Work Out #1

Today I've decided to post the first of the three different weight lifting workouts I do every week. You'll probably notice that I have a major emphasis on the upper body as well as a weekly routine heavily weighted (pardon the pun) towards lifting rather than aerobic exercise. Because it is winter...and it's Montana...my priority will be lifting for the next couple of months. I like running outside but with the cold and all the ice on the sidewalks, I'm very restricted at the moment. I can't say I'm a big fan of treadmills and other indoor aerobic machines, so my cardio work for now will be less than normal. As the days get warmer, I will start running more and more. I'm hoping to run 10 miles twice a week by the summer, but for now, I'll stick to mainly weights.

When it comes to my lifting routines, I have three. The first is a chest and triceps workout which I will be posting below. The second is a back and biceps workout which I hope to have up tomorrow. The last is a core and legs workout which I will put up in a couple days. Feel free to print off these workouts and do them yourself but please keep in mind, this routine is very specific to my goals and there is a good chance that we don't necessarily have the same goals. Nonetheless, here is the first workout, the chest and triceps workout. By the way, any exercise with a *(#) will be explained below either in this post or as soon as I get a chance.

1. Bench Press Pyramid- *(1)
2. Dips- *(2)
3. Standing Cable Chest Flies- 3 sets of 10 reps
4. Standing Cable Tricep Extensions- 3 sets of 10 reps
5. Seated Chest Press- 3 sets of 10 reps
6. Standing Cable Reverse Tricep Extensions- 3 sets of 10 reps *(3)
7. Incline Dumbbell Flies- 3 sets of 10 reps
8. 15 normal arm width push ups, 15 close arm width push ups

*(1)- The Bench Press Pyramid- This type of Bench Press routine is not for everyone. DO NOT try and do this if you are not experienced with the Bench Press. I wouldn't recommend the pyramid routine unless you really want to increase your bench press max. Make sure to always have a spotter when doing this routine. Now that I got that little warning out of the way, I'll explain the pyramid.

The bench press pyramid is made up of 9 sets. 4 sets going up in weight each time, 1 max set (1 rep max which you may or may not get), and 4 burn-out sets going down in weight each time. The first 4 sets our really just warm up sets. You should only do about half to 2/3 the number of reps you would actually be able to do for each of the first 4 weight sets. For example, lets say you can bench 135 lb 10 times. If 135 lb is one of your first 4 sets, you should only do it 5-7 times. I have posted my own pyramid with the weights I do below so you can see first hand what I mean. Obviously if anyone wants to do this routine, you should do the weight that matches your abilities, but keep your rep numbers in approximately the same range as mine. Here is the exact pyramid workout I did today.

1st set: 115 lb- 12 reps
2nd set: 155 lb- 8 reps
3rd set: 185 lb- 4 reps
4th set: 225 lb- 1 rep
5th set: 240 lb max- 1 rep
6th set: 225 lb- 1 rep (2 rep attempt)
7th set: 205 lb- 3 rep (4 rep attempt)
8th set: 185 lb- 6 rep (7 rep attempt)
9th set: 165 lb- 9 rep (10 rep attempt)

So like I said, the first 4 sets are warm ups. Only do half to 2/3 the number of reps you are capable of. The 4th set should only have 1 or 2 reps. I normally just do this rep once. The 5th set is your max which you may or may not get. On the 6th set, make sure you do the same weight as you did on the 4th set. This weight should only be 10 to 15 pounds less than your max. The reason you hit this weight twice is to reaffirm both mentally and physically that you can always bench that weight, no matter what. This is a vital element to increasing your bench press strength. One the remaining sets (7-9) I gradually decrease my weight and do as many reps as I can (till failure). This part of the routine is great for not only helping increase your bench press strength but also for building your chest, shoulders, and triceps.

*(2) -Dips- I know you probably know what dips are. The reason I put an asterisk next to this exercise is so I can go over a few things. First, let me explain my dip routine. The gym I go to has dip bars which are more V shaped rather than parallel. If you do dips at the back of the V, your chest is working hardest. If you do dips at the front of the V, your triceps are working hardest. My dip routine goes as follows:

1st Set: 25 dips or until failure with widest grip (back of V)
2nd Set: 20 dips or until failure with second widest grip (near back of V)
3rd Set: 15 dips or until failure with second closest grip (near front of V)
4th Set: 10 dips or until failure with closest grip (front of V)

The second matter concerning dips I want to discuss has to do with proper form. You would be surprised at how many people do these wrong. First of all, never lock out your elbows. Even if you really want to rest so you can get that last elusive rep, don't do it. Locking out your elbows puts stress on the joint, giving you a good chance of having problems with your elbows later on. I know it is tempting, but DON'T DO IT. Plus, it makes dips a lot harder. The other element of dips which is important to keep in mind is how low you drop your body, or how much you bend your arms. I lower myself until I create a 90 degree angle between my upper arm and forearm. Lowering yourself too much can put too much stress on your shoulders, potentially causing injury. Tearing a muscle can set you back months. Also, not lowering yourself enough is also not nearly as beneficial. The right amount of muscle extension (stretching of the muscle) before flexion (contraction of the muscle) helps to strengthen the muscle. The more flexion you get, the stronger you get...just don't stretch it too much.

*(3) - Standing Cable Reverse Tricep Extensions- This exercise is pretty much the same as normal standing cable tricep extentions, the only difference is hand position. Rather than having your palms facing the floor, have them face the ceiling. You will want to keep your wrists straight and stiff when doing these so you don't hyperextend anything in your forearms. (It'll be natural to keep your wrists stiff anyway when you do this exercise, so you probably don't have to worry about it). Also, try not to allow your elbows to rise when you do this exercise. You want to focus only on your triceps. Your elbows should bend until they create just a bit less than a 90 degree angle. Then extend your arms until they are nearly straight and repeat. This movement should be smooth and controlled, just like all of your exercises.

Well that basically sums up the chest and triceps routine. Normally I throw some abs in each of my workouts as well but we can go over that later. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have posted the second lifting workout (back and bicep). Anyway, for now, good luck!