Bobby's Workout Routine: Part 1 - Through Heather's Looking Glass

Hello! I asked my husband Bobby to do a guest post about his workout routine. He has been consistently working out, in particular, lifting weights, since junior high, so he has a lot of experience! Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

My workout routine is below, though I will first talk a bit about my philosophy. There are a ton of trendy workouts that pop up each year, some better than others. The most important thing about any workout is that it gets you doing something…anything. The new fad in workouts is great by default if it causes people to stick with some form of exercise (maybe with a few exceptions). The two most important factors when it comes to working out are consistency and intensity.

You will not see significant results if you aren’t consistent with doing some form of exercise. If you want great results, you also have to be intense. Not all workouts have to be killer, but if you don’t even break a sweat…

Ask yourself, when was the last time one of your workouts left you gasping for breath, dizzy from exertion, or nauseous? Note: it’s important to know your body and not hurt yourself. I’m not advocating for being stupid. Just make sure you are pushing yourself if you really want to improve and meet your goals.

My workout routine, when I am able, consists of a four-day cycle. I generally workout on Monday and Tuesday, rest on Wednesday and get back to the gym Thursday and Friday. I could go four days straight, but my body responds better with a rest day in the middle. That also allows me to a bit more flexibility regarding the part of my body I want to focus on.

I started my current routine about two years ago. I change things from time to time, which is important (for time sake, I’m not going into the reasoning behind that thought #AvoidRabbitHole). I based my rep count off Dwane Johnson’s routine because…well look at the guy. Most of my main exercises are four sets of 14. My goals include a practical form of strength and fitness, not just massive growth and heavy lifts, which would utilize lower reps of heavier weights. When I’m doing my fourth set of 12-14, I should have trouble getting that last rep or two. There should be times where I can’t get that last rep, which goes back to intensity.

On day 1 I focus on upper back and lats. My goals also include being able to do a good number of pullups and weighted pullups, hence the focus of day 1. I generally start with three sets of weighted pullups (either wearing a vest or holding a dumbbell between my feet). I like to mix in legs into day 1, so I alternate from upper back to deadlifts (3×10) for my second rotation. I’ve had issues with my low back, so I tend to do lower weight on deadlifts. It’s important to activate your legs. If you usually skip leg day, add it in and see if you don’t get better all-around results. Your legs are some of your largest muscles and working them out produces testosterone, which benefits your entire body.

I usually like to do three sets of max effort pullups next (again with personal goals in mind). Next is standing 4×12-14 barbell rows. This is the opposite direction of what a pull-up works. Notice, a lot of these exercises also engage my biceps, which is intentional. Two days a week touch on bis and back, while two days touch on chest and tris.

I like to do seated lat pulldowns, 4×12-14 next. After that, it’s on to dumbbell rows on a flat bench and dumbbell shrugs, both 4×12-14 in a sort of superset. At this point, I’m usually spent, but if I have a bit left in the tank I will add in a set or two of inverted row or curls.

Throughout this workout, at least after the deadlifts, I will add in leg extensions and leg curls. Since this is an entirely different muscle group, I can add them in between other sets to keep the pace of the workout going. I generally only do three sets of each.

I’m going to stop the post at this point, but will follow up with the other days of the cycle in a separate post…provided anyone actually reads this. In fact, if you’ve made it this far, include “the force” in any comment, so I’ll know if anyone got this far.