WSB: watch my Weights Skyrocket, Bitches!

[Guinness5.0]

New progam new journal. This is gonna look a little different than 'standard' WSB (I know, I know, there is no 'standard' WSB) in some ways and very similar in others. I'm using the common layout of:
Monday - ME Squat/DL
Wednesday - ME Bench
Friday - DE Squat/DL
Sunday - DE Bench

The unususl part is that I perform all lifts without equipment (no belts, wraps, etc.) other than starps on deads/rows. I perform Olympic, ass-to-grass squats instead of PL-style squats, so some of my assistance and DE work will reflect this. Also, I will be using some periods to focus on overhead work rather than benching. Finally, I'm gonna add some upper body stuff to squat/dl days, and some lower body stuff to bench days. Not a lot, but some.

My weaknesses (as I see them) are posterior chain strength, breaking the floor on DL, the very bottom of my bench, and I've never done speed work of any kind. So I think that despite the fact that I'm coming off of a cycle I still have room for improvement, particularly on squat/DL.

Let's get down to business:

Week 1 -- MONDAY ME Squat/DL

BTW I enter multiple sets w/ the same weight as: weight x reps x sets. So if I did 225 for three sets of five reps, it would be written as 225x5x3

Oly squat
warmups
Triples: 275, 315, 365, 405
Singles: 425, 445(PR), 455(PR), 465(PR)

-Having never focued on singles for squats, it was fun to have a PR-fest Probably couldn't have done one pound more than 465 - got stuck and my spotter almost had to help, but I busted through. BTW I've had the same spotter for a while now (he works at the gym) which is so nice b/c he knows that I don't want help unless I'm about to die. He also mentioned that it does indeed appear that I'm sitting back more than before, which is exactly what I'm going for.

Arched-back Good Mornings
warmups
225x5x3

-These still feel pretty awkward. Every set felt different thatn the others. To get my upper back to parallel w/ the floor, I have to round my low back, so I just go as low as I can while holding my arch. I'm gonna give these a few more weeks at least, but if I just can't find my groove, I'm gonna sub 'em out for RDL's since they felt pretty good right from the get-go. I plan to work up to 5x5 on these - until my natural test levels return I'm keeping workload down and only REALLY pushing on the ME stuff. Ideally, I'd like to find 'the spot' on these and get 'em into my ME movement rotation. We'll see...


Pullups
BWx6x2

-Keeping volume low on these.

Standing DB OHP
65'sx8, 75'sx8, 85'sx3

-I watned something that would have a failry low workload but still activate my core and force me to balance. These fit the bill pretty well. I got greedy though - didn't hit failure w/ the 85's but it was still too damn much.

Hanging leg raises
BWX15x2

-I'm gonna do more static stuff but I haven't put enough effort into learning the best choices for those movements yet, so I settled for a 'better than nothing' ab movement.

Overall, today was a BLAST. I loved doing singles on squats. I think it's pretty funny that my Oly ATG squat is the same as my DL (though I probably had a couple more pounds in me for DL, they're damn close regardless). I can't wait to get my speed work going.

 

[RipStone]

Whazzup my Westside brotha?!

Nice workout today and impressive #s with the GMs...damn. I am interested to see how you do with WS. If you dont mind, could you post what exercises you plan on doing for each day for the first cycle? Kinda curious to see how you set it up.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Still working on it Rip. I'll post it when I'm a little more settled on it.

 

[Cynical Simian]

I swear you switch programs partly just to come up with new journal titles...this one definitely screams "finishing up a cycle."

Oly squat
Triples: 275, 315, 365, 405
Singles: 425, 445(PR), 455(PR), 465(PR)

I guess this was somewhat foreshadowed by your progress in other rep ranges, but still...uh, damn.

Have you done much stretching or tried to identify the tightness that causes the rounding on squats and GMs? From what blut wump has said, the GMs themselves might be very helpful if hamstring flexibility is part of the problem.

 

[asdfzxcv]

Nice workout,I look forward to following this.You are a very strong individual,especially on squats,hope I can hit those numbers one day myself .

Also,just out of curiousity,how much do you weigh?

 

[Guinness5.0]

CS - Yeah, I like to thnk I'm somewhat clever. Also, I did stretch afterwards - forgot to document it. Did a little ham/low back stuff (feet ~shoulder width, hands down the middle). I used to be VERY flexible when I played football and I'm still very flexible in general, but my ham/lowback flexibilty is putrid for now. Also, I did some hip/quad stretches one leg at a time and my heel was pushed into my ass and my knee was way back - it's just my post. chain that is tight. It's also weak, so maybe that means something...

asdf - Thanks bro, but I still feel kinda weak and I will until my dead and squat are over 500. Those are my benchmarks for me to call myself 'strong'. I chose that number because 500 would be double bodyweight (I previously said that I weighed 255, but that was in the afternoon - in the morning lately I've been real close to 250).

 

[djeclipse]

asdf - Thanks bro, but I still feel kinda weak and I will until my dead and squat are over 500. Those are my benchmarks for me to call myself 'strong'. I chose that number because 500 would be double bodyweight (I previously said that I weighed 255, but that was in the afternoon - in the morning lately I've been real close to 250).

Preceprion is a funny thing. Most would look at those squat numbers and sat "that's one strong MOFO" (myself included), but the few people that are capable of making those lifts think it's average and still not strong enough. Does it ever end?

 

[blut wump]

Awesome squats as ever, if not more so. Considering you're not using a suit or wraps that's a very big number. A suit and wraps could take you to looking near 600. Wraps would take you over 500 easily.

With GMs I bend my knees quite a bit and try to sit back slightly which helps to hold the arch. It's all about finding your own groove. I suspect that you have a lot of spare mileage in there once you find the right action.

 

[Guinness5.0]

With GMs I bend my knees quite a bit and try to sit back slightly which helps to hold the arch.

I find that to be the case as well. I'm really starting to wonder if in my particluar case I'd be better off with the RDLs. That's only because I 'feel' them so much more in my hams, but I'm not sure that that's reason enough to switch (sounds a little too 'FLEX magazine' )

 

[blut wump]

I was hitting GM more as a lower back exercise than for hams as such. It's definitely the lower back which says 'no' long before my hams give a damn about the exercise.

For hams, I'd recommend RDLs or Dimels which should be done fast for high reps and will have your glutes and hams complaining.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Wow your squat is out of this world. Good stuff.

