Posted on by

ADVANCED WORKOUT OF THE WEEK

Above is the full breakdown of the EXACT Monday workout that I did from my previous blog entry, “How To Lose 3% body fat in a week”…

Workout Details:

TYPE: Heavy.  Low reps, short rest periods.

MUSCLE GROUPS: Core/Legs/Shoulders (Five exercises per muscle group)

CARDIO: 10 minutes high intensity treadmill

DURATION: 1 hour, 20 minutes

  1. CORE CIRCUIT:

Do Core First (for the most part)!

I prefer to start my workouts with core.  I like to perform core work as a circuit, and hit it when it is at its freshest… But, with that said, to keep the muscles guessing, I will mix it up from time to time.  Sometimes I will incorporate core within my workout, and sometimes I will do it at the end. I’ll do core within my workout or at the end once a week, on average.

But…

If the gym is too busy to do a core circuit, then sometimes the best option is to just do it at another time.  As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, “How To Lose 3% body fat”, you can break the circuit down into super sets and tri sets, if need be (See Core Circuit example in How to Lose 3% body fat for explanation)

Every rep counts!

It’s very important to concentrate on each repetition on each exercise, making it a priority to emphasize good form.  It is way better to opt for lighter weights with good form, than heavier weights with sloppy form.

Rep cadence = 1-1-1

Aim for a 1 second count on the eccentric contraction (lifting phase), then flex/squeeze core for 1 second @ the peak of the rep.  Come back down to starting position (concentric contraction) @ a 1 second pace.

HOW TO EXECUTE

Perform the following 5 exercises as a circuit, do it 3x. Rest 1 – 2 minutes between each round.  

1.) Weighted 25lb Sit Up x 12

Image result for weighted sit ups with plate
Perform as regular sit up. Hold plate over head (or in front of chest, as pictured) entire time.  Hold core tight and squeeze the chest toward the stomach as hard as possible. Flex at the top for a second, return to starting position.

2.) Rotational 25lb Plate Crunch x 6/side

Image result for weighted sit ups with plate side to side
Perform as a halfway sit up and rotate plate side to side.  Hold core as tight as possible and try not to move centered position while moving only the plate with the arms from side to side.

3.) Crunch x 15, 12, 10

Image result for crunches
Lying on the ground with hands behind your head and knees bent in the air (as pictured), squeeze chest and stomach together.  Contract your abs until you’ve reached top of movement (elbows touching knees). Squeeze at top, come back down.

4.) Bicycle Crunch x 15, 12, 10 (all per side)

Image result for bicycle crunches
Execute as a regular crunch, except alternate legs in bicycle fashion and reach opposite elbow to opposite knee on each rep. Hold each rep for 1 second.

5.) Lying leg Lifts x 10

Image result for lying leg lifts
Lying down, keep back flat on ground, moving only the legs straight up and down.  Reach legs as high as possible toward ceiling, contracting lower abs as hard as possible.  Hold for 1 second at the top and bring legs back down

2.) THE WORKOUT:

Go BIG

Being that this is a HEAVY workout, the goal is to push as much weight as possible for each exercise.  Pick a weight that you will be at, or near, failure at the prescribed reps of 5, 4, and 3.

You want to exert as much energy as possible on each set, and really focus on proper form.  And the rest periods are short. You don’t want to be completely recovered by the next set, however, you still want to have just enough energy to push through it.    

Reps, Sets, and rest periods

Everything is done in rep scheme of 3 x 5, 4, 3 (unless otherwise noted). Rest periods are 30 seconds between sets and exercises, or however long it takes to set up the next exercise or catch your breath.

Rep cadence = 2-0-1

Aim for a 2 second count on the eccentric contraction (lowering phase), 0 seconds @ the peak of the rep and explode back up at a 1 second pace on the concentric (the return to starting position) contraction.

Exercises explained…

LEGS:

1.) Hack Squat

Image result for hack squat
With feet shoulder width apart, squat down until glutes are just below 90 degrees.  Hold body and core tight, use legs to explode back up.

2.) Seated Leg Curl

Image result for seated leg curl
Sit down in the seated leg curl machine and squeeze hamstrings and glutes all the way down the movement until legs are at 90 degrees.  Slowly control the weight back to starting position.

3.) Seated Calf Extension 3 x 15 – 25

Image result for calf extension
Seat yourself until you are at a comfortable distance (with knees just slightly bent) from the foot pad.  Press down with balls of the feet and flex the calves at the top of the movement.

4.) Lying Hamstring Curl

Image result for lying hamstring curls
Lying face down and grasping the handle bars in the hamstring curl machine: Squeeze glutes and hamstrings all the way through movement until foot pad touches, or is about a half inch to inch away, from the glutes (top of movement).  Flex at the top of the movement, then return back to starting position.

