Week 1 - Arms

I completed my tricep/bicep workout yesterday. It technically should have been done today but I got an early start to the workouts this week.

To be honest, this is the first time where my workout is purely focused on the smaller muscle groups such as the biceps and triceps. Normally, other workouts would recommend working larger muscles first and then workout the smaller muscles. Also, working out larger muscles will indirectly work the smaller muscles. However, I can't complain as I am really feeling the soreness this morning. Maybe it will help my arms get much bigger :D.

I kind of like working arms on my last day of the week too because you finish on a good note since it is a lot of peoples favorite workout.

I am almost done with week 1 of my 8 week program - just have to do a HIIT session today and I am all set.

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!

Day 19 (post Insanity): Shoulders & Triceps

The shoulder and tricep workout routine is another simple routine. It only involves 3 exercises each for a total of 6 exercises of 4 sets each. Friday workouts go by pretty quickly and they are also very rewarding because you can feel the pump right away :D.

Here is a clip of how to do a military barbell shoulder press. At the moment I am doing 17.5 lbs on each side and hoping to get up to 25 lbs one day.


Overall, I had a very good Friday workout and I even added a small calve workout kind of to test some calve exercises for next week.

That's it for now. Whatever you are doing, keep pushing.

Day 8 (post Insanity): Chest and Triceps

Summary: Increase in Sets


I had my hydrostatic test done early this morning which lead to my increase in motivation on today's workout. In addition to that it is one of my favorite workouts - the chest and bicep workout.

This workout routine for chest and biceps is great because you can feel it working out our muscles instantly. However, I was pumped and not feeling it as much as I should so I ended up challenging myself. I firstly increased my bench press by 10 lbs (total) which really did make a difference. I also increased the sets to 4 on all of my chest exercises. Which brings me to my next point

Workout modification: I am going to modify the workout such that for the first half (usually first 3 exercises), I will increase the sets to 4. An addition of sets will help me keep myself challenge and it is still within the muscle building range which is usually 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps.

Tip: Once you can complete 12 reps without a problem it means it is time to add some more weight

Keep pushing.

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 5 (post Insanity): Shoulders and Triceps

According to Troy's 4-day Split workout this routine was meant for Saturday. However, I like to do cardio / outdoor activities on the weekend instead of spending my time at the gym so I swapped it with Friday.

By far, this is my 2nd favorite workout routine with chest/bicep being my favorite so far. It is not challenging as there are only 3 exercises per muscle groups - the standard. Even if you push yourself on every set, you won't feet overly exhausted. I certainly do hope that I am still building muscle and am not doing a workout that is too easy for me. I'll re-evaluate after working out for a month.

Overall, my body is pretty sore. My biceps are sore probably because I worked my back yesterday. My hamstrings and calves are also sore. My chests have pretty much recovered.

I am also drinking my protein shakes religiously - not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing. There haven't been any dramatic results either as I have only started my workout routine on Monday - 1 week down!

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/7-intermediate-4-day-split-workout.html

Saturday - Shoulders and Triceps
Shoulders
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Dumbbell Press	2	Warmup
Military Press	3	8
Front Raise	3	8
Bent Over Dumbbell Laterals	3	8
Triceps
Exercise	Sets	Reps
Cable Pushdowns ("V" Bar)	3	8
Close-Grip Bench Presses	3	8
Overhead Dumbbell Extensions	3	8