PR Friday is a forum to allow you to share your triumphs and failures with your strength training brethren. How has your training been this week? What questions do you have for your peers? Talk and mingle.
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Thanks once again to Myyyyyyke for the video recommendation!
Deadlift PR of 345×4 (sumo). I’ve been alternating sumo and conventional every week and am liking the results thus far.
I have a question on the 70s big LP: Once you start alternating 3×3 and 3×5 on bench, do you want to deload the 3×5 you had been doing from ascending sets to sets across? And then use the same increases (5 lbs, then 10, 15 etc) you use on the 3×3 (once you switch to ascending sets) as it becomes necessary? Or do you just keep using the ascending 3×5 and use 3×3 across until the ascending becomes necessary for 3×3? I ask because my top 3×5 set would only be about 5 lbs less than my weight for 3×3 across.
While you CAN perform the 3×3 as “sets across”, the book specifically talks about using the Ascending Sets Method on them, meaning you would increase the weight on each triple. On the deadlift section it talks about doing sets across at a certain percentage of 1RM, so that might be where the confusion is coming from.
So, for the bench and press, when you alternate the 3×5 and 3×3 each week, it’s understood that you’re doing ascending sets on both.
Okay. Understood. Thanks for the clarification. I know you’re probably busy as shit these days so I really appreciate the time.
I’ve enjoyed a great week of training due to a lighter work schedule than is typical. Since I work full time and attend grad school two nights a week, I’ve decided to go train every single time I have an opportunity, even if I lifted the day before. I figure since I’ve got some extra “rest” days built in, overtraining isn’t going to be an issue. Today I’m going to lift for the fifth day in a row. I learned running Smolov last fall that squatting multiple days in a row can be done as long as I give myself enough recovery “credits.” I’m inching towards a deadlift PR right now, at a lower bodyweight than I was when I set it. I pulled 405 for 5 reps on Monday and my 1RM PR is 450 at BW 193. I weigh 187 right now. Maybe I’ll get back to an Adult Male 200 lbs, but I’m being careful about macros right now. I did squats for the third time this week yesterday, so today I’m going to give the heavy compounds a rest a rest and do sprints followed by some accessory lifts like chins, dips, push ups, pullovers and lat pull downs. I’m not religious but I’m going to a sedar dinner tonight so I’m going to try to burn plenty of calories and then enjoy my fair share of wine tonight to make the dinner a little more tolerable.
I enjoyed the Arnold post. You’ve got to add his name to the 70sBig Hall of Fame. I get that it’s not really a place for bodybuilders, but Arnold is a special case. I’ve read both of his autobiographies twice and listened to his commencement address in which he outlined his rules of success at least a dozen times. Before a review meeting with my boss last year in which I sought a promotion and raise, I listened to that talk on repeat to get myself psyched up. It worked.
I’m traveling a lot over the next four months and want to train at gyms in all the cities I visit. Can anyone recommend places to train? Anywhere with a rack works and I’m a member of Gold’s Gym.
Memphis, TN (will have rental car)
Prague, Czech Republic (no car, using transit/taxi)
Berlin, Germany (no car)
Paris, France (no car)
Seattle, WA (no car)
Vancouver, BC (will have a rental car)
The Barbell Shrugged guys are based in Memphis. Maybe they have a drop-in fee for skwaatz? That’s about all I got.
Arnold would be an honorary HoF.
I have a friend that lives in Berlin, I can ask him about gyms. My understanding is that good ones aren’t as populous. You could always try CrossFit gyms and ask if they have an open gym time.
Quick question on transition to the Texas Method from an LP: if I’m stalling out on my bench and press, but not yet on my squats, should I go ahead and transition the upper body lifts only, or transition everything?
Also, besides RDLs, what other lifts are going to help my deadlift?
Others my have other ideas, but squats, glute/ham raises, good mornings and barbell rows will help your deadlift. If you do the TM program right and get enough nutrition and rest, your deadlift will improve without extra exercises.
