We probably heard that from the same guy.
2 Likes
What my motivation lacked last workout it, it made up for it yesterday. Had a great workout. On the other hand, for some reason I woke up around 3 last night and not sure when I got back to sleep, but it was a while! Had a dream that because of the bad sleep my body wasn’t able to recover and I shriveled up like this guy. But that didn’t happen and I’m in zombie mode instead. Thank goodness I got two rest days coming up.
Madcow 5x5 Round 2, week 2-3
Bench125—140—155—175—200x3—155x8
-I did the same thing I did for squats and added more warm ups. Like squats, I felt better prepared when the heavier set came and felt great throughout. I caught my self correcting my form without really thinking about it which was cool. Bar path was more consistent, arms weren’t wobbly, and 200 felt nice.
Squat160–175—195—215—245x3—195x8
-Squat’s felt beautiful today. My depth is more consistent, my lower back feels supported, hamstrings properly loaded, and overall it just felt “right.” 245 came up smooth, although not as fast as I would like. I accidentally let out a huge whistle when I let my breath out at the top, I wanted to laugh real bad but I had two more reps left.
Pendlay Rows 105—115—125—135—160x3—125x8
-This is a lift that is finally starting to click. After adjusting my form last time, it felt much better today; upper body wasn’t jerking up with the weight, back was squeezing together, the bar was hitting the same spot every time on the upper abdomen.
Assis: Curls 3x8 70lbs
Tricepts Extensions 3x8 65lbs
Would’ve slept in to catch up on sleep, but I have work today. One thing that impacted sleep was this weird headache I’ve been getting on a specific spot on the right side of my head. Went to the doctor before (a VA doctor) and even got a CT scan, everything seemed all right and was given ibuprofen. I’m going to go back because it actually woke me up and I don’t think it’s just a headache. Unless my brain is getting gains too and that’s how a brain feels when it’s sore. It also isn’t so much a pain, as a weird presence if that makes any sense.
Had a rough night of sleep no thanks to allergies. I’m not going to get into details but my nose was like a waterfall all night long, itchy throat to top it off. At best got 6 hours of sleep which is not bad but I’m being very hopeful at that point. I almost considered not going this morning so as not to gross everyone out, but I found some Claritin which worked some miracles. Went to the gym with no allergy issues and didn’t feel all that tired (at first). I also am starting to implement RPE (rate of perceived exertion) from what I learned in this article. For now I am using it it track how hard I thought the weight was so I can look back to better gauge progress. So my heavy set will look like 200@8.5 meaning I did five reps of 200 pounds and it felt like 8.5 on the RPE scale provided in the article I linked. On to the gains.
Madcow 5x5 Round 2, week 3-1
Bench 120—135—155—175—200@8.5
-My gimp wrist was getting a little fatigued at first, but as the weight got heavier I really didn’t notice anything. Bar path was more consistent, except on the heavy set I goofed slightly, the spotter stuck his hands out which made me move the bar a little, but excuses are like assholes, everyone has one. I felt like I had 2 reps in the tank and was starting to feel the affects of last night, probably got less than 6 hours of sleep in reality (I know, I whine a lot about sleep).
Squat 150—170—190—215—245@9
-I made sure to treat every rep as if it was my max, this really helped mentally. Even with the bar I was making sure every step would be the same as if it was 245, bracing before every rep ect. I was feeling good but a little nervous for 245. I set up my phone to record my form just to make sure. I was very happy to see that depth was just how I wanted it and consistent as well. Seeing that my form was much better than expected I got a little boost. I felt like I might have been able to do two more but definitely one, hence the 9 on the scale.
Pendlay Rows100—110—125—140—160@8
-Felt solid for every set although by 160 I was feeling tired. I put the music louder (Amon Amarth for any metal heads out there) and focused on form.
No assistance work today, time was running short and gave myself a brake due to sleep. I’m very careful not to get into the habit of skipping out on anything unless absolutely necessary. But hey, excuses and assholes.Today is my last day at work before a week of relaxing before school. I’m hoping for a quick day and I’m already looking forward to a full night of sleep. Claritin has really helped out though. I was dying at work yesterday with allergies.
1 Like
It’s actually a useful skill to have, IMO, the ability to know what to skip and when to do it.
1 Like
Woke up on the wrong side of the bed today or something. The day just began… off. I wasn’t feeling 100% mentally and motivation was down in general. When I got to the gym that changed. As soon as I began it felt more than just a workout, I felt like I was letting out some tension and stress underneath everything. The music was spot on, the lifts felt wonderful and at the end of the workout I literally felt like a different person, and now I’m whistling and singing with birds and shit. I was reminded that there is more to why I lift other than just getting stronger and looking better, it’s refreshing mentally and uplifts my mood when I’m feeling down. Getting close to PR week as the program winds towards the 4 week mark. Still using RPE for the heavy set, and it really helps gauge where I’m at in the lift, thanks to everyone who has been suggesting tips, already making an impact on my training.
