Going back two weeks I missed two sessions due to vacation and came back somewhat rested to start a new block. The block started a week ago Saturday with ME Lower day so currently I’m on the second week of it, so no comments on some of the little tweaks I’ve made just yet.

What is worth talking about is my most current ME Lower Day featured a lift that I used as one of my progress indicators and testing went well. The lift in question is low bar squat to a 14″ box using EliteFTS Orange Short bands. On the top of the lift the bands should add ~100lbs, the way I choke them leaves some tension on the bottom, but I have no way of measuring, so I don’t factor this in.

Last year I finished my cut and hit this lift, I weighed 175lbs and did 355lbs in bar weight.

Starting my cut this year I was 203 and hit 385lbs in bar weight.

This weekend I weighed 185 and did 405 in bar weight…

Adding in these mini “tests” are important as they can help track your progress mid cycle without requiring you to peak, deload etc… I make sure I never do them the first week back from a rest (hence waiting until the 2nd ME session) so I don’t have to compare levels of residual fatigue.

For my upper body I have two of these lifts I use, one being an axel floor press and the other being a wide grip Larsen press. I’ve come to find that both should be about 30lbs lower than my flat bench, so I can test and estimate my flat bench by maxing out one of these variations.

At this point, I’m still trying to find a good tester for my deadlift. Out of the 3 “big” lifts this is the one I’ve played around with variations on the least, so I’ve been working on adding these in. When I find a good one that correlates I’ll be sure to mention it.

If you’re looking to run a “Westside” style program I’d make the suggestion you work to find your indicator lifts. As I’ve mentioned in the past the Westside programs work best when you know your body and alter the program to work for you. Knowing these indicators is part of this.