(05-04-2017 11:25 AM)General Stalin Wrote:  Warmup can be different for everyone too which is probably why it doesn't do a whole lot for you. I've actually injured myself in the past deadlifting very submaximal weight without any warmup so I try to warmup before doing any major compound lift, and for OHP specifically I've noticed I actually perform better if I do a few warmup sets as opposed to just going into it.

Strange.

I like to do pullups, chinups, or rows before OHP. Helps stay balanced and push from the shoulders and upper back.

Hit a recovery milestone lastnight. Again not huge weight but deadlifted 5 x 3 x 225 with no belt and my back felt great. Weights are going back up and back is feeling stable.

EDIT:

(05-04-2017 11:30 AM)redbeard Wrote:  

(05-04-2017 11:25 AM)General Stalin Wrote:  Warmup can be different for everyone too which is probably why it doesn't do a whole lot for you. I've actually injured myself in the past deadlifting very submaximal weight without any warmup so I try to warmup before doing any major compound lift, and for OHP specifically I've noticed I actually perform better if I do a few warmup sets as opposed to just going into it.

Strange.

Yeah thats what I said when it happened. It was a weight I normally had no problem pulling for a set of 8+ typically, but I would normally work up with 3 different weights before hitting it. On a non-deadlift day just ripping that weight off the ground cold didn't feel good. A slight form breakdown from not easing into the weight did the trick.

(05-04-2017 11:30 AM)redbeard Wrote:  I like to do pullups, chinups, or rows before OHP. Helps stay balanced and push from the shoulders and upper back.

Yeah I'll typically do pullups and shrugs before pressing.

The deadlift really does require substantial warm up.

Typically my warm up progression for deads or rack pulls would be something like....

5 mins walking.

Hip flexor stretches (gotta keep those flexors loose or you're way more likely to tweak your back in deads or squats).

Bb squats 135 3x3

Deadlift
135 5x5
225 1x3
315 1x3
405 1x2
495 1x1

Stretch hip flexors again thoroughly then do work sets.

If you don't respect the deadlift it will disrespect you. In particular, your back. Then you're riding the pine, not gaining.

I also feel that it's best to hit the Overhead early on, so as to expend the bulk of my energy on it, as it's a particularly stubborn lift for me. Haven't made a new max on it in centuries. I'm finding that most fellas can't even do it for shit, which, of course, is a further cue to get with it.

Just now found your response to my question about your height and weight on page 8, whoops.

You're my same height, but I'm WAY heavier than you. I'm 289 now after losing 21 this month. I'll probably be pretty ripped by 210 or maybe 205 at the lowest. I can carry 220 without looking like I have a lot of fat. Also aside from the past two months I haven't worked out in 3 years, but the caveat to that is that I lifted and did many sports for lots of years before the past three years. Btw I'm 28.

I say all that just to give you context about my own lifts:

OHP 185 lbs 4 sets x 4
Bench 225 lbs 4 sets x 5
Squat 225 lbs 4 sets x 7
Deadlift 245 lbs 4 sets x 5

Now I know I haven't picked up lifting for a while, but I'm much heavier than you. Despite that you're basically the same strength as me.

Just wanted to give you props, keep up the good work, and always be patient. This shit takes time and if you rush things all you will do is hurt yourself

(05-04-2017 09:53 PM)Steelex Wrote:  The deadlift really does require substantial warm up.

Typically my warm up progression for deads or rack pulls would be something like....

5 mins walking.

Hip flexor stretches (gotta keep those flexors loose or you're way more likely to tweak your back in deads or squats).

Bb squats 135 3x3

Deadlift
135 5x5
225 1x3
315 1x3
405 1x2
495 1x1

Stretch hip flexors again thoroughly then do work sets.

If you don't respect the deadlift it will disrespect you. In particular, your back. Then you're riding the pine, not gaining.

Yeah absolutely man. Good mnetion about hip flexor stretching too. I'm learning how important that is. What stretche(s) do you do for that?

You're definitely strong man props on all the work you've put into yourself. I hope to be able to move that kind of weight someday.

My warmups for DL the other night were:
1 x 8 x 95
1 x 8 x 135
1 x 6 x 185
1 x 4 x 205
Then my working sets.

(05-05-2017 03:37 PM)StackGsMan Wrote:  Just now found your response to my question about your height and weight on page 8, whoops.

You're my same height, but I'm WAY heavier than you. I'm 289 now after losing 21 this month. I'll probably be pretty ripped by 210 or maybe 205 at the lowest. I can carry 220 without looking like I have a lot of fat. Also aside from the past two months I haven't worked out in 3 years, but the caveat to that is that I lifted and did many sports for lots of years before the past three years. Btw I'm 28.

