Week 6; My Workout Routine

My stats for this week are:

Weight: 154 lbs.
Waist: 31.3"
I'm skipping photos this week for three reasons:

1. There's very little noticeable difference from week to week so far
2. The last photos I posted are from just 4 days ago, and
3. Quite frankly, I'm tired of looking at my nearly naked body (and I'm guessing you are, too)

I'll post them more frequently starting late January, since my refined diet will be in place.

What I will do, however, is talk a little about my current workout routine, since a few people have asked about it.

I'll start with the usual spiel regarding us all being an experiment of one, everyone's body reacts differently to a given stimulus, yadda, yadda (it's true, though). I'll also mention that I rarely stay on a particular routine for an extended period because the body only changes if it sees a reason to (plus, I get bored). For a short period of time, a given stimulus will cause the muscles to rebuild a little larger and stronger so they can cope with an unexpected stressor. But if that same activity (same reps, same weight, same rest period) is continued for a prolonged period, the muscles will stop adapting, since nothing is changing. It doesn't take a complete restructuring of a routine to continue the growth/strength gains. It can be as simple as slightly increasing the weight, reducing rest periods, changing the rep schemes, doing the exercises in a different order, etc.

With all that said, here's my current routine. I won't list the amount of weight I use, because that's very individualized.

MON (Pulling muscles: 90 sec rest between sets)
5 min. warmup on Schwinn Airdyne
Pullups - 3 sets
BB deadlifts - 2 warmup sets, 2 heavy work sets (5-6 reps each)
DB bent rows - 2 sets of 8-10 reps per arm
DB/BB curls - 2 sets of 8-10 reps
Weighted situps (holding plate to chest) - 3 sets (I alternate these with the next exercise)
Hanging leg raises - 3 sets

TUES

20 minute spin on the Airdyne
1 set each of pushups, pullups, situps, hanging dips

WED (Pushing muscles: 90 sec rest between sets)
5 min. warmup on Schwinn Airdyne
BB bench press - 1 warmup set, 3 works sets (6-10 reps each)
BB (or DB) military press - 2 sets (8-10 reps ea)
DB overhead extensions OR hanging dips - 2-3 sets
DB squats (holding dumbbells at sides) - 2 sets (10-15 reps)
DB fly/press (inclined on bench) - 2 sets (8 reps of each movement)

THURS

same as Tues

FRI

"Beach work"
(meaning the "showy" muscles; arms, shoulders)
I might do a few sets of curls, triceps exercises, lateral raises for shoulders, etc. Basically, I'm giving the major muscle groups a rest from the big lifts, like bench presses and deadlifts (I LOVE deadlifts, but they're very hard on the body if done with heavy weights and potentially dangerous, as witnessed by my separated shoulder back in '04)

SAT

"4 Minute Drill"
I'll do as many pushups, pullups, situps and hanging dips in 4 minutes (doing each exercise for 4 minutes, resting several minutes, then doing the next, etc.) These can get pretty intense. It's fun to see what approach gets me the most reps (i.e. low reps, short rest, medium rest, medium rest, etc).

SUN

rest

I just started splitting my workouts like this. Previously, I was doing my entire body in one workout, but as I increased the weight and sets, it was just too much (i.e. I almost passed out a couple of weeks ago).

I'll make a few changes to this routine over the course of the next few weeks. I'll be reducing the rest periods between sets to 60 seconds for a few weeks, then 45 seconds, then 30 seconds the last couple of weeks in February. Consequently, the weights will have to decrease a little. I'll be operating on a slight calorie deficit, so my strength will decline a bit (plus, I'll give my muscles less time to recover). I'm hoping the increased intensity will result in more fat burning and limited muscle loss.

I'll also gradually increase my cardio. If my heel obeys, I'll add in some walking a few days per week, and I'll change one of my easy Airdyne spins per week to an interval session.

Along with drinking lots of water and getting adequate sleep, that's about it. Oh, I am planning on weaning myself off of caffeine the next few weeks, mostly for personal reasons (not that it's necessary for this project). That's the only substance I've been addicted to in my life, and it's always a killer to get off of it. Refined sugar will also be a no-no. I may post my diet when the time comes, too. I think I've got it pretty much planned out.

Of course, everything I've just posted is subject to change if things aren't working ;-)

Hope I didn't bore you to tears, but hopefully I shared something helpful. Remember, I'm just a scrawny runner that got into weight lifting many years ago during the times I wasn't running...so I'm no expert. I'm still learning as I go.