Upper Body Training & Sprints

Started off the morning walking around and then playing football with my dog.

1a) Press - 75 x 3 x 3, 65 x 8 Again, I took the weight down
1b) Various Grip Chins - a lot

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 4 x 7
2b) Various Grip Chins - a lot

3) Hill Sprints - 6 sprints

I really missed sprinting so I did them twice this week. I love running and my legs and hips feel great afterward, even into the next day.

After the training session I played some more football with my dog.

Just a reminder - the sale on Fat Loss Detour ends tomorrow. Don't miss it.

Happy New Year, everyone! Have a great weekend and be safe.

Squats & Sprints

Today's training session:

1) Squat - 115 x 3 x 4 I altered my stance a little and stopped once I just broke past parallel. I'm keeping the weight really light and focusing on my form. I suck at squatting, but I'm determined to change this. Deadlifting is still my main priority, so I'm going to work up slowly with my squat.

2a) Double Kettlebell Full Front Squat (one kettlebell in each hand held at shoulders) - 3 x 10

2b) Ab Wheel Rollout - 3 x 10

3) Hill Sprints - 6

I completed the entire workout in a little under 30 minutes, excluding warm-up.

I finished things up by playing some football with my dog. This consists mostly of me punting the football and her retrieving it. : )

There's a reason why I'm lowering my training weights and stopping my sets with a couple of reps "left in the tank".

Why???

Find out here => Check Your Ego

Floor Presses & Upper Body Stuff

First thing this morning I went for a 30 minute walk with a weight vest. I would estimate the weight I used to be about 15 pounds or so.

Then a few hours later I performed this upper body training session:

1) Floor Press - 95 x 8, 105 x 2 x 3 (105lbs, 2 sets, 3 reps each)

2a) Pushup w/ weight vest - 4 x 10
2b) TRX Inverted Row - 4 x 10

3a) TRX Triceps Extensions - 4 sets
3b) BB Curl - 4 sets

Great training session. Everything felt great.

Don't forget, Fat Loss Detour is on sale at a discounted price until January 1st, 2011.

Back to Training!

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! We had an EPIC time this weekend. : )

So last week I deloaded, which means I back in the swing of things this week.

I kept the weight down and focused on my form since I took last week easy.

1) Rack Pull - 255 x 2 x 5
2) Deadlift - 225 x 3, 185 x 7

3a) RDL - 135 x 3 x 10
3b) Hanging Knee Raises - 4 sets

Everything went great, and I LOVE training in my own garage gym.

By the way . . . Fat Loss Detour is on sale until January 1st, 2011. This is the first sale I have ever had since the debut last year. If you are curious about trying Fat Loss Detour, now is the time. CLICK HERE.

Merry Christmas!

So today was the last day of my deload week. Now it's time to finish baking and go hang out with the family.

Good food. Great company. I couldn't be happier. Oh, and definitely some football. ; )

Here's what I did a little while ago:

1) Deadlift - just did really light deadlifts 135 x 3 x 3

2a) Push Press - light sets of 5 reps
2b) Chins - 4 reps per set

3a) Parallel Bar Dips
3b) Chins

Kept everything light and easy.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Deload . . . Almost Done

So yesterday I just did an easy bodyweight workout. I considered going for a walk, but I wanted, and needed, a change of pace. So I did some jumps, pushups, etc. Nothing too strenuous, just enough to get the blood pumping and to get me moving.

Today I did a quick and easy lower body deload.

1) Snatch Jumps - sets of 5
2) Full Squat - sets of 5
3) Goblet Squat - 3 x 10

Quick and easy. I can tell my body needs the deload week, although I am quite ready for it to be over so I can start lifting heavy once again.

Make sure you check out Part 2 of my interview => The Best Exercises, Fat Loss and Cardio Myths.

Now I'm about to go house hunting once again. Probably the last time for the rest of this year.

Upper Body Deload

So, even though I have a new toy to play with, I still managed to make myself perform my scheduled deload workout.

1) Floor Press - just worked up to 85 x 2 x 5

2a) Pushups - 4x
2b) Inverted Rows - 4x

Quick and simple.

It's been a very busy day for me so far, and I'm still not done.

Have a great day!

My Awesome Gift!

First off, today started the first day of my deload week.

Here's what I did:

1) BB Snatch Jump - did a few sets of 5 reps
2) Deadlift - 135 x 5, 145 x 5, 155 x 5
3a) Trap Bar Deadlift - 3 sets
3b) Steep Decline Situp - 3 sets

Jump Rope Intervals to finish it off.

I just got done putting together my Christmas gift. It only took 2 hours. : )

If we're friends on Facebook, CLICK HERE to check it out. If we're not friends yet, go to http://facebook.com/niashanks.

Upper Body Training & The Dark Side of Cheat Days

Happy Friday, everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful week and have a fun and exciting weekend planned.

Here's what I did today:

1a) Push Press - worked up to 90 x 6
1b) Chins

2a) Press - 60 x 2 x 10, 55 x 2 x 10
2b) Chins - 80 total

3a) Close Grip Floor Press - 95 x 2 x 6, 85 x 10
3b) DB Curl - 15 x 3 x 11

Now head on over to my other website and check out The Dark Side of Cheat Days.

Squats & My Awesome Christmas Gift

Great training session today.

1) Full Squat - 115 x 6, 95 x 3 sets

2a) Back Extension - 45 lbs x 4 sets
2b) Hanging Knee Raise - 4 x 11

Short and sweet.

Now on to my AMAZING Christmas gift I got today.

I'll give you a hint . . . it weighs 300 pounds. : )

Today I got a 300 pound barbell set. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I get Part 2 of the Christmas gift on Monday. It too weighs almost 300 pounds. ; )

Upper Body Training & Diet Confusion

First, today's training session.

1) Floor Press - worked up to 105 x 7

2a) DB Bench - 4 x 10
2b) DB Row - 4 x 10

3a) DB Extensions - 3 x 11
3b) DB Hammer Curl - 3 x 11

The entire workout took about 40 minutes.

If there is one thing that confuses people more than anything else, it's nutrition. Head on over to my blog and check out Death to Diet Confusion. That should help make things simple and stress-free.

Got Deadlifts?

Oh yes, today was deadlift day.

1) Deadlift - 235 x 3

2) Trap Bar Deadlift - 195 x 4 x 10 (195lbs, 4 sets, 10 reps each)

3) Steep Decline Situp - 4 x 10

Short and sweet, but quite tough.

That's it for today. : )

Training & This Year's Beautiful Badass

First of all, head on over to my website and check out the Beautiful Badass of the Year.

Yep, she is AWESOME!

Now on to today's training session:

1a) Barbell Push Press - 85 x 7, 75 x 7 Once again I kept the weight a little lighter and focused on being explosive
1b) Chins - done before and between sets of push presses

2a) BB Press - 55 x 4 x 10
2b) More Chins - 72 total

3a) Close Grip Floor Press - 90 x 2 x 8, 85 x 10
3b) DB Curl - 3 sets

Great training session to end the week. : )

Squats & Posterior Chain Work

Hello and happy Thursday, everyone.

Wow. I have some exciting news that I really want to share, but it's going to have to wait. I'm still putting some loose ends together, and once everything is good to go, I'll tell you what it is.

Anyway, on to today's training session.

1) Full Squat - worked up to 115 x 2 x 5 (115lbs, 2 sets, 5 reps). Once again, I focused on each rep being fast and explosive. Yes, I know that's not a lot of weight, but squatting is not my strength - literally.

2a) 45 Degree Back Extension - 35 x 4 x 11
2b) Hanging Knee Raise - 4 x 11

I was in and out of the gym in about 50 minutes, and that included a warm-up.

Tomorrow I'm going to reveal This Year's Beautiful Badass. Don't miss it. : )

Upper Body Training

Happy Tuesday to everyone!

I just finished up a great upper body training session.

1a) Floor Press - 100 x 7, 90 x 7 Again, I focused on keeping the reps fast and explosive
1b) Chinups - 4 x 6 Again, each rep was explosive

2a) TRX Pushup - 4 x 10
2b) Inverted Row - 4 sets

3a) Lying DB Ext - 3 sets
3b) DB Hammer Curl - 3 sets

Tomorrow I'm going house hunting. : )

Let There Be Deadlifts

Judging by the title of this post, I'm sure you're able to figure out my training session from earlier today.

1) Deadlift - worked up to 225 x 7 Everything felt great
2) Trap Bar Deadlift - 190 x 4 x 10 (190 lbs, 4 sets, 10 reps each)
3) Steep Decline Weighted Situps - 4 x 10

That was it, but it was plenty. : )

Right now I'm making an awesome stew for tonight's dinner and getting some work done.

Tomorrow I'm going to reveal The Beautiful Badass of the Year. Don't miss it.

Presses and Chins

Today's training session was a great way to end the week, training wise. I had to train a little earlier today because I have plans later this afternoon.

1a) Press - worked up to 75 for 3 reps. My best press is 85 pounds for 6 reps, so you can tell that this set doesn't look impressive. However, I focused on keeping my reps as fast and smooth as possible.
1b) Chins - I performed sets of chins between each set of presses

2a) Press - 4 sets of 8-10 reps
2b) More Chins

3a) Close Grip Floor Press - 90 x 2 x 7 (90 lbs, 2 sets, 7 reps), 85 x 9
3b) DB Curl - 3 sets

Once again, I didn't eat before training because I wasn't hungry. My performance wasn't effected at all. And I am NOT telling you to train fasted. I'm just telling you what I'm doing.

I eat when I'm hungry. It's as simple as that.

Squats & Christmas Gift Ideas

First, today's training session. And then, some great Christmas gift ideas.

1) Full Squat - worked up to 115 x 5. Each rep was explosive and I stopped the set when my speed slowed down. Just doing this for something different.

2a) Back Extensions - 4 x 10
2b) Hanging Knee Raise - 4 x 10

Completed the entire workout in about 40 minutes.

Check out these Christmas Gift Ideas. There's all kinds of great ideas to get for the special people in your life, or to add to your personal wish list.

Floor Presses

So, I felt like doing something a little crazy today. Since the weather has gotten colder I have noticed that I don't get hungry in the morning. In fact, for the past couple of weeks I have been making my morning shakes much smaller, and they're even a struggle to finish since I'm not hungry at that time.

Today I didn't eat before training simply because I wasn't hungry and I wanted to see how my training session would be effected. Everything went fine and I felt excellent.

I'm not telling you this because I think you should train in a "fasted" state. I simply prefer to eat when I'm hungry, and since I wasn't hungry this morning, I didn't force myself to eat before training.

I know, I know. Dozens of people would tell me it's stupid to train when I haven't eaten in 14+ hours.

