Resolve
The BPS Rep
I don't even know what that is. I'll have to google it. 315x21 is nuts.
A Squatter's Rites
- Thread starter Resolve
- Start date
I don't even know what that is. I'll have to google it. 315x21 is nuts.
Irish Cannon
Legend
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Resolve
The BPS Rep
Ah, man, now I want one...
VolcomX311
Legend
Very ineresting. I just checked those out and followed some vidoes of it in use. I just saw some dude put up 405 for 25 reps.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
BRB, feeling inadequate. :eek5:
MrKleen73
Legend
I can not tell you how much I love that response to the guy in the gym. I often have someone come up and tell me something about how I am doing a lift. Especially lifts I have modified to target different areas and tell me I am doing them "wrong". I think there comes a certain time you need to recognize who you are and who the guy you are trying to correct is and then think maybe I should ask why the advanced guy is doing it different than me. Not tell the advanced guy he is wrong...Deloading week:
Yesterday I did some back squats with 225. Just did sets of 5 until I felt good and "activated". Followed these with some bb hacks, leg exts and donkey calves.
Had a guy tell me the bb hacks were bad for my back. I asked him why he thought that - his answer: "because you bend your knees too much." W. T. F. ?!
I replied that that made no sense and that I wanted a large ROM to hit the vastus medialis in my quads. He asked what "those" were. "Those?", I replied. "Quadriceps, what are they?" O_0 I slapped my thigh saying "these are your quads. and if you don't know that, you shouldn't be telling anybody what's good or bad for them in the gym."
He didn't seem happy with that.
Today I did bench, sets of 5 with 225, supersetted with bodyweight chins. Followed this with Dips, db curls, incline banded flies and reverse curls.
Feeling tired, didn't get enough sleep last night, but I've dumped a ton of water weight.
Interesting contraption. I have to wonder does it actually make you any stronger or just assist with the lift. If you can lift 10% more with it because it is lifting 10% for you how are you actually any stronger unless increases are due to helping develop the lockout portion of the bench.
VolcomX311
Legend
In my opinion, it would do more to help with the lift then help develop muscle. It's basically a body band and it expands back with a recoil like a rubber band. I just think its cool.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
The guy weighed maybe 150 at 15%BF. Standard, anonymous, skinny-fat gym-filler. I wasn't angry at him, more astonished at his ignorance and audacity!
The slingshot seems to me like it would be along the same lines as reverse band bench - it's gonna bear part of the load at the bottom of the rep.
Irish Cannon
Legend
It forces you to correct your form, and helps assist in speed work (dynamic effort) by relieving joints and tendons to some degree.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
I've never really considered myself a powerlifter - I typically use too much volume, frequency and attention to diet to fall into that category.
Still, I enjoy and implement the 5/3/1 protocol for the big three because, IMO, strength and basic movements should form the backbone of any routine.
I finished up my deloading week today with some Circuit lifting and conditioning. I really like the setup I'm using right now. For anyone interested, here it is:
Monday - Quad Focus
Squat/Box Squat - 5/3/1 followed by X Back-off sets
BB Hacks - 3 sets, 10-30 reps, pyramid
Sissy Squats - 3 sets, AMAP (As Many As Possible
Leg Exts - 6 sets, ramp to 300, AMAP
All Squats supersetted with Seated Calfs
Tuesday - Upper Body
Bench - 5/3/1 followed by X Backoff sets
Weighted Chins - 6x3-5
Weighted Dips -5x8 + 2xAMAP
Two Curls of Choice - 3-5sets each, 8-15reps
Thursday - Dead Focus
DLs/Sumo DLs/Whatever - 5/3/1
High Foot Leg Press - 5-7x20-30, pyramid
ss'd w/calves
Glute Bridges or GHRs - 5xAMAP
Farmer's Walks - 3 to grip failure
Grip Work
Friday - Upper Body
OH Press/Push Press/OH Pin Press - 5/3/1
Banded Upright Rows or Lateral Raises - 5xWhatever I feel like
Banded JM Press - 6-8x8, pyramid
ss'd w/Pendlay rows
Fly of Choice - 6x15
ss'd w/Curl of Choice - 6x15
Saturday - Lower Body/ General Conditioning
Squat circuit - Jump Squat + Front Squat + Step-up - 5x5+5+5
DB Swings - 5x20
Walking OH Lunges - Until I hate myself
Calves - Until I like myself again
Irish Cannon
Legend
30 rep BB Hacks?! Wow!
