Goldberg I saw your videos and let me say that they were very helpful!
I found Steve’s and your logs, maybe Ill understand them more later. Im just curious how old are you (and Steve), and how long did it take for your strength levels to get to where they are?
WS site is still down for me 
Looking forward to DE bench day on Tues, (didnt get to do it Sunday b/c the gym was closed during the holiday weekend) and I am ready to lift!
This WS stuff is the best thing since wheat bread! Woohoo!
[quote]Patricia- You can probably handle some lat/upper back/rear delt work (one or two exercises total) on your sample bench day there. It’s obviously up to you about how you feel that day, of course.
[/quote]
Damn Steve! I just spotted that - and that’s exactly what I was thinking while we were training this morning. I may just incorporate sometype of row on our next bench day.
This morning was bench and DE.
WU: 95x5
135x5x3
W/mini bands:
95x4x3
Incline DB press (hands parallel):
40x4x5
Close-grip decline bench:
95x7 - THIS set was easy, too easy.
135x5
135x2x3
Dips:
(bodyweight) 3x5
Overall: 135 is getting pur-tee easy - and this puts a smile on my face. I’m now able to explode it up nicely.
------Next time: ME -------
And I’ll incorporate some upper back work, too. Excellent!
Patricia is this speed day? If it is then you probably need to lower your weight a little more. I would have to see but that does seem to be a good bit of weight for speed day. Speed is the key on this day.
Not neccessarily speed today.
However, the next bench session, I am lowering the weight and staying around 85-95lbs for reps (and speed).
I have a question about bench shirts. My first bench meet is going to be on November 8, and I need to get a shirt. The meet is APA and from my understanding the rules allow any shirt that isn’t triple-ply or made of canvas.
What do people suggest?
Thanks.
Hey, doogie: in the “Westside Questions II” I posted a PM discussion between Steve and I regarding bench shirts.
You may want to check it out.
Doogie…Some will disagree with me, but if you have not used a bench shirt before get yourself a realy good single ply inzer and use it in training about every other workout. It is very difficult to use a 2 ply or denim bench shirt as your first shirt. Learning to use a bench shirt effectivly is very hard to do. It is much easier to learn to use one in a single ply. Also get your fist bench sirt one size too big this will also make it easier to learn to use. If you want some good workouts that will effectivily teach you how use a bench shirt pm and Ill show you what we have been doing and it is working geat to help us find the groove. Big Martin
Big Martin, just release your knowledge right on this thread about your experiences, and how you’ve learned to find your groove on this thread.
this is my only problem with westside. the lack of work in shirt is hard for people that don’t know their equipment exactly.
Patricia,
Remember that speed is an essential part of power and you need to have those dynamic days every week. I use less than 50% of my max for typically 8 sets of 3 with 30 seconds rest in between. I rely on alot of band tension to compensate for the low bar weight. Often on the last set or so i will add a lot of extra bar weight and see if my bar speed is still high, if it is then i am good to go, if not there is a problem. Use the dynamic day not only for speed, but the low rest times improve your anaerobic conditioning.
Thanks for the advice Big Martin. You say some will disagree with you. Would the other camp advise just getting the strongest, tightest shirt I can and using it until I find the groove?
Doogie-Some guys can learn in a double denim I just cant I tried and failed then went to 2 pl poly failed to get the concept of the shirt, but as soon as I got a very good singl ply Inzer shirt, Bang I used this work out and could find the groove very easily because he shirt wasnt dominating me. Then I went back to a double denim and nailed a 405 bench in comp and am close to that in a single ply also. There really arent camps of thoughts on this just personal opinions, John Bott is the one who told me to try and learn a single ply before I go to denim. I also compete in the usapl wich is single ply so it worked good for me. But if you look at what metal millitia does they use there shirts every week and are considerd the best bencers in the world so it is all personal preference.
Here is a sample shirt work day, I put this toghether for a 330 pound bencer this is what I have been doing almost every other week and has helped my shirt max a ton.
I have found the best hing to do is keep the weight fairly light and do triples in your shirt off boards concentrating on brining the bar very low and tucking the elbows.
