Now, if you are going to attempt a workout like this, I fully recommend training with a partner, or having a personal trainer to help you out. You build the most lean muscle and are most efficient when you are taking each exercise to the verge of muscular exhaustion (where your muscles literally cannot do one more thing).
Obviously, attempting this with squats, dead lifts, and bench presses is EXTREMELY dangerous unless you have somebody to spot you, help you complete the final rep. etc.
Secondly, I did a LOT of Supersets. A superset is a time saving device in many cases, and in my cases, it was used to develop my muscles more completely. Here is wikipedia’s explanation on supersets. When you read my exercise log, look at each exercise, and see what it’s superset with.
For example, I superset a normal bench press exercise with push ups on an exercise ball. This means, I will do a set of bench press, followed IMMEDIATELY by 10 push ups on an exercise ball. Because you’re already worn out, and doing this exercise on a ball, it will be difficult to stay in balance…you’ll feel a lot of twitching in your chest as you try to do those push ups. This is because your chest has to use every little tiny stablizer muscle to stay in balance.
These exercises will solidify each muscle, and help promote strong healthy growth. After the 10 pushups, I would wait approximately 2-3 minutes between restarting the “circuit” with the next set of bench presses.
Looking back, with a few years of fitness experience under my belt, I’d simplify this routine considerably, chopping out some of the supersets as they seem like overkill and my muscles were getting beyond overworked I think. Still, I’ve reproduced the exact routine I followed for those 30 days just to show you what I did exactly to get the results I did.
Monday (Chest and Biceps)
1) 5 Min Treadmill Warm up – jumping jacks, other exercises to get the body warmed up.
2) Bench Press – 1 warm up set, 3 sets – 10 reps, 8 reps, 6 reps – increasing weight by 10 lbs each time. Aim for exhaution on each set.
Superset the Bench Press with pushups (3 sets of 10 reps) on an exercise ball – up and down slowly (works your stablizer muscles)
3) Barbell bicep curl – 1 warm up set, 3 sets (10, 8, 6) – increasing weight
Superset with Dumbell hammer curls standing on one leg (3 sets of 10 reps, light weight) – again, for stability.
4) Incline Bench – Dumbell Press (3 sets, 10, 10, to exhaustion) – same weight for the first 2 sets, 80% weight on third set, go until you can’t do anymore.
Superset Incline Bench dumbell presses with dumbell flys on an exercise ball.
5) Incline Dumbell Bicep Curl 3 Sets (12, 10, 8 )
Superset with one legged rope curl (3 sets of 10)
6) Core Exercises (v-sit ups, superman extensions, side planks, etc.) and STRETCH, especially the two muscle groups you just worked out…they’re all broken down and contracted…stretching them out will allow them to breathe, and get started more quickly on the road to recovery (and increased size).
Tuesday (Shoulders and Legs)
1) 5 Min Treadmill Warm-up
2) Squats – 1 Warm Up set, 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps
Supset the squats with 1-leg Romanian dead lift with dumbell. Hold the weight in the same hand as the leg that’s still on the ground (right hand, right foot on ground). Do one side, then other – left hand, left foot on ground
3)Shoulder press – Dumbells (1 warm up set, 3 sets of 10, 8, 6)
Superset with side lateral dumbell raises (3 sets of 10), do this on one foot
4) Lunges – Dumbells on each side 3 sets of 12, 8, 6 reps
Superset with one-legged body weight squats. I never knew how hard you could work yourself without weights until these exercises…BRUTAL.
5) Front shoulder dumbell raises (3 sets 10, 8, 6 reps)
Superset with back shoulder raises 3 sets of 10 reps
Stretch, v sit ups, supermans, leg raises.
Wednesday – Surf, Run, REST
Thursday – Back and Triceps
1) 5 Min Treadmill Warm Up
2) Deadlift – 1 warm-up set, 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps
3) Close grip bench press – 1 warm-up set, 3 sets of 10, 8, 6 reps
Superset with Dumbell skull crushers on an exercise ball
4) Wide grip Pull-ups (overhand grip – palms facing away)
7) Rope pulley tricep pull downs 3 sets, 1 leg (10, 10, 10)
Stretch and Core Exercises
Friday- Surf, Run, RELAX
Saturday – OFF
Sunday – OFF