Westside Routine

[Ashford]

This is a six week westside routine I wrote up. It is with a 295bp max, 395 sq max, and 405 deadlift max. The Wednesday and Saturday workouts are short workouts to help me build some mass in some weak areas. I start the routine next week, I'm sorta bummed right now because I did a four week routine and got good gains and in the second four weeks I got jack so I'm changing it up and putting in some extra workouts to strengthen my weak spots. Any advice would be much appreciated:

Monday:
Dynamic Bench Day
10 sets of 3 bench press
3 sets of 8-10 reps skullcrushers
3 sets of 8-10 reps close grip bench (dips week 4 through 6)
3 sets of 8-10 reps front raises
3 sets of 8-10 reps Seated Rows (BB Rows week 4 through 6)
2 sets of 8-20 concentration curls

Tuesday:
Dynamic Squat/Deadlift Day
8-12 sets of 2 box squats
4-8 singles deadlift
3 sets of 8-10 Good Morning
3 sets of 8-20 situps

Wednesday:
Week 1-3:
2x25 Bench (One Wide One Close)
3x8-10 Chinups
Week 4-6:
3x8-10 Pulldowns
3x8-10 Lat Raises

Thursday:
Max Effort Bench Day
Bench Press sets of 3 then singles up to 1rm in 10lb intervals start at 225.
Do Monday exercises

Friday:
Max Effort Squat/Deadlift Day
Box Squat, start at 225 go up 20lb with triples then singles to max
Do Tuesday exercises

Saturday:
Week 1-3:
3x8-10 Glute/Ham Raise
3x8-10 Leg Raise
3x8-10 DB Powerclean
Week 4-6:
3x8-10 Walking Lunges
3x8-10 Side Bends
3x8-10 situps

Bench:
60%=180

Squat:
50%=200
55%=220
60%=240

Deadlift:
50%=205
60%=245
70%=285

[Ashford]

Did my first workout today, was ME bench, I'm dead now from it lol.

Flat Bench:
8@135 (Warmup)
3@205
3@215
3@225
3@235
3@245
1@255
1@265
1@275

Skullcrushers:
3x8@110

Dips:
3x8 with 60lb assistance

Front Raise:
3x8@40lb dumbells

Seated Rows:
3x8@165

Concentration Curls
2x10@35lb dumbells

I think I can move up on front raises definitely. Also on skullcrushers it is time for me to move to 115lb since I finished all three sets without much problem. Today was the first day I have ever done dips and I must say they whipped my ass!

[Rookie]

Nice numbers you got there. Damn 40lbs DB for front raises seems heavy. I'll be looking forward to this.

[Ashford]

Thanks for the compliment Rookie.

Today was ME Squat day, I tried out Front Squats because I think I might add them to assistance day because I think my quads need more work. I had never done them and boy did I like how they felt. Also I remeasured and discovered my old box was about 3" too high so I started using one the right height today (about 1-2" below parallel).

Squat:
225x3
245x3
265x3
285x3
305x3
325x3
345x3
365x1
385x0 miss

Man, I was just worn out by the time I got to 385. Got a lot of sets in though since I lowered my start weight and my legs felt blasted.

Good Morning:
3x8@145

I need to up this a good bit but I'm just starting with good mornings so I'm starting pretty light

Front Squats:
3x8@145

God these felt awesome. Again I went light since it was my first time doing them.

Situps:
3x10 w/ 25lb weight

Wheee, I have a bigass gut! lol

[BPP]

nice workout bro!

big squat numbers

[Ashford]

Thanks proppy. I hope to get 400+ soon on a max out. That would make my day.

[Rookie]

Yeah you will be at 400 in no time!

[Ashford]

Whew, my form on powerclean sucks. Gotta spend more time on it. I'm not going very deep into the squat position when I pull myself under the bar. We don't have anything for glute/ham except for a machine (bleh)

Powerclean:
3x8@135

Glute/Ham:
3x8@185

Leg Extension:
3x8@90/leg

Powercleans took a lot out of me. I think they'll help me develop a lot of power for deadlifts and squats though.

[Fullback_45]

Very good workouts Ash. Your a strong dude for sure. Your workouts are looking great!

[Ashford]

Thanks for the support guys. I had a great workout today. Felt good. After the workout I did 25 minutes of cardio on a treadmill. I'm trying to lose some bodyfat since mine is currently way too high. I want to at least get rid of the lovehandles.

Dynamic Day:
Bench Press:
10x3@150

Skullcrushers:
3x8@115
This felt good, I'm beyond the preset barbells at the gym now and having to load up a ez-curl bar.

Dips:
3x8

Front Raises:
3x8@45
Felt good, might move up next week but I doubt it. Depends on how they feel Thursday.

Seated Rows:
3x8@180

Hammer Curls:
3x8@35

God my biceps are puny lol!

[Ashford]

Whoops, I did front squats today instead of some speed work with deads and didn't realize it till I got back in my truck and got home. Oh well, I don't think it will hurt to miss them this week.

Speed squats on a low box:
12x2@200
These felt great, I was getting great acceleration on them.

Good Morning:
3x10@155
I love good mornings, I'm still working my way up, next week I'm doing 165

Front Squats:
3x8@155
Probably need to move up to 165 next time I do these. They are supposed to be done on saturdays but I've ****ed them up the past couple of weeks. My workout partner won't do them because he says they choke him. <sigh>

Situps:
3x10@25

[Ashford]

I got to thinking, weeks 4-6 I'm doing a different max effort exercise. I'm not sure what it is yet but I know for chest I need something that works the lower part of my stroke. I'm thinking about doing decline bench maybe? Anyone got any ideas?

For my leg max effort I'm probably going to do either good mornings and switch my good morning to back hypers or do hassock squats. Not sure. I'm also wondering if I should make the sections of the cycle longer than 3 weeks?

[Ashford]

Had a good day today.

Bench Press
1x25@135

Close Grip
1x25@95
Need to go up to 100 at this

Chinups
3x10 w/ 70lb assistance

DB Press
3x10@45
Need to go to 50, was at 65 but stopped doing much shoulder work besides front raises

I ran for 30 minutes on an inclined treadmill. I want to get below 200 by the summer.

[Rookie]

Nice work, thats a lot of reps.

A good exercise that helps the lower part of the bench is dumbell bench press.

[Ashford]

I'm a little concerned about doing that for max effort since I have to do triples up until I can't, then do singles until I fail at a set of singles. Going up in weight each set. For some reason I have visions of injury lol.

I'll give it some thought though. If I can find a good spotter it very well might be worth it.

[Ashford]

Spent all night throwing up and still am. M y mother got a stomach virus and somehow I got it to. :(

Guess no workout for me today.

[Rookie]

Originally posted by Ashford
I'm a little concerned about doing that for max effort since I have to do triples up until I can't, then do singles until I fail at a set of singles. Going up in weight each set. For some reason I have visions of injury lol.

