Am i getting weaker or just unlucky?

[Ross Dijulio]

I started doing some westside this year at the beginning of september when school started. My squat went from 360 to 370 in novemeber. I plateaued there however and didn't hit 370 again for a while. Sometime in february I increased to squatting three days a week, while still maxing one of those sessions, and i put up 380. Since then i have tested my max squat twice. I hit 360 the first time and then 340 today. Am i getting weaker? I havent changed my program at all from when i hit 380 and I don't know what to do. My deadlift has still increased, and so has my box squats and some other variants, although very slowly. Is it normal to be 40 lbs below your 1 rep max?

[Ryan R Johnson]

Why are you testing your max so much. Who cares what your max is. If you were squatting 285 for 5 reps and now you squat 285 for 6 reps, you have gotten stronger. Even power lifters don't test their max like that other than at competition. That may be why you aren't seeing gains.

Also if you are squatting 3 times a week, you have to be eating ginormous amounts of food.

I think not gaining strength is one or more of only a few reasons.
1 not eating enough food and protein
2 not resting enough and sleeping
3 not eating enough

[Chris Mason]

Ryan,

In Westside you attempt a max every week.

Ross, I guarantee you are doing Westside wrong and probably overtraining.

[Ross Dijulio]

Chris mason, the one who wrote up conjugate crossfit etc, always suggested raw squatters to test their back squat max every three weeks. That is what I have been doing, which explains why i go for it so much. I have started eating more and noticing that I get hungry more though, so I guess i just have to keep eating.

[Dimitri Dziabenko]

Originally Posted by Ross Dijulio

Chris mason, the one who wrote up conjugate crossfit etc, always suggested raw squatters to test their back squat max every three weeks.

Wasn't there a 4th week de-load in there somewhere.

[Robert Fabsik]

Any chance you have an onlline log to look over or an outline of your general training model?

I use a Westside Program, I'm just a home gym poser, so I guess that means raw. I follow this Max Effort lower body rotation:

Box Squat Variant--vary box height, bar, +- bands/chains
Good Morning Variant or odder lift
Free Squat Variant--HBBS, LBBS, front squat, safety bar squat +/- band/chains
Deadlift Variants--conventional, sumo, rack pulls, trap bar, bands/chains, deficit

I just felt getting a raw squat every 4 weeks with heavy meaning took more of a mental toll. So I probably hit is every 6-12 weeks.

[Kent Newland]

"Sometime in february I increased to squatting three days a week, while still maxing one of those sessions, and i put up 380."

I think this is probably the key. 3 times a week may just be too much for you to handle, even if you're not squatting heavy all three days. As has been pointed out on this forum several times, more is not always better, especially when we're talking about a complex lift like the squat.
There is supposed to be a de-load week in there somewhere, as well. Louie Simmons talks about it in his book, and Chris Mason talks about it in his Conjugate Crossfit article. Dave Tate talks about it in a couple articles as well. It's not always called a de-load, but it's critical. The authors mentioned above recommend about every three weeks for the average individual, just like they recommend not doing more than one max effort per week. Different individuals can adjust to different amounts of stress. For example, I've lifted within 90% of my max 3-5 times in one week, pretty much only for singles, without any ill effects. I've also gone 4-5 weeks without a de-load, but as I understand it, this is not typical.

Try a de-load for a week, and try only squatting twice during the week. Lay off all the heavy deads and heavy squats, and try dropping to about 50% of your one rep max for that week. Every time I do a de-load, when I do, I come back stronger the following week when it's time for max effort. And I mean stronger to the tune of 10-15 pounds on my squat. Rest and recovery are critical, so give 'em a try.

Kent

[Ross Dijulio]

I don't have any online log but i can give my typical weekly routine. Chris, you are right I am not doing westside right, I followed it to the best of my ability but i was getting super frustrated with my squat and decided to squat more, it went up to 380 but now i can't get it again. Any advice is appreciated.

Wednesday:
Max Lower Body
Assistance exercises

Thursday:
Lower Body Dynamic/Repetition
Assistance (I usually hit weighted dips pretty hard)
Snatch Practice

Friday:
Squat (Front or back, I usually go fairly heavy, like doubles, and sometimes i do more volume like 4x4, 3x5 etc)
Assistance exercise
Clean and Jerk Practice

Sunday:
Snatch
Clean and Jerk
Squat (Back or Front)

Monday:
Max Effort Upper Body
Assistance exercises

Most of the O-lifting i do depending on how I feel. Sometimes I go heavy and sometimes I stay really light just to work on technique.

[Frances Ballesteros]

You're squatting way too much for you to recover, also how are weighted dips assistance to lower-body exercises? I imagine you mean Upper-body

[Ryan R Johnson]

Sorry Chris.. I have limited knowledge of west side. Strike my comment from the record. LOL

But I would think if you're on a powerlifting template, you should be eating like a powerlifter.. No?

I think a lot of crossfitters limit their diet too much because they want to look like the ripped guys at the games, but they're on these strength templates that require calories.

Look at rob Orlando.. He may be ripped now, but google an older video of him cleaning axles. He definitely didn't limit his diet when he built his strength foundation. Just sayin