Week 3 of working out was pretty bad. Here's why:
1) I had no real cardio due to my ankle injury. At the most I have been doing light biking on the stationary bikes at the gym for maybe 5 minutes (it's even more boring than jogging).
2) After my Wednesday - Leg and Back workout I felt horrible and had to quit halfway. The good news is that I got a decent leg workout. The bad - I didn't get to work out my back.
Therefore, week 3 was a fiasco. I got 1.5 full workouts and no cardio. Week 4 is going great so far but I am really playing catchup.
On the bright side, I think I gained some weight. Hopefully, it is more muscle than fat but I seem to be weighing 165lbs or more at the gym (measured before and after my workouts). That means I gained 2 lbs and maybe by the end of my 8 week program I would have gained 8 lbs of muscle.
Showing posts with label back. Show all posts
Showing posts with label back. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Week 1 - Legs & Back
Legs
Working out my legs are my least favorite workout because they are really intense and very tiring. The legs are such huge muscle group. If you think about it, it is basically your entire lower body. It probably isn't 50% of your muscles - it could be more or less, but it is definitely a large % of body muscle.
Today's leg workout consisted of the squat (yay! ~sarcastically), the leg press, deadlift and calf raises. The squats did not ask for increasing weight but I somehow did increase my weight but after the 2nd time of increment I realized I didn't have to. I was still able to complete my sets so this really shows I didn't have enough weight for my first set of 10 reps. I know, I am such a cheater! The rest were pretty good I must say. I did really enjoy the calf raises. It was asking for 6 sets to failure. I used a 25lb dumbbell to decrease the number of reps and hopefully build more muscle. I have really small calves genetically so hopefully this will help.
After my leg workout I was pretty much sweating and panting. But this time around I felt really good about my leg workout. But I think I didn't work out as hard as I could have but it still felt like a good workout. I also then decided to try to change my mentality and hopefully it will help in future workouts. I am no longer going to say it is my least favorite workout instead, I am going to say I enjoy the workout because I actually did!
Back
After 40 minutes of doing my leg workout it was time to workout the back. I must say, it was not nearly as tough as it was for the legs but that is how this routine seems to be. It is more of an intensive workout for the first muscle group and then a lesser intense workout for the 2nd half of the workout. Its fine by me as long as it shows results. The routine consisted of wide pullups, seated cable pull, one arm rows and extensions. None of these were too bad but I always find myself limited by the strength of my bicep and sometimes I don't feel as good as a workout because of that.
Working out my legs are my least favorite workout because they are really intense and very tiring. The legs are such huge muscle group. If you think about it, it is basically your entire lower body. It probably isn't 50% of your muscles - it could be more or less, but it is definitely a large % of body muscle.
Today's leg workout consisted of the squat (yay! ~sarcastically), the leg press, deadlift and calf raises. The squats did not ask for increasing weight but I somehow did increase my weight but after the 2nd time of increment I realized I didn't have to. I was still able to complete my sets so this really shows I didn't have enough weight for my first set of 10 reps. I know, I am such a cheater! The rest were pretty good I must say. I did really enjoy the calf raises. It was asking for 6 sets to failure. I used a 25lb dumbbell to decrease the number of reps and hopefully build more muscle. I have really small calves genetically so hopefully this will help.
After my leg workout I was pretty much sweating and panting. But this time around I felt really good about my leg workout. But I think I didn't work out as hard as I could have but it still felt like a good workout. I also then decided to try to change my mentality and hopefully it will help in future workouts. I am no longer going to say it is my least favorite workout instead, I am going to say I enjoy the workout because I actually did!
Back
After 40 minutes of doing my leg workout it was time to workout the back. I must say, it was not nearly as tough as it was for the legs but that is how this routine seems to be. It is more of an intensive workout for the first muscle group and then a lesser intense workout for the 2nd half of the workout. Its fine by me as long as it shows results. The routine consisted of wide pullups, seated cable pull, one arm rows and extensions. None of these were too bad but I always find myself limited by the strength of my bicep and sometimes I don't feel as good as a workout because of that.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Gym Day: Back and Tricep
Today I went to the gym fairly motivated. I did a half-mile jog as a warm up and later hit the weights. I must say I am really liking this new weight lifting workout especially the wide grip pull-ups. Every time I do pull-ups I feel great. Why? Because I can feel a lot of muscles working together to make it happen.
After my weight lifting, I went back to the treadmill and did a little bit of jogging. However, I didn't last long. I jogged for about .25 miles and I was feeling tired so I walked a bit and then jogged a little more until I reached another mile.
