My latest Bench Press PR. Goal of 500+ at 195. I'm done being fat.

[f4iguy]

I've been a member for a long time but mostly post in the supplement section. I still lurk in here though. Great to see everybody helping each other. Short story long...I got pretty strong (and fat) last year. I developed some bad habits as a result of working too many hours. I cut out all cardio, drank several nights each week, and ate too many carbs. I lifted consistently but you can't outlift a bad diet. I started buying larger clothes and justified it by telling myself it was all the muscle I gained. My waist shot up to 36 inches. I saw a picture of myself with my son on vacation. My gut was popping out like all the other 40-50 year old dudes around me. Time for change. My sons deserve a dad that can run, wrestle, and have fun every day. My wife didn't marry a fat guy.

That was about 12 months ago. I set a goal. Keep my bench up and get my abs back with a slow cut. I'm down from 225 pounds to 195 pounds. My waist is down 5 inches. I have 4 abs visible and I know the lower ones are only a few months away. I changed EVERYTHING. Cardio 4x week 20 minutes moderate intensity. Walking 15-20 minutes daily on days I don't do cardio. No eating after 9:00pm. Salad with tuna or chicken daily along with other lean protein, healthy fats carbs. Cut out mostly all sugar. The only liquid I drink is water and that stays around 1.5 gallons daily. I cut way back on calories and increased training volume.

My current lifting routine is pretty simple. Day 1 Abs/Chest/Bis, Day 2 Legs, Day 3 Off, Day 4 Shoulders/Tris/Abs, Day 5 Back/Traps/Calves Day 6 Off, Day 7 repeat Day 1. I deload for 1 week after 10 weeks. During the deload I change exercises which I continue to use for the next 10 weeks. I generally hit every muscle twice per week although not directly.

Here's the result. 405 pounds for 9 reps at 195 bodyweight. I'm absolutely within striking range of a 500 raw press... with abs and a small waist. Life is a lot more enjoyable when you take care of your body.

 

[Smont]

That's fukin insane.

405 for a single would be the state record in your weight class in Connecticut

 

[f4iguy]

I held the state record in VA a few years back. I'm not sure what it is now. I pressed 442 pounds with a pause. It was my first full meet. I was dehydrated from a water cut and didn't have a chance to warm up. My gym lift the week prior was 455 paused. My technique is better now. I've learned pressing lower on my chest is good for some extra poundage.

 

[Segansational]

Wow, made that look easy too!

 

[Danksta710]

Wow great post and video. Thx for sharing. Quite inspirational.

 

[Carnivorecon]

I watched the vid without reading comment and legitimately thought that was flew lexis for a sec
You're strong and a unit bro, well done!

 

[f4iguy]

I watched the vid without reading comment and legitimately thought that was flew lexis for a sec
You're strong and a unit bro, well done!

Wow thanks! Flex is the man. I love his intensity when he lifts. John Meadows was another favorite. He gave so much to the sport.

 

[Smont]

Wow thanks! Flex is the man. I love his intensity when he lifts. John Meadows was another favorite. He gave so much to the sport.

I could give 2 fuks less about the ppl in the fitness industry or influencers whatever these guys call themselves, but when John Meadows passed away I was genuinely sad. He seemed like a really awesome all-around great person

 

[Carnivorecon]

Wow thanks! Flex is the man. I love his intensity when he lifts. John Meadows was another favorite. He gave so much to the sport.

John is definitely missed, he was truly one of the good guys in the industry

 

[Hyde]

Geez your arms are freakin’ short bro!!! Makes your deadlift that much more impressive. You have the right leverages, and the formula I usually use that tends to be very true for me specifically has 405x9 relating to a 518x1 effort so you have the horsepower. You may lose a little if you are better at reps than maxing, or get a longer press command, but you really should be in range.

Why the half-board here? And what’s your plan to bring 500 to life? You just need to move into a peaking cycle from my point of view.

 

[f4iguy]

Why the half-board here? And what’s your plan to bring 500 to life? You just need to move into a peaking cycle from my point of view.

Hey bud. That's a benchblokz foam attachment. It's 1/2" and I use it when I'm working above 6 reps during with higher volume. The bottom range isn't a sticking point and it takes a little stress of the shoulders when I'm benching more frequently.

Once I get to 10 reps I'll start working with heavier weight, lower rep ranges, and paused lifts. I'm also planning to up calories which should help. I've been in a deficit for about 6 months dropping a pound each week.

 

[Smont]

Hey bud. That's a benchblokz foam attachment. It's 1/2" and I use it when I'm working above 6 reps during with higher volume. The bottom range isn't a sticking point and it takes a little stress of the shoulders when I'm benching more frequently.

