Back from vacation

Week 6 - RE Squat Day

I actually got this workout in right before my vacation. It was a good session and the hardest part of the workout is actually the 50 reps in the narrow squat. Felt like puking after that set but had a pretty good feeling of satisfaction after finishing the set.

Week 7 - ME Bench Day

This wasn't a bad session but didn't feel great for some reason. My ME work was fine and actually split-up the sets to where I did 3 x 2 @ 215 and then 2 x 2 at 225. My flat bench work afterwards felt like crap for some reason though, not good coming off the chest, AGAIN. I was chatting with somebody on The Cube FB thread and they suggested adding Dead Bench Pressing. I'll probably just finish this cycle as is, I'm at the end, and then make some changes afterwards. I just think I need a little more flat benching to not only practice coming off my chest, but just to practice my form. Whereas Deadlifting and to an extent squatting came easy, bench form has been a struggle.

My second cycle ME Bench Day will probably look something like

ME: Floor Press
- Dead Bench (%'s and sets/reps are reference in an article this guy shared with me)
Then the rest of my upper body day.

Week 7 - BB'ing day

My cycle is all ****ed up from my two recent short vacations, so today ended-up being my bodbuilding day or whatever it's called. I just had fun with it, I didn't even go in with a plan and just did what I felt like doing.

a. Push Press to a 2-rep max and then did 3 sets of 2. Not a ton of volume (consider my warm-up sets too) but I just felt like doing some heavy push presses today. For me at least, I like to just feel heavy weight in my arms or across my back as it seems to help me.
b. Barbell Rows using Rest Pause for 20-reps with 10-rep max: I read about this yesterday and wanted to try it.
c. DB Bench: 3 x 10
d. Machine Flyes: 5 x 10
e. Barbell curls (Rest pause to 20-reps)
f1. Lat raises using mechanical drop sets, minimum of 10 reps
f2. Tricep Pressdowns: 25-reps
f3. Face Pulls: 15 reps
**repeated the "f" cycle for 4 circuits
g. DB Curls using mechanical drop sets, minimum of 15 reps for 4 circuits

I meant to get some hamstring and calf work in but I ran out of time. Since I'm going to do start week 8 tomorrow with DE Deadlift day I'm not going to worry about it and I'll add in some extra work there if I feel up to it.

Week 8 - RE Bench Day

Okay, so I already new that my bench press coming off my chest was a little weak but I didn't realize just how much until today. 225lbs felt like 250lbs coming off my chest today and I think that the only reason I got it up was because I've been doing so much floor pressing in this cycle that when I got it to the midpoint I was able to finish it. Previously I could bench 225lbs for 8-10 reps depending and today I barely made a 4th rep, so I've lost a step along the way. I was going to wait until the next cycle to add in some Dead-Bench work but I promptly squeezed in some Dead-Bench work after my ****ty flat bench work today.

I don't blame the system at all, it's just the exercise selection wasn't what I needed and because I was new to this system I just didn't understand what I needed yet; I needed to learn and fail I guess. But ****, I had to learn the hard way and I lost some strength in my bench over these 10-weeks. Oddly enough, I notice it in my Dip strength too.

After this session I'm not sure if I'm going to do the mock-meet in week 10. I have ME Squat day this week and ME DL day next week. I think I'll max-out in those session and use the ridiculously bad bench session from today to calc my bench 1RM and just go from there. I'm frustrated and need to get to work on fixing my bench press. I think I'm going to do something like this for my bench work during my 2nd cycle:

ME Work: Flat Bench Press only.
RE Work: Close Grip Bench
DE Work: Close Grip Bench

Assistance Work: I will probably keep the assistance work as Brandon lays-out for the most part but I will definitely do...
# 1. Add the Dead-Bench: I'm just going to follow it as indicated in the JTS Bench manual.
2. I need to add Flat DB bench back in versus Incline DB bench. My bench was definitely better when I was doing Flat DB press. I can do Incline DB press on BB day.
3. I'm thinking about changing the high-rep Pressdowns on Bench days to Weighted Dips for sets of 8-10 reps and then maybe Decline DB Extensions for sets 10-12 reps. This way I'm getting about the same volume but just using a heavier load.

Any thoughts or suggestions on any of this?

Week 9 - ME Deadlift day

Today I just decided to max-out on the deadlift because I want to start over with the Cube Method in week 10. I finally hit 405lbs which is my new PR and my first real goal that I've achieved in lifting. The last time I attempted 405 I had trouble getting it off the floor but this came up cleanly.

I went on to finish the workout too, which I'm not sure that I should've cuz I could tell my CNS felt a little shakey after my 2 sets of SG deadlifts, oh well it was worth it.

