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Monday Madness: Biceps and Back Blaster

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back and biceps blaster

Today's Monday Madness is all about building a crazy set of arms and a wide back! This biceps and back blaster workout will leave you pumped. It involves pre-exhaustion sets as well as supersets throughout.

The Workout

Exercise Sets x Repetitions
Pullups 2 x failure
Lat Pulldown 3 x 12 (progressively heavier)
Low Cable Row (one arm)
One arm DB Row		 3 x 12-15
3 x 12-15
Rope straight arm pulldown
Facepull		 3 x 12-15
3 x 12-15
BB Curl 3 sets of 21s (7 full, 7 partials top to halfway, 7 partials bottom to halfway)
Spider Curl 3 x 12-15
Reverse BB Curl 3 x 12-15
DB Alternate Curl 1 “run the rack” set

The Workout Explained

The pull ups are a great way to get started without really risking injury. You will warm up your back and your biceps during that exercise. With the lat pulldowns don't cheat by using momentum. Pull your elbows as low as you can and squeeze. We are using cable rows because they keep the tension on your muscles the entire time. Bent over DB rows give you an amazing stretch and work the back hard. You use less biceps and more lats. The rope pulldowns are great because you have a wider range of motion. The face pulls work your upper back hard. With the BB biceps curl we are doing what is called 21s. You start with 7 full repetitions. You follow up with 7 repetitions from the top to the middle point. You finish with 7 repetitions that go from the bottom to the middle point. At this point you're tired, but make every rep of the spider curls count. You will now do reverse curls that will hit your back as well. Finish with a run the rack set of alternating DB biceps curls.

At the end of this training you are going to feel drained. Get some rest to do it again in a week!

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What Must I Fix to Compete Again?

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compete

May 29, 2017 is the date I will compete again. I say “will” because my mind is made up that nothing is going to stop me. However, I realize I have some really lagging body parts that will need to improve in order to compete and be competitive. Today I will set out my plan for what I must fix to compete again and how I am going to accomplish that plan.

Accountability Partner

As I thought this through I realized that I need an accountability partner. I need someone who understands what I am going through. I need someone who knows me well enough to push me. I need someone who is not afraid to tell me when I am blowing it. Enter my good friend and mentor, Carlos DeJesus. He has agreed to be my accountability partner. I am responsible for sending him pictures weekly to assess my progress. This type of accountability is going to make me think multiple times before going off plan. Carlos is a world champion bodybuilder. He has invented numerous pieces of exercise equipment including the Quad Blaster. He knows exactly what I am going through and how to get to where I want to be. The perfect accountability partner!

Training Changes

My training is generally good. I need to focus on fixing the body parts (list following) that will help me show the best on stage. I have added deadlifts back to my routine as I have always seen great results when they are part of my training regimen.  I also changed my split order a little. It is currently set as follows:

Back
Shoulders
Chest
Quads
Off
Arms
Hamstrings

Leaning Out

I have been focused on getting my body fat percentage to below 15% so that I can freely bulk. I was given that advice by a good friend, Marc David.  Following the advice of people who have been there is something I find quite important. I am making sure I get my cardio in on a regular basis. I have inserted 10 minutes of cardio at the end of every training session and soon I will be doing a second gym session each day to get in the proper amount of cardio. My daughter is on the cross country team at school so I am running with her whenever I get the opportunity. I am eating a specific regimen that really seems to be working for me. I also set up a friendly competition with my son. He needs to gain some weight the healthy way, so we set up a 12 week competition. He has to try to gain weight while I try to lean out. If he gains more weight than I lose, he gets to pick any restaurant and I have to take him there. This is going to motivate both of us to achieve our goals.

Body Part Improvements

As I look in the mirror the only body part I really like is my legs. I know I can easily bring up my traps as they respond really well. As far as massive improvements, my chest and arms are very weak. My back and shoulders are in decent shape, with my back having a slight V shape to it already. In thinking through the next year of training I am already certain that I am gong to have some specialization training included each month. These specializations will focus on arms and chest.

Getting it Done

The plan is in place. The date is selected. The accountability is in place. Now I have to get the job done!

