NOTES: Sweet. Form was strong and descent was nice and controlled. The 110kg set felt like I had 10, quite happy with the depth on my sets too.
BENCH
Barx10
60kgx5
67.5kgx5
75kgx5
85kgx5
95kgx2 PR FAILED
NOTES: This was bad. I don't know what's happened since 90kgx5, I think I've just forgotten how to drive effectively. Some active release and a reset to 87.5kgx5 will do the trick I hope.
PENDLAY ROW
60kgx5
70kgx5
77.5kgx5
85kgx5
92.5kgx3 PR
80kgx8 PR
NOTES: Awyeah, my rows are stronger than my bench (as they probably should be). I filmed the back-off set of 80kgx8 instead of the top set because I thought it would be more interesting than a pendlay row triple.
INCLINE FLYS
21kgx10 PR
21kgx8 PR
NOTES: These were surprisingly good. For some reason I have ridiculously strong flys, these were to 'parallel' and very slow. The last couple of reps on the second set were agonising.
WORKOUT NOTES: Goddamn bench press, I'm just weak at that lift right now. I need to get more thoracic mobility and get my setup right, because right now it feels like I don't have an active and stable base to press from.
Other than that, this was actually a really good workout. Squats were unsurprisingly easy, though the triple days always are, it's the next workout which is the real money-maker. My rows just keep getting stronger and my form is still good, so I don't see any reason to start micro-loading yet (which is probably what I'll need to do for my bench). Onwards and upwards!
NOTES: This was great, strong base and good speed. I knew it would go when I felt how light 60kg was.
DEADLIFT
60kgx5
80kgx5
100kgx5
125kgx5
147.5kgx5 PR
NOTES: This was a well-fought set, I knew it would be hard because I lost a bit of weight while sick. Enjoyed the look of all that weight on the bar, though realistically I should be able to get to 160kgx5 if I eat right and keep my head in the game.
DB ROW
46kgx6 PR
46kgx6 PR
46kgx6 PR
NOTES: Surprised at how light these felt, they were pretty strict so if I rip them more I am sure I could have them for a set of 10. I might just go back to 41kg and do some sets of 10 or 12 though.
WORKOUT NOTES: This was a great workout, I was a bit knocked about from the last workout so to come back and hit everything I wanted to with a bit in the tank was pleasing. I know I keep saying this but I need to eat more, I have officially gained no weight on this routine as I'm back to 75kg. Even if I dreamer-bulk from here I would probably only gain 2kg by the end of Madcows; I'm going to aim to eat an extra meal a day somewhere.
NOTES: Easy as pie, this was a great start to the workout. Descent was controlled and all my angles were good. Did an extra rep just to remind myself that there's a whole lot of improvement to come.
BENCH
Barx12
40kgx5
50kgx5
60kgx5
70kgx5
82.5kgx5
NOTES: This is technically a PR because my current PR is 85kgx5 @80kg and this was done at just under 74kg. These were tough but I have more in me.
PENDLAY ROW
40kgx5
50kgx5
60kgx5
67.5kgx5
75kgx5 PR
NOTES: Strong, the 5th rep felt much better than the 3rd rep the other night.
DIPS
BW+20kgx5
BW+20kgx5
BW+20kgx5
BW+20kgx5
BW+20kgx10 PR
NOTES: Haven't done dips in months and these felt awesome. Literally felt like I could have had 10 sets of 5.
WORKOUT NOTES: Best workout so far of Madcows, once again. Killed it with the squats and continued with that. Need to sort my bench out before I stupidly stall, so maybe some active release tomorrow. The row PRs keep coming, just need to use the same form I used last night in coming weeks, controlled but with a fast pull. And well, the dips speak for themselves, so easy (until the last set). Deadlifts, OHP and DB rows tomorrow.
NOTES: These felt awesome, speed was sick and setup was tight. I reckon I had over 10 in me easy. Remember to focus on keeping back angle constant through the sticking point.
BENCH
Barx15
40kgx5
50kgx5
60kgx5
67.5kgx5
75kgx5
NOTES: My right pec was actually bothering me a bit, not in an injured way but it was sore. Still, these were a little grindy but probably could have continued to push another 3 at the exact same speed as the 5th.
PENDLAY ROW
40kgx5
45kgx5
50kgx5
57.5kgx5
65kgx5 PR
NOTES: Yes this is a PR, despite the fact that I have done 3x90kgx5 PR on a normal bent over row from the hang position. Pulling from the floor and involving the posterior chain makes the lift a lot more like a deadlift, making me focus on keeping my back tight and pulling with the arms purely.
INCLINE FLYES
18.5kgx12 PR
18.5kgx10
18.5kgx10
NOTES: These give me the best chest pump I've ever known, I'm just going to continue doing these as accessory every time I bench imo.