I'll give it some thought though. If I can find a good spotter it very well might be worth it.

Hmmm, maybe you could to 5 rep maxes instead of triples?

Sorry bout the stomach virus. Sucks. Get better!

Damn that really shows how fast things can go wrong. One entry, you had a great workout, the next, you are throwing up.

[Ashford]

I'll have to give that a try for the dumbell presses.

I'm feeling a lot better now but I'm scared to eat anything except soup and crackers until tomorrow. I blame it on my sister, her kid got a stomach virus so of course he gets dumped on my mom because god forbid my sister do anything but sit on her fat ass. Then I musta caught it from my mom somewhow.

[Ashford]

Starving... must have... fooooooodddd!

lol, well, stomach virus is gone, thank god I get over stuff like this quick. Now I'm deciding whether to do leg today, bench today, or what lol.

Probably bench since it's less stressful on me.

[Ashford]

OMG woot! For the first time in over four years I'm down below 240lb bw yeah baby!

[Ashford]

Well, I could definitely tell I was recovering from being sick. Still felt like I did a good bit of work though

Bench:
135x8 WU
225x3
235x3
245x3
255x3
265x3
275x1
Might have been able to get 285 if I wasn't recovering

Skulls:
3x8@115

Dips:
3x8 w/ 70lb assist

Front Raise:
3x8@45lb db

Seated Row:
3x8@185

Curls:
3x8@35

[Ashford]

Well, except for minor upset stomach the stomach virus is gone. I had an excellent workout today and think I'm going to break at least one pr with this six week cycle.

Bench Press:
10x3@150
Kept it explosive, fast, and hard. Felt really good.

Skulls:
3x8@115
I'm adapting to this weight already. Probably in a few weeks I'll move up to 120. Much <3 for skulls.

Dips:
3x8@60
Next week is 3x8@50. I'm working into these but I can already feel the difference they are making

Front Raise:
3x8@45
I think next week this needs to move to 50s

Seated Row:
8@180
8@195
8@210
I love these, can really feel it in my upper back.

Curls:
3x8@35

I'm seriously thinking about getting a bench shirt. I can put 330+ up on things like floor press but my chest just can't get the heavy weight up into the stroke of my triceps. I might get one with my next paycheck and try it out. Does anyone have a suggestion?

[Ashford]

Good workout, I felt really strong today and think I'll be doing good in the months to come:

DE Squat:
12x2@200
Each one of these had enough pop to bounce the bar on my back.

DE Deadlift:
8x1@205
I did four of these conventional and four sumo for the first time ever. Both came up real fast and easy. I might try training sumo but am not sure if I have the build to take advantage of the different leverages I would have

Good Morning:
3x8@165
These felt good, I really enjoy them

Situps:
3x8@25
Need to move these to 3x10

[Rookie]

good to see your back. Sumo takes a while to get used to, but once you get it down, its awesome cause it puts you in a posistion for better leverage.

[Ashford]

Yeah, the leverage was definitely better. I'm going to train with them next and see what I can do.

[Ashford]

Today wasn't too bad, I'm liking these short little workouts. Already I'm starting to get a little bit of size in the muscles I'm working.

Bench
1x25@135

CG Bench
1x25@100

DB Shoulder Press
3x8@50lb

Chinups
3x8 w/ 70lb assist

Followed by 20 mins of cardio. Trying to drop some weight or at least bodyfat.

[Ashford]

Felt good today, bench is going well, the first week I got 275. Then I got sick and get 275 the second week. Well, this week I got 280 so I'm making forward progress still. I am going to stick with flat bench for one more week since I'm not stalling yet.

Bench Press:
5x135 WU
3x205 WU
3x225
3x235
3x245
3x255
1x265
1x275
1x280
0x285 (failed)

Maybe next week I can get 285, if not well I am switching to floor press probably. I can get the weight off my chest but can't finish the movement.

Skulls:
3x8@115
Maybe two weeks? before I move to 120 on these

Dips:
3x8 w/ 50lb assist
Next week is 40lb. These are really blowing up my triceps

Front Raise:
3x8@45
Felt heavy this week, still might need to move to 50's. We'll see.

Sitting Row:
8@195
8@210
8@225
I like these, I can really feel them.

DB Hammer Curls:
3x8@40

[Rookie]

Nice! I think you can definatley get 285. That is if you save your energy for the 285 and not for all of the other sets.

BTW, what type of training are you doing. You realize if you max out every week, you are going to kill your CNS and your progress will come to a screeching halt. So change it up a little.

[Ashford]

Westside Barbell. I'll try to give it to you in a nutshell:

1) You have a squat/dead dynamic and a bench dynamic day every week. On these days you work out at 50-60% of your max for bench and 50-70% for deadlift/squat. These days are for speed and to help develop the fast twitch fibers in your muscles.

2) You have a squat/dead max effort and a bench max effort day every week. On these days you will generally do triples working up 10 lb for bench, 20lb for squat/dead between sets. Once you can't finish a triple you go for singles and when the weight gets heavy change the difference to 5/10. Do this until you can't get a single. This day is to develop power and the CNS.

3) Each day do about 4 assistance exercises for the lift of the day.

4) When you plateau on a max effort exercise, switch to a new max effort exercise to afford overtaxing the CNS. In general you are looking at 2-4 weeks at each max effort exercise.

5) (Optional) Do additional <30min workouts to train weakspots in your lifts.

I think that is about the basics of it, I will avoid overtraining the CNS by switching max effort exercises at intervals. Next week is my last week of flat bench ME and squat ME, then I move to something else, probably Floor Press or 2 Board Press since those will work the weak part of my stroke the best and I'm switching to deadlifts for the other day. I think those about cover the basics of the routine type I'm following. I'm on my third month of it but my second month was wasted by me getting sick for about 3 weeks that month and not being able to work out.

I know it sounds like it can overtrain you but it doesn't. I would be well over 300 by now if I hadn't gotten sick and lost a month :( plus since I started doing this routine my quads, back, hams, and triceps have absolutely blown up.

[cdsp]

Hey Ashford looks good man. I have a couple question about your DE days.

1. Are you doing any "accommodating resistance" stuff?

2. It's recommended that 10% of all the work sets are above 90%. Are you doing this?

cdsp.

[Ashford]

By accomodating resistance do you mean bands and chains? I plan on adding them but haven't been able to buy any yet. I am a poor college student. On the work sets I try not to ever have an easy set unless I am just starting an exercise. The only warmup I do is some stretching and a warmup for the big compound movement of the day. Everything after that is a work set for me. I'm still learning alot about the training style and tend to tweak different parts every couple of weeks as I discover new things.

[cdsp]

Ashford,

Yes I did mean bands and chains... I hear you on being a poor college student, been there done that. When you do get enough cash, you'll be pretty psyched with the results they bring to the program.

