The WICKED truth about my training

[Overload]

yep you're right..i'm stalling about 1/2 way through the press so it's all lockout power.. i'm going to start doing alot of chain pressing now to hopefully smoke this shit!

Floor press with chains are a great start...

Good luck!

[thewickedtruth]

Floor press with chains are a great start...

Good luck!

would it hurt me to do MORE benching with chains?

say my ME exercises are..

floor press
bench with chains
bench with bands
reverse bands
retest

[QuakerOats]

why on earth would you use reverse bands as a ME exercise?

[Stubborn]

why on earth would you use reverse bands as a ME exercise?

I think reverse bands are much harder because there is nothing to keep you in the groove past a point. Setting up the bands normally pulls the bar right into your hands and gives more stability where as reverse bands get let loose and then its all on you. It also more directly mimics a shirted bench press, correct?

[MisterMagoo]

I think reverse bands are much harder because there is nothing to keep you in the groove past a point. Setting up the bands normally pulls the bar right into your hands and gives more stability where as reverse bands get let loose and then its all on you. It also more directly mimics a shirted bench press, correct?

somewhat, but given that you AREN'T in a shirt and lacking the support structure around the shoulders, it just seems like kind of a bad idea. besides, isn't that how layne norton completely annihilated his chest?

i'm of the opinion that maxing out on any exercise that brings your joints to the very brink of their ability to move isn't the best idea. i did it on band squats (and frankly could have added some weight) and my knees were aching for two days. great for speed work, not so great for ME. at least from a safety standpoint.

[Stubborn]

somewhat, but given that you AREN'T in a shirt and lacking the support structure around the shoulders, it just seems like kind of a bad idea. besides, isn't that how layne norton completely annihilated his chest?

i'm of the opinion that maxing out on any exercise that brings your joints to the very brink of their ability to move isn't the best idea. i did it on band squats (and frankly could have added some weight) and my knees were aching for two days. great for speed work, not so great for ME. at least from a safety standpoint.

So you would never max your lockout in a rack? Its basically the same. When I would do rack presses I always had more than I could full press on the bar. Isnt that the point? lol. It is also common practice to do the same thing for your overhead (lockouts).

Were you doing reverse band squats? I personally think the reverse band bench is great as a confidence booster: you use more weight, its moving at a good speed, and its putting the load in the right places through your ROM (if you're using the proper weight).

[QuakerOats]

So you would never max your lockout in a rack? Its basically the same. When I would do rack presses I always had more than I could full press on the bar. Isnt that the point? lol. It is also common practice to do the same thing for your overhead (lockouts).

Were you doing reverse band squats? I personally think the reverse band bench is great as a confidence booster: you use more weight, its moving at a good speed, and its putting the load in the right places through your ROM (if you're using the proper weight).

just thought the point of a Max Effort day was to strain aganst maximum loads and move heavy weights.

[Stubborn]

just thought the point of a Max Effort day was to strain aganst maximum loads and move heavy weights.

If you have the heaviest weight you can press at the bottom as well as the top, isnt that a maximum load?

[thewickedtruth]

the reverse band is used as a deload at the chest.. as a deload exercise instead of taking the week off completely.

also.. it's just like reverse band pulls. allows me to work the FULL range but do more lockout work than anything just like a rack pull would do but I still get form work and explosiveness off the floor where I KNOW my form isnt' the same out of the rack as it is when I pull the same weight from the ground.


see the semblance?

[QuakerOats]

If you have the heaviest weight you can press at the bottom as well as the top, isnt that a maximum load?

not really because it's not true weight, the weight is decreased as it's lowered.

[thewickedtruth]

not really because it's not true weight, the weight is decreased as it's lowered.

not by much..the last time I did this movement it was only lowered by 50lbs. I had 455 on the bar which deloaded close to my max at 405 at the bottom. Trust me.. I strained against it for sure. I bombed it the first time and groudn it out the second time. The idea is to allow you to work with heavier weights than you normally do at the top of the movement to become better accustomed to handling HEAVIER shit so that when you max you'll be better primed for it. I use mini bands when doing this so I can use more bar weight and the bands relax a few inches off my chest.

[Stubborn]

not really because it's not true weight, the weight is decreased as it's lowered.

Not true weight, haha! Feels pretty true to me.

Wicked is doing it correctly. Max weight at the bottom and top by choosing the right weight and band tension.

[thewickedtruth]

im' not a complete moron haha...i'd like to think i'm doing something right!

