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.