***Weightlifting Thread*** - Page 22

sanitariex

4:54p, 12/18/23

CC09LawAg said:
I was looking at that pad earlier, when looking at their plate loaded cable machine. They sell it as something you can use as support for your lat pulldowns as well? I am not sure I have figured out how that setup would work yet.

So I'm in the process of planning to move all my equipment to my other garage where I have more space, and thinking of going with the bells of steel hydra 6 post rack, originally thinking of putting in a rogue rhino, but can't justify the price. They sell this attachment that I'm leaning more towards, that comes with a crossbrace to hold you in place for lat pull downs to use with your bench, not sure how to incorporate the seal row pad:

https://www.bellsofsteel.us/all-products/racks/hydra/hydra-attachments/hydra-lat-pulldown-attachment/

10andBOUNCE

11:52a, 12/20/23

Anyone doing any end of year testing on their lifts? Think I will try to get a good idea where I am at in my last couple of workouts this year.

CC09LawAg

11:59a, 12/20/23

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

I was tempted to, but I maxed out in September and hit all of my goals for the year (365 squat & DL and 275 bench). Then I started the Boring but Big 3 month challenge, so I won't be done with that till mid-February. Going to max out at the end of that then do a small deload/try to lose the weight I'm packing on right now.

Let us know how it goes! I notice a huge energy drain for a week or so after maxing on my squats and deadlifts. Not so noticeable on my upper body stuff.

10andBOUNCE

12:35p, 12/20/23

In reply to CC09LawAg

Yeah, I timed this out to get in the gym this Saturday to do this before the Christmas festivities kick off so I have a good week off afterwards to enjoy the break. Not sure how aggressive I will be; likely just see how I feel and let it rip if the body is giving me the green light!

CC09LawAg

1:34p, 12/20/23

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

Nice. I don't max out often so I'm still trying to figure out the best way to warm up/work my way up. I've been taking it on as my joker sets on 5/3/1 day, but I think the better way to do it for a true max is to work my way up on deload week and then maybe just run back the deload week after that. The last AMRAP set on 5/3/1 day gasses me pretty bad and it's probably limiting me.

10andBOUNCE

11:26a, 12/23/23

Well I'm toast after this morning. Definitely not optimal or probably encouraged to test all lifts on the same day, but with our travel next week I felt like it was my best window I had.

OHP @ 175
Went up smooth for the most part and went for 185, but that was humbling and did not go much of anywhere ha ha.

Squat @ 290
Technically a PR but I've never really ever tried many heavy singles. Bit of a struggle on my left side, so that was good to identify to address going forward.

Deadlift @ 435
Surprised a bit here as my warmup at 365 did not move very smoothly. Decided what the heck and put 405 on, which I have hit before, and that was no problem. 435 was relatively smooth, probably can go for the 450 milestone in the next few months. I think I've pulled 435 before, but can't remember off hand. Was either 425 or 435.

Bench (Decline) @ 255
As I mentioned elsewhere I lift decline because it's been MUCH easier on my shoulders. Just always been a terrible bencher. I am not interested in going heavy since decline isn't really meant for that and probably poses safety issues like Hoose has mentioned. I had a spotter on this one for sure. I may see how I am on flat for my next few cycles of 531.

Overall at a total of 980, with the obvious caveat that decline doesn't really replace a true flat bench, but gives me a general idea. Probably at the point where I could grind out the 1,000 lbs. Been a longtime goal, so pretty happy overall.

Merry Christmas to all you folks! Bigger and better things in 2024!

Farmer1906

12:21p, 12/23/23

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

This makes me want to max out. I'm going to try after Christmas.

10andBOUNCE

12:34p, 12/23/23

In reply to Farmer1906

Do it! Someone can start some kind of chalkboard/leaderboard like all the cool gyms have, which I will never be on.

bam02

12:44p, 12/23/23

I have never done it because I always feel like it comes at the expense of missing a training session, But I guess there's definitely value and knowing your true one rep max.

Nice lift, by the way

CC09LawAg

2:30p, 12/23/23

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

Are you squatting high bar or low bar?

If you're pulling 435, you definitely have some potential to add a lot on to that squat max to get you over 1000 easily.

Nice work!

