Hey guys,

With The Cloverdale Rodeo taking place this month, I decided to name all workouts in Metabolic May after Rodeo cities in Canada.

We start off our first workout with Armstrong (clearly, an upper body workout) ;)…

Now with Armstrong, part A, is all about maximizing strength.

You are essentially doing 5 sets of 5 reps of 2 exercises (and with a nice lil’ mobility exercise in there for you tight folk)..

Now even though we do a full dynamic warmup, I don’t expect you to hit your 5 rep max on set 1, so feel free to use that first set as a warmup – this should be a weight that is slightly lighter than what you are going to do for your next 4 sets.

You should then be increasing that weight and staying with that weight for the next 4 sets. On a scale of 1-10, it should rank at a 7 or higher (1 being easy – 10 being maximum effort).

The rest should feel just about right. IF THE REST FEELS TOO LONG. YOU ARE NOT CHALLENGING YOURSELF ENOUGH AND LIFTING TO YOUR POTENTIAL.

Before each set, you should feel nervous, as the weight should be so challenging that 100% of your focus should go in to executing it with flawless form.

Remember the bracing sequence (glutes tight, core tight, shoulder blades squeezed together) and execute the lift.

And with long term progression in mind, you should be taking note of what you lifted for your sets in the shoulder press and bent over row.

For example, for the shoulder press:
if you did a warmup set of 15lb dumbbells x 5 reps
and then did 20lbs x 5 for the next 4 sets…

then in week 2, you would do the following:
warmup set of 15lbs x 5 reps
then 25lbs x 5 for the next 4 sets…

Note: You may not be able to do 5 reps on every set with this weight you increase to in week 2, but you should stay with this weight for the month, until you are able to execute for 5 reps.

Once you are able to do this.

Increase the weight again by 5lbs.

This is called linear progression and it is how you are going to increase your strength in every exercise we do at bootcamp.

And as an aside…

Strength work (working in a rep range of 5 reps or less) may not seem as tiring to you, but it is doing something very important… It is increasing the efficiency from which signals are sent from the brain to the motor nerves and thus increasing strength. So, when you go to the same exercise for 10 reps with shorter rest, you are now capable of moving more weight, the metabolic effect will be higher, and fat loss results will be greater.

BECAUSE THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.
YOUR RESULTS.

Please keep in mind and remember what weight you are lifting from workout to workout, as this is part of the secret sauce to getting you the best results possible at Bootcamp Effect.

There is METHOD BEHIND THE MADNESS with why we do 5 reps some months with longer rest, and no rest with 15 reps other months.

This is your body, get to know what you are capable of.

Because then you will be able to see what I know you are capable of.

Lift heavy. Track what you lift. Repeat. And Increase.

All this equals fat loss results.

Josh Saunders
The Bootcamp Effect