May 12, 13, 14 and 16 workouts

Hello. Sorry it's been a while, but it's been a bit of a crazy week. Anyway, I'll fill you in on the last four workouts I've done this week.

May 12

Stiff Leg Deads-6 reps

Hang Clean-Front Squat-Push Press-6 reps

Reverse Lunge-6 reps

6 sets with a 45 sec. rest between sets

I did it with a 95 lb. barbell. This is probably the easiest of the Alwyn Cosgrove barbell complexes, although it's still very challenging. The clean-squat-press hybrid in the middle is a tough bit.

Countdowns: Box Jumps and Pushups

Countdowns a protocol where you do 10 reps each of two exercises, then 9 reps, then 8 reps and so on down to 1 rep. You time them so you can compare your development. I did this one today in 4:18 and the last time I did this it was in 4:42. Nice improvement!

Hanging Ab Raise-10 reps

2 sets with a minute rest between sets

May 13

30 minutes on the treadmill

May 14

Front Squat 12 reps 135 lbs.

Wide Grip Cable Seated Row 12 reps 130 lbs.

3 sets with a 30 sec. rest 

Supine Hip Extension w/Leg Curl 12 reps

Barbell Push Press 12 reps 85 lbs.

3 sets with a 30 sec. rest

Lunge 12 reps 135 lbs.

Swiss Ball Ab Roll 12 reps 25 lbs.

3 sets with a 30 sec. rest

Squat 20 reps 85 lbs.

Lat Pulldown 20 reps 100 lbs.

Step Up 20 reps.

Dumbell Shoulder Press 20 reps 30 lbs.

2 sets with a 60 sec. rest

Swiss Ball Crunch 10 reps

2 sets with a 60 sec. rest

May 16

Deadlift 10 reps 155 lbs.

Explosive Push-Up 10 reps

Bulgarian Split Squat 10 reps each leg 50 lb. dumbells

One-Arm Dumbell Row 10 reps 50 lb. Dumbell

4 sets with a 45 sec. rest

This was the first workout we did for this month long progression. We upped the weight a little and did only 10 reps per set instead of 12, but we also had a 45 sec. rest instead of a 60 sec. rest. It made it a lot tougher.

1 minute punching intervals

3 sets

We cut this one a little short because I am definitely feeling things a little. But like I mentioned to Tim, this was a short workout for us but for most people it would be the most hardest workout they might have ever done. 

There are only three more of these workouts to go and after that I will probably take a few days off and jump into a hypertrophy phase. As much as I loved doing this stuff I am starting to feel a little run down so it will be great to go back to that stuff. I think, as I wrote a few posts back, I should be able to really get some good results with the hypertrophy now that I haven't done any of that kind of overload in quite a while.

Mitchell Rothbardt

www.mitchrothbardttraining.com

(coming soon)

May 10th

Dumbell Snatch-Overhead Squat-6 reps 35 lbs.

Forward Ball Roll-8 reps

Windmill Lunge-3 reps 35 lbs.

Dumbell Row-10 reps 45 lbs.

Swiss Ball Alt. Wood Chops-10 reps 20 lbs.

5 sets with a 90 second rest between sets

15 Bodyweight Squats

5 Pushups

50 Jumping Jacks

10 Mountain Climbers

10 Bodyweight Lunges

2 sets with a 60 second rest between sets

If the first set seems familiar, that's because this is the second time I've done this particular complex. The first time I did it was April 19th. I made a few changes to make it a little more difficult this time around. I did 45 lb. dumbell rows instead of 35 lb. I did 20 lb. wood chops instead of 8 lb.  and I decreased the rest between sets from 2 minutes to 90 seconds. Overall very nice.

The second complex is all bodyweight stuff. Really good. I got it from an interview with Craig Ballantyne. 

So far I am about two weeks into this program and I can definitely see a small difference. I don't know if I will be able to cut the full 5 lbs. of fat I was hoping for, but there is still some time. 

