Can someone please explain to me why I got up at 4am to work out this morning? Just last evening in my English 101 class we were discussing women's obsession with weight and clothing sizes and the fact that the primary motivator for people to diet and exercise regularly is not to be healthy, but to look good.
I had at one point decided that doing two-a-day workouts was the best way for me to get into shape and to trim the fat from my midsection. Then I read some columns by Tom Venuto that suggested maybe this wasn't the best approach. And now I'm back to thinking I should do two-a-days.
I find myself wondering, first of all, whether it's any coincidence that the return to two-a-days came the day after reading Sandra Hurtes' essay on women's weight obsession and second, whether getting up at 4am to work out is a good idea at all--or even necessary.
95
The morning's are good for me. I am by nature a morning person, so I find it's easier to get motivated to do something and to follow through on those commitments in the morning. Even on the weekends I find that the deeper into the day I get, the more my chances of having the motivation to work out declines. I do my best workouts when I jump out of bed early on the weekends and get it over with.
So I'm still not sure whether it's a good thing or a bad thing (or even a neutral thing), but I went to bed early last night, heaved myself up at 4am and hit the weights.
Now, the plan was to do supersets for biceps and triceps and then jump on the stair climber for about 10 minutes, but that's not how it worked out. It took me awhile to pull myself together and get started, so I was finishing up the weight training later than I'd planned. As a result, I skipped the stair climber. Yes, I probably did have the time to go ahead and do those 10 minutes, but it's another one of those psychological issues. I don't like to feel rushed about anything, and if I have other responsibilities hanging over me, I tend to cut my workouts short.
At least I did the supersets:
3 sets:
Barbell curls @ 95 lbs x 6-8 reps
Overhead triceps extensions (aka French curls) @ 115 x 6 -8 reps
3 sets:
Cable curls on the Weider system x 6-8 reps
Triceps pressdowns @ 80 x 6-8 reps
3 sets:
Preacher curls @ 70 lbs. x 6-8 reps (final set @ 70 followed immediately by a drop set @ 50)
Triceps pressdowns @ 80 x 6-8 reps
I don't think I'm getting up at 4am tomorrow, but one never knows.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
March 17: Chest
Awful, just awful. That's all I can say. My plan for Wednesday was to do a few sets of incline bench press like last time followed by incline DB supersets, finishing up with some triceps work. In the previous workout I'd benched 270 on the incline, so my thinking was I'd do three sets at that weight and then move to the supersets followed by weighted dips and some triceps pressdowns.
It didn't work out that way.
I felt really run down and could barely do one rep at 270. I knew that I overdid in my previous chest and triceps workout and was sore for days afterwards, but I thought after a week of recovery time I ought to be good to go for yesterday's workout.
Obviously not.
And I blame it as much on my diet as the overtraining. The fact is, I often simply do not eat enough. I log my food intake on a spreadsheet that I've set up to calculate my daily caloric needs based on Katch-McArdle and Harris Benedict formulas. The spreadsheet then subtracts my total calories and total protein intake from the target so I can easily see how much I need to consume to reach my goal. I had previously set my target protein intake at 160 grams/day, but I've now upped that to 200. My caloric needs to maintain my current weight, according to the formulas, is in the range of 2700-2800 per day. I am often under 2,000, which is not good. And, honestly, given that I'm working out 5 days a week or more, I should probably reassess those needs. I probably should be closer to 3,000 calories per day, but I decided if I were going to err, it would be in the opposite direction.
Yesterday, I realized I had a serious problem because at the time I was getting ready to work out, I'd only consumed 620 calories so far that day. At that point I should have been closer to 1,000 calories. I made up the difference later in the day--after the workout--but, obviously, I need a more even distribution of my caloric intake to maintain my energy level throughout the day--and to boost post-workout recovery. I did pretty well after the workout; it was leading up to it where I fell short.
Today, I'm rectifying that by ensuring that I've got plenty of good food to eat throughout the day, and I'm starting off with a high-protein, calorie-dense breakfast of eggs and turkey sausage.
After my energy collapse yesterday, I did a struggling set of incline bench press at 270, followed up with a set at 250 and then completed four dumbbell supersets on progressively lower inclines. I did the first three sets at 50 and the final set at 45. It looked like this:
Set 1:
A. High incline @ 50 x 8
B. Medium-to-high incline @ 50 x 6
C. Medium incline @ 50 x 6
D. Low incline @ 50 x 6
E. Flat @ 50 x 5
Set 2:
It didn't work out that way.
I felt really run down and could barely do one rep at 270. I knew that I overdid in my previous chest and triceps workout and was sore for days afterwards, but I thought after a week of recovery time I ought to be good to go for yesterday's workout.
