official zest power gym thread

[jaegermeister08]

thank you sir eddie for the tips.. that's my bench.. am still at 220 same with my squat but my DL's are goin pretty.. i'm at 290 now. no straps or belt. i share talabera's wish of having more zest somewhere south too.. then, maybe your guys would have little spawns somewhere else

[Eddie Torres]

Mr Eddie Torres, may I ask what "isolation" excercises may help the weakness at the bottom of the deadlift/ initial pull. I think that's my weak point in deadlift. Maybe it's somehow related to my weak squat. My deadlift is around 100lbs heavier than my squat. How i wish i could train in zest. If only something similir to Zest in south. Thanks.

Sorry for the late answer here. Aside from my real job, I was spending a lot of time making new programs for my trainees that just competed in last week’s Philippine Olympic Festival (where they broke at least 25 Philippine records), and I haven’t finished programs for everyone yet.

You can do 3-4 weeks of heavy Good Mornings. Do this with slight knee-bend & do it “low-bar” style. Increase the weight substantially every week even if the reps go down. If you can still do the same reps with a heavier weight, you're lifting too light. About 3-4 sets would be fine, depending on what else you do in the gym for that day. Stop 1-2 reps short of failure.

Do this inside a power rack with pins placed at a consistent height so that the lifting range is measured. A slight change in the height of the bottom range can greatly affect the weight you can use. It’s also safer.

Then try switching to stiff-legged deadlifts for 3-4 weeks too. Don’t do the super-strict locked-knees way - use a slight knee-bend too.

You can do these after your deadlift sets.

Warm up properly before attempting the heavy weights. Be careful & manage your training volume to avoid overtraining.

This won’t work forever though if you just keep repeating these over and over. This is just one way to do it.

[Eddie Torres]

thank you sir eddie for the tips.. that's my bench.. am still at 220 same with my squat but my DL's are goin pretty.. i'm at 290 now. no straps or belt. i share talabera's wish of having more zest somewhere south too.. then, maybe your guys would have little spawns somewhere else

I am flattered by the comments about wanting another Zest Power Gym elsewhere. But since Zest is just a hobby, we aren’t really entertaining the idea of putting up more branches. We’ve been asked this, and to have partnerships too, several times before but have declined because we don’t want this to become work. Zest is a hobby, but we are serious in making people strong.

[WarriorSoul]

sir eddie,

for a faster metabolism, you gotta build more muscles? so you need to train heavy? what about those isolation exercises and maximum reps that we read on the magazines? is that true? pagkaintindi ko kasi mas madaming reps mas nakaka burn ng fats. thanks.

[radjnrahrzh]

d u have like a dance lesson which can help loose weight// my problem is my tummy or my waist area// after giving birth 3x, but the rest of my body is still in shape though..i wana have a good abs// or atleast remove the flabs

[Bchemist]

Dance lessons at Zest?


I can't wait to see the reaction to this one


It was only a matter of time before you started getting these questions. So whaddya say Eddie?

[dukeofdesires]

wow..i can't believe that the Strongest Filipino is a member of pex...sir i just want to personally congratulate you on a new world record..pati na rin si ms lily picante...you guys really bring honor to our country...the whole philippine team...may i ask if Jojo Barrantes and Edgar Santos are still members of your team?

[mike168]

Dance lessons at Zest?


I can't wait to see the reaction to this one


It was only a matter of time before you started getting these questions. So whaddya say Eddie?

hehe me too i LOLed at this one hehe

[Eddie Torres]

d u have like a dance lesson which can help loose weight// my problem is my tummy or my waist area// after giving birth 3x, but the rest of my body is still in shape though..i wana have a good abs// or atleast remove the flabs

Sorry, but we don't have dance classes. We are purely into weight training, which, if done with a proper diet, can lead to fat loss. Unfortunately, you can't spot reduce. You'll need to burn fat overall with your genetics determining where you will lose first.

[Eddie Torres]

sir eddie,

for a faster metabolism, you gotta build more muscles? so you need to train heavy? what about those isolation exercises and maximum reps that we read on the magazines? is that true? pagkaintindi ko kasi mas madaming reps mas nakaka burn ng fats. thanks.

