Thatonedude_808: The Road to 1400+ @ 165

[thatonedude_808]

About Me/Training experience:
Recently turned 20 y/o. Have been lifting seriously since Feb. 2012, so that marks fifteen months of serious training experience. During that time, I've ran a brosplit, upper/lower, and Madcow 5x5. They have each given me great results for what they were meant for.

I haven’t competed yet, but I plan on doing so one day. For now, I'm just training for the purpose of getting stronger and having fun.

Recent PRs:
315x1 Bench @ 169 (Peak of Bulk-July 26, 2013)


495x1 Deadlift @ 165 (September 4, 2013)


330x9 Squat @ 163 (September 16, 2013)


For squats, I train high bar with a narrow stance. This is just my preference. I have no intention of transitioning to a low bar squat, even when the time comes for me to compete. As for deadlifts, I like to switch every now and then between sumo and conventional just for fun, and I’ve also found great carryover between the two when doing so.

Goals by the End of the Year:
I want to break 1300 by the end of the year. Realistically, I'm probably looking @
445 Squat | 335 Bench | 525d @ 165-175 by 2014.

I understand these are just goals. Whether or not I’ll actually achieve them will be based off of many factors, so I plan on trying my best to get close to or even above these numbers.


Diet/Training Style:
I just got done with a mini cut, and I'm currently weighing in the low 160s. I'm going to keep things simple. I'll be maintaining and/or gaining weight slowly during my training following flexible dieting.

If I have trouble hitting numbers as the weeks go by, then I'll be bumping up my cals and adjusting numbers as necessary.

Though I am currently training for strength, I intend to stay within a certain body fat level without going too overboard on my surplus just to get my numbers. Obviously, if one wants to "lift more, then he/she just has to eat more," but I plan on taking advantage of other variables, such as recovery work, resets, deloads, and volume adjustments to get me to my long term goal. When the time comes, I will do a mini cut and lower my volume to maintain as much strength as possible then begin bulking again.

Current Routine:

Bill Starr - Glenn Pendlay 5x5: Periodized Version for Advanced Lifters
Weeks 1-4: Volume Phase
Weeks 5-6: Deload and Intensification Phase

Calculated numbers at the end of 9 weeks:
Squat: 420x3
Bench: 305x5
Deadlift: 480 3x3


Let's do this. I'll start updating this journal on Wednesday.

[Tb0282]

In. Followed your teen log.

Good luck with your goals man.

[Joshyb90]

In on this bro. Carry over from teen log, congrats in your progress

[Jericoe]

Let me know how adv madcows goes, been thinking about running it myself.

[NaturalFTW]

in for gainsss

[wwe101]

In.

[iWantToGrow]

In!

[thatonedude_808]

Thanks everyone. Well..



Worst week of my life...This is unbelievable. I have no idea what happened but I feel as though I immediately got injured everywhere out of nowhere, and as a result, all of my lifts have dramatically decreased. I had to drop squats for today because Wednesday was horrible. Squatting even my bodyweight gives me a sharp pain in my right knee cap as if it's about to explode. On top of that, it feels like I've legitimately sprained my left lower leg, both left and right ankles are giving me discomfort when just walking, left shoulder is giving me pain, and my lower back isn't helping..

My lifts have went from

Two weeks ago:
275x4 Bench
330x9 Squat

To This week:
240x5 Bench
330x3 Squat after a 365x1 horrible form


and the worst part is...i'm back on a surplus as opposed to being on a deficit from two weeks ago

Maybe my CNS is just taxed, as I haven't taken a deload in ages.

Spending the entire weekend on icing, heating, and doing mobility work. Will continue program as is next week if I feel better, but if I don't, I'm looking at either a deload or, if knee pain continues, then an entire week off

[thatonedude_808]

back to Madcow Intermediate. Might as well milk out linear gains as much as possible. Reset my numbers a bit back for the program to recover better from the past couple of weeks and progress easier.

Monday, September 30 (W1D1)
Squat: 165x5, 205x5, 245x5, 285x5, 330x5
Bench: 125x5, 155x5, 185x5, 215x5, 250x5
Rows: 105x5, 130x5, 155x5, 180x5, 210x5
Face Pulls: 25x10, 40 3x10

Video:


Thoughts: Awesome session! I know my strength has been a bit shot due to stress for the past couple of weeks, so I can't complain much since this was overall a pretty good session compared to my last several workouts. Did so much icing, heating, stretching, and mobilizing over the weekend, so I woke up today feeling great. My knees and shoulders still aren't 100%, but I hope in due time that after getting used to 5x5 volume again and continuing my recovery work, I'll be hitting PRs after PRs once week 5 comes along.

