M5:D16 (D424) Walking is overrated
 | ||
 Today was the start of a week of Quad focused workouts. As I reviewed the plan weeks ago I never really gave much consideration to how brutal this workout could be. Let me tell you, it killed both Matty and I. To start off, you do a Giant Set of Quad Blaster, Leg Extensions and Squats. After that first Giant Set I was barely able to walk. I literally had to bail out on the squat rack during my squats. It was pretty intense. Matty had the same experience. The Quad Blaster primes your Quads, the Leg Extensions start to fry them and the Squats just punishes them into oblivion. After a 20 second rest you do your second Giant Set that consisted of reverse leg raises, lying leg curls and stiff-legged deadlifts. Mind you, in Giant Sets there is no rest between each of the exercises. I was breathing like a freight train for the rest of the workout after concluding my set of stiff-legged deadlifts. I could feel the quad portion of the workout throughout the rest of the routine. I had to push extra hard to get good lifts. Everything required extra focus. The entire time I could feel my quads twitching and shaking. I could literally feel the blood pumping through my quads throughout my entire workout. The DOMs were setting in quickly. We had literally destroyed our quads during this workout. We both finished our workout with alot of energy and then slowly walked out of the gym. It was a very extreme experience and one that I do not recommend for the weak minded. Yes, this workout took alot of mental fortitude. If you are not ready for pain and suffering at the gym, this workout is not for you. Matty made me very proud. This is a kid who only a few months ago was trying his best to act weak and yet he banged out extra reps on every single set. He looked like he was ready to quit at 8 reps on his lat pullovers and yet he managed to squeeze out 4 more. He even worked his triceps extra hard (a muscle group he always has trouble with). When it was all said and done, as we were leaving the gym, I commented to him that I was having trouble walking. His response was classic. "Dad, walking is overrated...when are we back in the gym doing this workout again?" The boy loved the intensity of this workout just like his father! We are looking forward to our Wednesday workout together. The anticipation is there, now we just have to be able to walk into the gym to complete the workout! | ||
  | ||
 Michael's Workout Log (Date incorrect):  Matty's Workout Log (Date incorrect):  So let me describe the workout to you in as much detail as I can provide. I enter the Quad Blaster and grab the 50 lb. dumbbell and begin the exercise. I go to complete failure at 16 repetitions. I immediately move to the leg extension machine which has been set up previously for me. I manage to bang out 8 repetitions with 210 lbs. The last repetition is an extreme effort and I cannot even lift the leg extension one more time. I immediately move to the squat rack. It is loaded with 225 lbs. for me. I get to 8 repetitions and go down for the 9th repetition. I am completely unable to get back up, so I bail out. My legs are quivering. I can feel the blood pulsing in my legs. It is insane! I rest a very short time and move into the next giant set. I do my reverse leg raises to failure. I then move into the lying leg curl and manage to crank out 13 reps at 140 lbs. I am actually sort of amazed that I was able to reach that many repetitions. I then move over to the stiff-legged deadlifts. I get 11 repetitions with 150 lbs. Again, I am shaking all over after this. My heart is beating as fast as a freight train. I move on to the lateral raises. I focus on strict form, having dropped the weight by 10 lbs. I manage 13 repetitions, with the final repetition being extremely painful. I could feel the burn of the lactic acid as I completed the final repetition. Next up is the overhead press. I am really into this exercise right now because I am interested in increasing my shoulder mass. I manage to push 140 lbs. for 6 repetitions, but the burn is incredible. I use the "Starting Strength" form on this exercise that involves forcing the weight through the body's natural movement pattern. I now move on to the Hammer Pullover machine. I load it up with 155 lbs. and pay extra attention to the form. In particular, I make sure not to arch my back at all. I use my lats to move the weight. My lats are pre-exhausted from every other exercise so I only manage 9 repetitions. I move to the bench press and load it up with 165 lbs. This is close to the maximum I've ever attempted for reps. I manage to get 9 repetitions out, one more than the max of my optimal range of 6 to 8 repetitions. I will definitely add weight next workout. I go on to the biceps curl and reduce the weight to 85 lbs. I manage 8 good and controlled repetitions with this weight. The form is good and that makes me happy. I move over to the cable area and do my overhead triceps extension. I use 130 lbs. and manage 11 repetitions. I finish off with 5 chin ups and 7 dips, both with body weight. As I finish the last dip I realize just how completely drained I am. I also realize that my breathing has been extremely heavy throughout the entire workout. I can barely walk out of the gym at the conclusion of the workout! | ||
 Whatever you do, do it with every ounce of effort you can muster. | ||
 How do you motivate yourself to give as much effort as you can muster? Comment this post to answer the question. | ||
Until tomorrow...GET BACK TO LIFTING! |
Posted by Michael Mahony at 12/22/2008 9:09 PM 
Categories: Weightlifting Logs, Nutrition, Old Missions
Categories: Weightlifting Logs, Nutrition, Old Missions
Mike,
As I finish the last dip I realize just how completely drained I am. I also realize that my breathing has been extremely heavy throughout the entire workout. I can barely walk out of the gym at the conclusion of the workout!
Are you hinting that this High Intensity Training is as much aerobic as it is anaerobic? That flies in the face of "Modern Wisdom" care to elaborate?
Reply to this
Yes, Carlos, there is definitely an aerobic aspect to H.I.T. That's what makes it so incredible. You can burn fat at the same time you build muscle. It is all about the rest periods. Keep the rest periods low and you get major cardio benefits.
Reply to this