As far as my second question goes, I'm not sure if I asked it correctly, here is a quote from Dave Tate that might explain it a bit better.
"A special note about the dynamic effort training days. Remember that the training is based upon bar speeds and the percents are used only as recommendations. Also, it's vital that 10% of all the work sets are above 90%. This simply means that after you perform your eight sets, you'll increase the weight or work up to a heavy single or double. The purpose of this is to teach you to strain in a fatigued state while the fast twitch muscle fibers are fatigued. This will teach the body to better activate the central nervous system under greater loads."I think this training style is best when tweaked regularly. Keep up the good work bro.

cdsp.

[Ashford]

I think I see, so if I'm doing 10 sets 9 need to be light dynamic and one needs to be at 90% of my max. That makes sense I'll have to try it out. Something I've been wondering is if on de day I need to use lightweight on everything or just the main movement. From what I understand just the movement, is this correct?

[Ashford]

Good workout today, I'm slowly recovering from getting sick (yay!). I threw in front squats because a) I like them and b) I'm going to visit my fiancee this weekend so I don't know if I'll get a chance to hit the gym tomorrow.

ME Squat:
225x3
245x3
265x3
285x3
305x3
325x3
345x3
365x1

These are coming back slower than my other lifts but still coming

Good Morning:
3x8@165

Front Squat:
1x5@145
1x5@155
1x5@165

Situps:
1x10 w/ 25
2x8 w/ 25

[cdsp]

Originally posted by Ashford
I think I see, so if I'm doing 10 sets 9 need to be light dynamic and one needs to be at 90% of my max.
Yeah that's the idea, to take it a bit further. Lets say my max squat is 100lbs. I do 8 - 10 sets by 2 reps @60 which is 60lbs. Then work up to 90% which is 90lbs. So I might do something like:

1@70%
1@75%
1@80%
1@85%
1@90%

You can also do the main movement in a wave. So week 1 it's 60% week 2 it's 63% week 3 65% week 4 back to 60%. Keep in mind that all these numbers are guide lines, listen to your body and experiment when doing this.

Something I've been wondering is if on de day I need to use lightweight on everything or just the main movement. From what I understand just the movement, is this correct?
Yes just the main movement. Your supplemental movement should be high intensity low volume. Everything else should be medium intensity with a Slightly higher rep range. I also want to point out that I'm not an expert at WSB just a practitioner. Everything I'm writing can be found on the web, it's a complicated routine. But there is tons of documentation on it.

cdsp.

[Ashford]

K, I see, thanks for the help.

[Ashford]

Felt really strong today:

Bench
9x3@165
1x3@255

Skulls
3x8@115

Dips
3x8@50

Front Raise
2x8@50
1x8@45
hmmm... maybe next week?

Seated Rows
1x8@195
1x8@210
1x8@225
My lats and upper back are starting to get much stronger. I can really tell at the bottom of my bench and it is starting to make my back look a little buff to.

Curls
3x8@35

[Rookie]

Nice work, looking solid.

[Ashford]

I see what Tate was talking about with doing some work at heavy weights on DE day. I was really able to get myself to explode of the chest and the 255 came pretty easy considering the other work I had done. Will be interesting trying this idea tomorrow with squats.

[Fullback_45]

Hey bro, those benches are looking great man! Really strong trippleing 255x3. Squats are looking very nice aswell man. Keep it up Ash things are looking great.

[Ashford]

Had a good workout today, my upper back was really sore from the rows yesterday though lol.

Squat:
10x3@220
1x3@325

Deadlift:
8x1@245

Good Morning:
3x8@165

Situps:
3x8@25

Need to move to 35lb plate on the situps. Good mornings felt good and I'm feeling really strong in the deadlifts.

[Ashford]

Had a good extra workout today. Just did a couple of movements. Worked my chest and lats since the bottom of the press is my weakest.

DB Bench Press
4x8@50
1x12@50

yeahyeah, I shoulda done more. I guess I'll go with 65's next time.

Lat Pullover
3x8@80

These were different. I've never done them before so I hope they'll shock my lats a little.

25 minutes cardio

[Ashford]

Well, I know my weak spot now is my delts and triceps so I'm going to keep working them hard.

Bench:
5@135
3@205
3@225
3@235
3@245
3@255
1@265
1@275
0@285
Almost got it, was literally halfway up and got stuck. Definitely an indicator of weak triceps and delts.

Skulls:
2x10@110
1x8@110
Couldn't do 115 because both ez curl bars were being used. One by a guy doing preacher curls with 65 pounds and one by a pair of girls doing skulls with the bar (25). We have preset barbells at both those weights but not over 110 so I was ticked.

Dips:
3x8@40

Front Raise:
3x8@45

Rows:
1x8@195
1x8@210
1x8@225

Preacher Curls:
3x8@95

[Ashford]

Good workout moved to deadlifts. I think my max has gone up.

245x3
265x3
285x3
305x3
315x3
335x3
355x3
375x1
395x1
405x1

SLDL:
3x8@185

Cut it short because I had to be somewhere.

[Rookie]

Sweet DL work!

BTW, what type of program are you using? It seems like you are maxing squat/bench a lot, and you will burn yourself out if you keep doing that.

[Ashford]

It's called Westside. You do Maximum effort work two days a week. You change the exercise every 2-3 weeks to prevent overtraining from it.

[2THICK]

Just read over your journal, looks like you are making good progress. Did you ever put those declines into your max effort day? I would be curious to see how they go, I have considerd the same myself.

[Ashford]

Right now I am fixing to do floor press which I did before with decent gains. I might do declines after that I haven't decided yet.

[Ashford]

Today I start switching out some assistance exercises. After the gains from dips I really don't want to lose them so I am going to keep dips.

1. Switch out skullcrushers for cgbp
2. Switch out seated rows for bent over rows
3. Switch out good morning for sldl

I think that about covers it. I'm going to start going in and doing an extra workout once a week that consists of lat pullovers and dumbell bench press.

[Ashford]

Good workout! I'm really feeling like I'm starting to get some strength and overcome the illnesses that have plagued me the past two months.

Bench:
9x3@165
1x3@255

OMG that went up easy, felt great to.

CGBP:
3x8@175
New pr here. I am going to go with 180 next week since 175 felt a little easy.

Dips:
3x8@20

DB Shoulder Press:
3x8@50
Felt pretty good. I was doing this with 75 lb db before I quit doing them about 3 months ago. Now I have corrected my form alot and the weight I'm lifting dropped but I really felt it in my medial delt.

Bent Over BB Row:
1x8@155
2x8@165
This went down since last time. However most of that is due to correction of form

Preacher Curls:
3x8@95

[Rookie]

Sweet workout. Everythings lookin solid!