[fittofattofit]

Great lifting dude. That was great form on the squats and really solid benching yesterday. Don't want to forget the 3 x BW deadlift either. Really jealous of you --- it looks like you just needed a short deload to rest your CNS and I suspect 1300 isn't too far away. Great work!

[NZninja101]

Hey man. Definitely in on this log. Subbed and all. This will probably be one of the few logs I'll check out, srs.

[thatonedude_808]

Great lifting dude. That was great form on the squats and really solid benching yesterday. Don't want to forget the 3 x BW deadlift either. Really jealous of you --- it looks like you just needed a short deload to rest your CNS and I suspect 1300 isn't too far away. Great work!

Thank you man! Yeah I definitely needed some form of rest. My body still isn't fully recovered, but I've learned that my CNS takes some odd turns every now and then. One week I'll be DLing 405x2 with horrendous form and struggle, then the next week I'll DL 455x4 easily

Just need to up my recovery week to hope things are consistent from now on

Hey man. Definitely in on this log. Subbed and all. This will probably be one of the few logs I'll check out, srs.

Appreciate it ^^ Will not disappoint hehe

[thatonedude_808]

Wednesday, October 2 (W1D2)
Deadlift: 255x5, 305x5, 365x5, 410x5
Squat (2 count Paused): 165x5, 205x5, 250x5, 250x5 (10 ct pause on last rep)
OHP: 95x5, 105s5, 120x5, 140x5
Chins: BW 3x5

Video:


Thoughts: Good session even though my body isn't fully recuperated yet. Trying to fix my DL lockouts. I've always locked out with my lower back (which I know isn't the right way to go about it lol), so from now on I'm really focusing on flexing those glutes and pushing through once the bar is above the knees. I may adjust warm ups on Deadlift days but will keep 1x5 ramp up set weights the same in order to progress easier. We'll see. Squats were easy. Knee pain wasn't there like last week. On the other hand, left shoulder pain persisted during OHP sets, but I got through it. Looking forward to Friday's session.

[fittofattofit]

Great set up and speed off the floor with those deads. I see what you mean about the lockout but 410 looked really easy for you.

[thatonedude_808]

Great set up and speed off the floor with those deads. I see what you mean about the lockout but 410 looked really easy for you.

Thanks! Hope to get the lockouts situated soon. They felt pretty easy. Looking forward to 420x5 in a couple days

Friday, October 4 (W1D3)
Squat: 165x5, 205x5, 245x5, 285x5, 340x3, 245x8
Bench: 125x5, 155x5, 185x5, 215x5, 285x3, 185x8 (Paused)
Rows: 105x5, 130x5, 160x5, 185x5, 220x3, 160x8
Dips: BW 3x12
Tricep pushdowns: 42.5 3x12
Face Pulls: 40 3x10

Thoughts: Good session.

[thatonedude_808]

Monday, October 7 (W2D1)
Squat: 170x5, 210x5, 250x5, 295x5, 340x5
Bench: 130x5, 155x5, 190x5, 220x5, 255x5
Rows: 105x5, 140x5, 165x5, 190x5, 190x5
Pin Good Mornings: 95 3x8

Thoughts: Not my best day, but I got all the sets/reps. I feel like I've definitely regressed. Left shoulder pain is making bench harder, and I keep doubting myself on squats, which is why I threw on some music on the last set as opposed to my usual emotionless/focused self. Mentality just isn't the way it used to be. Have to get my act together. I'm keeping my head up high and looking forward to blitz through the next couple of weeks to get back to my original 5RMs.

