Try this workout if your tired of yours

If you are bored with your workout today and your goal is weight loss or just to get in the best shape possible then give this a try. You will hit every major muscle group in this workout.

A1) ANY PULL MOVEMENT ( Row, pulldown, pullup, etc )-12 reps
A2) ANY LEG MOVEMENT ( variations of squat, deadlift, press, lunge, step-up etc )-12 reps
A3) ANY CORE EXERCISE-12 reps
A4) ANY PUSH MOVEMENT ( pushups, shoulder exercises. chest press variations)-12 reps
A5) ANY LEG MOVEMENT ( something different than you did for A2 )-12 reps
A6) ANY CORE EXERCISE -12 reps
A7) ANY PULL MOVEMENT ( something different than you did for A1 )-12 reps
A8) YOUR CHOICE ( pick something you need the extra work, biceps, triceps, legs, etc )-12 reps

Take rest if you need after doing all 8 exercises but try and start round 2 as quick as you can. Each round you will drop the reps by 1. So it would like this:

Round 1-12 reps
Round 2-11 reps
Round 3-10 reps
Round 4-9reps
............You get the picture

Your goal is to see how many rounds you can get in 45 minutes. If you you did 5 rounds and ended with doing 8 reps of everything then next time you do this workout try and do 6 rounds. Every workout you can also try and decrease your rest time between rounds.

Get bigger pecs for the beach with this routine...

This routine incorporates the incline press which is great to build a fuller looking chest. If you have shoulder issues you should stay away from this workout since it will be demanding on the shoulder joint. You can use either the incline barbell press or the Hammer strength incline press machine. Start the first set with the most weight possible for 6 reps. The 6th rep should be really difficult if the weight is correct.
1)
Incline barbell press/or Hammer incline strength press machine-1 set at 6 reps
SUPER SET WITH
Flat dumbbell twist press -1 set at 12 reps
*( flat twist press starts off like a traditional press but as you start to press up you want to twist the weight so your palms end up facing your face at the top of the movement. If done right the movement should look like a combo of chest press and chest fly. Make sure to bring the dumbbells together at the top. You will need to use less weight then you would for a regular chest press.
**Rest 90 seconds before doing 1 more set.


2)NOW DROP THE WEIGHT BY ABOUT 2.5-5LBS PER SIDE
Incline barbell press/or Hammer incline strength press machine-1 set at 8 reps
SUPER SET WITH
Flat dumbbell twist press -1 set at 10 reps
**Rest 90 seconds before doing 1 more set.


3) NOW DROP ANOTHER 5 LBS PER SIDE. YOU CAN DROP MORE IF NEED BE.
Incline barbell press/or Hammer incline strength press machine-1 set at 10 reps
SUPER SET WITH
Flat dumbbell twist press -1 set at 8 reps
**Rest 90 seconds before doing 1 more set.


Done. You should have done a total of 6 super set combinations.

New training split

If you are trying to put on some muscle and have found your current training split to be getting dull and your results stagnant then give this try. This split calls for a large frequency and volume of leg work. By doing legs more often you will stimulate more growth hormone and testosterone and bring about new muscle gains. Your legs will take a beating and therefore you need to make sure you stretch and foam roll every day. In this split you will be doing chest just one time a week and back two times a week since most people tend to lack back development. Below is the set up for the training split and descriptions.

MONDAY
Hip dominant leg exercise ( Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, all deadlift variations, glute bridges )
Back
- 1 vertical pull ( pullup, lat pulldown etc )
- 1 horizontal pull ( row variations etc )
- 1 other of your choice

TUESDAY
Biceps
Triceps
-Pick 3 exercises for each muscle

WEDNESDAY
Quad dominant exercise ( squats variations, leg press etc )
Chest
- pick 3 exercises

THURSDAY
Triceps
Biceps
-Pick 3 exercises for each muscle

FRIDAY
Hip dominant exercise
Back

SATURDAY/SUNDAY
OFF

Do this training split for 4 weeks and then cycle off this for a lower leg volume workout. Make sure to eat like crazy because your metabolism will be jacked up and in order to get proper growth you need to feed yourself.

New combo for your arms

I love this routine and have had great success with it in the trenches. If your in a rut with your arm workouts then try this.

