Week 6 – Madcow5x5 – Day 17C

18 Feb 2012

Weight: 176.8 Body Fat: 11.9%

Squat:

5 x 135 5 x 160 5 x 190 5 x 225 3 x 265 8 x 190

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH3ei3Qfz-k]

Accidentally did 5 more lbs than I was supposed to. I'm pretty happy that I'm progressing still. No stalls yet, luckily. 2 more weeks and I'm back to 270. At my current weight...265 is 1.5 x bodyweight. Glad to be back here again.

Bench:

5 x 70 5 x 85 5 x 100 5 x 120 3 x 140 5 x 100

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDZTegX99bA]

Form felt very inconsistent. This was probably the case because I didn't like what I saw on film when I reviewed my technique after each set. From the looks of it, it doesn't seem like I'm using full ROM. Every article I've found on the net praising they have the correct way of benching have always emphasized not lowering the bar past elbows parallel to the bench. I've also read that you should tuck your elbows when pressing. Now when I do this, I have to lower the bar from around face level to the top of my stomach or lower chest. This then seems to turn into more of a shoulder workout than a chest workout.

Rows:

5 x 70 5 x 85 5 x 100 5 x 120 3 x 140 8 x 100

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f10LUhoojlg]

The triple felt heavy. I made a note to tighten my entire body when pressing to avoid using hip drive. I'll have to post my video to get other people's opinion, but I think I may be using a little hip drive. I also lifted my chest up.

Accessories:

Weighted Dips - 12/9/6 x BW: Was a bit disappointed. I want to get to 3x20 reps before I add weights. I'm focusing more on hypertrophy at this point in my workout. These are, after all, accessory exercises.

Barbell Curls - 8x40, 8x50, 6x55: Not bad, last set was pretty damn hard though. Noticed that my left elbow wasn't tucked in like my right elbow. I think I need to narrow my grip a bit. Seems like the bar is shifted to the left a bit.

Tricep Extensions - 8x40, 8x45, 7x50: 1 rep improvement from last week. I was pretty scared that my right shoulder would pop up on the 7th rep. I'll stick with these weights again.