Anything you do will use calories. You even burn calories when you sleep but at a very slow rate. So yes, high reps will burn some but not as much as you think.

We do use a combination of high reps and low reps, low weights (on some occasions) & heavy weights to build strength. Muscle is built which leads to a faster metabolism as you mentioned.

[Eddie Torres]

wow..i can't believe that the Strongest Filipino is a member of pex...sir i just want to personally congratulate you on a new world record..pati na rin si ms lily picante...you guys really bring honor to our country...the whole philippine team...may i ask if Jojo Barrantes and Edgar Santos are still members of your team?

Thanks for the kind words, although only Lily broke a world record. Mine was just an Asian record.

I have been coaching Edgar with his bench, and have helped him to officially get a 440 pound bench press (which he thought was impossible for him). I believe he can reach 500 pounds in 2008 or 2009 if he can put more time to his training. I had to make major adjustments in my program to fit his specific concerns.

Jojo is from Cavite and has difficulty coming to Zest regularly. Edgar just shares his training program with Jojo. Jojo can improve much faster if he can allocate more time to actually doing the program in Zest. Jojo is a strong drinker and can probably drink more than me!

[talabera]

Sorry for the late answer here. Aside from my real job, I was spending a lot of time making new programs for my trainees that just competed in last week’s Philippine Olympic Festival (where they broke at least 25 Philippine records), and I haven’t finished programs for everyone yet.

You can do 3-4 weeks of heavy Good Mornings. Do this with slight knee-bend & do it “low-bar” style. Increase the weight substantially every week even if the reps go down. If you can still do the same reps with a heavier weight, you're lifting too light. About 3-4 sets would be fine, depending on what else you do in the gym for that day. Stop 1-2 reps short of failure.

Do this inside a power rack with pins placed at a consistent height so that the lifting range is measured. A slight change in the height of the bottom range can greatly affect the weight you can use. It’s also safer.

Then try switching to stiff-legged deadlifts for 3-4 weeks too. Don’t do the super-strict locked-knees way - use a slight knee-bend too.

You can do these after your deadlift sets.

Warm up properly before attempting the heavy weights. Be careful & manage your training volume to avoid overtraining.

This won’t work forever though if you just keep repeating these over and over. This is just one way to do it.

At least 25 Philippine records in a single competition? Zest people are already very strong but still keep on getting stronger and breaking records!
Thanks for the tips sir eddie, i will definitely try them. With all these exercises, it means my weakpoint is my lower back. With the SLDL, should i start with light weight and slowly progress or should it be a certain percentage of my 1 rep max? thanks for the time sir eddie.

[Eddie Torres]

At least 25 Philippine records in a single competition? Zest people are already very strong but still keep on getting stronger and breaking records!
Thanks for the tips sir eddie, i will definitely try them. With all these exercises, it means my weakpoint is my lower back. With the SLDL, should i start with light weight and slowly progress or should it be a certain percentage of my 1 rep max? thanks for the time sir eddie.

I just checked the official results of that recent competition. We broke 7 Philippine Open records and 22 Philippine Age group records for a total of 29 RP records. We also exceeded 4 Asian age group records and got very close to 2 Asian Open records. Not bad considering we only entered 10 lifters in that meet.

Yup, i think your weak point would mainly be lower back and hamstrings, given your leverage.

No specific percentage for SLDL but start with a weight you can do for 10-12 reps after you warm up properly. Then work your way in the following weeks to a weight you can do for around 6 reps or so. Nothing is exact here so you will need to determine the proper weight yourself. Percentages can vary so much for different individuals.

[christian.monte]

I also want to congratulate you personally sir edgar for the achievements that you have made...as what the other user said...you and your team really bring honor to our country..i just hope that our government could somehow show some support on powerlifting...and by the way..i also know Jojo Barrantes Dr. Edgar Santos...as a matter of fact i normally catch doc santos in one of the gyms in sampaloc..does victor valdez train with you too?

[christian.monte]

i would also like to inquire about the program called speed...how many days a week should that be performed? and do you also have any suggestions regarding that program?thanks...

