It’s week 10 on the program and I’m making strides in the majority of my upper body lifts. Oddly enough, my weight is back to almost 118, so whatever weight I lost is back!
This week is hypertrophy week, one of my favorite kinds of weeks, because the workout is hard, fast, efficient, and fun. My last hypertrophy week was only 2 weeks ago (week eight), so rather than do the exact same routine, I switch it up a bit to keep my muscles guessing.
Here’s one proud moment: for the flat bench press, I’m doing 80 lbs for 3 sets for 10 reps. Going back to my very first week on Hybrid, I could only do 5 reps for 85 lbs for my 5X5 day so I’m doing double the amount of reps for a nearly identical weight for 10 reps and a far shorter rest period.
I’m also stroking the 50 lb DBs for one arm rows for 8 reps, again, a weight that I was only able to do for a 5X5 day. For the body weight exercises (unassisted dips and pullups).
I’m getting fewer than 8 reps (6,5,6 for 3 sets of dips and 6,5,4 for pullups) but I truly value the importance of the body weight exercises and am getting as many as I can with clean form. I see an improvement in lat pulldowns (100 lbs for 3 sets of eight) and bicep curls (12 reps by 45 lbs using the Olympic bar.
Leg hypertrophy day consists of front squats, reverse stepping dumbell lunges, straight leg deadlifts, leg extensions, leg curls, and standing and seated calf work. I’m breaking even with my last effort for lifts on hypertrophy day, which is kind of a bummer, BUT the one thing I have changed this time around is the time of day I’ve chosen to work out. I’m doing this first thing in the morning, not my usual time, and it’s possible that my legs are still sleeping. Haha! Highly doubtful. The one place I do notice an improvement is on the seated leg curl (gone up by 10 lbs).
I finish the week with a great Hybrid HIIT day. 20 minutes on the rowing machine, an all body weight strength circuit with inverted rows, prisoner squats, and pushups. The nice thing about this is that 1) I don’t need to set up any machines (except for the Smith for the inverted rows) or any barbells and the circuit goes by a lot faster (think super efficient, super heart pumping, and hard). If you need to get a killer cardio routine done during your lunch break this is it. I finish with 20 minutes on the step mill at moderate intensity and pushing through the heels to fire up the glutes.
No wonder people get addicted to cardio, it’s so nice to be DONE.
OK time to go eat, please feel free to leave comments below!
WEEK 11 Hybrid Training HERE!
Sumi Singh is an Austin-based personal trainer with nearly 2 decades of experience in fitness. She holds specializations in pre-and post natal fitness, group fitness, and sports nutrition. She’s the author of Stay at Home Strong, a complete workout program for new moms. She’s also an online diet coach, a busy single mom, has set various world, National and state records as a powerlifter, and holds an BSc from Tufts, and a Masters from Duke University.
Great to see your still keeping at it, with great results I might add. Will keep reading with intrest.
Inspiring stuff. Thanks for the HIIT tip and cardio info.You look amazing!! =0)
awesome! check out those shoulders!