Jeffs' Training Log

[Jeffs]

Personal info:
Age: 21
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 75 kg

Stats when starting:
Squat: 90kg x 4
Bench: 100kg x4 - 115kg x1
Deadlift: 120kg x4 - 130kg x1
OHP: 55kg x4 - 70kg x1
Barbell rows: 70kg x4

As you can see I've not been doing the SL 5x5, but rather my own version, but now I'm ready to move on. I'll try the Madcow intermediate program for 9 weeks and see how it goes. I'll use OHP instead of incline bench.

Goals after 9 weeks:
Bench: 120kg x1
Squat: 100kg x5
Deadlift: 130kg x5
OHP: 60kg x5
Barbell rows: 80kg x5

These goals seem hard for me now, but hopefully I'll get them.

Major goals:
Bench: 150kg x1
Squat: 150kg x1
Deadlift: 200kg x1
OHP: 100kg x1

(Ok, these goals are huge, but who cares. I'll get them some day!)

My worries are that i might be starting out too hard, as my squat and dead lift techniques aren't perfect. I guess I'll find that out pretty quick. I've also just taken a 2 week break, been drinking and lots of stuff i probably shouldn't have done.. Do you guys think it's wiser to start out a little lighter, or just start out, see how it goes, and adjust the weights accordingly?

[Jeffs]

First workout of the Madcow program today. I really like the way weights are progressed through the sets!

So since this was the first workout of the program, it was kind of easy. I've read a lot about squat technique lately (thanks Medhi), and i think i definitively need more practice. I also noticed that my lower back is rounding when i break parallel, a common problem. So I've started doing some of the dynamic stretches.

Squats: 5x5 with [40 50 60 70 80] kg
Bench: 5x5 with [45 55 67 80 90]kg
Row: 5x5 with [30 40 50 60 65]kg

+ some sit ups and hyper's

Great to workout again after a long break!

[Jeffs]

Today's workout was quite easy overall. The deadlift was somewhat heavier than usual as I've started to stop the weight completely between each rep. Though it's a bit harder, it's also more comfortable to lift this way.

5 reps per set as usual

Squat: [40 50 60 60]kg
Press: [30 40 45 50]kg
Deadlift: [66 80 95 110]kg

3 sets of situps. [50 30 20] reps

It seems that the starting weights i put up for these excercises were pretty accurate. I'm conserned about barbell rows beeing too heavy on friday though.

[thunderdownunder]

Hey Jeff welcome to the forum. You have some very achievable goals and looking at your stats it should not be a problem IMO. However if you have some issues with your form them sit back and take stock. As I said those goals of yours are within your reach but if your form is letting you down then forget it. You will end up with an injury and those goals will be all that further away. Seriously consider deloading to the point where your form is spot on. Then build from there, maintain that from and you will own those goals (all other things considered).

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps [40 50 60 70]kg, 3 reps [84]kg, 8 reps [60]kg
Bench: 5 reps [45 55 67 80]kg, 3 reps [92]kg, 8 reps [67]kg
Rows: 5 reps [30 40 50 57]kg, 3 reps [67]kg, 8 reps [50]kg

Assistance:

Dips: 3x5 with 20kg
Barbell curls: 3x8 with 25kg
3x8 Overhead triceps extensions: 3x8 with 10kg in each arm

Rows are a tad to hard to keep the form up, I'm gonna lower them for now. Also gonna lower squat a tiny bit. The rest was easy. Especially the assistance exercises, gonna put on some more weights there next time. I'm also considering doing french press or pushdowns instead of the extensions. My shoulders hurt a bit when i do them.

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps [40 50 61 74 83]kg
Bench: 5 reps [45 60 70 80 94]kg
Row: 5 reps [30 40 50 60 60]kg

4 sets of situps in a situp machine
3 sets of hypers

Rows should have been 60-67, but it was too hard. Squat went better today, i might leave the weights as they are. Rows i do have to change though. Bench was neither hard nor easy.

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps [40 50 61 61]kg
Press: 5 reps [30 40 45 50]kg
Deadlift: 5 reps [70 85 100 110]kg

3 sets of situps with 60kg on the situp machine

Woa, DL was piece of cake today! Seems like something is working!
I just became a bit unsure about my technique on press though. I use a little wider grip than most (somewhere in between bench grip and DL grip). Does anyone know if this is a big deal?

