Day One

[G8RBrave]

First day of the Westside plan.

Upper Body

Bench Press (worked up to 190) - 135x10 155x5 175x3 185x3 190x3
Incline DB Press 2x15
Powerset - One arm rows 3x10
Powerset - Dumbbell cleans 3x8
Barbell Shrugs 3x10 @ 185
Dumbbell Curls 3x10 @ 35

Overall pretty intense, strong workout, though not that different from 5-3-1.

[G8RBrave]

Day two.

Lower Body

Deadlifts (worked up to 135) - 95X8, 115x5, 120x3, 125x3, 130x3, 135x3
Bulgarian Split Squats - 3x10
45 Degree Hyperextension -3x15
Ab Circuit (Hanging leg raises, crunches, V-ups) 3x10 of each

[LeafUF]

I am not familiar with Westside, in fact until starting 5-3-1 I had probably been doing the same routines I did 15 years ago.

What do you think Westside will give you that 5-3-1 wasnt? I am still making steady gains on just about all of my lifts so I have no reason to change up other than my travel schedule makes consistent lifting difficult and slows my progress.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by G8RBrave

Day two.

Lower Body

Deadlifts (worked up to 135) - 95X8, 115x5, 120x3, 125x3, 130x3, 135x3
Bulgarian Split Squats - 3x10
45 Degree Hyperextension -3x15
Ab Circuit (Hanging leg raises, crunches, V-ups) 3x10 of each

Brave -

Not a flame at all - and I understand you're being conservative because of your past back issues - but it just occurred to me that you're using not much more than half of what I'm using on deadlift ... and I'm a skinny old guy.

Point is I suspect you'll be very happy with the way you look when you double your deadlift poundage. Sure, take your time. Just sayin ....

[G8RBrave]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

I am not familiar with Westside, in fact until starting 5-3-1 I had probably been doing the same routines I did 15 years ago.

What do you think Westside will give you that 5-3-1 wasnt? I am still making steady gains on just about all of my lifts so I have no reason to change up other than my travel schedule makes consistent lifting difficult and slows my progress.

I have no issue with 5-3-1, and may go back to it at some point. I just got bored with my workouts and decided to switch it up.

Dream, after I hurt my back, I started back at just deadlifting 90 lbs. So, I've slowly added 45 lbs back to it. Doing 5-3-1, I was adding 10 lbs a month to my total (as per the program), but now will shoot for adding 5 lbs a week or every two weeks.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by G8RBrave

I have no issue with 5-3-1, and may go back to it at some point. I just got bored with my workouts and decided to switch it up.

Dream, after I hurt my back, I started back at just deadlifting 90 lbs. So, I've slowly added 45 lbs back to it. Doing 5-3-1, I was adding 10 lbs a month to my total (as per the program), but now will shoot for adding 5 lbs a week or every two weeks.

You'll be there in no time. And perhaps you'll be the happy recipient of 'muscle memory.'

[G8RBrave]

I probably got a little too scared of deadlifting after the injury and may have dropped down too far. Then again, I weigh a whopping 140 lbs, so I'm basically deadlifting my bodyweight 3 times now (and I know I could do more reps but have been holding back). I have to consistently remind myself that these guys I see putting 225 on the bar weigh 200 often times as well.

[G8RBrave]

Upper Body Repetition Day

Barbell Bench Press 135 lbs 3x12

Superset 1 - Chinups 3x12
Superset 1 - Face Pulls 3x10

Lat Raises 4x10

Superset 2 - Barbell Shrugs 3x8
Superset 2 - Hammer Curls 3x8

Whew.

[G8RBrave]

BTW, the term "face pulls" cracks me up.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by G8RBrave

BTW, the term "face pulls" cracks me up.

Generally speaking, as you get older you don't want to pull on your face.

[G8RBrave]

It is kind of a neat compound cable exercise though. I felt it through my arms into my shoulder and back. Sort of like a variation of a lat pulldown.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by G8RBrave

It is kind of a neat compound cable exercise though. I felt it through my arms into my shoulder and back. Sort of like a variation of a lat pulldown.

It is a great movement. I don't have access to a pulley so I just lay on my back, bend one leg, loop a resistance band around the back of the raised leg and pull my wrists back to the floor ... taking care not to bend the wrists in the process, so as to maintain the contraction in the ext rotators.

