Archive for June, 2009

Legs

Weigh In:
175.2

Squats
135×8
185×6
185×6

Seated Leg Curls
140×8
140×8
140×8

Standing Calf Raises
160×8
180×8
200×8

Super Horizontal Calf
180×8
180×8
180×8

Linear Leg Press
215×8
265×6
(ran out of time)

Notes

Ran short of time because I had to make it to the dining hall before it closed.

Back/Bicep

Weigh In:
176.6

Dead lifts
135×8
155×6
135×8

Low Row
120×8
120×8
120×8

Hyper Extensions/Side Extensions
25×8
25×8
25×8

Alternate Hammer Curl
30×8
30×8
30×6

Lat Pulldown
105 x 8
105×8
105×8

Preacher Curl
55×8
55×8
55×5

Bent over Barbell Row
70×8
70×8
70×8

Notes

Ready to get back in the gym from a month long break - can’t wait to get back to where I used to be.

Complete Workout Guide

Shoulders - Deltoid

Deltoid Information

The Deltoid is a three-headed muscle that covers the shoulder.

The three heads of the Deltoid are the Anterior, Lateral, and Posterior.

All three Deltoid heads attach to the humerus. The Anterior and Lateral heads originate on the collar bone, while the Posterior head originates on the scapula.

The Anterior Delt contributes to many Pec-related movement, e.g. bench press. The Lateral Delt is most active in dedicated lateral movements. The Posterior Delt is often activated in back exercises that involve the Teres Major and Rhomboid muscles.

You should do exercises to work out all three heads of the deltoids muscle, each one is important to the overall growth and strength of the deltoid muscle as a whole.  Working out your deltoids is critical if you wish to get broad shoulders, and eventually the prized v-taper shaped body that many men seek. You can broaden your shoulders slowly over time by increasing the size of the deltoid muscles.

Deltoid Workout and Exercises

Training the deltoid muscles is critical if you wish to broaden your shoulders.  It is vital to familiarize yourself with the anatomy of the deltoid, as well as learn exercises that work out each head of the deltoid as to gain full benefits from your time in the gym.

• The Front (or anterior) deltoid is used in all pressing movements, such as the bench press, and can be trained adequately without any isolation movements. However for isolation front dumbbell raises are the most commonly used.

• The middle head (or lateral) of the deltoid is the main abductor at the gleno-humeral joint (shoulder) and is commonly trained using side lateral raises (also known as the shoulder fly). The middle head also benefits from overhead pressing movements.

• The rear head (or posterior) of the deltoid is best trained with bent-over dumbbell laterals (an inverted fly)

Standing Military Press

Description

-Grasp barbell from rack or clean barbell from floor with overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder width.
-Position bar in front of neck.
-Press bar until arms are extended overhead.
-Lower to front of neck and repeat.

This is the king of shoulder exercises, it is a great compound lift and really builds up deltoid width.  This is great for building the anterior deltoids.

Recommended Amount: 3 sets of 8 reps, one-two times a week

Dumbbell Seated Rear Lateral Raise

Description

- Lie face down on flat or incline bench. Try to position body so that head is off end of bench (For incline bench, you may have to stand in order to clear face of seatback.)
-Start position: Hold DB in each hand with neutral grip (palms facing each other) and let arms straight down (perpendicular to floor).
-With elbows slightly bent and facing the ceiling, raise DB’s to shoulder level in semi-circular motion and squeeze shoulder blades together at top of movement.
- Return to start position.

These are great for working your posterior deltoids, usually I would do these at a bit higher rep range than other exercises.

Recommended Amount: 3 sets of 12 reps, one-two times a week

Complete Workout Guide

Arms - Triceps

Tricep Information

The triceps brachii, commonly called the triceps,  is located on the back part of your upper arm.  It is the primary responsible muscle for the extension of the elbow joint.  Triceps are personally my favorite muscle to workout.  I like the feeling after a good triceps workout, where you can’t even extend your arm all the way out because the muscle is so sore.  I love doing different triceps exercises, I don’t know why but I just love the feeling of a good tricep workout.  My triceps respond pretty well to free weight workouts, so they grow relatively fast.  An interesting thing about the triceps muscle is that it encompasses nearly 2/3rd of your upper arm, meaning if you want to get bigger arms then you will need to hit your triceps extremely hard.  Many people are under the assumption that the bicep muscle is most of the upper arm, when in reality it is the triceps that make up the vast majority of it.  Due to the fact that the arm is mainly composed of the triceps muscle, it makes it incredibly important to work out this muscle if we wish to get stronger and bigger arms.  Triceps are responsible for punches, for puling, pushing, and many other movements that make it necessary to stregethen this muscle if we wish to achieve an overall increase in strength.

Triceps Workout and Exercises

Here are some of my favorite triceps exercises, keep in mind that there are a vast many different exercises that you can do.  Some of my favorite tricep exercises include tricep dips, overhead extension, tricep kickbacks, close grip bench press, tricep cable push downs, and skull crushers.

Close Grip Bench Press

Description

-Lie down on the flat bench press.
-Place your feet flat on the floor on each side of the bench.
-Spread your thumbs out and grip the bar equally with your thumbs touching each other.
-Now tuck your thumbs in.
-Lift the bar off the rack and pick it up all the way, over your chest.
-Now lower it. Lower it to about 2-4 inches off your chest. As your doing this, keep your elbows tucked in close. Do not let your arms go out to the side because this can cause an injury.
-Now pick it back up using only your triceps.

This exercise really builds definition in your triceps, it works all three heads of the muscle and is one of the best for it.  The closer your grip on the bar, the more your triceps get worked out.  The close grip bench press also works out your chest and shoulders, which makes it a great compound lift.  I highly reccomend the close grip bench press in your tricep workout.

Recommended Amount: 3 sets of 8 reps, one-two times a week

Skull Crushers or Skull Breakers

Description

- Lie on back.
- Hold barbell in hands as shown.
- Bend elbows, lowering barbell toward forehead.
- Straighten elbows and repeat.

They call these skull crushers for a reason, it is almost like you stop the barbel right before it hits your head.  Be sure to slow the barbells descent as it approaches your head.  This exercise is great for the triceps, it is good for building huge mass on those arms.  The skull crushers are one of my favorite exercises and they are really good for building mass.  Just be careful and be sure to keep those elbows tucked in.

Recommended Amount: 3 sets of 8 reps, one-two times a week

Dragon Flags are the most intense ab exercise that you can possibly imagine.  You basically have to lift up 3/4ths of your whole body by your abdominal muscles.  Dragon Flag’s were invented by the master of combat, Bruce Lee.  Bruce Lee was incredibly ahead of his time and devised an ingenious way to help strengthen and build your abs.  If you want that perfect six pack abs then you should start doing some dragon flags.  Be careful as this exercise is extremely difficult, and it can be easy to injure yourself if you are not careful.  First just try as many as you can manage, it will likely be a while before you can actually perform a full set of 8.  To get better at these you need to strengthen all of your core muscles, including some lower back muscles.  I would recommend doing some pull ups to strengthen your back so you can get better at doing these Dragon Flags.  You should also train up your core and abdominal muscles using regular old sit up’s and crunches in order to be able to do dragon flags properly.