hey all, been browsing this forum for a while, and figured its time to log my lifts and hopefully get some feedback.
I've been weightlifting for about 3 years, and probably havent seen the progress I should have, but I'm happy with where I'm at considering my weight. I started with Stronglifts 5x5, and that worked very well, and got me to the >315 squat range. Then I goofed off and tried my own programs, which left me very slow progress. I've been running Madcow's for the past 2 weeks, havent had any trouble on it so far, and I have very high hopes for it. Ideally, I want to stick with Madcow's until my linear gains are completely sapped. My current long-term goal is 1225@181, with a 455 squat, 315 bench, 455 deadlift. I'm hoping to get that before the end of my sophomore year, if not sooner. now onto my starting stats:
weight:162
height:5'8
-----------------------------
squat:340
bench:210
deadlift:320
over head press:140
row:225
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's Lifts
gym weight:162
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x3
305x3<------ I actually went deeper than I typically do on these, by accident. Felt out of groove.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
170x5
180x3
190x3<------ relatively easy for a heaviest set.
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
195x3
205x3<------ Once again, relatively easy
thoughts: I'm trying to gain as much weight as I can to keep up with the progression, but I walk atleast 4 miles every day, and I only have 2 swipes into the dining commons every day. I guess I'll just pig out in dorm
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Thread: maximizing my lifts @181
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10-12-2012, 04:46 PM #1
maximizing my lifts @181
Last edited by dabucche; 10-12-2012 at 05:54 PM.
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10-15-2012, 12:51 PM #2
Madcow Week 3 Day 1
gym weight:163
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
245x5
295x5<------ felt easier today, but probably went an inch high in a couple of these. I'm still happy with them.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
175x5
185x5<------ Felt difficult, but I knew I would get all the reps.
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
185x5
195x5<------these were not difficult.
thoughts: So I gained a pound, ill try to keep gaining a pound a week (or two), which should help me with the progression. I think I'll try to get 3 more weeks after this week, and then reset my lifts 5lbs below 85% and 5lbs below 90%. We'll see though.Last edited by dabucche; 10-16-2012 at 02:37 PM.
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10-17-2012, 04:51 PM #3
Madcow Week 3 Day 2
gym weight:164
Squats:
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5<------Meh, boring stuff
Overhead Press:
95x5
105x5
115x5
125x5<------These seem to take the progression really well.
Deadlift:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
295x5<------I pull sumo, and these felt heavy but managable. Good stuff.
thoughts: So I gained another pound, I think that my weight is no longer a problem. I deadifted 285 last week, but I think its a good idea to have it the same as my squat, so it wont be as taxing. And the stretching is really important, I need to do duckwalks inbetween all my squat and deadlift sets, or else I curve my back on the deads.
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10-19-2012, 11:50 AM #4
Madcow Week 3 Day 3
gym weight:164
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x3
310x3<------Happy with these, they felt easy.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
175x5
185x3
195x3<------Last one was somewhat of a grinder.
row:
135x5
155x5
185x5
185x3
210x3<------Heavy, but not too bad.
thoughts: No weight gain. I'm beginning to think that my bench strength isnt increasing quite fast enough for the progression, but its almost there. I'll keep a close eye on it.
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10-19-2012, 01:36 PM #5
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10-21-2012, 06:26 PM #6
Well I'm ok with no feedback for now, I'm obviously in the early stages so I don't mind just keeping track of my progression. Plus I dont have a camera or a decent phone to take a vid with. Thanks though
Today was a rest-day, just did some stretching, skydiving, and foam rolling. Not necessarily in that order
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10-22-2012, 08:38 AM #7
Madcow Week 4 Day 1
gym weight:164
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
300x5<------felt heavy on my back, squatted all the reps with ease though.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
175x5
190x5<------wasnt easy but I was confident I would get all of them.
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
185x5
200x5<------surprisingly easy.
thoughts: No weight gain. I'm not taking long enough breaks, I probably finished my set of squats within 10 minutes. I think I'll start taking one advil before I go to bed to reduce DOMs or any other kind of inflammation. And I need to start eating snacks more if I wanna keep gaining weight.
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10-24-2012, 07:24 AM #8
Madcow Week 4 Day 2
gym weight:165
Squats:
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5<------Meh, boring stuff
Overhead Press:
95x5
105x5
115x5
130x5<------More difficult than expected. Easily got the reps though.
Deadlift:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
300x5<------Once again, felt heavier than expected. I need to focus on using more legs and less back.
thoughts: So I gained another pound, and I'm adament about gaining 2 more pounds by monday. I dont want to stall for a while. OHP's were more difficult, but that doesnt bother me too much: The difficulty of the deads urk me.. I think my weightgain and work on form will br enough though.
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10-26-2012, 07:11 AM #9
Madcow Week 4 Day 3
gym weight:166
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
315x3<------This set messed with my head. I became intimidated by it, and it affected my groove.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
175x5
200x3<------will comment in "thoughts".