"You'll lose muscle"
"You'll put your body in a catabolic state"
"You'll throw off the rotation of the earth"

Look . . . I don't care anymore about all of these "rules" that people have to follow.

I wasn't hungry this morning so I chose not to eat. Big damn deal. If it affects my performance in any way, then I'll change things. But until then, I'm not concerned about training "in a fasted state".

Anyway, on to today's training session.

1a) Floor Press - worked up to 115 for 3 reps. I suck at floor presses so I figure I should work on them. It was an easy 3 reps but I focused on keeping my speed up for each rep -- no "grinding" out reps.
1b) Chins - I performed 3 chins between each set of floor presses. I performed each rep explosively and kept the volume low. I just did this for a little extra "volume" on chinups.

2a) TRX Pushups - 4 x 10
2b) Inverted Rows - 4 x 10

3a) Lying DB Extension - 3 x 10
3b) DB Hammer Curl - 3 x 10

Great training session.

Deadlifts and More Deadlifts

Happy Monday, everyone!

I got my week off to a great start with some deadlifts. : )

1) Deadlift - 215 x 7, 195 x 7

2) Trap Bar Deadlift - 185 x 4 x 10 (185 lbs, 4 sets, 10 reps each)

3) Steep Decline Situps - 4 x 10

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving weekend. Be on the lookout for a great blog post sharing some Christmas gifts ideas. I should have it up in the next day or two.

Quick Morning Workout

I did my workout earlier than usual today because I have plans this afternoon. No . . . I am NOT going shopping for Black Friday deals. In fact, I am avoiding those areas at all costs.

1) Trap Bar Deadlift - 4 x 8

2) RKC Plank - 3 sets

Quick workout but effective nonetheless.

I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!

Upper Body Training & Beautiful Badass-ness

First off, make sure you check out today's guest post at The Fat Solutions. You can check it out by CLICKING HERE.

There's some great stuff there along with 2 awesome Beautiful Badass videos. : )

Now on to today's training session.

1a) TRX Pushups - 4 x 10
1b) Inverted Rows - 4 sets

2a) 1 Arm DB Overhead Press - 3 sets
2b) Wide Grip Pulldown - 3 sets

3a) Close Gip Floor Press - 90 x 2 x 6, 85 x 2 x 8 (85 lbs, 2 sets, 8 reps each)
3b) DB Hammer Curl - 4 sets

That's all for today.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

Deadlifting

So . . . today's workout didn't go as well as I had hoped. Next week I am going to start performing deadlifts on Mondays. I want to do them first thing in the week while I'm as fresh as possible.

1) Deadlift - worked up to 255 for a single and then did a few more singles at 245 and 225

2) Good Morning - once again, I kept these on the lighter side and focused on my form 75 x 12, 85 x 2 x 10

3a) Leg Press - 2 sets
3b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 2 x 10

That was it for today.

Since the gym is closed on Thursday I'm going to perform my other upper body workout tomorrow.

Upper Body Training

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is in a few days!

I started today off with a brisk 30 minute walk outside.

Here is today's training session:

1a) Standing Press - 75 x 2 x 8 (75lbs, 2 sets, 8 reps each), 65 x 9/8
1b) Chinups - 55 total, 5 reps each set

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 4 x 8
2b) Inverted Row - 4 sets

3a) Lying DB Extension - 3 sets
3b) DB Curl - 3 sets

That was it for today. As you can tell I increased the volume by adding an extra set to the first 4 exercises (except for chins which were even more sets).

Tomorrow I deadlift. : )

Cleans, Zercher Squats & Good Mornings

First thing this morning I went for a 40 minute walk. These are a great way to start the day.

1) Power Clean - 95 x 2 x 3 (95lbs, 2 sets, 3 reps each), 100 x 5 x 3

2) Zercher Squats - 85 x 2 x 8, 70 x 10 I haven't don't these in a very long time but wanted to do something different as well as a lower body exercise that didn't load my spine.

3) Good Mornings - 75 x 3 x 10 Again, I haven't done these in a very long time. I kept the weight light and focused on my form because my hamstrings are still sore from Tuesday's training session.

4a) Hanging Leg Raise - 2 sets
4b) RKC Plank - 3 x 30 seconds

I learned about the RKC plank from my friend Brett Contreras. It's similar to a traditional plank except your elbows are further out infront of your head instead of directly under your shoulders. This makes it much more difficult. Make sure you squeeze your butt and abs really hard throughout the movement. If you can't hold a traditional plank for at least 60 seconds, I wouldn't try this on just yet.

Not quite sure yet what's going on this weeked, but I'm sure there will be some racquetball involved. : )

Have a wonderful weekend!

Pushups, Rows & More Upper Body Stuff

First off, if you haven't checked out the 2nd edition of Beautiful Badasses, you can do so HERE. And please feel free to send me some of your own videos for future BB editions.

First thing this morning I went for a 40 minute walk. It was about 40 degrees outside. I absolutely loved it. ; )

And today's strength training:

1a) TRX Pushups - 4 sets
1b) Inverted Rows w/ Palms Up Grip - 4 sets

TRX pushups are quickly becoming one of my favorite upper body exercises. Not only do they build a strong chest, shoulders, triceps, and core, but they are great for improving shoulder health. If you don't have a TRX, I highly suggest you get one or tell someone to get you one for Christmas. You can get them HERE.

2a) Standing 1 Arm DB Shoulder Press - 3 sets I stood with my feet very close together. This really hammered my abs.
2b) Pullups - 3 sets

3a) Close Grip Floor Press - 4 x 8 (4 sets, 8 reps each)
3b) DB Hammer Curl - 4 sets

As you can see I have increased the number of repetitions performed for each exercise as well as the overall volume. I'm switching things up for a while to see what happens.

More Beautiful Badasses

Head on over to The Fat Solutions and check out Beautiful Badasses 2nd Edition.

If you are a Beautiful Badass and want to get in on the fun, check out that post and you'll see how you can be in future BB editions.

Have a great day, everyone!

Sumo Deadlifts, RDLs & Leg Press

Today's training went well. Here's what went on a couple of hours ago.

1) Sumo Deadlift - worked up to 275 for 4 singles. I could have pulled more but didn't increase the weight since I haven't pulled sumo in well over a month or two.

2) RDL w/ 35lb plates for increased ROM - 175 x 10, 165 x 10, 155 x 12

3a) Leg Press - 3 sets 12-15 reps (I wanted to do something different, so I chose the leg press. Haven't done this in over a year but really enjoyed the change up)

3b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 2 x 10

3c) Steep Decline Situp - 2 sets

I'm doing a few things differently in my training. Namely using lighter weights (except for deadlifts) and performing different exercises. Hopefully this provides some good results.

Tonight I'll probably play racquetball and tomorrow is a recovery day - that means a nice walk outside.

Oh and one more note. I've increased my daily caloric intake in an effort to gain some muscle. We'll see how this turns out.

Back to Training

So, I deloaded last week.

I ran hill sprints 3 times last week and played some racquetball, but that was it. My body was in desperate need of rest and recovery.

But today I am back at it. : )

This morning I went for a 35 minute brisk walk to get the day started.

Here's what I just finished up at the gym:

1a) Standing BB Press - 80 x 7, 75 x 7, 65 x 8
1b) Chinups - Bodyweight + 10 lb x 7, bodyweight x 2 x 8 (bodyweight, 2 sets, 8 reps each)

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 3 x 8
2b) Inverted Row - 3 sets

3a) Bodyweight Extensions - 3 x 10
3b) DB Curl - 3 sets

I didn't feel incredibly strong today, but that's usually the case my first week back after a deload. Everything felt fine but I was just thankful to be lifting some weights again.

During this training phase I'm going to keep the weight a little lighter on every training day excepting when I deadlift. I really want to get my deadlift up as much as possible so I'm going to cut back on everything else to make sure that happens.

Tomorrow it's back to deadlifting.

Time to Deload

As much as I hate to do it, it's time for a deload week.

I won't lie. I hate deloading. I would love to train hard and heavy every week, forever. But, that simply can't happen without bad consequences.

It's been too long since my last deload, so this week I'm taking it easy.

Yesterday I did a very light and easy bodyweight upper body warm-up. Today and for the rest of the week, however, I think I'm going to ditch the gym all together and give my body a break from lifting. I haven't done that in months, if not more than a year.

So this week I'm going to run some hill sprints and play a lot of racquetball.

I'll keep you updated on what all I do this deload week.

It's only Tuesday and I'm already looking forward to next Monday so I can lift something HEAVY!

Meth & Training (Just Read On)

I'll tell you why the word "meth" is at the beginning of this post in a moment.

But first on to today's training session:

1) Speed Deadlift w/ 35lb Plates - 175 x 10 singles

2) Front Squat - 105 x 6, 85 x 12

3) Power Clean - 95 x 5 x 3 (95lbs, 5 sets, 3 reps each) I wanted a change of pace today so I decided to do some power cleans. It was fun, and that is just what I needed

4a) Hanging Leg Raise - 2 x 8
4b) Steep Decline Situp - 2 x 10

Tomorrow we're going to go hiking again.

To find out why I'm talking about meth, check out Meth. And Why People Don't Get Results.

A New Favorite Exercise

So, I have a new favorite exercise. Well, it's not entirely new because I've done it in the past, but just started doing it again a couple of weeks ago.

Suspended pushups. Since I've started performing these instead of barbell bench presses, my shoulders feel excellent and my lower back hasn't been as "touchy". If you've never done them before, I highly suggest you give them a try.

On to today's training session.

1a) TRX (suspended) Pushup - 3 x 7, 1 x 12
1b) Chest Supported Rows with Neutral Grip - 4 sets

2a) 1 Arm DB Overhead Press - 30 x 9, 25 x 11
2b) Wide Grip Pullups - 2 x 6

3a) Bodyweight Triceps Extensions - 2 x 11
3b) Fat Bar Curl - 2 sets

That workout took 40 minutes, not including warmups.

Voting & Deadlifting

First thing this morning I drove into town to vote. I hope you did as well. But, please, know who and what you are voting for. I am constantly amazed at how many people vote but don't have a damn clue what the people they vote for believe in and the direction they want to take their state and the country.

Vote. But vote SMART. Know your beliefs and values, and vote for the people who believe the same thing.

Anyway, that small rant is over. On to today's training.

1) Deadlift - 225 x 36 reps No, I didn't do all 36 reps at once. I did a series of triples, doubles, and singles until I got 36 reps. I wanted to do something different today, and this was just the ticket. : )

2) BB Shrug - 195 x 2 x 10

3a) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 2 sets
3b) Steep Decline Situps - 2 sets

Gym Observation:
In the gym this afternoon I saw some people that aren't usually there at that time. One guy was deadlifting 405 from a 4 inch deficit for reps. I was so impressed; not because of the weight he was using, but because I actually saw someone in the gym deadlifting besides me!

