Weight Lifting

[David S.]

Only one lift a day since that what is Cor-Man257 said worked for him. You keep doing what you are doing you Oldie! 🤣🤣
Btw, coming to Dallas in April! Hopefully Hard 8’s is open braw!

Haha. Guess I missed that. With the exception on one weekend mid month, we'll be around in April.

I know Starting Strength isn't everyone's cup of tea. I'm continued to slowly gain on it and plan to continue through the end of the year.

Per the Starting Strength program, stretching and warmup exercises are a waste of time for barbell training, and may even be counter productive. We show up cold and get straight under the bar with warm up sets. Super simple. The modified workout (all lifts get one top set instead of three) took 45 minutes in the beginning. Now with longer rests between heavier sets, it takes about an hour and a half.

No issues with soreness after the first couple weeks.

[Cory]

Hi Cory, I’ll save you a lot of soreness and frustration. You mentioned that you are not yet doing any lifts to your body weight. Right now you are in a newbie stage, which means you can gain strength and jump weight rather quickly. Instead of doing 531 BBB, I would recommend focusing on sets of 3 in a pyramid style. I would also recommend a full body workout, a simple A and B setup works because you just go back and forth every 2-3 days. If you miss a workout because you are sick or traveling, you hit your full body again on the next workout. I.e. Workout A on Monday, B on Thursday, A again on Sunday, B on Wed...

When I was fighting professionally and now that I am not, I follow this basic routine (my volume has just increased over the years):

Workout A
Deadlift
Overhead Press
Weighted Chins

Workout B
Squat
Bench Press
Bent Over Rows

Plan to do 5-6 sets of 3 reps per exercise. Gradually pyramid up to a top set of 3, like this:
Bench Press: 95x3, 115x3, 125x3, 135x3, 145x3
If you get all 3 reps, add 5 lbs. to your sets the next time you bench. So then your sets will be 100, 120, 130, 140, 150...

Add 5 lbs. for each upper body lift per workout and 10lbs. for each lower body lift (squat/deadlift).

The objective is to end on a positive note, not be sore so you are fresh for the next workout, and consistently add weight every workout. You don’t need to wreck your body with volume until you are in an advanced stage, where you can no longer progress each workout through overload.

Please trust me, this is the best way to get strong; you just need to remain consistent and stick to the same core lifts.

At this point I think multiple lifts per exercise is the general consensus as the best way forward. For me, that means it needs to at least be tried for a bit.

I'm looking to plan out my work for the next week or so. I'm curious how you arrive at the weights for the pyrimid. Are they a % of 1RM or a training max like 531? I'm used to preplanning a bit but don't know how to judge the weights for the pyrimid.

I'm around 180 - 185 lbs. To lay it all out, embarrassing as it may be here is the last "performance" page of my notebook. ! Is a personal best, F denotes the rep that failed. * means I goofed the program somewhere.

My OHP started later than everything else so hasn't built the same amount yet. Squat and Bench are coming along but a bit slow. I'm certain I could DL my weight for at least 5 rep at any given time.



I started a 2nd deload, because I was really down and out with some sickness. However, I had to stop for a bit. I anticipate restarting a bit below these numbers to get back in the groove.

Thougts on weight planning for GAP's lay out?

-Cory

[GAP]

At this point I think multiple lifts per exercise is the general consensus as the best way forward. For me, that means it needs to at least be tried for a bit.

I'm looking to plan out my work for the next week or so. I'm curious how you arrive at the weights for the pyrimid. Are they a % of 1RM or a training max like 531? I'm used to preplanning a bit but don't know how to judge the weights for the pyrimid.

I'm around 180 - 185 lbs. To lay it all out, embarrassing as it may be here is the last "performance" page of my notebook. ! Is a personal best, F denotes the rep that failed. * means I goofed the program somewhere.

My OHP started later than everything else so hasn't built the same amount yet. Squat and Bench are coming along but a bit slow. I'm certain I could DL my weight for at least 5 rep at any given time.



I started a 2nd deload, because I was really down and out with some sickness. However, I had to stop for a bit. I anticipate restarting a bit below these numbers to get back in the groove.

