[quote]phlegms wrote:
Really, really solid lifting. If I had half your strength I’d be a happy dude!
Any more chalk talks planned for the near future? [/quote]
yes, haha should have one up by tomorrow morning school has just been crazy and it’s been difficult to even get my workouts in but this weekend is much needed and mostly open 
[quote]pbclax1 wrote:
Solid stuff as usual Ben! Does your lever belt pinch the crap outta you when you pull conventional??[/quote]
thanks brother, and I don’t really notice if it does, I don’t think it pinches anymore than in my sumo stance but my start position on conventional deads is pretty high anyway. since I don’t use it in competitions I don’t harp on my form as much as I do with my actual lifting settups
last day of my deload from big weights hit some conventional deads and it went pretty well
Conventional deads
135x2
225x2
315x2
405x2
495x2
add belt & chalk
605x4 (PR)
405x16
Pullups
10x3
GHR/Back Extensions/leg raises
10x4
Good way to end the rep focused workouts I’ll be back to heavy sheiko work on monday but I needed definitely had fun playing around with some lighter stuff this week! and hit some good rep PRs with weights that I wouldn’t have used otherwise
Pretty damn inspirational, as always! I wish I could say 605 x 4 was good “deload” work lol. Keep killing it, Ben!
Will you be at the Arnold expo this year? I’ll be there, and it would be cool to meet you.
[quote]ashylarryku wrote:
Pretty damn inspirational, as always! I wish I could say 605 x 4 was good “deload” work lol. Keep killing it, Ben!
Will you be at the Arnold expo this year? I’ll be there, and it would be cool to meet you.[/quote]
Thanks man, but I unfortunately won’t be down there this year.
it has been awhile but I finally got the chance to do another chalk talk video
Topics:Updates, the arnold classic,direct tricep work,goal setting, same day weigh ins
Nice lifts man, do you have a spreadsheet for sheiko or know when I can find one?
LOL that’s fucking awesome
OK Ben, always love your lifting - you are something special - but you can SING TOO? That is just not right . . . I always get the “Please step away from the microphone” command, and well deserved. When are we gonna see you on Idol? You’re at least as good as the folks in the finals.
Quick lifting question: obviously you concentrate on the basic lifts . . . to what extent do you or have you in the past included some supplementary upper back work on a regular basis - rows, pullups, that sort of stuff? Think its worthwhile?
Bump.
I miss you.
Wonder what Ben’s up to
Long time no updates… I am truly sorry for that, I have been in a weird place mentally as of late. Mad at myself for being hurt mad at my body for not getting better, mad at the world for not working the way I wanted it to for awhile but eventually I accepted the fact that being mad wasn’t doing anything for me, and apparently neither was trying to train around what I thought the injury was.
An X-ray and several chiro treatments later I figured out that what I thought was a muscular overuse injury was actual a spinal alignment issue and physical deformation. I thought it was lifting related when in fact the lifting was actually covering up the problem. Long story short I finally got an actual cause figured out and have been able to finally make some progress towards recovery.
I go into a lot more detail in my most recent article for universal that I have been waiting to finish up until I had something positive to report but now I feel like I’m at the point where I can share it so look for that in the upcoming weeks.
With that out of the way here is the progress being made
saturdays squat session
Squats
135x3
225x3
315x3
415x3
415x6
no pain woohoo!
Bench
SS with rockclimbers
225x5
275x5
295x3
320x3x2
315x5
275x10
Core
Simple session still working on adding weight and volume back in but it is a start for sure and I am excited to be squatting something over 400 without pain!
The day after my first pain free squat session I went back in to see how the deads were feeling. I was very happy with the result
Deads
no belt, no chalk, no pain!!!
135x2
225x3
315x3
405x1
495x1
605x1
beats the heck out of 2 weeks ago when 405x3 with a belt felt like I was going to die
Bench
225x5x3
275x5x3
Pull ups
core
Muscle ups
the deads were the highlight of this session, not close to where I was but 605 was fast, easy, totally raw and didn’t hurt so I can not complain. I am hopeful that the next few weeks should get me close to where I was.
Glad to see you back. Hope your issues get resolved once and for all.
Great to have you back and glad you’re on the road to recovery.
All the best man.
Great to see you back, Ben!! I’m hope you’re be back to setting sick PRs in no time.
thanks guys I am slowly getting back to where I need to be.
Slowly but surely getting my groove back with training. upped my weights a bit and added some volume back in. still no where close to where I should be but given the circumstances I can’t complain to much since I’m finally able to finish workouts again.
Squat
all with a closer stance
135x3
225x3
315x3
425x3x2
425x10
Bench
SS with rockclimbers
225x5
275x5
300x5x3
225x12
core work
Volume wise it’s still no sheiko session but it is miles ahead of where I was a couple of weeks ago. I am going to stick with the closer stance squat for awhile it is tougher strength wise for me but it doesn’t irritate my lower back nearly as bad as my normal wide stance would be right now. not to mention that depth is really easy to hit with this stance and I can pretty much count on all my reps getting buried.
Thank you guys for the support! definitely on the way back to normal
Slowly but surely getting my groove back with training. upped my weights a bit and added some volume back in. still no where close to where I should be but given the circumstances I can’t complain to much since I’m finally able to finish workouts again.
Squat
all with a closer stance
135x3
225x3
315x3
425x3x2
425x10
Bench
SS with rockclimbers
225x5
275x5
300x5x3
225x12
core work
Volume wise it’s still no sheiko session but it is miles ahead of where I was a couple of weeks ago. I am going to stick with the closer stance squat for awhile it is tougher strength wise for me but it doesn’t irritate my lower back nearly as bad as my normal wide stance would be right now. not to mention that depth is really easy to hit with this stance and I can pretty much count on all my reps getting buried.