This guy lifts hard and HEAVY. And you know what, this guy looks way better than 99% of the guys I see in the gym every week. There's a lesson here - lifting heavy works.

Hiking & Training

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

We spent Saturday exploring a local state park and had a lot of fun hiking and enjoying a beautiful day out in the fresh air and sunshine. I highly recommend you explore your state parks as well. On Sunday we played frisbee golf and watched football. Great weekend.

Here's what I did a little while ago:

1a) Standing BB Press - 85 x 6/5, 75 x 9
1b) Weighted Chinups - 25 x 2 x 5 (bodyweight + 25 lbs, 2 sets, 5 reps each), bodyweight x 10

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 2 x 10
2b) Inverted Rows - 2 x 12

3a) Rope Pulldown - 2 sets
3b) DB Hammer Curl - 2 sets

Great training session, but I'll have to change up a few exercises next week.

Tomorrow I deadlift. And vote.

If you're an American, please remember to vote tomorrow. And please vote with intelligence.

Lower Body Training

I finished up my last training session of the week a little while ago.

1) Speed Deadlift w/ 35lb plates for greater ROM - 170 x 10 x 1 (10 singles)

2) Front Squat 105 x 3 x 5 (105 lbs, 3 sets, 5 reps each), 85 x 10 This was my first time doing front squats in months. I needed a change of pace from back squats.

3a) RDL w/ 35lb plates for greater ROM - 185 x 2 x 8
3b) Steep Decline Situps - 2 sets

This weekend we're going to explore a local state park and do some hiking and bouldering. Other than that, I also plan on spending some time at a local park playing frisbee golf and maybe throwing around the football.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Upper Body Training & Losing Weight Without Exercise

First things first - make sure you check out today's blog post at The Fat Solutions => Yes, You Can Lose Weight Without Exercising.

Now, on to today's training session.

1a) TRX Pushup - 3 x 6, 1 x 12 (I adjusted the height of the TRX to make the sets more or less challenging)

1b) Chest Supported Row - 4 sets

2a) 1 Arm DB Overhead Press - 2 sets

2b) Chinups - 2 sets

3a) TRX Extensions - 2 sets

3b) Fat Bar Curl - 2 sets

Afterwards, I played some racquetball.

Right now I'm enjoying training with slightly higher reps on my upper body training days. My lower back doesn't feel as fatigued and I'm enjoying the change of pace.

Tomorrow, I squat.

I Love Deadlifts : )

Oh Tuesdays. How I love them because I get to deadlift! ; )

Got this morning started off in an interesting way - thunderstorms and tornado warnings, and no electricity for a while.

Now on to today's training session:

1) Rack Pull from mid shin - 275 x 2 x 5 (275 lbs, 2 sets, 5 reps each)

2) Deadlift using 35lb plates for greater ROM - 215 x 8

3a) DB Shrug - 2 sets
3b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout/On Knees - 10/10, 10/10 (I did 10 negative ab wheel rollouts, rested a few seconds, and then did 10 rollouts from my knees, for 2 sets)

Working on a great new blog post that should be up tomorrow. Don't miss it.

Hiking, Football & Training

So this weekend we spent a lot of time outside. On Saturday we had a cookout at a local park, threw the football, and I spent some time playing with my nieces.

On Sunday we went hiking and then watched Tennessee whoop the Eagles. : )

Great weekend filled with family and fun.

Now on to today's training:

-40 minute walk this morning

And then I did this a few hours later:

1a) Standing Press - 85 x 6/5, 75 x 9

1b) Weighted Wide Grip Pullups - 10 x 2 x 6 (bodyweight + 10 lb plate, 2 sets, 6 reps each), bodyweight x 9

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 10/8

2b) Inverted Row - 12/10

3a) Rope Pulldown - 2 sets

3b) DB Hammer Curl - 2 sets

Tonight I'm going to play some racquetball.

No Results After Years of Training + Today's Training Session

I saw a guy at the gym today that I used to see practically everyday at a different gym five years ago.

This guy trains really hard every week and never misses a workout, and I know he eats really well. He busts his butt every time he's in the gym.

But . . . he looks exactly the same as he did 5 years ago. He hasn't gotten any bigger, and I don't know if he's gotten any stronger. Five years have passed, and he looks the exact same.

Now, he may be fine with this and he may not want to get any bigger. However, he has always trained with bodybuilding splits - a day for legs, chest, backs, arms, etc. He trains with a lot of volume and traditional bodybuilding techniques (drop sets, pre-fatigue, etc).

Here's the lesson - if he trained for strength and focused solely on big, compound movements, and decreased the volume, I guarantee he could add several pounds of muscle to his frame.

For the majority of the population, bodybuilding splits are worthless. Use total body workouts or upper/lower body splits. That's it.

Now on to today's training session.

1) Speed Deadlift with 35 lb plates (for greater ROM) - 165 x 10 x 1 (165 lbs, 10 singles)

2) Squat - 140 x 7, 155 x 2, 120 x 10

3) RDL w/ 35 lb plates - 185 x 8

4) Steep Decline Situps - 3 sets

Tonight I'm going to play racquetball, and tomorrow we're going to mess around at the local park playing basketball, soccer, football, and whatever else we can think of doing. : )

Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

A Little Change Up for Today's Upper Body Session

For yesterday's activity I went for a brisk 40 minute walk in the morning. I can't think of a better way to start the day than a nice walk in the beautiful Fall weather. Later on I washed and waxed my truck for a good 3.5 hours. That was more of a workout than I thought it would be.

Okay, so I changed things up a little for today's upper body training session. This is normally my bench day, but I'm taking a break from heavy bench presses for a while. Yes, I say that now, but I very well may change my mind in the next couple of weeks.

I'm trying to give my lower back a break during the week so I can go all-out on my deadlifts. Benching like a powerlifter (with an arch in your back) can make me feel beat up if I do it too heavy too many weeks in a row. My main concern right now is getting a bigger deadlift, so I'm willing to scale back on everything else to accomplish that goal.

So on that note, here's what I did today.

1a) TRX Pushup - 5 x 8 (5 sets, 8 reps each)

1b) Chest Supported Row - 5 sets

2a) TRX Extensions - 3 x 10

2b) Fat Bar Curl - 3 sets

This was a higher volume day than normal, but I wanted to give my body and joints a break from heavy lifting. I kept the pase quicker than normal, and really enjoyed that training session.

Afterwards I played a little racquetball, and I may end up playing again tonight.

Deadlifting in My New Vibrams

Here's the training session I finished up a little while ago.

1) Deadlift singles, 255 x 3 singles, 265 x 1

2) Rack Pull - 295 x 5, 275 x 6

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout/On Knees - 9/9, 9/9

Tough training session so I didn't do anything else afterwards.

Make sure you check out Calling All Beautiful Badasses.

More Pressing & Pullups

Oops.

I forgot to post yesterday's workout. I'll get to that in a second.

On Saturday we went to Garden of the Gods in Southern Illinois for some hiking and craziness. I wanted to be a little crazy and climb on some rocks and see how far I was willing to push myself. I didn't do anything too crazy, but had an amazing time. The weather was perfect and it was so beautiful there. I posted some pictures on my Facebook page.

That reminds me: are we friends on Facebook? If not, go HERE.

Here's what I did yesterday to kick of this training week.

1a) Standing BB Press - 90 x 4 x 3 (90 lbs, 4 sets, 3 reps each), 70 x 10

1b) Weighted Wide Grip Pullup - 10 x 2 x 5, bodyweight x 9, chinup bodyweight x 9

2) Rope Pushdown - 3 sets

After that I played some racquetball.

One more thing, make sure you check out Calling All Beautiful Badasses. I want YOUR videos or videos of a Beautiful Badass that you know.

Squats & Hiking

I forgot to post yesterday's training. Oops.

Here's what I did yesterday afternoon to finish up this weeks' training.

1) Squat - 140 x 6, 150 x 3, 120 x 8

2) RDL (I used 35lb plates for greater ROM) - 175 x 10

3) Steep Decline Situp - 20 lbs for 2 sets

After that, I played racquetball for a while.

Next week I'm going to add speed deadlifts back in on this day.

Okay, now I'm off to go hiking! ; ) Have a great weekend, everyone!

Vibrams, Bench Pressing & Racquetball

I got my first pair of Vibram FiveFingers yesterday. I absolutely love them and look forward to wearing them tomorrow when I do squats and RDLs. I highly recommend them.

On to today's training:

1a) Bench - 135 x 4 x 2 (135lbs, 4 sets, 2 reps each), 120 x 5, 115 x 8

1b) DB Row - 60 x 11, 65 x 7, 55 x 12

2) Fat Bar Curl - 3 sets

After that I played racquetball for 30 minutes. My mind was going crazy and I came up with some great topics for blog posts at The Fat Solutions. Stay tuned. : )

Deadlifting

1) Deadlift - worked up to 255 for 3 singles

2) Rack Pull - 285 x 2 x 6 (285 lbs, 2 sets, 6 reps each)

3a) BB Shrug - 190 x 2 x 12
3b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout/Rollout on Knees - 9/9, 8/8

After that I played racquetball for a while. Last week I think I did too much volume on the deadlifts. I'm going to cut down on the volume with my deadlifts, and probably my squats and see what happens.

Presses & Pull-ups

I had a wonderful weekend. On Saturday we played frisbee golf. I'm not really good at it, but it sure is fun. It's nice to get outside, enjoy the fresh air, get some sunshine, and enjoy a fun activity with excellent company.

Oh, and to make things better, the Titans whooped the Cowboys yesterday!

On to today's training.

First thing this morning - 30 minute brisk walk

Training:
1a) Standing Press - 90 x 3 x 3 (90 lbs, 3 sets, 3 reps each set)

1b) Wide Grip Pullups - 3 x 8, Chinups - 2 x 8

2) Cable Pressdown - 90 x 3 x 10

After that I played some racquetball.

I can tell a difference from cutting out the finishers from my training and instead going for brisk walks a few times each week in the morning and doing more fun activities. I'm enjoying the change for now. : )

FULL Squats & More

Another great day of training to end the week.

1) Squat - 140 x 2 x 4 (140lbs, 2 sets, 4 reps each), 120 x 6 I've been asked before how low I squat. Technically you could say I perform full squats; I got well below parallel. Why? Because stopping when my hips are just below my knees doesn't feel natural. Besides, I have the mobility to perform full squats, so the real question is "why not"?

