There's a big poster behind the cable station with pictures of about 20 different exercises, and most of them, are never done by anyone in the gym. Surprisingly the woodchop/golf swing are on it, called decline & incline rotation (making you less willing to try it).
And among them is the assisted pullup. There's a belt included but I hadn't thought it'd really work. It did.. you just have to learn to pull the cable towards you to fix it onto the belt.
It would've been a nice option back when I started and had to do negatives. Or, I might try to do 10 reps this way.
Saturday April 14 TRAINING Go with the Flow # 7 week 1 all weights in kilograms
DYNAMIC STRETCHING /BW exercises
1 supine/inverted row (10 reps)
2 normal pushups (7 reps to failure) + knee push ups (3 more to get to 10)
3 Russian twist on ball (10 each side)
4 lateral lunge with opposite hand reach & touch (10 each side)
5 ‘windmill’ (10 each side)
WAVE LOADING
A1 Yates row underhand grip
WU: 37,5 x 10
Wave 1 – 2
47,5x11 – 50x 11
52,5x 8 – 55x 8
57,5x6 – 60x6 (last results with 60kg: 7-3-5-7-7)
Added no less than 10 kg more today, since TOM arrived 2 days earlier than ‘planned’ and also wanted to get into the lower rep ranges.
B1 db press
WU: (2x12)x10
Wave 1 – 2
28x10 – 30x10
32x8 – 34x 8
36x7 – 38x7 (last times with 38kg: 7-5)
MEDIUM
A2 standing military press
22,5x 11-9 (last times with 22,5kg: 11-11-11-9)
20x9
Hmm, I might have to stop doing this exercise. My neck doesn’t like it. Unconsciously I back off from the bar when I do this one for fear of hitting my chin or nose and the neck feels strained from doing both military presses and front squats. I should substitute with seated db shoulder presses . It also feels better to do 2 shoulder exercises on one day, like shoulder press and face pulls and then bi/tris the other day.
B2 narrow bench press
27,5x11-11
25x10
It’s been too long ago I did this exercise to repeat numbers.
A3a wood chop
A3b golf swing
Skipped.
B3 renegade row
8x12/12
LIGHT STUFF
A4 chest press
26x17
Same
A5 alternating lat pull down (narrow)
28 x 22
Same as well.
Here's a biceps exercise even we had never tried until Don Alessi introduced it to us.
Position yourself on a shoulder press bench facing away from the high pulley machine (back toward the machine). Grasp an EZ swivel bar overhead with the elbows extended and close to your ears. Next, flex the elbows behind the head. Return to extended position, then wait patiently for some dweeb to ask you what the f%*k you're doing!
21x3
14x11
Opinion: negative, an extremely clumsy feeling exercise. Can’t be bothered to do this one again.
Incline Russian Twist This ab exercise, popularized by Christian Thibaudeau, will leave you moaning and groaning. Oh yeah, and it'll build some bulletproof abs and obliques as well!
Anchor yourself on an incline board (or Roman chair), then do a half sit-up so that your lower back isn't in contact with the board. Keep that position during the whole exercise. The execution is simple: rotate your torso from side to side. The arms are fully stretched out in front of you and they stay locked in position — only the trunk is mobile. Try for the longest range of motion possible. Do 8 to 12 reps per side, or 8 to 12 full rotations.
4kg on a bench x 6 reps each side
4kg on a ball x 11 reps each side
8 kg on a ball x 9 reps each side
The feeling in the back when doing on a bench was unpleasant or perhaps not so much the feeling, but what I heard = a cracking of the back vertebrae like when you’re straightening knuckles to make that popping sound from the vacuum that’s been released.
On a ball, I’ve done this exercise for a couple of weeks already, since it’s part of the dynamic warmup in the NROL. It feels very good to do the same exercise on the ball with more weight.
Opinion: negative for bench, though it might be good for others. Positive when done on a Swiss or Bosu ball.
Cardio: skipped it, workout had already taken too much time.
General: bit of a long workout again. Didn’t feel very tired at the end, but was glad the WO was finished. There was one problem though: neck is giving problems.
