Kettlebell Workouts

This report by a successful chiropractor who have discovered tha the very best tool for improving the back strength and overall health of his patients is the use of the Kettlebell! Here’s the report :

After 14 years as a successful chiropractor I have finally discovered what I believe to be the very best tool for improving the back-strength and overall health of my patients. That tool is the kettlebell – something I had never heard of until two years ago. I have to admit that initially they intimidated me… until I needed them for my own injury.

Growing up I was always extremely athletic in high school and college. I lettered in volleyball, softball, and basketball, and I became a Doctor of Chiropractic because I knew firsthand how important a strong and well-aligned body is for physical activity.

As an athlete and a doctor I never experienced any problems with back pain – until about 5 years ago. I was adjusting a very large male patient (6’3” 300lbs), something I never had a problem with in the past because of my use of proper techniques.

Somehow this time was different. When I applied my force into this patient’s body to adjust his hips – nothing moved. I felt like I had just attempted to pass my hands through a pillar of marble. The resulting wave of resistance immediately reverberated through my entire spine. At that moment I knew I was injured.

I did everything I tell my injured patients to do. I stretched, iced, went for massage, received chiropractic care, physical therapy, and acupuncture treatments. Being in the healthcare profession, the treatment I received was the best available. At times I was in the offices of other providers 5-6 times per week.

Frustration with Traditional Methods

The treatments kept my back functioning so that I could do my job but the repair and healing of my body did not progress. If I sneezed it would throw my back into spasms.

If I slept wrong I would have to wear a back support for a week. This was more than pain and inconvenience – my very livelihood was at stake! Nobody wants to put their trust in a chiropractor who clearly has a bad back herself. So I did everything I could to hide and mask my pain from my patients.

Two years into this constant pain I knew I had to try something different. I hired a personal trainer (a former N.F.L. player) who I hoped would whip me into shape. After 6 months, although I gained arm and leg strength, my body did not tone up the way I expected and my back pain did not improve. In fact it got worse. There would be times when I would spend half an hour on the treadmill in the evening and not be able to get out of bed the next morning.

Impressing A Skeptic

About this time I came across a book titled Beyond Stretching, by Pavel Tsatsouline. There was something different here. There were stretches in this book that I had never seen before. Even my physical therapy associates were impressed with this new and cutting-edge material. I had a feeling that Pavel could help me with my back, and hoped this might be the answer to restore my health and the future of my practice.

Fortunately I live close to Seattle because at that time Pavel was visiting the city twice each year. I took his stretching, strengthening and abdominal class. I was impressed – not something easily accomplished because I do body work myself, but also because I had experienced so many disappointments.

After attending Pavel’s classes my stretching improved and my pain was decreasing. In fact, I was so impressed that I encouraged all of my patients and colleagues to attend Pavel’s seminars.

I had patients drive 70-80 miles one-way to attend Pavel’s seminars, and I would bring no fewer than 10 people with me each time. I always made sure to bring my most acute patients – the ones I knew would experience the most benefit by attending.

When Pavel witnessed my third trek to Seattle with patients in tow, he was impressed with my commitment and suggested that I train with kettlebells – round cast-iron weights, like cannonballs with handles. He even implied that I should become certified as a kettlebell trainer to assist my patients.

Well, I was more than slightly intimidated – in my mind there was no way I could throw around this big piece of iron without inflicting further injury. But everything Pavel had showed me so far was helping, and I was intrigued.

I ended up purchasing a kettlebell, but picked it up maybe five times before it began to gather dust at home. I was so out of shape that I would get winded swinging the kettlebell only twenty times. Being an athlete, I think it hurt my ego more than anything else!

One Demonstration Makes All the Difference

Then in October 2004 I was fortunate enough to attend another one of Pavels stretching and strengthening seminars that included a quick kettlebell demonstration. One of the people who spoke was Dave Werner, RKC. He related his experience with severe lower back pain, nerve damage in his leg, and using a cane to walk.

I couldn’t believe it – this man had recovered and looked like an Olympic athlete! Right then I knew I had to give kettlebells another chance. I not only needed to try them for myself, but for the benefit of all my patients that were in the same predicament as me.

I hired Dave to show me what to do, and one month into my training I sneezed — and had NO PAIN!! For almost five years I had been in pain from the slightest movement, and after one month of training with kettlebells I was able to sneeze and not have pain. That may not seem like much to you, but for me it was a miracle.