I think it's been good to do this for many reasons. My conditioning is definitely a lot better, and like I said I can see a difference. I think to really get my body fat down to 7 or 8% would take some very precise fine-tuning to my diet and I don't know if I have the overall expertise to get that detailed about diet. I know the basics pretty well, but this goes beyond that a good bit. 

The other reason is that although I am working very hard, my muscles aren't getting that hypertrophy or strength kind of overload that I am used to giving them. This is giving them some good recovery time and it also means that when I go back into my hypertrophy phase, (which is what I am planning on going into next) I should see some nice results. Not only because of the fact that I should be able to overload them pretty well after this month, but also because due to my improved conditioning, my work capacity should increase which should, in turn, increase the overload effect. 

It's all fun and games.

Mitchell Rothbardt

www.mitchrothbardttraining.com

(coming soon)

May 8th

Snatch-Grip Deadlift 12 reps 185 lbs.
T Push-Up 12 reps
3 sets 1 minute rest between sets

Split Squat/Overhead Press (Bring dumbells up to the shoulder and then press while in the down position) 12 reps 30 lbs.
Curl-Grip Lat Pulldowns 12 reps. 100 lbs. for sets 1-2, 90 lbs. for set 3
3 sets 1 minute rest between sets

Straight-Leg Dead/Bent Over Row 12 reps 95 lbs.
Windshield Wiper 12 reps
3 sets 1 minute rest between sets

Very nice today. Some quicker complexes allowed us to hit things in a different way. Very nice and very intense. The snatch-grip deads were really effective. The wider grip makes it a bit harder although the bar doesn't have to travel the same distance.

3 one minute sprint-two minute rest intervals at about 9.5 mph.
These are always superb. Particularly after a workout like this one.

Also, as an update, some developments have happened that will allow me to really increase my study time. They aren't great developments, but I will take advantage of the increased study time to get my certification a bit quicker.

As always, let me know if you have any questions or comments by leaving comments here or emailing me at mitchrothbardttraing@yahoo.com.


Mitchell Rothbardt
www.mitchrothbardttraining.com
(coming soon)

May 6th

Jump Squat 6 reps
Squat 6 reps
Squat and hold for 10 seconds 6 reps
Military Press 6 reps
Push Press 6 reps
Squat & Press 6 reps
6 sets 45 sec. rest between sets

I'm sure exeryone recognizes this as the devastating "Complex D" from this article: http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/complexes.html.

I made a slight adjustment today using dumbells instead of a barbell. When I have tried this complex previously with a bar my shoulders cramped up big time. If you notice every exercise here has your shoulders either stretched or flexed. Doing it with the dumbells worked very well. I used 35 lb. bells for sets 1-3, 30 lb. for set 4, and 25 lb. for set 5-6. This is, quite simply a great complex. Three kinds of squats followed by three kinds of shoulder press, the last two also involving some sort of squat action. It really adds up. Very nice.


Clean & Jerk 12 reps 65lbs.
Lat Pulldown 20 reps 60 lbs.
2 sets 1 minute rest between sets


The C&Js are always great, even at a light weight. Finishing up with the 20 pulldowns is a great topper.


Ab Wheel 10 reps
2 sets 1 minute rest between sets


Great exercise.



Mitchell Rothbardt
http://www.mitchrothbardttraining.com/
(coming soon)


P.S. Please vote in the latest poll.

May 4th Workout and Rush!!

Wow! Can you beat a day that includes a great workout and a Rush concert? I think not!

The Workout

Barbell Row 6 reps
Hang Clean 6 reps

Front Squat-Push Press 6 reps

Jump Squat (with bar on back) 6 reps

Good Morning 6 reps

6 sets with a 45 second rest between sets

I started out with an 85 lb. barbell and then added 10 lbs. to the bar after the first set to make a 95 lb. bar. You do this set without even putting the bar down. You just go from exercise to exercise. This is a great complex by Alwyn Cosgrove.

Deadlift 20 reps 95 lbs.

