Monday, July 26, 2010

NEW Weightlifting Routine

I'll be following this Gym Weightlifting routine by Shaun McEwan and will use free weights whenever possible.

Description of Workout:

The goal of this workout is to build muscle. All rep timings are 2-1-2 unless stated in the notes and all rest times are 1 min between sets and 2 mins between exercises. As always, perform a warmup by doing 5-10 mins cardio followed by stretching and some warmup sets on the first exercise.
Work the Abs on a Monday and/or Friday if desired.

Daily Workout Schedule:

Day 1 - Chest & Biceps
Chest
Exercise Sets Reps
Incline Smith Machine Press 4 10
Flat Bench Barbell Press 4 10
Chest Dips 3 10
Pec Dec 3 12
Biceps
Exercise Sets Reps
EZ Bar Curls 3 8-10
Concentration Curls 3 10
Reverse Barbell Curls 3 12
Workout Notes:
Use 3-1-3 timing on Incline Smith Machine Press
Tuesday - Rest Day
Day 2 - Legs & Shoulders
Legs
Exercise Sets Reps
Squat 5 10
Leg Press 4 10-12
Stiff Leg Deadlifts 4 8-10
Seated Calf Raise 3 8-10
Standing Calf Raise 3 12-15
Shoulders
Exercise Sets Reps
Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 8-10
Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise 3 10
Rear Delt Machine 3 10
Dumbbell Shrugs 4 10-12
Workout Notes:
Try some deep squats with 3-2 rep timing (use lighter weight) for some variation
Use a drop set on the leg press machine to give the quads a shock
If your gym doesn't have a Rear Delt Machine substitute Reverse Dumbbell Flyes
Use 3-1-3 rep timing on the seated lat raises
Thursday - Rest Day
Day 3 - Back & Triceps
Back
Exercise Sets Reps
Wide Grip Pullups 4 8-12
Lat Pull Downs 4 10
One Arm Dumbbell Row 4 10
T-Bar Rows 4 10
Triceps
Exercise Sets Reps
Lying Tricep Extension 3 10
Rope Pulldowns 3 12
Reverse Single Arm Extension 3 12
Workout Notes:
3-1-3 rep timing on Lat pulldown machine


Taken from:
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/shaun--s-3-day-muscle-building-split.html

NEW Beachbody Insanity Round 2 Hybrid Workout Routine

I have started Round 2 of the Beachbody Insanity workout program and decided to mix it up a bit. I don't want to do 100% Insanity as I do love my gym and love the feeling of lifting weights. This is what I am proposing.

I will basically be following the Insanity Calendar and the workouts there, but throughout the week I will be doing weight lifting and cardio at the gym. On average I expect to do 3 Insanity workouts and 3 Gym workouts per week (and 1 rest day on Sunday). For the sake of time I will also be skipping the "Cardio Recovery" workout. This workout will probably last for about 120 days - 4 months total.

In terms of writing blog entries, I will be writing the titles as "Day X of 63" for all of the Insanity workouts. For gym workouts I will write a title like "Back Workout" without any numbering.

Workout Calendar (to be finalized):
Mondays - Weight Lifting
Tuesdays - Insanity Workout
Wednesdays - Outdoor day (sub for Cardio Recovery)
Thursdays - Weight Lifting
Fridays - Weight Lifting
Saturdays - Insanity Workout
Sundays - Rest / Make-up day

Let's hope this works out. I'll post pictures every 30 days to track my progress.

Day 3 of 63: Cardio Power & Resistance (Round 2)

I completed the 3rd day of Insanity. Woohoo!!!

If you are planning to start the Insanity workout there is one thing you need to understand. There is a love / hate relationship you will build with Insanity. You will love to hate it and hate to love it. That is exactly how I felt today.

As I was doing the workout, I felt exhausted, out of breath and wanted to quit and thought, "This is totally Insane. What a torture!" After I finished the workout I said to myself, "Hey, not too bad, right? I am sweaty and feeling great :D."

Overall, I think I probably completed about 40% of the workout. I was definitely able to get through the first round of the warmup something I was not able to do in the past so I know I have gotten a little bit better.

Short clip from ISeeFitPeopleCom:

Day 2 of 63: Plyometric Cardio Circuit (Round 2)

I completed the Plyometric Cardio Circuit last week but forgot to write about it. I was actually sick but still made myself do the workout. It was actually pretty tough and in the end I skipped a lot of it. However, I felt like crap again getting tired really fast. It could have been the cold I had or it just was because I was out of shape. Who knows?

Monday, July 19, 2010

Day 1 of 63: The Fit Test (Round 2)

Today I completed my first Fit Test after a 2 month break. Overall I think my results weren't too good. I am totally out of shape after not doing any cardio for 2 months. It is unbelievable how quickly your body gets lazy without exercise.

Today's Fit Test Result:
1. Switch Kicks:   90
2. Power Jacks:   51
3. Power Knees:   71
4. Power Jumps:   31
5. Globe Jumps:   6
6. Suicide Jumps:   10
7. Push-up Jacks:   25
8. Low Plank Oblique:   31

These are my OLD fit test results:
OLD Fit Test Results:
1. Switch Kicks:   88  105  117  120  130     (beat Chris and Tania)
2. Power Jacks:   31  57  60  60  64
3. Power Knees:   52  58  80  80  88             (beat Chris)
4. Power Jumps:   20  21  35  40  50            (beat Chris, tied Tania)
5. Globe Jumps:   5   8  10  8  10
6. Suicide Jumps:   7   14  11  17  18
7. Push-up Jacks:   16  22  24  31  37          (beat Tania)
8. Low Plank Oblique:   30  36  44  50  55 (beat Chris)

As you can see, I did slightly better today than on my very first Fit Test.

How did I feel? I felt like crap. I was totally exhausted and felt dizzy afterwards. Maybe my sugar level just dropped.

Day 0 Pictures

A New Beginning.. Insanity Part 2

I am finally back. I took 2 weeks off + 1 additional week because I was sick which totally screwed up my gym routine.

I am now about to start a hybrid workout program because I need to pick up cardio again. It is going to be a mix of Insanity and weight lifting. I still haven't decided how to do it exactly, but I am going to start off with the fit test today :D.