Re: GM's, when I've done 'em it's almost exactly like my RDL in terms of knee, hip and lower back action. And like my RDL, my flexibility or lack thereof keeps my upper body well above parallel. I tried some last Friday in fact and I felt a big pull on my hammies with an arched back, chest up and knees slightly bent.

Anyway, looking forward to following this since I want to run WSB this year sometime.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Oh yeah, clever title

 

[Jim Ouini]

For hams, I'd recommend RDLs or Dimels which should be done fast for high reps and will have your glutes and hams complaining.

Why high reps? I assume that means lower intensity as well. I've always done RDL's with high intensity and low reps, mostly because of the Poliquin influence on hamstring training - fast twitch muscles and so forth. Although this may be old thinking now.

 

[perp69]

You got a strong squat there bro.

Perp

 

[nelmsjer]

Nice squat!

Your title: nice...made me laugh. Out loud. At work. No problem.

I'll enjoy checking your journal, bud!

 

[blut wump]

Why high reps? I assume that means lower intensity as well. I've always done RDL's with high intensity and low reps, mostly because of the Poliquin influence on hamstring training - fast twitch muscles and so forth. Although this may be old thinking now.

I meant the Dimels for high reps. It's basically a reduced-range RDL but done almost ballistically as you thrust your groin into the bar.

 

[BiggT]

Excellent progress, really nice squat #'s.....but the best part if this journal is the title, lol.....

 

[anotherbutters]

Congrats on having nearly a page full of responses to just one workout. That must be a record

How long before the 5 plate squat, do you think?

 

[blut wump]

Do you remember what your 1RM squat was six weeks ago, G5.0? I recall your having put up 4 plates at one time. I can't recall whether that was for reps.

 

[Jim Ouini]

I meant the Dimels for high reps. It's basically a reduced-range RDL but done almost ballistically as you thrust your groin into the bar.

I see. I've never done Dimels, although with my flexibility maybe that's what I've been calling RDL's for all these years.

 

[Guinness5.0]

How long before the 5 plate squat, do you think?

I guess it all depends on how I react to coming off the sauce. I could see it going one of three ways really:
-Regressing in strength for a bit, then SLOWLY ramping back up
-plateauing hard for a while
-making slow but steady progress due to focusing on a different rep range, speed work, and improved technique.

I predict the last scenario - I don't expect it to rocket up weekly, but I don't think my form change (staying back on my heels and using my hips/hams appropriately instead of rocking forward on to the balls of my feet in the hole) was anything short of significant. Plus, after both of my previous cycles I hung on to my strength pretty well w/out really knowing what I was doing and without making strength priority #1.

BW-

I really don't have a good reference point for 1rm, which kinda sucks. Best I can compare to is a belted/wrapped triple w/ 405 back in summer. That was right when my back started to get aggravated - probably from heavy weight and rounding my back at the bottom.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 1 -- WEDNESDAY -- ME Bench

Bench press
warmups
Triples: 275, 315
Singles: 345, 365, 375(PR)
225x21

-I couldn't decide what to do for ME bench, so I just benched . It's odd - it seems my sticking point has moved up to the middle/upper portion of the ROM, which is good b/c there are lots of options to address this: rack lockouts, chains, bancs, etc. I know the backoff set was stupid but I just couldn't help it. I stopped short of failure b/c I didn't have a spotter. I just stripped the plates after 375 and went at it, so I think I coulda done like 25 had I rested.

Incline DB press
85'sx10
100'sx10

-last rep w/ hundos was brutal

One-arm DB rows
warmups
120x6x4

-Still room to work with here - prob. could have done 130 or so but I gotta leave some room for ramping on my accessory stuff. I'm using these instead of BB rows b/c I think my back is getting all it can handle w/ the GMs and such.

JM presses
135x8x4

-Not sure I did 'em right as I haven't reviewed any vids of these in a while. They were pretty easy.

Front Squats
warmups
275x3x4

-I though these would be a good movement since I really don't have any quad-dominant movements lined up - I sure don't want a strength to become a weakness Plus these kick my core's ass (that makes NO sense whatsoever).

Prehab: GMs w/ 135 for a couple sets of 12

A good workout. My last shot was Sunday but I doubt my test levels have tanked just yet, but I feel a little less 'fiery'. Could be mental. I'm not sure I like the movement choices 100% - the inclines seem pretty worthless but I just kinda went to the gym w/out a set-in-stone plan. Also, I may have overdone it on the workload by a little.

 

[RipStone]

You, my friend, are one strong MFer! Damn impressive numbers. But, yea, as you said the workload seemed kinda high on this day. One day of too much work aint gonna kill ya though.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Monstrous bench G5.0, nice work.

Also, you planning on using any boards, bands or chains?

 

[nelmsjer]

Holy crap. Is your bench raw? Your front squat is nothing to sneeze at, either!!

 

[blut wump]

Careful with a WSB layout with respect to overtraining. Going four days a week for compound-exercise workouts can drive you to overtraining very quickly and seems to do it in a more insidious fashion than the volume grind of the 5x5-style workout.

Some days you just have to get in and put your effort into the main one or two exercises and go home or blast through your accessory work at half power. This is going to count doubly so as your test levels fall away.

I like DB rows and was doing them at the back end of last year. They feel like a cross between a free-weight and a machine exercise, though, with the stability gained from resting on a bench.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Jim - probably gonna get some bands for speed days and do rack lockouts for ME

Nelms - up it's raw. Hte only epuipment I use is straps for deads. Didn't need 'em for db rows today, which was a surprise

BW - yeah I think this woulda been a good workout w/out the inclines and possibly only two sets of DB rows.. The front squats were intentionally fairly light and low volume. I'll be very in tune to how I feel - it's nice having some DF experience as I have a decent idea of when fatigue is hitting. On the other hand, I tend to think that the low workload inherent in the ME stuff is probably less fatiguing than it appears. With all the various recent sessions where I've done singles I feel fresh as a daisy afterward. We'll see how long that lasts though...

 

[Introspective]

375 Pounds - 170 Kilo Bench - Nice.
275 Pounds - 125 Kilo Front Squat - Nice.
How come your doing WSB and not 5x5 ?

 

[majutsu]

Very nice, my brother. Welcome to the darkside. May Louie be with you!

