Tonight, I did Back & Biceps. I was somewhat reluctant going into it, but I was so glad when I got into it. However, I took the liberty of making a few changes to the workout (you know me ;-D). For those of you who don't know, Back & Biceps basically consists of 6 blocks of exercises. Each block is sequenced as follows: pull-up variations, back exercise, and 2 bicep exercises.
Today's Mods to Back & Biceps
I personally don't need to do many pullups from a physique perspective, as my back and shoulders are already pretty wide. I would love to train so that I can actually do an unassisted pull-up, but doing them kind of conflicts with my figure competition ambitions later this year. So, I substituted each round of pullups with kettlebell snatches and did them for the same amount of time that Tony & crew did pullups (avg 55 secs).
* Warm-up & Stretch: For the 2:00 warmup, I did 16kg kettlebell swings (0:45 2H; 0:30 1HR; 0:301HL; 0:15 2H) instead of following along with the warmup on the DVD. Then, I stretched with the crew and began my workout.
* Rounds 1 & 2: For the first 2 blocks, I used my lighter 12kg kettlebell since it's been a while since I've done snatches. I managed to get in 2 rounds of 5 snatches per side the first time. I then picked up my pace on the second block. I did the 2 rounds of 5 snatches per side and then moved to alternating snatches. I got in 1 snatch on the left and right before time was up.
* Round 3: I was feeling pretty good, so I decided to tackle the snatches with my nemesis - my 16kg bell. Somehow, they felt AWESOME! Not to mention, I really felt the smoothness of the snatch and my whole body working together to get them done. Of course there was also a serious heart rate effect by upping the weight. This made moving directly into bent over rows 'interesting'. Anyway, I made it through another 2 sets of 5 snatches/side.
* Round 4: After adding in the remaining back & bicep work, I was beginning to get fatigued. So, for the fourth round, I went back to my 12kg bell and did 2 sets of 5 snatches/side.
* Round 5: Coming into the home stretch, my biceps were screaming. So, I only did 1 set of 3 snatches per side with my 16kg bell on the 5th round.
* Round 6: For the final round, I wanted to try double kettlebell snatches. I was so tired, that I was on pause for a good 20 seconds into Tony & crew's pullups. I mustered the energy and strength to do 3 double snatches with my two 12kg bells. I'll have to practice them when I'm not so tired.
I enjoy the sequencing in the back & biceps workout, and my biceps really feel worked hard!
I finished my workout by doing the first 7 exercises in Ab Ripper X and then sat the rest out. I tend to avoid this DVD because it's hard as heck for me! LOL. I appreciate its breviety, but I'm just no good at it. Anyway, I still don't think it will be one of my favorites. I'll probably try the core workout from the P90X+ next week to see if I like that any better. Otherwise, I'll just try to be more consistent about adding some type of core work from one of the many in my collection. I do tend to like Cathe's core workouts at the end of her regular DVDs as well as the Ab Circuits from STS. Anyhoo...I digress...
Great week, great workout. I'm feeling sore, so we will see what tomorrow brings. I'm supposed to do Legs & Back...
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