Strength Program; Opinions?

Friday I maxed out on bench and it jumped 15 pounds!!! also i went from doing incline DB press with 45’s to 50’s and my Close Grip jumped 10 pounds!! i felt sooo good… this whole week i dident do ANY sort of leg exercises do to my severley sprained ankle… But i love traing legs… so I worked out M/W/F :smiley:

[quote]Island Strength wrote:
Clevelands23,

Not a bad attempt at creating a weight program. Alot of us did what you’re doing which is overtraining. At first it works because any type of weight training beats nothing. No problem. However, you’re ready to start going to the the next level. You didn’t say what your goals were and thats crtitical information.

Odds are you are either training to improve other sports or training to compete in strength sports. I could easily throw a couple programs down but I don’t feel thats the best help I can give. I will pass on some information for you to check out. When you’re done reading, and this will take awhile, come back to this forum and ask more specific questions.

Sports Training Info: Go to www.Defrancostraining.Com Joe Defranco trains many High School, College and Professional athletes. His site gives you the actual programs without joining anything or paying a membership. Give this a careful look.

Strength Sports Info: Westside-Barbell, and EliteFTS are two of the heavyweight sites for current info. There are others.

So Clevelands23, right now you don’t know what you don’t know. Get advice from experts before you go for “peer” advice which is what is available here. That is not a knock on T-Nation but it is there niche. And an important one. Best of luck.
[/quote]

Thanks! ill try lookin into that

Okay ive changed up my program, took off some sets, and replaced some exercises… I really want to increase my Bench, and Cleans are a must… Heres what it looks like

Monday-

  1. 5x5/ Bench [ 80-85% max]
  2. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  3. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench
    Tuesday-
  4. 3x5/ Cleans [ 80-85% max]
  5. 3x3/ Squats
  6. 3x5/ Pull Ups with weight
  7. Abs/ Failure
    Wednesday-
  8. 3x3/ Military Press
  9. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Curls
  10. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Twists
    Thursday-
  11. 3x3/ Hang Cleans or Dumbbell Rows
  12. 3x3/ Dead Lift
  13. 3x5/ Hammer Curls
  14. Abs/ Failure
    Friday-
  15. 2x5 [ Warm up]/ 1x1 or 1x2 or 1x3/ Bench
  16. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  17. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench

I know how good Hang Cleans are for develping power and the Upper back/ Traps/ Rear Delts…

[quote]Clevelands23 wrote:
Okay ive changed up my program, took off some sets, and replaced some exercises… I really want to increase my Bench, and Cleans are a must… Heres what it looks like

Monday-

  1. 5x5/ Bench [ 80-85% max]
  2. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  3. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench
    Tuesday-
  4. 3x5/ Cleans [ 80-85% max]
  5. 3x3/ Squats
  6. 3x5/ Pull Ups with weight
  7. Abs/ Failure
    Wednesday-
  8. 3x3/ Military Press
  9. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Curls
  10. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Twists
    Thursday-
  11. 3x3/ Hang Cleans or Dumbbell Rows
  12. 3x3/ Dead Lift
  13. 3x5/ Hammer Curls
  14. Abs/ Failure
    Friday-
  15. 2x5 [ Warm up]/ 1x1 or 1x2 or 1x3/ Bench
  16. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  17. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench

I know how good Hang Cleans are for develping power and the Upper back/ Traps/ Rear Delts…
[/quote]
You haven’t changed your program. You squat and deadlift once a week, bench/press variants galore, and only 1 pulling movement per week. Someone already mentioned doing all the pressing movements (dumb bell press, close grip press, dips, bench, every workout is not going to increase your bench any faster.
You would probably be a lot better off doing a simple A B scheme training 4 days a week.
A
Bench
Squat
Pull/row

B
Cleans
Deadlift
Military press/Push press

Wednesday
Hammer curls…
Pull ups
Abs
relax
Repeat A and B.

