Ur-Workout: 80–90 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Ski machine & stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6, 4/6 @ 60-80kg/75kg
[/ indicates a momentary break between sets. In this case, I did 4 clean reps at 80kg, hopped off to drop the weight to 75kg, and then did another 6 clean reps.]
2. Pullup: 12, 11/2, 11/3, 10/2 @ bodyweight
[Here again, I did, 13 reps by letting go of the pullup grips for a second or two after my eleventh rep and then doing the last two reps, 14 reps in eleven and then two, etc.]
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 8 @ 30–45kg
[Because I am always uncomfortable with the way this press puts pressure on my mid-spine, by causing me to bow, I put a couple thick boards under the front end of the bench I was sitting on, which raised my hips and straightened out my spine a bit. And tips?]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 3/3 @ 30–45kg/42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 16kg, 18kg, 18kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 20 @ 30kg, 40kg, 50kg, 25kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 20 @ 20kg, 30kg, 40kg, 25kg
[Not a little grunting on my third set at 40kg. "Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!"]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (+obliques): 30, 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 73kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg
[I love these!]
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
I felt pretty sluggish during this workout and I took a few "indulgent" minutes of rest after my third set so I could give my pecs and tris a chance to prepare for the final two sets of bench. I think it was worth it. Still, I'm not thrilled the workout took me nearly twice as long as it should have. Meh, always room to sharpen my mental game. I could definitely feel the previous two workouts (Monday and Wednesday had caught up with me for this workout, but I intentionally pushed myself despite the lag. My body will appreciate having Saturday and Sunday off.
Last night I did some wrist and ab work: three sets of what I'll call "grip shrugs" and three sets of standing dumbbell twists. Grip shrugs––possibly my own invention but almost certainly not––are a sort of isometric-plyometric exercise done by standing, knees slightly bent, with a heavy dumbbell in each hand and the arms drooping as low as possible, shoulders very relaxed.
Then just bounce slightly (to generate tiny shrugs and micro-squats, as it were), meanwhile feeling your grip get hotter and weaker as the seconds pass. Go for about a minute each set or just till near-failure. You can also alternate the grip from a neutral grip (with the dumbbells couching your quads) to a rear grip (with the weights tucked behind your buttocks/hams). A neutral grip works extensors, while a rear grip works flexors. The ab twists involve standing, knees slightly bent, with dumbbells held close to chest/collarbones, and rotating with a slight sink from hip to hip. Twenty or thirty reps per set.
I followed all this up with a couple sets of ab "seesaws" for obliques––hold a dumbbell in one hand parallel to the thigh and then lean over to the other side; switch hands and repeat––and some "doorknobbers" (my own name)––place your elbow on a level surface and rotate a dumbbell left to right.
Thrilling stuff, I know.
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