the workout / competition thread

[medicore bob dole gimmick]

yeah starting strength led me to stronglifts and a handy excel file for keeping track of things so i've been doing that instead

i may start ramping up (like it says to), that might be part of my problem

[Jake]

just do regular starting strength or some other real program instead of stronglifts which is dumb and written by a guy who literally squats less than you after 7 years of training

[medicore bob dole gimmick]

hmm good to know, thanks for the advice.

[Jake]

3x5 vs. 5x5 doesn't seem like it would be a big difference but if you try both you'll find that one is sustainable and the other isn't

Like starting strength is already pushing the limits of what a young, healthy person, relatively new to lifting (or detrained from a previous peak), eating well over maintenance, sleeping regularly, and doing no other hard exercise can do and recover from--that's the point of it. Adding sets without any clear reason the way the stronglifts program does makes very little sense to me.

[Jake]

edit: anyway something like 405/355/240 would get you 1000 and that should be doable in no time based on what your workouts look like now.

[mattstan]

edit: dur

[Spartacus]

3x5 vs. 5x5 doesn't seem like it would be a big difference but if you try both you'll find that one is sustainable and the other isn't

Like starting strength is already pushing the limits of what a young, healthy person, relatively new to lifting (or detrained from a previous peak), eating well over maintenance, sleeping regularly, and doing no other hard exercise can do and recover from--that's the point of it. Adding sets without any clear reason the way the stronglifts program does makes very little sense to me.

i agree that adding sets to a strength program that is already taxing makes little sense and is probably counterproductive

i do know people who have done starting strength while continuing to do crossfit metcons and they do get stronger, just not as strong as they'd get if they cut out the metabolic conditioning entirely. the thing about working out, though, is that so much of it is mental. even if a program is less effective in theory, if it's one that gets you motivated and encourages you to train hard regularly, it's going to be more effective in practice. i frankly think that's why crossfit is so effective for so many people. the competition, goal setting and social aspects get people hooked and very motivated to show up and put in max effort (which is critical to success in any training program).

bottom line: if the guy is finding stronglifts more enjoyable and easier to stick with/track progress, it's probably a better program for him

[Spartacus]

spartacus your workouts look insane, you must be in great shape

in terms of strength, i'm weaker than i was last year. but some of that is because i haven't been able to deadlift or do olympic lifts since the fall due to my back (which is better now). my squat is probably around 315lbs right now, deadlift is probably 400, bench is 250-260-ish, strict press near 190-195. i haven't lost much explosive strength, so i can still power snatch 185 and can probably clean and jerk 235-240. now that i'm able to deadlift again, i'm hoping to get my deadlift and squat up considerably.

in terms of metabolic conditioning, i am without a doubt in the best shape of my life. that civilian military combine confirmed it for me. i had the 15th best pit score out of about 300 competitors, and the 52nd best time on the obstacle course. overall i placed 24th among men, and would have been top-5 if there was an "over 30" category (which there wasn't). during the pit i did 56 kettlebell swings (unbroken) in 90 seconds and 51 box jumps in 90 seconds. that sort of event is right up my alley, though, because i am fairly strong and i'm a decent runner, despite being a pretty big guy (6'4", 215lbs).

[Jake]

does anyone wanna get a board bench competition going

i mean everyone benches right

[Spartacus]

does anyone wanna get a board bench competition going

i mean everyone benches right

sure. our maxes are all pretty close. race to 300? might take a while but it would be fun.

[The Emperor's Son]

my bench is embarrassing so have fun!

[medicore bob dole gimmick]

does anyone wanna get a board bench competition going

i mean everyone benches right

I will play, can we have a "most improved" category? I am going to be psyched to top 250.

Found the starting strength wiki and decided on the practical programming novice program which omits power cleans for now. i think in a couple of months i will start encorporating olympic lifts.

thanks again for the advice Jake, I consider you board strength training guru

[feral]

Maybe I could hit a 230 bench?

[mcwop23]

I can't risk injury going for max benches, I can do 1x275 right now without straining too hard, don't really wanna push it

[Spartacus]

categories might be a good idea, like first to certain "bench"marks (280lbs, 300lbs), most improved, best power to body weight ratio, etc.

[Jake]

THE FIRST ANNUAL HIPINION BENCH PRESS PATRIOTS CLASSIC

Are you a Bench Press Patriot?
This July fourth, test your mettle against the bench warriors of Hipinion.

The Three Categories:

Most Improved: take your 1rm as of May 5 (not like two years ago, just go in and test it if you don't have a recent max) and subtract it from your 1rm as of July 4. Biggest number wins. Obviously there's no way to know if you're sandbagging your max the first time around but don't be an asshole.

Highest Wilks: Get the biggest number you can here: http://www.marylandpowerlifting.com/wilks.asp

E.g. my best bench is 300 at a bodyweight of around 117kg, so that gives me a Wilks of 78.7. This will be easy for a lot of you to beat because I am fat.

Biggest Bench: Bench the most.

Women's entries are encouraged, and if we get any entries there will be women's versions of the three prizes. If you're juicing, own up and get and asterisk next to your name and that's fine. Lifts are raw, to the chest, and unpaused. No bouncing.

[mikey]

aw. i don't have a gym membership

[mattstan]

I put 80 pounds on the bar

[Jake]

that sort of like i put on my robe and wizard hat

[mcwop23]

Jesus Christ dude you're almost 260
My wilks is 79.3

Basketball makes this impossible

[mcwop23]

Shit the Filipino on my couch has a wilks of 107.78

[Jake]

get badhat to approve his account

I was like 275 over christmas

[macseries]

wait a 7:02 mile gets you on the record board?

[Jake]

wait a 7:02 mile gets you on the record board?

yeah i moved the running times to the top cause nobody was reporting times even though everyone runs

obviously that is not fast

edit: I really want someone to beat my record cause it's so slow. I used to run a mile in around 530 but that was too long ago for the record board.

[feral]

I will check my weight and 1rm bench tomorrow.

Likely to be quite embarrassing.

[Jake]

I will check my weight and 1rm bench tomorrow.

Likely to be quite embarrassing.

well, weight only matters for wilks and that only matters when you do your july 4 max

good luck

[discostud]

I'll come in on the bench competition. It's been a while since I checked my 1RM, but I reckon it's still north of 250#. Been at that level for years, though, and haven't done much to break the plateau so i'd love a race to 300. cliffsnotes on ways to bump it up?

[FidelityCastro]

I think I can hit 300 pretty soon I'm in

[macseries]

i run frequently, but i very rarely time myself for a mile.

[Jake]

if this is at all successful we can have a Thanksgiving Trail of Tears 5k for the runners