My Current Workout Regimen
In case you're interested, here's what I currently do three times a week:
For each of the workouts, Part A is done three times in a row with minimal rest. About a 30 second rest, and then I move onto three repetitions of Part B. Then I do it all over again.
Workout 1.
Warm-up:
30 jumping jacks
30 seal jacks
20 runner's stretch
20 slow side-to-side lunges (dragons)
Part A
8 1-legged squats off box (per leg)
8 lat cable pull-downs
8 overhead dumbbell press
Part B
8 1-legged Romanian deadlifts (per leg)
8 bentover barbell row
30" side plank (per side)
Workout 2:
Warm-up:
30 jumping jacks
30 seal jacks
20 runner's stretch
20 slow side-to-side lunges (dragons)
Part A
8 Bulgarian split squat with kettlebells (front leg elevated on a step) (per leg)
8 seated cable row
8 barbell bench press
Part B
8 goblet squat with kettlebell
8 1-armed cable pull-downs (per arm)
30" plank
I intersperse some of these sets with a couple of power jumping jacks and a bit of stretching. The single-armed pull-downs and the kettlebell stuff all make my forearms need a bit of extra movement and shaking out between sets. I do stretches at the end of each workout, and lately, I've been working on my dragon flags a bit at the end of my workouts.
I alternate between workouts each time I go in to the gym.
I must say that my strength has been improving steadily since beginning this workout series. The move I find most difficult is the one-armed cable pull-down. It's so hard, I make piteous mewlings and squawks by the end. The second most difficult movement are the one-legged squats. Past the first couple of sets, I can no longer do these in silence. I grunt and groan. Damn, they're hard.
I started this workout regimen on August 14. Here are my results from the beginning, and from now, not even a month later:
Move
Initial
Current
Lat pull-down
55 lbs
60 lbs
Overhead press
20 lbs
22.5 lbs
One-legged deadlift
22.5 lbs
40 lbs
Split squat
30 lbs
60 lbs
Bench press
10 lbs
35 lbs
Goblet squat
40 lbs
40 lbs
One-armed pull-down
25 lbs
30 lbs
Plank
Regular plank
Extended plank push-ups
The most dramatic improvements have been with the Bulgarian split squats and the bench press. I'd like to add that the bench press weight has an additional 45 lbs, which is the weight of the bar itself. But even in the movements which don't show a numeric improvement (ie. goblet squat), my form has improved. At the beginning, my form became very sloppy by the end. Now I can do the movement correctly through all of the repetitions, even though I don't think I'm quite ready to move onto the next weight of kettlebell.
I'm also particularly pleased by the improvement of my bent-over rows. Although it's only a ten-pound improvement, I have busted through the 50-lb plateau where I'd been stuck for over a year.
In another month or so, I'll change my workout routine around again.
For each of the workouts, Part A is done three times in a row with minimal rest. About a 30 second rest, and then I move onto three repetitions of Part B. Then I do it all over again.
Workout 1.
Warm-up:
30 jumping jacks
30 seal jacks
20 runner's stretch
20 slow side-to-side lunges (dragons)
Part A
8 1-legged squats off box (per leg)
8 lat cable pull-downs
8 overhead dumbbell press
Part B
8 1-legged Romanian deadlifts (per leg)
8 bentover barbell row
30" side plank (per side)
Workout 2:
Warm-up:
30 jumping jacks
30 seal jacks
20 runner's stretch
20 slow side-to-side lunges (dragons)
Part A
8 Bulgarian split squat with kettlebells (front leg elevated on a step) (per leg)
8 seated cable row
8 barbell bench press
Part B
8 goblet squat with kettlebell
8 1-armed cable pull-downs (per arm)
30" plank
I intersperse some of these sets with a couple of power jumping jacks and a bit of stretching. The single-armed pull-downs and the kettlebell stuff all make my forearms need a bit of extra movement and shaking out between sets. I do stretches at the end of each workout, and lately, I've been working on my dragon flags a bit at the end of my workouts.
I alternate between workouts each time I go in to the gym.
I must say that my strength has been improving steadily since beginning this workout series. The move I find most difficult is the one-armed cable pull-down. It's so hard, I make piteous mewlings and squawks by the end. The second most difficult movement are the one-legged squats. Past the first couple of sets, I can no longer do these in silence. I grunt and groan. Damn, they're hard.
I started this workout regimen on August 14. Here are my results from the beginning, and from now, not even a month later:
Move
Initial
Current
Lat pull-down
55 lbs
60 lbs
Overhead press
20 lbs
22.5 lbs
One-legged deadlift
22.5 lbs
40 lbs
Split squat
30 lbs
60 lbs
Bench press
10 lbs
35 lbs
Goblet squat
40 lbs
40 lbs
One-armed pull-down
25 lbs
30 lbs
Plank
Regular plank
Extended plank push-ups
The most dramatic improvements have been with the Bulgarian split squats and the bench press. I'd like to add that the bench press weight has an additional 45 lbs, which is the weight of the bar itself. But even in the movements which don't show a numeric improvement (ie. goblet squat), my form has improved. At the beginning, my form became very sloppy by the end. Now I can do the movement correctly through all of the repetitions, even though I don't think I'm quite ready to move onto the next weight of kettlebell.
I'm also particularly pleased by the improvement of my bent-over rows. Although it's only a ten-pound improvement, I have busted through the 50-lb plateau where I'd been stuck for over a year.
In another month or so, I'll change my workout routine around again.