# Belligerent Bovine Badass



## CowPimp (Aug 31, 2009)

Man, I haven't posted a journal entry in ages, but I was thinking I should start another one, partly as a way of getting me a little more active in this IM community once again.  So what's with the journal name?  I dunno, I just liked the alliteration.


So here's my story:

Just over 2 months ago I had knee surgery on my right side for a torn medial meniscus.  I had a repair surgery as opposed to a meniscotomy.  It's a tougher recovery, but it is better in the long run because you get to keep the whole thing in tact.  Basically, it was sutured back together as opposed to a simple removal of the damaged piece.

I was on crutches for 6 weeks and unable to drive.  As well, I had to almost constantly elevate my foot for about the first month or it would well pretty badly.  I did nothing but sit on my ass for about a month, save for my PT sessions.  The last week or two I started doing pushups, pullups, and other bodyweight stuff in my room a little bit.  Needless to say, I got a little smaller, weaker, and softer.

I was so happy to get back to the gym, but the point of my story is that my goals are perhaps a bit different in some ways than in the past.  A few things I want to do:


Get my upper body strength back to where it was by the end of the year, and preferably higher than that.

Get my lower body strength back to where it was by the end of this coming winter (Hopefully the size of my right quad/leg too; fucking atrophy).

Worry less about body fat right now, and more about regaining lost muscle, consuming enough calories for needed tissue recovery, and that means not worrying about carbohydrate or overall consumption too much.  I still eat pretty damned clean though.

Get better sleep.  I stopped training in the mornings, because with school starting (Today) I couldn't bare to return to going to work, going to class, and then going back to work and having no life yet again.  I now have no excuse not to get at least 7 hours a sleep most nights of the week.

After this 3 week block of training, I will start deloading every 4th week.  I excused myself for these first couple of months as I started ramping things back up and getting back into it.  I figured the several weeks of complete inactivity was more than enough time to be rejuvenated for this return.


So what have I been doing?  I recently started using Jim Wendler's 5-3-1 program.  Very basic, uses a similar setup to something I was contemplating anyway, and a pretty low volume overall.  I am doing that for my two upper body workouts, but the lower body workouts are modified a bit for now because I am not quite ready for heavy squatting and deadlifting on my right knee.  I am taking my time ramping that weight up.


Here was today's workout:

Bench Press
95x5
135x5
165x5
190x5
215x10

Seated Row
#16x2x10
#15x2x10
#14x10

DB Incline Press
75sx10
70sx10
65sx2x10

NG Face Pulls
#9x12
#10x12
#11x12


Overall these workouts have been great so far.  I never feel run down by the end, but feel like I get enough stimulation.  Honestly, my estimated 1RM on my bench press right now is pretty close to my best PR, so that's a plus.


To give you an idea of my diet, here's what I will have eaten by the end of today (I didn't include quantities, but I do measure stuff to some extent to keep things fairly consistent):

Meal1
omlette (eggs, spinach, mushrooms, cheese)
skim milk
apple
fish oil caps

Meal2
chili (ground beef, diced tomatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, kidney/black beans, chili powder, cinnamon)

Meal3
pwo shake (waxy maize, dextrose, whey, bcaas, creatine, beta alanine)

Meal4
stir fry (chicken breast, brown rice, mixed veggies)

Meal5
oatmeal, strawberries, wild blueberries, whey

Meal6
cottage cheese, peanut butter, ground flax, veggie powder, whey, psyllium husk
fish oil caps

Possibly a protein bar in there somewhere if I get hungry at work later...


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## Seanp156 (Aug 31, 2009)

Looks good CP, glad to see you're back... That sucks about the knee. How'd you injure it?

I'll be interested in seeing how the 5-3-1 program works. I've heard about it but haven't really read into it much at all yet.


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## Gazhole (Aug 31, 2009)

Nice to see you back round these parts, man 

Glad the knee is recovering, too! The 5-3-1 program is something i've been interested in trying lately as well so i'll be keeping an eye on this journal. Looks like a cool set-up.


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## Triple Threat (Aug 31, 2009)

CowPimp said:


> So what's with the journal name?  I dunno, I just liked the alliteration.



