Tag Archives: workouts

Exercise

A whole body workout II

This is a second whole body workout I wanted to share with you (here’s my first one). I reached new maxes in this workout on the clean and press, deadlift and t-bar rows. I did the following exercises:

  • Good Mornings
  • Clean and Press
  • Deadlifts
  • T-Bar Rows

New maxes:

  • New max on the clean and press: 60 kg or 135 lbs
  • New max on the deadlift: 130 kg or 290 lbs
  • New max on the t-bar rows: 60 kg or 135 lbs plus barbell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFVryteWXZg

I need to mention that I used unorthodox form on the t-bar rows, which can lead to injuries if you’re not experienced. So don’t do it like I did it unless you know why I did it that way (hint: it has to do with the way the old school bodybuilders did it).

Enjoy the video and I hope it motivates you to push further in your exercises!

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Exercise

A leg workout

During this workout, I trained my legs with the following exercises:

  • Front Squats (5-6 sets)
  • Regular Squats (1-2 sets)
  • Leg Extensions (5-6 sets)
  • Hamstring Curls on the exercise ball (both legs and one leg at a time)
  • Leg Presses (4 sets)
  • Donkey Calf Raises (3 sets)
  • Sitting Calf Raises (2 sets)

I also (unexpectedly) reached new maxes on the front squat, the leg extensions, the leg presses and the donkey calf raises and in the video, I talked about how gains come when you don’t expect them to (as long as you put in the work to get your body ready for them). I also talked about how we perceive weight and how we tend to let pre-conceived notions dictate to us how much weight we can or cannot lift. It’s important to approach each set with only the expectation of getting the most benefit out of it. Don’t pre-program yourself for any specific weight, because who knows how much you can truly lift? Why limit yourself?

Hope you enjoyed the video!

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Exercise

An arms workout

Here’s a recent arms workout I did, filmed by Ligia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePfJCCcy74s

I performed the following exercises:

  • Warmed up with standing dumbbell curls, followed by regular sets of the same,
  • Triceps rope extensions,
  • Standing curls with preacher bar,
  • Dips,
  • Concentration curls,
  • Alternate sets of prone and supine triceps pulldowns and
  • My original variation on one-arm preacher curls: the one-arm cable biceps curls.

It was fun! And afterwards I naturally drank one of my Wonder Smoothies.

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Exercise

A chest workout

Here’s one of my chest workouts, captured on video by Ligia recently. I warmed up with standing cable flyes, followed by the workout, which consisted of incline dumbbell presses, dips, machine chest presses, lying cable flies and incline dumbbell flyes. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb0hjqju-bk

I talked about each exercise in various detail, giving advice gleaned from my experience. At the end of the video, I extended an invitation for bodybuilding-related questions. I’ve got about nine years of intensive experience in the gym, on both animal and vegan diets, and I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t along the way. If you’ve got some questions, I may have the answers.

Till next time!

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Exercise

Some things you shouldn’t do after a workout

I learned these things the hard way. Maybe you won’t have to.

  • Don’t shave!
    It may come naturally to you after a morning workout. You take a shower, then you’ll want to shave, since your hair’s been softened by the hot water. Don’t do it! There’s still plenty of blood right under your skin, thanks to the workout, and your hand muscles, having just lifted heavy weights, will inadvertently exert too much pressure on the skin. These two things will translate into cuts, cuts and more cuts… unless your face is tougher than treated leather.
  • Don’t eat right away.
    Allow your body to relax a bit, for at least 30-60 minutes. You may be tempted to drink a shake, or dig into a steak, wanting to get some proteins and carbs into your body, but it’s not a good idea. You’ve just lifted heavy things or done some strenuous cardio, and your body is still racing. It needs time to relax and get back to normal before you can eat and digest food properly.
  • Don’t go outside in cold weather.
    Sure, you may think you’re tough, because you’ve just bested yourself at the deadlift, leg press or bench press, but if you’ve broken out in sweat, and then you go outside in your workout clothes, or right after a shower, thinking you’ll be just fine for a few minutes, you may discover pneumonia couldn’t care less about your fitness level. Dry yourself thoroughly, get dressed properly, and then head outside.
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