I started training harder and signed up for the April 2005 RKC. People must have thought I was crazy because I hadn’t exercised in well over a year due to my pain and now I wanted to go and subject myself to three days of Russian boot camp!

The more I trained in preparation for the RKC the more my fitness improved, and my back pain quickly became a thing of the past. I made it to the RKC and survived – believe me, I had lots of sore muscles, but never a twinge in my lower back. I had been given my life back!

Sharing the Secret

When I returned from the training I soon began working with one of my worst back injury patients. The type of patient I see has extreme back pain and most of them have such poor body mechanics and muscle tone that they can’t even do a squat correctly.

They’re afraid to move their body, believing they can prevent spasms by not moving, so I start them out slowly. This particular patient had constant pain and couldn’t do even simple household chores such as vacuuming or cleaning dishes
.
I started her out with the 4 Kg. bell, doing squats and swings in 5 sets of 5 reps each. If you’ve ever lifted the 4 Kg. bell, it weighs almost nothing, but it was heavy enough for her body and started improving her strength. We continued her chiropractic adjustments twice per week to control her pain and prevent spasms. After three weeks I introduced an 8 Kg. bell for one of the five sets, and her spine was starting to hold so I reduced her office visits to once per week.

I have been training her now for five weeks and she has only minimal pain. She recently vacuumed her whole house without assistance – something she had not done in three years. You’ve never seen someone so excited about being able to vacuum the floor!

It’s now been almost two weeks since she needed an adjustment and I’ve added a figure eight with the 8 Kg. bell to expand her range of motion. It’s important for those with chronic back pain to expand their abilities so they don’t give in to the fear of triggering a back spasm. Kettlebells allow this incremental increase, and it builds confidence in patients like nothing I’ve seen before.

Kettlebells – the Missing Ingredient?

I’ve seen the kettlebell workout help one of my associates with his asthma. Another eliminated her wrist and knee pain after 6 weeks of doing kettlebells. Like me, she was very worried about her career as a chiropractor because her wrists kept giving out. Now she is stronger and more confident that she can do her job for years to come.

I’m still amazed at the improvement in back stability that comes with kettlebell training. I feel like a kid again! I can honestly say I am in the best shape of my life – after only 8 months! I now work a full day in my practice and then train people with kettlebells one-on-one and in groups 4-5 nights a week.

I now believe kettlebells to be the single most important tool that can be added to a recovery training schedule. There are too many people out there who cannot enjoy life, who are merely existing because of their back pain. Their abdominals and back muscles are so weak from repeated spasms that they fall apart with any activity. I believe all of them can be helped with kettlebells.

It’s important to start slowly, primarily because of the weakness and lost muscle tone that develops from repeated muscle spasms, but also because of the mental block created by the fear of pain. Kettlebells allow you to do this. I know, because I’ve been there. But at 39 years old I now feel better than I did in my twenty’s, and I can’t wait to see how I will be a year from now. Thank you Pavel for giving me my life back!

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Follow these 10 tips for fat burning if you want to lose weight and lead a healthier way of life.

1.) Drink More Water

One of the best weight loss secrets is to ditch the sodas and stick to water! Experts say you should drink approximately eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated and healthy.

Instead of turning to calorie-laden or sugar-rich drinks, grab a refreshing glass of water. In addition to flushing toxins out of your system, drinking water encourages you to build muscle.

2.) Eat More Meals

A traditional three-meals-a-day plan just will not cut it if you are in the market to burn fat. Your body is not able to metabolize large meals and will quickly turn any excess into fat.

Many experts believe you should eat six small meals a day. Be sure you cut back on your food consumption at each meal, or else you will be doubling your intake—and doubling your fat storage!

3.) Work Out with Weights

One great way to maximize the amount of fat you are burning is to add a weight program to your work out routine. Weight training will not only tone your physique, but will strengthen your body and improve your general health. Lifting weights will also burn calories and fat more quickly than traditional exercising, and it will also boost your metabolism.

4.) Choose Protein

Choose protein-laden foods for boosting your metabolism and enabling your body to burn fat rapidly. In addition to burning fat, consuming a protein-enriched diet will help you rebuild muscle after work outs and maintain leanness of that muscle.

Wisely choose proteins for your diet. Take great care to pick proteins low in fat so you do not consume extra calories.

5.) Cut Calories Wisely

It may be tempting to drastically cut your calorie intake when starting a healthy lifestyle. Instead, use a step method when cutting your calorie intake to minimize risk. Reducing calories too quickly results in your body rapidly burning all available calories, which will lower your metabolism. Furthermore, you are more likely to maintain your healthy lifestyle through this step method.

