Getting Swole with Cory Gregory - Week 1 Review

Hey Everybody,

So I just finished week 1 of Cory Gregory's 16 week plan.  I wanted to write a weekly report on this program so expect one of these articles every Friday. (or Sunday since the later weeks call for a Saturday workout that I will want to also write about)  For those who did have not read my explanation for picking this program please see my previous post HERE <--------

Week one consisted of 4 detailed workouts that seem really emphasize on fast pace, super-sets and minimal breaks.  There were minimal tweaks to his given routine due to not having the equipment.  Instead of wide grip pull ups we did wide grip lat pull downs.  Instead of ab rollers we did a combo of hanging leg raises and Russian twists.  

Day 1 - Chest/Back

Monday was a chest/back split.  Every round was a super-set of 1 chest and 1 back exercise.  This was a little different than I am used to.  I typically do a Chest/Biceps split & a Back/Triceps split instead.  We had to substitute one thing on his sheet which was the wide grip pull ups.  We did Wide Grip lat pull downs instead.  The exercises that are bunched together are the ones that were super-sets and above is the set & rep count. (5x12 = 5 sets @ 12 reps a picece)

Personal Review:

Overall I felt like a lot of my lifts were done a bit to light.  Especially my chest exercises.  I was a bit intimated by the rep counts and do not truly know my max so finding a starting spot was a challenge.  I will be tweaking my weights quite a bit for week two.  The wide grip lat pull downs were definitely the most challenging movement for myself to complete with proper form at that many reps.

Did I like this workout?  Not a huge fan of the chest/back split but I will continue it through this 16 plan as it is planned.

Day 2 - Legs/Abs

Tuesday was legs day...the day that most dread with a passion. (possibly including my better half who is following this program with me) I can def say that this was intimidating to me on paper and it was the beast that I expected.  Most of my leg workouts are at a slower pace and I try and go heavy so this format was a change for me.

Personal Review:

In one word...brutal.  However, If i had to explain it in exactly 117 words then this is what I would say.  I felt like I could of gone a bit heavier on my squats but super-setting it with the leg presses had me dripping with sweat pretty quickly and definitely set the tone for the rest of the workout.  The dead lifts were the toughest part of the routine and entire program thus far.  By the time we got to the lunges my legs were pretty much toast.  The final set was definitely that "dig down deep" type of moment that you strive for in the gym.  I have lost my ab roller so I tried to think of something comparable so I threw in some leg raises and Russian twists for time.  Amanda especially hated this part.  :)

Did I like this workout?  Probably my favorite of the 4 that was completed this week. 

Day 3 - Arms 

Undoubtedly the most popular day when it comes to the uneducated gym goer (besides the typical 45 min elliptical rider)  Guys want the big biceps to show off at the pool and girls want those nice toned arms for dress season.  This will take some getting used to for the same reason the chest/back split will take getting used to.  This stuck to the format of the previous days.  High rep counts, lots of sets, minimal rest...

Personal Review:

I felt like my biceps got a lot harder workout than my triceps.  I would of enjoyed a 3rd weighted exercise instead of bench dips to fail.  I may of gone to light on the skull crushers but I felt like at the end of the workout most of the strain and fatigue was in my biceps.  However, the 40 rep sets in the 2nd part of the workout did burn quite bad.  By the time we got to the preacher curls, I was sweating bullets and giving it everything I had to pull up the last reps.  Going forward I will try and up the weight for the tricep portions and most likely put a plate in my lap for the bench dips portion.  

Did I like this workout?  Was the quickest workout of the week and probably least favorite.  Will be looking for more tension on my triceps in the upcoming weeks.

Week 4 - Shoulders/Abs

And the award for the most deceiving workout on paper goes to day 4.  From the time that I looked this workout up on Wednesday night until we finally got start on Thursday night I thought that this would be a breeze.  I was wrong.  Still feeling it for sure.  I WILL NEVER DOUBT YOU AGAIN MR. GREGORY!  We walked in thinking this would be a 20-30 minute workout and it took us just under 45.  

Personal Review:

This was the one day this week that I feel I was spot on with my chosen weight amounts for this rep/set range.  I was gassed out at the end of the first grouping and really had to dig deep down to get the lateral raises done in the second grouping.  I know what your thinking..."It was only 10 lbs Ryan!"  The minimal breaks are what made this so tough.  Fatigue was set in and it took a lot to put that in the back of the mind and just push through it all.  The ab portion was altered again.  Cory's routine calls for an ab roller and I am still missing mine so we did leg raises and Russian twists again.  This time we did 100 of each for time (to ensure only the minimal amount of rest).

Did I like this workout? Yes...a lot more than I thought I would in fact.

So there is week 1 in the books.  Amanda and I both agreed that we did not want to take 3 days off in a row with no activity so we are going to do some HIIT tomorrow for cardio.  No real strength training but we both did not want to go dormant for the weekend.  In the future I will write reviews on our diet as it evolves as well as the supplementation portion of the program.  For the phase I will concentrate on reporting my workout portion though.

What are your thoughts?  Something that you would follow?  All suggestions are welcomed.

Until Next Time...

Ryan

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Cory Gregory’s 16-Week Muscle Building Program