Obviously not.
And I blame it as much on my diet as the overtraining. The fact is, I often simply do not eat enough. I log my food intake on a spreadsheet that I've set up to calculate my daily caloric needs based on Katch-McArdle and Harris Benedict formulas. The spreadsheet then subtracts my total calories and total protein intake from the target so I can easily see how much I need to consume to reach my goal. I had previously set my target protein intake at 160 grams/day, but I've now upped that to 200. My caloric needs to maintain my current weight, according to the formulas, is in the range of 2700-2800 per day. I am often under 2,000, which is not good. And, honestly, given that I'm working out 5 days a week or more, I should probably reassess those needs. I probably should be closer to 3,000 calories per day, but I decided if I were going to err, it would be in the opposite direction.
Yesterday, I realized I had a serious problem because at the time I was getting ready to work out, I'd only consumed 620 calories so far that day. At that point I should have been closer to 1,000 calories. I made up the difference later in the day--after the workout--but, obviously, I need a more even distribution of my caloric intake to maintain my energy level throughout the day--and to boost post-workout recovery. I did pretty well after the workout; it was leading up to it where I fell short.
Today, I'm rectifying that by ensuring that I've got plenty of good food to eat throughout the day, and I'm starting off with a high-protein, calorie-dense breakfast of eggs and turkey sausage.
After my energy collapse yesterday, I did a struggling set of incline bench press at 270, followed up with a set at 250 and then completed four dumbbell supersets on progressively lower inclines. I did the first three sets at 50 and the final set at 45. It looked like this:
Set 1:
A. High incline @ 50 x 8
B. Medium-to-high incline @ 50 x 6
C. Medium incline @ 50 x 6
D. Low incline @ 50 x 6
E. Flat @ 50 x 5
Set 2:
A. High incline @ 50 x 8
B. Medium-to-high incline @ 50 x 6
C. Medium incline @ 50 x 6
D. Low incline @ 50 x 5
E. Flat @ 50 x 5
Set 3:
A. High incline @ 50 x 6
B. Medium-to-high incline @ 50 x 5
C. Medium incline @ 50 x 4
D. Low incline @ 50 x 3
E. Flat @ 50 x 3
Set 4:
A. High incline @ 45 x 6
B. Medium-to-high incline @ 45 x 6
C. Medium incline @ 45 x 6
D. Low incline @ 45 x 5
E. Flat @ 45 x 3
I feel these dumbbell supersets as much in my triceps as I do in my upper chest, and they always leave me exhausted. Given the energy depletion, this was all I did for the day--other than working in four sets of crunches on the Powertec ab station between bench presses and dumbbell presses.
This afternoon I'll do some pull-ups instead of the deadlift workout. Hopefully, I can squeeze that in tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
March 16
Monday is supposed to be squat day, but the workout was postponed due to my son's Cub Scouts meeting.
I've been mixing it up a lot in my workouts of late. In addition to doing more supersets, I've also changed the routine up quite a bit. I seldom do the same workout twice. The conventional wisdom is that this is a good thing because it forces the muscles to continue adapting to the changes.
In my previous leg workouts, I performed what amounts to pre-exhaustion supersets of sissy/frontal squats with Powertec Workbench squats. This time around, I decided to do the Powertec Workbench squat as the first part of each superset followed by the sissy/frontal squat. The end result is that I lifted more weight in the Powertec squat, but still not as much as I would do in the usual straight sets. In the sissy squat, used just the Olympic bar.
Set 1:
Powertec Workbench squat @ 180 x 8
Sissy squat @ 45 x 10
Set 2:
Powertec Workbench squat @ 250 x 8
Sissy squat @ 45 x 8
Set 3:
I've been mixing it up a lot in my workouts of late. In addition to doing more supersets, I've also changed the routine up quite a bit. I seldom do the same workout twice. The conventional wisdom is that this is a good thing because it forces the muscles to continue adapting to the changes.
In my previous leg workouts, I performed what amounts to pre-exhaustion supersets of sissy/frontal squats with Powertec Workbench squats. This time around, I decided to do the Powertec Workbench squat as the first part of each superset followed by the sissy/frontal squat. The end result is that I lifted more weight in the Powertec squat, but still not as much as I would do in the usual straight sets. In the sissy squat, used just the Olympic bar.
