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Help me win the prop bet. 1.75x bench in a year Help me win the prop bet. 1.75x bench in a year

07-14-2011 , 04:26 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Interpleader
My bench press is not going up. I have yet to hit 225. Yet, I still go to the gym every single day.

a plateau lifting.
In before a dozen "I told you so".
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07-14-2011 , 04:47 PM
your tears are replenishing my power
Help me win the prop bet. 1.75x bench in a year Quote
07-14-2011 , 09:16 PM
your bench isnt going up because you go to the gym every day
Help me win the prop bet. 1.75x bench in a year Quote
07-14-2011 , 09:44 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soulman
your tears are replenishing my power
haha awesome, but:

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07-14-2011 , 11:53 PM
Aren't you taking a bar exam in like 2 weeks? For most people that lone would be worthy of a log.

Good luck.
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07-15-2011 , 12:01 AM
interleader, where is my shirt with your quote on it? seriously, get me one.
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07-15-2011 , 12:12 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Interpleader

My bench press is not going up. I have yet to hit 225. Yet, I still go to the gym every single day.
This makes it sound like you were attempting a 1rm every single day? Seriously?
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07-15-2011 , 05:36 AM
he did 115x10, 155x8, 185x7, 205x2, 220x1, and i used one finger on the left hand side of the bar to keep it even on 225. he broke through his plateau.

14 wks in, dropped 13 lbs in weight, added an approximate 80lbs to his bench. In the next 28wks if he can do the same weight loss (152lbs) and add half of what he did in the first 14wks to his bench (270lbs) he'll be at 1.77x with 10 weeks to spare, also of note he did 3 miles in 25 minutes tonight.

he's got david banner in him, piss him off and he gets stronger.
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07-15-2011 , 07:16 AM
I can bench 255 with 1 finger helping on the left side. Not even helping actually, just pushing the weight horizontally towards my feet. My unassisted gym PR? 240.

Not trying to be a dick, but I certainly wouldn't count that as breaking a plateau. He's obviously strong enough in the major movers, but there's got to be some underlying technique issue or stabilizer weakness that needs addressing. I would work in the 80-95% range and prioritize form, bar speed, and total volume (but not care too much about max number of reps performed as that necessitates a breakdown of form and slow barspeed). Workouts like 185x4x8 or 195x3x10.

Just my .02.
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07-15-2011 , 08:21 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Solid up arrow
your bench isnt going up because you go to the gym every day
This is an extremely valid point with regards to gaining strength, and it would be a shame to just see it dismissed imo.

Last edited by Gorilla4Sale; 07-15-2011 at 08:22 AM. Reason: althought i don't know much of that gym time is for marathon type training...
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07-15-2011 , 05:15 PM
July 14

Today went well. I know Jess hinted at this above, but I do feel like I'm breaking through the 220 barrier. I did 220 as a heavy single after 4 working sets. That might not seem like a huge accomplishment, but it sure is for me. Also, doing 185x7 is very very encouraging.

Bench

115x10
155x8
185x7
205x2 (easy)
220x1
225x1 (fail - but closer than ever before)
275x1 negative
135x5 narrow grip pause rep
135x6 narrow grip pause rep.

Triceps

Push-down, skullcrushers

Running (new category)

3 miles: 25 minutes.
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07-15-2011 , 05:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Funnie II
I can bench 255 with 1 finger helping on the left side. Not even helping actually, just pushing the weight horizontally towards my feet. My unassisted gym PR? 240.

Not trying to be a dick, but I certainly wouldn't count that as breaking a plateau. He's obviously strong enough in the major movers, but there's got to be some underlying technique issue or stabilizer weakness that needs addressing. I would work in the 80-95% range and prioritize form, bar speed, and total volume (but not care too much about max number of reps performed as that necessitates a breakdown of form and slow barspeed). Workouts like 185x4x8 or 195x3x10.

