Starting - 8 Weeks to a Record Bench

On saturday i started Christian Thibaudeau’s 8 weeks to a record bench. Just to give some information about myself im 16 203 pounds have been training for 2 1/2 years and my max bench is 255.

I have some questions so i decided to make this a topic plus i can post the results of my workouts and maybe some other people will find interest in the program.

Stated in the article it would be very helpful to use the suppliments Surge and Power Drive. But i dont have access to them so im going to do without them.

here is how the workout went

1st mini cycle (8;30am)
bench extended cluster (30 sec rest)
220 - 12x

close - grip decline
155 5 sets of 6 reps
2 min rest in between sets

1 scoop whey protein and cup of apple juice post workout

2nd mini cycle (12;45 am)
bench regular cluster(12 sec rest)

set 1 220-220-220-220-fail
fatigued fromt he first workout so i went down

4 min rest

set 2 210-210-210-210-fail
failed again so went even lighter

4 min rest

set 3 195-195-195-195-195
still very tough so dipped down 5 more pounds to make sure not to fail

4 min rest

set 4 and 5 190-190-190-190-190

dumbell shoulder press
50 pounds - 5 sets of 6
1;30 rest inbetween sets

post workout 1 scoop whey protein and 1 glass orange juice

mini cycle 3(5pm)
drop set cluster(12 sec)

set 1 220-205-195-185
4 min rest
set 2 225-210-200-190
4 min rest
set 3 230-210-200-190

ez-bar skull crushers
65 pounds - 5 sets of 6
1:30 min rest between sets

post workout - 1 scoop whey protein and 1 cup apple juice

restoration - constrast shower, then the ice message

sunday - 45 min walk as put in the article

questions-
Is it normal that my lifts where down quite a bit after the first workout?

maybe its because i didnt take any suppliments?

I am very sore from that workout and am going to wait an extra day before doing the second workout day of the program. Would it be ok to work through the soreness because its not quite as difficult of a workout?

If any wants to know any other information just tell me.

ill continue to show my progress!

pat

You are 16 years old, weigh 203, and bench 255? Shit, that’s more than most the guys at my gym bench(including me).

really?you can’t bench 250?im 16(at the moment) weigh 185 and can get 240,eh we’re all different

in my 6th period i take a WL class and he does the opposite,we start low and finish high,i hate it.

and yes being sore after the first workout isn’t rare,you’re putting your body through something it hasnt seen before,that soreness is telling you htat your body is changing to fit its new demands,or that it cant handle it…lets hope its not the latter(and from what i hear Surge gives you a crap load of energy,so you have to take into account that the program was developed for use with those products to help counter-act that soreness)

[quote]jmwintenn wrote:
really?you can’t bench 250?im 16(at the moment) weigh 185 and can get 240,eh we’re all different

in my 6th period i take a WL class and he does the opposite,we start low and finish high,i hate it.

and yes being sore after the first workout isn’t rare,you’re putting your body through something it hasnt seen before,that soreness is telling you htat your body is changing to fit its new demands,or that it cant handle it…lets hope its not the latter(and from what i hear Surge gives you a crap load of energy,so you have to take into account that the program was developed for use with those products to help counter-act that soreness)[/quote]

i know being sore is normal, the question is should i wait till closer to full recovery or hit workout number too while still sore?

i remember reading in Christian’s book that to recieve best results you have to work out when not fully recovered. im just wondering where that line is.

well here is how the second workout went

bottoms up bench

set 1 - 205 x 3
3 min rest
set 2 - 205 x 3
3 min
set 3 - 215 x 3
3 min
set 4 - 220 x 3
3 min
set 5 - 220 x 3
3 min
set 6 - 220 x 3

speed bench
8 sets of 125 3 reps
1 min rest between sets

pull ups
5 sets of 6
2 min rest between

ez-bar curls
5 sets of 6 with 85 pounds
2 min rest between sets

seated row to neck with rope
3 sets of 60 pounds 12 reps
1 1/2 min between sets

[quote]jmwintenn wrote:
really?you can’t bench 250?im 16(at the moment) weigh 185 and can get 240,eh we’re all different
[/quote]

Yup. different span of experiences(including past), weights, and heights.
I started a few months ago and now can finally 1RM my body weight(Woo! been waiting for it…), which is 150 btw. Im about 100 sort of you bigger dudes :slight_smile:

Ey pat, im a lil unknown around here i mostly come and read as much as i can and thats it, Im 16 as well at 170lbs and i bench 280 as of a month ago.I too have two year background in lifting but i believe that supps have there purpose, but u don need a certain product to increase ur productivity just change the way u lift as soon as u hit a sticking point and dont think of fast results, it all depends on genetics and nutrition. for the soreness part of your question kno that ur body adapts so one session work even if ur sore and the next take a long enough time off to recuperate. like the fat guy in dodge ball says “I try to keep the body guessing”
Ps. Soreness is when ur body is flushing out all the the toxins produced when u lift. it does not mean uv had a great workout if interested more on this subject research cellular respiration. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/cellresp.htm

