Be a Mechanic, Work on Your Wheels

After deciding to go back to one leg day a week until after the winter, I realized that my leg day needed to be all encompassing and brutal to keep seeing results. I still do quad and ham "touch ups" on other days and run hill sprints at least once a week but I only have on full leg blast planned per week.

I watched several Kai Greene videos leading up to Olympia and I found that his instruction and technique is by far one of the best out. His workouts are precise, methodical and will change your mind about what a leg workout really is. That being said, I took my "Kai Lessons" and, combined with my own knowledge, built this killer I did with my little bro last week.

Leg Extensions: 20, 20, 20, 15, 12, 10 (first 3 are a warm-up)
Lying Leg Curls: Same as above.
Jefferson Squats: 3 x 12-15
Front Squats: 3 x 12-15
Squats: 15, 15, 12, 12, 10, 10
Leg Press: 20, 20, One set until failure (Minimum of 25)
Seated Calf Raise: 4 x 25
Standing Calf Raise: 4 x 25
Walking Lunges: 4 x 10 ea leg
Stiff Legged Deadlifts: 4 x 12-15
Iso Leg Extension: 16, 12, 10, 8 ea leg
Standing Leg Curl: 16, 12, 10, 8 ea leg
Giant Set x 4
     Abductor: 25
     Adductor: 25
     Glute Kickbacks: 8-10 ea leg

Now, for some they may think this is overkill but for those who go hard and only have one day to really punish the wheels this will be right up your alley.

The first exercises should get your major muscle groups activated. By moving from those into Jeffersons and then Front Squats it gives you a chance to really work on your form and practice keeping your back upright before the mother of all exercises, Squats.

The calf raises almost serve as a small break before you go back into a few more compound movements and finish off with some isolations.

I spent a lot of time working on my brothers form and took my own weights down to really focus on remaining as upright as possible on my squat movements.

By the time I was done I was smoked but I had a sense of satisfaction. I found my groove and a workout for the ages. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

WARNING NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

I am going to start off by telling you THIS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. This is only for those who want who will commit the time, dedicate to the nutrition, get the proper rest, and WANT TO GROW. That being said, here is my current training split. 

MONDAY: Abs, Upper Chest, Back (Rows only), Rear Delt, Side Delt, and Bicep Touch-ups

TUESDAY: Calves, Quads, Hamstring Touch-ups

WEDNESDAY: Abs, Tris, Bis, Shoulders

THURSDAY: Calves, Back (Pulls only), Chest (Flat movements and lower chest), Rear Delt, Side Delt, and Tricep Touch-ups

FRIDAY: Abs, Hams, Quad Touch-ups

SATURDAY: Calves, Shoulders, Bis, Tris

Seem like a lot? It is, and I love it. I do make changes as necessary and when time permits. Here are a few alterations I have made:

1) Do Upper Chest and Side Delt Touch-ups on Sunday afternoon and do the rest Monday.

2) Same as above but split it into an AM and PM workout on Monday. 

3) Do an AM and a PM workout on Tuesday and hit Shoulders and Touch-ups in the evening. 

4) Same as above but in the evening hit Shoulders and Touch-Ups.

5) Do an AM and PM workout on Thursday with Calves, Back and Rear Delt Touch-ups in the morning and the rest in the evening. 

I actually do the two-a-day plan most Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. When doing the two-a-day portion of the plan, especially if you are trying to gain muscle, make sure that you do a post workout shake immediately following the workout and a large meal 30-45 minutes after that. 

I know someone right now is saying "I don't have time to work out twice a day." I would challenge that. You can go before work, during lunch, or late at night. I often lift during what would normally be lunch time for most people and then around 10 pm. I get done around 1130, drink a shake, eat midnight and go to bed by 1230. I won't say all, but a lot of you are up this, late. Why not be productive? 

If you only have time for one workout session per day just make sure you have plenty of food in you before your training session to avoid tiring. Sipping a pre-workout product through the training session can also help. I often plan to drink half of my pre-wprkout shake before my workout and sip the second half through the first half of my workout. 

Give it a try for four weeks with a solid nutrition plan and 7-8 hours of sleep and just watch what happens! If enough people ask for a specific exercise split maybe we will post one ;)

DO YOU

-SideMeat

42 and Out! A Back Blast from "The Giant Killer"

Need to get your back right? Here is a quick blog post from Shaun "The Giant Killer" Clarida about a not so quick back session with his buddy Hulk: 

Today, I had the pleasure of training with Philly Native Hulk Bailey, a bodybuilding competitor looking to get his pro card. His friend Wade reached out to me explaining that Hulk was a fan of my physique and was hoping to come down to train with me and I of course said yes!