Training statistics
Rep index: 253 reps/hr (80min, workout really takes too much time)
Volume: 10667kg
# of sets:34 (incl WUs, a bit too many)- # of reps 337 - avg reps/set : 9,9 - kg/rep 31,6 kg
Crikey, I just looked into the 'odd lifts' or Exercises you've never tried before and there's 2 that are right up your alley:
dumbbell swings
jump squats
You have done both, didn't you?
I'm thinking to do these in another gym with more space instead of my own gym with a larger crowd and less space.
Yes, I've done them, and I still do the DB swings. Very effective hamstring work, that.
But I agree about needing space to do them, esp. the swings. You'll scare a lot of people if you try these in a crowded room!
Yes, I've done them, and I still do the DB swings. Very effective hamstring work, that.
But I agree about needing space to do them, esp. the swings. You'll scare a lot of people if you try these in a crowded room!
People often walk in front of me and I have to pause. It's annoying. When I have only a small space, I swing toward a wall. I've found that it also makes sure that I do them right the whole time. When I get tired, toward the end of a long set, I swing forward more, rather than lean back and pull. This way, I'll hit the wall if I'm not careful.
The gym I go to now is being slightly expanded. While in a huge former factory, all of it is already been divided into small parts, mostly as storage. My gym has the outer end of it. And they finally managed to get the downstairs part of the neighbours.
Since it used to be a factory, the ceilings are high enough to divide it into 2 levels.
Meaning that the ab area where I do my dynamic warmup as well as some of the weirder exercises that are body part only will be moved to the new split level area.
I do wonder whether I'll be able to do dumbbell swings over there. Probably better to do it in the rubber matted free weights area.
It's a pity that the other gym I've been going to as well has such limited opening hours. Plus, while that gym (a former school with also very high ceilings) has plenty of space, and lots of good (but ancient) equipment, there's a meditation centre underneath, so people are asked to 'drop the bars' gently.
Sunday April 15 ODD EXERCISES TRAINING all weights in kilograms
Since my partner decided to go training today, and I felt like catching up a bit on the odd exercises plus there’s more options where he trains than in my own gym, I joined him.
Here's an exercise guaranteed to freak out the skinny ACE certified personal trainers in your gym.
Swings can be performed with either a dumbbell or a kettlebell (if you're one of the six guys in the country who actually own kettlebells). This multi-joint exercise is easy to learn and really hits the posterior chain and improves the grip. It's also perfect to use as an active recovery exercise since there's little to no eccentric (negative) movement.
For the two handed version pictured below, hold a dumbbell with both hands, legs in a wide stance. Start from a neutral back position with the buttocks back and begin the acceleration of the weight by pushing the hips forward. Really try to explode the weight up. Show control of the weight and gradually increase range of motion such that the weight moves from waist level to above the head. You can also perform a single-handed version of this lift.
Avoid dropping the weight on your head. If you do, then you may find yourself with an ACE certification yourself and that would be a goddamn travesty
2kg x5
4kgx5 – 6
9kg x 7
Woot, I really was dreading this one, but what fun to do it. I first did it the wrong way by jumping up in when the db swung upwards, but you’re not supposed to do this. So the next few times I learnt how to brace myself to not let myself fly up with it. It’s going to be a lot tougher if I ever try this with heavier weights.
Opinion: positive, as long as you’re not working with very heavy weights, quite fun. Might be dangerous at higher weights.
Waiter's Bow Coach Davies is known for two things around here: unique exercise suggestions and making a six pack of MGD disappear faster than you can say "Renegade Training." Here's an exercise that's part of his very effective Man of Steel program.
Simply hold a plate across the chest with legs apart roughly shoulder width and knees slightly bent. From an upright position, bend forward until you're at 45 degrees. (The movement from rotating forward comes from the hips and is quickly felt in the hamstrings.) Then simply explode back to the starting position.
20kgx 5
Opinion: negative since a 20kg disk is the heaviest available and it didn’t make me feel as if I was doing something for my back. However, do it in an hyperextension thingy or a glute-ham raise station, and it would work way better. Even with much smaller weights. How do I know? Since I’ve done weighted hyperextensions often enough. Only problem with those were that I’m too short. Even in the lowest position, the hips are never free and always supported.
