Tuesday November 22, 2011

Today is my first day back from a long weekend. Since my muscles are fully rested and recovered from last week I decided to do Supersets today. Supersets are doing reps and sets of 2 different exercises back to back with no rest. I found this workout on www.Musclepharm.com and I have to say it was tough.

Superset 1
Wide Grip Pull-ups        5x Failure
Flat Bench Press             5x12

Superset 2
Incline Dumbbells         5x12
Seated Row                    5x12

Superset 3
Wide Grip Pull-ups        5x Failure
Chest Fly (Dumbbells)  5x12

Single Dumbbell Pull over across Bench  5x12

I did not use my max weight for every set because I would never last all 12 reps for the 5 sets. I've heard of supersets before but this is my first time ever doing supersets. It was intense and my muscles are definitely sore. I recommend trying this workout and remember to bump the amount of weight down and I guarantee you will feel the results. Tomorrow is Legs!

Meal 1:
Egg Whites
Meal 2:
Almond Butter sandwich on Wheat Bread
Meal 3:
Chicken and Broccoli
Meal 4:
Pre-workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 5:
Post Workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 6:
Chicken and Brown Rice

Thursday November 17, 2011

Today was "Pull" day at the gym. I was a little sore from the pull-ups I did yesterday but I pushed through and had a great workout.

Warm-up: Pull-ups: 2 Sets 10
Dead lift: 3 sets of 8-12 Reps
Wide-Grip Lat Pull down: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Dumbbell Pullover: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
One-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Lying T-Bar Row: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Smith Machine Shrug: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps

This will be my last workout of the week unless I get some cardio in on Saturday. I'm taking a trip to AC tomorrow and will not get to the gym. I'll return on Monday and Hit it Hard! Rest is an important part of my routine in order for my muscles to recover. Monday should be fun as I always have my best workouts after a couple days rest.

Meal 1:
Egg Whites
Meal 2:
Almond Butter sandwich on Wheat Bread
Meal 3:
Chicken and Broccoli
Meal 4:
Pre-workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 5:
Post Workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 6:
Chicken Parmesan sandwich (Cheat Day)

 

Wednesday November 16, 2011

Turn on the IPod and get after it! That was my mind set going into this workout. I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes, Biked on the stationary bike for 10 minutes and did a total of 20 pull-ups and 26 Chin-ups. I did the pull-ups today instead of tomorrow because I just couldn’t wait. I haven't been doing cardio or pull-ups so I knew I was in for a treat. The running was boring at first but it’s like any other endurance exercise, once you get in the groove it becomes natural. However, the biking killed my legs. Maybe it was because I was on Level 12, I don't know but, No pain No gain. After my cardio I alternated wide grip pull-ups with close grip chin-ups. The sets I did are as follows:

Pull-ups      Chin-ups
5                     7
Pull-ups      Chin-ups
4                     5
Pull-ups      Chin-ups
3                     5
Pull-ups      Chin-ups
3                     3
Pull-ups      Chin-ups
3                     3
Pull-ups      Chin-ups
2                     3

Each set I did as many as I could until my form failed, that is why you will see odd numbers such as 7 or 3. A week before the Tough Mudder in 2011, I was able to do 15 Pull-ups without stopping so I have a long way to go. The obstacle I was most afraid of last year was the monkey bars. The monkey bars were approximately 30-40 feet in length and in a triangle position so the competitors had to climb on the monkey bars going up about 20 feet and then down about 20 feet with no rest. Pull-ups definitely helped me make it through last year so I will continue the regimen and increase intensity as time goes by. Tomorrow, it's time to hit the weights again for my upper and lower body pull exercises.

Meal 1:
Egg Whites
Meal 2:
Almond Butter sandwich on Wheat Bread
Meal 3:
Chicken and Broccoli
Meal 4:
Pre-workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 5:
Post Workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 6:
Chicken and Brown Rice
Meal 7:
Almond Butter Sandwich on Wheat Bread

 

Tuesday November 15, 2011 Day 2

Today's weather was rainy at times so I did not get a chance to run the gym like usual but once I got there, I hit it hard. Today I did the Tuesday workout listed below.

