Help with Upper Routine

[AEKDB]

MCR,

The one thing that jumps out is the lack of the Clean & Press. I would also add 1 arm snatches. CP 5x5 on Wednesday and 1 arm snatch on Sunday. The problem with 1arm snatches is that most gyms only have dumbells upto 125lbs. You will be doing this weight in no time, just keep increasing the reps.

 

[mcr]

nice work in cutting your BF% in half. that's a lot of work. the reason i ask about your WSB experience is because i have been contemplating for a while as to whether i should go with a strict WSB routine. its hard for me because i have always been into BBing, and making the switch has been tough, but i have caught the strength bug...
i found that the SLDL have helped to strengthen my hams a lot. i like to go heavy with these(i recently hit 405 for a single with straps), but when ever i go over 315 for reps, i have to use straps because i cant hold onto the bar (i use a overhand grip, and when i get over 5 reps, it starts to slip.)
also the GHR where incrediable. the machine we had at my old gym, had a hook at the bottom, and i could attach a band to it. i loved doing these. but i moved, and had to switch gyms. and they dont have one.

Thanks bro. It was/is a LOT of work, but WELL worth it

I started off WSB earlier this year and kicked it off very strict on how it's prescribed (mostly GMs for ME day, rarely deadlifting, blasting hams, not much quad work etc). For me, I found that with the changes I made (see my routine above), my progress moved along much faster. It was also more enjoyable for me. I do find that the core emphasis of WSB (blast your weaknesses) have proven REALLY well for me. I also found that I really like lower body workouts now (I didn't used to when I followed a BBing program).

Like you I am very much into bodybuilding. Actually I like both strength training and bodybuilding, and would eventually like to both compete in powerlifting and get some modelling work. So I do want to focus equally on both. I am a few months/years off both of those yet though I find that the WSB style program works really nicely for bodybuilding for me with the tweaks I've made.

I think you should give a strict WSB program a go. In fact, I think everyone should. I think it's designed so that you can tweak it how you like. And from what I gather, even Louie regularly tweaks what he has his guys do. I find it works great for BBing too - let's face it, heavy triples and lots of compound moves are BOUND to induce muscle growth.

That's some nice lifts on SLDLs bro. I pulled a 200kg (440lbs) single on Monday for regular deads, but my SLDLs are nowhere close to that - I find I struggle a little with form on them. For grip, you could try chalk instead of straps - that's what I use. I can actually lift more with chalk than with straps.

For GHRs, do you have a lat pulldown machine at your new gym? If so, you could kneel on the seat facing away, hook your calves under the part your quads normally rest on, and do the GHRs that way (if you see what I mean). That's what I'm doing currently and it feels GREAT!!

 

[mcr]

MCR,

The one thing that jumps out is the lack of the Clean & Press. I would also add 1 arm snatches. CP 5x5 on Wednesday and 1 arm snatch on Sunday. The problem with 1arm snatches is that most gyms only have dumbells upto 125lbs. You will be doing this weight in no time, just keep increasing the reps.

Thanks bro. I have been doing hang clean into push press up to a 3 rep max currently (was doing that on Upper 2 which focussed more on overhead work). I have sort of stalled in progress on that, which is why I was going to give it a break for a while. Also I was finding that cleaning the weight was the problem - so I was never really working my delts with that move.

I guess with those oly lifts I would need to learn better form. Do you have any links to sites that show form (preferably with a video) for 1 arm snatches? Because that's an exercise I've never done before.

Also, for clean and press 5x5, do you mean reset the weight on the floor between reps? Or do you clean (or hang clean) once and then press 5 times?

I was also sort of concerned that doing oly style lifts would mean that I'd be doing lifts that hit lower body quite hard on the upper days - which may not allow my lower body to recover fully.

If I do add the exercises you suggest, are there any exercises I've currently got that you think I should drop in favour of them? Or are you saying put them in as extra volume?

Thanks bro!!

 

[Illuminati]

Thanks bro. It was/is a LOT of work, but WELL worth it

I started off WSB earlier this year and kicked it off very strict on how it's prescribed (mostly GMs for ME day, rarely deadlifting, blasting hams, not much quad work etc). For me, I found that with the changes I made (see my routine above), my progress moved along much faster. It was also more enjoyable for me. I do find that the core emphasis of WSB (blast your weaknesses) have proven REALLY well for me. I also found that I really like lower body workouts now (I didn't used to when I followed a BBing program).

Like you I am very much into bodybuilding. Actually I like both strength training and bodybuilding, and would eventually like to both compete in powerlifting and get some modelling work. So I do want to focus equally on both. I am a few months/years off both of those yet though I find that the WSB style program works really nicely for bodybuilding for me with the tweaks I've made.

I think you should give a strict WSB program a go. In fact, I think everyone should. I think it's designed so that you can tweak it how you like. And from what I gather, even Louie regularly tweaks what he has his guys do. I find it works great for BBing too - let's face it, heavy triples and lots of compound moves are BOUND to induce muscle growth.

That's some nice lifts on SLDLs bro. I pulled a 200kg (440lbs) single on Monday for regular deads, but my SLDLs are nowhere close to that - I find I struggle a little with form on them. For grip, you could try chalk instead of straps - that's what I use. I can actually lift more with chalk than with straps.

