Before Vs After

So here I am after 12 weeks of gruelling hard work behind me and plenty more to come, I feels its only right to reflect on everything that has happened in the past 12 weeks.

Starting this programme I was pretty nervous, I thought I pushed myself quite hard in the gym and was relatively happy with where I was in terms of my body composition. After deciding that I was going to become a Natural Body Builder and set my sights on competing early next year I knew I had to step up my game, I needed to learn and grow at the same time.

 I felt this programme has taught me so much in terms of how my body works, what feels good, what needs improving, where I am weaker, where I am stronger etc. By using so many different training principles I think I have been able to deduce what is best for my body, what is best to promote growth and how I need to train some more specific muscle groups in order to actually get something out of them.But enough of all of that, lets show the before and after pictures, on the left is 12 weeks ago, the right is today after waking up, completely dry weight.

Relaxed Before

Relaxed After

Front Double Bicep Before

Front Double Bicep After

Lat Spread Before

Lat Spread After

Back Double Bicep Before

Back Double Bicep After

Quadriceps Before

Quadriceps After

Calves Before

Calves After

So look at the pictures the first thing I notice is that I am not as trim now as I was 12 weeks ago, which I totally understand and I know its due to my increased calorie intake over the past 12 weeks. I do feel that my muscles look a lot fuller in my after photos. My back for one I am very happy with, the width and thickness of it really shows up here, my Quadriceps and Biceps deserve and honourable mention too as they have beefed up very nicely too!


Now lets look at the numbers!

Before Measurements:

Chest-44inLat Spread -46.5inWaist-36inThigh-25inCalf-18inBicep- 16in

After Measurements:

Chest- 44in

Lat Spread- 47.5in

Waist- 35in

Thigh- 26.25in

Calf- 18.25in

Bicep- 17in

So after looking at the statistics I can see I was correct in saying my Back has grown! as well as my Biceps, also by taking in my Waist it will give the illusion of bigger/wider Back and Shoulders and smaller Waistline. I am not massively  impressed with my Chest, although I know my upper Pec development has come on my mid and lower development hasn't come across too much, but now I have time to work on it and develop it the way I need too for my personal look.

The past 12 Weeks have been a real pleasure! I am so incredibly happy with all the amazing support that I have been shown by my friends and family and really hope you continue to stand by me throughout my journey. 

I won't be completely stopping the Blogs, so don't worry! I will be trying to move my attention across to Vlogs, as it is nicer for me and easier viewing for you guys too, I can then better get across information in a fast effective way. 

Once again thank you everyone, I have loved every minute of this and really look forward to progressing further with my training!

Happy Lifting you bloody wonderful people!

Week 12 Day 2 - Poetry In Motion

16/06/15 Day 78 – Chest & Back

Keeping on the theme of Uni-Lateral training today I hit up a pretty epic chest and back session, but the twist was that I would be performing every exercise in a super set, working a chest exercise on each side quickly followed by a back exercise performed on each side. This session was all about intensity and being able to push every set to failure then moving on to the other exercise and pushing that to failure, big pumps and big pain. Lets do it!

Single Arm Leverage Chest Press – 10 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,10,15,20,25,30

SuperSet

Single Arm Chest Supported Dumbbell Row – 8 Sets, 1 x 25,20,15,10,10,15,20,25

Single Arm Lat Pulldown – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

SuperSet

Single Arm Cable Flyes – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Cardio- Interval Training 15mins Total

When working two large muscle groups in an alternating fashion like today I always make sure that I stretch out between sets, as there is just such ridiculously high levels of blood being forced around the muscles you will stiffen very quickly.

Starting with a singular set on the Single Arm Leverage Chest Press gave me a short chance to absolutely smash my chest before I had to move onto my back exercise. Making sure I really squeezed my peck as I pushed out my first reps to really enhance the level of blood in my chest, getting a really solid pump before I even got onto back. With my first two sets of 30 reps, as I work each set on each side of the body I moved to the Single Arm Chest Supported Dumbbell Row, here I think the hardest thing to do was just get well balanced, altering my foot placement so as I could produce a great pull without introducing twisting of the spine, which unfortunately I see a lot in the gym. When working back and fourth with these exercises I found that I was able to jump into the alternating exercise pretty quickly, due to not using the same muscle groups at all in the opposing movement actually means that your muscles are relaxing and giving you time to recover, admittedly its still hard, I felt very tired as they are big movements using and draining big muscle groups. I think I ate too early in the day as I didn't feel like I have bounds of energy as I usually do for my sessions. Getting down to the lower end of the repetition ranges on both exercises I felt like I was hitting some big weights, I was really really happy with how well I doing. After passing the 10 repetition mark I actually took it upon myself to up my weights on the way back up my repetition pyramid to the 30 reps. Some how I managed to up my weights every set on the way back up, getting to the 20 rep mark I started having to incorporate the rest pause principle to finish my sets as my muscles were really flagging by this point, the fact was that I managed to get every rep out so I was still stupidly happy with my performance!

With those two huge exercises done it was time to move onto the 2^nd super set of the session where I would be performing the Single Arm Lat Pulldown to start. Due to having stupidly long arms I actually had to sit on the floor to be at the correct level for this exercise, which meant I had to hold my bodyweight down and be incredibly controlled with Single Arm Cable Flyes I again found it quite difficult to balance myself to perform the movement, I felt as though the core did have a big contributing factor in this movement and think perhaps a single arm peck deck movement my have been slightly better suited. Making sure the elbow and the wrist tracked in the same line was probably one of the biggest focal points for me as this takes the stress out the shoulder and places it back on the peck, where it should be! As the reps got heavier with each exercise I really had to tighten up my core and really get slow and controlled with the movement, anyone can throw weights around and lift heavy, being effect and efficient is a whole different ball game, so leave your ego at the door and prepare to grow!

my movements. Taking an exercise I have only ever done with two hands and moving it to just one hand made a HUGE difference to me, firstly my weights rocketed down, much to my surprise. I also found it very hard to force my arm out more like a wide grip lat pulldown and not let my elbow gravitate toward my own body, when this happens it means the movement isn't as effective and makes it hard to spread the lats on the rising phase of the movement. With the

Working both Chest and Back in one workout was new for me, but needless to say I really really liked it! I didn't feel like my fatigue carried across to the opposing exercise which meant I was really able to continuously push hard throughout the whole workout. If you have never tried it, then get your kit together and get yo' ass to the gym now and DO IT!

