Don’t call it a comeback

[NovaFlex]

Got some high rep work done, but not much else. Had to grab my baby from school. Still, just these squats took me an hr and winded me to shit.

Holy. Fuck. High rep squats destroyed any thoughts of my conditioning being decent. Even my core burns.


Squats
225x10
275x10
275x10
275x8

planned on doing some accessories but really didn’t have time.

also setup my days so that I can bench twice a week:

Monday: Bench
Tuesday: Squat
Wednesday: OHP
Thursday: Deadlift
Friday: Bench

weekends off

 

[NovaFlex]

FUCKING FINALLY! I broke 200lbs on OHP and nearly did it for a double (missed lockout). 225 is definitely in the sights. Once I hit 175 for 6 easy reps, I knew 200 would go up. Also got a NICE rep PR on DB’s.


OHP
135x6
155x6
175x6
200x1 (2 without lockout)

Seated DB OHP
60x8
80x8
80x6

last time I put up 80’s, I managed it for 4 really sloppy reps. These flew up today.

Shoulder press machine
150x8
150x6

Lat raises
25x10
25x12
25x10

Front raises
15x20x4

overall I’m pretty happy with today’s session. I like seeing OHP numbers going up because they directly correlate to bench numbers.

Was going up by 20lbs, so it’s mostly 10’s on the ends.

 

[NovaFlex]

First session with bands was awesome. I love these things. I’m not sure how to tell the tension though.. Rogue rates them at 65 each at the top, but I’m not sure. Anyone have a way of testing it?


Incl banded bench

45 bar + bands (100-130lbs at top??)- 8
95 bar + 100-130 bands - 8
135 bar + 100-130 bands - 3x5

Close grip banded incline
95 bar + 100-130 bands - 8, 6, 6

Flat DB press
60x15
60x19
60x19
60x8

Tricep rope push down
95x20
95x16
95x14

Tricep overhead
95x10
95x10
95x10

Wide grip Lat Pull down
130x10
130x10

Overall, really good session. Loving the banded work and I’m pretty excited to see how it benefits my lifts. Tomorrow I’m gonna do some banded deadlifts, since I missed yesterday.

 

[Perrin Aybara]

If you're hanging them you can see how much weight it takes to pull them down to certain points. Either that or stand on a scale and pull the weight against bands and see what the scale says.

 

[NovaFlex]

If you're hanging them you can see how much weight it takes to pull them down to certain points. Either that or stand on a scale and pull the weight against bands and see what the scale says.

Never thought about that. I guess wrapping them around a DB and pulling on them would work?

 

[Perrin Aybara]

Never thought about that. I guess wrapping them around a DB and pulling on them would work?

Maybe hard to balance. If I'm hanging them in the rack I'll put the barbell through and add plates and see what it takes to get it to the floor.

 

[NovaFlex]

Maybe hard to balance. If I'm hanging them in the rack I'll put the barbell through and add plates and see what it takes to get it to the floor.

Ah ok. Good call. I’m gonna try that.

 

[Perrin Aybara]

I guess you could estimate the weight pulling against them by suspending them and hanging weight by distance from the floor to lockout if that makes sense.

 

[Worf]

 

[NovaFlex]

Today kinda sucked, kinda didn’t. My numbers weren’t bad, but the unknown amount of tension with the bands kinda threw me off.


Bent over row
135x12
225x10
275x8
300x6

Couple of rep PRs on my BB rows.

Banded DL
225 bar + band x6
315 bar + band x6
405 bar + band x2

I’m thinking the tension is more than what I thought, by the way I set it up.. 470 at the top should have flew up for 5-8 reps. I gassed at 2.

Attempted a Max Effort 550 just for fun, and failed at the knees. I believe I would’ve easily gotten it if I was fresh. It flew off the floor with relative ease.

Lat PD
130x12
175x8
185x6

I’m trying to stay more conservative on days that aren’t pressing days, to save my energy for those. Am I being too conservative with this? I wasn’t gassed completely when I left the gym. Could’ve done a round of RDLs + DB rows, etc.

