Don’t you love it when everything just feels right in the gym. It was a great workout and I had extreme focus. And that was with staying up too late last night. Maybe I need less sleep, not more? Nah, I’ll call it a fluke… [Read more…]
Chest, Lats, Tris, Abs (fat-burning furnace)
Late start today despite waking up plenty early. Real life always gets in the way. LOL! I refused to skip or condense, so that meant limited rest periods and a whole lot of heavy breathing. Just what the fat-burning furnace ordered…
Chest: Incline presses (2×15,10 + X Reps); Incline flyes (1×15 + X Reps); Dips–rest-pause (2×12(8) + X Reps); DB flyes–double drop (1×12(10)(6) + X Reps)
Lats: Chins (1×12 + X Reps); Undergrip chins (1×10 + X Reps); Pullovers (1×10 + X Reps) ss Undergrip rows (1×12); Undergrip rows–stage (1×10)
Triceps: Lying extensions (2×15,10 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (2×10,8 + X Reps) ss Bench dips (2×12,9 + X Reps)
Abs: Kneeups (1×18) ss Full-range crunches (1×25 + X Fade) ss Planks (1×60 sec) ss Bench V-ups (1×15 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the X-Rep Mass-Detail Workout in the Ultimate Mass Workout e-book.
Summary: Rest periods were minimal because I got started so late. No appointments to get to, but I didn’t want my training time to get in the way of work for the rest of the day. It was great! Sure, my lungs were on fire, but it was a good fire, and it burned in every bodypart, too. Aside from the very short rest periods, there were only a couple of slight changes: went back to Incline flyes simply for the sake of saving time, all ab exercises were done back-to-back rather than having a rest before Bench V-ups. I’ll probably stick with that, as it seemed more efficient and felt pretty darn good.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Chest, Lats, Triceps, Abs
I feel like I should purposely have a bad workout just so I don’t sound like a broken record, but today wasn’t the day for that. It was another great one. The tension times are a bit longer than prescribed in UMW, and the rest periods are shorter, too, but that seems to make it an even more ideal routine for me right now…
Chest: Incline presses (2×15,10 + X Reps); One-arm leaning flyes (1×15 + X Reps); Dips–rest-pause (2×12(8) + X Reps); DB flyes–double drop (1×12(10)(6) + X Reps)
Lats: Chins (1×12 + X Reps); Undergrip chins (1×10 + X Reps); Pullovers (1×10 + X Reps) ss Undergrip rows (1×12); Undergrip rows–stage (1×10)
Triceps: Lying extensions (2×15,10 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (2×10,8 + X Reps) ss Bench dips (2×12,9 + X Reps)
Abs: Kneeups (1×18) ss Full-range crunches (1×25 + X Fade) ss Planks (1×60 sec); Bench V-ups (1×15 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the X-Rep Mass-Detail Workout in the Ultimate Mass Workout e-book.
Summary: My training partner (5-year old son) didn’t show up in time, so it was all-solo training today. In reality, that means more focus and less rest, so it’s a good thing, but I know he’ll be upset that I didn’t wake him up. Rather than Incline flyes, I tried to mimic cable work by doing One-arm leaning flyes. By simply holding on to a support beam in the gym and keeping my non-working-side foot against the beam, I can lean far enough out to do one-arm flyes, and the unique angle creates a pretty incredible upper-pec contraction at the top. Great feel! Everything else remained about the same. It’s a great workload combo that leads to a pretty incredible upper-body pump, especially with the residual soreness from yesterday’s workout.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Chest, Lats, Tris, Abs
Made it through the first full round of the new 3-day split (over 5 days) and couldn’t be happier. Sore everywhere, but not crippling, so no need to hold back on anything. I can’t even remember the last time I did the full UMW X-Rep split, but now I remember why I liked it so much the first time – especially now with slightly higher reps for longer tension times…
Chest: Incline presses (2×15,10 + X Reps); Incline flyes (1×10 + X Reps); Dips–drop set (2×12(8) + X Reps); DB flyes–drop set (1×12(10)(6) + X Reps)
Lats: Chins (1×12 + X Reps); Undergrip chins (1×10 + X Reps); Pullovers (1×10 + X Reps) ss Undergrip rows (1×10); Undergrip rows–stage (1×9)
Triceps: Lying extensions (2×15,10 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (2×10,8 + X Reps) ss Bench dips (2×10,8 + X Reps)
Abs: Kneeups (1×15) ss Full-range crunches (1×25 + X Fade) ss Planks (1×60 sec); Bench V-ups (1×15 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the X-Rep Mass-Detail Workout in the Ultimate Mass Workout e-book.