Incline Russian Twist
Repeated :
4kg x 6 – 6 reps each side
Opinion: neutral. OK, I changed my mind. Reason is that I now did it on a proper decline bench meant for ab exercises, viz. with leg support. Much easier to brace yourself and to not get hurt. Still, I prefer using Swiss balls.
While talking to the gym owner he said that indeed Swiss balls would be a good idea, the gym clientele would start playing soccer with them, so he wouldn’t acquire any. (my own gym attracts an older and better behaved crowd )
Jump Squat Haven't tossed your cookies in the gym in a while? That's a shame really. Here's an exercise to help you properly throw up while training. As a bonus, jump squats will build a great pair of quads, as well as causing that all important retching and gagging effect!
Using a much lighter load than you'd use with normal squatting, squat down with a fast (but controlled) eccentric. Shift to the concentric (lifting) phase with as little delay as possible. Jump for maximal height and land with knees bent, absorbing the shock. Pause, reset mentally, and repeat. The passwords are speed and height. Shoot for six to ten reps per set.
10kg x6
17,5kg x 4
Taking it easy by doing only a few reps with very low weights.
Opinion: positive, another fun exercise to add to your list if you’re tired of doing the same ole’ exercises. It might be not so good for anyone with back issues or too much ego, as even low weights are straining for the joints.
Decline Dumbbell Extension This one isn't all that exotic, but most people use an EZ-curl bar extension on a flat bench to train the tri's. Try this variation instead. The decline makes it more effective by keeping constant tension on the triceps and targeting all three heads of the triceps. Additionally, the dumbbells make it more comfortable on your elbows compared to using a bar. In fact, many who say they "can't" do barbell extensions can do this version quite easily.
Lie back on a decline bench holding two dumbbells in a hammer-style grip. Lower them to your ears and come back up. You can point your elbows up towards the ceiling or back behind you just a bit, whatever feels best for you.
(2x4) x18
(2x6) x 8
Hey, this is a really cool way to do triceps extensions and doing it in a decline position (better yet, on a decline ab bench) is a great little addition.
Opinion: positive, one of the few isolation exercises I’ve tried in the series that can make a difference. If only to alleviate strain on the shoulders because of the gentler hammer curl position.
And then there was no more time to do the single-leg press with stops or de ‘limited range dumbbell pull-over.
General: it’s really nice to just go to the gym and play. Viz. not to have a fixed program, but only do fun stuff. Got some great tips from the owner about how to do the db swings and at the end even better, how to do military presses so that I don’t lose balance nor get neck problems. Unfortunately there was no more time to practice it.
Training statistics
Rep index: 152 reps/hr (30min)
Volume: 4501kg
# of sets:11 - # of reps 76 - avg reps/set : 6,9
PS: forgot that I also did some cardio, as it was part of the bike ride back home.. because of the incredibly nice weather, we took the long route home (has 1 rare hill).
Hmmm... Now I'm realizing that I don't do my swings correctly. I never go overhead. I stop when my arm gets parallel to the ground. I'll have to try it like in the picture.
The gym owner told me to stop accelerating when the db is starting to go overhead in order to prevent myself from leaving the floor, as coming down again would be stressful on the joints. Not sure if he's right.
Oh, by the way.. did I tell you that I'm going to start New Rules of Lifting somewhere in June (perhaps earlier), depending on how much time this and the next cycle is taking me.
Not that I'm unhappy with my own routine, but I want to devote less time to tweaking my programs to perfection and hope to spend 1 year without too much preplanning.
For lack of more appropriate 'models' I'm gonna do the Lifter #4 routine, even though :
- I'm not seriously overweight
- I don't neglect legs, on the contrary
Most importantly, I want to lift 3x/wk and perhaps spend some extra time on either practicing odd lifts or cardio.
I'm going to try and let my partner do the Lifter #3 routine, since he often just takes weeks off from lifting, not because he's an eternal beginner (on the contrary) but because whenever he's stressed, he doesn't feel like lifting. A program that makes him do two sessions a week would be a good idea.
