1st Attempt at 1,000# Club but I have ?'s

[carlschmarl2]

Background:

I was an All-America swimmer in college and we weren't allowed to lift heavy so never got to truly max out. We never really did squats or deadlift either. I graduated in 2003 and haven't really done any serious lifting/weight training in the meantime until just over a year ago. Since then I have been trying to lift heavy without really following a program. I didn't have any goals in mind when starting back into working out over a year ago, other than to get some of my mass back and to get strong.

I pretty much follow the Wendler 4 day program except for his percentages break-down. I work out only a few times a week (mostly due to working 12+ hr night shifts) but I have the 4 main lifts on a rotation and I rotate through them on the days when I do workout. I follow his advice on the four main lifts and do the associated assistance exercises as well on the respective days. I usually do 4 sets of 8-10 reps on each lift. If I can make at least 8 reps, I increase the weights for the next set or the next time and start from there.

I think my lifts are big enough now to where I can at least hit 1000#. Maybe.

425x1 Deadlift
295x3 Bench
285x3 Squat

Questions:

1). How do I go about figuring out my actual max lift?

2). Once I have a max lift goal in mind, how do I go about the warm-up process? Do you go into "max day" with a weight in mind and play it by feel that day and just keep adding weight until failure?

3). Before Conference Championships/NCAA's and bigger meets at school, we would go on a month long taper process to prepare for the big events. Should I just keep on lifting with normal workouts or should I taper off my workouts for a few weeks so I can be rested for maxing out?

4). In what order of lifts should I do the squat, DL, and bench to achieve the 1,000#?

5). Or should I forget about the "1,000 Club" and start following an actual program more religiously?

Thanks guys.

[arian11]

Background:

I was an All-America swimmer in college and we weren't allowed to lift heavy so never got to truly max out. We never really did squats or deadlift either. I graduated in 2003 and haven't really done any serious lifting/weight training in the meantime until just over a year ago. Since then I have been trying to lift heavy without really following a program. I didn't have any goals in mind when starting back into working out over a year ago, other than to get some of my mass back and to get strong.

I pretty much follow the Wendler 4 day program except for his percentages break-down. I work out only a few times a week (mostly due to working 12+ hr night shifts) but I have the 4 main lifts on a rotation and I rotate through them on the days when I do workout. I follow his advice on the four main lifts and do the associated assistance exercises as well on the respective days. I usually do 4 sets of 8-10 reps on each lift. If I can make at least 8 reps, I increase the weights for the next set or the next time and start from there.

I think my lifts are big enough now to where I can at least hit 1000#. Maybe.

425x1 Deadlift
295x3 Bench
285x3 Squat

Questions:

1). How do I go about figuring out my actual max lift?

2). Once I have a max lift goal in mind, how do I go about the warm-up process? Do you go into "max day" with a weight in mind and play it by feel that day and just keep adding weight until failure?

3). Before Conference Championships/NCAA's and bigger meets at school, we would go on a month long taper process to prepare for the big events. Should I just keep on lifting with normal workouts or should I taper off my workouts for a few weeks so I can be rested for maxing out?

4). In what order of lifts should I do the squat, DL, and bench to achieve the 1,000#?

5). Or should I forget about the "1,000 Club" and start following an actual program more religiously?

Thanks guys.

Unless you are running a program that uses percentages, I don't think you need to max out right now. Just hop on a linear program that has you work up to find your work set and get strong. 1000 lbs club isn't a big deal for someone at your weight.

[B1RD33]

Unless you are running a program that uses percentages, I don't think you need to max out right now. Just hop on a linear program that has you work up to find your work set and get strong. 1000 lbs club isn't a big deal for someone at your weight.

^^^

[garox]

Background:
I think my lifts are big enough now to where I can at least hit 1000#. Maybe.

425x1 Deadlift
295x3 Bench
285x3 Squat

425 + 295 + 285 = 1005

Congratulations

[simp3204]

reds gonna red

[blastbeats_stl]

I thought the 1000lb club is generally bench, squat, and power clean...

[TN42]

I thought the 1000lb club is generally bench, squat, and power clean...

You do realize that you're in the powerlifting section, right?

[Jason2459]

You do realize that you're in the powerlifting section, right?

Where is it bench, squat, and power clean? High school?

[goosefrabbas]

Probably mainly high school football. One of my friends at a different high school had a ton of different shirts like "X pound bench club" "X pound squat club" "X pound deadlift club "X pound clean club" and some kind of "X pound club" shirt but it didn't say what lifts comprised the total. And I think Florida high schools have their own version of powerlifting where they just bench and clean. I think they just make stuff up.

[xRequiem]

I thought the 1000lb club is generally bench, squat, and power clean...

What?

[Torrtrefireto]

Probably mainly high school football. One of my friends at a different high school had a ton of different shirts like "X pound bench club" "X pound squat club" "X pound deadlift club "X pound clean club" and some kind of "X pound club" shirt but it didn't say what lifts comprised the total. And I think Florida high schools have their own version of powerlifting where they just bench and clean. I think they just make stuff up.

Maryland is same. There are Also national school age bench and power clean meets

[isaku900]

Where is it bench, squat, and power clean? High school?

yeah, I had a 1000# club in high school with squat/bench/clean. (410/275/315)

[coachdeez]

Our high school football team had the same thing, but I think there was more to it than just bench, squat, and clean. I remember benching 205 and cleaning 135, yet my total was still 1,005. I sure as hell didn't squat 665 and I don't remember doing deadlifts.

[isaku900]

Our high school football team had the same thing, but I think there was more to it than just bench, squat, and clean. I remember benching 205 and cleaning 135, yet my total was still 1,005. I sure as hell didn't squat 665 and I don't remember doing deadlifts.

leg press? trap bar dead?

[thom2355]

We had a weight room set up by Bigger Faster Stronger and their training program had some sort of formula for different # clubs. I forget how it worked, but several lifts were compiled with height, weight and age. Not sure what it really meant though.

[coachdeez]

leg press? trap bar dead?

I think it was power clean, squat, bench, trap bar dead, in that order. Thanks for jogging my memory.