Day 12: Secondary Muscle Training

I woke up today feeling pretty darn good, cranked out some cardio and some deep stretches.  Rather than jump into my pull workout, I opted to do it a little later, hoping that I would have enough recovery time that my back would feel a bit better.  I didn't feel excessively sore, but I certainly felt a little fatigued.  So, rather than kill my back in another priority pull training, I opted to crush some biceps movements.

Think about it, what are the primary movers in pull ups?  Back and biceps.  With my goal being 100 pull ups straight this is going to require much endurance, so today was going to be an intense 15 minutes on my biceps.  Each exercise was done to complete failure or I performed 25-50 reps.  Here ya go:

Dumbbell Biceps Curl - 15lbs. x50 reps
Dumbbell Alternating Biceps Curl - 10lbs. x50 reps
Dumbbell Rapid Biceps Curls - 5lbs. x50reps
25lb. Plate Alternating Side Curls x25 reps each side
Cable Curls w/ Rope - 27.5 x15 reps
Cable Single Arm Curl w/ Pipe Extension - 12.5 x15reps each side

This is my favorite cooldown:
1)  Get on a treadmill
2)  Start at a 3.5mph pace and decrease by 0.1mph every 30 seconds
3)  Hold an isometric biceps curl, tuck the elbows and squeeze the back muscles while tightening the mid-section.  Breathe intensely through the diaphragm for 30 seconds, then relax for 30 seconds.  Repeat for the 10 minute cooldown.

After my cooldown, I spent an additional 15 minutes on stretching my shoulders all the way around. Front and back.  I had a little help from my stretch strap.  I highly recommend you invest in one of these tools (or in my case, steal it from your wife).  If you don't have a stretch strap, use a strong towel.

Hey!  Hit me up tomorrow, I'm gonna look into isometric pull up (holds) for an intense 15 minute routine.

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.