Week 3 – Madcow5x5 – Day 8C

28 Jan 2012

Weight: *178.8 *Body Fat: 15.3%

Squats:

5 x 120 5 x 145 5 x 175 5 x 205 3 x 240 8 x 175

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLa6VPL2DKA]

The ramp up sets are killer before the triple. Definitely much more volume compared to SL5x5. The triple wasn't too bad. The 8-rep felt rushed- felt like my knees were going forward a bit much. Overall, though, I'm fairly happy. I reviewed my form after each set and they were acceptable to me. My back was hurting a bit though.

Bench:

****5 x 65 5 x 85 5 x 95 5 x 115 3 x 130 8 x 95

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V69Nfd-iVgo]

Not too bad. I tried to employ the proper techniques that Dave Tate mentioned in his "Bench Cure in 6 Weeks" video. First off, the arch was uncomfortable. I've used a powerlifter's arch before and it's definitely not pleasant and watching me using it makes me cringe a little. I think my best set was my 8-repper. I didn't arch my back as much. I actually tried pushing my lower back into the bench so as to avoid overextending my back into a hyperlordotic arch. Now as for the actual upper body lifting part- after watching myself, I definitely think form needs to get cleaned up. My forearms look like they're not perpendicular to the ground and that right there causes loss of power transfer because the weight is not balanced in my hands.

Rows:

****5 x 65 5 x 85 5 x 95 5 x 115 3 x 130 8 x 95

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0YKc5wxNn0]

Still pretty easy. One thing I noticed though was that my hips were moving a bit on the 8-repper. Definitely need to avoid this. Strict Pendalay rows means no movement of the knees or hips at all.

Accessories:

****Dips 12/8/5 x BW - Pretty difficult. Noticed on the video that my left arm wasn't going down as far as my right arm. Probably might explain the imbalance of fatigue between left and right arm.

BB Curls 8 x 40 8 x 45 8 x 50 - Decided to ramp instead of doing 40 lbs straight across. Surprisingly managed to finish all three sets. Made sure I rested well between each set.

Tricep Extension 8 x 35 8 x 40 8 x 45 - Not bad, though, I think I may be giving myself a bit more credit. The last rep felt like a half rep since I didn't go all the way down to where my elbows were 90 degrees.