Wednesday, Feb. 5, ’14: Delts, Arms (Snow Day)

Well, the view out of the gym window was a nice one this morning. Major snow day without a hint of all the playtime I had with my family last night, as it continued to come down a bit overnight. Sunny this morning, though, with at least a foot of powder everywhere. Family fun; at least until I go shovel the driveway for the third time in 12 hours…

View from gym window in winter

The view out the gym window after Snowpocalypse ’14.

Delts: DB upright rows (4×12,10,8,6 + X Reps); Incline one-arm laterals (3×10 + X Reps); Lateral raises (3×10 + X Reps); DB presses (2×20,15)
Triceps: Lying DB extensions (4×12,10,8,6 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (3×10 + X Reps); Decline parallel presses (3×10 + X reps); Bench dips (2×20,15)
Biceps: DB curls (4×12,10,8,6 + X Reps); Incline curls (3×10 + X Reps); Concentration curls (3×10 + X Reps); Wide-grip barbell curls (2×20,15)
Forearms: Hammer curls (3×10)

Note: My current PowerBlock gym program is based on the Phase 2 workout in the NEW Super-Size Crash Course e-book. 

Summary: Fantastic workout, and not just because of the weather. Just one of those days where you feel completely tuned in to every muscle and exercise. The drive was alive!

Just a few minor changes from Saturday’s workout, which I just noticed that I never posted. While listed as “bench dips” for triceps, I’ve actually been doing chair dips up till now. The problem with those is twofold; they move around on the carpeted gym floor, and if I lean one against a wall, it starts damaging the paint. Solution? Stair dips! LOL! Same move with more stability. I also went with Wide-grip barbell curls to finish off biceps just to keep them a bit different than the DB curls up front. Great change, and a truly great training session all around.

Diet/Supps: For supplement truths and recommendations, see Jerry Brainum’s  e-book, Natural Anabolics, available at www.JerryBrainum.com.

Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.

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Tuesday, Feb. 4, ’14: Legs

I liked the ridiculously painful high-rep squats from last Wednesday’s workout so much that I decided to do them again. I also had a meeting I was trying to make, so the workout would be a bit quicker. However, from the first set I could see that wasn’t going to happen due to the amount of snowfall coming down…

Quads: Squats (4×20,18,15,12); Sissy squats (3×10 + X Reps); Walking lunges (1×8)
Hamstrings: Stiff-legged deadlifts (4×12,10,9,8 + X Reps), Alternate leg curls (2×20)
Calves: One-leg calf raises (4×15,12,10,8 + X Reps); Donkey calf raises (2×35,30); Seated calf raises (2×20,18 + X Reps)

Note: My current PowerBlock gym program is based on the Phase 2 workout in the NEW Super-Size Crash Course e-book.

Summary: Those high-rep squats are both horrible and fantastic in equal amounts. I had the window open between sets just to suck in as much cold, dense air as possible, and got pretty close to blowing chunks at one point. LOL! The burn is just SO deep. I tried to throw in some Walking lunges at the end, but I only made it through one low-rep set, as I simply couldn’t get back up. Success! Hamstrings were actually a bit sore from Friday, so I started off cautiously, but they warmed right up. Changed some of the rep counts up on calf work a bit, and I’ll be making a point of not walking on our ice-covered driveway or sidewalk today because of it.

 

Diet/Supps: For supplement truths and recommendations, see Jerry Brainum’s e-book, Natural Anabolics, available at www.JerryBrainum.com.

Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.

