This past week Dan was still recovering from his illness early on and still took it easy on Monday. However; he felt much more energized on Tuesday and was ready to come back full force into it. I was very pleased with this because now we can move on and continue on our progression towards more repetitions, more weight and better shape.
He took NO-Xplode prior to his Tuesday workout which I would not recommend for those that are just starting out in training. Generally in my opinion the Nitric Oxide offers not much more than a placebo effect tricking you into thinking you truly are more energetic than before and therefore signaling your brain into releasing adrenaline out into your body, solidifying this artificial presupposition that the feeling of hyperactivity came from the consumption of the pre-workout supplement. There are however some instances where the supplement actually does provide a level of energy that helps awaken the person; but like with any other substance on the planet, every human will react differently to it. If you want to keep it simple, take a caffeine pill or some ginseng prior to the workout and you’ll be ready to go. It will definitely save you from having to pay $70.00 for a month’s supply of energetic powder that in some instances, if consumed on a not so empty stomach, can cause rapid bowel movements. I know of many friends who have interrupted their workouts due to abdominal cramping and subsequent release, yes, I mean pooping.
Anyway, enough about NO type supplements. Onto the workouts, I’m proud of Dan because I see his numbers have not fallen back since his bout of self-pity these past few days and that he is once again back on track with the exercises and kicking ass. The end of this week marked the end of the first month of true weightlifting activities. This calls for some comparison shots from the start to the end of the first month. We will do these every month until the 6 month mark. The shots will be posted in the next update.
Below are his workouts for the week:
Monday 03-28:
Decline Abdominal Sit Ups – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
Leg Raises (on mat) – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
L-Flyes – 1 set – 25 reps – 5lbs
Incline Bench Press – 1 warm up set, 2 work sets – 20, 12, 10 reps – 45, 105, 105lbs
Bent Over Barbell Row – 2 sets – 15, 8 reps – 95, 105lbs
Machine Chest Flyes – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 90, 110lbs
Wide Grip Pulldowns – 2 sets – 15, 12 reps – 85, 100lbs
Hammer Strength Pullovers – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 90, 90lbs
Barbell Curls – Did not perform
Triceps Pushdowns – Did not perform
Barbell Forearm Curls – Did not perform
Stationary Planks – Did not perform
Cardio – Did not complete
Stretch – Did not complete
Although I’m a bit disappointed in how he couldn't tough it out through the remainder of this workout, I’m still glad that at the very least he completed his compound movements. Therefore, it’s safe to say he got a nice upper body workout done even though he did not isolate his arms. He still indirectly hit his arms through his pressing and pulling motions.
Tuesday 03-29:
Decline Abdominal Sit Ups – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
Leg Raises (on mat) – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
L-Flyes – 1 set – 25 reps – 5lbs
Hack Squats – 1 warm up set, 2 work sets – 15, 10, 10 reps – 45, 135, 135lbs
Leg Presses – 3 sets – 15, 15, 10 reps – 275, 305, 395lbs
Leg Extensions – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 105, 150lbs
Seated Leg Curls – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 180, 225lbs
Seated Calf Raises – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 115, 135lbs
Standing Calf Raise Machine – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 105, 120lbs
Lower Back Extensions – 2 sets – 20, 20 reps – BW
Stationary Planks – 2 sets – 1:00 minute
Cardio Cool Down – 15 minutes
Stretch – Complete
Dan performed quite well in the above workout and came back with newfound energy it seems. Perhaps the NO-Xplode did have an effect on him, placebo or not. One thing to note is that jumping up in weight the way he did in the leg press is not quite smart in my opinion. Although he may feel muscularly strong enough to push the weight, the remaining load is still being placed on the slower adapting tendons and ligaments of the knee. I would err on the side of caution with increasing the weight in any exercise at such large amounts and tend to be more conservative with at the most utilizing 50lbs increments for lower body exercises.
Wednesday 03-30:
Decline Abdominal Sit Ups – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
Leg Raises (on mat) – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
L-Flyes – 1 set – 25 reps – 5lbs
Standing Barbell Military Press – 1 warm up set, 2 work sets – 15, 12, 12 reps – 45, 75, 85lbs
Cable Rows – 2 sets – 12, 12 reps – 135, 150lbs
Barbell Flat Bench – 2 sets – 12, 10 reps- 115, 125lbs
Barbell Shrugs – 2 sets – 20, 20 reps – 135, 135lbs
Reverse Pec Deck – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 70, 90lbs
Seated Lateral Raises (Nautilus) – 2 sets – 15, 12 reps – 65, 80lbs
Skull Crushers (EZ BB) – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 50, 50lbs
Seated Preacher Curls (EZ BB) – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 60, 60lbs
Barbell Wrist Curls – 2 sets – 25, 25 reps – 25, 25lbs
Nautilus Ab Crunch machine – 2 sets – 25, 25 reps – 110, 110lbs
Cardio Cool Down – 30 minutes – Incline Walking on Treadmill
Stretch – Completed
Thursday 03-31:
Decline Abdominal Sit Ups – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
Leg Raises (on mat) – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – BW
L-Flyes – 1 set – 25 reps – 5lbs
Barbell Squats – 1 warm up set, 2 work sets – 15, 15, 15 reps – 45, 95, 115lbs
Barbell Deadlifts – 3 sets – 8, 8, 8 reps – 135, 135, 135lbs*
*I am happy about how Dan paid attention to what I told him with regard to maintaining a low rep range with deads. Way to go man!
Leg Extensions – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 150, 165lbs
Lying Leg Curls – 2 sets – 15, 15 reps – 60, 75lbs
Standing Calf Raises – 2 sets – 40, 40 reps – BW
Standing Calf Raise Machine – 2 sets – 20, 20 reps – 120, 135lbs
Lower Back Extensions – 2 sets – 20, 20 reps – BW
Stationary Planks – 2 sets – Did not complete
Cardio Coold Down – Did not complete
Stretch – Completed
Overall, Dan did a fantastic job this past week aside from its beginning. I am looking forward to see how far I can take him in these 6 months.
No comments:
Post a Comment