Thursday, October 31, 2013

Friends don't let friends skip leg day!/

This morning lift was straight to the point! Dany and I decided to hit legs on a Monday. Nothing like a case of the Mondays at 5AM. Dany and I are at two very different weights. I stand around 170ish, Dany however weights about 130ish. One thing I love about lifting with friends who truly want to develop is that they lift with a purpose. Dany does the exact same workout that I do, but we obviously lift different weights. Adjusting your workout accordingly to what you NEED to do so your body will see progression. For example, I was squatting 135 for warm-up, Dany was squatting 135 for his strength training. My rep range was 10-12, he pulled out a clean 8 each time. Don't worry about what others might think of your so-called 'flimsy' weight, do what you have to do for yourself. We all go to the gym for ourselves(hopefully), so don't sweat it for others.

Legs
5 x 10-12 Hammer-Strength Leg extensions (2 sets of warm up)
5 x 10-12 Hammer-Strength Leg curls (2 sets of warm up)
5 x 8-12 Squats

Shoulders
5 x 8 Overhead Press (1 set of warm up)
superset w/ 5 x 12 Lateral Raises (10lb plates)

This workout was fairly short. It was about 30-40 minutes long. Squats and overhead press really took the most time. We lifted heavy for how much we weighed. One thing I love about lifting heavy is how you feel in between sets. Dany just kept on saying that he felt 'strong'. There is no simpler way to put it. You lift heavy, your going to feel strong.

Really been impressed on the progression Dany has made in the matter of two weeks. The consistency with him is there, which is a must when you start out! Kill it everyday and you will see the changes.

Stay strong and fit, friends!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

No time for rest.. literally!

Good Morning! Started the workout early today! Woke up at 4:30 AM, got lazy so stayed in bed till 5ish, Drank my death mix and went straight to the gym! Today was arms, because I keep on activating them throughout my sessions this week but haven't really emphasize them. My arms last time I measured was a slim 15.5 inches in diameter.Not bad but not great. My chest sits around 41-42 inches around, so my arms should ideally for me sit around 16.5 inches. It was arms so the pace was pretty fast.

Arms
5 x 10-12 Hammer-strength Preacher Curls
superset w/ 5 x 10 Hammer-strength Seated Dips

4 x 8-10 Seated Dumbbell Curls
supetset w/ 4 x 8 Hammer Curls

4 x 10-12 French Press
supetset w/ 4 x failure Push Ups

4 x 12 Cable Tricep extensions
superset w/ 4 x 12 Hammer Curls

3 x 15 Bicep Curls (machine)
supetset w/ 3 x Failure Dips

Stretching/Foam Roller
10 minutes afterwards

I finished my workout in about 30-35 minutes. Decided I needed to stretch out afterwards. All about form, especially with the supersets. Mad vascularity today! Quick and simple!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Having Myself a Field Day/'Feels' Day!

Today went by fast! Spend the majority of my day at school, did some homework, and cooked some dinner. Today was considered an 'exciting' day because I was off of work, did my homework, hit chest and shoulders, FINALLY got the call about my new work schedule next week, and spend some quality time with my babe.

My morning session today began around 8:30 AM. It was on the later end for me, considering I would probably be at work or cooking a mean breakfast this time on other days. I really wanted a good 'feel' day and since it was technically my second day on my routine, I just had to hit chest. My alternative focus was going to be arms, but I changed it to shoulders/traps in the middle of the workout. Weighed in around 171lbs this morning, felt good and lean!

