Winflex's 2012 Goal - > Squat more than 500 lbs - Team Franco Bodybuilding Forum: Competition and Fitness Board

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

RE: Winflex's 2011 Goal - > Squat 500 lbs

Yoster · The Truth!

Lift Dwayne lift!

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

DAVE!!! I'm almost at the moose-mark!!

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

So the babe's not here yet and I'm a little impatient so I started my new program today. I deal with the sleep deprivation when it happens but I have to train. This week was horrible without my training. I had lower focus, more anxiety, lower motivation, etc. I can't stand what a lack of training does to me. So here's my new plan:

70% 8x5
75 8x4
80 6x3
85 5x3, 65x10
90 3x1 , 70x6
95 3x1, 70x8
100 3x1

Squat once a week following this. Deadlift once a week following this. Training maxes for squat will be 10 lbs more than my current 1 RM. Training maxes for deadlift will be 10 lbs less than my current 1RM. Bench and pressing will be done once a week following elements of Sheiko #29 (which you can find on elitefts.com somewhere). Since I'll be training the big lifts less frequently, I'll be throwing in a good amount of assistance lifts for swollage.

I just completed my first day today and it felt great:
Deadlift: warms:225-315 work: 395X5 X8 sets (This started making me want to hurl around set 7...but the weight was a good weight to use--perfect for doing 40 reps with)
Rope Pulldowns to sternum: 70x10, 90x10, 110x10x2
BB curl: 45x10, 55x10, 65x10x2
Rear delt flyes on incline bench: 5x10, 10x10, 15x10, 20x10

I took the assistance lifts at a fast pace BB styley, with very little rest between sets, not going to failure at all...just getting volume, volume, volume, pump, pump, pump, through a full range of motion. I took it easy with the weight since I haven't trained in this style for a LONG time, and I don't want to be sore. I'll slowly push up the weight as I get more and more adapted to it again.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Bench: warms: 135, 225, 320 work: 345X3, 295X3X4 sets
Press: warms: bar, 135, work: 185X3X3 sets
Floor Crushers: 45X8X3 sets

Hams, traps, low back, upper back, biceps, all still fried from my last session. I'm sore but good sore. Tried 345 tonight but it felt more like 435. It wasn't something I wanted to do for several sets across without waking up the next day with a sore shoulder. SOOO, I dropped it down to 295 and hit a few sets of some smooth triples. This felt very good. Moved on to presses and hit a decent 185 which is pretty good for right after doing sets of bench. Then I destroyed the triceps with floor crushers. All in all, the coat rack was in full bloom.

Yoster · The Truth!

Floor crushers?

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Lay on the floor with bent knees with the EZ curl bar about a foot away from the top of your skull.
Perform a tricep extension ("skull crusher") by extending your elbows and your shoulder.
Reverse the movement and rest the bar on the floor for a 1 count.

This is a complete rep. Each rep begins with a pause on the floor.

floor skull crusher---> floorcrusher! Its like a deadlift for the triceps.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Was supposed to squat Thursday but we had a little false alarm. Then...I was supposed to squat Friday, our newest addition to the family had enough of the belly and wanted out. It was a great birth. My wife is doing excellent and so is the new baby. Our big girl is also doing really well--excited to be mom's helper....and Mango (the dog)...well, he'll adjust ;) So, I got a little break this afternoon and I had a quick "Dark Magic" Keurig coffee, and I was off to the gym..and back on the program:

Squat: warms: bar, 135, 225, 275 work: 310X5 X 8 sets
Good mornings: 3 sets of 8

Believe it or not the hardest set was the first one as I haven't had a real squat training session - not counting the max test or overloads- since Jun 24 (about 22 days ago). By the 5th set I got my groove back and by the eighth set I felt like I could do this all day. Right about now, I'm starting to get some soreness in my quads, adductors and lower back. Can't wait to do this again in about a week with a little more weight!

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Legs are still recovering...
Only warmed up to 315 on deadlift tonight then called it quits. I didn't think squatting 40 reps with 310 would shut me down like this but I guess its not unrealistic.

I've been getting my sleep during the day (when the baby likes to sleep); so now I'm going to be up all night with all this energy but nowhere to release it....sux.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Finally starting the second week of the program with my 75% deads. Baby stuff made the first week more like 12 days. Was short on time so I only deadlifted, with no accessory:

DL: warm: 225, 315, 405 work: 425X4 X 8 sets

Just like 70%, by the end of the 75% workout I felt like I wanted to hurl. But I didn't...so that was good. The weight was also perfect for using perfect form from the first rep to the last. Great workout all in all.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Will I finish the second week in 7 days?...only time will tell

Bench: warms: 135, 225, 275, work: 310X4 X 5 sets
Rope Pulldowns: 110X 10 X 3 sets
Presses: 165X8 X 3 sets

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

No I will not finish in 7 days. The 8 sets of volume work takes a while for me to recover from. I went into squat today and here was all I could muster:

SQ: warms: bar, 135, 225, 315 work: 335/4,4,2...called it quits, my lower back was still too tight from the volume deads to get all 8 sets.
Did some quick presses with 135 because I didn't want to feel like I didn't do anything today and then went home.