I'm in week 5 of a 6 week mesocycle. It's one of those things where it all clicks like it never has. Just a few tips: 1)Speed work is not a race. I've found it most rewarding to think of it as "oiling the machine". Just try it; don't ask. 2)Make sure to rotate those MEs. Every 2 weeks is beautiful. Dig in week1 and then beat it week two. And week 3 where you want to quit and cry never comes. 3)I never use wraps, belts etc. Louie recommends NOT working out equipped with box squats etc. You have to pull out a bench shirt once a month to keep your skills if you compete, but otherwise you avoid equipment in your routine workouts. That's what you're supposed to do.

Good luck. You should be on target for the 600 lb squat and 405lb bench we illuminatus have planned for you May 21 (3 months after your b-day). Get cracking, boy.

 

[Guinness5.0]

You should be on target for the 600 lb squat and 405lb bench we illuminatus have planned for you May 21 (3 months after your b-day). Get cracking, boy.

I'd friggin' LOVE to hit 600 this year but damn - that's 135 pounds more!

And you said not to ask, but I'm confused by your comment about DE work. Are yo saying that you disagree with the short rest intervals generally suggested for it? I thought the idea was to work up to the heaviest weight you can while still rocketing the bar up under control. I was under the impression that the last couple sets should be pretty rough, but that bar speed shouldn't be compromised. Sound about right (I'm sure I'm missing your point - just wanted to share what I perceive as the way DE stuff is done)?

 

[psychedout]

Fuck man. This is getting me psychedout to try and train westside. Your numbers are pretty damn impressive too. I really love raw lifters. I just might have to try westside training. I have an extensive document on my computer about it (in fact, you might have been the one to email it to me LoL).

I agree, I love the name of the thread hahaha.

 

[majutsu]

I used to make the mistake of thinking the goal was to move the bar ballistically, like a jackass, injuring your rotator cuff. This doesn't work so well long-term for big numbers.

I think instead of 24 benches in perfect fluidity. With rests every 3 for breath and so form is not compromised. You see, it's a different mentality, and VERY integral to putting up stunning numbers. Very cool.

 

[RipStone]

I used to make the mistake of thinking the goal was to move the bar ballistically, like a jackass, injuring your rotator cuff. This doesn't work so well long-term for big numbers.

I think instead of 24 benches in perfect fluidity. With rests every 3 for breath and so form is not compromised. You see, it's a different mentality, and VERY integral to putting up stunning numbers. Very cool.

I have always thought of DE work as explosive, not fluid. But I guess one can lift explosively fluid?? I have DE work this morning so I'll try it out.

 

[Guinness5.0]

I have always thought of DE work as explosive, not fluid. But I guess one can lift explosively fluid?? I have DE work this morning so I'll try it out.

I think he means fast but not jerky - like the way Pendlay rows are described. It's a smooth acceleration; you don't yank the bar off the ground but you make a point of moving it quickly.


QUESTION: How should I do speed deads? I've seen people do 8 singles but it's usually after they've box squatted. WHat % of 1rm would be a decent place to start? I don't have an adequate box for now, so I plan to use these for four weeks then sub in box squats. Thanks!

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 1 -- FRIDAY -- DE Squat/DL

Speed box squat
warmups
8 doubles w/225, ~1 minute rest b/t sets

-I found a bench that puts me at almost exactly parallel (and I mean REAL parallei - top of hip even w/ knee) so I went ahead and did these. Probably not tons of help for my Oly squat but really I think my dead is my worst offender at this point. Kinda awkward really - sitting back is new, the ultrawide stance is new, and I felt like I was barely moving at all. I'm not sure just how fast these were supposed to feel, but they were smooth and controlled. A few more sessions and I'm sure I'll love 'em.

Speed deads
warmup w/ 225
4 singles w/ 285, ~45 seconds between each

-Pretty easy, but fun.

RDL
warmups
225x8, 275x8, 315x8

-I was surprised at how easy these were - I honestly think I coulda done 365 for 8. But I gotta keep workload in check. I aim to ramp my RE stuff for four weeks a la 5x5, then deload everything at week 5 (I plan to rotate ME's every two weeks and mini-ramp 'em). I got the bar below my knees too. I really like these a lot now that I've done them a couple times.

Pullups
bwx6x2

Hammer curls
55'sx8x2

Ab work
I just layed back on the decline situp bench below parallel and held it til it hurt. EDIT: twice


An interesting day. I'm a little dissapointed in the speed box squats b/c they were so damn easy but yet didn't feel all that fast. Like I said, I'll probably love 'em once I get the feel for 'em

 

[majutsu]

Hahaha I feel your pain, my brother. It will all gel. You will do other workouts, you will read zatsiorsky, you will westside again, you will hit bigger numbers, you will understand. It's actually a cult, not a routine

 

[Phaded]

i was wondering why you weren't updating your log you fucking beast.. YOU MADE A NEW ONE.. anyhow good lifts.. after i get married i'm gonna be hitting up the sauce. hopefully ill be close to as strong as some of your lifts.. your squats are just fucking amazing.. dont think ill ever catch you there .. unless i get leg transplants..

 

[Guinness5.0]

Majutsu-
I could see myself sticking to this methodology for a while. Singles on Mon/Weds were a fucking blast. I imagine that I'll only like this more once I feel confident with the DE stuff.

I'm gonna ponder some mid-range goals - a 1500 raw total involving ATF Oly squats sounds awesome, but that may be a ways out. Maybe 495 - 390 - 515 is doable by late spring/early summer. Let's see, that comes to (carry the one...) 1400 even. Hmmm.....

 

[swaptrex]

**looks at avatar** "i don't know Llyod the french are assholes" lol

 

[Ish]

Did you have bands on for speed squats?

 

[Guinness5.0]

Did you have bands on for speed squats?

no, but I plan on getting bands at some point

 

[mekannik]

Good numbers. Hell, Great Numbers.


What is your grip width on bench?

When I perform speed deads - I typically warm up with some squats, do 2-3 warmup sets of deads, then bust right into 10 x 1 w/ 30 seconds rest. My only variation is using the double overhand grip and wearing oly shoes.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Guinness5.0]

Good numbers. Hell, Great Numbers.


What is your grip width on bench?

When I perform speed deads - I typically warm up with some squats, do 2-3 warmup sets of deads, then bust right into 10 x 1 w/ 30 seconds rest. My only variation is using the double overhand grip and wearing oly shoes.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks bro.

