I need some advanced Powerlifters advice.

[JustinSane]

I've been doing westside for a little over a year now and was wondering if some of the more advanced lifters could take a peak at my upperbody cycle I went from benching under 200lbs to 250lbs in that time and I have no problem with results out of my lowerbody I just hit the wall on my bench.I change ME lifts everyweek and accessory three weeks And I do Bicep and abs on these days as well

Sunday DE Bench
Dynamic bench Close,medium,Wide 50%-60%
3sets of 5 dumbell press(Rotate every two weeks Flat bench,Incline)
3 sets of 5-8(Tricep press Variations)
3 sets of 8-12 row variation
Prehab work or delts 12-15 reps depending on how i'm feeling that day
Me Bench
Floor presses different grips Close and wide Board presses 2 to 3 close medium and Index finger on powerring.Pin presses,Close grip bench to a one rep max
1 set of five flat bench press
3x8 of tricep extension variation
3x8 of a tricep press variation
3 sets of 5-12 of shoulder press
3 set of 8 of a row variation

 

[Rodja]

I don't see any rear delt/mid-trap work in there. Facepulls, rear flys, band pullaparts, etc. A lot of the times, it's the little muscle that play a big role.

 

[JustinSane]

So I should add more of the delts?How many sets and reps would you suggest I get a stall right off my chest I can lock out 270lbs from a one board

 

[Rodja]

It may simply be a technical issue, but I cap off an upper-body session with a superset of either TYIs or Facepulls with band Pullaparts. I do 3-4 sets of these in the 15-20 reps range.

I also just noticed no direct upper back work. You need to add in some shrugs for that.

 

[JustinSane]

I do my shrugs on my leg days 3 sets heavy as possible 15-20 reps and I do side or front raises on dynamic upperbody day as my prehab bent over side side raises 2 sets of 8-12 or reverse pec dec and standing front or side raises 2 sets of 8-12

 

[Rodja]

Do them on each day. There are certain lifts that not only strengthen, but also help for postural correction. So many people have terrible internal rotation of the humerus and it not only increases chances of shoulder injury, but limits lat drive on the bench press.

 

[JustinSane]

Thanks for the advice much appreciated

 

[Steelwolf]

When I did westside (which I was not the biggest fan of, I prefer metal militia in terms of bench programs if that is my focus) My coach and I didn't rotate accessory until they stalled and we did better than the constant rotation. Lifts improved better than constant rotation. In addition we only had 3 movements for ME bench. Floor Press, a standard bench contest style, a cambered press. That was it. Our accessories were either high rep or low rep depending on different things. We focused heavily on upper back work and lat work as that is what personally kept my bench from hitting it's best.

 

[Mongo97]

If you have bands or chains use them. if not I would get some. I got some bands and they make a huge difference and i bench raw. I find They work the small stabilizers and you cna use them on tri work as well. Also make sure tri presses come before ext. Also upper back is important for stabilizing the bench so if you have a weak upper back get it stronger. your technique could be off too. what is your elbow position? should be around 4 and 8 if your head is 12 oclock.

 

[JustinSane]

I lift at a gym now that doesn't allow bands or chains how ever I am currently Making my own power rack at work and i'm putting it in my garage and I already have westside style chains made lol I but the cart before the horse in seeing if they were allowed at my gym and yes my arms are at 4 and 8 and today was the end of our cycle and we maxed out bench and I hit 265.So I'm thining my problem was more mental then pysical this time around and thanks guys.

 

[Mongo97]

the mental aspect has an effect big time. If you arch and have a good leg drive can help too. good luck with the home gym. Thats what I have and love it!

 

[JustinSane]

I have a 600lbs weight set two bars.The dumbells you put weights on.And i'm making me a a setup for dips.What do you do for lat pull downs and standing abs?

 

[Mongo97]

I got a small universal machine plus a dip belt for weighted pull ups. But i also have a lot of other stuff as well. its taken me a long time but i have found deals.

 

[JeffJohnston]

More rowing movements for your back, and rotator work. also chains, weight releasers, and band cycles should be thrown in now. great start tho. thats not a bad routine but looks like you got it out of Muscle and Fitness. Are you planning on competing? Are you squatting and deadlifting also threw out the week? If your squatting heavy then your shoulders and elbows, bicep tendon is taking a beating. when I was squatting heavy and pulling heavy I would burn myself out with in a couple weeks.

 

[MongoSS]

More volume all around.
Ill give you an example of my westside upper body template

Max Effort Upper

Exercises: full range bench, two and three board press, floor press, close or wide grip. I also rotate in bands or chains on each of those variations of the bench. I like to go full range exercise one week and partial the next.

