So much complete crap is written today about dieting. All preying on the poor lost vulnerable souls who don't possess the mental energy required to do even just a tiny amount of personal research.
I think that if you tried to make a list of all the diets out there each trying to grab the last dollar out of your wallet or purse it would take you at least a full day of writing. And you know what?.....
It's all about power. What? Yep, power. There are some people in the world who really get off on telling other people how to live their lives. Don't believe me?
OK. Consider this. If all of these so called diet gurus were each giving you the absolute correct way to eat for the optimum health of your or anybody else's body then wouldn't they all have pretty much the same info.? In fact they could all save themselves a whole heap of time and money and just all sell and promote the exact same book!
Well, surprise, surprise, they all seem to have totally different information - some of it so weird it must be for the use of Martians or Neptunian's! (if there are any).
One guru pulls you one way - another pulls you his way - I'm right, buy my book - No, me, I'm right, better buy my book. Just let me get off on getting your money and telling you how to live your life - by MY rules.
It's the same old system. Politicians do it too (for a good chuckle check out how many new laws are passed each week - you'll be astonished!). Religious leaders love to do it. Climate change loonies are in for their bit of control and power as well.
Here's a bit of really refreshing information for you.
Ready?
Listening?.. whoops, sorry, reading?
IT'S YOUR BODY.
IT'S YOUR LIFE.
TAKE BACK CONTROL
Ever heard of a wonderful thing called "due diligence". Due diligence is a term usually associated with investing or funds management where basically you check thoroughly the truth of what is being sold to you. You check all sources. It means a very complete and thorough check by the person investing, of the people, companies or schemes he/she may be placing their hard earned with.
But you and me can use due diligence with anything in life we are confronted with......
Such as.........
Diet.
It's commonsense bodybuilding at it's best.
More next time.
Alternate Barbell Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (8)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 6 reps (6)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 5 reps (5)
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 2 reps (4)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Leg Curls.
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (20)
"Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence." - Abigail Adams
Next time - back.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Totally weird stuff.
Found some completely, totally weird stuff today. Some freaks have been using a product called Synthol to make their muscles grow to disproportionate sizes. Seems the biceps and triceps are a particular target.
Take a look at this YouTube
I guess it's another proof that some people just do not own mirrors.
They look totally ridiculous!!!! Seems the joke is all on them. Apparently the results of using Synthol are permanent. Can you imagine them at 70 or 80 years of age with huge funny floppy arms!
If you can't do it straight up naturally then it's time to not bother at all.
Be proud of yourself as you are. Be proud of your efforts no matter what level you are currently at by working out and eating naturally. There is no need to subject yourself to this type of horrendous stupidity.
Chest Workout 0007.
Bench Press.
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 8 reps (8)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (7)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (6)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 5 reps (5)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 2 reps (4)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 13 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 17 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 21 reps (20) *
Next time - shoulders - yeah! real shoulders - damn proud to say - all mine by me. It's commonsense bodybuilding.
Take a look at this YouTube
I guess it's another proof that some people just do not own mirrors.
They look totally ridiculous!!!! Seems the joke is all on them. Apparently the results of using Synthol are permanent. Can you imagine them at 70 or 80 years of age with huge funny floppy arms!
If you can't do it straight up naturally then it's time to not bother at all.
Be proud of yourself as you are. Be proud of your efforts no matter what level you are currently at by working out and eating naturally. There is no need to subject yourself to this type of horrendous stupidity.
Chest Workout 0007.
Bench Press.
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 8 reps (8)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (7)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (6)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 5 reps (5)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 2 reps (4)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 13 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 17 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 21 reps (20) *
Next time - shoulders - yeah! real shoulders - damn proud to say - all mine by me. It's commonsense bodybuilding.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Commonsense Bodybuilding Biceps Workout 0007
I have always believed it to be important to perform all my repetitions in very strict form. That is, complete and full reps with almost no cheating. When I can't perform that last rep to strict form I know that that is where I'm up to.
I know a lot of people may advocate partial reps or cheating methods but I guess I'm just old fashioned. To me, a rep performed in strict style is the indicator to me of my strength levels. Working out this way also helps to limit annoying injuries.
For example, with biceps curls, you may be tempted to arch your back to help crank out that last rep. This puts enormous strain on your back that could lead to injuries later on. To me, it's just not worth it and a bit like living a lie - if you couldn't do it properly then you really couldn't do it after all. That's commonsense bodybuilding.
Adjustable Bar Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 7 reps (7)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 6 reps (6)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 5 reps (5)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 1 rep (4)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 13 reps (16)
Squats.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 12 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 13 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
"The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph." - Swami Sivananda
I know a lot of people may advocate partial reps or cheating methods but I guess I'm just old fashioned. To me, a rep performed in strict style is the indicator to me of my strength levels. Working out this way also helps to limit annoying injuries.
For example, with biceps curls, you may be tempted to arch your back to help crank out that last rep. This puts enormous strain on your back that could lead to injuries later on. To me, it's just not worth it and a bit like living a lie - if you couldn't do it properly then you really couldn't do it after all. That's commonsense bodybuilding.
Adjustable Bar Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 7 reps (7)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 6 reps (6)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 5 reps (5)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 1 rep (4)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 13 reps (16)
Squats.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 12 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 13 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
"The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph." - Swami Sivananda
Friday, December 12, 2008
Triceps Workout 0007
In my last article I talked about how to approach the difficulties of keeping your workouts on schedule over the holiday break at christmas. I told you how for me it's not too much of a problem as our family goes camping and that presents it's own physical challenges and the length of our trip is only a few days.
Not long enough to cause any fitness loss. But what if your holiday is for longer - say a week or more.
Today I'll let Tom Venuto share with you how he tackles that problem.
My Holiday Fitness Challenge to You
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Burn The Fat
Media reports say that most people gain between 5 and 10 pounds of body fat in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to research from the New England Journal of Medicine, the average amount is much more modest - just over a pound. However, even modest holiday weight gain may be cause for concern: A study by the National Institutes of Health found that this seasonal weight gain - even just a pound - is usually not lost after the holidays; it simply adds to the “weight creep” that sneaks up on us as we get older.
Whether the weight gain is a pound or ten pounds, did you ever ask yourself why does holiday weight gain happen at all?
Here are some common answers I’ve heard:
“I’m too busy over the holidays to work out as often as usual.”
“I’m more stressed over the holidays, and the food is there, so I eat more.”
“I have at least three parties to attend and then there’s Christmas and New Year’s, so it’s impossible to stay on a diet.”
“No one can tell me not to enjoy myself over the holidays, so I’m just going to eat whatever I want.”
These answers all have a few things in common.
First, they assume that it’s an either/or proposition: You can either get in better shape or enjoy yourself, but not both. Stated in reverse: You can either deprive yourself of holiday enjoyments or gain weight, but it has to be one or the other. The truth is, “either/or thinking” is a very limiting form of thought.
Second, these are all excuses or rationalizations. “I’m too busy” for example, is always an excuse, because I have never known someone who was too busy to make time for his or her highest life priorities. The problem then, is not lack of time, but that most people do not make exercise or eating healthy a priority. We all have the same amount of time - 24 hours a day - but the way people prioritize the use of time is the difference between success and mediocrity. And remember, words mean little. Actions reveal a person’s true priorities.
Third, none of these are the real reasons most people gain weight over the holidays to begin with. The real reason is because an intention was never set for the opposite: To get in BETTER shape over the holidays.
Most people set a “goal” to get in worse shape over the holidays!
It’s not consciously set, of course, as few people would intentionally set out to gain fat. They simply do it by default. In their minds, they accept that it must be just about impossible to stay in shape with everything going on over the holiday season, so why bother?
Once the decision has been made, then the rationalizing (“rationing lies”) continues:
“Why should I deprive myself?”
“Family is more important”
“Worrying about diet and exercise during the holidays is neurotic”
“I don’t care if I gain a few pounds, I’m going to enjoy myself anyway”
“It’s only these two or three weeks that I let myself go wild”
“I’ll start the first week in January and lose the weight then.”
As a result of this “negative goal-setting,” they expect to work out less, eat more and gain a few pounds, and they don’t seem to even consider alternatives.
But what would happen if you set an intention and a goal to get in better shape between now and New Years’s Day?
What would happen if you decided that it was not an all or nothing proposition and that you could enjoy the holidays and all it has to offer and get in better shape at the same time?
And what if you decided that your health and your body were the highest priorities in your life, because you realized that can’t enjoy anything else in life, including family or holidays, if you don’t have your health?
Here’s what would happen: You would get in better shape!
I’m not all that different from you just because I’m a bodybuilder and a fitness professional. I have many of the same problems, concerns and struggles as you do. Although today I always get in better shape between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, that’s a result of a conscious choice, a close examination of my old belief systems and a lot of action. For me, it all started about six years ago.
For most of my adult life, I wasn’t much of a traveller and I didn’t enjoy flying or staying in hotels. I had a belief that if I traveled, my workouts and nutrition would suffer. After all, “it would be hard to stick with my usual bodybuilding diet, and I wouldn’t have access to my usual gyms.” Because of these reasons (excuses), I never did much travel back in those days.
Then I was forced to take some trips for business reasons. Predictably enough, my nutrition and workouts suffered while I was spending time in airplanes and in hotels. With my experience having confirmed my beliefs, I re-affirmed to myself, “See, traveling is nothing but a pain. You just can’t stay on a diet and training program when you’re out of town.”
After several more trips, I noticed that something very negative happened: I surrendered. I had resigned myself to “not bother” while I was on the road. I let my expectations create my reality.
But I didn’t let it go on for long. As soon as I became aware of what was happening, I decided that I wouldn’t tolerate it, so I challenged myself and my previous limiting beliefs. I asked myself, “Why the heck not? Why let myself backslide? Why even settle for maintaining? Why not challenge myself to improve while I’m traveling?” The answer:
There was no reason, there were only excuses.
From that day forward, I set a challenge for myself: To come back from every trip or vacation in better shape than when I left. Of course there were exceptions, as when I went on a vacation for total R & R. But I never let travel get in my way again…
I prepared food that I would eat on the planes so airline food was never an excuse…
I only chose hotels that had kitchens, so I could cook my own food…
I went food shopping immediately after check-in…
And I actually found myself training harder than usual!
No matter where I was training - it could even be some “dungeon” of a gym in the middle of nowhere - it didn’t matter because my mind was focused on improving and looking better when I came home than when I left. I had a goal!
What do you think happened? It’s not hard to guess: I always came home in better shape than when I left.
Since then, my “travel challenge” has become somewhat of a ritual in my life. When I’m away from my “home-base” it becomes a “fitness road trip.” I search the Internet or yellow pages or ask locals to help me find the most hard-core gym nearby wherever I will be staying. When I get there, I train every bit as hard as if I had a competition just weeks away. I look forward to it now.
In fact, this experience is what led me to my “holiday fitness challenge.”
Like many people, I travel over the holidays, so I’m automatically in “travel challenge” mode at thanksgiving, Christmastime and New Year’s. But with the additional temptations and busyness that the holidays bring on top of the usual travel stresses, I saw fit to declare a new challenge: “The Holiday Challenge.” The difference was that for my “holiday challenge,” I pledged to not only to return home in better shape than when I left, but to enjoy the holidays to the fullest at the same time.
People who think I “deprive” myself to look the way I do would be shocked: I eat some damn good food over the holidays including Pie at Thanksgiving and my mom’s famous red and green Jell-0 Christmas cake. Then on New Year’s I’m usually toasting champagne and having a blast with friends or family. The difference is, every other meal stays right on schedule and I work out hard and consistently over the holidays; I don’t let everything fall apart just because ‘tis the season.’ In fact, I work out HARDER over the holidays!
The idea that you can either enjoy the holidays or stay in shape - but not both - is damaging and limiting. It hurts your social life, your emotional life and your physical life. Life is not an either or proposition; it’s a matter of balance. Success does not mean going to extremes. Success can be a simple matter of re-examining your beliefs, rearranging your priorities, setting goals, changing the questions you ask yourself, re-evaluating your expectations and acting in accordance with all of the above.
Your expectations will become your reality.
What are you expecting this holiday season? Are you expecting to be in better shape after holiday parties, celebrations, banquets, dinners, and desserts? If not, then why not? What’s preventing you from enjoying all of the above and still getting in better shape? Do you have a limiting belief which dictates that it’s one or the other? Could it be that you never set a goal, intention or expectation to do it? Could it be that you’re rationalizing or making excuses? If so, then I challenge you to change it this year.
I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE IN BETTER SHAPE ON JANUARY 1st THAN YOU ARE TODAY! I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE FITTER, HEALTHIER, LEANER AND MORE MUSCULAR!
