When I used to train at a gym I was always amazed at the weights some quite obviously untrained individuals would attempt to lift. It was as if their greatest desire in life was to injure themselves.
You've seen the types haven't you. The geek with arms the thickness of matchsticks strides confidently over to the weight rack and selects the 80 lb barbell. You can smell the testosterone. He's going to do a biceps curl.
He bends his back till it looks like it might just snap, and still he's only half way up. After all, he knows that to get those big guns he wants he has to lift heavy weights, right?
Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!!!
Always warm up first. See part one.
Then the general rule for safe training for newbies is to select a weight that they can comfortably do eight to twelve reps with in strict form - no cheating.
To avoid injuries, ALWAYS use weights that are right for your level of training. For newbies, after your warm-up set, on the next set the first three or four reps should be very comfortable to perform. If that requires a 20 lb barbell curl, then so be it. People will admire you for having a go. It's better than people laughing at you for looking really silly.
And this way you get to train another day.
Triceps Workout.
Adjustable bar triceps extension.
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 18 reps (20)
20.0 kg (44.1 lb) x 13 reps (15)
22.5 kg (49.6 lb) x 12 reps (12) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 10 reps (10) *
27.5 kg (60.6 lb) x 6 reps (8)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 5 reps (6)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 2 reps (4)
17.5 kg (38.6 lb) x 9 reps (15)
Triceps kickback.
12.5 kg (27.6 lb) x 15 reps (20)
Next time - biceps.
Showing posts with label triceps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label triceps. Show all posts
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Determined to finish.
My wife is giving me the "hurry on".
We have to go up to the city to meet a friend and have some fun.
But, I'm determined to finish my stuff for today. Sometimes you just have to dig your heals in and put yourself first.
Never mind - I'm nearly done.
Phew! our daughter has just called in - this gives me just enough time to finish.
Triceps Workout.
Close Grip Bench Press.
25.0 kg (55.1 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)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 15 reps (30)
Squats.
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 7 reps (20)
Gotta run.
Next time - biceps.
We have to go up to the city to meet a friend and have some fun.
But, I'm determined to finish my stuff for today. Sometimes you just have to dig your heals in and put yourself first.
Never mind - I'm nearly done.
Phew! our daughter has just called in - this gives me just enough time to finish.
Triceps Workout.
Close Grip Bench Press.
25.0 kg (55.1 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)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
50.0 kg (110.2 lb) x 4 reps (4) *
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 16 reps (16) *
25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 15 reps (30)
Squats.
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 10 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 7 reps (20)
Gotta run.
Next time - biceps.
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.
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.
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) *
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
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.
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