Seated dumbbell bicep curls ( palms up the entire lift and moving both arms at the same time )-6 reps with heavy weight

SUPER SET WITH

One arm pulley bicep curl ( adjust the pulley cable to the very bottom and use the hand grip attachment to perform a standing curl )-15 reps focus on speed

SUPER SET WITH

Close grip barbell press ( focus on the elbows staying tight to your sides and push with the triceps ) -6 reps with heavy weight

SUPER SET WITH

Band tricep overhead extensions ( wrap a band around a pole of some sort then grabbing each handle extend your arms overhead. From here bend from your elbow and let the band go behind you head before then driving it back up. Keep the upper arm still )-20 reps focusing on speed

Rest 1 minute and repeat this 2-3 more times.

Pump the pecs with this

Best done with a spotter.

Incline dumbbell chest press-6 reps ( heavy weight )
SUPERSET WITH
Incline barbell chest press-12 reps ( moderate weight )

Rest 90 seconds - 2 min and repeat 2 more times.

Then reverse the set up so it will look like this

Incline barbell chest press-6 reps ( heavy )
SUPERSET WITH
Incline dumbbell chest press-12 reps ( moderate )

Rest 90 seconds - 2 min and repeat 2 more times


Flat barbell bench press 1/2 method ( this is were you press half way up and then bring the bar all the way down and then back up all the way which would equal one rep )- 6-8 reps

Rest 1 min and repeat 2 more times

Get your chest to grow with this!

This routine is designed to do with a partner. Once each person does the exercise move on to the next and so on.

Dumbbell bench press-heavy weight to failure ( 1 set @ 6-8 reps should be your aim )
AFTER BOTH OF YOU COMPLETE THIS MOVE ON
Incline Hammer strength machine press or incline barbell press-1 set @ 10 reps
AFTER BOTH OF YOU COMPLETE THIS MOVE ON
Dumbbell bench press-drop the weight by about 30lbs from the weight you used to start with ( 1 set @ failure )

Rest 3 minutes then repeat this 2 more times. Go Dominate!

Paul's crazy HIT routine

This workout comes from a trainer friend of mine, Paul Lundkvist. The routine is really intense and wont be easy. I have gone through this routine myself and I will tell you if done right this will test you both mentally and physically. Each exercise is essentially a warmup/ pre-exhaust for the next one.

Do each exercise for just 1 set to complete failure and take no rest between exercises

Leg Extensions
Squats
Leg Curl
Deadlift
Stiff arm Pulldown
Chin ups
Cable seated row
Dumbbell Fly
Dumbbell Neutral Press
Dumbbell Neutral Shoulder Press

Done

For more on Paul checkout his blog
http://plunkan.blogspot.com/

Quick hitting tips.............

• Cant decide between barbell chest press or dumbbell chest press? Pick dumbbells.

• Eat breakfast if your serious about your workouts

• Great post workout shake-low fat Horizon chocolate milk, frozen mixed berries, 100% whey protein and flaxseed oil.

• Pushups should not be forgotten. Add them in at the end of your chest workouts or mix them in as a second exercise in a superset.

• Do not slam the barbell on the floor when doing deadlifts......this will shock your spine and hurt your back. Oh plus you will be annoying to the rest of the gym since you will be the loudest guy in the room.

• Mondays tend to be national bench press day..........don't be like everyone else.....do something different on Monday!

• Add in some rotator cuff work 2-3x a week to keep your shoulder healthy
  

• If you want to lift heavy find a workout partner or ask for spots if you actually want to improve your strength numbers

Tricep long head work-Routine to blast the inner portion of the tricep

The long head of the triceps muscle tends to get under worked and therefore is generally underdeveloped. In order to truly give your arms that size you are looking for you need to develop this aspect of your triceps. Try shifting your focus to overhead and behind the head movements to increase the mass of your long head.

Overhead rope extensions ( Checkout my previous post on how to execute this exercise ) http://h4training.blogspot.com/2009/12/eom-overhead-tricep-rope-extension.html 1 x 10 reps

SUPERSET

Lying behind the head barbell extensions 1x12 reps

Rest 90 seconds and repeat 3-4 more times.

Drop sets

You can call them breakdowns or strip sets but most commonly they are called drop sets. Drop sets are one of the best techniques you can use to add intensity to your workout. Drop sets have been and will continue to be a favorite of bodybuilders. If you don't use drop sets you should add this technique to your training.

What are drop sets?

*Is a technique which you do an exercise to failure or close to failure, then you drop some weight and continue with the exercise for more reps.

