Push/pull routine to do for new muscle

Last week I found myself drawing a blank on what new routine to do for my push/pull day in order to really shock the body. It was then when I remembered a workout I used to do in college and knew that would be exactly what I needed. The workout is set up differently then I normally do and odds are this holds true for you too. I always do this workout when I lift with my friend Pat and you should do it with someone as well since the workout is based on training with a partner.

** Warning this workout is not meant for beginners or anyone not used to intense workouts. This is best used for someone looking to add muscle or gain strength.

Push Component-You will get balance between dumbbell work, barbell work. bodyweight work and machine work. Not to leave any angle out you this takes you through incline, decline and flat body positions.

A1) Pushup pyramid- Start with 1 pushup, hold at the top for 2 seconds, then do 2 reps and hold at the top for 2 seconds, do 3 reps and hold at the top for 2 seconds......4,5,6,7,8,9 and then end with 10 reps. Go as far as you can push yourself even if you cant reach 10 reps. This exercise will get the chest burning right off the bat.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS BEFORE YOU BOTH MOVE TO A2

A2) Dumbbell chest press on flat bench-12 reps
Be wise when choosing weight. You will not be able to lift what you could for 12 reps fresh so plan accordingly.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS BEFORE YOU BOTH MOVE TO A3

A3) Decline barbell 1/2 presses-5-6 reps. Take the bar off the rack and lower it all the way down, then press just half way up, lower it back down and then finish the rep going all the way to the top which would equal 1 rep.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS BEFORE YOU BOTH MOVE TO A4

A4) Incline Hammer press machine ( or whatever incline machine you have )-6-8 reps. The goal here is to explode up with the weight as fast as possible and then lower the weight for a 5 second count.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS

Rest 3 minutes and repeat this whole thing 1 more round. Only change is now do the pushup pyramid in reverse order so start with 10 reps, then 9 reps, 8....ending with 1 rep. You could a third round and start back from 1 on the pushups.

PULL COMPONENT- Here we target the back with horizontal pulling and vertical pulling movements

B1) Narrow grip lat pulldown-6-8 reps. Have your hands about 8-10 inches apart and palms facing away from you.Go heavy and have your partner help on the last rep or two if need be.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS BEFORE YOU BOTH MOVE TO B2

B2) Seated curved bar row-10 reps. palms down and arms wide.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS BEFORE YOU BOTH MOVE TO B3

B3) TRX row-12 reps. Start with your palms facing each other and then finish the row with your palms down. If you don't have a TRX then set up a double cable pulley station with the handles set up high. Drop down into a light squatted position grab the handles and perform the same action as stated above.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS BEFORE YOU BOTH MOVE TO B4

B4) Incline bench dumbbell reverse flys-15 reps.Lie face down on a incline bench grab a pair of dumbbells. With your arms extended towards the floor and your palms facing each other perform reverse flys under control. You do not need a ton of weight trust me.
***NOW YOU REST AND YOUR PARTNER DOES THIS

Rest 3 minutes and repeat the pulling work for 1 more round. You can do a third round as you progress.

Done, done and DONE! The next day you will feel amazing....trust me and try this today!

GO DOMINATE!

4 exercises to try!

1) Pushup pyramid- Do 1 pushup, then pause at the top for 2 seconds, do 2 reps, pause for 2 seconds, do 3 reps, pause for 2 seconds. Aim to get up to 10 reps and then be able to work yourself all the way down. You can also do the 2 second pause at the bottom instead.

2) Partial overhead press-This exercise is great for size and strength for the triceps. If you need a new exercise to thrash the triceps then try this! To do this, perform a normal overhead press with a barbell using the same grip width and foot stance as usual. From the lockout position, lower the bar just until it touches the top of your hair. Press it back up and you have done 1 rep.

3) Constant tension bicep curls-Great exercise since you take advantage of muscle tension, isometric contractions and unilateral action. Begin with both arms in a fully flexed position ( think the top of the curl .) Now lower the working arm while keeping the other arm flexed. Curl up the working arm to the fully flexed position to match the non working arm. Then switch arms and do the same thing. Keep alternating until the set is finished. You cant use as much weight with this so you might want to use this after doing a heavier bicep exercise.

4) Mid range partial presses-Awesome way to keep tension on the pecs and get a feeling like never before! Grab dumbbells and get into a bench press position on your back. Simply, just don't go all the way down or all the way up. You will need to use lighter weight than normal.

RCW-#1

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Start with 2 minutes straight of jump rope

A1) Inverted row-8 reps
A2) Band donkey kicks - 15 reps per

3 sets before moving right into B1/B2

B1) Lateral pushups- 5 each direction, 4, 3
B2) Reverse drop off lunges from step with dumbbells-8 each leg

3 sets then go right into 1 set of A1/A2...then right into 1 set of B1/B2 then rest for 2 min

C1 ) Reverse grip band pulldowns- 20 reps
C2) Dumbbell sumo squat-12 reps

3 sets then go right into 1 set of A1/A2....1 set of B1/B2...then right into 1 set of C1/C2 then rest for 2min

D1) Tricep kickbacks with bands-15 reps
D2) backward/forward band walks-10 each direction

3 sets then go right into 1 set of A1/A2....1 set of B1/B2.....1 set of C1/C2.....then 1 set of D1/D2.....

Done!

Go Dominate!

