Monday through Wednesday Workouts - 03 - 19 to 03 - 21 -2012 [Dumbbell]

This week has been a rough week for me with regard to my schedule with Dan. Therefore, I have not been present in three of his workouts so far. I plan on being there tonight ready to answer questions and help him with any form issues should they arise. He has also had to workout 4 days in a row now again without the mid-week break due to his schedule as well. This is fine since it gives his body a full 3 days of rest for the following week's workout.

We are approaching the closing of the first month of this six month journey. I have asked him to report back with progress pictures to use as comparison to the beginning of the month and I hope to do this for all subsequent months until we reach the last month. I'd like to see if this routine will indeed have a positive effect on his physique.

Overall he has not had many problems with the workouts this week aside from some issues with performing Lunges. Due to his long legs and torso he has trouble stabilizing himself. Ergo, we will need to find a better fit for him concerning this or opt for another exercise that doesn't put his body in any precarious situations regarding pressures in areas that can easily lead to injury.

This entire routine is to be one that caters to him and does not promote any injury and is instead overly cautious about them through the inclusion of proper warm ups and SMART training.

Slow

Methodical

Aggressive

Recovery

Training

Slow - Good, decent cadence and form on all exercises with a focus on the targeted muscle.

Methodical - Timely progression in increases of repititions and weight based upon past performance.

Aggressive - When performing each exercise, a mind-body connection on the muscle being tasked through high intensity.

Recovery - Workouts for specific muscle groups are spaced out enough to allow for ample growth time when not exercising and to avoid overtraining. Allowing the muscles to repair at their own rate and respond to each break down in a positive manner without further internal bruising; i.e., extreme soreness, stiffness and etc.

Training - The overall purpose of what is to be done. A careful, slow and methodical approach to each exercise; form, progession in weight increases while aggressively tackling each specific muscle through an intense mind-body connection and allowing for ample recovery post workout for the targeted muscles' benefit (growth).

Below are his workouts for the week so far:

Monday 3-19:

Decline Abdominal Sit Up - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

Leg Raises on Mat - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

Incline DB Bench presses - 1 warm up set, 2 work sets - 20, 12, 12 - 25, 50, 50lbs

Bent Over DB Rows - 2 sets - 12, 10 reps - 45, 50lbs

DB Flat Flyes - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 25, 25lbs

Iso Lateral Hammer Strength Pulldowns - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 100, 100lbs

DB Pullovers (Iso Lateral) - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 15, 15lbs

Alternating DB Curls - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 30, 30lbs

Iso Lateral Triceps Pushdown - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 60, 60lbs

DB Forearm Curls - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 15, 15lbs

Stationary Planks - 2 sets - 45 seconds

Cardio Cool Down - 5 min warm up, 5 min intense, 5 min intense (lvl 10 on Stair Stepper)

Stretch - Completed

Tuesday 3-20:

Decline Abdominal Sit Up - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

Leg Raises on Mat - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

DB Lunges - 1 warm up set, 2 work sets - BW, +15lbs DBs, no third set.* (pole to pole ~20 yds)

*Due to strain placed on toe, Dan decided not to perform the third set. This was briefly mentioned in the introductory paragraph. We will see how we can remedy this problem.

Iso Lateral Leg presses - 3 sets - 12, 12, 12 reps - 90, 90, 90lbs

Iso Lateral Leg Extensions - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 60, 70lbs

Iso Lateral Kneeling Leg Curls - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 40, 50lbs

Iso Lateral Seated Calf Raises - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 55, 65lbs

Iso Lateral Standing Calf Raises - 2 sets - 15, 12 reps - BW+30lbs, BW+45lbs

Lower Back Extensions - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - BW

Stationary Planks - 2 sets - 45 seconds

No Cardio

Stretch - completed

Wednesday 3-21:

Decline Abdominal Sit Up - 2 sets - 15, 12 reps - BW

Leg Raises on Mat - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

DB Military Presses (Standing) - 1 warm up set, 2 work sets - 20, 15, 12 reps - 15, 30, 35lbs

Iso Lateral Hammer Strength Low Rows - 2 sets - 15, 12 reps - 90, 110lbs

DB Flat Bench - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 45, 50lbs

DB Shrugs - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 60, 60lbs

DB Rear Lateral Raises - 2 sets - 15, 10 reps - 15, 20lbs

DB Lateral Raises - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 10, 10lbs

DB Triceps Extension - 2 sets - 15, 12 reps - 15, 20lbs

Hammer Curls - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 25, 25lbs

DB Wrist Curls - 2 sets - 15, 20 reps - 15, 15lbs*

*In this exercise he is complaining of some popping within his hand while moving his wrist up and down. Sometimes this may occur due to positioning of the arm and hand, wherever pressure is being applied and many other potential factors. This needs to be discussed further with him.

