In this article, I will discuss my personal workout routine for the week to finish up the Keep It Simple Workout as detailed in the previous article for chest.
The current workout routine maintained my BMI at 24.5 and body fat percentage at approximately 18 percents as compared to the visual guideline below.
Let’s get on with Keep It Simple Workout!
(Day 2 BACK) Time duration – 1 hour 20 minutes
- Warm up jog on the treadmill – 20 minutes
- Bent-over dumbbell row (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Wide-grip lat pull-down superset (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Dumbbell bent-over lateral raise (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Machine-assisted pull-up (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
The bent-over dumbbell row will be executed as the big brush as discussed in the article Keep It Simple Workout 1. Select the weight level that will challenge you in 7 to 10 repetitions.
Safety tip – keep your lower back straight. Lower the weight if you cannot maintain the correct form.
The Wide-grip lat pull-down is a big brush superset. Select the weight that challenged you in 7 to 10 repetitions. As soon as you completed the set, cut the weight in half, count 8 seconds and repeat 7 to 10 repetitions – repeat by cut the weigh in half again to finish 1 set.
Tip – if you want Bruce Lee’s big lat (latissimus dorsi) slightly lean back and look up at each repetition.
Dumbbell bent-over lateral raise is a small brush. Select the appropriate weight that you can perform 12 to 20 repetitions.
Safety tip – keep your lower back straight, otherwise lower the weight.
Tip – for each repetition, finish the execution with your thumb point down toward the ground.
For my back routine, I don’t use the machine-assisted pull-up because I can do 20 repetitions of my own weight. Most of you will need the machine-assisted pull-up to counter your body weight for execution.
Select the appropriate weight for the execution of 12 to 20 repetitions.
Tip – inner grip will place more emphasis on the lower back and outer grip will give more stress to the upper back.
(Day 3 LEG) Time duration – 1 hour 20 minutes
- Warm up jog on the treadmill – 20 minutes
- Leg extension superset (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Lying leg curl superset (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Dumbbell sumo squat (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Machine seated calf raise superset (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
Disclaimer – I have chicken legs. I have pushed myself to squad up to 325lb – 2 times my body weight, but the legs do not develop in corresponding to the efforts I have invested over the years.
If I have started all over again in my 20’s, I would not have devoted so much time in the squad rack. Instead, I would have invested more time with the leg extension and the lying leg curl.
In my early 20’s, I noticed of the few times that I worked with the leg extension and the lying leg curl, afterward I have hard time putting on my jean because my lower body were fully swelled.
For some odd reason, the squad is the ultimate exercise to build big legs for most people – it just did not do anything for me.
For the last few years, I completely gave up the squat and relied on this routine to keep the size and the strength.
The leg extension is executed as a big brush superset to exhaustion – I will do three sets of 7 to 10 repetitions with 8 seconds rest in between and it counted as 1 set.
The lying leg curl is also executed as a big brush superset to exhaustion – I will do three sets of 7 to 10 repetitions with 8 seconds rest in between and it counted as 1 set.
The variation to the leg extension is that I will lower the weight to get the 7 to 10 reps.
Unfortunately over the years, I have lost more strength in my hamstring than my quad.
Two years ago after the return trip from Japan, I incorporated the dumbbell sumo squat into my leg routine – inspired after watched sumo wrestlers exhibited their lower body strength.
Tip – open up the leg as far as you can with toes point in the opposite directions, drop slowly and deep.
The machine seated calf raise is executed as small brush superset to exhaustion – I will do three sets of 12 to 20 repetitions with 8 seconds rest in between and it counted as 1 set.
Tip – drop your heels below your toes at every repetition.
(Day 4 ARM) Time duration – 1 hour 20 minutes
- Warm up jog on the treadmill – 20 minutes
- Barbell curl (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Triceps rope push-down superset (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Overhead cable curl (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Dumbbell kickback (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
Barbell curl is an excellent big brush for biceps.
Tip – minimize the swing with the up lift, drop the weight if you cannot maintain straight back and swing with the upper body to bring the weight up.
The triceps rope push-down is executed as big brush superset – Select the weight that challenged you in 7 to 10 repetitions. As soon as you completed the set, cut the weight in half, count 8 seconds and repeat 7 to 10 repetitions – repeat by cut the weigh in half again to finish 1 set.
Tip – lean forward to give more emphasis on the upper triceps and keep your back straight to recruit the lower triceps.
The overhead cable curl is executed as a brush to be executed with 12 to 20 repetitions.
Tip – lean slightly forward to put more pressure on the inner biceps.
The dumbbell kickback is executed as a small brush. The drill will give your triceps a nice horse-shoe shape.
Tip – keep your back straight and if you cannot park the dumbbell parallel to your body, lower the weight.
(Day 5 SHOULDER) Time duration – 1 hour 20 minutes
- Warm up jog on the treadmill – 20 minutes
- Seated dumbbell overhead press (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Incline dumbbell front raise (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Seated bent-over lateral raise (5 sets @ 12 to 20 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
- Barbell shrug (5 sets @ 7 to 10 repetitions, 2 minutes rest) – 15 minutes
In my shoulder routine, seated dumbbell overhead press is a big brush. Make sure you execute it in a bench with the back rest.
Tip – you will have to use your knee to help lift the weight over your shoulder. Execute the movement with your back rested perpendicular to the bench. Lower the weight if you cannot sit straight.
Incline dumbbell front raise is executed as a small brush.
Tip – execute the movement with minimal swing from the shoulder. Squeeze in with your pectoral muscle at the end of the raise.
The seated bent-over lateral raise is executed a small brush. The slowed and deliberated movement will shred your shoulder for a
Tip – lean forward to place more emphasis on the lower set of muscles and vice versa for the upper group of the shoulder muscles, while keep your lower back straight.
Finally, the bar bell shrug to give you the football player neck. A big trapezius protects the critical base that joins the head and the body – moreover, it is a very effective visual deterrence to bullies.
Tip – I executed the bar bell shrug as a combination of the big brush and the small brush, low repetitions with heavy weight and high repetitions with low weight.
With the Keep It Simple Diet and the Keep It Simple Workout – now you can have the Jeff Bezos terminator look to pursue the next Amazon.com.
Let’s play the game of life!