Tuesday April 17 TRAINING Go with the Flow # 7 week 2 all weights in kilograms
DYNAMIC STRETCHING /BW exercises
1 walking lunge (5 reps each leg)
2 Spiderman (4 reps each side)
3 ham stretch : Frankenstein (10 reps each side)
4 Swiss leg curl (10 reps)
5 sissy squat (10 reps)
WAVE LOADING
A1 Smith split squat
WU: 25x10
30x9
32,5x9
35x8
Not more than this one.. see below.
B1 front squat
WU: 25x10
30x9
32,5x9
35xF
The weight I could clean fairly easily last week, I suddenly couldn’t even lift. I then tried to put it in the bench station. No luck, bar is too small.
Then, when I put it on a bench it fell down on my knee, and I had to stop. I even still tried to do it in the Smith but my wrists don’t take the bending lightly.
In hindsight I see how I could’ve done it, if only that guy wasn’t doing upright rows with a barbell in the same area. I could have put the barbell on 2 benches next to each other and then crouch underneath.
I figure that having 2 low calorie days in a row wasn’t good for making me strong.
Now my knee is feeling awful.
MEDIUM
A2 pull through
21,3 x 12
Knee hurt more when doing it, and also because all kind of stuff was in the way, I quite.
General
Grrrrrr!!!! It seems that I’m going to have to skip my next leg workout.
Perhaps stupid, but rather than ice my knee, I feel like putting a heat pad on it so that blood flow is increased, rather than decreased. Is it bad or good thinking?
Training statistics
Volume: 8494kg
# of sets:12 (incl WUs)- # of reps 126 - avg reps/set : 10,5 - kg/rep 67,4 kg
I'm already looking at the NROL program and preparing the weights. But unbelievable, soooo few sets! I'm not even talking about break-in, but about the entire program.
Yet, I'm not sure if I will be able to manage everything. Not just the giant sets that are coming up in FatLoss 3 , but also the supersets. Since some of them are next-to-impossible to combine because of logistics.
I would either have to do pushups on the rubbermat area where everybody does the heavy lifting, or have to carry a barbell to the ab mat area down the stairs. Not logical.
The supersets might be doable, but giantsets?? I'd have to take a long and hard look here.
There's also lots more machine work in the program than what I currently use = mostly free weights. OTOH, some free weights I never do = push press. At least I am already into front squats.
I'm hoping I can persuade my friend to start the 'executive' program of 2 lifts/week. He's really too much going from 0 (many weeks on end) to 4 times/week (a couple of weeks). A steady program would be much better for him, if only for having warmer feet in bed. His feet turn into ice when they don't train. I'm consistently warmer than he is.
BTW, he loves to train (and show off his legs)
After the first wave, I had to get myself a cup of espresso as I felt sleepy: again too many carbs pre-WO.Alas, the coffee machine didn’t work. So muddled through. Fortunately the 2nd time around I managed 4 reps with same weight.
MEDIUM
A2 standing military press
25x10
22,5x 9
20x9
Trying out the new position as explained to me by gym owner of the other gym. Much better: make body a kind of triangle, one foot slightly to the back but at shoulder width so that torso is in the center. Then overcompensation by bending over backwards too much won’t happen.
B2 narrow bench press
27,5x11
25x12
22,5x13
Going OK
A3 wood chop
18,8x9
B3 renegade row
8x14/16
LIGHT STUFF
A4 alternating lat pull down (narrow)
28 x 21
REHAB STUFF
A6 exorotations
3,8x16
A7 face pull
8,8x24
ODD EXERCISES
Skipped today, was feeling sleepy and didn’t want to push myself.
Cardio: am I ever going to do cardio again?
General: the mishap of Tuesday took way more energy out of me than I’d realized. I’m feeling mentally & physically exhausted in a different way than to be expected. Tired more easily. As for the waveloading, supersets were a mistake. Perhaps I was bored to death with straight sets, but it worked better than supersetting such long sets. Ah, well you live and learn. Perhaps back to old routine again? Nah, I’ll start NROL a bit sooner, viz. already at the start of the new cycle = around May 10-12.