Once I get to 10 reps I'll start working with heavier weight, lower rep ranges, and paused lifts. I'm also planning to up calories which should help. I've been in a deficit for about 6 months dropping a pound each week.

From my own experience, every pound of body weight I gain adds about a pound of my bench, even if it's all fat lol. Twice I forced myself to gain weight and literally game 20 lb and my bench went up 20 lb like clockwork both times. You just look like a big bag of s*** at the end tho lol

 

[f4iguy]

From my own experience, every pound of body weight I gain adds about a pound of my bench, even if it's all fat lol. Twice I forced myself to gain weight and literally game 20 lb and my bench went up 20 lb like clockwork both times. You just look like a big bag of s*** at the end tho lol

I agree! I felt strong but slow and tired all the time at over 220. In the past I've been able to maintain muscle and strength with a small caloric deficit, losing no more that 2 pounds each week. I've kept me strength so far which tells me I was carrying a lot of crap weight lol.

 

[Smont]

I agree! I felt strong but slow and tired all the time at over 220. In the past I've been able to maintain muscle and strength with a small caloric deficit, losing no more that 2 pounds each week. I've kept me strength so far which tells me I was carrying a lot of crap weight lol.

I was in the same boat, maintaining strength while cutting till I hit about 191-192, now I'm down to about 187 and strength is down, I feel like I'm walking a thin line between having a good workout and getting injured, strength going down a bit and I'm starting to get aches and pains. Im not shredded either. Probably 10-11% at this point and I can't imagine what a stage ready 5%bf must feel like. Can't wait till it's time to start gaining again. Trying to get ripped is for the birds. I like being 12-15%. I'm strong and look fine there and that's where everything seems to function best

 

[f4iguy]

I was in the same boat, maintaining strength while cutting till I hit about 191-192, now I'm down to about 187 and strength is down, I feel like I'm walking a thin line between having a good workout and getting injured, strength going down a bit and I'm starting to get aches and pains. Im not shredded either. Probably 10-11% at this point and I can't imagine what a stage ready 5%bf must feel like. Can't wait till it's time to start gaining again. Trying to get ripped is for the birds. I like being 12-15%. I'm strong and look fine there and that's where everything seems to function best

I did the 8-10% bodyfat thing when I was younger. I don't really see the point anymore. Walking around at 12-15% you still look and feel great. To get below 10% I need HIT and major carb restriction. I also notice getting angry and forgetful more often because I'm hungry all the time. I got to a point where my lower abs were in, I had feathering in my quads. My ab genetics aren't great so getting to that point requires a strength sacrifice I'm no longer willing to pay. 4 abs and I'm good.

 

[Smont]

I don't plan on holding the look, I just wanna get below 10 before I start my winter bulk of sorts, either way I'm pulling the plug on Thanksgiving lol

 

[TheMrMuscle]

Awesome work brother!

 

[f4iguy]

Awesome work brother!

Thanks! It was tough adding in cardio and cleaning up the diet at first. After about 3 weeks it became routine and I actually look forward to cardio. The trick for me is keeping cardio under 20 minutes 4x week. I'll watch youtube videos or listen to a podcast and it's over with pretty quickly.

 

[BBiceps]

Great work!

I’m interested in, if you don’t mind sharing, your upper body routine? Like what exercises and how many sets?

 

[Hyde]

Hey bud. That's a benchblokz foam attachment. It's 1/2" and I use it when I'm working above 6 reps during with higher volume. The bottom range isn't a sticking point and it takes a little stress of the shoulders when I'm benching more frequently.

Once I get to 10 reps I'll start working with heavier weight, lower rep ranges, and paused lifts. I'm also planning to up calories which should help. I've been in a deficit for about 6 months dropping a pound each week.

Makes sense; I’m familiar with it as I have one but never use it. I do use my 2-board benchblokz a lot lately for the same reason, as my lockout is the weakness. Just yesterday did some sets of 15 with it for safer hypertrophy work.

I can get my lockout beefed up into a strength for a little, but it always seems to default back to my weakness in time. But you have to have one somewhere! The trick is just bringing it up by the time you’re going to test.

 

[f4iguy]

My limiting factor has always been keeping the joints healthy. I think adding in calories and staying at 200 when things get heavier will help. In the past a shoulder issue and later elbow pain forced me to cut back. A lot of that was bad technique... not knowing how to tuck shoulder blades and using a grip that was too wide. I tried a bigger arch and wide grip to shorten range but that style never worked. My hands at shoulder width and real small arch serve me best. When I was younger I ignored aches and pains which usually led to stopping certain pressing exercises for 2-3 months. The biggest thing I messed up was never deloading. I add a 2-3 week deload every 10 weeks and that's kept the joints happy.