TeenBodybuilding.com - Derek Charlebois - Bulking

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Did you know?
Although your bones are hard, inside they are, in fact, light and spongy. They are about three-fourths water.

I started doing some rotator cuff exercises before each workout. This has really helped me recover from my shoulder injury.

By: Derek Charlebois

Bulking - Week #14

NOTICE: This is article #14 of this series. Click HERE for the front page.

Diet and Supplements

Same as before.

NOTE

I started doing some rotator cuff exercises before each workout. This has really helped me recover from my shoulder injury.

Monday, December 9th

Squats 325 X 6, 4, 4 - View Exercise
Stiff Leg Deadlift 235 X 8, 6, 4 - View Exercise
Lying Leg Curl 180 X 6, 4 - View Exercise
Leg Press 330 X 8, 6, 4 - View Exercise
Leg Extension 215 X 6, 6 - View Exercise

Q: Have you every tired squats with like a 2 X 4 under your heels?

A: I tried it years ago and found it awkward. There is a lot of people who do this and like it. My suggestion is just to try it. That is the only way to find out if it will work for you.

Tuesday, December 10th

Barbell Curl (View) * Skull Crusher (View) 145 X 6, 4 * 145 X 6, 4
Ez bar curl * Pressdown (View) 135 X 6, 4 * 170 X 8, 6
Reverse Curl (View) * Reverse Pressdown 105 X 6, 4 * 170 X 6, 4
Ez Bar Reverse Curl * Rope Pressdown (View) 105 X 6, 4 * 130 X 8, 6
Standing Calf Raise 420 X 8, 6 - View Exercise
Seated calf raise 180 X 8, 6 - View Exercise
Leg Press Calf 360 X 8, 6

My right forearm is bothering me. :( I swear, I can never get a break. As soon as my shoulder started feeling good again, my forearm starts hurting.

Q: I workout at home and don't have any machines for my calves. What can I do for them?

A: The best thing you can do is donkey calf raises. You bend over and have someone sit on your back. First though, you have to support your upper body on something (bench, table, etc.).Then when standing on the 2X4 or whatever you use to elevate your feet, stretch your calf by lowering your heel down, then contract up by pushing up with your toes. Ideally, your feet should be elevated off the ground so you can stretch your calves down on the negative portion of the exercise.

Others exercise you can do is:

One legged standing calf raise.

To do this, hold a dumbbell, in your hand, on the side you are going to work. Find a step or something similar. Use the hand not holding a dumbbell to balance yourself. Then when standing on the step, stretch your calf by lowering your heel down, then contract up by pushing up with your toes. Do both your right and left calf.

Wednesday, December 11th

Military Press 155 X 8, 6 - View Exercise
DB Shoulder Press 65 X 6, 5, 4 - View Exercise
Side Lateral 40 X 5, 4 30 X 6 (One arm at a time) - View Exercise (Two Arms Shown)
Bent Over Cable Lateral 50 X 6, 5 - View Exercise
Shrugs 315 X 6, 4 - View Exercise

Q: What is your favorite shoulder exercise?

A: My favorite shoulder exercise is dumbbell side laterals. Doing them gives you that wide look from the front. This is because they hit the middle part of the deltoideus. They really help you develop that cannon ball delt look.

Thursday, December 12th

Wide Grip Pull Up X 10, 4, 4 - View Exercise
Bent Over Row 235 X 6, 4 - View Exercise
T-Bar Row 190 X 6, 4, 4 View Exercise

My forearm injury made it hard to do pull ups, I couldn't do deadlifts, and it hurt on bent over rows. What a day.

Q: Which is best? Overhand or underhand grip for Bent Over Rows?

A: I prefer overhand. I feel an overhand grip allows me to hit my overall back more effectively. I also find that when I use an underhand grip, by biceps get tired. You want to choose a grip that will allow you to hit the muscle group are trying to hit. Try both grips and see which ones feels best for you.

Friday, December 13th

Decline Press 250 X 8, 6, 4 - View Exercise
Incline DB press 80 X 6, 5, 4 - View Exercise
Dips X 12, 8, 8 - View Exercise
Cable Flies 60 X 7, 6, 5

Q: I'm confused. What do you mean by incline and decline press?

A: Incline and Decline presses are done on a bench that is not completely flat. The benches for these exercises are not one piece. They have the bench part and a seat part. When you do incline presses, the bench part is tilted up anywhere from 20-60 degrees. When you do decline presses, the bench part is lowered anywhere from 20-60 degrees. Click the View Exercise links above to check out the exercises.

Weekly Reflection

This was a decent week. It's tough staying positive when you have nagging injuries, but I have to do the best I can. Writing this journal helps some in that regard. Knowing that I will be reporting what I am doing keeps me going. It allows me to focus on the benefits of lifting and of helping people learn by reading what I am going through. If you take away anything from reading this I hope it is motivation. You should not let anything get in the way of you achieving your goals. These injuries are minor setbacks. They do not prevent me from lifting. I just have to lift smart and work around them. I do not want to do any thing that can make the injury worse. But I also do not want to stop lifting if I do not have to.

Until next time, lift smart!

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