Why am I jogging after weight lifting? I don't remember, but I think I watched a youtube clip from Vince Del Monte saying to burn more fat you should jog right after your gym workout.
However, for me, this type of workout is too challenging. I hate to say this, but I am going to change my workout. Read my next post!
After my weight lifting, I went back to the treadmill and did a little bit of jogging. However, I didn't last long. I jogged for about .25 miles and I was feeling tired so I walked a bit and then jogged a little more until I reached another mile.
Why am I jogging after weight lifting? I don't remember, but I think I watched a youtube clip from Vince Del Monte saying to burn more fat you should jog right after your gym workout.
However, for me, this type of workout is too challenging. I hate to say this, but I am going to change my workout. Read my next post!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Day 18 (post Insanity): Back
Today I was pretty energetic at the gym. Could it be that I am eating better? Possibly, but I also think that it is also because I am sleeping better. These past few days I am already kind of awake before my alarm goes off - hopefully because I had enough sleep and not because I am stressing out about something else.
At the gym I worked my back and my abs. Back workout days are usually pretty short and sweet so don't over do it and make sure you get your ab workout in 2-3 times a week. They are still muscles and even though they are not showing because you are not below 10% body fat, they still need to be worked out for when you do get lower body fat to show them off.
The bent over barbell row is my favorite. Here is how to do it from MaximuscleUk:
Also, throughout the day I still felt my legs a little sore. It was that pleasurable pain you get after a good workout. I was also thinking about my skinny calves and might change change my calf workout a little after some research.
At the gym I worked my back and my abs. Back workout days are usually pretty short and sweet so don't over do it and make sure you get your ab workout in 2-3 times a week. They are still muscles and even though they are not showing because you are not below 10% body fat, they still need to be worked out for when you do get lower body fat to show them off.
The bent over barbell row is my favorite. Here is how to do it from MaximuscleUk:
Also, throughout the day I still felt my legs a little sore. It was that pleasurable pain you get after a good workout. I was also thinking about my skinny calves and might change change my calf workout a little after some research.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Days 4 & 5 (Post Insanity)
Day 3 was a rest / cardio day.
Day 4 and 5 were pretty good. I kept up with the same motivation and really pushed myself to lifting more and making sure I was not being too lazy.
I think the problem with weight lifting is that I don't have a buddy to spot me or to make sure I am pushing myself. Typically, for muscle gain, you want to make sure you struggle on your last 1 or 2 reps on each set. Without a buddy, I tend to go easy and just complete my 8 reps without going further. But this will not happen anymore - I will keep pushing.
Bring it!
I came across this youtube video for a pretty good recipe for a tasty protein sandwich from HardBodySuccess:
Day 4 and 5 were pretty good. I kept up with the same motivation and really pushed myself to lifting more and making sure I was not being too lazy.
I think the problem with weight lifting is that I don't have a buddy to spot me or to make sure I am pushing myself. Typically, for muscle gain, you want to make sure you struggle on your last 1 or 2 reps on each set. Without a buddy, I tend to go easy and just complete my 8 reps without going further. But this will not happen anymore - I will keep pushing.
Bring it!
I came across this youtube video for a pretty good recipe for a tasty protein sandwich from HardBodySuccess:
Friday, May 7, 2010
Day 4 (post Insanity): Back
Today's workout was relatively simple. It only focused on the back so the entire workout routine (including warmup) only lasted for about 45 minutes. It is nice to be able to go into the gym get a good workout and come out in such a short period of time.
As for the warmup, I went ahead and did 15 reps to get my muscles going. Out of these exercises, the barbell row as always been my favorite. It really works the back and also the biceps. I think the back being one of the bigger muscle groups, is a hard part of the body to work out. It is highly dependent on the strength of your arms as well.
However, the back is one of the most important muscle groups to workout because it helps your posture on all other weightlifting moves.
As for the warmup, I went ahead and did 15 reps to get my muscles going. Out of these exercises, the barbell row as always been my favorite. It really works the back and also the biceps. I think the back being one of the bigger muscle groups, is a hard part of the body to work out. It is highly dependent on the strength of your arms as well.
However, the back is one of the most important muscle groups to workout because it helps your posture on all other weightlifting moves.
| Thursday - Back | ||
| Back | ||
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Pullups | 2 | Warmup |
| Barbell Row | 3 | 8 |
| Seated Row | 3 | 8 |
| One-Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 8 |
| Deadlifts | 3 | 6 |
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