Back and Shoulder Workout From Hell

November 30, 2010 by Jamin Thompson
Filed under Recent Posts, Training

back workout So I’ve been mixing up my training lately…experimenting with various splits, reps, sets, angles, variations, tempos, rest periods, etc because just like everyone else…I wouldn’t mind taking my physique to the next level.

That means I can’t get complacent and keep doing the same ole “hero workout” day in and day out.

I’ve also been doing a bit of experimenting with my diet (which I will have to write a post about later) but lately I’ve been eating a ton more bison meat and I like the results I see so far. As I’m sure you know already…nutrition and training go hand in hand.

Of course there are nutritional and as well as other health ramifications that come with increasing your red meat intake but I just wanted to switch things up for a bit to see if I can add a few pounds of lean muscle by eating more bison.

So why bison instead of beef?

Simple.

In case you haven’t jumped on the bison bandwagon just let let me just point out a few quick benefits to what many like to call “the better red meat”.

First of all it is packed with protein, plus it is one of the most nutrient rich meats you’ll find. It it chock full of Niacin, Vitamin B12, as well as Selenium and Zinc, but the thing I like best about it is that the ratio of protein to calories is extremely good. Bison also has a very good cholesterol profile and is recommended by the American Heart Association.

Secondly, bison is a natural, sustainable meat and federal regulations prohibit the use of artificial growth hormones in bison AND as an added bonus, the industry also explicitly prohibits the use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics (antibiotics used to increase the growth rate of the animal). Plus if you’re trying to stay green, bison ranching is also helpful to the natural environment because bison are a natural part of our ecosystem here in North America.

As another added bonus, bison are typically much healthier than cows because they naturally feed on grass and aren’t pumped full of unhealthy commercial feed. These animals are about as “natural” as it gets because farmers don’t even have to use artificial shelter (barns, etc.) Bison are perfectly comfortable chilling outside and actually prefer the outdoors regardless of the weather. Also, because of the fact that they are outside 24/7 grazing on grass, their natural levels of CLA and omega 3 fats are also high.

Last but not least, I love the taste of bison! The flavor is a tad bit sweeter than beef and it is much more tender and juicy. The thing that will get you in the kitchen is that it cooks faster than beef does so you really have to be careful not to overcook it.

A bodybuilder’s typical serving of bison packs about 200 calories, 13 grams of fat, 20 grams of protein, and about 60 mg of natural occurring sodium.

Are you sold yet?

I usually get my bison from Whole Foods or US Wellness Meats.

I love US Wellness Meats mainly because I’m lazy, I hate to go grocery shopping and they deliver the meat directly to my door.

BOOM!

And secondly, because the good folks over at US Wellness Meats raise all of their meat using all the principles of holistic land management and sustainability…all of their stuff tastes amazing. These guys aren’t afraid to go against the grain and practice the so-called “newfangled,” “hard-to-implement” practices like sustainability and biodiversity.

Trust me once you jump on the grass fed meat bandwagon there’s no jumping off…the quality and taste differences are 100 times better than that crap meat you’ll find in most grocery stores.

Anyways, my pre-workout meal tonight consisted of 1/2 lb Ground bison, 2 cups brown rice, 2 cups steamed broccoli, and 1 tbsp of Organicville bbq sauce.

Ok now that I got that out of the way…here’s the workout I did tonight!

The workout:

-10 minute warm-up on the treadmill walking

-5 minute shoulder warm-up

-Barbell military press 155×8 superset with pull-ups till failure <-4 sets

-Power cleans 185×8 superset with pull-ups till failure <-3 sets

-Bent over row 275×8 superset with 15 lat raises <-4 sets

-T-Bar row with five 45 pound plates superset with 10 seated dumbbell front raises <-3 sets

-Seated cable row superset with 12 plate upright rows (45 pound plate) <-3 sets

-50Lb kettle bell swings superset with pull-ups until failure <-4 sets

And that was a wrap!

Of course any workout on paper looks easy but trust me this one was killer and if you don’t punk out on the amount of weight you use and keep your rest periods between 60-90 seconds you’ll definitely get owned by this workout.

Of course right when I got home I got my protein shake down and also had a large yam (thanks Natalie for the yam recipe!) and I didn’t forget to throw in some BCAAS and glutamine into the mix.

optimum nutrition pro complex Yes I love ON Protein!