[quote]Clevelands23 wrote:
Okay ive changed up my program, took off some sets, and replaced some exercises… I really want to increase my Bench, and Cleans are a must… Heres what it looks like

Monday-

  1. 5x5/ Bench [ 80-85% max]
  2. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  3. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench
    Tuesday-
  4. 3x5/ Cleans [ 80-85% max]
  5. 3x3/ Squats
  6. 3x5/ Pull Ups with weight
  7. Abs/ Failure
    Wednesday-
  8. 3x3/ Military Press
  9. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Curls
  10. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Twists
    Thursday-
  11. 3x3/ Hang Cleans or Dumbbell Rows
  12. 3x3/ Dead Lift
  13. 3x5/ Hammer Curls
  14. Abs/ Failure
    Friday-
  15. 2x5 [ Warm up]/ 1x1 or 1x2 or 1x3/ Bench
  16. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  17. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench

I know how good Hang Cleans are for develping power and the Upper back/ Traps/ Rear Delts…
[/quote]

Update!! Week 1- Benched 145x1… Week 2- Benched 150x2… Week 3- Benched 150x3… Next week ill try to max out again and see what i get! :smiley:

Hammer that back hard young turk. I see a monday, wednesday, and a friday with all push but no pull. I want you rowing, pull upping, and face pulling your ass off. not pussying out three days a week

why are so stuck on your bench??? it has its place but if your trying to get bigger and stronger you should be focusing on deads and squats. try starting of your workouts with a squat preferably front squat then do and explosive lift then do your the rest of your pushes and pulls.

Everybody is telling you to do more back work. That means it’s important. You’re making progress now, but if you want to see long term progress you have to work your back.

[quote]Clevelands23 wrote:
Clevelands23 wrote:
Okay ive changed up my program, took off some sets, and replaced some exercises… I really want to increase my Bench, and Cleans are a must… Heres what it looks like

Monday-

  1. 5x5/ Bench [ 80-85% max]
  2. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  3. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench
    Tuesday-
  4. 3x5/ Cleans [ 80-85% max]
  5. 3x3/ Squats
  6. 3x5/ Pull Ups with weight
  7. Abs/ Failure
    Wednesday-
  8. 3x3/ Military Press
  9. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Curls
  10. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Twists
    Thursday-
  11. 3x3/ Hang Cleans or Dumbbell Rows
  12. 3x3/ Dead Lift
  13. 3x5/ Hammer Curls
  14. Abs/ Failure
    Friday-
  15. 2x5 [ Warm up]/ 1x1 or 1x2 or 1x3/ Bench
  16. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  17. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench

I know how good Hang Cleans are for develping power and the Upper back/ Traps/ Rear Delts…

Update!! Week 1- Benched 145x1… Week 2- Benched 150x2… Week 3- Benched 150x3… Next week ill try to max out again and see what i get! :D[/quote]

Don’t take offense now, but you could easily progress faster even on the most basic of ramped bodybuilding routines (provided that you actually eat something) compared to this…

There are plenty of good 55 and 35 routines out there… Starting Strength, Madcow, Bill Starr, Stronglifts… Get on one of those, or try that altered SS template I’ve posted for some beginners in the bb forum if squatting 3 times a week is too much for you (shouldn’t be at that stage, though, but yeah…).

If you (later on) want to train 6 days a week with high frequency or something, read modok’s thread in the t-cell… But at your stage, I’d really suggest one of the commonly used 5x5 or 3x5 routines to get your lifts up to a decent level before you try your own routines or more advanced stuff in general.

The program is terrible. If you want a better bench then train your back. Also think about if bb pressing is really want you need to bring up? does it translate into a sport? no? Are you a comp PLer? If not then i doubt that you need 3 days of 5 dedicated to pressing.

-chris

[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
Clevelands23 wrote:
Clevelands23 wrote:
Okay ive changed up my program, took off some sets, and replaced some exercises… I really want to increase my Bench, and Cleans are a must… Heres what it looks like

Monday-

  1. 5x5/ Bench [ 80-85% max]
  2. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  3. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench
    Tuesday-
  4. 3x5/ Cleans [ 80-85% max]
  5. 3x3/ Squats
  6. 3x5/ Pull Ups with weight
  7. Abs/ Failure
    Wednesday-
  8. 3x3/ Military Press
  9. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Curls
  10. 1x15 to 20/ Wrist Twists
    Thursday-
  11. 3x3/ Hang Cleans or Dumbbell Rows
  12. 3x3/ Dead Lift
  13. 3x5/ Hammer Curls
  14. Abs/ Failure
    Friday-
  15. 2x5 [ Warm up]/ 1x1 or 1x2 or 1x3/ Bench
  16. 3x5/ Incline Dumbbell Press
  17. 3x5/ Dips with weight or Close Grip Bench

I know how good Hang Cleans are for develping power and the Upper back/ Traps/ Rear Delts…

Update!! Week 1- Benched 145x1… Week 2- Benched 150x2… Week 3- Benched 150x3… Next week ill try to max out again and see what i get! :smiley:

Don’t take offense now, but you could easily progress faster even on the most basic of ramped bodybuilding routines (provided that you actually eat something) compared to this…

There are plenty of good 55 and 35 routines out there… Starting Strength, Madcow, Bill Starr, Stronglifts… Get on one of those, or try that altered SS template I’ve posted for some beginners in the bb forum if squatting 3 times a week is too much for you (shouldn’t be at that stage, though, but yeah…).