Just my .02.
I agree with this and you are 100% correct. One finger on the bar can mean a lot. That being said, I was literally having 225 fall flat on my face a week ago, so a finger is undoubtably encouraging. Even if you discount the 225 rep, 220x1 and 185x7 are really strong numbers for me.
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07-15-2011 , 05:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by igetjokes
This makes it sound like you were attempting a 1rm every single day? Seriously?
lol. no. we were not.
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07-15-2011 , 05:24 PM
You had a nice run though, and 185x7 and failing on 225 is pretty spot on Wendler's 1RM formula. This thread has got pretty long...what was the goal/magic bench number? (I realize this is a moving target b/c of the weight)
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07-15-2011 , 05:46 PM
It is really hard to pinpoint a number, but 240 would encourage me and 260 would be amazing.
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07-15-2011 , 05:54 PM
inter give me my shirt!!!!!!!!

i think it would be really interesting to see how different people would design inter's training program for his goal.

edit: anyone interested in giving it a shot? a few of us can design one month training programs for him and compare. i think it will be educational.
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07-15-2011 , 07:47 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Funnie II
I can bench 255 with 1 finger helping on the left side. Not even helping actually, just pushing the weight horizontally towards my feet. My unassisted gym PR? 240.

Not trying to be a dick, but I certainly wouldn't count that as breaking a plateau. He's obviously strong enough in the major movers, but there's got to be some underlying technique issue or stabilizer weakness that needs addressing. I would work in the 80-95% range and prioritize form, bar speed, and total volume (but not care too much about max number of reps performed as that necessitates a breakdown of form and slow barspeed). Workouts like 185x4x8 or 195x3x10.

Just my .02.
right, but, he did 220 w/ zero assistance, so i dont think the comparison is the same if one finger allows you to do 255 and your PR (1RM attempt assuming obv) is 240. This wasn't a 1RM attempt by a longshot, either.

valid points though. i think you'd agree that he broke through a plateau if you saw him last night attempt a heavy single @225 compared to his last attempt which literally never came off his chest at all. timex could give you an unbiased opinion of what he saw, as i was behind him and wasn't exactly observing from a great angle.

we'll see on wednesday, i'd set the over/under at 232.

the one issue that kept coming up was form, specifically hitting the "sweet spot", if you will, on his chest as opposed to the bar coming down closer to his neck or out towards his stomach.

about every other set before he does it i say "barspeed, barspeed, dont hold the lockout".

keep in mind nothing is static. once his form is more consistent the workouts will have more 5x3 type of sets in them but if he doesn't do (x) amount of reps before getting into the 3-rep range, his form fails. imo he needs 20+ reps to find his groove, and this is entirely my fault for making assumptions about form, it takes a while before form is really carved in and there's not a mental check list of things you're thinking about while also trying to focus on a heavy set.

i usually will pick a weight i want to add one rep to when trying to increase my 1RM, and it usually starts when i'm at 4 reps w/ that weight. on 6/30 he failed at 225 and did 185x4 +1 assisted, and that day 185 became the number he needed to add a rep to, and once he gets to 8 reps at 185, he'll likely be doing 4 reps at 205 and that will be the weight that he focuses on adding reps to. but that's assuming his form consistency improves and he doesn't get out of line in his form from a 8 rep set to a 3 rep set. i've seen him get 185 so many times where it looks like he's going to fail on the 4'th rep, then the 5'th rep has faster barspeed. sometimes even the 6'th rep will have faster barspeed than the 4'th.

once his form is consistent, the sets and reps will change, but i want to see his form not be an issue when making 40lb jumps in weight before he starts doing 5 sets of triples in his routine.

on sunday we're going to try 95x10, 115x8, 145x8, then 185x8. 20,30,40 lb jumps in weight and 18 reps at very light weight and 8 reps at light weight before getting into the 7-8 rep max range, and based on his total # of reps @ 185, that will determine what he attempts on wednesday.


edit; i think for anyone starting off in bench press, getting to two plates is a 'break through' point regardless of whether you did 220 and it took another month to get there or if you did 205 and 3 weeks later you did 225. everyone new to bench who's under 180lbs wants to do two plates pretty damn bad. i know how good it felt when i first did it.

Last edited by TxRedMan; 07-15-2011 at 07:52 PM.
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07-15-2011 , 07:50 PM
Great post, but I have been waiting in your parking lot for 45 minutes. Let's go.
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07-15-2011 , 07:55 PM
lol
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07-15-2011 , 08:07 PM
Two plates = 220 imo!
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07-17-2011 , 08:23 PM
July 17 (Texas Gym)

Bench

115x10
135x8
155x8
205x3
205x5 (holly crap)
225x1 (new max)
185x6
185x5
135x10x2 (narrow grip pause)
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07-17-2011 , 08:36 PM
I know everyone's reaction is going to be "wtf, how did you hit those numbers?" Well, my reaction is much the same. I find it almost unfathomable that I could go from 185x7 to 205x5 in 3 days. Clearly, the gym in Texas is very different from the gyms that I have been working out at. Here are a few thoughts/factors that I think mattered.