[quote]RDUBB wrote:
Ey pat, im a lil unknown around here i mostly come and read as much as i can and thats it, Im 16 as well at 170lbs and i bench 280 as of a month ago.I too have two year background in lifting but i believe that supps have there purpose, but u don need a certain product to increase ur productivity just change the way u lift as soon as u hit a sticking point and dont think of fast results, it all depends on genetics and nutrition. for the soreness part of your question kno that ur body adapts so one session work even if ur sore and the next take a long enough time off to recuperate. like the fat guy in dodge ball says “I try to keep the body guessing”
Ps. Soreness is when ur body is flushing out all the the toxins produced when u lift. it does not mean uv had a great workout if interested more on this subject research cellular respiration. http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/cellresp.htm[/quote]

well i took the extra day off between the first and second workout which i expected i might have to do. thats why i started the workout on saturday. next week if im a little sore im just going to work threw it because i cant really push it another day or the 3 mini cycle day would be on monday

ok heres today workout

Maximal eccentrics(so painful lol)

set 1 250, 3-5 sec, 4 reps
4 min rest
set 2 250, 3-5 sec, 4 reps
4 min rest
set 3 250, 3-5 sec, 4 reps
4 min rest
set 4 250, 3-5 sec, 3 reps

pretty dead after those

partial pin press

set 1 225, 2 reps
3 min
set 2 205, 3 reps
3min
set 3 205, 3 reps
3min
set 4 205, 3 reps

rock bottom squat

set 1 185 6 reps all sets
2 min
set 2 195
2min
set 3 205
2min
set 4 185
2min
set 5 185

leg curl
5 sets of 130 with 1 min rest between sets

lemme put it this way,if you stretch and your face looks like you got kicked in the balls,dont workout that day

if you stretch and you wince a little,go for it,ive done it and felt better,and yes mondays suck,but why cant you workout on them?

[quote]jmwintenn wrote:
lemme put it this way,if you stretch and your face looks like you got kicked in the balls,dont workout that day

if you stretch and you wince a little,go for it,ive done it and felt better,and yes mondays suck,but why cant you workout on them?[/quote]

i was pretty sore still, plus i dont usually sleep well the night before

i know not gettin ebough sleep sucks,i go to sleep at 11pm and have to get up at 5:30am,so im always tired until the weekends.and if you think your too sore to workout then dont,it’s as easy as that

todays first mini cycle(8;30)

bench extended cluster
230x10

close grip decline
5 sets of 6 with 165

post workout 1 scoop whey
glass orange juice
glass of milk

triceps kinda sore from thursday
think im going to ice them before my next workout
good idea or bad??

Cryomassage is great for recovery, but I’ve never read anything about doing it between workouts on a 2- or 3-a-day program. If your just doing the program for your own benefit(as opposed to training for a meet), you could always try it. If you don’t like the results, don’t do it again. I would personally not ice until after all the sessions were done. But I’m no expert.

In case you didn’t know: cryomassage, as opposed to just icing, is where you literally massage teh muscle with ice. They make a special cup for it, but you get the same effect by using either Dixie cups or styrofoam cups. Just fill with water, freeze, and tear off the cup as you work your way through the ice. Supposed to be better than just icing.

[quote]boatguy wrote:
Cryomassage is great for recovery, but I’ve never read anything about doing it between workouts on a 2- or 3-a-day program. If your just doing the program for your own benefit(as opposed to training for a meet), you could always try it. If you don’t like the results, don’t do it again. I would personally not ice until after all the sessions were done. But I’m no expert.

In case you didn’t know: cryomassage, as opposed to just icing, is where you literally massage teh muscle with ice. They make a special cup for it, but you get the same effect by using either Dixie cups or styrofoam cups. Just fill with water, freeze, and tear off the cup as you work your way through the ice. Supposed to be better than just icing.[/quote]

sounds like a good idea with the cup. i just take a bunch of ice cubes put them in a bag and message it with that. thanks for the info!

[quote]boatguy wrote:
Cryomassage is great for recovery, but I’ve never read anything about doing it between workouts on a 2- or 3-a-day program. […] I would personally not ice until after all the sessions were done. But I’m no expert.
[/quote]

Cryomassage is something that you can do after every workout if you wish. It’s not going to lengthen recovery time. In Perfect 10, Waterbury recommends just that.

DOMS is complicated, but if you ignore it, it will usually go away as your body adapts to higher training frequencies. That means that you shouldn’t just delay sessions for no good reason, and most of the time it’s good to train through the sorness. If your recovery is off:–i.e. you haven’t had enough sleep or food; you have too much stress or you’re getting sick–you may want to delay your workouts one or two days. Again, I would avoid making a habit of that.

Please do yourself a favor and purchase some Surge from the website, too. It’s the one supplement I wouldn’t train without. Seriously, you can pick up a couple bottles for what it costs to fill your gas tank.

Dan “Supplement Shill” McVicker

thanks ill keep that in mind when im sore. its just hard for me to adapt to because i had never trained through soreness untill i started this workout. i would always take the extra day or 2 off. this site has helped alot with learning about all of this. thanks for the info

mini cycle 2(12;45)

bench cluster

205 x 5
4 min rest
215 x 5
4 min rest
205 x 5
4 min rest
205 x 5
4 min rest
205 x 5
4 min rest

dumbell shoulder press

5 sets of 5 with 55 pounds
2 min rest between sets

post workout same as last workout

mini cycle 3 (5:00)

drop set bench cluster

set 1 230-215-205-195
4 min
set 2 235-220-205-195
4 min
set 3 240-220-205-195
4 min
set 4 245(miss)-225(miss)-205-195
yah i fucked that one up maybe next week

ez-bar skull crushers
5 sets of 6 with 75 pounds
2 min between sets

today

bottoms up bench

set 1 - 215 x 3
3 min rest
set 2 - 215 x 3
3 min
set 3 - 215 x 3
3 min
set 4 - 215 x 3
3 min
set 5 - 215 x 3
3 min
set 6 - 215 x 3

speed bench
8 sets of 125 3 reps
1 min rest between sets

pull ups
5 sets of 6
2 min rest between

ez-bar curls
5 sets of 5 with 95 pounds
2 min rest between sets

seated row to neck with rope
3 sets of 45 pounds 16 reps
1 3/4 min between sets