Set 1:
Powertec Workbench squat @ 180 x 8
Sissy squat @ 45 x 10
Set 2:
Powertec Workbench squat @ 250 x 8
Sissy squat @ 45 x 8
Set 3:
Powertec Workbench squat @ 250 x 8
Sissy squat @ 45 x 8
Set 4:
Powertec Workbench squat @ 250 x 7
Sissy squat @ 45 x 6
Set 5:
Powertec Workbench squat @ 180 x 8
Sissy squat @ 45 x 6
After all the squatting nonsense I did step-ups in supersets with stair climber. Okay, that probably sounds a little weird, but I'm operating on the basic principle of these things being the resistance training equivalent of wind sprints.
Set 1:
Step-ups: 15 reps each leg
Stair climber: 1.5 minutes @ 75 steps per minute
Set 2:
Step-ups: 15 reps each leg
Stair climber: 1.5 minutes @ 75 steps per minute
Set 3:
Step-ups: 15 reps each leg
Stair climber: 1.5 minutes @ 75 steps per minute
I consider this a pretty effective way to log a short, intense workout that offers some cardio benefit on top of the resistance training. In keeping with my plan, I will follow this up with some vertical leg press on my deadlift day on Thursday. Normally, I do deadlifts on Friday, but I'll be otherwise engaged, so I'm getting it out the way on Thursday.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Quick and Dirty
Today I was just going hit the treadmill for 20-30 minutes. Instead, I did some giant sets and supersets for the shoulders and lats first:
Set 1:
Wide-grip pull-ups x 10
Press behind the neck @90 x 8
Side lateral raise @35 x 8
Side lateral raise @ 20 x 10
Seated dumbbell press @35 x 8
Set 2:
Wide-grip pull-up x 10
Press behind the neck @90 x 8
Side lateral raise @20 x 10
Side lateral raise @15 x 12
Seated dumbbell press @35 x 6
Set 3:
Wide-grip pull-up x 8
Press behind the neck @90 x 8
Side lateral raise @20 x 8
Side lateral raise @15 x 10
Seated dumbbell press @35 x 5
After these giant sets I performed three supersets of the following:
Set 1:
Bent-over row @135 x 6
Reverse lateral raise @15 x 12
Set 2:
Bent-over row @135 x 6
Reverse lateral raise @15 x 10
Set 3:
Bent-over row @135 x 5
Reverse lateral raise @15 x 10
I finished up doing a walk/run on the treadmill at 4.5MPH to 6.0MPH for 20 minutes.
Set 1:
Wide-grip pull-ups x 10
Press behind the neck @90 x 8
Side lateral raise @35 x 8
Side lateral raise @ 20 x 10
Seated dumbbell press @35 x 8
Set 2:
Wide-grip pull-up x 10
Press behind the neck @90 x 8
Side lateral raise @20 x 10
Side lateral raise @15 x 12
Seated dumbbell press @35 x 6
Set 3:
Wide-grip pull-up x 8
Press behind the neck @90 x 8
Side lateral raise @20 x 8
Side lateral raise @15 x 10
Seated dumbbell press @35 x 5
After these giant sets I performed three supersets of the following:
Set 1:
Bent-over row @135 x 6
Reverse lateral raise @15 x 12
Set 2:
Bent-over row @135 x 6
Reverse lateral raise @15 x 10
Set 3:
Bent-over row @135 x 5
Reverse lateral raise @15 x 10
I finished up doing a walk/run on the treadmill at 4.5MPH to 6.0MPH for 20 minutes.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13
Friday is deadlift day. 'Nuff said. It doesn't matter what else I do as long as I complete at least 3-4 sets of deadlifts. I rarely superset with deadlifts because, well, they take a lot out of me all by themselves. Today, however, I decided to stick with the superset plan even with the deadlifts.
I'm also sticking with my plan to do leg presses on deadlift days. Since the hip flexors, quads and hamstrings are also heavily involved in the deadlift, I like to throw in the presses for some extra leg work.
So for Friday's workout, I supersetted deadlift with seated row, vertical leg press with step-ups. Why seated row, you wonder? Deadlifts are great for strengthening all of the back muscles. I've found that I get good results when I do middle and upper back movements on the same day I do deadlifts. Usually, after completing several sets of deadlifts, I'll move to seated row and bent-over row and finish up with upright row. I'm changing that mix a little these days to work in more of the step-ups and leg presses. I'll save the other movements for the days on which I do pull-ups and/or overhead presses.
Deadlifts: 4 x 6 @ 275
Seated row: 4 x 6-8 @ 160
Vertical leg press: 4 x 6-8 @ 350
Step-ups: 10 reps each leg
Doing the step-ups after the leg presses was tough, but not quite as bad as doing them in the frontal squat-squat-step-up superset. I had planned on doing some work on the stair climber to finish up, but, frankly, after the deadlifts, leg presses and step-ups, I was just plain spent.
