Magoo: The Quest for a 405 bench

[MisterMagoo]

and we're back! testing things out.

MONDAY

deadlifts:
135x5
225x3
315x3
405x1
455x1
495x1 - easy rep
515x1 - i'm a moron. read the "notes" below.

pause squats:
135x5
225x5
315x3
315x3
315x3

back raises:
10
10
10

high pulls:
135x5
185x5
185x5

dumbbell SLDL's: light, just stretching
75x10
75x10

abs

weight: 218?!?

notes: okay, confession time. i have NEVER successfully pulled 515 until now. i admit it, i have lied in this log. i came so close each time that i knew i was capable of it but through either a fuckup in my setup or too many reps in the warmup, i missed. this was the first time i got it the whole way up, so that's a 10 pound PR since i dieted down.

only 10? well i totally screwed up my setup. i'd been working on doing it konsti and JOJ style, but i psyched myself out horribly and did a grip and rip, so i wasn't leaning back, my grip was off, and the bar was crooked. had i not been retarded i'd have gotten 530, i'm sure of it. the 495 was such bitch weight my training partner said it looked like i wasn't even trying.

also, i weighed 218? jeezus. that's the lightest i've been since, oh, march of 2005.

[Overload]

Badass!

Good work Magoo.

[ripitupbaby]

Awesome stuff Magoo!!  Keep it up!   

And stop lying!!   

[_bruce_]

Props.
Weight on deadlifts starts to get scary - any pains in the back?
Except for getting lighter/leaner did any of your bodyparts shrink/grow...

[tonymctones]

damn yous  your out pulling me again...gotta step my shit up

[chaos]

AHA!!!!!! I knew it, you needed some rest time between the end of the routine and your max attempts!!



Let me know when you hit up squats, my f'ing thighs are killing me.

[MisterMagoo]

shitty workout, stopped at 350 for a single and 325 for a triple.

[chaos]

shitty workout, stopped at 350 for a single and 325 for a triple.

Sounds like something is going on........are you eating OK? Are you overly stressed about something? The weightloss and shitty workouts tell me something is amiss!

[MisterMagoo]

Sounds like something is going on........are you eating OK? Are you overly stressed about something? The weightloss and shitty workouts tell me something is amiss!

i'm trying. i don't know. sleep has been dodgy and i'll admit work and the amping up  for my last semester are leaving me stressed.

i suppose i'll just scrap singles for a while, not bother with the next sheiko cycle, and just enjoy heavy triples that stay a tad sub-maximal. besides, i'm feeling a desire to get down to 210-215 for normal weight (i was 218 on an empty stomach). down around there if i slowly build back up i'd say i'd be golden.

i think i just suck at bench singles. 225x24? doable. much above 350 for a single? totally hit and miss.

[Geo]

shitty workout, stopped at 350 for a single and 325 for a triple.

your bodys tellin ya it needs a couple weeks off

[MisterMagoo]

your bodys tellin ya it needs a couple weeks off

don't know if i can handle that.

maybe i'll just lighten it, do a "hypertrophy" wave for a while and trim down, start heavy again when i'm not afraid to put on 20-30 pounds. i'd really like to see if i can get to 205-210.

that might be the problem. i'm off and on eating like i'm dieting, meaning my cals aren't exactly high. probably not the best for recovering from sheiko. 

[MisterMagoo]

well, that's that. i'll be doing sub-maximal triples for a while, slowly amping up reps for assistance and trying to trim down. that's the decision. once i hit a good weight, it'll be time to "grow into" the 220 class.

THURSDAY

squats:
135x5
225x5
315x3
365x3
375x3 - stance too wide, threw myself off
385x3 - fairly easy pie

sumo pulls: slight deficit, no belt, pause on the floor.
135x5
225x5
315x5
315x5

leg press: 115 pound carriage, so...
475x15
565x15
645x15
695x15 - all narrow stance, no belt.

abs

weight: 219

notes: my sticking point on squats is weirdly high. bottom to 3/4 of the way up is cake, but that end part sucks. probably why my rack pull and box squats aren't that impressive. suppose i need to work more on that. but, strangely, my pull still sucks out of the bottom. don't get that.

[MisterMagoo]

pissing around on the bench today. felt like it.

