My powerlifting journey [Archive]

UK_Powerlifter

11-30-2009, 10:39 AM

Been training since the beginning of the year. Started out doing 5x5, then onto bench only then back to the big three. I am 19 years old and weigh around 75kg. I hope to squat 150kg, bench press 100kg and deadlift 170kg in a few weeks time. Right now I am using the westside template.

I have looking at Dave Palumbo's off season diet and have got most of the supplements sorted out. I have no idea how much omega 3's I should be taking though. If someone could give me a few pointers in Dave's off season diet that would be great.

I am just doing heavy reps (5) of squat and deadlift leading up to my test so as not to burn myself out.

30/11/09
ME Deadlift Day
Deadlift 5RM 150kg. The last rep was incredibly hard. Looked like the deadlift from Chuck Vogelpohl in his XXX dvd. I did a lot of working sets though since I had no idea how much weight I was gonna lift today. It went something like this.
50kg x10
90kg x5
110kg x5
130kg x5
140kg x5
150kg x5
Inverse Curls 3x10 Felt a lot of tension on my hamstrings here. More so than when I did GHRs. My GHRs have gone down though since they haven't fixed the bench yet and I just refused to do them on a decline.
Low Back Machine 3x11 65kg
Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls 3x10 8kg
Dumbbell Side Bends 3x11 20kg

Overall a nice workout.

vboissiere

11-30-2009, 10:46 AM

Good luck. After your test, do you plan to compete?

crashcrew56

11-30-2009, 10:49 AM

I don't really understand your reasoning for doing 5 reps?

UK_Powerlifter

11-30-2009, 01:17 PM

I want my body to be reminded of the feeling of heavy weight but I don't wanna burn myself out before I max out on the big 3. The nervous system does not recover as fast as the muscles do. I am still deciding on whether I should compete or not. It would be great to get the experience of the meet but it would cost a lot of money. Being a student money is not something that I have a lot of.

crashcrew56

11-30-2009, 11:32 PM

As long as you deload properly I don't think you will burn yourself out by going using lower reps than 5. I always use singles, doubles, and triples, and I got a little burnt out before my meet, but I was also stupid about it and didn't deload at all. I know everyone always talks about this, but look at westside they always work up to a max on their lifts, but they deload every 4th or 5th week.

A very common thing for a training cycle is to start it at 5 reps, and then go to triples, then doubles, and then as they get to the end of the training cycle the are training singles

UK_Powerlifter

12-01-2009, 07:31 AM

I plan on maxing out on the 16th of November. The only time I saw Louie talking about deload was in the circa maximal phase which really doesn't apply to me. He has drummed into my brains the fact that one should never max out before a meet since he just says it over and over again in his book.

Could you tell me what a deload would look like for beginners such as myself?

crashcrew56

12-01-2009, 09:41 AM

Well for Louie and his lifters, a PL meet would be when they max out

I would suggest doing a deload every 4th or 5th week. During this deload week I would probably suggest cutting all your lifts by 10-15%, and possibly cutting back on some of the volume.

UK_Powerlifter

12-02-2009, 05:47 PM

2/12/09
ME Bench Day
Bench Press with feet on the pad
87.5kg 5 reps
90kg 4 reps
Rope extensions 6x11 20kg
Weighted Chinups 3x3 20kg
Underhand Grip Face pulls 3x15 12.5kg
Roman Chair situps with plate behind my head 3x10 5kg

Workout partner was here today which made me feel a lot more comfortable on the bench.

UK_Powerlifter

12-04-2009, 06:48 PM

4/12/09
DE Squat Day
12x2 Squat 82.5kg
Deadlift 8x1 95kg
Wide Stance Hack Squat 3x10 140kg
Seated Good Mornings 3x10 40kg. These beat the crap out of my shoulders. Gotta find an alternative.
Barbell Curls 3x10 25kg.
Side Rack Pulls 3x10 50kg.

Glad I got this one over and done with.

crashcrew56

12-04-2009, 11:39 PM

That looks like one hell of a squat workout, squats deadlifts and GM all on in one workout

UK_Powerlifter

12-06-2009, 03:37 PM

6/12/09
DE Bench Day
9x3 Bench Press 50kg
OHP heavy set of 5 45kg
JM Press heavy set of 5 70kg Can't seem to get the technique right with this.
Weighted Pullups 3x4 15kg
Pulldown Abs 3x12 20kg

Hitting the wall on some stuff so I'm gonna make a few exercise changes.

Northman

12-06-2009, 04:28 PM

Looks like another westside guy, nice.

UK_Powerlifter

12-06-2009, 05:10 PM

Westside is the best side.

UK_Powerlifter

12-07-2009, 02:32 PM

7/12/09
ME Squat Day
I don't know why but my hamstrings were fried before I even started my squatting today. They hurt badly when I stood up and when I walked around the house.
Heavy set of 5 120kg. My hamstrings did not want me to do anymore. Out of fear of injury I did not work up anymore.
Seated back machine 3x13 65kg
Dumbbell Side Bends 3x10 25kg
Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curls 3x10 10kg

In order to make sure that my muscles have ample time to recover for my test on the big three next Wednesday I am going to skip my DE effort workouts. I already know I am capable of achieving the goals that I set for myself because I have done it in training beforehand. Right now my body is telling me to tone things down and that is exactly what I am going to do.

crashcrew56

12-07-2009, 06:52 PM

You made the right choice

UK_Powerlifter

12-09-2009, 03:35 PM

9/12/09
ME Bench Day
Bench Press 5RM 90kg. My hips kept on cramping up. It was very annoying
Lying Tricep Extensions 3x10 30kg. Did these with the bar that I benched with.
Single Arm Rows 3x10 40kg 1x5 50kg.
Underhand Grip Face Pulls 3x15 15kg.

I am pretty sure I am going to manage to achieve my goals in the bench press and in the deadlift. I am worried about my technique on the squat though. When my technique is good the weight flies up but when it is not I get crushed. We'll just have to see come Wednesday how things will turn out.

UK_Powerlifter

12-14-2009, 01:41 PM

Feeling fully healed up. No soreness at all. Eager for Wednesday.

crashcrew56

12-15-2009, 03:58 PM

At what point of the squat does your technique go to shit?

UK_Powerlifter

12-16-2009, 10:25 AM

16/12/09
Test Day
140kg Squat
100kg Bench Press YouTube- 100kg Bench Press @ 75kg BW
180kg Deadlift YouTube- 180kg Deadlift @ 75kg BW

We only filmed the 150kg squat which was too high to be passed in my opinion. I tried a 105kg bench press twice but failed both times. Next time I will pause the bench press although that bench was quite easy. The plates were put on mats because they were a quite small. I am pleased with my results. I now have some 1 rep maxes that I can work with rather than guessing based on variations and reps. I'm gonna review what I think I need to work on and apply to my next westside template.

The bottom is where it usually goes bad. I forget to push back against the bar first and instead I flex my hips and hams. My hips go up before my back and from there it is game over.

crashcrew56

12-16-2009, 10:36 AM

good fight on that deadlift

UK_Powerlifter

12-20-2009, 06:54 PM

good fight on that deadlift
I don't give up very easily. It has been one hell of a year for me in terms of strength. It feels good to have these numbers to work with now. Another goal of mine is going to be perfecting technique. I think that if I perfect my technique my lifts will go up by another 10kg without me even having to get stronger. I am going to try out the false grip on the bench press. I heard from Dave Tate said that it stresses the lats and triceps more and the shoulders less. On my DE days I won't care too much about speed and focus more on perfecting my technique. With the deadlift I'm gonna try to get my hips below my shoulders and use more of my legs. On the bench I just gotta make sure that all of my pressing muscles fire off at the same time. On the squat I must make sure that I am as tight as possible before the lift and make sure I am forcing my knees out on the way down. When I look back at the videos my arms are parallel to the floor. This was definitely what was making me dump the weight forward all the time.

My four ME bench exercises will be close grip bench press, floor press, bench press off of pins and incline bench press.

My four ME squat/deadlift exercises will be Box Squat, Arched Back Good Morning, Wide Stance Arched Back Good Mornings and Reverse Band Deadlifts.

Starting Monday within 12 weeks my goal is to have a 150kg squat, 110kg bench press and a 190kg deadlift or a lot more based on how much my technique gets better.

UK_Powerlifter

12-23-2009, 11:34 AM

23/12/09
ME Bench Day
Close grip bench press
worked up to 90kg.Was gonna do 105kg but there was no one to spot me after that. There was also no power rack. I'm really loving this thumbless grip though. Way more involvement with the lats and triceps.
Rolling DB extensions 6x10 6kg. After watching the elitefts dvd again I realised how wrong I was doing these. If you don't have a massive pump in the tricep muscle that is right near your elbow you are not doing these right.
Barbell Rows 5x12 60kg
Hack Squat Machine 3x10 140kg
Underhad Grip Facepulls 3x15 15kg

Hopefully there will be more people available to spot me next time. This snow is really starting to piss me off.

crashcrew56

12-23-2009, 11:40 AM

I don't give up very easily. It has been one hell of a year for me in terms of strength. It feels good to have these numbers to work with now. Another goal of mine is going to be perfecting technique. I think that if I perfect my technique my lifts will go up by another 10kg without me even having to get stronger. I am going to try out the false grip on the bench press. I heard from Dave Tate said that it stresses the lats and triceps more and the shoulders less. On my DE days I won't care too much about speed and focus more on perfecting my technique. With the deadlift I'm gonna try to get my hips below my shoulders and use more of my legs. On the bench I just gotta make sure that all of my pressing muscles fire off at the same time. On the squat I must make sure that I am as tight as possible before the lift and make sure I am forcing my knees out on the way down. When I look back at the videos my arms are parallel to the floor. This was definitely what was making me dump the weight forward all the time.

My four ME bench exercises will be close grip bench press, floor press, bench press off of pins and incline bench press.

My four ME squat/deadlift exercises will be Box Squat, Arched Back Good Morning, Wide Stance Arched Back Good Mornings and Reverse Band Deadlifts.

Starting Monday within 12 weeks my goal is to have a 150kg squat, 110kg bench press and a 190kg deadlift or a lot more based on how much my technique gets better.

Is you back your weak link on your squats and deads?

