September - November 2011

[John]

Thursday, 1 September: Madcow Advanced - Week 1, Day 3

1. Back Squat: 5 @ (92½, 100, 107½, 115, 122½)kg
2. Bench Press: 5 x 5 @ 77½kg
3. Pendlay Row: 5 x 5 @ 77½kg
4. Preacher Curl Machine: 3 x 8 @ 53kg, (s-l-o-w eccentric)
5. EZ-bar Skull Crusher: 8 @ 47½, 2 x 8 @ 50kg

My Madcow schedule is in this spreadsheet.

[John]

Saturday, 3 September: Madcow Advanced - Week 2, Day 1

1. Pre-breakfast:
2. Kettlebell Swing: 134 @ 16kg (54s:36s work:rest cycle)

1. Mid-morning: Informal weightlifting competition
2. Snatch: 50, 55, 60kg
3. Clean & Jerk: 80, [-]85[/-], 85kg

1. Evening:
2. Back Squat: 5 x 5 @ 127½kg
3. Bench Press: 5 @ (70, 77½, 82½, 87½, 92½)kg

Didn't put much effort into the weightlifting. Too tired to lock out properly so missed my second C & J.
Ran out of time to do the rows in the evening (gym early closing). Tomorrow will do this.

[John]

Sunday, 4 September: Row + Shoulders

1. Pre-breakfast:
2. Kettlebell Swing: 150 @ 16kg (54s:36s cycles)

1. Afternoon:
2. Overhead BB Press: 10 @ (20, 30), 7 @ 40, 5 @ 50, (5, 4, 3) @ 60kg
3. Pendlay Row: 5 @ (70, 77½, 82½, 87½, 92½)kg
4. Hyperextension, BBBN: 10 @ (25, 35), 9 @ 45kg
5. Decline Sit-up: 4 x 20

Wussed out on completing the 10th rep on the hyperextension with the 45kg barbell :?

[John]

Monday, 5 September: Madcow Advanced - Week 2, Day 2

1. Back Squat: 5 x 5 @ 112.5kg
2. Dead Lift: 5 x 5 @ 155kg PR
3. 45° Incline Press: 5 x 5 @ 80kg PR
4. Pull-up: 10 @ 0, 8 @ 10, 6 @ 20, 3½ @ 30kg
5. Decline Sit-up: 4 x 20

The deads and inclines were technically PRs, but only because I haven't done a lot of 5 x 5 with them. They were not really very challenging.

[John]

Wednesday, 7 September: Olympic Training at WelTec

1. Full Snatch: Heaps x 3 @ 40kg
2. Power Clean: to 3 x 3 @ 80kg
3. Clean-grip High Pull: 4 x 3 @ 120kg

Finally plucked up the courage to do a full-depth snatch again. I don't think I've done one for several months. Sort of lost my nerve because balance is not great. They went pretty well so think I'll work on these again with lots of reps at low weight. All but one of the high pulls were nipple-height so, who knows, a 120 clean may be a goer before I retire!

[John]

Thursday, 8 September: Madcow Advanced - Week 2, Day 3

1. Back Squat: 5 @ (105, 112½, 120, 130, 137½)kg
2. Bench Press: 5 x 5 @ 85kg
3. Pendlay Row: 5 x 5 @ 85kg
4. EZ-bar Skull Crusher: 5 x 5 @ 52½kg
5. Cable Curls, rope: up to 12 @ 54 something-or-other-units, (s-l-o-w eccentric)

Did this workout at Les Mills Extreme in Wellington just for a change of scenery.

Meant to do 3 x 8 skull crushers for comparison with last week but worked from memory (bad) so did 5 x 5 instead. At least the weight was a 2½kg increase on last week's. Felt pretty smug about my sets being 30kg more than those of my training partner.

[John]

Saturday, 10 September: Olympic Training

1. Full Snatch: lots x 3 @ 40kg
2. Full Clean: up to 80kg

Not sure when, but I put my back out at some stage here and felt generally drained, so abandoned the cleans and just stayed around to spot Phil M (who came down from Palmy and stayed the night at our place) while he ground out 10 sets of squat triples at 130kg. His last training session leading up to the powerlifting competition at Coast Barbell next weekend.

Put off my Madcow training until tomorrow because I could hardly bend to sit down. Foam roller and stretching didn't seem to help.

[John]

Sunday, 11 September: Madcow Advanced - Week 3, Day 1 (Squats only)

1. Back Squat: 5 x 5 @ 141kg

Did these very gingerly, to save my back. I was sweating after these and I think I'm getting the f***ing 'flu.

[John]

Monday, 12 September: Madcow Advanced - Week 3, Day 1 (The rest)

1. Bench Press, with pause: 5 @ (77½, 85, 90, 97½, 102½)kg
2. Pendlay Row: 5 @ (77½, 85, 90, 97½, 102½)kg
3. Hyperextension: 10 @ (20, 35, 45)kg
4. Decline Sit-up: 25, 25, 20, 15reps

Back feeling better now.