BENCH:
135x10
225x5
275x5
295x5
315x5 - hooray.

standing militaries: paused at the bottom of each rep
135x6
135x6
135x6 - after the benching, these were kinda killer. i know, my shoulders blow

pullups:
12
12
12

cable rows:
200x10
200x10

a bunch of light triceps bullshit because my friend was there with me. did some rope pushdowns, a set of 25 with the full stack on the dip machine, that kinda thing. also cable curls. fun times.

weight: 218.5

notes: hm. i'm not sure how i want to handle this. do triples on tuesday, sets of 5 on friday? hm. i don't know.

oh and here's a video of 315x5. the spotter didn't help, believe.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

Magoo, haven't been on here in a loooong time, but one of my first stops was your log, to see how your lifting has been going.  I haven't had the chance to catch up on everything, but from what I see it looks like you've generally had fun with the sheiko routine and got at least some benefit from it.  Anyway, you're doing awesome.  You're a young'un...you have a LOT of years ahead of you.  If you're not benchin' 450 by the time you're 30, I'll personally come and kick yer ass   Be well, my friend.

[MisterMagoo]

was wonderin' where you went!

for all my bitching, i think overall i -am- progressing, just not in the ways i want. i'm now averaging under 220 instead of near 225, so really was i expecting big strength increases? besides, i did get a 515 pull, the bench is almost certainly all in  my head, blah blah. point is, though i whine a lot, i'm doin' all right and would say that for a 23 year old natty under 220 to be hitting what i am, i can't complain.

450 by the time i'm thirty? i think i can hit it by 25! once i shed some excess poundage, i'm going to grow back into the 220s, maybe even the 230s depending on how things go. this winter'll be a strength at all costs blitz.

[PANDAEMONIUM]

was wonderin' where you went!

for all my bitching, i think overall i -am- progressing, just not in the ways i want. i'm now averaging under 220 instead of near 225, so really was i expecting big strength increases? besides, i did get a 515 pull, the bench is almost certainly all in  my head, blah blah. point is, though i whine a lot, i'm doin' all right and would say that for a 23 year old natty under 220 to be hitting what i am, i can't complain.

450 by the time i'm thirty? i think i can hit it by 25! once i shed some excess poundage, i'm going to grow back into the 220s, maybe even the 230s depending on how things go. this winter'll be a strength at all costs blitz.

ha, I like your 'tude.   I was trying to be conservative in my estimates, but yeah, I think you could hit 450 by 25.  And if you can do it @ 225, then you'd be golden, even if it's just a "gym" lift.  As you know, lifting for PRs is a good 70% psychology, and if everything falls in place, you'll hit that bad boy without a problem.

[MisterMagoo]

ha, I like your 'tude.   I was trying to be conservative in my estimates, but yeah, I think you could hit 450 by 25.  And if you can do it @ 225, then you'd be golden, even if it's just a "gym" lift.  As you know, lifting for PRs is a good 70% psychology, and if everything falls in place, you'll hit that bad boy without a problem.

shazam, 225 would be pretty sick. a double BW bench? booyah. i figure i'll have to be more like 250, but we'll see.

your max is somewhere in that area, isn't it? how heavy were you when you first did it?  i know MoS is sitting around 280 and hits 485, so that's a bit of an indicator.

[The True Adonis]

IMPRESSIVE bench Zach in that video. 

[Overload]

Damn good form on those reps Magoo.


Good work!

[MisterMagoo]

thanks guys. 

MONDAY

deadlifts: why not. all paused fully on the floor.
135x5
225x3
315x3
405x3 - belt on
455x3 - third was a grinder
455x2 - gassed out.

SLDLs: double overhand grip, no belt, standing on a platform
225x10
225x10
225x8
135x15

front squats:
135x8
225x6
225x6

DB step-ups: just for some bloodflow
40x10/10
50x10/10

abs

weight: 219

notes: we'll see how well i do on pulls, but i'm not going to max out for a while, period.

[Overload]

What changes are you making to your diet and training to help cut weight?

[MisterMagoo]

What changes are you making to your diet and training to help cut weight?

diet's a lot cleaner these days. no desserts, less drinking, etc. i jog 3-4 miles three days a week as well.

i'm not aiming to drop 30 pounds, if i can get under 210 without my strength tanking i'll be satisfied, and then really work toward some strength gains.

[davidpaul]

Good shit magoo.

[Cap]

Great log and progress brother.

[_bruce_]

Great job.

Didn't know you are so young - thought you're 35.
Impressive.
When I was 23 I was curling 15lb dumbbells....



...and I still am 

Why the extreme arch on benches?