There’s less than a month until the end of the year. Why not see how much you can improve your physique over the holidays, without depriving yourself of any holiday enjoyments or festivities? Just step up your expectations. Step up your standards. Step up your nutrition. Step up your training. Step up your action. Step up to the “holiday fitness challenge” the minute you finish reading this, and then just see what happens!
Eat right, train hard, and expect success,
Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Fat Loss Coach
——————————————————————
BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE
The Classic Best-Selling e-book
——————————————————————
Discover the fat burning secrets of fitness models and bodybuilders and be 8-10 lbs LEANER by New Year’s. Visit:
Burn The Fat
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: Burn The Fat
Here's today's workout:
Adjustable Bar Triceps Extension.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (6)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (5)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (16)
Leg Curls.
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 18 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
Next time - biceps.
Not long enough to cause any fitness loss. But what if your holiday is for longer - say a week or more.
Today I'll let Tom Venuto share with you how he tackles that problem.
My Holiday Fitness Challenge to You
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Burn The Fat
Media reports say that most people gain between 5 and 10 pounds of body fat in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to research from the New England Journal of Medicine, the average amount is much more modest - just over a pound. However, even modest holiday weight gain may be cause for concern: A study by the National Institutes of Health found that this seasonal weight gain - even just a pound - is usually not lost after the holidays; it simply adds to the “weight creep” that sneaks up on us as we get older.
Whether the weight gain is a pound or ten pounds, did you ever ask yourself why does holiday weight gain happen at all?
Here are some common answers I’ve heard:
“I’m too busy over the holidays to work out as often as usual.”
“I’m more stressed over the holidays, and the food is there, so I eat more.”
“I have at least three parties to attend and then there’s Christmas and New Year’s, so it’s impossible to stay on a diet.”
“No one can tell me not to enjoy myself over the holidays, so I’m just going to eat whatever I want.”
These answers all have a few things in common.
First, they assume that it’s an either/or proposition: You can either get in better shape or enjoy yourself, but not both. Stated in reverse: You can either deprive yourself of holiday enjoyments or gain weight, but it has to be one or the other. The truth is, “either/or thinking” is a very limiting form of thought.
Second, these are all excuses or rationalizations. “I’m too busy” for example, is always an excuse, because I have never known someone who was too busy to make time for his or her highest life priorities. The problem then, is not lack of time, but that most people do not make exercise or eating healthy a priority. We all have the same amount of time - 24 hours a day - but the way people prioritize the use of time is the difference between success and mediocrity. And remember, words mean little. Actions reveal a person’s true priorities.
Third, none of these are the real reasons most people gain weight over the holidays to begin with. The real reason is because an intention was never set for the opposite: To get in BETTER shape over the holidays.
Most people set a “goal” to get in worse shape over the holidays!
It’s not consciously set, of course, as few people would intentionally set out to gain fat. They simply do it by default. In their minds, they accept that it must be just about impossible to stay in shape with everything going on over the holiday season, so why bother?
Once the decision has been made, then the rationalizing (“rationing lies”) continues:
“Why should I deprive myself?”
“Family is more important”
“Worrying about diet and exercise during the holidays is neurotic”
“I don’t care if I gain a few pounds, I’m going to enjoy myself anyway”
“It’s only these two or three weeks that I let myself go wild”
“I’ll start the first week in January and lose the weight then.”
As a result of this “negative goal-setting,” they expect to work out less, eat more and gain a few pounds, and they don’t seem to even consider alternatives.
But what would happen if you set an intention and a goal to get in better shape between now and New Years’s Day?
What would happen if you decided that it was not an all or nothing proposition and that you could enjoy the holidays and all it has to offer and get in better shape at the same time?
And what if you decided that your health and your body were the highest priorities in your life, because you realized that can’t enjoy anything else in life, including family or holidays, if you don’t have your health?
Here’s what would happen: You would get in better shape!
I’m not all that different from you just because I’m a bodybuilder and a fitness professional. I have many of the same problems, concerns and struggles as you do. Although today I always get in better shape between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, that’s a result of a conscious choice, a close examination of my old belief systems and a lot of action. For me, it all started about six years ago.
For most of my adult life, I wasn’t much of a traveller and I didn’t enjoy flying or staying in hotels. I had a belief that if I traveled, my workouts and nutrition would suffer. After all, “it would be hard to stick with my usual bodybuilding diet, and I wouldn’t have access to my usual gyms.” Because of these reasons (excuses), I never did much travel back in those days.
Then I was forced to take some trips for business reasons. Predictably enough, my nutrition and workouts suffered while I was spending time in airplanes and in hotels. With my experience having confirmed my beliefs, I re-affirmed to myself, “See, traveling is nothing but a pain. You just can’t stay on a diet and training program when you’re out of town.”
After several more trips, I noticed that something very negative happened: I surrendered. I had resigned myself to “not bother” while I was on the road. I let my expectations create my reality.
But I didn’t let it go on for long. As soon as I became aware of what was happening, I decided that I wouldn’t tolerate it, so I challenged myself and my previous limiting beliefs. I asked myself, “Why the heck not? Why let myself backslide? Why even settle for maintaining? Why not challenge myself to improve while I’m traveling?” The answer:
There was no reason, there were only excuses.
From that day forward, I set a challenge for myself: To come back from every trip or vacation in better shape than when I left. Of course there were exceptions, as when I went on a vacation for total R & R. But I never let travel get in my way again…
I prepared food that I would eat on the planes so airline food was never an excuse…
I only chose hotels that had kitchens, so I could cook my own food…
I went food shopping immediately after check-in…
And I actually found myself training harder than usual!
No matter where I was training - it could even be some “dungeon” of a gym in the middle of nowhere - it didn’t matter because my mind was focused on improving and looking better when I came home than when I left. I had a goal!
What do you think happened? It’s not hard to guess: I always came home in better shape than when I left.
Since then, my “travel challenge” has become somewhat of a ritual in my life. When I’m away from my “home-base” it becomes a “fitness road trip.” I search the Internet or yellow pages or ask locals to help me find the most hard-core gym nearby wherever I will be staying. When I get there, I train every bit as hard as if I had a competition just weeks away. I look forward to it now.
In fact, this experience is what led me to my “holiday fitness challenge.”
Like many people, I travel over the holidays, so I’m automatically in “travel challenge” mode at thanksgiving, Christmastime and New Year’s. But with the additional temptations and busyness that the holidays bring on top of the usual travel stresses, I saw fit to declare a new challenge: “The Holiday Challenge.” The difference was that for my “holiday challenge,” I pledged to not only to return home in better shape than when I left, but to enjoy the holidays to the fullest at the same time.
People who think I “deprive” myself to look the way I do would be shocked: I eat some damn good food over the holidays including Pie at Thanksgiving and my mom’s famous red and green Jell-0 Christmas cake. Then on New Year’s I’m usually toasting champagne and having a blast with friends or family. The difference is, every other meal stays right on schedule and I work out hard and consistently over the holidays; I don’t let everything fall apart just because ‘tis the season.’ In fact, I work out HARDER over the holidays!
The idea that you can either enjoy the holidays or stay in shape - but not both - is damaging and limiting. It hurts your social life, your emotional life and your physical life. Life is not an either or proposition; it’s a matter of balance. Success does not mean going to extremes. Success can be a simple matter of re-examining your beliefs, rearranging your priorities, setting goals, changing the questions you ask yourself, re-evaluating your expectations and acting in accordance with all of the above.
Your expectations will become your reality.
What are you expecting this holiday season? Are you expecting to be in better shape after holiday parties, celebrations, banquets, dinners, and desserts? If not, then why not? What’s preventing you from enjoying all of the above and still getting in better shape? Do you have a limiting belief which dictates that it’s one or the other? Could it be that you never set a goal, intention or expectation to do it? Could it be that you’re rationalizing or making excuses? If so, then I challenge you to change it this year.
I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE IN BETTER SHAPE ON JANUARY 1st THAN YOU ARE TODAY! I CHALLENGE YOU TO BE FITTER, HEALTHIER, LEANER AND MORE MUSCULAR!
There’s less than a month until the end of the year. Why not see how much you can improve your physique over the holidays, without depriving yourself of any holiday enjoyments or festivities? Just step up your expectations. Step up your standards. Step up your nutrition. Step up your training. Step up your action. Step up to the “holiday fitness challenge” the minute you finish reading this, and then just see what happens!
Eat right, train hard, and expect success,
Tom Venuto CSCS, NSCA-CPT
Fat Loss Coach
——————————————————————
BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE
The Classic Best-Selling e-book
——————————————————————
Discover the fat burning secrets of fitness models and bodybuilders and be 8-10 lbs LEANER by New Year’s. Visit:
Burn The Fat
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: Burn The Fat
Here's today's workout:
Adjustable Bar Triceps Extension.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (6)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (5)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (16)
Leg Curls.
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 18 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
Next time - biceps.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Back Workout 0007
Christmas holiday time is fast approaching. Most businesses, in Australia at least, will close for a break of a couple of weeks. Lots of people take this opportunity to take a vacation somewhere. You've worked hard all year in the gym, or, if you're like me, in your home gym. Going on a vacation will mean a break from your usual workout schedule. What to do?
A break from training for a week should make no difference whatsoever. I've just had a break from my training for a week and returned today - totally blasted through my workout and will increase all my weights next time! Usually you will find that a break for a week will actually be of benefit - a good muscular rest and important healing time.
A one to two week break will be only slightly different in that you may do your return workout but perhaps not increase any weights or reps. Any longer than two weeks and you will most likely drop a few reps on the weights you were using.
We will be going camping for a few days. I will find myself gathering and chopping firewood, putting up tents, exploring etc. so my day to day activities will actually increase even though I must confess that I will make sure I do a fair bit of relaxing with suitable beverages, oh yeah, OK, got me, lots of food too.
So, the point is, don't worry too much about missing workouts. Just enjoy the break. Go for some walks, go fishing, play some sports, go camping like we will be - all these are great activities and your body will respond well to the change of pace.
T Bar Row.
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (10)
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 9 reps (9)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 8 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 7 reps (7)
72.5 kg (159.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
77.5 kg (170.9 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
82.5 kg (181.9 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 16 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 17 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 19 reps (20)
"Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living." - Amanda Bradley
Next time - triceps.
A break from training for a week should make no difference whatsoever. I've just had a break from my training for a week and returned today - totally blasted through my workout and will increase all my weights next time! Usually you will find that a break for a week will actually be of benefit - a good muscular rest and important healing time.
A one to two week break will be only slightly different in that you may do your return workout but perhaps not increase any weights or reps. Any longer than two weeks and you will most likely drop a few reps on the weights you were using.
We will be going camping for a few days. I will find myself gathering and chopping firewood, putting up tents, exploring etc. so my day to day activities will actually increase even though I must confess that I will make sure I do a fair bit of relaxing with suitable beverages, oh yeah, OK, got me, lots of food too.
So, the point is, don't worry too much about missing workouts. Just enjoy the break. Go for some walks, go fishing, play some sports, go camping like we will be - all these are great activities and your body will respond well to the change of pace.
T Bar Row.
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (10)
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 9 reps (9)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 8 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 7 reps (7)
72.5 kg (159.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
77.5 kg (170.9 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
82.5 kg (181.9 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 16 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 17 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 19 reps (20)
"Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving, make every day a holiday and celebrate just living." - Amanda Bradley
Next time - triceps.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Shoulders Workout 0006
Bodybuilding, like all forms of sport or fitness training is very much a mind game. It's about visualization, motivation and goal setting. If you have little control over your thoughts and emotions then this is not a game for you.
The old mindset of the dumb, muscle bound hulk has always been a great untruth perpetuated for far too long by people who were sadly afraid to go where we go.
Bodybuilding is a "mind sport". You have to "huff and puff" with your mind before you can "huff and puff" with the weights! You have to see the results in your head long before you get to see those results in the mirror.
I have found a great article by Mike Geary, author of "The Truth About Six Pack Abs".
Mike expertly explains what I mean.
The Ultimate Secret of Mind Control and Motivation to Achieve the Exact Body Shape You Want
by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
I ask you to have an open mind and accept some ideas I'm going to throw at you today. If you can take full grasp of these ideas, take my word that this will be the most powerful secret you've ever discovered for attaining the exact body that you desire.
I'm basically going to take the concepts from the hit movie "The Secret" and show you how to apply it towards your fitness goals.
Keep in mind that this "ultimate secret" has nothing to do with our normal discussions of reps and sets. It has nothing to do with calories or fat or protein. It has nothing to do with cardio training or abs exercises. But once you discover the "Secret", you will be on your way to the body of your dreams, or any other goals that you have in your life, for that matter.
Elite athletes have practiced the "Secret". Champion bodybuilders have practiced the "Secret". Virtually all of the most influential, powerful, wealthiest, and happiest people throughout history have either knowingly or not, practiced the "Secret". Some didn't even realize that they knew the "Secret", but applying its power is the sole reason for their success. In today's discussion, I'm simply putting a little twist on this "Secret" and applying it to your fitness goals. But in reality, it works for any of your goals and desires in life.
