A new year is about to begin and as cliche as it is, I would guess a lot of us are making resolutions for 2018. I started weightlifting about 2 years ago with the idea that I was going to be 30 in two years and it was going to be a lot harder to stay in shape unless I got into the habit of going to the gym. Two years later I'm definitely in the best shape I've ever been in, but I definitely feel that I could have made a bit more progress than I had with a better lifting program, better nutrition, and taking care not to injure myself. Even with some bicep tendinitis preventing me from doing overhead lifts I made some great progress through the middle of this year until a lower back sprain at the end of October pretty much derailed me. 8 weeks later it's improved, but not to the point where I can Deadlift without pain, so that's completely out until I'm healed.
So why did I end 2017 on a bad note? Because I didn't have a proper progression plan, and I would push myself at times when it wasn't helpful. I kid you not, the day I injured my lower back after watching Donald Trump Jr hit a PR on the deadlift with some horrific form. Just look at this:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbVksLAjZZK/ (Also if someone knows how to embed Instagram on here please let me know in the comments)
Seriously, do nothing that he does in that video. It was so bad that it infected my form and I fucked my own back up deadlifting afterwards. But the real problem was I was just doing 95% of my 1RM for no reason that day. I had been making ok progress, but it was just sort of based on what I though I should be doing, or how I was feeling that day. Beyond that I had no make to add weight beyond "Do I feel I can do more?" So after injuring myself I went back to the drawing board and digging through workout plan after workout plan to find something that fit both my lifestyle and my goals.
Let's talk about goals for a second too. Sure anyone can go to the gym hoping to one day be Arnold from his Mr Olympia days. Or to squat 500 pounds. Lots of fitness blogs are written by trainers from that angle. But let's be real, fitness is life for those guys. I enjoy my time at the gym, but I am busy as hell and the gym is maybe 6th on my priority list. I like beer and good food too much to go full keto for more than a month. Life is to be enjoyed, fitness is only one part of that. All I really want is to love my body, have my fiance think I'm sexy, and be strong enough that I can take on any physical task I want to in my life. Unfortunately those sort of subjective goals make it hard to track progression. So my goal for this year which should help me achieve all three of those is to hit the 1000 pound powerlifting total mark. It's something that sounds impressive, but is very doable at my height and natural weight (6'1, 185 pounds) with a moderate gym schedule. I'm actually not that far off, pre-injury my 1RMs were 285/235/335 for a total of 855. Just an FYI for anyone reading who may not know what that means powerlifting meets total your Squat/Bench/Deadlift to see who is the strongest in your weight class. I don't want to lift the most or have a bodybulider's body, but I know that getting strong enough to hit that mark will get me in the sort of shape I want to be in.
With all that said, the plan I'm aiming to go with is a modified version of the Madcow 5x5 Program. I really like the 5x5 system and I feel like it hits the right balance of strength and hypertrophy for me. Plus it's a lot easier to maintain proper form working with your 5RM than your 1RM, goal #1 this year is don't injure myself. But the original program is a beginner progression system and that's not going to be sustainable for me. Had to modify it a bit to cut out the overhead press and work it into a four-day split (my preferred gym schedule). Also the program sort of leaves you to your own devices as far as accessory lifts go, so hopefully my research there is up to snuff.
A few details to help it make sense, all percentages use your 5RM, not your 1RM. Progression on the main lifts is week to week and follows the spreadsheet at the Madcow link. Accessory lifts are roughly going to follow this pattern: Week 1 - Medium (8-10 reps), Week 2 - Volume (12-15 reps), Week 3 - Heavy (4-6 reps) and then up the weight on the next cycle. Deload everything after two of those cycles for a week. I have it structured do that you are hitting the accessory groups harder on their off days (so triceps on pull day, biceps on push day, etc).
Monday - Lower (Squat Focus)
Squats - 5x5 - 50%/65%/80%/90%/95%
Abs (Russian Twist with plate/Birddogs/V-up with plate) - Set of 24/30/15 x3
Romanian DL - 4x5 - 50%/60%/70%/80%
Calf raise - 3x10
Hack Squat - 3x8
Tuesday - Upper (Pull focus)
Bent-over Row - 5x5 - 50%/65%/80%/90%/95%
Incline Bench - 4x5 - 50%/60%/70%/80%
Abs (HS Crunch Machine + Sidebends) - 3x12
Hammer Curls + Lateral raise - 3x10
Tricep pulldowns + Lat Pulldowns - 3x10
Rear delt machine - 3x10
Thursday - Lower (Deadlift Focus)
Squats - 4x8 - 50%/60%/70%/80%
Abs (Russian Twist with plate/Birddogs/V-up with plate) - Set of 24/30/15 x3
Deadlift - 5x5 - 50%/65%/80%/90%/95% (holding at lockout on last reps of last set for grip work)
Seated Calf Raise - 3x10
Hack Squat (lighter weight than Monday but deeper reps) 3x10
Friday - Upper (Bench Focus)
Bench Press - 5x5 - 50%/65%/80%/90%/95%
Abs (HS Crunch Machine + Sidebends) - 3x12
Cable Cross - 3x10
EZ-Bar Curl (Cable) + Face pull - 3x10
Decline Bench - 4x5 - 50%/60%/70%/80%
Skullcrusher + Dumbbell Row - 3x10
Chin-ups 3x8
Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions in the comments. I want to hear your goals for 2018 as well! I will be posting progress updates as I go, so follow me @cygon to keep up!