MonStar's Journal: Strong & Lean

[M.J.H.]

Day 5
6-13-2004​

Rest

Took a rest day today, basically for my left elbow and because I think on low-carbs my recovery is definitely slowed some. Just judging by my DOMS, etc. Anyway, I am going to do some cardio tonight I think, maybe some sprints outside, or something along those lines. We'll see what happens. I am heading down to the beach so whatever I feel like doing basically. Maybe even running on the beach, that always beats the sh*t outta' my calves.

Diet:
- EAS low-carb bar
- 2 cheeseburgers
- 2 hot dogs + cheese
- mixed nuts
- ?

Sleep: 7 hours.

Today is my 2nd day of 15mg of M1T. So far I am feeling pretty good at this dosage. But it's definitely too early to say.

 

[JerseyDevil]

JerseyDevil: I am honestly not sure why, I think just because speed bench isn't effective, but I am not 100% positive. Most people who have done Westside for an extended period of time feel that speed deadlifts are worth it, and even speed squats, but speed bench is just a waste.

I'm glad you said that. I tried speed bench in two workouts, and I didn't feel I got anything out of it. That's why I asked. Speed box squats on the other hand seem to work well for me.

 

[Rocco32]

So Mike and Jersey Devil, you think I'm wasting my time with Speed Benches? What else should I do on DE Bench day then?

 

[Saturday Fever]

Speed bench is certainly NOT a waste of time. It is a critical part of powerlifting for newcomers to this training style. You have to set aside the old mentality of feeling like you worked something when you talk about speed work. Speed work is all about speed. The ability to get the bar from the bottom of the ROM to lockout in 1 second or less, no matter how much weight you have to sacrifice.

Here's why. Speed work trains your ability to be explosive. You get the bar off your chest on your ME day because you're exploding upwards through your sticking point.

Everyone try this. Load 85% of your 1RM on the bar. Lower it slowly to your chest and raise it slowly to lockout. Make it a good 7-10 second count from chest to lockout. Its going to feel a LOT heavier than usual. Now do a normal rep with it, exploding up as fast as you can. It will feel like 85% this time.

Fast twitch fibers hold more explosive strength than slow twitch. Exploit that. Be explosive.

 

[HomeYield]

I think speed bench is worth it. Especiallly when training with bands. If nothing else, I'll wrap the bands around my wrists to work on pulling the bar apart.

With the speed bench you have to have a totally different mind set going into it. It helps, but only if you let it, and take it seriously.