Before I reveal the "Secret", I want to ask you a few questions today and I want you to answer the questions that are appropriate to your goals. I want you to be honest with yourself. If you discover that you have not accomplished your goals related to these questions, pay close attention, because I'm going to reveal to you how you can change this immediately and be on the path to achieving whatever it is that you want in life.
Do you currently have the body that you want?
Do you feel full of energy every single day?
Do you feel strong, confident, and proud of your body?
Do you feel that you have no physical limitation to be able to do whatever you want to do in life?
Do you want to be thinner?
Do you want more muscle?
Do you want sexy flat abs or a tighter butt?
The answers to these questions will be vastly different for everyone. Not everyone wants the same things. Not everyone has the same goals.
But the most important thing to realize, is that ANY of your goals can be achieved, no matter who you are, if you understand and APPLY the "Secret". Alright, enough of the build-up. What exactly is the "Secret"? Drum roll please.....
The "Secret" lies within your mind and revolves around the powerful Law of Attraction. What you focus on becomes your reality. To put this another way, "What you resist, persists. Whatever you are feeling and thinking is a perfect reflection of what you will become".
In other words, if all you ever focus on is how frustrated you are that you can never lose weight or get rid of that belly fat, then you are doomed to a flabby body forever, because you are actually creating that reality. On the other hand, if you focus on your successes with every ounce of your being, every single day, and continually feel in your mind what your dream body is going to be like, you will create that reality. The key point is that your thoughts and feelings must revolve around already having the body that you want. You must actually imagine daily that you are already living in your new body.
If you're closed-minded, at this point in reading this article, you will probably say something like, "what is all of this gobbly-gook crap this idiot is talking about". And then you will click away to another site, go back to your daily life, and continue to be frustrated by failing to achieve the body you want for the rest of your life.
On the other hand, if you're open minded, and truly want to succeed, you will continue to read, absorb, and start to apply the "Secret", and watch your body slowly become exactly what you want it to become.
I've discovered the "Secret" a couple years ago and how to apply this towards my other goals in life aside from fitness.
However, I also realized that the reason I've been successful with my fitness goals is that I've been unknowingly applying the "Secret" towards my fitness goals for many, many years now. I have always visualized exactly how I wanted my body to look, how energized I wanted to feel day in and day out, how strong and confident I wanted to feel. These visualizations led me on a constant mission to take massive daily ACTION towards exactly what I wanted.
So how do you get the exact body you want? Well, the first thing I want you to realize is that how you feel today and the body that you see in the mirror today is actually a combined result of how you have lived your life in the past... the habits, thoughts, and actions that you have taken throughout every single day that has preceded today. If your past has not given you the body you want today, the energy you want, the powerful feeling of health that you want, then you need to change your mindset and start taking immediate and massive action towards exactly what you want.
You need to visualize yourself living in that desired lean, strong body... feel the energy, vitality, and strength running through every inch of you. Imagine the confidence you feel. If you want it bad enough, you WILL achieve it, but it takes a BURNING DESIRE to succeed.
You need to keep running through this imagining process, and actually capture this "feeling" every single day, until the day comes that you realize that you have achieved your goals. If you practice this enough, you will attract into your life exactly what you want. Again, if all you focus on is your failures, and continue to think negatively, you will only attract more failures and negativity into your life.
Amazing things and amazing people have been coming into my life ever since I discovered the "Secret". If you have an open mind and focus your entire being on what you want, it WILL come into your life. It starts with the mindset, and your journey towards your goals continues from there with massive action taken on a daily basis toward your goals. Once you get this process right, you CAN'T fail.
I will leave you with one more powerful quote that has totally transformed the way I think about what I can achieve in life:
"Whether you THINK that you can or can't do something, either way, you are right".
Read that one again, and believe it! It is a powerful shift in mindset that will change your life.
I want you to do me a favor and read this entire article over again and really start thinking about how you can apply it towards your goals. They don't even have to be fitness goals. It can really be anything that you want to achieve.
Once you've got your mind in the right place, you are now ready to take massive action towards your goals starting now! Getting back to your fitness goals... If your goals revolve at all around losing body fat, tightening up your entire body, and creating an energy filled lifestyle, then a great place to get all of the information you need to achieve this and start taking action is in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book.
By the way, this book does not simply revolve around abs exercises. To be honest, the abs exercises are the LEAST important part of the book. The most important parts of the book are carrying out the nutritional program and compiling all of the training information into a full body training program to stimulate your metabolism and create the right hormonal environment in your body that removes body fat consistently.
Combining a fool-proof training and nutrition program such as this with the proper mindset and application of the "Secret", will give you a very powerful solution to the lean-body that you desire.
The solution is here - The Truth About Six Pack Abs
All that stands now between you and your goals is getting your mindset right, and taking action!
I hope this article has given you some things to think about. I urge you to have an open mind and allow yourself to attract what you want into your life.
Here's today's workout.
Aternate Barbell Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (8)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 6 reps (6)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 5 reps (5)
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Squats.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 10 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 12 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (16)
"The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it - as long as you really believe 100%." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Next time - back.
The old mindset of the dumb, muscle bound hulk has always been a great untruth perpetuated for far too long by people who were sadly afraid to go where we go.
Bodybuilding is a "mind sport". You have to "huff and puff" with your mind before you can "huff and puff" with the weights! You have to see the results in your head long before you get to see those results in the mirror.
I have found a great article by Mike Geary, author of "The Truth About Six Pack Abs".
Mike expertly explains what I mean.
The Ultimate Secret of Mind Control and Motivation to Achieve the Exact Body Shape You Want
by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
I ask you to have an open mind and accept some ideas I'm going to throw at you today. If you can take full grasp of these ideas, take my word that this will be the most powerful secret you've ever discovered for attaining the exact body that you desire.
I'm basically going to take the concepts from the hit movie "The Secret" and show you how to apply it towards your fitness goals.
Keep in mind that this "ultimate secret" has nothing to do with our normal discussions of reps and sets. It has nothing to do with calories or fat or protein. It has nothing to do with cardio training or abs exercises. But once you discover the "Secret", you will be on your way to the body of your dreams, or any other goals that you have in your life, for that matter.
Elite athletes have practiced the "Secret". Champion bodybuilders have practiced the "Secret". Virtually all of the most influential, powerful, wealthiest, and happiest people throughout history have either knowingly or not, practiced the "Secret". Some didn't even realize that they knew the "Secret", but applying its power is the sole reason for their success. In today's discussion, I'm simply putting a little twist on this "Secret" and applying it to your fitness goals. But in reality, it works for any of your goals and desires in life.
Before I reveal the "Secret", I want to ask you a few questions today and I want you to answer the questions that are appropriate to your goals. I want you to be honest with yourself. If you discover that you have not accomplished your goals related to these questions, pay close attention, because I'm going to reveal to you how you can change this immediately and be on the path to achieving whatever it is that you want in life.
Do you currently have the body that you want?
Do you feel full of energy every single day?
Do you feel strong, confident, and proud of your body?
Do you feel that you have no physical limitation to be able to do whatever you want to do in life?
Do you want to be thinner?
Do you want more muscle?
Do you want sexy flat abs or a tighter butt?
The answers to these questions will be vastly different for everyone. Not everyone wants the same things. Not everyone has the same goals.
But the most important thing to realize, is that ANY of your goals can be achieved, no matter who you are, if you understand and APPLY the "Secret". Alright, enough of the build-up. What exactly is the "Secret"? Drum roll please.....
The "Secret" lies within your mind and revolves around the powerful Law of Attraction. What you focus on becomes your reality. To put this another way, "What you resist, persists. Whatever you are feeling and thinking is a perfect reflection of what you will become".
In other words, if all you ever focus on is how frustrated you are that you can never lose weight or get rid of that belly fat, then you are doomed to a flabby body forever, because you are actually creating that reality. On the other hand, if you focus on your successes with every ounce of your being, every single day, and continually feel in your mind what your dream body is going to be like, you will create that reality. The key point is that your thoughts and feelings must revolve around already having the body that you want. You must actually imagine daily that you are already living in your new body.
If you're closed-minded, at this point in reading this article, you will probably say something like, "what is all of this gobbly-gook crap this idiot is talking about". And then you will click away to another site, go back to your daily life, and continue to be frustrated by failing to achieve the body you want for the rest of your life.
On the other hand, if you're open minded, and truly want to succeed, you will continue to read, absorb, and start to apply the "Secret", and watch your body slowly become exactly what you want it to become.
I've discovered the "Secret" a couple years ago and how to apply this towards my other goals in life aside from fitness.
However, I also realized that the reason I've been successful with my fitness goals is that I've been unknowingly applying the "Secret" towards my fitness goals for many, many years now. I have always visualized exactly how I wanted my body to look, how energized I wanted to feel day in and day out, how strong and confident I wanted to feel. These visualizations led me on a constant mission to take massive daily ACTION towards exactly what I wanted.
So how do you get the exact body you want? Well, the first thing I want you to realize is that how you feel today and the body that you see in the mirror today is actually a combined result of how you have lived your life in the past... the habits, thoughts, and actions that you have taken throughout every single day that has preceded today. If your past has not given you the body you want today, the energy you want, the powerful feeling of health that you want, then you need to change your mindset and start taking immediate and massive action towards exactly what you want.
You need to visualize yourself living in that desired lean, strong body... feel the energy, vitality, and strength running through every inch of you. Imagine the confidence you feel. If you want it bad enough, you WILL achieve it, but it takes a BURNING DESIRE to succeed.
You need to keep running through this imagining process, and actually capture this "feeling" every single day, until the day comes that you realize that you have achieved your goals. If you practice this enough, you will attract into your life exactly what you want. Again, if all you focus on is your failures, and continue to think negatively, you will only attract more failures and negativity into your life.
Amazing things and amazing people have been coming into my life ever since I discovered the "Secret". If you have an open mind and focus your entire being on what you want, it WILL come into your life. It starts with the mindset, and your journey towards your goals continues from there with massive action taken on a daily basis toward your goals. Once you get this process right, you CAN'T fail.
I will leave you with one more powerful quote that has totally transformed the way I think about what I can achieve in life:
"Whether you THINK that you can or can't do something, either way, you are right".
Read that one again, and believe it! It is a powerful shift in mindset that will change your life.
I want you to do me a favor and read this entire article over again and really start thinking about how you can apply it towards your goals. They don't even have to be fitness goals. It can really be anything that you want to achieve.
Once you've got your mind in the right place, you are now ready to take massive action towards your goals starting now! Getting back to your fitness goals... If your goals revolve at all around losing body fat, tightening up your entire body, and creating an energy filled lifestyle, then a great place to get all of the information you need to achieve this and start taking action is in my Truth about Six Pack Abs book.
By the way, this book does not simply revolve around abs exercises. To be honest, the abs exercises are the LEAST important part of the book. The most important parts of the book are carrying out the nutritional program and compiling all of the training information into a full body training program to stimulate your metabolism and create the right hormonal environment in your body that removes body fat consistently.
Combining a fool-proof training and nutrition program such as this with the proper mindset and application of the "Secret", will give you a very powerful solution to the lean-body that you desire.
The solution is here - The Truth About Six Pack Abs
All that stands now between you and your goals is getting your mindset right, and taking action!
I hope this article has given you some things to think about. I urge you to have an open mind and allow yourself to attract what you want into your life.
Here's today's workout.
Aternate Barbell Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (8)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 6 reps (6)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 5 reps (5)
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Squats.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 10 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 12 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (16)
"The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it - as long as you really believe 100%." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
Next time - back.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Chest Workout 0006
It's a lovely summers day here in Oz. In fact it's the first day of our summer. The sun is out, it's warm and the wind is gently blowing. It is Monday and for the last four days I have been digging out and laying the foundation for a garden shed for a friend of ours. Pretty hard work but very satisfying when you look at what you have accomplished at the end of a day's work.
As I was panting and puffing shovelling dirt and then gravel I couldn't help but think how lucky was I to be getting paid to have a fabulous workout! Not long ago I read an article that was all about the amazing free workout that was right under the noses of most people. Have a guess what it is.
No idea? Don't be naughty - yes, that is great exercise - but not what I'm talking about here.
OK - it's the vacuuming!!!!! Don't believe me? Go to where you store your vacuum cleaner (what? - you've forgotten? Search around , it'll be there somewhere - you know it's the thingy you use to clean your car out with. Y-e-a-h - that's it!). Connect it all together, plug it in and go. Now really put some effort into it and see how quickly you start to breath heavily and I guarantee if your doin' it right you'll break out in a sweat. People take the negative attitude to it, but, us positive thinkers know how good the "vacuum gym" can really be.
