As usual I have been messing with my routines at the gym. This week I tried something I had read about a little while back. I couldn’t find the name of what exactly it is called but I refer to it as the “pump and shape” workout. The main reason as to why I tried this work out this week is because I have been worried that I am not getting enough definition in my upper arms. The workout is simple, it is a normal six to seven max weight reps for four sets and then a twenty rep fifth set with a lower weight and a natural non weight exercise for a specific muscle. So for example, this week when I was doing triceps, I started my workout doing hammer extensions and I did four set of 6 reps at 70 pounds with each arm. Then I lowered the weight for the fifth set down to 40 pounds and turned out twenty reps. But the trick was to do the lower weight reps quicker and with more muscle focus, meaning that when doing the extension I never let my arm come past a parallel position to the ground and while keeping that form, I would speed up the extension. Then after I finished those off, I did a set of 25 diamond push ups for my non weight, because they have a heavy emphasis on the tricep. I followed this regimen for six more sets of tricep exercises varying the type of push up I did. I did this for when I worked biceps and then when I did back and for my natural non weight exercises for both I would do pull ups and chin extensions. I did the same for Chest and then shoulders as well but with different variations of push ups and when I was done with my week I could definitely see the results.
    Although it was a really beneficial and effective workout system, it was extremely tiring, so much so that I would never do it for more than a week at a time. I think that if I did this for consecutive weeks, then I would get burned out and not want to get into the gym every week. It is really a good thing to throw into your training system when you have hit a plateau or when you are trying to build up your stamina or even when you just want to vary from the norm for a week. This work out is a painful one that isn’t very fun, but it will whip you right into shape and begin to chisel away at your muscle’s definition while increasing overall mass. It’s the type of workout that you really feel great about after doing it, but at the same time you just want to go home and die on your couch afterward. So pretty much, like with the rest of the workouts, I say give it a try. Find a way to make it work for the type of workouts you do. That is probably the best advice I can give: curve the workouts to fit your specific needs. With all of these workouts, you can vary them so that you are targeting specific goals that you set for yourself. Just keep varying your cycles until you truly find one that works and then stick with that for a month or two and then switch it up again.