For all of you who don’t know, this is a football bench press bar.
Day 2 ME Upper Body
1) Football Bar Wide Grip Bench Press: work up to a 1 rm. Then perform 3 back off sets of 5 reps with a lighter weight.
2A) DB Incline Bench
2B) Chest Supported Rows
3A) Seated DB Cleans
3B) Lateral Shoulder Raises
4A) Farmers Carry
4B) Hammer Curls
5) Abs
Today is another max effort lifting day. This means you will lift until you find your heaviest 1 rep max of the selected exercise. These exercises are rotated weekly in order to prevent you from getting used to a certain stimulus.
I like to incorporate a lot of tricep and general upper body bodybuilding work after the main lift.
Hit the dumbell incline press and chest supported rows heavy and hard. I am not going to prescribe sets and reps, just go heavy and pump them out. This is a brutal push-pull superset of accessory work that will challenge your entire upper body; mainly your back, upper back, triceps, and shoulders.
By the time you get to seated dumbell cleans and shoulder raises your back and tri’s should be pretty cooked. The dumbell cleans will rock your upper back and the shoulder raises will attack the lateral shoulder muscles.
I like to keep the pace very high during all of my accessory work. I find that by keeping the pace high (< 1 minute rest intervals) I not only get a better pump, but my lungs get worked as well. Your muscles will have to overcome greater stress with less rest, thus growing a stronger muscle fiber.
Finish up with heavy farmer carries and hammer curls. Out of all the carries, farmer’s walk might be the most important one. It is the simplest to teach, simplest to learn, and it is the carry that you can perform with the heaviest weight. Novice athletes as well as seasoned veterans of the iron game will reap great benefits from incorporating some type of weighted carry into their routine. Think of Milo of Croton. He was a champion wrestler and legendary strongman in the ancient Olympic games. He would carry around a baby calf daily until it was full grown. As the baby calf grew and got heavier, Milo too grew in stature and became stronger. The lesson to be learned here is that carrying heavy things everyday will increase your size and strength. Don’t skip this part.
And make sure you hit curls. Yes, they are “functional” (whatever that even means anymore). The strongest dudes in the world do bicep curls so guess what… YOU SHOULD TOO. I will elaborate on this topic in a future post.
As for Abs, get creative. I like planks, v-ups, and leg raises. Just get something in.
Alpha Up
Alpha Barbell Club 