Total cost to visit the "vacuum gym"? Zilch. And the floors got cleaned. Magic!
Think about this when you next have to mow your lawn, wash your car, tidy up your yard. Put some zest into your effort and begin to enjoy all these great free workouts that all have such wonderful side benefits.
I know what you may be thinking - won't it affect my weight training - I'll be all tired and sore and won't be able to lift as much.
Speaking from experience, I have never found it to make an ounce of difference to a workout.
Oh. yeah, the other side benefit - your "significant other" may just move you up to legend status - especially for the "vacuum gym" workout. So much so that you may just score that "other" workout. Now that can only be good!
Bench Press.
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 8 reps (8)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (7)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (6)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 4 reps (5)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 1 rep (4)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Curls.
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
So, the next time someone says to you - "yeah, I know I need to do some excercise, but, I can't afford to go to a gym, and besides, I just don't have time" - take a casual look at their floor. Perhaps you have a good idea to offer them.
As I was panting and puffing shovelling dirt and then gravel I couldn't help but think how lucky was I to be getting paid to have a fabulous workout! Not long ago I read an article that was all about the amazing free workout that was right under the noses of most people. Have a guess what it is.
No idea? Don't be naughty - yes, that is great exercise - but not what I'm talking about here.
OK - it's the vacuuming!!!!! Don't believe me? Go to where you store your vacuum cleaner (what? - you've forgotten? Search around , it'll be there somewhere - you know it's the thingy you use to clean your car out with. Y-e-a-h - that's it!). Connect it all together, plug it in and go. Now really put some effort into it and see how quickly you start to breath heavily and I guarantee if your doin' it right you'll break out in a sweat. People take the negative attitude to it, but, us positive thinkers know how good the "vacuum gym" can really be.
Total cost to visit the "vacuum gym"? Zilch. And the floors got cleaned. Magic!
Think about this when you next have to mow your lawn, wash your car, tidy up your yard. Put some zest into your effort and begin to enjoy all these great free workouts that all have such wonderful side benefits.
I know what you may be thinking - won't it affect my weight training - I'll be all tired and sore and won't be able to lift as much.
Speaking from experience, I have never found it to make an ounce of difference to a workout.
Oh. yeah, the other side benefit - your "significant other" may just move you up to legend status - especially for the "vacuum gym" workout. So much so that you may just score that "other" workout. Now that can only be good!
Bench Press.
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 8 reps (8)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (7)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (6)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 4 reps (5)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 1 rep (4)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Curls.
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
So, the next time someone says to you - "yeah, I know I need to do some excercise, but, I can't afford to go to a gym, and besides, I just don't have time" - take a casual look at their floor. Perhaps you have a good idea to offer them.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Biceps Workout 0006
In my post before the last one (Nov. 17th) I talked about the many positive life lessons I have learnt from bodybuilding.
That one was all about attaining goals in small doable incremental steps.
Another lesson I have learnt is: how it is possible to push ahead even when it all seems far too hard - how not to be a quitter.
Plenty of times I have been faced with a scheduled workout after a late night before, or I just plain didn't feel like it - motivation completely left town!
From past experience I knew that if I would just start, all the rest would just sort of follow on, enthusiasm would gradually return and I would end up feeling much better afterwards. Definitely more proud of myself.
The important thing is to just start. See how you go. Doing this I have had headaches disappear, soreness go, negative thinking spun around to positive by the end of the workout. Appetite definitely returns!!
It's also knowing deep inside that to achieve my workout goals I need to keep on rinsing and repeating my workouts - keep on jumping through the hoops.
Once you get this you can overlay these principles to all other areas of your life. Ever NOT felt like going out to a social event but, for whatever reason, you felt you'd give it a go anyway - and you had a great time after all! That's what I mean.
A good word for it is "stickability".
Adjustable Bar Curls.
20.0 kg (44.9 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 14 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (20)
"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits." - Napoleon Hill
"A dream is a flame that burns out if you give up." - Anonymous
Next time - chest.
That one was all about attaining goals in small doable incremental steps.
Another lesson I have learnt is: how it is possible to push ahead even when it all seems far too hard - how not to be a quitter.
Plenty of times I have been faced with a scheduled workout after a late night before, or I just plain didn't feel like it - motivation completely left town!
From past experience I knew that if I would just start, all the rest would just sort of follow on, enthusiasm would gradually return and I would end up feeling much better afterwards. Definitely more proud of myself.
The important thing is to just start. See how you go. Doing this I have had headaches disappear, soreness go, negative thinking spun around to positive by the end of the workout. Appetite definitely returns!!
It's also knowing deep inside that to achieve my workout goals I need to keep on rinsing and repeating my workouts - keep on jumping through the hoops.
Once you get this you can overlay these principles to all other areas of your life. Ever NOT felt like going out to a social event but, for whatever reason, you felt you'd give it a go anyway - and you had a great time after all! That's what I mean.
A good word for it is "stickability".
Adjustable Bar Curls.
20.0 kg (44.9 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 14 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (20)
"A quitter never wins and a winner never quits." - Napoleon Hill
"A dream is a flame that burns out if you give up." - Anonymous
Next time - chest.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Triceps Workout 0006
As you may notice from the dates on my last and this post I have had a week off from training. My wife and I have been helping a friend move into a new house.
If you remember, the last time I helped someone move house (my son) I copped an injury. So, I thought that this time I would take ALL caution to avoid the same this time.
This brings me to the article I'm posting today. If for some genuine reason (soreness, injury, other physical activity) you need to skip a workout or two, don't be afraid to. If your usual workouts are pretty intense you will find that your muscles will actually benefit from the short break.
The following is a great article by Shawn Nalewanyj - I highly recommend you read it in full and please do check out Shawn's Site.
You Should NEVER Skip A Workout…Or Should You?
By Sean Nalewanyj
Natural Bodybuilding Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author (MuscleGainTruth)
If you want to be successful at anything, discipline and consistency are mandatory.
You’ve got to be willing to work hard week in and week out, and put forth the effort even on those days when you’d rather stay at home, lie on the couch and relax.
The saying says that “80% of success is showing up”, and for the most part I’d say that’s true.
Building muscle is no different.
You’ve got to stay tight to your workout schedule and get yourself into the gym even when it’s the last thing on your mind. If you want to gain muscle size and strength as quickly as possible, you should never, ever miss a workout…
Or should you?
Here’s the thing…
Yes, consistency is important. Yes, you should be sticking to your workout schedule the vast majority of the time. Yes, simply bailing on the gym out of pure laziness is not acceptable.
However, I would like to bring up a quote from the late Mike Mentzer when he said… “Rituals have nothing to do with science”.
What you need to keep in mind is that the human body is an extremely complex biological “machine”, and that not every single workout and recovery period is identical.
In other words, just because your schedule states that you must train on days X, Y and Z doesn’t necessarily mean that this will always be the optimal pattern every single week of the year.
If you wake up on a training day and your muscles still ache, you feel physically tired and your regular motivation to train just feels like it has been zapped... don’t you think your body just might be trying to tell you something?
Why would you force yourself to train in a situation where more recovery time is clearly needed, and when you know that your training performance will be less than optimal? If your body, muscles and mind are clearly still reeling from the previous session, what sense does it make to force yourself to train despite this?
After all, we know that the recovery phase is the ultimate “muscle builder” (the actual process of adding new muscle tissue occurs out of the gym on resting days) and that intense weight training is extremely demanding on the body as a whole…
So why would you deliberately interfere with the very process that transforms your physique in the first place? Why not take an extra 24 hours off and re-enter the gym once you feel physically and mentally ready to do so?
What harm could there possibly be in that?
There is no threat of losing muscle size or strength, as these decreases require 2 or more weeks of inactivity to be set into motion. Yet, there is the perfectly likely reality of a positive gain in the form of proper recovery from the previous workout and improved performance on the following workout.
The underlying key is to listen to your body.
Rituals truly do not have anything to do with science, and if it feels obvious to you that additional rest is needed, take it.
Don’t force your body into another battle with the weights if it clearly is not ready to do so. Don’t let your ego get in the way; just because some muscle building guru told you to “never skip a workout” doesn’t mean that it’s always the best approach.
You do have to use this method with caution, though...
If you develop the mindset of only training when you “feel like it”, then it’s likely that you’ll start delaying your workouts and convincing yourself that it’s correct to do so when in fact it is not.
There are plenty of times when you won’t feel like training purely for psychological reasons rather than concrete physical reasons, and that’s not what I’m talking about here.
I’m simply talking about those days where you are able to sense that from a physical standpoint, taking an extra day of rest would be the better course of action.
Just remember... there is no long-term harm in taking an extra day of rest, but there IS the very real and immediate harm of training your body without being fully recovered first.
If in doubt, take the day off!
Want more no B.S muscle-building strategies just like this one?
Check out MuscleGainTruth for more info. In a bodybuilding world full of marketing hype and exaggerations, I cut straight through the lies and give you the no-nonsense truth about what it takes to gain muscle fast.
About The Author
Once an awkward, pencil-necked "social reject", Sean Nalewanyj is now a renowned natural bodybuilding and fat loss expert, best-selling fitness author, and creator of the wildly popular online muscle building program, "The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System". Learn how to buid muscle and gain weight in just 24 minutes a day by visiting: MuscleGainTruth.
Sean is also the owner and operator of the web's premier muscle building and fat loss support community, currently accepting new members at The School Of Muscle Inner Circle.
Note to the reader: You are free to reprint and redistribute this article as long as the content is not altered in any way, the links remain live and the author resource box (including this message) is left intact.
Thank's Shawn for some great advice.
Ok, here's my workout for today:
Adjustable Bar Triceps Extension.
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (10)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 8 reps (8)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (7)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (6)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 3 reps (5)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 6 reps (16)
Squats.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 8 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 9 reps (16)
Next time - biceps.
If you remember, the last time I helped someone move house (my son) I copped an injury. So, I thought that this time I would take ALL caution to avoid the same this time.
This brings me to the article I'm posting today. If for some genuine reason (soreness, injury, other physical activity) you need to skip a workout or two, don't be afraid to. If your usual workouts are pretty intense you will find that your muscles will actually benefit from the short break.
The following is a great article by Shawn Nalewanyj - I highly recommend you read it in full and please do check out Shawn's Site.
You Should NEVER Skip A Workout…Or Should You?
By Sean Nalewanyj
Natural Bodybuilding Expert & Best-Selling Fitness Author (MuscleGainTruth)
If you want to be successful at anything, discipline and consistency are mandatory.
You’ve got to be willing to work hard week in and week out, and put forth the effort even on those days when you’d rather stay at home, lie on the couch and relax.
The saying says that “80% of success is showing up”, and for the most part I’d say that’s true.
Building muscle is no different.
You’ve got to stay tight to your workout schedule and get yourself into the gym even when it’s the last thing on your mind. If you want to gain muscle size and strength as quickly as possible, you should never, ever miss a workout…
Or should you?
Here’s the thing…
Yes, consistency is important. Yes, you should be sticking to your workout schedule the vast majority of the time. Yes, simply bailing on the gym out of pure laziness is not acceptable.
However, I would like to bring up a quote from the late Mike Mentzer when he said… “Rituals have nothing to do with science”.
What you need to keep in mind is that the human body is an extremely complex biological “machine”, and that not every single workout and recovery period is identical.
In other words, just because your schedule states that you must train on days X, Y and Z doesn’t necessarily mean that this will always be the optimal pattern every single week of the year.
If you wake up on a training day and your muscles still ache, you feel physically tired and your regular motivation to train just feels like it has been zapped... don’t you think your body just might be trying to tell you something?
Why would you force yourself to train in a situation where more recovery time is clearly needed, and when you know that your training performance will be less than optimal? If your body, muscles and mind are clearly still reeling from the previous session, what sense does it make to force yourself to train despite this?
After all, we know that the recovery phase is the ultimate “muscle builder” (the actual process of adding new muscle tissue occurs out of the gym on resting days) and that intense weight training is extremely demanding on the body as a whole…
So why would you deliberately interfere with the very process that transforms your physique in the first place? Why not take an extra 24 hours off and re-enter the gym once you feel physically and mentally ready to do so?
What harm could there possibly be in that?
There is no threat of losing muscle size or strength, as these decreases require 2 or more weeks of inactivity to be set into motion. Yet, there is the perfectly likely reality of a positive gain in the form of proper recovery from the previous workout and improved performance on the following workout.
The underlying key is to listen to your body.
Rituals truly do not have anything to do with science, and if it feels obvious to you that additional rest is needed, take it.
Don’t force your body into another battle with the weights if it clearly is not ready to do so. Don’t let your ego get in the way; just because some muscle building guru told you to “never skip a workout” doesn’t mean that it’s always the best approach.
You do have to use this method with caution, though...
If you develop the mindset of only training when you “feel like it”, then it’s likely that you’ll start delaying your workouts and convincing yourself that it’s correct to do so when in fact it is not.
