Saturday, March 31, 2012

Strength: Upper Body Burn

When I finished making my way through Fitnessista’s Winter Shape Up it was time to get organized and create a new set of strength training sessions for myself.  For this time around I’m doing one day of upper body, one day of lower body, and a few days of cardio (all with a little extra core work thrown in) each week.

I thought it would be fun to share my latest routines so I had my friend Tia, who is a personal trainer, have a look at my notes and approve everything as safe and effective.

So here we have a trainer approved Upper Body Burn!

upper_body_burn

Warm up with 5-10 minutes of moderate cardio.  Beginners do 2 sets of 12, Intermediate do 3 sets.

  • Chest Press on the Bench *
  • Incline Flies on the Bench
  • Hitchhikers *
  • Dumbbell Rows on the Bench *
  • Lateral Raises *
  • Front Raises
  • Bicep Curls *
  • Hammer Curls
  • Tricep Kickbacks *
  • One Hand Overhead Tricep Extensions

All exercises are with dumbbells (or bodyweight). Perform on non-consecutive days. Finish with 20-30 minutes moderate cardio and proper stretching.

In a time crunch?  Only perform exercises with the * asterix, but try to up your weight and do a fast cardio blast to complete the workout.

Want more sweat?  Add 1 minute of fast paced cardio after every second exercise (skipping, burpees, mountain climbers, high knees, etc).

Do you have a favourite upper body exercise?  I love bicep curls!

{Y’all know this already, but I’m just a blogger not a fitness professional so please make sure to consult your trainer or your doctor before following any new fitness regime. Safety first!}

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