Warlord's Workout Tips

When you first started training, what exercise did you equate with power? We’ll bet it was the bench press. Indeed, when people ask, “How much can you lift?” most are not talking about squats or deadlifts.

Although bodybuilders tend to neglect the flatbench press — opting instead for the incline bench press to bring up lagging upper pecs and to reduce wear and tear on shoulders — research shows that the flat-bench press activates more pec muscle fibers than the incline bench. Studies also reveal that the barbell bench press activates more pec muscle fibers than the dumbbell press. If you’ve been nixing the bench press on chest day, now is the time to get back into it.

Think strength and muscle mass don’t go hand in hand? Ask Jay Cutler and Branch Warren, two of the world’s biggest bodybuilders, who just happen to be some of the world’s strongest bodybuilders. Or ask Ryan Kennelly and Paul “Tiny” Meeker, two of the best powerlifters in the business. They will tell you that you can do reps all day, but the only way you’re going to put on size is to lift heavy. That’s exactly what you’ll be doing with the FLEX Approach the Bench program. By the end of this eight-week cycle, you’ll be packing pounds on both the bar and your chest.

POWER TO YOUR PECS To get a big bench press you have to train like a powerlifter, or like a bodybuilder who trains like a powerlifter. Your goal here is to get both bigger and stronger. The only way to get a muscle to grow is through the principle known as progressive overload. Basically, you must either lift increasingly heavier weight for a given rep range or get more reps with a given weight. By boosting your one-rep max for the bench, you’ll be doing both, which will ultimately result in increased muscle mass.

First, you need to learn the lingo of percentages. Bodybuilders talk about reps, but powerlifters talk about percentages. That is, they hoist percentages of their max lift for most exercises, such as the bench press. In the Approach the Bench program, you’ll see percentages such as 50% 1RM (50% of a one-rep max for the bench press). To determine these percentages, you must first figure out your 1RM. Your bench press training poundage will rely on this weight. (See the Max Out section for steps to determine your true or estimated 1RM.)

Over the eight weeks, the percentage with which you will train will increase from 85% of your 1RM to 95%, and in the final week you’ll test your new and much heavier 1RM. This is how powerlifters peak for competition. Many think that the best way to increase strength is simply to lift as much weight as possible. They’re wrong — and, ultimately, they don’t progress as they should. You have to start with lighter weight, gradually increasing it and reducing the reps over several weeks or months. Powerlifters rarely max out — usually only during competition or to determine their training percentages. That is exactly what you’re going to be doing.

By the end of the eight-week program, your chest should be bigger and stronger than before. So step up. It’s time to approach the bench.

SPLIT IT During this program, you will emphasize the bench press (and chest training) by hitting your pecs twice per week. One workout will be a heavy bench press workout and the other will be a lighter chest workout that includes bench presses, as well as some dumbbell exercises. During the workouts, you’ll hit your chest from different angles by alternating between incline and decline presses every other week. We repeat: alternate between incline and decline presses every other week throughout the program; this will help to ensure that you gain both strength and mass over the next eight weeks.

To save your energy for the days you’ll be training chest, cut back on some of the training you do for other muscle groups. That said, stick to 12-16 total sets for larger muscle groups, such as back and legs, and to eight to 10 sets for smaller ones, with reps in the six-to- 10 range.

Chest should be the only muscle group you train twice a week during this program. To do this requires a unique split, as shown in the “Training Split” chart.

MAX OUT

Your one-rep max for the bench press (or any other exercise) is the greatest amount of weight you can lift for one rep and only one rep. Testing for your 1RM requires intense concentration and all-out effort, so we suggest that you max out after two consecutive nontraining days. Follow these steps for the best possible max bench-press effort.

#1 Use a reliable spotter. He should be strong enough to lift the weight off your chest if you fail, and he must know when (and when not) to help you lift up the weight.

#2 Estimate a first max attempt weight. To do this, consider the amount of weight you can normally bench press at which you fail on the 10th rep. Check out the 1RM conversion table to figure out how much weight you should use on your first max attempt. For example, if you can bench press 185 pounds for 10 reps, a good first max attempt for you would be 250 pounds. If you can bench more than 275 pounds for 10 reps, get out a calculator and multiply the weight you can lift for 10 reps by 1.33 and round up. For example, if you can bench press 315 pounds for 10 reps, your first attempt should be 420 pounds (315 x 1.33 = 418.95).

#3 Warm up. Do this by following the percentage of your first max attempt as outlined for the heavy day on the program chart. First, do 50% of this weight for 10 reps, then 60% for six reps and 70% for four reps.

#4 Attempt your estimated 1RM.

#5 Consider how you did on your first attempt. If you failed, then you obviously need to try again with a lighter weight. Decrease the weight by five or 10 pounds and try again after three or more minutes of rest. If you succeeded, consider whether or not you could have lifted a little more. If so, add 10 or 20 pounds and try again after resting three or more minutes. Stop only when you know the weight you lifted for one rep is your absolute best 1RM.

