The Road to SF – The Workouts

The image above is of a blowfish that was washed ashore in Puerto Rico! Bizarre. It has nothing to do with anything else. The post below details the workouts I’ve been doing for the last few weeks or so. I stole them from a mens fitness site, but I forget which one, so I’m not linking to it.

Essentially, this is my fitness calendar moving forward. I’ve found that I really like repetition and consistency in my life where I can get it, so it helps me knowing that each day of the week has a workout agenda.

Also, be warned: if you try these out, don’t kill yourself on every set! The weights are lighter and the reps are higher because you’re exhausting those muscle groups by the end of the whole workout. You’re body WILL be sore. You kind of like it after a while though.

Another thing to keep in mind is that these exercises can be subbed out for other similar movements. I’ve also included the weights that I’m currently performing these at…

Monday – Chest and Triceps

• Dumbell Bench Press – 5 sets x 10 reps – 70lbs or barbell @ 145lbs
• Incline Dumbell Bench Press – 4 sets x 10 reps – 50, 50, 55, 55lbs
• 
Cable Fly – 4 sets x 10 reps – 80lbs/side – or fly machine @ 145, 150, 155, 160lbs
• Assisted Dip – 3 sets x 10 reps – 100lbs
• 
Push Ups – 3 sets x  12 reps performed on dumbbells
• EZ-Bar Skullcrusher – 4 sets x 12 reps – 70lbs or tricep extension @ 80lbs
• 
Cable Pushdown w/ Rope – 3 sets x 12 reps – 55, 60, 60lbs
• 
Single-Arm Pushdown – 3sets x 12 reps – 25lbs
• 
Cable Chest Press – 4 sets x 12 reps – 40lbs/side

Tuesday – Back and Biceps

• Barbell Deadlift – 5 sets x 10 reps – 225lbs or trap bar @ 235, 235, 245, 245, 245lbs
• 
Assisted Pull Ups – 4 sets x 10 reps – 200lbs or lat pulldown @ 135, 135, 150, 150lbs
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Row – 4 sets x 10 reps – 65lbs or seated cable row 65lbs
• Cable Chin Ups – 3 sets x 10 reps – 155lbs or pulldown machine @ 150, 170, 190
• Glute Ham Raise – 3 sets x 10 reps
• EZ Barbell Curl – 4 sets x 10 reps – 80lbs or cable @ 55, 62.5, 62.5lbs
• EX 
Barbell Drag Curl – 3 sets x 10 reps – 60lbs
• 
Dumbbell Curl – 3 sets x 12 reps – 40lbs or concentration machine @ 70lbs
• Cable Curl w/ Rope – 4 x 12 – 50, 60, 70- dumbbell cable

Wednesday – Cardio and Abs

• Steady-State Cardio for 30 minutes (moderate difficulty)
• 3 – 5 Rounds (as little rest as possible):
  • Hip Thrust from Floor – 10 reps
  • 
Ab Wheel Roll Out – 10 reps
  • 
Cable Chops – 10 reps/side
  • 
Side Planks – failure/side
• Cardio Intervals for 15 minutes – 
1 minute sprint/1 minute walk or light jog

Thursday – Legs and Shoulders

• Back Squat – 3 sets x 10 reps – 225, 245, 255lbs
• 
Front Squat – 3 sets x 10 reps – 145, 165, 175lbs
• 
Dumbbell Plie Squat – 4 sets x 12 reps – 85lbs
• Dumbell Step-Up 24″ Box – 4 sets x 6 reps/leg – 15lbs
• Single-Leg Press – 3 sets x 10 reps – 120, 130, 140lbs
• 
Glute Bridge – 3 sets x 10 reps
• Neutral-Grip Dumbbell Overhead Press – 5 sets x 10 reps – 45, 45, 45, 50, 50lbs
• Dumbbell High Pull – 4 sets x 10 reps – 45lbs
• 
Front Cable Raise – 3 sets x 10 reps – 25lbs
• Side Cable Raise – 3 sets x 10 reps – 15lbs
• Rear Dumbbell Raise – 3 sets x 10 reps – 15lbs or reverse fly @ 130, 130, 150
• Face Pull w/ Rope- 3 sets x 15 reps – 55, 60, 60lbs

Friday – Cardio

• Moderate to Difficult Cardio – 60 minutes

Saturday – Mixed Bodyweight

• 5-10 rounds as fast as possible:
  • Push Ups x 10 reps
  • Pull Ups x 10 reps
  • Sit Ups x 10 reps
  • 
Hip Thrust from Floor x 10 reps

Sunday – Cardio

• Moderate to Difficult Cardio – 60 minutes

Notes and Caveats

This set of workouts is great for me. They take about an hour each, including a short warm-up, and if I can squeeze in some cardio afterward, I consider that a bonus.

One of the things I do is increase the weight or resistance every time I re-visit an exercise. Whether that means adding 5lbs for all sets, or just one or two, I think of that as improvement. I never allow myself to go down in weight, so once an amount is logged, it stays there or gets heavier/harder. This also means everyday of the week is a little harder than the same day last week.

The best way to log these exercises that I’ve found is a simple note in my iPhone. Between sets, I’ll edit the note and update it so it has the weights that I’m currently using. I always have my phone on me, so it’s a quick and easy way for me to know what’s next and see where I was when I did the workout last time.

Lastly, a lot of the cable weights are arbitrary depending on the machine you use, but they should be pretty fucking hard by the age old wisdom of “last rep of the last set should be hard as fuck.”

Let me know if you have suggestions!