UK_Powerlifter

12-24-2009, 11:20 AM

Is you back your weak link on your squats and deads?
Its hard to tell when I have such shit technique. The guys down at westside do good mornings most of the time because it such a great exercise for building up the posterior chain. I just went by that logic. Do you have any suggestions? I'm always open to them.
24/12/09
DE Squat Day
the gym is gonna be closed tom so I wanted to get this workout in.
Box Squat 12x2 75kg
1x1 100kg
2x1 110kg
8x1 Deadlifts Form gets slightly better with every set.
Felt good today so I worked up a bit. I need to sit a bit further back though.
Stiff Legged Deadlifts 3x10 15kg Finding it hard to isolate my hamstrings and not work my back.
Pullups 3x8 Handles were a little wider than what I was used to.
Standing Abs 3x12 30kg

crashcrew56

12-24-2009, 12:07 PM

You will probably get better at isolating your hammstrings as time goes by, the problem could just be that your back is the week link in that exercise. I don't think there is anything wrong with doing 2 different variations of the good morning as long as the back is the week link in your lifts. I would suggest, if you are going to put that much good morning work in, then I would say to make sure you are doing some heavy accessory work for your quads. My other suggestion to you is to make sure you are still working on your squat form on every lower body workout. High rep wall squats are good for that

UK_Powerlifter

12-27-2009, 06:56 PM

27/12/09
DE Bench Day
9x3 Bench Press 60kg. Just trying to lower it in the same place every time. I have really slowed the speed down to work out technique. I'm a bit unsure exactly I am supposed to drive off of my heals.
JM Press 6 reps 50kg 6 reps 40kg 6 reps 50kg. Messed around the weight in order to try and get the proper technique for the exercise. I think the 45 kg range is best right now. Its not like other exercises in that there is a sudden part where the weight feels a lot heavier whereas with other exercises the weight feels relatively the same throughout the lift. I had a lot of soreness in the tricep muscles right near my elbows though which is a sign that I doing the exercise right.
Pullups 3x6
Seated Bradford Presses 2x10 30kg
Swiss Ball Situps with hands behind my head 3x10 When you go all the way back on the swiss ball they really kill your abs.

I am looking forward to tomorrow. Gonna do deadlift with me standing on a block since I can't really set up reverse bands in this gym. I'll do a few wall squats in the mornings when I wake up too.

UK_Powerlifter

12-28-2009, 08:44 PM

28/12/09
ME Deadlift
Deadlift standing off a box 1RM 170kg. Tried 180kg but only managed to get it to my knees.
Partial Good Mornings 3x10 50kg Stiff to straight legged good mornings are too much lower back.
Pullthroughs 4x12 15kg
Single Arm DB rows 3x10 40kg

My technique on the deadlift is getting better. Not perfect yet though.

crashcrew56

12-28-2009, 08:48 PM

Deficit pulls are good stuff, how tall was the box?

Be careful with those misses, you should be hitting all your numbers

UK_Powerlifter

12-29-2009, 09:52 AM

I don't know off the top of my head. It was one of those blocks that the ladies use for step ups.

UK_Powerlifter

12-30-2009, 04:23 PM

30/12/09
ME Bench Day
Bench with feet on pad 1RM 95kg Tried 100kg and I got stapled. I love the bench press but its so fucking annoying how if you lower the bar as little as 0.5cm from where you are supposed to you, you will fail.
Rolling DB Extensions 6x10 7kg
Barbell Rows 5x12 40kg. Doing these to my sternum to hit more upperback since raw is more upperback than lats. I learn something new everyday.
Underhand Grip Facepulls 3x15 20kg
Hack Squat Machine 3x10 150kg
Hanging Knee Raises 3x5

Hopefully next time I will hit 100kg which would tie my old bench record without the use of my legs.

crashcrew56

12-30-2009, 08:44 PM

Looks like a good workout, why are you training your lowerbody on a bench workout?

And I know what you mean by lowering the bar in a different place ruins your bench, in a shirt if your form is a little off then that bar can come crashing down on you face.

UK_Powerlifter

12-31-2009, 08:02 AM

I think quads are what makes a big leg drive on the bench. They don't really make that much of a difference on the other lifts though. But thats just my hunch. What do you think. I'm glad I started off raw rather than being one of those tards that goes and buys a bench shirt straight away and gets his teeth knocked out.

crashcrew56

12-31-2009, 10:01 AM

When I started shirt benching I had already been lifting for a long time, but I was given 2-ply rage-x and that was way too much shirt to learn in. I think the quads are important in all of your lefts, it's a big part of the squat, and it's an important part of that begining leg drive in your deadlift.

UK_Powerlifter

01-03-2010, 01:36 PM

3/1/10
DE Bench Day
9x3 60kg These are much easier now that I try to drive with my legs first rather than at the same time as my upper body muscles.
Seated Bradford Presses 4x8 30kg
JM Press 1x 6 45kg, 1x6 40kg, 1x6 30kg. Just trying to find the right weight to use. A lot of people go way to heavy on this exercise and end up doing it completely wrong.
Pullups 3x7
Swiss Ball Crunches with plate behind the head 5x8 2.5kg. Much harder on ball since you can stretch the abs a lot more.

UK_Powerlifter

01-04-2010, 04:02 PM

4/1/2010
ME Good Morning
3RM 85kg. Might use less weight next time. Its hard to tell whether or not I am turning it into a quarter squat.
RDL 5x10 50kg.
Single Arm DB Rows 4x10 40kg. The weights do not go any higher in this gym.... guess I will just have to add in more sets.
Standing Abs 5x10 30kg. That was easy. Will use more weight next time.

I'm quite annoyed at the gym being closed and me not being able to my DE bench day. I hope this never happens in the future.

crashcrew56

01-04-2010, 04:12 PM

Just do higher rep for teh DB rows

UK_Powerlifter

01-07-2010, 12:04 PM

UK_Powerlifter

01-08-2010, 05:19 PM

8/1/2010
DE squat/deadlift
Box Squat 10x2 85kg
Deadlifts 6x1 110kg. I had my shins touching the bar this time. Some of the reps felt really easy and some were really hard. I think it was to do with the positioning of my shoulders. I also have to remember to pull back as well as up.
Dimmel Deadlifts 3x15 105kg
Pullthroughs 5x10 30kg. Couldn't get the strain on the hamstrings. Will look up Dave Tate's tutorial to see how this is meant to be done.
Hanging Knee Raises 3x7. Thinking of doing these more often.

I don't ever want to do 2 workouts without the day in between again. I am exhausted.

crashcrew56

01-08-2010, 05:56 PM

7/1/2010
ME Bench
Banded Bench 1RM 70kg. The bands just completely threw me off. Oh well. I will do better next time.
Rolling DB Extensions 6x10 10kg
Pullups 3x8
Underhand Grip Facepulls 3x12 25kg
Barbell Side Bends 3x10 5kg. Felt really awkward.

Now that I can bench 100kg I am gonna use bands on my DE days. Just gotta make sure that I use proper technique. Gonna do them 3 weeks bands then 3 weeks straight weight to avoid fucking up my joints.

With the DB rows I want to increase the size of the muscle itself rather than the fluid surrouding it. Which why I am hesitant to do more reps.

You sill probably start seeing a lot more benefits from your DE benching now that you are going to be using bands, but they will beat you up, you are making a good choice by doing 3 on 3 off.

Higher rep DB rows are great for training your grip, if that's where your weakness is.

crashcrew56

01-08-2010, 05:59 PM

UK_Powerlifter

01-09-2010, 05:48 AM

I tell myself you think that is bad? Those bulgarians are maxing in 3 movements 3 times a day.

crashcrew56

01-09-2010, 11:17 AM

You gotta remember the Bulgarians took athletes from a very young age and would run them through brutal workouts and the ones that couldn't handle it would be kicked out of the program. The Bulgarians team was a special breed, they were the best of the best in their country, and not to mention they used to put so much into the recovery of their athletes.

UK_Powerlifter

01-10-2010, 09:23 AM

I meant it more in the willpower sense than saying that I should be doing that if that makes any sense.
Just spent the past hour shoveling snow. That's my cardio for the year done.

UK_Powerlifter

01-10-2010, 06:52 PM

Raw_Power

01-10-2010, 07:13 PM

10/1/2010
DE bench day
9x3 bench. Technique slowly coming together. When I bring my head up to look at the bar it gets me into a bad position at the bottom.
Bradford Presses 5x9 reps 30kg. I had to go to failure to reach these. I am improving in every assistance exercise except this one. It might be a sign that my body does not want a high intensity shoulder exercise. I watch Louie's dvd's and he says to avoid high intensity exercises but then i see nick winters doing them and i just get confused.
JM Presses 3x6 35kg Can't seem to get these down.
Pullups 1x9 1x8 1x7
Swiss ball sit ups with plate behind head 5x10 5kg

Considering scrapping the bradford presses if I continually fail to make progress.

Why do you lift your head when benching?? when benching powerlifting style, all your weight should be on your upper back/traps, and your feet right back under your hips ready for the leg drive.

I dont do any pressing for shoulders only bench press because when i do shoulder presses it messes my bench strength and technique up.

Im 12 stone now lighter than you. i bench 120kg for 2 reps, through good strong technique and by hitting the supporting muscles that help the bench

UK_Powerlifter

01-11-2010, 07:12 AM

I lift my head so i can see the bar coming down.

PJC

01-11-2010, 07:57 AM

Lifting your head reduces your arch and can be dangerous. Be careful mate

Raw_Power

01-11-2010, 09:54 AM

Lifting your head reduces your arch and can be dangerous. Be careful mate

Yeah your right!! strains your neck. Why would you want to see the bar coming down? Just giving you some advice from an experienced lifter. Good luck!!

crashcrew56

01-11-2010, 10:42 AM

I know some guys that lift their head when the shirt bench, but it's not a good idea because you lose your arch like that.

UK_Powerlifter

01-11-2010, 03:13 PM

Raw_Power

01-11-2010, 04:58 PM

11/1/2010
ME squat
squat/goodmorning combo 5RM 95kg. Tried 100kg then got bad pain in my lower back on the 2nd rep. Must've forgotten to arch.
RDL 5x10 60kg
Single arm DB rows 6x8 40kg
Standing Abs 5x10 40kg. Considering doing these more upright to hit my abs a bit more.

Just had a look in the mirror and tried to copy the position of body when my head is lifted up. I can now see why I would just get stapled. I just wanna make sure I lower the bar in the right place.

Raw_Power did I do something piss you off? Your posts make you look quite angry.

No not pissed off.. i only posted in here twice with advice lol. Definatly not angry.

I asked why you want to see the bar coming down, and wishing you luck in your training. nothing angry about that.

Well of that subject. Only person i have seen lift there head while benching is branch warren the bodybuilder and he bouncers the bar off his chest.

I see you follow westside barbell.. im a big fan, i used there programme a while back. works well.

i did...

Bench ME
Bench Press
Lying barbell extentions
Weighted dips
Chinups
Barbell rows
Barbell shrugs
Rear Delt Raises
Hammer curls

Same for DE day.

i went from 90kg bench to 120kg bench in 3-4 months.. my own little secret on how i did it though, training wise.

