It's All Happening

"It's all happening" is one of my favorite lines from my favorite movie in Almost Famous. This line also describes how I feel about my squat progress in the last week.

It really is all happening. And it's all happening the way I wanted it to happen.

Put up sets of 185lbs and 200lbs for an easy three this morning. I thought the depth looked solid, as well as the little things such as focusing on using the legs to push upwards.

The set of 185lbs came up easy; however, I did notice that my heels came off the ground on the first repetition. Just have to make sure that I sit back on each rep.

 

I was also pleased with my set of 200lbs for three. Although, I could previously do this probably 12 times, the form was terrible. The depth on these repetitions vary slightly, which is something that I do need to work on, but with time, improvements will be made!

 

 



Working On That Low-Bar

FINALLY starting to become happy with my squat form.

Really have been working on keeping my upper back tight, pushing up from the ground during the transition from the downward to upward movement, as well as using my abs during the upward phase. Thought that I saw all of this during my light leg workout yesterday.

Below is a set of 155lbs for eight reps. Let me know what you think! Can only improve from here.

The Quest for a Clean Squat

I can't say this enough lately...form over weight.

I have really been working on my form lately. Specifically, I have been working on trying to stay more upright during the movement, as well as keeping my back and abs tight through each rep.

Despite completing a set of 12 reps today at 165 (extremely light from what I have done in the past month), my form still looks UGLY!

After a conversation with one of my 50 and plus year-old friends following that set (I'm 22, but I have grandpa swag), we decided that I was still lifting too much weight. Hearing that was an ego killer, but I knew he was right. Below is a video of a 12-rep set of 135lbs. I really concentrated on pushing up with my quads, as well being controlled throughout the set. It still may look like I appear to slightly fall forward, but I actually could feel my abs contracting during the set for the first time in who knows how long. Thus, I was content with this set, but believe me, I still need work.

It's hard seeing people your age squat 400lbs+, while you're still struggling to keep proper form at 135lbs. But in the end, it's about focusing on bettering YOU, rather than being better than the people surrounding you. And through really concentrating on using my legs and abs during this movement, I plan on doing just that.

Working on that Form

As I mentioned last week, form over weight.

It's not about how much you can lift, but rather HOW you lift.

Today was my first leg day session where I applied some new techniques that hopefully will improve my form. For starters, I made my grip more narrow, as well as put the bar primarily on my traps, instead of on the base of my neck. By placing the bar on my traps, I felt that it was easier to keep my upper back tight during the movement.

I did four sets of five at 185lbs, 195lbs, 205lbs, and 215lbs. The weight wasn't too difficult, but I feel like I still need to work on not falling forward. Is my chest up enough during the movement? Overall; however, I felt good about this form, and I feel like it'll only get better over time.

(185x5)

 

 

(215x5)

 



 

 

 

Let me know what you think, and how I can improve!

Squat Form Check

After recently realizing that my shoulders have been falling over while squatting, I knew it was time for a change.

Typically, I would use a very wide grip that would cause my elbows to slightly flare outwards, as well as limit my ability to keep my upper back tight. Due to this, I feel like my back (specifically my lower back) seems to round during the upward portion of the squat.

Thus, I have brought my hands closer together to hopefully avoid this problem. However, I still feel like there is unnecessary movement in lower back during the movement.

The video below is from this morning's leg workout. This is 10 reps at 185. It was done with ease, but I'm more concerned about my form in this situation, rather than the weight.

Let me know what you think!

A Time For Readjustment

It's very easy to get caught up in the amount of weight you're lifting.

Believe me, I'm notorious for this. If I don't lift a given weight I believe I should be able to perform for a certain amount of repetitions, I get very upset with myself. It's not pretty.

This happened yesterday for example, as I was hoping to squat a set of 250lbs for a set of four reps. I was able to hit the goal (sloppily with the help of a spotter). After the set, my spotter told me that he thought a lot of the force I was using to come up from the squat was from my lower back. I immediately went home to watch some clips of my previous squats sets, and read up on common squat mistakes when it finally it hit me...

