Evil’s Workout Plan – February 2014

The worst of winter is behind us and Valentine’s Day shortly ahead. Here’s what I will subjecting my muscles to before and after giving in to the candy and flower industry’s emotional blackmail.

Changes, Changes, Changes!

Didn’t I write in the prelude to my last workout plan that I didn’t make any changes the month before and that’s why you didn’t see another plan of mine for two months?

That’s how I like it: if it works, it works, and I don’t feel sorry for not having to sit down, pore over compound and auxiliary exercises and target and stabilizer muscles to come up with a new one.

Unfortunately, this time it didn’t work out. With some exercises I put in in January I had to remember I didn’t do them in a long time for good reason.

Let’s look at it.

Evil’s Current Workout Plan (February 2014)

 
Again some links go to ExRx until I have done a video on those exercises.

Mondays Explained

In January I said that I felt my form on December’s lying triceps extensions wasn’t that good. It turns out my form when doing them standing or seated is even worse. When standing I feel like having to take a step back to keep my balance, seated I can’t keep my elbows from flaring out. Both were reasons why I had stopped doing those, I later remembered.

That means the tested and tried kickbacks smugly reenter my schedule instead of those more elaborate triceps movements.

The rest of the day still does the job, so it’ll remains as it is. It seems I tend to wear out some exercises much faster than others.

Wednesdays Explained

The whole Wednesday still works, but experience tells me it won’t be long before the barbell rows stall again. I can usually do them for two months and then no plateau-breaking technique or hearty swearing will nudge me toward another rep. Until that happens I’ll enjoy the ride.

Fridays Explained

Last month I told you what a great exercise dumbbell raises are for the shoulder. And they are, at least for the people for whom they work. That included me when I started with them, but now they didn’t work at all.

Doing them last month ended in two choices. I could either use enough weight to get a training effect, but only go about 2/3rds of the way up. Or use the weight that allows me the full range of motion, but not get to muscular failure after 12, 15 or even 20 reps. There was nothing in between.

That meant it was either back to the regular side raises from November or do lying side raises. I wasn’t that comfortable doing the first because they had a good relationship with the shoulder pain in that month. Not that I cared that much for option #2, given that unilateral training means you do one exercise in the time it takes to do two bilateral ones.