So with a 330 bench your shirt work would look like this
work up to 275x3 with no shirt off of 2 boards.
Then put on your sirt and the work out would go as follows.
275x3 off 2 boards bring the bar as low as possibile and keep the elbows tucked.
275x3 off 1 board
275x3 off chest
300x3 off 2 boards
300x3 off 1 board
300x3 off chest
315x3 off 2 boards
315x3 off 1 board
315x3 off chest
The key is to bring the bar as low on the board or chest as you can each rep and keep th elbows tucked.
If you have more questions dont be affraid to ask. Big martin
Time to bump this thread with another question:
I noticed that Bloatis said that on speed work, it is advantageous to change up the loading scheme rather than just stick to straight sets.
My question is:
is it equally advantageous to do the same for the assistance movements? Some exercies call for 4-6 reps of 10 and such, would it be better to stick to straight weight, or to inrcease it gradually per set and beat the pounds the following week? or pyramiding the weight, etc?
Yeah, Doogie, definitely check out my opinions for Patricia in one of the previous Westside threads.
Although I totally respect bigmartin and the knowledge he throws out on the forum here, I am simply one of those guys that thinks you should skip learning to bench in a “weaker” shirt and simply go right to a double denim. You’ll see my opinions if you check that other thread, but to summarize, I just think it’s a waste of time to completely learn a shirt, only to have to learn a new one (which may be another long and expensive process) when you’ve finally mastered the “weaker” shirt. This opinion only holds true if the lifter in question is pretty damn strong or experienced to begin with, though, and you seem to fit this criteria.
Gq guy-
First off, I’m 21 years old, been training Westside since February of this year. My total has gone up about 350 pounds since February.
On to your question:
Simple answer. Vary things up. Use different loading schemes and rep schemes you can pick up from reading articles here on T-Mag. Dave does talk about this a bit in many of his articles on here as well.
If you haven’t already, read everything you can at Elitefts as well, and check the training logs there for ideas.
I personally like to work in the 8-15 range on assistance on speed days, and in the 3-6 range on most assistance on ME days. I tend to work up to heavier weights on the ME days, and keep the same load for sets of 8-15 on speed days. Again, nothing is set in stone, and I may go higher or lower rep on certain movements on any given day (face pulls on an ME bench day as an example: even though I normally like my assistance to be heavier on this day, I will usually work in the 10-15 range on this movement with the same load throughout).
This thread rocks, it’s the best thread I have read in two years. You guys are motivational, inspirational, and just plain bad ass!
BELIEVE THAT!
Thanks Big Martin and Steve. After much consideration, I’ve decided to go straight to the Inzer Standard Double Denim with a velcro back. However, I plan to follow Big Martin’s advice on working with it.
Does anyone have any advice on measurements before I order it?
Thanks.
Steve brings up a really good point. No matter what Goldberg, Steve, me, or any one else tells you on this thread you must remember what I beleive is the golden rule of this game “FIND WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU”…What helped me learn to use a bench shirt was completely diffirent than what Steve used, but we each found a way to get the job done. We are all diffirent have diffirent bodys, structures, motor units, ect so what may work for Chuck Vogepol may not work for me. All I can tell each and every one of you is what works for me. I use the Westside style of training and I would say my training is conjugate, but if you were to ask me what kind of training I use I wouldnt say Westside, or the conjugate method, I would say I train by instinct. Instenctive method. There are so many things that I have found work for me that dont work for others, and then there are things others use that I get nothing out of such as floor presses. What I mean by instenctive is this there are days when you wake up and you say damn this is going to be a great day to train I fell great, my mind fells great, my body fells great, So why not get the most out of this day as you can? If I had planned my workout for this day earlier than I would hold myself back, Or if I planned my dynamic squat day around percents well today I am better than those percents so lets get a little more out of myself today. Then there are days when you fell like dog shit, if your body is telling you to work up to a heavy triple and quit then damit on this day listen to your body and work up to a heavy triple and move on. I have been doing this for a few years now and the main key I have found is find your training personality, Find what works for you and dont be affraid to try anything. Sometimes the extreme or stupid may be you key to your next PR…Big Martin
Another cool post from bm…