2 Cows 1 Cup

[CowPimp]

Mmkay, I want to put on some weight. I had surgery over the summer and I lost a substantial amount of weight. Some of it is back on at this point, but I'd like another 5-10 pounds added in the next several weeks.

I'm doing something I haven't done in ages, which is a split program. I will be using push, pull, and leg days. I am training 4 days per week, so I repeat each workout every 5-6 days. I'm going for something a bit higher in volume, but I keep in some moderate to high intensity lifting as well. Been a while since I've done this; I figure it could spark some growth.

Program goes through changes each time I cycle through the three workouts. So, my two main lifts for the days are 5x5 @ 80% for the first run, 5x5 working up to 85% for the second, and 5x3 working up to 90% for the last. I'll repeat that a couple of times and then do a full on deload for a week.

The compound accessory movements go from 4x10 to 4x8 to 4x6 for the respective weeks in relation to the two main lifts for the day. Then I do some isolation shtuff using 3x10 and pretty short rest periods.

My pull workout yesterday:

A Pullup
BWx3x5
+20x5
+45x5

B Seated Row
#11.5x5
#13.5x5
#15.5x5
#17.5x5
#19.5x5 (Maybe a tiny bit of ROM loss on the last rep)

C Bent Row
205x4x8

D Supinated Pulldowns
#12x4x8

E1 Pullover
85x10,10,8

E2 BB Curl
65,10,10,8

F1 Reverse Flys
20x10,9,8

F2 Alternating DB Curls
25sx10,10,8


After the first exercise or two the weights tank seriously bad. Not used to this split business! It's okay; I'll stick with it for a bit and hopefully see growth as a result. Probably after my deload I'm going to switch it around, and still sort of maintain a split but base it on movement patterns more.


Here's what I ate, as we all know the importance of that:

Meal1
3 eggs, 1 potato, 80g spinach, .5oz cheese, 1 orange, 4 fish oil caps

Meal2
1/3lb ground beef, 2oz baby carrots, 1/3 onion, 2/3 can of beans, 2/3 can of diced tomatoes

Meal3
8oz yogurt, 140g blueberries/strawberries, 1 scoop whey, 10g ground flax

Meal4
1 scoop whey, 80g waxy maize/dextrose, 5g creatine, 5g beta alanine, 8g BCAA

Meal5
1/2cup brown rice, 1 chicken breast, 1.5cup mixed stir fry veggies

Meal 6
140g mixed fruit, 40g oats, 80g spinach, 1 scoop whey

Meal7
1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 scoop whey, 2tbsp peanut butter, 10g ground flax, 4 fish oil caps


Something like 3600-3700 calories. I forget exactly though I did the math and have it saved somewhere. I'll up those numbers a little if I don't gain weight. I also need to weigh myself, haha.

 

[fufu]

Good luck.

Were you doing a total body template before this?

 

[Seanp156]

Was your surgery for your knee? How's it been? Have you done any squatting or deadlifting since the surgery?

 

[Triple Threat]

Good luck, Pimp. Awesome title.

 

[yellowmoomba]

Looks like a good plan

 

[CowPimp]

I was doing the 5-3-1 program done up by Jim Wendler. Basically two upper and two lower body days, each with emphasis on a certain lift.

Torn medial meniscus Sean. I have done squats and deadlifts yes. My deadlift is really close to where it was. Taking the squats a little slower, but really they aren't painful.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Gazhole]

Best journal name since "Crap!", haha!

Good to see you're on the mend and back to training, dude. Program looks good

 

[Pylon]

I was a little afraid to come in here, but I'm looking forward to reading your journal again.

Just don't post any videos, ok?

 

[CowPimp]

My leg workout, which I actually had to cut short. I was pushing it anyway, and then there were subway delays at work. I didn't want to be late for my first client:


A Deadlift
135x5
255x5
295x5
335x5
375x5
415x5 - Probably had another 20 pounds in me.

B Front Squat
145x5
165x5
185x5
205x5
225x5

C Foot Elevated Reverse Lunge
55sx3x8

D1 Leg Curl
#15x8
#16x8
#17x8

D2 Hanging Pikeups
BWx8,6,5


Next time I'm leaving early. I can't have this shit happening, though I got the important stuff done. I really want to get in that bit of calf work and additional midsection work I had been doing.

Diet mostly the same, though one meal consisted of a salmon burger, quinoa, a little yogurt, and broccoli.