My index fingers are right on the rings on a 7 ft. Oly bar, so pretty wide I guess. I'm just a bit on the lanky side, so I find it strange that bench is probably my best lift - seems to me that I should be a good puller. Whatever.

ATM I'm so PL focused that I DL in either socks or wrestling shoes. And with these piddly weights I can double overhand just fine. My aim is to hit 325 for speed deads at week 4 of this and be able to double-overhand 'em then as well.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 1 -- SUNDAY -- DE bench

Speed bench
warmups
185x3x8

-Easy at first, then harder (but still not hard). I can tell I'm gonna be sore - these killed my pecs despite not being very demanding at the time of performance.

CGBP
warmups
275x5, 315x5x2

-Glad that my strength is still up. I could tell that these were a little bit tougher than before though.

BB rows
225x8x3

-Easy

Standing OHP
135x12, x8

-Just done for prehab - right shoulder's been bugging me a little bit.

Stretched hams/quads/hips afterward. Also stretched and did hypers on Friday but forgot to write it down.

Overall I can tell that the juice is gone - I don't have that invincible feeling for hours, and I'm back to just being really horny a lot as opposed to ragingly horny all the time . Today's lifting session was only about an hour and I was tired by the end, whereas before I felt like I could lift all damn day . I feel good about how things are going, and I'm so glad I used short-acting esters so they can just clear and let me get back to normal. I sure hope I can equal/better my squat of 465 this monday - I'll be thrilled if I can beat it, pleasantly surprised if I equal it, and not too let down if I miss it by a little.

BTW I'll update my juice journal with further thoughts on how the cycle went, as well as some pics/measurements from yesterday.

 

[aerowana]

Hi , how old are you dude. And why do you say testosterone levels drop.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Hi , how old are you dude. And why do you say testosterone levels drop.

I'm 25. I just finished a steroid cycle so my natural test production is pretty much nonexixtent at the moment, but it'll come back pretty quickly.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 2 -- MONDAY -- ME Squat/DL

'Holy shit' is all I can say....

Squat
warmups
Triples: 275, 315, 365, 405
Singles: 430, 455, 495(PR), 515(PR)

-A 50 pound PR. I don't know what to say. By my own standard (double bodyweight) I'm officially a 'strong' squatter . I started a new job so instead of going at 1 or 2 p.m. I go to the gym at 5 (now I get off work at 4:30). My usual spotter works at the gym and is off at five, so i grabbed a dude I've seen squat properly before. He spots me at 455 and asked if I was doing any more. I said I was gonna try for 470. He said that I should just 'plate it' since 455 was easy. So I jsut went for it and got it. Then he pushed me to put dimes on and I figured 'what the hell'. It was brutal but I got it - he put his hands on my ribs but swears he barely touched me (I couldn't gauge the amount of help at all - my mind was elsewhere ). So I'm thrilled.

GM
warmups
5's: 225, 275(PR), 315(PR)

-Had more in me too, no doubt about it. Form is much better and more comfortable.

Hanging leg raises
2 sets til I was real tired - over 20 reps per

Hypers
BWxseveralx2

-just prehab stuff


I've often mentioned that the mental aspect of lifting is where I need work. Today showed me that I have a lot of room when I REALLY push myself. If it wasn't for the 'pushing' I got today, I almost surely would have settled at 470, but instead I got talked into being as strong as I can be and banged out a 50 pound PR. Not to metion a 90 pound PR on my 5 rep GM (only b/c I've never pushed 'em hard).

I do have to wonder if there's a fair amount of hormone still floating around, but I pissed out gallons of water early in the week and my libido has dropped drastically, so I gotta think that this is real strength I'm seeing (at least partly).

I better stop typing or this post is gonna be unreadably long, but damn I'm happy

 

[psychedout]

Man, I can't believe you are seeing this kind of progress post-cycle.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Dammit, I already used the standard "holy shit" smiley for your last squat PR. Huge congrats, dude...that's simply amazing.

I couldn't agree more about about the difference mindset can make. You're really in the proverbial "zone" right now...looking forward to seeing what's next.

 

[nelmsjer]

for the love...

congrats!

 

[carlsuen]

OMFG.. ur a fucking beast!! congrats!!

 

[blut wump]

Nice GMs. I knew you'd have more in you. Congrats on the new PR.

That squat's not bad, either. How much weight can you gain and still remain strong? Was that with belt no wraps?

Congrats!

 

[RipStone]

You are my idol!

 

[Guinness5.0]

Thanks y'all.

BW - no belt/wraps, and it was buried for sure.

 

[blut wump]

I think that qualifies as skyrocketing.

 

[anotherbutters]

You can't add 50 pounds to your squat in one week, it's just not on.

Congrats!

 

[Jim Ouini]

Congrats on the squat and GM PR's - astronomical numbers for a human

 

[anotherbutters]

I'd friggin' LOVE to hit 600 this year but damn - that's 135 pounds more!

50 down, 85 to go...

 

[blut wump]

Some equipment would give him that easily.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Some equipment would give him that easily.

As of now I aim to keep it raw. An Oly 600 squat, raw and ATF, is pretty rare from what I've seen, so that's the goal.

I've been just busting all day - been thinking 'damn - 500 went down. Hell yeah!' periodically, and fixating on getting 6 plates/side going. That's 585 and I wanna get it by July, and I want 600 before '06 is up.

 

[carlsuen]

i think you're the only one among us here who is making such monstrous progress.. u must be a genetic freak!! y not go take part in some competition?

 

[anotherbutters]

lol at going to a meet and beating someone with an ATF squat

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Sounds like your spotter copped a feel while you were day-dreaming during your squat. Seriously though, that's awesome. 50 lb. PR on an already huge squat - not human. I'm looking forward to seeing where this program takes you. Makes me want to give WSB a run. I think Blut or Jim said it in the past, but seeing all these routines available makes me feel like a little kid in a candy store. WSB, HST, 5x5, Korte 3x3 (not crazy about this one, but it's there), and then any variation of my own stuff, plus throwing in olympic lifts.

In fact, can WSB be done, in any sort've way, with the olylifts? That sounds like it'd be awesome. ME overhead squat day, here I come!

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 2 --WEDNESDAY -- ME bench

Well I kinda figured this woud happen...