WORKOUT NOTES: This was an awesome workout. I finished it in about 30 minutes, flew the squat sets in 10 minutes. Every exercise was on the money, even benching with a sore pec. I'm really looking forward to my next workout, which will be 125kgx5 deadlift, 52.5kgx5 OHP, some recovery squats (2x70kgx5) and then some shoulder accessory work with upright rows and maybe some dumbbell overhead press.
NOTES: Felt strong, very controlled and tight. Need to work on stance to make a more stable base, but even still probably had another 2 reps on the last set.
PULL UPS
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8
NOTES: Little rest and did 1 second eccentrics, which turned out to make the movement a lot tougher. Will be back to weighted ones next workout.
PAUSE BENCH
40kgx10
60kgx8
60kgx8
60kgx8
60kgx8
NOTES: Pausing makes this lift almost impossible for me, my chest is weak obviously and I use my triceps too much in it usually. This will be a staple exercise now.
PENDLAY ROWS
60kgx8
60kgx8
60kgx8
NOTES: I'm terrible at this lift, these reps were so hard.
DB INCLINE BENCH
26kgx9
26kgx6
26kgx6
NOTES: Slow & controlled, no lockout at the top either! Massive chest burn, the last two sets killed me.
WORKOUT NOTES: It felt great to be back at 50kg for OHP, also because my grip is almost 5cm wider each side. Pull ups felt great, favourite exercise of the day. Pause bench is weak so I will become strong at it and I should grow, same goes for pendlay rows. If you don't know what a pendlay row is, it's taken from the floor as opposed to hang position and hits the mid-back more than a conventional barbell row:
I was supposed to do pull ups/rows after deadlifting but my calluses were bleeding, I'd worked 14 hours the day before and I was just too tired for words. Cleans felt good but could have been better, press was such a bitch but I did it anyway and got some weight and volume PRs to go with it. Deadlifts were hardcore, going to add 2.5kg a workout from here on out, with 150kgx3 being a matched PR except this time I'm 5kg lighter and it's double bodyweight! Looking forward to killing it on Saturday.
I really enjoy this program already. I started everything very conservatively to get the feel for the layout and volume, and I already am getting in the groove. Bench is bench, felt fine and all that. I am happy with the shrug I'm getting in the power cleans, but that pesky hip extension needs a lot of work. Will need to watch more videos and ask Mitch about what cues to use to help with that.
Deadlifts were fun, started at 120kg because I wanted to keep my form mint and it worked a treat and I was pulling fast off the floor even on the 10th rep. First 3 sets of rows were super strict, but the last set I just ripped them fast and made it explosive. Looking forward to progression while leaning out.
Damn good workout in some senses, and not such an amazing one in others. I wanted 95kgx10 on the last set of squats, but my left hand cramped at rep 5 (again) and so I just did one more. Definitely had at least 8 in me though, so that was annoying; I will have to smash 2 plates on Saturday to make up for it.
I wanted 2x3 on push press with 70kg, but it just didn't happen, my triceps were too tired from the 57.5kgx7. Makes me mad, it seems like push press adds nothing to my normal press. I think I might abandon push press and just do heaps of sets of OHP instead from now on. BB Rows were hard, but that's because I made them that way: slow contraction, pulling hard into my stomach, pause at the bottom.
And I'm extremely happy about dips, I can now say that I dip 2 plates. And plus, that also means 150% BW dips, adding to the fact that I had more in me and they were really deep dips. Next workout will be a big one for sure, working out with T.
3 plate deadlift! Really great workout that was capped with some great pulls. Squats were feeling great, I've got a rhythm back and so I went for 10 on 90kg. Bench was bench, felt good but triples are not too hard in terms of intensity, I would have done 4 on the last set but I got a hip flexor cramp. And finally, deadlifting is officially my equal favourite exercise along with pull ups. I realistically could have gone for broke and snatched 5 reps, but I had a big PR in the bag and didn't want to ruin it by letting my good form break down. Will be adding 2.5kg a workout from here and just doing triples until I stall, which hopefully won't be for a while!
Awesome workout! Squats were easy but tiring as hell, and the form feels locked in now even after adding Mitch's comment straight from Commonwealth Gold medal winner Ben Turner ('Drop slow into the hole then accelerate right at the bottom to bounce out'). Push press just wouldn't go up on the 5th rep, tried twice but it wouldn't budge, will drop down to 2x3 next workout. 62kg.5x4 felt great considering how tired I was from the push presses. Finally reached my barbell row goal, so now I'll reset to do sets of 10 (probably 75kg). But the best part of the workout were the dips! Only aimed to get 3 on them, and then I get an extra bonus rep! 1.5xBWx5 dips here I come! So strange how much my dips are going up while my BW is going up, I'll never understand big weights.
