WSB: watch my Weights Skyrocket, Bitches!

[Jim Ouini]

At 50% of your 1RM I guess the bar would be moving pretty fast lol. I did 255 last Wed and it was pretty slow. As far as sitting back, it's definitely different with all the pushing your hips back, I almost fell of the back side of the box, luckily I caught myself and it was only 185 I think.

 

[Guinness5.0]

MESOCYCLE 1
Week 1 of 4
SUNDAY -- ME Bench

Warmed up with OH squats. Worked up to 105 for a triple. These are a bitch. Are you supposed to go full-on ATF on these? 'Cause it seems like if I were to stop a bit shy of rock bottom I'd be able to support a ton more weight - that last little bit of depth is where the bar gets squirrely.

DE Bench
8 triples @ 185, minimal rest, cycling 3 grips

-Getting more natural/smooth. I started to do the whole motion fast as opposed to just the concentric, and I liked it - it seemed to enable more speed on the concentric when I did a fast eccentric as well.

CGBP
5's: 225, 275, 315

-For ramping, I'm just gonna add a set at 315 each week. So by week four this'll be 315x5x4. This way the intensity's high throughout and the workload is relatively high by week 3.

BB Rows
255x3x5

-Form is improving. I'm staying closer to parallel for sure - my hams are getting stretched quite a bit when I do these now. Since I've been getting lower, it feels like my lats have been stabbed by the end of a row session - they really get hit hard from the decrease in torso angle.

Power Clean/Press
185 for several doubles, 225 for 2 doubles, then two singles (just power clean) w/ 245

-I REALLY clicked on these today. I had planned to just do some sets w/ 185 to loosen up and get a little overhead work in, but something felt 'right' while cleaning, so I went up a bit in weight. Good times.

A good workout, even though my sleep has sucked the last two nights. I can't wait to do ME box squats next week, and I hope I can keep my GMs heavy tomorrow while improving form a bit. Also, I'd really like to test my dead soon but I'm not sure what I should do - be patient, run a couple mesocycles, then peak as though for a competiton, or alternatively just use deads as an ME movement one week and see what happens.

 

[Phaded]

would you mind explaining what exactly a mesosycle is .. cliff notes style

 

[Guinness5.0]

It's just a wrod to describe a training period. By mesocycle I meant the period in which all of my lifts are being ramped - my ME stuff is in two week blocks but my accessory stuff is in four week blocks. So the four week blocks are mesocycles. Then there'll be a deload period (probably a week, maybe two), then a new mesocycle consisting of the new mvements I'll be using.

Another example of the use of 'mesocyle' would be DF 5x5:
Mesocycle: 4 week Volume phase
Deload week
Mesocycle: intensity phase.

I guess a loose defintion would be: a training period where the overall goal is the same (loading, intensity, peaking etc.). If anyone (*cough* madcow *cough*) can define it better I'd be glad to hear it.

 

[nelmsjer]

MESOCYCLE 1
Week 1 of 4
SUNDAY -- ME Bench

Warmed up with OH squats. Worked up to 105 for a triple. These are a bitch. Are you supposed to go full-on ATF on these? 'Cause it seems like if I were to stop a bit shy of rock bottom I'd be able to support a ton more weight - that last little bit of depth is where the bar gets squirrely.

ME Bench
8 triples @ 185, minimal rest, cycling 3 grips

-Getting more natural/smooth. I started to do the whole motion fast as opposed to just the concentric, and I liked it - it seemed to enable more speed on the concentric when I did a fast eccentric as well.

CGBP
5's: 225, 275, 315

-For ramping, I'm just gonna add a set at 315 each week. So by week four this'll be 315x5x4. This way the intensity's high throughout and the workload is relatively high by week 3.

BB Rows
255x3x5

-Form is improving. I'm staying closer to parallel for sure - my hams are getting stretched quite a bit when I do these now. Since I've been getting lower, it feels like my lats have been stabbed by the end of a row session - they really get hit hard from the decrease in torso angle.

Power Clean/Press
185 for several doubles, 225 for 2 doubles, then two singles (just power clean) w/ 245

-I REALLY clicked on these today. I had planned to just do some sets w/ 185 to loosen up and get a little overhead work in, but something felt 'right' while cleaning, so I went up a bit in weight. Good times.

A good workout, even though my sleep has sucked the last two nights. I can't wait to do ME box squats next week, and I hope I can keep my GMs heavy tomorrow while improving form a bit. Also, I'd really like to test my dead soon but I'm not sure what I should do - be patient, run a couple mesocycles, then peak as though for a competiton, or alternatively just use deads as an ME movement one week and see what happens.

First...DAMN great workout. Nice work.

Keep working on the OH Squats. You're freaking a ton stronger than me, so I KNOW you've got the strength to make mine look puny. Work on your shoulder flexibility with the bar or a broomstick every day, in addition to your hamstrings and lower back, until you can get all the way down to the bottom.

Damn your power cleans AND press!!!!!!!! Good job!

