SS makes you fat - Miketoc's workout log

[Miketoc]

So I figured since all the cool kids are doing journals I'd try to emulate, and thus find and identify who I am in this world after long years of searching. Little background info...

Started lifting in high school during football, like 10th grade probably. Lifted pretty religiously until a year after I graduated when alcohol and partying became more fun. Didn't lift pretty much at all through college and graduated '05. I started back up in early '07, never really made a ton of progress doing the typical 4 day split and winging it when I went to the gym. At some point in '08 I got into a debate whether P90X would make you strong and fit, the drunken argument ended in me betting that I wouldn't have any problem sticking to the program and that I wouldn't get any stronger.

I in fact was weaker upon completion, but I was more in shape so it was kind of a wash. I wanted to get strength levels back up so I dirty bulked from August '09 to Feb '10 on starting strength, hit probably 20% BF but maxed with a 405 squat and deadlift (yes weird ok) and 280 bench. Those were my strongest levels to date and by a good amount too. Took a couple weeks there before starting my cut in mid march for the summer, dropped 30 lbs by May (yes too fast, yes lost strength). I've maintained at about 178-184 for the whole summer with around 11% bf.

I’m going to run madcow’s intermediate for the foreseeable future to try to gain strength levels back. I could certainly benefit off SS with how large a reset I’m doing but SS makes you fat amirite? No, really I just don’t want to, and slow and steady wins the race, and I want to keep consistent progress up through the winter bulk. The ultimate goal for this yearly cycle is same as last year, bulk through feb, cut through May, maintain through summer. Hopefully next time I’m smarter about the cut and hang onto my strength a little better.

Anyway, onto the workouts!

[jsg60]

gl on ur journey bro

[Miketoc]

Madcows Intermediate.

Sunday 8/22 - Week 1 Day 1:

Squat
150x5
185x5
225x5
265x5
300x5

Bench
105x5
135x5
155x5
180x5
210x5

Pendlay Row
80x5
100x5
120x5
140x5
160x5

Hypers
BW+25 - 2x10

Decline Situps
BW - 3x12

NOTES:
I'm bad at situps. Squats felt too easy, rest of it was probably a decent starting point.

I'm doing pendlay rows because I like them better. That's about all I've got...madcows certainly seems less glamorous than I was hoping, perhaps I'll ruin progress by adding stuff down the road, but at least it will be more exciting!

[pumplikecuming]

Starting strength doesn't make you fat, drinking a gallon of whole milk a day plus 3 big meals makes you fat...

[Miketoc]

Starting strength doesn't make you fat, drinking a gallon of whole milk a day plus 3 big meals makes you fat...

Powerlifting makes you fat, its a scientific fact.

[pumplikecuming]

Powerlifting makes you fat, its a scientific fact.

Lol

[Miketoc]

Madcows Intermediate.

Tuesday 8/22 - Week 1 Day 2:

Squat
150x5
185x5
225x5
225x5

Military Press
85x5
100x5
120x5
135x5

Deadlift
175x5
210x5
245x5
275x5

Decline Situps
3x12

NOTES:
Everything but the deadlifts was easy, which irks me. 275x5 on deadlift was actually challenging...maybe because I was doing singles and am not used to reps? I don't know but I don't like it! Hopefully I can make easy progression and not stall out early.

[Miketoc]

Thursday 8/26 - Week 1 Day 3:

Squat
150x5
185x5
225x5
265x5
310x3
225x8

Bench
105x5
135x5
155x5
180x5
215x3
155x8

Pendlay Row
80x5
100x5
120x5
140x5
165x3
135x4

Dips
BW+45 - 1x10, 2x8

Barbell Curls
55x10
70x8
80x8



NOTES:
Everything went pretty well, back seemed to be getting a little tighter than usual even with the low squat weight, I attribute that to residual soreness from Wednesday.

I skipped the tri-extensions because I was late getting back to work and felt like the dips went pretty well. Started too light on curls because I haven't done them in like...ever, 80x8 was pretty hard so I know where I'll be at next week.

[Lifting N Tx]

Subbed.

Just happened to check to see if you had a log and found this. Disclaimer: I have too many subs and am generally erratic about checking them. I tend to catch up a week or two at a time.

Quick story: When I was doing Madcow Intermediate 5x5 (I've done both versions), I happened to make a remark on here about adding something to it. I ended the comment something like "no one tell Madcow".

Lo and behold, a little later I notice that he'd repped me with a humorous rep comment about not being able to hide from him. I think he did also offer a gentle caution about overdoing it. I don't know if he still posts here. He used to post frequently at another forum, but I haven't seen anything by him in a long time.