Training statistics
Volume: 8397kg
# of sets:34 (incl WUs)- # of reps 286 - avg reps/set : 9,5 - kg/rep 29,4 kg
Espi, I think you can scramble the giant sets up so that you can do them in the combinations that your logistics allow. Or, change them up a bit (dbs for barbells, etc.) so that you can get it all done in that space.
Worse comes to worse, post the sets and maybe we can help you come up with substitutions. But, you seem to have a great grasp on exercises!
Yes, I've come to the conclusion that NROL actually doesn't seem to challenge my mind enough. Lots of straight sets and so on, while I hardly ever keep weights the same.
However OTOH, sofar I haven't paid enough attention to tempo and rest periods in between. Which actually is a very important and neglected aspect of training!
There will be time enough to post my questions as I'm only going to start mid-May and that will be the easy break-In plus lots of cardio.
No problems ahead as far as I can see for the break in.
Trouble does start in FL 2, which is around mid June.
Front squat is in the rubber mat free weights area, but the wide grip seated row is in the cable station.
Actually it'd be easier to do front squat with snatch grip DL (same area) and then wide grip std row with the T-push up. I could either opt for doing the std row in the cable station and then do the T-pushup on the floor nearby, or to do the std row in the std row machine and the T-push up on the ab mats downstairs.
For the other pairs:
Swiss ball is in the ab mat area: I'd either 'steal' the ball and bring it upstairs, or take the barbell and bring it downstairs.
Same problem for the dynamic lunge, but again same solution: bring ball upstairs or bb downstairs.
Upstairs in bigger area:
1 corner with dumbbells and some fixed wt bars plus an Olympic bar/a smaller bar (that I prefer) and an EZ-bar
2 Smith machine and bench press station
3 lat pull down / leg press / pec deck /chest press / shoulder press / leg ext/leg curl/ standing thigh thingy
4 across the room in the cardio area: a cable station with chinning bar
5 downstairs at split level:
- ab mats with std row machine and ab crunch machine as well as hyper extension (45°) stand
Eerytime I plan a program I'm always thinking of what's available as weights.
BTW, I just realized that I have been stupid re military press and front squats as well. As long as I'm still dabbling with low weights, I could be using the fixed weight bars. These are smaller in diameter as well, but also have narrow cuffs. The discovery is that there are 3 types of disks to add to these:
1.25 kg
2.5 kg and....
0.5 kg!!! They use those small plastic disks for Body Pump classes. Would be an excellent idea to go up only with 1kg at the time. There are fixed weight bars going up to 40 kg, so I should still be able to play with those for front squats and military presses for a long time to come.
Eerytime I plan a program I'm always thinking of what's available as weights.
BTW, I just realized that I have been stupid re military press and front squats as well. As long as I'm still dabbling with low weights, I could be using the fixed weight bars. These are smaller in diameter as well, but also have narrow cuffs. The discovery is that there are 3 types of disks to add to these:
1.25 kg
2.5 kg and....
0.5 kg!!! They use those small plastic disks for Body Pump classes. Would be an excellent idea to go up only with 1kg at the time. There are fixed weight bars going up to 40 kg, so I should still be able to play with those for front squats and military presses for a long time to come.
That's good news about the smaller weights. That could really work well.
I have to change virtually every pre-made routine, to some degree, just to be able to do it in my gym. You're subs look pretty good. I don't think Alwyn's exercises or the combination is anything magical. They are just all good lifts to incorporate into the routines. As long as you keep with the spirit and make good subs, it'll be good.
I'm glad you say so. Oftentimes it seems that other programs are like 'written in stone' and you barely dare to change anything. I used to think like that about cooking from recipes.
Right now I don't even use cookbooks just cook. And more than I ever used to cook when I still owned so many cookbooks (most got stolen when I moved )
I'm going to play around the program a bit if I must. Am already wondering if you have to stick to the same weights if there's nothing mentioned or can raise/lower it.
But it would be good to not play too much already, since there's the timing of sets that will be the most difficult to focus on. Actually I'm nearly afraid of focussing too much on it to the detriment of form because of being so tired.
If I did 40 kg per hand I'd be a really good powerlifter, which I'm not.