Nautilus Ab Crunch Machine - 2 sets - 20, 20 reps - 110, 110lbs

Cardio Cooldown - 15 minutes

Stretch - completed.

This about wraps up today's post. Tonight I will hopefully snag some shots and some videos as well.

Take care guys.

Thursday Workout - 03 - 15 - 2012 - Barbell

I was able to go through this workout with Dan. I was especially glad to be there due to the exercises he was performing in this routine; i.e., Barbell Squats and Deadlifts. Now, Dan has done a fairly decent job so far with most exercises including Squats and Dumbbell Deadlifts. However, one obstacle made apparent to me today was his poor form when attempting to perform Barbell Deadlifts. I realize this may be in part due to the mechanics of his height and lack of flexibility, as well as not being accustomed to having his body perform the motion of a Deadlift. Getting his brain to make all parts move in equal motion for good form is alone an exercise in itself and the most crucial portion of the Deadlift as it can make you or break you. Literally.

Barbell Squats

Dan is struggling a bit with his form on Barbell Squats since he is yet to obtain the flexibility and supporting muscular strength that comes with the adaptive response of the body from the experience of performing an exercise after a certain period. One major issue is his inability to go a bit lower past parallel when squatting. Immediately, he has a tendency to lean forward and I can easily see him struggling to keep his heels clamped down against the floor. This only shows a lack of stabilizing strength required from certain ancillary muscles as well as major muscles in this exercise. As mentioned before, over time as his muscularity increases, his form will improve concurrently. He must also build more core strength in order to keep from leaning too forward with his upper body when lowering the weight. In the long run, this will save his back from some serious strain.

Below are Dan's Barbell Squats videos:

Deadlifts

Regarding Deadlifts, Dan has a long way to go. He struggled to perform the exercise correctly. Given that he has slouched his entire life and continues to do so; his body forcefully rounds his back at the top when he lowers the weight as well as it throws his shoulders forward which puts pressure on his joints. In order to remedy this, I told him that he must get into the habit of walking upright in a 'come at me bro' stance with his chest out so that his body gets used to that position and turns it into his natural state of rest.

He also is squatting quite a bit more than necessary when bending down. After all, the idea is not to perform a Barbell Hack Squat. It is fine to drive with the legs and glutes to a certain extent, but no more. Dan was also moving his arms forward and slightly flexing them as well when coming to a full upright position. This is a big no-no, but since he is using a relatively light weight, the tension placed on his connective tissue within his biceps is not enough to bring about any muscle strains or sprains. However, as he continues to perform the exercise and adds more weight he will need to learn that the arms simply act as hooks to the bar and nothing more. There is to be zero strain placed on them aside from the gripping and the normal amount experienced when performing the movement correctly.

Below you will see the video of Dan's first set of Barbell Deadlifts:

Here you will see me showing Dan how to properly perform this exercise:

Below is the workout routine for Thursday:

Decline Abdominal Sit ups - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

Leg Raises - 2 sets - 12, 10 reps - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

Barbell Squats - 1 Warm up set, 2 Work sets - 15, 15, 11 reps - 95, 95, 100lbs

Barbell Deadlifts - 3 sets - 8, 8, 8 reps - 45, 95, 95lbs*

*Form issues discussed above.

Leg Extensions - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 90, 105lbs

Lying Leg Curls - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 60, 60lbs

Standing Calf Raises - 2 sets - 30, 30 reps - BW

Standing Calf Raises Machine - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 120lbs

Lower Back Extensions - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - BW

Stationary Planks - 2 sets - 45 seconds

Cardio Cool Down - 15 minutes

Stretch - Completed.

Until next time.