 

[NovaFlex]

Ordered a hook scale from amazon. The unknown factor of the bands was too much.
Also, this is how it was setup for my DL

 

[Worf]

View attachment 120265

Ordered a hook scale from amazon. The unknown factor of the bands was too much.
Also, this is how it was setup for my DL

I personally dont like setting them up this way. I prefer to have one on each side of the bar, this may require some doubling over.Its tough unless you have one of the rouge platforms or something with the pegs you'll probably be limited to a cage or some form of a rack.
IMO the key with banded/chains is speed. Gotta move that shit fast or you'll get stuck , kinda like riding a bike up a hill.

 

[NovaFlex]

I personally dont like setting them up this way. I prefer to have one on each side of the bar, this may require some doubling over.Its tough unless you have one of the rouge platforms or something with the pegs you'll probably be limited to a cage or some form of a rack.
IMO the key with banded/chains is speed. Gotta move that shit fast or you'll get stuck , kinda like riding a bike up a hill.

yeah man, I don’t have access to anything like that so I gotta be ghetto with it. Saw Larry Wheels doing them like this, so I figured I’d try it. I don’t mind it, personally, I just have to get used to it... probably keep the weight lower and use them for speed pulls for DLs. I like them a lot more on bench, tbh.

 

[NovaFlex]

Rest day today. Doing some simple band stretches and some light arm work. Looking forward to tomorrow, to see how well my bench goes.

 

[Worf]

yeah man, I don’t have access to anything like that so I gotta be ghetto with it. Saw Larry Wheels doing them like this, so I figured I’d try it. I don’t mind it, personally, I just have to get used to it... probably keep the weight lower and use them for speed pulls for DLs. I like them a lot more on bench, tbh.

how are you setting up the bands for bench?

 

[NovaFlex]

how are you setting up the bands for bench?

For incline, I can wrap them around the bottom of the rack. For regular flat bench, I’m gonna wrap them through a couple plates so they stay on the ground.

 

[NovaFlex]

I checked the resistance on the bands by wrapping them around a DB and going down in weight until the DB came off the floor.. they moved 35s, but not 40s... is it safe to assume 35-40lbs of resistance on each side? Say 75 total at the top?



Banded bench
Bar + bands x6
135 + bands x6 (comp grip)
135 + bands (super wide)
185 + bands x6
205 + bands x5
225 + bands x2

Regular flat bench
245 x2

pretty sure I could get 4-5 out of this if I didn’t do so much work beforehand.

Inc DB press
90 x9
90 x7
90 x5

Inc DB flies
55 x6
55 x5
40 x10

Tricep rope pull down
120 x15
140 x8
130 x8
120 x9

Tricep overhead
120 x10
100 x10

Cable x-over
50 x15
50 x10
50 x10


After my first week of band training, I’m enjoying it. Thinking about doing 3 week blocks of bands / no bands. Overall, decent session. Decent intensity, nothing too drastic.

 

[Worf]

Hard to tell how much band tension you would have going on there. Id just wait until the hanging scale shows up

 

[NovaFlex]

Hard to tell how much band tension you would have going on there. Id just wait until the hanging scale shows up

Yeah that’s what I was thinking. 70 seems like a lot, so I’m lost lol.

 

[NovaFlex]

OHP today. Worked up to a 5RM


OHP
135 x6
155 x6
185 x5
135 x8

-I unracked 215 to see how it felt, and there wasn’t any way it was trying to go up. Few more months.

Seated DB press
80 x6
40 x10

-cut presses short because I felt a bad pinching in my traps to my delt. After doing shrugs it seemed to go away mostly. so I think it was just a muscle cramp.

Shrugs
80s x30
80s x25
80s x20

Lat raises
20 x20
25 x14
20 x14
20 x12

Face pull
120 x12
130 x10
130 x10

Lat PD
140 x10
140 x10
140 x8


Shoulders seem to be stalling out a bit. Will add more volume and see where it goes.