Gym regimen - June 2011

[The following notes are a bit of a "slurry", i.e. the numbers are probably off in many details, since I shuffled a lot of plates, some in pounds and some in kilograms, and pipes in two sessions, before and after work, and this was the first time I did a "full-on" Even Keel workout at home.

I have, in fact, chosen to let my gym membership expire. Mainly, I want to save time and money. Having been at the gym the past year has given me great gains in my strength, knowledge, and skill, but it's a basic principle of mine that real strength can always be developed, even without "real" equipment.

Even so, my biggest worries were these:

Without a gym… How can I substitute for heavy squatting? How can I train heavy deadlifts? How can I train my back as heavily? How can I improve my bench press and chest without a real bench?

Well, in order:

Heavy squatting is simulated by doing…

one-leg squats (or intervals or double- and one-leg squats),

heavy lunges,

extremely deep though-slightly-lighter squats,

jumpies,

piggyback squats [squatting with someone holding onto you… and a barbell],

squats with a backpack full of weights on your back,

and even "body-board" presses [I just made those up! Imagine a sheet of sturdy ply wood, or a mesh of lumber, on your feet as you lie on the ground and a friend pies on the board.]

Heavy deadlifting is simulated with…

heavy stiff-leg deadlifts,

prone hamstring curls [lie facedown, have someone, or something very secure, pin your feet to the ground, and then rise up as from a prostrated bow. I sort of just invented that.],

hanging leg curls [hang from a pullup bar and lift a weights chain/bag with your feet],

or prone leg pulls [lie facedown and have someone pull your feet down as your try to keep the soles of your feet parallel to the ground. Again, I may have just invented that.].

Heavy back training comes from…

weighted pullups (!),

heavy bent over rows (one- and two-arm),

deep and explosive leaning sling rows, á la Lifeline slings [you can also wear a backpack with weights inside to add more weight; something pretty much like these loop-handled loading slings are what I use],

face pulls,

heavy shrugs (standard, overhead, Hise shrugs, etc.),

and pullovers.

Heavy benching can be simulated by…

weighted pushups (and pushups with hands/fingers/feet in various positions),

medicine-/sports-ball, sling, and one-arm pushups,

plyo (clapping) pushups,

planching [ha! good luck, schlub!],

handstand pushups,

muscle-ups,

heavy floor presses,

heavy db flyes,

thick barbell benching,

and pullovers-with-press.

I've always known "you don't need a gym to get strong," but I did decide about a year+ ago to see what regular time at a gym would do for me. I am pleased with my results. I will most likely be in a gym again in the future, but for now I want to push myself with more bodyweight and home training. Patience, humility, confidence….]

Wednesday, 1 June 2011

95kg

SESSION 1, 45 mins:

Chest expander flye: 15, 15

[I pinned one handle of each expander under a leg of a bench on which I lie and did some wide-angled flyes.]

db flye: 12, 14, 12 @ 30kg (per arm)

Front squat (2" bar): 15, 12, 12 @ 60–65kg

Romanian db DL: 14, 13, 12 @ 60kg, 64kg

Standing db tricep extension + rear tricep extension: 8/5, 10/6, 10/5 @ 12kg, 10kg, 12kg

Seated db curl: 12, 10, 8 @ 11kg, 14kg, 18kg

Bent-over row: 14, 14, 14 @ 65–70kg

SESSION 2, 30 mins:

Front squat (2" bar): 12, 12 @ 65kg

db flye: 12, 8 @ 32kg, 34kg

Romanian db DL: 14, 14 @ 68kg

Standing db tricep extension + rear tricep extension: 10/5, 10/5 @ 12kg

Seated db curl: 12, 8 @ 19kg, 21kg

Bent-over row: 14, 12, 10 @ 65–70kg

+ + +

Lots of sweat and chalk. I will take tomorrow off and train core and grip (sans crusher!) Friday. Obviously, some of my new home regimen would be safer, and more productive, with a spotter, so I am trying to convince a friend to join me.