People who have alliterative journal titles are really cool!  

I'm sure you know about muscle memory - it's a wonderful thing.  You'll have no trouble bouncing back.


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## sara (Aug 31, 2009)

Best of luck with the new journal! I will be following along


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## Seanp156 (Aug 31, 2009)

Here's a song to dedicate to the title of this journal:

(beware f-bombs)
YouTube - Tool Swamp Song


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## CowPimp (Aug 31, 2009)

Thanks for the support all.  

About the injury, I started taking Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes.  It would occasionally pop, but without pain, in the class.  Best I can describe it felt like it dislocated and went back into place.  Then one day it popped outside of class standing up from a deep squat position (Not lifting weights, just bodyweight) and it popped.  This time it hurt though.  Then I couldn't straighten my knee out all the way and it swole up pretty bad a couple hours later so I knew something was seriously wrong.

I am allowed to return to the BJJ in December.  I probably will finish up my year and stop because it's too expensive, though I enjoy it a lot.


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## yellowmoomba (Sep 1, 2009)

Good to see you back


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## Nate K (Sep 1, 2009)

A, hi pimp.  215x10 after long lay off...nice.
Your meals sound yum good, minus the cottage cheese.


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## AKIRA (Sep 1, 2009)

CowPimp said:


> *I was on crutches for 6 weeks and unable to drive.*  As well, I had to almost constantly elevate my foot for about the first month or it would well pretty badly.  *I did nothing but sit on my ass* for about a month, save for my PT sessions.  The last week or two I started doing pushups, pullups, and other bodyweight stuff in my room a little bit.  Needless to say, I got a little smaller, weaker, and softer.



  Then why havent you been more dedicated to Ironmagazineforums.com?


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## CowPimp (Sep 1, 2009)

*Cardio*

Thanks all.  Yeah, you have a point Akira.  That was a good time to return more.  Don't really know why I didn't.  I guess I felt like sitting their crippled and getting fat while telling other people how to exercise was weird.  Honestly too, I was a bit depressed for much of it.  Such a kick in the lifestyle ya know?

So I have this swimming class that started today.  However, it being the first day, and the fact that there isn't water in the pool yet, made it so I had to go do my own thing for a little cardiovascular exercise.

Rowing
15 minutes

Incline Treadmill Walking
20 minutes - 15% @ 3mph


Diet today will have looked like this by the end:

Meal1
omlette (eggs, spinach, mushrooms, cheese)
skim milk
kiwi

Meal2
turkey burger
sweet potato
steamed broccoli

Meal3
pwo shake (waxy maize, dextrose, whey, bcaas, creatine, beta alanine)

Meal4
salmon burger
mixed grains (maftoul, quinoa, lentils, something else?)
steamed asparagus

Meal5
oats, strawberries, wild blueberries, whey

Meal6
protein bar

Meal7
yogurt, peanut butter, strawberries, wild blueberries, ground flex, veggie powder, psyllium husk, whey


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## CowPimp (Sep 2, 2009)

*Deadlifts*

A - Deadlift
135x5
185x5
225x3
255x3x12

B1 - 1 Leg RDL
50sx5x10

B2 - Hanging Knee Raise
BWx12,12,12,11

C - Body Rows
Feet Elevatedx14,14,12


First time doing DLs off the floor since surgery.  I had been working my way down on rack DLs.  Felt fine really.  It was also more weight than I used last time on rack pulls.  God I feel so weak on this.  Can't remember the last time I did a deadlift with under about 385 pre-surgery.  Oh well, I have to be happy with improvement.  I'd love to be back at 100% like 2 months ago, but that's not realistic, heh.

I had been doing pullthroughs before but replaced those with 1 leg RDLs because I wanted more unilateral work, and because I have outgrown the stack I was using before.  I tried using the seated row (I'm now working out at the UMD gym instead of the one at work) but let's just say it was so jerryrigged that I had no place to put my feet by the end.


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## JerseyDevil (Sep 2, 2009)

Welcome back CP!  Your contributions to this site were sorely missed.