6.) Reward Yourself

When it comes to successfully dieting to burn the most fat, be sure to reward yourself. Everyone has temptations and favorite treats—so allow indulgence. You will be less likely to cheat on your new diet if you grant yourself small rewards. If you are a chocolate lover, treat yourself to a small square of chocolate or single chocolate kiss each evening.

7.) Avoid Marathon Work Outs

The biggest mistake people make when looking to burn fat and lose weight is to have one long, extensive work out session. Instead, break up your work out plan into small chunks throughout the day. Take a brisk walk in the morning, enjoy a work out at lunch, and then exercise more in the evening. In addition to staying active all day long, breaking up your work out will better maintain your metabolism.

8.) Mix It Up

Choosing to engage in a variety of quality exercises will keep your interest and best allow you to maintain your goal of burning fat. Instead of doing the same exercises each day—mix it up! Opt to swim laps one day, jog another, and bike the next. Rotating your activities will not only allow you to experience a variety of athletics, it will also allow you to better tone your body.

9.) Skip Happy Hour

For those individuals who want to burn fat quickly, avoid alcohol. Rich in sugars and carbohydrates, alcohol is a calorie-rich substance.

These empty calories can add up quickly and take away from necessary nutrients that should be included in your daily diet. Furthermore, alcohol acts as an inhibitor for burning fat, allowing your body to store it more quickly.

10.) Try a Low GI Diet

A low GI diet is an excellent method of burning fat quickly. This diet encourages individuals to consume high amounts of foods with low rankings on the Glycemic Index.

These foods are nutritious and will aid your body in burning fats and calories at a quicker pace. This diet includes many of your favorite fruits, vegetable, meats, dairy, and grain products.

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Strength

Most folks I know start off the New Year by making resolutions to lose weight and get in shape. often, this mission is often easier said than done. Some last a little longer than others, but for most, impetus starts to fizzle soon into the next buffet engagement.

Have no fear: these are 10 delightful tactics can empower you to motivate your self to a better body.

Whether you are looking to lose a lot or just a few pounds or you want to exercise more to tone your body, you can create an action plan that can help you stay motivated.

Conviction: Conviction is the primal way for you to motivate yourself to exercise more or to stick to a diet. Faith in yourself is also known as self-efficacy and it means that once you believe that you can do something, no matter how hard, you do it.

Those that have a lot of self-esteem believe that they have the power to make changes in themselves. Those without solid self-confidence will find that they will have a much more difficult time sticking to any fitness plan and will not exert much effort.

Support: A staunch support system of friends and family keeps almost anyone motivated to reach their goals. When a person starts a new fitness plan or diet program, many changes need to happen. It is important to surround yourself with others that can support you and understand your personal goals. Let those around you know that you need them to support your new goal and try to include them in your objectives.

Positive Mind-set: Your enthusiasm will soar if you keep a positive attitude towards your new fitness goals. Think about the positive aspects of a healthier lifestyle and exercise plan and keep that in mind you may be tempted to skip a day at the gym. When following any fitness plan, it is also important to remember that you may have setbacks or you may not achieve your goals as fast as you had hoped. Keeping your stance positive even during the rough times will help you stay focused on your goals.

Follow Through: You will find that you have an easier time staying motivated when you make a plan and keep at it. Without understanding each step you need to take to reach your goals, it will be harder to focus on the destination. For example, if you are trying to eat healthier, write down what foods you want to eliminate and foods your want to add to your diet. As you progress, compare your results with your plan and that will help you stay the course.

Keep Organized: Keeping organized will keeps the motivation burning to stay on the new fitness plan. If you plan on going to the gym a few times a week, you can get everything you need ready to go the night before. Have your shoes, gym clothes and membership card by the door. Not only will this make it easier for you find exactly what you need, but it will also serve as a visual reminder of your goal. Keep your days planned out and schedule time in for healthy cooking or burning the asphalt.

Forms of Motivation: Intrinsic and extrinsic are both types of motivation. Understand what they mean and which one helps keep you motivated. Those who are intrinsically motivated do not need outside forces, such as rewards to stay focused. They have the power from within to stay motivated. Other forces, such as rewards or praise from others, motivate those who are motivated extrinsically. Most people feel motivated both ways. Understand what kind of motivation keeps you passionate.