What do drop sets do?

*By dropping the weight and continuing the set you will recruit more "reserve" muscle fibers. By recruiting more muscle fibers you will allow your muscles to grow!

Some drop set methods ( other than the traditional drop set )

A) ( 6-20 ) or "halving" method- This is when you choose the heaviest weight you can for an exercise for 6 reps. Perform the 6 reps, then without resting drop the weight by 50% and rep out 20 reps. This is great to do with dumbbell rows.

B) Tight drop sets-This is when you make small drops in weight. This would be like doing dumbbell bicep curls and you would do reps with the 50lb, then 45lb, then 40lb etc.

C) Wide drop sets-This is when you make a big drop in weight and generally you can do more reps. This method is best done with large muscle groups and exercises like the squat and leg press. You could have 6 plates on each side of the leg press and with each drop you take a 45lb plate off each side.

D) Power drop sets- This was made popular by Larry Scott who liked this method to not only build some size but also build your strength. Scott liked using this for his arms and shoulders. Start with your 6 rep max, then drop the weight between 10-15% and then do 6 reps with the new weight until you reach the desired number of drops

Some tips

• I wouldn't do more than 2-4 weight reductions ( drops ) during the routine- So if you start with 200lbs for bench, then you do 190, 180 and finish with 170. This would be 3 drops in weight.


• Stay within the 6-12 rep range since that is the best range for muscle hypertrophy. Sometimes you can go with the higher 15-20 rep range on your last drop.


• Don't do drop sets all the time- They are intense and you will overtrain and quickly burn out if you do. They say a ratio of 3:1 is best. Meaning do 3 regular sets and then 1 drop set.

H4 Fat Burner #14- Max reps giant set

Here is a routine aimed to target every muscle group of the body. Both cardio and resistance training will be incorporated in order to get the most out of your time. Heavy weight is not the focus but rather how many reps you can knock out in the slotted time.

**Do max reps in the time stated next to each exercise- meaning you try and hit as high of a number of reps for 1 minute. If you need to pause during the time you can. During the cardio try and go all out in terms of speed and effort for the time.

1.Row-1min

2.Alternating front lunges-1min

3. Pushups-1min

4. Form of cardio-Bike, Tread, Stairs, Sprints etc- 3min

5. Pulldowns-1min

6. Military press-1min

7.Form of cardio-2min

8. Tricep extensions-1min

9. Split squats-1min

10. Bicep curl-1min

11. "V" crunch-1min

12. Form of cardio-3min

Rest for 3-4minutes. Repeat this 1 more time max.

One of the most brutal chest routines yet!

I recently used this routine for my chest workout last week and let me tell you it hurt like hell! I have done my fair share of crazy hardcore chest routines but this has to rank top 2 if not number 1. This routine takes your chest through many different techniques. I highly advise you have a spotter for this routine.....as a matter of fact you must have a spotter for this routine end of story. It is very important you pick the proper weight for each set in order for this like any routine to be effective. You can make adjustments to the weight after each round if needed.

This routine is a tri-set in which you will not take a rest until finishing all 3 exercises

A1)Dumbbell chest press negatives-6 reps with a 8 second negative

** Count a slow 8 seconds and when you get to the bottom your spotter can help you push the weight back up. Remember when doing negatives you can generally handle more weight so make sure you pick something challenging.

A2) Dumbbell chest press-10 reps with a regular tempo

** I would recommend using anywhere from 20-30lbs less than you did on the negatives

A3) Dumbbell speed chest presses-10 reps with a 3 second negative on the way down and then exploding up as fast as possible.

**Speed is key here! Be Powerful and explosive! Use light weights....anywhere from 35-17.5lbs depending on your strength.

Rest 2-3 minutes and repeat this 2 more times. Your chest will feel ripped to shreds the next day trust me!

Below is the weights I used-

A1)110lbs

A2) 80lbs-70lbs

A3) 35lbs-20lbs

Tricep tri-set

Diamond push-ups ( hands form the shape of a diamond on the ground and keep your elbows tight to your sides throughout the movement)- 12 reps

SUPER SET

Dips-12 reps

SUPER SET

Standing reverse pushdowns-12 reps

**Repeat this without rest but do 10 reps instead of 12 on the second time around.

Rest 2 minutes.