255x3x12 sounds a bit too ambitious to me... for now


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## King Silverback (Sep 2, 2009)

Sorry to hear about your knee, but glad your on the mend!!! Nice lookin workouts, hope ya don't mind me stoppin by!!!


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## CowPimp (Sep 3, 2009)

*Cardio*

Well Jersey, I'm going kind of based on pain.  My squats are significantly lighter seeing as there is greater torque placed on the knee joint.  Deadlifts don't seem to be bothering it in the least.  I figure as aggressive as I can be while still seeing improvements in the status of my knee is a good thing, and it is well within the restrictions my doctor set for me.  Hopefully I'm not getting ahead of myself, but we shall see.

Also, anyone is welcome at anytime Archangel.  

Thanks for your comments and support gentlemen.


Rowing
15 minutes

Incline Treadmill Walking
20 minutes - 15% @ 3mph


Same thing as Tuesday, nothing special here.  I accomplished a little more work on the rows, but I'm not even that concerned with major improvements there anyway.


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## King Silverback (Sep 5, 2009)

Mr CowPimp!!!
I have a idea for my next workout routine in my journal, can you look and tell me if I'm thinking correctly please??? I would appreciate it!!!


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## CowPimp (Sep 6, 2009)

I'll take a look.  Sure thing guy.

Friday I did the following:

A - Military Press
65x5
100x5
115x5
130x10

B1 - NG Chinups
BWx3x10, 2x8

B2 - Dips
+60x2x10
+50x2x10

C - Cable External Rotations
30x2x12, 8


Then today I did:

A - Box Squat
75x8
115x5
155x3x12

B1 - DB Reverse Lunge
25sx5x10

B2 - Palloff Press
#6.5x4x10

C - Rollouts
BWx3x15


Woopity dee!


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## King Silverback (Sep 7, 2009)

Good lookin workouts!!! Very nice Dips imo!!!


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## CowPimp (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanks.  Not quite back to where they were, but pretty close.

Yesterday I did the following:

A - Bench Press
95x5
135x5
175x3
200x3
230x7

B1 - Seated Row
#16x3x10
#15x2x10

B2 - DB Incline Press
75sx2x10
70sx2x10

C - NG Face Pull
#9x3x12


Everything felt pretty good.  Eating was good yesterday too.  Overall eating has been great except Sunday I went to a cookout and ate some bad, but oh so tastey stuff like pizza.  Didn't drink though.


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## CowPimp (Sep 8, 2009)

Still on campus before I goto work.  Just wanted to post that I did some more cardio today.  Same deal as last time until next week when we get water in the pool and my swimming class begins.  Did 15 minutes of some rowing and another 20 walking up an inclined treadmill.


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## CowPimp (Sep 9, 2009)

Most boring journal ever, haha.  Here's the workout I just finished a little bit ago:

A - Deadlift
135x5
185x5
225x5
275x3x12

B1 - Single Leg RDL
105x5x10

B2 - Hanging Knee Raise
BWx4x12

C - Body Row
Feet Elevatedx3x14


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## DeadBolt (Sep 9, 2009)

weights are going up...lookin good bro!


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## Double D (Sep 9, 2009)

Did you keep up with upper strength stuff when you were recovering from surgery?


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## King Silverback (Sep 9, 2009)

Good lookin workouts CP, I like your structure!!! Thankis for the input!!!


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## Gazhole (Sep 10, 2009)

Damn, single leg RDLs are heavy! Good work.


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## JerseyDevil (Sep 10, 2009)

*off topic*

I think you should go back to "Bartering Bovine Booty".  That was funny as hell.


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## CowPimp (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks all.

To Malley, not really no.  For the first few weeks I couldn't be upright for more than about 30-60 minutes without my foot swelling up ridiculously.  Furthermore, I wasn't allowed to drive for the first 6 weeks afterward.  In case I needed to slam on the breaks, the surgeon was worried about the potential to pop the suture on my meniscus.  In the last couple weeks or so I did pushups and pullups in my room along with my PT exercises, but that's about it.

To JD, yeah I was pretty proud of that one myself.  Hehe.

Took off yesterday.  Going to do some cardio on Saturday instead.  I want to try some sled dragging and other random stuff for conditioning work.  About to go hit the gym in a few minutes.  Cheers.