I don't have OCD, I'm just well prepared. When I invest in something I dive in, so when I reasoned out that I will change over from High Bar Olympic squatting to normal High Bar squatting, there was no other option for me but to watch countless youtube videos and read up on it as much as I could. I am a big believer in creating cues to elicit good form on lifts, so I decided to collate text and video evidence to come up with some helpful ones for me to use. Before I get into that though, here are two independent examples of the Olympic high bar squat and the normal highbar squat.
Olympic high bar:
Normal high bar:
The two movements are very similar obviously, but the key differences seem to be the torso is more bent over with the normal high bar squat, which means more leverage from the lower back and glutes as well as the hamstrings. However I have read that there is nowhere near as much involvement as there would be with low bar squats, so once I have finished this routine I will put romanian deadlifts on my squat day to hit up that posterior chain a bit more.
So from what I have seen and read, the cues from start to finish should 'feel' a little something like this:
1. Unrack: Deep breath into your stomach
Gets tightness through the abdominal region and helps with achieving proper thoracic extension.
2. Eccentric/descent:Pull yourself down
Something that hit home like a tonne of bricks. I read this gem in a Dan John article, and essentially by using this cue you're making the eccentric an active motion that helps keep you tight at the bottom. Nothing is worse for a high bar squat than falling apart at the bottom and losing tension for the all-important stretch reflex.
3. Reversing the momentum: Drive through the heels after 'hitting' the bottom position
The general rule with high bar is to squat as deep as your mobility allows you to so as to elicit the stretch reflex best. So, after 'pulling yourself down' it makes sense to counter that momentum with explosiveness. As soon as you feel that hamstring tension your mind needs to go 'UP UP UP' while transferring power through the heels to keep the bar over mid-foot.
4. Getting through the sticking point: Hips back under (the bar/your body)
Watch the 462x20 video again and you will notice that the squatter has exquisite rhythm. This comes about because he makes an effort to get through the mechanically weakest part of the lift (the 'sticking point' about halfway up) by pulling his hips back under as quickly and as powerfully as he can. This is the cue that changed how I viewed the act of a high bar squat, so I know it will be a good one to use.
5. Locking out: Throw the bar backwards
This is a useful one because it teaches you to lock out powerfully and keep tight by getting that 'pop' at the top. The idea is to end the movement as if you're going to heave the bar behind you as far as you can.
So that's about the size of it as far as I can tell. I didn't decide on these cues as opposed to others because I think I'm some sort of guru; I did it because when I was simultaneously watching and reading about the high bar squat, these are the one's that leapt out and 'spoke' to me. And for me, that is the key to learning. This is coming from the guy who stayed up til 3am watching Wimbledon, swinging my racquet in time with the guys on screen so I could perfect my strokes. So I will take these cues and use them next time I squat, and I'll put a video up as soon as I get some sort of rhythm going.
Didn't feel like squatting because if it exacerbated my piriformis pain I wouldn't be able to deadlift. Bench went really well, it's funny how this stuff works because I almost failed the last rep of the 3rd set when I benched 77.5kg, and now I even did an extra rep with 5kg more. 85kg next time, getting very close to my goal of 90kgx5! Deadlifting felt fine, 125kg felt heavier than 120kg, but not by much. I'm supremely confident I will get 130kg next time. I have awesome lower back, forearm, bicep and hamstring soreness. Feelsgoodman.
Also, the socks did not stop the bleeding on my shins, it simply soaked my good socks lol.
Pulled the same muscle in my glute that has been my demon for the past two years almost. Need to get more treatment on it. Was meant to do 3x60kgx5 on press, but my glute was hurting and I was so mad that I just loaded the bar up and went for it. Almost passed out on the last rep from the effort and spasms going on. With the rows I was determined to do them, so I took a super wide stance and turned my feet slightly and my glute didn't hurt so much.
The plan from here is to go to the physio, rest up, and then reset squats to either 95 or 100kg and keep plugging away with my deadlifts and upper body stuff. Fuck I hope it isn't too bad
Worked out with T, we had a blast. T got 3x100kgx5 PR on squats, and I vanquished the demons of my squat failure by smashing out 110kg. Was tough, but I did it. Bench was relatively easy for a weight I've never done for more than 1 set before, and deadlifts are always amazing, they are my favourite exercise now (mainly because they are the only exercise which is still easy). T got 3x75kgx5 PR bench, and 105x5 PR on deadlifts, he's going to reset the deads though to learn to keep the bar close to his body and to sit back into the movement instead of up. Form was still fine, but not ideal for pulling it seems.
Finally failed on squats. I'm working from recollection, so forgive my lack of detail. Went down on the failed rep and lost tightness at the bottom big time, torso crumpled and I lunged forward onto my knee to dump it on the lower rack of the squat rack. Everything else was fine.
NOTE: The camera is wonky on the squat video which makes it look like I have a much bigger forward lean than I do in actuality. Of course when I reset I will correct the bar path, but it's PR territory and my form is still 85% good in my eyes. Critiquing is welcome