Reward Yourself: Incentives can be a great motivator, especially in a new fitness plan. Give yourself a small reward when you meet each of your goals. This will help you get to your final goal. You may choose to buy yourself a new shirt when you lose ten pounds or maybe go see a movie. Whatever appeals to you would stoke the flames of zeal.

Heroes: When you are trying to get a better body through a fitness plan, look for a hero. That person does not have to be famous, but anybody you look up to. Maybe it is someone you know with zest for healthy living. Use that person to emulate when your spirit wanes.

Knowledge is Power: As soon as you commit yourself to a new fitness plan, arm yourself with piles of information. Compare different diets and exercise plans. Learn the ins and outs of each one and you can make confident informed decision.

Varied Pursuits: Another great way to stay motivated is by diversifying activities. When you start to feel upset, you can set it aside and do something you really love. It might even be possible to include what you love doing to help you achieve your fitness aims.

Want more strength, more fitness, more conditioning, a more gorgeous body that is functinoal at the same time? Try Crossfit!

Check out Crossfit @ CrossfitHub.com, their Crossfit Journal is an interesting read! I heard that the actors from the 300 movie trained with exercises that are adapted from and pretty similar to the Crossfit system!

=> What is Crossfit?
=> Crossfit box jump
=> Crossfit WOD

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Simple Step by Step Fitness Diet Plan

Will this sound like a lot of work?

Don’t worry; we’ll make it simpler for you.

Here are the tips that you need to get your diet fitness plan off the ground and allowing you to improve your health considerably!

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Visit your favorite recipe sites on the web and look for vegetable recipes that aren’t rich with sauces, butter or creams.  Add one new recipe to your diet each week.

2. Start looking for leaner cuts of meat. Remember, meats that are high in saturated fat are clogging your heart.  One good switch is with ground meats.  Don’t reach for beef, but replace at least part of it with ground turkey or pork.  You won’t notice the taste difference.  Eat more fish, chicken and pork over beef.

3. Reduce portion sizes. No food in one sitting should be a larger quantity than the size of your palm.  To help you to not feel hungry, eat a bit slower.

4. Visit the website of the American Heart Association to get heart healthy recipes. Try to look for ways to improve your current recipes through replacing butters, salts, unhealthy foods with foods that are better for you.  Look at your grains.  Replace white rice and pasta with whole grain.  Replace white bread with whole grain bread.

5. Remove soda from your diet. This single movement alone will improve your health considerably.  It adds weight to your body and it causes all types of health risks later in life.

6. Look at labels. Learn to read labels so that they tell you what’s in the foods you eat.  Reduce the amount of fat, cholesterol, and sugars in the foods that you eat.

If you need to lose weight, then you need to consider a calorie reduction.  Dropping just a small amount of weight means that you need to eat less and do more physically.

There is no fad diet that is more comprehensively safer and effective than just that:  eat less and get more exercise every day.

Eating healthy isn’t an option if you wish to increase your lifespan and increase your health.

While you may love food, learning to make healthier recipes shouldn’t be something you put on the back burner because you are too busy, don’t like those foods (you probably don’t know what they taste like anyway!) or you think its too much work.

Food is a requirement to living and a healthy diet is an essential part of living a long life.  Don’t make sacrifices here for speed, convenience or habit.

Remember; while making changes at first is a challenge, you will get into the habit and will eventually love the differences you have made, guaranteed!

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Alcohol Effects

When you start on a body building program, you will want to pay close attention to the foods you are feeding your body.  That includes alcohol as well.  Many people like a drink or two or even three to help them unwind and relax.  But when you are a body builder, alcohol can have a detrimental effect on your progress.

Alcohol contains nothing but empty calories.  It has no nutritional value but it does contain high caloric content.  In fact, just one shot of vodka contains 100 calories!  Not only will drinking increase your caloric intake, it slows down your metabolism hindering your body’s ability to process foods.

Alcohol consumption also hurts muscle growth. Not only will having a hangover lower your workout intensity, but drinking actually lowers protein synthesis by twenty percent. There are several reasons why it does this.

For one, it dehydrates your muscle cells. As many know, hydrated and even over hydrated muscles allows for a much higher anabolic environment. Because your cells aren’t holding as much water, it becomes much harder to build muscle.

The second reason why alcohol can severely hurt muscle growth is because it blocks the absorption of many important nutrients that are key to muscle contraction, relaxation and growth including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and potassium.

Not only that, but alcohol lowers the amount of testosterone in your body and actually increases estrogen.

