Last Friday I headed to the gym and followed my Madcow routine as usual. I didn't necessarily have a great workout, but neither was it bad in any way, I was still able to push out all the required sets/reps for the workout.
I was feeling a bit tired before I went to the gym (around 6:00 pm) since my body had not been fully adjusted to the “college life” , but I was still able to pull myself together since I can never allow myself to miss a workout.
My workout, Madcow 5x5 (http://madcow.hostzi.com/5x5_Program/Linear_5x5.htm) focuses more on strength than body building, which is the reason for having fewer reps and more heavy sets. I currently weigh-in around 145-148lbs and one of my main focuses is to build a higher strength/weight ratio instead of going for aesthetics.
Strength/weight ratio is the amount in which one can lift compared to his/her bodyweight. Basically, the higher the weight lifted and lower the bodyweight the better the ratio will be.
For example: Lifting 300lbs for any exercise and weighing at 155lbs is far more impressive than a 220lbs guy lifting the same amount of weight.
Usual Friday “Heavy Triple” workouts look something similar to this…
Squat:130x5 160x5 190x5 225x5 260x3 190x8
Bench: 100x5 125x5 150x5 175x5 205x3 150x8
Pendlay Rows: 70x5 90x5 110x5 125x5 150x5 110x8
Assisted Work: Weighted Dips 3x5-8 Curls 3x8-10 Triceps-Ext 3x8
If my workout goes as planned I should be able to add 5lbs each week to my squat, bench, rows, or any other exercise I do on Mondays or Wednesday….but this “highly praised” theory of adding weight each week does not work properly for me. When people are trying to build maximum strength they also should be eating at a calorie surplus or better known as a “bulking” in the lifting world. I currently am not on a bulk so that is the reason why my lifts don't progress as fast as I wish they would.
Don't get me wrong; I still make decent gains over time.
For example: Recently on Monday I finally came out of a lifting plateau by hitting 200x5 on bench. Prior to Monday for many weeks I would only be able to get four reps.
Although I make slow gains when I am maintaining weight, when I actually make new personal records (PR) all that hard work pays off and that is one of the main reasons that has me committed to lifting heavy every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
No comments:
Post a Comment