What I'm bad at

[mikesbytes]

Bench Press
After finally getting my shoulder in order, I discover that I can no longer bench what I did in 2003.

Triceps are high on the blame list. The solution seems to be a completely revamped triceps exercise routine, based on heavier movements. I'm reading up on this so I'm interested in your comments or links.

Also any opinions on doing Triceps twice a week? I promish I won't do it in the squat rack.

Dead Lift
Despite being new to DL's, I'm quite happy with what I can do. Of course there's plenty of room for improvement, just no gaping holes to poke a stick at.

Limitations at the moment are;
- Hand grip, which is improving
- Lockout. I get the bar up but don't lockout. Not really sure what the cause is, so therefor don't know how to fix it.

Squats
I never did legs because I cycled so have only done squats in recent times. I can feel the improvement every month, as the body gets use to doing them. I have really strong legs from the cycling so I expecting to continue to improve until some real limitation is met. At the moment I doing 5*5 so I can focus on good ROM in the lighter sets and still condition the body to get use to the higher weights, admittinely with less ROM. At the end I usually do a set of really really low AFT's. The major limitation with my squats is interference between my racing cycling training and squats. At the moment I am racing cycling training/racing Sat, Sun & Mon and squatting on Thursday. I cycle commute Mon - Fri but it's not like the racing riding.

Solution at this point seems to be to continue as I am.

[WillKuenzel]

Bench:
Really no harm in working the tri's twice a week. I do a Westside-style variation of the ME and DE upper in the same week. On ME upper I do some rack-lockouts or board presses and on DE upper I tend to do more close grip work. Lots of heavy compound tricep work.

Deadlift:
Chalk helps the grip. Are you using chalk? Are you using a mixed grip? Rack deads can helps with both the grip and the top end lockout, overload of both. Make sure you are squeezing the hips through at the top. You have to engage and squeeze the glutes to get that last lockout. Pulling back from the get go can also help. Are you using sumo or conventional stance? There are more specific pointers for each, but in saying that, doing the other can help the one you are concentrating on.

squats:
I wouldn't do the slow ATF's. You don't cycle slow so don't train that way. You can focus on your form through the ROM but do it faster under control. I go slower through the eccentric but blast through the concentric on every lift every time.

If you are doing more race cycling, I'd actually increase the reps on you just a little bit. I don't recommend it often for everybody but for those that are doing more endurance based sports specific, you should have a higher endurance threshold. Train how you perform your sport. Building the strength is for the off-season. I don't know your overall yearly schedule but if you are getting ready for races you should be doing more maintenance at this time. Save the 5x5 for when you aren't getting ready for races.

[RhodeHouse]

DL and Grip - 1 arm DB Rows

Squat/Cycling - If you want to squat while training to cycle, you should squat on Monday so you'll be recovered for Sat and Sun

Cycling is the path to a numb prostate

[mikesbytes]

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

Bench
Good point about the 2 triceps sessions. Sorry I don't understand what ME and De means, but I get the point that I for the 2 triceps sessions, I should have different routines so to hit them differently. And I focus on heavy exercises.

Deadlifts
Can't use chalk, cardio bunny gym.

I use mixed grip, it doesn't seem to matter which mixed grip I'm using, either way the right hand fails before the left (I'm left handed) usually I have the right hand twisted and the left hand straight. My grip seems to be improving, last week I did 150kg/330lbs*2reps without any hand assistance, this is only 10kg/22lbs less that my 1 rep max.

I'm probably not pulling backwards, I kinda feel I'm lifting it with my back and not my legs, something to focus on. I'll add rack pulls to the routine to help with the lockout. your point about the glutes is probably spot on, I never trained legs at the gym until recently, because I considered the cycling to be sufficient and this was a mistake, as cycling and lifting hit the legs differently.

Use to do the 1 arm DB rows before I started dead lifting, perhaps its time to put them back in the routine.

Squats
Why do you suggest that I do higher reps? Is it because I'm cardio fit and therefor can do more reps? Or because the higher reps will be more beneficial to the cycling? Appreciate your advice on this, cycling/squats is a delicate balance that I need to get spot on.

Currently my legs are being hit much harder by the cycling than by the squats, I guess this is because I'm experience at cycling and can push them much harder in that domain, than in squats where I'm a beginner and haven't realised my full potential yet.

[Rusty]

Sorry I don't understand what ME and De means, but I get the point that I for the 2 triceps sessions, I should have different routines so to hit them differently.



ME = Max effort
DE = Dynamic effort

[Sleepy Guy]

I know this sounds way to simplistic but when I am weak in an exercise I would the hell out of it. Working on any weak points as I go along.

It would be a good idea to alternate mixed grip as it changes the back while lifting. The outer hand pushes the lat into a different position.

The higher reps will help get that burn out of the muscles and sure your cyclist legs can handle it. Reps of 20 every now and then will help out. Take a weight you can do 12 comfortably and do 20.

Just a few ideas..