First time starting a log here on T-Nation. I follow a westside routine. Looking to get as strong as possible. My routine looks like this.
Saturday:
ME bench
Heavy back
Heavy shoulders
light triceps
Sunday:
ME squat
light deadlift
ABS
Tuesday:
ME bench variations
Heavy triceps
light back
light shoulders
Wednesday:
ME squat
light deadlift
ABS
Workout from yesterday:
ME squat w/ wraps:
135x10-warmup
185x10-warmup
225x10-warmup
265x10
285x6
295x3
315x1
Abs:
Leg raises
Crunches
Light deadlift:
135x20
185x20
Wanted to get a good ab workout today, so I did them before deadlift.
Ive been lifting seriousley for about 2 years, been doing westside for about 3 months now.
Yea, I know 2 of those days are suppose to be DE, but I never got anything out of them. I feel my body responds better with 4 ME days. But I do do them occaisonaly, like today ill be having a DE bench day w/ chains.
Today was DE bench w/ 50 lbs. of chains, and 115 on the bar for 9 sets of 3.
Skull crushers:
50x10
60x10
70x10
Tricep pushdowns:
45x12
55x10
65x8
75x8
Close grip floor press:
135x10
185x5
205x2
DB military press:
20'sx15
40'sx10
3 sets of 60'sx8
Finished off the day with straight and hammer curls. Went a little off on the routine and threw in floor press. Overall good workout. No back today.
10-29-08 - ME squat day
Squat:
135x10-warmup
185x10-warmup
225x8-warmup
245x8
275x3
295x3
Knee wraps
315x3-PR
345x1-PR
Wasn't really feeling it today unti I got to the 295 set, weight just flew up. 315 felt really good to. Went for 345 and got it, form was kinda shitty, bent foreward a bit. But overall a good squat workout, Deadlift's and abs later on tonight.
11-1-08 Saturday ME bench:
Flat BB bench:
135x10
165x5
185x5
205x5
225x3
Incline DB's:
40'sx18
60'sx10
70'sx10
BB rows:
115x8
135x8
155x6
165x3
Side raises:
15'sx15
15'sx15
15'sx15
Finished off the day with straight and V bar pulldowns. Worked up to 170 with both. First time doing BB bench in about 3 weeks. Felt pretty good, building my strength back up. Gonna stick with DB's for a while. Im gonna try and hit a 265 bench, and 375 squat bye the end off this month.
11-2-08 Sunday ME squat:
Squat:
135x10-warmup
185x10-warmup
225x10-warmup
245x5
265x5
295x3
knee wraps
315x4-PR
335x2-PR
Light deadlifts:
135x10
185x10
235x5
Set another 2 PR's in squat today. 295 felt like a bitch, the first two reps I went super low, way below parralel. Put on the knee wraps and the first 2 reps on 315 came pretty easily, last two went all out.
335 was a pretty shitty set, bent foreward on both. Next squat session ill go for 315 for 2 w/out wraps, and 325 for 3 in wraps. Light deadlifts, and abs later on tonight.
11-4-08 Thursday ME bench variation:
DB press:
20'sx15
40'sx12
60'sx10
80'sx11 (just missed 12th at lockout)
80'sx8
80'sx5
CG lockouts:
135x10
225x1
225x1
225x1
CG bench:
115x10
125x8
135x8
DB military press:
20'sx12
40'sx10
70'sx0
65'sx5
IMO it was a shitty day. School was shit, only got 5 hours of sleep last night, almost no energy to lift.
Pretty pissed about missing the 12th rep on the first set of the 80 pound dumbells. I feel like I should be repping them atleast 15x. MY training partner went to vote today, so I kinda changedd up my routine a little. Was aiming for a good tricep workout but got just the opposite.
Saturday Im gonna go for 12x on the 80 pound dumbells, and gonna try out some JM's. (My Dumbells only go up to 80 lbs.)
lets see some big deadlifts.
Try doing RE work once a week for upper and lower body, or make one of the lower body days a DL day.
Yea Ive been looking into the RE days, my body is takin a pounding from 4 ME days a week, especially my lower body. But the westside program I am doing is hitting deadlift and squat on the same day, the deadlifts will get bigger soon enough.
You training looks nothing like the/a westside template...not even a warp variation of it. There is nothing wrong with that I am just pointing it out. I promise that you will not be able to maintain 4 ME days a week. No way no how...you just can't do it...especially since you are not rotating movements. I am surprised you made this long. You already admitted that your body is taking a beating. It will get worse. Having a ME day and RE for lower and upper ans zep suggested is a way better choice. Also your warm-ups are not ideal. You don't need sets of 10 especially at 50%+. That is taking away some strength. Rep work is what RE day is for.
Start with bar and make 10% jumps until your working sets. Just do 3 reps.
Something like this would be better.
45x20 - loosen up
75x5-10
105x3
135x3
165x3
195x3
225x3
255x3
285-95x3
315x1-2
335x2
Goddamn, I thought my routine was almost like they train at westside, except for the extra 2 extra ME days. I would do a DE squat day on wensdays, but I dont like doing free squat DE. Only box squat, and I dont have one of those. I guess I will switch my tuesday ME bench day to a DE bench day then.
Hey blacklabel.
I've heard it before that the knee wraps add from 25-50lb.
Does it make your squat feel more stable, and allow you to focus more on remaining "tight" through your core?
Thanks ahead.
11-5-08 Wednesday ME squat:
Squat:
Alot of stretching
135x10
185x10
225x10
255x8
275x8-PR
285x10-PR
Knee wraps
295x8-PR
Deadlift:
135x10
205x8
245x2-PR (thats sad)
Really good squat workout, set 3 rep PR's in one day, every rep of every set was below parallel. 285 was a pretty intense set, was going for 6, and got 10. Actually tried going heavy on DL today, failed horribly. 245 pounds was heavy as shit. Thinkin about changing a squat day to a DL day.
They definitley done give me that much, maybe 15 pounds at the most, theyre only shitty 10.00$ wraps from Sports authority. They give me an extra boost out of the hole, and yes, I would say they do keep me somewhat more stable, but again, more at the bottom of the lift.
I think you are confused about what max effort is. What you posted is not max effort. Sets of 8 can in no way be called max effort. This intensity is to low. This what a RE day might like look like. Just because you are working up in weight does not make it max effort.
Oh, alright, so ive been doing a RE squat every couple workouts. Good stuff. Is it bad that I can only have good form on a weight of about 185 and above? That might sound weird, but on a set of 135 or below, I cant stretch out or go low, and I lean forward alot, but any set after 185 im good.