Thursday, November 19, 2015

#140 New Workout w/Weights Routine

A plan that will have you in and out of the gym in 30 minutes -- a blessing when you're pressed for time.


I've been doing a lot of cardio lately and now it's time to go back to working out three days with weights -- two days of cardio -- two days of rest. .  This is my new workout routine, but I can not take the credit for this workout --  I got this workout from my January 2009 Oxygen Magazine.





         Mix ‘n’ Match

Group A:  Legs
Leg Press
Squat
Lunge
Group B:  Chest
Incline Dumb Bell Press
Bench Press
Flat Bench Fly
Group C:  Back
Lat Pull Down
Bent Barbell Row
Seated Cable Row
Group D:  Shoulders
Dumb Bell Press
Rear Delt Raise
Side Lateral Raise
Group E:  Biceps
Bar Bell Curl
Preacher Curl
Seated Incline Curl
Group F:  Triceps
Lying Triceps Extensions
Triceps Press Down
Seated Overhead Dumb Bell Extensions
Group G:  Abs
Hanging Leg Raise
Oblique Crunch
Crunch


How It Works

Exercise Variability:  Your goal is to do three different workouts each week by selecting one exercise from each of the groups, A through G (representing most body parts with the exception of hamstrings and calves).  Unlike more traditional approaches that rely on multiple exercises to exhaust a body part during a workout, with this plan you train each body part using only one exercise per workout.  However, by selecting a different exercise per body part on each training day you will have worked out each of the body parts from various angles by week’s end.

Example:

Week 1
Workout 1 – Day One
1.      Leg press
2.      Bench press
3.      Bent barbell row
4.      Dumb bell press
5.      Barbell curl
6.      Triceps press down
7.      Crunch

These workouts are now no longer available to use when you construct your second workout of the week.  So for workout two:

Workout 2 – Day Two
1.      Squat
2.      Incline dumbbell press
3.      Seated cable row
4.      Side lateral raise
5.      Preacher curl
6.      Lying triceps extension
7.      Hanging leg raise


Workout 3 – Day Three
1.      Lunge
2.      Flat bench fly
3.      Lat pull down
4.      Rear delt raise
5.      Seated incline curl
6.      Seated overhead dumbbell extension
7.      Oblique crunch

In the interest of keeping your muscles confused – and growing – construct entirely different workouts from the list for each successive week of the program.  Remember, variety will breed accelerated success in minimal time.

Your Firm & Fit Plan
For maximum benefit, follow these repetition sequences each week.

Workout 1:
SETS/REPS
3 sets of 6-9 reps
WEIGHT/BENEFIT
Heavy:  Strength
Workout 2:
3 sets of 10-12 reps
Medium:  Muscle Gain
Workout 3:
3 sets of 12-15 reps
Light:  Stamina

REPETITION VARIABILITY:  In order to enhance muscle strength, growth and endurance, each of the three weekly workouts relies on different rep ranges.  So for the first workout of the week, you’ll shoot for six to nine repetitions per exercise.  This rep range will help you build strength and some muscle.  For the second workout, you’ll do 10 to 12 reps per set, which is the ideal range for building muscles.  For the final workout of the week, you’ll do 12 to 13 repetitions per exercise.  This rep range provides its own set of benefits:  It improves endurance and stamina, and it helps build a network of capillaries, which aid recovery and nutrient deliver for faster success.

OTHER VARIABLES:  You will do three sets of an exercise before moving on to the next one.  If done with perfect form, this should be enough to stimulate the muscle being worked.  Rest approximately 45 to 60 seconds between sets.  Of course, do a light warm-up set of each new exercise before adding weight for the three working sets.  Also, while it is not essential to fail on each of the sets, you should try to reach temporary muscle failure on the final set of each exercise so as to train the target muscle fully.  Finally, you should use the heaviest weight possible for the first workout of the week, reducing the weight (as you increase the repetition range) for each successive workout.  Choose a weight that will allow you to reach muscle failure on the final set of each exercise.

Have More Than 30 minutes
Should you find yourself with a little more time in the gym on day, why not add a fourth set to each exercise of your workout?  This will boost the intensity of the workout and keep your body adapting rather than stagnating.  However, doing more than four sets per exercise of this program for a prolonged period of time may lead to over training, so be sure to push yourself, just not over the edge.

Rest & Recovery
This is an intense program that demands a lot of your body and mind.  To keep you progressing and injury-free make sure you take a day off between workouts.  This will allow your body time to recover from the previous workout and keep your mind fresh and focused for the next.  On your days away from the weight room, consider going for an easy run or doing very light cardio.




My Weekly Rotation Form
Tuesday

Body Part

Workout

Reps
Legs

3 sets of 6-9
Chest

3 sets of 6-9
Back

3 sets of 6-9
Shoulders

3 sets of 6-9
Biceps

3 sets of 6-9
Triceps

3 sets of 6-9
Abs

3 sets of 6-9



Thursday

Body Part

Workout

Reps
Legs

3 sets of 10-12
Chest

3 sets of 10-12
Back

3 sets of 10-12
Shoulders

3 sets of 10-12
Biceps

3 sets of 10-12
Triceps

3 sets of 10-12
Abs

3 sets of 10-12



Saturday

Body Part

Workout

Reps
Legs

3 sets of 12-15
Chest

3 sets of 12-15
Back

3 sets of 12-15
Shoulders

3 sets of 12-15
Biceps

3 sets of 12-15
Triceps

3 sets of 12-15
Abs

3 sets of 12-15




Monday & Wednesday
Cardio for the Week

Day
Workout
Monday

Wednesday



I put these forms in sheet protectors and I use a Sharpie to fill in my workouts.  Makes it easy.

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Saturday, November 7, 2015

#139 It's My 50th Birthday!



I want to start off by saying, I've never had a birthday party as an adult and this year "October 24, 2015 -- my dear husband threw me a great birthday party that I will never forget.  Oh no it was not a surprise -- I invited 40 (I had a limit since it was being thrown at my home) of my closest friends and of course my mom, mom Harris, my sister Lisa, mother-in-law, mom Barry and my sister-in-law Ursula -- all I can say is -- Wow, what fun!  

My decorating ideas came from the musical "Sound of Music."  I love that musical and I went on the theme "These are a few of my favorite things."

This was my basic theme -- I made some last minute changes in my table arrangement below and I added more food to the table on the day of the party.  My favorite color is purple and most of the things on the tables were purple, not to mention the table cloths and lamp shade etc.  

There was food galore -- fried chicken, ham, mostaccioli, salad, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese and so much more.  My hubby really did it up (thank you Brian for such a lovely birthday party) -- he did most of the ordering in.  Thanks also to my sister, and sister-in-law for their food contributions.   We had so much food leftover we could have fed a troop. 

Thanks to all who came and made this a day to remember!




















 






Until next time...

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