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# Personal Training Notes

## General

* Be aggressive/intense. You have to tear down the muscle to rebuild it
* Do the exercises you can do the most weight with. You’ll need to recruit more muscles and use more strength to do them.
* Aim for 6-8 reps. Go to failure.
* Add more weight when you can do 8 reps comfortably, then you're probably back at the 6 rep range
* 4 working sets per exercise
* warm up: zone 2 cardio for 3-5 minutes
* warm up for an exercise, lighter weight for a few reps
* 2-3 minutes rest between sets
* If your workouts are getting too long, do less sets/exercises rather than sacrificing rest
* If you're out of gas, take 3 big breaths and try another rep
* Shoulders and arms don't need much rest, so you could work them 4x a week, unlike chest, back, quads, hams
* Consider push, pull, legs, push split
* Add leg extension to leg day, it works a muscle that squats don't (rectus femoris?)

## Diet

* Aim for slightly above maintenance calories for body recomp (+200 calories)
* 1500 calories is way too low if you're body building
* Trainer likes Naked or Transparent Labs whey
* Eat 1 gram of protein  per pound of bodyweight daily, spread even over four to five meals&#x20;
* Eat 2-4 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight daily, spread even over four to five meals. Low to no fat carbs like rice, potatoes , vegetables.
* Drink half your bodyweight in water daily&#x20;
* Meal Prep to ensure daily calories and protein are met

## Exercises

### Bench Press

* Exaggerate chest up
* Pin shoulders back
* Sternum is the target
* Use the safety pins
* Only move your elbows
* Don't move your shoulders
* Did 115 lbs for 6 reps

### Incline Bench Press

* aim for 45 degree angle
* you'll have to reach behind your head a little
* exaggerate chest just like normal bench press
* 1 from the back, 3rd vertical pin, 13 safety’s, 8 for the starting pin
* 13 safety pins, 6 for the incline
* Roll back to chest lift off

### Hex Bar Deadlift

* keep knees back at the bottom (it hurts otherwise)
* take a deep breath, make everything tense
* arms should be tense, locked
* lift with your chest
* tap at the bottom, go back up
* Move chest and lock in lower back
* Chest should should be higher than lower back
* Lift it slow at the bottom, don't jerk the bar off the ground
* Let air out at the top
* Normal trap bar weighs 45 lbs, Rep open trap bar weighs 70 lbs

### Chest Fly

* use machine
* bring hands together
* pause under tension when your arms out wide
* Start at pin 3 on the fly machine

### Pull up

* Use the box to help you to the bar
* Do 4 sets of max reps (currently \~5 reps)
* use neutral grip if elbows hurt
* Drop weight at the knees, then pull

### Squats

* Push knees out wide 14 safety 2 35s 115 x 6
* Everything I knew about fitness is a lie
* Belt - when your back hurts

### Row bent over

* Start at the top Pull to the sternum Soften knees a bit&#x20;
* Squeeze your shoulders together&#x20;
* Don’t start with your shoulders lower than your back

### Tricep dips

* Pop up&#x20;
* Lean forward&#x20;
* Don’t do assisted
* Aim for parallel&#x20;
* Make it your first exercise in a workout since it's so tough

### Walking lunge

* Forward and down at the same time&#x20;
* 8 reps then 30 seconds, 8 back, rest&#x20;
* Imagine you’re about to put the weights next to front foot&#x20;
* You can immediately pop back up

### Tricep cable

* Butt back
* Don’t move elbows

### Machine rows

* Lean forward&#x20;
* Don’t lean back so much&#x20;
* Squeeze the back&#x20;
* Hit your body &#x20;
* Deep breath in and pull

## Workout Schedule

* 3 or 4 Days a week
* 4 working sets per exercise&#x20;
* 6 to 8 reps per set
* 2-3 minutes of rest between sets

### Day 1

1. Pin Bench Press&#x20;
2. Dips (Only for 3 sets) &#x20;
3. Seat Fly&#x20;
4. Alternating Dumbbell Curl (Optional)
5. Cable Tricep (Optional)

### Day 2

1. Box Pull-ups&#x20;
2. Barbell Row&#x20;
3. Lat Pulldown &#x20;
4. Alternating Dumbbell Curl (Optional)
5. Cable Tricep (Optional)

### Day 3

*Only 6 reps for each*&#x20;

1. Pin Squat&#x20;
2. Hex Bar Deadlift&#x20;
3. Dumbbell Walking Lunge or Step Back Lunge
