time to polish up the GUNZZZ!

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(Joe.Muscle @ Nov. 21 2007,21:18)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Circuit training works wonder Sci.

If you do 3 circuits a week for about 3 weeks you will be right on target.

Circuits beat the hell out of doing boring old cardio!</div>
I want to get in better shape cardiovascularly. But I get impatient with my stair-stepper, it is demanding and BORING! Lifting in a circuit is way more fun, though my heart rate is not nearly as high as when I am running or stair-climbing. I really have to start cardio-work and build my endurance up over time.
Cardio fitness is so important to overall health, like many I am guilty of skipping it, since it isn't too critical for bodybuilding purposes.
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Okay, I'm game. I've tried a little of the circuit thing but would rather just lift. I need to slam off a few ellbees so I could do a circuit, but need to know a good routine.
I have no excuse with 8 or 9 cardio machines out there...heck, I just gave two away we never use to the AAD people! (also needed more room for weights)
My tendency was to just hit each machine for about 3-5 minutes until I got bored. Is that what you do? (I really DO get bored in 3 minutes!)
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Last routine I used with Great Success.

4 sets of 9 reps with your 12 rep max.

Dumbell bench press followed immediatly by
Standing dumbell rows followed immediatly by
Standing dumbell press followed immediatly by
ATG squats ( I used my 20 rep max on this one and do about 15 reps)

Thats one circuit.

Rest about 2 minutes and repeat. (lower the weight if you have to to hit all desired rep ranges)

Repeat this circuit 3 more times to equal 4 total circuits.

It feels easy at first but trust me you will want to puke!
 
Just for the record...I am currently doing upper body only training...but I always train lower body in a circuit because it does wonders for fat loss!
 
JoeJoeJoeJoe.
I thot we were talking about CARDIO type circuits, not musclebuilding circuits! You're tryin' ta KILL me!
Butthole.
 
11/26/07

Weighed in @ 185.5, so far so good.

My ankle is still not 100% after spraining it a couple of weeks ago. I have since been doing a upper-body routine targeting the all the shoulder muscles along with back and chest.
My pecs and delts are really getting the most strain they ever experienced with this routine. With no benching and no pressing!!! I am doing Old and Gray's method of one work set per exercise with multiple exercises, all done in circuit training fashion.

Shrugs- 295 x10
Dips- BW+35 x8
Chin-ups- BW x6
Pushups- BW+35 x10
WG Pulldowns- 125 x8
DB Flyes- 60s x10
DB Rows- 75s x8
DB Front Raises- 25s x10
DB Side Laterals- 17.5s x10
DB Rear Raises- 10s x10
DB Upright Ex. Rot.- 20s x10

This combo of dips, pushups and flies is really straining my pectorals like nothing before.
And believe it or not using these tiny dumbells for deltoid isolation is giving more of a shoulder burn than any overhead press ever did, which mainly targets the front delts for me. By the time I am done doing front, side and rear laterals, each and every head of my deltoids are burning and spent. Also the laterals pull on my supraspinitus and other rotator cuff muscles which I noticed is weaker on the right side for me and I have to focus on keeping good form. My shoulders have never felt better.

I still have some blubber on my waist, but look fairly lean everywhere else. I am confident I will be done cutting by the new year.
 
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(scientific muscle @ Nov. 21 2007,14:14)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">No problem. You are a heck of alot bigger than me! You have the edge as far as potential to drop weight faster, but I should have the edge as far as visible results since I am starting leaner. One thing is for sure, both of us will likely have much better results with this added motivation, which of course is the whole reason for the challenge in the first place!
Good luck.
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Still no luck with the pictures... working on finding the digital camera. I am so swamped with a lot of things, but I am back in town and worked out today. I also ate well, so I am on track for the challenge bud!
 
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(scientific muscle @ Nov. 26 2007,20:12)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">And believe it or not using these tiny dumbells for deltoid isolation is giving more of a shoulder burn than any overhead press ever did, which mainly targets the front delts for me. By the time I am done doing front, side and rear laterals, each and every head of my deltoids are burning and spent.</div>
Yup, those little pink dumbbells can knock the crap out of you. The powder blue ones are even worse...!
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I binged out yesterday a bit....gained back some weight. I am not too worried about it though. My weight has been zig-zagging for months now but always in an overall downward direction which is what matters. Kind of like the zig-zagging progression in HST.
 
