Bored? Want to Help me Tweak my Workout?

want to be as strong as I possibly can but I also want to look awesome. I’ve run a few novice programs like Starting Strength and Grey Skull LP. Also, for a few reasons: I cannot bench-press without pain but for some odd reason can OHP pain-free. My workout follows the following outline.

1. Warm-up

-Foam Rolling

-Kettle Bell Squats

-Hip Airplanes and other dynamic movements to open the hips

-Box Jumps. 3 sets of 10

2. Upper Body Pull

Chinups AMRAP x 5 (once I can do 5 sets of 10 without problem, I’ll start doing weighted chins 5x5)

OR

Bent-over barbell Rows 5 sets of 8 Reps ( after 2-3 warm-up sets)

3, Upper Body Push

Seated Dumbbell OHP 3 warm up sets, 3 working sets of 8-10 reps

OR

Push-Press 2-3 warm up sets, Working set 3 sets of 5 reps

4. Lower Body Movement

Low-bar squat 2-3 warm up sets, 3 sets of 5 reps

OR

Conventional Deadlift after 4 warm up-sets, My working sets use the 5/4/3/2/1 rep scheme I read on Tnation:

5/4/3/2/1 with 80-95%

80% x 5

82% x 4

85% x 3

87-90% x 2

92-95% x 1

5.Explosive Movement/Ab Work

High-Pull from Hang 5x5 OR Hanging Led Raises or Cable Crunches 5 sets of 10 reps

Day A:

  1. Chin-ups/Weighted Chins
  2. Seated Dumbbell OHP
  3. Squats
  4. High-Pull from Hang

Day B:

  1. Bent-over rows
  2. Push Press
  3. Deadlift
  4. Ab work

Workout 3 days a week, A-B-A OR B-A-B

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks.

First I would suggest putting squats and deads first during those sessions. Your saying Benching bothers your shoulders correct? Which could be a number of different things… have you tried different variations or even dips?

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It’s actually my elbows. I have long lanky arms (and forearms) and to top this my elbows are hyper flexible (like in the picture below). At the top of the bench-press, this not only looks very freakish but hurts like a bitch.

Google Images:

I’ve never tried dips, I’ll try that during my next workout.

My elbows were like this until I put on a little muscle mass. Whether you’re doing dips or benching, I will say do NOT go all the way to lock-out. As someone who dislocated their elbow (I’m talking you could see my radius pushing against the skin behind my lower tricep) doing an L-sit because I locked my elbow, I can tell you it is something you don’t want to go through. Keep a little bend in your elbow even at full extension, which will actually also increase your muscles’ time under tension. Just pay attention when you get fatigued, that’s when mistakes happen.

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holy smokes! Yea I’m gonna second the ‘don’t lock out’ comment. That looks like an injury waiting to happen. Hypermobility can be dangerous.

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Fyi… like as already been suggest . DONT lock out your elbows if you do Dips.

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I like overhead pressing, even with a bad shoulder I like it. But there’s a school of thought that suggests eliminating all overhead pressing, and there are reputable people who think that way. While I disagree with them, I do think that eliminating horizontal pressing for solely overhead pressing is a disaster waiting to happen. You don’t have to lock out on any pressing exercise if you don’t want to, but you might want to add some push-ups or DB bench/incline in. My shoulder won’t allow me to do dips, but god I wish I could do them, they’re probably the best chest builder there is.

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