Wednesday Workout - 03 - 14 - 2012 - Upper Body [Barbell]

Due to scheduling conflicts this week, Dan had to perform his routine in one sequence instead of taking the usual break in between (on Wednesdays). He will however have a large resting period for next week as he will have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. I was unable to accompany him through this workout. Since he is catching on quick, I am quite confident that setting him on autopilot on some occasions is perfectly fine at this point. Soon, he will no longer need my presence except for picture taking purposes, some small tidbits of advice and to help him break through plateaus by yelling stimulating expletives that ought to increase the intensity level a bit. In short, my presence pushes him to go further.

Because of the above explanation, this will be a brief post only about his workout.

Below is the summary for today's routine:

Decline Abdominal Sit ups - 2 sets - 12, 10 reps - BW

Decline Leg Raises - 2 sets - 12, 10 reps - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

Standing Barbell Military Presses - 1 Warm up set, 2 Work sets - 15, 12, 12 reps - 45, 75, 75lbs

Cable Rows - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 120, 135lbs

Barbell Flat Bench - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 115, 115lbs

Barbell Shrugs - 2 sets - 20, 20 reps - 135, 135lbs

Reverse Pec Deck - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 60, 70lbs

Seated Lateral Raises (Machine) - 2 sets - 15, 8 reps - 65, 80lbs

*On the above exercise all rep ranges should be high. Please avoid reps below 10.

Skull Crushers (EZ Barbell) - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 50, 50lbs

Seated Preacher Curls (EZ Barbell) - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 50, 60lbs

Barbell Wrist Curls - 2 sets - 25, 25 reps - 25, 25lbs

Nautilus Ab Crunch Machine - 2 sets - 25, 20 reps - 110, 125lbs

Cardio Cool Down - 15 Minutes.

Stretch - Completed.

Blog post - Completed. ;-)

Tuesday Workout - 03 - 13 - 2012 - Lower Body [Barbell]

I was present during this workout and was able to guide Dan through some of the exercises so that he could perform them correctly, in order for him to obtain the best results and truly focus on the right muscles. Per the usual case, Dan's consistent ability to quickly adapt to the correct form on exercises is very refreshing and eliminates a lot of time wasted on just learning how to perform a certain movement. His motor skills are very advanced, he has very decent balance and coordination for a guy of his stature (6'6").

Here are a few tips I shared with Dan during this workout with regard to its two major exercises, the Leg Press and Hack Squats, respectively.

Leg Presses - This was the first major movement Dan performed in this workout. At first glance, he seemed to be doing this exercise correctly until I focused on the minor errors in order to resolve them. First, his stance on the platform was too high. His heels were the only portion of his feet on the platform, while the rest of his feet were above it. I immediately told him that this type of stance will specifically target the hamstring more so than either the entire upper leg or the quadriceps itself.

Once made aware of his foot placement, I had him lower his stance to about the middle of the platform with his entire foot on the rubber padding. Second, his stance was too wide with knees flaring outwards. This may put some undue stress on his joints as the motion is being performed. Therefore, I had him get into the equivalent of a shoulder width stance with his feet. I told him that a wider stance would focus on the vastus medialis and a closer stance would focus on the vastus lateralis. Ergo, a happy medium for both smaller muscles of the quadriceps would be a shoulder width placement of the feet on the platform. Lastly, I noticed he was lifting his butt off the seat and slightly curving his lower back as he came down with the platform. This creates a lot of undue pressure in the lumbar region as the entire area curves in a weird angle in order to push the weight up.

In order to avoid this pressure, I simply had him lower the platform to the point of where his upper legs were one or two inches past being perpendicular to the floor. Finally, after these adjustments, he performed the exercise correctly.

Hack Squats - The errors committed here were quite similar to the aforementioned ones for the Leg Press with regard to Dan's stance on the platform. The only major difference here was how low he should go (No Ludacris pun intended). When performing a hack squat Dan should go as far down as possible to simulate an ATG (ass-to-grass) motion that is done on barbell squats. When breaking the parallel threshhold, the body ignites the hamstrings plus the gluteus into action by supporting the extension and contraction of the lower portion of the movement; positively and negatively. Therefore, when doing a full range of motion the benefits are sundry as opposed to a parallel squat that mainly targets the quadriceps and partially targets the hamstrings and gluteus. Once realizing this, Dan was able to correctly perform the movement (see the video below for further proof).

