Dutchmeister’s BodyBlog

SHUT UP AND SQUAT!

 When I first started weight training as a teen, I didn’t like doing squats.  However, what got me to including squats in my quad workouts was the thought of having a huge, muscular upper body and pencil legs!  Yuk!  Fear is one helluva motivator.  Over the years, I’ve developed some pretty muscular quads.  (Personally, if I had to be "disproportioned," I’d rather have disproportionately larger legs, which I do now anyway, than a larger upper body.)

Now, in addition to regular barbell squats (I can hit 300 lbs. for max. 6 reps on a good day), I’ve included hack squats in my quad training.  Let me just say right now that hack squats are tough as heck!  No, really, they really make your quads work through a full range of motion from top position to below parallel and back.  And BOY do you feel it!  After doing 4-5 heavy sets of barbell squats, do 4 sets of hack squats and see if your legs don’t feel like pasta.

This two-squat exercise combo seems to be working, as my quads (particularly my inner quads) are getting thicker.

Friday is generally leg day for me.  I forgot my weight belt, so I instead of doing squats I did leg presses.  (BTW - I always pre-exhaust my quads with three sets of leg extensions, light weight, for 15 reps.) I started with a warm-up set with 180 lbs. for 15 reps, then increased to 230, then 250, then 270, and finally to 350 lbs. - all for 15 reps each.

Next, I could only do 3 sets of hack squats at 200lbs. for 6-10 reps, and my quads were nice and spaghetti-like.  I finished off with standing leg curls and some calf work.

MUAY THAI KICKED MY BUTT THIS WEEK 

This past Wednesday’s Muay Thai kickboxing class was particularly brutal.  The instructor, who’s obviously a kickboxing champion, really put us through the paces.  In addition to the kickass warm-up that left me (as usual) drenched in sweat and sucking wind, he had us doing combination punching, kicking and knee drills that were so intense that it was a miracle that I was able to keep up.  Half the class went through the paces and then was like "Screw this," but I did my best to hang in there.  Toward the end, I was grunting, bellowing and screaming my way through the end of it, which evidently impressed the instructor, as he commended me on my efforts after the class. 

JUMPING ROPE IS A GREAT WARM-UP

In an effort to continually improve my workouts, I’ve incorporated jumping rope and stretching in my warm-up routine.  Having never jumped rope in my life, I literally had to learn how to do it correctly, but it didn’t take long.  I’m now able to jump for a sustained amout of time without tripping up.  Now, I jump rope for about five minutes (which really gets my heart pumping and breaks a good sweat), followed by about 10 minutes of stretching, then I go lift.

To my new BodySpace Friends, what do you do to warm up?

In my continued effort to either get into the best shape of my life, in addition to weight training, I’ve joined a mixed martial arts (MMA) school in my town and am taking a Muay Thai kickboxing class two days a week.  As a fan of MMA (as well as bodybuilding, of course), I felt it would be a nice complement to my four-day-a-week weight training.  What I didn’t know was how cardio-intense Muay Thai, as well as the other MMA classes, are.

Since the school offer free classes, I decided to first take a free no-gi grappling class.  The first 10-15 minutes of the class consists of jogging in a circle around the room, which is the beginning of an absolutely butt-kicking cardio warm-up.  Throw in some high-intensity grappling exercises, and by the end of the warm-up I was suckin’ wind, drenched in sweat. 

Once the warm-up was over, then the instructor taught us how to perform a rear-naked choke, and had up pair up with a partner and practice for another 20 minutes or so. During the last third of the class, the more more experienced grappling students sparred on the mat while the rest of us new students just sat back and observed.

Overall, it was a great experience.

Next, I decided to take a beginner’s Muay Thai kickboxing class, which required boxing gloves and hand wraps.  Again, the first 10-15 minutes takes your cardio to a whole new level.  Then, we spend the rest of the class practicing punches, kicks and knees with a partner.  Unbelievable.

At first I had thought to sign up for both a Muay Thai and grappling course.  However, at the advice of one of the reps of the school, I’ve opted for just the Muay Thay. 

Thus, in addition to weight training, I’m going to incorporate two days of Muay Thai kickboxing.

If this (along with a healthy diet), doesn’t get me into shape, I don’t know what will.

Hi All,

Sorry for not checking in for a while.  I’m working part-time at Gold’s Gym in suburban Washington, DC.  I’m absolutely loving it!  The members and staff are friendly, and work is easy, and hey, I get a free membership, so there’s absolutely no excuse for not keeping in shape!

I’ll write more later.

This is my first official blog post on my very own "Dutchmeister’s Bodyblog,” so I’ve decided to start off by discussing why I love weight training.  First, a little background about your’s truly.

Bodybuilding has always been my first love.  I’ve been a fan of the sport since I was a teenager.  I remember picking up my first Muscle and Fitness magazine and being blown away by the awesome physiques of Lee Haney, Rich Gaspari, Mike Christian, Ron Love, and the ageless Albert Beckles (if I have half the physique of Beckles when I’m in my 60’s and beyond, I will be a happy man!).  Like virtually every young impressionable kid, I wanted to look like them (at age 33, still do).  Over the years I would go through a pattern of working out for a while, then stop, start back for a while, then stop, and on and on. 

Now in my early 30’s, I just got fed up with being out of shape and realized that this was not the way to live.  So, on December 31 of last year my wife and I joined Gold’s Gym.  Since then, I’ve been diligently working out doing high-intensity weight training and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) cardio 4-5 days a week, and I’ve modified my diet with whey protein and creatine supplements and eating healthier meals in smaller portions throughout the day. 

Within the first three weeks, I noticed a difference in how I felt and looked almost immediately.  I was sleeping better, had more energy, was more alert, less stressed, and no longer suffered from the nagging aches and pains that, I now realize, were due primarily to the fact that I was out of shape.  Soon, I was bench pressing 205 lbs and squatting 300 lbs (two major milestones for me).  In addition, I noticed that much of the flab and fat was slowing but surely being replaced with lean muscle mass.

In other words, I began achieving both goals that I set for myself when I decided to be serious about getting in shape: Gain muscle mass and lose bodyfat.

Now to answer the question: Why Do I Love Weight Training?

1. It feels great.  Exercise of any kind is great for relieving stress, but there’s nothing like pumping iron.
2. Hard bodies look good!  Let’s face it, muscular guys (or at the very least guys who are in shape) are just plain more attractive.  (The same goes for well-built women.)  If a woman had a choice between a guy with thick and ripped pecs, a six-pack mid-section and an overall great physique, and a fat slob with a gut, flabby limbs and (God forbid!) man boobs…, well, let’s just say that pecs win out over man boobs every time.
3. I DO NOT WANT MAN BOOBS!  They may look good on Jack Nicholson, but they’d never look good on me.  When I’m in my 40’s, 50’s, 60s and beyond, I don’t want to have man boobs.  Period!  Women should have boobs.  Not men.  Boobs look good on women.  Nice, thick, well-developed pectoral muscles look good on men.  ‘Nough said.
4. Weight training is helping me achieve my two-prong goal of losing body fat and gaining muscle.  Make no mistake about it - I want to be buffed!

I look forward to getting lots of comments on this and future blog posts.

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