I say all that just to give you context about my own lifts:

OHP 185 lbs 4 sets x 4
Bench 225 lbs 4 sets x 5
Squat 225 lbs 4 sets x 7
Deadlift 245 lbs 4 sets x 5

Now I know I haven't picked up lifting for a while, but I'm much heavier than you. Despite that you're basically the same strength as me.

Just wanted to give you props, keep up the good work, and always be patient. This shit takes time and if you rush things all you will do is hurt yourself

Hell yeah man your upper body lifts are strong. I certainly can't OHP 185, maybe push press but definitely not strict. That's a strong bench too. I think if you work on your lower body movements you'll be in great shape. Putting in a few extra pounds last year I feel helped me out, but I wasn't specifically trying to get bigger. I was just eating more calories to keep up with my output and help me make gains, but I started out at like 180 and change now sitting around 200-205.

doops

Body weight 289
OHP 185 (64% bw)
Deadlift 245

What the fuck?

^^^

Benched 6 x 3 x 185 tonight. Weight kept moving easier as I moved along so I finished off with 1 x 3 x 205. Last rep was shaky but I locked out. Starting to incorporate more bent over row into my workouts after watching a lot of Brian Alsruhe and Jeff Cavalier showing the immeasurable benefits of it and the carry over to pretty much every major movement.

Despite being tired and eating like shit today I had a great workout. Finished off the night with a gauntlet with a couple gym Bros. 21 x 80 DB snatches followed by 21 dips, then 15 x 80 DB snatches followed by 15 dips, and finally 9 x 70 (weight got to heavy) DB snatches followed by 9 dips. Was exhausting.

Workouts are going well. Was tired as fuck and underfed yesterday so I cut my squat workout short but what I did was still great. Upped weight a little from last week and wasn't bad considering my lack of energy.

Squat - 1 x 8 x 105
2 x 6 x 145
1 x 3 x 195
5 x 3 x 235

Belt squats - 3 x 8 x 200

Still not using a lifting belt for any workouts which has been helping my confidence a lot. My lower back pain is pretty much completely gone at this point though it does still feel a little tight most of the time. When I do my mobility stretches at the beginning of my workouts I don't even feel a stretch in my back anymore.

Once again numbers going up being back in the swing of things.

OHP workout tonight and my normal 125 working weight was feeling light so my last two sets I jumped up to 135 and banged out 2 sets of 3 no problem. Feeling great!

OHP - 1 x 8 x 95
1 x 4 x 115
4 x 3 x 125
2 x 3 x 135

Pendlay row - 3 x 8 x 135 >ss> tricep pullover - 3 x 10 x 45

Side lat. raise - 3 x 12 x 20 >ss> dips - 3 x 12

(03-30-2017 06:54 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

(01-05-2017 01:58 PM)Maxzilla Wrote:  Do you have visible abs?

No.

I been ghost for a while and part of that has been me being a little ashamed to post in this thread since my gym attendance has been real dodgy since the new year.

I left the gym I was going to a little over a month ago because a new gym opened across the street from my house and the savings and convenience was too good to pass up.

Admittedly the power lifting gym I was attending was/is awesome and this place us much more of a big-box type of gym which makes it a little more difficult to enjoy myself and stay motivated, but it's only $10 a month, has the basics of what I need, and is in walking distance from where I live. Time will tell if the environment is really worth the extra cost and driving.

Anyway -

After taking far too much time away, I'm back at it and easing back into the routine. I've been doing my stretches and mobility exercises before every workout and my back is starting to feel better already. I'm starting off light as I want to practice good form and prevent regressing with my low back issue.

As expected, I've seen a loss of strength gains from so much time away but It will come back.

My first day back in the gym for nearly two months I went around and hit all the main lifts, but my low back issues affected me immediately. I worked up to 185 on squat and those two reps felt like shit. Went to deadlift after and felt sore and shaky just trying to get 115 off the ground so I figured I'd call it quits on lower body for the day. Benched 205 for two but it was tough, and was able to put up 130 OHP for 2.

Keeping my programming very minimal for the time being, just a 5 x 3 with lower weight to get back into the swing of it.

