In observance with the atmosphere I am determined to make a genuine effort to get in shape. That’s not to say that I’m in poor shape. I like to believe I can embrace it with the finest of them, but I think lots of things that turn out, unluckily, to be sadly untrue.
I’ve been a realistically regular attendee at the local fitness centre in cebu for the past couple of years. On the other hand, although presence has never been a problem, I’m like the guy in the sporting team that shows up each week only to sit on the bench and do bugger all while the rest of the team works up a sweat. I’m the guy who more often than not uses a workout bench, not for lifting weights, but rather as a stool upon which to sit whilst i stare blankly at the wall mounted television. Unfortunately, my excruciating remark has done little for the shine of my biceps, or the grit of my abs, and so it was time for a plan. I sat down one night and with my aspiration, and common sense, I constructed a workout program.
To begin with, I had an objective. Seemingly this is important. I wanted to increase strength and broad shoulders without looking like a brick layer.
I also had (4)four key guiding principles:
Same day, same exercise.
I wanted to ensure that I worked the same body parts on the same day each week. If I worked chest on Monday this week, I wanted to work chest on Monday next week. I’m a structured kind of guy, and a repeating week-long cycle was going to be important to keeping me at ease and focused.
Each body part twice per week.
Following on from the first principle, if I was to work any body part less than twice per week and I was to miss a session (through travel or sickness) it would be a two week break between bouts. I had to shoot for twice a week.
One hour session.
Time is precious, and although I was committed, I was only prepared to commit between 5pm and 8pm each day. I wasn’t signing up for any crazy marathon workout session, or any of this “two workouts a day” kind of crap. A man needs to know his limitations.
Run, baby, run.
I love running. It had to make an appearance in the program.
The resulting program is shown at the end of this post. It’s a real cracker. In a nut shell, it’s a three day cycle that runs twice per week, with one “weight free day” where i go for a 30 mins run. Here are some of the principles that have shaped the schedule:
Compound exercises first.
I start each muscle group with a compound exercise, which are basically the “big” exercises, like squats, or chin ups, that work a number of muscle groups at once. These suckers are hard. Your body needs to be fresh and feeling powerful. To attempt these exercises when you are drained is to flirt with injury.
Big muscles before small.
In each session I work more than one muscle group, but i always start with the biggest muscle group first. The chest muscles are bigger than the triceps, so when working these two body parts on the same day, i start first with the chest, and then move onto the triceps. It’s the same on the other days: legs before shoulders, back before biceps.
Short sets.
If you want to build stamina, go for light weight and high reps (12 - 15). If you want to build muscle, go for heavy weight and low reps (8 - 10). I’ve typically settled on 4 sets of 9 reps for each exercise.
Focus on one muscle group at a time.
The program repeats every 3 days, which doesn’t allow much time for recovery. It’s therefore important that I’m not working the same muscle group on multiple days within each 3 day cycle (with the exception of abs, which can handle a daily blast). For example, most chest exercises also work the triceps, so these two muscle groups have been combined on the same day. Likewise, most back exercises work the biceps, so these have also been combined. This approach ensures each muscle group gets the hardest workout possible, but also the maximum time to recover.
Give the legs a break.
I don’t work the legs for a day either side of the 30mins run. This once again aids recovery.
I’ve been following the program for almost two weeks now with really positive results., but I’m still motivated and still injury free, and that’s got to count for something. These are the key points I’ve noticed:
Prepared for action.
In the past i would rock up to the gym, take a look around, and make up the session on the spot. There was no structure. No plan of attack. I wasn’t accountable to anything except the whims of my own idleness. The end result: i spent a lot of time watching television.
Record for motivation.
I’ve been religiously recording the exact weight i lift during each exercise. This not only allows me to track progress over time, but it provides motivation to improve. If i know i lifted 20kg during the shoulder press last session, to lift less this session would be a real kick in the pants. This helps push me through the days I’m feeling lazy.
Spurred on by the clock.
I’ve only got an hour for each session, and on one day i have to knock over 12 exercises. I make a conscious effort not to rush but i do cut down on the time between sets. In the past I’d often take up to a 10 minute break between two sets of the one exercise. I’m now down to 45-60 seconds. I just don’t have the time to lose focus.
Working the whole body.
Without a plan i used to work what was convenient. The bench press was an all time favorite. I could lay flat on my back and almost nod off between sets. The problem is, i avoided body parts that were tough work. Like the legs. And the more i avoided them, the harder they became, and the more excuses i invented for doing something else. The program has forced me to face the enemy, and in doing so, what was once difficult and therefore painful, has become easier, and even somewhat enjoyable. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s ensured that i don’t become a brick shit house with tooth pick legs.
Here is the program. I plan on sticking it our for probably 3 months. After that I’ll mix it up a bit to ensure that the body (and the mind) don’t become stale.
Monday / Thursday
Chest
Bench Press (4 x 9)
Incline Dumbell Press (4 x 9)
Peck Deck (4 x 9)
Triceps
Assisted Dips (4 x 9)
Rope Tricep Pulldowns (4 x 9)
Bent Over Tricep Extensions (4 x 9)
Abs
Oblique Crunches (3 x 15)
Incline Situps (3 x 15)
Swiss Ball Situps (Feet on Wall) (3 x 15)
Tuesday / Friday
Legs
Squats (4 x 9)
Lunges (3 x 9)
Hamstring Curls (4 x 9)
Seated Leg Extensions (4 x 9)
Standing Calf Raises (4 x 9)
Shoulders
Behind the Neck Shoulder Presses (4 x 9)
Seated Shoulder Presses (4 x 9)
Side Dumbell Shoulder Reaises (4 x 9)
Wednesday / Saturday
Back
Assisted Wide Grip Chinups (2 sets)
Seated Lat Pulldowns (4 x 9)
Seated Row (4 x 9)
T-bar Row (4 x 9)
Back Extension (3 x 12)
Biceps
Chin Ups (2 sets)
Seated incline Dumbell Bicep Curls (4 x 9)
Seated Barbell Bicep Curls (4 x 9)
Abs
Incline Leg Raises (3 x 15)
Seated Knee Extensions (3 x 15)
Medicine Ball Twists (3 x 20)
Sunday
Run 10km
Your health is important. Set yourself a program and become accountable. You may be surprised at the results.
