Calves & Forearms

I didn't think I would make it down to the gym again tonight.
I had a stressful day in the editing room preparing programs I have been involved in for the launch of LA Muscle TV on Sky TV early next month, but I seemed to be on auto-pilot as I found myself at the entrance to the gym thinking to myself - What am I doing here? I have too much work to do, and am feeling drained from my morning cardio/ab blast, and stress of the day.

But I continued on auto-pilot into the gym and started my calf workout. I soon found the energy and strength within to somehow turn around what could have quite easily been a missed workout, into what was probably my best calf workout I think I've ever had!

I'm never without my iPod in the gym, and can always be heard listening to either Trance from such DJ's as Tiesto, Armin Van Burin, and Deadmau5, or hip-hop/rap, mostly going through the entire catalog of Lil' Wayne's songs. (I mostly have on Trace during cardio because the fast beat, and europhic state of mind it puts me in, helps me keep to a rythmn during such workouts, and Hip-Hip/Rap when weight lifting, which has a slower beat that I usually lift to, and melody's that just get me pumped. If you've heard some of Lil Wayne's latest mix tapes then you'll know what I mean!)

Ok, so here is the workout that I did this evening, and as always, you can check out my bodyspace for a full listing of the sets, reps and weights.
As always before training, I took 5g of L-Glutamine, and 5g of BCAA's to help protect from the breakdown of muscle , which is especially important as I am dieting and want to try and keep as muscle muscle as possible whilst losing fat. I also took 2 tablets of Norateen Hollywood Body. A natural testosterone booster that helps give me focus and a greater sense of strength when training. For a full listing of supplements, check out my post on my fitness website.

Calves:
Standing Calf Raises
Seated Calf Raises
Bent Donkey Calf Raises
I couldn't even find enough weight to hit muscle failure!












Incline Donkey Raises
Rotary Calf Machine

Forearms:
Each exercise performed as a tri-set with no rest between exercises.
Pronated Dumbbell Wrist Curls
Seated Barbell Wrist Curls
D-Grip Squeezes (aka: Ivanko Super Gripper)

Morning Cardio/Abs Blast

Up at 6.15am today - a little later than I wanted to, as I normally set my alarm for 5.30, but I had a bit of a late night last night watching Slumdog Millionaire. If you haven't already seen this film, I urge you to watch it. One word. Incredible.

Ok, so back to the training, which is why you guy's follow me, and not to hear about which films I watched last night :-)

Right, so upon waking, I consumed 1/2 liter of water, with 5g of L-Glutamine, plus 5g of BCAA's.
I also took 2 LA Muscle Fatstripper Intense and 5g of L-Carnitine.

Once at the gym, I did 20 minutes of HIIT on the upright bike:
3 min warm up @ Level 7 Intensity (out of 20), and 70RPM
then 10 x 1 minute sprints, where I turned the intensity up to level 12 and maintained an RPM of no less than 100. During my recovery times, I dropped the intensity back down to 7 and allowed my RPM's to drop to about 60.
After my 10 sprints, I did a further 3 minute cool down to allow my HR to return to a near normal level.

Once done, I embarked on my new Ab routine, in which I've cut out doing any side bends, so as to focus on a smaller, more muscular waistline, without building up my side obliques quite as much.

Here is the workout routine, which took me about 35 minutes to complete.

Performed as supersets:
Hanging Knee ups. (Using Aboriginals) 50/50/50
Cable Crunches: 50/50/50

Lying Leg Raises (only up to a 75degree angle) 50:50:50
Ab Crunhes (10lb plate on my chest): 50:50:50

Seated Rotational Twists (using a light barbell - no weights) 50:50:50
Oblique Cable Crunches (Single arm to knee) 30:30:30 (each side)
Hyper Extensions (holding a 10lb plate): 30:30:30

Towards the end of each workset, I may only be able to do 30 reps, rest for a few seconds, and then complete a further 20 reps.

Unfortunately, my Polar Heart Rate watch wasn't working today, so I cannot post how many calories I burned, but form past experiences, I know it was between 700 - 900 calories.

I sipped on water throughout, and made sure I consumed another half liter once done, along with taking a further 5g of L-Glutamine, and 5g BCAA's.

Once home, I prepared the following meal:
Egg White Scramble (6 egg whites, 2 yolks)
Cooked with a little coconut oil

1 slice of slightly toasted dark Rye bread.

1/2 a small avocado

Plus my multivitamins and 1 capsule of EFA.

If interested, you can check out my nutrition planner and create your own options, with full nutritional breakdown

Stay tuned for my weights workout later this evening.