[Miketoc]

That's pretty cool, I imagine he's probably long gone from these forums. I know I first found his stuff on ironaddicts, pretty smart guy. I do kind of lean a little more toward the mentality of AC and C&P that the body can handle a lot more than most people give it credit for, just need to work up to it, but I really like the program. I made huge gains off SS and the simplistic, steady progress stuff seems to work for me so I'm expecting a lot out of this.

Thanks for subbing!

[Miketoc]

Sunday 8/29 - Week 2 Day 1:

Squat
155x5
190x5
230x5
270x5
310x5

Bench
105x5
135x5
160x5
185x5
215x5

Pendlay Row
85x5
105x5
125x5
145x5
165x5

Hypers
BW+25 - 2x12

Decline Situps
BW - 3x12, 1x10

NOTES:
Kind of felt poopy today, I think I'm coming down with something but the workout actually went well despite that. I was so unmotivated to go, dragged myself in and it seemed like energy just came to me. Everything felt good, threw in the 4th set of sit-ups this time.

[Miketoc]

Thursday 9/02 - Week 2 Day 3:

Squat
150x5
195x5
230x5
270x5
315x3
230x8

Bench
105x5
135x5
160x5
185x5
220x3
160x8

Pendlay Row
135x5
135x5
145x5
170x3
135x4

Dips
BW+45 x10
BW+45 x10 (+2)
BW+45 x10 (+2)

Barbell Curls
80x10 (+30 lbs)
80x10 (+10 lbs)
80x6 (-2 reps)



NOTES:
Felt good today. Glad to be over whatever bug I had (yes, skipped Day 2 this week). Last set of curls obviously was weak because I started at a more reasonable weight. I was very surprised with how well the dips went, though...that was a legit PR. I was working in the neighborhood of 10-8-8 back in Feb and this was a solid 3x10, maybe not fair to compare because that was after 3x5 heavy bench but still. Had good energy today for sure.

Only a couple weeks from seeing some blue in the Pendlay Row dept.

[Miketoc]

I wonder if Pendlay rows aren't necessarily the best thing for increasing back strength. I like the movement but I feel like moving heavier weights with a conventional row might be all around better. I guess the answer would be which one I want to get stronger at. I must solicit opinions.

[darinaldi]

I wonder if Pendlay rows aren't necessarily the best thing for increasing back strength. I like the movement but I feel like moving heavier weights with a conventional row might be all around better. I guess the answer would be which one I want to get stronger at. I must solicit opinions.

Lencho rows.

[rdferguson]

I wonder if Pendlay rows aren't necessarily the best thing for increasing back strength. I like the movement but I feel like moving heavier weights with a conventional row might be all around better. I guess the answer would be which one I want to get stronger at. I must solicit opinions.

I find Pendlay Rows stop me from gradually standing up straighter with each rep, which, other than rounded back, is the most common fault I see others doing. I think, just for the sake of making sure each rep counts, the Pendlay row might be a better option than some other versions, but I'm not making claims here about it having better or worse muscle recruitment than other versions of the row.

[Miketoc]

Lencho rows.

I'm working on growing the body fur, already met with han solo and struck an employment deal.

I find Pendlay Rows stop me from gradually standing up straighter with each rep, which, other than rounded back, is the most common fault I see others doing. I think, just for the sake of making sure each rep counts, the Pendlay row might be a better option than some other versions, but I'm not making claims here about it having better or worse muscle recruitment than other versions of the row.

I could always do normal rows with the weight dead for a second between reps. Could at least pull heavier.

Really it comes down to I feel bad venturing outside the structure of the program, but as you can see this past workout I said F it. I can't stand pendlays from a hang, and anything less than 135 as called for in the first few sets has to hang or I get too low and it screws things up. I'll just keep doing it this way and wait until I stall before switching it up.

[-Lucifer]

A 280 bench is nothing to sneeze at. I would kill for anything over 225, lol.

Too bad you got fat when doing SS. What did your macros look like back then? If you remember, that is.

Anyway, I am in.

[Miketoc]

A 280 bench is nothing to sneeze at. I would kill for anything over 225, lol.

Too bad you got fat when doing SS. What did your macros look like back then? If you remember, that is.

Anyway, I am in.

Welcome!

I didn't really get that fat just kind of poking fun at some of this forum. I was about 21-22% which I was ok with. Then I went on a deficit of about 1000 cals a day for a month and a half, which cost me a lot of strength. I got down to about 11-12% and lost 30 lbs, so a good chunk was muscle.

