The holidays are over and training hard is back in full swing. Today I hit a pretty good chest workout: ( real quick, I really like push/pull workouts so I will usually couple my chest days with a pulling movement, so today I did a lot of supersets with strict palm facing away, pull ups)

Warm up your bench press and find a weight at, or close to a 10 rep max, (that was 225lbs for me).

Complete 10 reps at that weight

Rest 2 minutes and drop the weight by 8%-10%
Complete 10 reps at that weight ( I did 205lbs)

Rest 2 minutes and drop it again by about the same percentage
Complete 10 more reps ( I did 185lbs)

Rest 2 minutes

Then complete 1 max effort set at a light weight, and do as many reps as possible. ( I did 135lbs, and got 16 reps)

Rest 2 minutes

3 sets of chest fly’s (reps- 15-12-10)
Superset the fly’s with pull ups (reps- 12-10-8)

Rest 2 minutes

Incline bench press 3 sets of 8 reps with a 1 second pause at the bottom ( I did this at 135lbs)
Superset these with 6 pull ups between each set

Rest 2 minutes

3 sets of 10 dips
And I also superset these with 6 pull ups

I completed this in about 40 minutes, it is a great workout and does not eat up too much of your day.

If you have decided to keep training though the holiday’s and need a good gym workout you can sneak in give this one a try:

10 Minutes of Cardio

Rest 2 minutes10 Bench Press

5 Rounds:

10 Bench Press

:30 second Plank

40 Step back lunges

Rest 2 minutes

5 Rounds:

12 shoulder press

15 sit ups

20 air squats

 Rest 2 minutes

5 Rounds:

10 Dumbbell curls

5 Pull ups

10 Dips

Here is a little dose of some motivation after Monday.

I was just reading an article about how some people that lack the motivation to stick with a workout routine for an extended period of time. I seem to cringe when I hear the word motivation, because to me exercise is not about motivation. Do you get motivated to brush your teeth, or take a shower, I know I sure don’t. You have to change your perception of what working out is. I say it all the time that, “ it is just like brushing my teeth.” I am sure I heard that somewhere and it is not a original thought but it is also the best explanation I have. I brush my teeth to ward off things that could happen to my teeth in the future and exercise is no different. I work out to ward off all the possible health problems I could have in the future (and because I am a little vain, admittedly). I rarely have the motivation to work out in the traditional sense, I know once I get moving, or once it is over I will have a better outlook on the day and that I am doing something to help myself in the future.

I think everybody needs to quit using that stupid word “motivation” because most of us are rarely motivated, but its discipline that helps us change our clothes and start moving. Plan your workouts out, whether that’s for the week, the month, or just a day at a time and get going, having a plan and writing it down will definitely help. Make sure you know when you are going to workout during the day and don’t let yourself talk you out of it, and at some point it won’t be a chore but a necessity instead.

Don’t be afraid to take time off from the gym. This year I will be taking some time off between the holidays. Some people say that discipline and dedication don’t have breaks, and I say that’s bullshit. I love to train, but finding extra time to spend with family, let the body rest, and have fun doing other things is important, you can still practice discipline in other areas of your life. Have fun and be safe

Here is another 30-40 minute workout you can do if you want to get a great workout. Great gains and don’t have all day to spend I the gym.

20 minutes of hard cardio, personally I like to get my heart rate to between 150-160, and keep it there for the entirety of the 20 minutes of cardio. Today I did the stair climber for my cardio piece. 

Right in to:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Reps of:

Strict Overhead Press ( I used 95lbs)

Strict Toes to Bar

Hack Squat or Front Squat ( I am dealing with a bit of a back issue so unable to front squat right at the moment, but the hack squat is a great alternative.

Quick, full body workout today. If you are like me and are pressed for time some days you can still get a great workout. Personally I really like 10 rounds of 2 to 3 exercises. Today, I did 2 burners back to back and accomplished it in about 35 minutes, here it is:

10 Sets
5 Incline Bench Press
6 Strict pull ups
21 Lunges

2 minute rest

10 Rounds, every minute on the minute
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 air squats

Here is a great arm workout I do versions of at home. All you need is a light pair of dumbbells and about 30 minutes. I either use 15lbs dumbbells or 20’s, this just depends on how much I have done and how I feel.

4 Rounds:
10 Chair Dips
10 Dumbbell Curls


4 Rounds:
20 sit ups
15 push ups
When finished do 40 more pushups as fast as possible.

4 Rounds:
20 Double Dumbbell Curls
20 Alternating Dumbbell Curls
:30 second 90 degree Dumbbell hold
20 Dumbbell Tricep extensions
20 Dumbbell shoulder press
20 push ups