Bench Workout & The One Thing You MUST Do

I'm still planning out my next training phase, so things will change up next Monday. I'll give you the details when I have everything hammered out.

Here was today's training session:

1) Bench Press w/ Pause - 125x5, 135x3, 110x10

2a) Wide Grip Pull-up - Bodyweight x 6, w/ 10 lbs x 3, wide grip pulldown 100x12

2b) Standing DB Overhead Press - 35x6/5, 30x8 (I definitely prefer the one arm version of this exercise. It just feels better).

3a) Feet Elevated Inverted Row - 12/9/9

3b) Rolling DB Ext - 20x13/12

4) DB Curl - 25x6, 20x8

Short and sweet.

Today at The Fat Solutions I put up a post about The One Thing You MUST Do if you want your body to transform. It doesn't matter if you want to lose fat, get stronger, build muscle, run faster, or jump higher. You HAVE to do this.

Back to the Weights

I didn't post Friday's workout. I basically repeated Monday's workout but did more reps for each exercise. Instead of doing an upper body workout on Saturday, I just went for a walk at a near by park.

Today it was back to lifting weights. I felt great and was ready to go, but for some reason my body wasn't feeling the heavy deadlifts. Because of that I decided to do a few sets of rack pulls. It was an okay day, but not what I was wanting.

1) Rack Pull - 275x3, 285x1/1

2) Back Squat - 135x6/4, 115x10 (Haven't squatted in a while, so I wasn't surprised that I didn't do as well as I wanted)

3a) Pull Through - 150x2x15

3b) Hanging Leg Raises - 2x8

4) Advanced Burpees (burpee + push-up) 10/7/7 with 60 seconds rest between rounds.

Today's training session make me realize I need to do things differently. This week I'm going to come up with a new plan of action. We'll see how things turn out.

Make sure you check out my interview with Jason Ferruggia. He shares some excellent training information for men and women that you can apply to your training today.

You can find that here => Interview with the Renegade

I highly recommend you check out that interview. Jason even shares information on his new strength training program.

Upper Body Bodyweight Workout

Yesterday I planned on doing some bodyweight interval training, but since it was such a beautiful day I went for a nice long walk instead.

Today I did an upper body bodyweight workout, which was my second deload workout this week.

I must admit there was a time when I thought about doing nothing but bodyweight training. Well . . . that thought didn't last too long. While it's a great change of pace and allows me to train outside (which I love), I absolutely LOVE lifting heavy weight. Needless to say I'm looking forward to Monday so I can deadlift again.

1a) TRX Pull-ups -- 3 sets

1b) Modified Handstand Push-ups (feet on chair) -- 3 sets

2a) TRX Inverted Rows -- 4 sets

2b) Push-ups with different hand positions -- 4 sets

I can't speak highly enough about the TRX. It allows you to kick your bodyweight training up a notch and do some exercises you otherwise couldn't.

If you train at home or want to train outside in the beautiful Spring and Summer weather, I highly suggest you invest in a TRX. Check it out HERE.

Oh, and don't forget to check out yesterday's post over at The Fat Solutions. I share some "fun" gym stories. After reading it, make sure you share yours as well.

=> Training Mishaps

Deload Workout: Bodyweight Training

Today started my deload week. Since I only did bodyweight exercises for my lower body, I was able to do everything at home.

Before I share today's deload workout, I want to explain why I am using primarily bodyweight exercises for my deload work. There are a few reasons actually:

1) I want to keep the intensity low because the last three weeks have been filled with heavy singles and high intensity training. The bodyweight workouts give my joints, muscles, and central nervous system a much needed break from heavy lifting.

2) Variety. The majority of my exercises the past three weeks have been done with barbells and dumbbells. The bodyweight exercises provide a change of pace from my normal training.

3) Higher volume. While many beginners and intermediates would do better with a decrease in overall volume, my training volume has been (for me) relatively low the past few weeks, with a higher intensity. The bodyweight exercises allow me to train with a higher volume since the exercises I will use are lower in intensity (no jumping, etc).

These guidelines would not necessarily apply to everyone, but they work for me personally. If you train with primarily with dumbbells and barbells, try doing bodyweight exercises during your deload period.

Oh, and one more thing. Even though the following workout looks easy, I have to admit it was a little tougher than I thought it would be. I kept the rest periods low and moved at a brisk pace, which make things a little more challenging.

1) Bodyweight Box Squat - 3x20 Well I didn't so much squat to a box as I did to a step. The step was about 6 inches so I squatted well below parallel.

2a) High Step up - 3x16

2b) Sit-ups - I haven't done these in so long, but it was a good change of pace.

3a) Back Elevated Single Leg Hip Extension - 2x12

3b) Ab Wheel Rollout - 2x8

I was going to finish off today's bodyweight workout with some interval training. Instead I'm just going to go for a walk outside. ; )

That's it for today.

Upper Body Day

I'd by lying if I didn't say I'm glad this week is my deload week.

I finished up this training phase on Saturday with an upper body training session.

1) Speed Bench with 3 different grips - 80x10x3

2a) Incline Bench w/ Pause - 105x8, 95x11

2b) Chin-ups - w/ 15 pounds x 8, bodyweight x 11

3a) Seated BB Military - 85x7 (I could have gotten it one more time, but the bench was wobbling), 75x11

3b) Inverted Row - feet on step and 4 risers x13, 5 risers x12/10

4a) Lying DB Extension - 2 sets

4b) DB Hammer Curl - 2 sets

As I previously mentioned I am going to do primarily bodyweight exercises this week for my deload. I'll probably also include more walking and conditioning work.

I'm also going to take this time to plan the next phase of my training.

Speed Deadlifting

Today was a great reminder that I need to deload next week. Even though I did a thorough warm-up, my form and back just didn't feel quite right on the speed deadlifts.

1) Speed Sumo Deadlifts - 175x10x1

2) I was supposed to do Good Mornings next, but these just haven't felt right the past few weeks, and since my back was fatigued I skipped these entirely.

DB Bulgarian Split Squat - 25x2x10, 15x15

3a) Pull Thru - 150x2x10

3b) Face Pull - 85x2x12

4) Spread Eagle Sit-ups - 2 sets

I'm a little sore this morning but nothing too bad. Later today I'll rock out my dynamic upper body workout.

Since tomorrow is my deload week, I am going to do mostly bodyweight exercises. Also, I'll write up the next three weeks of my training with some modifications.

Conditioning Work: Burpees

I have a love/hate relationship with burpees.

They are fast and effective for improving my conditioning and keeping body fat in check or reducing it, they can be done anywhere, and they don't take much time at all to do - that part I love.

They also set my lungs on fire and make me want to collapse on the floor into a pile of goo - that part I don't love quite so much.

With that said, I did a quick burpee workout outside today because it's very sunny and warm. Getting outside and training is awesome. Highly recommended.

15 Burpees, Rest 60 seconds - 5 rounds

10 Burpees, Rest 60 seconds - 5 rounds

Fast. Effective.

My conditioning has gone down quite a bit because I haven't made it a priority like I have in the past. However, I'm going to perform two conditioning workouts per week and see if it has a negative impact on my strength gains. If so, I'll make adjustments from there.