Tag: exercises

Improve your grip strength

Grip strength is important in the world of lifting, it is essential for a good deadlift, a good bench press and builds the forearms, wrist and hands (something many of us don’t think to work on) — and many exercises, along with the ones I named will improve when you improve your grip strength. 

Most people don’t consider the importance of the smaller muscles & techniques used to better your lifting & in doing so, they fail to make it to their fullest potential. Down below, I am going to list some of the exercises I would recommend to both athletes & general population recreational lifters if you want to see results in your strength. My list is short, but feel free to leave comments with other recommended grip strength exercises for my readers. 

  1. Two arm hang
  2. wrist curls 
  3. wrist extensions
  4. Hex dumbbell hold
  5. Farmers Walks
  6. Plate pinch/ plate pinch curl
  7. Wide grip barbell deadlift
  8. Utilizing hand grippers
  9. Towel /rope pull ups
  10. band hand extensions

Hopefully this list of 10 exercises will prepare you for your next big lift!

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Skipped Monday & regret it

Starting on a Tuesday was about as bad as skipping a whole week at the gym. My performance on Tuesday leg day was less than mediocre and hardly finished (in order to finish up my workout, I had to edit the amount of sets/reps & lower the weight on lifts that don’t normally require it) I just felt like a walking Zombie and no amount of time staying at the gym was making it any easier on me. I suppose it might not only come from missing Monday’s chest day but also from the lack of sleep I had gotten the night before and perhaps the fact that I wasn’t suped up on pre-workout (which I take normally twice a week) but would rather take it like twice a month due to wanting to go back to my natural energy from waking up in the morning. I have decided that yesterday’s workout was a tragedy & while we are human with bad days, I like to think that I could make up for this another day.

 

Now with all the blah blah blah out of the way, we can get to the point. 

 

Warm up:

 
  • Leg press 4 x 25, 60 lbs
  • Leg extensions: 4 x 25, 20 lbs
  • hip abduction: 4 x 25, 35 lbs

Workout:

  • Sumo deadlifts: 8 x 6 ( 4 x 175 lbs (60%1RM) (4 x 190 lbs (65% 1RM)
  • Barbell back squats (low back, wide stance): 8 x 2-3 (2 x 180 lbs 80% 1RM) (2 x 190 lbs 85% 1RM) (2 x 200 lbs 90% 1RM) (2 x 215 lbs 95% 1RM)
  • Power cleans: 5 x 3, 100 lbs & 110 lbs

Superset:

  • Linear leg press (Hammies concentrated): 8 x 5-6 478 lbs
  • Linear leg press single leg: 8 x 5-6 each leg, 208 lbs

Superset:

  • EZ bar overhead squats: 3 x 5-6, 50 lbs
  • DB Romanian deadlift: 3 x 5-6, 70 lbs

Superset:

  • Hamstring/glute machine: 4 x 5-6, 25 lbs
  • DB goblet squat: 4 x 5-6, 45 lbs

Shay-lon

4 Hour leg session

I swear I don’t make long sessions on purpose. 

 

Warm up:

 
  • Kettlebell Romanian deadlift: 4 x 25, 12 lbs
  • Hip adduction machine: 4 x 25, 30 lbs
  • Hip abduction machine: 4 x 25, 30 lbs

Workout Sess:

  • Conventional deadlift: 6 x 2-3, 260 lbs (85% 1RM)
  • Barbell back squat: 8 x 6-8, 145 lbs (65% 1RM)
  • Barbell front squats: 8 x 10-12, 65 lbs
  • Box squats: 8 x 10-12, 155 lbs

Superset:

  • DB bulgarian split squats: 8 x 10-12, 30 lbs
  • Leg curl machine: 8 x 10-12, 40 lbs

Superset:

  • Kettlebell snatches: 8 x 10-12, 12 lbs
  • Leg extension machine: 8 x 10-12, 40 lbs

Superset:

  • Cable glute kickbacks: 8 x 10-12, 10 lbs
  • DB box step ups: 8 x 10-12, 30 lbs

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First Workout of July

Got my FIRST workout of July finished up, and boy oh boy, would I have loved to have made an excuse to not go today. I was busy from sun up to sun down practically and still busy with having to play catch up on the blog post & make sure my social media is all caught up for the night & it starts all over tomorrow. The only thing that mattered today was being able to start my Monday off with a workout — I was able to workout later this afternoon vs in the morning and many thoughts streamed through my mind to just half ass the workout and go home BUT, I knew I couldn’t do that, because once I am at the gym, I finish the job 100 percent; that’s what it means to talk the walk. While I am somewhat exhausted, I was able to meal prep for the next couple of meals for the week and do a small amount of cleaning. The majority of my problem lies with the fact it is HUMID as all hell & I don’t like it at all. Anyone else dealing with the humidity?

