you're overtraining your biceps if you're doing all of those exercises for them.

7/25/2011 8:39:10 PM

I was thinking that could be the problem. I'm only doing biceps once a week though. Care to offer any advice?

7/25/2011 8:58:42 PM

when do you train biceps, and when do you train back? almost all of your back exercises hit your biceps hard. The biceps can't handle a large workload, but they recover very fast. I'd say to have back day at least 2-3 days separated from the day you train biceps and cut your biceps workload back. Also, I find that my biceps grow much better when I do higher rep work compared to the rest of my body.

7/25/2011 9:11:04 PM

I'm doing back either the day after or 2 days after biceps. I guess I'll switch my biceps and chest days

7/25/2011 9:18:47 PM

ME Chest Day
Steep ASS Incline Bench Press 3x3x3x3x1x1x1
Low-Middle Range Pin Press 4x5
EZ Curl French Press 6x6x4
1 arm lying extensions 3x7
Waist Level Cable Face Pulls 3x12
Plate Loaded Shoulder Press 3x6
Decline Sit Ups 4x12 (w/weight)

7/26/2011 6:50:54 PM

Dynamic Effort Lower Body

Foam Box Squats: 8x2 @ 55% of 1Rep Max. 1 rep @ 80% 1Rep Max. Put it up LIKE A TOY!
-------[Foam box squats are great because they force you to relax your hip fexers because of the give of the foam on top of the box]----------------
Single Leg Dumbell Stiff Legged DeadLifts: 3x12
Single Leg Leg Press (Lactid acid training): 12x15x18
Trap Bar Shrugs: 3x12
Incline Bench Seated Bicep Curls: 3x12
Standing Rope Crunches: 3x10
Spread Eagle Sit-ups: 2x20

7/27/2011 8:29:54 AM

Max Effort Leg Day

Sumo Dead Lift: 3x3x3x1x1x1x1
Zercher Squats: 3x5
Hip Pull Throughs: 3x12
Neutral Grip Pull Downs: 3x6
Barbell Curls: 3x6
Standing Rope Ab Crunches: 3x12
Supported Knee Raises: 2x16

8/1/2011 1:32:27 PM

Just curious maximus, why don't you ever post the amount of weight that you use? I think that would be fun to see, otherwise what you post means nothing to most people.

8/1/2011 1:47:19 PM

eh, i don't care if other people post how much weight they do at the gym. unfortunately, if i post, one of two things will happen

1) i will be ridiculed for how little weight i do based upon all my talk about being a gym rat and such.

2) i will be beaten down by those who think i'm lying about the actual weight

to me, the weight isn't that important. it's progress that matters more to me. if i never stop getting bigger/stronger/faster, than i must be doing something right.

8/1/2011 3:22:08 PM

i find it more interesting to read his programs and exercise variance. the weights for the lifts to me are of little significance.

less of a dick swinging contest and more informational.

8/1/2011 3:29:16 PM

I'd rather see him post the weights he's using so I could get a feel for workout variance and strength vs. endurance.

8/1/2011 4:21:51 PM

i like to use percentages. for example, on a maximum effort day, i like to do 3-5 sets within 85% of my 1 rep maximum for the chosen lift. sometimes it is not possible to know that based upon the lift. i really have no idea what my 1 rep max is for steep incline close grip (1 finger on the smooth) bench press, so i will just have to adjust for when it gets heavy to do triples (move to singles).

i also am a firm believer in "leaving something on the platform" when i am squatting, [incline/flat] bench pressing, or dead lifting. the core lifts should never, imho, be performed to absolute failure. you can't find your percentages otherwise and it's very taxing. besides, when you shoot for an absolute max, you can usually "glute" your way to an extra 10 lbs on the bench press. rack pulls, deficeit deadlifts, sumo dead lifts, front squats, box squats, close grip benches of all types, and, well, anything other than the core three lifts are not true maximum efforts, so i try to make myself cringe on the last two sets. that and nowhere has a real power rack (besides [former] gold's glennwood) in which to do heavy lifts in a cage.


but if it will make people happy, i'll give a [low] approximation

squats > 200
dead lift > 225
bench press > 135

8/1/2011 4:54:47 PM

I'm having problems with muscle growth. They feel tight and getting bigger during my workout but afterwards, they feel flat and soft. Here's my routine for today:

Chest:
Incline Dumbbell chest press - 3x10 50 lbs.
Flat Bench Chest Flys - 3x12 30 lbs.
Back:
Underhand Pulldown - 3x12 50 lbs
Bent Over Barbell row - 3x10 70 lbs.
Biceps:
Barbell Bicep Curl - 3x12 35 lbs
Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curl - 3x12 20lb each
Abs:
Crunches - 3x30
Leg Raises - 3x20

I do have a post workout shake containing 30 grams of whey protein, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of oatmeal and 2 tbsps of peanut butter.