**Start back from the beginning on this tri-set and do 10 reps for each exercise and then without rest do another round this time doing 8 reps.

Done.

You should do this! Upper/Lower body super sets

If you are looking to get more out of your workout then you should try this! If you want to cut your body fat and change your body composition then you should try this! If you are limited on the time you have in the gym then should try this!

There are numerous benefits of super setting a lower body exercise with a upper body exercise. One, you can go full blast on your upper body and then allow it to rest while your lower body works. This is an extremely effective method. Another benefit is the ability to burn more calories. You will be working the entire body from head to toe, and the more muscles fibers involved in a workout the more calories burned.

The basic set up is for you to pick one upper body exercise and one lower body exercise. I would choose one exercise to be slightly higher reps 10-15 and the other exercise to be slightly lower 8-10 reps. Make sure you hit every aspect of the upper body by working the chest, back, and arms. I would do 2 back exercises for every 1 chest exercise in the workout to improve your back. As far as your lower body exercises try and hit a quad dominant exercise ( a squat form) and a hamstring dominant ( deadlift ) and also some form of lateral work ( lateral step-up, band walks etc ) and that way you stay balanced. Below are some examples of super sets you can use:

Chest press- 8 reps

SUPER SET

Split squat-12 reps

4 rounds without rest between sets

Lat pulldown-12 reps

SUPER SET

Deadlift-8 reps

4

sets without rest between sets

Close grip press-8reps

SUPER SET

Lateral step-ups-12 reps

3 sets without rest between sets

Row-10 reps

SUPER SET

Glute bridges-15 reps

3 sets without rest between sets

Try changing your routine to this style for 6-8 weeks or so and see what changes occur.

E.O.M-Guillotine Bench Press

October's Exercise of the month is the Guillotine press which is a very unique and rarely used exercise. If you need something new to do on your chest days then give this a try! You perform this press just like a regular barbell bench press but with one change. You will lower the bar to the lower portion of your neck. By lowering the bar this high you will get more activation and muscle recruitment in the sternal head of the pec. The sternal head is the upper portion of the pec and is generally underdeveloped in most guys. This exercise should be done with a spotter since you are lowering the bar around the neck.

H4 fat burning full-body workout

This is a great full body routine that you can use to burn a ton of calories in your workout in minimal time. I would not recommend this workout for any beginner. Here is the workout on paper.

Everything is a super set and do each super set 3-4 rounds without rest. Take your rest between groupings of exercises.

A1) Dumbbell pushup/deadlift/jacknive combo-6 reps

A2) Box Jumps-15 reps

B1) lateral lunge with dumbbell row- 6 reps per side

B2) Ball slams-15 reps

C1) Lateral band chops- 15 reps per side

C2) Lateral plate squat and press-6 reps per side

D1) Band row and reverse lunge ( palms down grip )-15 reps per side

D2) Floor jacks-20 reps

Now get yourself off the floor and rest your done!

Pumping the pecs!

This is a routine I read once from Jeff Anderson. AKA "The muscle nerd." Give this a try on your next chest day.

Start out with the barbell bench press

1) Pick a weight you could do for 12 reps to failure. Make sure you stack the bar with 10lb plates and 25lb plates since you will be quickly taking weight off later on.

2) Do 12 reps on the bench press to failure. Once you reach failure, jump up and strip 50% of the weight off.

3) Now with no rest do as many reps as possible with a very wide grip. The wide grip will take the triceps out of it and keep the focus on the pecs.

4) Once you finish that set rack the bar and grab a dumbbell. For most a 30-50lb dumbbell should do fine. You will do a set of dumbbell pullovers keeping your arms very straight and locked out. Do this to failure.

5) Rest up for 2-3 minutes and do this whole giant set again 1-2 more times.

Enjoy!

Deja vu chest routine

For this routine try and keep the barbell press weight the same throughout since you will be decreasing the reps each set. The weight on the 1/2 press most likely will need to be lowered each round. As always make adjustments needed to hit the target reps.

A)Dumbbell chest press- 1 set of 10 reps

Rest 1 minute and repeat x2

Once finished with 3 sets rest 1 minute and do exercise B

B) Barbell 1/2 chest press- 1 set of 5-6 reps

Rest 1 minute and repeat x 2

Once finished with 3 sets rest 1 minute and do exercise A

** 1/2 presses are done by lifting the bar off the rack and lowering it all the way down, once at the bottom press just 1/2 way up and then lower it down again and then drive the bar completely up. This equals one rep.

