Any suggestions? Is the volume too high (lats particularly)? Overall volume too high? :confused: I've totally lost the ability to adjust it correctly. :lol: I was trying to base this off of Waterbury's Set/Rep Bible -- http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=05-091-training

I'm not big on benching and I still have a strength imbalance in favour of chest so I'm working to correct that. Bulking -- Olympic lifts, legs, shoulders, and back focus.

SUNDAY

Power Snatch: 5-4-3-2-2 with 70" rest
Snatch Pull (forehead): 3 x 8 @ 70% with 60"

T-Bar Row: 3 x 6 @ 80% with 90"
Chin-up: 2 x 6 @ 80% with 90"

Back Full Squat: 5 x 5 @ 80% with 120"
BB Romanian Deadlift: 5 x 5 @ 80% with 120"

Calf Press

Stretching

TUESDAY

Power Clean (and Jerk?): 5-4-3-2-2 with 70"
Clean Pull (sternum): 3 x 8 @ 70% with 60"

T-Bar Row: 3 x 6 @ 80% with 90"
Chin-up: 2 x 6 @ 80% with 90"

Back or Zercher Full Squat: 5 x 5 @ 80% with 120"
DB Romanian Deadlift: 5 x 5 @ 80% with 120"

Shoulder Isolation

Stretching

THURSDAY

Military Press: 3 x 6 @ 80% with 120"
Push Press: 3 x 6 with 120"

T-Bar Row: 3 x 6 @ 80% alternated with
Dip: 3 x 6 @ 80% with 35"

Front Full Squat: 10 x 3 @ 85% with 90"
Good Morning or Rack Pull: 3 x 6 @ 80% with 120"

Glute-Ham? (Looking for a way to do them -- probably will just pad the knees and lock the feet.)

Calf Press

Stretching

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Estimated total time lifting is 50 minutes per workout based on set/rep scheme and rest periods.

Before I can comment, what happened with your squatfest routine? Did you finish up the cycle? What were the results?

Glute-Ham? (Looking for a way to do them -- probably will just pad the knees and lock the feet.)

I've been doing them on a lat pull-down machine, which has the advantage that you don't have to stop horizontal, as you would if you did them on the floor with stall bars, etc.

Thanks, zens. I'll check out my equipment and see if that's possible.

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I'm thinking about making Tuesday a DE squat day if 5x5 both days would be too much. Alternatively, the first day can be a build and the second day can remain constant loading. I'm not sure which way too go.

For the most part, I'll wave load using this routine, dropping back slightly every 3-5 weeks or when needed.

If the volume is too high on the lats, I can switch out the rowing on day three and put in a bench press or a tricep accessory exercise (and therefore would move it after dips) since the routine is largely upper body pull dominant.

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Before I can comment, what happened with your squatfest routine? Did you finish up the cycle? What were the results?
:o Too hard. The first two weeks I puked once and got sick 2 out of 3 workouts. I did add about a half inch to each leg in that time. At the end of week 2, my schedule got messed up. I completed the first 5 sessions.

Here's exactly what I was doing: http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=302358&postcount=186

I think it was the combination of power snatch, then military press particularly, then squatting that would do me in.

I'm loving DE box squats. It's helping address my glute-ham imbalance with respect to my quads and is really improving my squat form. If your form is spot on you don't really need to use a box, but it has really helped me out and gives me a posterior focused squat workout.

I also would like to emphasize my love for good mornings. Glad that you have them in your workout too. :tu:

:o Too hard. The first two weeks I puked once and got sick 2 out of 3 workouts. I did add about a half inch to each leg in that time. At the end of week 2, my schedule got messed up. I completed the first 5 sessions.

Here's exactly what I was doing: http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=302358&postcount=186

I think it was the combination of power snatch, then military press particularly, then squatting that would do me in.

Too hard?!?!?! :cry: And you put on 1/2" on your quads??? Well, I never took you for a wuss, chic :confused:

Ha...J/K We all know you're a tough guy...as tough as they come :rolleyes:

If that old routine got you pukin and sick, this new routine will have you in the ER in no time flat. IMHO I would re-arrange Tuesday's workout and use it primarily for assistance work. Laterals instead of Clean Pulls, I'd keep the Zercher's but drop 2 working sets, or use higher rep leg presses, barbell or DB pullovers rather than T-Bar, and Leg Curls other than DB RDL's.

Bump up those calories too!!!:eat:

Thanks for the suggestions, mast. I don't want to end up in the ER just yet. :eek: :D

I'll post up another draft after waiting a day or so for any other comments/suggestions to come in.