Resolve
The BPS Rep
It's only with 135 - After my last back off set of squats, I strip the bar to 135, drop it to the floor and pull to failure.
Except I was short on time, so I tried something else today.
On back squats I worked up to a fantastic set of 335x8. Probably the most solid set of 8 I've ever done. But it took the wind out of my sails. In my first back off set, I failed after the 4th rep with 225. So, I dropped to 135 and really focused on form.
For hacks, as I said, I was short on time. So I loaded the bar with 335: 1-45 and 4-25s per side and did a Quintuple Dropset, stripping a 25 after hitting failure at each weight.
A few sets of sissy squats and I hobbled out of there...
Oh, and I'm down two pounds.
Irish Cannon
Legend
Very nice, bro! Solid work.
You seem to get a bit more technical than me. Have you noticed it helping your strength? - I've been sticking to the Wendler routine for my big 3, as well as Pin Presses, and then do DC for my accessory work. Strength has never shot up quicker. I can only hope it endures.
I'm trying to get my PL Total up. I think I should be hitting 405 on Squats for reps pretty soon, with my max around 500. Another couple months maybe. - DL's should be around 500+ in that time frame, and Bench should be around 335-350.
I've never been more excited.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
Yeah, I'm actually using 5/3/1 principles for the big 3. It's just that the final set of the 3 work sets is supposed to be "as many reps as possible". So, I did 2 sets of 5 and then took the final set almost to failure.
335 is what the percentages called for yesterday, so it was what I used.
Technically, it's the beginning of another 5/3/1 cycle for me, so I re-calculated all the poundages I should be using.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
Had a bit of rescheduling - took yesterday off and I'll be lifting. Now getting an average of 1.5 cardio sessions per day. I've begun walking the 2miles to my lab each morning. Sometimes I walk home, sometimes BW picks me up and we head to the gym directly.
Today is bench day - woot.
Today is bench day - woot.
VolcomX311
Legend
looking foward to your 5/3/1 numbers
Resolve
The BPS Rep
Yesterday was not too impressive, but today was ok.
5/3/1 operates on a few basic principles:
1. The load and volume shifts each week, beginning with 3 work sets of 5. The next week is 3x3, the next after that is 1x5, 1x3, 1x1+. The final workset of any day is "As many reps as possible", so even though it may be 5-rep week, if you can hit 8 reps on that last set, do it.
2. Conservative loading parameters. All weights lifted are calculated before hand, based on their percentage of 1RM. You take 90% of your 1RM, and that is your "training max" - the number you use as 100% to calculate your other loads. Sounds weird, but you get used to it quick.
3. Every fourth week is "deloading week" - 3x5 with 50% of your training max. When the next training month begins, shoot to increase your lower body lifts by 10lbs, and upper body lifts by 5lbs.
That's pretty much it.
Irish Cannon
Legend
Those are great numbers, bro! Excellent work.
With my training, I take out the "as many reps as possible" set and just continue to work up to max-weight for that weeks specific rep-total. When I'm done with the Big-lift, I then go on to do accessory work for the same muscles. So if it's a Bench Day, I hit Bench (5/3/1 style), and then I do Incline DB Press, Tate Presses or Rolling Tricep Extension, T-bar Row, and Reverse Fly; 8-12 reps on each set with a 30-45sec rest - almost like a DC set. 3-4 sets on each accessory exercise.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
Thanks man. 
I've done the same thing - continuing to add weight until I max for whatever number of reps. For this "cycle", however, I was inspired to follow AMAP rule by a video on EFS. A guy worked up to 400-something for 11 on his 5-rep squat day and I went, "screw it, I wanna do that."
I also really want a push/pull sled. Not a prowler - something I can carry into the gym with me.
And I just pulled a large chunk of glass out of my thumb. :\
I've done the same thing - continuing to add weight until I max for whatever number of reps. For this "cycle", however, I was inspired to follow AMAP rule by a video on EFS. A guy worked up to 400-something for 11 on his 5-rep squat day and I went, "screw it, I wanna do that."
