"It Was A Pleasure Kicking Your Ass... Again" (More Richie Sessions): Tom Venuto's Bodybuilding Secrets Blog

“It Was A Pleasure Kicking Your Ass… Again” (More Richie Sessions)

Tom Venuto

Friday August 19th. Shoulders and Triceps with Richie again. Once again, Richie proves that it doesn’t take heavy weights to get a good workout. Cable laterals with only 20 lbs… dumbbell kickbacks with only 15 lbs… both absolutely destroyed me… all it took was a tweak in form here, and a change in angle there, and then leverage and gravity did all the rest…

DELTOIDS

A1 Cybex Shoulder Press Machine: Set 1: 110 lbs X 12 reps, no rest, increase to 130 lbs X 6 reps, no rest, increase to 140 lbs X 6 reps; Set 2: 140 lbs X 8 reps, slow negatives (5020 tempo); Set 3: 170 lbs X 5 reps, drop to 140 lbs X 6 reps, drop to 110 lbs X 6 reps
A2 Cybex Lateral raise machine: Set 1: 110 lbs X 8 reps, drop to 60 lbs X 8 reps; Set 2: 80 lbs X 6 reps with 5 second holds at top of each rep, drop to 60 lbs X 5 more reps with 5 sec holds at top of each rep; Set 3: 110 lbs X 6 reps, drop to 60 lbs X 6 more reps with 5 second hold at top, rest 5 seconds at bottom (rest pause reps)
B1 One arm Cable lateral raise with rope, behind back (thumbs down): 3 sets: 20 lbs X 12 reps each arm
B2 Standing dumbbell lateral raise: 3 sets X 15 lbs X 12-15 reps, slow negatives
C1 Seated (vertical) rear delt dumbbell laterals (“The rear Delt Shockwave”): 3 sets X 15 lbs X 12 reps

TRICEPS

A1 Tricep Pushdowns (on cable crossover mach): Set 1: 120 lbs X 8 reps, then bend over at waist X 12 reps to forehead; Set 2: 140 lbs X 8 reps, then 8 reps bent over, then 6 reps reverse grip, then repeat; Set 3: 150 lbs same as set 2 (regular, bent over, reverse grip, repeat); Set 4: 130 lbs X 6-8 reps each position: reverse grip, reverse grip bent over, regular grip, repeat
B1 strict high dumbbell kickbacks: 3 sets X 15 lbs X 10-12 reps
C1 Lying cross body one dumbbell tricep extension: 3 sets X 20 lbs X 12 reps

Workout commentary

Richie started me on the cybex machines; shoulder press supersetted with lateral raises. I did three sets and on each set richie used a different technique: ascending sets, negatives and descending sets, respectively on the shoulder press, and drop sets, static holds with drop sets, and static holds with rest pause, respectively on the lateral raises. The 5 second holds on the laterals were challenging, and I know from experience this technique does wonders for my delts (holds at the top of any lateral raise exercise).

Next, we attached a rope to the low pulley on one side of the FLEX cable crossover machine and did lateral raises with the rope supersetted with dumbbell lateral raises. Rope lateral raises was a variation I had never done before. in order to hit the rear-delt/side delt tie in, Richie had me do these from behind the back with the thumbs pointing down. I have to mention, I can see how this exercise could be a bit uncomfortable on the shoulder joint. I wouldn’t recommend this variation to others because of the impingement prone position (thumbs down), but with light weights on warmed up shoulders, it was fine with me, and it targeted an area I need work on

We finished off delts with the seated (upright) rear delt lateral raise (The “rear delt shockwave” exercise), which I described in detail in a previous blog.

Triceps were next. First Richie had me do all kinds of combinations of tricep pushdowns, varying the grip (palms up or palms down) and varying how I was standing (standing up or bending over at the waist)

Second exercise was tricep kickbacks – done a different way. These are called “high tricep kickbacks” and it is a strict, no momentum form of kickback. You bend over at the waist completely, supporting yourself with one knee and one hand on a bench. With the dumbbell in the opposite hand, you get into the starting position, with the upper arm lifted higher than a regular kickback, so the dummbell starting position is in your ribs, not along the side of your waist. From that starting position, you kick the dumbbell back, higher than usual so your arm is not parallel to the floor, but higher, so that the dumbbell is higher than your shoulder when your arm is locked out in the contracted position. You hold in the contracted position, and let down under control.

With this form, you can easily cut your usual weight in half or even by thirds. 15 lbs was difficult and the contraction felt almost like a cramping sensation. What I also noticed, was that this hit a different and very distinct portion of the triceps- it was clearly working the long head more than a regular kickbank (the long head is the part that creates the “underhang” of tricep you see in a front double bicep pose).

Last but not least I lied down on a flat bench holding a 20 lb dumbbell and did cross body one arm tricep extensions for 3 sets of 12, very strict. Gave a forced rep or two with the opposite hand on the last couple of sets.

That concluded another “Richie session” and of course, after I mentioned to Richie how amazing it is that a muscle can get absolutely trashed with such light weights with a few little tweaks in form, he replied with his most famous line, “yes, and it was a pleasure kicking your ass again.”

Published on 19 August, 2005