Also, more than likely adjusting all warm ups to 3 rep sets to see how I respond :3 (which will no longer make it a "5x5" program)

Video:

[thatonedude_808]

Wednesday, October 9 (W2D2)
Deadlift: 260x5, 315x3, 365x2, 420x5
Squat (Paused): 170x5, 210x5, 255x5, 255x5
OHP: 90x5, 110x5, 125x5, 145x5
Chins: BW 2x10, x7

Video:


Thoughts: Went to a different gym today that was 30 minutes farther. Was so excited to see Ivanko plates as I've always wanted to start learning the olympic lifts, but it turned out they were rubber-encased plates and not bumper plates, so no high drops allowed I don't understand...if you're going to invest in something as expensive as Ivanko for ALL plates, why not just throw in the extra money for some bumpers -_- On the bright side, this gym has a couple of full racks as opposed to the single half rack my usual gym has. My usual gym is only 10 minutes away though, so I'll rarely be going to this one.

Anyway, today was an all right day. Back felt real tweaked during the DLs, and the bar felt weird.

The black foam roller isn't as great as it used to be for me anymore, so I ordered myself the extra firm rumble roller


Hopefully it comes in on Friday so I can spend the weekend doing all kinds of myofascial release.

[Jericoe]

Shane warned you brah.


Good luck getting back on track, **** sucks.

[kenlenuiuc]

what is your set interval % for madcow?

[thatonedude_808]

Shane warned you brah.


Good luck getting back on track, **** sucks.

What Shane warned me with is irrelevant to what happened to me.

Keep in mind this wasn't a injury or regression built up overtime as he constantly tried to lecture on, but rather a sudden form of injury caused on a single day of lifting possibly due to poor form or something, which in turn has resulted into how I have felt recently.

Though the risk of injury can be decreased with emphasis on recovery work, form process, deloads, etc. , an unexpected injury in anyone's long-term training career is bound to happen even to the best of lifters.

I will do as I always do and place more emphasis on recovery work, but I'm more than confident I'll be back up and hitting larger numbers in no time, so let's see what happens : p

what is your set interval % for madcow?

I just kept it as 12.5 hehe

[Jericoe]

What Shane warned me with is irrelevant to what happened to me.

Keep in mind this wasn't a injury or regression built up overtime as he constantly tried to lecture on, but rather a sudden form of injury caused on a single day of lifting possibly due to poor form or something, which in turn has resulted into how I have felt recently.

Though the risk of injury can be decreased with emphasis on recovery work, form process, deloads, etc. , an unexpected injury in anyone's long-term training career is bound to happen even to the best of lifters.

I will do as I always do and place more emphasis on recovery work, but I'm more than confident I'll be back up and hitting larger numbers in no time, so let's see what happens : p


I just kept it as 12.5 hehe

But you said everything feels like it is injured out of nowhere? You didnt point to a specific session that it happened in.

All of your lifts dont regress if you are injured.

Shoulder pain, knee pain, doubting yourself. That doesn't come from one session.

By hitting 1rm after 1rm, you peaked your strength. Peaked strength doesnt last and it takes a toll on your cns. Hence why most powerlifters will take 1-2weeks off after a meet. Not only that but maxing frequently when you're natural damages your body and usually doesnt allow for enough recovery before the next session.


That's what happens, your cns says **** and just one day all of your lifts arent where they should be and the following sessions arent so great.

It's the reason i had my bench at 300 but could only hit 270lbs in my meet.


Listen to shane and brandon lilly on this one, start building strength and stop testing it.



Trust me this is the best advice i have ever taken.

If you really want to, go for a 1rm every 2 months.

[thatonedude_808]

But you said everything feels like it is injured out of nowhere? You didnt point to a specific session that it happened in.

All of your lifts dont regress if you are injured.

Shoulder pain, knee pain, doubting yourself. That doesn't come from one session.

By hitting 1rm after 1rm, you peaked your strength. Peaked strength doesnt last and it takes a toll on your cns. Hence why most powerlifters will take 1-2weeks off after a meet. Not only that but maxing frequently when you're natural damages your body and usually doesnt allow for enough recovery before the next session.


That's what happens, your cns says **** and just one day all of your lifts arent where they should be and the following sessions arent so great.

It's the reason i had my bench at 300 but could only hit 270lbs in my meet.


Listen to shane and brandon lilly on this one, start building strength and stop testing it.

Trust me this is the best advice i have ever taken.

If you really want to, go for a 1rm every 2 months.

That's where your wrong. If you look at my videos and my old log, other than my deadlift, I haven't even tested my squat or bench max in nearly three months (since late July). That's not hitting 1RM after 1RM.

