My bench workout tonight was:
10x225
8x240
6x260
4x275
2x300
The last @ 300lbs was all I had. But I had it. Another 10 days (after Easter) and I'll really start honing in on my diet with the hopes of dropping some more weight. I know my weight loss has slowed due to muscle gain, but there is a lot of room for improvement in my diet. A LOT.
Progress or plateau in weightlifting
I've been lifting weights since I was 15 years old, and have been really serious about it (off and on) since I was 18. It is something I'm pretty good at, and frankly I enjoy it. One of the secrets to growth I have discovered, is intentional time off - generally a week.
When I find myself hitting the wall physically, stuck on a plateau in some of my lifts, I take a week off from that lift (or on rare occasion I take a week off entirely!). When I come back to it, I'm re-energized and my strength has grown.
So I lifted a week ago Monday, and put in a heavy day on chest & arms. But I could tell I was out of gas and wasn't able to get through the workout like I would have liked to. So I skipped my second chest/arms workout last week and rested until last night.
I notice the greatest impact from this method on my bench press. I did a pyramid on bench last night with warmup at 135lbs, then:
10x225
8x240
6x260
4x275
2x295
(I use gloves but nothing else while benching BTW)
I did all without any assist (including liftoff you sissy! ;-) ). The 10x225 felt like I could throw the bar in the air at the top of each of the first 5 reps. The 2x295 went up back to back quickly with enough in the tank I might have squeezed in a third if I wanted.
Very encouraging.
It is motivating when you keep getting stronger. Even in small increments, it keeps fueling me on.
Another set of ideas for improving your bench specifically can be found here by Louie Simmons. If you want to bench 500lbs or more, give it a read. I'm obviously not there yet, but long term I really do hope to get there.
When I find myself hitting the wall physically, stuck on a plateau in some of my lifts, I take a week off from that lift (or on rare occasion I take a week off entirely!). When I come back to it, I'm re-energized and my strength has grown.
So I lifted a week ago Monday, and put in a heavy day on chest & arms. But I could tell I was out of gas and wasn't able to get through the workout like I would have liked to. So I skipped my second chest/arms workout last week and rested until last night.
I notice the greatest impact from this method on my bench press. I did a pyramid on bench last night with warmup at 135lbs, then:
10x225
8x240
6x260
4x275
2x295
(I use gloves but nothing else while benching BTW)
I did all without any assist (including liftoff you sissy! ;-) ). The 10x225 felt like I could throw the bar in the air at the top of each of the first 5 reps. The 2x295 went up back to back quickly with enough in the tank I might have squeezed in a third if I wanted.
Very encouraging.
It is motivating when you keep getting stronger. Even in small increments, it keeps fueling me on.
Another set of ideas for improving your bench specifically can be found here by Louie Simmons. If you want to bench 500lbs or more, give it a read. I'm obviously not there yet, but long term I really do hope to get there.
Sports blogger drops 153lbs in 1 year
http://aarongleeman.com/2012/03/07/how-i-lost-150-pounds-in-one-year/
The above link is a great story of a regional sports blogger who has committed himself to working out and eating better, and through that process has dramatically changed his physical make up.
The above link is a great story of a regional sports blogger who has committed himself to working out and eating better, and through that process has dramatically changed his physical make up.
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