 

[fufu]

Strong as always, Cowpimp.

 

[Pirate!]

I have a ruptured medial meniscus, as well. Had surgery to clean it up. Looks like you have a solid plan to hit your target.

 

[CowPimp]

Thanks fufu, I'm close to where I was again. I'm probably not going to hit strength goals on this particular program. Thanks to you as well Pirate.

A Bench
155x5
180x5
205x5
230x5
255x5

B Military Press
95x5
110x5
125x5
140x5
155x4

C Arnold Press
40sx3x8, 6

D Dips
BWx3x10

E1 Skulls
70x3x01

E2 Flys
30sx3x10


Not really a very strong workout, of course I know some of it is doing heavy stuff when those muscle groups are not fresh. That military press sucked though.

Anyway, to remedy this to some extent after this coming week when I cycle through the heaviest shit I will deload the following week and then change my split around. I wasn't posting here before, but I have been doing this a few weeks.

 

[Seanp156]

What's your bodyweight at these days?

 

[CowPimp]

What's your bodyweight at these days?

I dunno. I keep forgetting to weigh myself. I think I'll do that soon, lol. It's something like 200. It was just under 200 before, but I bet I'm back at 200 now.


A Pullups
BWx2x3
+10x3
+35x3
+60x3

B Seated Row Pronated
#12.5x3
#14.5x3
#16.5x3
#18.5x3
#20x3

C Bent Row
215x4x6

D Supinated Pulldowns
#13x4x6

E1 Pullover
85x3x10

E2 BB Curl
65x3x10


Not a bad workout. No PRs or highlights, but solid all around for where I'm at right now. One notable is I did a good job of doing lots of mobility fillers today. Mostly hip and ankle stuff. I also did a nice a thorough upper body warmup for my thoracic spine and scapular stabilizers. So, I ended up feeling really good. For my next workout I am planning in that kind of stuff as part of the program instead of just kind of winging it there.

 

[CowPimp]

Deadlift x 6
RDL x 6
Bent Row x 6
Power Clean x 6
Front Squat x 6
Push Press x 6
Back Squat x 6
Good Morning x 6

Did that 4 times. In between I did some light ankle and hip mobility exercises. Rest periods were like 90 seconds. Followed it up with about 15 minutes on the treadmill doing incline walking. Also warmed up with like 20 minutes of foam rolling, scapular stabilizer work, and mobility exercises.

I'm not always going to post my conditioning workout, but I thought I'd throw one in there. Oh, and this is my first time doing complexes in a while. Jesus they suck.

 

[yellowmoomba]

Ahhhhhhhh.........the super 8 complex

 

[CowPimp]

Tis a fun one indeed.

Yesterday I did the following...

A Deadlift
135x5
275x3
320x3
365x3
410x3
455x3

B Front Squat
140x3
165x3
190x3
215x3
240x3

C Elevated Reverse Lunge
60sx3x6

D1 Single Leg Calf Press
180x12,12,10

D2 Hanging Pikeup
BWx8,6,6


Again, I was good about doing some filler mobility work, so hopefully that stays a habit/practice that I follow. The deadlifts were solid. My strength on those is now really close to pre-surgery numbers, like 95% or better. The squats are getting close too, though a tiny but further away than that. However, I did feel like I could've done another 10 pounds or so on the front squat.


Also, today I did some intervals...

Elliptical
Lv10 (45sec comfortable pace: 15sec sprint) x 10

Then I hopped on the treadmill at a slower pace for 15 minutes, gradually slowing into a cool down. Like last time, I did a lot of mobility work before hand and during as well and finished by adding a couple of stretches too.

 

[CowPimp]

A Bench Press
165x3
190x3
215x3
245x3
270x3

B Military Press
105x3
120x3
135x3
150x3
165x3

C Arnolds
60sx4x6

D Dips
+20kgx6
+28kgx5
+32kgx2x6

E1 Flys
35sx3x8

E2 Skulls
80x3x8

 

[CowPimp]

A1 Incline Press
135x5
195x10,7,6,5,5,2 (35)

A2 Ghetto TBar Row
105x5
175x10,7,6,5,5,2 (35)
*Used 35s for more ROM here*

A3 Dorsiflexed Mobility

B1 NG DB Bench Press
60sx21,17,12 (50)

B2 Single Arm Seated Row
#6.5x21,17,12 (50)

B3 Quadruped Squats

C1 DB Skulls
22sx22,16,12 (50)

C2 EZ Curls
50x16
45x16,14 (46)

C3 Active RF Lunge


Good workout overall. This is the new workout I'm doing. This is the light week, hence the high reps on shtuff. I will be alternating between intensities as follows: Low, High, Medium, High. After a few cycles of that I will do a more serious deload.