I also really want a push/pull sled. Not a prowler - something I can carry into the gym with me.
And I just pulled a large chunk of glass out of my thumb. :\
Resolve
The BPS Rep
Lol, sort of...
Ok, here's the story:
In our Tissue Culture room (where we grow cells) we have a vacuum flask used to suck up old media (cell food) and waste. The end of the tube connected to the flask calcified, so we couldn't get any suction.
I dismantled the flask to try and remove the calcium deposit and the connector between the tube and the flask shattered. It went right through my gloves and into my right hand.
I thought I had gotten all the glass out of my hand before going home, but my thumb was still hurting, so I did a bit of basic self-surgery and discovered a "1/4x"1/4 chunk still buried in there. It was in so deep I hadn't found it earlier. :blackeye:
Resolve
The BPS Rep
No, that flask is loaded full of enough bleach that nothing would survive in there. And I washed the wound thoroughly, so I doubt there's any chemicals left whatsoever.
Thanks for the concern though.
MrKleen73
Legend
Thanks Resolve, good explanaition, I just got the EBook on it too so I am gonna read up in it now too. Looks pretty well layed out and that last set sounds like fun. You get to increase the intensity but not go so crazy as to let the weight hurt you.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
I think you'll enjoy the book, it's an entertaining read.
Highlights from the last few days of training:
OH DB Press: 110s for 6
Seated Cable Row: 300 for 15
Umm yeah, other than that, lots of accessory and GPP work. I did a mechanical dropset for the hell of it, doing pull-ups, chin-ups, then parallel-grip pull-ups back to back to failure. Ugh was that awful. BW was yelling at me by the end of it: "YOU ARE NOT DONE! THREE MORE NOW!"
That's why I love her.
thundergod
Well-known member
Very late sub. But at least it's one of those timeless enduring logs that goes on for infinity.
Stellar lifting Resolve. Lots of credit goes to BW though for her incredible coaching skills!!
BW was yelling at me by the end of it: "YOU ARE NOT DONE! THREE MORE NOW:aargh4:
Classic!
You 2 make an awesome team. :clap2:
Resolve
The BPS Rep
She has gotten really good at reading my body language while lifting, which is a huge help for overcoming mental barriers. I may be thinking "I'm beat, no mas," and she's looking at the power in my reps, knowing I've got a few more in the tank. Conversely, sometimes I'll overreach, and she's the one who pulls me back into reality.
"THREE MORE ORGASMS, NOW!" :drillsergeant:
...wait, what? :O
Irish Cannon
Legend
Resolve, what are your thoughts on ditching the 5/3/1 sets the last week and just doing singles instead? - I've been doing just that and it has worked great. My endurance is just killed if I do the sets of 5 and 3 prior to my max. I figure why not make it a max-out workout instead? What's the benefit in the actual 5/3/1 sets.
I have the Wendler e-book, and he seems to contradict himself in certain areas. I'm just kind of catering it to myself and getting my maxes up. - Even with stuff like overtraining; I no longer Pull every week as it seems to hinder my progress in other areas such as my Squat and Log Presses, which frankly I'm more concerned with.
I have the Wendler e-book, and he seems to contradict himself in certain areas. I'm just kind of catering it to myself and getting my maxes up. - Even with stuff like overtraining; I no longer Pull every week as it seems to hinder my progress in other areas such as my Squat and Log Presses, which frankly I'm more concerned with.
VolcomX311
Legend
Warming up on aesthetic or volume training is seemingly arbitrary, because you're only lifting moderate weight. At best you want increased blood flow to warm and tighten the working muscles, maybe lubricate the joints and engage the stabilizers, but that's really all you're looking to do.
In lifting heavy, particularly singles, the prime culprit your targetiing during a warm up are your motor units. When you contract a muscle cold, you don't engage all of your motor units as a whole and they don't contract in symphony. Motor unit recruitment responds to stress aka warm up weights. When you warm up, first, your brain will begin to recruit motor units in quanitity, the quantity of motor units recruited will primarily determine strength. Secondly, when reps get lower and weights heavier, particularly in singles situation, your brain at this point, if you've given it an opportunity to maximally recruit motor units, will begin to fire the motor units synchronously. Sychronous motor unit firing will primarily determine power.
