My post-workout meal consists of chicken and rice, a classic bodybuilding staple. Today’s workout was a hardcore push session, focusing on chest, shoulders, and triceps. I’ll share the workout details and discuss my upcoming diet plans for achieving a leaner yet fuller physique.
My bench press felt particularly strong today. The deload period seems to be paying off, with smooth movement and no joint discomfort. I’m hitting good speeds off the chest with 75% of my 1RM, and my technique is improving. My arch is better, and I’ve increased mobility in my thoracic spine.
Man performing barbell bench press
For thoracic spine mobility, I highly recommend using a foam roller on your upper back before bench pressing. External rotations with bands and pull-aparts are also beneficial for loosening up this area.
After bench press, we moved onto a complex of military press and push press. The military press, also known as the overhead press, is a strict movement powered primarily by the shoulders and upper chest, with no leg drive. We did four reps of this, followed by four reps of push press.
Close up of man holding a barbell
The push press incorporates leg drive from the knees and hips to help propel the bar upwards. This is a more advanced technique, so master the strict overhead press before attempting this complex.
Next up were slow eccentric dips with a 60-pound dumbbell. Focusing on a three-second lowering phase creates a great stretch in the pecs and front delts. Remember to stay within your comfortable range of motion to avoid shoulder strain.
We followed this with tricep press downs. Maintain an upright posture and focus on squeezing your triceps to move the weight. Avoid leaning over the bar, which turns the exercise into a chest or delt movement.
Man performing a tricep press down
Lean-away cable lateral raises were next. Pull the cable handle up until your arm is parallel to the floor for a full range of motion. To avoid compromising form with heavier weights, try varying the tempo or keeping constant tension by shortening the range of motion slightly.
The workout concluded with planks. We did three sets of 30-second holds using a long lever posterior pelvic tilt plank. Moving your elbows slightly forward and squeezing your glutes significantly increases the difficulty.
I’ve recently been experimenting with my diet. Over Christmas, I intentionally decreased protein intake while increasing carbs and fats. This seems to have improved muscle fullness and tightness. My current plan is to cycle between short mini-cuts and overfeeding periods to optimize both leanness and fullness.
Muscular physique posing
I’m currently 160 pounds and relatively lean. This approach allows me to maintain a balanced physique without sacrificing performance. I’ll share more details about this diet strategy in a future video.