Summary: Very happy with the new routine, and the split with this volume seems to be ideal at the moment. Mind you, it’s been a whopping 4 days, so I’ll keep tabs on my recovery, but I don’t sense their being any issues. I might have to sneak back to super-early training, however, as my 5-year old son has been my training partner this week. He’s mostly ended up working in a coloring book next to me between his “sets,” but today he decide to start practicing on his drums. Let’s just say it was loud and not exactly idea for focus. Of course, the workout was pretty incredible, too, so maybe it was a good thing? LOL
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Chest, Lats, Tris, Abs (UMW)
Sometimes you wake up feeling great and want to shake things up a bit, so that’s what I did today by bringing back UMW. I was still loving the Size Surge split with TORQ and 4X mixed in, but sometimes it’s best to make changes before things get stale…
Chest: Incline presses (2×15,10 + X Reps); Incline flyes (1×10 + X Reps); Dips–drop set (1×15(10) + X Reps); DB flyes–drop set(1×12(10)(6) + X Reps)
Lats: Chins (1×12 + X Reps); Undergrip chins (1×10 + X Reps); Pullovers (1×10 + X Reps) ss Undergrip rows (1×10); Undergrip rows–stage (1×9)
Triceps: Lying extensions (2×15,10 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (2×12,8 + X Reps) ss Bench dips (2×10,8 + X Reps)
Abs: Kneeups (1×15) ss Full-range crunches (1×25 + X Fade) ss Planks (1×60 sec); Bench V-ups (1×15 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the X-Rep Mass-Detail Workout in the Ultimate Mass Workout e-book.
Summary: I had the intent of continuing with the SS split plus TORQ/4X, but the 2-day split over 5 days would mean minimal rest between bodyparts on a regular basis. Plus, while the workouts weren’t long, I wanted to put more concentration into my leg work, which has been combined with chest and tris for several months. I flashed back to the incredible progress I made on our original X-Rep routine from the UMW e-book, and figured that would be perfect. There are a few changes here and there based on the minimal equipment I have, and the reps are higher than what we did in UMW, but just as a meanst to keep tension times a bit longer. Plus, I’m also continuing with the 45 seconds of rest between sets and exercises. Made for an absolutely incredible workout, and I’m looking forward to seeing how things progress over the next several weeks.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Legs, Chest, Tris (back-to-back training)
First back-to-back training days in a while, but I think I need it. Partially because it just keeps me motivated, but also because I find I concentrate better through the day on training days versus off days. I’m debating on whether I’ll go 5 days in a row, or if I might take Wednesdays as a cardio day. We’ll see…
Quads: Squats (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Sissy squats (2×12,10 + X Reps)
Hamstrings: Stiff-legged deadlifts (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Leg curls (2×15,12 + X Reps)
Calves: Donkey calf raises (3×50,40,30 + X Reps); One-legged calf raises (3×15,12,8 + X Reps)
Chest: Incline DB presses (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); DB flyes (2×15,12 + X Reps)
Triceps: Lying extensions (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (1×12 + X Reps); Bench dips (1×12 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the Phase 2 workout in the Size Surge Workout e-book plus TORQ sequences from the 4X Mass Workout 2.0 e-book.
Summary: With the anticipation of less recovery time between workouts, I dropped the volume very slightly, but tried to increase the tension times a bit more. Except for calves where I increased both – they need it. I also made my Lying extensions much stricter for triceps, and it had a profound effect on my reps for the subsequent sets. Prooves that I’ve probably been cheating myself a bit there. Overall, it felt great to have back-to-back training days, and I’ll decide in the morning if I should go 5 days in a row, or take tomorrow as a cardio day.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Legs, Chest, Triceps (birthday blast!)
Friday the 13th AND birthday blast training… What a frightening combination. Actually turned out to be a great workout, and I didn’t even feel (that) bad about my family greeting me with cake immediately after. LOL! I had an ample dose of protein, and the chocolate-on-chocolate cake spiked my insulin for a beneficial hormone boost, I’m sure…
Quads: Squats (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Sissy squats (3×10 + X Reps)
Hamstrings: Stiff-legged deadlifts (3×15 + X Reps); Leg curls (3×15 + X Reps)
Calves: Donkey calf raises (3×50,40,30 + X Reps); One-legged calf raises (3×12,10,8 + X Reps)
Chest: Incline DB presses (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Incline DB flyes (1×12 + X Reps); DB Bench presses (2×20,15 + X Reps); DB flyes (1×12 + X Reps)
Triceps: Lying extensions (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (1×15 + X Reps); Bench dips (2×15 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the Phase 2 workout in the Size Surge Workout e-book plus TORQ sequences from the 4X Mass Workout 2.0 e-book.