5/3/1, from what I can understand at its underlining physiological principles, is a neural warm up.
That being said, what I just described will have incredibly varying degrees of applicability depending on your level and time with heavy, heavy training. There does come a point where your body remains 90% primed to hit something heavy at all times due to adaptions over time and the warm up process can be a very un-thorough event. However, 5/3/1, having two warm up sets does not sound excessive, even at a weight of 5 & 3 repititions.
The real bottom line beyond the academics, is that if you feel your current method is giving you superior results, then thats, that.
Irish Cannon
Legend
I guess if they're warm up, that's fine, but I tend to consider them as working sets, so when I think reps of 5 and 3, I do the maximum of those weights that I did during my 5's and 3's workouts.
What I've been doing is this:
5's: Warm-up with light, fast-paced doubles, then 4 working sets of 5 reps working up to my maximum in that rep range
3's: Same, but hitting triples for my working sets
1's: Warm-up with light, fast-paced singles, then 3-4 working sets of 1 rep until I hit my maximum load. If I dump on set 2, I attempt a third time. If I dump again, it's quits. This has yet to happen. My last max bench day I dumped 310, and got it on my 2nd attempt (3rd set) for my PR.
Deload: All bodybuilder style exercises in the 8-15 rep range
What I've been doing is this:
5's: Warm-up with light, fast-paced doubles, then 4 working sets of 5 reps working up to my maximum in that rep range
3's: Same, but hitting triples for my working sets
1's: Warm-up with light, fast-paced singles, then 3-4 working sets of 1 rep until I hit my maximum load. If I dump on set 2, I attempt a third time. If I dump again, it's quits. This has yet to happen. My last max bench day I dumped 310, and got it on my 2nd attempt (3rd set) for my PR.
Deload: All bodybuilder style exercises in the 8-15 rep range
VolcomX311
Legend
Wait... so how many actual sets do you go through before the single? Like 7 sets if I'm understanding correctly? Wow, that's a lot to go through before the single. I thought it was a set of 5 reps, set of 3 reps, then the single.
Irish Cannon
Legend
That's how it's supposed to be, but for example I'll do...
Warm-up (stretch between all sets)
135x1
185x1
225x1
Working
275x1
300x1
Attempt Max x 1 (say 315)
Attempt new max x 1 (330)
Something like that.
VolcomX311
Legend
That seems like a reasonable progression.
Irish Cannon
Legend
Yep, that sounds solid. Now that I think about it, I probably do 3-5 reps with the lower weight and don't start doing singles until 225+.
I've personally found that my Bench Press is one of the exercises I have horrible muscular endurance on; much like Chins.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
It's relative for me. If I only use 225, and simply go to failure, I can hit 12-15reps. But, if I go way heavier than 225 for several sets of low reps, then back-off to 225, I can hit 15-20 no problem.
Irish Cannon
Legend
*Strokes beard*
VolcomX311
Legend
[motor units]
Resolve
The BPS Rep
Yep. Short-term neural adaptation at its finest.
MrKleen73
Legend
So what your saying is you have to find your own perfect warm up...
My goal is for 455 this weekend so I may do something like 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1 then shoot for 455 and if I hit it move up if not try again. Does that look okay assuming I did 5 minutes on the elliptical before even heading to the dead lifts to get a full body warm up.
My goal is for 455 this weekend so I may do something like 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1 then shoot for 455 and if I hit it move up if not try again. Does that look okay assuming I did 5 minutes on the elliptical before even heading to the dead lifts to get a full body warm up.
Irish Cannon
Legend
VolcomX311
Legend
I'm on the verge of buying that Sling Shot business. Have you used it yourself Irish?
Irish Cannon
Legend
Nope, but next time my training partner has it with him on bench day I'm going to give it a go. I know he loves it.
Resolve
The BPS Rep
If warming up for deads, DB swings would be superior to the elliptical, IMO. They'll wake up your posterior chain and abs much better and help you explode the bar up.
That loading looks fine, though personally I always hit an even hundred pound increment before moving higher. I.e. I would do 405x1 before 455x1, but that's just personal preference. I find that ~50lb at a time is biggest jump I can handle once the weight gets close to 1RM.