20 kg per hand. My best 1RM was with 24 kgx 1. With 20 kg I've been able to get out as much as 6 reps.
21 kg is when I add wrist/ankle weights and I've done up to 3 reps here.
Would you know I've had to wait 6 months before they ordered a 22kg dumbbell? The gym exists for 10 years and all the time they didn't have a 22kg db. They have dbs up to 32 kg but there is a gap of 2 kg upwards of 10kg and then a huge gap between 20 and 24kg.
Been MIA for a few days. Because of the front squat incident, I wanted to skip Saturday's LB day, which was even easier to decide, because I had been asked to do the 'secret' control of a brevet on Sunday.
The control was just north of Bastogne (Bastenaken in Dutch), home of the famous Bastogne cookies, but also turning point of a famous race: Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It took about 4 hrs of driving to get there from where I live.
A brevet is an organized ride of fixed length (today's was 300K , next ones will be 400 and 600K) and participants have to get their brevet cards stamped at controls. Whenever for some reason there can't be a control (mostly a pub or a gas station, preferably with an option to either have a meal or buy groceries), and participants could otherwise cut corners (literally), a secret control is required. Since the organizer of the brevet is my former cycling buddy & coach, I happily obliged. When I was in the really nice area, I yearned for cycling so much that I decided to have my touring bicycle fixed this week and just do some shorter rides. Even though I know I won't be able to do the really long rides , nor do I really want to (the stress level was sky-high and I was just living off adrenalin and my fat deposits at the time), I adored the Zen-feeling I used to have when cycle-touring in lovely areas. Plus being closer to nature. Something you never get in a car or on a motorbike. And walking is just too plain strenuous & slow. Cycling gives that extra buzz.
Espi, you will LOVE NROL when you do it ... on paper it looks simple, but even the break-in is tough ... it just challenges your body in a way that it is not used to and it makes it incredibly tough.
As for the swings, when I took that seminar a few months back, we were instructed in the correct technique by a kettlebell master (Anthony DiLuglio ... owner of the Art of Strength and Punch Kettlebell gym). The movement really comes from your hips. You know in deadlifts how they always talk about pushing those hips forward (and for guys "humping the bar")? Well, that's the same movement that occurs in swings. So you squat low, then snap your hips up and forward. The KB or DB is just a weight at the end of the pendulum. You want to aim for a feeling of "weightlessness" in the weight. For me this usually occurs as it reaches about eye level. It really helped me to focus the movement on my hips and that thrusting movement and really squeezing my glutes at the end of each swing. It also really targeted my adductors and they were sore for DAYS after learning to do swings properly!
__________________
Life's a Journey ... Enjoy the Ride!
What is it that makes NROL so challenging then?
I must admit that on paper only the weirder exercises look challenging. I've been doing high-rep stuff in the past, so much so that I've only now been going lower in the reps.
The most challenging part seems to be the shortish rest period.
While I do supersets all the time, they are actually very slow supersets and I'm really taking my time, also because every set has me changing the weights. That is probably the main reason that there's nowhere even a hint to change the weights within a workout.
When I was preparing the workouts in my Excel sheet I already looked into this and made sure that at least every (other) workout has a teeny increase in weight. For low weights every other workout, for higher weights every workout.
Woot! A PR for 1RM! First time with 22kg weights (they are new to fill up the gap between 20 and 24kg. It isn’t a PR for weight as that one was with a 24kg db for 1 rep. This time , no sleepy feeling but concentrated on the task, despite a slight pain in the front deltoid. Difference? No raisins pre-WO.
MEDIUM
A2 standing military press
27,5x6
25x7
22,5x 9
Getting weaker quickly. Very satisfied though with stability, dominant foot slightly to the back at shoulder width = much more stability when pressing upwards. Used highest weight sofar for MPs but it wasn’t a PR for 1RM.
B2 close-grip bench press
30x12
27,5x10
25x15
Pushing for it at the 3rd set. First set was highest weight sofar with close grip. Doesn’t mean anything, just that I haven’t done close-grip bench pressing in a long time.