10andBOUNCE

5:11p, 12/23/23

In reply to CC09LawAg

High bar squat.

I agree, my squat and DL are kind of out of whack. I've always just been kind of a weenie on leg day to be completely honest. Just not the stuff I enjoy doing at 6am. It's been better the last year and have made some progress, which shows how bad it was. I need to quit being a baby though.

2girlsdad

5:31p, 12/23/23

This AM work out was great for 2 reasons.

#1-tripled 425 on dL
Doubled 280 on bench, then single with 290 which came up pretty smooth and then 3x3 with 270 (I remember when I couldn't even single 270).

BUT, the best part is my 5.5 year old asked me to wake her up when I lift (home gym) so got up to do my pre-workout stuff, and at 6AM woke her up and she GOT AFTER IT. I love how she loves to workout, but makes me feel so special that she wanted to get up early to lift with me. She had her noise canceling headphones on since I have a 12" sub with speakers in the wall and having her there definitely motivated me to get that triple with 425. I'm love her so much!

bam02

5:52p, 12/23/23

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

Squats are rough in the early morning. I hate squatting in the morning.

10andBOUNCE

6:08p, 12/23/23

In reply to 2girlsdad

Very cool! One of the reasons it makes it all worth it.
Also, 425x3 is solid work, sir. Keep it up.

My son, 9 years old, always wants to go to the gym with me. I've got him working some bands at home some, but hopefully when I get the setup in the garage complete I can let watch and slowly get involved.

CC09LawAg

6:28p, 12/23/23

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

Man there's no way I could lift heavy if I did early workouts! So props to you for that. I feel strongest early afternoon but usually can't get to the weights till later in the evening.

If you try out low bar a lot of the strength from your deadlift will transfer over with the load shifting. Obviously that is only if you want to put up a bigger number, I think ultimately I want to high bar squat as I get older but I'm enjoying the low bar for now.

2girlsdad

7:03p, 12/23/23

In reply to CC09LawAg

I've been lifting early for a couple years now, and last week tried a 2 pm w/o and had NOTHING. I think I read a study where people who lift in the afternoon may get better results, but ultimately when your body gets used to the routine (and you naturally wake up before your 4AM alarm), you'll get pretty good results. I never plan on PM workouts again. I also like getting it done so the rest of the day is easy in comparison.

10andBOUNCE

2:04p, 1/3/24

I guess everyone stopped lifting since it has gotten so quiet?

Any good goals for the new year?

I decided against goals for the whole year but wrote a few down short term goals based on the lifts I tested recently and current weight. Will reevaluate as I go. Giving myself until my son's little league starts in March to reach the first few.

Squat 3x275
Bench 7x225
Deadlift 1x455
OHP 3x165
Weight @ 195, down approx. 5-10 lbs.

PascalsWager

2:21p, 1/3/24

I got that rarest possible compliment on New Years day from a platonic lady friend of ours:

She said my calves were looking really big and toned.

All the work and ups and downs of weight lifting were for that one moment. I'll savor it forever!

Farmer1906

2:28p, 1/3/24

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

I have been under the weather and away from weights for a few weeks. I've been doing a ton of high volume body weight to keep up.

10andBOUNCE

2:36p, 1/3/24

In reply to PascalsWager

Ah, so you must be one of the guys who has a full workout dedicated to biceps and calves! Good to get whatever small compliments we can.

I actually cannot train calves. When I have in the past, I will get painful cramps that night, usually in the middle of the night. I had to stop doing other cardio I used to do, like Insanity workouts because I couldn't even make it through one of the DVDs without bailing from what seemed like a calf strain. Just bizarre. So I am jealous of your calf game.

10andBOUNCE

2:38p, 1/3/24

In reply to Farmer1906

It's alright, get the early 2024 baseline a little lower to allow for massive gains this year. Hope you're back at it soon.

CC09LawAg

3:42p, 1/3/24

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

I'm in the middle of month 2 of the 5/3/1 Boring But Big 3 month challenge and it's been surprisingly easy for everything but squats. Month 3 might kill me though.

My goals for the year are to squat 425, deadlift 455, and bench 315. I'm going to max in mid-February and hoping for 405 on squat and deadlift, so I may reevaluate my goals depending on how that goes.