Below is his workout summary:

Decline Abdominal Sit Ups - 2 sets - 10, 8 reps - BW

Leg Raises on Mat - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps -5lbs

Hack Squats - 1 Warm up set, 2 Work sets - 10, 10, 10 reps - 45, 95, 95lbs

Leg Presses - 3 sets - 20, 15, 15 reps - 135, 225, 275lbs

Leg Extensions - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 60, 90lbs

Seated Leg Curls - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 165, 180lbs

Seated Calf Raises - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 90, 115lbs

Standing Calf Raise Machine - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 105, 105lbs

Lower Back Extensions - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - BW

Stationary Planks - 2 sets - 45 seconds hold each.

Cardio Cool Down - Not performed.

Stretch - Completed

Stay tuned for the quick update for the following workout.

Monday Workout - 03 - 12 - 2012 - Oviedo [Barbell]

Monday I was not present to help Dan out, but since I had already walked him through this workout I was sure he knew what to do. Therefore, there will be no visual aid for this workout. Hopefully, he remembered the right form for every exercise and completed the correct amount of reps and by the looks of the numbers posted, he is starting to increase weight and progressing very well in a decent pace.

I will keep this brief and to the point. The workout is presented below. I will be adding a new series of articles on this blog that will culminate in one big e-book that will be available for purchase in the future. More on this release as time permits...

Decline Abdominal Situps - 2 sets - 12, 10 reps - BW

Decline Leg Raises - 2 sets - 10, 10 reps - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

Incline Bench Press - 1 warm up set, 2 work sets - 20, 10, 10 reps - 45, 105, 105lbs

Bent Over Barbell Row - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 65, 95lbs

Machine Chest Flyes - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 80, 90lbs

Wide Grip Pull Downs - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 70, 85lbs

Hammer Strength Pull Overs - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 70, 90lbs

Barbell Curls - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 45, 65lbs

Triceps Push Downs - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 100, 110lbs

Barbell Forearm Curls - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 45, 45lbs

Stationary Planks - 2 sets - 45 seconds

Cardio Cool Down -20 Minutes

Stretch - Completed

And I'm out, stay tuned for the remainder of this week's updates. Tuesday's work out blog post will bring videos and pictures! Yay for visual aids.

Friday Workout - 03 - 09 - 2012 - Oviedo - Dumbbell Workout

In this workout I was once again present to make sure Dan had the form down pat before doing the exercises with any added weight. As an example I had him perform squats with just the bar resting on his back so he could get a good feel for the motion that is expected from his body in performing this mother of all exercises.

Although I arrived a bit late, thereby missing his first three exercises, I was present for the ones that counted, squats and deadlifts. Regarding deadlifts, it is imperative that good form is maintained throughout the entire movement so as to not chance any type of back problems. Having experienced severe injuries during deadlifts from lack of form, I know what to avoid and what to do.

I recorded two videos of Dan performing squats and deadlifts this time . You will see how he nailed the form fairly well in the first round with regard to squats. Of course, as his body gets more flexible and used to the motions of a squat, his form will definitely improve even more over time. The form on his deadlifts left something to be desired, but nonetheless, very well done for a first time. He is showing to get the hang of this fairly quick.

Here are the two videos (Squats and Deadlifts):

Below is the run down of the workout with some pics for your viewing pleasure:

Decline Abdominal Sit Ups - 2 sets - 10, 10 reps - BW

Decline Leg Raises - 2 sets - 10, 8 reps - BW [on mat]

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

Barbell Squats - 1 Warm Up Set, 2 Work Sets - 15, 12, 12 reps - 45, 95, 95lbs

Dumbbell Deadlifts - 3 sets - 12, 12, 12 reps - 35, 35, 35lbs

Iso Lateral Leg Extensions - 2 sets - 12, 15 reps - 60, 40lbs

Iso Lateral Lying Leg Curls - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 30, 30lbs

Iso Lateral Standing Calf Raises - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - BW

Iso Lateral Standing Calf Machine - 2 sets - 12, 12 reps - 30, 30lbs

Lower Back Extensions - 2 sets - 12, 15 reps - BW

Stationary Planks - 2 sets - 45, 30 seconds

Cardio Cool Down - 10 Minutes warm up - 5 minutes [intense set]

Stretch - Completed

Until next time!!

Angrybirds Thursday Workout - 03 - 08 - 2012 - Oviedo (Dumbbells)

Well, tonight I was present throughout Dan's entire workout. I believe my presence helped up the level of intensity for him since I was there to correct his form at all times and watch for any deviations, which seldom occurred. Because of this, my hat's off to him once again for doing most of the exercises correctly.