Having higher levels of testosterone can help with your workouts by making you more aggressive, so when those levels are down, you will not be as intense in your lifting and weight training.

Probably one of the best things you can do to help your body building workout progress the way you want it to is to drink plenty of water.  Water is good for you anyway, but for body builders, it can be especially important.  Water is part of every single metabolic process that the body undertakes.

Most experts recommend everyone drink six to eight glasses of water daily to stay healthy.  For body builders, you’ll need much more.  Soda, coffee, and tea don’t count either.  The caffeine can increase fluid loss, so you’re not getting the hydration you need.  Body builders need at least a half gallon to a gallon per day depending on the intensity of your workouts.

Water flushes out toxins and other metabolic waste products from the body. Water is especially important when following a “high protein” diet, as it helps remove excess nitrogen, urea (a toxic substance), and ketones. If you’re eating big to gain weight, then you need even more water to help your kidneys do their work.

Without enough water, the kidneys can’t function properly. When this happens, some of the load is transferred to the liver. The liver metabolizes stored fat for energy. If the liver is doing some of the kidneys’ work, it burns less fat. In addition, water can actually reduce feelings of hunger.

Contrary to popular belief, drinking water can actually help you shed excess water weight. When water is in short supply, the body, thinking there’s a shortage, begins hoarding it. This water is stored in extra cellular spaces. In other words, your skin starts looking soft and puffy.

If you’re going to be using supplements in your body building program, and you should, water can help them work.  Supplements like creatine work in part because it pulls water in muscle cells, creating an anabolic environment needed for muscle growth.

For this to work properly, you need plenty of water. Plus, if you’re training hard, then you need a basic mega-vitamin.  Many vitamins are water soluble, and water unlocks the power of those vitamins.
A good diet is essential to an effective body building program.

You can workout with the intensity of a professional, but if your diet stinks, you won’t be doing yourself any good.  Consider the following general tips for your nutritional needs.

- Drink skim milk or soy milk

- Cut sugar from your diet.  Use artificial sweeteners instead.

- No regular soda!  Diet is better for you anyway and doesn’t contain sugar

- Pizza and hamburgers are a big no-no.  Not only are they high in bad fat content, they are highly caloric and can cause you to overeat

- Eat lots of fish to increase your levels of Omega 3 fatty acids

- Chicken breasts are good for you as well

- Allow yourself one cheat day a week where you can indulge in something you’ve been craving.  Just don’t overdo it on your cheat days or you can undo all you’ve accomplished.

- Limit the amount of fruit you eat.  While fruit is healthy, it can have a detrimental effect on your workout.

- Protein and complex carbohydrates are very important

- Instead of eating three large meals a day, eat six smaller ones

- Don’t skip meals

- Vegetables are always a good choice at mealtime

- When eating out, choose foods wisely.

- Avoid most fast food restaurants or opt for healthy choices – remember no burgers!

The body is very adaptable to change.  At first, you may have problems getting used to your new diet.  But once you get used to eating right, you’ll find yourself not even craving the foods you used to eat.

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Three day workout routine.

Day 1 – Back, Chest, and Abs

Do three sets of 12-15 reps each.

•    Bent over barbell row
•    Stiff legged barbell dead lift
•    Barbell bench press
•    Incline dumbbell press
•    Dumbbell flies
•    Crunches

Day 2 – Legs and Shoulders

Do three sets of 12-15 reps each.
•    Barbell squat
•    Seated calf raise
•    Front dumbbell raise
•    Side lateral raise
•    Upright barbell row
•    Lunges
•    Barbell squats

Day 3 – Biceps, Triceps, and Abs

Do three sets of 12-15 reps each

•    Barbell curl
•    Incline dumbbell curl
•    Lying triceps press
•    Barbell tricep extension
•    Front dumbbell raise
•    Dumbbell hammer curls
•    Crunches

About an hour before your workout, you should eat some protein and carbohydrates.  This is to make sure that you have enough energy to make it through your entire workout.  By doing this, you are putting your body into an anabolic state that will provide the necessary energy and power to effectively work your muscles.

During training, there is increased blood flow to the muscles.  When you consume protein and carbohydrates prior to a workout, your body can take advantage of that extra blood flow and work the muscles more efficiently.

Many people opt for a protein shake and a bowl of rice, but you can choose whatever foods you want to get what you need.

It’s a good idea to keep track of your workouts and how many sets and reps you are doing.  Write it down in a small notebook and when you are able to increase the number of sets and/or reps, be sure to take note of how long it took you to get to that point.  Also keep track of the amount of weight you are able to lift and when you are able to increase that weight.