During the last couple weeks, I've been forgetting about one of the "golden rules" of weight training: FORM OVER WEIGHT. 

I've been squatting with a hand-grip that its extremely far from my shoulders. This causes me to lose tension in my shoulders during the movement. By not keeping my shoulders tight, my shoulders fall forward during the upward phase of the squat, causing my back to round.

When I first realized this yesterday, it was extremely frustrating. This is because I've been able to squat heavier then ever. But the more I think about it, the more I begin to remember that what is the point of lifting a weight if you can't perform the exercise CORRECTLY?

A similar grip issue has occurred recently when bench pressing as well. I have been benching with a wide grip that certainly targets the chest, but not so much the triceps. As a result of this, I have realized that I have been putting additional pressure on my shoulders. Therefore, I plan on benching with a narrower grip that allows me to emphasize not only the chest, but also the triceps. In the end, I think this will also help me be able to lift even heavier, as the triceps are vital for bench press success.

The point of this post is to understand that you shouldn't become obsessed with what you're lifting, but rather HOW you're lifting. By performing each rep of each exercise with proper form, the gains you're hoping for will never go away.

Designing an Exercise Program (Part 2): Accessory Exercises

Last week, we stressed the importance of emphasizing compound exercises. By doing so, not only are you working two muscle groups at the same time, but you are also increasing the amount of testosterone that is being stimulated in the body.

As important as it is to perform compound lifts, it is just as essential to incorporate accessory (aka: secondary) exercises in a program as well.

I believe accessory exercises are important for two key reasons: 1. These types of movements typically allow you to isolate a specific muscle group, and 2. Performing these exercises can help you improve on weak points on compound exercises, thus creating more opportunity for growth.

Secondary exercises should always be performed for a moderate to high amount of repetitions (eight plus). I recommended that you include at least TWO secondary lifts (in addition to a compound lift) when training any body part, as hypertrophy (muscle growth) best occurs when you perform at least three exercises per muscle group per session.

Here are some of my favorite accessory lifts for the most common muscle groups

Chest: Dumbbell/Machine/Cable Flys, Dips (Chest slightly forward)

Back: Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows, Seated Cable Rows, Lying Bench Rows

Shoulders: Lateral Dumbbell Raises, Front Dumbbell Raises, Seated Incline Rear Delt Raises, Barbell/Dumbbell Shrugs

Legs: Seated Leg Raises, Seated Leg Curls, Dumbbell Calf Raises, Calf Raises on Leg Press

Biceps: Every bicep exercise is typically considered to be an accessory exercise. My favorites include: Barbell/EZ Bar Curls, Seated Incline Curls, Concentration Curls

Triceps: Every triceps exercise (except for close grip bench) is typically considered to be an accessory exercise. My favorites include: Triceps Rope-Pulldown, Dumbbell Triceps Extensions, EZ Bar Skull-Crushers

Make sure to perform at least two accessory lifts in each of your weekly training sessions. By adding these to your compound lifts, growth will be on the horizon!

Designing An Exercise Program (Part 1): Centralizing Compound Exercises

One goal that I really want to accomplish through this blog as a whole is to be helpful.

As fun as it is to showcase my progress in my attempts of living a healthy-lifestyle, what I really want to achieve is to help YOU on your own journey.

Since 2015 is just 16 days old, I thought this would be the perfect time to write a series on how to develop a solid training regime. This is solely based on the thought that you can't train properly if you don't know HOW to train.

With that being said, let's talk about one of the most important aspects of a good training program; the compound exercises are ALWAYS performed first.

Compound exercises are lifts that work multiple muscle groups at once. A common example would be barbell bench press which uses both the chest and triceps. These types of exercises should ALWAYS be done first during a session because of the fact that they use multiple muscle groups, and stimulate a greater amount of testosterone compared to isolated (exercises that only use one muscle group) lifts.

