Gym Workout 5: Upper Body

Disclaimer: Always consult with your doctor or physical therapist before starting any new workout routine. Following this workout is always at your own risk. Listen to your body during exercise, and stop immediately if you experience any discomfort or pain.

A home workout version of this workout can be found here.

Equipment for this workout: Two dumbbells, triceps station or bench, sitting rowing machine or barbell, assault bike or other cardio machine.

Info: Start with a warm-up for the upper body, then you follow the exercise routines, start with exercise routine 1 and complete 4 rounds, then go to exercise routine 2 and complete 3 rounds, then exercise routine 3 and do 2 rounds and then exercise routine 4. Add a finisher if you feel you need a little extra and end with a stretches.

If it says e.g. 4/4x then I mean finishing 4 reps first on the right side (R) and then 4 on the left (L). If it says e.g. 8x and this is an exercise that tests both R and L then this is the total number of repetitions and you alternate between R and L. I will note the benchmark weight under each exercise routine.

Upper body warm-up:

A.

1 round, optional foam roll:

1. 5-8/5-8x shoulders (fascia release ball)

2. 5-8/5-8x chest (fascia release ball) 

3. 5-8/5-8x traps (fascia release ball) 

4. 5-8/5-8x upper back (fascia release ball) 

5. Add extra fascia release exercises if you feel the need to

B.

1 round:

1. 4x cat cow

2. 2x child pose stretch forward

3. 10-20x downward dog while stepping up and down 

4. 6/6x bird dog

5. 5/5x spider lunge with rotations

6. 8x lying windshield wipers

7. 4/4x lying deep core leg lifts

8. Add any dynamic stretches you feel the need to

C.

2 rounds: 

1. 10x pull down

2. 10x pull apart (long exercise band)

3. 4x shoulder mobility (long exercise band)

Exercise routine 1:

Benchmark weight: Beginner 2x5-10lbs dumbbells or 20lbs barbell, more advanced 2x15-20+lbs dumbbell 30-45+lbs barbell

4 rounds:

1. 12x bicep curl (two dumbbells or barbell)

2. 12x shoulder press (two dumbbells or barbell)

3. 12x dips (triceps station or bench)

4. 12 cal assault bike (or 40-60 sec sprint on cardio machine)

Rest as needed after each round - aim for 40 seconds

Exercise routine 2:

Benchmark weight: Beginner 20+lbs, more advanced as heavy as possible 45+lbs

3 rounds:

1. 12x sitting row (row machine) or bent over row (two dumbbells or barbell)

2. 12x pushups

Rest as needed after each round - aim for 30 seconds

Exercise routine 3:

Benchmark weight: Beginner 2x5-10lbs dumbbells more advanced 2x15-30+lbs dumbbells.

2 rounds:

1. 24x renegade row (two dumbbells)

2. 12x weighted sit ups (one dumbbell)

3. 12x sit ups

Rest as needed after each round - aim for 30 seconds

Exercise routine 4:

Benchmark speed: Beginner jog for 2 mins and run for 2 mins. More advanced, jog for 1 min, run for 1 min, speed for 2 mins.

1 round:

1. 4 min cardio machine

Finisher

Max speed you can hold for 2 mins straight on cardio machine

Stretches

1. 4/4x inner thigh + spinal stretch or 30 sec stretch for inner thigh

2. 8x windshield wipers

3. 30/30 sec glutes

4. 4/4x lying spinal stretch

5. 2x child pose stretch forward

6. 20/20 sec shoulders

7. 20 sec bicep

8. 20/20 sec tricep

Add any stretches you feel the need to