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On further review, I'm going to move my current 2-day routine to 4-day upper / lower split (http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=316179&postcount=197). That should free me up for just squatting / calves / stretching. I'll restart with session 5 this week and then move to complete the program. I should have done this in the first place. :bang:

The routine in this thread will be for future use. Though not necessarily right after I'm finished with the semi-Smolov I'm currently using.

Thanks, zens. I'll check out my equipment and see if that's possible.

Yeah those are possible on several common machines. There's a guy in my gym who can do them on the lat pull-down and also this seated row machine, where instead of using the knee-rolls on his ankles, he uses the ab pad. It's too narrow for me though, so I have to wait for the lat pull-down.

I have an Ironmaster Superbench here at home which I can do hypers on, so in theory I can do GHRs on it. But since I'm out off the end of the bench there wasn't enough counterweight. I think I can fix that just by weighting the end of the bench, but I didn't get that far yet. I can do them over the bench though - which is decent - like doing them over the floor.

So depending on the details of construction, you might be able to do them on a decline bench with ab rolls.

So depending on the details of construction, you might be able to do them on a decline bench with ab rolls.

That's how I do them Zen. I used to use them in the past as a compound exercise with cable pull-throughs as a substitute for stiff leag deads.

Always seemed to bring my deadlift numbers up :tu:

That's how I do them Zen. I used to use them in the past as a compound exercise with cable pull-throughs as a substitute for stiff leag deads.

Always seemed to bring my deadlift numbers up :tu:

Yeah I think they're doing a lot of good for me at the moment. Those, and single leg ball curls, seem to help a lot more than the various stiff leg deadlift variations for me - those just never seem to hit the hamstrings very well.

The glute-ham raises seem to hit the lower end of the hamstring, the ball curls seem to work higher up. We think the issue with the deadlifts is that for me the glutes do most of the hip extension as opposed to the hamstrings. Seems like the quads and/or glutes will take over any exercise that we let them have any piece of. So the ball curls and glute ham raises are nice that the glutes can stabilize, but they can't do the exercise. We don't know why the leg curl machines haven't been able to compete - they are cam machines and one of them has a stack that gets pretty heavy; but the glute-ham raises really made a big difference as soon as I added them.

I have an Ironmaster Superbench here at home which I can do hypers on, so in theory I can do GHRs on it. But since I'm out off the end of the bench there wasn't enough counterweight. I think I can fix that just by weighting the end of the bench, but I didn't get that far yet. I can do them over the bench though - which is decent - like doing them over the floor.

Can you describe the superbench technique, and what attachment you might or might not be using to do hypers or glute ham raises? I'd love to try them. I just got the ab attachment.

Actually, I had one awhile back, but have been waiting on a replacement part to come in since my original order wouldn't fit in the tube because it's diameter was too big. I've had all kinds of little quality issues with this bench, although I generally like the design.

Can you describe the superbench technique, and what attachment you might or might not be using to do hypers or glute ham raises? I'd love to try them. I just got the ab attachment.

Actually, I had one awhile back, but have been waiting on a replacement part to come in since my original order wouldn't fit in the tube because it's diameter was too big. I've had all kinds of little quality issues with this bench, although I generally like the design.

I have a "crunch" attachment, which is basically a curved tube with two pairs of padded rolls on it. So you set it decline crunches, but you get on the bench face down and hook your calves under the upper pair and your feet on the lower pair. Now you do hypers or glute ham raises.

I just tried it again to check for this post. I had done them with the bench flat before, and hadn't checked the decline. Seems to work fine this time, with no need for added weight for stability.

Mine has had no quality issues; I ordered all the attachments I was going to get at the same time. I'd have to say I'm a way happy customer with this piece of equipment.

I have a "crunch" attachment, which is basically a curved tube with two pairs of padded rolls on it. So you set it decline crunches, but you get on the bench face down and hook your calves under the upper pair and your feet on the lower pair. Now you do hypers or glute ham raises.

I just tried it again to check for this post. I had done them with the bench flat before, and hadn't checked the decline. Seems to work fine this time, with no need for added weight for stability.

Mine has had no quality issues; I ordered all the attachments I was going to get at the same time. I'd have to say I'm a way happy customer with this piece of equipment.

Thanks. Once I get my ab attachment put together, I'll attempt it.

I've had to get both the bench pads replaced because they were torn when I got them, and then this ab attachment wouldn't fit in the tube (they apparently had a bad production run on either the bench or tubes, since they "put me on the list" for a new part.) Took about 3 weeks to get a replacement.

I also don't really like the leg attachment. With olympic plates, it hits me in my legs doing leg curls. The plates need a spacer to hold them out farther or something. I've thought about getting the preacher curl attachment, but with the luck I've had, I'm not sure.