I've been working out a lot lighter on the deadlift than normal because it tends to cause problems with my back when I lift heavy. I almost always use wraps so I can lift heavier (since the grip is always the first thing to go), but I've been using an under/over hand position, which works well, but the downside is that I can't perform as many reps as I could if I used the wraps. In a way, I think that's a good thing. I know I can lift up to 325 without the wraps, but doing any more than one rep at that weight without wraps is out of the question. That's good because I think relying on the wraps to lift heavier is part of the reason I've had the back issues.
Saturday:
Saturday is arm day, but because I feel like I've been overtraining my triceps, today it was biceps and abs. No supersets today, but I finished the biceps workout with drop sets on dumbbells. Here's how it breaks down:
Standing barbell curl:
2 x 4 @115
2 x 4 @100
2 x 5-6 @95
Preacher curl:
3 x 4-6 @70
Dumbbell drop sets:
50 x 6
45 x 5
35 x 4
20 x 8
15 x 10
Crunches on the Powertec Workbench ab station:
3 x 10-15 @ 60
I finished up with 10 minutes on the stair climber.
Tomorrow: Shoulders and lats.
I'm also sticking with my plan to do leg presses on deadlift days. Since the hip flexors, quads and hamstrings are also heavily involved in the deadlift, I like to throw in the presses for some extra leg work.
So for Friday's workout, I supersetted deadlift with seated row, vertical leg press with step-ups. Why seated row, you wonder? Deadlifts are great for strengthening all of the back muscles. I've found that I get good results when I do middle and upper back movements on the same day I do deadlifts. Usually, after completing several sets of deadlifts, I'll move to seated row and bent-over row and finish up with upright row. I'm changing that mix a little these days to work in more of the step-ups and leg presses. I'll save the other movements for the days on which I do pull-ups and/or overhead presses.
Deadlifts: 4 x 6 @ 275
Seated row: 4 x 6-8 @ 160
Vertical leg press: 4 x 6-8 @ 350
Step-ups: 10 reps each leg
Doing the step-ups after the leg presses was tough, but not quite as bad as doing them in the frontal squat-squat-step-up superset. I had planned on doing some work on the stair climber to finish up, but, frankly, after the deadlifts, leg presses and step-ups, I was just plain spent.
I've been working out a lot lighter on the deadlift than normal because it tends to cause problems with my back when I lift heavy. I almost always use wraps so I can lift heavier (since the grip is always the first thing to go), but I've been using an under/over hand position, which works well, but the downside is that I can't perform as many reps as I could if I used the wraps. In a way, I think that's a good thing. I know I can lift up to 325 without the wraps, but doing any more than one rep at that weight without wraps is out of the question. That's good because I think relying on the wraps to lift heavier is part of the reason I've had the back issues.
Saturday:
Saturday is arm day, but because I feel like I've been overtraining my triceps, today it was biceps and abs. No supersets today, but I finished the biceps workout with drop sets on dumbbells. Here's how it breaks down:
Standing barbell curl:
2 x 4 @115
2 x 4 @100
2 x 5-6 @95
Preacher curl:
3 x 4-6 @70
Dumbbell drop sets:
50 x 6
45 x 5
35 x 4
20 x 8
15 x 10
Crunches on the Powertec Workbench ab station:
3 x 10-15 @ 60
I finished up with 10 minutes on the stair climber.
Tomorrow: Shoulders and lats.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
March 10: Standard Straight-Set Workout for Chest and Triceps
I'm focusing on the upper pecs for the next few months in my chest workout. Today I did primarily a straight-sets workout emphasizing the upper chest.
By the numbers:
Bench Press:
Set 1: 250 x 6
Set 2: 270 x 4
Set 3: 270 x 4
Set 4: 250 x 5
Incline Dumbbell Press:
Set 1: 65 x 6
Set 2: 65 x 7
Set 3: 65 x 4
Weighted Dip:
Set 1: Bodyweight + 65 x 5
Set 2: Bodyweight + 65 x 4
Set 3: Bodyweight + 65 x 4
Fly with Dumbbell Press Supersets (high-to-low incline):
Set 1:
Fly @ 60 x 12
DB Press High Incline @ 45 x 8
DB Press Medium Incline @ 45 X 5
DB Press Low Incline @ 45 x 4
Set 2:
By the numbers:
Bench Press:
Set 1: 250 x 6
Set 2: 270 x 4
Set 3: 270 x 4
Set 4: 250 x 5
Incline Dumbbell Press:
Set 1: 65 x 6
Set 2: 65 x 7
Set 3: 65 x 4
Weighted Dip:
Set 1: Bodyweight + 65 x 5
Set 2: Bodyweight + 65 x 4
Set 3: Bodyweight + 65 x 4
Fly with Dumbbell Press Supersets (high-to-low incline):
Set 1:
Fly @ 60 x 12
DB Press High Incline @ 45 x 8
DB Press Medium Incline @ 45 X 5
DB Press Low Incline @ 45 x 4
Set 2:
Fly @ 70 x 8
DB Press High Incline @ 45 x 4
DB Press Medium Incline @ 45 X 4
DB Press Low Incline @ 45 x 3
Fly @ 50 x 6
Triceps Pressdown:
Set 1: 90 x 5
Set 2: 90 x 6
Set 3: 80 x 7
Monday, March 8, 2010
Feels like wind sprints with weights
When it comes to the leg workouts, I always find myself in a fight for motivation. The leg workout hurts the most, and it's the one I know I most need to do. After I go through with it I feel better about myself for having done it, but that doesn't help on the front side when I'm staring at the gauntlet on the ground.
