bands and chains???

[The Shadow]

Should I add these in NOW or wait until my pr's w/o them dry up??

 

[jeremys]

i've already added bands...i havent even set a PR in more than 5 lifts yet

 

[The Shadow]

I have been averaging over 1 pr on each me day since august5......so......makes sense to wait..I dunno though.

 

[jeremys]

i will probably use them for speed day for a few weeks then on the weeks off that i will use them for ME movements. so instead of doing a 2 board, i'll be doing a 2 board w/ bands...more variety

 

[Screwball]

When you add bands and chains into the mix, you basically create new movements. The new movements require their own PR designations.

Examples:

Flat Bench Press (Comp.) - straight weight
Flat Bench Press (1 chain, 2 chains, 3 chains, etc...)
Flat Bench Press (bands & band combos - choked, doubled)

You may have 50+ flat bench variations that each require their own PR. Apples to apples whenever possible for consistant strength gain tracking.

 

[The Shadow]

SB - that a yes or a no???

seriuosly...I am killing prs at every wo......use them as s new stimulus when pr's dru up?

 

[Screwball]

Oh by the way, no need to hold off on the bands and chains. You've trained long enough to be able to handle their use. However, I would cycle the use of bands, chains and straight weight because it is easy to burn out. Bands can be especially hard on the connective tissues so be aware of how your body reacts to the stress. If you are serious about gaining strength then the use of bands and chains are one of the best tools available today.

 

[The Shadow]

thanks...that's what I needed to know.


My problem(not a problem...it's a great sit to be in) is that I don't know where sticking points are as I am not missing any lifts.....

 

[Screwball]

When training on ME days you need to work up in weight until you miss. You may try a maximal attempt 2-3 times and get the lift on the third attempt. If so you need to put some more weight on the bar until you truely fail on an attempt. CNS adaptation is the goal and the only way to get the most out of an ME day is to lift until TRUE failure.

On your DE days and for all accessory work you can stop short of failure but you need to shoot for 1-2 reps away from failure. A lot depends on how well you are able to recover. If you are sore and your CNS is run down you may want to cut back on the DE and accessory work in volume and/or poundage. Many run-down lifters will skip their DE day altogether from time to time to make sure the body recuperates properly.

If you are new to Westside training than the PR's will come more frequently but you will get to a point where the PR's will be fewer and far between. When this happens it is even more important to focus on addressing weaknesses and improving technique.

 

[The Shadow]

got it...thanks