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 12 Day 1 - Fairwell Legs (1200 Rep Leg Day)

15/06/15 Day 77 – Legs & Calves

Here it is, the beginning of the end. Week 12 is upon me and boy do I know about it, finishing off just as hard as I started this weeks DTP training is in the form of Uni-Lateral training, basically working one limb in isolation, then followed by the opposing limb, going back and forth with as little rest time as possible, whilst working up and down pyramid, so yeah, it hurts. This style of training is fantastic for development of the individual limbs as you are actually able to produce more force! Enough of the preamble, lets take a look at the session:

Single Leg Leg Press – 10 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,10,15,20,25,30

Bulgarian Split Squat – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Close Stance Split Squat – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Single Leg Seated Calf Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Single Leg Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Cardio – Interval Training 15mins Total

Just looking at that session made me tired, let alone actually doing it! Well needless to say I made sure I performed a huge warm up and active stretch out before even attempting to start this session and rightly so because I needed it.

Starting with my Single Leg Leg Press, I was thrown in at the deep end. Starting my sets with the foot towards the bottom and centre of the foot plate allowed me to incorporate more of my Quadricep muscles, by isolating them I got to really work them to failure on each set. The nice thing (I guess) about this style of training is that whilst one side is working the other can rest, meaning that even through you aren't actually resting going up or down the pyramids you do get a small rest period in between sets. It was pretty damn brutal pushing out so many reps on only one leg but I really surprised myself with the amount of weight each leg was able to carry, as I have never really trained like this before it was a bit of a eye opener to how strong I have actually become, which I am really happy with. Once hitting the 10 rep mark in the middle of the exercise, I took the foot placement higher and wider, by doing so I meant I was able to incorporate more the Hamstring and Glute muscles now, so I could share the work load across the whole leg. With the fatigue starting to settle in working back up the pyramid was just as savage as coming down it! But rep after rep I pushed on, supporting the knees and making sure everything was tracking properly, until I finally finished my last 30 repetitions and I could move on.

Transitioning to a exercise like the Bulgarian Split Squat mean that my core and stabiliser muscles now had to work a little harder to support me in the exercise. By working like this I knew I was not going to be able to lift anywhere near as heavy as the last exercise, but that was completely fine. With a old knee injury still reaping havoc on my balance it also gave me a little bit more of a test, which I never shy away from! Starting with no weight at all I worked my way down the pyramid, bumping up the weights as I went to really fatigue the whole leg out before moving onto the Close Stance Split Squat. With the Close Stance Split Squat I used the exact same weights as I did going down the pyramid to come back up the pyramid, putting all sense of fatigue to the back of my mind I just kept pushing harder and harder as I progressed on. After set three I found that I had to rest pause my way to the end of the sets, my quads were just cooked to pieces by this point, I do also recall having to take a few minutes to go outside and take a breather in the cold air, as I could feel my breakfast coming to revisit me, thankfully I kept it down and was able to carry on with the sets until I hit my 30 reps again.

So all that was left now was the calves! To work these bad boys I started on the Single Leg Seated Calf Raise, this is simply because the Leg Press was being used and I needed to improvise. I was really surprised at how well the exercised worked, really squeezing out a deep contraction through the whole calf showed me that I had in fact made a good choice. As per usual I was working my way down the pyramid with the weight getting pushed up with every passing set, I really felt shot to pieces at the end of this, but needless to say this wasn't the end for me!

Single Leg Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise, this was the only thing standing in my way between finishing my last Leg Day of this 12 week muscle builder! Grabbing hold a big ass dumbbell I mounted a wooden block and prepared myself for the pyramid set from hell! Rep,rep,rep went by, one leg to the next, drop the weight and back on the block, it didn't stop I was a man possessed, nothing was going to get in my way. With my calves pumped full of blood it felt as though they could have exploded at any second, but with my final repetition, I placed my dumbbell down and in a state of complete relief gave myself a big pat on the back, waddled over to the mats and began my cool down and stretch. So there it is 12 Weeks, 12 Leg days, boy am I glad that's over, so much learnt and now its time to keep the progress going!

If you are stuck, feel like you aren't progressing and need a change, contact me at: mgonlinept@gmail.com for a 100% tailored programme, guaranteed for results!

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 11 Day 2 - Big Chest To Be The Best

09/06/15 Day 71 – Chest & Triceps

With yesterdays leg DOMS starting to settle in nicely it was time to hit another big muscle group, today it was in the form of Chest! With yesterdays high volume training you might have noticed that you have been slightly more hungry than usual, that is completely normal. When training legs you are invariably working one half of your entire body in one day, which means your body is going to need lots of energy (aka food) to repair and resynthesise all the damaged muscle tissue in your body, so eat up and grow up! Moving on to today's session, today was following the same pattern as legs in the sense I was training three exercises in a Giant Set, if you didn't read yesterdaysession then check it out now before moving on. The Giant sets are all about volume, more reps, less rest, more stress and more gains! So here is the session:

Giant Set 1

Dumbbell Flat Bench Press – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Dumbbell Incline Flyes – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Cable Cross Overs – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Giant Set 2

Cable Cross Overs – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Dumbbell Incline Flyes – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Dumbbell Bench Press – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Giant Set 3

Tricep Pushdown (V Bar Attachment) – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Tricep Overhead Extensions (V Bar Attachment) – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Tricep Pushdown (Rope Attachment) – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Giant Set 4

Tricep Pushdown (Rope Attachment) – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Tricep Overhead Extensions (V Bar Attachment) – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Tricep Pushdown (V Bar Attachment) – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

With the warm up done and dusted and a big session ahead, I focused all my thought on my goals for today, which were, go heavy, go hard and don't stop for anything or anyone!

Starting the first Giant Set I began working my way down the repetition pyramid, with each set passing by the repetitions dropped down and thus the weights got heavier and heavier, after the first two sets I could really start feeling the blood forcing its way into my muscles. With the muscles under such strain and tension I always made sure I was stretching in between sets, just to manipulate the fascia around my muscles and help with the recovery from each set. Pushing my way down the pyramid I allowed slightly more rest time the closer I got to the final set, leaving around a 2 minute rest between the 15 rep set and the 10. My reasoning behind this was simple, I was already pumped up like mad, so there was no need to try pushing heavy weights under fatigue (that came next), so instead I went heavier then first intended and rewarded myself with a few extra seconds to insure that I smashed the last set as hard as I possible could.

