Finally Motivated Again

Have done my first few weeks of lifting since having some shoulder impingement nagging me for quite a while. It actually does still nag me a bit but I am stubborn to get surgery, and actually has been feeling even better since I have been hitting the weights again. Thought I had tore my AC at first (but doc said otherwise,) could barely lift my arm after a day of heavy close grip benching.

I was making great gains using a WS(or should I say conjugate?) type system, but lifting raw and adapting for it. Heading back to a similar routine, but starting slow with the main 4 days (even slower than that the first couple weeks because I took about two years off and have been treating my body badly) and will start working in more extra workouts as I increase my work capacity.

Been two years since I was seriously lifting, but I am really psyched and feeling good atm. Almost forgot how good a post workout high is, and looking to make gains faster than I had previously even though I am 37 (though don’t feel it.) Mostly because the trial and error I already went through on my raw conjugate program will lead to lesser waste in what exercises I choose, knowing what has worked and knowing how to identify my weak points faster.

Anyway I will stop blabbering, not usually a forum person but I thought it would help keep my motivation going chatting with others of like mind. So easy to keep going once you are into it, but extremely hard to motivate once you get lazy, so trying to fend off the lazy.

PS sore as hell from my first heavy deadlift session.

congrats at getting back in the game. Now keep kicking ass.

Congrats!

Wanna tell more about your raw conjugate system?Best ME-exercises and best DE-% etc… I would love your experience.

[quote]Jussi.U wrote:
Congrats!

Wanna tell more about your raw conjugate system?Best ME-exercises and best DE-% etc… I would love your experience.[/quote]

Well, one thing I changed is I tend to do more of the Big Three in training, along with more full range movements since lockout strength is not quite as necessary. For example on the ME bench some things I use besides normal bench are reverse grip, close grip, pause presses, and inclines (maybe some one or two board presses, but rarely.) Have a chain setup, so for variety I would use these movements with chains as well, just not as much difference in weight change from the bottom of the lift to the top that a geared lifter would use.

For dynamic days I definitely used greater percentages than WS guys do, up to 20%. There are two reasons why, first as a raw lifter you should already be bumping it by about 10% over what a geared lifter, and second as non elite/pro level lifter (though I am hoping to get there) you should also be upping that percentage by another 10%. Basically my dynamic days were done with 70-80% of my max. On the 80% days on DE bench I tended to do just doubles instead of triples, and on 80% squat I did a single instead of double, deadift always singles.

I also put my shoulder work ahead of triceps in my repetition work, shoulders are more important in a raw lifter. Lot of Bradford presses, military presses, etc.

Mostly upper body examples above, but for ME leg days I liked to deadlift with my feet on a 1,2 or 4 inch box, did Olympic squats, front squats and a few others escaping me atm.

My goals at the time were a 400 bench, 600 squat and 650 deadlift which I was getting close to before the impingement really started bothering me (I was stupid and tried to push through it)

At the time I stopped I was benching 365, squatting 585, and deadlifting sumo 620 at 240 bw. Benching is definitely not my forte.

One important thing I forgot to mention is the extra workouts. They are important and I feel what really started pushing up my numbers. As you move along really start ramping up the extra workouts and I don’t mean by intensity, just the amount you do. Just quick 15-20 min ones working on your weak point.

Edit: mistyped 210 for bw

If I were to train with the conjugate system, these are the kind of adjustments I would make. Definitely sounds better, particularly for raw.
Good luck getting back!

[quote]halcj wrote:
If I were to train with the conjugate system, these are the kind of adjustments I would make. Definitely sounds better, particularly for raw.
Good luck getting back!
[/quote]

Thanks, numbers are real low right now and it makes me kick myself for ever letting up. Basically starting from scratch again what took me years to get to.

If your ever bored with your workouts, give conjugate a try. Of all the other stuff I did I tend to like it the best because it keeps your workouts fresh each week (or three) and there is instant response of what is weak. I love getting stronger and the high after working out, but some programs are so repetitive. Plus I hate waiting till the end of a cycle to test a max and see if it is working. Maxing out or nearly maxing out each week gives me the feedback that I need to push on.