I continued with the giant sets today with six of the following in succession:
Frontal squat on squat stand
6-8 reps
Powertec Workbench squat
6 reps
Step-ups
6-8 reps each let
I started with a light set of 12 reps on the squat stand with just the bar then moved to the Powertec squat and did 8 reps at 90 followed by 8 reps of step-ups.
In the second set I did 8 reps @ 90 on the frontal squat, 6 reps @ 180 on the Workbench and 8 reps for each leg on step-up.
In the next two sets, I did 8 reps on the frontal squat @ 115, 6 reps on the squat @ 180 and 6 reps of step-ups.
I then dropped the weight back down to 90 for two sets on the frontal squat for 8 reps again followed by 6 reps @ 160 on the Workbench and 6 reps of step-ups.
I finished up with one straight set on Workbench.
It didn't look like much on paper, but after that third set, my body was screaming for me to quit. What I like most about this workout is that it gives my legs some intense work without stressing my back. I've found that the more weight I load on the Powertec squat stand, the more it hurts my back. By supersetting and giant setting, I can get in a good workout at lower weights and still feel like I'm accomplishing something. And I have no worries about hurting my back. The one aspect of the Powertec Workbench that I dislike is the ergonomics. It looks good until you start packing on the weight. It's when your body is under the most stress that you realize something just doesn't feel right.
I will make the best of what I've got for now, but if the opportunity presented itself, I'd seriously consider going back to my old power rack.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
March 6 Workout
Biceps and triceps today. Completed the following super sets:
4 sets:
Barbell curl
4-6 reps @ 100 lbs.
Overhead triceps extension (aka French curl)
6-8 reps @ 85 lbs.
4 sets:
Preacher curls
4-6 reps @ 70 lbs.
Triceps pressdown
6-8 reps @ 90 lbs.
Drop sets, standing dumbbell curl:
6 reps @ 50
6 reps @ 35
6 reps @ 25
Yes, it looks like a lot more work on the biceps than the triceps. On the arm days I tend to focus more on my biceps because they're stubborn and because the triceps already get a lot of work via their involvement in all pressing movements.
I don't do a lot on these isolation days because the biceps and triceps are assistors in so many movements they already get a plenty of work on other days. This is just like an extra incentive day.
I'll follow up with some ab work tonight and then do the leg workout first thing tomorrow morning.
4 sets:
Barbell curl
4-6 reps @ 100 lbs.
Overhead triceps extension (aka French curl)
6-8 reps @ 85 lbs.
4 sets:
Preacher curls
4-6 reps @ 70 lbs.
Triceps pressdown
6-8 reps @ 90 lbs.
Drop sets, standing dumbbell curl:
6 reps @ 50
6 reps @ 35
6 reps @ 25
Yes, it looks like a lot more work on the biceps than the triceps. On the arm days I tend to focus more on my biceps because they're stubborn and because the triceps already get a lot of work via their involvement in all pressing movements.
I don't do a lot on these isolation days because the biceps and triceps are assistors in so many movements they already get a plenty of work on other days. This is just like an extra incentive day.
I'll follow up with some ab work tonight and then do the leg workout first thing tomorrow morning.
Friday, March 5, 2010
March 5 Workout
Being home with a sick boy has one advantage: I can take the time to work out without having to worry about watching the clock.
Today was designated shoulder day. I stuck to the staples of my routine, performing mostly compound movements and, after the first straight set, all super sets.
As for the super sets, I actually prefer the pre-exhaustion method, which I believe was introduced by bodybuilder Robert Kennedy, publisher of Musclemag International and author of a number of bodybuilding instructionals, including Beef It! Upping the Muscle Mass, where I first read about the pre-exhaustion technique.