We went back and fourth with possible dates and we finally set a date, place and time…we were ready to rock!

Wade and Hulk came down to my gym where I train (and work) and had a kick-ass back workout. I had explained that I’m a huge volume guy, especially when it comes to back and I had once did a 40+ set workout and Hulk said he’d be down for something like that and we both felt good so we agreed that today would be a 40+ day.

We hit our back from every possible angle, various pulls, various pull-downs, different row movements…we did everything possible to light our back up! About 2.5 hours later, we reached the end and hit a grand total of 42 sets. My back was feeling nice and tight, just as I hoped. Upon finishing up, we headed across the street to the diner, where we refueled on some good eats.

GK

Wondering what the workout was? Well Shaun was "kind" enough to share this punishment with his boys over at SideMeat! Give it a try and get that back nice and wide. 

Pull ups- 4 sets

Reverse Pulldowns- 6 sets (last 3 drop sets)

Dumbbell Incline Rows- 4 sets

Seated Cable Rows- 4 sets

V-Bar Pulldowns- 4 sets

Dumbbell Deads- 4 sets

Mid-Back Pulls- 4 sets

Free motion Cable Lat Pulls- 4 sets

Weighted Hyper Extensions- 4 sets

Rope Pulls- 4 sets

Let us know what you think and make sure you check out Shaun's blog: http://www.shaunclarida.blog.com

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Chest Round 2!

Just for fun, here is another Chest routine.

Today was my normal Chest day so I hit it even though it was still a little sore from Friday. I know everyone won't have time for 1000 reps but this should give you a good, well-rounded routine:

Dumbbell Flyes: 2 x 25, 1 x15 (warm-up)
Incline Bench: 12, 10, 10, 8
Dumbbell Flat Bench: 12, 10, 10, 8
Decline Hammer: 3 x 12-15
Cable Crossovers: 3 x 15-20
Flat Bench: 10 x 10 (THIS IS NOT A TYPO)

Other than the Flat Bench, increase weight on every exercise. On the Incline Bench and Dumbbell Flat Bench make sure you take a decent rest between sets and push that weight! On everything else try to keep the pace!

Please excuse my face in the photo. I was hurting but two sayings come to mind: "No pain no gain!" and "Be sore or be sorry!"

Any questions? Just ask!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

SideMeat went for a 1000 reps

By Friday of last week I had hit everybody part pretty hard and I had an itch to do something a little different. At first I was going to do 300 reps for chest, 300 for back and my touch-ups. About halfway through my first chest exercise I decided to go for 1000 reps. I quickly put together a plan and went for it. Man can you say a pump!

Here are 10 "rules" to get that chest ready to explode:

1. Choose 10 exercises for 10 sets of 10

2. Try to finish in 1 hour and 40 minutes. That is an average of 10 reps per minute. Now, I did not time each set or each exercise. Typically, I spent more time on my power movements such as Barbell Presses as I wanted to keep the amount of weight I used up. On exercises like Cable Flyes and Crossovers I cut my rest down significantly. 

3. Find a way to count. Maybe 10 pennies in a pocket that you move over. This especially helps if you are by yourself as you may loose count, especially when the pain starts! I had some coins in my bag I used and it worked great. 

4. Be flexible. If someone is on the equipment you want to use keep it moving! Your pace may be a little high to try to work in.

5. This is for two people or less. A third person would extend your wait between sets too much. 

6. If you are having trouble selecting exercises design two full five exercise chest workouts and use those exercises. 

7. Go as heavy as you can every set. If you need to decrease weight after a set feel free.

8. Check your time every 250 reps or so to ensure you are on pace. 

9. If you use pre-workout it may be good to sip it through out the workout. I think mine helped keep my rolling, especially the last 300 reps or so. 

10. GET YOUR MIND RIGHT BEFORE YOU START. If you are pushing yourself, at some point you will most likely think about stopping. 

