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Muscle-Building 12-Week Workout: Week 12

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DAY 5: EXPLOSIVE POWER TRAINING - EXERCISES FOR SHOULDERS AND TRICEPS

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Workout Program Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Supersets?
Week 1 Workouts
Week 2 Workouts
Week 3 Workouts
Week 4 Workouts
Week 5 Workouts
Week 6 Workouts
Week 7 Workouts
Week 8 Workouts
Week 9 Workouts
Week 10 Workouts
Week 11 Workouts
Week 12 Workouts

WEEK 12, DAY 5 EXERCISE VIDEO DEMOS

WARMUP
Superset	Exercise	Muscles	Weight (Goal)	Set 1 Reps (Goal)	Set 1 Reps (Actual)	Set 2 Reps (Goal)	Set 2 Reps (Actual)	Set 3 Reps (Goal)	Set 3 Reps (Actual)	Set 4 Reps (Goal)	Set 4 Reps (Actual)
Begin Superset
S	Dumbbell Freestyle Swim Strokes	Shoulders (rotator cuffs)	3 - 5 lbs.	20		20		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
S	Dumbbell Butterfly Swim Strokes	Shoulders (rotator cuffs)	3 - 5 lbs.	20		20		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
WORKOUT
Begin Superset
S	Stability Ball Push-ups	Chest, Triceps, Shoulders (deltoids)	N/A	20		20		20		N/A	N/A
S	Dumbbell Lateral Raises	Shoulders	Rep Max	12		12		12		N/A	N/A
Begin Superset
S	Barbell Clean and Presses	Legs, Shoulders	65% Rep Max	12		12		12		N/A	N/A
S	Headstand to Handstands	Shoulders	N/A	12		12		12		N/A	N/A
Begin Superset
S	Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Presses	Shoulders	Rep Max	12		12		12		N/A	N/A
S	Medicine Ball Scoop Tosses	Shoulders (front deltoids), Core	Medium	20		20		20		N/A	N/A
Begin Superset
S	Cable Reverse Raises	Shoulders	Rep Max	12		12		12		N/A	N/A
S	Speed Tube-Assisted Lateral Raises	Shoulders	Rep Max	20		20		20		N/A	N/A
S	Speed Dumbbell Front Raises	Shoulders	50% Rep Max	12		12		12		N/A	N/A
S	Speed Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Presses	Shoulders	50% Rep Max	12		12		12		N/A	N/A
S	Speed Tube Shoulder Presses	Shoulders	N/A	20		20		20		N/A	N/A
	Stability Ball Pike-ups	Abdominals	N/A	20		20		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	Speed Decline Situps	Abdominals	N/A	20		20		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	V Situps with Heels on Wall and Legs Straight	Abdominals	N/A	20 each side		20 each side		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	Single Dumbbell Toe Tab Abs	Abdominals	Light	20		20		N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
CARDIO TRAINING
Exercise	Time	Overview
Elliptical	30 Minutes	Do 30 minutes of climbing on the elliptical or stair machine. Get your heart rate up to a moderate level.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS IN BRIEF
Exercise	Overview
Dumbbell Freestyle Swim Strokes	Begin in a standing position with your legs approximately hip-width apart and a dumbbell held in each hand. Lean your upper body forward to an approximately 45-degree angle, being sure to maintain a flat back to avoid injury. Keeping your arms straight, lift the dumbbells out in front of your body so that your arms are parallel to the plane of your upper body. Next, bring your right arm back as if you are doing a stroke of freestyle swimming. Your arm will naturally bend as you bring your elbow back. Be careful to keep the dumbbell in close to your body; allowing it to drop out too far can cause injury. As your right reaches the back end of its stroke, begin dropping your left arm to start its own stroke, while simultaneously lifting the right elbow up in an arc over the shoulder and pushing the right dumbbell back out to starting position. Your right arm should reach starting position just as your left arm reaches the back position. Each stroke of an arm counts as one stroke.
