Hello, I'm Jenhan

Hi there all, glad to be a part of the pussy weights (dont know if i phrased it correctly). I have just completed a month of training...but will only consider last week my Week 1. The previous three weeks were just trial and errors, mostly errors.

All are 5 reps. All in lbs

W1D1
Squats - 140/140/140
Press - 85/85/85 x 4 (failed)
Rows - 85/85/85

W1D2
Squats - 145/145/145
Bench - 125/125/125
Deadlifts - 165/165/165

extra: dips x 5 x 2sets @ bodyweight

W1D3
Squats - 45 (bar)/65/85/150/150/150
Press - 45/65/90 x 4/85/85/85 x 3
Rows - 45/65/95/95/95

*I attempted 90 for press and found it very difficult...only then I remembered that my previous press at 85 was failed at the last set. Mistake caused me to fail 85 again.
----------------------------------

I am totally new at this (training and writing about it) and hopefully will recieve much advice from members here.

1) I know it will be easier to relate if I post in KG but I want to know how do you guys convert it? Mental math? When I divide with 2.2, I get funny numbers. Tell me how do you do it.

I would also like to propose the idea to utilize this blog more efficiently by suggesting a couple of stuff. Firstly, I think we could spice things up, chilly hot hot, by embedding some videos. If I am not wrong, all of you are in Bristol? Well I'm in Malaysia and having just started, I bug Wee Sim a lot for videos and advices. It would be tremendous help if you all could embed useful videos that you all find while surfing.

Videos of good squats, good rows, good bench, stupid bench, or just any random videos for all of us to critic and analyze would be really useful. Your own videos would also benifit all of us.

Anyways if the idea is to materialize, I hope that all of us start using labels for our posts, right now there is only 'workout logs' and I guess next time when anyone uploads 'advices' or 'squat videos' or 'deadlift videos'...they will make new labels. It will ease all of us in the future when our journal becomes more 'colourful'.

I remember having several other questions but I cant recall at the moment. Will ask when they do come back! Thanks all.

Wee Sim's new 5 RM

Wee Sim's 5 RM before Madcow 5x5:

Squats 95kg
Bench 75kg
Deadlifts 100kg
Military Press 55kg
Rows 70kg

Wee Sim's 5 RM after 11 weeks of Madcow 5x5:

Squats 120kg
Bench 90kg
Deadlift 117.5kg
Military Press 62.5kg
Rows 77.5kg

Bodyweight 77.5kg

My PRs

Before

Squat: 60 kg

Bench: 47.5 kg

Military Press: 40 kg

Deadlift: 55 kg

Row: 35 kg

After

Squat: 117.5 kg

Bench: 65 kg

Military Press: 55 kg

Deadlift: 102.5 kg

Row: 60 kg

A HVT routine.

All credits go to Darklight79 of LowYat.net. Each muscle group requires a workset of 4 sets, excluding warmups (2 sets of lightweight)

Chest:-
Compounds
Flat barbell bench press
Machine chest press
Incline barbell bench press
Flat db bench press
Incline db bench press
Smith machine incline bench press
Gironda neck presses

Then isolations:-
Flat db flyes
Incline db flyes
Cable crossovers

Pick 3 compounds, 1 isolation


Back
Seated cable rows (H)
Machine rows (H)
Barbell rows (H)
Close grip suppinated pulldowns (V)
Wide grip suppinated pulldowns (V)
Hammer grip pulldowns (V)
Behind the neck pulldowns (V)
One arm db rows (H)
T-bar rows (H)
Shrugs (Done at the end of every back workout)
*H - horizontal
*V - vertical

Pick 2 horizontal and 2 vertical pulling movements


Shoulders
Compounds
Smith machine shoulder press
Seated barbell shoulder press
Seated dumbell shoulder press
Military press

Pick 2 compounds

Isolation for side delts
Db side lateral raises
Cable side lateral raises

Pick either 1 for side delts

Isolation for rear delts
Bent over rear delt raises
Seated rear delt raises
Face pulls

Pick 1 for rear delts

Legs
This is a bit different. We alternate between GVT (German Volume Training) of leg presses 10 x 10 and squats (traditional style of 4 sets) every week.

Then we finish off with:
Leg extensions
Leg curls
Calf presses

Arms
Biceps
Standing dd curl
Concentration curls
E-Z Bar curls
Seated incline dumbell curls
Machine curls
Preacher curls

Triceps
Tri extensions
Close grip bench presses
Weighted dips
Machine dips
One/2 armed overhead tri extension
Tricep pressdowns

Pick 3 each. Done superset style, which means NO rest at all. The moment you finish a set of bis you move straight to tris.

-----

5 Day split:
Monday Chest
Tuesday Back
wednesday Legs
thursday Shoulders
friday Arms

3 Day split:
Monday Chest/Shoulders/Biceps (for shoulders don't do shoulder presses, just do 5 sets of lateral raises instead)
Wednesday Legs
Friday Back/Triceps

If you decide on a 3 day split, you will lose the superset arms of a 5 day split. There is less volume on a 3 day split, so it would be 4 workouts for Chest, 3 for Shoulders (compulsory 5 sets of lateral raises) and 3 sets of Biceps.

