sdp - don’t worry about what you think is “pussy” weight - I think we’d all kill to move our close grip max to 10% over our regular max. Good job.
And I’ve gained 6lbs in two weeks. Maybe more. I had a big lunch today.
Does anyone incorporate incline barbell presses into their Max Effort bench days or as a assistance movement on de or me day?
Thanks for the input Big Martin I have begun incoporating high pin presses after DE bench.
Is it just me or is it much easier to do a board press then a rack press?
Are there any benefits to doing box squats vs. paused squats to the pins in the rack?
Phil
Big Martin – Thanks for the advice, I need to work up the nerve to jump into a competition.
Anybody have any newbie competitor stories? I liked Steve’s account, but we can’t all have it that good!
Also, I want to comment on westside and losing weight. In the last three months I went from 250 to 220, now I’m damn sexy(at least my wife thinks so). Nothing I’ve tried in the past beats it for increasing strength on a diet(of course there are newbie gains as well).
Goldberg - Are you saying you added close to 300 pounds on your squat in about 8 months? I gotta get crackin’
Deaddoc,
Yes, you can do incline close grip as a ME exercise, but not regular.
I’ve added 150lbs in 17 weeks which just over 4 months. believe that.
Deaddoc- I personally dont do Incline on max eff day because it beats up my shoulders but a few guys at westside do and like them…I have no shoulder problems at all but incline with heavy weight bothers my shoulders and I dont recover well from them…
I personally think pin lock outs are harder than board presses, but I also feel I dont get much out of them except for sore joints…but we are all diffirent and have do what works for us and I feel High board presses 4-5-6 for low and medium reps helps me a ton and I recover very easily from them, I also get a ton of carry over from steep declines with a close grip…
Good Luck Big Martin
Thanks for all the encouragement… Its going to be great going back to school and doing board presses in a college gym… I want to make everyone who’s going to turn and snicker eat crow in 6 months when my numbers get up there… gotta love college gyms when you deadlift double plates and people think thats a lot.
*DISCLAIMER: While I am in a frat and do enjoy it that is not to say I approve of any of my brothers or other frat guys lifting like pussies.
More like in a year and a couple of months. I maybe could have squatted 500 with a good suit and wraps when i first started. Maybe. I will squat over 700(not 699.7, damn kilos) on sept 6. believe dat. And im starting to figure out my bench press as well.
Thanks Big Martin and Landon
I guess I should try incorporating more board presses. I always do them in the rack and also feel as though they bother my joints.
How would you recommend doing the board presses if you do not have a spotter?
I agree with the declines as well. They also do not bother my shoulder.
Landon…150lbs in 4 months is outstanding!
Best, Deaddoc
Deaddoc-
Many of the guys here like to do incline barbell presses as the supplemental movement on a bench day once every 3-4 weeks or so. The reason I never do them is because it aggravates my shoulder injury (which you know about).
Yes, pin presses do seem to be more difficult than board presses. It’s probably because when doing the pin press correctly, you are not getting any rebound off of the pins at all. Even when completely stopping the bar on the boards, there is usually a bit of rebound, but this isn’t the case with the pins. Also, it seems that the bar path also gets “out of the groove” for many people when performing pin presses. This could contribute to the difficulty.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at with your last comment; I definitely wouldn’t replace your box squats with the “pin squats”, but I could see where the “pin squats” might have some merit as a movement for certain people. I just see them as being difficult to control and keep good form when performing. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try.
I keep seeing the comment “get your feet out wide when you squat” my question is HOW WIDE? I mean, obviously you are going to reach a point where you are doing the splits, but is there a distance I should shoot for? So far, I’ve been getting my feet out wide enough that I can box squat with my shins perpendicular to the floor, and my feet are pushed up against the sides of the rack. Any suggestions?
I will add that I have had good success with “pin squats”. Not as a replacement for box squats, but sometimes on DE day I will do them after box squats to get used to a heavier weight. This should in no way be taken as advice as I am a complete rookie.
Instead of pin squats you would be better off doing suspended good mornings. Many times this may turn into a semi squat anyway. The most straight weight ive ever used in training is 585. Heres a tip. Nothing is gonna help it feel light when you start getting heavy enough. On bench 315 feels the same at the top as 405 to me. After a certain point you just have to tell yourself that it may feel heavy but that doesnt mean you wont get it.
Another question here. I was lucky enough to have a GHR this summer which I will not at my college gym. So I was thinking stiff leg deadlifts/Romanian deads. I’ve started zercher good mornings too. I’ve looked at the hamstring articles on t-mag but was wondering what other westside people do if they train in similarly deficient gyms. I would use more good mornings but I thought I should avoid it for assistance since is a ME excercise. I also lack a reverse hyper bench hence why I went for the low back and hamstring combo through the stiff legs.
There are a thousand things you can do for low back and hamstrings with limited equipment. Pullthroughs are great. Dimel deadlifts will make you sore like no tomorrow. This is one of my favorites. Back extensions with a blue band around the base. You will be on fire. I dont like to do stiff leg deadlifts or romanian deadlifts. Maybe every now and then but not often. Also try taking two blue bands or two green bands and doing band good mornings that way. Its rough. Band leg curls and pseudo glute ham raises are also an option. I like doing good mornings as and assistance exercise sometimes. I did it on tuesday. I did a pulling movement for ME and then did close stance good mornings for assistance for sets of 5. Also back extensions with a bar across your back and if you are really looking for some fun try it with a band and a bar. That might be crazy though. Be creative. Invent your own exercises if you have to.
Paul-
The width of your stance is really a personal preference. Some go really wide, some medium-wide, some not wide at all. No one really knows how wide you are by your feet “touching the rack” because many power racks are different. In most instances, one’s stance will be wider when performing box squats on DE day than it will be in competition. For me, however, my stance is roughly the same when box squatting and competing.
From what you described you should be fine.
To whoever-
I agree with Goldberg; once you get to a certain point, everything feels really heavy. Just keep pushing and don’t let your fears or discomfort stop you from making a lift.
Goldberg, how come you don’t like to do straight legged deadlifts or romanian dead lifts?
Also, how heavy do you work up to on dimel deadlifts?
Thanks Steve. The power racks at my school aren’t really that wide, maybe four feet.
The most ive used is 225 on dimels. I just dont like those movements. It feels too much like a regular deadlift to me.
OK, I’m planning to try suspended goodmornings on Monday. I don’t have a way to “suspend” the bar though, does it make a big difference If I do these off of pins instead? (just slap me if this is a stupid question haha)
Also, Goldberg just mentioned that he doesn’t do certain movements because they feel too much like a regular deadlift. I’m trying to figure out why we don’t want to do anything that feels like the “classical” lifts. I’ve been assuming that it was because more weight could be handled using special exercises. Maybe I missed something in the articles…will keep reading.
I do them off pins. Not the best way but it will work.
There arent any rules for feeling an exercise. i try to avoid deadlift movements too often to keep my CNS fresh. Too much deadlifting can have a negative effect on it.