2) RDL - I used 35lb plates for these to get a great range of motion - 145 x 12, 155 x 10

3) Steep Decline Weighted Situps - 2 sets

After that I tried to play a little racquetball. It's very tough to do after squats. : )

Oh, and for today's eating:
Meal 1 - Breakfast shake (similar to yesterday but I used frozen mixed berries this time)

Meal 2 (post workout) - cereal again; I wanted something quick and easy

Meal 3 - to be determined; I'm going out tonight and I'll probably get some salmon with steamed veggies. May not sound all that great, but I love it. Oh, and probably some coconut shrimp as well. ; )

Have a great weekend everyone!

Bench, Rows, & Curls

Yesterday I went for an easy 45 minute walk in the morning. Great way to recover from the heavy deadlifts I did the day before.

Here's what I did a little while ago:

1a) Bench Pin Press - 135 x 4/3 (135 lbs, 4 reps 1st set, 3 reps 2nd set), 140 x 1, 145 x 1

1b) DB Row - 60 x 2 x 10, 50 x 15

2a) Bench - 120 x 6, 115 x 7

2b) Fat Bar Curl - 3 sets

3) I did a few sets of singles with deadlifts with 135 pounds. Nothing tough or strenuous by any means; I was just working on my form.

After that I played racquetball for a little while. I am completely addicted to it. : )

As for what I ate yesterday:
Meal 1 - 3 scrambled Organic eggs, sliced tomato, grapes and a plum
Meal 2 - Banana with peanut butter and more grapes
Meal 3 - Veggie soup and some popcorn

Here's what I've had so far today:
Meal 1 - Fruit & spinach shake. This was made with mixed frozen fruit (peaches, mangoes, pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries), vanilla soy milk, a ripe banana, and a few handfuls of Organic spinach

Meal 2 - 2 bowls of frosted mini wheats with almond milk. So damn good.

Meal 3 - I haven't had it yet, but it will be the leftover veggie soup and probably some fruit

Tomorrow, I squat. : )

What I'm Eating, Heavy Rack Pulls & Other Stuff

Okay, once again I've been requested to post some meals I eat each day. So to kick it off, I'll share with you what I've had today and what I'm going to eat for dinner tonight.

First Meal - fruit & spinach shake: sounds kinda nasty, I know. But, I promise you can't taste the spinach. I started off with about a cup of vanilla soy milk, a cup or so of mixed frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries), and then I threw in a ripe banana and some more blueberries. I blended that really well and then I added several dashes of cinnamon and a couple large handfuls of organic spinach. Blend until smooth and enjoy. : )

Second Meal - generic frosted mini wheats with unsweetened almond milk. This has always been my favorite cereal so I still have it about twice a week, usually after my lower body training sessions.

Tonight's Dinner - I'm gonna make us some omelets with organic eggs (WHOLE eggs, not egg whites), potatoes, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes. I also like to add some salsa on top. Yummy goodness. If I'm still hungry after the omelet I'll eat some fruit; probably grapes or a plum.

As you can see I prefer to eat 3 meals each day, not the typical "5-6 small meals" that most fitness experts recommend.

Okay, so now you got a glimpse of what I eat, so let's get on to today's training session.

1) Rack Pulls just below the knees - 285 x 3 x 5 (285 lbs, 3 sets, 5 reps each set)

2) Deadlift - 225 x 8

3a) BB Shrug - 185 x 2 x 10

3b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout & Then Rollouts from Knees - 8-8, and 8-8. I performed 8 reps of negative ab wheel rollouts, rest a couple of seconds, and then performed 8 sets of rollouts from my knees. I did that twice.

After the training session I played a little bit a racquetball. I didn't have a whole lot of energy since I trained deadlifts.

Tomorrow is a much needed rest day. : )

Back to Training Hard & Heavy

After a deload week it felt great to get back to lifting hard and heavy.

Here's how I started off this week of training

First thing this morning: 30 minute brisk walk

This afternoon:
1a) Standing Pin Press starting with bar at nose level - 95 x 5/4 (95 lbs, 5 reps on the first set, 4 reps on the second set), 100 x 3 singles

1b) Pullups with various grips - 5 sets

2) Standing Press - 75 x 8/7

3) Cable Pressdown - 3 sets

Quick and tough workout. Afterward I played racquetball; that is one of my favorite activities lately.

Couple of Notes: I am not going to be performing any more finishers for a while (burpees, swings, etc). Instead I am going to go on brisk walks a few mornings per week and focus on more enjoyable physical activities like hiking, racquetball, pick up basketball, etc. You don't have to "exercise" to lose weight and improve your health. Find an activity you enjoy and do it!

Last Days of Deload Week

Okay, so today's training session was the last one for this deload week.

Thursday's Training Session:
1a) Parallel Bar Dips - 4 sets
1b) Inverted Rows - 4 sets

Those sets were done with bodyweight, and no where near failure.

Friday's Training Session:
1) Squat - 4 sets with light weight
2) Ab Wheel Rollouts - 2 easy sets

I'm ready to get back to lifting hard and heavy.

Have a great weekend!

Deload Week

As I told you last week, I am taking a deload week to recover from the last few weeks hard training.

Here's what I've done so far this week.

Monday
30 minute walk in the morning

1a) Standing 1 Arm DB Press - 4 easy sets
1b) Pullups - 4 sets 6 reps each

That was it.

Tuesday
1) RDL - 3 easy sets
2a) Reverse Lunge from 4 inch Step - 3 easy sets
2b) Decline situp - 3 easy sets

20 minute walk in the afternoon

Today
I just finished up a 35 minute walk

Like I said, it's a very easy week. I'm making sure my muscles, joints, and nervous system get a break from the hard and heavy lifting. Next week I'll be back at it in full swing, and hopefully stronger since I'm deloading this week.

Check out today's new post at The Fat Solutions => You Should NOT Train for Fat Loss.

Speed Deadlifts & Squats

Today's training session:

1) Speed Deadlift - 175 x 10 x 1 (175 lbs, 10 singles)

2) Squat - 135 x 5 x 5 (135 lbs, 5 sets, 5 reps)

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 27 total reps done over 5 sets

That may not look like a tough workout, but it definitely was. Especially the squats.

This weekend I'll be doing some fun stuff, and hopefully you will be too. Remember, you don't have to "exercise" to lose body fat and be healthy. Find a new activity (or an old one) and get into it.

Next week I won't be doing any heavy lifting and I'll be using some different exercises to serve as a "deload" week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bench Press & Rows

I finished up today's training session a couple of hours ago.

1a) Bench Pin Press from Middle Position - 145 x 5, 150 x 3

1b) DB Row - 60 x 3 x 8 (60 lbs, 3 sets, 8 reps each), 50 x 12

2) Bench Press - 125 x 2 x 5, 105 x 8

3) EZ Bar Curl - 3 sets

Oh, and check out this awesome Breakfast Shake Recipe. I had it again this morning. So delicious.

Next week I may omit the finishers I have been performing at the end of my workouts and instead focusing on more enjoyable activities like racquetball, tennis, frisbee, hiking, etc. I may also throw in a few morning and/or evening walks.

Tomorrow, I squat. : )

Last Two Training Days

I forgot to post yesterday's training session, so here it is:

1a) Standing Press from Pins (forehead height) - 102 x 2 x 3 (102 lbs, 2 sets, 3 reps each), 95 x 5,
Regular Standing Press - 87 x 3, 70 x 10

1b) Chins Various Grips - 6 sets

2) Cable Pressdown - 2 sets

3) DB Hang Snatch - 20 x 15/12/10 (20 lb DB, 15 reps 1st set, 12 reps 2nd set, 10 reps 3rd set)


And here is today's training session that I finished up a little while ago:

1) Sumo Rack Pull - 315 x 5/4 From this height the bar is a few inches below my kneecaps.

2) Sumo Deadlift - 255 x 6

3) Reverse Lunge from 4" Step - 75 x 8 reps each leg

4a) Hanging Leg Raise - 10/9
4b) Steep Decline Situps - 15/13

I'm going to continue to train very hard this week and then next week I'll take sort of a "deload" week. You'll see what I mean next week when I post my training.

Speed Deadlifts, Squats, & Rollouts

Something I have observed these past several weeks: by focusing my energy and efforts on a few basic exercises, I don't get worn out after a few weeks of training like I used to. Very interesting, and I love it.

Today's training to finish up the week:

1) Speed Deadlift - 170 x 10 x 1 (170 lbs, 10 sets, 1 rep each)

2) Squat - 130 x 5 x 5

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 5 x 5

Short and sweet. No conditioning work or finisher today, because I'm going to PLAY tonight and this weekend instead of exercise. : )

Bench Presses & Rows

Today's Training:

1a) Bench Pin Press - from chest 135 x 4/3, midrange - 145 x 4/3
1b) DB Row - 4 sets

2a) Bench - 115 x 10, 125 x 2
2b) EZ Bar Curl - 3 sets

3) 1 Arm DB Hang Snatch - 25 x 15

Check out yesterday's blog post at The Fat Solutions => Lose Fat & Improve Your Health by Playing, Not Exercising.

Trying a New Exercise

Deadlifts. I absolutely love them.

Here is what I finished up a little while ago:

1) Sumo Rack Pull - 305 x 2 x 5 (305 lbs, 2 sets, 5 reps each) This is my first time ever doing sumo rack pulls. I'm going to keep them in for a while and see what effect they have on my pull from the floor.

2) Sumo Deadlift - 265 x 4

3) DB Reverse Lunge - 25 lb DBs x 10 reps each leg

4a) Hanging Leg Raise - 2 x 9
4b) Steep Decline Situp - 2 x 14

Time to rest and recover.

Presses and Chins

Happy Monday to everyone!

Here's what I did a couple of hours ago.

1a) Standing Pin Press - from forehead 105 x 1, 100 x 3 x 3 (100 lbs, 3 sets, 3 reps each). Regular Press - 85 x 6, 70 x8

1b) Chinups - 10 lb plate 2 x 8, bodyweight x 10/8

2) Triceps Pushdown - 2 sets

3) Burpee - 3 x 15

Tomorrow, I deadlift. : )

Squats, Abs, and Swings

Okay, so I just finished up another great training session to end the week.

1) Speed Deadlift - 165 x 10 x 1 (165 lbs, 10 sets, 1 rep each) It's been a while since I've done speed deadlifts, but I wanted to add them back in to see if they help improve my deadlift

2) Squat - 125 x 5 x 5

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 5 x 5

4) Finisher: DB Swing - 40lb DB x 5 x 16 x 50 seconds rest (40 lb DB, 5 sets, 16 reps each, rest 50 seconds between sets)

Tomorrow I'll go for a walk or play tennis for some fun, light activity. After that, I'm going to take it easy, eat some great food, watch football, and spend time with excellent company.