The basic principle of pre-exhaustion super sets is to perform an isolation movement followed by a compound movement. The idea is to exhaust the target muscles with the isolation exercise and then complete the super set with a combination movement where assisting muscles allow you to perform additional repetitions to tax the target muscle group even more.
I kicked off today's workout with standing overhead barbell press, or push-press, if you prefer. I completed four straight sets in the 6-8 rep range, resting about two minutes between sets. I don't like to superset with this movement because it would force me to work out at a lower weight. I want to maintain the intensity and be able to track my progress, increasing the weight I can lift each week. Getting stronger is, after all, the primary goal.
The philosophy is to work heavy early in the workout. The rep work can come later.
After the barbell presses, the super sets kicked in with dumbbell side lateral raise and seated dumbbell press, four sets of 6-8 reps each.
I followed this up with two super sets of side lateral raise again, this time with military press on the Powertec Workbench.
In the final super set, not a pre-exhaustion set, I did three sets of bent-over row supersetted with rear lateral raise.
Tonight I'll get in a little cardio work with some more step-ups and stair climber.
Today was designated shoulder day. I stuck to the staples of my routine, performing mostly compound movements and, after the first straight set, all super sets.
As for the super sets, I actually prefer the pre-exhaustion method, which I believe was introduced by bodybuilder Robert Kennedy, publisher of Musclemag International and author of a number of bodybuilding instructionals, including Beef It! Upping the Muscle Mass, where I first read about the pre-exhaustion technique.
The basic principle of pre-exhaustion super sets is to perform an isolation movement followed by a compound movement. The idea is to exhaust the target muscles with the isolation exercise and then complete the super set with a combination movement where assisting muscles allow you to perform additional repetitions to tax the target muscle group even more.
I kicked off today's workout with standing overhead barbell press, or push-press, if you prefer. I completed four straight sets in the 6-8 rep range, resting about two minutes between sets. I don't like to superset with this movement because it would force me to work out at a lower weight. I want to maintain the intensity and be able to track my progress, increasing the weight I can lift each week. Getting stronger is, after all, the primary goal.
The philosophy is to work heavy early in the workout. The rep work can come later.
After the barbell presses, the super sets kicked in with dumbbell side lateral raise and seated dumbbell press, four sets of 6-8 reps each.
I followed this up with two super sets of side lateral raise again, this time with military press on the Powertec Workbench.
In the final super set, not a pre-exhaustion set, I did three sets of bent-over row supersetted with rear lateral raise.
Tonight I'll get in a little cardio work with some more step-ups and stair climber.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Damn, you, Tom Venuto!
So I had this whole workout plan cooked up that I was certain offered the best route to getting leaner and stronger over the coming months. It involved working out twice a day: cardio in one workout, weight training in the other.
The weight training involved mostly giant sets targeting specific muscle groups, such as I did the other day in performing three different exercises in succession that targeted the chest.
Then I read a new ebook from Tom Venuto that flipped my workout over on its side and rolled it out the door.
I purchased Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) ebook years ago, and it became my diet and exercise bible. Just last year he released in hardback The Body Fat Solution, which is aimed more at the average person who wants to lose fat. Though most purchasers of BFFM likely weren't bodybuilders, the principles outlined therein were certainly aimed at those who want to get really lean.
Today I downloaded "The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program." In spite of the grandiose title, this ebook outlines in simple terms some basic diet and exercise principles one can follow to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. The goal of building lean muscle, i.e. building muscle without gaining fat, can be elusive, hence the title of this ebook. Venuto presents the reader with some straightforward information about how to achieve this goal and backs his ideas with scientific evidence.
I realized a couple of facts about my current diet and exercise plan (one of which I was already aware, the other, well, it slapped me in the face):
1. I'm not eating enough. That sounds crazy because the natural assumption is that most people overeat, not vice versa. The fact is, I'm too deeply in a calorie deficit, and I owe that in large part to my current work schedule. I'm putting 300 miles a week on my car driving back and forth from work to one school to another school and home. I carry portable foods with me, but it's really not enough.
2. My workout plan could cause me to lose muscle mass instead of gain, which is ultimately counterproductive. Why is that? Well, I've placed too much emphasis on cardio in my plan. I was getting up at 4am to do a weight training routine followed by 10-15 minutes of cardio and then was following that up in the evenings with another 20-30 minutes of cardio.
That's a lot of cardo. One of the basic principles laid out in Venuto's latest ebook is to limit cardio to no more that three days a week. Focus on the weight training. As far as the weight training is concerned, the idea is to avoid the circuit training in favor of straight sets or super sets. While I have referred to what I've been performing lately as super sets, they are in fact giant sets. It's not quite the same as circuit training since I target specific muscle groups, but what I realize from reading this book is that I need to work out with heavier weights and perform fewer repetitions.