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(scientific muscle @ Nov. 30 2007,00:10)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I binged out yesterday a bit....gained back some weight.  I am not too worried about it though.  My weight has been zig-zagging for months now but always in an overall downward direction which is what matters.  Kind of like the zig-zagging progression in HST.</div>
Just think of it as a leptin booster!
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I am using my EDGE stair-climber.  I like it and I am slowly building my conditioning up for it.   It really feels like jogging up-stairs!!!  At first I could only stand 5 minutes, but now up to a whopping 15 minutes
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 then I jump into lifting in circuit fashion to keep the heart rate up!

My crazy food binge has me back up to 188 lb,s so I am back where I started weight-wise,
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but I swear I looked more cut than ever today working out.  I suspect my muscles are loaded with glycogen after the starve-then-binge.  My upper abs are beginning to peak out and also my obliques are slightly visible.  That made me psyched!
I am starting to think there might be some advantage to all the IF hype.  (intermittant fasting).  Anyway, Colby you got a head-start as I have officially lost zero weight since the contest start!  My bodyfat percentage estimate is however lower!!!  Others have reported such body recompositions on Lyle's board using an IF diet.
Alright., so this re-feed/carb-loading was fun and temporarily made me look more ripped, but I have to put it behind me and have to get back to cutting before Colby gets an uncatchable lead!
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try doing some intervals on the stairclimber,it makes it more interesting and not as boring.
 
<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Anyway, Colby you got a head-start as I have officially lost zero weight since the contest start! My bodyfat percentage estimate is however lower!!!</div>

My weight is still stalling too because my #'s have worked out to a slow cut. My bodyfat percentage is starting to drop again, so it looks like we are in the same boat. I think I am near 14% now.
 
This is a contest between two guys who love to eat....Probably the winner will be the guy who manages to lose 6 pounds or some small amount like that!
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Why not guys? Heck, I'd be freakin' out if I lost 5-6 lbs., even though I know a lot of 'me' is fat over muscle. I just like to be showin' in my shirts, but come spring, you guys will have it all over me and my GHUT!
 
Alright I decided to finish of my cut with some good old max-stimulation training, this way I am used to it again and ready to do it right when I am training for size again.

12/3/07

Front Squats- 155 for 7 triples.  (light weight but came natural for my first time ever doing front squats).  Really targeted my quadriceps and abdominals more than regular squats with much heavier weight, I think these will be helpful for hypertrophy next cycle.
Shrugs- 315 for 20 with 5 seconds m-time.  WOW! m-time really made these ALOT easier, my grip always gives out quickly doing conventional sets.
Dips- BW+35 for 20 with 5-15 seconds m-time.  Dips were actually slightly harder using m-time, as each rep was from a dead stop with no 'bounce'.  My pecs and triceps were pumped up huge for the remainder of the workout...I Love these!
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Pulldowns- 135 for 20 with 5-10 seconds m-time.  Again, like shrugs, these were WAY easier using m-time.  I will have to up the load for shrugs and pulldowns for sure.
Front Raises-45 for 10
Side Laterals- 35 for 10
Rear Laterals- 20 for 10
Upright ex. Rot.- 40 for 10

My right shoulder is still slightly weaker on the rotator cuff, which is getting better.

Isolation movements rule for deltoids!  Little weights, but ALOT of pain n' strain!
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(scientific muscle @ Dec. 01 2007,16:23)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">This is a contest between two guys who love to eat....Probably the winner will be the guy who manages to lose 6 pounds or some small amount like that!
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LOL, I whole heartedly agree, and I don't think the weight loss will be as much as six pounds. That would be one pound per week which is the rate of a regular cut! I have been slow cutting, so I will probably lose 1-3 lbs.
 
I am @ 182! Colby has no chance as I will meet my goal of 180 early and I doubt he will lose 8 pounds at the rate he is going.
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WoW, I am skinny again...
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but lean.
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Waist is around 32.5&quot; That is about where I like it on my slight frame.
Arms are only a smallish 15+&quot;.

We are all built differently, and not everyone has the structure to be a huge, muscle-monster like stevejones. I think the best thing we can all do is try to be as strong and fit as possible all the while accepting our individual body structure.

For me I have decided to accept that I will never be a huge bodybuilder, but on the other hand, I have the physique of a tall, thin model. Wide shoulders, small waist with long, lean limbs...the 'hollywood' look.
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Hey, work with what ya got!
 
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