The Chairman's Fitness Challenge Blog

Tonight was the last workout of week two on the hard-body plan, with chest, back and abs on the agenda.  One of the things I am finding challenging is the wide variation of exercises for each body part on the plan.  Rows are the perfect example.

I am used to doing seated cable rows, varying between wide- and narrow-gripped variations, and maybe a round of DB rows thrown in there once a month or so.  The current routine demands quite a bit more variety - tonight was t-bar and dumbbell rows, both which seem to recruit more of the core than the seated cable variety.  On arms/shoulders day,  there are additional vertical rows, which engage the back as well as the shoulders.  And next week, good mornings come into the picture, hitting the lower back a bit differently again.

I am all for the "large" exercises such as squats and deadlifts, but the way this routine hits muscles in various ways over the three-week rotation seems to be really pushing me.  I am looking forward to evaluating the progress over the course of this program, as it seems like this variation from week to week should be pretty successful in developing strength a little more quickly than I was able to using a less structured routine.