Working out - My training program - part 2

 Welcome back.  In this post I'll go over my "Push" exercises. In the first post of the "My training program" series, that you can read here, I talked about my "Pull" workout. Part three will be about the "Legs" routine, which, to be fair, in my case is more of a mix of exercises. In any case, let's not waste any time and jump into today's topic, the "Push" workout that I do.

As always, the very first thing I do is a thorough warm-up, which usually takes a few minutes. When that's done the actual workout begins.

The first exercise is a superset: triceps rope extensions and push-ups (if you have some push-up handles, that's great - use them; if not, regular pushups will do).

I do 4 sets, with a weight increase for the triceps rope extensions after set 2. 

For example, yo do set 1 & 2 with 10 kg and set 3 & 4 with 15 kg. 

In terms of reps I aim for 12-12 12-12 10-12 10-12 - first number is for the triceps extensions, second is for the pushups.

The purpose of this superset is to get the three major muscle groups - pecs, triceps and front shoulders - primed for the next exercise.  

With the triceps rope extensions I go quite slow - I preffer to control the weight on the entire range of motion (about 2 seconds in the extension phase and 2 seconds on the return phase). 

With the pushups, yeah, I am sure you can do more than 12 per set. The point is to prime your muscles for what's to come, not to go to failure with this exercise. Do slow negatives and don't rush the reps. Don't forget to keep your core tight and don't lock out your elbows at the top of the movement 😄Feel your muscles working on each rep you do.

As you probably figured out, I don't recommend blasting through reps, regardless of the exercise that you are doing. Take your time and really focus on the muscle group that you are working on.

The second exercise is flat bench press. There can be no "Push" workout without the bench press. IT IS THE LAW 😂😂 I'm kidding, obviously. Science says that you activate your chest better if you are using cables, instead of benching. To some extent I agree. But I love the bench press. It's that unique sensation you get when you are pushing that bar. You are laser focused and you know that it's "do or die" each time you grip the bar 😄. And, of course, let's not forget that if you have enough weight on the bar, your gym status goes up automatically 😊 (half joking, half serious)

I do 5 sets, with 3 weight increases for sets 2, 3 & 4. I start with 45 kg, jump to 60 kg, then 80 kg, then 90kg or 100kg, depending on how I'm feeling in that particular day.

For reps, for the first three sets, I shoot for 12, 11 and 10 reps. The forth set I take to failure. Set 5 is usually a dropset. In terms of reps I aim for 4 - 6 - failure. The weight decrease is 10 or 20 kg for the first drop (depending where I'm starting: if it's 100 or 90 that I'm dropping from the first time), 20 kg for the second drop. So, if I start with 100 kg I aim for 4 reps, drop 20 kg and aim for 6 reps, drop 20 kg and take it to failure.

At this point your chest should be burning ... and you should also really feel your triceps and front delts.

The third exercise is a superset: barbell shoulder press and narrow grip bench press or triceps pushups (your palms should be exactly shoulder witdh apart so that when you lower your body to the ground, your elbows slide/gently rub your lats).

For the shoulder press, I generally perform this exercise seated; that being said, standing is also ok, so take your pick 😀

I do 4 sets, and the reps are as follows: 12-12, 11-12, 10-12, 9-12; again, first number is for the shoulder press, second is for the triceps pushups

In terms of weight, for the shoulder press, don't go crazy - I suggest starting with a medium weight and adding some small plates after each set. For example, I start with 30 kg, increase to 40, 50 and 55.

Again, take your time and do it right. Focus on the movement, don't rush the reps and always be 100% in control of the weight.

The fourth exercise is incline bench press OR a seated incline cable press. I do 4 sets with the following rep range: 12, 10, 8, 8. Pick a weight that you can manage for all of the reps for each given set.

"Isn't this overkill? Another press after the amount of effort you just did?!" 

Well, not necessarily. Remember, I mentioned picking a weight that you can manage. I get that at this point your muscles are pretty sore. The point of this exercise is to squeeze that extra bit of power from your shoulders and upper chest.

The fifth exercise is cable flies. You can perform this exercise either seated or standing, depending on the equipment you have. If you don't have a cable machine, regular dumbell flies will also do.

For this exercise I am for 2 or 3 sets, depending on how much energy I have left. Pick a relatively light weight and go slow on both adduction (when you squeeze/flex the chest muscles) and abduction (when your arms go out, and the chest muscles are in extension). Take each set to failure. Don't be surprised if you can only do a few reps on each set. This is a high intensity and pretty high volume workout.  

Don't forget to gently strecth your muscles and, as with my other workouts, I like to end my training with 5 to 10 minutes of cardio - cycling, rowing or w/e you preffer. 

That's it for the "Push" workout 😃 Give it a try (maybe reduce the number of sets if it's too much volume) and I hope you'll have fun with it.

Pro tip: you can interchange exercises 2 and 4 after each workout. So, if on Monday I do flat bench press as the second exercise, the next time I do the push workout, I'll do incline bench press first and flat bench or seated cable press (targeting the middle chest) for exercise 4.