 

Besides all that, I made Monday another chest day. 

 

Warm up:

 
  • Resistance band lateral raises: 4 x 25, red band
  • resistance band front raises: 4 x 25, red band
  • resistance band pull apart: 4 x 25, red band

Workout:

  • Barbell bench press: 8 x 6, (60% and 65% 1RM) 4 x 75 lbs, 4 x 80 lbs
  • Barbell bench press (wide grip): 8 x 5, 95 lbs
  • barbell bench press (close grip): 8 x 5, 80 lbs

Superset:

  • DB chest press: 8 x 6, 70 lbs
  • Seated DB shoulder press: 8 x 6, 50 lbs

Superset:

  • Underhand lat pulldown: 8 x 6, 90 lbs
  • Dips: 8 x 6

Superset:

  • EZ bar military press: 8 x 6, 60 lbs
  • Reverse cable triceps extension: 8 x 6, 70 lbs

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10 Lower Body resistance band exercises

Can be done anywhere

Yesterday I went over upper body exercises you could implement utilizing the resistance bands & today I will go over lower body exercises with the resistance band. A short list of exercises that can be done anywhere since the use of a resistance band can be taken with you on trips, to the gym, or in your home. Feel free to add to this of exercises!

 
 
  1. Prone lying leg curl
  2. clamshell
  3. Lateral band walk
  4. Glute bridge
  5. Fire hydrants
  6. Glute kickback
  7. Lunges
  8. Squat
  9. Seated straight leg raises
  10. Seated hip abduction

Hopefully this list of 10 exercises will help you in your next workout 🙂

 

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New leg day strategy

Today, I decided on a new strategy for my powerlifting workouts, due to wanting to switch things up a bit and still challenge myself. The changes will only concern my leg day workouts (Tuesday and Thursday’s) but hopefully I will see good results from the switch up and reduce the soreness. 

I will continue to do deadlifts and squats on the same day along with lower body accessory work BUT instead of doing heavy with both exercises and speed with both exercises. I will do heavy for one and speed for the other, and vice versa on the 2nd day. This was the first day doing this — so not much to say for it yet.

 

Warm up:

 
  • Resistance band lateral walks: 4 x 25, green band
  • seated leg curl: 4 x 25, 10 lbs
  • body bar back squats: 4 x 25, 3 lbs

Workout:

  • Conventional deadlift (speed training day): 8 x 5, 185 lbs
  • Barbell back squat (heavy day): 6 x 3, 170 lbs
  • Barbell front squats: 5 x 8-10, 65 lbs

Superset:

  • Smith machine vertical leg press: 5 x 8-10, 205 lbs
  • DB wide stance stiff legged deadlifts: 5 x 8-10, 40 lbs

Superset:

  • EZ bar walking lunges: 5 x 8-10, 30 lbs
  • DB cleans: 5 x 8-10, 30 lbs

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Gym Partner Monday

Today was one of those days where I wasn’t in town to attend my regular gym and I still wanted to get a workout in, in order to not skip a Monday. Thankfully, my friend, whom I was staying with over the weekend, agreed to attend the gym with me earlier this morning at her gym. Now, if I had to attend without her, i probably would have, but not have liked it very much because of the fact it was a new environment that I am not yet used to and have only been to once before. With as long as I have been lifting, you would assume I wouldn’t have any issues with the gyms, but I still have my small insecurities when entering a new gym in a new place. Today’s workout was both quick and very simple. In the mix of it all, I was able to show her new exercises and push her past what she would normally feel comfortable doing, I love doing that; boosting someone’s confidence and making them feel good about their abilities. 

 

Workout:

 
  • Smith machine bench press: 3 x 6, 75 lbs, 95 lbs

Superset:

  • Smith machine bentover row: 3 x 8, 75 lbs
  • smith machine upright row: 3 x 8, 45 lbs

Superset:

  • Seated Db shoulder press: 3 x 8, 40 lbs
  • seated Db lateral raise: 3 x 8, 20 lbs

Superset:

  • Seat low row: 3 x 8, 100 lbs
  • wide grip lat pulldown: 3 x 8, 70 lbs