Summary: How could it not be a great workout when I woke up alive on my birthday? That’s always a great way to start another year, and the workout echoed that. Legs are still shaking, and chest and tris are still pumped – no doubt from the post-workout cake consumption. You simply don’t say “no” to a 5-year old boy when he’s standing in front of you with a birthday cake and lit candles, though. Now to enjoy the pump, get some work done, and enjoy the day.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Legs, Chest, Triceps (no mo’ snow)
What an incredible weekend! It’s all relative, I know, as a weekend like this one would be considered almost cold in summer, but considering there was “no mo’ snow” on the ground from the last snowfall 4 days ago, mid-60s and sunny was pretty darn nice. The only bad thing is that the hot and humid summer is that much closer, and so is yard duty. LOL…
Quads: Squats (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Sissy squats (3×10 + X Reps)
Hamstrings: Leg curls (3×30,20,1 + X Reps); Stiff-legged deadlifts (3×10 + X Reps)
Calves: Donkey calf raises (3×50,40,30 + X Reps); One-legged calf raises (2×15 + X Reps)
Chest: Incline DB presses (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Incline DB flyes (1×12 + X Reps); DB Bench presses (1×20 + X Reps); DB flyes (1×12 + X Reps)
Triceps: Lying extensions (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (1×15 + X Reps); Bench dips (1×15 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the Phase 2 workout in the Size Surge Workout e-book plus TORQ sequences from the 4X Mass Workout 2.0 e-book.
Summary: We actually spent most of the weekend outside, got plenty of springtime yard prep done, and lots of play time with the boy. A long-sleeve shirt was bordeline uncomfortable, and lots of people were out in shorts. Spring is in the air! That means that mornings are still cool (which I love for training) and fresh air is abundant, so the motivation is kicking into ultra high gear. Great workout because of it, and I’ve felt that legs are getting a good workout, but not quite enough workload, so I bumped up the volume a bit, and both quads and hams were on fire as a result. Chest was on swole patrol, too. Amazing what decent weather can do for your overall sense of well being. That’s the beauty of having real seasons, and a huge part of the reason we relocated. Love it!
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Legs, Chest, Triceps (germ season)
Still a bit sick, and was feeling pretty terrible yesterday morning. Felt OK by the evening, though, and better today than yesterday. Seems to be germ season, or I know have new level of allergies I’ve never dealt with before. I still blame the little kids – they’re everywhere. LOL…
Quads: Squats (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Sissy squats (1×15 + X Reps)
Hamstrings: Stiff-legged deadlifts (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Leg curls (1×15 + X Reps)
Calves: Donkey calf raises (3×50,40,30 + X Reps); One-legged calf raises (1×15 + X Reps)
Chest: Incline DB presses (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Incline DB flyes (1×12 + X Reps); DB Bench presses (1×20 + X Reps); DB flyes (1×12 + X Reps)
Triceps: Lying extensions (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); Overhead extensions (1×115 + X Reps)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the Phase 2 workout in the Size Surge Workout e-book plus TORQ sequences from the 4X Mass Workout 2.0 e-book.
Summary: Today was a good training session, but it was hard work. It always is, but not usually this hard. I had a nice dose of nasal discharge running down my throat on leg work, and high-rep squats are nauseating enough on their own. Needless to say, it was a great ab workout, too, as I went into major dry heaves after every set. It was almost funny. Almost. Felt much better once I finished legs and moved on to chest, though. Good pump and great burn. Plus, I’ve further increased tension times by adding X Reps back in at the end of most final sets.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
Legs, Chest, Triceps (Snowtime Training)
Saturday morning snowtime training session. Good times! Finally some snow again to cover our ugly brown lawn. I can handle the snow, as it’s a good excuse for outdoor fun, but I’ve had about enough of the cold-with-no-snow parts of this winter. Moving on…
Quads: Squats (3×30,20,15); Sissy squats (1×15 + X Reps)
Hamstrings: Stiff-legged deadlifts (3×30,20,15); Leg curls (1×18)
Calves: Donkey calf raises (3×50,40,30 + X Reps); One-legged calf raises (1×15 + X Reps)
Chest: Incline DB presses (3×30,20,15 + X Reps); DB flyes (1×12 + X Reps)
Triceps: Lying extensions (3×30,20,15); Bench dips (1×18)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the Phase 2 workout in the Size Surge Workout e-book plus TORQ sequences from the 4X Mass Workout 2.0 e-book.
Summary: It was a good workout overall. Heck, I was able to do squats for the first time in a couple of months, it seems. I was in slow-mo, however, and not sure why. Could’ve been because it was Saturday morning and I didn’t feel rushed, or maybe it was just the 30,20,15 sequence on squats. The more I think about it, that might have been it. LOL! Those burned like crazy, but felt incredible. My lungs had trouble keeping up, though. Pump was great across all bodyparts, and you can see I decreased the chest work a bit. Lower pecs have been responding fine, but uppers are looking flat again, so this an attempt at focus more than anything else. Now, time to see if there’s enough snow on the ground to try and keep up with my 5-year old boy.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