Here are some examples of compound exercises:

Chest: Flat/Incline Barbell Bench Press, Flat/Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Push-Ups (All will work Chest, Triceps, and even shoulders to some extent)

Back: Bent Over Barbell Rows, T-Bar Rows, Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups, Lat-Pulldowns (All will work the back muscles and biceps)

Shoulders: Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Barbell Shoulder Press (AKA Military Press), Clean and Press (All will work shoulders, and some aspects of the arms)

Legs: Squat (Back or Front Squats), Leg Press, Deadlifts (Could also be considered a "Back" exercise) (All will multiple muscle groups (if not all of the muscles) found in the legs)

Biceps: Chin-Ups. By using an underhand grip, the biceps are emphasized in this movement that also works the back.

Triceps: Close-Grip Bench Press, Dips (With the Chest slightly forward) (Both of these exercises work the chest and triceps)

Make sure to do some type of compound exercise first in your workouts as these lifts work more than just one muscle group, and promote greater testosterone stimulation allowing you to GROW!

Sources:
 http://www.livestrong.com/article/477024-list-of-compound-exercises/
http://testosteroneboostingexercises.co.uk/compound-exercises-and-testosterone/

Training Goals

Last week, I stressed the importance of knowing your nutritional goals when striving to live a life full of physical activity.

As necessary as it is to have nutritional goals, it is just as essential to have TRAINING goals.

Do you want to build muscular endurance? Do you want Hulk-like strength? (I sure do!) Or do you just simply want to look fit?

Despite what some believe, in order to attain any of the goals mentioned above, one simply cannot just walk into a gym and start lifting weights. He or sure must have some sort of PLAN.

First, decide how often you want to be in the gym weekly. Does a three-day full body routine sound appealing or do you prefer to train closer to five days a week with each session emphasizing a different body part (ex: Monday: Chest, Tuesday: Back, Wednesday: Legs, Thursday: Shoulders, Friday: Arms)

Knowing WHEN you want to train is the first step for success.

After figuring out the frequency of your training, it is VITAL to know HOW you want to train. What I mean by this is understanding the set/rep/intensity scheme that goes in tune with your goals.

Here are my recommended training schemes for specific fitness goals:

Strength: 2-6 sets of six repetitions or less (Intensity should be at least 85% of 1-RM). Rest period should be three to five minutes in between sets.

Hypertrophy (Muscular Growth): 3-6 sets of six to 12 repetitions (Intensity should be 67%-85% of 1-RM). Rest period should be 30 seconds to two minutes in between sets.

Endurance: 2-3 sets of at least 12 repetitions (Intensity should be less than 67% of 1-RM). Rest period should be under 30 seconds in between sets.

Having a plan is the first step in achieving anything in life. Now it's time to put in the work. As LeBron tweets regularly, "Strive for Greatness."

Five Guidelines for Proper Nutrition

Yes, consistently going to the gym is important.

However, what truly leads to muscle growth and a 'kickin' body is what you do OUTSIDE of the gym.

In order to become progressively stronger in the weight room, one needs both adequate sleep and nutrition. The sleeping part is easy, just make sure to sleep 7-8 hours per night. But the nutrition part??? Not so much.

Here are my five rules for developing a sound nutrition.

1. Know Your Goal- Are you trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight? Each goal requires a different caloric intake, and amount of macronutrients (grams of protein, fats, and carbohydrates)

         To Gain Weight- Start by increasing your daily caloric intake by 250-300 calories (ideally through complex carbohydrates) If you steadily start to gain weight, maintain that intake. If you don't see any weight gain after a week, up your intake by another 250 calories.

         To Lose Weight- Do the opposite of above. Simply decrease your intake by 250-300 calories initially and go from there. Do what works best for YOU. Ideally, it should be carbohydrates (specifically sugars) that should be decreased.

         To Maintain- Keep eating the same amount of calories as is. However, make sure your intake correlates with your activity level.

Staying true to your goal is SOOOOO much easier through logging your food on a calorie-counting site. I personally use caloriecount.about.com

2. Be FLEXIBLE!- Believe me, as healthy as meals such as grilled chicken with sweet potatoes are, it gets boring FAST! Therefore, one has to be flexible to in order make a clean eating regime work. Here some examples of proteins, fasts, and carbohydrates one can eat frequently in order to make his/her diet full of variety.