It’s also a good idea to do your first set with very little weight.  This is to get the blood flowing through the muscles.  On the second set, add a little weight and do the exercise again.  If you find that it’s just a bit too easy, try more weight.  The goal is to add weight until it’s difficult to complete 8-12 reps.  Remember, you want to build your body, not lift weights.

Be sure and rest between sets to allow your body to adjust and recover.  Usually that’s around a minute or two.  DO NOT rest more than a minute or so or else your muscles will get cold and all your previous work will be for naught.

It’s a good idea to sprinkle your workouts with some cardio exercises to help get your blood pumping.  This could be a little time on a treadmill or walking.  The cardio is good for your body and you’ll be focusing on that most important muscle of all – your heart!

Good nutrition is an integral part of an effective workout program for any body builder.

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Free Workout Plans

FREE WORKOUT PLANS

Beginning a body building workout plan requires a level of commitment.

As a beginner, you can work out more frequently than more advanced body builders.  The reason is simple: as you get more experienced, you learn to push your muscles harder and inflict more damage that takes longer to recover from. Beginners, on the other hand, get sore but bounce back quicker since the muscular damage isn’t as severe.

If the word “damage” makes you flinch, don’t worry. It’s a good thing for a bodybuilder to incur limited muscle damage, because it nudges the body to recover and overcompensate (grow) slightly to prepare for future workouts.

This is what bodybuilding is all about – a continuous cycle of one-step-back, two-steps-forward, repeated over and over on a weekly basis.

The following workout plan is designed to focus on one part of your body each day of your workout with mid week and the weekend as your rest days.  This plan is just a suggestion.

You can adapt it as needed to suit your workout goals.

With any workout, you need to start out with some warm up exercises.  This can be simple stretching as you get your body ready to work.  A warm-up session prior to working out can not only help get your body ready for exercise, but your mind will get prepared as well.

You should also have an appropriate cool down period after you are done working out.  This will reduce the possibility of delayed muscle soreness and will help quell the adrenaline that has been building in your system as a result of the workout.  This can also be simple stretching exercises and deep breathing.

Again, it’s important to start out slow and not push yourself beyond your limits.

Use weights that are not too heavy for you but that will give you enough resistance to build your muscles.  You can progressively increase the amount of weight you lift as you get stronger.

Day 1 – Upper Body

For the following exercises, begin with two sets of 10-12 reps each.

•    Dumbbell press
•    Standing barbell military press
•    Lying tricep press
•    Side lateral raise
•    Preacher curls
•    Seated dumbbell curl
•    Dumbbell rows
•    Dumbbell shrugs

If you have access to weight machines, add the following to your plan:

•    Pec deck butterflys
•    V-bar pushdowns
•    Lat pulls with pulley machine

Day 2 – Lower Body and Abs

Again, begin doing each exercise with two sets of 10-12 reps each except for the crunches which you can do as many of them as you want.

•    Barbell squat
•    One leg barbell squat
•    Lunges
•    Standing calf press
•    Stiff leg barbell
•    Crunches

Machines can be especially helpful when working your lower body.  Here are some you should consider on this day:

•    Leg presses on a plate loaded machine
•    Leg extension machine
•    Seated hamstring curls
•    Standing hamstring curls
•    Ab machine

Day 3 – Rest

Day 4 – Upper Body

Increase your sets to 3 doing 10 – 12 reps each

•    Chin ups (get assistance if necessary)
•    Seated dumbbell hammer curls
•    Dumbbell presses on an inclined bench
•    Standing barbell military press
•    Standing bicep curls
•    Barbell tricep extension
•    Upright barbell row
•    Front dumbbell raise

The machines you can use on this day include:

•    Seated cable rows
•    Upright cable rows
•    Cable crossover flies
•    Tricep rope pushdowns

Day 5 – Lower Body and Abs

Go back to doing just two sets of 10-12 reps each except for the crunches which you can do unlimited amounts of.

•    Standing calf press
•    Lunges
•    Barbell squat
•    Stiff leg barbell
•    Standing calf raises
•    Crunches

Machine exercises include:

•    Leg presses on a plate loaded machine
•    Seated hamstring curls
•    Kneeling hamstring curls

Weekend – Rest

If a four day workout plan is too much for you, consider starting out with a two or three day plan.  Keep in mind that you won’t get results as quickly with a fewer day workout, but if you need to start out slowly, it can still be effective.

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