Dumbbell Butterfly Swim Strokes	Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet hip distance apart. Bend your knees slightly and press your hips back as you incline your chest forward, until you are standing with your chest parallel to the floor, bent at the hip, with your weight in your heels and your center engaged. Hold the dumbbells straight out in front of you, with your palms facing the floor. Begin a butterfly swim stroke with both arms. Sweep both arms down and then back along your sides, then outward, up, and over, until your arms are extended back in front of you at the starting position. Hold momentarily in the extended position with your arms straight out and palms facing down, and then move into the next butterfly swim stroke. Be sure to keep your core engaged to maintain your chest's position throughout. Note: If you find this exercise to be too hard on your back, lie face down on a flat bench with your legs to either side of the bench, knees bent, and feet on the floor behind you. Your chest should be flat on the bench. From this position, perform the butterflies as above.
Stability Ball Push-ups	Place both hands on a stability ball and position the rest of your body like a plank. Your abdominals should be held in so that your stomach does not dip, and your back should be flat so that your buttocks do not come up. Keep your feet hip-width apart for stability, and, if needed, put the ball against a wall for support. Perform a push-up, lowering your chest until it almost touches the ball. Your elbows should come out to the side as you drop down, and your shoulder blades should come together. From the bottom of the push-up, reverse direction and press yourself back up to the starting position.
Dumbbell Lateral Raises	Stand on the floor with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides. Your knees should be slightly bent, and your palms should face in toward your hips. Next, raise both dumbbells up from each side and away from the body, keeping your elbows straight. Keeping your trapezoid muscles relaxed, continue raising your arms until they are horizontal with your shoulders. Slowly lower the arms back to starting position and repeat.
Barbell Clean and Presses	Start with just a bar and no weights until you have mastered the form of this advanced shoulder exercise. Stand upright while facing an Olympic bar with or without weights in front of you. Spread your feet until they are about shoulder distance apart. Grab the bar with hands shoulder distance apart and your palms toward you. Bend your knees slightly and engage your center, so that you are in a modified squat position, with back flat and your weight over your heels. Next, lift the bar in a swift upward motion toward your chest, coming up to standing upright as you do so, and bending your elbows up and back as though doing an upright row. Once the bar reaches your chest height, quickly flip the bar in your hands so that the bar is held in your hands with your palms facing upward instead of downward. Be careful to keep your wrists engaged to prevent injury. Next do a shoulder press, driving the bar powerfully upward over your head, until your arms are fully extended. Hold in the extended position for one second, and then reverse your motion, bringing the bar back to chest level, switching your grip to make your palms face you, and lowering the bar back to the starting position. Throughout this motion, you must make sure your abs and core stay engaged to protect your back. When the bar is set back on the floor, reverse direction and move immediately into your next rep.
Headstand to Handstands	Begin in piked-up position on the floor, with your hips in the air, your palms flat on the floor a little more than shoulder-width apart in front of you, your legs as straight as possible, your feet hip-width apart with heels slightly off the ground, and your body supported by your hands and the balls of your feet. Keep your neck in line with your spine throughout this entire movement. The more you are able to keep your hips up high over your shoulders throughout the movement, the easier it will be to progress to the more advanced variations. Slowly lower down your body into a push-up until your the crown of your head completely touches the floor. Reverse the motion and push your upper body back up to the starting position. Your shoulders should do the majority of the work. As you build shoulder strength over time, try these variations to build up closer to the true handstand push-up. First, lift one leg up behind you before you go down into your push-ups. Be sure to touch your head completely to the floor with each descent. This will increase the amount of weight on your shoulders. For an even more challenging variation, try putting your feet on a flat bench and your hands on the floor. Lower down in a push-up and touch your head to the floor. Finally, when you've mastered those variations, try combining them by placing your feet on a flat bench and lifting one of your legs up before going down into the push-ups. Once you've mastered these, you're probably ready for full-fledge handstand push-ups.
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Presses	Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, pointing forward. Keep your head and back straight, knees slightly bent and the core of your body tight, while relaxing your chest. This keeps the focus on your shoulder muscles while you lift. After your body is in proper alignment, hold the dumbbells with your palms facing each other and shoulder-width part. Extend your arms by straightening your elbows directly over your head to full flexion of your shoulder muscle. Keep your elbows slightly bent at the top of the movement to avoid locking your joints. Without stopping, and while maintaining the flexion in your deltoids, keep your arms wide and slowly bring the weights down until your arms are bent at nearly 90 degrees.