Proteins: Grilled chicken, tuna, lean ground beef, veggie burgers, lean ground turkey, Greek yogurt, whey/casein protein

Carbohydrates: Brown/white rice, oatmeal, sweet/baked/mashed potatoes, whole wheat bread, wheat tortillas, whole grain pasta, vegetables (green/black beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.)

Fats: Peanut Butter, eggs, avocado, nuts (peanuts, almonds)

3. CHEAT!- One or two times a week, it is OKAY to have a few pieces of pizza or that cheeseburger with fries. However, be responsible doing it! Don't go overboard!

4. Go Out- Just because you're eating healthy doesn't mean you can't eat socially with friends or family at restaurants. Before going out, type into Google, the name of the restaurant that you're going to, and look at its menu in order to get an idea of what you should order. Most restaurants actually post the nutritional value of each meal online!

5. Drink Water- Muscles are largely made up of water, therefore an adequate consumption must be consumed in order to keep the muscles happy. The formula that I was taught regarding proper water intake was: Weight (in lbs) x 0.5 (ounces) = Recommended intake


Eating healthy consistently can be difficult; however, through being flexible, and having the occasional cheat meal, it is SO possible! Hopefully these guidelines help you on your journey of living a healthy lifestyle.

New Squat 12-RM

Hit a new 12-RM during the first workout of the new year!

Since this morning was considered a leg "pump" day, I did four sets of 200lbs on barbell squats for 12 repetitions. Rest time was two minutes in between each set.

I ran a little over three miles yesterday as "active" rest, so this workout was brutal.

The "raw" video below is of my fourth and final set. Some reps are a tad deeper than others, but overall, I was really happy with this set.

Comments and tips are always appreciated!

Goals For 2015

2014 has been very good to me.

I graduated from college as well as completed an amazing internship experience where I worked under two former NFL strength and conditioning coaches. Most importantly; however, I deepened my relationship with God.

From a lifting standpoint, I also felt that I accomplished a lot this year.

My bodyweight increased from 147lbs to 160lbs, and I finally maxed out on bench at 225lbs. I also  got my squat and deadlift techniques down.

As happy as I am with these goals from both a personal and lifting perspective, I hope to accomplish even more in 2015.

Here are my goals for the new year.

Personal Life

1. Continue to develop my spiritual life through attending Mass weekly, reading scripture daily, and through both private and group prayer.

2. Find a full-time job in the fitness industry. Currently I am studying for the CSCS exam, and hope to earn this certification by February. On top of this, I plan on obtaining a personal training certification, as well as look into athletic training.

3. Becoming the best big brother I can be. For the first time in three and a half years, I am finally at home for good. It's time for me to have the influence I have so longed for in my 16 year- old brother's life.

Lifting Goals.

1. Squat 315lbs by mid-2015. I finally have started to squat to at least parallel and this past week, I squatted 235 for five true reps. I hope to hit a clean 275 by February and go from there.

2. Continue to progress with my deadlift. Deadlifts have been in and out of my lifting regime throughout the year, but this exercise is now centralized in my training. I hope to surpass 315lbs in the next few weeks.

3. Bench 250lbs by mid-2015. A shoulder injury in the late fall slowed down by my bench progress, but yesterday, I hit 190lbs for five repetitions for the first time in months. This puts my estimated max back around 225. If this keeps up, this goal is extremely realistic.

4. COMPETE. This is something I have always wanted to do, especially in bodybuilding. However, over the last month, I have realized how satisfying it is to lift heavy and see consistent improvements. Because of that, I have slowly gravitated toward to competing in powerlifting. I hope to do this during the summer or fall.

Publishing your goals for the world to see holds one accountable, and I plan to be just that. I love rap music, and often use lyrics to explain how I feel. One of my favorite lyrics is found in Jon Connor's song "Place on Earth" through his words, "Every year is my year."

