Day 39:Arms & Calves

I have more energy after my leg workout because I went for a swim after that for my recovery cardio.

Today’s workout is going to be challenging, but not as hard as yesterday’s leg training. I want you to turn the impossible into the efficiency you need to complete today’s arm and gastrocnemius training. It’s a much easier workout than the one from yesterday because it targets smaller muscle groups.

In the gym, we annihilate our bodies, and then we recover before the next day’s workout.

Today’s workout began with an EZ-bar exercise (biceps curls), beginning with 25 reps with a light weight. Then we increased weight as we decreased reps by 5 per set, resting only 45 seconds between sets until the weights were heavy. Then you can extend your rest periods. Next I inverted that, using an overhand grip EZ bar to hit brachialis before switching to triceps.

For triceps, begin with 5 reps of seated dumbbell extensions, decreasing reps and increasing weight. This is an atypical progression, which is why I include it. Next for triceps is a seated dip machine. Make sure your elbows are tucked in tight for these sets, starting with a heavy weight for only 5 reps but increasing reps as you lower the weights.

Finish your arm training with a superset of high-pulley cable curls and triceps crossover extensions, performing 20 reps for each muscle group in each superset, resting for about a minute between each of these combo sets.

Finally, you’ll work your gastrocnemius on a leg press. You’ll use the up-and-down ladder strategy for reps and sets, beginning with high reps and light weights. You’ll pyramid up in weights as you decrease reps, and then you’ll reverse the strategy for the final three sets, decreasing weight while increasing reps for a total of 6 sets.

Standing EZ-bar biceps curl Sets: 5 Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 Strategy: DTP
Reverse EZ-bar curl Sets: 5 Reps: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 Strategy: DTP
Seated dumbbell triceps extension Sets: 5 Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10, 5 Strategy: DTP
Machine dips Sets: 5 Reps: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 Strategy: DTP
SUPERSET: High-pulley cable curl Sets: 5 Reps: 20 Strategy: DTP
Cable crossover triceps extension Sets: 5 Reps: 20 Strategy: DTP
Leg press calf press Sets: 6 Reps: 30, 20, 10, 10, 20,30 Strategy: DTP
HIIT Sets: 1 Reps: 3 Strategy: 4 minutes easy/1 minute full intensity for a total of 15 minutes

TIP

I had a discussion with a friend about how people watch TV in a mindless way. I catch an occasional movie at the cinema, and I watch UFC when there’s a fight I want to see or a rugby match, but that’s mostly via computer. But I think it’s very important to get in the habit of reading rather than watching mindless content on TV. While TV is not always mindless, I think it’s crucial to use your brain to read. That’s part of the reason that I’m including a significant amount of content to be read in accompaniment to my videos. Please re-read these short text blurbs as well as re-watch the videos to fully understand my program.