If your a Bodybuiler, powerlifter, strongmen or just fitness minded individuals we all share a common goal among the iron, to improve. I geared this workout to the tribute to a great Strongman athlete, Jesse Marunde whom left us 4 years ago. I had the opportunity to meet and watch him preform at the 2007 NPC Empire Classic where I was competing at the time. Its people like Jesse that brought great intensity to the sport You always knew he was pushing it as hard as he could.
Tempo is definitely one of the most overlooked parts of a workout routine. Many people are usually more concerned with how much they are lifting rather than how they are lifting it. When you slow down and focus on your tempo you will not be able to lift as much weight, but the quality of the lift will be much improved. It also increases the TUT (Time under tension) of the working muscle. Tempo is usually shown as counts that you do in your head or with a partner to time. An exercise with the tempo of 2/1/2 is preformed with a count of 2 on the eccentric, or lowering phase. Then a 1 second pause at the bottom of the exercise leading to a count of 2 during the concentric, or raising of the weight. Next time try mixing up your routine with a change in tempo to help progress and push your physique to the next level.
Today was Chest and calves, so I decided to slow things down. Here's how it went.....
Lately I have had quite a few people asking about the origin of the name Trove 26. It actually comes from a combination of things that all bodybuilders have in common, a mass of iron. Trove literally comes from the word mass and the number 26 is the atomic number of iron. It is one thing that will always be a constant to everyone in this sport and a reminder for me to always stick to the basics. There is no magic trick or solution that outweighs the work you put forth.
Today's line up was Back and a GREAT one it was! Hit it up with Tara and here's how it went down.....
*Warm ups excluded
Hammer Strength Lat pulldown- 3x8 (170lbs per side)
Reverse grip BB rows- 1x10@315 / 2x8@315
Natalus compound row- 4x8
Narrow grip stiff arm pulldowns- 3x10
Variation can be used in many different forms and incorporated into your current training program It can help with consistent improvements over time and also minimizes plateaus and prevents boredom or staleness. In addition, you can avoid overtraining by varying your program. It also gives you breaks from the stress of high intensity, high volume training. You can implement variation in many ways such as the number of reps, sets, exercises, order, rest periods, weights, rep speed and even the type of grip you use.
Today I decided to do SLDL as a variation for deadlifts. I am currently going to switch from week to week with Sumo's to help with my progression. Here's how today went.....
The single most effective strategy for dealing with a physical and mental challenge is preparation. Not only will preparation ensure that are ready for the physical demands, but just as importantly it will help you with motivation, confidence and focus to achieve your goals at hand. If you can not picture yourself lifting it, you already failed an attempt at the lift. My main concern when in the weight room is to focus on each set as it is the only one being preformed that day. Mentally preform the lift then physically. This behavior coupled with a structured program and an intense training philosophy will help you strive for improvement each and every day.
Today Tara and I hit up Golds Gym and a crowded one it was! Really kept shorter rest periods and a slower rep speed on all sets. Here's how it went.....
Leg placement can make a huge difference in the gym and on the stage
Legs are the one body part that can separate you from other competitors. They are probably the most under trained muscle group in the gym. One reason why is because they take a totally different mentality to train. No one ever asks "let me see your quads" or "how much do you squat" when your walking around. So one thing I try to do to keep things interesting when training legs is vary my foot and leg placement. I do this through different exercise variation, such as wide stance and narrow stance squats. Doing so can place more of an emphasis between your quads, hamstrings and glutes aswel as help push your physique to the next level.
Today, Tara and I took up the squat racks. We kept a fast pace with a focus on depth and rep speed. Overall really happy with how this one rolled and here's how it went....
*Warm-ups excluded
Front Squats- 2x8@315 / 1x8@315*1x35@135
V-Squat- 3x8 / 1x10
DB Walking lunges- 3x8 (Per leg)
Leg extensions- 4x8
