Workout I'm doing while I'm in Chile
One of my goals while in Chile was to get in shape. My thought process was that I wanted to wow my friends and family with some kind of transformation while I was abroad. To what extent remains to be seen. I do know that I've gained some strength; I'm really happy about that.
So first off, my workout plan.
I started this workout around the middle of June. At the time I had access to my old high school gym. The name of the workout program is Stronglifts 5x5. Its mantra is basically gain strength, gain muscle; the more muscle, the easier it is to burn fat. It comprises of five exercises done for five sets of five reps. These exercises are the squat, bench press, barbell (pendlay) row, overhead press, and deadlift. The exercises and the program are aptly described on www.stronglifts.com.
There were numerous factors that made me check out Stronglifts 5x5.
First off, I was tired of creating my own workout routine. Those routines were based on tons of readings, and their effectiveness was based on how sore I was the next day or two. If I wasn't sore, I'd get the idea in my head that what I'm doing is AT LEAST going to result in something beneficial, ie. a great bod. Also, my workouts tried to improve all the different types of fitness at once. It was very hard to keep track of it all, and more than likely, I would quit.
Secondly, I never really felt like the old workouts I did helped with my strength. It would be a nice surprise when I did get stronger, but I never got tested for an increase in strength. When you start off, almost all of the exercises are just with the barbell. With each workout, you add weight. Did you just add weight for this workout? BOOM, you're stronger than before. Nothing convinces you more about the efficacy of something than physical evidence.
Thirdly, after some more reading, I convinced myself that I'd rather be "all go, no show" than "no go, all show". Well, I would like to "show" a bit (I'm still a bit superficial), but mainly I want to "go". Confused? Don't be. It's an expression that adequately, but not completely, summarizes the difference between two types of hypertrophy: sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is a type of muscle growth that results in a significant increase in size but not in strength. The size is attributed to an increase in sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscles. Think bodybuilder.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy is the other type of muscle growth that results in a significant increase in strength but not in size per se. The size is attributed to an increase in myofibrils or contractile units of muscles. More units, more force. Think powerlifter.
Anyways, long story short, I'd rather BE strong than LOOK LIKE I'm strong. I have my friend Tati to thank for instilling that idea in my head; that it's cooler that I don't look I can do much, but then out of nowhere I beast. At the time, I took it as a compliment, and you should too. >.< By the way, this workout program emphasizes myofibrillar hypertrophy, if you didn't catch that implication.
Lastly, the program was, and still is, free. It's simple and easy to follow. It also appealed to my logic in the sense that the workouts all contain compound movements, ie. you're using many muscles as a whole unit to accomplish some action. When do you need to solely use your biceps? To show off? You're so shallow...:P
So yea, that's about it. Currently, I can now squat 231 lbs, bench 138 lbs, and deadlift 248 lbs. My bodyweight is 170 lbs. Not bad for someone who only started three months ago?
Also, I like the fact that anyone can do this workout. I'm gonna try to convince my polola to workout w/ me when I get back to the States.
I'll close with this last thing; this workout can cater to whatever your body goal is. If you're an aspiring bodybuilder, this workout will give you a strong foundation to do even more w/ other exercises that emphasize sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (Go bicep curls!). If you want to be stronger and not be bulky, then you're already golden; you'll look more compact and be stronger than ever....ladies.
Well that's it for now. Off to class I go :)
