07-04-2011, 09:11 AM
Are you doing these for strength or for size? You need to do more with your legs besides squats and deadlifts, there is nothing funnier to me in the gym than a guy walking around with bigger forearms than his calves. Another thing that helped me greatly with speed and my vertical was jumping rope. I started out very wonky while doing it, but after a year I was doing the shit you see in Rocky IV as a warmup. It improved my stamina a ton as well.
For strength: When I was working out a lot more I wanted to improve my squat and bench as much as I could. What I did was found a weight I could struggle a little to do 3 sets of 10 with(with a spotter to help those last 2 or 3 reps on the 3rd set). With bench I started at 125 lbs. 3x10, once i was able to do that without help, I went to 3x12, once I was able to do that without help I added 5lbs. to each side and started at 3x8 working to 3x10 then to 3x12, then adding more weight etc. I did the same starting at 275 lbs. on squat and moving up in 10lb. increments. Within a year I was benching 3x10 of 245lbs. and squatting 3x8 of 425lbs. I eventually stopped on the squats and went down to doing sets of 315lbs. 3x12 so I wouldn't wreck my knees. But I've found this was, personally, the best way to get stronger.
I'm was slightly bigger dude than you are then and am much much bigger now(fatty). Doing that I went from 210lbs. down to 185lbs.(high school chubby fat gone), and then up to 245 lbs. I now regret getting so big as my arms and chest grew too fast(chest 44" -> 56", biceps 14" -> 19", quads 21" -> 28", neck 16" -> 19.5") and I still have stretch marks on my chest and upper arms from 10 years ago.
For strength: When I was working out a lot more I wanted to improve my squat and bench as much as I could. What I did was found a weight I could struggle a little to do 3 sets of 10 with(with a spotter to help those last 2 or 3 reps on the 3rd set). With bench I started at 125 lbs. 3x10, once i was able to do that without help, I went to 3x12, once I was able to do that without help I added 5lbs. to each side and started at 3x8 working to 3x10 then to 3x12, then adding more weight etc. I did the same starting at 275 lbs. on squat and moving up in 10lb. increments. Within a year I was benching 3x10 of 245lbs. and squatting 3x8 of 425lbs. I eventually stopped on the squats and went down to doing sets of 315lbs. 3x12 so I wouldn't wreck my knees. But I've found this was, personally, the best way to get stronger.
I'm was slightly bigger dude than you are then and am much much bigger now(fatty). Doing that I went from 210lbs. down to 185lbs.(high school chubby fat gone), and then up to 245 lbs. I now regret getting so big as my arms and chest grew too fast(chest 44" -> 56", biceps 14" -> 19", quads 21" -> 28", neck 16" -> 19.5") and I still have stretch marks on my chest and upper arms from 10 years ago.