Speed day

Well I got in to do some speed work for a change yeah. This is something I have been a bit lazy on over the last few cycles and it is now paying me back especially when I am benching. Pick it up last week and have put some changes in place so I can get it done. No point in turning up to a big competition if I don't have a lot of speed in me. Because I live a normal life and have to go to work for a living and I have a wife I get to spend to little time with I have had to modify the Westside approach and get all my speed stuff done on the same day. Am I not quite as fast as I could be, Probably, But am I faster than if I did nothing, Yes. Sometimes you just have to make compromise's. So it all gets done at the same time and so far it seems to work for me.
Any way first up for me today was Box squats with the safety squat bar. Today I set it up with the no#2 bands over the bar giving me about 60kg of tension at the top and a all up weight of 50% of what i did on Monday so about 140kg. and the box was set so while sitting on it with my feet out wide I was just below parallel (IPF). 10 sets of 2 reps per set with an average time of 0.72 seconds for the first rep and a average total time of 2.27 seconds for the 2 reps and a total time to do all the sets is about 15 - 18 mins. Not to worried how the reps look more worried about out "n" out speed with good form. Also trying to get a good strong contraction from my glutes off the box. I know I have done it right when I can fell my butt at the end of this exercise. Thought I had some photo's of this but I don't.

On to Speed benches with the No#2 over the Fat bar and a total of about 125kg at the top of the rep. Again speed is more important than nice form. I stop on my chest(IPF Rules), then drive hard and fast for 3 reps. I try and set up like I would on the lifting platform. 10 sets of 3 reps gets this done. Again this takes me about 20 mins to get though. My average time for this was 0.39 seconds for the first rep and a total average time of   1.88 seconds for the 3 reps.

Fat bar benchpress set up with the No# 2 Bands over the bar

Using the Fat bar to do my Speed work. 

Then it was on to Speed deads and I do this real different to everybody else in which I start at 55% of what I did on Wednesday and add 5% to each lift for 10 single reps. I am trying to pull as hard and fast as possible. The first 5 reps are done Sumo style and the last 5 reps are done Normal which is how I deadlift at competition. The sumo is to help build strength in my abductors overall not specifically. While I do use the bands this is for 2 reasons, One it is speed work I am doing and 2 the bands are set to come off just below my knees ( a bit like rack pulls) and if I am not ready to pull then the weight will go back to the floor in a hurry. I believe true rack pulls do not set you up anatomically correct for the deadlift. My thoughts and I am sticking to it. Anyway 10 sets of single pulls as fast as I can. My average time was 0.68 seconds per pull.

Set up for the Speed deads

Part way though a rep

Overall a good day but something I need to do more of and something for me to work on over the next 12 months. by then hopefully I should be real quick with a lot more weight.