After my final heavy set I altered my sequencing, making the Cable Cross Overs my first movement. This meant that I was able to focus more time and energy on this particular movement, that had subsequently suffered in the previous Giant Set, as I had been massively pre fatigued by the time I made it to the cables. So with the cable weights being bumped up I had to lower the final exercise in the new sequence, which was the Dumbbell Bench Press, just due to the fact I was going to be very fatigued before moving on the this exercise. None the less I resisted the urge to make it easy on myself and challenged the idea that I could keep the same weight on the final two exercises. I was able to do this for about 2 sets, then my muscles decided that they had had enough. With the muscles being so worn out by the 20 repetition mark I really had to start lowering the weight threshold quite rapidly, unfortunately for me I ended up finishing Giant Set 2 a lot lighter than I had hoped, but none the less I gave it my all and that is all I could ask for.

With the chest well and truly smoked out it was time for me to move onto a slightly smaller group of muscles, which was indeed the Triceps. With the triceps being used in 2 of the previous 3 exercise I knew they were already going to be pretty darn worn out, but “oh well” I told myself, gave myself a few “yeah buddy['s]” and cracked on with Giant Set 3. Hitting it off with the Tricep Pushdown (V Bar Attachment) really allowed me to shift a bit more weight than expected, I was pretty happy with that, that was until I moved onto the Tricep Overhead Extensions (V Bar Attachment), where I came to the very fast conclusion that I needed to learn to pace myself better. Shifting so much weight on the first exercise made it incredibly hard to fluently knock out the reps and thus I had to incorporate the rest pause principle from around rep 20. After what was a pretty steep learning curve I continued my way down the third pyramid of the day, getting heavy and harder with every set, the hardest thing about it was the fact I knew I was dropping the reps so I could go heavier, but my muscles were so burnt out that going heavier was sometimes just impossible! But after smashing out my last set, heavy as possible I gave myself a little smile as I knew the end of the session was in sight!

Now came the hardest part of all, which was fitting considering it was the only thing standing between me and my post workout protein shake. I now had to gather the strength, both mentally and physically to work my way back up the pyramid to the 30 repetition mark. Well,well,well, That was a bloody hard task! Thank Arnold (he is god here) that I could get those reps out. Many times I had to stop mid set and alter the weight it was hard to give in, but when I was hitting failure at 8 reps on a 20 rep set it would have been stupid of me to rest pause 12 reps, that would add another 3 hours on to my already lengthy session! Needless to say when I finish those last 30 reps on the Tricep Pushdown (V Bar Attachment) I shed a single tear of joy. It was done, done for another day, boy did I feel as though I had earned my rest day, when I have no doubt I would be achy like crazy.

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 10 Day 5 - Insaiyn Workout!

05/06/15 Day 67 – Shoulders

After a very achy morning reflecting on the past 10 weeks I came to the conclusion that in the past 10 weeks I have learnt more about my mind and body then ever before, with the styles of training I have worked through: Y3T/FST-7/GVT/HIT/DTP Extreme I have been able to gather incredible amounts of knowledge about how my body responds to different styles of training and what suits me best. But enough of that for now, lets get into today's session!

Machine Shoulder Press – 12 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5,5,10,15,20,25,30

Reverse Fly – 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

Neutral Grip Reverse Fly – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Barbell Shrugs – 6 Sets, 1 x 25,15,5,5,15,25

Cardio – Interval Training 15mins Total

With my warm up done and dusted I was already feeling incredibly focused for today's session. I knew I was in for a beasting as that seems to be the reoccurring theme for this week's training. I had to make sure my rotator cuffs well sufficiently oiled before I began with any weights, as I didn't need anything holding me back from performing at my best.

As the smith machine wasn't available I started my Machine Shoulder Press on the (isolated shoulder press machine) if anything I was incredibly happy with the decision, I felt as though it allowed me to perform heavier weights without risk of injury. Starting a session with 12 sets is one way of getting a serious pump, by set 9 just lifting my arms up was a luxury, so finishing the sets off was a bit of a battle. With my drop sets done it was time to move on to the next exercise.

After torching the anterior and lateral heads of the deltoids I moved on to the Reverse Fly, with this grip I was able to focus my attention on the posterior head of the delts. Working the posterior (back) head is just as important as the other heads if not more, without full development of the 3 heads the shoulders look uneven and disproportionate.

After ascending up the pyramid with the previous exercise I changed to the Neutral Grip Reverse Flys and began my way back down the pyramid in a drop set fashion. Trying to make sure I matched the weights from the last exercise put a massive demand on already fatigued muscles. Once again I found myself having to rest pause the final couple of sets to ensure I made it to the end of my set, the posterior heads were seriously on fire by this point and thankfully I had only the lateral heads and traps to work.

Now it was time to torch my lateral heads to round off the shoulders. I started the first pyramid set with the Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raises, performing the exercise standing up meant I was able to incorporate a bit of momentum to aid the concentric (lifting) phase of the movement, meaning I could go a little heavier than usual as I built up my weight across the six sets. Making sure I was lifting from the elbows up gives me a better contraction in the shoulders, now this may work for me and not you, so be sure to get a feel for how your body responds to certain exercise yourself! With the heaviest set done I knew I was halfway, now it was time for me to make my way back down the pyramid with the Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raises and I made sure I worked until I could work no more! To stay strict I cut out as much rest time as possible, running back and forth between the bench and the weight rack I wanted to push as much blood and nutrients into my shoulders as physically possible.

With my shoulders completely cooked it was time to move into the traps to round off what had been an awesome session. So with a few plates on the bar I began my Barbell Shrugs, drawing the shoulders up to the ears whilst keeping the back tight so as to create a stable base to work from. After getting some solid weights on the bar I began striping the plates of with each set, and finishing off just as strong as I started!

On reflection I loved the session today and felt as though it had tested me more than any shoulder session I have ever done! If you want to test your limits and go above and beyond all self expectations contact me at: mgonlinept@gmail.com today for your bespoke programmes!