Cycle 2: Week 1 - DE Squat

Speed squatting with 225lbs for 8 friggin sets of 3 was exhausting. LOL. On my squat days during this cycle I'm adding the Dead Squat to my exercise selection and it will follow my main Squat lift each session. For those that don't know, the dead squat is a squat from the pins at about 1" above parallel for 1 rep and multiple sets. For more information checkout the Juggernaut Training Squat Manual. The dead squat is definitely a cool approach for improving the squat, I'm so glad I found the JTS website. It's crazy but my hamstrings and glutes are already a little sore from working out today and right now I'm going to attribute it to the dead squat.

Cycle 2 - Week 1 RE Deadlift

This workout was so good that getting my T shot this morning hurt like hell. LOL.

Deadlift 1 x 8
Deadlift 2 x 3 (heavier triples)
Oly Squats 3 x 8
Sumo RDL's 4 x 10
Back Ext 1 x 50
Abs x 100

My posterior chain was shot after this workout.

Okay. So it's a little disappointing but I've decided to stop using the Cube Method. My bench press is going nowhere, although my DL and Squat are doing very well with it. I can't continue to use it knowing that I'm not making any progress and possibly digressing.

I think the Cube Method system is very good and my failure is not related to the system but perhaps more so that my bench strength is not advanced enough to be successful with it. I think the system is probably best used by somebody who's strength is border-line advanced. I would still encourage people to use and try it but for now I need to go back to what always seemed to work best for me.

It was a good thread while it lasted. You doing the new 5/3/1 stuff now?

Yeah, it's kind of bitter-sweet. I just can't see continuing on when I can tell my bench isn't improving. I was definitely at my best while on 5/3/1, so probably best just to get back to basics with what works.

Just read this whole thread.

Interesting you say that about the bench mate as I've seen a few people say the same thing.

I like the theory behind the cube method a lot. I've been making steady progress on squats and deads and have tried heaps of different things for bench (which is terrible at 95kg at 82.5kgBW 205sq, 240DL). Have tried smolov jnr (with half of it sling shot), linear progression with floor press and slingshot as main assistance.

I know that I need more chest hypertrophy so was going to focus on that on BB day. I also just wanted to add more flat bench as I feel that once a week isn't enough practice for me (as I'm sure that a fair % of my average bench is technique)

This is what I was thinking for BB day.

Exercise reps sets

Bench 5 5
Close Grip Bench 12 3
Seated Row 12 3
DB Bench 8 3
Dips 4-5sets of myo reps
Face Pulls 15 3
DB curls 15 3
Cable crossovers 15 3
Abs

Anyone know how others have implemented the slingshot into bench training?

BTW I've done 60kg x165 reps squats before. Just for fun :laugh:

Oh really, that's interesting to hear. I honestly think that the Cube Method is either for somebody that has a higher level of strength or has no explosive ability and would benefit from the Dynamic Effort work. I think my Squat and DL strength was enough to benefit but perhaps my bench just wasn't strong enough. I'm not sure what to say about what you're thinking about with your bench work. I couldn't get it to work for me, so I don't feel like I can begin to comment. Although your bench strength maybe high enough to benefit from this method, so you could very well be successful with it.

What's further interesting is that I think the Cube may not have been entirely geared towards the raw lifter. I read an article by Brandon Lily the other day and he indicated that raw lifters should practice the movement itself more frequently, yet in the Cube Method he has you Floor Pressing and Board Pressing, never has you DL from the floor. My issue has always been getting it off my chest and if I get the bar to mid-point, it's getting locked-out. It's that whole "if" scenario for me.

My bench has shot back up since being on 5/3/1 and in just 2 months. My bench was always at it's best when I was on 5/3/1 to be honest and declined a bit while on WS and Cube. I'm going to do a couple more cycles of 5/3/1 before I really evaluate my DL and Squat progress but in the back of my head I'm considering something like...

Week 1:
DL Day = ME Work (Cube) / OHP Day = (3/3/3) / Squat Day = DE Work / Bench Day = (3/3/3)

Week 2:
DL Day = RE Work / OHP Day (5/5/5) / Squat Day = ME Work / Bench Day = (5/5/5)

Week 3:
DL Day = DE Work / OHP Day (5/3/1) / Squat Day = RE Work / Bench Day = (5/3/1)

**New cycle or deload**

Part of me think that my Squat and DL were best while on Cube but my Bench sucked and of course you don't train the OHP. Since both methods use a 4-day split (Cube = DE / Bench / Squat / BodyBuilding Day) (5/3/1 = DL / OHP / Squat / Bench) the two methods could be used together. I'm not sure if I'd want to do this or not, but I have some time to think about it and evaluate my progress.

Unfortunately I know nothing about the Slingshot. And yes, the 65kg's / 135lbs x 50 reps sucks balls. Did you do it Wide-Stance or Olympic Stance? Oly Stance is easy up to up rep 25 and then it's all heart.