14 Jan 2012
Squats:
5 x 115
5 x 140
5 x 170
5 x 195
3 x 230
8 x 170
Squats were feeling heavy already. Used the belt on the triple. My legs were still pretty sore from the previous day. 8 rep set was easy, but fatigue settled in on the last 2 reps; had to push hard.
Bench:
****5 x 65
5 x 75
5 x 90
5 x 105
3 x 125
8 x 90
Bench was pretty easy. Noticed that I was lowering the weight towards my lower chest instead of higher up like I usually do. I was also trying not to use a powerlifter's arch to get more muscle recruitment from my chest and triceps.
Rows:
5 x 65
5 x 75
5 x 95
5 x 105
3 x 125
Rows were very easy. I narrowed my grip a bit, pinkie next to the knurling on the inside side. I slowly pulled off the ground and then accelerated the pull quickly as I lifted up to my chest. Pulls were a breeze and everything was good except I forgot to do the 8 rep set after my triple.
Accessories:
Barbell Curl:
8 x 40
8 x 50
8 x 50
Haven't done these in a while so I eyeballed my starting weights. I haven't trained for hypertrophy since I last did Madcow so stamina was definitely lacking. Had a good amount of fatigue by the 4th rep of the last set. I'm going to stick to 40 lbs for all three sets for now.
Tricep Extensions:
8 x 30
8 x 35
8 x 40
These were easy. I loved doing these when I did Madcow in the past and I still love them now. I get a good pump and my triceps feel huge! Very brotastic.
Dips:
7 x BW
5 x BW
5 x BW
These were pretty hard. I messed up the order of the accessories. I should have started with these then bb curls then tricep extensions. Doing 2 tricep exercises back to back sucks.
14 Jan 2012
Weight: 175.8 lbs
Bodyfat: 12.6%
Lean Body Mass: 153.5 lbs
Basal Metabolic Rate: 1873.5 calories
Maintenance Caloric Intake (assuming relatively light activity 1-3 days workout a week): 2623 calories
Cutting Caloric Intake (-10%): 2360.7 calories
Macronutrient Requirements (based on cutting caloric intake and 5 meals per day):
Protein: 192g, 38.4g per meal
Fat: 154g, 31g per meal
Carb: 118g, 24g per meal
Surprisingly, after using my new (and free!) fat calipers, I discovered that I'm at 12.6% body fat. Quite a big difference from my previously calculated 21% body fat. This makes more sense considering I can somewhat see my top and middle 2 ablets. I'm going to try and cut down to around 8-9% bodyfat. I think some extra cardio after workouts is due, so I'll include some light running after each workout.
12 Jan 2012
Today starts my first day of Madcow5x5. This is after being on a 2 week hiatus due to vacation. I've started the program with the following stats.
Squat: 5 x 254
Bench: 5 x 135
Row: 5 x 135
Press: 5 x 85
Deadlift: 5 x 250
Due to being out of the gym for a while, I decided to match these PR numbers in week 6 instead of week 4 of the program. All the weights have been calculated in a spreadsheet I downloaded from the Stronglifts website.
I just got back from the Philippines this past Sunday so I'm still experiencing jet lag; definitely not helpful with getting proper sleep and more importantly proper recovery. Hopefully my body can get back into the swing of things by next Monday so I can have the mental focus to get these lifts going. I've also ordered some extra supplements that will hopefully help me break preexisting plateaus.
Aside from the whey protein I've been scarfing down, I've also purchased a tub of the pre-workout supp, White Flood, as well as the intra-workout supp, Purple Wraath. I've dabbled with these two about a year ago when I was actually also running Madcow at the time and they helped me wonders- especially the pre-workout. I've also ordered a 2000g tub of ON creatine monohydrate. I don't think I'll be touching these supps until week 3 or 4 depending on how fast my body acclimates itself back into prime lifting condition.
With the conclusion of my Stronglifts regimen, I've managed to break and reach many PRs. Here are final program stats:
Squat: 3 x 270 PR
Bench: 2 x 165 PR
Row: 5 x 165 PR
Press: 4 x 97.5
Deadlift: 4 x 290 PR
I'm extremely happy with these numbers, especially my squat. I never thought I'd be able to rep even a single of my 1.5 x BW, but I managed to get 3! I was also very impressed with my deadlift early on. This was before I even had a lifting belt.
Here's today's workout:
Squat:
5 x 115
5 x 140
5 x 170
5 x 170
Pretty easy. I looked up to change things up a bit and noticed that I engaged my glutes much more when looking up than when looking in the mirror. Mental focus is definitely heightened and not seeing yourself makes it so that the body needs to "feel" the lift, resulting in better engagement of my posterior chain.
Press:
****5 x 45
5 x 55
5 x 65
5 x 75
Pretty easy. Made sure elbows were in front of the bar before lifting. Pushing elbows out while simultaneously exploding from the chest up helps with making the lift easier.
Deadlift:
****Felt unusually heavy. I was struggling with my grip on the second to last workset. Switched to alternating for the last set.
Accessories:
3 x 12 x Situps - Pretty easy first two sets. Third set was a bit more difficult as my abs fatigued very easily.