Madcow 5x5 Round 2, week 3-2
Deadlift200—220—250—280@9
-Form felt spot on today. No lower back fatigue whatsoever. I really focused on keeping my spine rigid, not flexing or overextending. It came much easier today and translated into other cues coming along more easy. Hamstrings felt ready to explode like a jihadist before every rep, leg drive was great as I focused on pushing the floor away from me as I pulled. 280 felt easier than before, the only thing I will say is that on rep 5 for that weight I did feel like I rounded my back. I should’ve reset my form entirely because the hex plates caused the bar to move a bit, but I wanted to finish the set too quick which goofed up my form. Note, it’s not a race!
Squat150—170—190—190
-Squats felt good today. Because of the lighter weight I fine tuned my form and lifted as if every rep was 255. I worked on keeping my back tight, which I find easier to do the heavier the weight.
Overhead Press85—95—105—115@9.5
-I feel like the form is coming together on this lift. I used my body as a stable foundation for the weight and worked on moving my body around the bar, not the other way around (ie making sure the bar path is a straight vertical line). I was actually a bit nervous for 115 and it actually ended up going up smoothly. The last rep was the hardest and a bit of a grind, but I think that is because I failed to keep my core tight, hence the 9.5 RPE.
No assistance today, which would have been situps. Had to make it back to help my sister move some things out. I got the whole week off before school starts, which means planning ahead and adjusting my sleep schedule. I’m almost done with Practical Programming for Strength Training and it’s been a very informative read. I want to finish it before school starts so I don’t sideline that book in favor for the workload that comes with school. Also looking forward to getting back to the gym over there.
Also want to say thanks again to everyone who has offered tips. Even if I came away from this site just learning one thing I would have been happy.
1 Like
One more week before I hit PR’s, also less than a week till school. Got to go to the gym around 12, which is my ideal time to go but usually work would get in the way of that. It wasn’t crowded and for some reason working out at 12 is usually the best time to work out for me. I have been having some sleep issues as of late, which honestly has been going on and off every since I got out of the Marines. Recently it’s been getting bad, so I’m going to be making a trip to the doctors and get that taken care of. Last year at school it really sucked getting by on minimal sleep, and of course, sleep is very important to recovery. Hopefully it can be resolved where I can get a full night of sleep without sleep aids.
Madcow 5x5 Round 2, 3-3
Bench120—135—155—175—205x3@8—190x8
-Bench felt good today, and 205 felt much lighter than I remember, which made me happy. I worked on keeping my body a solid platform and focused on utilizing my lats to help stabilize. Bar path has been more consistent, I still need to actively think about it on heavy weights though. On thing I wasn’t too happy with is my tendency to let the bar bend my wrists. I want to work on keeping my wrists straight during the press, I imagine this is due to my wrist injury and is a “habit.” This will be something to work on next time.
Squat150—170—190—215—250x3@8.5—190x8
-Overall felt solid throughout. I thought 250 was going to be much harder and midway out of the hole I felt confident. I want to record the front of my form next time because I don’t look at the mirror when I squat because I feel it messes with form. I wasn’t sure if it was in my head but it felt like my legs “closed in” at the last couple reps. Not that my knees were shaky and wobbly on the way up. I’m gonna be looking at videos and reading up on some form issues to see if that pops up and then record from the front next time, giving myself a nice view of the crotch.
Pendlay rows100—110—125—140—165x3@8—125x8
-This lift has been feeling pretty solid as of recent. I haven’t been able to record my form so that’s something I’m gonna do so I can bitch to myself about something other than hex plates being a pain.
Assis: Dips 3x8
Curls 3x8 70lbs
Triceps exten. 3x8 65lbs
So today was a little different. Because of school starting very soon, a change in schedule is needed. Instead of working out day 2 of this week on Sunday, I’m postponing this week until Monday for a traditional Mon-Wed-Fri workout week (instead of Fri-Sun-Tues). So that means that I’m repeating today’s workout on Monday and taking the weekend off. Today’s workout was also very disappointing. I’m going to be reevaluating some aspects of my training as well as dig into why today didn’t go so well. On the bright side, I’ll be repeating this workout on Monday so here’s to hoping that today was just an off day.
