Pushing Weight: Back to Basics
Fitness, Pushing WeightThis post is going to be the kick-off for a new series of blog posts tracking my strength and fitness progress. In the past I have followed complex body-part split routines that focused more on bodybuilding, with a secondary goal of getting stronger.
Back to Basics is my simple plan. Eat enough food to keep the scale moving up (.5 lb to 1lb per week) and strive to get stronger in a few basic lifts. This approach is very different from what I am used to in terms of volume and variation. As long as strength continues to increase, then I will consider this a successful routine.
The Routine consists of four workout days with a focus on Squat, Deadlift, Bench, Overhead Press.
Workout 1 - Lower
- Squat (6 sets / heavy)
- Deadlift (4 or 5 sets / moderate)
- Calves
Workout 2 - Upper
- Bent over Barbell Row ( 3 sets / moderate)
- Bench (5 sets / heavy)
- Overhead Press (4 or 5 sets / moderate)
Workout 3 - Lower
- Deadlift (5 sets / heavy)
- Squats (5 sets / moderate)
- Calves
Workout 4 - Upper
- Pull - ups (4 sets / bodyweight)
- Bench (5 sets / moderate)
- Overhead Press (6 sets / heavy)
I have created a log here proglog.instantspot.com to track my progress and updates.
Progressive Overload
Musings, Web Development, FitnessProgressive Overload is the name of my blog as of yesterday (10/28/09). I think the concept is extremely important to making gains in the weight room, but there might be some carry-over into other areas of our lives.
Progressive overload is the gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during exercise training. It was developed by Thomas Delorme, M.D. while he rehabilitated soldiers after World War II. This technique is recognized as a fundamental principle for success in various forms of strength training programs including fitness training, weight lifting, high intensity training and physical therapy programs. (from wikipedia)
Moral of the story, if you want to improve in a certain area of your life, never stop pushing yourself...it should always be hard if you want to always get better.
Programmers and Gluteal Atrophy
Web Development, FitnessAs a man approaching my mid-30's and having had an office job for right at 10 yrs now, I was very surprised what awaited me the first time I went back to deadlifting and squatting. I was weak! So shocked was I by this that I thought that surely something must be wrong and/or broken inside me. Not only did I feel weaker than I thought I should be, but I was extremely inflexible. Ten years of sitting around was causing me problems.
From wikipedia:
Sitting for long periods can lead to the gluteal muscles atrophying through constant pressure and disuse. This may be associated with (although not necessarily the cause of) lower back pain, difficulty with some movements that naturally require the gluteal muscles, such as rising from the seated position, and climbing stairs.
About a year and half ago, I started to get myself back into the routine of working out. I mainly focused on running at first (more on that in another post) but eventually realized that I hated running :) and I loved moving heavy weights. It has taken me several months of dedicated deadlifting and squatting to begin to feel like I am approaching a good baseline strength (totalling 1000 lbs between bench/deadlift/squat) and my back is feeling better than it has in probably a decade.
So to all of my fellow programmers out there, get into the gym and deadlift. You will be glad you did!
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