountainman2007 wrote:
DE lower
dynamic warm up
reverse hyper 180 2 sets 10
foam roller
tke
land mines 3510 4510

low box squats off foam
14010
2303
230+120 lbs chains *2
280+chains 4 sets 2
320+chains 4 sets 2

that was it for tonight not feeling real hot. was at hospital last night a close friend of ours passed away she was only 22 years old. [/quote]

Sorry to hear about that. Really does make you appreciate the days we have here in this life. Best wishes to you and her family - it’s really hard losing someone at such a young age.

9321

1/30/08: ME Upper

Bench:
45x10x2
95x8
135x5
185x3
2 Board
205x3
230x2
255x1
275x1 (+10lb PR)
280x0
245x1

DB Press:
70x8
70x10
70x9
70x8

DB Shrugs:
120x8x3

Seated Facepull:
140x10x4

Cable Row:
160x8
175x8x3

Curls:
40x8
45x5 → 30x7

Another good PR on bench, always get greedy then miss. I have to learn to stop doing that. 275 was slow a shit too… Switching to incline next week, never maxed on incline before, I think I’m going to try triples.

9322

2008.01.30

Sheiko #32 Week 3 Day 2

Bench Press
135x3x1
160x3x1
185x3x2
215x2x5

Chin-up
BWx12,10,8

Back Extension
BWx20x3

Meh. Back is STILL tight, so I did some high rep back extensions to get some blood pumping through the muscles instead of the deadlifts that were on the schedule.

9323

Thursday, 1/31/2008: ME Overhead

A. Push Press
95 x 8
115 x 5
135 x 3
165 x 1
180 x 0
170 x 0
135 x 8

B. Incline Bench Press
155 x 4 sets x 8 reps

C. Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral High Row
230 x 4 sets x 8 reps

It wasn’t a good session today at all. I think I might have strained something in the right part of my upper back while attempting the 180lb push press. I dropped down in weight a little but it just doesn’t feel right. After doing some reps, I just gave up on it and scrapped the rest of the overhead stuff that I had planed on doing.

However, the strain doesn’t bother my incline bench press. I continued pressing and then did some high rows, which felt okay. I just felt tired overall so I figured I’d pack it in a little earlier to rest up.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

9324

2008-2-1

Lower Body Stuff

Reverse Hyper
BWx20
90x8 (8 ouches)
BWx20

Sumo Deadlift
135x15
225x8
315x4

45 Degree Hyperextension
35x10,10,10

Sled dragging
90x100yards x3

Weighted Situps
25x20,20

Side Bends
60x10,10

Green Band Leg Curls
2x8 (per leg)

It’s comin’ back… Can’t go full range of motion on the RH’s. I’m being cautious, but it’ll be getting better I’m pretty sure.

9325

2/1/08: DE Lower

Box Squat:
45x5x2
Chains (45lb per side)
45x5
95x2
135x2
155x2x10

Speed Pull:
275x1x8

Knee Squats:
45x8
135x8
185x8
225x6
275x5
225x5

SLDL:
225x5x4

GM (PinN):
135x6,4,3,5,6

Yea so I was beat to shit today, almost ever lift was crap. I’ve had like no energy all week, the 15+ hour days at work/school are wearing me down, and trying to drop some body fat by low-carbing isn’t helping at all…

9326

2008.02.01

Sheiko #32 Week 3 Day 3

Squat
235x3x1
285x3x2
325x3x2
350x2x3

Bench Press
135x3x1
160x3x1
185x3x2
200x2x4

Notes
Deloads are boring.

9327

02/01/08 - Lower (RE)

A) 14" Box Squat w/Yoke Bar
barx10
170x6
170x6
260x4
350x6
400x6 (PR +10lbs)
370x5

B) Deadlift Technique Work
135x6
225x3x2
315x3x2
365x3x2

C) Rack Pulls (Pin #4)
365x3x2
405x3x2
455x3x2

D) Pullups (Overhand 32" Grip)
8x5

E) Rack Humps
Greenx10
2 Greensx10
2 Greens+1 Bluex10
2 Greens+1 Bluex10

F) Weighted Situps (plate behind head)
25x10x3

400x6 with the Yoke Bar was a very hard set. Hopefully this won’t affect Monday’s ME work. I think in the future I’m going to keep my RE work as straight sets, so I’ll keep the weight the same for all 3 or 4 working sets, and increase the weight if I get all my reps.