Huda is gonna have to disagree there...Flat Bench i felt was a waste of time....It's more of an ego lift. Much more progress with incline DB bench press and weighted dips (45 hanging from dip belt). Although Im still undecided on flies....seem like a shoulder killer and nothing more.

Squats and Deadlifts....damn, once you add those in your regime, instant growth, i neglected them for a long ass time

"Huda is gonna have to disagree there"

this guy speaks in the third person..........THIS GUYS GOOD

Flies seem to work well for me. I have an adjustable bench but when its on an incline the bar is behind my head and it is to close.

When you ask a bodybuilder what he’s training today, you expect the answer to come from a handful of choices. Legs. Back. Chest. Delts. Or from the truly over-the-top among us, you could hear, “Dude, it’s forearm day!”

That’s just the way we train — busting up our bodies by bodypart, then focusing on each of those particular parts with pinpoint precision, one at a time. It’s the way our bodybuilding forebears did it, it’s the way our kids will do it — it’s simply the best way to get bigger and stronger. Or is it?

Science, surprisingly, reveals that you may be cheating yourself out of some strength — and size — by following this longstanding principle. Specifically, research shows that when you perform one set of a pulling exercise (such as barbell rows) before a set of a pushing exercise (such as bench presses), you can expect to be stronger and more powerful for the pushing exercise, and vice versa. The studies don’t show — but it’s also true — that by training this way, you can hit two bodyparts more quickly and efficiently than by doing them in separate sessions.

Intrigued? We were, too, so we investigated further. The result is the accompanying FLEX Push/Pull Training Program, which you can use to put this groundbreaking science to work for you.

STRONG ADVANTAGES Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Very similarly in the body, every motion has an opposite. For example, flexing the arm (primarily performed by the biceps) is the opposite motion of extending the arm (primarily performed by the triceps).

In the case of flexing the arm at the elbow joint, as in a biceps curl, the biceps is considered the agonist muscle — it’s the one doing the work. The triceps is considered the antagonist muscle to the biceps because the triceps actually resists the flexing of the arm and works to perform the exact opposite motion (extension of the arm at the elbow joint, as in a cable pushdown).

Almost every muscle in the body has an antagonist muscle or muscles associated with it, and almost every movement the human body can do has an opposite movement associated with it.

Many bodybuilders, including Arnold Schwarzenegger back in his bodybuilding heyday, believe that training agonist and antagonist muscles together is a smart way to increase strength and size. The major benefits of training agonist and antagonist muscle groups backto- back are added strength and power for the second exercise. As we’ve mentioned, research shows that when an agonist exercise follows an antagonist exercise, muscle strength and power are greater than if that second exercise is performed after just resting.

A muscle’s ability to produce full motor-unit activation is enhanced when that action is preceded immediately by a contraction of the muscle’s antagonist. The antagonist exercise seems to prime the nerves that force the agonist muscle to contract — priming them causes a stronger, more powerful contraction. This can help a trainer put on mass, as it enables the use of heavier weights, which will help to overload muscle fibers and force them to adapt by growing.

In addition, there is greater inhibition of the antagonist muscle, since it’s fatigued. As we said, the antagonist resists the movement of the agonist muscle; by performing the antagonist exercise first, there will be less resistance from the antagonist muscle during the agonist exercise.

One more benefit to using the FLEX Push/Pull Training Program is shorter gym time. You can train two paired muscle groups much more quickly than the traditional one-bodypart- at-a-time method, as you’ll see when you try it for yourself. Less time in the gym means more time to spend recovering and growing, not to mention showing off all the new mass you’ll have gained. That’s a win-win situation we all can appreciate.

PUSHING YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION The split we provide divides training for all bodyparts into two days — each workout is performed twice per week. Mondays and Thursdays are devoted to training chest, back, shoulders and abs; Tuesdays and Fridays are for quads, hamstrings, abs, calves, biceps, triceps and forearms. The second time you train a particular muscle group, you will flip the order of the exercises. For example, on Tuesdays, you do biceps exercises before triceps exercises, but on Fridays, you do triceps exercises before biceps exercises.

The exercise pairing is the most critical aspect of the FLEX Push/Pull Training Program — it’s not as simple as doing just any biceps exercise and following it with just any triceps exercise. You want to perform exercises that not only use opposite muscle groups, but best mimic the angles of the body during each exercise.

For example, when leg extensions are the agonist exercise, lying leg curls are a good antagonist exercise (since the hamstrings are antagonists to the quadriceps). It’s not the best pairing, though, because leg extensions are performed while seated, and lying leg curls are performed while curls are a good substitute. Although you can’t always find the exact opposite movement for every exercise, the goal is to find the exercise you can do in your gym that best replicates the agonist exercise, but in the opposite direction.