Have a great weekend!

Bench Pressing

I started getting a cold last night, but despite that I still had a great training session. Even though you may not feel 100%, you can still have amazing workouts. I felt a little worn down on my way to the gym, but after my warm-up I felt really good. Sometimes you just need to get in the gym and do the work, whether you "feel like it" or not.

Today's training:

1a) Bench Press Pin Press (just above chest) - 130 x 5, 135 x 3. Pin Press (middle) - 145 x 2 x 3

1b) Chest Supported Row - 50 x 7, 40 x 10, 30 x 13/10

2a) Bench Press - 115 x 9/6

2b) EZ Bar Curl - 3 sets

3) Finisher: Advanced Burpees - 2 x 7

Speaking (or typing rather) of Advanced Burpees, check this out => The Best Fat Burning & Conditioning Exercise.

Upper & Lower Body Training

I didn't post yesterday's upper body training session, so here it is:

1a) Press from Pins (nose level) - 97 x 2 x 3 (97 lbs, 2 sets, 3 reps), 102 x 1, Regular press - 80 x 7, 65 x 12

1b) Weighted Chinups - 10 x 8/7/7/6

2) Cable Pressdown - 2 sets

3) Finisher: Advanced Burpees


And here is what I just finished up a little while ago:

1) Deadlift - worked up to 260 for a single. My form didn't feel all that great, so I stopped there

2) Rack Pull - 265 x 6, 275 x 2 x 5

3a) Hanging Leg Raise - 2 x 8
3b) Steep Decline Situp - 2 sets

4) Finisher: Advanced Burpees

I forgot how much I liked doing advanced burpees. They are very tough, but VERY effective for conditioning.

Got Squats?

Just finished up the last training session of this week.

1) Squat - 155 x 3 singles, 145 x 2 x4 (145 lbs, 2 sets, 4 reps each), 125 x 8, 115 x 10

2) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 9/8/7
In case you're wondering what this one looks like, here's Bret Contreras performing the exercise:

Great exercise, but very tough.

3) Finisher: DB Swing - 45 x 5 x 16 x 60 seconds rest (45 lb DB, 5 sets, 16 reps each, rest 60 seconds between sets)

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend!

Upper Body Training & The Ultimate Fat Burning Exercise

I just finished up my upper body training session.

1a) Bench Press - 127 x 5, 125 x 5, 135 x 1

1b) Chest Supported Row - 4 sets

2a) Pin Press - 135 x 5, 140 x 3

2b) EZ Bar Curl - 3 sets

3) Finisher: Advanced Burpees with Chinup This is my favorite fat burning and conditioning exercise. Here's an old demo video showing how to perform this exercise:



Great training session. Fast and effective.

Here's something else for you to check out: A Workout Plan for Those with Limited Time to Train

Today's Training: Deadlifts, Abs, and Bear Crawls

Last week I said I was going to organize my weekly training a little differently. That means this week I'll be training 4 times per week, performing my main lifts on separate days. My training still consists of 6 main exercises; I'm just spreading them out over 4 days instead of 3.

Here's what I just finished up.

1) Deadlift from 4 inch Deficit - singles: worked up to 255 for 3 singles

2) Rack Pull from below knee cap - 245 x 6, 255 x 2 x 6 (255 pounds, 2 sets, 6 reps each)

3) Decline Situps - 3 sets

4) Bear Crawl - 5 sets

Fast and effective.

Presses, Chinups & Burpees

Happy Monday everyone! I hope y'all had a great weekend. I spent part of mine in St. Louis at The Festival of Nations. We tried some great food from all over the globe. It was amazing.

Just got the week started off right with a great training session:

1a) Military Pin Press (nose level) - 95 x 2 x 3 (95 lbs, 2 sets, 3 reps each), 100 x 1

1b) Chinups - 40 reps total

2) Military Press - 85 x 4, 80 x 5, 65 x 10

3) Pressdowns - 2 sets

4) Finisher: Burpees - 6 x 10 x 40 seconds rest (6 sets, 10 reps each, 40 seconds rest between sets)

Tomorrow I deadlift. Speaking of deadlifts, check this out from last week => Super Deadlifts

Super Squat & Super Deadlifts

Just finished up another great training session to end the week.

1) Squat - 145 x 10 x 2 (145 pounds, 10 sets, 2 reps each)

2a) Chinups - 35 total reps

2b) Pin Squats - 115 x 3 x 4 (first time doing these; they were tough)

3) DB Swing - 45 x 5 x 15 x 60 sec (45 lb DB, 5 sets, 15 reps each, 60 seconds rest between sets)

Next week things are going to get shuffled around a little bit. I'll be doing the same exercises but I'm going to spread them out over 4 days instead of 3.

Make sure you check out today's post at The Fat Solutions. It's a great one => Super Deadlifts.

Presses & Rack Work

Another great training session this week. However, next week I'll have to change things around. My lower back and shoulders were sore from Monday's workout, so I didn't do as well as I should have on my overhead presses. I'll organize my training sessions better next week.

1a) Standing Press - 88 x 3, 83 x 4, Pin Press (forehead) - 95 x 2 x 3 (95 pounds, 2 sets, 3 reps each), Pin Press (chin) - 82 x 2 x 5, 75 x 7

1b) Chest Supported Row - 45 x 7, 50 x 5, 35 x 3 x 10

2) Fat Bar Curl - 3 sets

3) Finisher: 1 Arm DB Snatch - 30 lb DB, 30 total reps

Be sure to check out yesterday's blog post => Nutrition Tips for Weight Loss, Health, and Strength.

Today's Training - Deadlifts

I got this week off to a great start. The training session I just completed went very well.

1) Deadlifts - 245, 250 x 3 singles, 260 (I pulled singles for each of those), 215 x 8

2) Bench - 125 x 2 x 5 (125 pounds, 2 sets, 5 reps each)

3) Pin Press Chest Level - 125 x 2 x 3

4) Pin Press Mid Level - 135 x 2/3

5) Decline Situps - 3 sets

6) Finisher: Burpee - 5 x 12 x 50 seconds rest (5 sets, 12 reps each, 50 seconds rest between sets)

Next week I'll only do pin presses from one level to reduce the volume of the overall workout. I'll be experimenting with rack work (pin presses, etc) for a while and see how that helps improve my strength levels.

Super Squats

Today's training session included squats. Lots of squats. If you missed this post a while ago, check it out => Super Squats.

Here is today's training session:

1) Squat - 135 x 30 reps. I did a set of 8 followed by triples and doubles until I reached 30 total reps. These felt really good today.

2) Weighted Chin-ups - 30 x 2 x 4 (bodyweight + 30 pounds, 2 sets, 4 reps each), 15 x 6, bodyweight x 9

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollouts - 8/8/7

4) Finisher: DB Swing - 45 x 5 x 15 x 60 seconds rest (45 lb DB, 5 sets, 15 reps each, 60 seconds rest between sets)

Awesome week of training. : ) Now it's time to enjoy the wonderful weekend.

Presses, Rows & Snatches

Today's training session went incredibly well. I felt amazing and dominated every rep of every set.

1a) Standing Press - 87 x 2 x4 (87 pounds, 2 sets, 4 reps each) FYI: I used fractional plates like I talked about in this post => Progress: One Pound at a Time.

1b) Chest Supported row - 50 x 2 x 6, 40 x 2 x 10

2a) Standing Press from Pins - Chin level: 82 x 2 x 4; Forehead level: 90 x 2 x 3

2b) Fat Bar Curls - 3 sets

3) Finisher: 1 Arm DB Snatch - 30 lb DB, 29 total reps

Make sure you check out yesterday's blog post at The Fat Solutions => Random Strength Training Tips.

Time to rest up and get ready for squats on Friday.

Deadlifts, Dips, and Burpees

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed mine.

Today's training session went well, but my deadlift is still not where it should be.

1) Deadlift - 245 x 5 singles, 205 x 10

2) Weighted Parallel Bar Dips - 25 x 7, 35 x 3, 10 x 10

3) Decline Situps - 3 sets

4) Burpees - 5 x 12 x 50 (5 sets, 12 reps each, rest 50 seconds between sets) These set my lungs on fire.

That training session may look easy, but it definitely wasn't. That's the way I like it.

; )

Squats, Chins, and Swings

I finished this week's training with another excellent workout.

1) Squat - 135 for 24 reps. Now, unfortunately, I didn't do all 24 reps in a single set. I did 8 reps on the first set, then did 4 sets of 3 reps, and then finished with 4 singles. I wanted 30 total reps but felt a slight strain in my left quad, so I cut it short. Better to be smart and live to squat another day.

2) Weighted Chins - 25x6, 35x2, 10x8

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 8/8/6

4) DB Swings - 45x4x15 (45 lb DB, 4 sets, 15 reps each)

This weekend will be filled with rest, fun, and of course, food. : )

Have an excellent weekend, everyone!

Presses, Snatches, and Beautiful Badasses

I'm back to training 3 days per week. I'm using the same exercises as I was training twice a week. I just split them up into 3 different days so I have fewer exercises per session. This keeps my motivation high since I essentially only have 2 major exercises each day. Plus, I like being in the gym 3 days per week.

Here's what I just did:

1a) Standing Press - 85x5, 87x3 (I used fractional plates that I talk about in Progress: One Pound at a Time), 75x8

1b) Chest Supported Rows - 50x5, 45x8, 40x9 I switched from bent over BB rows to these because I don't want to overwork my lower back. It's still sore from Monday's deadlift session.

2) Standing Press from Pins - 80x2x4 (80 pounds, 2 sets, 4 reps each) This is my first time performing this exercise. I really want to bring up my overhead press, and I'm hoping this exercise will help out.

3) Finisher: 1 Arm DB Snatch - 30 pound DB, 28 total reps. I started out performing 4 reps with each side and then dropped down to 3 reps for each side.

Great training session. Tomorrow is definitely a rest day so I can prepare for Friday's squat session.

Check out yesterday's blog post at The Fat Solutions. It's all about Beautiful Badasses. Videos included. : )

Train hard. Eat smart. Get results.

Deadlifts, Burpees, and Boobs

You'll understand the "boobs" part of title of this post in a second . . .

Last week I was sort of M.I.A.. It was a wonderful week full of traveling, car shopping, having lots of fun, and eating great food.

Now things are back to normal and I kicked off the week with an excellent workout.

1) Sumo Deadlift - 285 - 5 singles
2) RDL - 185x12
3) Weighted Parallel Bar Dips - 25x6, 35x3, 10x9
4a) Decline Situps - 20x14, steep decline bodyweight x 20
4b) Fat Bar Curl - 2 sets
5) Finisher: Burpees - 4 x 12, rest 45 seconds between sets

Now for the "boobs" part of this post => My Breasts and Your Health. Check it out.