[Ashford]

Squats went well. 345 went up like a charm. I didn't do speed pulls on deadlift since I'm doing it as ME now.

Box Squat:
9x2@220
1x2@345

SLDL:
3x8@185

Situps:
3x8@35

Did my chest assistance exercise after about 30 minutes rest. That way I'll be fresher on Thursday.

DB Bench:
3x8@70
Plan on 75 next week

Lat Pullovers:
3x8@80

[Rookie]

Sweet boxsquats!!

What are you shooting for at maxout?

[Ashford]

I'm hoping for 400ish. I've gotten 395 in the past before I got sick two months straight.

[Ashford]

Wow, my upper stroke is really weak as is obvious from today.

Floor Press:
225x3
235x3
245x3
255x3
265x1
275x1
280x0

Need to start at 215 next week.

CGBP:
3x8@175

Dips:
3x8@20

DB Shoulder Press:
3x8@50

BO Rows:
2x8@165
1x8@175

Curls:
3x8@95

[AmateurWrestler]

the work your doing looks excellent so far, keep up the ass kicking big man! dont worry about the floor press, it's still pretty darn strong :)

[Ashford]

Just felt like crap today. I'm having gf problems and the workout was flat. Only got 385 on deads. I'm feeling really burnt out right now so I think I'm going to take a week off and switch to something more traditional. Maybe a 3x3 or something.

[AmateurWrestler]

Originally posted by Ashford
Just felt like crap today. I'm having gf problems and the workout was flat. Only got 385 on deads. I'm feeling really burnt out right now so I think I'm going to take a week off and switch to something more traditional. Maybe a 3x3 or something.

Whatever you think will serve you best is the way you should go. Good luck. :)

[Julius Peppaz]

Originally posted by Ashford
Just felt like crap today. I'm having gf problems and the workout was flat. Only got 385 on deads. I'm feeling really burnt out right now so I think I'm going to take a week off and switch to something more traditional. Maybe a 3x3 or something.

Don't stray from the westside bro!! Gut it out, and you'll be even more proud of yourself lookin back. You can do what I do when I'm feelin stressed and just go have a few burgers.. works for me.

But seriously, if your body is feeling burnt do what you gotta do to get yourself back to 100%.

[Ashford]

I just feel dead. I went yesterday and had almost no energy. I'm going to take a week off and see how I feel then.

[Ashford]

Went yesterday and got 305 on bench. Felt real good. I'm going to switch to a 3x3 routine and see how it goes. I just feel really burnt out on westside right now and need a change of routine to keep me motivated.

Current Maxes:
BP 305
DL 405
SQ 395

Program Goals:
BP 315
DL 420
SQ 420

Phase I Week I:
Squat: 5-8 sets of 5 reps with 240 pounds
Bench: 6-8 sets of 6 reps with 180 pounds
1. Wide Grip
2. Close Grip
3. Shoulder Width Grip
4. Close Grip
5. Wide grip
6. Close Grip
7. Shoulder Width Grip
8. Close Grip
Deadlift: 5-8 sets of 5 reps with 240 pounds

That is the workout I will do on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I've read concerns about lagging triceps so probably on my Friday workout I will add in dips and skullcrushers to help strengthen my triceps.

[Rookie]

Looks like training is going great for you!

Good luck with 3x3. I tried it, but it was too boring for me, the weights took forever to get heavier so I quit.

[Ashford]

Yeah, I've been looking at the routine more and I might stick with westside. I feel a whole lot better about it after taking a week off from everything.

[Ashford]

Monday:
Max Effort Bench
Close Grip Bench Max
Dips 3x8
DB Bench Press 3x8
DB Shoulder Press 3x8

Tuesday:
Max Effort SQ/Deadlift
Goodmorning Max
Lunge 3x8
Back Hyperextension 3x8
Ab work

Wednesday:
DB Bench Press 3x8
Lat Pullover 3x8
Bent Over Row 3x8

Thursday:
Speed Bench
10x3 Bench Press
3x8 Tricep Extension
2x8 Side Raises
Ab work

Friday:
Speed Squat
12x2 Box Squat
Lunge 3x8
Back Hyperextension 3x8
Ab work

For speed bench:
Sets 1-3 at 150 (50%)
Sets 4-5 at 165 (55%)
Sets 6-9 at 180 (60%)
Set 10 at 275 (90%)

For speed squat:
Sets 1-4 at 190 (50%)
Sets 4-7 at 210 (55%)
Sets 8-11 at 235 (60%)
Set 12 at 355 (90%)

I'll do this for awhile. It's going more to basics how ever I'm adding some extra chest and lat work in to help the bottom of my lift since I don't use any equipment.

[Ashford]

Did close grip for max effort

45x5
45x5
165x3
175x3
185x3
195x3
205x3
215x3
225x3
235x3
245x1
255x1
265x1
275x1

Whew... I think I'll start with a higher weight next time lol!

DB Bench:
3x8@75
Ever since I've started doing this my bench has been doing better. It has helped my power off the bottom tremendously

Tricep Pushdowns:
3x8@160
Just wanted to do something different

DB Shoulder Press:
3x8@50

[Ashford]

Wow, never did good mornings as a ME exercise before. Talk about a different feeling! Lance (pt) told me to watch my back heh. He knows what I'm doing but he gets worried I'll hurt myself. At least this time I didn't have a gym rat telling me I was doing my squats wrong while I was doing gm :rolleyes:

Good Morning:
5x115
5x125
3x165
3x185
3x205
3x225
3x245
1x265
1x275
1x285
1x295
1x305
1x315

Need to start around 205 next time. Could have went heavier but was nervous because I didn't have a spotter.

Incline Leg Press:
Figured this would do better for my lifts than lunges.
3x8@560

Back Hyper:
3x8@35

Abs:
3x8

Lat Pullover:
3x8@80

Good workout, looking forward to a day off. My first week back always kicks my ass!

[AMG]

The last two workouts look very good.

[Ashford]

Thanks, by summer's end I'm wanting my deadlift up around 450 and my bench around 350. I don't know if it is doable or not but they are my definite goals.

[AMG]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ashford
Thanks, by summer's end I'm wanting my deadlift up around 450 and my bench around 350.


Nice goals.


I don't know if it is doable or not but they are my definite goals.


You have the right idea. Reachable or not, just shoot for them.

[Rookie]

Originally posted by Ashford
At least this time I didn't have a gym rat telling me I was doing my squats wrong while I was doing gm :rolleyes:


Hahaha!! Thats pretty damn funny. The gym rats get on my nerves too. Especially the ones who go just to use the treadmill and bitch when I drop the BB during deadlifts.

Workouts are looking awesome. How much you weigh?

[Ashford]

I'm hovering around 239 right now. Next week I'm going to start doing cardio again to lose some more. I want to get down to around 200-220 maybe 180 depending on how quick it leaves. Hard for me to lose though but at least it is easy for me to gain lol.