There are plenty of times when you won’t feel like training purely for psychological reasons rather than concrete physical reasons, and that’s not what I’m talking about here.
I’m simply talking about those days where you are able to sense that from a physical standpoint, taking an extra day of rest would be the better course of action.
Just remember... there is no long-term harm in taking an extra day of rest, but there IS the very real and immediate harm of training your body without being fully recovered first.
If in doubt, take the day off!
Want more no B.S muscle-building strategies just like this one?
Check out MuscleGainTruth for more info. In a bodybuilding world full of marketing hype and exaggerations, I cut straight through the lies and give you the no-nonsense truth about what it takes to gain muscle fast.
About The Author
Once an awkward, pencil-necked "social reject", Sean Nalewanyj is now a renowned natural bodybuilding and fat loss expert, best-selling fitness author, and creator of the wildly popular online muscle building program, "The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System". Learn how to buid muscle and gain weight in just 24 minutes a day by visiting: MuscleGainTruth.Sean is also the owner and operator of the web's premier muscle building and fat loss support community, currently accepting new members at The School Of Muscle Inner Circle.
Note to the reader: You are free to reprint and redistribute this article as long as the content is not altered in any way, the links remain live and the author resource box (including this message) is left intact.
Thank's Shawn for some great advice.
Ok, here's my workout for today:
Adjustable Bar Triceps Extension.
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (10)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 8 reps (8)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (7)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (6)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 3 reps (5)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 6 reps (16)
Squats.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 8 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 9 reps (16)
Next time - biceps.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Back Workout 0006
There are many lessons about life that I have learnt from bodybuilding. The biggest lesson by far is that anyone can accomplish anything as long as they are prepared to take just one step at a time. As long as you are consistent with your workouts you will see your body change in a positive way over time. And so it is with all things in life.
Set your sights on a target, break the journey to that target down into very small doable pieces, add your consistency, you'll get there - as long as you remain consistent, reaching your target is inevitable.
Take this attitude to other areas of your life and it is possible to live a life full of accomplishment. Working out with weights whether at home or a gym is not just huff and puff, it's also all about philosophy as well.
T Bar Row.
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
75.0 kg (165.3 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
80.0 kg (176.4 lb) x 4 reps) (4) *
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curls.
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 14 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
Next time: Triceps
Set your sights on a target, break the journey to that target down into very small doable pieces, add your consistency, you'll get there - as long as you remain consistent, reaching your target is inevitable.
Take this attitude to other areas of your life and it is possible to live a life full of accomplishment. Working out with weights whether at home or a gym is not just huff and puff, it's also all about philosophy as well.
T Bar Row.
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
75.0 kg (165.3 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
80.0 kg (176.4 lb) x 4 reps) (4) *
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curls.
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 14 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
Next time: Triceps
Friday, November 14, 2008
Shoulders Workout 0005
Big wide shoulders on a person can really make them stand out. If you or when you did watch Casino Royale you could not miss Daniel Craig as he stands up in the water - wow! great shoulders aren't they - thick and well rounded. That's what grabbed the attention of all the ladies (and some of the guys too - for many different reasons).
A lot of guys spend lots of time on chest and arms, thinking them to be the glamour muscles. Don't forget, it's your shoulders that make you wide and they can really give you that "big V" look. They are also the strength fulcrum for all the upper body exercises.
Alternate Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
40.0 kg (88,2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 13 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 15 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 14 reps (20)
James Bond: Dry Martini.
Bartender: Oui, monsieur.
James Bond: Wait... three measures of Gordon's; one of vodka; half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it over ice, and add a thin slice of lemon peel.
Bartender: Yes, sir.
Tomelli: You know, I'll have one of those.
Infante: So will I.
Bartender: Certainly.
Felix Leiter: My friend, bring me one as well, keep the fruit.
Next time - back.
A lot of guys spend lots of time on chest and arms, thinking them to be the glamour muscles. Don't forget, it's your shoulders that make you wide and they can really give you that "big V" look. They are also the strength fulcrum for all the upper body exercises.
Alternate Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
40.0 kg (88,2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 13 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 15 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 14 reps (20)
James Bond: Dry Martini.
Bartender: Oui, monsieur.
James Bond: Wait... three measures of Gordon's; one of vodka; half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it over ice, and add a thin slice of lemon peel.
Bartender: Yes, sir.
Tomelli: You know, I'll have one of those.
Infante: So will I.
Bartender: Certainly.
Felix Leiter: My friend, bring me one as well, keep the fruit.
Next time - back.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Chest Workout 0005
The thing about building muscle is that it is an extremely simple process. Just lift weights on a repetitive basis, increase the load as you reach certain benchmarks, eat healthy foods, get sufficient rest between workouts - rinse and repeat. Pretty simple huh!
The human body is an amazing device that will always recuperate plus one. I mean, you have a workout and tear your muscle fibres down, you rest sufficiently before your next workout, eat well, and bingo! you're a fraction stronger than before you performed your last workout. What a great system! Now you just work the system.
As long as you make a little effort to find the best movements for yourself by a small amount of research and experimentation over time, learn the basics of good nutrition, make sure you actually set aside sufficient rest time - well? - that's about it.
What I'm saying here is don't cloud your horizon with thinking you need to know every conceivable piece of knowledge on bodybuilding, human physiology, and nutrition before you can start or, in fact, be any good at this. That's just not true.
Here's a good example. Not every one that is a great car driver knows much about how their car works or how to properly service that car. That doesn't stop them from becoming a really great car driver.
Now if they wanted to go on and become a professional race driver, then, yes, they are going to have to learn a lot more. But for most folks a little info is all they will ever need to put in a pretty good effort at car driving.
Just get stuck in and have fun with it. Watch your body grow, gain confidence and learn what you need as you go.
Bench Press.
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Squats.
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (16)
"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stair at the steps - we must step up the stairs." - Vance Havner
"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." - Friedrich Engels
"You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great." - Les Brown
Get this book because it has in it all the information you will need for quite some time: "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" or click on some of the links in my "resources" area on the right of this page.
Stop complaining about how hard your workout is and check this YouTube out: click here
Next time - shoulders.
The human body is an amazing device that will always recuperate plus one. I mean, you have a workout and tear your muscle fibres down, you rest sufficiently before your next workout, eat well, and bingo! you're a fraction stronger than before you performed your last workout. What a great system! Now you just work the system.
As long as you make a little effort to find the best movements for yourself by a small amount of research and experimentation over time, learn the basics of good nutrition, make sure you actually set aside sufficient rest time - well? - that's about it.
What I'm saying here is don't cloud your horizon with thinking you need to know every conceivable piece of knowledge on bodybuilding, human physiology, and nutrition before you can start or, in fact, be any good at this. That's just not true.
Here's a good example. Not every one that is a great car driver knows much about how their car works or how to properly service that car. That doesn't stop them from becoming a really great car driver.
Now if they wanted to go on and become a professional race driver, then, yes, they are going to have to learn a lot more. But for most folks a little info is all they will ever need to put in a pretty good effort at car driving.
Just get stuck in and have fun with it. Watch your body grow, gain confidence and learn what you need as you go.
Bench Press.
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Squats.
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 8 reps (16)
"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stair at the steps - we must step up the stairs." - Vance Havner
"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." - Friedrich Engels
"You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great." - Les Brown
Get this book because it has in it all the information you will need for quite some time: "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" or click on some of the links in my "resources" area on the right of this page.
Stop complaining about how hard your workout is and check this YouTube out: click here
Next time - shoulders.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Biceps Workout 0005
I choose to use free weights at home as opposed to machines, etc. at a gym for the following reasons:
- A set of assorted weights, a barbell or two, and a bench is a once only cost. I purchased my lot about 20 years ago. They don't really ever wear out, so apart from a few paint chips on the weights and I had to re-upholster the bench at one stage, that's all I really need. I do have a chin up bar/dip combo but haven't used it for a while. I spent about $350 twenty years ago. Add up the gym fees over that time - no comparison, results? pretty much the same I should imagine.
- No travel time to and from a gym or going out on cold nights.
- No waiting in line at busy times to use equipment.
- No annoying instructors constantly trying to tell you how to do it.
- Free weights are a more natural way of working out. Closer to real life where you may have to pick up and carry things.
- Using free weights always involves all of your body to some degree as opposed to sitting in a machine and isolating a muscle group - again much more natural.
- I've never been much for crowds - I like my own space - and I've never really missed a training partner (I know when the last rep has arrived).
I know that somewhere there will be a list of at least as many reasons to use machines and gyms, but for me, the convenience of doing it at home in my spare room for next to nothing in cost and at a time convenient to me wins every time.
Adjustable Bar Biceps Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 14 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
"As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler, solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness." - Henry David Thoreau
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci
Next time - chest.
- A set of assorted weights, a barbell or two, and a bench is a once only cost. I purchased my lot about 20 years ago. They don't really ever wear out, so apart from a few paint chips on the weights and I had to re-upholster the bench at one stage, that's all I really need. I do have a chin up bar/dip combo but haven't used it for a while. I spent about $350 twenty years ago. Add up the gym fees over that time - no comparison, results? pretty much the same I should imagine.
- No travel time to and from a gym or going out on cold nights.
- No waiting in line at busy times to use equipment.
- No annoying instructors constantly trying to tell you how to do it.
- Free weights are a more natural way of working out. Closer to real life where you may have to pick up and carry things.
- Using free weights always involves all of your body to some degree as opposed to sitting in a machine and isolating a muscle group - again much more natural.
- I've never been much for crowds - I like my own space - and I've never really missed a training partner (I know when the last rep has arrived).
I know that somewhere there will be a list of at least as many reasons to use machines and gyms, but for me, the convenience of doing it at home in my spare room for next to nothing in cost and at a time convenient to me wins every time.
Adjustable Bar Biceps Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 14 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
"As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler, solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness." - Henry David Thoreau
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." - Leonardo da Vinci
Next time - chest.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Triceps workout 0005
Why do I like to grow in strength? To me it's all about the essence of what it is to be a man. Another way of saying it is I just don't get the puny thing. I love to be able to pick things up with little or no effort. I feel at home in my body this way.
I remember when I was young, looking at magazines in our local newsagency and marvelling at the fantastic muscular bodies of men like Bill Pearl, Dave Draper, Sergio Oliva and Larry Scott. I wanted one too. I loved their strength.
It really started I suppose when dad and I would watch professional wrestling on a Saturday night in the late 1950's on TV. Black and white TV had just been introduced into Australia then and we received the shows from Madison Square Gardens. I was hooked! I wanted to be strong just like the wrestlers.
But it wasn't until I was married and in my early 20's that I finally got my opportunity to join a gym and start - and I've never really stopped apart from some short breaks here and there along life's way. At 57 now I can't see myself ever wanting to stop training.
Don't you stop either - there are just too many benefits.
Adjustable Bar Triceps Extension.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Extensions.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
I remember when I was young, looking at magazines in our local newsagency and marvelling at the fantastic muscular bodies of men like Bill Pearl, Dave Draper, Sergio Oliva and Larry Scott. I wanted one too. I loved their strength.
It really started I suppose when dad and I would watch professional wrestling on a Saturday night in the late 1950's on TV. Black and white TV had just been introduced into Australia then and we received the shows from Madison Square Gardens. I was hooked! I wanted to be strong just like the wrestlers.
But it wasn't until I was married and in my early 20's that I finally got my opportunity to join a gym and start - and I've never really stopped apart from some short breaks here and there along life's way. At 57 now I can't see myself ever wanting to stop training.
Don't you stop either - there are just too many benefits.
Adjustable Bar Triceps Extension.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 9 reps (9) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Extensions.
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Back workout 0005
I can't emphasize enough the importance of positive self-talk. It is the greatest tool for motivation, and not only in your workouts, but in most aspects of your life. Instaed of saying to yourself "I'm so unmotivated and tired today. I could really skip a day and workout tomorrow."
Before you know it you've actually talked yourself out of something that once started you would really enjoy and benefit from. Even though you may in fact be tired why not say to yourself something along the lines of "I'm feeling a little tired but I know for a fact that once I start my workout it will make me feel really alive. Every workout is a stepping stone to having the body I've always wanted. I can do this. I've got what it takes."
T Bar Row.
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 9 reps (9)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 8 reps (8)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 7 reps (7)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
75.0 kg (165.3 lb) x 3 reps (5)
80.0 kg (176.4 lb) x 2 reps (4)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squats.
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 8 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 6 reps (16)
"The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large." - Confucius
"The inner speech, your thoughts, can cause you to be rich or poor, loved or unloved, happy or unhappy, attractive or unattractive, powerful or weak." - Ralph Charell
"I talk to myself because I like dealing with a better class of people." - Savielly Tartakower
Next time - triceps.
