This workout goes with the post from Monday. Unlike Monday this workout all of the upper body exercises will be low rep and very heavy.

A1) Speed squats-20 reps
A2) Pullup-medium grip -6 reps, 6 sec hold top of each
A3) Dynamic Lateral lunges alternating sides  ( no weight)-12 each exploding
A4) Face down on incline bench w dumbbells, rows w palms facing behind you-6 reps
A5) Chops with med ball-10 each each side
4 rounds with no rest to 90sec depending on your level

B1) Hamstring curl w valsides or towels or ball-15 reps
B2) Shoulder press w barbell in ground ( landmine setup )-6 reps each neutral grip
B3) Backwards band walks-15 each leg ( step back and out )
B4) Reverse grip row seated straight bar-6 reps
B5) Ab rollout with wheel -10 each
4 rounds with no rest to 90sec depending on your level

PHA style workout-high low rep scheme version

 This workout is full body and you get your metabolism going hard! Today's workout will focus on heavier lower body with low reps and lighter upper body with high reps. The next post will be a workout featuring the opposite. Follwing the intense load on your lower body today your lower body can almost recover on Wednesday since there will be lighter loads

workout 1

A1) Glute thrusters with barbell over hips-6 reps-each a 3 sec hold at top ( heavy weight ) http://h4training.blogspot.com/2012/02/eom-glute-thrusters.html
A2) Pushups-15 reps as fast as you can ( if you cant finish then move to a high bench to finish ) nose to floor!!!!
A3) Single leg deadlift with 2 dumbbells-6 each ( keep bend in thigh for more glute )
A4) Tricep extensions w rope-15 reps
A5) Bicycle crunch on bosu ( one leg at a time )-12 each
4 total rounds. Take no-90sec rest depending on fitness level


B1) Goblet hold w dumbbell reverse lunges-6 each
B2) TRX row-( palms down to palms face to finish )-15 reps
B3) High step up-6 each ( focus driving through heels and squeezing glutes at the top )
B4) Pulldown w cable machine-15 reps
B5) Pallof Press w cable-10 each side
4 rounds. Take no-90sec rest depending on fitness level
* If you dont have a TRX you can use cable handles on a row

End with farmers walks with dumbbells for 50 yards ( estimate in the gym ) then followed by a 50 yard sprint ( if you don't have room then sprint back and forth in your space until you reach 50 )
**Rest 45 sec and repeat 2 more rounds

Random thoughts....

• I just finished reading a very interesting book called Lose the wheat, Lose the weight! I have been reading a bunch of diet/nutrition books as of late and this was the most recent one I finished. The information is really good and I highly recommend you check it out. More evidence towards the low carb and sugar way of eating. 

•  Glute work should be apart of any one's program no matter the goal.

•  Stay on track with your goals and make sure you get in the work no matter where you are. I was recently away in North Dakota and managed to get a pretty damn good workout in with my TRX in the barn on the ranch I was staying at. No excuses, find a way to dominate!

• Start doing more split squats. Not only are they more low back friendly than the squat but you can also still get great strength and hypertrophy gains from doing them. You can use a barbell, dumbbells or just body weight. All of my clients do them and do them regularly. Give them a try. Checkout my post. http://h4training.blogspot.com/2010/03/eom-bulgarian-split-squat.html

• Start writing down not only what you eat but what you do in the gym. I guarantee you do the same thing over and over and I bet you stay in your comfort zone when it comes to exercise selection. Each week look over your workouts and recognize what you are doing and what you aren't doing. Make changes and you will get changes!

• Great motivational video for you on a Wednesday.

( DOUBLE CLICK FOR BETTER VIEWING OF THE VIDEO )

4 Things to do in your workout to change it up

1) Try doing a "main" lift workout-This is a great way to hit important lifts like front squats, deadlifts, and variations of these exercises. You basically focus most of the workout on a main lift like deadlift for example and you do one set. After the set then do a less tiring exercise like a bicep curl or pullup. Now go back to the money exercise and keep repeating this sequence. Below is an example.

deadlift
pullup


deadlift
pushups


deadlift
hammer curl


deadlift
shoulder press

2) Do the opposite order than you normally do-If you train core last do it first, if you do rows in the middle of the workout then do them at the end. If you always use dumbbells then use barbells. Do you tend to start with triceps on arm days, well do biceps first instead. This difference will help you get out of a training rut.

3) Do everything unilaterally-How often do you do things one arm at a time or one leg at a time? My guess is not very often. Unilateral work has tons of benefits and will also help you from getting bored. You can do single arm curls, presses, squats, deadlifts etc.

4) Mess with the rest- Maybe you tend to always take big rest periods so today you will take shorter rests. You might also notice you rest less after exercises you like and rest more between exercises you don't like so change that. Think about your average rest periods and play around with it next time in the gym.

The Hamstrings

Quick info on the hamstrings

* Hamstrings tend to be underdeveloped in most people compared to the qauds.