Overhead squat
barx8x3

-Just for warmup/practice


Bench press
warmups
Triples: 275, 315
Singles: 345, 365xfail

-This is actually the third week of ME style benching for me - i did a session of doubles/singles the week before starting WSB, so I'm chalking this up to nueral fatigue. I barely missed 365 - just coudln't quite lock it out - so there's no need to worry just yet. I think I'll do rack lockouts next week for ME. I probably should have taken it easy or done a new ME movement nice and light to allow for three weeks of ramping (to sync up with the other ME movements), but I wanted to see if I had another PR in me. Guess I'm gonna have to get used to being a mere mortal again

Incline DB press
100'sx8
110'sx6

-I had thought that these were useless, but upon further reading it seems that incline pressing movements remove the lats from pressing to a large degree. SInce my weakness is lockout I figured that maybe a little pec/delt targeting wouldn't be a bad idea. But barbell incline probably would've been a better choice for this purpose.

One arm DB rows
120x8
130x6

-This gym only has DBs up to 130 - I'm thinking I could bang out 5 with 150. BUT, I think these are not so great for my elbows. I think I'm gonna switch 'em out for BB rows. Too bad 'cause for whatever reason I really like doing these.

JM presses
135x8, 155x8, 165x8

-These still feel strange. With these piddly weights I can't think these are doing much good either. Gonna try to find a replacement. Suggestions welcome...

Standing OHP
135x12, x10

-Prehab mostly. Feels good to get a shoulder pump after the heavy stuff.

Power clean into push press
135x3, 185x1x4

-Minimal rest b/t each - just wanted to get the blood flowing before stretching out my legs.
Also, don't watn to get too out of practice on power cleans.

Stretched hams/hip flexors/shoulders/pecs for about ten minutes.

So basically this went exactly as I thought it would - I figured that I was too beat to hit a new PR on bench but since I felt that way about squats on monday I decided that I should at least try for it. Now everything's in sync for 2 week rotations on ME stuff. I still plan to run my DE/accessory stuff in four week blocks, then deload everything on week 5, though I'm not sure exactly how I'll go about the deload.

 

[blut wump]

On the DB rows, depending on your grip and the sizes of the DBs, you might be able to hold more than one DB in your hand to do the row by crossing them over and threading your fingers through the gaps. Obviously, you can't do this with two large ones but you might be able to squeeze a small one into the hand-space of a large one.

Are you sure that your form is down on the JM Press? There's a huge discrepancy between the weight you're using here and your CGBench.

Mind you don't overcook your workouts as you glide back to earth.

 

[BiggT]

With the ME bench movement, choose carefully.....since you're a raw lifter, you might want to make it a ME Press, and do things like inclines, an overhead variation, ultra-wides, bench or incline with a cambered bar, close-grip work. The reason I say this is because I have seen one too many a raw lifter get pissed off at WSB because their pressing goes to shit from doing too many partials, rack work, board work etc.....that stuff is great when you have a shirt to blast the weight off of your chest, but don't neglect your bottom position strength.

Don't worry about the bench either.....regardless of whether or not you're coming off a cycle, you're probably tapped out with singles for a little while on flat benching. Steroids or not, if you could keep upping your 1RM every week, you'd be benching 900lbs raw in a year....so really, take it in stride and don't sweat it at all.

 

[Guinness5.0]

The reason I say this is because I have seen one too many a raw lifter get pissed off at WSB because their pressing goes to shit from doing too many partials, rack work, board work etc.....that stuff is great when you have a shirt to blast the weight off of your chest, but don't neglect your bottom position strength.

I was thinking that since I've been hitting bench so hard that maybe partials for two weeks would be a nice break. I def. don't plan on running partials for any length of time but IMO it seems like a good short term approach. I may switch from inc. db press to flat for accessory work on days when I do rack lockouts. WHattaya think?

I'd like to use bands/chains to improve lockout but for now I'm limited by fundage - I paid for school/books out of pocket so I've gotta get my feet back under me before I go putting money into my lifting endeavors....

And I'm not sweating the miss at all - I kinda expected it but I figured one bad week wouldn't kill me

 

[Chambewy20]

Week 2 --WEDNESDAY -- ME bench

JM presses
135x8, 155x8, 165x8

-These still feel strange. With these piddly weights I can't think these are doing much good either. Gonna try to find a replacement. Suggestions welcome...

I've never gotten these either, they don't seem to work well and I've never felt comfortable that i was doing them correctly and the hurt my elbows so...

I often do Lying DB tri extensions, varying sets and reps with decent form, incline elbows out DB extensions, my nephew whom I train is a thrower so we like these, some rope push downs, band push downs, lots of close grip variations, I can actually do better off my chest than off a board wich is strange but who knows, some kick backs but not often, you'll have to mess around, also if you have bands, the really nail the DB tri extensions when wrapped around your back and gripped in your hands...

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=33900&tid=101

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=4098&tid=106

Hope this helps.

 

[tay1506]

This journal is really gona help me set up my WSB after i get off this 5x5 in 9 weeks. Ive been reading alot about it and this helps more than anything. Also, great lifts, your a beast! I hope to be there someday.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 2 -- FRIDAY -- DE Squat/DL

Kind of a weird day, but very fun. I'll explain at the end...

Speed box squats
warmups
245x2x8

-Felt much better than before. Putting some more weight on the bar actually helped my form I think.

Speed deads
warmups
295 for 4 singles

-Wow. DE pulling really mimics a maximal set. Breaking the floorwas decent, but then I practically came off the ground when I got it to my knees - this highlights my weak spot, so hopefully that means improvement is imminent.

RDL
warmups
275x6, 315x6, 365x5 (PR), 405x5(PR)

-This is another case where putting more weight on the bar actually helped my form. With 365 on, there was no guessing when it was time to start going back up

Front squat
warmups
275x3, 315x1 (but I hit the spotter bars), 315x1 (moved the bars down a notch), 345x1, 365xfail

-Just barely missed 365. Had I been fresh I'm sure it woulda gone down (or up, I guess ). I'm gonna make these a part of this program as assistance work for a while. I've made a couple form tweaks upon reviewing the vid I took a few weeks ago - I've widened my stance and I think my ass now nearly hits the floor at the bottom. Plus I stay bolt upright now (facilitated by the wider stance).

Back extensions
bwx15, x12

Then I stretched for a while and did a set of squats w/ 135 just to get loose.

OK, so this was a lot of work. But I've been doing too mcuh IMO for these two weeks. So I'm gonna deload next week and run again, hopefully with a bit more work capacity (test levels should be climbing). That why i did the fronts heavy today. I think I'll do GMs as my next ME squat/dl movement with front squats as assistance work for like 8 triples or something.