Before you know it you've actually talked yourself out of something that once started you would really enjoy and benefit from. Even though you may in fact be tired why not say to yourself something along the lines of "I'm feeling a little tired but I know for a fact that once I start my workout it will make me feel really alive. Every workout is a stepping stone to having the body I've always wanted. I can do this. I've got what it takes."
T Bar Row.
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 9 reps (9)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 8 reps (8)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 7 reps (7)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
75.0 kg (165.3 lb) x 3 reps (5)
80.0 kg (176.4 lb) x 2 reps (4)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squats.
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 8 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (16)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 6 reps (16)
"The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large." - Confucius
"The inner speech, your thoughts, can cause you to be rich or poor, loved or unloved, happy or unhappy, attractive or unattractive, powerful or weak." - Ralph Charell
"I talk to myself because I like dealing with a better class of people." - Savielly Tartakower
Next time - triceps.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Shoulders Workout 0004
"PSSSST!..........hey you!......what's the secret?"
"The secret to what?"
"You know!"
"Oooohh!.....you mean the secret to building huge, gigantic, monstrous muscles and having a body others can only dream and drool about?"
"Yeah.........that one.......what's the secret?"
"Well..........the secret is...........w...e..l..l..........there is no secret."
"No secret?"
"Hey, look, why the long face? Don't be disappointed. You must realise by now that in life there are no shortcuts, no magic wands, no free rides. I'll tell you what I'll do. Let's pretend there really is a secret."
"OK, yeah, that's better."
"Here it is..........Hard Work........but not just hard work alone......enjoying the hard work.......better still it can best be summed up as.....
Enjoying working hard at something you enjoy.
That applies to not only muscle building but to absolutely everything in life. It's a simple little "secret" to success at anything. Another way to express it is........to put yourself into such a position that enjoyable results are expected."
Alternate Overhead Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (7)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Curls
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 18 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 20 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
"People who enjoy what they are doing invariably do it well." - Joe Gibbs
"Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most." - Al Capp
"Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating." - Denis Waitley
Next time - back.
"The secret to what?"
"You know!"
"Oooohh!.....you mean the secret to building huge, gigantic, monstrous muscles and having a body others can only dream and drool about?"
"Yeah.........that one.......what's the secret?"
"Well..........the secret is...........w...e..l..l..........there is no secret."
"No secret?"
"Hey, look, why the long face? Don't be disappointed. You must realise by now that in life there are no shortcuts, no magic wands, no free rides. I'll tell you what I'll do. Let's pretend there really is a secret."
"OK, yeah, that's better."
"Here it is..........Hard Work........but not just hard work alone......enjoying the hard work.......better still it can best be summed up as.....
Enjoying working hard at something you enjoy.
That applies to not only muscle building but to absolutely everything in life. It's a simple little "secret" to success at anything. Another way to express it is........to put yourself into such a position that enjoyable results are expected."
Alternate Overhead Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 9 reps (9)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (7)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Curls
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 18 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 20 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
"People who enjoy what they are doing invariably do it well." - Joe Gibbs
"Success is following the pattern of life one enjoys most." - Al Capp
"Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating." - Denis Waitley
Next time - back.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Chest workout 0004
Your rest periods are just as important as your weight training. When you are not training (resting) your muscles then have the opportunity to repair and grow. Too much training and no matter how fit and strong you may be, eventually your progress will slow, stop and even reverse in extreme cases.
If you train with enough intensity (working to momentary muscular failure on at least 2 or 3 sets), say for example you are working chest, you will not ordinarily need to train your chest again for up to two weeks. Anything more would just be counter productive. Don't believe me? Check the gaps between my bodypart workouts. Exactly! - and I'm making satisfying progress. Anything more would simply be overtraining.
Overtraining is one of the greatest mistakes made in any sport - not just bodybuilding.
Don't get me wrong here. Professional top level bodybuilders will work each bodypart more often - because they can. They are professionals. They eat, sleep, supplement, are managed, have trainers etc. What we talk about here is commonsense bodybuilding for the everyman and the everywoman. People who have jobs, families, friends, and a range of other time consuming commitments and responsibilities.
By spreading your training sessions out over slightly longer time periods you will give your body more time to recuperate and grow, make greater progress, lesson your chance of injuries, keep yourself from getting overtired as well as put the enjoyment back into your workouts. A case of less will get you more.
Enjoyment and progress, after all, is what it's all about.
Bench Press
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 8 reps (8)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extensions
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 16 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 14 reps (20)
"Rest: the sweet sauce of labor." - Plutarch
"What is without periods of rest will not endure." - Ovid
"I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently." - Ernest Hemingway
Here's an absolute classic for you. So many great names. I think this would have been at Festival Hall in Melbourne (I think it's nickname was "The House of Blood") on a Saturday night. The commentator is Jack Little. I would go there occasionally with friends or family (or both!). What a wild place and what wild nights. Great memories! Click Here.
If you train with enough intensity (working to momentary muscular failure on at least 2 or 3 sets), say for example you are working chest, you will not ordinarily need to train your chest again for up to two weeks. Anything more would just be counter productive. Don't believe me? Check the gaps between my bodypart workouts. Exactly! - and I'm making satisfying progress. Anything more would simply be overtraining.
Overtraining is one of the greatest mistakes made in any sport - not just bodybuilding.
Don't get me wrong here. Professional top level bodybuilders will work each bodypart more often - because they can. They are professionals. They eat, sleep, supplement, are managed, have trainers etc. What we talk about here is commonsense bodybuilding for the everyman and the everywoman. People who have jobs, families, friends, and a range of other time consuming commitments and responsibilities.
By spreading your training sessions out over slightly longer time periods you will give your body more time to recuperate and grow, make greater progress, lesson your chance of injuries, keep yourself from getting overtired as well as put the enjoyment back into your workouts. A case of less will get you more.
Enjoyment and progress, after all, is what it's all about.
Bench Press
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 8 reps (8)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extensions
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 16 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 14 reps (20)
"Rest: the sweet sauce of labor." - Plutarch
"What is without periods of rest will not endure." - Ovid
"I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently." - Ernest Hemingway
Here's an absolute classic for you. So many great names. I think this would have been at Festival Hall in Melbourne (I think it's nickname was "The House of Blood") on a Saturday night. The commentator is Jack Little. I would go there occasionally with friends or family (or both!). What a wild place and what wild nights. Great memories! Click Here.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Biceps workout 0004
Balance. Know where you want to go with this and acheive your balance. What do I mean? It's no good having "The Body" when the rest of your life is falling apart. I'm talking about an all of life picture.
If your aim is to be a world champion bodybuilder, perhaps a Mr. ........... well your bodybuilding is going to have to consume a greater part of your waking hours. It is also going to consume a greater part of your financial means. Until you are very successful, you will only have time for a part-time job at best yet the cost of your special foods and supplements will be enormous. See what I mean.
On the other hand, much like me, you may just desire to have some "more than normal" strength, not that keen on a puny body, like to look a little better in a tee shirt, and just plain like working out with your weights. Not so much time is needed - perhaps only every second day. You won't need all those supplements with strange names. Also your diet does not need to be so strict (lucky for me on that one!).
Life is a balance.
It all just depends on where you see yourself heading and what you want to do with it. Whatever you choose for you is right. There will be no wrong choice. If it's what you really desire, then that's it. Just remember to always add some balance in there. Life is not all hard work. Never forget the rest and play bit too. Have fun with it.
Adjustable Bar Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 4 reps (6)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 3 reps (5)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squats.
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." - Brian Tracy
For some early years footage - click here
Next time - chest.
If your aim is to be a world champion bodybuilder, perhaps a Mr. ........... well your bodybuilding is going to have to consume a greater part of your waking hours. It is also going to consume a greater part of your financial means. Until you are very successful, you will only have time for a part-time job at best yet the cost of your special foods and supplements will be enormous. See what I mean.
On the other hand, much like me, you may just desire to have some "more than normal" strength, not that keen on a puny body, like to look a little better in a tee shirt, and just plain like working out with your weights. Not so much time is needed - perhaps only every second day. You won't need all those supplements with strange names. Also your diet does not need to be so strict (lucky for me on that one!).
Life is a balance.
It all just depends on where you see yourself heading and what you want to do with it. Whatever you choose for you is right. There will be no wrong choice. If it's what you really desire, then that's it. Just remember to always add some balance in there. Life is not all hard work. Never forget the rest and play bit too. Have fun with it.
Adjustable Bar Curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 7 reps (7)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 4 reps (6)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 3 reps (5)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squats.
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." - Brian Tracy
For some early years footage - click here
Next time - chest.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Triceps workout 0004
The triceps are a strange muscle group. There sorta there but no one pays that much attention to them. The biceps are the movie stars - always the ones to be noticed, looked for and shown off.
In reality it's the size of your triceps that will make or break the look of your arms. As the word says there are 3 main parts of the "Tri"ceps compared with only 2 for the "bi"ceps. This means that your triceps always have the potential of being far bigger than your biceps. A nice set of triceps will always give an arm that "big" or "full" look. Your arms would look pretty silly if they only had big biceps - kinda strange! Yet a lot of people give too much emphasis to bicep training as compared to triceps work.
Want to have great arms? Always work your triceps really hard. That will help with your bench presses too!
Adjustable bar triceps extension.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (5)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 1 rep (4)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (16)
Leg curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 18 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 12 reps (20)
"Errbody wanna be a bodybuilder, but don't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight!" - Ronnie Coleman
Here's another great YouTube - click here.
Next time - biceps
In reality it's the size of your triceps that will make or break the look of your arms. As the word says there are 3 main parts of the "Tri"ceps compared with only 2 for the "bi"ceps. This means that your triceps always have the potential of being far bigger than your biceps. A nice set of triceps will always give an arm that "big" or "full" look. Your arms would look pretty silly if they only had big biceps - kinda strange! Yet a lot of people give too much emphasis to bicep training as compared to triceps work.
Want to have great arms? Always work your triceps really hard. That will help with your bench presses too!
Adjustable bar triceps extension.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (10)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 9 reps (9)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (5)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 1 rep (4)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (16)
Leg curls.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 16 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 18 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 12 reps (20)
"Errbody wanna be a bodybuilder, but don't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight!" - Ronnie Coleman
Here's another great YouTube - click here.
Next time - biceps
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Back workout 0004
To do a T Bar row at home is not too difficult. A 6 ft. barbell is really required here. Remove the collar and any weights from one end. Place an old jumper or small blanket on the floor in a corner of your workout room (to protect your walls from damage). Now place the end of the bar with no weights into the now cushioned corner. Add the required weight to the free end, tighten the collar.
There are two ways to go from here. The first is to bend over, knees slightly bent, back slightly arched and eyes looking forward. You can use a two handed grip, one in front of the other just behind the weights, pulling up to the chest, exhaling all the way as the weight approaches the chest. Lower the weight to arms length inhaling as you lower. Repeat.
The second way and by far the best is to invest in the "T" part of the T Bar. At your local hardware shop purchase a metal pipe approximately 3 ft. (91 cm.) to 3 ft. 6 ins. (105 cm.) long and approx. 1 to 1.25 inches (2.5 to 3 cm.) in diameter. Make sure that the actual metal thickness is at least 1 to 2 mm. Find the midpoint of the bar and mark it clearly.
Find a broom handle and remove the broom bit. You can also use a piece of scrap round wood the same thickness as a broom handle. Lay it on the ground (concrete or brick). Do this near a wall. Place your T Bar over the broom handle making sure that the mid point is exactly mid point of the broom handle.
Put one foot on one end of the T Bar and then for support place both hands on the wall. Now gently put your other foot on the other end of the T Bar. You should find yourself able to balance like a see-saw. Bend your knees slightly and with all your force push downwards equally on both ends of the T Bar. With good luck on your side you should find that your T Bar has a nice ever so slight "V" shape. In other words it should have bent in the middle.
You can now slide your T Bar under your barbell (as close to the plates as possible) until it reaches the middle of your slightly "V"ed T Bar. The barbell should now naturally stay in place during use. Grip your T Bar with knuckles facing forward. For comfortable width apart and stability I have my hands just touching the plates. Experiment to find your best grip spot. Perform the movement as described above for the first way, only difference is you now have a proper T Bar.
For weights above 200 lb (90 kg) you may consider a solid bar. For a solid bar obviously my bending technique will no longer work. Purchase a solid bar from a steel works and they will bend it for you.
Now for the workout. I've changed it a bit. The first four sets are warmup sets - perform only up to the required number of reps. The next three sets are to failure with the last set as a flushing set. Easy peasy.
T Bar Row.
