I had tried the Sheiko for the first time back in February but only stuck with it for a month. It's a great program but each workout can take a while since there are so many reps. You can easily be in the gym for over 2 hours a session.

9 February 2018 PRs:
Bench: 140kg
Squat: 187.5kg
Deadlift: 185kg


I then decided to try it out again this fall so I check my maxes around the end of October, then I had one false start where I did one week of the program. Ultimately, I got off track and it felt too light so I restarted around early-mid November with the 'CMS-MS Prep'; which is 4 days a week, 4 weeks long and 1355 total reps. I only got to the first day of week 3 before I stopped. No excuses, I am just being lazy and undisciplined. Although I have always been a solitary and self-motivated lifter, it would be cool to have a partner when it comes to powerlifting.

2 October 2018 PRs:
Bench: 135kg
Squat: 200kg
Deadlift: 185kg

The October PRs look anomalous compared to the February PRs but I had taken some time off from the gym in the summer so my maxes either went down or plateaued except for squat (I've always had a strong squat). However, it didn't take long for me to get back to normal levels. Below are my maxes before I completed the 2 out of 4 weeks of the 'CMS-MS Prep'.

7 November 2018 PRs:
Bench: 140kg
Squat: 200kg
Deadlift: 205kg

Those maxes were recorded on 7 November, which was after I did one week of the Sheiko program. The maxes from my previous post were recorded on 1 December 2018.

I have just started powerlifting after I trained other sport like MMA/grappling/boxing/kick boxing and crossfit.

How many powerlifters here?

How many days do you train per week? Do you do some cardio too or just lifting?

^I'd call myself a powerlifter, I mostly focus on squats and deads with some upper body hypertrophy per week. I would do two sessions per week with 3-4 BJJ sessions on the off days.

It's a pretty dope way of gaining size and strength. I was always a scrawny dude at around 160 @ 6'2, now I'm in the high 170's and sometimes way around 180 after a meal. Easily the heaviest I've ever been in my life. I gained all this weight within the course of a year. I'm not even putting up huge lifts. I rep out 245 for squats and deads (I could do a 5x5 with this weight).

I could be wrong but I feel like circuit and hypertrophy workouts are better for martial arts than pure low rep powerlifting. A 5x5 deadlift would fry my CNS and make BJJ the next day a miserable mess. After a circuit I feel pretty refreshed and can go into BJJ feeling good.

I'm taking a slow and steady approach to my fitness. I've put a hundred pounds on my squat, gained twenty lbs in bodyweight, and am deadlifting the most I have in years (put up 405 in college then injured myself). I've been doing BJJ for approx a year (like 11 months) and am making good gains there too. I made way better progress once I actually got coaching and training and signed up for a martial arts gym where the average person is better than I am. I was rolling 4x per practice at my old gym which was nothing, now I do between 9 to 13 bouts and my skill level has skyrocketed as a result.

Pretty happy with how things are going. Hoping to get my blue belt in 2020 and be squatting/deadlifting in the 300's by the end of the year. I'd like to go into my thirties at elite powerlifting status with squat/dead in the 400s...definitely think this is doable within the next year or two.

When did everyone here reach their physical peak? I'm curious.

Strength training and hypertrophy are important for combat sports, strength and resistance can help during fighting, hypertrophy can prevent injuries. Program should be done by a coach expert in this field, not by a body builder/fitness coach. Body building is good for body looking but not for sports. One of the problem main problem is that a too heavy lifting workout can take your energy for BJJ training, or let you too sore the day after. That's why I said one coach expert in this field, he would make a right program. But since your are not a pro you can stop if you are too tired, and then decide what do you prefer to focus on.
So 2 times per week weight training + BJJ is good.

How is your lifting program? full body or split?

In the PL gym I have just signed for they told me split programs aren't good, they prefer full body. I thought that split programs were better for natural althetes. What do you think?