Madcow 5x5, Round 2, extra day
Bench130—145—165—185—205x3@8.5
-The lift felt pretty solid until 205. The gym was empty when I was benching and the person I was going to ask to spot left as soon as I was putting 205 on the bar. Seeing as 205 felt very easy the last workout, I figured I didn’t need a spot and would use judgment as to whether I need to rack the weight or complete the 5 reps. The 3rd rep felt unusually heavy and went up pretty damn slow, I considered going for a fourth but I’ve made that mistake before so I racked the weight in favor of safety. I was a bit upset that I didn’t feel good enough to be able to put it up for the 5 reps. But I just reminded myself that I chose that over doing the roll of shame and I also have another shot on Monday. But then…
Squat155—175—195—220—250x4 (failed at 5)
-Then came squats. I was feeling great and thought I was gonna make up for my bench attempt. 220 felt great. 250 started off wonderful, I saw myself doing the form correctly in my minds eye, the hamstrings were loaded, posterior chain putting in work. Reps 1-3 went up pretty fast (not that I was compromising form) and felt very good. Number 4 went up alright, a bit of struggle but I felt like I had enough for even two more. Then at rep 5 as I was coming up out of the hole, I couldn’t push and lowered the weight to the safety bars. I was very discouraged as I was sure I was going to put it up and I have done 250x5 before. My guesses as to what happened are going to be looked into below.
Pendlay Rows105—115—130—145—165@9
-This lift went alright. Got all 5 reps on all sets. 165 did feel a bit heavier and the last rep wasn’t the prettiest. However, I could have given myself longer rests as I did kind of rush through.
So, what went wrong?
At this point in the program, this week should be my 5RM week. It shouldn’t be easy, but I don’t think I should have missed the reps like I did today. On my previous go at Madcow, this week went easier (obviously at the time it was lighter weights), so I expected the same amount of effort for this week. I’m going to break down the factors that might have contributed to this lack of progress (assuming it wasn’t just an off day). Sorry if this is long but I’m going into such depth to look back on this and to really think about my programming/recovery.
-Diet- I think if anything, this might be the main contributor. Roughly for two months I’ve been eating as such to maintain 185 because I am a bit hesitant to put on more weight while putting on some fat. Going from 2,800 as my TDEE, I’ve been eating at +100 calories on rest days and +100-200 on workout days. I assumed that because according to the calculator I was still eating at a surplus, ignoring the fact that because it has kept me 185 that is technically maintenance. This may have been a mistake, but something to learn from. I think to address this I may need to bump up the calories a bit. 3,100 (+300) on workout days and 2,900-3,000 on rest days. Gonna watch the waist line like a hawk and I expect to hit 190. I don’t expect to hit 190 fast, but as long as the scale begins to move up steadily.
-Sleep Recently sleep has been shitty due to some minor insomnia. When I say shitty I don’t mean complete sleepless nights, the worst is usually 5 hours, which isn’t common because most nights I try to use a sleeping aid in which case I get 7-8. However, I really don’t like using sleep aids and have been recently refraining from them. This sleep issue has been going on and off for the past year and I feel like it’s at it’s worst right now. I addressed this to the doctor who prescribed Ambien to figure what is going on. This isn’t permanent, thank God, I’ve only used it once so far and while it did get me a full night of sleep, I’m not liking what I see on the internet (doesn’t give you full REM cycles, addictive, all that good stuff). I’m going to try to fix up my sleep hygiene which will be difficult as school is coming up next week. For the past summer my sleep was actually quite alright, which is why it wasn’t a huge concern because I was getting 7-8 hours of sleep. Then the sleeplessness hit and at first thought it was from other reasons (allergies, stress). But it continued regardless of other factors present.
Or it could’ve been a shitty day. I’m doing this day again in a couple of days anyways along with a gym change. I’m going to rest up and eat well these next two days and not let the move stress me out too much. I’m going to give it my best on Monday. Even if I do well, I think I am going to keep up with the new diet change. It will be a slow weight gain but if I’m not moving the scale, I shouldn’t be surprised if the bar doesn’t get more plates as well.
Btw, I saw a lady on the elliptical in her work attire, as in she was wearing a dress skirt and professional blouse. It looked so uncomfortable, and I don’t even wear skirts.
At a guess from what you’re describing I think your upper back may have been tired. Usually when I fail on bench it’s my upper back that lets me down. Same with squat: being unable to move out of the hole I’ve often found to be caused by my chest collapsing, which also can be linked to upper back not doing it’s part.
Moving in to the dorm kicked my ass, by the time gym time came around, I was a bit tired. Seeing as I was upset at my effort last workout, I was determined to not let anything ruin my workout. I forgot about the tiny annoying things at this gym, like the fact that there is only one squat rack and the benches feel like they’ve been lubed up with Vaseline. The gym was a bit crowded since it was a Monday and someone decided to do deadlifts right in front of the squat rack. Anyways, I’ve been eating a little more recently, still looking to get up to 190 and see how that works with my training.
Madcow5x5, Round 2, week 4-1
Bench 130—145—165—185—205@9.5
-Got a spotter this time seeing as I only felt safe doing three reps without one last time. I was able to get the 5 reps with 205, although the last rep was a grind. I might have been able to do one more, but rep 5 took some effort and form was definitely starting to break down a bit. Either way, I was pretty happy with this.