Bench day at a glance:
Stretches
Bench press - warm up - 5 x 3 x 185
OHP variation - Seated DB press - 3 x 8 x 45 or Barbell push press - 3 x 8 x 115
Assistance movements - Cable cross over 3 x 12/Seated row 3 x 12/Dips 3 x 12/Tricep pull down 3 x 12

Squat day at a glance:
Stretches
Squat - warm up - 5 x 3 x 185
Deadlift variation - Romanian Deadlift - 3 x 8 x 115
Assistance Movements - Leg press 3 x 15/Calf raise 3 x 15/Leg Curl 3 x 15/Walking lunges 3 x 50'

OHP day at a glance:
Stretches
Overhead Press - warm up - 5 x 3 x 125
Bench variation - Pause bench - 3 x 8 x 135 or Close Grip bench - 3 x 8 x 135
Assistance movements - Front lateral raise 3 x 12/Side lateral raise 3 x 12/Reverse DB fly 3 x 12/Pull-over complex 3 x 8

Deadlift day at a glance:
Stretches
Deadlift - warmup - 5 x 3 x 185
Squat variation - Front Squat - 3 x 8 x 115 or Pause Squat - 3 x 8 x 115
Assistance movements - Face pulls 3 x 12/Pendlay row 3 x 12/Pull up 3 x 8/Roman chair dips 3 x 12

Currently the weight isn't super important. The weight for the main movements just needs to be something challenging but not a grinder until I get my body used to lifting again and make back some of my losses.

Mad at myself for slipping so much.

Current weight is 200lbs. even.

Hey GS do you lift four days a week with the above program? Which days back to back?

I don't schedule rest days, but if I'm feeling sore as hell or if my schedule is too hectic I will take a day off. I'll generally go 4-6 days in a row.

Also glad you quotes that workout. I've already been changing it up a bit. I will post a more updated program in the next couple days.

Oh ok. I'm just basically trying to game plan my future lifting career now. I started seriously training maybe a year ago and was making good progress until I developed bilateral inguinal hernias. My surgery is in a month so in the meantime I have been pondering what to do. I was up to 6 days a week PPLPPL but maybe that was just too much for me to handle hence the hernias.. But I like the way you have a priority lift day then have offsetting variations of different lifts -- may be a good way for me to get back into it once I am recovered in July, four days a week, or just every other day... Seems to have been good for you based on your progress post-back injury.

Either way man keep the posting up, you always get me thinking when I monitor this thread!

The main thing is to not work the same muscle groups back to back. I won't work my upper body two days in a row, and I won't work my lower body two days in a row.

Another great workout despite lack of energy (I've had a lot of tired workouts lately it seems).

Deadlifts are getting easier and easier as my strength comes back. After some stretches and warmups tonight I did a short back/lower body workout:

Deadlift - 1 x 5 x 95
1 x 8 x 135
1 x 6 x 185
5 x 4 x 225

Squat - 1 x 20 x 135 (Trying out the 20 rep squat routine)

Bent over barbell row - 3 x 10 x 135 >SS> Hip thrusts - 3 x 8 x 135

Was getting late so I cut the workout short there so I could get some decent sleep. Those deadlifts were moving smooth with tight form (I filmed myself and back was straight as a board and all hinging points moved together). Instead of going up in weight I decided to just concentrate on form and keep the weight safe. Also those 20 squats were exhausting.

(05-15-2017 10:37 PM)komatiite Wrote:  Oh ok. I'm just basically trying to game plan my future lifting career now. I started seriously training maybe a year ago and was making good progress until I developed bilateral inguinal hernias. My surgery is in a month so in the meantime I have been pondering what to do. I was up to 6 days a week PPLPPL but maybe that was just too much for me to handle hence the hernias.. But I like the way you have a priority lift day then have offsetting variations of different lifts -- may be a good way for me to get back into it once I am recovered in July, four days a week, or just every other day... Seems to have been good for you based on your progress post-back injury.

Either way man keep the posting up, you always get me thinking when I monitor this thread!

Here is a more up-to-date version of the workouts I've been doing lately:

Day 1
Main movement: Bench Press - work up to 5 x 3
Accessory movement: Overhead variation supersetted with bent over row - 3 x 8-10
Assistance work: Dips, cable x-over, seated row, tricep pulldown/pullover. Pick 3 of these and superset them 3 x 10-15

Day 2
Main movement: Squat - work up to 5 x 3
Accessory movement: Deadlift/RDL and/or belt squat - 3 x 8-10
Assistance work: Leg press, calf raise, reverse hyper, leg curl. Pick 3 of these and superset them 3 x 10-15

Day 3
Main movement: Overhead press - work up to 5 x 3
Accessory movement: Bench press variation supersetted with bent over row/pendlay row - 3 x 8-10
Assistance work: Side lateral DB raises, Front lateral DB raises, reverse DB flys, dips, lat pull down, tricep pullover. Pick 3 of these and superset them 3 x 10-15

Day 4
Main movement: Deadlift - work up to 5 x 3
Accessory movement: Squat variation supersetted with bent over row/pendlay row - 3 x 8-10
Assistance work: Hip thrusts, reverse hyper, roman chair static hold, seated row/facepulls. Pick 3 of these and superset them 3 x 10-15 (2-3 min roman chair holds)

Every workout I stretch for about 10 minutes then warmup with a 3 sets of a circuit: pull ups (3 x 5-6), shrugs (3 x 20), and leg curls or leg curl variation (3 x 8-15 depending on movement).