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 10 Day 4 - Bringing Sexy Back!

04/06/15 Day 66 – Back & Biceps

Pushing though this 12 week muscle building programme with some pace now, only one more day until week 10 is done and dusted! Following on with this weeks previous two sessions it all about big numbers, big weights and some big results to follow! But enough of that, lets look at the session:

Neutral Grip Pull Ups – 3 Sets, 1 x 25,15,5

Superset

Chin Up – 2 Sets, 1 x 20, 10

Reverse Grip Lat Pull Down – 3 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15

Close Grip Lat Pull Down – 3 Sets, 1 x 20,25,30

Reverse Grip Bent Over Barbell Row – 5 Sets, 1 x 25,20,15,10,5

Bent Over Barbell Row – 5 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25

Single Arm Dumbbell Arc Row – 5 Sets, 1 x 25,20,15,10,5 per arm

Single Arm Dumbbell Row – 5 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25 per arm

Preach Curl – 5 Sets, 1 x 25,20,15,10,5

Single Arm Preacher Curl – 5 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25 per arm

Cardio – Interval Training 15mins Total

After a short warm up and stretching session I was ready to get started with my session. With the first two exercises I went back and forth between the two differing grips, with the Neutral Grip Pull Ups I was trying to target the insertion of the lat across the armpit, with the standard Chin Up I was working the belly of the muscle more.  When starting the session with such a large compound movement I didn't want to attach any weight, as I don't feel as though I would have been strong enough the achieve full range of motion and thus be less effective during the movement. I found the body weight work a bit of a struggle at times so starting off my session like this allows me to focus all my attention and strength on getting good reps out.

From there I moved out to the Reverse Grip Lat Pull Down machine, as this was a better suited exercise to perform increasing weighted sets.  Starting with the lower reps my main focus was to go heavy and stay strong, thinking only about drawing the elbows down to the sides and not flexing the elbows too much, as this is what allows me to engage the lats more effectively.

Then to start targeting the upper traps I moved onto the Close Grip Lat Pull Down,  I used the v bar attachment for this exercise as i find it a lot easier to draw the scapular together and thus get a greater contraction out of the muscles. As the this was a drop set it became increasingly difficult as the sets went on, with the muscles already pre fatigued it made the final sets almost impossible! With every rep the lats were burning and I felt the biceps begin to start activating, this told me that I needed to drop the weight and focus more on the technique. With the last set done I was glad to be rid of the machine, until that is I went on to the next exercise.

The Reverse Grip Bent Over Barbell Row was up next, working in a pyramid fashion the results started off high and the weight nice and low, I was trying to make sure that I was hitting failure on each set regardless of the rep ranges. With a stable base and strong lower back I slowly worked my way through the sets, drawing the elbows up to my sides in order to actively engage the lasts. Then working back down the pyramid I changed the grip around to allow work through a different portion of the lats. Big compound movements like these tend to drain energy quite quickly, which why I am inclined to use pre workout formulas in order to sustain energy and concentration throughout these long,  intense sessions.

The Single Arm Dumbbell Arc Row was a new one for me, as a combination of the standards Dumbbell row and a reverse Dumbbell fly this movement was targeting the smaller rhomboid muscles as well as the posterior Delts. Trying to keep my firm strict I made sure to pause at the bottom of every movement, this denied me the possibility of swinging the weight up, but instead forces the muscles to work harder. So after hitting the smaller muscles around the shoulder and scapular what better way to really finish myself off then by some heavy ass Single Arm Dumbbell Row. The emphasis with this exercise was all about intensity, keeping as little rest break between sets as possible. The only rest I have myself was getting a new weight each set, then running back to strap up and get the reps done. This pushed masses of blood though my back and allowed me to flush the muscles with lots of growth hormone.

With the back fully cooked it was time to move on to working the synergistic muscles and every guys favourite, the biceps! Starting with the preacher curl I performed a few weightless sets on the ez bar before loading up for my working sets. With the lighter sets I wants to try and push lots of blood into the biceps, as I was only performing two different exercises I wanted to get the most out of them as possible. I found the heavier sets really took its toll on the  biceps, thoroughly burning even during the rest breaks, I put the pain to one side and made sure I finished strong!

Working the biceps individually on the last exercise (Single Arm Preacher Curl ) really bought to light how much stronger my right arm was in comparison to my left. I made sure I chose a weight that tested the weaker arm, but let the stronger arm go through the motions. By working the weaker arm more or allows that side to develop better, as it not constantly having to try and keep up with the stronger and more dominant arm, which will aid my symmetry when i step on stage next year.

With my body beaten and my energy levels through the floor it was time to get a protein shake down me. I like to use The Protein Works for my shakes,  which are a simple whey powder to aid my recovery and growth.

For nutritional advice and bespoke programmes come and have a chat with me at: mgonlinept@gmail.com and change your future, today.

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 10 Day 2 - Pectoral Punishment

02/06/15 Day 64 – Chest & Triceps

Feeling still shaky after yesterday's leg session it was time to draw my focus in on the next task, which came in the form of chest and triceps, looking at the session I knew it was going to be just as tough as yesterdays session, again looking at big volume, big weights and lots of work. So here is what the session looked like:

Incline Barbell Bench Press – 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

Flat Barbell Bench Press – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Decline Dumbbell Flyes – 12 Sets, 30,25,20,15,10,5,5,10,15,20,25,30

Incline Dumbbell Flyes – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Rope Tricep Extension – 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

Seated Overhead Rope Tricep Extensions – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Close Grip Press Ups – 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

Bench Dips – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Cardio – Interval Training 15mins Total

With some much needed rotator cuff work being done and a certain buzz about me I started the session with the Incline Barbell Bench Press. Here my focus was to stretch out the chest at the bottom of the movement and squeeze the pecks together as I exploded out of the bottom of the movement. My first few sets were incredible, as if I had found a power within me that changed the whole dynamic of the exercise, but as quickly as it came it was gone, hitting set four I smashed into a mental wall, the pecks were now struggling to contract properly and I found myself fighting every single rep. Finally I finished the first exercise, swelling nicely I moved on to the Flat Barbell Bench Press for the DTP drop set to follow. With lots of smaller plates on the bar the intension was to complete the reps stated then strip a few plates, go for the reps again and continue the pattern until the sets were complete. Now on paper this seems fine, but after seriously pre fatiguing the chest this became very hard, very quickly. Pushing up through the palm of my hands I made it a game of quits, I wouldn't put the bar down till I finished, that meant I either crushed myself under the bar, or I pushed my limits out of the way and finished the set.

