Thanks Marlene & Donna!

[lorax]

I have been doing the "tank top arms" rotation and am so excited that it has helped me break my bicep plateau. My arms were already kind of cut but after you guys posted about this rotation I decided to give it a try. For what seemed like forever I was stuck at 25lbs on the barbell for bicep curls but the extra work has allowed me to increase to 30lbs - yee ha! And my cuts are better, my boss even commented on my arms a couple times. I modified your rotation a little so I'm doing:

S: PS BBA + CST + powerwalk
S: PSL&A
M: Powerstrike
T: CTX bi, tri, sh + abs
W: BMX sec. 1 & 2 or RS
T: PS CST + BBA
F: rest

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the great idea. I thought 3x might be too much but I feel great. I plan on doing this rotation for 4 weeks and then changing. Maybe the next rotation I'll do LB 3x. The possiblities are endless!

Lorrie

 

[getnfit@38]

Hi Lorrie,

Thank you for the "thank you," but the credit goes to Marlene completely!

Her rotation has to be the most successful I've found for defining the upper body. And as you mentioned, it's not just the cuts/definition, but the strength increase as well.

I too switch some aspects around to keep my body guessing, but the basic concept of working my upper body 3x/week stays except for when doing a S&H rotation.

And thank you for your idea, I will try yours on for size as well I love doing PS Series 2x/week, I've had great results with it in the past, and adding on the CTX upper body sounds like a good rotation.

Donna

 

[Marlene123]

Lorrie, I am glad it has worked for you too. I have had amazing results just by the simple fact that I work shoulders, bis and tris three times a week.

Wanna hear a variation I have been playing with to keep my muscles guessing? (I got tired of MIS...don't get me wrong, I love the workout, but I needed a break from it.)

Here is what I did this week:

Monday: cardio plus abs

Tuesday: Power Hour

Wednesday: cardio plus abs

Thursday: Leaner Legs plus abs

Will do the following to complete the week:

Friday: cardio

Saturday: Slow and Heavy Shoulders, forearms, planks, supermans

Sunday: nothing.

Same rotation next week except Saturday will be Slow and Heavy Triceps and Biceps including forearms, planks and supermans. Note: If I am feeling incredibly ambitious and time allows, I will do Shoulders, Tris, Bis all on one day.

My reasoning goes like this:

Some routines emphasize endurance, some emphasize strength and some are a combination of the two. I have read that endurance workouts help define the muscles (cuts), strength workouts increase the muscle size. So instead of doing one 8 or 12 week of just endurance or strength, why not combine them each week to get the best of both worlds?

Power Hour is most obviously endurance. Pure Strength is mostly strength, some endurance. Slow and Heavy is mostly strength. So I have started a rotation combining all the elements. I have only done this for two weeks so it is difficult to tell if it is effective for me.

But it has added some freshness into what I do each day and that is very important to me.

Donna, thanks for the praise. I am blushing.

So, anyone care to give their thoughts on my new rotation idea?

Marlene

 

[lorax]

Hi Marlene,

This rotation sounds excellent too! I will give it a try in a couple weeks when I'm done with my current rotation. Let me know how you like the results. Your reasoning makes sense to me. For years I've stuck with roations of either endurance or strength and have had good results but I now find I like the results even better when I combine the two. What type of cardio are you doing? I usually only do 2 hours of cardio a week, more if time allows. I just got Powerstrike and I am loving those tapes! Kickbox drills really work your whole body. I also like incorporating power yoga into some rotations because it's great for shoulders, chest and core strenghtening.

I'm with you regarding the freshness of routines. That's why this forum is so cool - someone is always is coming up with new combinations to try.

Thanks for yet another rotation idea (and keep 'em coming! ;-) )

Lorrie