My weekly routine: Bike comute+4 day split + 2 days mixed cardio
I just updated my workout in my profile but thought I’d save it here for posterity as I’m sure to change it at some time.
I bicycle commute everywhere and average about 80km a week. My ride to the gym (in the dark cold wet hours of the morning) is about 8km and this is my warm-up after my workout I ride about 1 mile (sorry to mix metric and imperial) to work, this is my cool down. After work I ride another 6.5km home.
I try to vary the exercise every few weeks so my muscles don’t get used to it.
I do 3-5 sets of 7-11 reps, periodising weight rest and reps weekly.
Monday- Back and Biceps
Deadlifts- Dumbells mainly, sometime BB
DB Bent over rows or seated machine
Terry Pulls or Chin-ups or both
Back extension
DB Hammer Curls
BB Bicep Curls
Rev grip EZ curls
Tuesday- Chest and Tris
Chest Press x 3 set (alternating weekly between DBs BB either on flat bench or ball)
Chest Fly (cable or DB) either incline bench or ball- alt weekly
Machine chest work (alternate arm seated machine press or pec machine)
Tricep dips or seated tricep machine
Tricep extension or kickback
One more tricep exercise if I’ve got it in me (this is improving my bench heaps)
Thursday- Dreaded leg day+ extra abs
Mid weight Walking lunges…. lots of evil walking lunges + roman chair (super set)
Heavy Squats + Hanging leg raises (super set)
Front squat/Hack Squat + Crunches (super)
Leg extension + Russian twists (super)
Calf raises
(curse the bike ride home)
Friday- Shoulders & Delts
Push Press
Alternating arm DB press
Front raises (light x12)+side raises (light x 12)+ front raise (HEAVY-fail x6) (Tri-set)
DB Upright row (light x12)+bent over side raises (heavy no fail x 10)+ EZcurl upright row (heavy-fail x6)
The tri-sets are new and I’m starting to add them to my other days. I do 30 seconds of some kind of ab work between most sets (this is fixing back problems due to ab slackness) and either do a standard or active recovery for 1-2 minutes between sets. ACTIVE= jog on the spot.
On the weekend I do 1 hour of cardio (mainly on saturdays, sometimes wednesdays too)
Warmup: 10 minutes (HR @ 60%/125 BPM)
HIIT: 20 minutes (jog 8km/hr 40secs, run 14.5km/hr 20 secs- HR @ 85-93%)
25 mins Inclined walking at 6km/hr treadmill determines incline based on HR of 70%
5 minute treadmill dawdle to cool down
Weight periodization looks like this: (%= % of my 1RM as calculated at the beginning of the 12 weeks.)
Wk1: Easy- get all reps 12,13,14,15 @ 50%. Rest 45-90 seconds
Wk2: Hard- get all reps 3 x 12 @ 70%, rest 90-120 seconds
Wk3: Moderate- get all reps 4 x10 @ 70% rest 45-90 seconds
Wk4: Hard- get all reps 11, 11,10 @ 70% rest 90-120 seconds
Wk5: V.Hard- get within 1, 11,10,9 @ 75% rest 120-180 seconds
Wk6: Moderate- get all reps 11,10,9 @ 70% rest 45-90 seconds
Wk7: Hard- get all reps, 9,9,8 @ 75% rest 90-120 seconds
Wk8: V.Hard- get within 1, 9, 8, 7 @ 85% rest 120-180 seconds
Wk9: Easy- get all reps 5×6 @ 70% rest 45-90 seconds
Wk10: Moderate- get all reps 11,10,9,8 @ 75% rest 60-120 seconds
Wk11: Hard- get all reps, 11,10,9 @ 85% rest 120-180 seconds
Wk12: V.V.Hard get within 1, 11,10,9 @ 95%, rest 120–180 seconds
This periodisation has really improved my strength gains. I borrowed it from a spreadsheet in on stumptuous.com and save my weekly workouts with weights and rest as text files from the excel spreadsheet to the notes section of my iPod so I know exactly what i should be lifting.
