30 Minutes to Muscle Archives

Better Know a Lift – The Bench Press

March 5, 2018 by Karen Leave a Comment

Bench Press For Women

Last fall I competed in a charity powerlifting meet held at my gym. Coming out of retirement was the best thing I could do to challenge myself. Powerlifting consists of three lifts, the deadlift, the squat and the bench press.

Amongst women, squats are universally beloved, deadlifts are enjoying a CrossFit resurgence, but the bench press’ popularity is about the same as Congress. I’m here to say it’s time to take back the bench. Push-ups are not enough, you need variety to challenge the muscles including the chest. Ignoring muscles groups is not a good idea if you want to fire up your metabolism.

Get the form down first. Go super light, by using just the bar or even just a broomstick. There are a variety of angles you can use by adjusting the bench from decline (hitting the lower portion of the chest) to flat to incline (hitting the upper chest) and with each, your form needs to be on point. Avoid relying too much on your secondary muscle groups – shoulders and triceps.

StrongLifts has a terrific definitive guide to the bench press. Read it here.

Again, start with light weights. Don’t add more weight until you can hit 12 reps with good form. Hitting PRs (personal records) on the bench is an incredible confidence boost because it takes a more mental focus and the numbers don’t go up as fast as the other big lifts. Keep notes on your phone to track your numbers. PRs are motivational and it’s fun to see how far you’ve come.

It looks like I’ll be competing in July at my home gym – LiftVT. This time I come armed with experience and better resources, who said age matters? I’ve been relying on tips from the fail-proof Charles Poliquin. Focusing on my bench, I turned to Charles and found this ditty to move past my plateau on the bench. I’ll also be working out with trainers to

As usual, we’re focusing fast productive 30-40 minutes workouts to get this done before the workday, so it’s a piece of CP’s recommended workout, not the entire routine.

5 sets, Heavy 4-6 reps Supine Reverse Grip Incline Dumbbell Press– rest 10 seconds Decrease weight 30% for 10-12 reps

Dumbbell Press-rest 90 seconds

Supine Grip Chin-Ups 6-8 reps

5 sets, Dips

Kneeling Cross Cable FLYS 8-10 reps

Instagram is an amazing resource. Lots of folks are sharing

The Strength Sensei Himself.

If there is one area where advice in strength training is more often than enough moronic, it is for warm-ups. You know the type that recommends this to warm up: cariocas to warm up for squats, having intercourse with foam rollers for hours on end, twenty minutes on the cardio bike at 70% of max heart rate, cluster sets on the dance pole… Here 3 simple rules to warm-up properly and make sure your warm-up doesn’t take twice as long as the actual workout #strengthsensei #warmup #workout #training #simplerulesforsuccess #playtowin #gaincity #strength

A post shared by Charles R. Poliquin (@strengthsensei1) on Feb 26, 2018 at 7:43am PST

Also, Powerlifting Stefi Cohen who can deadlift 500lbs worth of Owen Wilson heads!

Owen Wilson PR @snatchinsnacks

A post shared by Stefanie Cohen (@steficohen) on Jan 19, 2018 at 2:46pm PST

Use this Routine for Eye-Catching Biceps

November 22, 2016 by Karen Leave a Comment

If you spend more time in the weight room than on the treadmill, it’s worth following @coachjessb on instagram. He serves plenty of great tweaks to your workouts to build muscle and save time. Remember adding muscle is the key for maximizing fat loss (see study). Start with building some bi’s and tri’s with Coach Jess’ routine.