* Powerful and strong hamstrings play an important role in speed

*Hamstrings have two functions which include flexing the knee and hip extension. In order to fully develop the hamstrings you must train both functions.

*Hamstrings are made up of mostly fast twitch muscle fibers and therefore should be trained with heavy loads and lower reps.

*Hamstrings respond good to eccentric work. Think negatives.

*Most people tend to have very tight hamstrings so keeping the tissue quality up with foam rolling and stretching is essential.

Exercises to include in your program-

1) Glute Ham Raise-Dont be surprised if you make an ugly face when doing this bodyweight exercise. One of the best exercises for preventing hamstring pulls.
Read the blog post http://h4training.blogspot.com/2012/04/glute-ham-raise-deadmans.html

2) Deadlifts-both single and double leg. Roman deadlifts work very well. RDL's are the variety in which you aim to push your hips backward when bending over. RDL's work better than the traditional straight leg deadlift which emphasizes more lower back since you bend from the back

3) Leg curl-I love doing eccentric curls with the leg curl machine

4) Lunges-Focus on taking a long stride to target the hamstrings more. Once your foot hits the ground try and push away from the floor through the heel.

5) Kettlebell swings-Great exercise to use on a speed day or after a heavy lift or on a fat loss program. make sure you snap with the hips and don't make it a squatting movement.

6) Backwards sled pull-Most of you wont have access to a sled so instead set up a rope at the bottom of a cable pulley rack and use plenty of weight. Now simply grab the rope and keeping yourself with an upright posture walk backwards until the weight stack hits the top. Repeat this for multiple reps. Make sure you stand upright and focus on pulling the ground toward you instead of just walking.

New full body routine to cut body fat

For the seated row you will be decreasing the weight each set as you up the reps. The thrusters you will be doing the opposite.

A1) Seated row with straight bar-8,10,12,15
A2) Glute thrusters-15,12,10,8
A3) Shoulder press with dumbbells ( put one leg up on a bench )-perform with palms facing you to start and finishing the press with palms facing away-10
A4) Deadlift with dumbbells-10
A5) Pallof press with cable-8 reps each side

* 4 total rounds, take up to 2 minutes between rounds if need be

B1) Alternating cable pulldown-12 each
B2) Deficit reverse lunge with dumbbells-10 each 
B3) Pushups with chest tap ( do one rep then take right hand and tap left pec, then use left hand and tap right pec this equals one rep)-15,12,10,8
B4) Band walks moving laterally ( place around your ankles )-8,10,12,15 each direction
B5) Stir the pot with physio ball-8 each direction


* 4 total rounds, take up to 2 minutes between rounds if need be

Below is a link to view both thrusters and deficit lunges

http://h4training.blogspot.com/2012/04/get-better-butt-add-these-4-exercises.html

Monday random workout tips/thoughts

• If you need to improve your forearm strength or size then start using towels. Not only can you do towel chin-ups, but seated rows, inverted rows and even farmers walks in which you put the towel through the kettlebell. Towels will crush your grip and will create a new training stimulus for those exercises that might be getting stagnant.

•  I still feel like my biceps have grown the most when I do preacher curls. I tend to favor either high volume in both sets and reps like 6-8 sets of 10-12 reps or low sets with heavy weight like 3 sets of 5-6 reps. Keep variety and watch the guns get huge!

•  If you are prone to hamstring pulls start doing glute-ham raises. You can watch the exercise here at http://h4training.blogspot.com/2012/04/glute-ham-raise-deadmans.html

• Most guys would benefit from cutting out chest and shoulder work for 3 weeks and instead doing more back work. Pull, pull and pull some more.Go after your back 2-3x a week.  Hit your back at numerous angles and with different exercises and not only will your posture improve but so will your shoulder health. Plus you will hep yourself get closer to the "V" shape that so many guys strive for. I bet your bench press improves as well.

•  You need to be getting at least 40% of your breakfast calories from protein. Not only will this lower carb impulses and help with fat loss. First option should be 2-3 whole eggs. If that doesn't work for you then do a protein shake with 30 grams.

•  A way to mix up your workouts is to try the following same muscle tri-sets. 

Back- example
A1) 6 reps dumbbell one arm row
A2)10 reps seated row palms down straight bar
A3) 6-8 reps dumbbell one arm row ( you most likely will need to decrease the weight that you started with )

Chest -example
A1) 6 reps-dumbbell chest press
A2) 3sec hold at the top of each rep, 12 total-pushups
A3) 6-8 reps dumbbell chest press (  you most likely will need to decrease the weight that you started with )

• If you are bored with your traditional cardio routine or even the interval work you do then try one of the following.

 A) Stairs-you got it, just simply walk up and down the stairs but add a pair of dumbbells. You can do it for numerous rounds or just one round and break it up with something like core work. Find a stair well and get going!

B) Use the exercises from the video below-

( DOUBLE CLICK VIDEO FOR BETTER VIEWING )