Medicine Ball Scoop Tosses	Stand upright facing a wall at a distance of five or six feet. Stand with your feet shoulder distance apart and a medicine ball held down in front of your upper legs, with palms facing in toward each other. Next, keep both arms straight and, using a powerful scooping motion, throw the ball up and forward, bouncing it off the wall. Use your center to stabilize your body against the throwing motion. Be sure to keep your arms extended so that you use your shoulders and not arms or back to throw the ball. When the ball rebounds of the wall, catch the ball in both hands as it returns and use your front deltoids, in the front of your shoulder, to control the downward push of the ball and lower it back to the starting position, maintaining your stability again through your abs.
Cable Reverse Raises	Stand facing away from a dual-cable machine, with single-hand attachments on each cable set at the lowest setting. (If you do not have access to a dual-cable machine, you can do this exercise using two dumbbells.) Grasp the handle of the left cable in your right hand, and the handle of the right cable in your left hand, so that the cables cross in front of you. With your feet hip distance apart, bend your knees slightly and press your hips back so that you can incline your chest forward while stabilizing through your center and legs. Your chest should be parallel to the floor, your arms extended downward with palms facing in towards each other. Next, engage your core and keep both arms straight as you bring them simultaneously up and out to the sides. At the top of your lift, your arms will be extended straight out to the side, slightly above the level of your upper back, with your palms facing the floor. From the top of the lift, reverse direction and allow your arms to return to the starting position following the same trajectory. Be sure to keep your shoulder blades retracted and do not allow your hands to cross at the bottom. If you are concerned about your back, do this exercise on a flat bench. Place a flat bench between the cable machines and lie face down on it with your legs to either side of the bench, knees bent, and feet on the floor behind you. Your chest should be flat on the bench. From this position, perform the raises as above.
Speed Tube-Assisted Lateral Raises	Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand. Take an exercise tube and hold one handle in each hand, along with the dumbbells. Allow the center of the tube to rest on the floor, and stand on it with one foot and the other foot staggered slightly behind it. Stand upright with arms at your sides and palms facing inward, with knees very slightly bent. Next, quickly raise both arms directly out to the sides, lifting the dumbbells and pulling on the tubes. Keep your arms straight and your palms in the same orientation throughout. Continue to lift until your arms come to level with your shoulders—but no higher than that. From the top of the lift, reverse direction and swiftly lower your arms back to the starting position, keeping them straight throughout. Do not allow your arms to return all the way to your sides—keep some flexion in your deltoids as you move immediately into your next lateral raise.
Speed Dumbbell Front Raises	Stand upright with a dumbbell in each hand. Allow your arms to hang straight down in front of you, just in front of your thighs but not resting on them, with your palms facing inward and your elbows slightly bent. Next, engage your shoulders and quickly lift the dumbbells up in a scooping motion, bringing them up in front of you with arms extended. As your arms rise, bring your hands together toward the midline of your body, such that you end with your arms at chin level and weights less than shoulder-width apart. From the top of your motion, reverse direction and lower your arms back to the starting position. Note: You may do this exercise with one arm at a time if you wish. To do so, start with an entire set with one arm, and then do an entire set with the other arm. Alternating arms leaves too much rest time between repetitions for each arm.
Speed Single-Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Presses	For this workout, do this exercise as quickly and powerfully as you can using lighter weights. Take a dumbbell in each hand and stand upright with your feet roughly hip-width apart. Keeping the weights near your body as you maneuver them, bring both hands just above your shoulders, with palms facing forward. Your elbows will be bent to the sides and down, so that, as nearly as possible, you have a vertical line from your elbows through your shoulders to your hands. Next, press your right hand straight up toward the ceiling, using your shoulder muscles to push the weight upward, until you reach full flexion with your arm nearly vertical above your head. From the fully flexed position, lower your arm back to the starting position, resisting the downward motion throughout, and being careful to bring your hand down in a fairly straight line—try not to swing your hand wide. Again from the starting position, repeat the dumbbell press with your left arm, while your right arm waits in the starting position. Continue to alternate throughout the set.