8/1/2011 9:10:36 PM

take the peanut butter out of that PWO shake, and replace the oatmeal with simple carbs like gatorade or grape juice. You want to cram nutrients into your muscles after a workout, not eat something that's going to slowly digest.

8/1/2011 10:12:26 PM

^ I was just reading up on Dextrose. Do you use it?

8/1/2011 11:13:21 PM

not really. I used to buy grape juice because it's mostly dextrose and also has antioxidants. now that the cost has almost doubled and I sweat like a pig, I use gatorade powder in my PWO shake - electrolytes and a 50/50 blend of dextrose and sucrose. I might consider buying dextrose powder off of Amazon at some point in the near future, but I still want something to add flavor and not just sweetness. Maybe some of the walmart brand crystal light purple drank will do the trick.

8/2/2011 12:19:20 AM

I've read some research finding whole milk + whey is a great PWO drink. Or even chocolate milk.

Liquid form of Carbs + Protein in a 2:1 ratio has also been found ideal.

8/2/2011 7:51:39 AM

I sometimes posted workouts, and I don't think that a specific weight is relevant usually; not unless I was tracking (or being tracked) for progress, that is. I'd more so put a relative percentage or "light/heavy/super heavy" description, because 200 lbs to me on a certain lift could way more or way less than what other people are doing, and without extra context (height/weight, experience, injuries, and the mentioned relative to exisiting strength) its kind of an arbitrary number.

--

Speaking of injuries, how do you work out with or around persistent creaks and groans? My elbow has randomly started aching, which I suspect is not from working out (never had problems before, plus I'm not on a consistent regimen) but rather from sitting in an office chair typing all day. Some brief googling online shows that the causes are, surprise, working out and sitting in and office chair all day.

Obviously I need to change my sitting habits. Should this affect my working out though? I feel that it would be better to lift and get those muscles moving again.

8/2/2011 8:19:31 AM

I'm going to try the gatorade powder + whey protein + water and see how thar works.

8/2/2011 8:47:59 AM

what do yall do for bulking up calf muscles? that's by far the hardest area for me to gain size

8/2/2011 9:21:48 AM

after three weeks off from lifting due to a two week vacation and a jacked up work schedule catching up after returning, how much weight would you take off from your lifts on your first few sessions back?

i was contemplating shooting for a 15-20% reduction in weights for the first few trips and then quickly ramping back to where i was before. thoughts?

8/2/2011 11:31:25 AM

keep the numbers the same and see how much your reps go down. adjust your second workout accordingly.

I only lose strength from a gym hiatus if I haven't gotten in enough calories while out of the gym. If anything, I'm usually a little stronger on the first set because my muscles have had plenty of time to heal.

how many of you use NO-boosters pre-workout? I love taking Jack3d or NO-Xplode before a workout for the crazy pump and the mega-dose of caffeine. I'm not a big fan of creatine though.

8/2/2011 12:16:33 PM

never got a feeling from any of the NO products i've sampled so i've never invested. i only supplement with protein, multi-v/fish oil, and take creatine with my highest GI meal

not really a fan of glutamine either, i've taken it at 30g+/day and saw no difference in recovery time/digestion

do you not get a "pump" from high rep//low rest lifting?

8/2/2011 4:44:39 PM

there's a difference in the pump I get when taking NO boosters. my chest and arms will get so pumped up that they feel like they're about to explode. My legs get so pumped up that I feel like they want to stand back up on their own when doing squats.

8/2/2011 4:50:00 PM

Love creative and glutamine.

Calfs are notoriously difficult to train. Try doing supersets with every set you do for other body parts. It's not taxing and a great way to get 15-20 sets of calfs in 3 times a week.

I usually imbibe >50g protein and a big fat dip of Kodiak immediately post workout. I try to eat a carb rich, protein rich meal within an hour.

8/2/2011 4:54:20 PM

Quote :

"how many of you use NO-boosters pre-workout? I love taking Jack3d or NO-Xplode before a workout for the crazy pump and the mega-dose of caffeine. I'm not a big fan of creatine though."

I'm using MRI Black Powder right now. I'll admit that I love the stimulant effects more than anything. I even take it before cardio/swimming about 60% of the time. I'll down a scoop in water and by the time I get to the gym or pool my brain is in "FUCK YEAH" mode. Makes workouts very enjoyable.

