Bodyweight - 250
Incline Press - bar x 30
135 x 15
135 x 5
185 x 4
225 x 3
275 x 2
335 x 1
275 x 15
Db Bench Press - 100's x 20
Side Lateral Machine - 144 x 13, 120 x 13
Conditioning - 30 minutes fast walking on the track.
Notes - Feeling a little better than the past few days but still not 100%. Didn't push the top single on the incline because I have found when I don't feel 100% and try to push heavy singles I fuck myself up in some kind of way. So, I played it smart and did what I'm supposed to be doing, and relied on my back off set and that paid off. My incline is sitting right around 400 right now, so I'm pretty much back where I was a year ago before all the injuries started setting in. My goal for this cycle is to hit 295x20 on close grips and 275x20 on incline. That should put me in the range of 460 on close grips and 430-440 on incline. I think this is decent pressing strength and I'd be pleased with that.
How much distance is between your hands when you close grip bench press? I always considered close grip more of a tricep focused movement with 6-8 inches between the hands.
ReplyDeleteI go 1 thumb length out from the inner smooth.
ReplyDeleteHi Paul
ReplyDeletejust wanted to say that i tried your advice on "getting jacked up just for fun" template...its so freaking easy and it works. i am doing 3days on ,2 days off and repeat.. it goes something like this :whole upper body,lower body,pipes and laterals,rest 2days repeat :D
but i have a qustion-do you think its better to seperate the upperbody workouts into one back workout and one chest/shoulder workout instead of doing all them on the same day?
-John
Since it's just for fun, do whatever you feel like you like the most. That's the way you're going to benefit most. Most people don't realize this about their training. A split/philosophy that you love and can buy into will yield the greatest results.
ReplyDeletehey paul, here's the deal. i've been using your strong 15 since i bought it. i may have started too heavy, but i think its more just that i'm not used to training that way. i do SQ/DL on mondays and bench on tuesdays. i have lost almost 15 pounds since i started your program. before that i had maintained my weight at about 230 for almost a year. i didn't change my diet. today i just felt defeated. my lower back still has not recovered after a week off. recently i have been getting the itch to do more rep work, like your other program the big 15. the problem is, i am about 18-20% BF. i have always been this way except for very short periods where i had to take a health screening for work. it is VERY difficult for me to get below this. i am married with 4 homeschooled kids, so i only have the very basic time and resources available to me (i go to a decent gym). if my body just wants to lose weight right now how to do it? i don't care about how i look. i don't do this for my health (although i wanna stay healthy). i want to be as strong as i can be. that's the whole point. TO BE STRONG. whatcha think? big 15 ok, or do you have a different recommendation?
ReplyDelete1. You def started too heavy. Remember on the strong15 template it's built in to keep you light. You are supposed to plug in your opener, which should be an easy lift, for the first 3 week wave.
ReplyDelete2. If you lost weight it's because you increased activity or because you dropped calories somewhere. Since you stated you aren't used to training like this, it may be that my template is more work than you have been used to doing. I'm not sure.
3. If you're 18-20% bodyfat I recommend that you take the next several months out and concentrate on conditioning, eating properly, and lifting twice a week. You need to get your bodyfat in check regardless. It's not about how you look, it's about the fact that you will feel and perform better with an athletic level of bodyfat. This is a fact.
4. You can still get stronger training twice a week and I do it all the time when mass gain is not my goal. I train more often and eat more when I am trying to get bigger. When I want to lean out, I train 2X a week and focus on getting in shape and clean up my eating. This works. However I often hit a few nice rep PR's as I am doing this if I keep training to twice a week.
5. My recommendation is to the use strong15 template, train 2X a week, and focus on conditioning for 3 days of the week.
Something like this -
day 1 - press, dip, chin, curl
day 2 - hills or sprints
day 3 - steady state walk
day 4 - squats or deadlifts (alternate each week), stiff legs, calves, abs
day 5 - run/walk for time. So just go out and say you're going to do a run/walk for X amount of minutes. 15 may be fine at first. Then increase it by 5 minutes each week. Walk for a little while, then jog for a bit.
Day 6 and 7 off
This is just an idea. But it is what I would do to get things started. Remember, have a bigger mental picture about where you want to be. If your goal is to be in shape and as strong as possible, you need to find which one you are the furtherest away from, and approach it first.
Let me know how you're doing Adam.
hey i meant to type SQ/DL on mondays and bench on THURSDAYS, not tuesdays. i read your recommendation, and i'll try it. i suffer from the same impatience that many do, but i suffer it because i am 34. i have only been lifting for about 4 years and so the best years of development for my body are well behind me. i want to make as much progress as i can before i get too old. you and jim have both been lifting for a LONG time, and i understand that is why you can do the things you do. i want to squat 2x BW. i want to deadlift at least 2.5x BW. i would like to bench 1.5x BW. i'm not close to these things yet, and i feel like time is running out. maybe i'm overreacting, but right or wrong, this is in my mind all the time. as i lose weight, i will lose strength, which is the opposite of what i want to do. i agree with you dude (you are WAY smarter than me) that i need to lose the fat. the real test for me will be to suck that up. how do i program my percentages since i will be losing weight? never really done that before.
ReplyDeleteWell actually Adam, you are in your prime years for lifting actually. Most guys don't peak in strength as far as the barbell is concerned, until their late 30's. So you are fine. You could easily peak in your 40's like a lot, if not most, guys. I used to think this same thing but then I see most of the strongest guys I know are past 35 and usually over 40. Staying healthy is really the key to it all, not age.
ReplyDeleteSo stop fretting the time table. Spend the next 3-6 months getting in awesome shape. Then do a decent job of maintaining that as you build your strength. Your goals are modest and doable in a short period if you are smart. Soon you'll be thinking about a 2.5 bodyweight squat and 3X bw deadlift IF you are smart. But stay the course and don't get stupid.