Chest/Shoulders/Traps Complex
4 x 8-10 Bench Press
superset w/ 4 x 10-12 Lateral Side Raises

3 x 10-12 Dumbbell Incline Press
superset w/ 3 x 15 Shrugs

4 x 10 Hammer-strength Decline Press
superset w/ 4 x 8-10 Lateral Side Raises

3 x 12-15 Cable Flyes
supetset w/ 3 x 10 Shoulder Press

Arms
5 x 12 Cable Tricep Extension
supetset w/ 5 x 10 Dumbbell Hammercurls

(Didn't do much but one group set)

Felt the pumps for sure! If you ever want to look like an action figure, this complex will leave you STACKED. Felt dense throughout the workout, vascularity all over! I have been supersetting a lot my sets lately not only because I do not want to be at the gym forever, because I can feel the burn so much more. Pre-exhausting a muscle to immediately jump in to exhausting another will leave those muscles erected! I finished up around 40 minutes into the session, leaving with all of my potential 'gainz'.

After today's session, I noticed what I need to really improve on. Need to incorporate more delts and trap workouts. Need to do so to bring the upper body together. There are always room to improvement! We just need to recognize it and capitalize on it! Can't improve yourself if you don't start working on the trouble areas! Work with it, don't work around it! Rehab it!

Back on Track!

Nothing like a 5 AM workout! Today was my first day back after having two days off consecutively, which hasn't happen lately. I find myself training a lot harder when my body is already in the groove. So today was my intro-day back into my routine. There are a lot of people who tend to take their first day back lightly, which doesn't make much sense to me. If you are training frequently enough to the point where you know your body, you should hit your days back even harder then any other day. You had time off for your body to recover and if you are really on track with your scheduling, you should be maximizing all gym time. I will go over my split on my next post to better understand what I am saying.

I decided to have a field day on my 'gainz' this morning. My last session was with chest and abs, so I decided to hit back and legs. I woke up around 4:30 AM, with nothing in my stomach but my pre-workout. I like to live life dangerously. Legs today was more about pumps then anything. The last two leg workouts I've had were heavy leg days. Back was my primary focus today so I hit that a lot harder(obviously).

Legs
5 x failure Hammer-strength Leg Curls (2 warm up sets)
5 x failure Hammer-strength Leg Extensions (2 warm up sets)

Back
5 x 10-12 Lat Pulldowns

4 x 10 T-bar Rows
superset w/ 4 x 12 Iso-lat Pull-downs (underhand)

5 x 8 Cable Rows

3 x 12 Hammer-strength High Rows
3 x 12 Hammer-strength Low Rows

I started off with leg extensions, trying to warm my body up. I tend to wear a hoodie in the morning because the gym is freezing, even if the weather is hot. After finishing the extensions, I jumped onto the cable lat pull-downs. I had 2 warm up sets with rep range around 12-15, immediately starting my working sets. I pretty much pre-exhausted my lats, so I went start to the t-bar and superset it with iso-lat pull-downs. Stretching out and resetting is crucial with the iso-lat pull-down! Austin helped me out with correcting my form a while back. I tend to keep it under tension, but the solid pumps comes from the reset. You will noticed your lat activating a lot better and will start to develop a much rounder lat.

My back was thickening out, so I decided to finish legs out with leg curls. I threw on a good amount of weight and just started to rep out. I love the way the hamstring contracts! Just like flexing your biceps but with a much larger muscle. If you tend to show off your guns, I hope your foundation pars up!

Finished the curls and went to cable rows. Focused on the squeeze and form. I changed the range of motion and my positioning so the last 2 sets really focused on my lower back. Went straight to high rows to finish out my workout but decided to throw in low rows since it was sitting right next to me.

Good Workout! This session was just the right approach to this upcoming week. Last week was my birthday week and got a lot done! Ana and I got an amazing living room set for an extremely inexpensive price. It was the couch I really wanted right before the car accident, but with the matching love set and 6 more pieces! Ana bought me GTA 5, which I couldn't believe because It will now destroy my social life. Dinner was at Maggiano's with many great friends. I appreciate all of my friends for the birthday wishes and calls. Ana's little sister Katty even called! Sweetest 10 year-old ever! I am excited to hear back from full-line and for Ana as she is applying for a management role. We are finally back on track with our lives after the accident and I am excited to see how this year finish out!