UK_Powerlifter

01-12-2010, 02:11 PM

12/1/2010
Band Chest Press 100 total reps.
Gonna try a contrast shower and see how that goes.

crashcrew56

01-12-2010, 03:26 PM

Is that supposed to be a deload workout?

UK_Powerlifter

01-14-2010, 03:23 AM

Raw_Power

01-14-2010, 07:20 AM

13/1/2010
ME Bench
Incline Close Grip Bench Press 3RM 70kg. There were no spotters around so I did not add anymore weight.
Rolling DB Extensions 6x8 12kg.
Barbell Rows to sternum 6x10 55kg.
Underhand Grip Facepulls 3x10 30kg.
DB side bends 5x10 26kg.

I am remembering to initiate the press with my legs now. I need to remember to tuck my elbows and keep my head on the bench.

The workout before was just to help with recovery.

Strong workout. how close are your hands on the inclines? do you think inclines help your bench? i find they hurt my shoulders.

good job on the form!! strap your head down if you got to lol!!
where in the UK you from?

crashcrew56

01-14-2010, 11:10 AM

UK_Powerlifter

01-15-2010, 05:27 PM

Raw_Power

01-15-2010, 07:54 PM

15/1/2010
DE Squat/Deadlift
Squat 12x2 70kg. 1x100kg. 1x120kg Nothing I could use to make a parallel box so just did them freestyle. The belt I am using now gives me more power out of the hole as well as more stability. Sometimes I felt I was squatting onto a bouncy castle.
Deadlift 8x1 90kg. 1x120kg. 1x140kg They felt really easy until I worked up. Must've forgotten something technique wise.
Dimmel Deadlifts 3x15 110kg.
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 3x8. No ab slings and I didn't want to feel that pressure in my shoulder blades from doing hanging leg raises.

Since my waistline is small I was thinking of wearing the belt a little tighter than usual. I can't seem to push out my waist very far. I think I would be able to get more abdominal pressure if I had the belt a little tighter. I will also have to swap my below parallel box squat ME exercise for something else.

I had my little fingers touching the inner rings if that makes any sense. The bar was also paused on my chest making it a lot harder. The purpose of this exercise is just to give me more more strength off of my chest which is where I am weak right now. I only did a slight incline. That is probably why my shoulders were saved. Just got an email from some banned user talking a load of shit. Wtf.

I am from Basingstoke. I am in Hull right now for my uni term.

Yes i had same message! Yeah i get what your saying about the slight incline.
They do it at westside i think? Im just not a fan of inclines full stop, puts your shoulders in a dangerous position.
Same as i never ever ever use machines lol. because most machines put you at your weakest part of the lift (bottom) not the strongest part(top) So i stick to basic hardcore barbell dumbbells and that.

I've done the westside training but im looking for something thats going concentrate on my bench.. a good programme. I've seen the sheiko, metal militia and few more but dont know yet.

UK_Powerlifter

01-16-2010, 12:44 PM

I looked everywhere on how to adapt metal militia for raw bench pressing but I could not find anything. Have you had a look at BIG iron?

UK_Powerlifter

01-17-2010, 01:52 PM

17/1/2010
DE Bench Day
Band Bench 45-50kg 6x3. Felt awkward at first but gradually got used to it. Managed to get all my reps in roughly 3 seconds.
Seated Military Press 3x6 40kg. Taking the volume down on shoulder pressing work and seeing how my body responds to this.
JM Press 3x6 40kg. Finally got this exercise sussed. Felt it in the tricep muscles right near my elbows. Will start increasing the weight on this.
Roman Chair Situps 5x10 Much harder than I had anticipated. Put a plate behind my head and got pinned to the floor.
I am leaving out upper back work since my back was still really sore from carrying all of my luggage around.

crashcrew56

01-17-2010, 02:01 PM

Yes i had same message! Yeah i get what your saying about the slight incline.
They do it at westside i think? Im just not a fan of inclines full stop, puts your shoulders in a dangerous position.
Same as i never ever ever use machines lol. because most machines put you at your weakest part of the lift (bottom) not the strongest part(top) So i stick to basic hardcore barbell dumbbells and that.

I've done the westside training but im looking for something thats going concentrate on my bench.. a good programme. I've seen the sheiko, metal militia and few more but dont know yet.

I think Sheiko would be better for your squat not the bench. I could give you some suggestions for your bench if you were equipped, but I don't really know what to say for a raw bencher.

UK_Powerlifter

01-19-2010, 07:05 AM

Why not check out what some of the bench only guys down at westside do?

crashcrew56

01-19-2010, 08:35 AM

I think the westside program is great for a persons bench, but the important thing to find out what your weakness is and select your exercises around that.

UK_Powerlifter

01-20-2010, 05:27 PM

20/1/2010
ME Bench Day
Close Grip Bench Press 1RM 90kg. I consider this an improvement from last time since it was paused rather than touch an go. I keep forgetting to tuck my elbows and keep my head down. I'm gonna do 3RM instead to get some more practise.
Rolling DB extensions 6x10 12kg
Pullups 2x8 1x6
Band Pull Aparts 3x10
DB side laterals 3x12 6kg
Standing Abs 3x10 20kg. I have no idea why but I couldn't even take the weight I used previously out of the rack. Figures.

I have been on the 12 day intro to the anabolic diet for 1 week now and I have not really sufferred any negative side effects that were supposed to happen during the carb burning to fat burning phase. I guess this means that my body is very well suited to using fats as an energy source. I also find that I don't have energy crashes that I had when I was using carb cycling. I hope this continues.

crashcrew56

01-20-2010, 06:26 PM

Looks like a good workout, I am the same way when it comes to using fats for energy.

UK_Powerlifter

01-23-2010, 05:31 AM

22/1/2010
DE Squat/Deadlift
Squat 12x2 75kg
Deadlift 8x1 100kg
RDL 5x10 70kg
Chest Supported Rows 5x10 50kg
Swiss Ball Leg Raises 3x10

UK_Powerlifter

01-24-2010, 01:56 PM

24/1/2010
Bench Press 9x3 60kg. Decided to use bands ever other week.
Overhead Press 3x5 42.5kg. Lower body was squirming around. Don't know wtf happened.
JM Press 3x6 42.5k. My triceps are incredibly sore.
Weighted Roman Chair Situps 5x8 10kg.

I need to be patient and make sure that my feet are set in the right place before I unrack the weight.

crashcrew56

01-24-2010, 02:26 PM

Is that a DE or ME bench workout? and according to the Westside Method, benching with bands is a different exercise, Travis Bells talks about it in the Westside thread in the strength section?

UK_Powerlifter

01-24-2010, 03:02 PM

I thought they go bands chains straight weight. This is DE. I couldn't imagine anyone using bands all the time. They work really well but they also put a lot of stress on your joints.

crashcrew56

01-24-2010, 03:21 PM

Yeah, I was using bands all the time for a while. They are hard on the elbows for me.

UK_Powerlifter

01-24-2010, 03:25 PM

Could you link me to the thread please?

crashcrew56

01-24-2010, 05:01 PM

I'm suprised you havn't seen it.

Westside and How to use it - RX Muscle Forums

UK_Powerlifter

01-26-2010, 10:09 AM

26/1/2010
ME Deadlift
Deadlift with me standing on a block 1RM 180kg. Felt pretty damn good. It was a real fight but I managed to get it in the end. With Street Fighter 4 Guile's theme in my head nothing can stop me lol. If only I remember to use my hips when the bar gets to my knees sigh. The block was larger than the one that I used in the gym back at home which makes me feel even better. Now that I have deadlifted off a block the same weight that I did when I tested my max I know I am stronger.
Dimmel Deadlifts 3x15 115kg.
Pullups 3x5
DB side bends 5x8 30kg

I don't know how my body is going to respond to doing two ME days in a row. I didn't work out yesterday because I wanted to study for my exam. It's time to sort out my degree and apply the characteristics I have learned in the gym to my chemistry.

crashcrew56

01-26-2010, 10:16 AM

Congrats on the strong pull, and since you are doing another ME workout tomorrow, try to really load up on the calories until then, and load up on the caffeine before the workout.

UK_Powerlifter

01-26-2010, 10:17 AM

How much caffeine are PL's supposed to take?

crashcrew56

01-26-2010, 10:49 AM

IDK, enough to get you wired. I am a stimulant addict though, usually a Monster energy drink will do the trick for me.

UK_Powerlifter

01-28-2010, 07:23 AM

28/1/2010
ME Bench
Floor Press 3RM 80kg. I think my body was just too burnt out from the day before. My upperback was the sorest it ever was.
Rolling DB extensions 6x10 12kg
Straight Arm Rear Delt Raises 3x10 6kg. Way too easy. Will do it with 10kg next time.
DB side laterals 3x10 6kg.
Standing Abs 6x8 15kg.
Skipped the back work to make sure it had time to recover for my next workout.

UK_Powerlifter

02-02-2010, 11:13 AM

2/2/2010
ME Good Morning
Wide Stance shallow good morning
I tried to do the standard goodmornings that I did last time but my back muscles kept on cramping up at the bottom.
3RM 120kg
RDL 5x10 80kg
Seated Chest Supported Row 5x10 55kg
Standing Abs 5x10 17.5kg

Missed two workouts due to disorganisation. That will never happen again.

crashcrew56

02-02-2010, 11:17 AM

Make sure you are warming up properly before hand.

What's your hamstring flexibility like?

UK_Powerlifter

02-02-2010, 11:19 AM

I was able to do them to about parallel last time. My warm ups haven't changed. Just high reps with the bar. I don't know what has happenned.

crashcrew56

02-02-2010, 11:21 AM

Somedays you might need a little better warm-up than others, you should have a bare minimuim for what you do before you begin your exercise, and if you feel like you might need to do a little more warm-up for that day then go for it.

UK_Powerlifter

02-02-2010, 11:22 AM

The thing is. I didn't feel myself stretching out. All I felt were my lats cramping up.

crashcrew56

02-02-2010, 11:25 AM

Lats cramping, really? hmmm...

Then you might need to make sure you properly warm-up your upper body too, I know guys that'll put their lower body through a full warm-up and foam roll the shit out of their lower-body before the bench.

UK_Powerlifter

02-03-2010, 04:59 PM

3/2/2010
ME Bench
Bench Press 4RM 87.5kg. Forgot to add the 1.25 kg plates to either side. Was urged on by my spotter to do one more rep. Managed to keep my head down. Need to flex my lats at the bottom. It seems when i remember one thing i forget another. I am pleased I can do these with a pause at the bottom.
Panora Presses 6x8 22.5kg
DB rows 3x8 45kg.
Seated Rear Straight arm laterals 3x8 8kg
DB side laterals 3x8 8kg
Side Rack Deadlifts 6x8 bar

crashcrew56

02-03-2010, 05:09 PM

Nice benching, I know what you mean by the form, it's going to take some time to get down, before you know it you won't have to really be telling your self to do it, all the steps will just happen.

