Exercise of the week: POWERLIFTING TRAINING - Part I Chest Workout (By Kerry Self)

Well ladies, this article I am going to focus on my supplements and training routine. I train very hard four days a week and compete on a regular basis. Before a meet I will take that week off to let my body rest so I am 100% for the competition. It is very rewarding and it's a great self esteem booster. My husband loves knowing if I were ever in a dangerous situation that I have the strength to defend myself. Powerlifting takes dedication and discipline. Have faith and stay the course because once you start to see the benefits you will be hooked. I take pride in lifting in the 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation (www.rawpowerlifting.com). It is a drug free federation and bench shirts, wrist straps, etc are not permitted so it is 100% raw power. My goal is to draw more women into the powerlifting sport. I really want to educate women on strength training and being able to recognize the benefits. As we all know, as we get older our bones becomes more fragile and weight lifting helps to strengthen the bones. Another positive benefit would be burning calories for a longer period of time versus doing just cardio.

Alright here we go, we'll start with my hardest training day. This is on Monday when I work strictly chest so that is what I will focus on this issue. I know alot of women are afraid to do chest in fear of becoming flat chested and I will be the first to tell you this is certainly not the case. If anything it builds the muscles and firms the chest giving you an inexpensive lift.

About 20-30 minutes before my workout I drink VPX NO-Shotgun™ to get me pumped up for an intense workout. NO-Shotgun™ has all the right stuff to give me strength and also energy. Below is a breakdown of my average chest workout. Everyone’s body & strength levels are different. My general rule in strength training is once I can do more than 4-6 reps its time to increase my weight. I try to do 3 or 4 exercises per body part depending on how I feel. Always listen to your body, you don't want to burn yourself out or over train. Sleep and proper nutrition are the key to being a successful powerlifter.

The first exercise is always flat bench. My first set consists of just doing the bar to get my muscles and joints warmed up; second set I put 95 lbs on the bar and do 6-8 reps; third set I put 135 lbs on and do just 2-4 reps; fourth set I put 155 lbs on the bar and do 4-5 reps; fifth set I put 170-175 lbs and try to get 2 reps; depending on how my body feels I may go up to 180 or 185 for one rep only; now that I have peeked it’s time to break it down. Next, I drop down to 135 lbs and do paused reps to failure. Usually I get 9-11 reps. After a long break my last couple of sets I use the band to help with my sticking point or I will do floor presses to help my explosion from the chest. This concludes my flat bench workout.

Next I move on to dumbells on an incline bench. I start with a warm up set then I do 3 sets of a weight that I can only do 6-8 reps. The key is to go come down low with them so you can maximize working the chest which in turn will help up your bench press. Right now I normally do 50-60 lbs dumbells.

I tend to switch up my last couple exercises and go heavy on the Hammer chest machines for three sets of 4-6 reps. Every other week I do decline bench also and workout with 135 lbs two sets for 8 reps, then I do 155 lbs one set for 4-6 reps.

Ladies, please remember you must take in a sufficient amount of protein. Women don't get enough protein as it is and when you throw the lifting into the picture that's that much more your bodies needs. As a general rule you should take in your body weight in protein which is very hard to do without the help of protein supplements. I like to drink the VPX Nitronx™ protein after I am done working out. Throughout the day I will drink the Zero Carb® or Zero Impact™ protein. I also like to add the protein to my oatmeal in the morning. It is also important to get as much protein as you can from nutritional foods such as fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, etc. When I want to splurge I add some Zero Carb® or Zero Impact™ to my pancake mix for a delicious treat. I pretty much eat whatever I want but in small portions. Since I train heavy this helps keep my metabolism burning so I am able to do so. My downfall is bread, I love going out to eat and enjoying fresh bread with olive oil or butter (YUM!). When I need to drop a couple pounds I just try to stay away from starchy carbs and sugar.

Another very important supplement is VPX CEX™ creatine for assisting in muscle growth, strength and recovery and also VPX Ultra Pure Glutamine Powder™ for building and maintaining muscle. With CEX™ creatine you don't have to worry about water retention or bloating.

I’d like to thank my team, “Raw Dogs”, for all of their support. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. They keep me motivated and push me when I need it.

“Matthew 19:26, Jesus says, “With God, all things are possible.”
http://www.myspace.com/varawdogs
www.rawdogspowerlifting.com

ZI NEWS:

My name is Daniel Conner , and I am a 32 year old powerlifter and strongman from Decatur, IL and have some big numbers under my belt as of late such as a 635# Bench @ 181 and an 1085# squat @ 220. I have been lifting weights seriously since I was 18 years of age. It has became a lifestyle for me and I make it a big part of my life to not just lift the weights but find new and better ways to make a program work . When I am not lifting weights and I am a father of 3 beautiful kids, 2 girls 12 and 9 named Amber and Brittany and a 6 year old boy who is a future Worlds Strongest Man Daniel “John Boy “Conner “.

I got into lifting weights because I was always as little as a youth and wanted that to change. I always wanted to be strong as I can remember watching the Strongest man competitions with my father on the television and telling him, “Daddy I can do that “. So it wasn’t until I met Michael Janetzky at the age of 18 who made all of this weight room madness start to happen. It was like he triggered something in my brain that made helped me get where I am today, so thanks Mike.

So what have I learned up to this point in weightlifting? Wow Ok lets see for one do not buy into the get big quick programs on the market today. If you really want to get big you got to work and work hard for it and take in good supplements as well. That’s where I found VPX. I started with the REDLINE® for extra energy then moved on to the NO SHOTGUN™ and the ZERO CARB® PROTEIN and my muscle growth and strength took off.

I am glad to have the opportunity to share my knowledge of lifting with everyone with VPX since they are the ones that helped me reach my goals. In future articles I will share with everyone some of my training routines that have helped me get where I am in a hurry. I am a guy who wants something straight forward no beating around the bush so that’s what I want to give you the reader. SO stay tuned to this newsletter for more exciting and in depth articles as I spill out the truth about weightlifting and my progress.

Thank you all for your time and I will see you soon,

Daniel Conner