If you (later on) want to train 6 days a week with high frequency or something, read modok’s thread in the t-cell… But at your stage, I’d really suggest one of the commonly used 5x5 or 3x5 routines to get your lifts up to a decent level before you try your own routines or more advanced stuff in general.
[/quote]
Like i said at first, ive been training since i was a freshman. now a junior almost senior and i have been using 3x10 and 4x8… i want at least 2 minutes between sets and dont like to cram everything into 3 days a week due to the fact that i will be training for more than an hour which leads to the release of muscle eating cortisol.

You say you’re training for strength (I could be reading your program wrong) but I don’t see any mention of Dynamic work. You just seem to be working Max and repitition effort methods.
Having a specific day in the week for dynamic training is important for activating (i.e. training your body to use them more) and developing fast twitch muscle fibres. Get these muscle fibres working and your lifts will go up

[quote]brohalloran wrote:
You say you’re training for strength (I could be reading your program wrong) but I don’t see any mention of Dynamic work. You just seem to be working Max and repitition effort methods.
Having a specific day in the week for dynamic training is important for activating (i.e. training your body to use them more) and developing fast twitch muscle fibres. Get these muscle fibres working and your lifts will go up[/quote]
How would you i put this into my program? mabie on wensday do some plyo-pushups?

Try the WS4SB program. You have one day of ME work for upperbody and a ME lowerbody day, as well as one day as a dynamic upperbody, and one for a dynamic lowerbody. Look some of the strongest people in the world train at Westside Barbell, their template is beginner friendly and obviously you would like to be strong, so why not use it?

Don’t make the mistakes everyone and their cousin usually do when they first train. You may not see you back without a mirror, but its sure as hell important, especially for health and strength purposes.

Down the road, if you don’t listen to the advise of the people here who learned from mistakes made, you will look like one of those idiots with overdeveloped chests and underdeveloped back. You will be putting up 200 lbs and thinking your strong. Do rows, pull, and eat your Wheaties, and you will see nearly every lift in which you must use your hands to stabilize will improve due to a strong back.

I am not an expert or a savvy training guru, I am a relatively still a newbie who reads and attempts to learn from others mistakes and it serves me well, so my advice to you is to listen. Even the most advanced powerlifters (in America) continue to use the very basic Westside Barbell template. Joe DeFranco uses it, a lot of people on this site have used it, I use it.

So if you think you are clever and think you can create the alpha and the omega of programs go for it, but you will make the mistakes that hundreds have done, and may even tear something and put you out of the weight floor. You may think you know what your doing, but in the end your really not as smart as you think you are, at least not in the stage of weight training you are at currently.

Now I step off my soap box…

Friday I maxed out on bench and got 170!, also the 50’s i use on Incline Bench are starting to feel light! :smiley:

Wensday I did 3x3 plyo pushups with a wide hand postion, and I was getting a good jump off the ground! it felt really good; I haven’t been able to do that before. :]

Today i really worked my back with weighted pullups and DB Rows!.. also i did my squats only a different variation, the Bulgarian single leg squats… Monday I increased my 5x5 from the beginning of the program from 130 to 140! :D… going for a 3 rep max this Friday! hoping to get 160x3

Last Friday i got 165x3!! im very happy, this monday i started using 60’s for incline, but my grip strength was hindering how many i could do… im gonna do more grip execises now…
I also plan on switching the 5x5 on monday to 6x4 so i can continue to put more weight on the bar and use 145 :smiley:

I honestly think you would really see improvement if you cut the volume in half. Bench pressing three times a week with heavy weights will eventually catch up to you.

OP, you’re awsome! Everybody and their uncle is telling you to DO MORE BACK WORK and you just keep on showing us all your progress on bench press ! ! ! Your program is just too much bench, and too little of everything else; for the moment, you’re getting beginner gains (really, 165x3 is a beginner level, nothing more).

You should devote a day to squat, one to deadlift, and row as often as you bench! I’m saying it for your long term gains, joint health, posture and global performance!