Well in 2015 and beyond, every year will be MY year.

Squat 5-RM PR

Had to make the last leg day of the year a good one.

And after hitting a new five-repetition max on barbell squats this morning, I think I did just that.

I'm really working on hitting at least parallel, so even though the weight isn't anything outstanding (235lbs at 160lb bodyweight), it's a start. My goal is to max out at 315 by mid 2015.

Here's footage of three of the reps.

Let me know what you think!

Dumbbell Bench Press 12/26

Hey guys! Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!

My Christmas was great, but it was nice to get back in the gym after a day off.

Yesterday was a chest/shoulders/triceps "pump" day. Pump days are considered to be part of hypertrophy training where the focus is on muscle growth through pumping an insane amount of blood into the working muscles via high volume (a "large" amount of sets with many repetitions) with little rest in between each set (anywhere from a 30 seconds to two minutes).

For chest, the protocol was: five sets of 10 repetitions of dumbbell bench press with two minutes in between sets, followed by five sets of 10 repetitions (drop-set on last set) of incline barbell bench press with two minutes in between each set as well.

My chest felt great after doing this! The last repetitions of each dumbbell press were a grind, and performing incline after completing five sets of chest already was a KILLER!  Below is a video (not the best because my IPod Touch was resting on a box in order to film) of my second set of dumbbell press with 65lb dumbbells. It was a fairly tough 10 repetition set!



 

 

 

Hope you enjoy!!! A video of one of my incline sets will be posted on Instagram sometime today. Be on the lookout for tweets to the link! 

Healthy Resturant Eating Vol. 1: Qdoba

Eating healthy at home is one thing.

Eating "healthy" at restaurants is a whole new ball game.

The temptations of eating juicy, yet fattening, burgers, as well as gorging on processed carbs can make having weightlifting approved meals outside of the home extremely difficult.

However, it is POSSIBLE to eat clean at restaurants.  This new series will help show this through looking at some of the meals I typically eat at my favorite restaurants.

First up....Qdoba.

I LOVE Mexican food. And because of that addiction, it's very easy to get lost in the menu at places such as Qdoba and Chipotle. Believe it or not; however, it is actually INCREDIBLY easy to have a clean meal at these restaurants. In order to do that, here are a few tips:

1. Stick to burrito bowls- As delicious as actual burritos are, the tortilla provides an unnecessary amount of calories (310), and carbohydrates (53 grams). The addition of the tortilla might be beneficial for a cheat meal or a post leg-workout meal, but when it comes to "clean" meals, eliminate the tortilla.

2. Double the meat- Each serving of grilled chicken at Qdoba contains 25 grams of protein, while the steak supplies 26 grams. Why not get a serving of both, and make it easier to hit your protein goal for the day?

3. Load up on veggies- Take full advantage of the lettuce, corn, tomato, and grilled onions/peppers.

I actually went to Qdoba this afternoon, and here is what I ordered.

 

Chicken/Steak Burrito Bowl

1 serving of chicken

1 serving of steak

1 serving of brown rice

1 serving of black beans

1 serving of lettuce

1 serving of pico degallo

1 serving of roasted chile corn

 

Macros: 630 calories, 51 g of carbs, 58 g of protein, 22 g of fat

 

 

Eating healthy at Qdoba is extremely realistic. Use these tips and make it happen! 

 

Things Have Changed

     A lot has changed in my life since my last post.

     For one, I graduated from Valparaiso University last Sunday. School got the best of me these last couple of months, so it's beyond nice to now have more free time to dedicate to this blog. I cannot wait to share with you guys new videos, posts, and food recipes in the near future!
  
   Secondly, I realized that I don't know if I could ever make it as a bodybuilder. Although I still would like to get on stage at some point, I don't view it as major priority at the moment. The current state of the sport seems to be too subjective, and I don't know if I want to have any part of that. Plus putting on weight has been difficult! I'm currently at 158lbs, and to be honest, I'm really happy with that. I still plan on getting to 165lbs, but I don't know if I want to weigh any more than that for the time being.
 