Speed Tube Shoulder Presses	Attach a heavy-weight exercise tube to a low point at or near floor level. Stand upright about four feet from the point of attachment, facing away with one handle of the tube held in each hand. Stagger your feet so that you have about two to three feet between your feet. Hold your upper arm parallel to the floor and out to the side. Keeping your back straight, lean forward slightly at the hips to ensure the tubes are taught and your shoulders are engaged. Your elbow will be sharply bent and your hands just above your shoulders with your palms facing forward. Next, swiftly push both hands up toward the ceiling at a diagonal parallel to your upper body until they meet with your arms fully extended. This should be a powerful motion, pushing through the resistance of the tube. From the fully extended position, reverse direction and lower your arms back to the starting position following the same trajectory, but resisting the pull of the tube even as you lower your hands. Do not pause at the bottom; push quickly into the next tube press.
Cable Triceps Bar Press-Downs	Attach a bent tricep bar to the upper connection of a cable machine. Stand in front of the cable machine with your legs in a slight scissor position so that one leg is stepped slightly forward and the other leg is stepped slightly back. Hold the bar up at chest level in both hands with your palms down and your pinkies are on the outside bend of the bar. Your elbows should be bent and held in at your sides. Next, press the bar down toward your thighs, keeping your elbows in as you descend. At the bottom of the movement, reverse position and bring the bar back up to starting position. At the top of the movement, your elbows should come up just past a 90-degree angle, no more and no less.
Cable Triceps Bar Pull-Downs	Attach a bent bar to the upper connection of a cable machine. Stand in front of the cable machine with your legs in a slight scissor position so that one leg is stepped slightly forward and the other leg is stepped slightly back. Hold the bar up at chest level in both hands with your palms up, positioned so that your pinkies are resting in each bend of the bar. Your elbows should be bent and held in at your sides. Next, use your triceps to pull the bar down toward your thighs. Keep the top half of your arms steady, elbows in close to your body, and wrists stable as you descend to concentrate the work in the triceps. When your arms are fully extended and the bar is down in front of your thighs, reverse motion and bring the bar back up to starting position.
Two Medicine Ball Push-ups	Take up a plank, or push-up, position on the floor—arms extended with hands directly below your shoulders, and legs, hips, back, shoulders, and head all in a straight line. Take your feet wide for stability. Place each hand (carefully, and one at a time) on a medicine ball, such that your plank position is now on top of the balls rather than the floor. You must stabilize this position through your core, supporting yourself through your center without letting your hips drop toward the floor or pike toward the ceiling. Do a push-up, lowering your chest toward the floor as you balance over the balls. At the bottom of your push-up, your chest should be slightly below the level of your hands, so that this push-up will be deeper than an ordinary push-up. As you lower through your chest, stabilize through your core to prevent your body from drooping and to prevent your arms from pushing the balls away. Next, press back up to the starting position, again being careful to use your abs and core to prevent the balls from spinning out to the sides. Repeat for a full set of push-ups. If at any point in the set you want to add difficulty, you may bring your feet closer together, making it harder to stabilize.
Jump Triceps Bench Dips	Sit on a flat bench with your hands next to your hips, palms down, fingers curling over the front of the bench in a light grip. Your elbows should be bent back and close to your body. For the feet-up version of this exercise (which is more difficult), put your feet on another flat bench in front of you, near enough that your knees will remain bent throughout the exercise. For a most difficult version, you may add a dumbbell held between your upper thighs. Slide your hips forward until they are just in front of the bench. Lower your hips in a dipping motion by bending your elbows behind you. Your elbows must stay close to you—think of them bending straight back, not at all to the sides. Your hips should stay close to the bench. It is very important that you bring your hips down and up, not front and back. Finally, do not hyperextend your shoulders. Keep your shoulders down and your shoulder blades together. Keep the downward motion slow. From the bottom of your motion, push explosively upwards, pressing through your triceps to push yourself off the bench. You should push with enough power that your hands leave the bench briefly at the top of your motion. Land lightly in your hands, with your hips still close to the bench, and immediately lower yourself into the next dip, controlling your downward momentum.