Currently pushing 240 which is what I weighed when I started on my fitness journey, but it's all been intentional gain for a bulk. So going to try to get down to 215-220 by May and then reassess based on how I look/feel.

10andBOUNCE

4:07p, 1/3/24

In reply to CC09LawAg

That BBB challenge was a grind for me, although not as bad as the monolith program I did.

CC09LawAg

4:18p, 1/3/24

What do we think about the strength standards mentioned in this article?

What Is Strong? Real World Strength Standards For Raw, Natural Lifters | Muscle & Strength (muscleandstrength.com)

I am trying to decide what some realistic "end game" goals are for me.

And what signs do you see to know when you're reaching your genetic limits vs. needing to switch programs/deload?

CC09LawAg

4:29p, 1/3/24

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

Was it this?

jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101078918-building-the-monolith-5-3-1-for-size

10andBOUNCE

5:02p, 1/3/24

In reply to CC09LawAg

You need to add 5 more lbs into your goals this year so you hit 1200.

10andBOUNCE

5:03p, 1/3/24

In reply to CC09LawAg

CC09LawAg said:
Was it this?

jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101078918-building-the-monolith-5-3-1-for-size

Yes

CC09LawAg

7:46p, 1/3/24

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

Oh, I'm trying to convince myself I can hit 1500 in the next few years.

But I'm not sure where that registers on the scale of "realistic" to "delusional".

bagger05

8:51a, 1/4/24

In reply to CC09LawAg

CC09LawAg said:
What do we think about the strength standards mentioned in this article?

What Is Strong? Real World Strength Standards For Raw, Natural Lifters | Muscle & Strength (muscleandstrength.com)

I am trying to decide what some realistic "end game" goals are for me.

And what signs do you see to know when you're reaching your genetic limits vs. needing to switch programs/deload?

Read this in an article and seems to line up with that article you posted.

Bench press: body weight x 1.5, or x 1.8 (elite)
Chin-ups or pull-ups: body weight x 1.5 or 15 reps with body weight, or x 1.8 / 20 reps (elite)
Squat: body weight x 2, or x 2.4 (elite)
Deadlift: body weight x 2.5, or x 3 (elite)

A 185 lb man hitting the elite levels in bench/squat/dead would be at 1332. 200 lb man would be 1440.

CC09LawAg

9:29a, 1/4/24

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

How long were those workouts taking you? I'm seeing people saying anywhere from 1.5 to 2 hours - did you find that to be the case?

It's definitely on my radar now, was going to run the three month challenge for my next bulk but this looks brutal/fun.

10andBOUNCE

9:51a, 1/4/24

In reply to CC09LawAg

Workouts were long. I already take too long on my normal 5/3/1 FSL but these were rough.

I wouldn't mind trying again but would want to wait until I have my garage gym built out and not having to commute to workout.

CC09LawAg

9:58a, 1/4/24

In reply to 10andBOUNCE

The 3 vs 4 day a week split makes me think I can justify adding some time on - just wish I could do Sat/Sun but that obviously won't work.

This might be one where I have to tell my wife to just bear with me for 6 weeks while I eat 2 pounds of ground beef everyday and am hidden in the garage for 2 hours 3 nights a week.

ttha_aggie_09

12:01p, 1/4/24

In reply to bagger05

Man some of those numbers really surprise me for Natural Bench Press

Last time I checked, the numbers for my body weight and bench were in the mid 500s... Not trying to brag but I have done everyone of those weights in my class, less the heaviest one, in the last year. This is really interesting and perhaps changes my opinion on being able to naturally compete.

bagger05

1:30p, 1/4/24

In reply to ttha_aggie_09

Additional context is that this is for people going for aesthetics and working on a basic overall strength program. I expect that once you get to competition type folks there's a lot of technique involved and your routine would be more geared toward getting really good at the big three lifts.

Not knowledgeable enough to know how big of a difference this makes but this is with no wraps, straps, or anything like that.

I know for me personally if I got down to 175 and was able to get three plates, four plates, five plates I would feel pretty damn good about myself.

ttha_aggie_09

1:45p, 1/4/24

In reply to bagger05

I was looking at the Natural Records list and my weight class. It seems lower than I remembered but maybe I wasn't looking at a true "natural" record.