Nothing magical to report so far this week.  One of the bitches of doing what we do is it can become, at least from the outside, pretty mundane.  However, things are going very well in the gym and things are about to springboard ahead within the next couple of weeks.

 

My exercise video series will be starting in the next few weeks now that the intro and outro for the videos are finished.   A lot of time has been put into not only the video intro/outro but also just the theme so that I can have consistency and have the same theme for the videos, the new TEAMSKIP.net website and, of course, the Until I Collapse DVD that is filming this year.  Here is a preview of the intro:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTMEFl-RhRk]

 

Structure for the last couple of workouts:

 

Tuesday's Chest and Delt Workout

Chest -

*Rest Pause  (triple) for flat bench with a wide grip and paused reps

2 sets of triple rest pause with approximately 15 to 20 seconds between drops

*Incline Dumbbell Flyes supersetted with Incline Dumbbell Press with the same weight for 3 supersets

As soon as I finished my fly set to failure, I took 20 seconds and went straight into dumbbell presses to failure

 

*Pec Deck Flyes for 3 rest pause sets (only a double drop, not a triple for each set)

 

*Hammer Machine Flat Bench (isolateral)  2 straight sets

 

Delts - 

*4 supersets of side laterals with the first set being facing into a high incline bench to keep the reps strict and "forward" leaning and then 15 to 20 seconds breathing and straight into standing dumbbell laterals with a bit of momentum.

 

*Smith Press Behind Neck for 3 rest pause sets (triple RP for each set)

 

*Cable Side Laterals for 3 rest pause sets (only a double drop for each set)

 

 

Wednesday's Back Workout:

 

Back - 

*3 Standing latt pulls supersettted with seated latt pulls with no rest between.  The standing version is lighter so there is more isolation and then the seated allows for more weight and aren't as strict.

 

*chins for 3 rest paused sets, triple rest pause for each set

 

*Alternating dumbbell row facing a low incline for 3 rest pause sets but only a double rest pause per set (alternating 1 rep left, 1 rep right, 1 rep left, 1 rep right, etc..

 

*Flex Machine Row for 3 rest pause sets of double rest pause per set

 

*3 straight sets of narrow chins to finish off my back session

 

Rear Delts - 

*Partial reps done on the rear lateral machine for 5 straight sets

I will detail this exercise in a video very soon and explain how doing this exercise with only partial range of motion is better for growth than doing lighter, full range of motion reps for rear delts.

 

Traps - 

As I have stated in a previous coaching log, I have gone back to doing shrugs because I don't (can't) deadlift anymore and I want to be sure that my traps are developed fully.
*4 sets of shrugs for straight sets today.

 

Abs - 

*4 sets of EliteFTS reverse crunches

*4 sets of decline situps

*2 sets of rope crunches

This year I am working more on compound ab exercises because I feel that most bodybuilders make the mistake the last 5 or 10 years of just doing isolation work for the abs in fear of making their midsections "blocky".  I feel that the lower back is losing out and that a lot of my lower back issues could stem from poor imbalances in strength through my core for this very reason.  I am very careful doing these exercises and my back continues to feel better and better with the addition of these exercises.

 

Though my recovery is not great right now (my legs are still sore from last Friday's leg session), things are going quite well in the gym and I am still progressing.