Dumbbell Skull Crushers	Lie on your back on a flat bench with your head near one end and a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your arms toward the ceiling, but at a 45-degree angle behind the vertical, such that even in the starting position you can feel tension in your triceps. Your palms should be facing each other. Cross your feet at the ankle and lift your legs up off the bench so that your upper legs are perpendicular to the bench, your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle, and your lower legs are parallel to the floor. Next, keep your upper arms immobile as you bend your elbows and lower your forearms toward your head. Do not hit yourself in the head with the weights—instead, keep your hands at shoulder width throughout. Keep your shoulders back and your elbows high as you do these. At the bottom of the movement, reverse direction and bring your hands back to the starting position, again without changing the position of your upper arm, to complete one repetition; your tightest flexion will be at the top of the movement, so be careful to control the upward movement as much as the down. If you begin to struggle before the end of the set, bring your upper arms closer to vertical to lessen the intensity.
Devil's Triceps Press-Downs	Attach a bent triceps bar to the upper connection of a cable machine. Stand in front of the cable machine with your legs in a slight scissor position so that one leg is stepped slightly forward and the other leg is stepped slightly back. Hold the bar up at chest level in both hands with your palms down and your pinkies are on the outside bend of the bar. Your elbows should be bent and held in at your sides. Next, press the bar down toward your thighs, keeping your elbows in as you descend. Reverse position and bring the bar back up to starting position. At the top of the movement, your elbows should come up just past a 90-degree angle. Perform six reps of the exercise, and then rest for six seconds. At the end of the six seconds, immediately do another six reps, and then rest another six seconds. Continue to alternate six-rep sets with six-second rest periods until you have done a total of 36 reps. When you have finished your thirty-sixth rep, you have completed one set of Devil's triceps press-downs. Try to choose a weight at which you will max out at the sixth rep of each mini-set.
Stability Ball Pike-ups	Take up a push-up (plank) position, with your hands under your shoulders and your back flat, but with a stability ball under your legs. The ball should be beneath your shins and the tops of your feet, with your toes pointed. Engage your abdominals so that your hips do not droop toward the floor. Next, use your abdominals to fold your body upward, pulling your hips and buttocks straight toward the ceiling. Keep your feet pointed, so that the ball comes under your toes as your hips rise. At the top of your lift, the ball will be held under your pointed toes, and your back will nearly be in a straight line with your arms. Your shoulders should remain above your hands or slightly behind them—never in front. From the top of your lift, lower your hips as you press the ball back carefully with your feet, allowing it to be captured by the tops of your feet as you return to the starting position. Do not allow your hips to dip below a flat line with your shoulders and feet.
Speed Decline Situps	Do these decline situps with a focus on power and controlled speed. Sit on a decline bench with your back toward the lower end. Bring your hands behind your head and your elbows out to the side. Tuck your chin into your chest for safety and slowly lower your shoulders down toward the bench, controlling your downward motion with your abs and keeping your elbows to the side. Keep your chin tucked as you descend. Once your shoulders are touching or almost touching the bench, bring your chin toward your chest and slowly roll your upper body off the bench until you come to fully vertical. Keep your chin tucked as you rise. Think of peeling yourself off the bench—you should not flop or jolt to get momentum.
V Situps with Heels on Wall and Legs Straight	Lie on your back on the floor with your feet resting on a wall such that your legs are at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Flex your feet and rest only your heels on the wall. Your legs should be straight and your arms should be extended overhead. Next, begin by bringing your arms up and forward as you tuck your chin down toward your chest. Engaging your abs and exhaling as you lift, bring your upper body off the floor as your arms come forward. Keeping your heels on the wall, try to touch your toes at the top of your lift. Slowly uncurl and lower your upper body back down to the floor, bringing your arms back overhead as you lower down. Keep your chin toward your chest until your shoulders are touching the floor.
Single Dumbbell Toe Tap Abs	Take a single dumbbell in both hands, holding it by the end caps. Lie on your back on the floor, your arms extended overhead. Extend one straight leg on the floor, and bend the other so that your foot rests on the floor. Next, simultaneously raise the dumbbell overhead as you lift the extended leg. Your head, neck, shoulders, and upper/middle back should rise off the floor at the top of your lift. Continue this motion until the dumbbell meets the toe of the straight leg. Lower yourself back to the floor, returning the dumbbell and raised leg to their original positions. Repeat these steps for 20 reps on one side. Then swap change legs for the next 20 repetitions. Keep your breathing regular throughout the exercise. Exhale as you lift and inhale as you lower your arms and leg.

EXERCISE IMAGES

Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith

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