UK_Powerlifter

02-05-2010, 02:53 PM

5/2/2010
DE Squat/Deadlift
Squats 10x2 85kg
Deadlift 6x1 110kg Thinking of doing these on a block on my next 3 week cycle to change things up.
Dimmel Deadlifts 3x15 120kg
Pullups 1x6 1x5 1x5. Much more difficult going until your shoulder blades are squeezed together to get the full range of motion.
Weighted Roman Chair Situps 6x8 15kg.

I looked back at the time that I spent on the initial phase of the anabolic diet and found out that I had only had no starchy carbs for 10 days rather than 12. I am going to start the initial phase again on Monday. I weigh in at 78kg right now. I am not sure how I should manage my weight until contest. I want to gain a few more kgs. But I want to make sure that I get into my weight class with a very low BF. I want my weight to comprise of mostly muscle since fat does not move weight, muscle does. I have no idea why so many PL's don't give a shit about BF when they would be lifting more if more of their current weight was muscle rather than fat. I have also found out from the author that it is bad to eat carbs after a workout. My entire world has just been rocked.

UK_Powerlifter

02-08-2010, 05:54 PM

7/2/2010
DE Bench
Bench Press 9x3 60kg
JM Press
Pullups 3x5

8/2/2010
ME squat
Squat 3RM 135kg. It's hard to tell whether or not I hit parallel.
RDL 5x10 85kg
Standing abs 6x10 20kg

Forgot to do my DB rows. Oh well I will do them in my bench workout instead of the bullshit chest supported rows.

UK_Powerlifter

02-10-2010, 12:12 PM

crashcrew56

02-10-2010, 04:22 PM

Good couple of workouts, those JM presses are hard to learn, but great for the triceps.

Gerb

02-10-2010, 06:05 PM

10/2/2010
ME bench
Incline Close Grip Bench Press 3RM 75kg. Really hard but I'm glad I got the 5kg PR in this.
Panora Pressdown 6x10 22.5kg
DB rows 4x6 45kg
Bent Arm Rear Delt Raises 3x10 15kg
Side Delt Raises 3x10 10kg
Weighted Roman Chair Situps 6x8 20kg. Gonna start these with a plate behind my head.

nice training UKPL.

Incline close grip is a new one to me, I'd have o try that out. What is the thought process behind incline on a close grip press? do you feel it hits triceps better? another reason?

UK_Powerlifter

02-13-2010, 02:58 PM

12/2/2010
DE Squat
Squat 12x2 70kg.
Deadlift Standing on a block 8x1 90kg
Dimmel Deadlifts 3x15 130kg
Pullups 3x4 I just give up. Gonna do some T-bar rows instead.

I will be making a slow and steady cut to 75kg from 80kg for my contest in May. Should be more than enough time to do it. It hits the triceps and the shoulders really hard since you can't get as much assistance from your legs and back. I think it works the bottom part of the bench press really well. A great exercise for raw lifters such as myself.

UK_Powerlifter

02-16-2010, 06:24 AM

14/2/2010
DE Bench
Bench Press 6x3 60kg
JM Press 3x8 30kg. I will get this exercise down eventually. Remeberring that the bar is not supposed to be able to touch my throat and my elbows should stay up and at a 45 degree angle.
Chest Supported Rows 5x10 60kg
Leaning One Arm Side Raises 2x10 6kg

15/2/2010
ME Good Morning
Seated Good Morning 3RM 120kg
RDL 5x10 100kg
Pulldown Abs 6x10 22.5kg

crashcrew56

02-16-2010, 10:02 AM

Your training is looking good, how much longer do you have on this training cycle?

UK_Powerlifter

02-16-2010, 10:05 AM

Gonna stop 10 days before my first comp on May 1st. Starting Monday I am going to cut my calories and plan to lose 0.5kg a week and end up at 75kg BW. It is a 2 hour weigh in. I keep on reading mauro's book and then forget what weight i am supposed to be at and what foods to eat close to a meet.

crashcrew56

02-17-2010, 10:19 AM

May 1st, so about now is the time when you really ramp up your intensity. What ME lifts do you have from now until the?

UK_Powerlifter

02-18-2010, 06:52 AM

17/2/2010
ME Bench Press
Close Grip Bench Press 3RM 80kg
Technique was really bad and the bench I was using was too narrow. For some reason when I am pressing my torso twists to one side. It really fucks up my groove. Not having a spotter didn't help either.
DB Rows 5x6 45kg
Panora Press 6x10 27.5kg
Seated Rear Delt Raises 3x10 12kg
Medial Delt Raises 2x10 10kg

crashcrew56

02-18-2010, 09:13 AM

Do you have a problem with your torse twisting on regular flat bench too?

UK_Powerlifter

02-18-2010, 09:47 AM

Yeah. With maximal weights it just happens. I stepped on the scale and I weighed in a 78kg today. Do you think I should still just go with my plan of gradual weight loss starting from Monday? I probably lost the weight in just water.

UK_Powerlifter

02-20-2010, 12:10 PM

19/2/2010
DE Squat/Deadlift
Squat 12x2 75kg
Worked up to 125kg
Deadlift standing on a block 8x1 100kg
Dimmel Deadlifts 3x15 135kg
Side Rack Deadlifts 6x10 30kg

crashcrew56

02-22-2010, 10:04 AM

I think you should keep going with your weight loss plan, it sounds like the weight is coming off fairly easily.

As for your problem with twisting on the bench, you could try to spread your feet out a little more, and try to make sure you really dig your upper back into that bench when you set-up, that's where you really want to put a lot of your weight at.

UK_Powerlifter

02-23-2010, 04:33 PM

23/2/2010
ME Deadlift
Worked up to 180kg. Managed to do this without too much trouble.
Tried 190kg but only got it to the knees. I no motivation to train today. Just dragged myself to the gym. I don't know why I decided to max out. Need to learn to resist that temptation. My technique was bad. I just felt the bar slipping away from me. I will always remind myself to just go for triples the morning of every ME day from now on. I am also going to doing my main lifts one day and the assistance work the days after.

Will try to spread my feet out more then.

crashcrew56

02-23-2010, 09:21 PM

We all have bad days in the gym from time to time, those are definetly the days that you nee dto resist taking it to an all out max.

Mr.Bones

02-24-2010, 02:02 PM

We all have bad days in the gym from time to time, those are definetly the days that you nee dto resist taking it to an all out max.

amen.

UK_Powerlifter

02-25-2010, 10:36 AM

25/2/2010
ME Bench
Floor Press 85kg 4RM. I thought I had one left in the tank after the 3rd rep so I just went for it. Form was disgusting but it went up. This was done with no spotters.
Single Arm DB Row 3x5 50kg. It's a shame these are the largest DBs in this gym.
Key Presses 6x10 15kg
Seated Rear Delt Raises 3x10 15kg
Standing DB side laterals 3x10 6kg
Standing Abs 6x10 15kg

I went on the scale today and I weighed 79.5kg. I must've made some big mis calculations. I still think I have enough time for it to come off though. I need to learn to tense every muscle when I am benching not just my upper body.

crashcrew56

02-25-2010, 10:58 AM

Using leg drive isn't as important on floor pressing though.

UK_Powerlifter

02-25-2010, 01:31 PM

Still enough to make your lower body twist around which would fuck up anyone's bench.

UK_Powerlifter

02-28-2010, 04:41 PM

28/2/2010
DE Bench
Bench Press 9x3 60kg
JM Press 3x6 35kg
Chest Supported Rows 5x10 75kg
H rolls 3x10 5kg
Leaning DB side laterals 2x12 4kg

UK_Powerlifter

03-01-2010, 02:52 PM

1/3/2010
ME Squat
Worked up to 130kg for 3 reps. Pretty easy. Decided to hold back there to build fire up for next time. Feels good to be squatting very close to my previous max for a triple. I try to clear my head by visualising how chilled out Ivan Chakarov is before he does his squats.

crashcrew56

03-01-2010, 03:18 PM

Good stuff, there's nothing like seeing progress. Did you do any assitance work?

UK_Powerlifter

03-01-2010, 06:42 PM

Doing it tommorow.

UK_Powerlifter

03-04-2010, 12:00 PM

2/3/2010
RDL 1x10 105kg 1x5 1x5
Stopped making progress in this. Type to switch it up.

4/3/2010
ME Bench
Bench Press 3RM 90kg. I didn't really trust anyone in the gym to spot me so I went into the power rack. The benches there suck though. They are too narrow, don't allow you to bring your feet back and move around when you use your legs. I pretty much did this without any leg drive at all.
DB Rows 3x6 50kg.

UK_Powerlifter

03-07-2010, 05:35 PM

5/3/2010
DE Squat
Squat 10x2 85kg
Deadlift 6x1 110kg

DE Bench
Bench Press 6x3 60kg
JM Press 3x6 37.5kg
Chinups 3x5
H-Rolls 3x12 5kg
Leaning DB Side Laterals 3x12 5kg

crashcrew56

03-07-2010, 05:46 PM

What's an H-roll?

UK_Powerlifter

03-07-2010, 05:48 PM

YouTube- George Halbert - Rotator Work - ALN Strength Training. Really hits them hard.

UK_Powerlifter

03-10-2010, 10:26 AM

9/3/2010
ME Good Morning
Wide Shallow GM 3RM 130kg.

UK_Powerlifter

03-16-2010, 07:38 AM

15/3/2010
ME Day
Seated Shallow GM
Worked up to 135kg. Could have gone higher. Pleased with the PR. Done with no belt cos I forgot it.

Gonna order some omegalyse now that I can get it in the UK. Not quite sure about the dosage that I am meant to take though.

Mr.Bones

03-16-2010, 11:20 PM

Oh that looks hard.

crashcrew56

03-17-2010, 12:43 PM

Congrats on the PR, a lot of times in my training I stop once I hit a PR

UK_Powerlifter

03-19-2010, 06:00 AM

Oh that looks hard.
Were you being sarcastic?