I have noticed that I quickly build a tolerance to that type of thing as one would expect. After going through three tubs of SuperPump 250 I went about 3 months without a pre-workout supplement. When I bought the Black Powder it was like starting all over again.

[Edited on August 2, 2011 at 5:07 PM. Reason : a]

8/2/2011 5:00:55 PM

Any of you mugs remember ultimate orange? That junk was intense! Then a bunch of fatasses had to take 20 hydroxycut and try to run 10 miles in the Everglades in July. Ruined it for everyone.

8/2/2011 5:53:12 PM

I use BCAA + Caffeine + Green Tea extract + Creatine pre-workout.

BCAA during my training.

Whey + Whole milk post-work out.

Creatine, and whey if protein needs boost, on non-training dais.

8/2/2011 6:04:00 PM

btw...I've never bought any of the preworkout supps at anything less than 50% off. The first tub of SuperPump I bought was 50% off. The next three were 75% off. The last few tubs of MRI Black Powder were 50% off. I really don't think the benefit is there to be paying full price for most of them although I do like working out with them. I buy them cheap, stick them in the freezer, and assume they're good when I'm taking them.

Jack3d is cheaper than the rest and seems like the best deal out there. If you compare ingredients you'll see that Jack3d only has five or six ingredients, but they are the main ingredients that you'll find in almost all of those types of supps. If I were paying full price I'd probably just buy Jack3d and not worry about the extra stuff in all the others.

[Edited on August 2, 2011 at 10:43 PM. Reason : l]

8/2/2011 10:43:14 PM

ME Upper Body
Bench Press: 3x3x3x1x1x1 (new 1 RM)
Chest Level Close grip pin press: 4x5
1 arm French press: 6x5x3
EZ curl French press: 5x4x4
Machine Shoulder Press: 3x6
Rope Face Pulls: 3x12

8/3/2011 8:25:23 AM

Dead Lift Day:

Depth Jumps 3x4
Dead Lift 275 6x5+ (10 reps last set)
Front Squat 145 3x5
Single Leg RDL 115 3x6
Abzors

8/3/2011 12:55:43 PM

I started with NOXplode but switched to Jack3d. Jack3d is some weird stuff. It certainly makes you feel all jittery and wanting to be active. I also use Creatine Ethyl Ester on lifting days but also cycle it like 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off.

8/3/2011 1:42:28 PM

I think I'm loading my elbows way too much while squatting. It's pretty bad when you hurt your elbow doing a leg exercise.

I'm trying as hard as I can to wrap my hands over the bar instead of supporting the weight, but by the time I'm done I can see that my wrist is bent again. Either a lack of flexibility or a lack of confidence that I can prevent a couple hundred pounds from sliding down my sloped back by jamming it into my skin is getting in my way.

[Edited on August 3, 2011 at 2:32 PM. Reason : asdfadsf]

8/3/2011 2:31:42 PM

Where are you placing the bar? A high trap placement should eliminate the wrist problems.

You should grasp the piss out of the bar and literally try to bend it around your back. Impossible in function, but not in practice. I have never thought of supporting the weight with my arms. Think of your torso as a large fulcrum that the hips use to drive the weight up. If you have an iron fulcrum, the weight should go up easy. If it were a pillow torso/fulcrum, imagine the problems. Your hands and arms should be flexed to the max to to keep your back tight on the west/east/south quadrants while your neck is forced back for the tightness from the north. Use every ounce of strength you have to support the weight without your hands.

Short of that, try a pussy rag, manta ray device or cloth to try and change the center of gravity to higher on your back where you can control it more easily. A low bar power stance requires great flexibility. Try some behind the neck presses before you squat. They'll really loosen you up.

8/3/2011 3:50:15 PM

When I drink caffeine I def feel like lifting something or cleaning the whole house but I don't trust some of those supplements like NO-Xplode. They have ingredients in them that are not regulated by the FDA so the benefit isn't worth the risk to me.

Caffeine makes me feel like poop the next day and I think creatine makes my hair thin out. My bodys hates everything.

8/3/2011 4:08:10 PM

Quote :

"A low bar power stance requires great flexibility."

Ah. I don't know what power stance is, but I'm shooting for getting the bar as low as possible. I'm also trying to squeeze my traps together as much as possible, but maybe I'm not pushing against the bar enough. At least that's what I got from your "try to bend it around your back" analogy.

[Edited on August 3, 2011 at 4:37 PM. Reason : bar]

8/3/2011 4:36:48 PM

Quote :

"I use BCAA"

Any particular brand? You certainly seem to have a successful formula going on so if you don't mind I might take up emulating it. Also, is there something that you can take everyday or do you need to cycle it?