Tonight, while perusing the ebook, I logged a straight-sets workout. That's not because of what I read in the book since I was actually digesting it as I was working out, but it just so happens that the end result is more of what the book calls for in a weight training routine.
I started with deadlifts. I did three sets of 6-8 reps at 225. After the deadlifts I performed three sets of 6 on the vertical leg press at 370. I then completed three sets of crunches on the Powertec Workbench followed by three sets of hanging leg raises.
I finished up with a brisk 15 minutes on the treadmill on the steepest incline.
Not a bad workout overall, but, based on what I've just read, I need to trim the cardio a bit. My conclusion is that I need to go back to the basic bread-and-butter workout that took me from benching 185 to 250 in a matter of months. It's a routine I've split into three workouts built around the big three movements: squat, deadlift, bench press. Monday is leg day, Wednesday is bench press and Friday is deadlift. Tuesday and Thursday will be cardio days, and I will likely throw in another workout on Saturday or Sunday. The added day is because I've expanded the big three to become the big four. The latest entry is the standing overhead barbell press.
These are the movements that I have designated as the primary muscle builders. The bench press is a time-honored staple of every weight training routine, but I'm still not convinced that it's not the most overrated movement. Yes, I still do it, but the overhead press may supplant it in my workouts as a bigger priority. Time will tell on that front.
In any event, Tom Venuto has steered me in a new direction.
The weight training involved mostly giant sets targeting specific muscle groups, such as I did the other day in performing three different exercises in succession that targeted the chest.
Then I read a new ebook from Tom Venuto that flipped my workout over on its side and rolled it out the door.
I purchased Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) ebook years ago, and it became my diet and exercise bible. Just last year he released in hardback The Body Fat Solution, which is aimed more at the average person who wants to lose fat. Though most purchasers of BFFM likely weren't bodybuilders, the principles outlined therein were certainly aimed at those who want to get really lean.
Today I downloaded "The Holy Grail Body Transformation Program." In spite of the grandiose title, this ebook outlines in simple terms some basic diet and exercise principles one can follow to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. The goal of building lean muscle, i.e. building muscle without gaining fat, can be elusive, hence the title of this ebook. Venuto presents the reader with some straightforward information about how to achieve this goal and backs his ideas with scientific evidence.
I realized a couple of facts about my current diet and exercise plan (one of which I was already aware, the other, well, it slapped me in the face):
1. I'm not eating enough. That sounds crazy because the natural assumption is that most people overeat, not vice versa. The fact is, I'm too deeply in a calorie deficit, and I owe that in large part to my current work schedule. I'm putting 300 miles a week on my car driving back and forth from work to one school to another school and home. I carry portable foods with me, but it's really not enough.
2. My workout plan could cause me to lose muscle mass instead of gain, which is ultimately counterproductive. Why is that? Well, I've placed too much emphasis on cardio in my plan. I was getting up at 4am to do a weight training routine followed by 10-15 minutes of cardio and then was following that up in the evenings with another 20-30 minutes of cardio.
That's a lot of cardo. One of the basic principles laid out in Venuto's latest ebook is to limit cardio to no more that three days a week. Focus on the weight training. As far as the weight training is concerned, the idea is to avoid the circuit training in favor of straight sets or super sets. While I have referred to what I've been performing lately as super sets, they are in fact giant sets. It's not quite the same as circuit training since I target specific muscle groups, but what I realize from reading this book is that I need to work out with heavier weights and perform fewer repetitions.
Tonight, while perusing the ebook, I logged a straight-sets workout. That's not because of what I read in the book since I was actually digesting it as I was working out, but it just so happens that the end result is more of what the book calls for in a weight training routine.
I started with deadlifts. I did three sets of 6-8 reps at 225. After the deadlifts I performed three sets of 6 on the vertical leg press at 370. I then completed three sets of crunches on the Powertec Workbench followed by three sets of hanging leg raises.
I finished up with a brisk 15 minutes on the treadmill on the steepest incline.
Not a bad workout overall, but, based on what I've just read, I need to trim the cardio a bit. My conclusion is that I need to go back to the basic bread-and-butter workout that took me from benching 185 to 250 in a matter of months. It's a routine I've split into three workouts built around the big three movements: squat, deadlift, bench press. Monday is leg day, Wednesday is bench press and Friday is deadlift. Tuesday and Thursday will be cardio days, and I will likely throw in another workout on Saturday or Sunday. The added day is because I've expanded the big three to become the big four. The latest entry is the standing overhead barbell press.
