Circa max squat phase

[bigokie]

Well I thought I would let you guys know how the speed strength squat phase went. Today was the first time I have ever tried this phase. This was also the first week of trying out my Inzer Champion suit. So here is how it went:

Warmup:GHR 2x10 and GHR situps 2x10

Bar and purple:1x2
Bar, purple+green:2x2
Bar, purple+green+blue:3x2
100#, purple+green+blue:5x2
150#, purple+green+blue:1x2
195#, purple+green+blue:1x2

I was trying to work up to a single, but on the second rep of 195 I missed the hooks in the rack and came down FAST! So I decided to stop there.

In case any of you are wondering about the percentage, it's 15 this week, next week will be 20 and the next will be 25. The info for this cycle is available on Elitefts.com under the TNT Part II article.

All in all this was an incredible day. I was glad I didn't hurt anything other than my right ring finger when the bar hit the pins. My finger was between the bar and pins. I still had a lot of speed off the box. I think that I can go a lot higher than this. I am contemplating getting another set of blues to add to this.

If anyone wants to try this I think it's a great cycle. Although it is only week 1 of 3 I think this is just what I need to push past 700!

The champion suit worked out real well. I just wore it with straps down and it seemed to really help me off the box. I've never worn any kind of squat suit before. I am now thinking of getting a set of the Frantz double briefs because Irish said that they are even better.

Later

[Jagermeister]

What you are doing is not a circa-maxamal cycle it is

Speed Strength Phase A:
Week 1: 15% (SS Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 2: 20% (SS Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 3: 25% (SS band) 5 sets of 2



This is a circa-maximal cycle:

Circa-Maximal Phase:
Week 1: 47% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 2: 51% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 3: 53% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 4: 47% (CM Band) 5 sets of 2

De-load Phase:
Week 1: 53% (RG Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 2: 47% (RG Band) 5 sets of 2
Week 3: Meet or Test Date



Keep us informed on how your speed strength cycle goes, I want to try one in a month or two.

Jager

[bigokie]

Thanks Jager, I just edited it so I wouldn't look so stupid!

[powerlifterjay]

i wish i understood better wht you mean!! YOu would have to ask jimmie dean what it is that we do. BUt it sounds good. Okie you keep pounding the weight like you are your gonna lift big! Let us now how it goes. Just think speed though. When i hit that box i am thinking speed only. Check my journal tomorrow for my speed workout tonight.

Is your speed good? If so i would like to see what it is when you go up. Those bands, are they the big greens and blues? If so we just did them and that is a lot fo tension!!

[bigokie]

That's big blues, big greens and big purples, all on the bar at the same time. The tension at the top was somewhere around 450 plus bar weight. I am hoping to video it and send it to Irish to post.

My speed was very good. I would say as good as it was when I was doing normal speed work.

[jimmydean]

Bigokie, I'm very interested in the results of this phase. I've read the articles and have wanted to implement circa max into our training. PLJay, Teenmyth, Grimmer and I now have consistant matching work schedules which allow us to train together throughout the week. This is a first for us which also allows us bring all our bands to use at the same time. So keep us posted on the data from your training.

Jag, any suggestions are appreciated.

[bigokie]

Jimmydean, well like Jager pointed out I got these two cycles confused. I am now on a speed strength phase. After this I will go back to a strength speed phase for 6 weeks, 2 3 weeks waves, then do a circa max and then max out. I honestly think that this will put me in the 700-750 range. I know right now I can do just slightly over 600, though I really haven't maxed out in a long while on squats. Not sure on depth though, everyone else that lifts at my gym does bb squats so they think I go super low anyways.

I will let you know when this is over how I've done. Hopefully by that time I'll have figured out a way to unstick my deadlift.

C-YA'ALL LATER

[jimmydean]

Sounds great! So where are you stuck at with your deadlift?

[bigokie]

My dead is just stuck at around 500. I know I can dead 5 because I've done 455 with the plates 5" below paralell. I am hoping to strengthen my dead from the floor up to knees. I have done lockouts from the knees with 675 and 765x1. I stopped there because I figured that my problem was with the lower part of my deadlift. I don't know why. I'm hoping to build a rev hyper this fall and hopefully this will get my dead past 600 by Dec. WIll let everyone know how it goes. Later

[jimmydean]

What all do you do for ME and assistance. Are you building a reverse hyper from the ground up or will it retrofit a power rack?

[bigokie]

No, I'm building one from the ground up. It will be from 2x2 thick wall square tubing. The only thing holding me up is finding out whether the gym will let me put it in there or not, I think they will because I know the owner and manager. Right now I'm working with a machine shop to make the bearings and carridge(sp?) for the bearings. Will post pics as soon as it is done. If I can't put it in my gym it will go in my apartment! I need one that bad! My back is still a little sore from getting messed up 2 years ago.

Mostly good mornings and stuff like that. From now on I'm gonna do my chain suspended from 40", instead of 46". I'm hoping that this will have a better carryover to my deadlift. I'm also gonna start doing them round back narrow stance. Once again to get the carryover to my dead. I'll let everyone know when I hit 600.

Later

[xxxl83]

Bigokie,

Try narrow stance low box squats (about 8"-10" being that you are tall)on your ME day they will do wonders for your DL.

xxxl83

[bigokie]

Well this week I just put all three bands on, blue, green and purple. Then did a couple warmup sets with this. Then just put the 125 on the bar,20%, and got to it. This week went much easier than last week. My body was used to the tension and my speed was way up from last week, and I was by no means slow last week. Went like this:
125+3 bands: 5x2
185+3 bands: 1x2
205+3 bands: 1x2
255+3 bands: 1x1

Workout went good. I was real happy with the 255 plus the bands. The only problem was that I had a hard time racking it, it took maybe 5 seconds to get it racked, and that's a lot of tension pulling down for 5 seconds.

By the way, I figured this to be over 700# at the top on the last single. It was a little slower but still very strong. Next week will try to get a single with 800 at the top.

After this I did speed pulls with bands. Since I don't have a platform to do these I have to get creative. I stand on my squat box and put the bar on the pins. Then I double the bands around the base. I started with a doubled purple and did 2 pulls. Then doubled a green and added it to the doubled purple. Did 3 pulls with this. I could only get the last one locked out. This is a lot of tension. I noticed on these that my squat rack was starting to come off the ground, and the squat rack I use is very sturdy. It's made out of thick wall 4x4 square tubing. No telling how much tension this is. I do know that a doubled purple at bench lockout is 170 and we believe a doubled green at the same point will be about 350-400. And my lockout on the deadlift was higher than that so it was quite a bit. I was real happy with this workout. Will let you know how week three goes and will let you know how this helps my squat in 5 weeks when I max out.

Later