Written by Ron Harris

19 January 2015

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Train & Diet Like Dex

Learn & Grow with Dexter Jackson

The Training

The following is a week of Dexter’s training. To be more specific, it’s everything he does six weeks out rep for rep and set for set.

Monday: Chest and Biceps

Incline presses on Smith machine

Warm-ups: 135 x 15, 225 x 15, 225 x 10

Sets: 315 x 10, 365 x 8-10, 365 x 8-10

Flat barbell bench press

Warm-ups: 135 x 10, 225 x 10

Sets: 315 x 10, 365 x 8-10, 365 x 8-10

Flat bench dumbbell flyes

Warm-ups: 50 x 10, 60 x 10, 60 x 10, 70 x 10

Sets: 80 x 10, 90 x 8-10, 80 x 8-10

Seated machine preacher curls

Warm-ups: 70 x 10, 90 x 10, 110 x 10

Sets: 130 x 10, 150 x 10, 170 x 10

Seated overhead curl machine (unilateral, plate loading)

Warm-ups: 50 x 10, 70 x 10, 90 x 10

Sets: 100 x 10, 140 x 10, 160 x 8-10, 180 x 8-10

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Tuesday: Quads, Calves

Leg extensions

Warm-ups: 50 x 20, 80 x 20, 110 x 20

Sets: 140 x 20, 170 x 20, 210 x 15-20

Leg press

Warm-ups: 585 x 10, 765 x 10

Sets: 945 x 10, 1,125 x 10, 1,305 x 10, 1,485 x 10, 1,665 x 10*

Superset: Front squats on Smith machine with leg extensions

Warm-up: Front squats 135 x 10, 225 x 10

Supersets: Squat 225 x 10 to extensions 130 x 20

Squat 275 x 10 to extensions 130 x 20

Walking dumbbell lunges

Three sets up and down the gym’s “lunging lane” with 50s

Superset: standing calf raise and seated calf raise

Warm-up: standing calf raise 70 x 15, 100 x 15, 150 x 15, seated raise 45 x 15

Standing raise 200 x 10-15, seated raise 90 (two 45-pound plates) x 10-15

Standing raise 250 x 10-15, seated raise 135 x 10-15

Standing raise 300 x 10-15, seated raise 180 x 10-15

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Thursday: Shoulders and Triceps, Calves

Seated dumbbell presses

Warm-ups: 50 x 10, 60 x 10, 70 x 10, 80 x 10

Sets: 100 x 10, 110 x 10, 125 x 10

Seated lateral raise machine

Warm-ups: 70 x 15, 90 x 15

Sets: 110 x 12-15, 130 x 12-15, 150 x 12-15

Rear laterals on pec flye machine (facing into pad)

Warm-ups: 50 x 10, 80 x 10-15

Sets: 110 x 10-15, 130 x 10-15, 150 x 10-15

Cable Pushdowns, V or Straight Bar

Sets: 4-5 x 10

Skull-Crushers or Dip Machine

Sets: 4-5 x 10

Rope Pushdowns

Sets: 4-5 x 10

Calves: Same workout as Tuesday

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Friday: Back and Hamstrings

Lat pulldowns (wide overhand grip, to front)

Warm-ups: 100 x 10, 160 x 10

Sets: 220 x 10, 260 x 10, 290 x 10, 310 x 8-10

Deadlifts*

Warm-ups: 135 x 10, 225 x 10, 275 x 10

Sets: 315 x 10, 315 x 10, 365 x 10

“Corner” T-bar rows using Olympic barbell

Warm-ups: 135 x 10, 180 x 10, 225 x 10

Sets: 270 x 10, 315 x 8-10, 360 x 8-10

*Dexter keeps his waist tight and his lower back arched, and tries to make his lower lats do most of the work

Lying leg curls**

Warm-ups: 50 x 15, 70 x 10

Sets: 80 x 10-15, 80 x 10-15, 80 x 10-15

**His form on this is a little different. Dexter squeezes his feet together on either side of the roller pad as if he’s trying to hold on to a dumbbell between his feet. This style keeps far more tension on the hams and forces extremely strict form— thus there’s no need for excessive weight.

Kneeling single leg curls (plate loading Cybex model)

Warm-ups: 25 x 10, 25 x 10 (each leg)

Sets: 50 x 10, 60 x 10, 85 x 8-10

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What About Traps and Abs?

It’s not really much of a secret that Dexter Jackson doesn’t train his abs. We’ve even run ab training articles featuring him and revealed that rather maddening bit of information— maddening to the rest of us who slave away on crunches and leg raises and can only dream of owning a midsection like his. Traps are another muscle group that the Blade doesn’t do any direct work for. “When I used to train them way back in the day with shrugs, they got too big,” he says. “And that started making my shoulders look too narrow, so I said ‘I better stop before it’s too late and they get out of control.’” Tell that to poor trap-less in Tacoma. Better yet, don’t— he’s miserable enough as it is.

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