50.0 kg (110 lb) x 10 reps (10)
55.0 kg (121 lb) x 9 reps (9)
60.0 kg (132 lb) x 8 reps (8)
65.0 kg (143 lb) x 7 reps (7)
70.0 kg (154 lb) x 4 reps (6)
75.0 kg (165 lb) x 3 reps (5)
80.0 kg (176 lb) x 2 reps (4)
50.0 kg (110 lb) x 10 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 15 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (20)
"Necessity is the mother of invention, it is true - but it's father is creativity, and knowledge is the midwife." - Jonathan Schattke
There are two ways to go from here. The first is to bend over, knees slightly bent, back slightly arched and eyes looking forward. You can use a two handed grip, one in front of the other just behind the weights, pulling up to the chest, exhaling all the way as the weight approaches the chest. Lower the weight to arms length inhaling as you lower. Repeat.
The second way and by far the best is to invest in the "T" part of the T Bar. At your local hardware shop purchase a metal pipe approximately 3 ft. (91 cm.) to 3 ft. 6 ins. (105 cm.) long and approx. 1 to 1.25 inches (2.5 to 3 cm.) in diameter. Make sure that the actual metal thickness is at least 1 to 2 mm. Find the midpoint of the bar and mark it clearly.
Find a broom handle and remove the broom bit. You can also use a piece of scrap round wood the same thickness as a broom handle. Lay it on the ground (concrete or brick). Do this near a wall. Place your T Bar over the broom handle making sure that the mid point is exactly mid point of the broom handle.
Put one foot on one end of the T Bar and then for support place both hands on the wall. Now gently put your other foot on the other end of the T Bar. You should find yourself able to balance like a see-saw. Bend your knees slightly and with all your force push downwards equally on both ends of the T Bar. With good luck on your side you should find that your T Bar has a nice ever so slight "V" shape. In other words it should have bent in the middle.
You can now slide your T Bar under your barbell (as close to the plates as possible) until it reaches the middle of your slightly "V"ed T Bar. The barbell should now naturally stay in place during use. Grip your T Bar with knuckles facing forward. For comfortable width apart and stability I have my hands just touching the plates. Experiment to find your best grip spot. Perform the movement as described above for the first way, only difference is you now have a proper T Bar.
For weights above 200 lb (90 kg) you may consider a solid bar. For a solid bar obviously my bending technique will no longer work. Purchase a solid bar from a steel works and they will bend it for you.
Now for the workout. I've changed it a bit. The first four sets are warmup sets - perform only up to the required number of reps. The next three sets are to failure with the last set as a flushing set. Easy peasy.
T Bar Row.
50.0 kg (110 lb) x 10 reps (10)
55.0 kg (121 lb) x 9 reps (9)
60.0 kg (132 lb) x 8 reps (8)
65.0 kg (143 lb) x 7 reps (7)
70.0 kg (154 lb) x 4 reps (6)
75.0 kg (165 lb) x 3 reps (5)
80.0 kg (176 lb) x 2 reps (4)
50.0 kg (110 lb) x 10 reps (16)
Leg Extensions.
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 15 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (20)
"Necessity is the mother of invention, it is true - but it's father is creativity, and knowledge is the midwife." - Jonathan Schattke
Monday, October 20, 2008
Shoulders Workout 0003
As you will notice by the dates of this and the last post, I have had a few days off again to let my right arm heal some more. It's coming along fine now. I have changed my workout to allow for more warmup sets to help.
Never be afraid to change your workout to fit your situation and circumstances. Don't let your workouts rule you - stay in charge - make sure you rule your workouts. After all, they are to benefit you; not to hinder you.
Don't panic about your progress too much. As long as you are persistant your strength and size will always grow over time.
Notice I said "over time". That's not immediatly, six months from now or one year from now. Building your body's size and strength is a process - it's always a long term goal.
You have to stay in the game to win the game.
Alternate Overhead Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
35.0 kg (77.1 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 5 reps (6)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 3 reps (6)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (16)
"The secret of success is constancy to purpose." - Benjamin Disraeli
"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen." - Frank Lloyd Wright
"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." - John Quincy Adams
Next time - back workout - stay in the game!
Never be afraid to change your workout to fit your situation and circumstances. Don't let your workouts rule you - stay in charge - make sure you rule your workouts. After all, they are to benefit you; not to hinder you.
Don't panic about your progress too much. As long as you are persistant your strength and size will always grow over time.
Notice I said "over time". That's not immediatly, six months from now or one year from now. Building your body's size and strength is a process - it's always a long term goal.
You have to stay in the game to win the game.
Alternate Overhead Press.
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
35.0 kg (77.1 lb) x 7 reps (7) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 5 reps (6)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 3 reps (6)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 1 rep (4)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 10 reps (16)
"The secret of success is constancy to purpose." - Benjamin Disraeli
"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen." - Frank Lloyd Wright
"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." - John Quincy Adams
Next time - back workout - stay in the game!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Chest Workout 0003
Never neglect the use of your imagination. When about to perform a difficult lift, first of all imagine yourself going through all the motions (all the details) of that lift successfully. Imagine yourself completing the movement and how great you'll feel afterwards. Really feel it! Feel the emotion!
It's a fact that your subconcious can't tell the difference between something imagined (pictured in your mind) and something that has really happened, especially when emotion is involved. So when you rehearse a movement by imagining yourself actually performing it, completing it successfully, feeling really great afterwards (with emotion), your subconcious will believe that you have already successfully done it before.
Now when you come to the real thing you are, in effect, only repeating something you have been able to complete before. It's all a matter of belief.
Chest Workout.
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 14 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (12)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 4 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 8 reps (10)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 8 reps (16)
Squat.
20.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 13 reps (16)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (16)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 6 reps (16)
"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless." - Jamie Paolinetti
Next time - shoulders
It's a fact that your subconcious can't tell the difference between something imagined (pictured in your mind) and something that has really happened, especially when emotion is involved. So when you rehearse a movement by imagining yourself actually performing it, completing it successfully, feeling really great afterwards (with emotion), your subconcious will believe that you have already successfully done it before.
Now when you come to the real thing you are, in effect, only repeating something you have been able to complete before. It's all a matter of belief.
Chest Workout.
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 14 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (12)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 4 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 8 reps (10)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 8 reps (16)
Squat.
20.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 13 reps (16)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 8 reps (16)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 6 reps (16)
"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless." - Jamie Paolinetti
Next time - shoulders
Friday, October 10, 2008
Biceps Workout 0003
This workout is truly a lesson in thinking outside the square. Remember a couple of workouts ago I mentioned about tearing the muscles in my right arm when lifting a clothes dryer into position?
Yeah, well, I knew today's bicep workout was going to be very interesting - was this actually going to work?
The answer was an easy no. Not doing a barbell curl anyway. The arm in that position was just not functioning. I could easily tell that if I forced myself to perform even 1 rep I stood the chance of doing some very bad damage to my arm.
I experimented a little bit with different positions - still no good. What to do?
I then tried the adjustable bar. The same bar I use for triceps extensions. Very light weights to start. Just a little soreness but all OK.
So what we learn here is that if something is not working for you - experiment until you find the thing that will do it for you. It will be there, you just have to persist until you find it.
And doesn't that just apply to all of life!
Biceps Curl (adjustable bar)
Approximately 12 sets with weights mainly in the 10 to 20 kg (22 lb to 44lb) zone and reps ranging from 7 to 12
Now I know that this works I'll log it more accurately for you next time.
Leg Curls
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 15 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 17 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 9 reps (20)
"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour." - Mary Kay Ash
Oh yeah. I promised you a sensational link to what I watch on YouTube as I workout.
Here it is - Link
Have fun!!! 'Cos I will be - this weekend in Oz is our Bathurst 1000 motor race. I watch it every year. Have done so since I was a little guy. Greatest motor race at the greatest motor racing circuit in the world. YouTube it and you'll see what I mean. You will be a convert instantly.
Next time - chest.
Yeah, well, I knew today's bicep workout was going to be very interesting - was this actually going to work?
The answer was an easy no. Not doing a barbell curl anyway. The arm in that position was just not functioning. I could easily tell that if I forced myself to perform even 1 rep I stood the chance of doing some very bad damage to my arm.
I experimented a little bit with different positions - still no good. What to do?
I then tried the adjustable bar. The same bar I use for triceps extensions. Very light weights to start. Just a little soreness but all OK.
So what we learn here is that if something is not working for you - experiment until you find the thing that will do it for you. It will be there, you just have to persist until you find it.
And doesn't that just apply to all of life!
Biceps Curl (adjustable bar)
Approximately 12 sets with weights mainly in the 10 to 20 kg (22 lb to 44lb) zone and reps ranging from 7 to 12
Now I know that this works I'll log it more accurately for you next time.
Leg Curls
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 15 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 17 reps (20)
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 9 reps (20)
"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour." - Mary Kay Ash
Oh yeah. I promised you a sensational link to what I watch on YouTube as I workout.
Here it is - Link
Have fun!!! 'Cos I will be - this weekend in Oz is our Bathurst 1000 motor race. I watch it every year. Have done so since I was a little guy. Greatest motor race at the greatest motor racing circuit in the world. YouTube it and you'll see what I mean. You will be a convert instantly.
Next time - chest.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Triceps Workout 0003
How many meals do I eat in a day? The answer is 5. If you can somehow squeeze in 6, great.
Let's make a very clear point here. Those 5 meals are not all meat and 3 veg. I'd get very fat doing that. I would eat the same amount in those 5 meals as a normal person (someone not training) would eat in their 3 meals. All I do is spread it more evenly throughout the day.
It's all to do with energy levels and bodily needs. I'm never starving hungry during the day because it's actually never that long since I've eaten. Consequently all my meals are smaller and I never suffer from that overfull feeling. In fact, I really dislike that feeling!
The other great benefit from eating this way is that I'm never short of energy. It is just a great way to feed yourself for optimum results.
The other reccomendation I could make here is to always eat slowly. Very slowly. This gives your stomach time to signal to your brain that you have had enough (before you've actually had too much - sometimes way too much!). The other benifit of eating this way is that you will find yourself really enjoying your food - you have time to taste everything. It's all about relaxed eating.
Standing Triceps Extension (adjustable bar)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (12)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extension
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
OK so that's it for today. I watch Youtube as I workout, or, more accurately, when I'm resting between sets. I'll tell you what and give you the link next time. It's great!!
"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age." - Lucille Ball
Next time - biceps.
Let's make a very clear point here. Those 5 meals are not all meat and 3 veg. I'd get very fat doing that. I would eat the same amount in those 5 meals as a normal person (someone not training) would eat in their 3 meals. All I do is spread it more evenly throughout the day.
It's all to do with energy levels and bodily needs. I'm never starving hungry during the day because it's actually never that long since I've eaten. Consequently all my meals are smaller and I never suffer from that overfull feeling. In fact, I really dislike that feeling!
The other great benefit from eating this way is that I'm never short of energy. It is just a great way to feed yourself for optimum results.
The other reccomendation I could make here is to always eat slowly. Very slowly. This gives your stomach time to signal to your brain that you have had enough (before you've actually had too much - sometimes way too much!). The other benifit of eating this way is that you will find yourself really enjoying your food - you have time to taste everything. It's all about relaxed eating.
Standing Triceps Extension (adjustable bar)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (12)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extension
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
OK so that's it for today. I watch Youtube as I workout, or, more accurately, when I'm resting between sets. I'll tell you what and give you the link next time. It's great!!
"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly and lie about your age." - Lucille Ball
Next time - biceps.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Back Workout 0003
I'm back - and doing back. I've had a week of very low physical activity nursing the damaged wing which has been improving at a fast rate (phew!). The reps are down a bit as my arm is still sore so I've only pushed it just so far, not wishing to go backward.
To get where you need to be, and can see yourself being at, you need to keep on bashing away no matter what. Sure, your going to face some challenges along the way, that's the way life is. Just make sure you keep on picking yourself up and doing it one more time. It's all about determination.
To ensure that you keep moving forward no matter what life throws at you you need to be strong - both physically and mentally. Keep strong in both those departments and you'll get there!
T Bar Row
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 10 reps (16)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 6 reps (12)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 3 reps (8)
80.0 kg (176.4 lb) x 2 reps (4)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (10)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squat
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (16)
"You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction." - George Lorimer
Next time - Triceps.
To get where you need to be, and can see yourself being at, you need to keep on bashing away no matter what. Sure, your going to face some challenges along the way, that's the way life is. Just make sure you keep on picking yourself up and doing it one more time. It's all about determination.
To ensure that you keep moving forward no matter what life throws at you you need to be strong - both physically and mentally. Keep strong in both those departments and you'll get there!
T Bar Row
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 10 reps (16)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 6 reps (12)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 3 reps (8)
80.0 kg (176.4 lb) x 2 reps (4)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (10)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squat
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (16)
"You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction." - George Lorimer
Next time - Triceps.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Injury time-out
Yep, you guessed it - hurt myself. Not working out either. I was helping my son move to a new house he has bought in the hills to the north of us. Picked up his clothes dryer from his garage. Carried it out to the truck. Got it into the back and had to lift it over something else to get it to the right spot, sitting on top of his workbench.
