day two: upper body
5 minutes of HIIT or 10 minutes of cardio of your choice. Here’s what I’m doing:
5 minute sprints: 45 seconds on, 15 seconds off
Allow 60-90 seconds rest between circuits. use this time to transition/set weights for your next circuit. Aim for little to no rest between exercises during the circuit. If you’re a beginner, take breaks as needed. done is better than perfect!
circuit 1: Complete 3 rounds.
jumping jacks with overhead press
jumping jacks with overhead press. Complete 20 reps.
Stand with your feet under your hips. Grasp a dumbbell with both hands with your elbows bent and hands at chest height. Jump your feet out into a wide angle as you press the dumbbell overhead, extending your arms and keeping them above your shoulders. Bring your feet back together as you lower the weight. Repeat.
spider crunch burpee. Complete 10 reps.
modification: remove jump.
Start with feet hip width apart, slightly bend at your knees and propel yourself upward as you jump to the ceiling. Bend your knees as you land, and drop down placing your hands on the floor in front of you and jump both feet back so that you’re now in plank position. Bring your right knee toward your elbow, crunching your right side and then position your foot back into a plank position. Repeat on the left side. Jump the feet back in toward the hands, and then explosively jump into the air, reaching your arms straight overhead.
pushups. complete 10-12 reps.
Modification: drop to knees.
Begin in a plank position with your feet behind you and your palms on the ground, shoulder width apart with fingers facing forward. Stiffen your torso by contracting your core/abdominal muscles, your glute and quadriceps muscles and align your head with your spine. Lower your body toward the floor, keeping your head aligned with your spine, with your elbows flaring outward until your chest or chin touches the floor. To modify, drop to your knees.
circuit 2: Complete 4 rounds.
incline plate press. Complete 10-12 reps.
At-home alternative: perform seated on a mat with dumbbells, lean back at a 45 degree angle.
Grasp one plate or two dumbbells and lie on your back on an incline bench angled between 45 and 60 degrees with your feet placed firmly on the floor or on a raised platform to allow you to maintain a neutral spine. Pull your shoulders down and back to make firm contact with the bench. Your head, shoulders, butt and feet should make contact with the bench and floor/riser throughout the exercise. Grasp the inside of the plate with palms facing your body or if using dumbbells grasp with palms facing forward and press with both arms in unison to a level over your eyes or slightly higher, with your elbows fully extended. Maintain a neutral wrist position. Lower the weight(s) in unison and in a controlled movement towards your upper chest. Keep the elbows under your wrists. Repeat.
chest fly on incline. Complete 10-12 reps.
at-home alternative: chest fly.
Holding two dumbbells, brace yourself on a bench facing the backrest angled at 45 to 60 degrees. Hold your torso against the backrest and keep your feet firmly placed on the floor or press your knees on the bench with your feet behind you if you have strong balance. Allow your arms to hang towards the floor with your elbows slightly flexed and palms facing each other. Brace your core muscles. Exhale and raise the dumbbells up and out to the sides, raising the upper arms, elbows and dumbbells in unison until the arms are near level with the shoulders with a slight bend at your elbows. Dumbbells should be in line with your ears in the raised position. Squeeze your shoulder blades together as you reach the end position. Avoid arching your back during the upward phase by keeping your torso firmly pressed into the backrest. Return to the starting position and repeat.
halfway around the worlds. complete 8-12 reps.
Stand with feet hip-width apart, with hips straight and back tall. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with an underhand grip (palms facing away from your body) and a slight bend at your elbows. Rotate your arms laterally (to the side) maintaining and underhand grip bringing your arms up to shoulder height. Lower your arms back down to the starting position and repeat.
circuit 3: complete 3 rounds.
Single arm lat pull-down. complete 12-15 reps, l-r.
at-home alternative: single arm bent over rows.