(12-03-2018 03:33 PM)Fury Wrote:  7 November 2018 PRs:
Bench: 140kg
Squat: 200kg
Deadlift: 205kg

(12-02-2018 05:14 PM)Fury Wrote:  Bench: 160kg
Squat: 200kg
Deadlift: 220kg
Wilks score: 399.16

You added over 30 lbs to your deadlift and over 40 lbs to your bench in less than a month with half-assed training? I'm not saying that program isn't good or anything, but it looks like you can put on strength pretty easy with likely any basic program with any semblance of structure. Especially starting out with an over 1200 lbs. total at only 175 lbs... hell it took me a year to add 40 lbs to my bench and I'm still relatively a newbie.

(12-04-2018 02:42 AM)Jaxon Wrote:  ...

When did everyone here reach their physical peak? I'm curious.

I'm will to bet most people here will say the same thing: they have not hit their peak.

We are all making progress here and getting bigger better and stronger constantly. I started lifting in earnest when I was 27. I'm 30 now and I'm stronger and more fit than I was when I started, and I plan to be even better next year. At this rate, I plan to be in better shape when I'm 40 than I am right now at 30.

Haven't felt this good in a while. The other day in the gym I miscalculated and put on a 25kg plate instead of 20kg.
I was thinking why the hell is it so heavy today but I ended up finishing the set.

So I was benching 80kg x 6 reps and I weight 57kg! I broke all my personal record by mistake

Been in a plateau for a long time but finally I'm getting the good sore in my pecs again that tells me it's developping.

(12-05-2018 05:29 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

(12-04-2018 02:42 AM)Jaxon Wrote:  ...

When did everyone here reach their physical peak? I'm curious.

I'm will to bet most people here will say the same thing: they have not hit their peak.

We are all making progress here and getting bigger better and stronger constantly. I started lifting in earnest when I was 27. I'm 30 now and I'm stronger and more fit than I was when I started, and I plan to be even better next year. At this rate, I plan to be in better shape when I'm 40 than I am right now at 30.

Depending how you measure it I'm happy to say I'll never be close to where I was at at 25 and that I peaked there. Cardio, strength and size I will never get to that point again and to be honest I'm not trying (cardio would be nice to get close though). I'm now far more interested in the aesthetic side of it rather than the performance and I do hope to hit a new peak on that front at least, though I have a long way to go there as well. 8+ years of major injuries are my reason though so I'm kind of an exception, if I'd been healthy and able to train in that period I have no doubt I'd be saying the same thing you are.

what do you think about keto diet for heavy weight lifting?

Is anyone on Keto here?

It's called Ketogains. Another one is Leangains. There is very little difference between them.

For the love of all that is holy, please use the search function--we discussed this very subject on the previous page.

(12-06-2018 04:19 PM)MOVSM Wrote:  It's called Ketogains. Another one is Leangains. There is very little difference between them.

For the love of all that is holy, please use the search function--we discussed this very subject on the previous page.

Thanks for your reply. Do you know approx. how many pages back?

do you need to be spoon fed too? maybe help with comprehension and definition of "previous"?

ahhh.....What a alpha male answer! You probably need to answer like that because of your lack of self esteem. In your mind it will boost your weak self esteem.

When was your last time you got laid? 3 year ago? You seem pretty frustrated!

AHhaahaha

(12-05-2018 05:29 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

(12-03-2018 03:33 PM)Fury Wrote:  7 November 2018 PRs:
Bench: 140kg
Squat: 200kg
Deadlift: 205kg

(12-02-2018 05:14 PM)Fury Wrote:  Bench: 160kg
Squat: 200kg
Deadlift: 220kg
Wilks score: 399.16

You added over 30 lbs to your deadlift and over 40 lbs to your bench in less than a month with half-assed training? I'm not saying that program isn't good or anything, but it looks like you can put on strength pretty easy with likely any basic program with any semblance of structure. Especially starting out with an over 1200 lbs. total at only 175 lbs... hell it took me a year to add 40 lbs to my bench and I'm still relatively a newbie.