A3 wood chop
21,3x5/6 (L/R)
Not even close to previous best in 2005 (back then I could do 10 reps with this weight)
B3 renegade row
12x13/12 (L/R)
REHAB STUFF
A6 exorotations
3,8x12/12 (4 less than previous time)
Not pushing it.
A7 face pull
8,8x20 (also 4 less than previous time)
We picked this one up from T-mag contributor John Paul Catanzaro.
To increase chest size, you have to train both the pec major and minor. The minor tends to get overlooked since it's not as glamorous as the major. The limited-range pullover will target the pec minor, which in turn will "push out" the pec major, thus making it look bigger. Think of it as a natural pec implant.
Cup a dumbbell between both hands and lay back onto a flat bench. With your arms fully extended above your face, carefully lower the weight until your outstretched arms are in line with your body. Keep the small of your back pressed against the bench and brace the abdominals throughout to protect your lower back.
Make sure the elbows stay in (don't let them flare out) or else the lats will kick in. Elbows should be directly beside your ears in the bottom position. Raise the dumbbell in an arcing motion only about six to eight inches, or 45 degrees from horizontal. Keep your arms straight throughout and keep the abdominals tight!
If your chest development has stalled, try limited-range pullovers!
8x11
9x9
10x11
It must have been eons ago that I tried pull-overs. So started conservatively, also considering the twinges in the shoulders when doing the military presses. After 2 sets I got the hang of it again and went till failure.
Opinion: positive, but it’s an exercise that’s only useful in a 3- or 4-split, otherwise you’ll just drop it as it remains (in my eyes) an isolation exercise.
Overhead Cable Curl
Here's a biceps exercise even we had never tried until Don Alessi introduced it to us.
Position yourself on a shoulder press bench facing away from the high pulley machine (back toward the machine). Grasp an EZ swivel bar overhead with the elbows extended and close to your ears. Next, flex the elbows behind the head. Return to extended position, then wait patiently for some dweeb to ask you what the f%*k you're doing!
3,75x14
6,25x13
I’d done this exercise before, but then in the lat pull down machine. This time it was in the cable station. I’ve tried it from the low pulley position though as the high pulley felt too awkward. Getting seated and into position was a bit awkward, but the movement itself went much smoother. Gonna try the high pulley position another time.
Opinion: neutral, better than in a lat pulldown station but still a too fancy schmancy isolation exercise.
Cardio: tried out the new treadmill for sprints. Boy am I ever so pissed off! I just couldn’t make it slow down fast enough and it started ‘blaring’ out the limitation on max and minimum speed, so had to use the emergency stop button.
I’m amazed at how much ‘roid’ rage I seem to develop today Perhaps because I managed that PR for presses? Or is it the constant irritation about how much money the gym owners have spent on overhauling the gym by having a new name, new paint , new outfit of the reception, as well as a kid play area..and a new treadmill, but no money for a real squat rack and still the same leg press that ruins the knees and hip. Well at least I got my 22kg dumbbells after 6 month of constant whining.
General: still, despite the TM incident, feeling just fine.
Training statistics
Volume: 8268kg
# of sets:35 (incl WUs)- # of reps 304 - avg reps/set :8,7 - kg/rep 28,4 kg
So, yesterday I looked into the Metabolic Overdrive program (for lifter #4) and saw that this has 1 minute high intensity intervals, which makes it essentially just an interval training.
This would be a 60/120 interval workout.
I've been doing 20-30/90-80 intervals for about as long as I can remember. I've increased speed slowly from around 10 to 14-15 km/hr as I'm by nature not a runner at all.
This is what I'm asking because everything I've been reading in the recent past seems to point towards shorter, not longer intervals. For example, the Tabata protocol requires 8 second intervals with only 20 or 30s of rest periods. I've been too much of a chicken to try Tabatas but was wandering about 15/45 intervals for either indoor/outdoor cardio.
OTOH, if you read my write-up on yesterday, the new treadmill in our gym sux big big time. I couldn't make the speed go down fast enough, as it started blurting out words and completely made it impossible to get the speed down.
On another note: I'm going to get my touring bike repaired so that I can do the sprints outside in the future and not in the gym. I can not stand to go there more than 4x/wk and would prefer to do the 4th and 5th cardio session on the bicycle, rather than in the gym.
