Making the Most of What You Have Available... no excuses

My gym is small compared to the more-visited Johnson center on UK's campus. Don't get me wrong, you can squat, bench, deadlift (we even have some bumpers!), get your cardio in on a machine or we have a sled, a full line of pin-select machines, core room, group fitness room, etc.

BUT...

Our dumbbells only go up to 95lbs... which for a seasoned lifter, could make you train elsewhere. I have adapted my training to only use barbell lifts first and use 1-arm dumbbell or higher rep sets with the 95lbs. Today that just didn't cut it. I did the following on flat bench as my first exercise:

135x15

185x12

225x8

275x6

315 5,4,3,3

then 225 for 16 reps for fun

you can check out my full workout at straighttothebar.com or on my tmuscle training log

My next exercise was DB incline.... but I am left with doing higher rep sets with the 95lbs.... so I ended up stealing this blurted out idea from Andrew Lewis (current training partner/make huge project) and threw one 5lb mini chain on each dumbbell, to make them both 100lbs, shown below.

Which I had to hold like a fat bar and produced hands looking like the following:I got them for two sets of six after hitting just the 95's for two sets of six... so next week I will just train with these for my second exercise.

My point being... make the most of what you have, add something crazy to the DB's if they aren't heavy enough, get stronger, and beat your hands up.

If we can't get new, heavier dumbbells due to university budget issues, at least I can borrow my buddy Seth's ipod...

Back and Biceps-1/6/10

beat up my back with luke and jake beggs yesterday

chinups 5x as many as possible with BW

DB row 4x6
1st set 95 with one 20 lb chain
2nd-3rd set 95lbs DB with two 20 lb chains
4th set same DB with one 20 lb chain for 15 each side

neutral grip pulldowns 5x6
fifth set was actually 6,6,6 using rest pause

tbar row with 8 25's to increase range of motion at the top
4x6

Superset 1
Face pulls 3x12
Preacher curl 90lbs 3x8

palm up DB curls 3x8- dave tate style

The Goose Bump Phenomena

You ever lift and a song comes on that literally gives you the goose bumps? It's like a jolt of energy that makes you feel like you can pick up any weight and toss it around for reps.

Or you feel like your caffeine "kicks in" and you throw the headphones in and go into another world?

I have termed this feeling as the goose bump lift. You are feeling good with any and all numbers, your program, and you laugh when you hear about the thought of some people hitting a plateau... plateau??? what is that?

Have you felt like this lately? I am all for pushing through the pain and working hard, but have you worked hard and felt euphoric simultaneously anytime recently? If day in and day out you limp through a workout, have the same ol' playlist of bon jovi and smashing pumpkins, realize you are talking more than working out... maybe it is time for a change in attitude. You are probably getting worse physically as well.

It's hard to get motivated to lose weight and/or increase strength when your workout becomes routine.

Yes, you should have a time slot for your workout in your day.
Yes, you should have a plan once you get to the gym.
BUT you should not let your workout become the same old thing week after week.

Some workout refreshers:

1. Go at a different time so you can cut down on the idle talking that diminishes how much you get done in the gym
2. Delete every song on your mp3 player and load a new play list. I like http://www.pandora.com/ for new ideas of songs.
3. Old workout partner more of a anchor than a motor? Find some one new that actually wants to go to the gym.

Strive for the goose bump lift.... if your body doesn't want to be in the gym, you probably won't go.

Project Hyperplasia: Day 6

For those of you who don't know anything about my current guinea pig experiment, you can catch up here. Basically, I am wearing a 37.6-ish lb weighted vest all day, every day for 14 straight days. I took some basic measurements and I really just want to see what happens. I have guesses, but nothing is better than actually doing it and documenting the results.

Here are some things I have noticed almost half-way through my experiment:

1. I get a ton of weird looks... more than I did before at least. I need to get a black shirt with RESEARCH SUBJECT on the front.
2. I have never been more tired before I go to bed at night...carrying around an extra 40 lbs is whoop'n me.
3. Simple tasks- getting out of a car, picking weights up in the gym, showing clients exercises- are a lot more difficult to do since I have increased my torso's girth.
4. I have gained some respect from my staff by doing what I say I am going to do. I don't think any of them believed I would actually wear this vest for two weeks. Sometimes talk is cheap, you gotta do something.
5. I am thirsty ALL THE TIME while I have been doing this experiment. I am downing close to 225 oz a day of mostly water.
6. Since I am using a weighted vest, my deadlift form has actually improved... now you may ask,"Wait, you are deadlifting wearing a 40lb vest so how has your form has improved?" The vest keeps me aware of when my hips rise before/faster than my shoulders because I feel the sandbags on my back lay against me. I hit 425 for my last set of 6 last Friday... no belt, no straps... just a weighted vest.

Let me know what you think or any questions or comments you have below.

TRAIN HARD

Project Hyperplasia

Hyperplasia of the skeletal muscle is the body's muscle fiber's satellite cells proliferating and splitting the muscle fibers to make new ones, thus adding to cross-sectional area and possible force production. Several studies were pulled together here. For the next two weeks I am going to wear a 37.6lb weighted vest (homemade with denim!) every waking second aside from the shower. I posted a picture of the vest below... it is a must see for sure. Thanks fo Alex Mitchell for the donation of the vest to the Underground Fitness Center. I will also post bodyweight, body fat %, and an assortment of circumference measurements. The measurements will have to wait until the morning!



I, of course, will not actually be able to measure or gauge whether hyperplasia actually occurs, because I would have to take a muscle biopsy (don't have the equipment) or kill myself and have all muscle fibers counted (not for that). On the muscle biopsy option, I would have to weight only one side of myself and since I err on the side of balanced strength, I am not going to do that either.

You know, something to do since I am bored. I'll let you know how it goes. Any comments or questions, throw them in the comment section.

GET HUGE