(12-04-2018 02:42 AM)Jaxon Wrote:  ...

When did everyone here reach their physical peak? I'm curious.

I'm will to bet most people here will say the same thing: they have not hit their peak.

We are all making progress here and getting bigger better and stronger constantly. I started lifting in earnest when I was 27. I'm 30 now and I'm stronger and more fit than I was when I started, and I plan to be even better next year. At this rate, I plan to be in better shape when I'm 40 than I am right now at 30.

To be fair I didn't have a spotter when I maxed out at 140kg as opposed to having a good spotter when I maxed out at 160kg on the bench. I probably could have gone a little higher than 140 back in November.

I have been lifting since I was 11-12 and was already benching in the low 300lbs by the time I was 19 (weighing in the high 150lbs). But I spent years actually not doing bench press because of various injuries from sports/military. However, now that I have programmed bench press back into my workouts whilst following sheiko, I think I will have plenty of jumps in my bench maxes; not only do I have a strong baseline, I also have plenty of room for growth.



Earlier, there was a conversation about pairing PLing with other fitness regimes. My ultimate goal is to PL 3-4 days a week and do Brasilian Jiu Jitsu 1-2 days a week. I just have to figure out if my body will be able to handle the strain and if it will be able to recover throughout the week. In my opinion, BJJ and PL is a great combination that can have benefits in both sports. When I was rolling for a bit, I noticed that my strength was a huge factor in my effectiveness. Once more technique comes along, that will be a lethal combination. I imagine doing BJJ would be beneficial for PL as it can loosen us up, improve flexibility and be a source of cardio that doesn't have a ton of impact on the joints.

Anyone here a certified coach or BJJ instructor? Would be good to hear from someone that has expertise in both areas. Or at least someone that already has experience combining these both for a long period of time...

Has anybody here endorsed full body old school routines? Read some interesting articles about routines that are very simple in design, but huge in volume. All bodybuilders trained like that in pre steroid era. What I am interested in though are these routines sustainable today with our nutrition? Everybody knows food was healthier back then and guys like Colbert, Park, Gironda would today be steroid users.

Here is interesting article: https://www.t-nation.com/training/full-b...he-legends

Colbert method has 14 exercises per day! Is this workable at all?

(12-08-2018 04:35 PM)sterling_archer Wrote:  Has anybody here endorsed full body old school routines? Read some interesting articles about routines that are very simple in design, but huge in volume. All bodybuilders trained like that in pre steroid era. What I am interested in though are these routines sustainable today with our nutrition? Everybody knows food was healthier back then and guys like Colbert, Park, Gironda would today be steroid users.

Here is interesting article: https://www.t-nation.com/training/full-b...he-legends

Colbert method has 14 exercises per day! Is this workable at all?

They're really interesting. I'd question the utility of hitting the same muscle group every 2 days when not on large amounts of gear or getting newbie gains, though. Based on any sort of training program I've done, or heard of through rugby coaches, that is massive overkill, and wouldn't give near enough recovery time. Doing 50+ sets per workout is also massive for anyone natural, both in time and effort.

I'd wager all of the guys named in the article were on large amounts of steroids while doing these splits - steroids have been in use in weightlifting since the late 1940s, so none of the guys mentioned are really pre-steroid era.

I started 5/3/1 forever. I am doing a routine that features squats, presses and power cleans. Power clean is my new favorite because of how difficult it has been for me to do correctly

(12-12-2018 01:32 PM)zatara Wrote:  I'd wager all of the guys named in the article were on large amounts of steroids while doing these splits - steroids have been in use in weightlifting since the late 1940s, so none of the guys mentioned are really pre-steroid era.

I agree with your whole post and my question about these routines is purely curiosity but I heard the same regarding steroid use in WWII era. At the same time it is countered by argument that steroids were weaker then and used exclusively for therapy. Seems like it was a decade later when bodybuilders "got idea" to use them actually.

