Courses

Improving your upper back strength
The third area that we will focus on is the upper back. Look at the biggest bench pressers in the world. None of these guys have a small back. Having a bigger back allows for a larger surface areas to push off of. It will also allow you to control the weight as it comes down to your chest. And besides, who doesn’t want a big back?

Improving your shoulder strength
A forth area that will help move your bench press is that of the shoulders. For this you will focus on overhead press work. In most cases this will not be heavy. Just continue to grow weak points that may surface as you get stronger.

For the purpose of this training program we will focus three days of each week on the four previously listed areas. This is not to say you should neglect your legs and other areas. Just know that the bench press will be your current focus for the next 12 weeks.

Day one: Day one is a bench training workout. This is the day where we focus on the bench press as the main lift, and follow up with two accessory exercises.

Day two: Day two will be an upper back day with all work supporting the upper back. This will be followed by some light overhead press work, or overhead press work followed by upper back movements.

This day will allow for some recovery and build a bigger base to bench from. The first movement of the day is the heaviest, and the movements that follow are auxiliary work and should not be done with a weight that causes failure.

Day three: Day three will be a bench assistance day. You will do a bench press movement, followed by more tricep work.

You will use either a close grip bench or a paused bench for the main movement of the day. This will be whatever lift that was not used as an auxiliary movement on day one. It is followed by two tricep exercises to end the training day.

The purpose of this program is to increase the strength, conditioning, and muscle toning of your upper body. This program will increase in tension and intensity as the muscles adapt to increase tension. If you feel that the muscles have not yet adapted please feel free to go back to the week prior and complete those exercises and tension demanded again.

Warm-up: Make sure before completing the program you go through a proper warm-up and stretch to excite the muscles.

Most lifters have little trouble getting to the gym to train chest, back, shoulders and arms, but when it comes to legs, the story often changes.

Leg day can cause some people a severe amount of anxiety, which may begin setting in as early as the night before the scheduled workout.

In fact, this anxiety can become so intense that many will begin formulating excuses for taking it easy or even skipping the session entirely.

A serious quads/hams workout is without a doubt the most brutal and painful of all, which is why it is both feared and loathed by so many gym-goers.

And this is precisely why well-developed upper bodies are far more common than an outstanding pair of thighs

Many times when a woman seems out of proportion, with a heavier bottom half, it is because she lacks upper body development.

I have found, in my weight training business, a shocking lack of upper body development in women. In general it is, across the board, and not dependent on age.

Many women cannot perform one push up and most cannot perform even one pull up! Women need upper body strength to function effectively in everyday life. You need to carry things, pick up your kids, perform your job and be self reliant.

If you develop your upper body, not only will you have a more pleasing appearance but most important of all, you will be more capable of meeting the demands of work and family.

All you need to get started is a set of dumbbells. Start with a size that feels heavy but that you are able to push up from your shoulders to overhead, usually 8-10 lb. to start.

If you are working out at a gym they will have various sizes. If you are working out at home you can buy heavier sets as you make progress.

If you have none of these options you can buy an exercise band and do pull downs by placing a band over a door or other secure object. Grasp the ends of the band while seated or kneeling beneath it with arms extended. Pull with both arms until hands are lowered to shoulders. Slowly extend arms back up to starting position.

Tip: If your children have a swing set you can use the cross brace to do seated pull ups!

Do not be afraid to increase weight as needed to continue to build strength. Keep working on push ups and pull ups. Sometimes it can take a year or more to develop a full push up or pull up in de-conditioned women but both exercises are crucial to achieving the shapely silhouette you desire.

This past year has forced a lot of us to re-invent our “normal” training routine. Gyms may be closed, travel might be restricted, or you’re forced to workout at home. Don’t let that be an excuse to keep you from reaching your weight loss goals.

Fortunately, you don’t need too much to have a great fat burning workout. If you have space, a pair of dumbbells, and a step, then you can burn some serious calories and train the entire body in around 45 minutes. Perform this workout twice or three times a week for eight weeks and you’ll see some positive changes in how you look and feel.

The Concepts
You’re going to combine several different techniques to help you make the most of your training time. These methods are great on their own. Combined, they will set calories on fire.

Dynamic Resistance – This principle is when you perform bodyweight movements with no resistance but in a forceful manner. You’ll start and end the workout with these exercises that pair muscle against muscle.

Circuit Training – There will be four exercises grouped together that you perform consecutively before taking a rest.

Tabata Training – This is the four-minute workout you may have heard of. You alternate 20 seconds of all-out effort with 10 seconds of rest. Eight cycles will equal four minutes of serious work.

Every Minute on the Minute (EMOM) – During this phase, you’ll perform a number of reps at the top of each minute. You get to rest during the duration of that minute, but the moment the next minute starts, you start.