Thanks! I actually think I mght exhaust some rep schemes before moving over, but my opinion changes daily.
Definitely getting my squats in, and am doing barbell rows (as well as RDL). Perhaps I will add some GHRs in.
Flexibility is chit, so good mornings are out for me. For now.
Also have power cleans and hang snatch programmed in.
Now I just need more sleep!
It sounds like you have a lot of stuff. Some times over eager guys put too much stuff in their program and it gets in the way of progressing well. Just something to think about.
As far as your question, you can move your presses over to intermediate style programming (there are a lot of set/rep schemes for this in The 70’s Big LP book).
On the transition thing, I would say that you need to ride LP til it truly stops so just vary the pressing movements. Dem EZ gains are just too good to pass up.
Nothing incredible to report, just being consistent and making progress is one of the most satisfying things about this whole endeavor. I did survive two scoops of Jacked this morning. I did a set of 5 DL EMOM for 5 mins and I could feel my heartbeat in my teeth by the end. I do not recommend that feeling.
I went to the local hardware store and got some $8 tie down straps and made the Spud econo farmer walk things to work on my crappy grip. I used fat grips for the handles and they work pretty well. If you use them, be sure to pull up whatever slack is left (ie, get the handle down close to the plates) because the plates will spin in the slack.
I squatted 355 for a quick single the other day. The most I’ve had on my back in months. Onwards and upwards, and I’m excite. Very excite, indeed.
No PRs this week seeing as I’m still on the slow recovery from my last Army training. Been getting plenty of sleep and nutrition lately though so I’m sure that will pay off in the next few weeks as I start edging closer to my old PRs.
My new goal is to be able to squat 405×5 by Fall’s end. I was able to get 405 once before my SERE training but that’s not happening again for at least another month probably.
Hi Justin, I’m on the Texas Method and making the transition from powerlifting to weightlifting, I was wondering if there was any problem with substituting OHP’s for push press? Also I’ve been getting pain in what feels like the front of my shoulder when I bench press. I have absolutely no shoulder pain doing any overhead pressing, only when I bench.It’s lasted about 3 months, I’ve taken breaks from benching of about 2/3 weeks and its fine for the first couple of sessions then it begins to hurt again. Any Ideas?
Thanks!
The bench pain you have is typical of inefficient technique. I’d have to assume you are internally rotating a bit on the bench and in a poor set up position (meaning you don’t have the shoulder blades pinched and the chest lifted into thoracic extension). If you have a video I can be more definitive.
You may also have scar tissue built up from doing it this way, in which case some soft tissue work on the area is warranted (not too aggressive though) with good rehab with proper mechanics and very light weight.
But it’s hard to see and help when I’m not with you in person.
What is the cause of the queezy feeling after training? I feel like I have my diet dialed in and that has resulted in an increase in carbs. It is tough for me to stomach anything besides water and Gatorade post workout for about an hour when I rapidly transition to HANGRY. I have been experiencing this regularly lately. My strength and conditioning performance has been as expected, no notable changes.
Nothing great in training this week.
Squatted. 345×3.
Benched. 255×1.
P Snatched 165×1 although ugly.
BW 174/175.
It could be a lot of different things. It could be from the stress of your session (especially if you’re doing high intensity conditioning). It could be a variety of nutrition things, like what you are eating throughout the day before your training, how many carbs you’re eating a day, etc.
Do you consume anything pre-workout? Do you regularly drink closer to one ounce of water per pound of body weight a day?
M/6’/205/23 y.o.
Hit a couple PRs this week:
Close-grip bench: 235×3, 245×1
Incline Bench: 185×3
High Bar Squat: 295×3
Main PR for me this week was getting a solid week of training in. Missed two weeks due to illness and knee issues, so I dropped everything about 10% and had a solid training week. No complaints here.
Any plans to expand on the Strength & Conditioning program. I’ve been following variations of it for a while now but was hoping to get some of your advice on the conditioning days.