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
195x5
215x3<------Felt heavy, not to bad.
thoughts: The last rep on bench was a terrible grinder, and now I need to roll back the numbers. I'm thinking 10lbs off every lift; everything is mostly fine apart from bench. My projected bench max is 220 now, and 4 weeks ago it was 205, so I can't complain. I'll PM some strong people and ask what I should do.
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10-26-2012, 07:18 AM #10
first off, you need to quit making 10 and 15lb jumps. why are you doing that? 5lb increase on upper body and 10lb on lower a week is more than enough.
trying to get strong again
training log
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=178444371&p=1605861201#post1605861201
For uneventful videos of me lifting
https://www.instagram.com/jawn.mcintyre/
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10-26-2012, 01:10 PM #11
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10-27-2012, 01:52 PM #12
So I PM'ed Gnuckols about my situation and he gave some very hearty advice. From now on I'm incorporating Smolov Jr Bench Program into Madcows. My bench needs a little bit more help than my other lifts.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _
Smolov Jr saturday Bench
gym weight:167
Bench:
135x5
155x5
175x5
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
thoughts: Difficult at first, but as I progressed through the sets they kept getting easier. Maybe I need a more extensive warm up?
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10-27-2012, 04:46 PM #13
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10-27-2012, 05:38 PM #14
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10-28-2012, 04:47 PM #15
Madcow Week 5 Day 1
gym weight:166
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
305x5<------Not to heavy, I'm actually surprised how easy these are.
Bench:
95x5
95x5
135x5
155x6
155x6
155x6
155x6
155x6
155x6<------Still VERY sore from yesterday, but had to do them.
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
195x5
205x5<------Felt heavy, not to bad.
thoughts: So Massachusetts declared a state of emergency (hurricane Sandy), and my gym is not gonna be open tomorrow, so I figured its better to get my squats and rows in now, and just deal with the lack of recovery on bench. Everything went fine though, so I'm happy with this session.Last edited by dabucche; 10-28-2012 at 04:53 PM.
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10-31-2012, 07:26 AM #16
Madcow Week 5 Day 2
gym weight:171
Squats:
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5<------The obligatory boring stuff
Bench:
135x5
155x5
170x5
170x5
170x5
170x5
170x5
170x5<------the last rep of the last set was tough, but I got all the numbers so I'm not worried about it.
Deadlift:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
305x5<------I thought I originally low-balled these for better recovery, but know I'm thinkin otherwise. Heavy off the floor, and had to reset grip.
thoughts: The scale claims that I've gained 5 pounds in the past 4 days, but in all reality, last night I went to the dining commons at 11 instead of getting dinner at 7. I would imagine that skewed things a bit. I'm definitely heavier though.
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11-02-2012, 08:38 AM #17
Madcow Week 5 Day 3
gym weight:173
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
320x3<------ I knew I would get all the reps, not too much trouble here.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
180x4
180x4
180x4
180x4
180x4
180x4
180x4
180x4<------the last rep on the last two sets were slow.
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
195x5
220x3<------ I think I have bad form on these, I probably bounce with it a little to get it up
thoughts: Turns out the scale knows what its talking about, lol, hoping the extra weight-gain will carry over to my lifts. I'm gonna try to finish this 3 week cycle of smolov then take a much deserved deload.
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11-02-2012, 09:01 AM #18
like I said you're not doing the program correctly, I have no idea what you're trying to do with the squats. this is how the progress should look
week 1
m: 315x5
f: 325x3
week 2
m 325x5
f 335x3
week 3
m 335x5
f 340x3
week 4
m 340x5
f 350x5
this is what ur doing
week 3
m 295x5
f 310x3
week 4
300x5
315x3
week5
305x5
320x3
no idea what you're doing loltrying to get strong again
training log
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=178444371&p=1605861201#post1605861201
For uneventful videos of me lifting
https://www.instagram.com/jawn.mcintyre/
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11-02-2012, 01:32 PM #19
http://stronglifts.com/madcow-5x5-training-programs/
This is the template that I use for Madcow. This says "here is the madcow template that I recommend you to follow...", so apparently theres more than one version.
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11-02-2012, 06:11 PM #20
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11-03-2012, 12:00 PM #21
I gave you a link, theres nothing more I can do. If you disagree, so be it.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___
Smolov Jr Saturday Bench
gym weight:171
Bench:
135x5
135x5
155x5
175x5
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
190x3
thoughts: Same numbers as last week, but I didnt plan on increasing it yet. Long story behind this, but I'm unusually sore today and I was still capable of the same weights.
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11-03-2012, 06:49 PM #22
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11-03-2012, 08:28 PM #23
1.No more 5 sets of 5 with the same weight. Instead you'll do ramped up sets: increase your weight every set like when you warm-up and finish with a heavy set of 5 reps (1x5). Ramped up sets are easier than 5x5 across, especially since you should now be Squatting around 300lb.