Thougts on weight planning for GAP's lay out?

-Cory

Hey Cory, first there’s nothing embarrassing about your lifts. You are only competing against yourself, the numbers don’t matter as long as you improve from your prior workout.

Use the first workouts to feel out where you should begin. I recommend using your 5 rep max as your first week’s 3 rep max. You want to start low, get in a groove, and progress every workout. Even if you feel like you can rep out 10, just do 3 and rack the weight. The object is to feel fresh after the workout and not feel beaten down for the next.

I.e. just do 5-6 sets of 3 reps for all exercises but use weights as if you would need to complete 5 reps for the first A and B workouts, then add 5 lbs to upper body and 10 lbs to lower body lifts.

If you plan to do weighted chins, use a length of chain and a carabiner to thread through plates and wrap around your weight belt. You can also use a backpack in a pinch.

Right now you don’t need volume, you need consistency and progressive overload. After a few months you’ll hit a wall; that’s okay and it’s when you switch to something like 531 where you are strong enough to make that kind of programming worthwhile.

[Joe S]

If you like 5/3/1, you don't have to change from it. IMO, BBB will just make you sore at first, especially if the amount of work is new. You can consider doing less sets, or reducing the weight to 30% for a week or a cycle, then 40%, etc.

If you wanted faster progression, there is also a beginner's program by Wendler. Or you can just add some FSL sets.

Wendler has increasingly moved towards recommending an 85% TM for many applications, too.

Your recovery sounds fine. Make you're eating enough. To be honest, I would expect Squat day on BBB to make anyone sore. If you're not struggling with form on the weight, you're probably fine. Knock down your TM if you're worried.

The biggest things that help alleviate soreness for me, with any program:

Calculate your protein, make sure you're getting enough.
Drink water until you're sick of it. Then drink some more. Your piss should be close to clear all the damn time.
Rolling out sore muscles with a lacrosse ball.
Hot baths at night help loosen the muscles so I can sleep without them cramping up.
Tonic days: the day after a big squat session, do some very light of even bodyweight squats for reps. 2-5 sets of 10 reps. Won't feel like you're doing anything, but helps keep up blood flow and flexibility in the muscles.
Stretch. Not right before or after, but throughout the day. I do after every meal. Even 5 minutes makes a huge difference. What you need to stretch will be personal. For me, it's forearms, shoulders, hamstrings, butt.

[GAP]

If you like 5/3/1, you don't have to change from it. IMO, BBB will just make you sore at first, especially if the amount of work is new. You can consider doing less sets, or reducing the weight to 30% for a week or a cycle, then 40%, etc.

If you wanted faster progression, there is also a beginner's program by Wendler. Or you can just add some FSL sets.

Wendler has increasingly moved towards recommending an 85% TM for many applications, too.

Your recovery sounds fine. Make you're eating enough. To be honest, I would expect Squat day on BBB to make anyone sore. If you're not struggling with form on the weight, you're probably fine. Knock down your TM if you're worried.

The biggest things that help alleviate soreness for me, with any program:

Calculate your protein, make sure you're getting enough.
Drink water until you're sick of it. Then drink some more. Your piss should be close to clear all the damn time.
Rolling out sore muscles with a lacrosse ball.
Hot baths at night help loosen the muscles so I can sleep without them cramping up.
Tonic days: the day after a big squat session, do some very light of even bodyweight squats for reps. 2-5 sets of 10 reps. Won't feel like you're doing anything, but helps keep up blood flow and flexibility in the muscles.
Stretch. Not right before or after, but throughout the day. I do after every meal. Even 5 minutes makes a huge difference. What you need to stretch will be personal. For me, it's forearms, shoulders, hamstrings, butt.

I have to disagree with this approach. Running 531 now will take him 3x as long to increase his strength over what I proposed; especially if he runs BBB and does high rep sets of 60 lbs squats for no apparent reason.

Just do 3-5 rep sets and put more weight on the bar.. until you can’t. Then eat more and try again. After that move to higher volume, like 3x5 and longer rest between sets. Then eat more and try again. THEN after you squat 315 for sets of 5, worry about percentages and fancy stuff that sells books.

