I'm doing the Madcow 5x5 routine these days. Three workouts per week, with flat bench on days 1 and 3, and incline bench on day 2. It seemed that I was putting more stress on my shoulder with the incline bench, so I tried replacing it on Monday with dumbbell flies. Apparently this was a mistake - the AC ligament in the shoulder is stinging pretty badly this morning.
Looks like it will be flat bench only from now on; I just hope I haven't injured anything too badly.
And I'd really been hoping to punch through my arbitrary goal weight of 167 this morning, but no dice - 167.2. Close, though. But tonight's workout is higher volume and intensity, so maybe tomorrow if I drop enough water. Of course, the sensible solution would just be to stop now and start reverse dieting, since I'm satisfied with the body fat levels as is....
Bonus research link:
Salad and satiety: Energy density and portion size of a first-course salad affect energy intake at lunchIn this study, the subjects were given salads as a first course before lunch. The researchers then measured whether the subjects ended up eating more or fewer total calories than those without salads.
Quote:Subjects were required to consume the entire salad, but ate as much pasta as they wanted. The salads varied in energy density (0.33, 0.67, or 1.33 kcal/g) and portion size (150 or 300 g). The energy density of the salad was reduced by changing the amount and type of dressing and cheese.
. . . .
Compared with having no first course, consuming the low-energy-dense salads reduced meal energy intake (by 7% for the small portion and 12% for the large), and consuming the high-energy-dense salads increased intake (by 8% for the small portion and 17% for the large).
Interesting result, if you're eating
ad lib and not closely counting everything - salads with a low energy density led to lower total calorie consumption, but salads with high energy density led to more total calories. The (possible) moral of the story: go easy on the cheese and dressing. Although I could see the outcome of this study changing dramatically for different types of main courses, different subjects, and about a dozen other variables.