2 for 1 Wednesday Workouts

Workout 1- For my female readers. Great workout that involves the full body and will help you drop body fat and get the best body you can! Unlike most of my routines these one doesn't include major players like the squat, deadlift, thruster or step up but brings in new exercises like donkey kicks and lateral band walks which you might not be doing.

A1) Shoulder press Ys with dumbbells-12 reps
A2) Band kickbacks- straight back and to the side- 10 reps each way, 20 total
A3) Pullups-assisted machine or use bands for help if need be -10 reps
A4) Lateral band walks-15 each way
A5) Band chops-20 each
*4 rounds without rest

B1) Tricep rope extensions-15 reps
B2) Donkey kicks-20 reps
B3) TRX row-palms down to palms up ( use a regular row if you don't have a TRX ) 12 reps
B4) Lateral lunge with dumbbells-10 reps per
B5) V up-10 reps
* 4 rounds without rest



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Workout 2-For my male readers below are two videos of different compound sets you can use on your back and bicep day if your goal is to add some size. These four exercises alone would not be your entire workout but will help add to your regular routine.

Quick giant set bicep routine

This routine goes from heavy weight and low reps to lighter weight and higher reps and ends with an isometric hold. The goal is to stress the biceps at every rep range. If done correctly and at the right weight and intensity 1 set should be plenty since it adds to 45 total reps. Go 2 rounds if you dare.

A1)Lying Bicep curls ( set up low cable pulley at the bottom and attach a straight bar. Lying on your back on the floor perform a curl)-8 reps with heavy weight

A2) Standing barbell curl with wide grip-10 reps

A3) Seated alternating bicep curls with dumbbells-12 reps each arm

A4) Standing band curls ( place a band under your feet and curl for speed )-15 reps **this will be tough trust me

A5) Chin-up isometric hold ( get into the top position of the chin-up and squeeze and hold until you can't hold on ) Done!

5 ways to improve your pull-ups

The lat pulldown has become more popular around gyms than the pull-ups. The reason is simple, pull-ups are freaking hard and most people cant do them well or just cant do them at all. Here are some ways to change that.

1) Lose excess weight/body fat-You need to be strong and lean to do pull-ups. The heavier you are the harder its going to be to excute obviously.

2) Do not train to failure-When your doing pull-ups if you always train to failure you end up with horrible sloppy reps and you just dont gain a benefit from it. In fact going to failure on pull-ups often tends to lead to decreases in strength and mass gains for reasons unknown, it just happens.

3) Elbows towards your sides-Think about driving your elbows down and back to really bring the lats into play and therefore avoid relying mostly on your biceps.'

4) Improve your grip strength- the stronger your grip the better your pull-ups will be. You can build grip strength by doing more deadlifts and reverse curls or by using fatter barbells. You can also do wrist curls and other exercises geared towards grip strength.

5) Train with different ranges-To do a bunch of pull-ups you need both strength and endurance. Make sure you lift with low rep ranges for strength and high rep ranges for endurance. You can use bands as assistance for the pullups if need be.

Full blast back routine

A1) Seated row with V bar- You will hold each rep and focus on squeezing the shoulder blades together at the back of the movement. Rep 1-8sec rep 2- 7 sec rep 3-6 sec........until last rep is held for 1 sec. 8 total reps of course. The isometric hold is a great way to recruit more muscle fibers and has been shown to be highly effective when training the back.

**Rest 60 sec and repeat this for 3 more total sets

B1) T-bar row-This will be done as a drop set. Do your first set with a challenging weight for 8-10 reps. then immediately drop 25lbs off the bar and then try and rep out another 8-10 reps.

**Rest 60 sec and repeat this for 3 more total sets

C1) One arm row with a dumbbell and pause-Do a standard one arm row but let the weight rest on the floor at the bottom for a 1 sec pause each rep before exploding up as fast as you can. This pause will keep you from cheating and allow you to focus better on solid movements. Do 8 reps

**Rest 60 sec and repeat this for 3 more total sets

Done!

Another bicep routine

A)Preacher curls with EZ curl bar-1 set at 5-6 reps ** Use heavy weight so that last rep is tough

Rest 1 min and then repeat 1 more set

Move onto

B) 1 set of Chinups to failure

Rest 1 minute

Repeat starting back with the preacher curls except this time you will need to drop the weight by 2.5-5lbs per side.

Try this!

Do 100 reps of pullups in as few of sets as you can. You can take whatever rest you need between sets just don't exceed 2minutes. Then next time you workout your back try and get to 100 reps in fewer sets as you did the first time around. It doesn't matter what number you start with your how many you do in each set just get to 100 in the least amount of sets. If you are not strong enough to do legit pullups then you can use the assisted machine or just wait til your stronger!

Example

25 reps-set 1

15

15

10

10

10

10

5

Done

E.O.M.-Prone incline dumbbell biceps row

The Exercise of the month for May is a unique way to hit your biceps. Most guys out there do the barbell version of this exercise. The problem with bent over barbell row with palms up grip is it becomes way to easy to cheap and use bad form. Doing the exercise with this set up will help you get more bang for buck on the biceps.

Simply lie face down on a 45-60 degree incline bench. Make sure you rest your chin on the top of the bench to keep your head in good position. Now grab a heavy dumbbell in each hand and row with your palms facing forward. There is no need to pause at the top since our focus is the biceps and not engaging the upper back. Since you are using dumbbells this exercise is easier on the wrists and elbows.

Body Composition Series # 2

Another full body workout to decrease body fat and increase lean muscle muscle mass.

