? for powerman...

[big calvin]

im guessing u do westside, so ill ask u this...i dont know what it means to release the hip flexors? i was reading on elitefts but i still dont know how it works.....do u sit down but stay tight? or what? thanks man ohh and he is what im planning on doing....let me know if its good to go.....

monday-ME squat day
good mornings/high squats/low squats/good mornings/sumo deadlifts/seated good mornings
5 pull throughs/bent leg deadlifts
3 crunches
3 leg raises

wednesday-ME bench day
bench press/close bench press/floor presses/2 board presses/4 board presses
5 elbows out db ext./jm press
5 db rows/bb rows
5 hang and clean
5 side laterals/rear laterals
5 hammer curls
5 shrugs

friday-DE squat day
8*2 good mornings/high squats/low squats/good mornings/sumo deadlifts/seated good mornings
5 pull throughs/bent leg deadlifts
3 crunches
3 leg raises

sunday-DE bench day
8*3 bench press/close bench press/floor presses/2 board presses/4 board presses
5 elbows out db ext./jm press
5 db rows/bb rows
5 hang and clean
5 side laterals/rear laterals
5 hammer curls
5 shrugs

[PowerManDL]

That split looks good except for a few things:

1) Why do you have the shrugs and cleans on the bench day? I normally grouped the pulling movements with the squat-- do you have some specific reason for doing so?

2) You do a ME exercise on dynamic days-- is this something you've found to work? I always stuck with flat BP and box squats on the dynamic days, for form if nothing else.

3) How do you get away with that volume? I know 3 sets twice a week on assistance was killer after a few weeks-- I'd recommend cycling volume by dropping a few exercises on the second day. At the very least, reduce the total number of sets. Westside will kill a natty if you don't mod it right.

As far as relaxing the hip flexors, basically that's just saying the quads. Sit back into the squat, and let the posterior chain handle the weight. Then explode up.

[big calvin]

1) cause westside says to do some delts work in this day and if i did them on the other day i think i would overtrain my bench and back....

2)that was a mistake...i only do bench and squats

3)the sets are warmups included...so its really only the last set to failure...the rest are just pyramids to the heavyest weight....

ok got the box squats now...thanks you

[PowerManDL]

Cleans and shrugs don't target the delts, at least not in any training-related way. On the other hand, they can both help a lagging deadlift. I'd pick one or the other, and throw it in on the SQ/DL day.

[big calvin]

could i do one on each day? like clean on SQ/DL day and shrugs on bench day?

[Adam]

For releasing the hip flexors I always thought Louie was talking about how when you go down on the squat push your feet out sideways hard and when you sit on the box release your hips(stop pushing sideways) the push sideways again to explode upward.
Another thing is to add oblique work. For abs if you have a lat pull machine do standing ab work, it hits your abs good.
For bench days add more tricep work if your recovery and elbows can handle it. Be gradual adding though.
How come you take your last set till failor? At westside the only to failor exercises done are on ME days being your ME exercises or the repitition method.
P.S. Do you do any dragging or rehab work?

[big calvin]

if not to failure what hard low rep sets? ...no dragging but i push car every now and then.....i workout at a storage warehouse(i know it sound crazy but its the best) and i either drive my truck or my old caddy which both weight alot and push from one end of the storage lot to the other...

[Adam]

Usually you'll just do a few sets reps anywhere from 3-12 , if you doing a 3 rep then it will probly be close to failor but if your doing say 10 reps you should have enough gas in you for another 1 or 2 but j;ust stop short. Main reason for that is because you can train more often if not going all out. If you have any more Q's just ask.

[big calvin]

thanks man...the only other question is about forearms....im gonna start training them everyday with a gripper....ive heard that forearms are very very hard to overtrain ...what do u think?

[Adam]

If your grip is weak then just do some barbell holds at the end of ME sqaut/dl day, try a few sets of 4-6 second holds. and using a gripper might make your hands bigger making it even harder to hold on to the bar.