Squats, Squats, and More Squats

Today's training session involved squats. Lots of squats.

1) Squat - 165 x 2 singles, 155 x 4 singles, 110 x 20 (that 20 rep set was very tough). Next week I'll only perform 3 singles because the 6 singles I performed made the 20 rep set very, very tough.

2a) Weighted Parallel Bar Dips - 25x5, 10x9

2b) Bent Over BB Row - 120x6, 105x10

3a) Decline Situp - 2 sets

3b) Fat Bar Curls - 2 sets

4) 1 Arm DB Snatch - 30 x 5/4/3/2/1 I did this sort of as a "finisher". I performed 5 reps with each arm, then 4, then 3, etc with minimal rest.

Make sure you check out Progress: One Pound at a Time. In this post I explain how you can improve your strength, lose fat, and improve your body composition one pound at a time.

Hill Sprints & Books

I just got back from running hill sprints.

Today I ran the smaller hill at the park. "Smaller" in this case, however, do NOT mean easier. Since the hill is shorter, I had a shorter distance to walk down, and therefore less rest between sprints. I ran 10.

I can't speak highly enough about running hill sprints. In case you missed it a few weeks ago, I did a blog post about it at The Fat Solutions. Check it out here => Hill Sprints for Fast Fat Loss.

People ask me all the time what training books I read and recommend.

Well, the most recent two I read were Dinosaur Training and Strength, Muscle, and Power. Both are by Brooks Kubik. If you want a no non-sense approach to training, I highly recommend both of these books.

Have you read them? What do you think about them? Tell me in the comments section.

Back to Training

After a wonderful weekend it was time to hit the gym again today.

Well, everything but the deadlifts went really well. I'm going to have to change something up. And that something is probably going to be less volume on the deadlifts.

1) Deadlift - 255x1, 235 x 4 singles. Last week I pulled 255 for 4 reps, and pulling it for a single was a struggle today. That sucked.

2a) Standing Press - 85x5, 70x10
2b) Weighted Chinups - 20x6, bodyweight x 10

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 2 sets

4) Farmers Walk - 60 pound DBs, 4 trips

My strength was fine on all my lifts, except my deadlifts. I'll change things up next Monday.

More Hill Sprints

I knocked out today's hill sprint session early this morning, before the temperature reaches 100 degrees.

I did the sprints in the same manner as on Tuesday - moderate sprint up the hill, walk back down, and immediately sprint back up. Did that 8 times. Talk about working the lungs hard!

That's it for today, and now I'm looking forward to a nice, fun, relaxing weekend.

Eat smart. Train hard. Train heavy. Get results.

20 Rep Squats

I have been looking forward to today's training session for the past couple of days, and everything went very well.

1) Squat - 145x6, 105x20 Last week I did 95 for 20 reps, and should have only jumped up 5 pounds, but I felt good and decided to make a 10 pound jump this week. The weekly increases will be much smaller from here on out.

2a) Weight Parallel Bar Dips - 20x2x6 (20 pounds, 2 sets, 6 reps each), bodyweight x 12

2b) Bent Over BB Row - 115x2x6, 100x12

3a) Decline Situps - 3 sets
3b) Fat Bar Curl - 2 sets

Great training session. Time to eat, rest, and recover.

On the menu for tomorrow: hill sprints.

Make sure you check out today's post at The Fat Solutions => Lift Heavy. Get Strong(er) and Look Better. If everyone (men AND women) would apply this information, they would get incredible results. Guaranteed.

Hill Sprints

Yesterday I ran hill sprints, but I did them a little different than usual.

For the past few months I would run the hill sprints focusing on speed, and taking as much time as I felt I needed to be mostly recovered for the next sprint.

Well, since my main focus right now is increasing my deadlift and squat, I am backing down the intensity on my hill sprints.

Yesterday I sprinted up the hill at a moderate speed, walked back down, and then immediately sprinted back up. I did this 8 times. Not sure if it really matters, but the hill I run is quite steep, so I walk down in a zig-zag pattern to take some of the stress off my knees. Just thought you might like to know that. ; )

I'm running the hill sprints right now for a few reasons:

1) I like training outdoors, getting some fresh air and sunshine

2) They're challenging, which I like

3) I want to keep my heart and lungs strong.

As much as I love lifting weights, I want to also make sure my cardiovascular system is healthy and strong. Hill sprints are great for that.

Today I'll rest up and prepare for tomorrow's workout.

Deadlifts, Presses, and Chins

I had a great weekend. I played tennis (if you can really call what we did "tennis") and enjoyed the summertime sunshine.

Today's training session went incredibly well.

Here's what I did:

1) Deadlift - 255x4 (all time PR; before this it was 250x3), 230x5, 195 on 4" step x 8

2a) Military Press - 85x5/4, 70x9

2b) Weighted Chin-ups - 15x2x6 (bodyweight + 15 pounds, 2 sets, 6 reps), bodyweight x 9

3) Farmers Walk - 60 pounds dumbbells - I did a few trips with these and my forearms are still screaming

Great training session.

Make sure you check out today's post at The Fat Solutions => And Then There Was One.

Squats, Dips, and Barbell Rows

Today's training session went incredibly well.

Along with the recent change in my training, I am also training in the middle of the day like I used to months ago. I have noticed that when I train in the early evening I have problems falling asleep. My training partner, on the other hand, trains better in the evening and falls asleep without any problems. This is just a difference between us.

After a thorough warm-up, here's what I did:

1) Squat - 145x2x5 (145 pounds, 2 sets, 5 reps), 95x20 (I haven't done high rep squats in a long time, and those were very tough).

2a) Weighted Parallel Bar Dips - 20x2x5, bodyweight x 11

2b) Bent Over BB Row - 110x2x7, 95x12

3a) Decline Situps - 3 sets

3b) Fat Bar Curls - 3 sets

The whole workout took about 45 minutes, excluding the warm-up.

Hill Sprints in the Hot Summer

This morning I went to the nearby park and ran 8 hill sprints up the large hill. This time I sprinted the hill at a more moderate pace, but I kept the rest period between sprints shorter.

Good times in the hot Summer sun. : )

I mentioned in my last post about my new training program. Well, make sure you check out today's post at The Fat Solutions => High Intensive Training.

I share a little more about what I experienced with my previous training program.

Walking the Line of Overtraining

Well, I got dangerously close to overtraining over the past few weeks, which I'm sure is because I was using too much volume combined with intensive training. (I'll talk more about this soon). I got a nice little cold last week, and my strength was completely zapped. It was tough just to walk up stairs, and my legs felt heavy and bodyweight movements were difficult.

So, that means it's time for a change.

I didn't train from last Thursday to yesterday, which gave me 5 days off.

I'm going to try something different. The one thing I have been learning a lot about over the past year is how my body is reacting and responding to training. Since I'm stronger and now an advanced lifter, I have to do things differently than I did when I was a novice and intermediate trainee. What I could get away with then, I can't get away with now without quickly burning out.

Here is how my current training program is going to look. I'll admit, this could change if I absolutely hate it and/or don't progress on my main lifts.

Monday: Workout A (deadlifts, military, chins, etc)
Tuesday: Sprints
Wednesday: Off (easy walk)
Thursday: Workout B (squats, dips, rows, etc)
Friday: Sprints
Saturday: Sprints or fun activity
Sunday: Off

That obviously means I'm only going to be lifting weights twice a week. I'm hoping this produces good results because I don't feel like my body can fully recover from three hard weight workouts per week.

With that in mind, I had to perform yesterday's workout today because of a family issue that was far more important than training.

Today's workout:
1) Deadlift - 225x4, 195x5 (I haven't deadlifted in a couple of weeks, and so I eased back into it today)

2a) Military Press - 80x2x5 (80 pounds, 2 sets, 5 reps), 70x8
2b) Weighted Chins - 10x2x6, bodyweight x 8

3a) DB Bench - 40x8, 35x8
3b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 3x6

4) Cable Pressdown - 80x10, 70x10

The deadlifts felt heavy considering 225 is probably a 12 RM for me, but I assumed the weights would be down after not pulling for a couple of weeks, and after getting over being sick.

Other than that every other lift felt good. I expect a much better workout next Monday.

As for my eating today:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled Organic eggs (organic eggs are not only better for you, they taste better to), sweet peas, fresh local grown tomato, and watermelon. Yes, it was a random meal, but very tasty. : )

Post workout: fruit and kale shake - frozen mixed berries, frozen blueberries, banana, some fresh pineapple, pea and rice protein, and a few kale leaves. Yummy goodness. And then I had a bowl of frosted mini wheats with almond milk.

Tonight's dinner: I haven't eaten it yet, but I made vegan Louisiana Red Beans and Rice.

More Hill Sprints & Upper Body Workout

Yesterday was an excellent day, training, eating, and everything else.

AM Conditioning:
Hill Sprints - ran the large hill at about 70% intensity 7 times

I much prefer to run hill sprints on an empty stomach. Having run hill sprints the night before reaffirmed that fact. : )

PM Strength Training:
1a) Floor Press - 110x3x5 (110 pound, 3 sets, 5 reps)
1b) Weight Chinups - 10x3x5 (bodyweight + 10 pounds)

2a) Weighted pushups - 25x2x10, 15x3x10
2b) Bent Over BB Rows - 100x3x10, 95x2x10

After that I did a few sets of curls and triceps extensions.

Okay, as far as what I ate yesterday:

Morning after sprints - fruit and spinach/kale shake: mixed frozen berries, mango, blueberries, banana, spinach and kale. I also ate some scrambled eggs.

Afternoon - same shake that I had in the morning and some cashews and almonds. It's definitely time to go to the store. : )

Dinner post workout - leftover Jamacian Picadillo and frosted mini wheats with almond milk. Yummy goodness.

This morning I went for an easy 45 minute walk.

Training is going very well. I'm getting stronger which is the goal, so everything is working just fine.

Hill Sprints

Yesterday I ran hill sprints. It was quite tough because it was very hot and humid outside, and there was absolutely no cloud coverage. That was probably the closest I've come to puking while training.

Hill Sprints - Large Hill 6 times

If you want more information on hill sprints, check this out => Hill Sprints for Fast Fat Loss

As far as what I ate yesterday:

Breakfast - fruit and spinach/kale shake: frozen mixed berries, fresh pineapple, banana, pea protein powder, and spinach and kale. I also had a handful of cashews

Lunch - this was completely random: strawberries, grapes, plum, peas and corn

Dinner - Jamacian Picadillo, grapes, and some cashews

Today I'll run some hill sprints again this morning, and then I train upper body tonight.