Squat 155—175—195—220—250@9
-Last time I failed on the fifth rep at 250, so I was looking to make up for that. I got 250 on and it felt very different from before. First three reps felt pretty easy, the fourth one was a little hard and then number five I was pooped, but I was able to get up without feeling like I was going to fail. Form wasn’t beautiful on the last rep though, which I felt a bit guilty about.
Pendlay Rows105—115—130—145—165@8
-165 felt easier than last time as well, I felt like I had at least two reps left in the tank. Best part was the plates at the gym are actually round, so I didn’t have to reset if the pates rolled on a weird angle.
Overall I was pretty happy with the workout, even after being worn out from moving in all day I was still able to do better than last workout. I’m assuming I just had a bad day last time, or those two days off allowed some rest and adaption to occur. The rest of the program is not going to be a cakewalk anymore as I am going to be adding five pounds to the bar every week. Other than looking forward to a good challenge, I’m really looking forward to doing deadlifts with round plates.
Found out the perfect time to go to the gym that fits perfectly in my schedule while being nearly empty. I’ve been keeping up with my diet, making sure I hit at least +200 on rest days, +300 on workout days. I don’t think getting too fat is a huge issue considering people have told me that I look more solid but thinner in the face (got a lil’ ego boner from that). But I will make sure not to eat as much as I did earlier in the year. Without further ado.
Overhead Press85—95—105—120fail at 5
- I ended up failing on the 5th rep at 120, which I think was due to form. I was stuck halfway up the press and although I felt like my shoulders could’ve finished it, my arms felt tired. Which tells me that I was moving the bar forward around my head. This lift is a pain in the ass in regards to progress, but next time I’m going to be sure to lock down the form.
Deadlift195—220—250—285@9
-Only a couple things I want to note about my form. At 250 on the fifth rep the bar swung away from my body. I think I got a little lazy with resetting, didn’t line the scapula over the bar. This is just a reminder to take every rep seriously. However, 285 felt pretty. I’m keeping my back rigid and it is paying off.
Squat155—175—195—195
-Not much to say, used the light day for squats to reinforce motor pathways. One thing I noticed recently is that my right hand is slipping. Once the weight gets a little heavy, it starts to slip. I’m going to look into this and troubleshoot it as it could get annoying if it persists.
School work is about to hit me in the face, which doesn’t get in the way of the gym except for out of the gym learning. Almost done with Practical Programming and hope I still have free time to read the rest. Here’s to hoping school work doesn’t crush me before a heavy squat does.
1 Like
Missed out on posting my previous workout, school got in the way. It went well and I was able to make all my reps (Squat 255x3, Bench 210x3. Pendlay Row 170 x3). Today I was looking forward to the workout, mainly because 255 was where I failed last time I ran this program (got 4 reps). I also got bad sleep last night, which hasn’t been a huge problem, but ended up waking up around 3:30, and don’t think I fell asleep till around 5 with the alarm set for 730. Definitely was concerned about the sleep affecting my workout.
Madcow 5x5 round 2, week 5-1
Squat 155—175—200—225—255@9.5
-For being tired I was really surprised at how well my squat felt today. I was also able to pinpoint what caused my recent failure at 250. I caught myself letting my breath out early on the way out of the hole on the 4th rep for 255. I noticed my upper body getting tired even though my legs could still push. I think I have been doing this which caused me to lose tightness/support in the upper body. I ensured I properly used the valsalva maneuver and was able to push for a 5th rep. I felt accomplished and very happy. Next time I just need to remember not to let my breath out as I am going up.
Bench130—145—165—185—210@10
-210 felt heavy today. Not sure if it was the combination of exerting energy during the squat and being tired. The fourth rep was a total grind and the 5th rep needed some aid from the spotter. Not sure how much he helped (or if he helped at all) but I am not really counting that fifth rep. I am still going to do 215 for 3 on Friday, but I am going to do 210 again next week just to ensure I can do the lift and not get greedy. I was happy that I remembered to keep my ass on the bench during all reps though.
Pendlay Row105—120—135—150—170@8.5
-Even though I was feeling pretty worn at this point, I felt good about this lift. Previously I was only able to eek out 4 reps at 170, this time I felt good enough for maybe two more reps.
I was happy to see progress and comparing this to my previous week 5 on Madcow it feels great to see the progress. I’m going to be setting up my next program, which will be PHUL. It’s a power-hypertrphy/upper-lower split. I have yet to actually define a goal as I will be both getting stronger and gaining size. As for the remainder of this program, I plan I running it until week 10. That gives me roughly 5 more weeks of PR’s, with some wiggle room to reset. If I haven’t stalled by then I will run it even longer (website says usually around week 8-12 is when stalling occurs). Until Wednesday.