Now came the pain train. Working through 12 set on Decline Dumbbell Flyes was no walk in the park, as I was working with both maximal strength and endurance I had to really concentrate on the motion, I could have easily injured my self If I wasn't so switched on. Feeling for the tension through the pecs with every rep meant I could be as effective as possible during the workout. With only a few weeks left of this programme it is all about being as effective and efficient as possible to gain the best results I can for my body. With the final sets draining my energy like a punctured tire I was so happy with my determination to keep on pushing, always looking forward to the future and thinking about the body I am building is the motivation I need to carry on and this is exactly what allowed me to excel in this workout.

Onto the final exercise for the chest, the Incline Dumbbell Flyes, this was simply a burn out exercise. By pushing through heavy reps with a low set range meant I was able to go a lot heavier than the previous exercise, this meant more muscle fibre tears and promoting more HGH (human growth hormone) to be distributed into the muscles. Boy did I have an all mighty pump by the end of this exercise!

With the chest cooked to pieces it was time to turn the heat up a bit more and get my triceps sizzling away and what better way to do so than the Rope Tricep Extension! One of my go to exercises during my past training routines, I was no stranger to the burn I was about to feel. The great feeling of my triceps growing throughout the sets kept me focused on the work at hand, keeping the elbows tight allowed me to keep the focus on the triceps purely. When raising to the top of the motion I made sure I was incredibly slow and controlled, this meant I could put the triceps under tension for a longer period of time and thus allow the muscles to be worked more effectively.

I then found myself facing a new challenge in the form of the Seated Overhead Rope Tricep Extensions. This is a completely new exercise for me and with the added factor of burnt out triceps that I was meant to be burning out even more its needless to say this SUCKED (but was also awesome). Getting an insane contraction through the whole length of tricep meant this is a new exercise that will be put straight into my top 10 favourites for triceps!

By this time I couldn't fully lift my arms up, my chest was swollen and my triceps were burnt to pieces. I took myself to the matted area to finish off my session with Close Grip Press Ups & Bench Dips. The press ups were impossible to complete fully, so I went to my knees and even on the knees I couldn't fully support my body weight, which only proved that I had worked my triceps to their breaking point. The bench dips also had to be performed in a reduced range, with my feet on the floor I tried to keep the focus solely on my triceps, but when they wanted to give up I had to introduce a bit of force with the legs to just keep pushing myself through the final sets. The rest period between the sets were equal to the number of reps performed, much like the principles of previous DTP Extreme weeks.

Well it fair to say I am looking forward to tomorrow's rest day, I will be preforming some light abdominal work to keep ticking over as well as some light cardio to keep the metabolism up, but I will be checking in with you beautiful people on Thursday/Friday!

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 9 Day 5 - One Way Ticket To The Gun Show!

30/05/15 Day 61 – Arms

Today was a very short, simple and insanely effective gym session, with only 4 exercises in the entire session it was all about going heavy, hitting failure and pushing through my mental and physical barriers to complete every set.

Here is your ticket to the Gun Show:

Standing Over-Head Dumbbell Tricep Extension – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

SuperSet

Seated Dumbbell Curls – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Decline Skull Crushers – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

SuperSet

Ez Bar Spider Curls – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Cardio – Interval Training 15mins Total

As usual I started my session with a really solid warm up, made sure I worked my rotator cuffs and did a lot of warm up work on the triceps, as religiously when doing overhead tricep work I tighten up very quickly. So some explosive active stretching followed during my warm up sets, the hoodie came off and it was game time.

With the first superset, it was 100% about trying to hit complete failure on every single set, so for me I looked at the dumbbell rack and asked myself what would I usually lift for those reps, then moved a few kilos up so I knew I had to really work hard to finish off the sets, I found this worked really well in my favour as I actually managed to lift stupidly heavier then I perceived I would be able to. Two or three sets in to the first super set and my arms where feeling seriously swollen, with the weights getting heavier and heavier I really had to draw all my attention in to my contractions, with my spotter standing by for a comfort blanket I pushed myself to the limit. Very happy with my new personal best of 40kg overhead dumbbell extension, if I look a few years back it was something only I dreamt of and now I'm living it, just goes to show that hard work pays off! The dumbbell curls felt really good today as well, with my focus on this exercise to twist the little finger up towards the ceiling to engage the inner head of the biceps I found it encouraged the pump nicely.

With my arms well fatigued and blood surging through my triceps and biceps I moved on to the final two exercises. The Decline Skull Crushers felt really awesome today, by taking the arms further back, past eyeline it meant that I could keep constant tension through the triceps. Keeping the tension through the target muscles for as long and possible will help to promote the release of human growth hormone by the body, so if you are not using performance enhancing drugs like myself this is a brilliant way to build that awesome thickness that makes the body look a lot fuller. The opposing exercise (Ez Bar Spider Curls) really helped to isolate the outer head of my biceps, taking the close grip on the Ez bar meant I couldn't recruit much of the inner head, allowing me to work the entire bicep through the duration of the session. As I started to fatigue in the later sets due to the higher reps I made sure that I was pushing the ticeps into the preacher machine to stop the temptation of swinging the bar up but instead forcing the biceps to contract harder to lift the weight. Remember: If you are going to do something, do it right.

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 9 Day 3 - Delts

27/05/15 Day 59 – Shoulders & Abs

Once again apologies for the lack of blog yesterday, very busy and simply didn't have time.

Today was day 59 of the 12 week muscle builder and today I hit delts, I hit them hard! Working with purely supersets today kept the work intensity high, the volume high and really gave me that insane pump I was craving after. Here is what my session looked like today:

Dumbbell Lateral Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

SuperSet

Weighted Plate Front Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

SuperSet

Dumbbell Incline Bench Lying Front Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

SuperSet

Weighted Sit Ups – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Reverse Peck Deck Fly – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

SuperSet

Bent Knee Hip Raises – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

Cardio- Interval Training 15mins Total

I started the session with a solid rotator cuff warm up, as I feel the rotator cuff is a bit of a weak point for me I wanted to make sure that during the workout they wouldn't hold me back. So with some mobility work and some light sets under my belt to oil up the joints and grease up the engine I was ready to get stuck in.