In all honesty, I don't feel the least bit weaker since coming off - I still feel like a fucking animal in the gym but I do notice that I tire much more quicky than when 'on'. i'm hoping that I'll be totally out of the woods (meaning nuts running at full capacity ) by the end of the month so I can go back to beating the shit out of myself and not having to be so neurotic about it.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 2 --SUNDAY -- DE bench

Kinda felt like crap today, so I'm pretty pleased with how things went...

Speed bench (cycling three grip widths)
warmups
185x3x8

-Easy as usual. Everything I've read says to keep this at 50% of 1rm througout, but this is really easy. Should I just stick to 50%? Maybe I'll drop the weight on the bar and add some band tension down the road.

CGBP
warmups
315x5x2

-I was pretty sure I wouldn't get these, but I did. I used the exact same sets/reps/weights as last tiem - I had wanted to move up in weight, but like I said above, I kinda felt like shit today so I was happy that I didn't regress.

BB row
warmup
245x8x3

-Pretty pleased with these. My lats are shot to hell - I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. I did 'em all without straps, and I'm getting closer to parallel than before. These bordered on full-on Pendlay rows, but without the erector flexing I gotta stick with 'BB rows' as the title for 'em

Standing OHP
135x12, x10

-Gets the blood pumping

Push-press
warmups
185x3, 205x3, 225x2

-Tougher than i'd have liked, but I've never done 'em after CGBP so I can't be too hard on myself for this.

I then did some prehab stuff - some <groan> cable rope pressdowns. I did a set of 40, 25, and 15 reps each and got a serious lactic acid burn and cramping on each one, so hopefully my achey elbows will be healed up.

I helped my best friend move into his new house yesterday [side note - the bastard's 3 days older than me - we're both 25 - and he just bought a 2700 square foot house in the Chicago 'burbs. That's what happens when you finish school in four years and get a real job right away ] so my elbows took a beating. Plus as the biggest dude there of course I helped with ALL the heavy stuff (worst offender was his bigass CRT TV that weighs around 200 pounds if I had to guess). So given that, my low test levels, and being pretty fatigued in general, I'm quite pleased with this workout.

Next week is a deload and as of now I'm thinking that I'll lift Mon/Thurs (Squat/Bench respectively), drop all ME stuff but use my supplemental work from ME days, and use the weights I was using for 5's on supplemental stuff at triples (i.e. I did GMs w/ 315 for 5 so I'll work up to 315 for 3 this Monday). If anyone has suggestions as to a different way to go about deloading, I'm all ears (well, eyes I guess seeing as this is a web forum and all ).

 

[Jim Ouini]

Hahah of course you get asked to move 'since you work out' - I get that too but then I tell them I need straps, chalk, a bar and balanced weight, otherwise I'm useless.

Moving boxes really hurts my elbow and wrists. My elbow STILL hurts from moving a year ago lol

Those CRT TV's are killer, in addition to the weight they're so bulky and you're holding them away from your body. Especially down stairs, ugh.

 

[blut wump]

I was out walking one of the dogs yesterday and spotted a downed tree. Next to the tree was a really awkward-looking log which I just couldn't resist picking up. It was very satisfying to have to work out where put my hands to get the grip on it and then to lift it. It can't have weighed much more than 200 but much more fun than working a bar.

 

[Jim Ouini]

Interestingly I helped moved some thick branches from a tree that fell on my brother in laws house a couple weekends ago. Well with my weak grip and the equivalent of 'thick bar' lifting (and iffy footing in the mud), I was struggling moving some of the big guys. Ended up having to lock my elbows around some branches and drag'em that way.

I must need more functional training in my routine

 

[Anthrax Invasion]

Let's all get together and go on a month-long hike in the mountains, ripping trees from the ground with our hands and playing soccer with boulders. I'd totally beat all of you. All of you!!

Cheers.

 

[carlsuen]

Lol...

 

[Tweakle]

You've got some really nice #'s going G, despite what life's throwing at you - any plans to try the cutting thing again? those first few weeks suck but after a month its not so bad

 

[Guinness5.0]

Thanks Tweakle. I'm thrilled with my squat/bench for now, but I gotta get this damn deadlift moving. I plan to test it in either two weeks or a month. If I can't yank over 500 I'll probably cry.

At the moment I think I'll only cut if I get fat(ter). I'm pretty happy with my appearance and I think I've got plenty of neural adaptations left, so for now I'd be happy to stay just like I am but get an assload stronger. But I seem to waiver from time to time, so who knows?

Truth be told I'm tinkering with the idea of entering a meet - if I could drop to 220 and stay just as strong that may be motivation enough to cut. Not a distinct answer for ya but there are lots of things up in the air at this point.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 3 -- DELOAD MONDAY-- Squat/DL

Squat
warmups
Triples: 275, 315,
Doubles: 365, 405
Single: 455

-I worked out at a different gym today and the mirrors in fornt of the rack go from floor to ceiling at this place. I was very pleased to see what my squat looked like at the bottom (at my 'home' gym they have half mirrors, so I can only see my ugly mug staring back at me when I'm in the hole). It seems that my torso angle doesn't change at all througout the squat - I'm sure it does to a degree, but it's unnoticeable to me in the reflection. Also, I'm thrilled that 455 is now deload weight I had mentioned above that I was gonna drop ME stuff, but that would have left next to nothing to do for this workout, so I squatted a little. I still felt fresh as a daisy upon finishing the workout, so it was a good choice I think.

GMs
warmups, 225x5, 275x3, 315x3

-Form didn't feel as perfect on all sets as last week, but the top set was golden. I'm thinking that these'll be fine for ME stuff next week.

Pullups
BWx8 (I think that's a PR)

Hammer curls
45'sx8, 60'sx6

And again today I did tricep pushdowns for ridiculous reps til my arms felt like they were on fire. Throughout today (before lifting) my elbows felt fantastic, but they acted up a little once the weights started to climb on squats. Looks like elbow prehab is gonna be a way of life for a while.

 

[Cynical Simian]

Truth be told I'm tinkering with the idea of entering a meet

500 changes everything, huh? My knowledge of competitive powerlifting is pretty much zero, but it seems like you have the natural ability and knowledge to do well, especially given that you haven't even explicitly tailored your training to it so far.