I felt good about my DL technique today, so I increased the last 2 sets to 365 (still very light), and will continue to make small jumps weekly as long as my form stays solid. Rack Pulls felt good today. These were done from the top of my kneecap, working on pushing the glutes through.

I decided to screw around with something new today, and for a lack of a better term, I called them Rack Humps. I basically looped a band around my weight tree, and the other end around my waist, facing away from the weight tree.

I walked out, and grabbed onto my rack, with my feet way out infront of my hips and pushed my hips towards the rack, again working on the glutes. I guess these are pretty similar to a pullthrough. The band tension with two greens and a blue was very strong. I did not video these, as they would give everyone hours of amusement. If you think they sound ghey, they look even worse.

I still hate pullups, and I’ll probably feel today’s effort all weekend.

9328

02/02/08 - Upper (RE)

A) Flat Bench (5x5)
barx15
135x8
185x5
225x3
275x1
305x5x5

B) Rack Lockouts (Pin #10)
355x3
335x5
335x5

C) Plate Raise
50x8
66x12
66x15
66x15

This felt harder than it should have. 5x5 with straight weight is pretty tough, and I felt like I suffered a little from yesterdays session, but it was still a 5lb increase from last week. By the time I got to the Rack Lockouts, I was more fatigued than expected.

I was going to finish with my Reverse Curl/Wrist Roller super set, but after all the DL’s, Rack Pulls, and Pullups from yesterday, I decided that it probably wasn’t the best option for my tendons.

This could be a sign that I need a deload, or it could just be from having switched my Thursday lift to Fridays. I’m going back to the old M/W/Th/Sa scheme and see how I feel next Saturday.

9329

02/02/08 - Upper (RE)

A) Flat Bench (5x5)
barx15
135x8
185x5
225x3
275x1
305x5x5

B) Rack Lockouts (Pin #10)
355x3
335x5
335x5

C) Plate Raise
50x8
66x12
66x15
66x15

This felt harder than it should have. 5x5 with straight weight is pretty tough, and I felt like I suffered a little from yesterdays session, but it was still a 5lb increase from last week. By the time I got to the Rack Lockouts, I was more fatigued than expected.

I was going to finish with my Reverse Curl/Wrist Roller super set, but after all the DL’s, Rack Pulls, and Pullups from yesterday, I decided that it probably wasn’t the best option for my tendons.

This could be a sign that I need a deload, or it could just be from having switched my Thursday lift to Fridays. I’m going back to the old M/W/Th/Sa scheme and see how I feel next Saturday.

9330

For lack of time, I’ll not catchup on posts, but only write todays.

ME Upper

1-board bench (triples)
barx10
40kg x8
50kg x5
60kg x3
70kg x3
80kg x3
102.2kg x3 (PR +2.2kg)
102.2kg x3 (same)

Notes: Surprisingly easy, but I know I couldn’t get 3 reps with more weight. No, it was not “easy” and I had to work for each rep, but not eye-popping effort. Now my 3rm is only 10kg (22lbs) less than my 1RM. Crazy.

45 degree incline DB Presses:

29kg: 8 (PR+2), 8 (PR+2)
33.5: 4 (never did this weight before, so PR)

Well, 33.5kg is like the heaviest DB in the gym (in most gyms out here, in general), so…

Standing Lat Pulldown Tricep PRessdowns:

5th pin, 14 (PR +3), 12 (PR+1), 11 (PR +2), 10 (PR +2)

Dumbbell Overhead Presses:

18kg: 8 (PR +2), 8 (PR +1)
21kg: 5 (new weight/set pr)

Seated Rows (Dual Stirrups):

13th pin: 7,6 (all new set/rep PR’s).

An INSANE training day that I’m really pleased with.

Jason