Shoulder And Leg Workout 13th May 2009

13 May 2009 | Shoulder & Legs

Shoulders

My first shoulder and leg workout together today, it went well, though I did have a bit of fun trying to workout how much weight I needed to put on the shoulder press machine. In this gym they have these APT machines (advance plate loading technology) which means rather than moving a pin in a weight stack, you actually load 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 kg plates onto the machine and lift that.

The first exercise for my shoulders was the shoulder press. This involved an APT machine, which I figured I would be able to use the same weight as I am used to lifting on a regular weight-stack machine.

  • 20kg x 12 reps (warmup)
  • 40kg x 12 reps (warmup)
  • 50kg x 12 reps (too light)
  • 60kg x 8 reps
  • 60kg x 9 reps
  • 60kg x 10 reps

Even though the most I had lifted on a weight stack machine was 60kg for 8 reps, I was easily able to do that same weight on this APT machine, in fact, next workout I will be adding a bit more weight onto it, probably only an extra 5 kg. I doubt this is my shoulders being any stronger than they were before my week off, more likely the APT machine is adding some leverage to the lift and thus making the weight seem lighter.

Next up for shoulders was a new exercise for me today – the lateral shoulder raise machine – similar to performing lateral raises with dumbbells, except with it being a machine, there is better isolation on the deltoid. Also, because you aren’t holding a dumbbell out with your arms, you can put more weight on, though the effect is the same as you don’t have the leveraging effect thanks to the weight being transferred up through the elbow.

  • 20kg x 8 reps (too light)
  • 25kg x 8 reps (too light)
  • 30kg x 10 reps (about right)

Legs

My leg workout today consisted of squats and leg press. I meant to do some hamstring work but completely forgot. It doesn’t help that the hamstring curl machine in the gym is too light, I can already easily do twelve reps on the full stack.

First up was squats, an exercise I really don’t enjoy performing, but I know that I have to do them to keep the physique in proportion and also to release loads of testosterone into the system.

  • 20kg (bar only) x 8 reps (warmup)
  • 50kg x 8 reps (warmup)
  • 75kg x 8 reps
  • 75kg x 8 reps
  • 75kg x 8 reps

Next up was leg press, which I actually enjoy, though today I could feel that I’d had a week off last week, I felt considerably weaker. I guess some of this is the effect of being off creatine for a week, I’m using this week as a loading week so fully expect strength to be back where it was next week.

  • 180kg x 10 reps
  • 180kg x 10 reps
  • 180kg x 10 reps

That was it for today’s workout, a fairly good workout, finished off with a couple of sets of decline sit ups on the sit ups bench and a set of leg raises.

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