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Thursday, Jan. 2, ’14: Chest, Delts, Triceps

Good thing I planned ahead for yesterday, as it ended up being a day full of rest—including a 2-hour family nap in the middle of the day. I’m not going to lie; that felt great! The first workout of 2014 started on a high note today, though. Fresh snow on the ground, 3° outside, and like an icebox in the gym. Perfect!…

Cold Morning Workout

Chest: Decline parallel presses (4×10 + X Fade); Incline DB presses (4×10 + X Reps); DB flyes (3×30,20,15 + X Reps)
Delts: Lateral raises (4×10 + X Fade); DB upright rows (4×12 + X Reps); Incline one-arm laterals (3×30,20,15 + X Reps)
Triceps: DB kickbacks (4×12 + X Fade); Lying DB extensions (4×10 + X Reps); Overhead one-arm DB extensions (3×30,20,15 + X Reps) 

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

Summary: The day of rest was a good thing, as the the pump was off the charts this morning, and strength was up as well. Could simply be the New Year’s motivation levels, but I think it was a combination of that plus the day of rest and a sunny but cold start to the day. Either way, it’s starting off on a positive note, and a that’s always a good thing.

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Monday, Dec. 23, ’13: Chest, Delts, Triceps

Health is back, it’s 10° outside, AND there’s a few inches of snow on the ground.You know what that means, right? It means an outstanding workout with the gym window open. Okay, so maybe the window only stayed open for about 10 minutes, or at least until I could see my breath during a set, but it was definitely brisk and invigorating…

Chest: DB bench presses (3 x 10, 9, 8 + X Reps); Decline parallel presses (3 x 10, 9, 8 + X Fade)
Delts: DB presses (3 x 12, 9, 7 + X Reps); Laterals raises (3 x 12, 10, 8 + X Reps)
Triceps: Dips (3 x 10, 9, 7 + X Reps); Close-grip presses (3 x 10, 9, 7 + X Fade) 

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

This morning's view from The Midwest X-Rep Training Center. Brisk, baby!

This morning’s view from The Midwest X-Rep Training Center. Brisk, baby!

Summary: There really must be something in my Canadian blood that thrives in cold weather, as it’s tough for me to have a bad workout when it’s below freezing outside, and especially if there’s snow on the ground like there was this morning. Maybe I’m just channeling my inner child, but whatever it is, I like it. Doesn’t hurt that we’re guaranteed to have our first white Christmas as a family, as there’s no way this will all melt in the next couple of days. Excellent forecast and excellent workout. Plus, I’m already looking forward to an early-morning workout on Christmas day, just because the Midwest X-Rep Training Center never closes. LOL!

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Sunday Funday – In the Snow?

I was lucky enough to go to a testing day at Heartland Park a couple of weeks ago, and it was great!  Temperatures started in the mid-teens and rose to a balmy 20 degrees as the day went on.

I happened to have just installed brand-new high-performance all-season tires that I was anxious to test, as I’ve always been a summer tire fan – especially because most all-seasons have seemed useless from my experience in the past. [Read more…]

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Thursday, Dec. 5, ’13: Chest, Delts, Triceps (4X + TORQ)

Several factors led to a great workout this morning. I think the reintroduction of stretch position moves for the second half of the week made a big difference, but it was also really cold this morning with a light dusting of snow on the ground. That seems to be when I get my best workouts, so regardless of the 18° temperature outside, I cracked the window open and went at it with fury…

Chest: Decline parallel presses (4×10+ X Fade); Incline DB presses (4×10); DB flyes (3×30,20,15)
Delts: Lateral raises (4×10 + X Fade); DB upright rows (4×10 + X Reps); Incline one-arm laterals (3×30,20,15 + X Reps)
Triceps: DB kickbacks (4×12 + X Fade); Lying DB extensions (4×10 + X Reps); Overhead one-arm DB extensions (3×30,20,15 + X Reps) 

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

Summary: As I mentioned above, it was a truly great workout, and while a good part of that was likely due to the cold weather, bringing back the stretch position exercises on the 4X + TORQ day seems to have added to the pump signficantly.

The only change from the same workout last week was that I did Overhead one-arm DB extensions to finish triceps rather than the barbell version. I prefer the efficiency of the barbell, but dumbells seem to be a more focused exercise.

Looking forward to another cold-weather workout tomorrow morning.

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