Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Chest and Back

Tags

Back, chest, Dumbbell, Flat, healthy living, Incline, Pyramids, Superset, Weightlifting

Today’s workout:

Superset #1:

• Dumbbell Incline Chest Press 1×30; 1×20; 1×10; 1×5; 1×5;
• Bent Over Dumbbell Rows 1×30; 1×20; 1×10; 1×5; 1×5;

Superset #2:

• Dumbbell Flat Chest Press 1×5; 1×5; 1×10; 1×20; 1×30;
• Bent Over Dumbbell Rows 1×5; 1×5; 1×10; 1×20; 1×30;

Notice what is happening here? The pyramid starts in superset 1 and completes in superset 2. The reps start with30 and reduce to two sets of 5, then start with 5 and increase to 30. So 10 sets of work for both body parts. As a reminder, supersets involve doing two exercises together without rest. So Dumbbell Incline Chest Press set 1 and Bent Over Dumbbell Rows set 1, then rest. This was an intense routine this morning.

Well, that’s it for today. Happy Father’s Day everyone!

See you at the finish line!!

Dave

 

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Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – My New Torture Device

Tags

Achievement, Bodybuilding, Cardio, Exercise, healthy living, motivation, Persistence, Stair Stepper, workout

Today’s workout was interval training. I chose the stair-stepper for this routine’s cardio source.

20 minutes of interval training. 1 minute intense, 2 minutes slow. Great workout and a good sweat!!

See you at the finish line!!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Legs and Abs

Tags

Calf Press, Calves, Decline Crunches, healthy living, Leg Press, Quads, Weight Training, Weightlifting

I’m finally back! Today I started a new workout routine. It is intense and I love it!

Here you go, folks!

Planet Fitness, Ft. Gratiot

Superset: Leg Press and Calf Press combined with a pyramid

• Leg Press 1x50, 1×40, 1×30, 1×20, 1×10, 1×10, 1×20, 1×30, 1×40, 1×50
• Calf Press 1x50, 1×40, 1×30, 1×20, 1×10, 1×10, 1×20, 1×30, 1×40, 1×50

If you’re new to lifting, a superset requires one set, followed immediately by another. In this case, you do one set of leg presses, followed by a set of calf presses on the leg press machine with no rest between. Once you’ve completed an iteration, you take a break. That’s it in a nutshell. The pyramids involve starting light with a set of 50, going heavier at 40, going heavier at 30, 20, 10 and so on. Then, to complete the pyramid, you start at 10 reps and increase 10 reps each superset back up to 50. So light down to heavy, heavy up to light. I enjoy pyramids because they insure you work the muscle group hard.

 

Decline crunches 5 sets to failure.

That was it for today, folks.

See you at the finish line!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Playing Hooky

Tags

Consistency, Life Happens, No excuses, Sticking with it, taking a break, Time off, Truth, vacation

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

You see the gym picture above? No one is in it, including me. I just wanted to touch base, since it’s obvious I’ve been out of the gym for a bit. I wanted to keep myself accountable by writing in this special section of Daily Ramblings because I like the added pressure of putting myself out there. Between dentist appointments, vacationing with my sister, and now returning for a day and getting ready for my brother to come out and visit for a week, I decided to take some time off. I’ll be starting my workout routine again on the 1st of June.

It’s so easy to beat yourself up when something you’ve committed to doesn’t happen. I figured it was a little rude to go to the gym when I’m at my sisters for a few days, rude to miss time with my brother when he’s here to help out with my Mom’s cataract surgery on the 3rd of June, and all the rest. Is this an excuse? Sure. I’m not going to give myself a break when I fail to meet my expectations. Is it life-ending? No. I’ll be back in the gym on the 1st of June and continue to push forward with my physical goals.

Taking a break is a personal decision, but one that does not need you to guilt trip yourself over. If you need a break—take one. Then pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in there and pound on yourself again. Weightlifting is a marathon, not a race.

See you at the finish line…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Cardio

Tags

Cardio, Ego, Exercise, healthy living, Injuries, Random Program, Treadmill, weight lifting, Workarounds

PM:

• 25 minutes Cardio Treadmill Random Program

Today I wanted to address our limitations in the gym. Each of our bodies is unique. My particular “uniqueness” involves the effects of a lower-back surgery I got in 2003. This surgery helped me decide to retire from the Army in 2005 and resulted in nerve damage to my left sciatic nerve. Occasionally I’ll suffer from numbness in the left leg and a tingling sensation in my left foot. This is what they call neuropathy. I could take medication for it, but prefer to just grin and deal with it. Because of this unique condition I have to avoid certain exercises like deadlifts, squats, and lunges. I don’t have the balance in my left leg and although I can still do deadlifts and squats, I prefer not to. Each time I have incorporated one of these two exercises in my routine I hurt my back. It’s not fun to hurt your back. So, I do other exercises that are easier on my back and still get a decent workout in.