For GHRs, do you have a lat pulldown machine at your new gym? If so, you could kneel on the seat facing away, hook your calves under the part your quads normally rest on, and do the GHRs that way (if you see what I mean). That's what I'm doing currently and it feels GREAT!!

do you use your dead lift grip for your SLDL? i use an overhand grip for the SLDL and an alternating grip for my deads. even with chalk, i can't hold of to the 315 for more than 5 reps with the overhand grip.

nice pull on the dead. 500 will be there soon. i hit 500 about a month ago. im going to max on deads this saturday. hopefully my lift has gone up since then.

i like your idea of the GHR's on the lat machine. ill have to give those a try wednesday (that is my DE leg day.)

did you ever use the bands on your DE bench days? also, one lift that i have found to help my bench the most (i was having problems with my lockout) is suspending the bar in the squat rack with the heavier bands (i have the thick green jump stretch, 75lbs of resistance each.) this is truly a great exercise for lockout. i was able to lock out 455 bar weight last week. my max (done 1.5 months ago) is 350. i plan on doing another bench max this week on thursday. it seems now that my sticking point on bench is the middle. yesterday after my speed work with the mini's, i decided to hit a couple sets triples working up to 90% (315lbs.) my first set was with 275x3, the guy spotting me told me the bar speed looked like my DE bench (DE bench i had 205 bar weight, with the mini's doubled over.) so i went to 315. the bar flew up to the middle, slowed for a second, and the i killed it to lock out (on the 3rd rep.) the middle seems to be my weekness. any suggestions? i was thinking board presses with 2 boards.

 

[AEKDB]

one arm snatch: http://www.powerathletesmag.com/pages/onearmbarbell.htm

I prefer a dumbell. The pictures show both a split(one leg in front of the other) and squat snatch. Again its a mater of preference.

For the 5x5, return the bar to the ground pause for a 1 count then the next rep.
Clean and press is two parts.

clean: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/Clean.html

press: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/PushPress.html

I do not believe that these will overtrain your lower body. If you can Dead 500, the first pull on a 175lb clean&press will be very easy and a 125lb 1arm snatch will lift of the ground even easier.

 

[mcr]

do you use your dead lift grip for your SLDL? i use an overhand grip for the SLDL and an alternating grip for my deads. even with chalk, i can't hold of to the 315 for more than 5 reps with the overhand grip.

nice pull on the dead. 500 will be there soon. i hit 500 about a month ago. im going to max on deads this saturday. hopefully my lift has gone up since then.

i like your idea of the GHR's on the lat machine. ill have to give those a try wednesday (that is my DE leg day.)

did you ever use the bands on your DE bench days? also, one lift that i have found to help my bench the most (i was having problems with my lockout) is suspending the bar in the squat rack with the heavier bands (i have the thick green jump stretch, 75lbs of resistance each.) this is truly a great exercise for lockout. i was able to lock out 455 bar weight last week. my max (done 1.5 months ago) is 350. i plan on doing another bench max this week on thursday. it seems now that my sticking point on bench is the middle. yesterday after my speed work with the mini's, i decided to hit a couple sets triples working up to 90% (315lbs.) my first set was with 275x3, the guy spotting me told me the bar speed looked like my DE bench (DE bench i had 205 bar weight, with the mini's doubled over.) so i went to 315. the bar flew up to the middle, slowed for a second, and the i killed it to lock out (on the 3rd rep.) the middle seems to be my weekness. any suggestions? i was thinking board presses with 2 boards.

Yes I use my regular dead grip for SLDLs too. How come you're using double overhand?

I'm looking forward to the day I get 500 on deads. I'm starting a Test Enan cycle in about 3-4 weeks time, so hopefully it will come then

While doing WSB for Upper I was using bands on DE bench day. I didn't find they helped as much as bands with squats. I think I'm pretty fast on bench anyway, but wasn't at squats, which could explain it. I also fail in the middle on bench like you. As I understand it, that's a pec weakness. I have been doing more incline work in the hope to solve that. Your idea of 2 board presses is very interesting too.

I gave the Upper 1 session a go with the 5x5 this morning. I found that the weights REALLY suffered and what I thought was going to be an easy 5x5 ended up 5,5,5,5,4. I then went onto incline DB press with a weight I normally manage 12 for and could only get 5 first set and 3 the second!! So the 5x5 bench work is taking a LOT more out of me than the "work up to 3RM" routine I was doing before. IMO that's a good thing though. It felt like I had to work a lot harder than normal. I suppose I'll adjust back into it. The rest of the workout went well. I think I'm liking 5x5 for upper so far. I didn't much like 2 sets of 8-12 as on each of those, the first set I was getting about twice the number of reps I was getting on the second - which to me indicates that doing a second set is a bit of a waste of time for me.

 

[mcr]

one arm snatch: http://www.powerathletesmag.com/pages/onearmbarbell.htm

I prefer a dumbell. The pictures show both a split(one leg in front of the other) and squat snatch. Again its a mater of preference.

For the 5x5, return the bar to the ground pause for a 1 count then the next rep.
Clean and press is two parts.

clean: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/Clean.html

press: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/OlympicLifts/PushPress.html

I do not believe that these will overtrain your lower body. If you can Dead 500, the first pull on a 175lb clean&press will be very easy and a 125lb 1arm snatch will lift of the ground even easier.

Thanks bro! Those are great links, thanks. I like the look of both of those exercises, and with some experimentation should be able to squeeze them into my upper sessions effectively