18/3/2010
ME Bench
Incline Bench Off Pins 1RM 85kg
bar
40kg 3
60kg 3
75kg 1
85kg 1
90kg 0

Key Presses 6x8 20kg
Chinups 2x6 1x5
Seated DB Side Laterals
H-rolls

UK_Powerlifter

03-20-2010, 03:39 PM

20/03/2010
DE Squat
Squat 12x2 70kg.
Deadlift 8x1 90kg.
Reduced the rest time to 30 seconds. My hamstrings got very sore during the squat. My speed in the deadlift has gone up considerrably. After reading starting strength I realised that my shins should have been an inch or two behind the bar when I was standing. The reps felt a lot easier.
Contrast shower

Weighed in at 77.5kg this morning. 3.5kgs were lost within just a few days. I'm guessing this is all just water. As long as it is not muscle I am not complaining.

UK_Powerlifter

03-23-2010, 03:22 AM

22/03/2010
DE bench
Bench Press 6x3 60kg
JM Press 3x6 40kg
Chinups 3x6
Seated Rear Delt Raises

Weighed in at 76.something. Looking forward to my splurge.

UK_Powerlifter

03-25-2010, 05:20 AM

24/03/2010
ME day
Deadlifts 165kg 8-10 reps. Didn't plan to do this many. Lost count on the reps. Could have gone even higher if the gym instructor or w/e she is didn't come over to me and complain. I don't really care about my partner anymore lol. It is seriously time to change gyms. Unfortunately Hull is the worst place in England to accomodate a PLer. The set became a rest-pause set as I found that I had to take a few seconds every set to reposition myself.

UK_Powerlifter

03-26-2010, 12:05 PM

26/03/2010
ME Bench
CGBP 4RM 85kg
I planned to get 5 but the final rep went badly. Only got it half way up. The bar just suddenly jolted away from me on the way down. Also was forced to go into the power rack with a less than adequate bench. Anyway it is a 5kg and 1 rep PR over my previous record.
Panora Presses 3x9 20kg Decided to stop after I got a nagging pain in my left pec.
Chinups 3x7
H rolls
Seated DB Side Laterals.

UK_Powerlifter

03-29-2010, 05:53 AM

28/3/2010
Afternoon
DE squat
10x2 75kg
Deadlift 6x1 100kg
Low Back Machine 3x8 Full Stack
Evening Workout
Band Leg Curls
Standing Pulldown Abs

Because of money issues I will not be able to go to the contest on May 1st. My parents were gonna give me some extra cash by things just didn't turn out as we had planned. I only have enough money for my food, rent and gym membership atm. I will still go for the new PRs on May 1st. I will have the lifts put on youtube.

crashcrew56

03-29-2010, 05:28 PM

Good past couple of workouts, why did you hit so many reps on the deadlift? I'm sorry to hear about the meet, there will always be more down the road though.

UK_Powerlifter

03-29-2010, 05:30 PM

I just ended up performing a lot better than I thought I would.

crashcrew56

03-29-2010, 07:16 PM

You probably should have upped the weight then

UK_Powerlifter

03-29-2010, 07:17 PM

The manager just came in and complained to me saying i should lower it slowly etc.

UK_Powerlifter

03-30-2010, 07:17 AM

30/03/2010
DE Bench
Bench Press 9x3 60kg.
JM Press 3x5 42.5kg
Chinups 1x8 1x7 1x7
Rear delt work
Don't know what this exercise is called. You lie down on a bench sideways with one a DB in one hand near the floor. You then raise the DB 180 degrees and lower it back down keeping your arm slightly bent.
3x8 5kg.
Leaning DB side laterals 2x12 On the second set I just felt it on my joints rather than the muscle so I just stopped.

Found some new inspiration in Oleksander Kutcher. Just found him whilst browsing. I haven't heard anything about him recently though. He must've just disappeared off the face of the Earth like a lot of lifters do. Enjoying my pizza and chocolate. Am I supposed to be doing lat work on my squat days? Kinda confused.

crashcrew56

03-31-2010, 11:42 PM

Looks like a solid workout.

Yes, you are supposed to be doing some sort of upper back work on your squat day. Pretty much every day on the WS template you should be doing some sort of upper back movement, your upper back is very important to every lift, and since there is no one day to devote to it you kinda have to do it every work out.

UK_Powerlifter

04-01-2010, 08:48 AM

1/04/2010
ME Squat
Beltless Squat 1RM 140kg. Planned to get 2-3 but just kept getting stapled at the bottom.
Zercher Squats 3x8 50kg
Pullups 3x4

I need to get my alignment sorted out and remember to push against the bar with my back first before I engage my other muscles. I didn't feel anything in my hamstrings at all but my hips were really sore. This technique struggle is really irritating me. I think I am also going a bit too far down.

crashcrew56

04-01-2010, 09:54 PM

I don't usually feel squats in my hammstrings, mostly the quads and hips for me.

UK_Powerlifter

04-03-2010, 10:06 AM

03/04/2010
ME Bench
Floor Press 1RM 102.5kg Felt a lot lighter than I thought it would. May of been because of my spotters. I asked them if they helped and they said that they did not. I was incredibly tight though. I should've gone even higher by myself to make sure it was all me and not the spotters. Too me even putting your fingers on the bar is helping. You can lift 50 pounds by pulling on a bar with 2 fingers.
Tate Presses 6x10 20kg
Chinups 3x8
H-rolls 3x10 8kg

UK_Powerlifter

04-08-2010, 11:02 AM

8/04/2010
Had to miss a day due to the gym being closed.
DE Bench
Bench Press 9x3 65kg. After being told that the bench is a flat wave principle where the weight is kept the same for 3 weeks and then increased as long as the user is able to maintain good speed I decided to take the weight up. My speed ended up the same so I think I made the right choice.
Ez Bar extension 6x10
Chinups 1x9 2x8
Standing DB Side Laterals
That rear delt exercise that I described last time.

crashcrew56

04-10-2010, 11:36 AM

Good stuff, I think it's important to test your DE limitations from time to time, I get in the habit of sticking with the same weights that I am hitting easy on DE bench, and then the other week I am training with my friend and we bump the weight up and I could still maintain speed at a heavier weight than I have been using.

UK_Powerlifter

04-10-2010, 03:04 PM

10/04/2010
ME Squat
Squat 1RM144.4kg. Got this on my 2nd attempt. Part of me was saying it was high. The rest said it was fine. My technique is getting better. Learning to push back against the bar first out of the hole. I can't help thinking that I am holding something back. Perhaps I am just scared. I am going to continue maxing out in the squat instead of doing my variations. I think this is the best way to improve my technique with maximal loads on my back. I don't think I will burn out since my motor skills in this exercise are just awful. The gym closed earlier than I thought it would. I will do some assistance work with bands tomorrow. As I get used to maximal loads I will learn not to hold back. I have no idea wear my belt has gone. I am looking where to buy a new one. Any ideas? The belts on elite fts look promising.

Before I was told that I thought that the weight was kept the same until you set a new PR.

UK_Powerlifter

04-13-2010, 01:59 PM

DE Squat
13/04/2010
Squat 12x2 70kg
These felt easier with the gut that I got from carbing up too much.
Deadlift 8x1 90kg Half of these were sumo just to mix things up.
Standing with a barbell on my back
160kg x10 seconds
160kg x10 seconds
160kg x30 seconds was feeling masochistic.
Will do some band leg curls later.

This was the final carb load. Will be low carbs until my test.

UK_Powerlifter

04-14-2010, 11:25 AM

14/04/2010
ME Bench
Regular Bench 5RM 100kg. Was paranoid about the spotter. I ask him like 3 times if he helped and he said no. I am pleased about this PR but still angry that my technique is not there. I did not use leg drive. I am still getting a little scared before my lifts too.
Tate Presses 3x10 15kg 3x10 10kg
Chinups 1x9 1x7 1x5
Seated DB Side Laterals 3x12 8kg
That rear delt exercise 3x10 6kg.

The assistance work didn't go so well.
This morning I felt very aggressive and then sleepy later on. Has anyone else experienced this?

UK_Powerlifter

04-16-2010, 04:21 PM

16/04/2010
ME Squat
Squat. Worked up to the same as last week and got it. Then tried 147.5kg and took it out wrong resulting in the plates falling everywhere.
Negative GHR 3x3
Low Back Machine 3x12
Standing Ab Pulldowns 3x10

UK_Powerlifter

04-21-2010, 03:47 PM

I can do more than one pullup. I just can't bang out 3 set of 10.

20/04/2010
Squat Stuff
Knees were feeling batterred so I just did some stuff with bands.
Band Leg Curls
Band GMs

These were done with enough tension to make it an actual workout rather using the smaller tension that I do in my extra workouts.

21/04/2010
ME Bench
Seated Military Pin Press 1RM 90kg
bar
40kg
50kg
60kg
75kg
80kg
90kg
I was gonna do my incline bench off of pins but there was a big waiting list for the bench and I couldn't be assed to wait. I got this exercise after watching one of the old westside bench videos. These were done with the bar about an inch above my head.
Tate Presses 6x10 15kg
Narrow Dead Hang Pullups 3x5
Rear and Side Delts

UK_Powerlifter

04-23-2010, 07:29 PM

23/04/2010
ME Squat
Tried 150kg several times and failed either because of depth or because I was afraid of the weights falling off the bar. The bar is already slightly bent and the collars are pretty shit. I was able to slide them up and down the bar easily. The only straight bar is one that has no knurling in the middle.
120kg x3
GHRs
Wide Hack Squats
Abs

thebrute

04-26-2010, 03:43 AM

strong work!
TB

UK_Powerlifter

04-29-2010, 06:56 AM

Did DE days on Monday and Wednesday. That is all I will do until I test myself out on Wednesday.

Cheers

crashcrew56

04-30-2010, 09:28 AM

Your training is looking good, try to make sure you are centered on the bar when you squat, that might be part of the problem with the plates falling off.

UK_Powerlifter

05-04-2010, 05:40 PM

Couldn't resist the urge to max out after watching Oleksander Kutcher, Vlad Alhazov, Chuck Vogelpohl and Sam Byrd squat. I squatted 150kg but wasn't satisfied with depth. So I didn't again deep. My form was as ugly as shit but I got it up without too much trouble none the less. It seemed that everything would go wrong when I got it out of the rack since I was shaking and everything but I was just too crazy to stop there. Will do the bench and deadlift tom with my partner.

UK_Powerlifter

05-05-2010, 01:07 PM

Twas a bad day today. I couldn't even bench 100kg let alone 110kg. I warmed up till 90kg( i say warm up but even 90kg felt heavy today). Then went to 110kg and I bearly even got the weight off my chest. How on earth I went from benching 100x5 to not benching 100 is beyond me. My right shoulder felt bad afterwards so it was most likely technique. Bad luck must've been part of it too.

On the deadlift I got 190kg.

I'm going to move up a weight class because I don't really think I am filling out my frame enough (I'm 170cm). I'm not really gonna follow any particular diet because I just want to keep things simple. I will eat as clean as I can most of the time.

