Road to WSM....

[Ergogenomic]

Alright, it has been awhile since I have updated this thing. The past few weeks I have been nursing a hamstring AND bicep injury. During that time I decided to trim up a bit as I was letting myself go in my journey for more mass.

I am feeling much better now and have once again changed my routine to what I am more accustomed to.


2007/08/21

warm up: 5 min fast walking on the treadmill followed by dynamic stretching for the joints involved in this workout


Clean and Press: (Olympic bar)

225lbs x 1 for 2 sets

Tried 245lbs and almost locked it out but I lost balance to the rear and had to bring it back down. I wish my gym had bumper plates so I wouldn't have to worry about dropping it.


Squats

295lbs + a pair of blue bands (shortened for increased tension) x 3 for 2 sets


Deadlifts

315lbs + a pair of green bands (doubled up) x 1 for 2 sets


Incline Bench Press

225lbs x 10 for 2 sets


Lying dumbbell extensions:

55lbs x 8 for 2 sets


Seated cable rows: (wide grip)

300lbs x 12
300lbs x 10


Cool down: 5 min fast walking on the treadmill followed by static stretching of the involved muscles


Felt pretty good today being my first day back from injury. Having a hamstring and bicep injury really limited me on what I could do without involving those muscles too much. I'm sooo glad I feel better now.

[jlozan84]

What do you feel is gained by utilizing bands rather than just more weight?

[Ergogenomic]

Bands increase resistance (pull down) as you go through your stronger range of motion.

i.e. Top half of squats and deadlifts. In the above, I was pulling 315lbs + doubled up green bands. On the bottom it felt more like ~400lbs and at the top it felt like ~600lbs. Not sure if that's what it was but it sure felt that way.

I like to use them on as many exercises as I can - bench press, clean and pressing, even bicep curls.

You can also reverse the positioning of the bands and attach them to the top of the squat cage and the barbell (lightened method). Doing so provides less resistance at the bottom of the squat or deadlift.

I will also incorporate chains again once I get them cut to the lengths I need. It's the same idea as bands but the chains don't pull you down as bands do.


Check this out for more info:

Westside Barbell®"Often Imitated but never duplicated"

It is the December '04 article - "Chains and Bands"