Tuesday (Push)
Warm up: Pushups: 2 Sets of 20 Reps
Bench Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Cable Crossover: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Dips: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Overhead Tricep Extension (Rope): 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Decline Crunch: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Ab Roller: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps


It felt great to get some upper body work in since my legs were sore from Monday’s workout. The pushups are helping because during the Tough Mudder I will have to repeatedly go from crawling on the ground to jumping over a wall. Upper Body strength is important as well as my ability to jump and pull myself over objects. I will get some pull-ups in on Thursday so I am excited for that (I haven’t done them in a while). Tomorrow is Cardio day so I am going to go to the gym, run on the treadmill and ride the bike. This should be interesting since I haven’t ran in a while. Hopefully, I can put on the IPod and time will fly but for some reason I doubt it.

Meal 1:
Egg Whites
Meal 2:
Almond Butter sandwich on Wheat Bread
Meal 3:
Chicken and Broccoli
Meal 4:
Pre-workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 5:
Post Workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 6:
Protein Burger with Mixed Veggies
Meal 7:
Almond Butter Sandwich on Wheat Bread
Pre-Bed Casein Protein Shake

November 14, 2011 Day 1

Today is the start of my Tough Mudder 2012 Training. At this blog site is where you will find all of my training from Day 1 to the completion of the Tough Mudder 2012.
I haven’t really stopped training because I have been on a fitness kick since the Tough Mudder 2011 but I did stop running since my completion of a half marathon in September of 2011. I need to get back into running while still continuing my lifting routine. Since I have 165 days until the event, I am not worried about event specific training so I will continue with the lifting routine listed below:

Monday (Legs)
Warm up: Jump Squats: 2 Sets of 15 Reps
Wide Stance Barbell Squat: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Narrow Stance Leg Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Leg Extension: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Seated Leg Curl: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Calf Press (on Leg Press): 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Standing Calf Raise: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps

Tuesday (Push)
Warm up: Pushups: 2 Sets of 20 Reps
Bench Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Incline Dumbbell Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Cable Crossover: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Dips: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Overhead Tricep Extension (Rope): 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Decline Crunch: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Ab Roller: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps

Wednesday (Cardio)
This is where I will get my running in plus biking

Thursday (Pull)
Pull-ups: 2 Sets of as many as I can do
Dead lift: 3 sets of 8-12 Reps
Wide-Grip Lat Pull down: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Dumbbell Pullover: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
One-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Lying T-Bar Row: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Middle Back Shrug: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Smith Machine Shrug: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps

Friday (Shoulder/Biceps/Abs)
Warm up: External Rotation: 2 Sets of 15 Reps
Push Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Arnold Press: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Rear Delt Fly: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Preacher Curl: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Alternating Dumbbell Curl: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps
Side Bridge: 3 Sets of 8-12
Knee/Hip Raise: 3 Sets of 8-12 Reps

Saturday (Cardio)
Bike or Run

Sunday
Rest

Meal 1:
Egg Whites
Meal 2:
Almond Butter sandwich on Wheat Bread
Meal 3:
Chicken and Spinach
Meal 4:
Pre-workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 5:
Post Workout Whey Protein Shake
Meal 6:
Chicken, Brown Rice, and Broccoli
Meal 7:
Almond Butter Sandwich on Wheat Bread
Pre-Bed Casein Protein Shake


My cardio is worked in to that schedule but I will increase intensity as the days go by. Trail running is a must and I am lucky to have a team to run trails with.  We will start by going on the weekends together and as time fly’s by you may see me trail running during the week also. Since the weather is getting colder it is tough to get to the trails at night during the week. I will update this blog everyday with training changes and how my most recent workout went.

November 13, 2011 About Tough Mudder

Today I signed up for the 2012 Tough Mudder event. This event will be held in Pocono Manor, 1 Manor Drive, Pocono Manor, PA on April 28, 2012. For those of you who are not familiar with the Tough Mudder Event I will give you a little description. Tough Mudder is an 11+ mile mud run, up and down a mountain side with 25+ military obstacles. Mud runs have become quite familiar in the past year but I have not heard of any that can even compete with the Tough Mudder. The obstacles include, but are certainly not limited to, swimming through a freezing cold lake, running through a path of fire, and jolting through dangling wires with 10,000 volts of electricity zapping you.  As if the hills aren’t hard enough, right? The event last year was an amazing experience and since we now know what to expect, the training should be intense.