Here are some mistakes identified and corrected:

1) Hammer Strength Iso Lateral Low Rows - There was a little too much cheating during the hammer strength low rows in the last few reps. However, given the weight he was using and since it was his first time doing this machine, I let it slide. Next time, he needs to maintain his upper body pressed against the padding and not use any momentum for pulling the weight. All motion should be reserved for the arms which act as hooks, yet the pulling needs to be performed by the back, specifically the Latissimus Dorsi as well as other smaller ancillary muscles.

2) Dumbbell Flat Bench Presses - Range of motion was too short, although the idea of time under tension was at work, the movement was not necessarily being performed correctly. He was only lowering his upper arm down to parallel and not allowing other stabilizing muscles to activate in aiding with the pushing motion of the dumbbells when lowering them further. In order to trigger all muscles, I made him increase his ROM (Range of motion) all the way down towards his chest as if an imaginary bar existed between the two dumbbells.

Additionally, Dan was failing to press the dumbbells together which promote the same aforementioned function. When utilizing the shorter range of motion, you are truly not taking advantage of triggering as many muscles as possible. The more muscle groups involved, the better the results produced. He corrected himself and was able to perform them in the right manner after I let him know what should be done (See the video below).

3) Lateral Raises - Here the only mistake was not having the dumbbells being held in front of him (pressed together) and rather at his sides (parallel to his hips). In doing this he is once again failing to activate certain muscles and shortening his positive and negative motions by several inches. Another mistake that was corrected was that he was failing to imitate a pouring motion at the top of the movement. In other words, the motion should be analogous to pouring water from a jug, the jug being the dumbbell. Regardless of these mistakes, he quickly got the gist of what was suppose to actually take place during the exercise:

-A very slight knee bend

-Maintain a slight angle with the back while keeping it straight with zero arch

-Control the cadence and the weight

-Keep feet together and not shoulder width apart to stabilize his center of gravity.

4) Hammer Strength Curls - The only issue here was derived from the use of a heavier weight that caused Dan to sacrifice good form and look real sloppy while performing this exercise. I let him finish the set so as to not interrupt his flow. Once finished, I quickly grabbed dumbbells that were 10lbs lighter respectively. This quickly helped him maintain good form. Prior to lowering the weight, he was utilizing a lot of momentum and his elbow was too far back which incorporated other ancillary muscles instead of the sole purpose of the exercise: isolation of the contraction/flexing of the biceps brachii.

By positioning his elbows a bit more forward, the focus immediately shifted entirely to his biceps and he mentioned he felt that it was much harder to lift the weight in that manner. This further proves that his form was way off.

One more note, we switched his leg raises from being done on the decline bench to a flat surface such as a mat due to his complaints of some aches and soreness in his lumbar region. I posit that this stems from his height of 6'6" which makes working in certain areas a bit difficult. Since what we are trying to do here is build him up and make him healthy and strong (and not hurt), shifts and changes will be done accordingly with regard to what feels natural to his body.

Overall, the workout was good. He had great form aside from the aforementioned slip ups which were easily corrected due to my presence and oversight in this session.

Below is his workout (with some action shots) breakdown for tonight:

Decline Abdominal Sit Ups - 2 sets - 12, 10 reps - BW

Lying Leg Raises (on mat) - 2 sets - 6, 6 - BW

L-Flyes - 1 set - 25 reps - 5lbs

Dumbbell Standing Military Press - 1 warm up set, 2 work sets - 20, 12, 11 reps - 15, 30, 35lbs

Iso Lateral Hammer Strength Low Row - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 90, 90lbs

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 40, 40lbs

Dumbbell Shrugs - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 60, 60lbs

Dumbbell Rear Lateral Raises - 2 sets - 15, 15reps - 10, 15lbs

Dumbbell Lateral Raises - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 10, 10lbs

Dumbbell Triceps Extension (Iso lateral) - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 10, 15lbs

Hammer Curls - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 35, 25lbs

Dumbbell Wrist Curls - 2 sets - 15, 15 reps - 10, 10lbs

Nautilus Ab Machine Crunches - 2 sets - 20, 20 reps - 95, 110lbs

Cardio Cool Down - 20 Minutes

Stretching - Completed

Overall, as mentioned before Dan has done a fantastic job so far.