Back Day

     Absolutely demolished back day today. I am not a big fan of supplements but I decided to try a couple samples that I got from the Fitness Expo. I used a combination of ON BCAA 5000 and EVP plus. I had clean energy and a phenomenal pump throughout the entire workout and enough energy left over to do a boxing workout after the gym. A single serving of EVP plus has 150mg of caffeine. One cup of coffee has 95 mg of caffeine. Check out the ingredient profile below to the right:

     I wanted to concentrate a bit more on lat development rather than overall back thickness. My absolute favorite exercise on back day is the lat pulldown, so I just upped the volume.

Workout 1 (weights):

1) Lat Pulldowns (wide-grip)
-1x15 w/ 100 lbs.
-1x15 w/ 160 lbs.
-1x10 w/ 180 lbs.
-1x8   w/ 190 lbs.
-5x5   w/ 210 lbs.

2) Hammer Strength Row
-1x15 w/ 2 plates
-1x15 w/ 2 plates + 25 plates
-5x8   w/ 3 plates
-1x5   w/ 4 plates

3) Lat Pulldowns (standard-grip)
*Use full range of motion and refrain from allowing the back to rest at the top of the movement. There should be no pause in the entire movement.

-5x10 w/ 180 lbs.

4) Single-Arm Cable Rows
*Alternate between right and left arms

-5x10 w/ 60 lbs.

5) Hammer Strength Shrugs
-5x15 w/ 3 plates


Workout 2 (cardio):
-I did three 2 minute rounds of boxing combined with a half mile jog in between each round for a total of 6 minutes of boxing and 1 mile. I also threw in 20 reps of the ab wheel in between each round.

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     I am quite positive that there is some validity to the studies regarding raspberry ketones. Ever since I started making raspberry smoothies I've started to notice more results from my cardio workouts. Studies have only been done on animals, but scientists concluded that raspberry ketone prevents and improves obesity and fatty liver in certain animals. The success appears to stem from the alteration of the metabolism (specifically lipids, specifically norepinephrine-induced lipolysis in fat cells.)

Diet of the Day:
Meal 1:
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-4 Aidell's chicken teriyaki meatballs
-Raspberry, blueberry, and banana smoothie

Meal 2:
-8 oz New York steak
-4 cups of mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower)

Meal 3:
-27g whey protein shake w/2% milk
-1.5 cups of blueberries

Meal 4:
-Rotisserie chicken (did not eat the skin)
-3 cups of mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower)
-1.5 cups of brown rice