I'll try to be smarter about it this year and bulk less dirty, but I really like hot wings, boston cream donuts, and cheesecake. If I can show a little discipline, I'll be in less of a hurry to cut for summer and able to retain some good mass

[-Lucifer]

Ya, I read that you were around 20% at that time. It's just that, people will call you fat, if you are over 15%, lol. That's beebeedotcom for you.

Dude, don't even mention cheesecakes! I am trying to lose weight, damn it.

[Miketoc]

My macros during bulk were probably very inconsistent, I ate anything in sight Rippetoe style. My cut was keto, about 5-10g carbs per day, 180g protein, and fat to total 1500 cals. During the summer I used the warrior UD2.0 TexAss had posted for one two-week cycle per month. Worked well for me.

[Miketoc]

Busy busy weekend.


Sunday 9/5 - Week 3 Day 1:

Squat
160x5
195x5
235x5
275x5
315x5

Bench
110x5
135x5
165x5
190x5
220x5

Pendlay Row
135x5
135x5
145x5
165x5

NOTES: No assistance work this day, I had very little time.

Tuesday 9/7 - Week 3 Day 2:

Squat
155x5
200x5
240x5
240x5

Military Press
90x5
105x5
125x5
140x5

Deadlift
185x5
220x5
255x5
290x5

NOTES:
I decided on Wednesday light squat days I'm going to do close stance squat to maintain flexibility. Haven't done them in a while but they were pretty easy.

Deadlifts were kind of hard, which scares me. I don't want to stall on them. I'm hoping it was because i used double overhand grip on the first 3 sets and my grip was just kind of worn by the last one. Even still, I hate my grip issues. I should fap more or something.

[Lifting N Tx]

Looks pretty good so far. I have a couple of CoC grippers, and I use them, though I generally don't have a problem with grip for DL given use of mixed grip plus chalk once the weights get heavy.

The only thing I've used straps for in a while is heavy DB rows, but I'd use 'em on DL if I had to. But I would not compromise weight due to grip issues. I'd work the grip separately, rather than let it hold me back. My grip isn't terrible, but isn't super strong either. I got a CoC #1 and #2 originally. I'd do sets of 5 a few times a week with the #1, and occasional negatives with the #2. I found that after a couple of weeks my hands got sore. I ordered the CoC trainer, which is somewhat less than the #1. That one I can just pick up with no warm up and do a few reps periodically during the day. I figure it's better to get in a decent amount of frequent volume, and add in occasional sets with the #1. YMMV of course.

BTW, been too long since I did the MC routines, but isn't it about week 4 that you should be approaching old PRs? Is that how you have it set up?

[Miketoc]

Looks pretty good so far. I have a couple of CoC grippers, and I use them, though I generally don't have a problem with grip for DL given use of mixed grip plus chalk once the weights get heavy.

No chalk at Gold's unfortunately...I know, I know. I have a CoC #1 I work with occassionally, AC gave me some other exercises to do too but I've been a little slack.

BTW, been too long since I did the MC routines, but isn't it about week 4 that you should be approaching old PRs? Is that how you have it set up?

Yes and No. In this case, because of my excessive spring dieting, my test weight isn't really near my old PRs. Admittedly I could have started higher in squat, I'm ok with starting off low, I just want to make steady progress through the Fall without eating 5k a day.

[Miketoc]

Thursday 9/09 - Week 3 Day 3:[/b]

Squat
155x5
205x5
235x5
285x5
325x3
245x8

Bench
105x5
135x5
165x5
190x5
225x3
165x8

Pendlay Row
135x5
135x5
150x5
175x3
135x5

Dips
BW+45 x10
BW+45 x10
BW+45 x12 (+2)

Barbell Curls
80x10
80x10
80x6



NOTES:
Everything went well, didn't make any progress on curls, was expecting to pull 8 on the third set but just crapped out...might not have given enough time between sets.

Glad dips went well again and it wasn't some fluke, I'll start moving the weight up. Hopefully some blue rows next week!

[-Lucifer]

Strong skwatz.

[Miketoc]

Between work and happy hours, I haven't gotten around to posting! Speaking of work, **** was so busy this week I got stuck there for like 2 days and missed yet another deadlift day.

Sunday 9/12 - Week 4 Day 1:

Squat
160x5
200x5
245x5
285x5
325x5

Bench
115x5
140x5
170x5
195x5
225x5

Pendlay Row
135x5
135x5
155x5
175x5

Decline Situps
BWx15 (+3 reps)
BWx12
BWx12
BWx10 (+10 reps)

Hypers
BW+25 x 12
BW+25 x 12
BW+25 x 10

NOTES: Nothing much to say here, since it was like 8 years ago.