Another dilemma is that not every muscle has just one antagonist; it depends on the exercise. Consider pecs, for example. Lats are the antagonists to pecs in bench presses (bent barbell rows are the opposite movement of bench presses, and vice versa). However, rear delts and middle traps are the antagonist muscles in dumbbell flyes because bent lateral raises are the opposite movement of dumbbell flyes, and vice versa.

Take lats as another example.


The pecs are the antagonist muscles in bent barbell rows because bench presses are the opposite movement of bent barbell rows. Yet, in lat pulldowns, the deltoids are the antagonists to the lats because shoulder presses are the opposite movement of lat pulldowns, and vice versa.

The message we’re imparting is: try to stick with the exercise pairs we have put together in the program for best results. Yes, we are trying to be antagonistic, but in this case, that’s a good thing.

To long to read so im going to grab some oreos and play COD 4. Im sure its in there somewhere as a good workout. Ive unlocked the challenge where I have run 26 miles that got to be healthy.

STEELCITY637 wrote:To long to read so im going to grab some oreos and play COD 4. Im sure its in there somewhere as a good workout. Ive unlocked the challenge where I have run 26 miles that got to be healthy.

most over used phrase but "THIS GUYS GOOD"

My Workout consist of lifting a 30pk of PBR from the cooler in the store to my car, from my car to the fridge. Thats the power lifting......then to tone up we proceed to do a series of 12oz - 9oz - 5oz - 1oz curls and repeat till you run out of cans, i mean weights.............not sure it works for most but its managed to keep me slim and trim jajajaj

Seriously thou, It is alot to read but contains lots of info. Will deffinitly give it a read and perhaps try to put bits and pieces togather to start up on some sort of plan.

Where's Roger Clemens' work out tips? That's guys in great shape for over being over 40. I wonder what his secret is. Can somebody get us his work out regimen up here?

What Roger Clemens Workout Routine Has Done For Him
Roger Clemens has racked up an impressive career – whether you consider the awards, the wins or the length. His powerful pitches, impressive lasting power and sheer size have caused some conjecture about steroid use. Most, however, are satisfied with his explanation – the Roger Clemens workout routine. It is a routine that few, if any, younger major league players can keep up with.

Working Out with Roger
Early in his career, Roger Clemens kept his legs in shape with long-distance running. Often he would run four to five miles a day. He might even put in a three mile jog on the day he would pitch. The Roger Clemens workout routine now concentrates on intense aerobic exercise. He also combines power weight lifting for the lower body with light weight work for his rotator cuff and agility drills.

The basis of the Roger Clemens workout routine is a routine of four workouts. There are two days of the lower-body weight lifting, a day for upper body work and four sessions of cardio. All workouts include abdominal drills that equal 750 sit ups. The day after he pitches a game, he performs the toughest workout and they decrease until the day before he pitches again. Besides the workouts designed to increase strength and agility, Clemens throws twice between pitching starts instead of the once that is normal for major league pitchers.

Included in the Roger Clemens workout routine is the normal throwing session two days after a pitching start which consists of 35 to 40 pitches at velocities of up to 80%. Additionally, though Clemens will have a short session the next day, too in which he will throw from a distance of 55 feet instead of the full 60 feet, six inches. This helps develops the ability to throw low, which is more difficult from the shorter distance.

The intensity of the Roger Clemens workout routine gets Clemens respected by the younger players who can’t keep up the old man. The results are beyond question. With seven Cy Young Awards, an MVP, two pitching triple crowns, and six times in the World Series - including two wins under his belt he is formidable. In addition, he was number 15 on the Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 2005 and won the Sporting News Pitcher of the Year award five times. While Roger Clemens may have achieved the success of his youth because of talent, it’s a good bet that his longevity is due to the Roger Clemens workout routine.

I played 3 games of Wii boxing lastnight and my arms were tired as all hell

Ha Ha Ha

Training requires a lot of hard work, a strong mind, and discipline. In training for the snatch and the clean and jerk, lifters practice other exercises to assist particular parts of these lifts.

The snatch has three constituent parts:

the pull,
the quick drop, and
the squat
The clean and jerk is a combination of two lifts: each having component parts:

The clean has:

the pull,
the drop, and
the squat
and the jerk is made up of:

the dip,
the drive, and
the split
In addition to practicing the individual parts of these lifts, weightlifters may practice the following training lifts.


[edit] Snatch (weightlifting) assistant exercises
First Pull (assisted by high pull)
Second Pull (assisted by high pull)
The Shrug
The Jump and Quick Drop
The Overhead Squat

[edit] Clean and Jerk assistant exercises
(Clean)

High Pulls
Hang Jump Shrug
Pull Under and Jump
Front Squat
Jump Dips
Split Jerks
Romanian Dead Lift aka. RDLs