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## CowPimp (Sep 14, 2009)

On Friday:
A - Military Press
55x5
85x5
105x3
125x3
140x9

B1 - NG Chinups
BWx5x10

B2 - Dips
+60x4x10

C - Cable ERs
#3x2x12,10

On Sunday:
A - Box Squat
65x5
95x5
125x3
145x3
165x20

B1 - DB Reverse Lunge
30sx5x10

B2 - Pallof Press
#7x4x10

C - Rollouts
BWx3x16

Today:
A - Bench Press
95x5
135x5
190x5
215x3
240x5

B1 - Seated Row
#16x5x10

B2 - DB Incline Press
75sx3x10
70sx10

C - NG Face Pull
#11x12
#12x2x12


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## DeadBolt (Sep 15, 2009)

looks good bro...doesnt take you long LOL


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## King Silverback (Sep 16, 2009)

Lookin solid, progression looks constant, thats always a good thing!!!


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## CowPimp (Sep 22, 2009)

God it's been this long since I updated already?  Ugh, so easy to fall behind.  Some of the lifts I did over the past week include BB military press for 145x8, deadlift for 290x18, and I did some rollouts with a weighted vest.  I have to step on a scale with it to see how much, but I THINK it's 40 pounds.  Ugh those were hard.

This is my deload week, so I will do 3 full body workouts (Wed, Fri, Sun).  I was going to do Mon,Wed,Fri but I wasn't feeling the greatest yesterday so I decided to shift it around a bit.  Not fully sure what I'm doing yet, but probably going to keep mostly the same exercises except unload my spine at least one of the sessions, and obviously drop back the volume/intensity overall.


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## DeadBolt (Sep 22, 2009)

slacker!


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## CowPimp (Sep 23, 2009)

Haha, it's true.  Well anyway I did a full body workout today.  I'm actually going to do an upper body workout Friday and lower on Sunday so that Monday my upper body is better recovered.  Nothing special, a bunch of the same exercises but a combination of reduced loading (Bench press topped at 190x5, for example) and reduced volume (Seated row down to 4x8 at the same weight I used for 5x10 last time, for example).


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## CowPimp (Sep 28, 2009)

*Bench*

Okay, coming off my deload week and going back to doing some real work.  I felt pretty energized during this workout for the most part.  I feel like I'm practically back to where I was on the upper body stuff.

A - Bench Press
95x5
135x5
170x5
195x5
225x10

B1 - Bent Row
195x2x10
185x3x10

B2 - DB Bench Press
90sx10
85sx9
80sx9
75sx9

C1 - NG Face PUll
#12x2x12
#11x12

C2 - EZ Curl
80x10,6


Decided to add in a couple sets of curls this day.  Will do a couple sets of some tricep exercise on the military press day.  If I'm not mistaken my estimated 1RM on bench press is now 300, so I'm pretty much back to normal on that lift it appears.


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## CowPimp (Sep 30, 2009)

Yesterday I skipped class because I'm a slacker.  So instead of the swimming I did the following:


8 Rounds:
Prowler + 90
Tire Flips x 12
Sledgehammer x 15/side


This is about as close as I've come to a full speed sprint since my surgery and it felt pretty good.  Still have to give max speed a go soon.  I wasn't going to post this but I thought it more interesting than my normal conditioning stuff.


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## Triple Threat (Sep 30, 2009)

You and Malley should have a friendly competition.


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## DeadBolt (Oct 1, 2009)

workout looked solid man...glad to hear the upper body is gettin back to normal!  I will def need a deload at the end of this bulk LOL...i'll have to come to you then to help me out.  Hell I'm gonna need a 3 week vacation lol.


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## CowPimp (Oct 1, 2009)

Oh yeah, a competition at what?

Thanks DB.  I'd be happy to help if you need.


A - Deadlift
135x5
215x5
250x5
285x20

B1 - Back Extension
+45x5x10

B2 - Hanging Knee Raise
BWx2x14, 2x13

C - Turkish Getup
30x2x8


Wow, I forgot how hard Turkish getups are.  I suck ass at them.  This movement is staying in my program for a while.  Great for core strength, shoulder stability, and conditioning really too.  High reps on deadlifts suck.  I'll be getting back to some real weights and lower reps within a couple months.