   During the weekend after Thanksgiving, for the first time in months, I benched heavy. I wasn't able to lift as much as I did in the summer due to dedicating the Fall to hypertrophy training, but boy was it fun. Lifting as much as you possibly can is an addicting feeling, and I missed that. What makes training heavy even more appealing is that making progress is so obvious. If you were able to lift more weight than you did last session, then you made improvements. Simple as that. Thus, with these thoughts in mind, I have decided to focus more on powerlifting, and hopefully compete sometime during the upcoming summer.

   I cannot wait for you guys to go on this journey with me! Be sure to check the blog out frequently, as well as follow me on Twitter (@AlessioFitness) to read the latest of my adventures. I also have an Instagram account (@TheAlessio10) that I will finally start uploading content to this weekend!


Andy

Bench Day 9/7

Got some footy from today's bench workout! (170x10)

The True Definition of Intensity

   What exactly is meant by the term intensity is a very debatable topic in the field of fitness.

   For many, intensity is defined as a "relative portion of a one-repetition max (1-RM)." This could mean for example, performing six repetitions of the bench press at 85% of your one-repetition max. Thus, based on this statement, it could be assumed that the closer you are training to your 1-RM, the more intense your workout is. I use to agree with this statement for a very long time; however, after completing my summer strength and conditioning internship, as well as reading "Evidence-Based Resistance Training Recommendations" by James Fisher, James Steele, Stewart Bruce-Low, and Dave Smith, my thoughts on intensity have completely changed.

   Fisher makes a great point in stating that intensity (as most think of it) is, "A training load given as a percentage of repetition maximum as opposed to a measure of intensity or effort." Therefore, this definition incorrectly implies the idea that if a person is performing less repetitions with a higher training load percentage, then he/she is training "harder" than someone else who is performing more repetitions with a lower weight. This is an incorrect way of thinking that is very common today in fitness. 

   Intensity, as Fisher states, is best defined as, "The level of effort applied to a given load, defined as the number of repetitions performed in the relation to the number possible," 

   I honestly love this definition because it makes complete sense. Rather than dedicating time to figuring out what training percentage load you should be training with, why not just perform repetitions at a given weight until you cannot complete another concentric contraction? By viewing intensity through this way of thinking, questioning how hard you trained will never be an issue because you will always be working until temporary muscular failure. Other studies have proven that training to temporary muscular failure leads to the most muscle growth stimulation. Therefore, this training mentality DOES work. 

  It is from this definition of intensity that my HIT Training Series is based off in that every exercise is performed for one set (except squats/front squats) until momentary muscular failure occurs. 

  This way of training works. Science has proven that. For this reason,  this training-style is called "Evidence-Based Training." If there's proof that a specific training style works, then you might as well try it. Evidence-Based Training is no exception.

Source: "Evidence-Based Resistance Training Recommendations."-James Fisher, James Steele, Stewart Bruce-Low, Dave Smith

HIT Back/Biceps Workouts

   Today marks the last part of the HIT Training Series.

   So far, the program has been awesome! The majority of the workouts have been around 40 minutes with a maximum of four sets per muscle group. The legs/shoulders workouts take a little longer due to performing two sets of squats as well as 15 minutes of cardio.

Back/Biceps Workout #1 

• Barbell Rows (1 set + Dropset) (First goal is to hit 10 reps, increase weight next time and strive for six reps, then use that weight again during the next session with a goal of eight reps).
• Lat Pulldowns (1 set) (1 set = 5/7 repetitions) (Fablous Fives) (Bring down weight in five seconds, hold weight for five seconds, bring up weight in five seconds) (1 rep = 15 seconds) 
• Single Arm Dumbbell Rows (1 set) (Hit 10-12 reps initially, can't move up until hit 15+)
• Barbell Bicep Curls (1 set) (Same repetition goal as Single Arm DB Rows)
• Incline Dumbbell Curls (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Back Extension (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)