Not sure whether to continue maxing out in the squat on my ME days or to go for triples. I'm not going to to the variations since getting better at maintaing tension under maximal loads in the squat is the main goal for me right now. I want to take advantage of how anabolic the exercise is. I also want to continue getting better at keeping tension under maximal loads. Perhaps going for a max and then doing some back off sets would be the answer. The DE squat days will be replaced with Louie's programme to test whether sumo or conventional is better for me. If I could I would max out in the bench regularly like in the squat. However my joints just would not be able to take it. I'm gonna follow the programme Jay Fry has sent me.

UK_Powerlifter

05-10-2010, 02:44 PM

10/05/2010
Squat 135kg 6 reps.
Bodyweight Leg Curls 3x5
Low back machine 3x10 Stack +10kg
Pullups 3x5
Standing Abs 3x10 20kg

My knees starting hurting bad walking to the gym. But they were fine after warm ups. I should've just maxed out.

UK_Powerlifter

05-14-2010, 01:20 PM

So much going on in my life right now with exam pressure and dealing with card fraud. It's a miracle I could get to the gym.
12/05/2010
ME Bench
Floor Press
100kgx1
110kgx1 Said it was high and my partner agreed.
105kgx1 Got to half way and was really struggling. My partner just put his fingers on the bar for a second then I blasted it up. Strange.
Fry Press 3x8
JM Press 4x8
Tate Presses 3x12
Pushdowns 3x12
Yates Rows 4x8
Row Machine Shrugs 4x8
Side Delts

Seemed that I was always out of position when the bar was handed off to me since my shoulders were always forward. Think the J hooks of the rack are just too high.

14/05/2010
Sumo Deadlifts 15x1 95kg. Experimenting with different stance widths. Haven't found the best one yet. Struggling to get the technique in.
Bodyweight Leg curls 3x5
Pullups
Smith Machine Shrugs 3x10
Standing side to side abs.

crashcrew56

05-14-2010, 02:39 PM

Sumo is definetly something that will take some time to get used to, it took me a while to get the form down right.

UK_Powerlifter

05-19-2010, 06:08 AM

18/05/2010
ME bench
Reverse Band Bench 1RM 130kg. Could have gone higher since this went up without to much hassle. My training partner was not there though. I think that having 140kg over my face without a spotter I can trust is just stupid.
Close grip bench with lightenned method. 2x failure
Rolling DB extensions
Single Arm DB extensions
Yates Rows
DB Shrugs
Rear and Side Delts

I like the reverse band bench because it is helping me to increase my confidence in using higher weights. It also teaches me to think through the lift rather than just mindlessly pressing it. I also found out a new trick which is to hold the weight for a few seconds when take it out of the rack first. The bar kinda just sinks into a bit more which reduces the range of motion.

UK_Powerlifter

05-23-2010, 03:27 PM

23/05/2010
DE Bench
Banded Bench 9x3
JM press 3x8-12
Tate Press 3x12
Pullups
Upperback
Shoulder injury prevention

UK_Powerlifter

05-24-2010, 10:18 AM

24/05/2010
Squat 140kg 6 reps. Didn't expect this.
Bodyweight Leg Curls
One arm seated rows
Upper Back work
Abs

UK_Powerlifter

05-26-2010, 01:57 PM

26/5/2010
ME Bench
Floor Pin Press 1RM 150kg
fry presses
Rolling DB extensions
Single arm db extensions
lat pulldowns
db shrugs
rear and side delts.

my wrists hurt on the heavier variations.

UK_Powerlifter

05-30-2010, 03:04 PM

30/5/2010
DE Bench
Banded Bench 9x3
Tate Presses 3x12 15kg
Pushdowns 3x12 20kg
Yates Rows 3x8 90-100kg
Injury Prevention Exercises

UK_Powerlifter

06-04-2010, 04:53 PM

Forgot what I did in my bench workout.

Squats
3RM 145kg. I lost the tightness in my back on my 3rd rep and my back started to round. I guess this is why people do singles. Because as you do more and more reps your form gets worse and worse.
Bodyweight leg curls 3x5
Chinups
Abs

I'm not sure what to aim for next week. Whether it be more reps or more weight. I need to get a belt too.

UK_Powerlifter

06-11-2010, 04:47 PM

9/6/2010
ME Bench
regular bench 2rm 95kg. My bench has gone down since the 100x5. From this I can see that my 1rm is going to be slightly over 100kg. I would say that I have been getting weaker but my squat has been going up. Perhaps one of my muscle groups is being overtrained.
rolling db extensions
single arm db extensions
pullups
db shrugs
injury prevention exercises.

I have been looking for gyms to work out in my hometown of Basingstoke. The equipment is not the best here. I am trying my best to get all my meals in me.

11/6/2010
squats
145kg 2 reps. Very poor positioning lead to my downfall. This whole thing with reps really isn't teaching me to maintain proper form because my first rep is great then my others just get worse. There was no one to spot me today. The squat rack will only stop the bar from falling when I am atg with my back rounded.
Kettlebell swings These were actually quite fun. What other kettlebell exercises can I do for squat/deadlift assistance?
Seated Cable Rows
Standing Abs

I want to make a plan for what I am going to do for my 3 lifts. I am thinking about my ME exercises for the bench. For the squat all I am going to do is squat. I would do the same for the bench but my joints just won't take it. For the squat I am not going to do anymore than 2 reps. For the bench I am thinking of various shoulder pressing variations. The actual bench is gonna have to be one of the exercises just to maintain technique with maximal loads. The time frame will be 12 weeks.

UK_Powerlifter

06-14-2010, 03:17 PM

14/6/2010
Squats 5x5 115kg
Pullups
Abs

UK_Powerlifter

06-16-2010, 12:26 PM

Military Press 60kg
JM Press Fuck these. Cba to learn them anymore.
Tate Presses. Workout had to be cut short.

UK_Powerlifter

06-20-2010, 11:51 AM

Squats 5 reps
65
81
97
114
130

Bench Press 5 reps
40
50
60
70
80

Yates Rows 5 reps
45
55
67.5
77.5
88.5

DB swings
Abs

Using Bill Starrs' 5x5 intermediate template because it is simple and does not require spotters.

UK_Powerlifter

06-24-2010, 02:30 PM

24/6/2010

Squat 5 65
5 81
5 97
5 97
Military Press 5 31
5 37
5 43
5 49
Deadlift 5 93
5 111
5 130
5 148

Numbers were rounded up accordingly from the spreadsheet.

UK_Powerlifter

06-25-2010, 05:39 PM

25/6/2010
Squats
5 62.5kg
5 82.5kg
5 97.5kg
5 132.5kg

Bench Press
5 45kg
5 55kg
5 65kg
5 75kg
3 85kg

Flew up. I took the bar down slower than usual and really made sure that the burden of the weight was where it was supposed to be.

Pullups.
Doing these instead of rows.

Single arm db extensions
Rear Delts

Completely forgot about the sets of 8 reps. Oh well.

UK_Powerlifter

06-28-2010, 02:33 PM

Squats
5 62.5kg
5 87.5kg
5 100.2kg
5 117.5kg
5 132.5kg

Bench Press
5 45kg
5 55kg
5 65kg
5 75kg
5 85kg

Barbell Rows
5 45kg
5 55kg
5 65kg
5 75kg
5 85kg

DB swings 2x10 26kg
Pulldown abs 4x10 50kg

This workout was hard. Taking this as a sign that I need to up my calories since this stage should be easy. I felt drained before I touched the bar.

UK_Powerlifter

06-30-2010, 12:04 PM

30/6/2010
Squats
5x60kg
5x80kg
5x95kg
5x95kg
OHP
5x32.5kg
5x37.5kg
5x42.5kg
5x50kg
Deadlift
5x95kg
5x115kg
5x130kg
5x150kg

I put in the more recent 145x2kg squat in my spreadsheet rather than the 140x6kg to improve the accuracy of where I am at now. The deadlifts were really hard. I had seen that Mark instructed his athletes to have the bar over the middle of their foot when they stand up next to the bar. It made my lift seem harder. Perhaps I just put it in the wrong place. There could be other things wrong with my technique. When I get back to uni I will search for competitions nearby. My microplates have arrived which should help me make linear progress in my bench and OHP.

UK_Powerlifter

07-09-2010, 02:50 PM

8/7/2010
Squats 5x5-3 ramped to 132.5kg
Bench Press 5x5-3 ramped to 90kg
Rows5x5-3 ramped to 95kg
Skull crushers and curls

I pulled something when I was squatting on my previous workout and decided to do the same weight again. I have been working out as usual except without the deadlift and squat in the other workouts to give me time to heal. I have been busy sorting things out which is why I haven't updated in a while.

UK_Powerlifter

07-15-2010, 03:28 PM

14/7/2010
Squats 4x5 ramped to 132.5kg
Military Press 4x5 ramped to 55kg
Deadlifts 4x5 ramped to 130kg de loading on these to work on form.

I forgot to upload my previous workout. I am repeating the bench press again because I was not certain that I did 5 reps with 90kg by myself.

UK_Powerlifter

07-17-2010, 10:37 AM

16/7/2010
Squats 5x3-5 ramped to 137.5kg
Bench Press 5x3-5 ramped to 90kg
Barbell Rows 5x3-5 ramped to 100kg
skull crushers and curls

I've gotta start rememberring to do that back off set. Gonna eat as much as I can over this weekend. :D I'm eager to beat my previous squats for reps record.

UK_Powerlifter

07-22-2010, 02:41 PM

19/7/2010
Squats 5x5 ramped to 137.5kg
Bench Press 5x5 ramped to 90kg
Barbell Rows 5x5 ramped to 100kg

21/7/2010

Squats 4x5 ramped to 132.5kg
Military Press 4x5 ramped to 57.5kg
Deadlifts 4x5 ramped to 135kg

Took everything to get the reps in on the OHP. Not sure whether to start microloading or trying to increase by 2.5kg again. It's weird and cool at the same time how I did 5 reps with a weight that was just 2.5kg off my max.

UK_Powerlifter

07-30-2010, 03:22 PM

28/7/2010
Squats 4x5 ramped 100kg
OHP 4x5-3 ramped 60kg
Deadlift 4x5 ramped 140kg

30/7/2010
Squats 5x5-3 ramped 141kg
Bench Press 5x5-3 ramped 87.5kg
BB rows 3x5 ramped 85kg
Skull Crushers and Curls

UK_Powerlifter

08-04-2010, 09:51 AM

3/8/2010
Squats 5x5 ramped 142.5kg
Bench Press 5x5 ramped 87.5kg
Rows 5x5 ramped 80kg

UK_Powerlifter

08-06-2010, 02:11 PM

6/8/2010
Squat 4x5 ramped 100kg
OHP 4x4-5 ramped 60kg
Deadlift 4x5 ramped 145kg

Felt like walking death today. Didn't expect the extra rep on the OHP.

