Gym regimen - October 2010

A4: Tris, Shoulders, Traps: 50+ mins
91.5kg, BMI 25.5

Warmup: calisthenics, stretching, shrugs, pulldowns, etc.

Military press (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 42.5kg, 45kg

Kowtow rear delt flye: 10/2, 8/2, 6/2 @ 10kg, 14kg, 18kg
[After each set I stood to do 2 reps of median delt flyes. Rear delt flyes train the... rear delt, and the military press works the front deltoid, so I figured I should hit all sections of the deltoid at least a little.]

Upright row (barbell): 10, 8, 6 @ 35kg, 40kg, 45kg

Elbows-out extension (per hand): 14kg, 18kg, 22kg

Dips: 12, 11, 12
[Gotta love the dips! Gonna feel the pain tomorrow and the next day!]

Cable pulldown: 10/5*, 8/6*, 6/10* @ 25kg, 30kg, 35kg / 10kg
[The * indicates that after each set I did 10kg pulldowns with only my left arm. My right tricep is stronger than my left--for all those little reasons we fail to notice over the years, such as how I lean on the sink while brushing with my left hand, or how I do a right arm extension and pulldown every time I take a shirt off over my head or pull it on, or how I mostly use my right hand to erase the board while teaching, etc.--, so I am going to work my left arm slightly more till it catches up. BEEEEE the Platonic ball you are meant to be! {Plato, you see, believed that the ideal shape of the body, and perhaps of all bodies, is a perfect sphere. Spheres are of course symmetrical, so making my body symmetrical, etc. Yes... I actually think about these things even while pumping iron.}]

"Cooldown":
Shrugs (barbell): 12, 10, 8 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg
Alternating rowing crunches: 50, 50

+++
I didn't do my A2 workout this Tuesday, but I hammered my triceps tonight and the dips worked my chest a bit. I also did some "falling pushups" and a few sets with the ab roller Wednesday, both of which worked my chest to some extent. So, meh. Falling pushups are just a kind of plyometric exercise I do now and then. You stand a few feet from a wall, a high table, a chair, etc. and then fall forward, stopping yourself on the object and then vigorously pushing yourself back upright to fall forward again, etc. Wide grip for the pecs, narrow grip for the triceps. 2 sets of 20 reps will get your heart rate up, trust me. Speaking of pulse rate, I estimate that my heart rate is 130-170 bpm during my bodybuilding workouts, which is comforting for a guy like me whose background is predominantly "aerobic" (crew, cross country, cycling, swimming, etc.).

Onward!