[Joe S]

I have to disagree with this approach. Running 531 now will take him 3x as long to increase his strength over what I proposed; especially if he runs BBB and does high rep sets of 60 lbs squats for no apparent reason.

To be more clear, I was simply pointing out that he didn't have to stop Wendler's programming if he liked it for having one lift a day, or some other reason.

For nearly everyone, a linear progression will make a beginning lifter stronger faster. It is what I did, although my athletic/strength pathway has been an odd one, so it didn't work as well as for some people on all my lifts. If we were going to suggest programs, I like Greyskull over Starting Strength.

I would point out two things: there is an unquestioned assumption there that in terms of attaining strength, faster is always better. It may be, it may not. That's a decision to be made by that person. A little pedantic, but true.

I also think people confuse the increasing TM in 5/3/1 with an increasing 1RM, in a linear additive relationship. That's an assumption that doesn't seem to always bear out in my limited experience.

I'm a fan of Wendler's work because it gives a lot of ready made options to people, and teaches them a little about programming by doing, rather than just explaining it. I think it allows people to figure out what works for them and what they want.

I understand your point, and think it valid if you have a minimum benchmark you are in a hurry to achieve to facilitate another end.

Thanks for raising the point and pointing out the difference.

[TheNewbie]

How’s everyone doing that doesn’t have gym access? I know some of you guys were smart enough to get a home gym set up long ago.

I’ve been doing the best I can with what I have. Plus another member PMd me a body weight workout program. I’ll look at it next.


Currently I’ve been using part of a tree I cut down to do behind the neck presses, walking lunges, curls and walking with it above my shoulders.

I have 20 lb dumbbells I’m going hi rep and fast with.

20 lb kettle bell that I’ll throw. With it I do 10-20 reps of behind the neck presses with the tree, walking lunges (while holding the tree above my head) to the kettle bell, and then pick it up and throw it with each arm. Then repeat.

Doing push ups.

How smart or effective is my program? I have no real idea, except I worked out Sunday and Monday, and I’m smoked today. As smoked as any work besides maybe hi rep squats or dead lifts.

[Trukinjp13]

Fortunately I have a home gym and it’s setup pretty damn well.

Without equipment. Bands will go along way. You can do deadlifts, good mornings, presses, curls etc.

Also if possible build your own sandbags. Cheap to setup and can be any weight you want.

Buy a pulley and some cable/clamps from a big box store and hang it off a tree. You can get some carabiners and attach your kettlebells/bands/sandbags or any sort of heavy object to it. Use that as a diy cable rig for lat pull downs and a ton of other workouts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Joe S]

How smart or effective is my program? I have no real idea, except I worked out Sunday and Monday, and I’m smoked today. As smoked as any work besides maybe hi rep squats or dead lifts.

If you're increasing reps/decreasing rep times, then you are getting stronger.

Thoughts: can you tie/connect the weights together? Tie them to a tree? Get-up, swings, snatches, and halos for the KB. Caber toss, Zercher squats and carries for the tree, flip it end over end like a tire, roll it for time and distance for a back breaker in conditioning. Attach weights to tree, clean and front squat.

To be honest, I think a lot of people really overlook Pullups, because if you're not already good at them, they're hard. Be able to bang out 12-20 of them, then figure out how to start adding weight. Works much of the upper body and core.

[Warped Mindless]

If you're increasing reps/decreasing rep times, then you are getting stronger.

Thoughts: can you tie/connect the weights together? Tie them to a tree? Get-up, swings, snatches, and halos for the KB. Caber toss, Zercher squats and carries for the tree, flip it end over end like a tire, roll it for time and distance for a back breaker in conditioning. Attach weights to tree, clean and front squat.

To be honest, I think a lot of people really overlook Pullups, because if you're not already good at them, they're hard. Be able to bang out 12-20 of them, then figure out how to start adding weight. Works much of the upper body and core.

The Strongfirst "Fighter Pullup Program" is pretty awesome (and free).

My next block of Tactical Barbell im going to add it in instead of TBs pull up programming.