[Rookie]

Originally posted by Ashford
I'm hovering around 239 right now. Next week I'm going to start doing cardio again to lose some more. I want to get down to around 200-220 maybe 180 depending on how quick it leaves. Hard for me to lose though but at least it is easy for me to gain lol.

Im the exact opposite. Easy to lose weight, nearly impossible to gain weight, whick sucks ass. Im over 6 feet tall and I only weigh around 160 :) Oh well. Im no bodybuilder. Im only interested in strength.

[Ashford]

Felt good today:

DE BP:
3x3@150
3x3@165
3x3@180
1x3@275
Lots of speed, 275 went up pretty easy all three times.

Skullcrushers:
3x8@115
Time to move to 120

Dips:
3x8@bw
hehe, 239lb fatass doing bodyweight dips? Got some looks.

DB Shoulder Press:
3x8@50

And finished with a wee bit of cardio. Felt good today, was a bit sore from Tue though. Always like that first week back.

[Rookie]

Originally posted by Ashford
Felt good today:

DE BP:
3x3@150
3x3@165
3x3@180
1x3@275
Lots of speed, 275 went up pretty easy all three times.

Skullcrushers:
3x8@115
Time to move to 120

Dips:
3x8@bw
hehe, 239lb fatass doing bodyweight dips? Got some looks.

DB Shoulder Press:
3x8@50

And finished with a wee bit of cardio. Felt good today, was a bit sore from Tue though. Always like that first week back.

Nice. Awesome weight for speed bench! Looking solid.

[Ashford]

Yeah, I'm trying that 1 set at 90% and I feel stronger from it. It has taken me a while to find a good groove for speed bench but now I have found it and I see what people mean when they talk about working the groove.

[Ashford]

Did my squats today:

4 sets at 190
3 sets at 210
4 sets at 235
1 set at 355

Whew those felt heavy at the last set.

Shrugs 3x8@205

Clean and Press 2x4@135

My back was bothering me today. Still fatigued from Monday... :(

[Rookie]

Nice! How many reps for the squats?

[Ashford]

Sorry, doubles for each set.

[Ashford]

Woot new PR on close grip bench! Of course it's only the second time I've maxed them :D

Close Grip Bench Press:
2x5@115 WU
1x3@205
1x3@215
1x3@225
1x3@235
1x3@245
1x3@255
1@265
1@275
1@285 new PR
1@290 new PR

Dips:
3x8@bw

DB Shoulder Press:
3x8@50

Seated Rows:
1x8@195
2x3@210

Then 20 mins of cardio. Good workout, next week I'm switching ME to decline to see how that works.

[Julius Peppaz]

Nice PR on the closegrips man. Lookin strong.

[Ashford]

Fun workout today, pts are still freaking because I am doing heavy good mornings

GM:
45x5 WU
135x5 WU
215x3
235x3
255x3
275x3
295x1
315x1
335x1 pr
345x1 pr

Leg Press:
3x8@560

DB Bench:
3x8@70

ab work

BB Shruds:
3x8@205

Felt good, next week I switch max effort around. I enjoyed doing good mornings though.

[Rookie]

kick.ass.workouts.

Helluva GM you got there! You plan on competing?

[Ashford]

One day, not in an area where it is possible right now but I will one day. Here is my workout from today if I can remember all of it. I'm half asleep lol

DE Bench:
3x3@150
3x3@165
3x3@180
1x3@275

Skullcrushers:
3x8@120
These felt heavy lol

Dips:
3x8@bw
Pretty soon I'll start adding weight

Side delt raises:
3x8@25
Trying to even out my shoulders. They look freakish right now, huge front delts but little medial and anterior.

Lat pulloves:
3x8@80
Hello need to move up to a 90 here. I really like this movmeent for my lats. I can really feel this one.

My workout partnet keeps insisting that he can get "at least 315." But for some reason I doubt him. Last ME day he couldn't get 275 and today he only got 275 once. It also might be possibly because he has been working out 7 days a week and doing the same ME exercise for almost 3 MONTHS.

[Ashford]

Dynamic Squat day woohoo

Sorry for delay in posting, been away.

3x2@190
3x2210
3x2 235
1x2 355

Had to PUSSHHHH on that last rep of 355. I reduced my total sets to 10 from 12 because 10 is working so damn good on Bench I thought I would give it a try here.

Shrugs 3x8@205

SLDL 3x8@205

Ab work

Was fun, I was doing shrugs and one of the trainer's came over and hang cleaned the 205 before doing 10 reps with it of standing shoulder press. LOL

I need to move up to 215 on the shrugs though.

[Julius Peppaz]

Squats are lookin strong bro

[Ashford]

Thanks, haven't been progressing on them like I would want though.

Cut my workout short today, had a sinus infection and was naseous as hell.

Did max effort on incline bench, was definitely different lol.

155x3
165x3
175x3
185x3
195x3
205x3
215x3
225x1
235x1
245x1
255x1

CGBP:
2x8@185
Then started getting sick as hell so I did some farmer's walk with 70lb dumbells and some plate pinches with 25lb plates and left. Going to take tomorrow off and hopefully be back to full strength thursday.

[Ashford]

Felt a lot better today so went to the gym anyways, what can I say, I'm hardheaded lol

ME Deadlift:
135x5
135x5
255x3
275x3
295x3
315x3
335x3
355x1
375x1
385x1
395x1

What can I say, wow those good mornings must have helped! Ended up 10 lb short of my pr. That pr was achieved by going in and making 3 or 4 single attempts. Feel really good about my deadlift number now!

SLDL:
3x8@205

Shrugs:
1x8@215
2x5@215

Really aggrivated, my grip was gone and just couldn't hold the weight long enough to finish my sets.

DB Shoulder Press:
3x8@50

Ab work

Also I am now down to 234 pounds on the scale wo0t. That makes my progess 36 pounds of weight lost.

[BAD_MO_FO]

I'm going to give this workout a try!

Do you do any forced reps? Or is a situation where if you can't make any of your reps you rack the weight and try a lighter weight next week?

[Ashford]

I don't ever do forced reps or try for a lighter weight if I miss. Pretty much with the max effort I keep going up until I can't anymore. With the assistance exercise I'm usually not even close to failure.

[Fullback_45]

Workouts look strong as fk man. Awsome stuff. Your like a bison bro.

[Rookie]

Youve been progressing fast! Sick incline and deadlift!

[Ashford]

Thanks man, I work hard and try to be consistent. I think consistency is very important to having good gains.

Today went well, had a little almost incident that I will post in the main forum but...

DE Bench:
3x3@155
3x3@165
3x3@180
1x3@275

Feeling good, I feel a lot stronger in this, still a little slow coming up on the last rep of 275 though.

Skullcrushers:
3x8@120
Need to move up to 125 here, felt good.