Quick push/pull giant set

If you are strapped for time and need some quick upper body work than try this brief routine. The rep ranges fit best for those looking to gain muscle. You can easily drop the weight on each exercise and up the reps if that is what you want as well.


Lying close grip dumbbell press ( keep your elbows tucked in tight to your sides with your palms facing each other as you press )-10 reps

Seated row with neutral grip-12 reps

Pushups-10 reps ( hold at the bottom of each for 3 seconds )** if this is too easy then add a weight vest or plate to your back

Lat pulldown with close grip ( palms facing forward )-12 reps

Rest 90 seconds and repeat 4 total rounds

It's Thanksgiving not Fatsgiving

Thanksgiving is a time were you get together with family and friends and enjoy a gluttony of food and football. Delicious turkey, cranberry, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes piled high on your plate. Other than the turkey most of the meal is heavy on the carbs which will make you heavy in the waist. No matter what your goals are you need to get active both before and after Thanksgiving.

MUSCLE BUILDERS- Go ahead and go to town on Thanksgiving. You need to hit the weights hard and chow down. If your goal is to pack on muscle eat the calories but just make sure to hit it hard the next day at the gym. You should go full body and target as many muscles as possible the day after.Below is a simple routine set up with minimal exercises to keep the workout time efficient.

Each exercise will be done as straight sets. Do 4 sets before moving onto the next exercise. Take 60 sec between sets. Do the first 2 sets aiming to reach failure between 8-10 reps. For the last 2 sets adjust the weight so you reach failure at 6-8 reps.

1) Row with dumbbells

2) Deadlift

3) Bench press with dumbbells

4) Split squat with barbell

5) Neutral grip chinups

6) Dips



WEIGH LOSS/LEANERS-You have it tougher than those trying to pack on muscle but you can still enjoy the holiday using the below strategies.

** Start off the morning do the following mini circuit. This quick morning jolt will kick start your metabolism for the rest of the days eating.

1) Jump rope-all out for 30 seconds ( if you don't have one then do the same motion and mimic having one )
2) Burpees-10 reps

Rest 1 minute, repeat this for 5 rounds.

DAY AFTER WORKOUT


1) Row with dumbbells-15 reps
2) Deadlift-10 reps
3) Pushups-15 reps
4) Walking lunges with dumbbells-10 reps each leg ( alternating legs )
5) Neutral grip chinups-12 reps
6) Sprint ( 20seconds on bike or run in place )

Take 1 min rest then repeat for 5 total rounds.

Random thoughts.....

• If you think your eating a ton and your not packing on muscle, then eat more!

• Avocados are like natures butter. Use avocado as a spread on sandwiches, with eggs, on burgers or just eat it alone.
  

• Eating to drop body fat doesnt have to be boring and bland. Use spices and seasonings to give your food calorie free flavor. Try the following marinades- soy sauce, minced garlic and ginger, and diced scallions. Another option is balsalmic vinegar, garlic and diced rosemary. Hot sauces like tabasco and sriracha.
  

• Sprinting owns jogging any day! Sprinting is great for athletes. great to make your legs looker better and great to drop fat quicker. If your not doing them now, start doing them. As always proper warm-up before.

• Grab some dumbbells. Next time you workout try and put down the barbell in exchange for dumbbells. You can make this switch out on almost any lift. Try doing dumbbell squats, deadlifts etc. This will stimulate change!

• If you are having issues with getting your legs to grow then try doing more reps. The quads specifically respond well to high rep training and this could be the cure you need for more gains. Do sets of 20-30 reps for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

• If creating workouts are a chore then focus on just doing simple exercises and doing them really well with simple progressions. For example if you 10 reps of both pullups and squats for 3 sets, then the next workout aim for 4 sets of 10 reps with those exercises. Another option on workout two would be to aim for 3 sets of 12 reps of the two exercises. Those are just two ideas for you.
  

H4 Fat burner #17-JK Style

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This workout has everything in each grouping of exercises for a total body workout. Each grouping has an upper body, lower body, core and conditioning exercise. In this video Kim and Julia, both beautiful badasses ( thanks Nia Shanks for this term ) dominate the workout and show how it should be done.

Workout

After proper dynamic warm-up and foam roll tissue work-

* This workout is meant to have a fast pace and intended to have reps done with speed. Make sure the weight you use allows for this.

A1) Motorcycle row with dumbbell-12 reps
A2) Hip Thrusters ( use barbell across hips if needed for challenge)-12 reps
A3) Chops with band-15 reps
A4) Heisman hops-20-30 seconds ( focus on getting wide and moving quick ) ** time dependant on your level

3-4 sets
** Take no rest if you can handle it else aim for 30-45 seconds between sets

B1) Single leg step up ( note in video at the emphasis on hip extension at top )- 8 reps
B2) Alternating neutral dumbbell shoulder press-10 reps
B3) Bicycle crunch-25 seconds
B4) Jump rope- 15-20 seconds ( all out as fast you can )

3-4 sets
** Take no rest if you can handle it else aim for 30-45 seconds between sets

C1) Row with bands ( palms down and go for speed )-20 reps
C2) Deadlift with kettlebell ( you can use dumbbell as well )-12 reps
C3) Med ball lifts-8 reps each
C4) Skiers forward and backward-3 per leg in each direction x 2

3-4 sets
** Take no rest if you can handle it else aim for 30-45 seconds between sets

GO DOMINATE...