5.) DB Side Lunge

Image result for dumbell side lunges
Holding core tight (with dumbells in hands, as pictured), and in a controlled motion, step laterally to the left, leaving your right leg stationary (and straight, as pictured). Keep back arched and chest out and squat down until left knee is at 90 degrees.  Explode up, return to starting position (standing straight up) and repeat for reps on other side.

SHOULDERS:

6.) BB Shoulder Press

Image result for barbell shoulder press
Standing in front of racked bar, Place hands down on the bar with grip just outside shoulder width.  Raise bar and flip wrists so that it is lying straight across collar bone. Stand upright with back slightly arched, knees slightly bent and wrists bent back.  Explode bar up overhead. Keep core tight and bring bar back down to starting position (bar laid across collar bone) in controlled motion.

7.) BB Front Raise (close grip)

Image result for barbell front raise
Standing directly in front of bar at waste level, place hands palms down onto the bar with grip just inside shoulder width.  Flex front delts and raise bar as fast as possible in front of you, arms straight out in front of you at the top of the movement.  Control weight back down to starting position

8.) BB Upright Row (close grip) 3 x 8

Image result for barbell upright row
Standing directly in front of bar at waste level, place hands down on the bar with grip just inside shoulder width.  Flex traps and pull up bar to chin as fast as possible. Control bar back down to starting position.

9.) Seated Cable Shoulder Press

Image result for seated cable shoulder press
In seated position, hold the cables, palms forward, at shoulder level.  This is starting position. Explode hands up and touch hands together over your head at the top of the movement and squeeze shoulder blades together as hard as possible.  Control weight back down to starting position.

10.) Bent Over Unilateral Rear Delt Cable Raise (palm down)

Image result for bent over unilateral rear delt cable raise
Bend over so that torso is parallel with the ground, body situated perpendicular to cable machine.  Let the arm opposite the cable machine hang down and grab the D handle with an underhand grip (as pictured).  From the bent over position, raise the cable laterally. Raise arm until it is parallel with torso and squeeze rear delt.  Control weight back down to starting position. Repeat for reps on other side.

3.) CARDIO:

Take a breath

Go into performing cardio as soon as you can after the workout.  It’s only ten minutes, however, it is very intense. Between the workout and cardio, you may need a minute to rest, or you may need 10 minutes.  It all depends on various factors, such as your fitness level, stamina, and how much energy you exerted during the workout .

10 minutes treadmill (instructions)

Image result for treadmill running
  1. Step on the treadmill and press quick start.
  2. Bump up the speed until you are running @ 9.0 pace.
  3. Bump up the incline until it is set to 1.5.
  4. Run at 9.0/1.5 (speed/incline) for 5 minutes straight.
  5. Stop treadmill @ 5 minutes and rest for 1 minute
  6. Repeat 1x

AND DON’T FORGET TO STRETCH!

Image result for stretching
Always make sure to get a good stretch in post workout! Stretching post workout circulates blood through the muscles and prevents injuries.  Benefits of Stretching in itself would be a great blog topic, I just may do one!

FINISH LINE (You Did It!)

Image result for finish line
You did it! Monday workout is now in the books. Time to cool down and feed those muscles! A protein shake and a banana should do the trick.

CONCLUSION:

Currently, my workout routine consists of weight training 6 days a week (Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Sunday, Thursday is my rest day).  This workout program calls for 10 minutes of treadmill cardio post workout Monday to Wednesday and AM cardio on Saturday and Sunday (see previous blog entry, “How to Lose 3% body fat in one week” for details).  

Right now this is the routine that works best for me due to my full time work schedule.  Currently, I put in a full 40 hour workweek in 4 days because we work 10 hour days Monday to Thursday.  So Thursday is the best day for me to take a rest day since I’m usually exhausted from the weekly grind of the 10 hour workdays.  Not to mention, my full time gig of carpentry is very physical.

I say all of this because I realize that everyone’s work schedules, obligations and priorities ect. are all different.  If you are interested in following this program, but feel that you need to rearrange the workout schedule so that it fits better into your routine, go for it!

If you need help or would like a tailored workout program that fits you, leave a comment below.  Or give me a follow and DM me on instagram! You can find me @joshrodriguez45

MY CURRENT STATUS:

According to the body fat handheld monitor, I’m hovering around 11.5 – 12.5% body fat.  Here is my progress pic…

I was able to achieve a consistent 10% during the summer months of 2018. Right now my weight is @ about 195. Last year, when I was @ 10%, my weight hovered around 186 – 189. So I’m looking to get myself back into that type of shape, however…

This year, my goal is to get down to 8% body fat (I set August as my deadline)! So I welcome everybody to join me in my fitness journey, and I would love to hear about yours! Feel free to leave a comment below.