8/3/2011 4:42:02 PM

if you leave the bar in a high-bar position on top of your traps, you won't need as much flexibility in your wrists and elbows. also, you'll be pulling down on the bar digging it into your traps - not trying to support the weight of the bar with your wrists as you describe. like Maximus, I try to pull down on the bar hard enough to bend it; that forces me to keep my core tight and my shoulders racked back.

8/3/2011 7:59:06 PM

Check out BCAA Boost from True Protein http://www.trueprotein.com . It is 20.00 + shipping. Use the coupon JAM921 for 5% off.

The grape flavor isn't bad. Neither is the Lime-aid. It's caffeine + green tea extract + branch chain amino acids (what protein is made out of). I use it to fuel my training, as I usually train fasted/on an empty stomach.

If you want something more intense to hype you up check out Geronimo! by the same people. It is a clone of Jack3d, just cheaper. Or Buzz Saw.

I like trueprotein a lot because it is high quality ingredients, low price point. Shipping kinda rapes you sometimes though.

8/3/2011 9:07:30 PM

Also, my success so far is largely from training right (heavy compound lifting with non-retarded programming) and eating appropriately.

8/3/2011 9:08:17 PM

Maximus -

I am thinking about starting a program based on Westside Conjugate principles...

Any tips? I am not using gear.

8/3/2011 9:24:22 PM

Well, there are about a million sites that talk about the conjugate method, but, basically, the two main principles I take from it are:

1) train the squat, bench press, and dead lift with alternate exercises so you won't burn yourself out on your maximum effort days. by doing so, you will make the sum greater than whole of its parts . ie, you can't deadlift as much off of a box, but you are making your initial "pull" better. the next week, you obviously can't stiff legged deadlift as much as you can normally, but your hamstrings are crucified. change up the maximum effort lift every 2 weeks.

2) you have to incorporate many different principles of lifting on your dynamic effort day. speed lifting, bodybuilding, plyometrics, power lifting, weight-lifting, lactic acid training, enducrance training, etc are all done routinely and randomly to give your body a shock. it is important to bodybuild some body parts to keep your muscles actively growing.

8/4/2011 4:07:18 PM

Quote :

"squats > 200 dead lift > 225 bench press > 135"

Was this a typo?

8/4/2011 6:21:22 PM

Quote :

"Any of you mugs remember ultimate orange? That junk was intense! Then a bunch of fatasses had to take 20 hydroxycut and try to run 10 miles in the Everglades in July. Ruined it for everyone. "

haha, I remember that stuff. Ephedrine was nice, effective stuff.

How much of the ban do you think came from a tiny handful of people being morons, and how much of it do you think was pharma lobby?

8/4/2011 7:47:25 PM

^^I have no idea, but assuming it wasn't

Quote :

"eh, i don't care if other people post how much weight they do at the gym. unfortunately, if i post, one of two things will happen 1) i will be ridiculed for how little weight i do based upon all my talk about being a gym rat and such."

8/4/2011 7:58:06 PM

It wasn't a typo. I lift greater than that on those lifts.

How much greater is up to the imagination.

[Edited on August 4, 2011 at 8:07 PM. Reason : .]

8/4/2011 8:01:03 PM

I sure hope so after posting gems like this in the crossfit thread:

Quote :

"I want some runt crossfitter to tell me why you don't bench press. But for once, spare me the rhetoric on it not being functional. In return, I'll spare you a list of movements your pectorals perform. So what is it, twig boy pussies? Can't get the big weight up? Fraid of getting pinned? Or did you actually invent a workout to hide that you have no upper body strength? Come to think of it, all crossfit is, is an excuse for weak individuals to not have to lift heavy and feel good about themselves for their poor strength."

How does it feel that twig boy pussies warm up on front squats with more than you do on back squats?

8/4/2011 8:04:44 PM

Crossfit does a pretty good bit of strength work.

I will concur that it has always struck me at inadequate in terms of chest development (especially relative to how much they beat up the back).

8/4/2011 8:06:49 PM

Would the weight I actually lift make a difference? Make you feel better about yourself, or me?

If you think after 12 years I can only squat 200 lbs, or after reading that I have been doing the Westside Conjugate method for four years that I can only bench press 135, I have a bridge I'd like to sell ya.



[Edited on August 4, 2011 at 8:38 PM. Reason : .]

8/4/2011 8:11:37 PM

Quote :

"How much of the ban do you think came from a tiny handful of people being morons, and how much of it do you think was pharma lobby? "

the ban was purely a result of the crackdown on domestic methamphetamine production - same reason psuedoephedrine is so hard to buy now.

8/4/2011 10:02:45 PM