Squats and Deadlifts

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend. I had a great time hanging out with the family and enjoying some good food.

I was going to run hill sprints this morning, but since I stayed up later than usual last night I decided to go for an easy 60 minute walk instead. I'll do the hill sprints tomorrow.

Today's workout went very well:

1) Squats - 135x5x3 (135 pounds, 5 sets, 3 reps), 115x5 I kept the weight lighter than usual because I'm running hills 3 times per week, and I'm really focusing on my form and speed.

2) Deadlifts on 4 Inch Step - 155x2x10, 145x10, 135x2x10 Nothing too crazy here. Just did lighter weight with a higher volume for a change of pace.

3) Hanging Leg Raises - 4 sets

I'll go ahead and share what I ate today too.

Morning meal after walk -- fruit and spinach shake: frozen mixed berries, fresh pineapple, banana, a scoop of pea protein powder, and a couple large hand fulls of fresh spinach. Tasted awesome. I promise you can't even taste the spinach.

Afternoon -- two bananas, fresh strawberries and blueberries, handful of cashews

Dinner after workout -- Jamacian Picadillo (I might post this recipe soon) This is made with various spices, blackeye peas, brown rice, tomatoes, red bell pepper, jalapeno, green peas, almonds, onions, and raisins. It sounds weird, but it's delicious.

I also had a small bowl of frosted mini wheats with almond milk, simply because I'm addicted to it.

That was it for today. Time to rest up, enjoy the evening with my baby and my dog, and get ready for hill sprints tomorrow. : )

Military, Chins, and Dips

Yesterday was an overall wonderful training day. The deload week did was it was supposed to.

AM Conditioning:
Hill Sprints - 6 sprints. I ran the large hill at the park

PM Strength Training:
1a) Chinups - 43 total reps
1b) Military Press - 75x3x5 (75 pounds, 3 sets, 5 reps), 65x2x9

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 4x8
2b) DB Row - 65x10, 60x12

Quick workout, but I got a lot accomplished.

Today I'll run hill sprints again and take tomorrow off.

It's been suggested that I also post what I eat on a daily basis. Is that something you want to know about? Just tell me in the comments section.

Deadlifts & Squats

So today was day two of my new program.

This morning I went for a 40 minute walk in the sunny summer morning. The main reason I am going for walks a few times a week is because I spend a lot of time sitting down at the computer, and I feel better when I move around as much as possible.

Tonight's workout:

1) Deadlift - 245x5, 225x5

2) Squats - 5 sets of 10 reps, 95 pounds (kept the weight fairly light and focused on my form)

3a) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 3x6 (3 sets, 6 reps each)
3b) Situp - 3 sets

Fast workout.

I have a feeling I'm going to be a little sore tomorrow. I'll go for another walk in the morning to get some blood flowing to my legs, and just for some extra movement.

New Program

Last week I didn't even train on Friday because I felt that I would recover better if I just took one day completely off from training. It definitely helped because yesterday's training session went very well.

AM Conditioning:
Hill Sprints - 10 total.

I ran the smaller hill at the park, and I ran at about 80-85% of what I could sprint. I also used my new cleats for the first time. If you run hill sprints, cleats are your best friend.

PM Strength Training:
1a) Floor Press - 105 x 3 x 5 (105 pounds, 3 sets, 5 reps each) I suck at floor presses, so I'm going to stick with them for a while and see if it helps my bench press. It was probably an 8 or 9 rep max, but I'm focusing on exploding through each rep.

1b) Chinups - 3 easy sets

2a) Weighted Pushups - 5 sets
2b) Deadstop BB Bent Over Rows - 95x5x10

3a) DB Triceps Extension - 15x12/10/10
3b) DB Curl - 20x10/8/8

The workout got done in about 45 minutes. I'm going to keep all my training sessions within a 30-45 minute range and no more. That does not include warm-ups.

Check out today's blog post at The Fat Solutions => How to Have More Energy and Sleep Better.

Deload Time

On Tuesday I went for a 45 minute walk, and did the same thing yesterday morning.

Last night I did an easy deload workout with some very light deadlifts and squats. I may take tomorrow off entirely and prepare for a new program on Monday.

Until then I'll just go on some walks and I will probably do so some very light sprint work tomorrow just so I can do something.

I have neglected my deloads lately because I get too stubborn. That has to stop.

I'll have a new program planned out for Monday.

Hill Sprints and Upper Body

Friday's workout didn't go so well, so I didn't even bother to post it here. Just one of those days where nothing felt good. It happens.

Yesterday's workout, however, was much better.

AM Conditioning:
Hill Sprints - 5 total - I ran the big hill at a nearby park

PM Strength Training:
1a) Standing Military - 80 x 2 sets x 5 reps, 70x8, 65x9
1b) Mixed Grip Pullup - 4x7

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 3x10
2b) TRX Inverted Row - 13/12/12

3a) Dead Stop EZ Bar Extension - 50x2x8, 40x10
3b) DB Curl - 25x2x8, 20x10

I may change things up very soon. I'll keep you updated.

Don't forget to check out today's blog post: Getting Lean, Staying Lean, and Supplements

Hill Sprints, Upper Body Workout, and More Hill Sprints

I just realized that I forgot to post Wednesday's workout. Oops. ; )

Wednesday's AM Conditioning Session:
Hill Sprints - 11 sprints in 18:12 (the high humidity made these very tough)

PM Strength Training Session:
1a) BB Incline Bench - 110x4, 100x8, 90x12
1b) DB Row - 65x2x9, 60x13

2a) Chinup - 32 total reps
2b) Seated DB Overhead Press - 35x9/8, 30x11

I took yesterday off completely and I already got in today's conditioning session: hill sprints - 11 sprints in 17:12. Still very humid, but I did better today.

Make sure you check out today's blog post over at The Fat Solutions.com => Strength Train the Mind.

Deadlifts

After a nice weekend off from training, I was anticipating a great workout last night.

And thankfully that's what happened.

1a) Deadlift - 255x2x3, 225x6, 205x8
1b) Bar Pressdown - 105x9, 100x10, 90x15

2a) BB High Step Up - 50x2x10, 40x13
2b) BB Curl - 60x2x6, 50x11
2c) Lying Leg Raise w/ Hip Thrust - 3x20

Today I'm going to do a workout outside with kettlebell swings and bodyweight exercises. Fresh air and sunlight are great things. ; )

Make sure you check out today's post => Super Squats.

Hill Sprints & Upper Body Training

I didn't post this workout on Friday because I went out of town for the weekend. I had an amazing time and ate some great food, including coconut milk ice cream for the first time. Absolutely delicious.

Here is Friday's workout.

AM Conditioning Session:
Hill Sprints - 10 sprints in 13:12

PM Strength Training:
1a) Medium Grip Pullup - 10 pounds added x 2 x 6, bodyweight x 9/7
1b) BB Push Press - 95x7, 85x2x10

2a) 1 Arm TRX Inverted Row - 12/9/9
2b) Parallel Bar Dips - 3x10

3) 1 Arm Plank - 2x35 seconds, weighted plank - 45lbs x 30 seconds

Today's training session -- deadlifts. : )

Swings & Squats

If you haven't checked it out already, take a look at my latest post over at The Fat Solutions: Hill Sprints for Fast Fat Loss.

Now on to yesterday's workout.

AM Conditioning:
KB Swing w/ 35lb kettlebell - 6x25, rest 30 seconds between rounds

PM Strength Training:
1a) Squat - 155x5, 135x8, 115x15
1b) Dead Stop EZ Bar Triceps Extension - 45x3x12

2a) 1 Leg Back Extension - 25x2x12
2b) EZ Bar Curl - 55x2x7, 45x10

3) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 2x7

Today I'm going to do a quick outdoor workout. Not sure what yet, but I'll let you know.

Hill Sprints & Upper Body Workout

Over the weekend I finally decided to tackle a huge hill and run some sprints. Get more information about that here => Hill Sprints for Fast Fat Loss.

Now on to yesterday's training session.

AM Conditioning:
Hill Sprints - 10 sprints in 14:10 (shaved off 37 seconds from last time)

Yes, I know a couple of weeks ago I said I was going to do my conditioning work on non-lifting days, but I actually prefer to do it in the morning sometimes.

PM Strength Training:
1a) Bench Press - 135x4, 130x5, 115x10
1b) DB Row - 60x12, 65x8, 60x12

2a) Seated DB Overhead Press - 35x2x8, 30x10
2b) Chinup - 9/8/8 + 2 (on the last set I performed 8 reps, rested 20 seconds and then performed 2 more reps)

3) Weighted Plank - 25lb x 45 seconds, 45lb x 25 seconds

If I do anything today it will be a light jump rope workout.

Tomorrow is squat day. : )

Deadlift PR

Today's training session went very well. What a great way to start the weekend! ; )

1a) Sumo Deadlift - 285x2x3 (10 pound PR from last week), 245x6, 225x10
1b) Bar Pushdown - 100x2x12, 90x16

2a) BB High Step Up - 40x12, 50x2x10
2b) BB Curl - 55x2x10, 45x13

3a) Lying Leg Raise w/ Hip Thrust - 2x15
3b) SB Crunch - 10x2x15

Everything felt great and I set PRs on every exercise. My hips are starting to feel a little beat up, so I'm going to switch to conventional deadlifts for a few weeks.

Right now I'm planning on tackling a large hill tomorrow for some sprints. If I do, I'll be sure to get a video.

Also, be sure to check out today's blog post, Crazy Weight Loss Diets. Baby food, anyone? Anyone?

Conditioning, Upper Body Workout, and Reach

Yesterday was an excellent day overall. My training session also went very well, and then we followed that up with a great dinner - vegetarian stuffed peppers. Absolutely delicious.

Not only did I have a great training session yesterday, but my training partner did too. She performed two bodyweight chin-ups for the first time! I knew she could get one, but I was really impressed when she busted out two. : )

Also last night I measured my reach. I am 5'6", which is 66 inches tall. My reach is 68.5 inches. That explains why my upper body strength isn't as great as my lower body. But having such long arms definitely helps in the deadlift, so it's all good.

Anyway, here is yesterday's workout.

AM Conditioning Session:
1a) KB Swing 35lb - 4x20
1b) Burpees - 4x12
Rest 90 seconds between sets

PM Strength Training:
1a) Medium Grip Pullup - 10 pounds added x 6, bodyweight x 9/8
1b) Barbell Clean and Press - 95x2x6, 85x9

2a) Weighted Pushup - 35x9, 25x12/10
2b) Palms Up Inverted Row - 10x12, 15x2x8, bodyweightx13

3) 1 Arm Plank - 2x30 seconds

Make sure you check out Are You an Outsider? over at The Fat Solutions.

