Recent content by u418936

Re: Bill Starr's 5 x 5 program... Variation per Madcow2 (thanx) So here it is! K up n If you're feeling overtrained, it's okay to deload for a week. If I were bango (i.e., about to start week 12 and supposed to squat a rep PR of 375x5), and I wanted to deload for a week, I'd do something like...

Yes. Good mornings.

GM's are fine if you can't deadlift.

I think I already covered the ramping vs non-ramping. The gist of it was that if you're an advanced lifter, you won't be able to train at PR-level sets across for four weeks without killing yourself. The BB version you mentioned looks fine, but I still think the volume's too high in the second...

I'll give it a shot. I'm familiar with the dual factor 5x5. To answer the first question, you ramp up for two reasons. One, you'll be starting the program after a one- to two-week rest period, so you have to ramp up just to get back to where you were before you deloaded. Two, volume is...

Incredible. He has such a wide grip for benching raw. I'd wager that most people are strongest raw when their pinkies are near the rings. Any thoughts on that Dave?

I don't think most serious lifters are awed by a big bench press. I'd be more impressed if I saw someone squat 405 ATG than I'd be if I saw someone bench 405. I've seen one or two guys bench 405, but I've never seen anyone squat 405 ATG. Hell, I've never seen anyone squat 275 correctly. I've...

Agreed. If curling had any effect on arm size, every guy at every gym would have massive guns.

I thought doing 5x5 with sets across was really painful when I did the Texas method. The Smolov program looks about 100x harder. I couldn't imagine doing a 10x3 THE DAY AFTER doing a 7x5. The week-to-week ramping looks really aggressive, too.

How do you avoid elbow and wrist pain when you're using that much weight? I do standing presses with at most 205 lbs, and it causes major joint pain if I keep at it for a long time.

I need to deload for awhile. For bench, I was thinking of doing speed sets for two weeks. I haven't done much speed work, and I'd be doing 50% of my 1RM for sets of three, so I don't think it'll be too taxing. Anyone have an opinion on this?

How are you able to maintain your form when you do high rep front squats? My form goes to shit and I get really wobbly at around 8 reps. For me, the hard part is keeping my back arched and not leaning forward when I get tired.

In general, you can't alternate lifts with the 5x5 the same way you do as Rippetoe's because the former uses weekly progression while the latter uses daily progression. If you're an intermediate lifter, it's really hard to deadlift more than once a week without getting overtrained really fast...

To get a decent ROM on a leg press, you have to bring your knees to your chest, which will make your lower back flex. Squatting with good form is far safer for your lower back than leg pressing is.

When you do the Texas Method, you're supposed to do sets across, say 5x5, on Mondays, and try to hit a 1- to 5-rep PR on Fridays. After a few months, the Monday 5x5 is starting to interfere with my Friday PR in the sense that I often feel stale or very tight. After my Friday PRs, I usually...