For a bit of perspective on your weight and relative lift strengths, how tall are you?

 

[Guinness5.0]

500 changes everything, huh? <snip> how tall are you?

Yes it did/does. 585 will likely push me over the edge into competing.

I'm 6 foot even.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Week 3 -- FRIDAY -- Deload Bench

Started w/ a general warmup of OH squats and power cleans

Bench
warmups
Triples: 225, 275
Singles: 315, 335, 345

-I think I coulda set a PR today - felt really strong. I paused all the singles at the bottom and they all went up really smooth. My elbows didn't bother me at all either, thankfully.
EDIT: just thought of something - last year I did a drug cycle using more than double the dose of the cycle I just completed. I tested 1rm on bench on the last week of the cycle and failed at 355. This time around, post-cycle w/ the gear totally cleared, I'm casually putting up 345 in a deload week (didn't even grab a spotter) - that's some pretty decent progress IMO.

Incline DB press
105'sx6, 115'sx4, 125'sx4

-Quasi deload . Since I cut frequency in half, I figured that going kinda heavy but not all out on these would be all right. And based on how bench felt I don't think I'm still dealing with tons of fatigue. I was probably good for 6 w/ the 125's if I had to guess.

BB rows
245x4x3

-Felt awesome. Really snapped 'em ibto my midsection. It was good to get my torso a little closer to parallel too - form is improving.

Standing OHP
warmups
Doubles: 155, 165, 185, 205
Single: 225 (fail)

-Kinda puzzled by this - 185 was a joke but then 225 felt immovable. My sticking point for these is exactly the same as my sticking point for push press, which I find a little odd; I thought that push press would get stuck a little bit higher up. Whatever.

Next week will be a bit more organized than the last two weeks. I'm gonna rum MEs in two-week rotations and my assistance/DE work will be ramped a la 5x5, with the goal of setting a PR for each in week 4 (maybe week 3 depending on the situation).

Movement choices:
ME Squat/DL
ME Weeks 1-2/Weeks 3-4: GM/Box squat
Accessory: Front squat for 8 triples, chins 3 sets of 6, and probably back extensions for prehab

ME Bench
ME weeks 1-2/Weeks 3-4: Rack lockouts/Standing OHP (though I may switch OHP to week 1 and lockouts to week 2 - not sure just yet)
Accessory: DB flat bench 5x5, BB rows 3 sets of 8, light OHP for prehab during lockout weeks, laterals (or some other gay m,ovement like 'em ) for prehab during OHP week.

DE Squat/DL
DE: Box squat 10 doubles, deadlift 4 singles
Accessory: RDL 5x5 (or possibly ramping, but I'm leaning toward 5x5 for now),
chins 3 sets of 6, and low back prehab of some sort (likely more back extensions)

DE Bench
DE: Bench 8 triples
Accessory: CGBP 3 sets of 5 (same weight), rows for 5 triples, and elbow prehab consisting of some sort of extension (possibly skullcrushers in the 12-ish rep range).

No direct ab work - I don't think it does me any good at this point. B/t the front squats and OHP, I don't feel the need for ab work. I really don't think my core is holding me back in the least.

 

[needtogetaas]

sweat.

 

[Guinness5.0]

MESOCYCLE 1
Week 1 of 4

Slight format change to make me sound smarter

ATF squat warmup/CNS primer
135x10, Triples with: 185, 225, 275, 315, 365, 405
-I wanted to hit GMs hard so I figured a warmup with some decent weight would get me primed nicely (BTW I'm quite curious to know how many squats I could do w/ 365 - I'm itching to try a 20-rep squat session, but I'll have to wait for that).

ME Good Morning
warmups
Triples: 225, 275, 315
Singles: 335, 365, 385, 405, 415
-I got a vid of 415, but it was shot w/ my phone so I can't post it (when I get my home gym set up, I'm gonna take LOTS of vids, esp. at first - I still feel pretty goofy busting out the camera to tape my lifts at the gym ). It starts great but I kinda semi-squat it up rather than coming back up exactly the way I went down. I get plenty deep but upon bottoming I tuck my knees forward, roll my butt down a bit and more-or-less squat it up (don't get me wrong - it's a GM for sure - it just gets a little too 'squatty' at the transition). Still, I'm pretty happy with these but I may end up using less weight next week unless I can improve 'em instantly and hang onto my form. Oh yeah, I joined a new gym today and the looks I got while doing these were priceless.

Front Squat
warmups
275x3x6
-tougher than I'd have liked, so I stopped at 6 sets. I was hoping to hit 335 by week 4 but that may be optimistic. I'm gonna have some serious junk in the trunk at this rate - my glutes are shot b/t fronts and GMs.

Pullups
BWx6x3

The thing that sucks is that this gym doesn't have a hyperextension bench. I've NEVER seen a gym without one, and I just assumed they'd have one too. Kinda sucks 'cause I love the way a few sets of hypers w/ bodyweight loosen me up. I stretched for a bit (hams/glutes/low back mostly) and I'm pleased with how my low back has felt lately. Making core tightness a major priority while squatting/deading/OHP'ing/GM'ing etc. has been all the difference.

 

[Phaded]

good shit going on here.. keep up the good work homey.. and looking forward to the vids..

 

[Guinness5.0]

...looking forward to the vids..

Three more months (target date for power rack purchase is June 1) and this journal's gonna use more bandwidth than a porn site

 

[Cynical Simian]

Oh yeah, I joined a new gym today and the looks I got while doing these were priceless.

"Awesome squat, bro!"

Sounds like this gym doesn't even offset the curlers factor with equipment as much as most. Will you be getting a hyper bench or any other non-essentials with the initial round of home gym purchases?

 

[Guinness5.0]

"Awesome squat, bro!"

Sounds like this gym doesn't even offset the curlers factor with equipment as much as most. Will you be getting a hyper bench or any other non-essentials with the initial round of home gym purchases?