However, I don't feel the need to do a lot of them as I've already trained myself to drive elbows back and down on pullups and inverted rows. They basically hit the same muscles.

[ATL_Gator]

Well,

Today I was supposed to do 3 sets of 210 on squats... Went through some warmup stuff and some stretching. Hit my warmup sets, and thought to myself.. "I just don't see doing 3 sets of squats today"...

Instead, decided to see what my 1RM squat was.
225 x 1... easy (know I can do that anyway)
245 x 1... easy
275 x 1... got it. Slowed down in the middle of the lift, but didn't come to a stop. Bottom and top felt good.
300 x 0... felt pretty good at lift off. Decent was slow and felt good. Got about 2-3 inches up from the bottom and stalled. Down to the pins.
300 x 0, try 2... lifted off the rack, stepped back and got into position. Right heel felt funny inside shoe, so fidgeted foot around to get it right. Started decent... got maybe 2 inches or so into it and right foot/heel still didn't feel right. Went back up and racked it.

There it is. Got 275. Might have been able to power out 285, but that is a guess. Just not strong enough yet for 300 (which is almost 1.5x BW). Not bad, about what I expected.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by ATL_Gator

Well,

Today I was supposed to do 3 sets of 210 on squats... Went through some warmup stuff and some stretching. Hit my warmup sets, and thought to myself.. "I just don't see doing 3 sets of squats today"...

Instead, decided to see what my 1RM squat was.
225 x 1... easy (know I can do that anyway)
245 x 1... easy
275 x 1... got it. Slowed down in the middle of the lift, but didn't come to a stop. Bottom and top felt good.
300 x 0... felt pretty good at lift off. Decent was slow and felt good. Got about 2-3 inches up from the bottom and stalled. Down to the pins.
300 x 0, try 2... lifted off the rack, stepped back and got into position. Right heel felt funny inside shoe, so fidgeted foot around to get it right. Started decent... got maybe 2 inches or so into it and right foot/heel still didn't feel right. Went back up and racked it.

There it is. Got 275. Might have been able to power out 285, but that is a guess. Just not strong enough yet for 300 (which is almost 1.5x BW). Not bad, about what I expected.

How did you arrive at 210 for your working weight ?

[G8RBrave]

Week two of the Westside plan.

Upper Body

Bench Press (worked up to 195) - 135x10 155x5 175x3 195x3
Incline DB Press 2x15
Powerset - One arm rows 3x10
Powerset - Dumbbell cleans 3x8
Barbell Shrugs 3x10 @ 185
Dumbbell Curls 3x10 @ 35

[Dreamliner]

Got an honest-to-goodness 10 second handstand today. Practiced muscle-ups (have aways to go on this) and am pistol-squatting to a 12'' box again (will probably stay here for awhile). Also resumed my quest for a respectable one-armed pushup.

[LeafUF]

How the wrists feeling? I would hate for you to get over the knee pain to just start dealing with another nagging injury.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

How the wrists feeling? I would hate for you to get over the knee pain to just start dealing with another nagging injury.

Thanks for asking. I have a 'wrist plan.' Basically, I watch frequency and volume like a hawk and rotate through two workouts:

(A) one-armed pushup progressions, inverted rows and pistol progressions

(B) handstands (working to handstand pushups) and pullups (working to muscle-ups) and unllateral hip-thrusters.

Additionally, I stretch my forearm flexors and also do wrist curls between sets of pushups and handstands.

[LeafUF]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

Thanks for asking. I have a 'wrist plan.' Basically, I watch frequency and volume like a hawk and rotate through two workouts:

(A) one-armed pushup progressions, inverted rows and pistol progressions

(B) handstands (working to handstand pushups) and pullups (working to muscle-ups) and unllateral hip-thrusters.

Additionally, I stretch my forearm flexors and also do wrist curls between sets of pushups and handstands.

Sounds a bit like my tricep plan. I have cut out just about all direct tricep work and do a lot of light warm ups and stretching on shoulder and chest days.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

Sounds a bit like my tricep plan. I have cut out just about all direct tricep work and do a lot of light warm ups and stretching on shoulder and chest days.

I'd sign off on that. It's not like your triceps aren't getting lots of stimulation from your pressing.