Dips:
3x8@25lb
First time doing dips with extra weight added. Felt really good.

Seated Row:
1x8@195
1x8@210
1x8@225

Hammer Curls:
3x8@40

Farmers Walk:
70lb db

And then some plate pinches holding 25lb plates. Trying to build up my supporting grip.

[Fullback_45]

Great bench work bro. Dont let that guy phase you. Can't denie streangth although some will try.

[Ashford]

DE squat day today, had to mow the yard so was a little tired but the workout went well.

Box Squats:
3x2@190
3x2@205
3x2@225
1x2@355

Went up pretty easy on the 355 this time. I think taking out two sets has made a real difference.

SLDL:
3x8@205
What can I say, I love these for dead assist.

Shrugs:
3x8@215

Ab work

Was a good day, fixing to shower and shave now lol.

[Fullback_45]

Everything looked real good. Box's looked great.

[AJ010]

Very nice stuff!!! Lookin strong overall. When do ya think you're gonna add weight on your dips and how much are ya gonna start off with?



Keep up the awesome work.

[Ashford]

Sorry if I didn't make it clear. My last bench day I did dips for the first time with extra weight. Was 25 pounds. Felt really good, I'm enjoying the dips I think they are doing me well for my tris.

[AJ010]

Originally posted by Ashford
Sorry if I didn't make it clear. My last bench day I did dips for the first time with extra weight. Was 25 pounds. Felt really good, I'm enjoying the dips I think they are doing me well for my tris.



Ahhhh no thats my fault....i kinda missed that....sorry about that.


Damn, extra 25lbs at your bodyweight is good. I remember when i first started dips, my bench went up instantly :)

[Ashford]

Yeah, mines been going up pretty good since I started them. They really are a great exercise for power.

[AJ010]

Originally posted by Ashford
Yeah, mines been going up pretty good since I started them. They really are a great exercise for power.


Definately. I hope to get to +100 within a few months. Too bad it wont be that impressive to me because i weigh 147 lol.

[Ashford]

Today was alright, felt a little tired but things went well. I got a pr on incline bench like I was hoping I would.

ME Incline Bench:
185x3
195x3
205x3
225x3
235x3
245x1
255x1
265x1 (pr)

Felt good, really had to push that last rep. Next week I go back to flat bench and I am looking to set a new pr there to.

Skulls:
3x8@120 as usual

Dips:
3x8@25

Called it a day because I just felt dead plus I had to be somewhere to meet someone.

[Rookie]

Beastly workouts! Any day that I sets a PR on a major movment such as incline, I consider it to be a good workout no matter how ****ty I felt.

[Ashford]

See main forum for my pr

Deadlift:
275x3
295x3
315x3
335x3
355x3
405x1
455x1 (pr)

SLDL:
3x8@205

Shrugs:
3x8@215

Ab work

[Rookie]

**** man, nice PR!

I think you should consider competing if you havent already.

[Ashford]

Would love to compete but there isn't anywhere nearby that has competitions.

[Ashford]

After missing a few days thanks to my allergies I had a good day today.

ME Flat Bench:
225x3
235x3
245x3
255x3
265x3
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x0

Got the 305 a bit of the way up but couldn't finish it. Oh well, I'm happy :D

Skullcrushers:
3x8@125

CGBP:
3x8@165

DB Press:
3x8@55

BO BB Row:
3x8@165

And then cardio, was a good day. I think I'll be able to get 315 fairly soon (I hope).

[Ashford]

Did some heavy ass squatting today! Felt goooood

ME Low Box Squat:
255x2
275x2
295x2
315x2
335x2
355x1
375x1

SLDL:
3x8@205

Shrugs:
3x5@275

Ab work

Felt good, next week I might max squat. I haven't in forever so I probably need to.

[Ashford]

DE Bench:

3x3@155
3x3@165
3x3@180
1x3@275

Almost didn't get the last rep of 275, got distracted by some crappy pop music that they had blaring over the speakers.

Skullcrushers:
3x8@125

CGBP:
3x8@165

Front Raises:
3x8@45

BO Rows:
3x8@165

[Ashford]

DE Squat:
3x2@195
3x2@215
3x2@235
1x2@355

355 went up pretty easy both times. God I hope I can break 400 lol

SLDL:
3x8@205
I feel that these really help my deadlift and since that is my favorite lift well...

Shrugs:
3x8@275
Heh, felt good, trying to get some no-neck type traps going on :D

Ab work

Felt good, I'm loving this new schedule doing ME at the beginning of the week. My workout partner is already bitching about it though. He insists that the reason he is falling behind me is because the timing is all wrong for him.

[Ashford]

wooohoo new pr on bench today!

ME Bench:
235x3
245x3
255x3
265x3
275x3
285x1
295x1
305x1
315x1 pr
320x0

Skullcrushers:
3x8@125

CGBP:
3x8@170

Front Raises:
3x8@45

BO Row
3x8@170

[BPP]

congrats again on 3 plates bro :cool:

[AJ010]

Badass job on the 3 plates!! How's it feel?

[Rookie]

Hell yeah! Thats how you do it right there!

[Ashford]

Feels great, I was just sooo happy. I hope everything just keeps going up and I don't get any major injuries. I had to cut my workout short today because I was doing sldl and somehow tweaked my wrist real bad. I actually felt the tendon in the middle of my wrist strain or tear or something, it was an intense burning sensation. I know it was from curling my wrist a little when I did the sldls and it pisses me off. One slip in form. I'll see how it feels thursday.

Squat ME:
Felt dead, no energy, noone had any though.
3@255
3@275
3@295
3@315
1@335
1@355
1@375
I might have been able to get 380 but I don't think so and I just felt dead anyways.

SLDL:
2x8@205
1x5@205
Then my wrist ****ed up. Oh well, went ahead and cut my workout short after this.

[Ashford]

Well, I've recovered from a skin problem I got at the gym. Had a great day today and lifted heavy, even set a new PR!

ME CGBP:
2x5@45
3@215
3@225
3@235
3@245
3@255
1@265
1@275
1@285
1@295 PR
0@305

Almost got 305, hope to get it next week.

Skullcrushers:
3x8@125

Time to move up to 130 here

Bent Over Rows:
3x8@175

DB Bench Press:
2x8@85
1x5@85
I just can't keep the weight steady. Think I'll drop to 80's and work up.

[Rookie]

Great CG bench! Keep uop the good work, and keep the PR's comin!

[Ashford]

Thanks, Tuesday I did GMs again and didn't do to well lol

GM ME:
3@215
3@235
3@255
3@275
1@295
1@315

Then I did some glute-ham raises, front squats, and ab work. Hopefully next week that poundage will be up again.

[Ashford]

3x3@155
3x3@170
3x3@185
1x3@280

Well, did one rep at 280, on the second rep the weight slipped out of my hands and landed on my chest. My spotter was nice enough to notice this and after he lifted the weight and I caught my breath I finished the set.

