6/20/09 - Leg Day

Today I felt a little nagging sensation in my legs. Something in me was just screaming "DO SOME FREAKING SQUATS!" after watching a couple of kids curl in the squat rack the other day.

So I proceeded to the squat rack, and loaded up the plates.

My workout Routine this time around focused mainly around the legs, and minimal cardio-vascular training today:

Leg Day:

Squats: 4 x 12, 10, 8, 6 (starting with a warm-up, then doing 60% my 1 rep max, 70%, 75%, 80%. Remember technique always wins!)

Dumbell Lunges: 3 x 12 (The knee should not go past your big toe, get a big stretch when your doing these)

Hack Squat: 4 x 10, 10, 8, 8 (Focus on technique, these will shape your outer quads)

Superset:

• Leg Extension: 4 x 12
• Leg Curls: 4 x 12

(Remember to not just lift these, but to "feel" your quads and hamstrings pull the weight around, there should be alot of burning in your legs at this point. Which is good! Lactic Acid build up means your putting in the effort and reaping the rewards!)

Seated Calve Raises: 4 x 20 (Heavy is the word here, your calves are designed to lift your weight all day, challenge it by going heavy)

There should be minimal rest between all sets, your heart should be pumping at a decent rate. Remember hard work and sweat is what always pays off!

Cardio:

Cardio today consisted of 15 mins at the punching bag.

6/18/09 - Chest/Back Day

Today I trained my chest and back. But how you might ask, why these are two major muscle groups!

The key here is supersets. Not only do supersets save valuable time and energy, but you are actually burning MORE calories this way, and these calories will compound with added cardio which will be explained later.

My training today took about 1 hour, and my sets included:

Superset: -Bench 3X10
-Barbell Row 3X8
(Tip: The Key here is to go straight to Barbell Row after bench, then take a 1 min rest)

Superset: -Dumbell Flys 3X12
-Bent Over Lateral Raises 3X12
(Tip: Focus more on technique, dont overload yourself with heavy weight)

-Pull-Ups 4 sets to failure (Failure means doing as many reps as possible per set)

-Cable Crossovers 3X15 (Again focus on technique)

-Pullovers 3X12 (These work your lats, and your serratus mucscles if done correctly)

Cardio: The supersets that you did earlier will put your body in the optimal zone to burn fat calories, think of them as mini sprints, they jumpstart your heartbeat, and your training heavy muscle groups. If your sweating alot after the end of your supersets your on the right track.

• My cardio included 15-20 minutes on the bike, keeping my RPM at around 80-90. If you can't do this then I recommend "sprinting" on the bike for intervals. This is basically you going all out for 3-5 minutes, resting for 1-2 minutes, repeat.
• I also did some Martial Arts training, which including practicing the basic techniques of karate, and Jujitsu, this took about 10 minutes. Key here is to not stop, and keeping your heartbeat at a steady pace, keep the punches and kicks rolling thru.

Last but not least STRETCH, not only does it prevent injuries you don't get muscle bound! Stretch each muscle group for a minute.