Esoteric-Amal’s BodyBlog

 I have made several adjustments to my workout program.  I have switch up my training split.  Reduce the number of giant and super sets and continue to refine my diet all while increasing my cardio.  I have reduced my body fat % and noticed the tone and definition that comes along with changes like that.  I will continue to improve and develop my weaker areas in the following months and target and improve what I consider my stronger points.  I’m thinking about competing sometime this year, I’ve not decided yet when, though it will probably be later on in the year to give me time to tweek my physique a bit more.  I know the direction I want to go but as yet I do not feel I’m there.  I’m satisfied with the gains and changes I’ve made but I will not be complacent with my goals.  I’ve also change my supplements and will make some additions still later on.  As always I like to end my blogs with some quotes.  Go HARD! Go HEAVY! Or GO THE HELL HOME!!

I’d like to thank this site for some great quotes

http://www.motivationalquotes.com/pages/adversity.html

For those of you pulling through.

Just going back and looking at those exercise that work and isolate some of the main core muscles from a different angle, enter the DB pull over.  You can do these as partial (half way through a full motion, (hits pecs and lats) or you can go through the full range of motion (hits triceps and delts).  If you are just learning or using this exercise, go light and get a spotter it is an odd position and takes some use getting to.

In addition to being an all around great core build it also works some key muscle groups in the core area:

Target

• Pectoralis Major, Sternal

Synergists

• Latissimus Dorsi
• Teres Major
• Triceps, Long Head
• Deltoid, Posterior
• Pectoralis Minor
• Rhomboids
• Levator Scapulae

Dumb bell lying rear lateral raise:

Target

• Deltoid, Posterior

Synergists

• Infraspinatus
• Teres Minor
• Deltoid, Lateral
• Trapezius, Middle
• Trapezius, Lower
• Rhomboids

With these kind of isolation exercises I like to go light and ensure I do it slow and feel the contraction and isolation of the targetted muscle group.

Often at times we ignore the smaller muscles.  What I’ve seen from the pro’s is their attention to detail when it comes to body building, no muscle is small enough or ignored.  Under developed delts, forearms, hamstring (men), traps, serratus anterior, calves, and overall legs (men).  No muscle group should be igonored and all of them should be trained with equal intensity as you do your favorite body part.  It also helps bring that symetry to your body for the coveted "X" frame build.  The "X" frame comes from the fact that not all body builders are blessed with great waist lines, its that some flare out their shoulders and quads and give the illusion of a smaller waist.  Its all a part of working those little know other muscles.  Here are a few of my favorites.

The Serratus anterior:

Forearms:

Reverse barbell curl Palms facing out.

Hamstring:

Barbell walking lunge.

Traps:

Barbell shrugs.

Delts:

Arnold press.

Calves:

Barbell Calve raise.

Leg development:

Front squat, difficult to master but worth the time and effort.

These are by no means the standard bearer of exercises but are some great starters to develop those little known or used muscle groups, that is just my two cents.

The dumb bell pull over.

Target

• Pectoralis Major, Sternal

Synergists

• Latissimus Dorsi
• Teres Major
• Triceps, Long Head
• Deltoid, Posterior
• Pectoralis Minor
• Rhomboids
• Levator Scapulae

The front squat.

Target

• Quadriceps

Synergists

• Gluteus Maximus
• Adductor Magnus
• Soleus

The dumb bell rear lateral raise.

Target

• Deltoid, Posterior

Synergists

• Infraspinatus
• Teres Minor
• Deltoid, Lateral
• Trapezius, Middle
• Trapezius, Lower
• Rhomboids

These are some great exercise to try.  Just to hit the muscle from a different angle.  I’m a big fan of giant and super sets and its always nice to throw something in the routine that hits the muscle from a different angle but provides the same results.

That is an easy choice for me, yes.  Simply put these supplements work. I was initially leary of supplements but after some trial and error I have found what works for me.  Creatine will be a part of my corner stone supplements I feel I benefit a lot from taking it and I have had good results from using it.  Also I endorse taking protein it is a great way to provide the right kind of fuel for your body to burn.  No one supplement works for everybody, I’ve known people who just can’t seem to take creatine and have resorted to BCAA’s which seems to work just fine for them.  I also use an additional booster along with my protein and creatine stack.  I have tried NO Explode and Superpump 250, I prefer the NO Explode when I do change up my supplements I will instead opt to use the the Superpump 250 I think its an overall great product and have gain solid results while using the stuff.  I’ve also incorprated a multi vitamin and an additional supplement to my line up the current stack gives me the results I’ve been looking to get in the gym.  I will always stay informed about new supplements but when in doubt I will go back to my basic roots.  I have found out some great information on the blogs on BB.com and find that these blogs are worth more than any advertisement could, these are real people with real results.  Big shout out to "Desuersan" (name sp sorry) he always has some great info about supplements and gives you sound advice.  I will also like to shout out to "MsFitness" she also gives good feed back on supplements.  I have become a better body builder from the information I have read and researched on BB.com and will continue to Go Hard! Go Heavy! or Go the hell home!