Skulls:
3x8@130

Dips:
3x8@25

T-bar Row:
3x8@???

Side Raises:
3x8@30

Well, I'm checking out because my chest is sore lol

[Ashford]

Dynamic Squats today, I'm changing the format slightly to accomodate new knowledge about the system. Today I did a couple of warmup sets and then 8 sets at 60%

DE Box Squat:
2x2@135
8x2@240

GHR:
3x8
Is a machine so I'm not listing weights

Back Hyper:
3x8@35

Ab work

My chest is sore from dropping the weight but it didn't give me any problems for the workout.

[Ashford]

dp

[Ashford]

Couldn't workout monday due to having graduation practice and finals. Had a good workout today, got to use my iPod that I just got so that was cool.

ME Goodmornings:
5@45
3@95
3@135
3@175
3@225
3@245
3@275
1@295
1@315
1@335
1@355 pr

Glute Ham Raise:
3x8

Back Hyperextensions:
3x8

Ab work

[Ashford]

Felt pretty good today, I tried to up my weight a little for speed bench and was able to keep my bar speed up high so that was a fun change.

DE Bench:
1x5 45
1x5 135
1x3 175
7x3 225
1x5 225

That last set I just felt like doing five reps. Man I felt absolutely STRONG today. Everything was clicking, I got my setup the exact same ever set and got my form going sooo good. It felt awesome!

Skulls:
3x8@130

Dips:
3x8 25

Side Raises:
3x8@30

Seated Rows:
1x8@180
1x8@195
1x8@210

[supadave]

Nice journal Ashford. I see pr's everywhere.

[Rookie]

Bump! Great numbers. Keep up the good work.

[Ashford]

Thanks for the encouragement. I did floor press for the first time since Feb today so as expected there was a pr there. Would have been something wrong if there wasn't lol.

ME Floor Press:
45x5
135x5
205x3
215x3
225x3
235x3
245x1
255x1
265x1
275x1 pr
285x1 pr
295x1 pr
305x1 pr

Skulls:
3x8@130

Side Raise:
3x8@30

T-bar:
3x8

Was a good workout, tired now though lol.

[Ashford]

Whew had fun today:

135x5
225x5
275x3
315x3
355x1
385x1
405x1
460x0

Almost got the 460, brought it to about halfway up my thighs but couldn't lock it out.

GHR
3x8

Back Hypers
3x8

Side Bends
3x8

Wrist Curls (front and reverse)
3x8

Cardio

Had a good workout, felt good with the 460 even if I didn't lock it out. Most of the guys in my gym couldn't even get it off the floor lol.

[Ashford]

Good workout today, really hitting the cardio trying to get lighter.

DE Bench
8x3@215

Overhead DB Tricep Extension
3x8@80
Need to go to at least 90 on this

Weighted Dips
3x8@25

Side Raises
3x8

Seated Rows
3x8

Cardio

[Rookie]

Good job on the floor press, howd those speed benches feel?

And what did you miss the 460 on? Im assuming squats.

[invast]

Strong last few workouts!

[Ashford]

Missed 460 was a deadlift, the speed bench felt pretty quick at those weights, I'm trying something different with them. I'm trying to go for more of a feel of keeping my bar speed then exact percentages.

[Ashford]

Had a good ME bench workout today. Floor presses didn't drop and I was a little bit stronger my last few sets. Almost got 310 but it stalled out.

ME Floor Press
45x5
135x3
225x3
235x3
245x3
255x1
265x1
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x1
310x0

Overhead BB Extension
3x8@100

DB Bench Press
3x8@75

Front Raise
3x8

Seated Rows
3x8

[Ashford]

Had a pretty good deadlift day today. Hit my lower back hard lol.

ME Deadlift:
135x5
225x3
275x3
315x3
355x1
375x1
405x1
425x1
460x0

Tried 460 again lol, didn't get it but oh well I put a lot of effort into it and it will make me stronger.

SLDL
3x8

Shrugs
3x8

ab work

cardio

needed to do some lower back work, might do some tomorrow, don't know yet.

[invast]

great workout!

[Rookie]

I noticed that you don't switch up your ME movments too often..

Here is an excerpt form an article on the Maximum Effort method by Dave Tate:

"The Max Effort method is considered by many coaches and athletes as the superior method of strength development. It places great demands on both intramuscular and intermuscular coordination and well as stimulating the muscular and central nervous system. These demands force the body into greater adaptation. This adaptation is what is responsible for great strength gains. When training using the Max Effort Method, the central nervous system inhibition is reduced, thus max number of motor units are activated with optimal discharge frequency (Zatsiorisky). The one drawback to using this method is that you cannot train with weights above 90 percent for much longer than one to three weeks before the nervous system begins to weaken. When this happens, your strength will begin to diminish. This is one of the major reasons why progressive overload training will only work for so long. With this in mind, and knowing that this method is great for the development of strength, you have to find a way around this three-week barrier. The way to overcome it is to switch the exercise used for the Max Effort Method every one to three weeks, thus allowing the body to recover. This keeps the body fresh so the method can be used year-round."

Good mornings, rack pulls, box squats from various box heights are all great when trained for a 1rm or 3rm for ME squat movments. You can also add chains or bands to any or all of the above.

Good luck!

[Ashford]

I was rotating every four weeks initially, then every three weeks and now I do it every four weeks. Right now my sq/dl are deadlift, goodmorning, squat, 18" deadlift (this coming this weeks). My bench are floor press, close grip bench, flat bench, incline bench. I'm probably going to change the incline bench but I'm now sure yet. This week and last week I haven't been able to do de days because I am looking for a job.

[Ashford]

Yesterday did bench:

ME Flat bench
45x5
135x5
225x3
235x3
245x3
255x3
265x3
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x1
315x0

Missed 315, got 305 easy but had to get a liftoff for 315 and none of the guys that usually liftoff for me were there. I asked another guy and he lifted and basically threw the bar into my hands. Was a really quick liftoff which I'm not used to.

Overhead db extension
3x8@85

Tricep Pushdowns
3x8@120

Front Delt Raise
3x8@40

Lat Pulldown
3x8@135

Today I did partial deadlifts starting from about my knee which is about 18" off the ground.

135x5
225x5
275x3
315x1
365x1
385x1
405x1
425x1
445x1
465x1
485x1
505x1
525x1
545x0

Felt different, I think this will help my sticking point a lot doing these.

GHR
3x8

Back Hypers
3x8

Russian Twists
3x10

[Ashford]

Bench Press:
45x5
135x5
225x3
255x3
265x1
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x1
315x0

<sigh> Couldn't get it again, stuck about two inches above my chest like last week.

