Mixing Up My Upper Body Workouts

I'm a creature of habit. I truly like routine. But I decided to really try to break that up lifting weights last week.

For the last 53 months or so, I've been doing whatever I can from home, so that means sets of about 30 push-ups, about 6-9 pull-ups, about 30 bicep curls, about 30 tricep dips, etc. There's been very LITTLE variety because of the limited weights and equipment I have at home.

I was excited to step back into a weight room last month at one of the universities that I teach at, and that was nice to break the routine. But I've stopped back about once/week, and I end up doing the same routine there: less reps than at home (where I only have lighter weights), but still more on the higher rep end of the weight lifting spectrum.

Finally, last Tuesday, I went to the college weight room with the intention of doing something VERY different. I was going to:

- Rest more between sets
- Lift heavier weights (and therefore...)
- Do fewer reps

It would NOT have been smart to have stepped foot in a weight room for the first time since spring 2020 and go nuts like this, but the last many weeks of going about once/week (and still lifting 2 other days/week at home) made it an OK idea. Here's what was different from "normal" weight room lifting:

- Instead of something like 8x135 lb on the bench press each time, I did 3 of my 5 sets with 155 lbs (135x8, 155x6, 155x6, 155x5, and 135x10). The funny thing is that I don't think I've gotten 10 reps of 135 since being back at the gym, so those heavier weights (and extra rest?) made that final set of 10 possible!

- Instead of body-weight rows, 16 x 1-arm dumbbell rows of 45 lbs, or cable rows around 90 or 105 lbs, I did cable rows getting heavier: 90x15, 105x10, 120x10, 135x8, and 105x15. Those 120 lb and 135 lb sets felt HEAVY, but I still got 10 and 8 reps!

- I did MORE pull-ups because I gave myself another minute (or so) of rest. When I kept track about a month ago, I did 6 sets of pull-ups, averaging 7.6 pull-ups (8, 7, 7, 9, 8, and 7). When I did 5 sets last week, I averaged 9.0 pulls-ups (8, 9, 9, 10, and 9).

- Instead of bent bar bicep curls of 65 lbs x about 15 reps, I started at 65 lbs and increased for 4 sets: 65x16, 75x12, 85x9, and 85x8. I also did 2 sets with 40 lb dumbbells when I usually use 30 at home and 30 or 35 at the gym.

- Instead of body-weight dips, dumbbell overhead extensions x15-20, or cable pull-downs x15, I did all cable pull-downs for triceps, and I maxed out the machine. The plates aren't marked on the machine, but my first set was 2 plates up from the bottom, and then I did 4 more with all the plates: x12, x12, x11, and x10. And I finished with an overhead dumbbell tricep extension of 55 lbs x 20 (when normally I'm at something like 50 lbs x 20).

Any surprises?

Well I wasn't extra sore afterwards.

I didn't feel like I had any better of a workout. In fact, it felt easier - I usually finish out of breath and sweaty, and being I had more rest this time, it felt easier even though I was moving heavier weight.

And I was surprised I ended with MORE reps in my final set on the bench, and on my final set of triceps. That must have had something to do with moving heavier weights, so going back to "normal" felt lighter, and therefore I could do more.

Post-workout. Not a better "burn" or anything... just a "different" workout.

I'm used to taking little rest and getting quite exhausted and sweaty during my upper body days, and that didn't happen with more rest last week. I should keep "mixing it up" like that now-and-then, but it might be a while before I do that again.