Thursday 9/16 - Week 4 Day 3:

Squat
165x5
205x5
245x5
285x5
332.5x3
245x8

Bench
115x5
140x5
170x5
195x5
230x3
170x8

Pendlay Row
135x5
135x5
155x5
180x3 (+5 lbs)
135x7

Dips
BW+45 x 10
BW+45 x 10
BW+55 x 10 (+10 lbs)

Barbell Curls
80x10
80x10
80x7



NOTES:
Pendlays feeling heavy, I don't think I've ever done 180 before, I think my max was 175x5 on Ripps program. Have to be careful with the form too because I feel like it's getting difficult to maintain with the heavier weights. Aside from that, everything else went ok, the last set of squats was a little slow since I was kind of winded.

Dips felt strong again, curls felt weak. I was not expecting to be able to do 10 on that last set with upping the weight, so I might do all sets with 55 next week and see how that goes.

[Miketoc]

Sunday was full of moving furniture and then the skins game came on, and then I got distracted by more football games, and then I came up with a bunch of lame excuses for not going to the gym.

Did Sunday's workout today, I'll have to shift Tues/Thurs to Wed/Fri though, then take it from next Sunday.

Monday 9/12 - Week 5 Day 1:

Squat
165x5
205x5
250x5
290x5
332.5x5

Bench
115x5
145x5
175x5
205x5
230x5

Pendlay Row
135x5
135x5
155x5
180x5 (+2 reps)

Decline Situps
BWx15
BWx15 (+3 reps)
BWx15 (+3 reps)
BWx15 (+5 reps)

Hypers
BW+25 x 12
BW+25 x 12
BW+25 x 0

NOTES: I need to write down assistance work, I could have sworn I did 3x5, then 1x12 for situps, no wonder that seemed more difficult! As for the last set of hypers, my back is a little sore from moving **** yesterday so I didn't feel like pushing that last one out. Last sets of pendlays and squats were a bit challenging, so I might need to start upping the cals.

Oh, also I got like 4 hours of sleep last night. No reason why just couldn't fall asleep. I think I caught whatever Lu has!!

[Miketoc]

Thursday 9/16 - Week 5 Day 3:

Squat
165x5
210x5
250x5
290x5
340x3
250x8

Bench
115x5
145x5
175x5
195x5
235x3
175x8

Power Cleans
135x5
175x5
175x5
175x5

Dips
BW+70 x 10 (+15 lbs)
BW+70 x 10 (+15 lbs)
BW+70 x 10 (+15 lbs)

Barbell Curls
80x10
80x10

NOTES:
Very rushed today, exceptionally busy week caused my schedule to get all sorts of screwed again. Starting to get annoyed but not much I can do, just one of those busy times at work. I had the urge to do power cleans instead of pendlays. I was going to do rack pulls but the power rack was taken forever and I had to get out of there to meet up with some folks so I didn't get back around to it after assistance.

Hopefully next week is better. But the dips, felt strong. Last set I barely squeaked out the 10th rep but I got did get it. Probably getting to about where I should be on those so progress will be less crazy I'm sure.

[Lifting N Tx]

I was a bit confused when I looked and saw Week 5 Day 3, even though I knew you'd missed some workouts. But I guess you've generally just skipped the ones you missed rather than doing them late.

I gather that despite the work busyness, and sometimes missed workouts, you're not having a problem hitting the planned numbers. Probably the old "muscle memory" at work, if you're still regaining strength lost on the drastic cut.

Speaking of which, since I've reread some things... you've mentioned losing 30lbs in, I think, 6 weeks, or 5lbs a week. And also mentioned a 1000 cal/day deficit... which would be a 2lb/week fat loss. As I understand it, a 3500 cal deficit equals a pound of fat lost, though it doesn't occur smoothly. For me, losing 5lbs a week given my maintenance calories of ~2800-2900 would require an almost total fast. And probably not last even a week before my metabolism would crater. Even given initial water loss that's a crazy fast rate.

Unfortunately, I only seem to be able to lose about .5-1 lbs/week fat without strength loss. Which has given me incentive to be very careful about becoming fat. Or, at least, about becoming fatter.

[Miketoc]

Yeah it was about 9 weeks not 6. I said "by may" but it was really the end of may from mid march. Sorry about that. Also 1k per day was a rough estimate but yeah the math would indicate something more like 1500+ so I don't know. I know the days I calculated I was around 1500 and my maintenance should be 2500-2800, so it doesn't make much sense but there you have it. Maybe maintenance was higher? Not sure.

The work schedule should calm down hopefully by the end of this week. I've been stuck here until 8-9 pm with no motivation to go to the gym after. I usually sneak out of work 3:30 and come back at 5pm for an hour or so, but there's no chance of that right now. Plan is to get back into things on Sunday as I think this week is a wash.