DIS-TANZ DIARY #22

BACK TO THE GYM

Jun 29, 2021 in DIS-TANZ-SOLO

I can’t stress enough how happy I am that the gyms in Berlin are finally open again and that I can actually get back to physical work after half a year of dealing theoretically with the connections between sports science and dance. Having already revised my teaching methods, I can finally apply all that I’ve learned over the past few months as it pertains to optimizing my own performance.

After hearing about the reopening, I immediately contacted sports scientist Patrick Rump (GJUUM) to help me set up a workout program for the coming months to get my body back in shape. Of course, the first question that had to be clarified was what the specific objective of the training should be and how much time I was willing to invest.

Since I lost a full 6kg of muscle mass during the pandemic due to limited training opportunities, it was clear to me that the first phase should be focused on muscle growth. In addition to rebuilding my overall fitness, strengthening my shoulder, which is still somewhat weakened after a prolonged injury, and improving my posture should be addressed.

We decided to schedule five workouts per week, with two of them targeting the lower body and three of them targeting the upper body. One of the two lower body sessions is intended to have a focus on strength, while the other is intended to have a focus on volume. The upper body workout is divided into one session each for chest and shoulders and a third lighter mixed session.

Since I have not been able to train much lately, I will start with relatively light weights for the first few workouts. Patrick further recommended doing the main upper body exercises (bench press, overhead press, bent-over row…) with dumbbells instead of a barbell to keep the weakened shoulder as safe as possible. Doing these exercises with dumbbells also means that your stronger side can’t compensate for the weaker side, forcing you to train each side evenly.

Check out my training plan in detail below. You should be aware, of course, that this is only meant to serve as an example. If you want to train yourself, it is essential that you create an individualized workout plan based on your own training goals.

I will post an update on my workout program and my training progress at the end of this DIS-TANZEN research project so you can see how things developed over time.

Monday

Lower Body (Strength Focus)

Squat

3 Sets / roughly 12 Reps / initial weight 60kg

targets mainly the quadriceps, gluteal muscles, adductor group, erector spinae, abdominal muscles, and the hamstrings

Leg Extension

3 Sets / roughly 12 Reps / initial weight 57,5kg

targets mainly the quadriceps

Leg Curl

3 Sets / roughly 12 Reps / initial weight 42,5kg

targets mainly the hamstrings, popliteus, and to a lesser extent the gastrocnemius

Hip Abduction

3 Sets / roughly 12 Reps / initial weight 130kg

targets mainly the gluteal muscles

Hip Adduction

3 Sets / roughly 12 Reps / initial weight 100kg

targets mainly the adductor group

Seated Calf Raise

3 Sets / roughly 12 Reps / initial weight 25kg

targets mainly the soleus

Tuesday

Chest (Heavy)

Dumbbell Bench Press

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 12kg

targets mainly the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and to a lesser extent the anterior deltoid, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, anconeus, and triceps brachii

Decline Dumbbell Bench Press

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 12kg

targets mainly the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, and to a lesser extent the anterior deltoid, serratus anterior, coracobrachialis, anconeus, and triceps brachii

Sideways Chest Press

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 27,5kg

targets mainly the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, deltoids, and the triceps brachii

Hammer Curl

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 10kg

targets mainly the brachioradialis, biceps brachii, brachialis, and to a lesser degree the extensor carpi radialis brevis and longus

Extended Plank

3 Sets / 10 Reps / Bodyweight
(Hold 7 Secs/ Rest 3 Secs)

targets mainly the abdominal muscles, obliques, hip flexors (rectus femoris, psoas, iliacus), latissimus dorsi, and serratus anterior

Cable Oblique Twist

3 Sets / 10 Reps / initial weight 25kg
(Hold 7 Secs/ Rest 3 Secs)

targets mainly the internal and external obliques

Wednesday

Chest & Shoulders (Light)

Upside Down Kettlebell Overhead Press

3 Sets / roughly 10 Reps / initial weight 8kg

targets mainly the deltoids, serratus anterior, and triceps brachii

Dumbbell Overhead Press

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 12kg

targets mainly the deltoids, serratus anterior, and triceps brachii

Single-Arm Straight-Arm Pulldown

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 6,25kg

targets mainly the latissimus dorsi, teres major, and the long head of the triceps brachii

Dumbbell Pullover

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 10kg

targets mainly the latissimus dorsi and serratus anterior

Dumbbell Bench Press

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 8kg

targets mainly the inferior fibers of the pectoralis major, triceps brachii, and the anterior deltoid

Incline Dumbbell Curl w/ Rotation

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 8kg

targets mainly the long head of the biceps brachii, and to a lesser extent the brachioradialis and brachialis

Overhead Triceps Extension

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 2kg

targets mainly the long head of the triceps brachii

Thursday

Lower Body (Volume Focus)

Barbell Split Squat

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 30kg

targets mainly the quadriceps, gluteal muscles, adductor group, erector spinae, abdominal muscles, the hamstrings, and the calves

Romanian Deadlift

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 50kg

targets the gluteal muscles and the whole backside of the body, but since, in contrast to the classic deadlift, we do not set the weight down and do not bend the knees very much, the hamstrings are particularly stimulated

Leg Extension

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 50kg

targets mainly the quadriceps

Seated Calf Raise

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 15kg

targets mainly the soleus

Friday

Shoulders (Heavy)

Bent-over Dumbbell Row

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 16kg

targets mainly the latissimus dorsi, teres major, posterior deltoid, the forearm flexors (biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis), and with approximation of the shoulder blades the rhomboids and trapezius

Single-Arm Lat Pulldown (Front)

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 19kg

targets mainly the latissimus dorsi, teres major, trapezius, rhomboids, and to a lesser extent the posterior deltoid, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, and brachialis

Single-Arm Lat Pulldown (Side)

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 19kg

targets mainly the latissimus dorsi, teres major, trapezius, rhomboids, and to a lesser extent the posterior deltoid, biceps brachii, brachioradialis, and brachialis

Bent-over Shoulder extension

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 5kg

targets mainly the posterior deltoid

Bent-over T Raise

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 5kg

targets mainly the posterior deltoid, trapezius (pars transversa), rhomboids, teres minor, and infraspinatus

Face Pull

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 16,25kg

targets mainly the posterior deltoid, rhomboids, trapezius, and infraspinatus

Cable External Rotation

3 Sets / roughly 20 Reps / initial weight 3,75kg

targets mainly the infraspinatus, teres minor, and posterior deltoid

Saturday / Sunday

Off

As I have done several times by now, I once again recommend Vladimir Zatsiorsky's SCIENCE AND PRACTICE OF STRENGTH TRAINING to get all the basic information on strength training and program design and Frédéric Delavier's STRENGTH TRAINING ANATOMY to understand the interaction of the muscles involved in each exercise.
Header photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash
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Gefördert durch die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Programm NEUSTART KULTUR, Hilfsprogramm DIS-TANZEN des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.

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