Todays session 18/01/11

A regular gym session today.

Decided to have a bit of a measure up the other day and discovered my upper arm measurement has shrunk by a whole inch!! As much as I love the whole kettlebell way of life and all the benefits that they bring such as the improved flexibility, resilience to injury, cardiovascular benefits, strength endurance gains and of course, fun, if you want to keep a 17 inch chunk of meat hanging off your Humerus you have to throw in some direct upper arm work now and again!

I think it's probably not possible for me to get entirely away from the aesthetic aspect of training, quite simply, I was a skinny guy with issues, that's a fact and so I'm bound to get a bit pissed when I start veering back towards my former skinny guy self!
Of course, there is no reason why you can't have both. Previously, before the bells and the Concept 2 rower came into my life, aesthetics was all I cared for. So what if I couldn't run up a flight of stairs without getting puffed, at least I felt as though I looked good.

Other aspects haven't suffered so much, chest is still 47, thighs 25, calves, well, lets not even go there! always been a weakness. Waist currently just under 32 so that's pleasing. Always use my waist as a guide for my leanness. 30 is very lean, 32, a good sustainable size, pretty lean, 34, not liking that at all and 36, well, I was a 36 pre contest diet in 94 but I also had a 52 inch chest, 18 inch + arms and 28 inch thighs so I guess it's all relative. But right now, 32 is good.

So new strategy is, one to two gym sessions per week, two steady state bike rides or rows and two to three kettlebell sessions mixing them up between strength biased sessions and cardio biased. Lets see if that does the trick.

OK, onto today's session.

Wide grip pull ups 5 x body weight with, of course, full range of motion, 8-10 reps.
Bent over barbell rows, 4 sets
Straight arm pulldowns, 3 sets

Barbell curls, 5 sets

Tricep pushdowns, 4 sets
Tricep rope extensions, 4 sets.

Stretching, 10 minutes.