Retry on Thursday.

Yoster · The Truth!

Good luck!! I had similar issues last week - not nearly as much weight - but needed a longer recovery 4 sure

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Yep Dave...30-40 reps with 70-75% of my max on squats and deads can put me out of commission for quite a while.

But its training like that that adds good muscle size and thickness IMHOP.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

So last time my back was not ready to squat because of the 8X4 deadlifts in the previous workout...this time my back was ready BUT my left adductor wasn't having it. While warming up, luckily only at 135 lbs, I felt a weird and extremely uncomfortable cramp in my left adductor. I've had my left adductor go batty on me before so I took this as a warning to not squat today. After a couple injuries you learn quick when to not push. Today was that day. So instead I just moved on to week 3 but not with squats...and definitely not deads since I wanted to rest my lower body some more. I moved on with the bench...and honestly this was probably one of my best bench workouts in a VERY long time.

Bench: warms: 135, 225, 275, work: 330X4 X 5 sets (no lift off...each rep was very powerful...I guess I was pissed that I wasn't squatting and that help my aggression levels)
Close grip (first time doing these in years so I took it slow): 135/6, 155/6...
Then I remembered a killer combination I used to do back in the day and did this:
Straight arm cable pull downs super set with close grip bench:
1 set of 15 on whatever was there on the stack + 175/6 on close grip
Again 1 set of 15 + 175/6 on close grip
Finally, 1 set of 15 + 195/6 on close grip

I have never been so swole in my life. It felt good...and now I'm actually happy that I didn't squat!

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Random thoughts:

The only thing I don't like about split routines...whether split by movement or split by bodypart, is that no matter how you cut it, there's overlap on the muscles between sessions.

I'm saying this because even today after benching, I'm feeling some tightness in the hips and lower back because I really tighten everything up isometrically on when I bench to have a solid platform to press from. Its like every single workout I do works my hips and lower back (which is probably why my deadlift keeps going up though).

If this was a full body routine, I'd be trashing the whole thing at once from every angle and then letting it rest up to get trashed again...instead of a constant trashing from different angles. I guess both ways have their drawbacks.

One thing I've learned in training and in life is that the grass is not always greener.

Yoster · The Truth!

HA - interesting that you say that. In reading your prior entry I was thinking that perhaps that would be a welcome change. Joe just changed up my routine and I really like it a lot - but curious if something "radically" different is in order. I still consider myself quite the neophyte when it comes to all this. I figure though - to a comment Joe said "It doen't matter what you do - but more how you do it (balls to the wall) it what is important. Think he is right

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Finally got around to doing squats....
SQ: warms: 135-225-315 work: 335X4X8 sets

Last rep of the entire series was TERRIBLE! but it was done...and I was done.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Hey Dave,

I believe that it does matter what you do and how you do it. For example pulling a deadlift with a sumo stance will get you good at pulling with a sumo stance but it will be of little benefit with pulling with a conventional stance....just like 1/2 squats will help you to build strength in the 1/2 squat position but it will not help you to be strong when you actually go deep in the hole. So what you do is very important.

How you do things in terms of planning, approach, scheduling, etc. is clearly of utmost importance because without a plan to succeed, having some goals in mind, or maintaining some type of accountability, nothing tends to happen.

You may look at my log and Joe's log and think, "Man, what these guys are doing is radically different" when the truth is, they really are not that different at all.
Both Dwayne and Joe get under a bar and squats it.
Both Dwayne and Joe stand over a bar and picks it up.
Both Dwayne and Joe lie under a bar and press it up and down.
Both Dwayne and Joe sit or stand under a bar and press it up and down.
Both Dwayne and Joe pull weight to his chest.

There really is no difference in what we do. And really, there is no difference in what you do or most any other lifter on the planet.

The variations are basically on the minutia like how many days a week, belt vs. no belt, straps vs. raw grip, high bar or low bar, pull to chin or pull to chest, etc. The list goes on and on....but all that stuff is just logistic minutia that in the big picture do not make much of a difference and they will and are supposed to vary based on the intended result of the training being done.

All in all, there is nothing radically different about training with weights amongst most competitive lifters/bodybuilders.

Now if you are talking something radically different like the latest thing I've been hearing around the office like P90X or Insanity or even Crossfit, its not worth it. What you gain in cardio will not benefit you in competition and in the bottomline--which is building muscle.

Yoster · The Truth!

Dwayne,

I always appreciate your extensive responses. Even though - I don't think I was thinking in as radical terms as you might have thought - I appreciate the hyperboly that you put into the answers on this.

I do agree with your points - my original position (as I interpreted it from Joe's comment) was - nothing severly radical - nothing crazy - but more within the relm of the traditional lifting schemes.

I guess - to a certain degree - I am still learning and trying to learn from my body as to what type of routine is going to benefit me the most. Is it the traditional 8 - 10 reps, is it higher reps, lower reps what is it that will really get my body working. I know that each time I lift - I'm bustin my 'rss and lifting as much in as proper form as possible for the reps prescribed - so I'm not faking it. However continue to look to find that "silver bullet" workout that just tears me a new one and really gets results. The only thing I can akin it to is when I would run - you run too fast - you get tired, you run too slow - you get tired, you run just right - you run forever, you feel taxed - but good.