A) Dumbbell chest press-1 set of 8 reps

Rest 1 minute and repeat x 1

Once finished with 2 sets rest 1 minute and do exercise B

B) Barbell 1/2 chest press- 1 set of 5-6 reps

Rest 1 minute and repeat x 1

Once finished with 2 sets rest 1 minute and do exercise A

A) Dumbbell chest press-1 set of 6 reps

Rest 1 minute before finishing up with exercise B

B) Barbell 1/2 chest press-1 set of 5-6 reps

Done and done!

Training in the Sierra's- workout like the pro's

Workout by Art Correa, B.S. Kinesiology, NASM

This is a workout from a friend of mine who owns The Bod-E2 Shop in Fresno, California. He uses this workout with one of his pro athletes, 2010 starting linebacker for the Detroit Lions, Zack Follett. This workout has made the headlines of Yahoo news, Detroit news and will be featured in ESPN the magazine. Art has Zack do this workout in the Sierra mountains with the elevation reaching 8000 ft. Since most of you do not live near a mountain range I have made some changes to the workout. Art uses stones, logs and tree trucks but you can use dumbbells and barbells instead. To see highlights of this workout check out the following link.

http://detnews.com/article/20100712/SPORTS0101/7120391/Watch-Lions-linebacker-Zack-Follett-s-wild-training-video

Warm-up

1/4 mile jog

Dynamic warm-up

-High knees

-Skips

-Frankenstein's

** Walking lift your left leg straight out to the front and extend your right arm out straight, alternate legs and opposite arms

-Side lunges

-Knee hugs

**Step and tuck your knee into your chest pulling it in with your arms

-Kareokas

-Butt kicks

**Try to really kick your butt, this helps with the hamstrings

Workout ( strength training )

Circuit A

Bent over rows w/ dumbbells 3x15 reps

SUPER SET

Squat toss w/ med ball 3x 8 reps

** Squat down holding the med ball, explode up and toss the med ball forward. Pick up the ball and repeat.

Circuit B

Hammer curls w/ dumbbells 3X 12 reps

SUPER SET

Plyometric push-ups 3x 8

** Get into the bottom of a push-up and explode off the ground aiming to get as much height as possible.

Circuit C

Plyometric box jumps- 3x12 reps

SUPER SET

Oblique side tosses w/ med ball 3 x8 reps

SUPER SET

Walking lunges w/ barbell ( or incline walking lunges if outside ) 3x 8 reps

Circuit D

Snatch w/ kettlebell or barbell ( only use if you have great form) 3 x8 reps

SUPER SET

Rear delt flys w/ dumbbell 3x12 reps

** You can replace the snatch with push presses for the shoulders

Circuit E

Jump squats 3x15 reps

SUPER SET

Front raises with dumbbells 3x12 reps

Up-hill sprints x 10

*** If your not near a hill use an incline on the treadmill and do 10 all out 50 meter sprints

Gaining muscle- Techniques to get it done!

Damaging muscles are the key to building them. To build new muscle you must stress the existing muscle in a new way. When muscles are stressed then become damaged and then must be rebuilt. With adequate diet and rest your body will rebuild the muscle with an increase in size!

Try some of these techniques to shock your muscles into new growth:

1) Super-sets- Nothing has been around longer than this! You can really up the intensity on the muscle with this technique. Some examples include:

• Lat pulldown/Row


• Bench press/Fly


• Deadlift/Lunge


• Close grip press/ Dips

2) Negatives- If you like submitting yourself to pain than please try these! Negatives focus on the eccentric phase of the lift which has been shown to cause more damage to the muscle and lead to more growth. This is tough...and is best to do with a partner. You can do negatives two different ways. One way is to have a spotter help you with the weight on the way up and the other way is to lift the weight yourself. I like to do the negative and then have my spotter help lift the weight up. You can use more weight on negatives but just limit the negative to under 10 seconds.....any more you should increase the weight because it is too light.

3) Off set rep scheme- This is a personal favorite that I have come up with and use often myself. First pick two exercises for one muscle group. Then what you will do is do heavier weight on one exericse for low reps and then medium to lighter weight on the other exercise for higher reps. For example:

Standing barbell bicep curls- 6 reps

SUPER SET WITH

Seated dumbbell hammer curls-12 reps