I was also wondering what types of cardio people have been doing for Metabolic Overdrive other than running/speedwalking and cycling. I've even seen the option of complexes (Tabata's??) but haven't seen them mentioned sofar in the threads on Metabolic Overdrive.
I was also wondering what types of cardio people have been doing for Metabolic Overdrive other than running/speedwalking and cycling. I've even seen the option of complexes (Tabata's??) but haven't seen them mentioned sofar in the threads on Metabolic Overdrive.
Espi...I try to mix it up a little with my intervals. I'm not doing NROL at the moment (I recently started following some Waterbury workouts), but I do intervals 3-5 times a week since I'm currently following a fat-loss program. I do some of the following:
1 minute run/2 minute recovery on the treadmill. My run is at 8mph and the recovery is about 3.6 mph (basically a fast walk). I find with shorter intervals I don't get a chance to really get up to speed on the treadmill. So 1 minute work seems the best for this.
2 minutes jog/2 minute recovery on the treadmill. My jog is about 6.6-7.0mph depending on how good I'm feeling...and my recovery is 3.6mph
Tabatas (20 seconds work/10 seconds recovery repeated 8 times is the tabata method). I usually do 4 rounds of Tabatas with 1 minute recovery between sets. Exercises vary, but have included mountain climbers, burpees, thrusters, front squats, goblet squats, pushups, jumping jacks, etc. So I would do mountain climbers for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, repeat 8 times, rest 1 minute, do goblet squats for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, etc.
Rope jumping intervals. I'm just starting these so right now I'm working my up for my "work" intervals. This morning I did 45 seconds jumping, 30 seconds rest. Next week I'll probably do 1 minute work / 30 seconds rest.
Oh, and I try to do about 20 minutes of intervals at a time plus warmup and warmdown.
Thanks so much for your answer.
Your Tabata protocol has a few exercises I don't know: mountain climbers, thrusters and jumping jacks. I've become familiar with the others though the burpees are physically impossible.
you're right about not being able to get to full speed with just 20 s, especially not with that silly new treadmill that doesn't allow manual setup as well as the other one. Or perhaps I was just dumb.
I'll go with the 1 minute intervals.
I'm not sure what makes NROL so difficult ... maybe it is the combination of exercises ... the fact that they are compound and not isolation ... the short rest periods ... the fact that the workouts are structured differently so that they are somewhat CNS involved ... no idea really ... but they are taxing and challenging ... and FUN!!
Regarding intervals (or Metabolic Overdrive as Alwyn terms it) I wouldn't worry so much about the exact intervals ... just mix it up ... one of his "newest" thoughts is that you do the interval until your heart rate reaches 85-95% of APMHR (age predicted max heart rate) then recover until your heart rate drops below 140. I also think that it is good to mix up the interval method ... sprints, bike, rope skipping, etc ... as well as the duration of the intervals that way you are truly training all the different energy systems (ATP, glycogen, anaerobic, aerobic). By keeping things mixed up you avoid having your body adapt ... and keep the metabolic disturbance high ... and thus the "afterburn".
Ummm - I didn't do my thrusters with a 125# barbell though (what a stud that girl is!). I used two 5# dumbbells and I was dying! The last set I didn't think I would make it to the end. Thrusters are definitely the hardest tabata exercise in my opinion. You can also do swings, front squats, military presses, etc. Oh, you can also do any type of cardio using the tabata 20:10 protocol.
I'm not sure what makes NROL so difficult ... maybe it is the combination of exercises ... the fact that they are compound and not isolation ... the short rest periods ... the fact that the workouts are structured differently so that they are somewhat CNS involved ... no idea really ... but they are taxing and challenging ... and FUN!!
I agree with UConnJulie, NROL is so wonderfully cruel it is actually fun to do.
I just started the Fat Loss III this morning and I am convinced that Lou has a very strong sadistic streak.
To do the Giant Sets I get to the gym at 4 AM; no one in their right mind is awake then.
Jim~
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The things we want or value the most may not be found under a blanket of warmth and security, but out there, in the cold. ~MMMM~
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