Working through the first superset of Dumbbell Lateral Raise & Weighted Plate Front Raises allowed me to target the lateral and anterior heads of my deltoids , giving the impression of a fuller deltoid. With a big frame having some large, full delts are imperative. With my Dumbbell Lateral Raises I like to keep the weight on the outside of my hand and draw up from the elbow, I feel this gives me a much stronger contractions on the lateral head of my delt, but what works for me may not work for you so make sure that you experiment a bit with some lighter weights and see what works for you. The Weighted Plate Front Raises started out quite easy with the lighter sets but I found as the plates only go up in increments of 5kg some times there was a big jump in the weights for the rep range I was working in, to get around this I used the same weight for a few sets before moving up, so I was in a range I could actually work in (rather than rest pausing every repetition).

With the delts feeling incredibly full already after those first two exercises I wanted to keep up the pump and hunt for that pump, so I quickly moved onto the next set of exercises, these were: Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press followed by the Dumbbell Incline Bench Lying Front Raises. With the press I wanted to make sure I was in a solid and stable position before each set as leaning back to far when overhead pressing can cause mass stress to the spine and I wanted to avoid that completely. The press was a powerful movement, making sure I didn't fully lock out in order to keep more tension within the delts and put them through me TUT (time under tension). The Dumbbell Incline Bench Lying Front Raises were a new one for me, trying them out I quickly found there is a huge tendency to swing a lot, this defeats the whole object of being in a isolative position such as this one. I made sure I was keeping the dumbbells under control the whole time, which did mean lowering the weights but I am not ego lifting but simply putting my muscles under strain. Remember: Your brain doesn't know how much you are lifting, it only knows that it is under stress and will thus increase the contraction intensity to combat this, so don't worry about going heavy all the time, because quite frankly your brain doesn't care.

Then I moved onto the penultimate superset of the session, this came in the form of the Bent-Over Rear Delt Raise combined with the Weighted Sit Ups. On the Rear Delt Raise I wanted to make sure my back was completely flat so as to not put tension through the spine but also to focus my mind muscle connection on the read delts, I made sure that with every rep I was squeezing them to start off the contraction, this helps me build the neuromuscular pathways and thus gives me a better result. Super setting the raises with Weighted Sit Ups really took it our of me, starting only with an Olympic bar on a decline bench I found my abs really burnt out quickly on this exercise, I don't know if it was due to me working so hard on the other exercises but I found this especially tough today!

By this point my shoulders were pumped, my abs were burning and I the end of the session was in plain view, the only thing in my way was Reverse Peck Deck Flyes with the Bent Knee Hip Raises to follow. The flyes were great today, I surprised myself in the first few set with the strength I have managed to gain in these small muscles, but when moving up the the longer sets of 25/30 reps I began to flag quite a lot, I think the muscles had burnt out and I really did have to rest pause the last 10 or so reps to finish of the sets. Luckily the Bent Knee Hip Raises didn't need any help from the delts which meant I could blast through these sets a bit easier, not saying it was easy those last few higher rep set had my abs on fire!

Tomorrow will be a rest day for me and if you are following this programme then it is for you too!

For customised meal plans and Gym routines, guaranteed to give you results e-mail me at:

mgonlinept@gmail.com

Change your future today.

Happy Lifting,

Matt

 

Week 9 Day 1 - Total Leg Annihilation (960 Reps)

25/05/15 Day 57 – Legs & Calves

Unfortunately I got hit pretty hard by a cold/virus on Friday and despite my best efforts it has whittled me down slightly, I worked pretty damn hard during my Arms session on Friday, but simply didn't have the mental or physical strength to get a Blog out to everyone, so sorry about that. Even though I have been feeling pretty shoddy I managed to get down the the gym yesterday to hit up some light cardio, hoping to sweat most of what ever I had out, luckily it worked a but and I am not feeling quite so lethargic today, although my lunges feel quite constricted and I have now adopted a wicked cough (not wicked as in cool!). But today was the beginning of Week 9, so I put everything to the back of my head and pulled my ass down the gym for a bank holiday training session, needless to say the gym was RAMMED but I didn't care because lots of people don't train legs (burn) so I had the upper hand on getting most pieces of equipment with easy.

If you feel like your usual leg sessions don't demand that much of you, then you have to try this out, the most intense hardcore session of the 12 week trainer so far! Here it is:

Leg Extension – 3 Sets, 1 x 50,40,30

Leg Press – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Hack Squat – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

(For each rep performed 1 sec rest is awarded, 5 reps = 5 sec rest)

Leg Extension 3 Sets, 1 x 30,40,50

Lying Leg Curl – 3 Sets, 1 x 50,40,30

Stiff Leg Dumbbell Deadlift – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Lying Leg Curl – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

(For each rep performed 1 sec rest is awarded, 5 reps = 5 sec rest)

Seated Calf Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10

Standing Calf Raise – 5 Sets, 1 x 10,15,20,25,30

(For each rep performed 1 sec rest is awarded, 5 reps = 5 sec rest)

Cardio – Interval Training 15mins Total

Starting with a very, very thorough warm up ensured that I wouldn't pull or damage any muscles during what was the most intense, energy sapping, mentally demanding session so far. With the pre-workout flooding my veins with energy, tingling away at my skin I began the session.

The Leg Extension warmed me up for what was to come, working with such a high volume requires a certain sense of mental endurance to make sure that you aren't simply going through the motions but instead you are making every single rep count for something. After the first few sets I could really feel the muscles beginning to pump and swell, it felt great, I knew that this volume of training would inhibit a high release of human growth hormone in my body, but feeling such a strong pump, so early on clarified that this was going to make me grow.

Moving swift on to the Leg Press next ensured that this pump wasn't going to waste. With the weights increasing with each set I made sure I pushed my legs to the absolute limit, using a rest pause to finish off the heavier sets determined that I would push myself as close to complete failure as possible, without creating long term damage. Remember: When using a leg press you keep the feet close together to focus on the contraction within the quadriceps, or take the feet high and wide to recruit more the glutes in the exercise.