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps [40 50 60 75]kg, 3 reps [85]kg, 8 reps [60]kg
Bench: 5 reps [45 60 70 80]kg, 3 reps [94]kg, 8 reps [70]kg
Rows: 5 reps [30 40 45 55]kg, 3 reps [64]kg, 8 reps [45]kg

Dips: 3x5 with 20kg in the belt
Barbell curls: 3x8 with 30kg
Pushdowns: 3x8 with 30kg

The squat technique is getting there, think i have control over it now. As you can see I've deloaded the rows a bit, but it's still hard. I think it has something to do with it beeing straight after bench. Before this program i did it on my shoulder day. Anyway, good workout, hard as hell and i like it!

Oh and something weird/funny. Some guys actually occupied one of the squat racks the entire time i was there today, doing some 10 different types of squats. Holy shit that must be hard. Also, the guys who used the squat rack before me lifted 160kgs... And i would classify those squats as not half squats, not quarter squats, but rather 1/10 squats. Looked like they were going to kill themselves. Lots of weird training styles at my gym as you can see

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps [44 54 64 74 84]kg
Bench: 5 reps [50 60 70 84 94]kg
Row: 5 reps [40 40 50 55 60]kg

2 sets of hypers (15kg in hands)
4 sets of situps in a situp machine (55 60 60 60)kg

This workout may seem like it's easy, but it's not. I was completely killed afterwards, and even worse after the bikeride home. Ye thats right, i ride my bike about 10km each day, and theres some serious hills along the way.. Wonder how thats gonna effect my squat.

Oh, and i lowered rows. This time they were quite okay.

[thunderdownunder]

Wow....wonder how the pins feel 24 hrs after the fact?

[Jeffs]

I usually don't feel to exhausted the day after, but I'm sure glad I'm only doing squats 3 times a week:D

Off to train again now. 113kg DL's, 52kg OHP and some recovery squats, here i come!

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps with [45 55 65 65]kg
Press: 5 reps with [30 40 45 52]kg
Deadlift: 5 reps with [70 85 100 115]kg

3 sets of situps on the situp machine, 10 reps with 60kg each set.

Squat was easy, as it should, and i got to practice technique. Misa like.

The press was surprisingly easy today, felt like i could do at least 5 more kgs, although that would probably not be the case.
Got to test out a few of the pointers Mark Rippetoe use in his movie about deadlift. That helped a lot! The last set was heavy, the others were pretty easy.

Today i worked out alone. I really do love that, but friends come in handy when you need a spot, so usually i train with someone else as well.

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps with [40 50 65 72]kg, 3 reps with [87]kg
Bench: 5 reps with [50 60 70 82]kg, 3 reps with [97]kg, 8 reps with [70]kg
Rows: 5 reps with [40 40 50 55]kg, 3 reps with [65]kg, 8 reps with [50]kg

Dips: 3x5 with 20kg in the belt
Barbell curls: 3x8 with 30kg
Pushdowns with rope: 3x8 with 27,5kg

Amazing workout! When i did the last set of 3 on the squat, it was so easy, i felt like doing more, but decided to stick with the program. I got so exited that i forgot my last set of 8, and moved on to the bench. No worries though, the bike ride home did it's job. And that's the point of back-off sets anyway, to make sure the total work is enough, and to practice technique. Not so much technique, but i don't think it's a huge deal anyway. The bench went smooth also, no problems lifting the weight at all.

Rows was hard as usual. Though, if I put on less weight, i can do more reps, and that i don't want. This exercise bugs me a bit. Anyone have any tips for me?

The assistance exercises were quite OK also. DIps were easy, barbell curls were hard, but not too hard, and the pushdowns were no problem either.

Next sunday im going for 90kg squats, and 100kg bench. Looking forward to that!

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps [45 55 65 75 87]kg
Bench: 5 reps [50 60 70 85 97]kg
Row: 5 reps [40 40 50 55 65]kg

2 sets of hypers, 10 reps (15kg in hands)
4 sets of situps in a situp machine, 10 reps (60 60 60 60)kg

Couldn't get the bar all the way up on the last set of rows. Gonna deload again next time. Feel like that exercise is going down instead of up.

[Jeffs]

Squat: 5 reps with [45 55 65 65]kg
Press: 5 reps with [30 40 50 55]kg
Deadlift: 5 reps with [70 90 100 115]kg

3 sets of situps on the situp machine, 10 reps with 60kg each set.

Last rep on press was a little hard, but no biggy. The last 2 reps on the deadlift, i rounded my back a bit, gotta fix that asap!

Other than that it wasn't a particularly hard workout.