Tris: JM press or lyning db ext. 4-5x8-10

Back: Tbar rows or db rows 6-8x10-12

Delts: front or lateral raise 4-5x8-10

traps shrugs or upright row 3-4x10-12

high rep tris: 3x30 with db ext or cable ext

db press incline or flat 3 sets max reps with chosen weight usually a weight I can do less than 20 with

Speed bench day


40-60% of max, rotating bands and chains for accomodating resistance 8-9x3

overhead press: 4x8-10

tris: close grip bench off boards or kenelly ext 4-5x8-10 1set max reps


delts: rear delt raise or face pulls 4-6x8-15 depending on intensity

back: weighted pull ups or lat pull downs 6-8x8-12

curls (optional) hammer or straight bar curls 7-8x10-12

pec isolation: machine or db fly for 3-4x12-15

recovery workout examples

db or bb press for 3-5 min
rows 3min
curls 3min
band ext 3-4 min
face pull 2-4 min

 

[JeffJohnston]

That looks great bud, just make sure that the speed bench is speed. Most ppl think they are doing speed reps and it takes them 3 seconds to do each rep you should have all three reps done in 3sec that's speed. But that looks like a great workout!!

 

[joeblow1]

I've been doing westside for a little over a year now and was wondering if some of the more advanced lifters could take a peak at my upperbody cycle I went from benching under 200lbs to 250lbs in that time and I have no problem with results out of my lowerbody I just hit the wall on my bench.I change ME lifts everyweek and accessory three weeks And I do Bicep and abs on these days as well

Sunday DE Bench
Dynamic bench Close,medium,Wide 50%-60%
3sets of 5 dumbell press(Rotate every two weeks Flat bench,Incline)
3 sets of 5-8(Tricep press Variations)
3 sets of 8-12 row variation
Prehab work or delts 12-15 reps depending on how i'm feeling that day
Me Bench
Floor presses different grips Close and wide Board presses 2 to 3 close medium and Index finger on powerring.Pin presses,Close grip bench to a one rep max
1 set of five flat bench press
3x8 of tricep extension variation
3x8 of a tricep press variation
3 sets of 5-12 of shoulder press
3 set of 8 of a row variation

One thing alot of people overlook is the fact that improving technique plays a crucial role in strength developement. I have seen countless people say my bench is stuck what exercises do I do and 99% of the time the reason they dont progress is the dont know how to bench. Master technique first then increase weight.

 

[SweetLou321]

My example is, I dont use gear atm

Bench ME
Warm-up with chins 15-20
ME Bench Lift (1-2 Board, Cambered bar, full bench, pin press, db for reps)
DB Presses or other press variations
Chins weighted
High rep tris with upper back (face pulls, pullaparts, scarcrows, db power cleans)

DE Bench
Chins Warm-up 15-20
DE Bench with chains, bands, or straight weight
Heavy Tris/Chest like dips, jm press, tricep hell
Rows
Traps (shrugs/upright rows)

 

[joeblow1]

My example is, I dont use gear atm

Bench ME
Warm-up with chins 15-20
ME Bench Lift (1-2 Board, Cambered bar, full bench, pin press, db for reps)
DB Presses or other press variations
Chins weighted
High rep tris with upper back (face pulls, pullaparts, scarcrows, db power cleans)

DE Bench
Chins Warm-up 15-20
DE Bench with chains, bands, or straight weight
Heavy Tris/Chest like dips, jm press, tricep hell
Rows
Traps (shrugs/upright rows)

If you plan on using a benchshirt in the future you need to add in some heavy rows. Your back plays a huge role in benching, I like all the chins but you also need the rows as well.

 

[The Cold]

I agree with Rodja and Jeff train your back harder and hit all the small muscles with y t i 's, face pulls, trap rows, and light rotator work. With that being said, where is your sticking point? If its at the bottom do 1 boards , floor press, heavy dumbells, and make sure to pause at the bottom a full 2 seconds at least. If in the middle use pins on a rack or boards at the appropriate height. Lockouts to train the lockout. I will assume that you stick at the bottom or close to it, and you havent developed enough speed. Use a slightly lower weight on DE day I think most guys use a little too much weight. Benching is my weak spot and this works. Oh and dont switch exercises every week, thats for the guys moving massive weight. You will be more able to improve your technique if you stick with each movement at least 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[SweetLou321]

If you plan on using a benchshirt in the future you need to add in some heavy rows. Your back plays a huge role in benching, I like all the chins but you also need the rows as well.

I dont always do weighted chins sometimes those are more rows. It varies depending on the day. My rows have been moving up tho so thats a good sign.

 

[SemiBulimic]

I agree with Rodja and Jeff train your back harder and hit all the small muscles with y t i 's, face pulls, trap rows, and light rotator work. With that being said, where is your sticking point? If its at the bottom do 1 boards , floor press, heavy dumbells, and make sure to pause at the bottom a full 2 seconds at least. If in the middle use pins on a rack or boards at the appropriate height. Lockouts to train the lockout. I will assume that you stick at the bottom or close to it, and you havent developed enough speed. Use a slightly lower weight on DE day I think most guys use a little too much weight. Benching is my weak spot and this works. Oh and dont switch exercises every week, thats for the guys moving massive weight. You will be more able to improve your technique if you stick with each movement at least 2 or 3 weeks.

Don't westside recommend raw lifters to use a higher % of their 1rm for speed work? I find speed work with a definite pause on the chest at each reps is effective as well

 

[The Cold]

Yes they do recommend a higher percentage for raw lifters. With that being said someone who is benching 300 or less is in serious need of speed work IMO. A lot of guys get their bench moving simply by lowering the weight for speed work regardless of what level they are lifting at.