Then came the first DTP XxTreme (see what I did there) set of the workout, which came in the form of the Hack Squat. Keeping the feet close together once again ensure I was beasting my quadriceps into a oblivion, working through the reps with the tiny rest breaks really did mean my legs became incredibly tight very fast, so in between the longer sets I made sure that I hopped off the machine and stretched out to ensure the muscles elasticity and prevent any long term harm to the knees (or anymore damage should I say).

Finishing the quadriceps off as I started I moved to the Leg Extension machine once again to well and truly cook them. This time I worked up in the repetitions and down in the weight, really really really fatiguing the muscles, breaking down the tissue and building me some quads that could hold up a small house. I have to say the last set completely recked me, even with a very light weight I felt as if my legs just wouldn't work anymore. I employed a rest pauses strategy to finish off the exercise, as I couldn't battle through 50 reps straight off, which annoyed me slightly, but I welcome failure as I know it will make me grow.

After I cooked the quadriceps it was time to move onto some fresh meat which meant it was time to jump on the Lying Leg Curl. Starting once again with huge amounts of volume really took it out of me, by this point in the work out I was very fatigued, I felt massively warn out and was worried that this session was going to get the best of me, so I put my headphones in, cranked the volume and awakened my inner beast. Smashing out reps like they were going out of fashion allowed me to warm up the hamstrings for some nice heavy weights on the next exercise.

Then I hit the Stiff Leg Dumbbell Deadlift for some heavy ass reps. Making sure the contractions was felt in both hamstrings was the main focus for me, even development of the body will help me when it comes round to competition time as I won't have to worry about the symmetry so much if both sides of the body are being worked equally. I took the last few reps incredibly slow on the final 2 sets, I wanted to feel every single contraction throughout the whole of the hamstring, squeezing the muscles till there was nothing left.

Working to failure meant going back to the Lying Leg Curl for the next DTP Xxtreme was going to be no walk in the park (in fact I don't actually think I could walk at this point). Using a weight I would perform for 20 reps I began the flogging, having to fight myself to carry on, to break through the pain barrier and to implore myself to finish the exercise. With the final reps getting the better of me I rested for a few seconds as I got too much, which aided my completion of this awesome, yet sickening set.

With the Quads and Hamstrings well and truly shot to piece it was time to finish off the legs, with some testing Seated Calf Raises & Standing Calf Raise. The seated raises were fantastic, working up to a really heavy weight had my motivation levels high and had me chomping at the bit to finish this session off. The only thing left for the session was the grand finale of DTP Xxtreme, the standing raises. The standing raises were done only with my body weight off a step, due to the intensity and already pre fatiguing them it was hard enough working through the short burst sets, squeezing both the Soleus and Gastrocnemius through each and every rep.

By now it was fair to say I was running on empty, after a wonderful stretch out to encourage the recovery of these beaten up muscles I grabbed my bag and went on my way.

Still feeling a little tired I find myself here sipping my BCAA's and typing this up. I hope you are having a wonderful bank holiday those of you in England and to everyone else Happy Monday!

Happy Lifting,

Matt

(No photo today, I feel and look far too awful for that)

Week 8 Day 3 - Training To Go Saiyan

20/5/15 Day 52 – Chest & Calves

After destroying what was a humongous DTP Extreme leg session yesterday it is fair to say I am feeling incredibly sore and tight today. When I feel like tight like this I have to take special care to make sure I don't over do it when training, so a solid warm up and stretch is 100% necessary to make sure I don't pull or strain any muscles (which would be devastating). Although I push my body to it limits every day I do play it smart and listen to my body, if something doesn't feel right I will try and diagnose what this issue is and try to adapt so as to resolve the problem.

Today was a bit of a strange session, incorporating the calves that were not in yesterdays programme along with chest! So let's have a look at what my session looked like:

Incline Dumbbell Bench – 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

Decline Dumbbell Flyes – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Leverage Chest Press– 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

SuperSet

Single Leg Calf Press– 6 Sets, 1 x 30,25,20,15,10,5

Peck Deck Flyes – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Calf Press – 6 Sets, 1 x 5,10,15,20,25,30

Cardio- Interval Training 15mins Total

With a nice warm up complete I hopped onto a bench where I preformed a few sets of 15 reps on a very light weight, this was just to loosen the chest muscles in partnership with some active stretching. I also want to make sure the joints were well oiled for the session ahead, as there is once again a huge emphasis on volume with this DTP Extreme training I want to be sure in myself that my joints can keep up with the work load.

With the warm up complete it was time to launch myself into my training I began with the Incline Dumbbell Bench, with this exercise I want my core focus to be keeping tension through the chest throughout the whole set, the way I achieved this was by keeping the elbows nice and soft and not locking out at the top of the movement, when I hit the peak of my contraction I lowered the weight back down in order to flush the muscles with lots and lots of blood, which will help me to increase muscle size.

With the final heavy sets completed on the incline bench I took the bench down to the floor and chose a weight I could perform around 15-20 reps on and prepared myself for the DTP Extreme set of Decline Dumbbell Flyes. When working with such great volume on one exercise its hard to keep focused on the contraction, so here I wanted my goal to keep solid and strict form and try not to pause during the set as much a possible. The fatigue kicked in around the 15 mark and really made it difficult to push through the sets, but with a few small brakes supplementing my rest between sets, it allowed me to finish the exercise strong.

Then came the one and only super set of the session, it was a bit of a strange one as the Leverage Chest Press really hits the chest and triceps well and then the Single Leg Calf Press works purely on the calves. With the big split between upper body and lower body it meant I could afford to go really heavy with both exercises as they were not having any direct impact on each other. I hit a new PB on the leverage press which I was really happy with, starting to feel a bit of tension through the triceps at this point I tried to think about contracting my pectorals as much as possible, being a bigger muscles group it aided me with the heavier weight more than the triceps ever could.

Down to the penultimate exercise, which was performed in the DTP Extreme style of training. The Peck Deck is a old school favourite for most, for me its not a machine I enjoy much as the range in the arms do not suit for people like me who are 6 foot 8 and have over a 2 metre wing span, but none the less I toughened up and pushed forward into the sets. Selecting a weight I would usually do for around 20 reps meant I knew when passing 20 reps I would be well and truly fatigued, this means the muscle breakdown will be greater in the targeted areas and thus meaning I can build more muscle onto that area. With some tension being put through the shoulders during the final sets I wanted to really emphasise the drawing together of my pectoral muscles, this meant I could get the most out of the movement.