Gain An Inch (heehee) In 8 Workouts: Arms Edition Everyone wants huge arms…and if they say they don’t, then they’re lying. When it comes to making the types of gains you’ve never achieved before, you need to use techniques you haven’t used prior…variety in training stimulus is key. To maximize your results: – Consume 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight – Bust the lock on your wallet and buy a quality pre/during/post workout supplement formula Workout 1: A1. Barbell Curl 6 reps – lower in 4 seconds, raise in 2 seconds Rest 90 seconds A2. Dips 6 reps – lower in 4 seconds, raise in 2 seconds Rest 90 seconds Perform 4 sets B1. EZ Bar Preacher Pronated Curl 10 reps Rest 60 seconds B2. Decline DB Triceps Extensions 10 reps Rest 60 seconds Perform 4 sets C1. Cable Curls 12 reps Rest 45 seconds C2. Rope Triceps Extensions 12 reps Rest 45 seconds Perform 3 sets Workout 2: A1. EZ Bar Pronated Curls 10 reps Rest 75 seconds A2. Hairline Press/Pin Press 10 reps Rest 75 seconds Perform 4 sets B1. Incline DB Curl 10 reps Rest 60 seconds B2. Overhead Triceps Extensions EZ Bar 10 reps Rest 60 seconds Perform 4 sets C1. Hammer Curls 10 reps Rest 60 seconds C2. Incline DB Triceps Extensions 10 reps Rest 60 seconds Perform 3 sets Workout 3: A1. Eccentric Only Barbell Curl – 1 rep, lower weight in 8 seconds Rest 30 seconds A2. Barbell Curl 5 reps Rest 120 seconds Perform 4 sets B1. Eccentric Only Dip – 1 rep, lower in 8 seconds Rest 30 seconds B2. Dips 5 reps Rest 120 seconds Perform 4 sets C1. Spider DB Curls 8 reps Rest 60 seconds C2. Barbell Floor Press 8 reps Rest 60 seconds Perform 4 sets Workout 4: A1. EZ Bar Pronated Curls 6 reps Rest 45 seconds A2. Hammer Curls 12 reps Rest 100 seconds Rest 4 sets B1. Dips 6 reps Rest 45 seconds B2. EZ Bar Triceps Extensions 12 reps Rest 100 seconds Perform 4 sets The best set up is to alternate through these workouts every Monday and Thursday, until you perform each workout twice. Keep an eye out on my Instagram stories for further info on how to further maximize your results. Enjoy the gains! #poliquingroup

A photo posted by Coach Jess B. (@coachjessb) on Nov 22, 2016 at 3:21am PST

30-minute Leg & Glute

October 21, 2016 by Karen Leave a Comment

Thirty Minute Leg & Glute Workout: Legs are tough and I dread to work them but there’s no denying how great you feel afterward, especially in a cute pair of jeans or a tight sexy skirt.
Here’s a 30-minute blast for luscious legs & derriere:

Single leg reverse bench lunge pop

I did these without weights and would push off using the weight bearing leg in a hop for 3 sets of 15-20

Thirty Minute Leg Glute Workout

Follow with barbell squats for 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Finish off with 3 sets of 10-12 reps on the hack machine

It doesn’t seem like much but to fit it into 30-minutes, you need to get those rest periods in between the sets. The main focus is on your glutes and I like to tackle isolating the hamstrings, quads & calves in a separate 30-40 minute session. They’re such large muscles and I find that separating it into smaller sessions helps to keep me from getting overheated & nausea. If you have the same issue with leg day, try breaking it up every once in awhile so you can sport those tight jeans for the fall season.

Need a back workout? Check out our workout page. Strut strongly mama’s!

Rounding out your PECs

July 17, 2016 by Karen Leave a Comment

You really don’t feel at home until you’ve found your home gym routine. We had just survived our move to Vermont and a big part of getting settled in was finding our new home gym. It’s a Goldilocks tale to tell.

GYM #1 was 5 minutes from our new home, a dream too good to be true. It included equipment comparable to a large, extra nice hotel gym. Hey, 5 minutes from home and I can make do with that. Then, I SAW IT!!! A mysterious separate room haloed by a golden glow with RACKS! I heard an angel choir sing and thought this is the perfect gym and only 5 minutes from the house. Then management slapped me with the extra fee to use the standard equipment used for building muscle. I bid my farewells and moved on to,

GYM # 2 This gym draws a crowd and your’re waiting in line to use mediocre equipment and when you go early enough to avoid the mad rush, you’re still waiting in line to use the basic good equipment.

GYM # 3 Compared to the others, this gym is the winner. 5 minutes from work, so I sacrifice taking a luxurious shower at home and pack everything up to make it happen at the gym. There’s a rack, a bench, a smith machine and a handful of cables, it still doesn’t have everything on my wish list but it’s working for now. I’ve been in my groove and sticking with certain routines for about 3 weeks, then switching it up. The flat bench has proven itself reliably useful for a great chest pump before starting the day but I’ve been yearning for the burn of tearing some muscle up.

Here is a recent chest switch up that has revealed itself as just that, a routine that finds the burn we yearn for building more muscle:

Incline Dumbbell Press 4 sets 8-10 reps

Incline Dumbbell Press Bodybuilding.com

Flatbench Dumbbell Flyes 4 sets 10-12 reps (squeeze at the top and make sure your isolating the PECS)

Dumbbell Flyes Bodybuilding.com

Superset