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## CowPimp (Oct 5, 2009)

A - Military Press
65x5
105x5
120x5
140x10

B1 - WG Pullups
BWx10,10,8,8,7

B2 - Dips
+70x3x10,9



A - Box Squat
95x5
135x5
155x5
175x21

B1 - Walking Lunge
20lb Vest + 20sx4x10

B2 - Rollouts
20lb Vest + BWx3x10


I was going to do more on the second workout, but I went hiking/climbing for like 6 hours the day before.  My knee was a little fickle a couple sets into the lunging, so I just called it a day.  I was tired as balls too.  Stayed out too late both nights on the weekend, but I had a really fun weekend.


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## CowPimp (Oct 6, 2009)

A - Bench
95x5
135x5
185x5
210x5
235x8 (Sort of got a 9th, but cheated pretty badly so I didn't get pinned)

B1 - Bent Row
195x3x10
185x2x10

B2 - DB Bench
90sx10
85sx10
80sx10,8

C1 - NG Face Pull
#12x3x12

C2 - Rope Pushdowns
#10x12,10


Felt pretty good here overall.  Save for that last ugly rep on the bench, which isn't being counted, my form felt tight.  Small improvements in the accessory work too, which is welcomed fo sho.


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## CowPimp (Oct 8, 2009)

A - Deadlift
135x5
235x3
265x3
300x16

B1 - Back Extension
+70x5x10

B2 - Hanging Knee Raise
Bwx4x14

C - Turkish Getup
32x2x5/side


Ugh, Turkish getups are rough.  My shoulder gets tired as Hell, and it definitely elevates the heart rate quite a bit too.


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## CowPimp (Oct 13, 2009)

Did a couple of workouts before this, but I'm lazy.

A - Bench
95x5
155x5
200x5
225x3
250x7

B1 - Bent Row
195x5x10

B2 - DB Bench Press
90sx2x10
85sx9,7

C1 - NG Face Pull
#12x3x13

C2 - Rope Pushdown
#10x2x12


Pretty solid workout yesterday.  Bench felt strong.  There was maybe an 8th ugly/shakey rep left but I was happy with what I did.  Accessory work went pretty well too.


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## CowPimp (Oct 14, 2009)

A - Deadlift
135x5
250x5
280x3
315x15

B1 - Back Extension
+90x5x10

B2 - Hanging Knee Raise
BWx4x15

C - Turkish Getup
35x2x5/side


Turkish getups are way harder than I remember, Jesus McTittes.  I need to start incorporating these things in my program constantly.  Amazing exercise in my opinion.


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## King Silverback (Oct 16, 2009)

Lookin strong my Friend!!! What are Turkish Getups???


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## CowPimp (Oct 20, 2009)

Archangel said:


> Lookin strong my Friend!!! What are Turkish Getups???



YouTube - Combat Sports Conditioning: Kettlebell Turkish Get-up Part 1

A tough exercise.  There are a few ways to do it, but the essence is that you keep the weight directly above you going from a lying down position to a standing position.  The above video depicts how I do it though, sort of.

I did workout on Friday.  I went out of town on a little impromptu road trip to visit my friend at Penn State for their homecoming.  Good timing as this is my deload week.  Workouts are easy.  I won't bother posting.  Just know that I am not slacking.  More frequent updates return after this week.  I'm excited possibly break some rep PRs.


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## DiGiTaL (Oct 21, 2009)

Combat Sport Conditioning. Damn that looks hard.

Do you fight CowPimp?


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## CowPimp (Oct 27, 2009)

DiGiTaL said:


> Combat Sport Conditioning. Damn that looks hard.
> 
> Do you fight CowPimp?



No, not really.  I started taking Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes earlier this year, but I haven't been in months because first I got ringworm in the class, and the right as I returned I tore my medial meniscus.  I'm not supposed to go back basically until the beginning of next year.