For the low week I will use something like my 10-12RM for the A exercises, and something like my 20-22RM for the B/C exercises. Medium will be 5-6RM for the A exercises, and 10-12RM for the B/C exercises. High will be 2-3RM for the A exercises, and 5-6RM for the B/C exercises.

I plan on doing 10 reps for the heaviest stuff, 25 for the next level, 35 for the next level, and 50 for the lightest stuff. I am using some of Waterbury's ideas here. That is, I stop the set if my bar speed slows down substantially or my form breaks noticeably. I just try to get that total number of reps no matter how many sets it takes.

 

[Triple Threat]

Deadlift x 6
RDL x 6
Bent Row x 6
Power Clean x 6
Front Squat x 6
Push Press x 6
Back Squat x 6
Good Morning x 6

Did that 4 times. In between I did some light ankle and hip mobility exercises. Rest periods were like 90 seconds. Followed it up with about 15 minutes on the treadmill doing incline walking. Also warmed up with like 20 minutes of foam rolling, scapular stabilizer work, and mobility exercises.

I'm not always going to post my conditioning workout, but I thought I'd throw one in there. Oh, and this is my first time doing complexes in a while. Jesus they suck.

Amen to that last statement. You can actually do stuff in between sets? I just take inventory and make sure all body parts are still functioning.

 

[JerseyDevil]

Great looking workouts CP. Holy Cow (Pimp)!

 

[CowPimp]

Thanks gents.

A Front Squat
135x5
195x11,9,8,7 - 35

B1 Leg Press
540x20,18,12 - 50

B2 Hanging Knee Raise
BWx20,18,12 - 50

C1 Calf Raise
BWx20,20,10 - 50

C2 Side Bridge
BWx45s,45s,30s - 120s

C3 Cable ERs
#2x3x15

 

[CowPimp]

Skipping a couple of the light workouts that I did, but the last workout was:

A1 Incline Press
235x3,3,3,1 - 10

A2 Ghetto TBar Row
210x3,3,3,1 - 10

B1 NG DB Bench Press
85sx6
90sx6,6,5,2

B2 Single Arm Seated Row
#9x6,6,6,5,2

C1 DB Skulls
35sx6,6,6,5,2

C2 EZ Curls
80x6,6,6,5,2


Next weight workout is tomorrow. Heavier stuff is more fun!

 

[fyredup1286]

CowPimp! Whats UP!?!?!? Sorry havent been on in a while. I was just reading the beginning of your journal and you say your splitting in between push, pull and legs?!

Why not just seperate it into Upper/Lower/Push/Pull. This way it is easier to pick the exercises due to what kind of movement it is. Although I use to do the same things with my split, I have learned it is easier to think about upper/lower/push/pull. Just giving my two cents

 

[CowPimp]

CowPimp! Whats UP!?!?!? Sorry havent been on in a while. I was just reading the beginning of your journal and you say your splitting in between push, pull and legs?!

Why not just seperate it into Upper/Lower/Push/Pull. This way it is easier to pick the exercises due to what kind of movement it is. Although I use to do the same things with my split, I have learned it is easier to think about upper/lower/push/pull. Just giving my two cents

Meh, you can balance out movement patterns with any split you want; it's easy for me to do. Push, pull, legs is easy to do it with too, as far as splits go. The idea was that I wanted to do something where I had a more concentrated volume of work for a given muscle group in each workout. I did it for several weeks and then transitioned into what I'm doing now which is basically:

Horizontal Upper
Knee Dominant Lower
Vertical Upper
Hip Dominant Lower

The push, pull, legs gig sucks for strength. Your weights just tank so badly on the later exercises it is ridiculous.

 

[CowPimp]

A Front Squat
135x5
185x3
235x3,3,3,1 - 10

B1 Leg Press
750x6,6,6,5,2 - 25

B2 Hanging Pikeup
BWx6,6,6,5,2 - 25

B3 Cable ERs
#2.5x4x15

C1 Single Leg Calf Raise
+30x2x6

C2 Side Bridge
+30x2x20s

C3 Wall Slides
BWx2x15


Felt solid. Front squats were not that hard. Going 245 next time I do a heavy version of this workout.