Took a little time away from my hard training schedule and jumping back into it again.  Trying to regain some of my focus and intensity.  I don’t like going into the gym without my usual drive and focus, I find I don’t get as good of a workout that I normally would be getting.  Its good every now and then to take a step back and let your body heal and repair especially if you have an intense and heavy training split which I did.  I just have to read some of my earlier blogs for purpose, motivation, and drive, those quotes really do fire me up.  I also have to start blogging again its good to have a history of what you have done so you can see essentially where you need to go or where your focus needs to be directed.  I’ll start out with my shoulders maybe even do a little back.

 Shoulder press quickly becoming one of my preferred exercise

 DB lateral raise

 The DB press

I will also throw in some upright rows, shrugs, and a few other corner stone core exercise for my shoulders.  That should be enough for now to get me back in the groove.

You must be driven, that is there must be something in you giving you, that burning desire for more, never being satisfied and be willing to go that extra mile.

You mus be focused, have that tunnel like vision of your goal nothing should distract you from achieving success.

You must be willing to sacrifice, time, energy, effort, comfort.

You must be willing to work hard and sweat I mean really sweat down to your sox and shoes.

You must be committed to your work outs, your diet, your supplements, you must commit to the fitness lifestyle. You might not always want to train or eat right, or diet or chug another shake or pill or whatever is the current torcher but do it anyways. Rain, sleet, or snow you must commit to what you are doing for yourself.

You must be disciplined show up on time to train, do your sets, stick to your diet, take your supplements.  Stick to the discipline of iron, it is exactly that a discipline of the body and mind.

You must have the burning desire to want to be better, to want more from your body, to want to work out, to want more than your body at that moment can possible achieve.  Desire for something better its that knawing little voice that wont let you settle that makes you knock out those reps or do those extra sets.

Once you put all those factors together the amazing biomechanical machine that’s your body will reward you.  Hardwork is reward, believe that, the blood, sweat, aches, tears, pain, all of that is your body rewarding you.  It will grow and evolve into something beautiful… do you have what it takes?  Are you willing to sacrifice?  What are you willing to do to achieve the fitness goal you desire?  Have you asked yourself that question, what are your goals and are you truly committed to yourself and your body?  Every once in awhile ask yourself those question and dig deep within you for that answer…. the answer as always lies within you!

GO HEAVY! GO HARD! OR GO THE HELL HOME!!

Arm day ahhh one of my all time fav’s really one fo the reasons I got into body building.  My bicep and tricep respond well to heavy train.  I love to train them heavy also, I feed ‘em sets and reps and watch ‘em grown.  I’m also tweeking the my arm routine reducing the numbet of sets and increasing the amout of weights that I use.

 This is and August pic (just finished a few hard sets).

This is an October pic.

I usually pre fatigue my arm before I blast them I do about 100 push ups, helps flood the arms with blood.

 Regular push-ups minus the weight

  Barbell curl 1 drop set 50/50 repititions.

 BB preacher curl

 DB concentration curl

I also hit them with standard or hammer curls to finish out the super sets of biceps.

 Skull crushers

 kickback

 tricep etension

I also throw in some weighted dips or some bench dips with plates.

 bench dips drop sets

 chain belt dips

I also do a burn out on cables curls and tricep push downs my few machine work for my arms.

 Tricep push down

 cable curls

Close grip benches. I usually rest on Fridays, so I really put the stones to my arms.

Wasn’t a big fan of legs until I really started to train them.  I guess maybe just really concentrating on the idea of weights and training hard again.  I have been trying to build my quads.  I always start out my leg day with deep seated full squats, ass to ankles style, nothing like it.

 5 Sets; 10-12 reps

After the lunges I go into my gaint and super sets.

 Walking DB lunges in conjuction with:

 Leg extensions, I also do some body weight calve raises to warm up the calve.

Next super set:

 The lying leg curl I just started going heavy with these and I can thank the lunges I’ve been doing for that.

To target my hams and glutes here are my two favorite exercises:

 Good mornings you can really feel the stretch.

 Straight legged dead lift another awesome leg blaster.

 seated calve raises something along those lines, be then though I’ve already done about 3-4 sets of body weight calve raise.

 The old leg presses to finish off those puppies.

As a break point when my legs start feeling like noodles I usually hit some biceps at the mid way point just to give my legs a little room to recover before I hit them again.  This month I will be adding a little road work to my leg routine.  I’ll be doing about 2 miles, 1 mile before and 1 mile after, all road work though I hate thread mills.

Not my most current shoulder pic but its a decent look.

Was never really a shoulders guy.  I injured my shoulders when I started to lift weights and to this day I’m kind of hesitant on attacking my shoulders too hard, it (my shoulder) reminds of this from time to time.  Nevertheless you know my moto but now… I so do love the a good delt burn.  Not a nig machine guy, to me nothing isolates and punish like free weights. Nothing like it in the world.

 Barbell shoulder shrugs. I usually do a few warm up set of these they help me loosen my shoulder area up.

  Dumb bell shoulder press.  I usually gaint set with my shoulders, the burn is crazy and I like that. (5 sets, 10 reps)

 Dumb Bell lateral raise… oh yeah baby the lactic acid is building up now.

 military press I usually go for moderate to light weights I do also have my heavy days where I increase the weights and drop the reps.

 I incorprate some power lifts in my program as well for a nice heart rate boost and also for strength gains, I do more of a clean and press motion though.

 Some upright rows also a great deep delt burn.

 Front barbell raise hitting all the angles I can.

 Behind the neck shoulder press.

On my shoulder day I also like to incorporate some pull ups, chin ups, and some dips.