Overhead DB Extension
3x8

Tricep Pushdowns
3x8

Front Delt Raises
3x8

Lat Pulldowns
3x8

Cardio

[BPP]

maybe you should back off that weight for a few weeks and run some sets lower inm your % of 1RM range, make sure you dont overscorch ur CNS and such

[invast]

ya dont pull a AmateurWrestler and OT :/. Also that is a ****load of sets before your max attempt.

[BAD_MO_FO]

I am no expert or anything but everything I have read (and believe me I read alot) would indicate would indicate that if you are failing 2in off your chest your best bet would be to increase your speed or your lat strength. I would lighten the load on your DE Bench Day. You are at about 67% right now. It is not a good idea to go over 60. Hopefully that helps good luck.

[Ashford]

k, I'll try lightening my DE day back down and next week I'll be doing one board presses to help me out also. I think my lat strength is a bit behind and it is a pain for me to strengthen it up. They just don't want to get much stronger for some reason. Can't go to the gym today because of job search but I'll be able to hit both my de days unless I have an interview.

[Ashford]

Lightened DE day back down to where it is supposed to be. Was a good workout today, I've been eating better the past few days and I could feel it since I had plenty of energy for the workout.

DE Bench Press:
2x5@45
3x3@160 50%
3x3@165 52%
3x3@175 56%

Overhead DB Extension
3x8@85

Tricep Pushdowns
3x8@150

Front Delt Raises
3x8@40
These went down and I'm just building them back up to where they were when I hit 315 on bench

Lat Pulldowns
3x8@140
This has went down also but mostly because I'm concentrating on proper form and not cheating

Hammer Curls
3x8@35
Heh, hardly ever work biceps but felt like it today

cardio

[invast]

Great to see you remembering about form and not just worrying about the weight! Great workout bro.

[Ashford]

Yeah, I'd started cheating way too much on my lifts and I've tried to bring it back under control. It took a bit of swallowing my pride but I've been doing the small stuff like concentrating on the muscles I'm wanting to work being worked and it is making a bit of a difference.

[Ashford]

Did me incline today, been a little weak on the bottom of my bench and haven't had time to make boards so I did incline since it hits the bottom part pretty good.

45x5
135x5
205x3
215x3
225x1
235x1
245x1
255x1

<sigh> Was getting 265 and it has evidently dropped which would help explain why I haven't been able to get 315 in my workouts the past few weeks for flat bench.

DB Overhead Extensions
3x8@85

Tricep Pushdowns
3x8@150

Front Raises
3x8@40

Lat Pulldowns
3x8@135

Hammer Curls
3x8@40

My front delts have dropped off in strength a good bit, hopefully they will come back up and I'll be able to hit some big weight again. Tomorrow I do squats and my workout partner wants to do them at his HS fieldhouse so should be an interesting experience lol.

[invast]

Great workout. Don't worry your delts will be back up to par in no time.

[Ashford]

Got the highest in squat today that I ever have on a ME day which is cool. Had a really good workout, wish I could have ran but I cut my thigh really bad four wheeler riding and the muscle is bruised and hurts like a beotch.

ME Squat
45x5
135x5
225x3
245x3
265x3
285x3
305x1
325x1
345x1
365x1
375x1
385x1

SLDL
3x8@185

Back Hypers
3x8

DB Shoulder Press
3x8@60

Leg Raises
2x20

[invast]

Great workout Ashford, nice squats.

[Ashford]

Thanks, my squats are lagging since they aren't my favorite exercise but I'm trying to do more to up them. I really want them over 400.

[Ashford]

DE Bench day today, did good and weighed in at 247 so the change to a clean diet and cardio is already making a difference weight wise.

DE Bench Press:
3x3@160 51%
3x3@175 55.5%
3x3@190 60%

Overhead DB Extension:
3x8@85

Tricep Pushdowns:
3x8@150

Front Raise:
3x8@40

Lat Pulldowns:
3x8@140

Hammer Curls:
3x8@40

[Ashford]

DE squat felt pretty good today. Hamstrings were a little sore from ME squat but got everything in.

DE Box Squat
5x45
3x190 49.4%
3x210 54.5%
3x230 59.7%

Hamstring Curls
3x8@175

Back Hypers
3x8@35

Leg Raises
2x20

[invast]

Nice DE day Ashford.

[Ashford]

Good ME day for me today, had fun and might be on the verge of converting a guy to powerlifting.

ME Incline Bench
10@135
3x185
3x195
3x205
3x215
1x225
1x235
1x245
1x255
1x260 pr

Overhead DB Extensions
3x8@85

Tricep Pushdowns
3x8@150

Front Raise
3x8@40

Lat Pulldown
3x8@140

Hammer Curls
3x8@40

[Ashford]

Squat ME went well today, was hoping for 390 but after getting 385 I knew there was no way I would get it. Although I did triple 305 which I couldn't last week so that's a good thing.

ME Squat
45x5
135x5
225x3
285x3
305x3
325x1
345x1
365x1
385x1

SLDL
3x8@185

Back Hypers
3x8@35

Ab Work

Upright Rows
3x8@80

Yes I know they are bad for your shoulders but I'm only doing them for two weeks.

[Ashford]

DE day went alright again

DE Bench
5x45
3x160
3x175
3x190

Overhead db extensions
3x8@85

Tricep Pulldowns
3x8@110

Lateral Raises
3x8

Lat Pulldowns
3x8@140

Hammer Curls
3x8@40

Cardio

[Ashford]

DE Squats today

5@135
3x2@190
3x2@205
3x2@230

Hamstring Curls
3x8

Back Hypers
3x8

Ab work

Cardio

[Ashford]

Did one board presses for the first time ever. Didn't do as well as I would have liked but still think I did ok.

1 board bench:
45x5
135x5
185x3
225x3
235x3
245x3
255x3
265x3
275x1
285x1
295x1

Would have liked to get 305 but 295 was a bit of a struggle.

Skullcrushers
3x8@110

Dropped weight on these a little bit since I haven't done them in awhile I guess.

Dips
3x8

Side Lateral Raise
3x8

Seated Rows
3x8@180

Cardio

I'm down to 244 from 253 and still dropping. I want to hit 220 before I start trying to actively gain muscle again.

[Ashford]

ME Deadlift, felt good really had my form working for me today

225x3
245x3
265x3
285x3
305x3
325x3
345x1
365x1
385x1
405x1
425x1
445x1

I think I probably have 465 in me. Gonna cut a couple of light sets off and see next week.

Good Mornings
3x8@185

Hamstring curls
3x8

Side Bends
3x8

[Ashford]

ME One Board Press today

45x5
135x5
225x3
235x3
245x3
255x3
265x3
275x1
285x1
295x1
305x1 pr

Skullcrushers
3x8@110

Dips
3x8

Military Press
3x8@135

Bent Over BB Row
3x8@135

[britt72]

great job ashford