Gym regimen - July 2010

22 July 2010
89kg BMI 25
A2: Chest and Calves, 120 mins

Warmup: Jumping jacks, Jump rope, calisthenics/stretching

Incline bench press: 12x, 10x, 8x, 6x @ 40kg–70kg/60kg/50kg

Supine bench press: 12x, 10x, 8x, 6x @ 50kg–70kg/65kg/60kg

Supine barbell flye: 12x, 10x, 8x, 6x @ 12kg–20kg

Cable crossover fly: 12x, 10x, 8x, 12x @ 27kg–36kg

Seated calf raise: 20x, 20x, 20x, 20x @ 55kg–65kg

Standing calf raise (with Smith machine): 20x, 20x, 20x, 20x @ 60kg–80kg

Cooldown:
Leg raises: 30x;
Dumbbell flyes: 26x @ 12kg;
Bench press: 30x @ 40kg (to failure… a few times… until I trudged all the way to 30 reps. This was neat, too, since I devised my own safety catch by putting the thigh-high rack around the bench and could lower the barbell to it if I couldn't get it back up on the rack. I also did some deep breathing each time after failure and was surprised at how much I felt the power come back for the next 3–5 reps.);
Leg raises: 30x;
Seated calf raises: 30x @ 40kg;
Hanging leg raises: 20x (these killed my forearms!);
Standing calf raises: 20x, 20x @ 60kg;
Hanging calf raises: 30x (these killed my forearms even deader!);
Ski machine: 5 mins
Eat!

+++
My chest really is my weakest muscle group. Suffering from such a defect, and admitting it, is a cardinal sin for "serious bodybuilders," since the chest is the celebrity muscle group. But it seems most guys don't understand building endurance and accepting slow but steady gains. (Or maybe I'm just rationalizing!) It doesn't help that a 4-set circuit routine is quite, shall I say, demoralizing. By the time I get to my third set, for instance, my pecs are already pretty drained, so I can't produce massive weight gains on the bar, especially with such a high-rep count. Once I get more comfortable with my core exercises and my basic strength-foundation, I will probably shift to a lower rep-cycle. Instead of 12x, 10x, 8x, 6x, I might, for example, do a 10x, 6x, 4x, 2x cycle instead, for higher weight and greater intensity.

One thing weird about this workout is the mysterious rib injury I have on my lower right ribcage. I think the weight belt dug into my ribs on that side when I did my squats last time. Once–-not if!––I get through Saturday and Sunday, I will take next week off to swim, work the rope, and stretch a lot. Onward!