Wednesday, 10/1/08 workout

Kicking off the month of October with a bang! I've decided to move over to the TT Big 5 workout.

I'd like to focus more on fat loss this month (DUHH!!) and while maintaining mass and strength. Experts agree and recommend full body workouts if you're particular goal is maintaining muscle and concentrating on fat loss. Getting and keeping the big muscles active is a must for boosting overall metabolic turbulence...and the TT Big 5 routine is ~EXACTLY~ what the doctor ordered!

This particular program is a full body "circuit", so you work through the entire routine before resting and repeating up to 2 more times. Believe me...it's cruel and unusual punishment on your boy fat. Each exercise in the circuit has a countdown rep scheme of 12,10,8. The reps decrease on each cycle, so you start high and reduce on each iteration. If you're working hard...that final 8 reps is brutal.

Since I started this program on a Wednesday, I began with Workout "B"...that way the following week will fall back in line with the regular routine prescription. Awesome stuff.

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Total work time: 23:58 mins.

The exercises included in this workout

• 1-Leg Squat
• DB Chest Press (Bench Press)
• DB Row
• DB Bulgarian Split Squat
• Stability Ball Rollouts
  

I maintained the same weight for all 3 circuits, so I used:

Bodyweight for the 1-leg squat (standing on a 20" platform)
Pair of 75# DBs for the chest presses
A 65# DB for the Row
Pair of 25# DBs for the Bulgarian Split Squat
Regular Stability Ball rollouts
Intervals: N/A...got home too late. Needed to finish quick. Did 3 minute arms, 5x5 instead.

Notes and Observations:
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I haven't performed 1-leg squats for a couple of TT programs, so I did them body weight only just to get the sensation and balance keyed in again. I'll make them progressively more challenging this month by adding DBs or hold a plate.

For the DB chest press, I picked the same weight as I was using coming out of the last program (TT 2k3). Since the goal of the Big 5 is overall turbulence and has such a high beginning rep range, this fit pretty well. I would like up to the Dbs to 80#, but it just won't work with my equipment. Pressing explosively will continue to make this a challenging movement.

I performed the DB row as a "3 Point Row". This means standing, two feet down and your non-working hand positioned behind your back. The trick is to maintain your upper body position and stability and not "bob" up and down while performing the movement. That bobbing motion robs the rear shoulder and inner back muscles from what they're trying to do. Concentrate on the elbow...pointing and pulling up and back... You can also hurt your lower back if you bob up and down...SO DON'T!

Just like the 1-leg squat, I have not done Bulgararian Split squats in a couple of months. It was a rude awakening on that first cycle of 12 reps. Wow!

At the end...what can I say ... Stability ball rollouts are fantastic. Followed the whole thing up with a quick 3 Minute Arms routine, using the 5x5 scheme.

I loved this Turbulence Training workout and I can't wait to do the others in the Big 5 program.

Until next time...Work Hard.