-----------------------------------

Today is my bench day and I may be going up in weight from my previous workout. My working weights for this next week may be going up. Bench - 205, Squat - 235, OHP - 135, DL - 245. We will see how my body feels.

Bench today was decent. Moved up in weight but should have worked with 195 instead of jumping to 205. Failed my 3rd rep on my 4th set, though I think some of that had more to do with technique than strength.

Bench - 1 x 8 x 95
1 x 8 x 135
1 x 5 x 185
4 x 3 x 205 (failed final rep)
1 x 3 x 195

Pendlay Row - 3 x 8 x 135 >SS> Seated DB press - 3 x 8 x 50

Tricep rope pulldown - 3 x 12 x 70 >SS> Facepulls - 3 x 12 x 70 >SS> Dips 3 x 12

Put in good work today. Got a little ahead of myself on bench so next bench day I'll stick with 195.

Looks good.

Bench press can be really fickle due to carbohydrate loading, hydration, ATP stores within the muscle, sleep, hormonal levels, ect. Since the prime movers in the bench are relatively small muscles, little nuances like the ones listed above can make or break whether or not you get as many reps as you'd like. Mine can fluctuate 20lbs based on hydration and diet.

Once the 5 lb jumps stop, switch to 2.5 lb jumps using fractional plates. Consistent small jumps end up being much more efficient in the long run rather than a cycle of gain-barely gain-fail-reset which seems to be how a lot of people progress on bench.

5-10 lbs a month can add up over 3 years.

Thanks man, yeah I am sort of starting to treat it like my overhead press - small jumps. Wiring my brain to treat those little gains like big gains.

I've been making bigger jumps the past few weeks simply because I'm eager to get back to pressing the weights I was last year. Just need to stay humble.

Squats tonight. Been busy as fuck lately life getting in the way of gym time and I cut my workout short tonight but still put in decent work.

Squat - 1 x 8 x 95
1 x 8 x 135
1 x 6 x 225
1 x 4 x 225
5 x 3 x 245

RDL - 3 x 8 x 165 >SS> Bent over barbell row - 3 x 8 x 165

Belt squats - 3 x 8 x 200

Great overhead press workout today. Changed up my warmup routine and did DB shrugs instead of rickshaw shugs, and substituted pullup for calf raises.

Warmup:
DB Shrugs - 4 x 20 x 80 >ss> Leg Curl - 4 x 15 x 60 >ss> Calf raise - 4 x 15 x 90

Workout:
OHP - 1 x 8 x 95
1 x 6 x 115
5 x 3 x 135 >ss> Pullup - 5 x 5

Closegrip Bench - 3 x 8 x 135 >ss> Pendlay row - 3 x 8 x 135

Side lateral raise - 3 x 10 x 22 >ss> Pullover complex - 3 x 10 x 45

Should have gone heavier in CG bench bit great workout overall. Back to pressing a plate no problem. Next week I'll try to move up 5 lbs.

When you get up to 225 rep with it for a while and go up in 5lb increments, your gains are looking pretty solid. Make sure you get plenty of rest. Keep it up, your discipline is impressive.

(05-22-2017 01:29 PM)Atlanta Man Wrote:  When you get up to 225 rep with it for a while and go up in 5lb increments, your gains are looking pretty solid. Make sure you get plenty of rest. Keep it up, your discipline is impressive.

225 on which lift? Bench? And thanks man yeah I'm feeling pretty good finally starting to get back to where I was last year strength-wise.

Deadlift yesterday went well and I felt confident enough to go up in weight.

DL - 1 x 8 x 115
1 x 8 x 135
1 x 6 x 185
1 x 4 x 225
5 x 3 x 245

Squat - 1 x 20 x 135

Bent over bb row - 3 x 10 x 155 >ss> Reverse hyper - 3 x 10 x 110

Dips - 3 x 10 >ss> DB curl - 3 x 10 x 22 (no rest between sets)

245 DL felt just fine. Taxing but not enough to make me break form. Been taking videos of a lot of my working sets to check my form and everything is looking pretty tight.