March 10, Beginning LIIFT4 Week SEVEN!!!

March 10, 2019, Sunday - LIIFT4, Week 7, Day 1: Chest and Back Circuit + Shoulder Care Yoga + TCF.

Well, it happened again.  Another Sunday is awash for tennis.  In the first third of this month, 3 out of 4 of my tennis club's practice sessions have been rained out.  And the one practice that we did have was shortened because we got lucky and snagged a cancelation on the indoor courts.  I was almost 4 for 4.  So, because there was no tennis, I went ahead and did the next LIIFT4 routine which just happened to be the beginning of week seven and the beginning of the "Shred It!" phase.  Here is the rundown of the routine:

Block 1
Chest Press - 19.5x2 kgs
Chest Flies - 17x2 kgs
Dumbbell Rows - 17x2 kgs
Reverse Flies - 7.5x2 kgs

I initially tried to do the Chest Presses with 22 kgs but had trouble just getting the weights up, so I went down 2.5 kgs.  It was easy in the first round, but I was glad by the third round.  I was just hitting failure by the last few reps.  The first round of the flies was tough, but I got warm and it got smoother, but I still had to push the whole way.  The Rows were tough, especially after two heavy chest sets.  I went heavy with the Reverse Flies and I was not able to do the split second hold at the top halfway through the second round.  It was just up and controlled drop down.

Block 2
Rotating Chest Press - 17x2 kgs
Decline Press - 17x2 kgs
Dumbbell Pullover - 25 kgs
Wide Row - 12.5x2 kgs

The chest moves at the top of the block were brutal.  I was trying to focus on the eccentric so I changed the pace a little.  Joel does a 2-2 pace, but I went with a 1-3 pace to activate that eccentric effect.  Failure every round.  I was really feeling that contraction with the 25 kgs.  I was really trying to concentrate on the target muscle activation and form.  There was a little pain in my right shoulder in the first round.  It must have been my lifting angle, but once my shoulders got warmed up, the pain was much less.  My range of motion still needs a lot of work.

Burnout Block
Push-Ups - 30 seconds, 10-9-9 reps
Back Extensions - 30 seconds, 14-13-12 reps
Wide Push-Ups - 30 seconds, 12-10-9 reps

I was able to do the first round of Push-Ups on my toes and half of the Wides, but after that, no way.  I was fried.  I tried the last round of Push-Ups on my does, but was only able to get three reps then I went back to my knees.  By the end of this, Joel was right, I couldn't do one more Push-up if my life depended on it.

Core Block
Dumbbell Toe Reachers with 10 kgs - 30 seconds, 14-12-10 reps
Straight Leg Windshield Wipers - 30 seconds, 8-8-8 reps

This was a brutal round.  Only two moves, but I was toast and doubling over after each move from the second round.  I could especially feel the contraction in my obliques on the WWs.  So much so I'm actually worried about soreness afterward.

I finished off with Shoulder Care Yoga and Flow.  Nice calming and heart rate lowering activities, both of them.

In the end, I burned a surprising 815 kcals.  Upper body resistance and no cardio, I was surprised that I burned this many calories.  I must have really been pushing it to the limit.  Good to realize.