On to the final exercise the Calf Press, at this stage the calves had been warmed and primed for this last set of DTP Extreme work for today. When several plates on the leg press machine I extended and locked the legs out and prepared for my working sets. Making sure the heel was dropping past the foot plate with every rep meant I was able to fully elongate the muscle before each contraction, working the whole length of both the soleus and gastrocnemius, for maximal effort under a large work load. The final few sets really did sear through my calves and it felt like they would never stop burning, but after a brisk walk around the gym I managed to shun the pain and enjoy a well deserved rest, as today's session was complete!

Felt very good about the effort I put into my session today, I do feel complete smashed and could do with a lay down, but fortunately work calls and I must stay awake, I know I am going to sleep like a baby tonight!

Hope everyone is having an AWESOME Wednesday I know I am!

Happy Lifting,

Matt

Week 8 Day 1 - Baby Got Back!

18/05/15 Day 50 – Back & Ab

Here I am 8 weeks into this awesome and gruelling 12 week muscle gainer programme, feeling very confident with the massive progress I have in the past 8 weeks I can only imagine what another 4 weeks are going to do for me!

Week 8 marks the 2^nd week of this wicked form of DTP Training, if you haven't check out what DTP is all about check my blogs from last week. So this week will have another huge emphasis on volume, on fatigue and on massive pumps that will swell my muscles and make me grow.

Today we hit back and abs, lets check it out:

Chin Ups – 5 Sets, 1 x 20,15,10,10,5

Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown – 5 Sets, 1 x 5,10,10,15,20

(For each rep performed 1 sec rest is awarded, 5 reps = 5 sec rest)

Leverage Isolated Row – 5 Sets, 1 x 20,15,10,10,5

SuperSet

Laying Cable Crunches – 5 Sets, 1 x 20,15,10,10,5

Seated Cable Row– 5 Sets, 1 x 5,10,10,15,20

(For each rep performed 1 sec rest is awarded, 5 reps = 5 sec rest)

Cable Crunches – 5 Sets, 1 x 5,10,10,15,20

(For each rep performed 1 sec rest is awarded, 5 reps = 5 sec rest)

Bent-Over Wide Grip Barbell Row – 5 Sets, 1 x 20,15,10,10,5

SuperSet

Seated Knee Tucks – 5 Sets x To Failure

Reverse Grip Bent-Over Barbell Row– 5 Sets, 1 x 5,10,10,15,20

(For each rep performed 1 sec rest is awarded, 5 reps = 5 sec rest)

Cardio – Interval Training 15min Total

If you have read any of last weeks sessions you may notice that this session the reps are not quite as high, working between 5 and 20 means that the focus can be more around lifting heavy now, rather than having to factor in large amount of fatigue that would otherwise burn the muscles out.

Beginning the session with Chin Ups was nice, I haven't performed standard chin ups in quite a while and was shocked when I found out I could perform a lot my reps than I have previously done, this I put down to the large amount of lean muscle tissue I have gained throughout this programme. Starting with a big compound movement allows the whole body to start working, gets the bloody pushing around all the muscles and is a fantastic way to start a session. With the volume aspect you may find you can only just get the last few sets out, don't worry you can always hope on an assisted machine or get a spotted to help you. You maybe also find the final 5 reps are too easy, in which case I would suggesting stacking a weight belt and test yourself on how heavy you can go.

Moving on to the first DTP exercise of the day Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown looked to isolate the lat slightly more, although there is a tendency for the biceps to creep into the equation some times. Remember: Try to draw the elbows down, rather than pulling down from the hands, the shorter leaver system works the muscle more effectively and also triggers the contraction better too. The last few sets were a real struggle to perform, not just because the muscles were incredibly pumped, but also due to the forearms being fatigued on the chin ups, this meant gripping the bar was much tougher than usual.

With the first superset of Leverage Isolated Row & Laying Cable Crunches the idea was to fatigue the core muscles needed in the next DTP exercise. So when you are lowering the reps you need to up the weight, this is what will allow your muscles to breakdown more effectively (which strangely is exactly what we want). With the leverage row you isolate more the muscles in the upper back (traps, rhomboids etc) as suppose to the chin ups which are more lat focused.

From there we moved onto the DTP portion of the exercises, where we took those pre fatigued from the last exercise and worked them to the point of failure, the first exercise was the Seated Cable Row. Here you may find some bicep recruitment sneak in, so I always try to draw the elbows back and try to switch the focus into the back muscles. Trying to squeeze the reps at the top of the motion to get a better contraction became relatively hard, quick, so when this happened I made the conscious effort to draw the elbows as far back as possible to make it worth while. With the second exercise:Cable Crunches, the idea is to hold the rope attachment aside of the head, draw the abdominals down and try to focus the elbows towards the knees. That movement alone will make the abs contract, to get an even better contraction I like to hold and squeeze the abs at the bottom of the movement to make it slightly more challenging.

Then came the penultimate exercises: Bent-Over Wide Grip Barbell Row & Seated Knee Tucks. These two exercise allowed work of most muscles in the entire torso, which I really loved, the wide grip rows put more of a focus on the upper back once again. With the barbell being pulled to the chest rather than the naval it means the lower back is having to work increasingly hard to stabilise the movement, so expect to feel a little uncomfortable! The ab work to failure was a real kick in the teeth as will no rest you are moving from once massively draining exercise to another. I did have a tendency to want to give up, it was hard and i'll admit I was struggling slightly, but I made sure I gritted my teeth and just kept forcing the reps out until I had nothing left.

To finish off the session we performed the Reverse Grip Bent-Over Barbell Row, but in the DTP fashion. With this exercise the lower back was taking a bit of strain as it had been worked pretty hard before, but to compensate there was some bicep recruitment to even the playing field, all in all it was a really difficult exercise to finish. A few times I had to strip the bar down to try and get all the reps out, but by the hammer of Thor I did it, and I feel pretty good for it now.

I am looking forward to another week of awesome training, with awesome people! What are you guys and girls training today!?

Happy Lifting,

Matt