Mr.Bones

08-06-2010, 04:16 PM

Definitely making nice improvements...

UK_Powerlifter

08-11-2010, 01:17 PM

Thanks
11/8/2010
Squat 4x5 ramped 105kg
OHP 4x5 ramped 60kg
Deadlift 4x5 ramped 150kg

It took ages for my supplements to get deliverred and since half my protein intake comes from shakes (there is not enough food around the house) I didn't see the point in working out until I had them. Glad with the PR anyway.

UK_Powerlifter

08-13-2010, 09:33 AM

13/8/2010
Squats 5x5-3 ramped 147.5kg
Bench Press 5x5-3 ramped 90kg
Rows 3x5-3 ramped 85kg
Skull Crushers and Curls

UK_Powerlifter

08-16-2010, 10:37 AM

16/8/2010
Squats 5x5 ramped 147.5kg
Bench Press 5x5 ramped 90kg I don't think I was able to do these all by myself. Gonna repeat these next week.
Rows 5x5 ramped 90kg

UK_Powerlifter

08-20-2010, 11:22 AM

20/8/2010
OHP 4x5 ramped 62.5kg
Deadlift 4x5 ramped 155kg

UK_Powerlifter

08-24-2010, 11:06 AM

I decided to do SS since I never really milked the gains out of it and I think I can gain faster progress on it than on madcow. I'm starting off nice and light to allow further progress.

23/8/2010
Squat 3x5 115kg
OHP 3x5 40kg
Pullups 3x5

The squats felt much heavier than they were supposed to. I guess it was due to poor sleep. I'm gonna increase all my loads except the deadlift by 2.5kg each workout. The deadlift will be 5kg each workout. Let me know what you guys think.

UK_Powerlifter

08-28-2010, 04:01 PM

25/8/2010
Squat 3x5 117.5kg
BP 3x5 75kg
Deadlift 1x5 140kg

27/8/2010
Squat 3x5 120kg
OHP 42.5kg
Pullups 1x6 2x5

UK_Powerlifter

09-02-2010, 05:20 AM

1/9/2010
Squat 3x5 122.5kg
BP 3x5 77.5kg
Pullups 2x6 1x5

UK_Powerlifter

09-06-2010, 02:18 PM

3/9/2010
Squat 3x5 125kg
OHP 3x5 45kg
Deadlift 1x5 145kg

5/9/2010
Squat 127.5kg
BP 3x5 80kg
Pullups 3x6

UK_Powerlifter

09-08-2010, 06:38 PM

7/9/2010
Squat 130kg 3x5
OHP 50kg 2x5
Pullups 3x6 Easier than before.

UK_Powerlifter

09-11-2010, 07:06 AM

10/9/2010
Squat 132.5kg 3x5
BP 82.5kg 3x5
Deadlift 1x5 150kg Did these right off the bat.

My rate of recovery is really improving. Right after squats my legs hurt like hell but a few minutes after the workout they are a lot less sore and the next day it is like I never squatted at all.

UK_Powerlifter

09-16-2010, 09:09 AM

15/9/2010
Squat 135kg 3x5
OHP 2x5 55kg
Pullups

I was really tired before this workout began. Had a long drive to the university and went back and forth from the uni to my accomodation to sort out registration. I'm not sure whether to try 55kg again next week or try to deload. I think that if I came in fresh I would've been able to do the 3rd set.

UK_Powerlifter

09-19-2010, 08:19 AM

19/9/2010
Squats 3x5 140kg
DB Bench Press 3x5 35kg. The bench press was out of action so I thought I would use dbs. These were really easy.
Pullups.

I was gonna wait until Monday so that I could do the regular mon,wed,fri split but I just couldn't stay off of training for that long. These squats weren't as painful as the previous ones. Hopefully I can continue to make progress and squat my original 1rm for 3x5.

UK_Powerlifter

09-28-2010, 11:57 AM

It turns out that they can't do gym inductions until next Wednesday. I am allowed to use the gym once before that time. I am going to try for 3x5 145kg squat tomorrow and then 3x5 150kg squat next Wednesday.

UK_Powerlifter

10-06-2010, 06:19 PM

Squat 3x5 142.5kg
OHP 2x5 57.5kg 1x3 57.5kg
Pullups 3x7

I really don't feel that strong with these stats. Whenever I OHP and take the bar out of the rack I start to feel really dizzy. It's that feeling you get when you stand up too fast. It is really throwing me off and pissing me off. Any ideas? I will milk out SS for all it is worth.

UK_Powerlifter

10-11-2010, 11:22 AM

11/10/2010
Squat 2x5 145kg. If a fly landed on the bar I wouldn't of got my last rep.
OHP 3x5 50kg. Decided to have a deload. Was this light enough?
Pullups 1x8 2x7

Hopefully I can recover by Wednesday. The dizziness on the OHP seems to have been solved for now at least.

UK_Powerlifter

10-13-2010, 12:34 PM

After searching on the starting strength wiki I found a version of the program that had a light day for squats. I thought this would be ideal for me.

13/10/2010
Squats 2x5 120kg
Incline BP 3x5 60kg. The room with the BP is always closed off. I decided to give this a try. The incline was high.
Deadlift 1x5 130kg.

Mr.Bones

10-13-2010, 04:16 PM

What is the reason for a small squat day?

UK_Powerlifter

10-15-2010, 10:13 AM

yay a response :D

I can't recover from the 3x5 squats 3 times a week despite good rest and nutrition.

15/10/2010
Squat 3x5 130kg
OHP 3x5 52.5kg

Didn't have enough time to do the chinups. I thought I could do my workout during lunch break but I was wrong. My metabolism is really starting to roar. I just ate a big mac with the free cheeseburger and it feels like I haven't had anything to eat at all.

Mr.Bones

10-15-2010, 09:47 PM

Want more responses? Talk in other peoples journals and post pics if u dare

UK_Powerlifter

10-18-2010, 10:55 AM

Will give that a go :D. I'm more sociable in other forums. It just gets time consuming to be like that in all your forums.

18/10/2010
Squat 3x5 132.5kg
Incline BP 3x5 65kg
Pullups.

Had one of these people in the gym that insisted on staying behind me to spot me on squats despite me telling him several times that there was no need.

UK_Powerlifter

10-20-2010, 11:29 AM

20/10/2010
Squats 3x5 135kg
OHP 3x5 55kg
Deadlifts 140kg 1x5 Doing these right off the bat.

UK_Powerlifter

10-20-2010, 11:40 AM

oops was 105kg squat. So used to doing the 3 times per week numbers.

UK_Powerlifter

10-22-2010, 05:04 PM

22/10/2010
Squats 3x5 135kg
High Incline BP 70kg

UK_Powerlifter

10-25-2010, 08:57 AM

25/10/2010
Squat 3x5 137.5kg
OHP 3x5 57.5kg PR
Pullups

Mr.Bones

10-25-2010, 10:17 AM

You add 2 kilos a workout to your squats?

UK_Powerlifter

10-25-2010, 11:09 AM

2.5 per workout yeah

Mr.Bones

10-25-2010, 01:03 PM

So in a hundred days you will be at like 550 pound squats!

UK_Powerlifter

10-25-2010, 02:06 PM

If linear progression continued then yes. If you are at a stage when you can make linear progress like mine then you should take it even if it may only be for a short period of time. What do you think?

Mr.Bones

10-25-2010, 05:44 PM

UK_Powerlifter

10-27-2010, 01:31 PM

27/10/2010
Squats 3x5 110kg
High Incline BP 3x5 75kg
Deadlifts 1x5 145kg

UK_Powerlifter

10-29-2010, 08:18 AM

29/10/2010
Just when I thought guys in the gym couldn't get anymore retarded since Wednesday when I saw a guy wrap 2m of hand towel around the centre of the bar and do 1/4 squats, some fucktard smashed the floor. Now the free weights room is closed off, fucking brilliant.

Did a workout in some room filled with machines that had some lighter dumb bells.
Pullups
DB OHP 3x5 25kg

Mr.Bones

10-29-2010, 02:49 PM

Good god man, that sounds horrible.

UK_Powerlifter

11-01-2010, 10:37 AM

1/11/2010
Free weights room still closed off.
DB OHP 65 pound DBs x3
25kg DBs 1x6 1x7
Pullups.

They said it will be fixed by tomorrow. I will do a heavy squat workout on Wednesday followed by the lighter one on Friday. Then back to normal. I'm upping my whole milk intake to 0.5gallons a day too.

UK_Powerlifter

11-03-2010, 09:18 AM

3/11/2010
Squats 3x5 140kg
Incline BP 3x5 80kg
Pullups

It's hard to tell if I am using the same incline on the bench since there are three different benches. I have memorized the bench used and the notch on the incline. Really sad to hear about Nick Winter's death. I was really inspired by his bench pressing feats.

UK_Powerlifter

11-05-2010, 11:15 AM

5/11/2010
OHP 3x5 60kg PR
Squats 2x5 110kg
Avoided doing deadlifts because I would be doing them on Weds so if I did them today I wouldn't have enough time to recover.

UK_Powerlifter

11-08-2010, 07:06 AM

6/11/2010
Squats 3x5 142.5kg
Incline BP 3x5 85kg
Pullups

UK_Powerlifter

11-10-2010, 02:53 PM

10/11/2010
Squat 2x5 115kg
OHP 62.5kg 3x5-4 Couldn't make the final rep.
Deadlift 150kgx5

UK_Powerlifter

11-12-2010, 10:43 AM

12/11/2010
Squat 3x5 145kg PR

Tried benching but it just ended badly. Even the bar felt heavy. I tried setting up a regular bench press in the squat rack. The bench felt narrow and wobbly too. Maybe my shoulders just weren't recovered from the OHPing I did. I'm happy with this PR nonethless. Hopefully my progress will continue until I squat my original 1rm of 150kg for 3x5.

Mr.Bones

11-12-2010, 12:37 PM

Just keep pushing.

UK_Powerlifter

11-15-2010, 10:09 AM

15/11/2010
Squat 3x5-4 150kg. Bottomed out on the final rep
OHP complete fail.

Perhaps I was overly ambitious. One thing that I need to improve is my concentration. I think I am too calm before I get under the bar and as a result my technique is suffering. My lower back may be rounding at the bottom because I am getting the same pain as when I deadlifted with bad form. The OHP will be deloaded back to 50kg and I will try the squat again on Friday. I suppose I can still say that I have smashed my previous 5rm record from madcow which was 147.5kg and my 1rm max is going to be a lot higher than 150kg now.