The initial setup will be:
-Rack
-2 shitty but adequate Oly bars (already have 'em from previous home gym)
-Bench (flat-90*: the guy I'm moving in with has one and it's good enough for now)
-14 45-pound plates and various small ones from scattered 300 pound weight sets (there are three(!) gyms closing in my immediate vicinity within the next three months so I oughtta get these cheap/free)
-Dumbell handles (the ironmind ones that can be loaded to 200 lbs. each) for standard plates
-Homemade platform (basically 4 sheets of 4'x8' plywood and some rubber matting)
-Chains/bands
-Sled (homemade)


The gyms that are closing will hopefully yield a deal on a hyper bench. I'd like to get a 0-90* stand-alone bench as the one we've got now has shitty uprights and the seat is too wide. It'd be a dream come true to score a reverse hyper and a GHR, but alas none of these damn places have one

In the not-so-distant future I'd like to get a servicable TRUE olympic bar and bumper plate setup, and possibly some strongman type implements, though many of those can be homemade. Glenn Pendlay sells Chinese stuff but I haven't priced it - I'm sure it ain't super cheap though.

 

[RipStone]

Just read through your journal starting from the last time I posted. OMG dude....you are a fucking beast like no other!

BTW, you should come train with me at x-sport

 

[Phaded]

this thread is like the ultimate ego booster hehe..

 

[Guinness5.0]

MESOCYCLE 1
Week 1 of 4
WEDNESDAY -- ME Bench

warmup of OH squats

Rack Lockouts
warmups
Triples: 225, 275, 315
Singles: 335, 355, 365, 385, 405(fail)

-I liked these. Felt strange at first but I think I'm more in tune with my weak point - it seems my lockout is strong and my 'transition' between start and lockout is the true weak link. Perhaps board presses would be a good movement for later.
405 came maybe a millimeter off the pins, so hopefully I can hit 395 next week. Also, my choice of power racks for my home gym has been cemented - I want 1-inch hole spacing for lockoots as I would have liked the pins to have been right in between the holes they were in and the set of holes below 'em. EDIT: just realized I didn't describe pin height. This was approximately the top half of the motion (top 45% if I had to be more precise).

DB bench
90's for 5x5

-Cake. Hoping to hit 120's by week 4.

BB rows
225x8x2

-The plan was to do 3 sets, but these were much tougher than anticipated. I'm gonna do 225x8x3 next week.

Standing OHP
135x10x2

And I did some prehab consisting of tricep pushdowns and <sigh> db side laterals for a couple sets of 20+ reps. It felt really good though . This was a fun workout - I'm looking forward to heavy DB benching.

 

[Madcow2]

BB rows
225x8x2

-The plan was to do 3 sets, but these were much tougher than anticipated. I'm gonna do 225x8x3 next week.

So are you taking Russian lessons now with reps X sets vs. US sets x reps?

 

[Jim Ouini]

Kind of off-topic, but with your oly squat being monstrous and you talking about competing, what do you think your PL squat might be? Probably 600 already with wraps and a belt and you only have to hit parallel..although I will say that having done boxies on Wed it feels totally different than my oly squat on M-F.

 

[Guinness5.0]

So are you taking Russian lessons now with reps X sets vs. US sets x reps?

It makes much more sense to me to do it this way. And it's the opposite of the way the muscle mags write it, so that's a plus .

 

[BiggT]

It makes much more sense to me to do it this way. And it's the opposite of the way the muscle mags write it, so that's a plus .

lol, That's reason enough. Nice looking workout, and I want to compliment you on the weight selection and planning for future weeks.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Kind of off-topic, but with your oly squat being monstrous and you talking about competing, what do you think your PL squat might be? Probably 600 already with wraps and a belt and you only have to hit parallel..although I will say that having done boxies on Wed it feels totally different than my oly squat on M-F.

Who knows? I'd sure like to think 600 is realistic w/ wraps and a little practice (FWIW I don't think a belt will help my weights any - I don't think my back/abs are a weakness). They're different animals, but I would tend to guess tha the carryover from Oly to PL woul be better than PL to Oly. If/when I decide to give the PL stance a shot, I should be set up well for it with GMs now being a heavy movement for me and all the box squatting I'm currently doing for DE work and planning to do for ME. I think it'll only be a matter of getting used to the movement. Hip/ham strength should be good enough for a big PL squat by the time this run is through (and I have very high expectations for my deadlift - the 'race' in my head is for which will hit 600 first: Oly squat or dead). Obviously this is specualtion but most of the WSB'ers I've seen rarely if ever perform squats in training liek the squats they perform in competition - it's all box squats and GMs.

But to really throw a wrench in things, I am honestly more interested in the Oly lifts - I just need to get around to learning 'em first

 

[BiggT]

Guiness....interest in olympic squatting and the o-lifts would compliment Highland Games perfectly, I would actually like to give them a shot if I could find a throwing coach in reasonable driving distance. I think you'd be good at them, plus you've got height and a good frame to add even more size and really put something behind your throws.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Guiness....interest in olympic squatting and the o-lifts would compliment Highland Games perfectly, I would actually like to give them a shot if I could find a throwing coach in reasonable driving distance. I think you'd be good at them, plus you've got height and a good frame to add even more size and really put something behind your throws.

Dude, you read my mind! I've always regretted not getting into shotputting/discus in high school, and with the Ironmind catalog as my bathroom reading material, I've kinda rekinded the desire to hurl large metal objects as far as I can.

Man,. there's a whole world of offbeat athletics out there

 

[Madcow2]

It makes much more sense to me to do it this way. And it's the opposite of the way the muscle mags write it, so that's a plus .

Ironically, I think that if more people followed that logic - there would be a lot of big strong guys in the gyms and a lot less 160lbs plateaued kids on the anabolic board.

 

[Guinness5.0]

MESOCYCLE 1
Week 1 OF 4
FRIDAY -- DE Squat/DL

DE Box Squat
8 doubles @ 245, very short rest periods

-'Clicked' today. Sitting back felt much more natural. On most reps the bar literally came off my back entirely at the top [EDIT: hehe another tie-in w/ the title of the journal ] I'd like to get more aggressive with the weights. Obviously I gotta keep bar speed high, but I think based on today's effort that these are poised for a decent jump.

DE Deadlift
4 singles @ 315, very short rest periods

-I may do these at 315 throughout, just to 'hone the groove'.

RDL
315x5x5

-Def. light but still difficult. I think I end up going too deep when these aren't REALLY heavy. Whatever.

Chinups (palms in)
BWx6x3

Prehab was light GMs for a few sets of 15+. I need to get some ab training in I guess. Next time Good workout b/c of the box squats; business as usual with the rest. I am toying with the idea of switching to two-week loading on everything followed by a deload week. I'm definitely a bit fatigued from the heavy GMs monday, so four straight weeks of loading MEs may be a bit much. We'll see...