And actually... I realized it was from a really bad squat session when I looked back at videos...the week before I had intended to compete in a gym squat 1RM, I went in to the gym thinking I was going to go for 365 for a set of five, but on the bottom of the first rep, I accidentally leaned too far forward, let my lower back round, and the power went way over to to toes. Rather than dumping the bar, I was stupidly stubborn and pushed it on the way up. I racked it immediately after.

Get peppered for the worst squat form..

Below the left is my usual squat form. On the right is the day where I phucked up everything I believe.

[thatonedude_808]

Friday, October 11 (W2D3)
Squat: 135x5, 185x5, 235x5, 280x5 (supposed to be 290..oops), 350x3, 235x8
Bench: 100x5, 140x5, 175x5, 215x5, 260x3, 175x8
Row: 85x5, 120x5, 155x5, 185x5, 225x3, 155x8
Dips: BW+45 3x10

Video:


Thoughts: One of the best sessions I've had in the past couple of weeks! Though I may still not be where I want to be in terms of recovery, I felt much better than usual today, which is a great sign. I've also changed my set interval to 15% to see how it's like.

In addition, I got my lacrosse balls and rumble roller in the mail today, and I already feel noticeably better after an hour of myofascial release. Gonna attack all kinds of knots and tight spots this weekend.

350x5 Squat and 260x5 Bench next week. I'm ready

[NaturalFTW]

rumble roller? oh lawd. RIP in peace. I cry like a bitch when I foam roll.

[NZninja101]

Good work.

[fittofattofit]

Video:

It's interesting to see the pics above where you rolled out your lower back. No sign of that today, even when you ground out that last rep of 350 you maintained that lower back and core tightness. Perfect looking form when you repped out the 235
Bench looked strong.
Good luck with the 350x5 Squat and 260x5 next week. Looks good

[thatonedude_808]

IMPORTANT NEWS: Did a lot of thinking and I decided I'm gonna go back to DUP training with my Upper/Lower split tomorrow. Progressive overload will be based on RPE scale and how I'm feeling that particular day rather than just trying to hit certain numbers (No more program hopping after this for awhile..I swear lmao).

So....I woke up today and didn't realize that it was a holiday, so by the time I went to the gym, it had just opened (when it usually opens much earlier) so the entire place was packed and I was forced to rush through all my sets since there is only one half rack and one squat rack...feltbadsman.jpg

Had like a minute rests between sets. I only did 350x2 squat, 260x3 bench (had to use a different bench and was real uncomfortable--worst time just unracking it lol)

rumble roller? oh lawd. RIP in peace. I cry like a bitch when I foam roll.

It actually wasn't bad at all I'm already so used to the black foam roller that it doesn't feel like anything lol

The rumble roller feels much better on my back though

Good work.

Thanks man!

It's interesting to see the pics above where you rolled out your lower back. No sign of that today, even when you ground out that last rep of 350 you maintained that lower back and core tightness. Perfect looking form when you repped out the 235
Bench looked strong.
Good luck with the 350x5 Squat and 260x5 next week. Looks good

Yeah I shouldn't have been stubborn and just should have dumped the bar that day lol..and read above..didn't do so well today :/

[iWantToGrow]

IMPORTANT NEWS: Did a lot of thinking and I decided I'm gonna go back to DUP training with my Upper/Lower split tomorrow. Progressive overload will be based on RPE scale and how I'm feeling that particular day rather than just trying to hit certain numbers (No more program hopping after this for awhile..I swear lmao).

It's ok brah, nobody here complained about program hopping

[RedSoxBrah]

Yea buddy! In on this

[thatonedude_808]

October 18 | Upper Light
DB Incline Press (15°): 105 2x8
DB Rows: 85 2x10
Pec Deck Flies: 120 2x10
Side Laterals: 30x8, 25x8
Low Rows: 120 3x8
Lat Pulldown: 85 3x12
DB Overhead Tricep Extension: 75 2x10
Incline Seated DB Curls: 15 2x12
Face Pulls: 40 3x8

Thoughts: VERY easy session today. Virtually no shoulder pain, which is a plus! Just testing out the waters with weights to use for now since I haven't done these exercises in awhile. Lower Heavy day on Monday.

It's ok brah, nobody here complained about program hopping

Will try to keep this one until end of year hehehe

Yea buddy! In on this

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