 

[CowPimp]

A1 Dips
BWx5
+70x3
+135x3,2,2,2,1 - 10

A2 Chinups
BWx5
+60x3,3,3,3 - 12

A3 Ankle Mobility

B1 Single Arm OH Press
65x6,6,6,5,2 - 25

B2 CNG Pulldowns
#16x6,6,6,5,2 - 25

B3 Active HF Stretch

C1 DB OH Extensions
70x6
80x
85x6
90x6,6 - 30

C2 DB Hammer Curls
37sx6,6,5,5,3 - 25

C3 Quadruped Squat


Another good workout. That's the most weight I've ever used on dips, although I have never really gone for sets of 2-3 reps on them either, so not necessarily any kind of PR there. Chinups were a little light, but I didn't think they were too light until a couple sets in, so I just went with it and added a couple of repetitions. I also went way too light on the overhead extensions initially, so I ended up doing some extra sets. I will probably start at 95 next time.

For whatever reason, these last couple of workouts have felt really good. It was probably the right thing to include that light week last week; I think it's doing me well. I am also going to sleep at a more regular time with school back in session, and that always helps. Weighed in at 202 on Monday and 199 today. I will re-weigh myself next Friday. If I don't see an increase in weight, then I will probably be increasing calories by about 10% again.

I threw in the mobility exercises I did just for shits and giggles. I also stretched a few tight spots on me at the end, which I have been good about lately.

 

[CowPimp]

A1 Trap Bar Deadlift
280x5
370x3
460x3,3,2,2 - 10

A2 Quadruped Thoracic Rotations

B1 Zercher Reverse Lunge
185x6,6,6,5,2 - 25

B2 Palloff Press
#8x6,6,6,5,2 - 25

B3 Supine No Money

C1 Single Leg Calf Raise
+30x6,6,6,6,1 - 25

C2 Hanging Pikeup
BWx6,6,5,5,3 - 25

C3 Wall Slides


Solid workout. My hands were still lotioned up for the deadlifts, which didn't really help, heh. Nonetheless, I did fine. I switched these to trap bar deadlifts because I figured they would help my squat more, which needs more help anyway. Plus, in conjunction with the front squats, leg presses, and lunging, I'm going pretty easy on my lower back for a change. Normally I beat the shit out of it. I might replace those pikeups/leg raises with something else like some kind of weighted situp? I just wanted to think of something quick on the fly.

Lunges were pretty easy too, but I'm just progressing the unilateral stuff with a little more prudence.

 

[CowPimp]

A1 Incline Press
135x5
185x3
220x6,5,4,4,3,3 - 25

A2 TBar Row
115x5
160x3
195x6,5,4,4,3,3 - 25

A3 Dorsiflexed Mobility

B1 NG Bench Press
80x10,10,8,7 - 35

B2 Single Arm Seated Row
#8x10,10,8,7 - 35

B3 Hip Pendulums

C1 DB Skulls
30sx10,10,8,7 - 35

C2 BB Curl
70x10,10,8,7 - 35

C3 - Active RF Lunge


Felt pretty solid. For whatever reason, the NG pressing has seemed way stronger than I remember it being the last couple of times. No complaints of course, but just a note. Did this workout at the UMD gym, so no ghetto t-bar row this time.

 

[CowPimp]

Guess I haven't posted in a few days, but today I did the following:

A - DL
225x5
325x3
415x6,6,5,5,3 - 25

B1 - Zercher Reverse Lunge
155x10,10,10,5 - 35

B2 - Palloff Press
72x10,10,10,5 - 35

C1 - Calf Raises
175x4x10

C2 - Hanging Pikeup
BWx8,7,6,6 - 27

Some other mobility/prehab work sprinkled in there too. I worked out at Bally's today. I paid their insane fee to go. Only reason is because is snowed like 2.5-3 feet here. Subway was shutdown on the above ground stations, which is required for me to goto work. Buses running downtown were extremely limited. My car wasn't going anywhere until they plow my street. Also, my school was closed, so no access to that gym. I got my little brother to drop me off there. Such a shithole gym. I will return to the trap bar when I get back into my gym!