 

[Guinness5.0]

Work on your shoulder flexibility with the bar or a broomstick every day, in addition to your hamstrings and lower back, until you can get all the way down to the bottom. !

yeah I think it's shoulder/pec flexibility - when I hit bottom I'm not able to hold much weight overhead.

 

[Guinness5.0]

MESOCYCLE 1
Week 1 of 4
MONDAY -- ME Squat/DL

Fun day. Felt really strong. I gotta beleive I'm back to full test production by now.

Oly squat warmup/primer
warmups
Triples to 405, then 455 for a single

-I didn't plan to do this much, but I shit you not it wasn't all that tough. I am beyond thrilled that I seem to be getting stronger post-cycle. 455 was tough but not a grinder - didn't even ask for a spot or anything

ME Good Morning
Triples: 225, 275, 315
Singles: 365, 385

-I was more form conscious today, so I stopped when it felt 'squatty ' at the bottom. Side note: I was dissappointed greatly today - I saw a couple PL looking guys who were benching pretty heavy (405+) with elbow wraps, wrist wraps, etc. (no bench shirts though). I thought they'd be able to take a look at my GM form, but they hadn't even HEARD of good mornings I kinda suspect that all they train for is bench because the last time I saw 'em they were benching as well.

Front Squat
295x3x5
315x3

-Best set form/technique-wise was 315. I wasn't burying the bar into my neck on the sets with 295, but I had that thing shoved into my windpipe before unracking the top set. For 315 I couldn't really breathe and the reps were flawless - no lean/caving whatsoever.

Pullups
BWx6x3

-Almost failed on the very last rep. I went bowling last night with some family from out of town and did a number on my right arm. I think DE work has carryover for bowking, because that friggin' ball was moving

Then I stretched and left. This new gym is busier than the one I left, which I was hoping would be a good thing. But it's just more dumbasses. I saw more bad squatting tonight than I'd have seen at the old place in two months. And I mean REALLY bad -we're talkin' knee-twitch squats with almost no weight, Smith machine 1/4 squats, etc. Pretty brutal.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Incredible workout again G5.0. I know nothing of roids but it's cool you've been able to maintain your strength from your cycle. I some guy at the gym who juiced for awhile, got pretty strong, claimed he was going to stay on 'forever', stopped and dropped 30lbs and I haven't seen him for like 2 months. I was just tallking to another guy today about him and we were wondering what the hell happend to him.

Funny thing about squatters at your gym, while I was rowing next to the squat rack I overheard a PT who couldn't have been more than 160 giving advice to a rather portly guy doing seated wrist curls with like a 5lb dumbell. So the PT says 'You gotta squat and clean'. Anyway, props to him for his exercise selection but then I saw him squat: 135 to parallel, then 225 quarter squats. I chuckled to myself.

 

[Guinness5.0]

MESOCYCLE 1
Week 2 of 4
WEDNESDAY -- ME Bench

Rack lockouts
warmed up with regular bench, up to a double w/ 315
Triples: 225, 275, 315
Singles: 345, 365, 395(fail)

-Didn't have it today. I could tell I'd be weak early in my bench warmups. This is sad but I think that bowling on Sunday had a part to play in this. Lockouts are brutal on my shoulders it seems - I don't see myself doing these again any time soon. Fighting under 395 for ~5 seconds left me kinda hurtin'.

DB Bench
100'sx5x4, 110'sx5

-I may have undershot these. I may try for 115's next week and 130's week 4, especially considering that I'll be overhead pressing for ME work next week. We'll see...

Pendlay Rows
225x8x3

-Officially Pendlay rows . I was down very close to parallel and had no choice but to flex my erectors to start the movement - I don't have the hamstring flexibility to get low and not be forced to use my lumbar region to start these from the floor each rep.

Standing OHP
135x12, 185x5x2

-I had to get a little heavier than normal on these to feel better about the miss on lockouts .

Prehab consisted of a long set of OHP with the bar, going to the front then behind my head, and then some very high rep sets of tricep pushdowns. I can't get my home gym soon enough - there is SO MUCH awful squatting going on here that it's almost physically painful to witness. Today's worst offenders were two knuckleheads gruntingand yellng like mad doing knee twitches with the "manta" pad on the bar and using 405. They were literally using about a 4 inch ROM. I seriously wonder - do people who do this really think that they're accomplishing anything? Before I learned to squat properly, I still went to ~parallel just b/c common sense told me that I gotta use a decent ROM or it's a total waste. I don't get it and won't get it, so I'll be glad when I never have to see it again.

 

[Cynical Simian]

You're really not giving us much room for comments/advice beyond "congratulations" with these workouts, so congrats on having everything go so smoothly post-cycle. It seems like a bowling alley is pretty much the only thing that can slow you down.


Commentary marginally related to guys squatting to perpendicular...

My best explanation for the recent deluge of bicep and bench threads is that people see March approaching and think "oh shit, it's spring, I need to get hyooge for summer." Might also explain a jump in clueless lifters at the gym (a la New Year's)...or your new gym is just that bad all the time.