I've HAD IT w/WSB!

[spatts]

Ok, CK. I looked over your whole training thread, and I can totally see why you’re numbers aren’t working. IMO, you’re not really doing “WSB” so it wouldn’t be prudent to blame it on that. I don’t know how many of your modification are due to strongman endeavors, and how many are just a misunderstanding of the Westside routine. Also, your ME days are too close together...use a couple days between.

On 8/25, it was DE bench day. You did NO lat work, 2 things for tris and 2 for shoudlers. Let’s see…you’re bench is stuck at the bottom…where you need lats…and you’re doing no lat work. Ah…think we’re on to something here. The tricep and shoulder work you chose is not in the bench plane, and therefore may contribute minimal carry-over.

08/26, 135 x 10 = EXCESSIVE warm up. If you spend all that energy repping out low weights to warm up, you will not go as heavy as you should, and therefore would not TRULY be giving a max effort. You’d be partially wasted from volume by the time you got there. You got up to your max and then went BACK for more rep work. This is excessive, and can very easily lead to overtraining issues. Especially since you are “34 and adverse to active recovery.” You did no ab or oblique work, and then you finished with ANOTHER compound movement. This is not any method I know of.

08/29, got frustrated with you bench and did NO accessory work.

08/30, 135 x 2 x 10 = Excesive warm up…spent yourself before your max. Again. NO BACK WORK, again.

09/02, DE banch day. No warm up, only took 30 second breaks, used 60% of max with bands, tri work was not in bench plane, some shoulder work was not in the bench plane, and NO LATS again…seeing a trend?

09/03, ME squat. Excessive warm up, again…effect your max. NO lower back or oblique work….AGAIN. No valsalvas so far in workouts.

09/05, ME bench. Posted a poor bench number that got stuck at the bottom…PROCEEDED TO DO *NO LAT WORK (again…see a trend?). AGAIN, shoulder and tri work NOT in the bench plane.

09/08, DE bench. Tri and shoulder work not in the plane.

This doesn’t look anything like WSB to me. Looks to me like you're on your way to being overtrained, and the thing you've done to overtrain aren't optimal for strength in the first place.

 

[CrimsonKing]

thanks spatts.. that does help alot. I will be sure to lower the warmups and include more lat work. As far a tri/shoulder work in the 'bench plane' I'm not sure what that means? Can you be more detailed and/or specific?

Thanks

 

[teen1216]

I think that work in the same plane means that you are horizontal when benching, so you would do movements that would put you in a horizontal position as well, such as rows.

 

[TheProject]

I guess spatts missed this one this morning, so I'll attempt to answer.

Working in the same plane means performing accessory work where the accessory motion is similar to the motion of the primary lift.

For example, when doing chest supported rows, you'd want your elbows tucked, because that's how you bench. I was doing overhead presses the other day, arms out wide, and was told to bring them in because that's the plane I bench in. Same thing for lat pulldowns--you'd want to do those with a closer grip, and reverse the grip.

Probably not as eloquent an explanation as spatts would give, but I do my best.

 

[solidj55]

This is what I was doing when I made the best gains in strength.
I am not doing it right now because I have completely different goals at the moment as I am just trying to maintain some muscle mass while I am doing a shit load of cardio training for the police academy. But this is my old routine that I will go back to when I am finished with the academy.

Monday
Bench Press
Closegrip Incline Press
Front Delt Dumbell Raises
Tricep Pushdowns or extensions

Tuesday
Some sort of row
Closegrip Pulldowns
Rear Delt Fly
Some sort of curl

Thursday
Board Presses
Side Lateral Raises
Tricep Pushdowns(light w/rope)
Abs

Friday
Squat
Stiff leg deads
Calf Raises
Hyperextensions

 

[solidj55]

Now this is the type of training I am doing now lol, it sucks!!!

Monday
AM-4 mile run(slow pace)
PM-Upper Body workout

Tuesday
AM-2 mile run, 1 mile at a good pace and one mile using Fartlek training which means 100 meters fast pace, 100 meters slow pace, 100 meters moderate pace, etc.

Wednesday
AM- 4 mile run(slow pace)

Thursday
AM-Same as Tuesday
PM- 1 minute of pushups/1 minute of situps(repeat this once)

Friday
AM- 4 mile run(slow pace)
PM- Lower Body Workout

My upper body workout
Dumbell Incline Press(3 sets) I do a different angle on incline every week for variety

Pullups or Rows(any type of row) 3 sets- I alternate between rows and pullups every week

Lateral Raises- 3 sets

Tricep Pushdowns or Extensions-3 sets

Curls(any kind) 3 sets


My lower body workout
Hack Squat-3 sets
Hamstring Curls-3 sets
Calf Raises- 3 sets
Lower Back Hyperextesions- 3 sets

And that is it!!!

 

[spatts]

When I say in the same plane, I mean movements that use the same/similar stroke. If you think about your stance in a BB row....you grip shoulder width, hands reversed or overhand, chestout, shoulder baldes squeezed together, head up, back tight, and you row into your sternum. Now take that picture of yourself and turn it upside down...it's very similar to what you look like benching.

IMHO, certain tricep movements make pretty tris. Maybe even strong tris, but you are never ever going to need strength in that plane of action when benching. JM presses, rolling extensions, elbows out extension, are in the bench plane, and aid in chaos recovery.

It's about conditioning. Conditioning your muscles to be strong in the way you intend to use them.

I think adding COMPLETE core work (obliques, abs, lower back) and specific lat training will do WONDERS for you.

Even abs should be worked from a lengthened position with straight legs...that's how you'd use them. Crunches will make pretty abs, you need strong abs. I would add partial valsalvas too.

 

[TheProject]

I would add partial valsalvas too.

knew you'd find this sooner or later.

I'll bite...what's a valsalva?

 

[coolcolj]

sounds like a female bodypart

 

[spatts]

Partial Valsalvas will strengthen the intercostal muscles (between the ribs). Any "pushed out" static hold will do. For example, walk outs. Take a deep breath pushing out hard...might want to use a belt. Walk the weight out, and hold the diaphragm push the whole time you are doing your walk out...like 12-15 secs, the length of time you normally do them. Keep everything tight, even while you rerack it.