[Eddie Torres]

I also want to congratulate you personally sir edgar for the achievements that you have made...as what the other user said...you and your team really bring honor to our country..i just hope that our government could somehow show some support on powerlifting...and by the way..i also know Jojo Barrantes Dr. Edgar Santos...as a matter of fact i normally catch doc santos in one of the gyms in sampaloc..does victor valdez train with you too?

After Doc receives my program, he would sometimes do it in Zest, and sometimes in that Sampaloc gym near his place. It would be better if he did his whole program in Zest (so that we can monitor/correct him) but his schedule is tough.

Vic used to train in Zest but currently doesn't. He did support the Zest lifters in the recent meet but I didn't get to talk to him long because i had to take care of our lifters, then i had to lift too. I don't know what keeps him busy these days. He has good potential.

[Eddie Torres]

i would also like to inquire about the program called speed...how many days a week should that be performed? and do you also have any suggestions regarding that program?thanks...

I haven't really made out any purely speed training. I would combine speed with other stuff. "Speed" work can vary from zero to 3 times a week. What is your goal?

[jaegermeister08]

sir eddie, at what point should i start wearing belts for my lifts? i'm a little concern cos after watching bodybuilders at youtube, they seem to be wearing one when they are starting to do the heavy sets and i have been doing my own "heavy set" but am not sure if i should start having one of those belts.. by the way, what are the pros and cons with having those belts, straps, etc.?

what's your recommended "gadgets" to improve one's lift?

thank you in advance for the enlightenment.

[Bchemist]

I know this is a question for Eddie, but I just had to comment on Youtube.

Youtube is great for learning technique now and then, but you have to be careful about what you watch at the same time since youtube is also a source of bad information.

It's the same idea of some of our members who walk around with belts for everything they do and they don't even have back problems. (I asked them) Keep in mind that these guys are lifting weights, at most, 30% as heavy as some of our athletes or competitive lifters. It's just that they were taught to rely on belts and they have their own program, so I just let them be. Some people just need a "security blanket".

So belts have their uses and I'll leave it to Eddie to expand on them....but they are only a tool for specific uses and not meant to be worn as part of your workout attire.

[Eddie Torres]

sir eddie, at what point should i start wearing belts for my lifts? i'm a little concern cos after watching bodybuilders at youtube, they seem to be wearing one when they are starting to do the heavy sets and i have been doing my own "heavy set" but am not sure if i should start having one of those belts.. by the way, what are the pros and cons with having those belts, straps, etc.?

what's your recommended "gadgets" to improve one's lift?

thank you in advance for the enlightenment.

I personally wear a belt when I am at about 85-90% of my raw belted max squat. In the deadlift, I wear the belt at around 80%. But these percentages will vary for different individuals. If there is some back pain even at lower percentages, then wearing the belt helps ease that pain.

Wearing a belt at heavier percentages is a necessity for me, especially for partial movements when I am lifting above my full-range max lifts. Wearing the belt at lighter weights is not necessary (unless you have back pains), so that you can work your stabilizers more.

However, there are exercises where you don’t need to wear a belt, even at high percentages, like good mornings.

Regarding lifting straps, use them when you do deadlifts, pull-ups, lat pulldown, etc, if the grip becomes a problem or if the bar is not rough enough. Your grip should not limit the weight you use. It is useless to cut your deadlift training weight by, say 30%, just to accommodate your grip limit. Aside from grip failure, you may also tear the skin off your palms. Deadlifts are done to improve your back & legs, not your grip. You can train your grip separately.

Wrist wraps help stability in benching, especially if your wrist has some problems. The wrist wraps don’t directly increase the amount of weight you can push but can help keep the bar moving in the path you would normally take. If you have no wrist problem, then do away with the wraps, unless you are doing some very wide grip benches that challenge your wrist flexibility.

Wearing weightlifting/squat shoes with a hard sole also helps. If you wear running shoes at near max lifts, you could have some stability/balancing issues because the sole will be compressed in a different way with even slight changes in your weight distribution. A hard sole will give better stability.

If you do sumo deadlifts, shoes with a “makapit” sole will minimize any worries of foot slippage. You may want to wear protection around your shins to shield your skin from bar friction

If you do not plan to join powerlifting meets, you won’t need other special gear (unless I forgot something). But if you do plan to join PL meets, you'll have to expand the gadget list