I started following the Functional Bodybuilding Pump 40 program this week. This program was created by a former Games athlete and just due to that I was apprehensive about a program that might be too similar to CrossFit. However, I love the premise of the program and the intent. Ideally, following this to the letter means 40 minutes in the gym. It is also full of movements that I have not done in a while, some movements I have not done at all. I do like what I have seen scrolling through the PDF but know that I am going to have to change some of the days up. Especially when it comes to the supersets, mainly because I won’t have the ability where I workout to combine some of those movements.
DAY 1
Push Pull – E:90 x8
- Close grip bench x6
- Bent over BB row x10
Push Carry E:75 x8
- Push-ups x5
- 20m single arm farmers warm
Finisher
- Incline bicep curl 3×10
Given how our gym is set up, I did not want to take up a bench and set of DBs while doing the push-ups and carries. I figured I would do the curls as a finisher and not risk ticking someone off by trying to claim my spot on a bench by leaving my belongings there. I also had to lower the weight on the bench and BB rows for the final two or three rounds as I was hitting a point where I worried that I would not be able to do the assigned reps.
DAY 2
- Back Squat 5 reps E2:00, building
- Laying hamstring curls 4×5 w/:04 slow eccentric
- Seated calf raises 3×12
- 3x:30 DB crush grip hollow hold
This day was programmed different than what I did but needed some modification on my end. The back squat was to be paired with Nordic hamstring curls. This wasn’t happening due to how our gym is setup. More importantly, since it has been painfully obvious after day one that the intensity piece has been missing, I didn’t think it would be a bad idea to just do the squats and to not go all out on those either. I am glad that I did because there was a strength triplet in the program involving reverse lunges which I had to skip as I felt like my knees were going to implode and collapse.
DAY 3
- EMOM x8 – Incline DB bench x5
EMOM x8 – Iso Lateral Wide Grip Pulldown x5
2x for Quality
- DB elbowing row x10
Seated DB press x10
This first week was an eye-opener in many ways. I slept in on Monday, so I only managed three of the four days, but looking back, I believe that was fine. I was so sore after the squats on day two that I felt it for a week. When it comes to the workouts, adding in the time component has been the biggest adjustment. I feel that I have been sandbagging my workouts and also taking too long in between sets. Having a timer running makes me focus much more on the weight and intensity and I get done a lot quicker. My workouts have been entirely different because of this. Looking ahead next week, I need to be smarter about weight selection. Going into a workout where I have 8 or 9 rounds of movements means I can’t make bigger jumps in weight or go as heavy as I would like. I don’t want to end up tiring out, especially if the workout calls for RPE6/7. I might even lower the number of rounds if I find myself getting too exhausted. I want to stay true to the intention of the workout but also need to balance that with being smart about the exercises so that I don’t over do things.