My PR Progression Thread

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gary Dean Eyster Jr. on August 14, 2011 at 11:08am

The competition piece is seeing what some people do and pushing yourself to do it or best it. Douglas is a beast on squatting so I would like to get up to where he is. Overall mike has the best abilities and knowledge so I push to get there too. Other than that it's a progressing and you are on the right track so keep it up.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Hussle on August 15, 2011 at 9:18am

Oly lifts take time to learn, but once you've got 'em they're as natural as all getout.  Don't worry about that, just start plugging away.  There's a book I think it's called olympic lifting for dummies or something like that.  Start with RDL, once you've got that do sumo deadlifts/regular deadlifts.  Then do clean pulls and snatch pulls.  DONT do "high pulls", they're not part of a good progression IMHO. 

 

It's all about making your arms "ropes" attaching the bar to your shoulders.  Pull, shrug/calf raise, and then drop under the bar.  Then do it again, and again till it becomes fluid. 

 

And Dean's being modest, he's stronger than me on a bunch of lifts.  I'm only good at oly's because that's my background. There's a difference between being coordinated/agile and being strong. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on September 12, 2011 at 9:03pm

Got some new numbers and a lot of questions.

1RM:

Bench: 200#

Deadlift: 300#

 

 

 

Story: I slacked off for about a week  because of an oncoming illness, and then was seriously ill (not life-threatening, but  I could not leave my bed for three days) for roughly another week. I had maybe one or two workouts a week for close to 5 weeks (Major motivation malfunction, but that is not the topic of this post). So...a 5 week break and I come back to add 15# to my bench? I barely did anything, I could see maybe 5# or so just on a fluke day, but I don't understand how a break like that could spike my lift #.

 

Deadlift Weight Question: Deadlifts...first time ever even going above 145#, ever. I used to do 3x6 Deads @ 145#. I warmed up with 135#, then skipped to 200#...then 230#...then 280#...then did 300#. Is that an average deadlift for a 153-155# 5'11 guy? I figured it roughly to about 197/8% of my body weight, and was surprised at the lift # just because of my complete inexperience with it.

 

___________________

Sample of a Daily Weight Workout Routine.

Disclaimer: I may be 18, but I am seriously dedicated to what I am doing. I do not text in the Squat Rack, I do not talk to chicks during 5 minute breaks between sets (ok, maybe if I'm done working out), I do not do bicep curls.

 

I've been doing my lifting/PT/Runs at my college during breaks like I'm sure some of you guys do. 

 

Bench: 10 Reps @ 45#

5 reps @ 135#

1 rep @ 180, and added 5 pounds per rep til I hit 200 (then my arms were smoked).

Then I lowered the weight back to 135# for 2 sets of 10 reps.

 

I did Dips (the bar was crowded by 4 guys so I got what I could)

12, 10, 10.

 

Military Press @75#, 1 set of 5, 15 Pushups, 1 set of 5, 15 pushups, 1 set of 3 (couldn't get the last two reps out and decided my shoulders had about had it), 15 pushups.

Is this a decent routine? It was basically an improvised workout on the spot working upper as much as I could think of (compoundly). I feel like I sacrificed any/all back. Would like to be able to hit 20 Pullups, NOT just Chins.

 

___________

So now you guys are wondering, what's this scatterbrain's point?

At the end of the day I'm working on these weight routines trying to make them as compound as possible to build power and strength without sacrificing work ability. My goal is a 300 on the Marine PFT on any rainy day and I would like to know if I'm headed there, which brings me to my next question.

 

__________

Dissecting the USMC PFT

20 chins/pullups, 100 crunches, 18m 3-Mile = perfect score.

 

I can do the 20 chins & 100 crunches. What really miffs me is the running. If I get in a hard run, it kills my workouts. Like, very badly. If I run after my workouts, my run suffers. I hit that deadlift max aforementioned on 9/7/11, and on 9/12/11 my legs still hurt significantly when I was doing some medium distance/fast pace (1000m repeats or so @ <6m mile).

 

I would like to build power/strength, but need that endurance more than either of them. To be honest, I couldn't care less what my bench is if I could do 40 chins/pulls without touching the ground. It absolutely would not matter to me at all. The trick is getting there, and I don't know how to do it.

 

PT consists of circuit/cardio, pushups (back when I did several hundred a week I was hitting 50~ good ones, but never got past that, now I'm down to 20/30 good ones, as in chest to ground). Sprints, Chins, Need more pullups, all manner of ab exercises (USMC Crunches, Levers, Frog Situps, the next to useless oblique crunch, flutterkicks, planks, etc...).

 

Distance runs are 3-5 miles and I don't do them nearly enough anymore to be honest. I noticed when I was doing 15 miles a week my chinups went from 21 max to 18 max (not a perfect score), and then once I laxxed on running, I went up to 23 max.

_________________________________

 

I know this post is a mass of rambling slober, but in summary:

 

Question 1: Attempt to explain higher # lifts after months of doing nothing?

 

Question 2: Critique that upper body segment example please?

 

Question 3: Ways to incorporate power-lifting with running? (My legs simply cannot hurt for a week after every workout, I can't run like that.)

 

Question 4: Simple method for a goal like 30 pullups? As an example of my confusion I've done sets of 20 Chins for forever, but the set itself never gets any easier, @ 17 Chins I'm struggling constantly.

 

I suppose I just don't understand over all how to train a part  in a manner that isn't antithetical to another part of the workout. Obviously logic follows that if you work hard, you're going to be more tired for another part of the workout. I accept and understand that.