Don't get me wrong - I feel lik I have some great workouts - but still trying to figure out - what the "Swithch" is for my body. I'm starting to learn - and the workouts Joe gives me are great and an awesome base - I still need to lean to try to alter them, listen to my body and maximize them.

Always enjoy the thoughts!

Dave

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Ok, I get what you are saying now.

I think everyone is in the predicament too. Trying to find the "switch" as you say.

I went to a strength seminar in April where I met Kirk Karwoski. He said (I'm paraphrasing) that you really have believe that what you are doing is working in order for it to work. Hard work without belief is just wasted effort.

Rest assured that if your lifting within the rules of your program and making progress according to your program, then progress is happening. If progress isn't happening within in the infrastructure of your program then something needs to be adjusted so that you can progress within the rules of the program. The key is that you believe in your program.

I always tell myself before a workout: I did all the work up to this point to get to this point in the program--so I should be able to successfully complete this workout no matter how insane it may look on paper. For me its simple (right now). If my max goes up, the program worked. If it doesn't, I probably did something wrong.

Throw into the mix of getting leaner and the rules get more complicated.

Yoster · The Truth!

Dwayne - I think it is true - you have to believe - sets things in motion. The mind is a very powerful tool. I know when my workout isn't going well - I tell myself "You gave up sleep for this - make it worth it!!"

Just like your eyes - where you look, your body will follow. Where you want to be in your mind - the rest will follow.

As always - thanks for the jolt!

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Too beat to deadlift. Bench is ahead...so I threw in a press session here. I may actually stay with having a press specific day and progress it back up to my previous bests:

Press: warms: bar-135-165 work: 165/5, 185/5, 175/3,3,3
Close grip bench: 205X6X4

The press weight today was light but my bar path wasn't quite right. This probably because I haven't pressed in a while and I need to get that flexibility back to stand up straight with my arms fully extended overhead...which is why I need to keep the press in my program.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Deadlifts: warms: 135, 225, 315, 405 work: 455X3X 6 sets
Curls: bar/10, 75/10, 95/10...stopped there because I just felt foolish

Yoster · The Truth!

@ Dwayne - HA

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

LOL.
I guess I owe an explanation. I'm so used to squats, deads, presses, bench, good mornings, bb rows, RDLs, chins, etc. On these movements, you don't (need to) look in the mirror. So when I start curling, and all of a sudden I start checking myself out in the mirror, I just start laughing at myself and I just can't continue because I feel like its a joke. I can't take myself seriously.

Anyway, that's the deal with the curls...
_________________

Today's work:
Getting it in...
Presses: warms: bar, 95, 135, 165, work: 195X4X5 sets
Close grip bench: warms: 95, 135, 185, work: 210X6X4 sets

Lots of volume in the pressing muscles today. I could not only feel it but also see it. Great session today...pleased. Then ran off to daycare before it closed.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Two workouts today:

Earlier one:
SQ's: warms: 135, 225, 315 work: 355X3 X 6 sets

(Ran out of time and had to run to daycare.)

Later one (didn't break a sweat):

Safety Squat Bar Seated Goodmornings (SSBSGM's...LOL): 3 sets of 15 @ SSB bar weight ~73 lbs. First time doing these but they are awesome for the thoracic extensors.
Dumbell Rows (dead weight in between reps like a deadlift): 3 sets of 10 @ 100 lbs
Face Pulls: 3 sets of 10 at whatever felt good on the stack (who knows if it really weighs what it says...and I don't care)

I could see how being a full time weightlifter would be enjoyable. Lift weights, break, eat, nap, lift weights, break, eat, lift, repeat...but then I came back to reality.

Yoster · The Truth!

Beast

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Thank you sir!
________________

Still Press'n
Press: warms: bar, 95, 135, 185 work: 200X5X5 sets
CGBP: warms: 135, 185 work: 215X6X4 sets

Working the lactic acid in this session. Pardon the pun but I was pressed for time. So I had to keep the rest to as fast I could. Good volume overall though.

I haven't benched in a while but that's because it got ahead of the schedule but now that I've added the press in, I've got my recovery schedule under control and my pressing/benching back on schedule. I've completed all 80% workouts on deads, presses (today), bench (a couple weeks ago), and squat (this past wednesday). So now everything is up to 85%....starting either Sun or Monday.

The split is now: DL/off/PR/off/SQ/off/BP/off...adding an addition off day between whenever necessary...but with the decrease in volume from the beginning of the program, I don't think I'll need extra off days.

winflex · Beyond Nutrition Sponsored Athlete

Still Pulling...
Deadlifts: warms: 135, 225, 315, 405, work: 475X3X 5 sets, 365X10

Solid pulling from start to finish. This is definitely the most reppage I've done with 475 in one session. I think my highest volume output on deadlifts was 460X5X6 on the Hatfield program...that was a murder workout. This one was heavy but not even close to that murderous session. This was 85% on deads. 90, 95, and 100% should be awesome in the upcoming "weeks".