Position yourself on your knees in front of an adjustable cable machine with a handle grip positioned at a high setting. Grab the handle with one hand with an overhand grip, your arm fully extended and position yourself on your knees. Brace your abdominal muscles to protect your spine. Pull shoulders back and down and attempt to hold this position throughout the exercise. Slowly exhale and initiate the downward pull by first depressing your scapulae, then pulling the handle downward in a motion that drives your elbows directly down towards the floor, bringing your elbow towards the sides of your torso. Go back to starting position and repeat.
seated rows. complete 12-15 reps.
at-home alternative: bent over row with overhand grip.
Adjust the seat height to a level that positions the machine handles approximately level, or near level, with your shoulders. Position your feet firmly on the floor to stabilize your body. Sit upright and extend your arms to grasp the handles without rounding your shoulders forward. Adjust the position the chest pad to contact your chest lightly. Brace your core muscles to stabilize your spine. Maintain the natural arch in your low back and avoid arching your back throughout the exercise. Pull your shoulders back and down, keep your wrists in line with your forearms. From this start position perform a pulling movement. Bend your elbows and pull them towards your chest keeping your elbows close to the sides of your body. Maintain contact with your chest against the chest pad. Continue pulling until your elbows pass the sides of your body. Return to your starting position, allowing your arms to move forward and elbows to straighten moving the handles away from your body, stopping when your arms are fully extended. Repeat.
concentration curls. complete 10-12 reps, l-r.
Sit down on a flat bench with one dumbbell in front of you between your legs. Your legs should be spread with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Use your right arm to pick the dumbbell up. Place the back of your right upper arm on the top of your inner right thigh. Rotate the palm of your hand until it is facing forward away from your thigh. Your arm should be extended for your starting position. While holding the upper arm stationary, curl the weight forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Only the forearm should move. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Bring the dumbbell back to starting position as your breathe in. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions. Then repeat the movement with the left arm.
circuit 4: complete 3 rounds.
Side to side bench hops. complete 20 reps.
at-home alternative: perform with palms on floor, jumping over a mat.
Stand to one side of a bench. Grasp either side of the bench with your hands, keeping your arms strong but unlocked. Press through your heels to propel your body over the bench, holding the sides for support as you go. Land on the other side, keeping your knees soft. Repeat.
skull crushers. Complete 12-15 reps.
For this exercise, you can use a heavy dumbbell or a weighted barbell. Lie on a bench and bring the weight over the shoulders with arms fully extended. Lower your hands toward the forehead, making a 90-degree angle at the elbow without moving your elbows. Extend the arms to the starting position. Repeat this movement.
tricep pushups. complete 8-10 reps.
modification: drop to knees.
Begin in a plank position with your feet behind you and your palms on the ground positioned slightly narrower than shoulder width apart with fingers facing forward. Stiffen your torso by contracting your core/abdominal muscles, your glute and quadriceps muscles and align your head with your spine. Lower your body toward the floor, keeping your head aligned with your spine, with your elbows bending back and triceps pressed close to your torso until your chest is below elbow height. Do not allow your hips to sag. Press upward through your arms to come back to starting position. To modify, drop to your knees.
challenger: timed circuit 20/10s. complete 3 rounds.
Complete 20 seconds of the exercise and 10 seconds rest.
commandos.
modification: drop to knees.
Start in a push-up position with the hands under the shoulders and the legs stretched out directly behind. Squeeze the thigh and glute muscles to keep body and legs in a straight line, and lower down to the elbows one elbow at a time. From this position on the elbows, press the hands into the floor one at a time to return to the push-up position.
alternating v-ups.
Lie flat on your back with your legs out straight in front of you and your arms up above your shoulders on the ground. Lift one leg up toward the ceiling squeezing your glute. Press your low back into the ground and engage your abs as you lift your leg up. Then crunch your upper body up as you reach your opposite arm up toward the toes of your raised leg, rotating toward that raised leg. Then lower the raised leg as you lift the other leg up toward the ceiling and crunch up to reach up toward that opposite foot. Keep alternating sides.