I've been at this for something like 22 weeks, and it seems like isolation of what I want to train works best, but nothing I have is really at its goal level.

 

Thanks guys.

 

P.S. I've had the FFETG for a while now, but it stands to be mentioned it is not the quickest method to hit my goals, it is an all-around fitness guide. This is fine, but I need to have my goals be the baseline before I get into general fitness workouts.

 

P.S.S. I type a book and realize it doesn't fit thematically in this forum section.

 

 

 

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The Cadre on September 15, 2011 at 4:32am

1. Don't know, but good job. (sorry, but not gonna venture a guess without knowing more of what you've been doing, and no you don't need to type that out here, haha).  Sometimes proper form by itself translates into higher lifts...

2. Be more balanced.  Spread lifts out like we do, like Dan John, Brooks Kubik, and many others do.

3. Squat more.  Legs will get sore at first, sorry.  Try Litvinov sprints.  

4. Read up, and do the workouts in the ETG.  After a more generalized baseline fitness (your specific personal goals are a specific goal, not a general) then try more advanced.  If you're hitting 20 right now, you're doing very well.  Work on other things, like getting your military press @ bodyweight, then benching your bodyweight 20x.  Front squatting 1.5 your bodyweight, etc.  Just working on one thing will lead to imbalance and injury.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on September 15, 2011 at 5:42pm

Thank you for the reply, I got a call from China and they said they wanted their wall back.

 

I'll oblige and keep further replies shorter haha.

 

@ 1: I think perhaps I had just over trained my body to a point where I truly did need several rest days. After that large break and subsequently working out regularly, I have done some very amazing things (for me at least). For the first time I was doing sets of 20 chins, only two with quite a lot of rest between, but two sets within the same hour is a first for me.

 

@2: I'm not sure what you mean without looking at the references, but I will research how you balance different lifts during a workout.

 

@3: Understood, Squat day is tomorrow, I suppose it's like any other exercise. I run quite a lot, but my legs seem to recover much, much slower than my upper body. Solution: Train more.

 

@4: I have a PFT coming up, but I will complete the ETG before continuing my routine. Should I start over, or start from "The TR" (I think Phase III?) where I left off?

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gary Dean Eyster Jr. on September 16, 2011 at 8:48am

Well that was a long post... Just kidding. Well the increase while after a long time off is pretty normal. Your body will hit a point where it needs rest and your was just letting you know that from what it sounds like. The 300lb deadlift at your body weight is pretty good. Definatley agree that if you work your lower body it will help increase most of your strenght gains. The soreness will go away once your body is used to the intense training. So long as you listen to your body and rest when it needs it. We all too many times try to push things to get the gains we are looking for. At the end of the day the harder you push without taking the neccessary time off will only delay your progress. You definatley want to be overall balanced and not "lopsided". It certainly sounds like you are motivated so keep it up and it will come with time.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on September 23, 2011 at 3:08pm

Been hitting it very hard since I last posted (and before then, too). PFT on October 15th, we'll see what the status quo is. I hit 18 pullups (now at 20), 100/100 crunches, and a 20:40 3-Mile on my last PFT. We'll see how this goes, I'll post shortly after.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on October 23, 2011 at 8:08pm

I was diagnosed with "Walking Pneumonia" today which is super great. Havn't been able to train for a good week and a half. I now know why I can't run anymore haha.

I was hitting 70+ pushups in a 2 minute clip for the first time just prior to getting ill so I'm still making gains

Can't do 20 straight right now, my whole body is just a ball of fatigue. 

 

Sorry this looks like a blog post or something, but my new max pushups was 71 in two minutes, so a new PR on  those. 

 

Think I'm going to mix a "Daily Dozen" type of PT circuit into my morning on top of the ETG so my body gets used to that and to help me get a jump start.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The Cadre on October 25, 2011 at 4:58pm

Make sure you rest!  If you don't rest, that pneumonia ain't going anywhere.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on October 25, 2011 at 8:18pm

Roger. I'm taking it easy for the week. After that, guns up and back at it.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on November 3, 2011 at 1:03pm

Feeling better. Did the first DC from the ETG yesterday. I noticed that I'm sore for the first time in forever. Was doing the 4x5 Heavy bench with 155#, which is my bodyweight. Happy for what it's worth considering that I hadn't done anything like that in so long. Also ran a 6:49 mile pretty easily. Today's DC is gonna be killer just because of all the delayed muscle soreness, but I'm looking forward to it!

Permalink Reply by Harrison Lee on May 4, 2012 at 6:06pm

Ran a mock PAST today for TACP. 

10m Run/49(43 Good) Pushups in 2M/67 Situps in 2M/10 Pullups.

10:00/43/67/10.

The run is easy. I ran track in high school, so the relative pace is less taxing than it could be. I warmed up with a 6 minute mile before I ran the 1.5.

43 Pushups that were chest to ground, lock out at the top. 49 that were questionably 90*. I am awful at pushups, not sure why. Grease the groove, heavy bench, form changes, different pushups, pyramids, nothing works for me, but oh well.

67 Situps. It's not quite the 70-80 I was looking for, but I'll take it. I was training for the Marine Corps so situps are very unfamiliar.

10 Pullups. I just did a set, the minimum is 6. Not that I harbor thoughts of or appreciate the concept of passing at the minimum, but I know I've got the pullups in (will hit 15-19 when I run it again tomorrow).

I know my scores are low, but I had a whole 9 days to gear up and pass this test (May 9th). 

• ▶ Reply