Lower Body Workout

Luckily I was able to find a gym nearby yesterday that was open. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a nice place to train. They had everything I needed: a power rack, barbells, and dumbbells.

1a) Squat - 155x2x4, 145x6, 135x6
1b) DB Hammer Curl - 25x7, 20x2x12

2a) Rack Pull - 275x3, 255x5, 235x8
2b) Behind the head cable extension - 80x10, 70x2x12

3a) 1 Leg Back Extension - 20x2x10
3b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 2x6
3c) Hanging Leg Raise - 2x10

Today I'm going to do some interval training with kettlebell snatches.

Sumo Deadlifts

Yesterday's training session went really well.

AM Conditioning:
Jump Rope - 16 minutes

PM Strength Training:
1a) Sumo Deadlift - 275x2x3 (all time 3 rep PR), 245x5, 225x8

Note: I made damn sure that my feet were set perfectly this time. : )

1b) Bar Pushdown - 105x2x10, 95x12

2a) Reverse Lunge Front Squat Grip - 80x10, 70x12
2b) BB Curl - 55x2x9

3) SB Situp - 20x2x12

The volume was lower yesterday, and I didn't perform another posterior chain exercise like I normally do. Right now I'm playing around with lower volume workouts to see how that works.

Tomorrow I bench press with all the other meat heads.

Hill Sprints & Upper Body Training

Well, last week I said I was going to do my interval training on non-lifting days, but that's not what happened yesterday.

AM Conditioning Session:
Hill Sprints - 10x

The reason I did my interval/conditioning work yesterday morning about 6 hours before my strength training session was because I was scheduled to do an upper body session that evening. I'll probably do my conditioning work in the AM on days I train my upper body in the PM.

PM Strength Training Session:
1a) Medium Grip Pullup - 3x8
1b) BB Hang Clean and Press - 95x2x5 (all time PR), 85x8

2a) Weighted Pushup - 35x8, 25x10, 20x12
2b) Supinated (Palms Up) Inverted Row - 10x2x10, bodyweight x 14

3) Ab Wheel Rollout - 2x13

Today I'm going to spend some time with the jump rope. I'll either jump rope for 15 minutes or perform intervals with the jump rope.

Tomorrow . . . I deadlift.

Oh, and make sure you check out my new blog post at The Fat Solutions => Focus on Food Quality.

Training with My Mom

Today has been an amazing day. Yesterday I celebrated my 25th birthday with my family, and my Mom made an amazing dinner for me. It was perfect.

Today I got a nice surprise of getting to train with my Mom -- we haven't done this in several months.

She may get mad at me for saying this, but she turned 50 last month. That woman puts women and men half her age to absolute shame. She is damn strong and is incredibly hard working. Not to mention every time we go out people ask if we're sisters. : ) I love my Mom, and training with her today was a great treat.

Here's what I did a little while ago:

1a) Squats - 155x3x3 (new PR), 145x5, 130x9
1b) Cable Behind Head Extensions - 80x10, 75x10, 70x12

2a) BB Reverse Lunge - 85x2x10
2b) DB Hammer Curl - 25x2x10, 20x12

3a) Back Extensions - 70x2x12
3b) Hanging Leg Raises - 2x15

Excellent training day, and I was very pleased with my squats.

Conditioning, Bench, and Snatches

As I mentioned previously, I am performing my conditioning/interval workouts on non-lifting days.

Tuesday's Conditioning Workout:
1a) 1 Arm Kettlebell Swings - 5x20
1b) Burpees - 5x12
Rest 2 minutes between supersets

Yesterday's training session wasn't great. I started to gas out in the middle. I think I'm still recovering from Monday's 315 Deadlift PR. : )

And here is yesterday's workout:

AM Session:
Jump Rope x 15 minutes - nothing too tough; just wanted to get my blood moving

PM Strength Training Session:
1a) Bench Press - 135x3, 125x5, 115x8
1b) 1 Arm DB Row - 55x11, 60x8, 55x11

2a) 1 Arm Standing DB Overhead Press - 35x2x6, 30x10
2b) Pullup (I really gassed out on these) - 8/7/4

And finally . . .

This Mornings Conditioning Session:
1 Arm KB Snatch - 4x12, rest 75 seconds between sets

Tomorrow is squat day.

I Deadlifted 315!

Before I get to the 315 deadlift . . .

I mentioned last week that I was going to perform my interval training on non-lifting days. I'm going to do just that this week.

Here's yesterday's training session:

AM Conditioning:
Jump Rope 15 minutes -- this wasn't too tough but I wanted to do something

PM Strength Training Session:
1a) Sumo Deadlift - 315x1 (Check out the video and get the details here => My Road to a 315 Deadlift), 275x1, 215x10
1b) Bar Pushdown - 110x8, 100x12/10

2a) Reverse Lunge with Front Squat Grip - 75x2x10
2b) BB Curl - 50x10, 55x8/7

3a) Glute Bridge (I always get strange looks from this one) - 210x2x10
3b) SB Situp - 20x2x10

I finally deadlifted 315! You can watch the video HERE.

Upper Body Workout & Suicide Sprints

I didn't do my AM Conditioning session again today. Next week I'll probably do my conditioning workouts on my non-lifting days. That's the plan for now, but things could change.

Upper Body Strength Training Session:
1a) Weighted Chinup - 45x1, 35x2, 25x4, 10x8, bodyweight x 9
1b) Standing Military Press - 95x1, 85x6, 75x8, 65x10

2a) Weighted Inverted Row - 15x2x8, 5x12
2b) Weighted Pushups - 30x10, 35x6, 15x12

I was supposed to do an abdominal exercise but I decided to do suicide sprints instead.

Conditioning:
Suicide Sprints to 4 Lines - Rest 3 minutes, 2 sets total

Those were friggin ' brutal! I haven't run suicide sprints in a long time, and those thoroughly kicked my butt. After that workout I tore up some vegetable fajitas. ; )

Make sure you check out today's post at The Fat Solutions => Nutrition, Squats, and Weird Looks.

Have a great weekend.

Jump Rope & Squats

On Tuesday I jumped rope for 15 minutes. If you've never consistently used a jump rope for conditioning and fat loss workouts, I can't recommend it enough.

Yesterday I skipped the AM Conditioning session because I wanted to be fresh for squats.

Lower Body Strength Training Session:
1a) Squat - 155x1, 165x1, 175x1, 180x1 (all time PR!), 145x5, 130x8
1b) EZ Bar Extension - 40x12, 45x2x8

2a) Reverse Lunge off 4 Inch Step - 80x2x10
2b) DB Hammer Curl - 25x2x9

3a) Back Extension - 65x2x12
3b) Hanging Leg Raise - 15/12

Everything went very well yesterday, and I set several PRs.

Today I'll probably do some advanced burpee intervals.

Conditioning & Upper Body Training

Initially I planned on running hill sprints yesterday morning, but the rain changed that plan.

AM Conditioning Session:
1a) 1 Arm KB Swings - 4 x 20 each arm
1b) Burpees - 4 x 12

I did those back-to-back and rested for 2 minutes after each round. Once again - fast and effective.

PM Strength Training Session:
1a) Bench Press - 145x2x1, 130x4, 125x4, 105x12
1b) 1 Arm DB Row - 55x10, 60x7, 50x12

2a) Standing 1 Arm DB Overhead Press Neutral Grip - 30x10, 35x5, 30x10
2b) Medium Grip Pullup - 8/7/7

3) Band Resisted Ab Wheel Rollouts - 2x8

Everything felt great yesterday and I am making it a priority to finish my workouts (excluding warm-ups) within 50 minutes.

Make sure you check out Interview with The Glute Guy - Bret shares some excellent information when it comes to training and activating the glutes, along with some other great stuff.

Deadlifts

Yesterday's training session went well. However, I skipped the AM Conditioning session again.

1a) Deadlift - 265x1, 275x1, 245x3, 225x5, 195x10
Note: something I find interesting is that my performance with deadlifts on a 4 inch platform is consistently better than deadlifts on the floor. Must be a leverage thing . . .
1b) Triceps Pressdown - 100x12/10, 90x2x12

2a) Reverse Lunge w/ Front Squat Grip - 75x2x8
2b) BB Curl - 45x12, 50x8/7

3a) BB Glute Bridge w/ Back Elevated - 205x2x10
3b) SB Crunch - 15x2x13

The workout took 45 minutes, excluding warm-up.

For the next few weeks I am tweaking my program:
1) Decreased volume on lower body days - I am doing this because I want to continue perfoming sprints. Also, I'm going to focus on quality not quantity.
2) No more wave loading - I experimented with wave loading for the last few weeks, but I will no longer be using teh 5/1/5/1 wave load scheme.
3) Keep up the conditioning work - I may tweak things a little to keep fatigue in check. I'll give more details next week.

Hill sprints tomorrow . . .

Have a great weekend!

Hill Sprints & Upper Body Training Session

Today's workouts went well, but it's time to change things up a bit.

AM Conditioning Session:
Hill Sprints - 8 sprints in 14:28

PM Strength Training Session:
1a) Chinup with added weight - 25x5, 45x1, 27.5x5, 45x1
1b) Standing Military - 80x5, 95x1, 85x5, 95x1
I completely forgot to do my last high rep set for each exercise.

2a) Inverted Row with added weight - 10x11/10, Bodyweight x 15
2b) Weighted Pushups - 20x12, 30x8, 10x13

3a) Cable Abs - 110x20, 120x15
3b) Calf Weight with weight belt - 65x12, 85x8

That was it for today. I'm going to change up the first superset for each training day. Instead of using that wave load scheme, I'm going to do something different. I'll probably start out with heavy doubles or singles because I want to use the heaviest weight possible for those sets since I'm trying to increase my strength. After doing tough sets of 5 I know I'm not using the heaviest weights possible for the singles.

Lower Body Squat Session

I did some traveling over the weekend, and so I was trying to get back into the groove yesterday. Because of that I didn't do my usual AM Conditioning Session. I'll get back on track with that tomorrow.

Here's yesterday's strength training session:

1a) Squat - 140x5, 170x1, 145x5, 170x1, 125x11
1b) Rope Pushdowns - 65x12/11, 60x11, 55x14

2a) BB Reverse Lunge off Step - 75x10, 80x6
2b) DB Cross Body Hammer Curl - 25x9/8, 20x12

3a) Back Extension - 60x2x12
3b) Hanging Leg Raise - 13/12

Make sure you check out The Grain Debate over at The Fat Solutions. If you're one of the many people who is confused about eating grains and other starchy carbs, this should help you out.

Train hard, eat smart.