Alex's Training Journal

[SaturatedGoodness]

Hey folks this is just a little journal for myself to keep track of what I'm doing, if anyone wants to comment or make any suggestions that is surely welcome. TY

Height: 5'5
Weight: 135
Routine: 5x5 (madcow variation)
Supps: Just Creatine

WEEK 1
Monday
Squat
5 x 95
5 x 115
5 x 135
5 x 165, 5 x 165, 5 x 165, 5 x 165, 5 x 155

Bench

5 x 65
5 x 75
5 x 85
5 x 95
5 x 115

Row

5 x 70
5 x 80
5 x 90
5 x 100
5 x 110

Comments:

• Once again, when doing seated rows, I felt like my right arm was doing more work than my left arm...it just felt hecka imbalanced, almost as if my right arm is longer somehow. Sigh, kinda frustrating
• Good news on the bench, I was able to do 115 easy for 5 while dropping weight slowly all the way down to my chest. Gonna bump it up to 125 next week

 

[Madcow2]

A few things that stick out:

1) You mention 'seated rows'. These should be standard barbell rows with back as close to 90 degrees as possible (perferably at 90 degrees). You don't have to do them from the floor (which is hard if you can't row 135 anyway) but you shouldn't be doing seated rows under any circumstance. You'll get 10x the benefit doing the barbell variation over some fixed or pulley machine.

2) In the first workout of week 1, you had to back off on the last set of squats. This doesn't bode well for ramping if you are using the periodized version of the program. The squats being the core, there could be major issues...this kind of leads me to my next point.

3) Given the weights listed (I'm assuming pounds) and what I can kind of ballpark as your training history (bodyweight, weights used, seated row mentioned), you may get a lot more out of the non-periodized 5x5 and just putting time into the core lifts. http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4497774&postcount=15. This is a great classic program and there's little reason to deviate until it stops working for you. Unless I'm grossly misinterpretting something I don't really think there are any benefits to periodization at this point for you and some potential negatives (complication, excessive workload for one's conditioning, etc...).

 

[Guinness5.0]

• Once again, when doing seated rows,

Why are you doing seated rows and not BB rows?

EDIT: MC got there first

 

[SaturatedGoodness]

Madcow you're probably right. I've only been seriously lifting for a little less than a year now, so I don't think I necesarily need periodization yet, as I have a pretty small frame and can make some gains without it. I think I'll go with that second routine you posted up. It looks pretty good, and as a plus it includes the "beach lifts" . Thanks a bunch man.

Just one more question: in the routine you provided, I don't see any excercises for shoulders except incline bench? Do they just get worked synergistically through other exercises, or...?

 

[Madcow2]

Madcow you're probably right. I've only been seriously lifting for a little less than a year now, so I don't think I necesarily need periodization yet, as I have a pretty small frame and can make some gains without it. I think I'll go with that second routine you posted up. It looks pretty good, and as a plus it includes the "beach lifts" . Thanks a bunch man.

You'll probably end up making better gains. The differences in a periodized vs. a non-periodized program for a novice is insignificant at best, plus if you botch or mismanage something (as novices are prone to do) you'll be getting less out of it.

Just one more question: in the routine you provided, I don't see any excercises for shoulders except incline bench? Do they just get worked synergistically through other exercises, or...?

If you are pressing and rowing properly (i.e. heavy barbell work) along with pullups or chins, they tend to get pounded on pretty well. A lot of people have been stunned by how well their rear delts responded using the 5x5 program and as you can see - there is no direct rear delt work. You could swap push presses or standing military in for incline or rotate them around every few months (i.e. stick with one and get better at it over a period before switching).

 

[Guinness5.0]

If you are pressing and rowing properly (i.e. heavy barbell work) along with pullups or chins, they tend to get pounded on pretty well. A lot of people have been stunned by how well their rear delts responded using the 5x5 program and as you can see - there is no direct rear delt work. You could swap push presses or standing military in for incline or rotate them around every few months (i.e. stick with one and get better at it over a period before switching).

I'll second that. When I was warming up on rows the other day and looking in the mirror, ny eyes about popped out of my head when I saw my rear delts. A big compound movement where rear delts are secondary is a helluva lot better than some pansy isolation stuff like raises.

 

[SaturatedGoodness]

Monday Workout -

Squats
5 x 95
5 x 115
5 x 135
5 x 165
5 x 185

Bench Press
5 x 75
5 x 95
5 x 105
5 x 115
5 x 125

Deadlifts
5 x 115
5 x 135
5 x 165
5 x 185
5 x 205 (woah, did I really do that much? Bar(45) + 2(35+25+10+10) = 205 YEAH!)

Leg-Lifts (Subbed for Sit-Ups)
12 x Body Weight
12 x Body Weight



I didn't want to do weighted hypers today because I pretty much maxed out on my deadlift, and I didnt want to completely rape my lower back. Should I just go for em next time...?

Oh, and if anyones wondering about the huge jump in my squat weight...it's because I was miscalculating the weight the first time lol. These are the proper weights...I checked em twice

EDIT:

As a bonus here are two grainy pictures of me that really dont reveal my physique too well at all!

EDIT2: Question:

I just glanced over the program I'm doing, and in it I am doing deadlift 3 times a week. I'd be subbing it in for High Pulls on day 2 and for (I forget) on day 3. Is this ok?

1)http://img171.echo.cx/img171/6354/me6cn.jpg
2)http://img171.echo.cx/img171/7029/me29as.jpg

 

[Madcow2]

EDIT2: Question:

I just glanced over the program I'm doing, and in it I am doing deadlift 3 times a week. I'd be subbing it in for High Pulls on day 2 and for (I forget) on day 3. Is this ok?

No, it's not. You are rowing on M/F and only deadlifting on W per the substitutions.

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4497774&postcount=15

For those unfamiliar with the olympic lifts make the following substitutions:
Powerclean = Bent over Rows
High Pulls = Deadlift

Monday – Heavy Day
Squat – 5 sets of 5
Bench – 5 sets of 5
Powercleans – 5 sets of 5 Powerclean = Bent over Rows
2 sets of weighted hypers
4 sets of weighted Sit-ups

Wednesday – Light Day
Squat – 4 sets of 5
Incline Bench – 4 sets of 5
High Pulls – 4 sets of 5 High Pulls = Deadlift
Sit-ups – 3 sets

Friday - Medium
Squat – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, back-off
Bench – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple, back-off
Powercleans – 4 sets of 5, 1 triple Powerclean = Bent over Rows
Weighted Dips – 3 sets of 5-8
Triceps and Biceps – 3 sets of 8 each