1. I'm breaking through a month long plateau and it just happens to coincide with being in Texas
2. The bench press seat is wider
3. The gym is really warm, like 20 degrees warmer than the cushy gyms I usually work out it.
4. The weights are iron as opposed to rubber.
5. The bar is more elastic than the bars I'm used to.
6. The plates/bar is actually lighter (I haven't ruled this out). We are going to take a scale to the gym tomorrow. I'm as skeptical as anyone.
7. Variance

All of that being said, I benched 205x5 in a gym where there are competitions. It's the place to in Dallas apparently. The guy next to us was benching 5 plates on each side, and he assured me that the weights were what they said. Jess assures me that they are accurate numbers as well. Part me wants to say "this isn't real" because something is different, but maybe I have been benching on crappy benches with rubber weights all along and this bump was long over due. I really am at a loss.

In my opinion, I could have put up between 225 and 230 today at Equinox in NYC. I put up 205x5, which is 239 according to the bench press calculator we have been using.

I'm sure Jess will have thoughts on this. Anyone else experience something similar?
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07-17-2011 , 08:47 PM
you did 205x2 (easy) after 185x7 three days ago. "easy" implies at least one in the tank and most likely two. so 205x5 is a rep or so better. no magic rubber band bars imo.
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07-18-2011 , 12:41 AM
Dude, you're putting in work!! I'm sure the weights are accurate. Now that you know you can get 225, set new goals. You own 225 now!
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07-18-2011 , 01:52 AM
All 3 are challenging goals, but am I the only one more concerned about the running goals than the bench goal?

I haven't read entire thread. Have you told us your running history? What's the longest race you've run, how long ago was it, and how well did you do?

What is your current assessment of your ability to do the marathon and the 6 minute goal?


Only considering running goals, based on info so far, I'd say your marathon is the easiest to achieve, but not by much. You can be cruising along fine and very easily run into a wall at mile 17.


"Let's say you're cruising through your first marathon. You're running a little faster than you've trained, but hey, it's race day, and you're charged with adrenaline.

You cross the halfway point five minutes faster than you had planned based on your training pace. You're rocking your first race, and everything is great. And then disaster strikes.

At Mile 15, it hits you. For the first time, you notice your legs feel heavy. By Mile 16, the idea of a quick walk break sounds great. By 17, you're not sure you can even finish the race.

What happened? You were so disciplined in your training, and you tried to listen to your body on race day. The problem is that you didn't know what you were capable of and had no idea how fast to run. And a good rule of thumb is that for every minute too fast that you run the first half of a marathon, you'll lose two minutes in the second half.

You need a better idea of how fast you can reasonably expect to run. These three marathon prediction methods well help you do that, and avoid the race-day disaster that so many runners experience."
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/marathon-prediction/

For the marathon, there are formulas to predict your marathon time based on shorter runs.

Mcmillian

http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmil...calculator.htm

calculates that for a 25 minute 3 mile, you're predicted marathon is 4:12:50,
with a 9:40 pace.

That's good news. You may not be too far off your marathon goal already.

However, this guy
http://www.hillrunner.com/jim2/id70.html

say that 10k is the best predictor and that 5k or less aren't accurate predictors:

"For instance, I would NEVER use a 5k race as a primary predictor for a marathon. Why? Because a 5k race is run at or near aerobic capacity (VO2max) which, next to percent of fast twitch fibers, is, arguably, the least important physiological factor for a marathon. A 5k race, much like a set of Yasso 10x800's, predicts the marathon time that your aerobic capacity will support. However, neither tells you much about your lactic threshold (LT), endurance, running strength, or running efficiency.....all of which have a greater effect on marathon performance than aerobic capacity. A 5k race really isn't a heck of a lot more relevant to a marathon than is a 1-mile race or a 100 yard dash....both of which can theoretically be used in race calculators to "predict" a marathon time."

So I say you should try to get in a 10k soon and tell us how you did. We can go from there.

Also, I'm most concerned about your mile times/goal. I think you should time yourself at an all-out mile at least once a week (have a school track nearby?) and report here.

fyi I have recovered from a bad ankle injury a year ago, have been running 3 miles a day for a year straight (started basically out of shape), and my best mile is 6:40 right now. I may be the worst miler ever (though I did run track and CC in high school years back), but take it for what it's worth. That' 6 minute mile ain't gonna be easy.


Good luck.

Cygnus
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