DE lower body

speed pulls

135x1x1
225x1x1
315x1x1
365x1x6 against choked monster minis! Something new clicked today. I finally did on my own what I teach my clients to do which is to shove my hips through and forward. The moment I did this, which i thought i was doing all along, something clicked. I immediately repeated it over and over with no problem and it slammed through the lockout at the top!

sled draggin

5 plates pulling backwards for 4 sets of 75'
5 plates pulling forwards for 4 sets of 75'
8 plates pulling backwards for 4 sets of 75'
8 plates pulling forwards for 4 sets of 75'

most sadistic exercise I've ever done... i felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest like the creature from the "ALIEN" movies! And I fucking loved every step of it!

barbell plyo squats (half squat)
135x6x1  got about 6" off the floor with these
225x6x1  got about 4" off the floor with these
315x6x1  got about 2" off the floor with these


i felt like i had a pretty kickass day today! nice change of venue with new exercise and I really feel i'm going to start blowing past some plateaus here in no time!

[QuakerOats]

were your lower quads screaming on the sled pulls?

[thewickedtruth]

were your lower quads screaming on the sled pulls?

yep.. really killed whatever speed i started off with but I had no problem just grinding them out no problem. The forward pulls were the worst.. and the more something kicks my ass the more I love it.

[Stubborn]

Sled pull and tire flip will really test your cardio. I have hacked some shit up after both of them.

[Geo]

Sled pull and tire flip will really test your cardio. I have hacked some shit up after both of them.

as long as it's not red you'll be ok

[BFP]

not really because it's not true weight, the weight is decreased as it's lowered.

Actually it is.  The strength curve for the press is helped by the reverse bands.  More help at the bottom where you are weakest, less band at the top where you are strongest.

Jason

[Overload]

would it hurt me to do MORE benching with chains?

say my ME exercises are..

floor press
bench with chains
bench with bands
reverse bands
retest

That looks good.

As Pegg said, reverse bands are no different than using bands or chains to begin with. lighter load at the chest, higher load at the lockout.

Same principle.

[Overload]

sled draggin

5 plates pulling backwards for 4 sets of 75'
5 plates pulling forwards for 4 sets of 75'
8 plates pulling backwards for 4 sets of 75'
8 plates pulling forwards for 4 sets of 75'

most sadistic exercise I've ever done... i felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest like the creature from the "ALIEN" movies! And I fucking loved every step of it!

Be a fucking man and do them uphill!!!!!!!!!!

Good shit man!

[thewickedtruth]

Be a fucking man and do them uphill!!!!!!!!!!

Good shit man!

sure thing.. overload   

[thewickedtruth]

DE upper body

speed bench

barx20x1
added monster minis
135x3x8

floor press with heavy chains lightest DE bench cycle week so I went heavier on the floor press..the more the weight goes up on the DE speed bench the more it decreases on the floor pressing. I also feel that as much as the floor press helps, it's also dangerous. I HAVE to groove them right. If I start rep'n them out and get squirrelly my shoulder starts talking. Because they're FORCING me to groove right and use good form I THINK it's worth the risk.

135x6x1 +heavy chains (60lbs at the top/40 at the bottom)
225x6x1 +heavy chains
315x2x3 +heavy chains... I realized after I unracked the first set that I had WAY too much weight on these for DE day but stuck with the program. All doubles were easy but I only did them as doubles to groove them and do some work.
stripped the chains.. straight set of 8 with 315!

super setted chins with low rows (AWESOME EXERCISE!!!!)

side laterals

30x10x1
35x10x1
40x10x1

was a good day! Can't wait to be benching thursday and maxing front squats tomorrow! WOO! I've noticed that adding in the fish oil, taking a mutlivitamin...and taking an extra smaller serving of ALN's maximus a day is really helping my recovery.  The next day it was as if I didn't do any work at all. I'm sure the RESULTS has something to do with that too.. as usual.

[thewickedtruth]

ME front squat

135x3x1
225x3x1
315x3x1
405x1x1 disaster.. didn't seat the bar well and basically saved it via my bicep!
455xmissed again.. I'm going to stop trying to hit OLD pr's and just try to best what I did the PREVIOUS time by 5-10bs to make sure im making progress. I should've have missed 455 but once again I did.

GHR's with 60lbs of chains around my neck

4 sets of 10

reverse hyper

3 sets

[thewickedtruth]

ME upper body

banded bench
barx20x1
135x10x1
225x3x1
315x3x1  hard as FUCK! had to slap myself around to wake the hell up!
added monster minis
315x1x1
335x1x1
365x1x1 PR!
385xmissed
385xmissed again...no one ever said I took no for an answer! *shrug*

decided it's time to punish the accessory work to bust through this bench barrier i'm experiencing it seems!


dips

bwx20x1
added weight vest and heavy chains
3 sets to failure!

supersetted low rows with dumbbell rows for 3 sets

[thewickedtruth]

DE lower body

speed pulls against monster minis

135x1x1
225x1x1
315x1x1
365x1x8

zercher squats

135x6x1
225x2x1
315x2x1 pr! and said fuck it and went for it..
315x2x1
365x2x1 pr!
405x2x1 pr!
425x1x1 did one single as a confidence builder for a HUGE PR! 60lbs heavier than when I MAXED it and did effortless doubles! I was feeling good and ran with it! KICKASS day!

sled drag

fully loaded 6 trips of 80ft.