Mr.Bones

11-15-2010, 01:31 PM

Still making gains bro.

UK_Powerlifter

11-18-2010, 11:59 AM

17/11/2010
Squats 2x5 120kg
OHP 50kg 4x5. Did another set because I didn't think the reps on my 3rd set were locked out properly.
PC 1x5 50kg

I wanted a break from deadlifting so I chose the PCs today. I will look up the deadlift variations that are part of this program. The OHP felt pretty light which indicates that I haven't just randomly lost my pressing strength. I am using the straight wrists and bar just under the chin form rather than bending my wrists in order to get the bar starting on my shoulders. I feel I lose so much initial power in the former position despite it being the starting position in the starting strength book.

UK_Powerlifter

11-19-2010, 10:38 AM

19/11/2010
Squat 3x5 150kg
Pullups and Dips
My lower back was hurting quite bad so I didn't bother with presses or inclines.

UK_Powerlifter

11-22-2010, 02:20 PM

22/11/2010
Incline BP 3x5 80kg
Squats 152.5kg Wasn't going to do these to rest my back. But after staying by the rack for like 10 mins I decided that I wasn't going to leave the gym till they were done
Pullups

UK_Powerlifter

11-24-2010, 05:17 PM

24/11/2010
Squat 3x5 125kg
OHP 3x5-6 55kg Easy
Deadlift 1x4 160kg

My right bicep was for some reason hurting after the OHP. My right hand just kept giving way in the deadlift. Choosing the thicker bar didn't help either. I just chose it because the thinner one has side that not all the plates can fit onto.

UK_Powerlifter

11-26-2010, 07:43 PM

26/11/2010
Squats 3x5-4 155kg Missed the final rep again. It seems that no matter how tight I try to get myself before the lift I still end up feeling frail once the bar is on my back. I just gave up on the way down on the final rep of my last set. I am disappointed in this because I usually fight with everything I have to get that last rep in.
High Incline BP 3x5 82.5kg
Pullups

Mr.Bones

11-26-2010, 09:40 PM

Just get yourself worked up for that final rep bro, just pound it.

UK_Powerlifter

11-30-2010, 11:12 AM

30/11/2010
Squat 3x5 155kg
OHP 1x4 62.5kg 2x5 57.5kg
Pullups

Mr.Bones

11-30-2010, 11:57 AM

Everything going solid?

UK_Powerlifter

12-01-2010, 04:16 AM

I have a feeling that even though I may feel recovered in the pressing movements I am not actually recovered. Thinking of switching things up for the pressing movements.

UK_Powerlifter

12-02-2010, 03:07 PM

2/12/2010
High Incline BP 1x5 1x4 85kg
Squat 2x5 120kg

My right bicep and shoulder were hurting real bad so I just decided to stop there. I want to change programs since doing these high stress shoulder movements along with low bar squatting 3x week is just too taxing. Since I enjoy benching and the OHP the most I'm going to find a program that focuses on them. I'm just trying to make sense of the template that is meant to come out of Bill Starr's Quest for a Stronger OHP article. (Bill Starr pressed 350 pounds weighing 198 pounds strict). If you guys know what it is supposed to look like then please tell me. I am happy with the gains I have made on this advanced novice variation of starting strength. Bearing in mind I still want to squat since that is going to improve my overall body power which will transfer into a bigger press and bench press.

Here is the article
http://startingstrength.com/articles/stronger_press_starr.pdf

UK_Powerlifter

12-04-2010, 02:43 PM

4/11/2010
OHP 3x5 60kg
Chinups.

Decided to alternate the incline DB press and OHP on Tue/Thurs/Sat and do 20 rep squats on Weds/Fri. I will also microload on the OHP if the need arises.

UK_Powerlifter

12-07-2010, 11:40 AM

7/11/2010
High Incline DB bench 1x4 2x5 75 pounds. Just needed to get used to dbs again, got my reps in after.

UK_Powerlifter

12-08-2010, 10:09 AM

8/12/2010
Squat 120kgx20

My lungs and legs were burning during this. It's the biggest test of willpower I've had so far. After I did the set the strength and conditioning coach approached me. He said that my left knee was going inwards, my stance was way too wide, my feet should be pointing straight forward and the bar was too low on my back. He then said 20 reppers was not enough volume when compared to 4 sets of 6-8 reps. He was a pretty big guy but I started to doubt him when I saw he wasn't hitting depth on his squats and he seemed to go up on his tip toes when he stood up with the weights.

I can't imagine what these will feel like by the end of the cycle.

UK_Powerlifter

12-09-2010, 02:07 PM

9/12/2010
OHP 3x5 62.5kg. PR.
Chinups.

UK_Powerlifter

12-15-2010, 02:39 PM

The room with the rack in has been closed off for refurbishment. I've just been doing dips and pullups.

UK_Powerlifter

01-07-2011, 12:46 PM

7/1/2011
OHP 3x5 50kg
Chinups
Preacher Curls

Curt James

01-09-2011, 11:02 PM

Had one of these people in the gym that insisted on staying behind me to spot me on squats despite me telling him several times that there was no need.

I know this is an old post but had to comment. Had one person do that to me and I told him it was unnecessary. Had the squat rack in the event I got stuck at the bottom. And I really don't favor how some people spot on squats. lol

:no:

Curt James

01-09-2011, 11:03 PM

The room with the rack in has been closed off for refurbishment. I've just been doing dips and pullups.

They say when the work will be completed?

UK_Powerlifter

01-10-2011, 07:28 AM

10/1/2010
Bench Press 3x5-4 70kg Missed the last rep
DB rows
Bench Press 1x5

Came back and benched the weight easily. Strange.

The work will take till the end of the month to complete. I am scared my squat strength will be halved and my overall body power will just plumet.

10/1/2010
Bench Press 3x5-4 70kg Missed the last rep
DB rows
Bench Press 1x5

Came back and benched the weight easily. Strange.

UK_Powerlifter

01-12-2011, 07:15 PM

12/1/2010
OHP 52.5kg 3x5

UK_Powerlifter

01-14-2011, 08:53 PM

14/1/2010
Bench Press 3x5 75kg
DB rows.

UK_Powerlifter

01-17-2011, 01:31 PM

17/1/2010
OHP 3x5 55kg
Chinups
Biceps work
A few more sessions and I'll be back to my original OHP strength.

UK_Powerlifter

01-19-2011, 03:08 PM

19/1/2010
Bench Press 3x5 80kg
DB rows

The rows are hurting the bone tip right near my shoulders.

UK_Powerlifter

01-21-2011, 04:01 PM

21/1/2010
OHP 3x5 57.5kg
Chinups.

What's really cool is that I am very close to what I was originally pressing only 5kg lighter. This will mean I will hit a bodyweight strict press sooner.

UK_Powerlifter

01-24-2011, 01:30 PM

24/1/2010
Bench Press 3x5 85kg
Barbell Rows from the floor 3x5 80kg
Preacher Curls
The barbell rows from the floor don't give me that nagging shoulder pain which is great. My reps of 5 are weird. Rather than them getting harder and harder the first rep is very explosive and the rest are slow grinds. Also today on my last set and hurt my lower back on my last rep. Nothing serious. It seems that whenever I am driving my heels into the floor rather than transferring into the bar the force is just making me arch harder.

UK_Powerlifter

01-26-2011, 08:55 AM

26/1/2011
OHP 3x5 60kg
Chinups 3x5
The last set was the fight of my life but I just about managed it in the end. The last rep must've lasted like 10 seconds lol.

UK_Powerlifter

01-31-2011, 05:20 AM

31/1/2011
Awful pressing. Only got like 2 reps for the first two sets and didn't get a single rep for the last
Barbell Rows from floor 3x5 90kg
Preacher Curls 3x5 30kg

I think this was just a bad day. I will try 62.5kg again on Friday and see what happens. I will also take Wednesday off.

UK_Powerlifter

02-02-2011, 03:45 PM

2/2/2010
OHP 62.5kg 1x5 1x2 1x0
Chinups

Just couldn't stay away from the gym. Doing the deload now.

HammerStrength12

02-03-2011, 12:21 AM

Love overhead presses! It's really a lost art, and seriously neglected by most bodybuilders and powerlifters.

UK_Powerlifter

02-04-2011, 08:33 AM

It would be cool to see how much burneika, stan or ben white could do on strict presses.

4/2/2010
BP 1x3 90kg 2x5 80kg. Don't get how 80kg feels light but 90kg feels like a tonne. Back to 85kg next workout.
Deadlift 1x5 140kg. Hopefully these will help stop the hypertropy in my legs from going away too fast.

UK_Powerlifter

02-08-2011, 07:40 AM

7/2/2010
OHP 3x5 55kg
Chinups 3x6
Barbell Curls 2x8 30kg

It is no wonder I stalled. I stepped on the scale and I have lost weight. Replacing the calories from GOMAD is harder than I thought. I find it impossible to get my self tight in the starting position for the press when I have to clean the weight onto my shoulders. I wish this lower body room would hurry the fuck up so I can get back to pressing in the rack again.

UK_Powerlifter

02-11-2011, 09:40 AM

11/2/2011
OHP 3x5 57.5kg
Chinups 3x6
The overhead presses were much easier this time. This may have been because my clean off the floor was much better. The weight just flew onto my shoulders rather than being muscled up. I also did one final rep after putting the bar down because some part of me was saying you only did 4 even though I was pretty certain I did 5.

UK_Powerlifter

02-19-2011, 02:41 AM

18/2/2011
Bench Press 3x5 87.5kg
Cable Rows
Barbell Curls

UK_Powerlifter

02-19-2011, 02:41 AM

14/2/2011
Bench press 3x5 85kg
Cable Rows
Barbell Curls

16/2/2011
OHP 3x5 60kg
Chinups 3x8

UK_Powerlifter

02-21-2011, 12:17 PM

21/1/2011
OHP 2x4 62.5kg
Chinups +5kg 3x5

The plate almost slid off the left side which hurt my left shoulder. I didn't do a 3rd set because I was afraid of getting injured. My shoulder feels ok now as I'm typing this. I did more reps than last time so it's ok for now. I'll just try again on Friday.

UK_Powerlifter

02-23-2011, 08:59 AM

23/2/2011
Bench Press 3x5 90kg
Cable Rows
Barbell Curls.

The spotter on the last set wasn't very good unracked the bar too high and gave me help when I didn't need it.

My second set is still better than my first. I am warming up with

3x5 bar
3 x 50kg
1x60kg
1x80kg

What would you suggest I do to have a better warmup. I already do moderate cardio beforehand by walking to the gym.