These are the movements that I have designated as the primary muscle builders. The bench press is a time-honored staple of every weight training routine, but I'm still not convinced that it's not the most overrated movement. Yes, I still do it, but the overhead press may supplant it in my workouts as a bigger priority. Time will tell on that front.
In any event, Tom Venuto has steered me in a new direction.
March 2
Hopped up at 4am once again for another workout. This time I focused on chest movements.
The following exercises made up the giant sets:
Cable fly
Incline bench press on the Powertec Workbench
Incline dumbbell press (3 sets at different inclines)
Triceps pressdown
Once again, I performed each exercise back-to-back-to-back with no rest between sets. I did a light warm-up of flies, incline press and incline dumbbell press. After that I moved up to a weight on the flies at which I could do 8 reps and that was to failure. On the incline press, I put 180 pounds on the rack. After doing the flies, at this weight on the inclines I was able to perform 6 reps.
I then moved to the incline dumbbell press. I used 35-pound dumbbells. After the flies and the incline presses, I was able to do 8 reps in the first set, then I dropped the bench down a notch and performed 6 reps in the second set. I dropped it down a third notch and was able to squeeze out 5 reps in the final set.
From there I moved to the triceps pressdown on the Workbench. At 70 pounds I was able to do 4 reps. I wanted to keep the rep range higher, so I dropped the weight down to 50 for the remaining giant sets.
I performed this giant set rotation six times.
Again, I finished the workout with a set of step-ups followed by 5 minutes on the stair climber.
I skipped the evening workout this time around and took the following morning off. The Wednesday workout will be performed in the evening.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Two-a-days: March 1
Sometimes the best way to get motivated to do something is just not to think so much about it. Last night at bedtime, I set the alarm for 4:10am with the intent of getting in a workout. Usually, before a workout I try to maintain my motivation and clarify the plan by visualizing myself performing the exercises in order.
This time I didn't go through the same visualization routine over and over. I had the plan in my mind, I'd visualized it before. This time, I actually just refused to think about it before turning in. I didn't want to because sometimes thinking too much about it can actually ruin my motivation.
When the alarm buzzed this morning, I didn't even think about resetting it. I jumped up, got dressed and ran down to the home gym.
I'm sticking with the supersets, so I performed six sets the following with no rest between movements:
Pull-up
Seated row
Reverse-grip pulldown
Preacher curl
I tried to keep the repetitions of each in the 8-10 range, but that wasn't always possible in the succeeding exercises or the later sets.
Afterwards, I did a set of step-ups, 15 reps each leg and then finished up with five minutes on the stair climber.
Workout number two this evening consisted of 25 minutes on the treadmill at varying speeds from 3.5 mph to 5.0 mph. I started out at 3.5 then would bump it up to 4.0 for a minute or two then back down to 3.5. Then I bumped it up to 4.5 and did the last few minutes at 5.0 followed by a two-minute cooldown at 3.0.
Hopefully, I'll have the energy to jump up at 4am again tomorrow for the first of two workouts. I've found that it seems to be easier to get the weight training over with in the morning and then the cardio in the evening. For some reason, it's a lot easier to jump on the treadmill for 30 minutes in the evening than to go through a weight training workout.
We'll see how it goes. The weight training plan for tomorrow is incline cable fly supersetted with incline bench press and incline dumbbell press.
This time I didn't go through the same visualization routine over and over. I had the plan in my mind, I'd visualized it before. This time, I actually just refused to think about it before turning in. I didn't want to because sometimes thinking too much about it can actually ruin my motivation.
When the alarm buzzed this morning, I didn't even think about resetting it. I jumped up, got dressed and ran down to the home gym.
I'm sticking with the supersets, so I performed six sets the following with no rest between movements:
Pull-up
Seated row
Reverse-grip pulldown
Preacher curl
I tried to keep the repetitions of each in the 8-10 range, but that wasn't always possible in the succeeding exercises or the later sets.
Afterwards, I did a set of step-ups, 15 reps each leg and then finished up with five minutes on the stair climber.
Workout number two this evening consisted of 25 minutes on the treadmill at varying speeds from 3.5 mph to 5.0 mph. I started out at 3.5 then would bump it up to 4.0 for a minute or two then back down to 3.5. Then I bumped it up to 4.5 and did the last few minutes at 5.0 followed by a two-minute cooldown at 3.0.
Hopefully, I'll have the energy to jump up at 4am again tomorrow for the first of two workouts. I've found that it seems to be easier to get the weight training over with in the morning and then the cardio in the evening. For some reason, it's a lot easier to jump on the treadmill for 30 minutes in the evening than to go through a weight training workout.
We'll see how it goes. The weight training plan for tomorrow is incline cable fly supersetted with incline bench press and incline dumbbell press.
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