Day 3/Cycle 4

[Rich McClain]

31 degrees in garage. I forgot to mention that I have to wear gloves because the metal is too cold to handle. I superset every two lifts to speed workout time. Forearms are hammered. I feel like Popeye, I yam what I yam, hugagagaga!

DB Bench Press alternating left then right 70's x 5 x 3
Rows 160 x 5 x 3 Dropped the weight down to focus on range

Skull Crushers 75 x 5 x 3
DB Front Raises 50's x 5 x 3

Hammer Curls 50's x 5 x 3
Front Lat Pulls 160 x 5 x 1, 140 x 5 x 2 Dropped the weight to focus on range

Kneeling DB Row 80 x 5 x 3
Dumbbell Flys Arnold Style with focus on chest stretch 1 second hold at bottom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBnZF-h-ZcQ

Dropped the Upright Rows from this day and added
Tricep Press Downs 50 x 10 x 5

Crunch position hold for 100 seconds total 25 x 25 x 25 x25

The question today at work was brought up about using shoulders during bench press or pecs. Doing the DB press I feel that I use more shoulders. During the flys I focus on the chest stretch. Is there a different way to do the DB bench press that uses more chest than shoulders? Perhaps not alternating left then right. The only thing is that it would be more like the flys that I do. Maybe I don't have to do both? Any comments?

[FrankH]

I know Bryan will back me up on this if he hasn't already, but be careful to not overtrain. I got very gung ho with dumbell curls 2 years back, (for some reason) and had to deal with tendonitis in my forearms all season. I couldn't pull on the caber without feeling like my forearms were on fire, and could hardly drive home after a competition. If your forearms (or anything else) gets hammered, be sure to get enough rest. Overtraining is probably more of a problem with older guys; those young pups can push weight around forever, damn their eyes!

[randy]

Rich McClain,

don't know if you'll find a more difficult DB BP than the 1-side-at-a-time press....i tried them once...those are rediculous. balance (more accurately, 1-sided support) is crucial, and the pec on the support side has to work, and you have to grip like a sonofagun with that support hand.

heck, i don't even do any flat bench work, but i think i just talked myself into doing them regularly!

anyway, for some reason i felt the pec working way more with those than with 2 DBs or with a bar.

if you wanna get scientific with pectoralization, check out Arthur Jones's Nautilus Bulletin #1, Chapter 3: The Functions of Muscular Structures, top of page 3: http://arthurjonesexercise.com/Bulletin1/3.PDF

thanks again, Monster Malutich, for switching me on to Arthur!

rking

[bjketchem]

Rich, I commend you for the toughness to train in 31 degree weather...Gosh I miss Western PA, but not training in the freezing cold!! I still remember losing a discus or two throwing in the meat packing parking lot across the street when there was snow on the ground.