Why skeptical about hitting same muscle groups every other day? The body does not need as much recovery as you think... unless maybe you're training extreme and leave it all on the gym floor every workout. If you're working within 95%+ I would recommend taking a few days in between working those same areas again, but hell I train bench press and all related accessories every other day and it works just fine. as long as you aren't destroying yourself every workout then 48 hours is plenty of rest to hit those workouts again.

(12-12-2018 02:45 PM)sterling_archer Wrote:  I agree with your whole post and my question about these routines is purely curiosity but I heard the same regarding steroid use in WWII era. At the same time it is countered by argument that steroids were weaker then and used exclusively for therapy. Seems like it was a decade later when bodybuilders "got idea" to use them actually.

Its a pretty interesting history actually, they've been in use for a lot longer than most people think. Test was first artificially synthesized in 1935. It was first mentioned in a bodybuilding/weightlifting magazine in the US in 1938. The Nazis experimented a bit with it during the war, but proper athletic testing was pretty much put on hold until after the war because there were no major athletic events in Europe.

It gets a bit murky for the next few years (as far as I'm aware) but by 1954 the Soviet athletes in the World Weightlifting Championships that year were on all kinds of gear, and had been for a few years. So steroids were definitely widely in use for weightlifting/bodybuilding by the early 1950s.

Schwarzenegger was only born in 1947 so by the time he was getting seriously into the sport they were rife (and he was very clearly on them). Colbert was born in 1933 and Eiferman was 1925, and both to my eyes look very much like they were on them too - but its hard to get accurately dated pictures, so they mightn't have been early on. Vince Gironda is the only one of the guys named in the article who was possibly natty given his age (born 1917) and how he looks in pictures (his lack of the give away upper traps is a big one). But theres no way to know for sure.

(12-12-2018 04:32 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  Why skeptical about hitting same muscle groups every other day? The body does not need as much recovery as you think... unless maybe you're training extreme and leave it all on the gym floor every workout. If you're working within 95%+ I would recommend taking a few days in between working those same areas again, but hell I train bench press and all related accessories every other day and it works just fine. as long as you aren't destroying yourself every workout then 48 hours is plenty of rest to hit those workouts again.

It depends on your age, workout intensity, diet/sleep, and chemical assistance but 3 days is generally recommended as the minimum for natties in any studies I've seen, or workout programs I've been prescribed, for recovery from a reasonably intense weightlifting session. For some of the 50+ set workouts in that article 48 hours would definitely be way, way too short.

Sheiko powerlifting book has finally been translated into English (properly and officially), with some new programs and chapters he wrote recently. I'm going to get it

(12-12-2018 05:41 PM)zatara Wrote:  Vince Gironda is the only one of the guys named in the article who was possibly natty given his age (born 1917) and how he looks in pictures (his lack of the give away upper traps is a big one). But theres no way to know for sure.

Vince Gironda! The 'Iron Guru'! I used to read his column every month in 'Musclemag' in the late 80's/early 90/s. At the time, me being an arrogant teen I just thought of him as a cranky old man who hated Squats, Bench Presses, trap work and situps.

But I gradually came to appreciate him more as I got older. Whatever people thought of him, they always read his column first like I did. I remember a particular interview he gave with one poor bodybuilding journalist where he (Gironda) absolutely destroyed him! Wish I could find a transcript of it.

This is more a self accountability post than anything but I've been a slack bastard the past couple of days at the gym, had a "R&R" day today so putting this here to hold myself accountable to smash out the next couple of weeks hard!

I am doing a basic split of push/pull/legs and then assorted supplement exercises at the end to keep thing interesting.

I enjoy doing neck curls and never see anyone doing these.

What unusual supplement exercises do you do?

I do neck curls and extensions (with a head harness) a couple times per week, and same as you haven’t seen anyone else do them. I’ve had some good growth from it, but you definitely get some odd looks.

Best supplement exercises are functional strength stuff in my opinion. Farmers carries, prowler push/pull, tire flips, strongman implements (stones, logs, yolks, etc.)