With that being said, here is what I did:

Warm-up

1. Incline Bench

2. Dumbbell Flye

3. Hammer Decline

4. Cable Crossovers 

5. Dumbbell 30 degree Incline

6. Flat Bench

7. Hammer Incline

8. Incline Dumbbell Flye

9. Dumbbell Flat Bench

10. Upper Pec Cable Crossovers (from the bottom)

That was it. Plain and simple. You don't have to use the same exercises I used. Pick your favorites and, like I mentioned before, stay flexible. You may have to switch pieces of equipment to keep moving! When I do it again I will more than likely do different exercises. I will definitely add some Pullovers to get a good chest stretch in the middle. 

I think my chest grew on that day! I know not possible but may was I hurting! I plan on doing this again in the future, maybe once a month for a while. To close, all I can say is this: It's Tuesday and my chest still hurts. 

Give it a try and let us know what you think! 

DO YOU

-SideMeat

A SideMeat Shoulder Blast

It has been a while since we put up a workout so here is a killer and we will focus on that three-headed monster, the shoulder.

While the shoulder does consist of more than just the three major heads of the deltoid (anterior, middle, and posterior) and the traps, if you directly work all of these areas you should also be able to exercise the minor muscles associated with it. So, let's get to work. Here is the workout.

Lying Side Lateral Raises - 4 x 8 - 12 (no breaks)
Superset:
     Barbell Shoulder Press: 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)
     Dumbbell Shoulder Press (palms facing in): 4 x 8 - 12
Superset:
     Wide Grip Up-Right Rows: 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)
     Dumbbell Lateral Raises:  4 x 8 - 12
Superset:
     Underhanded Cable Front Raises (straight or cambered bar): 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)
     Dumbbell Front Raises:  4 x 8 - 12
Superset:
     Dumbbell Bent-over Lateral Raises: 16, 12, 10, 8 (increase weight)

     Dumbbell Shrugs: 4 x 15 - 20

Now, as you can see, this workout is a burner! It is very high volume for a body part you use a lot! Think about it, when you work Chest you hit your front delt and when you work back you hit your rear delt. That being said, and, due to its complexity, with the shoulder being highly prone to injury, make sure they are getting enough rest and recovery. I have trained with guys who barely work their shoulders and it works great for them. I have also worked with guys who blast them every chance they get! Make sure you learn your body and listen to what it to tells you. This may be something you work into your routine every other or even every third week. 

That also brings up another important point. You have to make sure that your delts (shoulders) keep up with the rest of your body strength wise. If you do not, there is a good chance you will injure yourself when doing heavy chest or back work! Think about come injuries, especially in weightlifters and  bodybuilders. You rarely hear about torn pecs but I bet you know quite a few guys who have rotator cuff and other shoulder injuries. Preventive lifting to strengthening the smaller muscles and rotator cuff area is another story but is very important as well. If you build quality shoulders with good from an technique from the start hopefully you will be able to avoid these injuries. 

This workout can work very well for ladies who are trying to improve their shoulders as well. Just keep the weights light and form strict. With all the different movements here you will hit every potion of the shoulder. It also can serve as a great fat burner if you keep your tempo up! What could be better than melting of that fat and getting some quality lean muscle at the same time?

That's it for now. Look for more from your boys soon and let us know if we can help!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

Supplement Review: Vitamin C

Supplement Review: Vitamin C

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient found in some foods. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are compounds formed when our bodies convert the food we eat into energy. People are also exposed to free radicals in the environment from cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ultraviolet light from the sun.

The body also needs vitamin C to make collagen, a protein required to help wounds heal. In addition, vitamin C improves the absorption of iron from plant-based foods and helps the immune system work properly to protect the body from disease.(1)

Benefits of Vitamin C for Athletes:

- protects the body from damage by free radicals, especially during intense physical exercise.

- plays a role in injury prevention as well as recovery because it is required for the synthesis of collagen, which is a extremely important structural component of tendons & ligaments.

- important for energy production as it is required for the synthesis of carnitine, (amino acid) which is essential for the transport of fatty acids to the cells for conversion to energy

- boost mental focus and training intensity as well as a role in suppressing the body's production of the catabolic cortisol.

- studies have shown that a high dose of vitamin C before and after intense exercise could reduce oxidative stress and muscle soreness.

- Dosage of Vitamin C: 2000-3000mg per day spaced evenly throughout the day, can be taken with or without food

So, get some vitamin C in your life this winter to keep you healthy and training! The best sources are fruits and vegetables, specifically citrus fruits. If nothing else you can always pick up a vitamin C supplement if you feel you are not getting enough!

DO YOU

-SideMeat

1) http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-QuickFacts/#h1