2.No more workout to workout increases. You'll no longer add weight 3x/week because your body doesn't recover that fast anymore once at the intermediate level. Instead you'll increase the weight on a weekly basis - every week you'll lift 5lb more than the previous week.
3.No more heavy Squats 3x/week. Wednesday is a light Squat day where you'll be Squatting less weight than on Monday and Friday. This light day provides you extra physical and mental recovery for Friday's workout.
How Madcow Works. Remember 1x5 stand for ramped up sets - 4 sets of 5 reps with the weight increasing until you reach your last heavy set of 5. Here's the Madcow template that I recommend you to follow...
Monday Wednesday Friday
squat 1x5 light squat 2x5 squat 1x3
bench 1x5 Overhead press 1x5 bench 1x3
row 1x5 deadlift 1x5 row 1x3
I changed around the bench into Smolov Jr. Apart from that, yes, I do this program correctly.
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11-03-2012, 10:15 PM #24
i know but how you're adding weight is wrong. im not trying to argue with you let me type it out again.
week 1
m405x5
f 415x3
wk2
m 415x5
f 425x3
wk3
m 425x5
f 435x3
check my earlier post for how you have been adding weighttrying to get strong again
training log
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=178444371&p=1605861201#post1605861201
For uneventful videos of me lifting
https://www.instagram.com/jawn.mcintyre/
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11-04-2012, 10:42 AM #25
Ok, So basicly I need to add 10lbs to each squat session a week instead of 5? Because in the second Statement they say add 5lbs per week. I mean, I just wanted to do this as legit as possible to make it work, if I'm actually doing something wrong, then thanks for helping (and dealing with me lol)..
I just genuinely don't see how I'm doing anything wrong.
EDIT: xRequiem: "add 10lbs on squats and deads til you stall. then take 5lbs off and starting adding 5lbs a session. " Just saw this on another thread. This may or may not be correct; I'm making slow, good progress using Madcow the way I am now. The way I see it, I have no need to fix something that isnt broken.Last edited by dabucche; 11-04-2012 at 04:57 PM.
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11-05-2012, 02:30 AM #26
week 3
m 295x5
f 310x3(300x3)
week 4
300x5
315x3 (305x3)
week5
305x5
320x3 (310x3)
I put in parenthesis the correct weight you should be doing if you make 5lb jumps. You're basically makign the program a lot harder.trying to get strong again
training log
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=178444371&p=1605861201#post1605861201
For uneventful videos of me lifting
https://www.instagram.com/jawn.mcintyre/
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11-05-2012, 08:15 AM #27
Madcow Week 6 Day 1
gym weight:172
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
310x5<------difficult, but I knew I would get all of them.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
165x6
165x6
165x6
165x6
165x6
165x6<------Much easier than last week, probably because I wasn't sore this time around.
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
195x5
210x5<------Starting to get more difficult too.
thoughts: Really looking forward to my deload in 2 weeks, I'm starting to get worn out. Like I said before, After I finish this cycle of smolov Jr, I'll take my deload, and reset my numbers to where they are currently (apart from bench).
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11-07-2012, 01:14 PM #28
Madcow Week 6 Day 2
gym weight:172
Squats:
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5
185x5
Bench:
135x5
155x5
180x5
180x5
180x5
180x5
180x5
180x5<------Surprised with how easy these were. I got high hopes for smolov jr now.
Deadlift:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
310x5<------probably the most difficult set since my "week 4 day 3" bench set.
thoughts: Bench felt good today, but the deadlifts were surpisingly hard. Its not even 3 plates, I dont know why such a high number lift is becoming so difficult so fast. I have been changing my form around lately though (trying to perfect sumo technique), so maybe thats it.
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11-09-2012, 12:41 PM #29
Madcow Week 6 Day 3
gym weight:174
Squats:
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x5
325x3<------Felt fine, I think I'll make progression off this program for a while.
Bench:
135x5
155x5
175x5
190x4
190x4
190x4
190x4
190x4
190x4
190x4
190x4<------my pressing is the strongest its ever been. The last rep of the last set on bench was ugly tho.
row:
135x5
155x5
175x5
205x5
225x3<------felt heavy, but I'm happy with it.
thoughts: So looking back on it, I had my feet really wide (toes almost at plates) when deadlifting because I thought that was correct form for sumo. Turns out that is not the case lol, I'll just have my feet at a width where I feel the strongest. Good session today though, I'm up to 174lbs.
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11-10-2012, 02:30 PM #30
Smolov Jr Saturday Bench
gym weight:175
Bench:
135x5
155x5
175x5
185x3
200x3
200x3
200x3
200x3
200x3
200x3
200x3
200x3
200x3
200x2<------Aggravating, but I don't think its a big deal.
thoughts: Didn't get the last rep, but this may be the most difficult bench session out of the 3 week cycle. I added 10lbs to the lifts for this week, and I was only planning on doing 5lbs next week, so I'm not too concerned.
On another note, I'm completely flaring my arms when I bench, which is alot more of a problem.
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