Today’s training inspiration is a woman who could out-lift, out-bench and pretty much out-anything 99.9% of the male population in the world.

Regardless of your own personal views on the aesthetics of female bodybuilding, it is impossible not to admire the dedication and focus that goes into the sport from the perspective of the female competitors.

Not only do they have to work equally as hard and smart in the gym as their male counterparts, but much like the men a few decades ago, they are doing so in the face of a stigma that has yet to be fully alleviated.

Iris Kyle is presently the queen of female bodybuilding. Her victories have accumulated in a string worthy of Ronnie Coleman, Lee Haney or Arnold Schwarzenegger himself.

Iris has won four Ms. International titles (including the most recent one in 2009) and four Ms. Olympia titles, including the last three. To this, she has also added three 2nd place finishes at Ms. Olympia, making her the most dominant female bodybuilder of recent times.

HAMMERING THE ANVIL…

Today I’m actually working on one of the strong points, so I feel very little pressure. Even if it ended up being a beeyatch workout, I can afford to just hold ground between the neck and the abdomen while my back and calves play catch-up.

TODAY: CHEST (5-1-5)

FLAT BENCH PRESS (5 sets)
115 x 8
165 x 5
165 x 4
165 x 4
185 x 2 / 105 x 3

FLAT DUMBBELL FLYES (5 sets)
25 x 10
30 x 8
30 x 7
35 x 6
50 x 3 / 35 x 2

LYING DUMBBELL OVERHEAD RAISE (3 sets)
25 x 10
30 x 8
30 x 7

INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS (3 sets)
35 x 6
35 x 5
50 x 4

FLAT DUMBBELL PRESS (3 sets)
50 x 5
50 x 5
50 x 4 / 35 x 2

TRAINING NOTES

It felt like a pretty decent workout by the end of it. I have to say, my five-count is turning into a seven or eight-count. I actually sometimes have to focus on doing the reps faster of all things. And with the sloooow reps, I find myself doing some quasi-embarrassing light weight – but such is the nature of working out for results rather than for your ego. As much as I don’t really want to go public with a first set of 115 pounds on the bench press, if I want to do 8-10 reps with essentially a 12-count on each one, that’s the way it has to be.

Just don’t tell Iris Kyle how little I benched today. She might kick sand in my face.

Total Sets (Chest): 19

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