A1) One arm row dumbbell-12 reps each arm

A2) Jacknives-10 reps

*Repeat this without rest for 4-5 rounds

B1) Neutral grip shoulder press with dumbbells ( palms face each other on the press )-12 reps

B2) Step up with dumbbell ( medium step..do all one leg before switching )-8 reps per side

* Repeat this without rest for 4-5 rounds

C1) Pullup ( medium grip )10 reps

C2) Deadlift with barbell-6 reps
*Repeat this without rest for 4-5 rounds

** This is tough combo due to grip fatigue

D1) Tricep close grip barbell press-12 reps

D2) Lateral dumbbell lunge ( alternate sides )-8 reps per side

* Repeat this without rest for 4-5 rounds

E1) Standing bicep curl with barbell-10 reps

E2) Ball slams-12 reps

*Repeat this without rest for 4-5 rounds

Now do 3 of your favorite core exercises without rest and repeat it for 3 rounds

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.

Big time biceps!

Great workout to add some size to your biceps!

A1) Standing dumbbell bicep curls ( keep your palms up the entire lift and lift both arms at once )-10 reps

SUPERSET WITH

A2) Lying straight bar bicep curl with cable pulley ( set the pulley to the very bottom and attach a straight bar handle. Lie on your back curl the weight like a normal bicep curl just don't let your head come off the ground )-10 reps

SUPERSET WITH

A3) Neutral grip chin-up ( if you can't perform these than use the assisted machine )-10 reps

Rest 2min and repeat 2-3 more times

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.

Drop body fat with this

Timed workouts are something that most people don't do so give this a try. Use a stopwatch or cell phone as a timer. These types of workouts are high in volume and force you to maintain a high level of work throughout the entire routine.

Your goal is to get as many rounds as possible with good, proper and consistent form in 5 minutes without resting. Don't get sloppy just to get the reps in. Move quick. After 5 minutes is up rest for 1 minute and ONLY 1 minute. Repeat for 5 more minutes and make sure you get as many rounds as you did in the first set. Rest 1 minute and then do a final set of 5 minutes once again trying to equal the amount of rounds you did in set 1 and 2.

A1) Cable rows-10 reps
A2) Goblet squat ( look at picture above )-10 reps
A3) Ball slams-10 reps


Here is another trio to do with this same 5 minutes of work to 1 minute rest ratio repeated 3 total times.

B1) Push press with dumbbells-10 reps
B2) Lunges with dumbbells-6 each leg
B3 ) dumbbell curls-8 reps

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/

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.

Mass building routine for big arms!-Chin-up ladders

Read this workout on http://www.dieselcrew.com/ and loved it. Try it out!

** This routine uses breaths as the rest interval

Do 8 reps, take 8 breaths rest ( So rest only the amount of time it takes to take 8 slow breaths)

Do 7 reps, take 7 breaths

Do 6 reps, take 6 breaths

Do 5 reps, take 5 breaths

Do 4 reps, take 4 breaths

Do 3 reps, take 3 breaths

Do 2 reps, take 2 breaths

Do 1 rep, take 1 breath

Do 2 reps, take 2 breaths

Do 3 reps, take 3 breaths

and so on.........

Your end goal should be to start at 8 reps, go down to 1 rep and then back up to 8 reps. First time trying this just see how far you can get.

** If you need more resistance than use a dip weighted belt. If you cannot complete this because you are not strong enough then try starting at a lower number like 5 or 6 and going down.

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.

Extended faitgue sets

This is a great training technique to use in your workouts that is similar to drop sets. The difference in this method is that you will be changing grips or foot position to accommodate the fatigue.

Example:

EZ bar bicep curl

• First set use a palms up grip and do 5-6 reps. When you start to fail switch to a palms down grip, wait 10 seconds and do more reps to failure. Once you failed again now grab a pair of dumbbells and perform more reps until failure with a hammer grip ( palms face each other)

Here are some more examples of exercises and how to change the grip following the same procedure as above.

Dumbbell row

1. Palms down grip

2. hammer grip ( neutral, or palms facing your body )

3. Palms up grip

Dumbbell chest press

1. Palms down grip/overhand ( traditional grip for pressing )

2. Palms down grip/overhand but with the hands all the way to the right side of the dumbbell

3. Neutral grip ( palms face each other )

Want bigger arms?

If you want to grow those guns then start doing reverse curls. This exercise is often forgotten which is a big mistake. Everyone does bicep curls but rarely does anyone do reverse curls. Reverse curls emphasize the brachialis muscle which is located under the biceps on the lower aspect of the arm. It has been shown that you can increase arm size by making reverse curls part of your routine. I want you to drop your current arm routine and add in reverse curls for 2-3x a week for the next 6 weeks and watch your arms grow!

How to do it:

You can use either a straight bar or EZ curl bar. The latter being easier on the wrists and my personal preference. You will most likely need to start with about half the weight you would use for a regular curl. You must focus on the technique! This is very easy to throw your arms up and turn this into a clean. Grip the bar with a overhand ( palms facing down ) grip. Make sure to keep your arms tight to your sides during the whole movement. Imagine drawing your elbows toward each other as you raise the bar to really stress the brachialis.

Tips:

• Try pausing half way up for a 2 second hold and then finishing the movement up and then back down. You can also pause on way down as well.


• Change your grips- do the first set with a very close grip, then put down the bar and widen your grip and do more reps, put down the bar and widen your grip again for your last set.


• Do negatives on the way down with a 6-8 second count.

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