-----

The focus is on volume, you calculate this by sets x reps.

So workload is important here, sets x reps x weight.

10 x 100kg x 4 = 4000kg workload
12 x 90kg x 4 = 4320kg workload, which is more than 10 x 100kg x 4.

Emphasis of progress is on volume, not weight as we are accustomed to on Rippetoe or MadCow.

-----

Notable quotes:

'If you want to aim for a PR, do it on the first exercise selection, the other exercises should be at a maintenance poundage. Aiming for a PR on the subsequent exercises will just cause you to burn out. For example, my chest day would consist of the Smith machine incline bench, machine chest press, incline dumbell bench presses and i'll finish off with some cable crossovers. Let's say i start off with the Smith inclines first, i would attempt PR's on those but i wouldn't try any PR's on the subsequent exercises, as in keeping the poundages moderately heavy on the second compound exercise and the last compound exercise i keep it light and go for pump sets of lighter weight and higher reps within the 12-15 range.

Isolation exercises should always be lighter weight and very high reps, above 12 sometimes hitting 20 reps.

The point is, I'm a firm advocate of instinctual training thanks to Terry Gallyot (my mentor and Mr Asia). Focus on good nutrition, good nutrient timing and sufficient rest and the PR's will come naturally. Don't feel pressured to make PR's. Try for them only if you are able to. If you get all the aforementioned factors in good order, PR's will come naturally. A PR doesn't necessarily mean heavier poundage, it can also be achieved with more reps even if you're using a lighter weight compared to the last workout.

You need to understand that volume is the key word here. For example, a trainee does a set of Smith shoulder presses for:-
185lbs x 8 for 4 sets. In total volume that wold be equal to 185 x 8 x 4 = 5920lbs

The following week he does 165lbs x 10 for 4 sets, even though it was a lighter weight, he still achieved a better set because the total volume would be 165 x 10 x 4 = 6600lbs

Do you now get my point about volume being the key word here? Of course the poundage range should be around 70-85% of your 1RM max. Anything less and you'd just be getting a pump but no growth. The weight has to be sufficiently heavy to challenge you at least.'

'So we'd pick 3 compounds and 1 isolation, decide upon the order of exercise and have a go. Rep ranges are meant to be between 10-15 reps but if we feel like maxing out for 3-5 very heavy reps, we do it on the first exercise, either for PR's in the 3-5 rep ranges or PR's in the 10-12 rep ranges.

Intensity extending techniques such as forced reps, drop sets, rest pauses, etc are decided at the spur of the moment but they are used sparingly. The other 2 compound exercises, we do not attempt to make anymore PR's but if we feel that we can go heavier than the previous week, then we raise the poundage by a notch or so.'

'Sometimes i fail to hit 10 reps because of muscular failure so i reduce the weight accordingly in order to complete at least 10 reps in the next set. Even though i decide to max out occasionally with 3-5 reps, the last set of a compound exercise should always be a high rep burn/pump set of at least 12 repetitions. This helps flush blood into the muscles as well as prevent wear and tear on the joints. Your muscular strength usually advances faster than your joint strength, which is why sometimes you don't see me making poundage PR's too often, I try for endurance PR's on some workouts.'

Fat.

So I'm fat, and it's depressing. What could be wrong with my diet. Excess pasta? It's become staple to me because that's the only thing I'm eating more than anything else. That's the first thing I'm fixing.

I've never been this fat before, waist measures close to 32inches when previously I was hovering 30inches.

But then again, I've never squatted 110kg, benched 87.5kg, pressed 65kg, rowed 80kg or deadlifted 112.5kg for 5 reps before. Does this mean that I have to be fat to perform?

I beg to differ. I'm changing my diet, including cardio on rest days and keeping up with top form. No more late nights. It's time to change.

I want to be a beast and not some puny lifter at the gym.

Madcow 5x5 Week 9

Reset some of the weights, still struggled on rows despite reset. :(

Weights done for 5 reps unless stated. All weights in kg.

W9D1
Squat 57.5/70/82.5/95/107.5
Bench 47.5/57.5/67.5/77.5/ 87.5 x 4 (failed set)
Row 40/50/60/70/ 80 x 4 (failed set)

2 x hyperextensions @ bodyweight + 20kg x 8
4 x situps @ bodyweight + 16kg x 5

W9D2

Squat 57.5/70/82.5/82.5
Press (reset) 37.5/45/52.5/60
DL 67.5/82.5/97.5/112.5

3 x situps @ bodyweight + 16kg

W9D3
Squat
57.5/70/82.5/95
110 x 3
82.5 x 8

Bench
47.5/57.5/67.5/77.5
87.5 x 3
67.5 x 8

Row (note reset but still struggled on 75)
32.5/42.5/52.5/62.5
75 x 3
52.5 x 8

3 x dips @ bodyweight + 12.5kg x 8
3 x EZ Bar bicep curls @ 25kg w/o bar x 8