A - Bench Press
95x5
135x5
180x5
205x5
235x10

B1 - Single Arm DB Row
100x12,10,10,8,8

B2 - Pushups
+90x10,10,8
+45x10

C1 - NG Face Pull
#13x3x10

C2 - Rope Pushdown
#11x10,8


Awesome workout really.  I went at a good clip, felt pretty motivated, and best of all, I'm pretty sure that's a rep PR for me.  That comes to about a 313 estimated 1RM, and the best I've ever done was 295.  So, I really like how this program is coming along for me.  Time will tell with the other lifts as I start getting back into heavier and heavier lower body training post surgery.


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## fufu (Oct 27, 2009)

Sorry to hear about your injuries. 

Piss poor luck man! 

Good to see that you are still pushing it in the gym, making gains where you can.10 reps at 235 is a great set. I'm assuming you are still around 200 lbs, great strength:bw. 

How did you tear your meniscus? When are you getting surgery?


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## CowPimp (Oct 29, 2009)

fufu said:


> Sorry to hear about your injuries.
> 
> Piss poor luck man!
> 
> ...



Yeah I'm about 200 still, maybe a tiny bit less actually.

I most likely tore it in BJJ class.  It was giving me issues in there where it would kind of pop (It felt like it dislocated briefly and went back into place).  There was never pain though, so I ignored it.  One day outside of class it happened and it was painful and I could no longer fully straighten my knee.

I already had surgery in June.  It is supposed to take about 6 months to heal.  It wasn't a meniscotomy, but a repair.  So, there is still some kind of suture in there that doesn't dissolve for about 6 months.

A - Deadlift
135x5
225x5
295x5
315x5
335x14

B1 - Back Extension
+100x5x10

B2 - Pallof Press
70x10
80x10
90x2x10

C - NG L Chinup
BWx10,8,6


Felt pretty solid.  Estimated 1RM is actually about where it used to be.  I didn't really pause between reps, but I didn't bounce either.

L Chinups are fun.  I will do these more in the future.  Extra back and midsection work FTW.


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## fufu (Oct 29, 2009)

Oh, well good to hear you already are in the healing process. 

What sort of exercises are you forgoing in the mean time?


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## CowPimp (Oct 30, 2009)

fufu said:


> Oh, well good to hear you already are in the healing process.
> 
> What sort of exercises are you forgoing in the mean time?



None right now.  The only restriction is on loaded below parallel squatting or another month and a half.  I just do box squats for now.


A - Military Press
45x8
95x5
115x5
130x5
150x8

B1 - NG Chinups
+10x3x10
BWx2x10

B2 -  DB Incline Press
80sx10
75sx9
70sx10,8

C1 - Cable ERs
30x3x12

C2 - Cable Curls
#11x10,7


Solid workout.  Military press felt good overall.  I might've been able to get another rep, but it would've been horribly slow and ugly.  I was happy with this though.  Last workout was 155x6, so I suspect 155x7 or 8 is possible next time.


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## CowPimp (Nov 3, 2009)

A - Box Squat
95x5
135x5
170x5
195x5
225x15

B1 - Walking Lunge
40sx3x10

B2 - Alternating Toe Taps
Bwx3x10

C - Turkish Getup
40x2x4/side


A - Bench
95x5
135x5
170x3
195x3
245x8

*Screwed up the weights to use on the buildup sets by accident.  Oops.

B1 - 1arm DB Row
100x12, 4x10

B2 - Pushups
+90x4x10

C1 - NG Face Pull
#10x3x12

C2 - Rope Pushdown
#8x2x10


Squat day wasn't the greatest.  I guess my performance was decent but I cut the volume a bit.  I was super tired.  I had just come back from a weekend of semi-crappy sleep, competing in a video game tournament, eating less than stellar foods, and getting high and tripping on mushrooms the whole weekend.  I had also just finished a 3 hour drive at night, so I did what I felt like I had in me.

Workout yesterday was good.  Screwed up the warm-up sets on bench.  I think it hurt me a little bit, but still respectable numbers overall.  Next week I use 250; I should be able to get 8 with that.


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## Pylon (Nov 9, 2009)

Nothing to be ashamed of in those numbers, Pimp.

What was the VG tourney?


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