As I turned and had the dryer at head height I must have moved too quickly and felt my muscles tearing in my forearm. Nasty feeling! Didn't drop the dryer though! Got it into it's spot.
Tell the truth my arm wasn't that sore at the time so I was able to be of help for most of the rest of the day, but, by night time I knew I had really hurt myself.
Anyway, the point here is that, from time to time you are indeed going to suffer injuries that will stop your workouts dead in their tracks. Not to worry though. Look at it as time to let your joints and all the rest of your body have a rest. I will be out of it for a couple of weeks.
This will not be a problem. I will be able to restart pretty much from where I left off. Always make sure that your first one or two workouts after resuming are light weights - high reps to ensure you don't bump yourself back to square one by being too impatient.
"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." - Bryan Adams
Watch for the next post in a couple of days.
As I turned and had the dryer at head height I must have moved too quickly and felt my muscles tearing in my forearm. Nasty feeling! Didn't drop the dryer though! Got it into it's spot.
Tell the truth my arm wasn't that sore at the time so I was able to be of help for most of the rest of the day, but, by night time I knew I had really hurt myself.
Anyway, the point here is that, from time to time you are indeed going to suffer injuries that will stop your workouts dead in their tracks. Not to worry though. Look at it as time to let your joints and all the rest of your body have a rest. I will be out of it for a couple of weeks.
This will not be a problem. I will be able to restart pretty much from where I left off. Always make sure that your first one or two workouts after resuming are light weights - high reps to ensure you don't bump yourself back to square one by being too impatient.
"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." - Bryan Adams
Watch for the next post in a couple of days.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Shoulders Workout 0002
A quick word about food today. Try as hard as you can to eat food that is as close to natural as possible. That means cutting out processed foods altogether. Use butter to cook with - your body will thank you for it in so many ways.
If you read the contents of a product whether in a can or packet and you can't easily pronounce any of the words or you have no idea whatsoever what they are, then put it back on the shelf and move on. You don't need it.
This goes for all those fancy fandangle protein powders and shakes. Haven't you ever heard of eggs or canned tuna? They are as natural as you are going to get. And super healthy as well. The yolks are actually the best part. Just don't you dare be so silly as to give me any of that cholesterol B.S. For B.S. it definitely is!!!!
Alternate Overhead Press
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 15 reps (16)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 12 reps (12) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 7 reps (8)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 3 reps (4)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curls
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
"The longer I live, the more I am certain that the great difference between the great and insignificant is energy - invincible determination - a purpose once fixed and then death or victory." - Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton
Next workout - the back.
If you read the contents of a product whether in a can or packet and you can't easily pronounce any of the words or you have no idea whatsoever what they are, then put it back on the shelf and move on. You don't need it.
This goes for all those fancy fandangle protein powders and shakes. Haven't you ever heard of eggs or canned tuna? They are as natural as you are going to get. And super healthy as well. The yolks are actually the best part. Just don't you dare be so silly as to give me any of that cholesterol B.S. For B.S. it definitely is!!!!
Alternate Overhead Press
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 15 reps (16)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 12 reps (12) *
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 7 reps (8)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 3 reps (4)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curls
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 16 reps (20)
"The longer I live, the more I am certain that the great difference between the great and insignificant is energy - invincible determination - a purpose once fixed and then death or victory." - Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton
Next workout - the back.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Chest Workout 0002
The grip you use on any exercise should have more to do with joint comfort than anything else. I appreciate that you have been told all about narrow grip verses wide grip, but at the end of the day if a narrow grip is causing you considerable pain in your elbows, it's just not worth going on with it. Ditto with any other grip width.
I suggest that you spend some time experimenting with different grip widths to find which one is truly comfortable for you to use for your entire life of bodybuilding. If it works for you then it is for you. All our bodies differ to some degree and that is what makes us all so interesting. Be prepared to be unique - because you are! Celebrate that.
Bench Press
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 14 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (12)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 8 reps (10)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Extension
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 22 reps (20) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 21 reps (20) *
"Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will aquire the skill to do difficult things easily." - Johann Christoph Friedrich Von Schiller
Next time - shoulders.
I suggest that you spend some time experimenting with different grip widths to find which one is truly comfortable for you to use for your entire life of bodybuilding. If it works for you then it is for you. All our bodies differ to some degree and that is what makes us all so interesting. Be prepared to be unique - because you are! Celebrate that.
Bench Press
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 14 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 10 reps (12)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 8 reps (10)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Extension
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 22 reps (20) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 21 reps (20) *
"Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will aquire the skill to do difficult things easily." - Johann Christoph Friedrich Von Schiller
Next time - shoulders.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Biceps Workout 0002
Here it is folks. The greatest tip that you will ever get towards attaining your goals in building your size and strength. Nothing else will ever come anywhere close - anytime - ever.
ALWAYS - repeat - ALWAYS - keep a workout journal.
Simply, it's how you know where you've been and it provides the motivation to move to where you need to be. Go to a stationary shop or even your local supermarket and buy an exercise book. A nice thick one - lots of pages.
What do you write in it? You write just like this:
Barbell Curls.
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 14 reps (16)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (12)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (8)
37,5 kg (82.7 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squats.
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 16 reps (16)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 13 reps (16)
So next workout I know what I did last time. I will try for more reps or to up my weight. When you are in friendly competition with yourself you win every time. Nice.
"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." - Vincent Van Gogh
ALWAYS - repeat - ALWAYS - keep a workout journal.
Simply, it's how you know where you've been and it provides the motivation to move to where you need to be. Go to a stationary shop or even your local supermarket and buy an exercise book. A nice thick one - lots of pages.
What do you write in it? You write just like this:
Barbell Curls.
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 14 reps (16)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (12)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (8)
37,5 kg (82.7 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 12 reps (16)
Squats.
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 16 reps (16)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 13 reps (16)
So next workout I know what I did last time. I will try for more reps or to up my weight. When you are in friendly competition with yourself you win every time. Nice.
"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." - Vincent Van Gogh
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Triceps Workout 0002
Your workout comfort is paramount. Your workouts must be enjoyable for you to continue for the time necessary to gain your results. Your comfort is a great contributor to your enjoyment of any activity in life - not just your workouts.
What makes for comfort? Clothes that are not too tight nor too loose. A clean, dry and non-cold area with enough room to easily perform your routines. Some privacy. Performing reps and sets correctly. Adequate ventilation. Not eating too close to your workout. Not being in an anxious or upset mental state. No interruptions.
Your workout should always be your personal down time just for you.
Standing Triceps Extension (adjustable bar)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (12)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (8)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 9 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (16)
Leg Curls
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 17 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.5 lb) x 14 reps (20)
"The better you get, the less you run around showing off as a muscle guy. You know, you wear regular shirts - not always trying to show off what you have. You talk less about it. It's like you have a little BMW - you want to race the hell out of this car, because you know it's just going 110. But if you see guys driving a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, they slide around at 60 on the freeway because they know if they press on that accelerator they are going to go 170. These things are the same in every field." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
next time - biceps.
What makes for comfort? Clothes that are not too tight nor too loose. A clean, dry and non-cold area with enough room to easily perform your routines. Some privacy. Performing reps and sets correctly. Adequate ventilation. Not eating too close to your workout. Not being in an anxious or upset mental state. No interruptions.
Your workout should always be your personal down time just for you.
Standing Triceps Extension (adjustable bar)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 11 reps (12)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 7 reps (8)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 9 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (16)
Leg Curls
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 17 reps (20)
17.5 kg (38.5 lb) x 14 reps (20)
"The better you get, the less you run around showing off as a muscle guy. You know, you wear regular shirts - not always trying to show off what you have. You talk less about it. It's like you have a little BMW - you want to race the hell out of this car, because you know it's just going 110. But if you see guys driving a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, they slide around at 60 on the freeway because they know if they press on that accelerator they are going to go 170. These things are the same in every field." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
next time - biceps.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Back Workout 0002
This will be the T-bar row as usual. Do I get bored doing the same excercises time after time? The answer is no, because it's not the exercise movement itself that I necessarily enjoy - it's the challenge of getting the reps up to my max. for that set so I can increase the weight for next time. That's the buzz. Progressive resistance training.
T-bar Row.
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 12 reps (12) *
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 6 reps (8)
77.5 kg (170.9 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 7 reps (10)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 13 reps (16)
Leg Extension.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - Francis of Assisi
Triceps next time.
T-bar Row.
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 12 reps (12) *
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 6 reps (8)
77.5 kg (170.9 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 7 reps (10)
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 13 reps (16)
Leg Extension.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible." - Francis of Assisi
Triceps next time.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Shoulder Workout 0001
For the shoulders I usually do an overhead alternate barbell press. What I mean here is to first lift the barbell into position overhead. Now perform a behind neck press then follow up with a military press, now back to a behind neck press and so forth until done. Simple but very effective.
Alternate Overhead Barbell Press.
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 13 reps (16)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 11 reps (12)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 7 reps (8)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 9 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 14 reps (16)
Half Squat.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (16)
And that's all for today. Next time back to back
Alternate Overhead Barbell Press.
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 13 reps (16)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 11 reps (12)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 7 reps (8)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 9 reps (10)
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 14 reps (16)
Half Squat.
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 9 reps (16)
And that's all for today. Next time back to back
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Chest workout 0001
All I do is the bench press for chest. Why not cut to the main chase and stick with it. Make sure you always lower the bar gently ALL the way down to your chest so that the bar just touches it but never rests on it.
Bench press
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 12 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 9 reps (12)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 2 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (10)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 14 reps (16)
Leg Curls
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
17,5 kg (38.6 lb) x 12 reps (20)
Next time - Alternate barbell overhead press
Bench press
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 12 reps (16)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 9 reps (12)
60.0 kg (132.3 lb) x 6 reps (8)
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 2 reps (4)
55.0 kg (121.3 lb) x 7 reps (10)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 14 reps (16)
Leg Curls
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
17,5 kg (38.6 lb) x 12 reps (20)
Next time - Alternate barbell overhead press
Monday, September 8, 2008
Biceps workout 0001
This is as simple as it gets. All I currently use for biceps is a barbell. Nice. And again, you know, it's all you really need.
Barbell Curl
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 14 reps (16)
30 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (12)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (8)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (4)
30 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (10)
25 kg (55.1 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extension
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 14 reps (20)
Chest next time!
Barbell Curl
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 14 reps (16)
30 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (12)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 6 reps (8)
37.5 kg (82.7 lb) x 3 reps (4)
30 kg (66.1 lb) x 8 reps (10)
25 kg (55.1 lb) x 11 reps (16)
Leg Extension
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 14 reps (20)
Chest next time!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Triceps Workout 0001
For triceps work I like to use an adjustable bar. That's one of those 2 circle do-da type thingy's that allow for unlimited grip angles. Takes the pressure off of the elbows!
So here we go:
Standing Triceps Extension (Adjustable Bar)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 14 reps (16)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (12)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 6 reps (8)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 8 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Squat
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 6 reps (16)
Total weight of iron moved from one spot to another:
2,090.0 kg or 4,607.4 lb.
Biceps next time!
So here we go:
Standing Triceps Extension (Adjustable Bar)
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 14 reps (16)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (12)
35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 6 reps (8)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 2 reps (4)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 8 reps (10)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Squat
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 6 reps (16)
Total weight of iron moved from one spot to another:
2,090.0 kg or 4,607.4 lb.
Biceps next time!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Back workout 0001
As you can see I always do a different leg excercise with each workout - more out of convenience than anything else. My leg workouts are nothing too great as I have some arthritis in my knees. Just need to take care that's all.
My workouts are very simple because it's really all you need. All weights listed include the weight of the bar (you're lifting that as well don't forget).
T Bar Row
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 12 reps (12) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
77.5 kg (170.9 lb) x 3 reps (4)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curl
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
That's it folks. Sorry to bust all those myths but that is all you need. Remember to do EACH set to momentory muscular failure without cheating and use perfect form. The"*" is a note to me to increase the weight for next time.
Total weight of iron moved from one spot to another:
4,012.5 kg or 8,846.1 lbs
My workouts are very simple because it's really all you need. All weights listed include the weight of the bar (you're lifting that as well don't forget).
T Bar Row
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 12 reps (12) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 8 reps (8) *
77.5 kg (170.9 lb) x 3 reps (4)
65.0 kg (143.3 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
Leg Curl
15.0 kg (33.1 lb) x 20 reps (20) *
That's it folks. Sorry to bust all those myths but that is all you need. Remember to do EACH set to momentory muscular failure without cheating and use perfect form. The"*" is a note to me to increase the weight for next time.
Total weight of iron moved from one spot to another:
4,012.5 kg or 8,846.1 lbs
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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