DAY 1 - BACK TO BASICS

DAY 1 - 14th JUNE 2015

Training - Back & Cardio

Weights duration: 56mins             Cardio duration: 30mins

The waiting is over and time to get working, day one.. Here we go.

Before I got to the gym, I did 30 minutes on the old ab plate whilst watching some rubbish TV. I'm going to attempt to do this every day. Today's session started off with a slow walk for 10 minutes at 5km per hour - I was feeling a bit tight and I find this is a good way to gently stimulate blood flow before a high intensity workout.

THE WORKOUT


EXERCISE ONE

TRI-SET; DEAD LIFT, WIDE-GRIP PULL UPS & STRAIGHT ARM LAT EXTENSION - 4 SETS

Following the simple format of a 'super, super set' or 'tri-set', complete exercise A, followed by B, followed by C to complete 1 set.

EXERCISE A - DEAD LIFT - 20 REPS

The exercise primarily concentrates on the lower back, but is the perfect exercise to stabilise your core and change your whole mid rift. No need to go heavy when ripping - look after your form and results will follow.

EXERCISE B - WIDE GRIP PULL UP - 5-10 REPS

Another exercise that will concentrate on your muscle to power ratio, concentrating on your; core, lats and biceps.

EXERCISE C - STRAIGHT ARM LAT EXTENSION - 15 REPS

Keeping the arms at full extension at all times, concentrating on fully extending up & down, this is a real burner for the lats. I also feel this exercise in my inner tricep, but everyone is different.

EXERCISE TWO

BENT OVER ROW WITH OLYMPIC BAR - 12 REPS 4 SETS

For this exercise, concentrate on bringing the bar up and down, fully extending the arms to maximise movement (not that the picture on the left is a good example). I like to keep this at a steady/slow pace as I feel it works the lat better. 

EXERCISE THREE

BENT OVER TWISTED CABLE ROW - 12 REPS 4 SETS

Although the pictures don't support it, you should be more bent over with the chest closer to the knees for this exercise. Notice the twist in the arm from the photo on the left compared to the one on the right. Again, this exercise works your inner lats, closer to the spine. This exercise also puts in a good shift for the biceps and forearms too.

EXERCISE FOUR

ROPE PULL - 15 REPS 3 SETS

A similar exercise to the previous one, but more upright. When your arms are extended out, your hands want to be almost touching, coming wider as you pull the rope towards you. Where as the twisted cable row will concentrate on the outer lat, this will concentrate on the inner lat.

EXERCISE FIVE

REVERSE HANDS BAR LAT PULL DOWN - 15 REPS 3 SETS

A new exercise that I haven't done before which my training partner showed me. An absolute killer on the forearms, as well as working the back and lats in a different way compared to if your hands were 'over' the bar opposed to 'under' the bar.

EXERCISE SIX

CLOSE HANDS LAT PULL DOWN - 10-15 REPS 3 SETS

Another similar exercise, but concentrating on a different part of the back. Again, on the way up arms should be fully extended up, and when coming down aim to bring the handles to your diaphragm. Today, I went heavier than I normally would just to test it out and change it up from the standard 15 reps.

EXERCISE SEVEN

SUPER SET; CABLE LAT PULL DOWN & CABLE REVERSE LAT PULL DOWN - 3 SETS

Following the simple format of a 'super set', complete exercise A, followed by B.

EXERCISE A - CABLE LAT PULL DOWN - 12 REPS

A very original exercise, keeping the palms of your hands adjacent to each other the whole way. Look to squeeze/tighten up your lats when at the end of each rep

EXERCISE B - CABLE REVERSE LAT PULL DOWN

As simple as the same as a normal Lat pull down, but notice that hands are facing outwards, opposed to in.

                                                 THE CARDIO

I finished up by doing 20 minutes on the cross trainer; after all, I am looking to cut and we all know cardio is the key to shredding. Although I don't think the machines are particularly accurate, it said I burnt around 240 calories in the time I was working. I worked at a medium level maintaining an RPM of at least 165. 

THE DIET

Meal 1

• 3 Slices of ham
• 3 boiled eggs, no yolks
• 1 Black coffee

Meal 2

• 100g steamed veg
• 200g grilled chicken
• 1/2 protein shake - 200ml

Meal 3

• 150g tuna 
• 100g salad with a light vinegar dressing

Dinner by Chef Girlfriend!

Meal 4

• 200g salmon with pesto
• 200g green veg
• 1 rice cake

Snacks

• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1 Chocolate ISO Whey Protein Shake
• 1 Green tea

FINAL THOUGHTS

A great session with my gym partner to get the ball rolling on the 33 day cut challenge. A strong session concentrating predominately on upper back/lats with a great tempo. Generally speaking, I often struggle with lower back pain so I'm very cautious when training back. I certainly think its a muscle group where you can benefit from keeping the weight down and concentrating on perfect form.

Which exercises are your favourite or least favourite when working out on your back?

Let me know!

DAY 1