Dumbell Bench Press 20 reps 35 lb. dumbells
Walking Lunge w/side bend 10 reps each leg 20 lb. dumbells

Seated Cable Row 20 reps 100 lbs.

2 sets with a minute rest between sets

This is a real effective set to put after the initial one. The lunges are a real killer.

Swiss-Ball Crunches with Dumbells 10 reps

2 sets with a minute rest between sets

You do these with the dumbells held straight out, like during a bench press. I have heard these reffered to as Serratus Crunches, also. I did 15 lb. dumbells for the first sets and then 20s for the second. This was a very good exercise. It really highlights how much you use your core for all of these complexes even though there aren't any "ab" exercise in the mix. It's a good lesson to learn in general.

All-in-all another very good workout. One thing I have noticed doing these is that my conditioning is improving. I figured it would although it's not my main goal, but it's nice just the same.

Rush Concert

The Rush show was up to standard. Very good. The setlist was fairly close to last year's show with a few changes. I think overall I liked last years show better but they still are a great band to see. They sounded great. Neil never fails to impress. He really is a tremendous player. During his solo I was thinking back to his solo on Exit, Stage Left, which is one of the most influential drum solos ever and was certainly a monumental landmark for my playing, and I realized that as great of a solo as that is, he is such a better player now. So much more nuanced. It may easy for some to take his greatness for granted seeing as how he has been doing this for so long (I never have) but after seeing him you realize that his status as a lengendary player is more than justified. Highlights for me included 2112, Natural Science and Spindrift as well as the aforementioned drum solo. I have a feeling it will be a little while before I get a chance to see them again, so I like to appreciate them while I can. My admiration for these guys is pretty extreme. At some point they'll stop doing this, and when that announcement comes it will be a pretty bad day for me.

Ladies and gentleman, the world's greatest band. RUSH!

Mitchell Rothbardt
www.mitchrothbardttraining.com
(coming soon)

P.S. New poll coming tomorrow!

May 1st & 2nd and Food Diary

May 1st
Did some standard steady-state treadmill stuff for 30 minutes. Just getting the heart rate up and burning off a few calories. This style of cardio doesn't do nearly what interval training does, but having worked pretty hard the day before I just wanted to do something to burn off a few extra calories.

May 2nd
Dumbell Hang Clean 10 reps
Split Jerk 10 reps
Drop Lunge 10 reps each side (these are like doing a curtsy)
5 sets 1 minute rest between each set

I used 30 lb. dumbells here and it was very good. The split jerks are very challenging when you do them one after another.

Dumbell Curl-Lunge-Shoulder Press 10 reps
5 sets 1 minute rest between each set

This is a hybrid set as opposed to a complex set, meaning that you one exercise directly into the next into the next. For this, you do a dumbell curl as you lunge. When you are in the lunge position you do a shoulder press and then reverse your movements back to the starting position. I used 20 lb. dumbells on these. It was very good.

1 minute work-2 minutes rest Focus Mitt punching intervals.
3 sets.

This was great. It has been awhile since I have done these. It felt great.

Measurements and Food Diary
I took my measurements and body fat and really didn't see much of a change this week. I was hoping to see something, but it's only been a week.

I happened onto a phenomenal website. http://myfooddiary.com/ It is a site that allows you track your diet, among other things. You just enter what you have eaten and it adds everything up for you. They have a database of over 50,000 items and you can also enter your own. You can do more than just track your food on there , too. You can track your exercise, weight and compare it all. I think I'll mostly use it for the food section, though. You really should go there and check it out. I think it's very important to keep track of what you are eating. Most people don't really know what they are eating although they think they do. When it's all down on paper, things can look different. It costs $9.00 a month to join, but I think it's well worth it. When I start training people, I plan on making this site a big part of what I do. I plan on really being able to fine tune my nutrition with this.

Other than that, studying continues, Iron Man tomorrow and Rush in two days!!!!!!!!
Have a great weekend.

Mitchell Rothbardt
www.mitchrothbardttraining.com
(coming soon)