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Crock Pot Chicken Recipe for Gains

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chicken recipe

This crock pot chicken recipe is going to help you get the gains you want while enabling you to eat a tasty meal. It is easy to prepare and takes 3 to 4 hours to cook.

Ingredients for Chicken Recipe

The Make-It Bacon Paleo Chicken Classic

  • 1 lb. cubed chicken breasts
  • 1/3 lb chopped bacon.
  • 1 small white onion thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp chipotle sauce

Directions for Chicken Recipe

  1. Place uncooked bacon pieces in the crock pot. Stir bacon in among the cubed chicken, onion and seasonings
  2. If you like, give it a light olive oil glaze. It will taste good and help keep your chicken from sticking to the pot
  3. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours
  4. Top with your chipotle sauce upon serving

Nutrition Facts

Calories 594
Total Fat 37.7 g
Total Carbs 1.8 g
Protein 56.2 g

Enjoy this tasty meal!

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Monday Madness: Maniacal Chest Workout

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maniacal chest workout

Today I want to show you a chest workout that is pretty insane. I will first show you the workout and then I will explain why it is so important.

How to Execute the Workout

For this workout you are going to use heavy weight but slow cadence on the repetitions. This is a 3 x 3 cadence. That means you take 3 seconds to raise the weight and 3 seconds to lower it. This is going to tire your muscles out a great deal so be ready to adjust accordingly.

The Workout

Exercise Sets x Repetitions
Decline BB Bench Press 4 x 6-8
Incline DB Bench Press 3 x 8-10
Seated Machine Press 4 x 6-8
Pec Dec Flye 4 x 12-15
Flat DB Flye 4 x 10-12
Flat DB Pullover 5 x 6-8
Dips 3 x 15

Make sure you are controlling the weight. Use a weight that is heavy enough that you can just barely hit the repetition ranges, but make sure you can do the 3 second up and 3 second down cadence. The idea is to put some serious pressure on your chest muscles today.

The Workout Explained

Many of the old time bodybuilders believed in starting their chest workout with a few sets of Decline BB Bench Press and I am no different. I think that declines do a great job of warming up the entire chest. You hit areas that are normally neglected. I then switch to Incline DB Bench Press because my upper chest is one of my weakest areas. When doing the Seated Machine Press make sure to use one arm at a time, alternating. Squeeze hard at the top of the movement so that you tire out your chest. After the machine press has worn you out, switch to the Pec Dec Flye. Be sure your elbows are up and out and that you keep the tension on the muscle. Switch over to the Flat DB Flye. Keep your elbows positioned correctly during the movement. Squeeze at the top of the motion. As you go into the Flat DB Pullover make sure you are emphasizing the chest muscles. Make the movement long by stretching your arms all the way out. Finish off with dips. Make sure you lean forward just a little so that your chest is emphasized.

The slow cadence of this chest workout increases the intensity of the workout. Making sure you squeeze at the top of every repetition, even acting as though you are pushing your hands together (when you really are not) is going to improve your pecs dramatically.

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Saturday Sharing: Complainers Go to the Back of the Line

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complainers

Everyone can come up with excuses if they want, but complainers are the masters at finding excuses for everything. It is far too easy to come up with an excuse that will derail you from your exercise and nutrition goals, but why would you want to do that? I wonder sometimes if these heavy complainers understand the ramifications of their own actions. My opinion is that complainers can go to the back of the line. I have no time for that.

Complainers sap your energy

When you are attempting to help people, the complainers will remove all energy from you and your efforts. You find yourself working to convince them of the erroneous statements they are making. It takes your focus away from more important things. You have no way to convince them because they are going to believe whatever they believe. It is a complete waste of your time and it just takes energy away from your other tasks.

Complainers bring you down

You do what you do because it is something that you need or want. If you are like me, you have a passion for health and fitness. Listening to complainers just brings me down. It makes me wonder why I do what I do at all.

Complainers Go to the Back of the Line

When I help people and I discover that they are a complainer I instantly move them to the end of the line in the future. I don't like to waste my time on people who are not going to listen to anything I say and complainers have shown me this is them.

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