Monday, Jan. 6, ’14: Chest, Delts, Triceps (Danger Zone)

As much as I love training when it’s cold out, I learned over this past couple of days that there is a caveat to that. I definitely mean outside, as I prefer the gym to just be in the realm of cool, not cold. I was happy to not step outside this morning, as the windchill was nearly -30°. My 49° gym felt tropical in comparison…

I've always said I like training in the "Danger Zone." Ha!

I’ve always said I like training in the “Danger Zone.” Ha!

Chest: DB bench presses (4 x 10, 9, 8,10(Xcel) + X Reps–); Decline parallel presses (3 x 10, 9, 8 + X Fade)
Delts: DB presses (4 x 10, 8, 7, 6+ X Reps); Laterals raises (3 x 10, 9, 8 + X Reps)
Triceps: Dips (4 x 10, 9, 7, 9(Xcel)+ X Reps); Close-grip presses (3 x 10, 9, 7(8) + X Fade-Last set was a drop) 

Note: My current PowerBlock gym program is based on the Phase 1 workout in the NEW Super-Size Crash Course e-book.

Summary: Another cold start to the day, but this was the coldest since we relocated a couple of years ago. -27° with the windchill this morning, so I was REALLY happy not to be inside, as I had to run errands last night, and it was so cold out that it hurt to breathe. LOL!

Great workout, though, and strength was up noticeably on just about everything. No complaints at all, plus I think I’ll be switching over to Phase 2 of SSCC next week, so there’s something to really look forward to.

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Monday, Nov. 11, ’13: (Power) Chest, Delts, Triceps

Some scheduling conflicts changed things around last week, and then I wasn’t able to train over the weekend because of family obligations and some work on a car project. I was going to go right back into the same routine I’ve been liking so much, but with some serious weather changes this week AND the realease of a new e-book last Friday, I decided it was time for some change, and so Phase 1 begins…

Chest: DB bench presses (3 x 10, 8, 7); Incline DB flyes (3 x 9, 8, 7); Decline parallel presses (3 x 10, 9, 7)
Delts: DB upright rows (3 x 12, 9, 8); Incline lateral raises (3 x 10, 9, 7): Laterals raises (3 x 12, 10, 7)
Triceps: Dips (3 x 8, 7, 6); Overhead one-arm DB extensions (3 x 10, 9, 8); Decline close-grip parallel presses (3 x 10, 9, 7) 

Note: My current PowerBlock gym program is based on the Phase 1 workout in the NEW Super-Size Crash Course e-book.

Summary: The plan was to carry on with last week’s routine, but something about the changing weather and all of the excitement generated by the latest X-Rep e-book sparked my motivation for change. I haven’t done a full-on phase training routine in a while, nor have I used heavy weights in a while.

The Phase 1 approach in Super-Size Crash Course (SSCC) are all power workouts for the first three days to concentrate on the myofibrils, and then 4X + TORQ density to concentrate on the sarcoplasm. Phase 2 will switch things up even further, but for now, I’m pretty amped up on the change and variety, and I haven’t used genuine power days in a long time, so it’s nice… Despite my well-aged joints. You can see that my reps were off compared to what is prescribed in the e-book, and that was partially because of being stronger than I expected (thankfully), but also because ultra-low reps on certain exercises just don’t do anything for me (i.e. DB upright rows).

Loved the training today, and getting used to genuine rest between sets is going to take a while. Also, rep cadence with the lower reps is very important in order to get any sort of meaningful time under tension, so 3-second negatives are the key to remember.

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Monday, Oct. 14, ’13: Chest, Back, Abs

I actually did train on Saturday, but I didn’t get a chance to blog about it. Plus, it was sort of a hybrid leg/cardio day, so it was all over the place. Nice to train with “no rules,” and even nicer to be back in the game on Monday morning…

Chest: Incline DB presses (3×15,10,7(8) + X Reps—last set was an X-cel drop set); DB flyes (4×10 + X Reps); Leaning one-arm DB flyes (3×30,20,15 + X Fade)
Back: Undergrip BB rows (3×12,10,8(8)—last set was an X-cel drop set); Pullovers (4×10 + X Reps); Supported bent-arm bent-over laterals (3×30,20,10(9) + X Fade—last set was an X-cel drop set)
Abs: Leg raises (3×15); Full-range crunches (4×20 + X Fade); Knee ups (3×12 + X Reps)

Note: My current PowerBlock gym program is based on 4X, TORQ and Super TORQ techniques, as well as various hybrid techniques from Beyond X.

Summary: I liked the rep variation from Friday, so I stuck with the same basic breakdown today. DP 3X plus an X-cel drop set on the midrange exercise, 4X on the stretch, and then TORQ on the contracted move.

I finished chest off with Leaning one-arm flyes again, but this time with the standard PowerBlock handle rather than the KettleBlock. Both are great, so I’ll actually need to do them back-to-back in order to decide which feels best.

Started back with Undergrip rows, and was surprised at how great my lats felt. I can see why they were a favorite of Dorian Yates, the Lat Master. I did the Bent-arm bent-over laterals with support today, and it really allowed me to feel the contraction much more, so I’ll be sticking with this version for a while. They felt so good that I added in an X-cel drop set at the end, just to X-tend the back-squeezing joy.

I didn’t realize until sitting down to write this post that I completely forgot to do traps. Oops! Looks like DB shrugs will be part of tomorrow’s shoulder work.

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