BACK in Action
Greetings Bears!
After much wailing and gnashing of teeth over the results of my body fat test which I moaned about in last week's blog, I've decided to get back on schedule and continue with the second in my series of articles on my new workout regimen. (Damn, that was one long compound sentence. I hope I did it right.)
Today, I want to address my BACK workout with you. MMMMM, Who doesn't love a big, strong, thick back? You know the kind---thick, flared-out lats--big, meaty hunks of sinew that you can grab a hold of while you and your man proceed, ever so aggressively, to rock the headboard like two sailors on leave...excuse me, I need some water.
AHEM, sorry....My point is that a well-developed is good for you in so many ways. It improves your posture, strengthens your core, and (as anyone who lifts weights can attest to) it helps diminish the size of your waistline.
To help me develop that glorious V-shape that is so prized by weightlifters, I am currently following a 5-exercise back routine: Straight-Leg Deadlifts, Reverse Close-Grip Pulldowns, Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns, Upright Rows, and Dumbbell Shrugs. I realize that Rows and Shrugs may fall under the parlance of shoulder work, but I include them in my back workout, well, because I like how everything feels when I am done. And my arm workout (soon to be chronicled) includes a fair amount of shoulder work, so this helps me balance that muscle group over two workouts.
As with my Chest workout previously discussed, I perform two sets of ten reps for each exercise with a weight that allows the 10th rep to be a struggle. And as with chest, I'll then increase the weight to allow for 6 reps only, then build up to 10 reps again, and so forth. I'll skip all the tedious minutiae of my form and instruction on how to perform each exercise as I am not a certified trainer and there are plenty of resources out there for that sort of thing.
Of course, my back workout also includes warm-up sets before and abdominal exercises following. Beginning this week, I have decided to push my 40 minutes of cardio work to the end of my workout.
Next week, I am looking forward to detailing my LEG workout. On the surface, it appears simple and easy, but it is a Powerhouse of a workout.
Until next time,
Hugs (and licks if you want 'em)
PS.....CHEST UPDATE: I am up to 220 lbs on my flat bench-press, and 200 lbs on both the decline and incline bench presses. I've also decided to incorporate some Pec-Deck Flyes into my chest workout for some additional toning and as a nice exclamation point to the end of my workout.