It is really crucial to take care of yourself in the gym. Weight lifting is no joke. I read somewhere that you should check your ego at the door. This is solid advice. I see so many young people lifting weights that are way too heavy for them. The form they use is horrific and they are just asking for a major injury. Ah, youth.

Anyway, this is my contribution today. Do you have any issues with any exercises because of a medical or physical condition? If you do, reply in the comments section with the problem you have and what you do instead.

See you at the finish line…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Legs and Abs

Tags

Ab Crunches, Leg Extension, Leg Lifts, Leg Press, Leg Press Calf Press, Seated Calf Presses, Seated Leg Curls

PM:

• Leg Presses 3 x 10;
• Leg Extensions 3 x 10;
• Seated Leg Curls 3 x 10;
• Seated Leg Curls 3 x 10;
• Seated Calf Presses 3 x 10;
• Leg Press Calf Press 3 x 10;
• Ab Crunches 3 x 10;
• Leg Lifts 3 x 10;

Here’s the Leg and Ab workout tonight. I knocked this one out at Planet Fitness. It was a good workout, and the crowd wasn’t that bad at 9:30 PM. Here’s to another successful day in the gym!

See you at the finish line…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Log – Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

Tags

Chest Press, Flys, healthy living, Lateral Raises, Military Press, Triceps Extensions, Triceps Pushdowns, Weightlifting

PM:

• Chest Press 3 x 10;
• Chest Flyes 3 x 10;
• Lateral Raises 3 x 10;
• Military Press 3 x 10;
• Triceps Pushdowns 3 x 10;
• Triceps Overhead Cable Extensions 3 x 10;

As you can see, I’ve moved my workouts to the evening. I discovered rather quickly that my workouts were suffering when I was going in fasted and then staring down the tunnel of another couple of hours before I could eat. I am pursuing a KETO diet and intermittent fasting. I stop eating at 12 Midnight and do not eat again until 4 PM in the afternoon.

I hope everyone is having a terrific week! I sure am. My sister is coming down this weekend with a friend and my brother is coming out from Arizona for a week’s stay, starting on the 29th! I can’t wait. It’ll be a great time.

 

I hope all of you are hitting your goals through self-discipline and persistence. It is a great ride!

See you at the finish line…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Cardio Day

Tags

Cardio, Exercise, healthy living, Hill program, Manual Program, Random Program, Treadmill

AM:

• 25-minutes Cardio, Treadmill, Hill Program

Today was a light day on my workout program. They are intermittent. The goal of this program is to hit cardio every other day. Subsequently, some of my cardio routines will coincide with a weight lifting routine and on other days, like today, it’ll be cardio all by itself.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!

See you at the finish line…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Back, Biceps, and Cardio

Tags

Barbell Curls, Cardio, Concentration Curls, Dumbbell Rows, healthy living, Hyperextensions, Lat Pull Downs, Treadmill

PM:

• Dumbbell rows 3 x 10 (both sides);
• Lat Pull Downs 3 x 10;
• Hyperextensions 3 x 10;
• Concentration Curls  3 x 10;
• Barbell Curls 3 x 10;
• 25 minutes Cardio Treadmill, Hill Program

It felt good to get back into the gym. I went in the evening, which is not a customary practice for me. I went this evening because of a book discussion class I run at our local library on the 2nd Monday of the month. I needed to prepare and ate up most of my day getting ready for it. Ah, the beauty of 24-hour gyms.

The next time you are experiencing insomnia, go to the gym. It is awesome heading to the gym at 3 am and knocking out your workout. I use the showers at the gym so I hit the showers and by the time I get home, I’m ready to go back to bed and sleep. The gym is my therapy. I leave all my stressors, cares, and fears on the gym floor.

 

Anyway. I hope each of you had a terrific Mother’s Day. It was just Mom, Dad, and I. My brother is in Arizona and my sister is too far away in the state to come down. I’m looking forward to a productive week!

See you at the finish line!

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Workout Routine – Day Off

Tags

Celebration, Day Off, family, Holiday, Mother's Day, Rest and Recuperation

Considering all of our family’s Mother’s Day Plans, I’m taking the day off from the gym today to celebrate with the family and enjoy Mom’s day. I hope all of you Mothers out there are getting spoiled royally today!

See you at the finish line…

Dave