Back/Biceps Workouts #2

• T-Bar Rows (1 set + Dropset) (Same repetition goal as barbell rows)
• Chin-Ups (1 set) (Negatives Only) (Climb up to bar via platform-box, lower to starting position in eight seconds) (Assistor repetition goal) (Once hit +15 negatives, adding concentric portion of movement before performing solely negatives)
• Incline Dumbbell Rows (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Dumbbell Curls (6, 8, 10) (1 set) (Perform six repetitions at a given dumbbell weight, lower weight by five pounds (per dumbbell), and hit eight reps, then lower weight again by five pounds with a target goal of 10 reps+)
• Preacher Curl Machine (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)

Back/Biceps Workout #3

• Seated Cable Row (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Machine Rows (1 set) (Crazy 8s) (Concentric portion- two seconds; eccentric portion-eight seconds)
• Lat Pulldowns (1 set) (Assistor repetion goal)
• EZ Bar Curls (1 set) (4x5) (Five full reps, followed by five reps starting at the bottom, and finishing in the middle, and then five reps starting at the top of the movement finishing in the middle, with five more full reps as a finisher to the exercise)
• Incline Dumbbell Concentration Curls (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Weight Plate Hyper Extension (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)

   The Back/Biceps workouts have normally been the quickest workouts to finish; however, they certainly have not been easy. I have definitely felt a good pump in the biceps after these workouts even with only performing just two sets of isolated biceps training! 

    Be sure to try these workouts and let me know what you think!!! 

   Expect a couple more posts this week regarding what is "intensity", as well as my current diet regime.

HIT Legs/Shoulders Workouts

Sorry for not posting the next segment of HIT program yesterday; watching college football got the best of me:) Anyways, here are the three legs/shoulders workouts that I will be performing over the next few months (Today, I will be doing #2).

Legs/Shoulders Workout #1

• Barbell Squats (2 sets + Dropset) (First goal is to hit 10 reps, increase weight next time and strive for six reps, then use that weight again next session with a goal of eight reps) 
• Hex-Bar Deadlift (1 set) (Same repetition goal as above)
• Leg Curl (1 set) (Hit 10-12 reps initially, can't move up until hit 15+)
• Calf Press (1 set) (Same repetition goal as leg curl)
• Military Press (1 set + Dropset) (Same repetition goal as barbell squats)
• Dumbbell Front Raise (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal) 
• Dumbbell Lateral Raise (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Dumbbell Lying T's (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Barbell Shrugs (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• 15 mins of HIT on treadmill 

Legs/Shoulders Workout #2

• Leg Press (1 set) (3 Strikes) (Perform exercise at given weight for 14-17 reps, take a 30 second second rest then hit 5-8 reps, after one more 30 second break, press again for 3-5 reps)
• Leg Extensions (1 set) (10, 8, 6) (Perform exercise with right leg for 10 reps, then use left leg for another 10 reps. Immediately after doing 10 reps on each leg, perform eight, and then six).
• Hip Adduction (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Dumbbell Calf Raises (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Shoulder Press (1 set) (1-6 progression) (Do one repetition, and hold at top for 10 seconds, then two repetitions, and then hold for 10 seconds. This will be performed all the way up to six repetitions). 
• T Combo (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• EZ Bar Upright Row (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• 15 mins of incline treadmill walk

Legs/Shoulders Workout #3

• Front Squats (2 sets + Dropset) (Same repetition goal as barbell squats)
• Lying Leg Curl (1 set) (Crazy 8's) (Lift weight in two seconds, lower the weight in eight seconds)
• Hip Abduction (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Smith Machine Calf Press (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press (1 set + Dropset) (Assistor repetition goal)
• EZ Bar Front Raise (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Lateral Raise Machine (1 set) (8 in 8) (Lift weight in eight seconds, and then lower the weight in eight seconds)
• Seated Bent Over Rear Delt Raise (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• Dumbbell Shrugs (1 set) (Assistor repetition goal)
• 15 mins of HIT StairMaster

The back/biceps routine of the HIT program will be posted tomorrow morning!