SUMMER FREAK PROGRAM

For the last two weeks this has been my new split:
Monday: Deadlift, back thickness (all rowing movements), and hamstrings
Tuesday: Chest and core
Wednesday: Arms and calf muscles
Thursday: off
Friday: Quads and back width (pullups, chinups, pulldowns, etc)
Saturday: Shoulders and Traps
Sunday: Off

The goal here is to individually tear up every body part and to shock my system into adapting to something new. I also want to bring up my hamstrings, traps, and arms. these are self-defined weak points that I don't have a reason to have around.

I also have some consistent workout partners, which I have been lacking for about five months. This is important to gains, if you don't remember why, read this and this. The group of present and future freaks that I get to hit the gym with are: Luke Beggs, Andrew Lewis, Tyler Brewer, and Jake Beggs.

I also am throwing some type of cardio into the week... whether it be sled pushes, full contact basketball, sprints, jogging, plyometrics, etc... something is thrown in.

Let me know what you are doing in the comments

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.

DO YOU HAVE PROGRAMMING A.D.D.?

I was talking to a member of one of the gyms I work at and he is constantly changing his program. I usually recommend that people change their program every 4-6 weeks to avoid plateauing and prevent boredom. He varies his program too often. He want to be huge one week... then he wants to be lean... then he wants to get stronger... then he wants to just do arms one day.. and so on. I am sure that most of you know some one that can't stick to a program for longer than a week and a half.

You can have the best program written down and if you aren't consistent and don't really focus on the goal you set (weight loss, hypertrophy, strength) you aren't going to improve. Not giving the program you are doing a chance is similar to not having a program at all. Would you get directions off mapquest and then throw them out the window once you started driving to your destination?

Pick a goal. One specific goal and focus on it. You can vary the periodization of your program to have a hypertrophy phase, then strength building, then back to hypertrophy... or you can stick with the same rep and set numbers, just pick different exercises. Sticking with a goal doesn't mean you have to do the exact same workout. You are just doing the workouts for the same purpose.

Sleep Deprivation

This passed Sunday night I was watching Bigger, Stronger, Faster with my fiance and then I glanced at the clock... it was 12:40am! This usually would not be a problem, but since I open the gym Monday mornings at 6am I knew I was headed for a rough day. A little over four hours of sleep is going to be terrible.

In my mind I was thinking that it wouldn't be too bad, I would just go to bed a little earlier Monday night or take a nap... it's whatever, just sleep. I forgot to mention Monday is also squat day.

Last week I did the following workout on squat:
345 x 3
355 x 3
355 x 3
360 x 3
360 x 3
365 x 3

I was tired afterwards, but it felt good to get those weights for the reps I wanted.
After a four hour night of sleep I got the following on squat:

355 x 3
355 x 3
355 x 2
345 x 3
345 x 3
335 x 3

During sleep, aside from the physical rest a very important anabolic hormone- growth hormone- is released and screwing with your sleep schedule disrupts the cyclic pattern that this wonder hormone is released into your body.

I actually popped out of bed Monday morning and felt fine, but my legs had no push in them. My strength was pathetic... I dropped 30 pounds by my last set of squat and the lack of sleep is the only contributing factor that I can think of... lack of sleep is the only thingi that was different about my routine this week.

Take home message:

LIFT HARD
SLEEP WELL

Holiday dedication- what are you doing tomorrow?

It's kinda late on a sunday night... had a couple days of no internet connection doing the holiday visits with the family... i am completely looking forward to my lift tomorrow. Working at a faculty staff gym at UK, I know that the entire campus is closed. SO I have the keys to the gym and I have an all-access pass to my own gym anytime I want over the break.

I am assuming I will lift in the morning one muscle group and then go back later and do another. I will write the program down tonight and go in with a plan... I am a lot more productive (and you are too) when you go into your workout with at least a mental picture of everything you want to accomplish. I would recommend writing down at least the exercises you want to do, but the best would be exercises, reps, sets, and what weights you believe you are going to start at on each lift.... this dramatically cuts down on the amount of "what the hell do i do next" time and keeps the flow going in your workout.

I hope tomorrow, the last monday before next year, you get up and get your workout in. i will be up by 9, i guarantee it, which will be around 8ish hours of sleep. I have read several places that most people need 6-9 hours of sleep and the way you feel for less than that amount of sleep can actually physiologically match the way your body feels if you get tooooooooo much sleep. These people that end up sleeping 12 plus hours because they feel they DESERVE it is a load of shit.

That must mean you deserve your heart problem, high cholesterol, lung problem from deserving too many extra cigarettes.... YOU DESERVE TO GET HEALTHIER! You deserve to get a great nights rest and wake up and make the most of your day. Get into a gym, do your aerobics at home, set goals and achieve them, sweat a little, sweat a lot, get that huge smile when some one asks you what you did today and you get to say you worked out on Christmas break.

I had a client that lost 25 pounds in about three months and got so many compliments that he got complacement and instead of hitting the eventual 50 pound long-term goal, stayed where he was and didn't lose another pound. It kills me because he had such high expectations and definitely deserved the praise he had gotten for losing the 25 pounds, but his drop in dedication to achieve the long-term goal completely surprised me. Write down all your goals, both short and long term and don't forget the long-term goals that made you start working out when you reach the short term goals.

Do something this last Monday before 2009.