WORKOUTS
Strong and Lean 12-Week Workout: Week 8
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DAY 3: STRENGTH TRAINING - DYNAMIC PULL MOVEMENTS WITH WEIGHTS
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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
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Workout Program Overview
Frequently Asked Questions
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 8, DAY 3 EXERCISE VIDEO DEMOS |
| WARMUP | |||||
| Exercise | Muscles | Reps (Goal) | Weight (Goal) | Reps (Actual) | Weight (Actual) |
| SET 1 | |||||
| Cable Side Rotators | Shoulders (rotators) | 15 each arm | Light | ||
| Single Dumbbell Full Swing Shoulder Circles | Shoulders (rotators) | 10 each direction per arm | Light | ||
| WORKOUT SEQUENCE 1 | |||||
| SET 1 | |||||
| Lean Barbell Single Side Rows | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | 12 each arm | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Landmines | Abdominals (obliques), Legs, Shoulders | 10 each hand on top | N/A | ||
| Smith Machine Single Palm-up Inverted Pull-ups | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | 12 each hand | N/A | ||
| Standing Dumbbell Alternate Reverse Flys and Swim Flicks | Shoulders (rear deltoids), Back (lower/middle traps) | 12 pairs | 75% Rep Max | ||
| SET 2 | |||||
| Lean Barbell Single Side Rows | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | 10 each arm | Rep Max | ||
| Landmines | Abdominals (obliques), Legs, Shoulders | 10 each hand | N/A | ||
| Smith Machine Single Palm-up Inverted Pull-ups | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | 10 each hand on top | N/A | ||
| Standing Dumbbell Alternate Reverse Flys and Swim Flicks | Shoulders (rear deltoids), Back (lower/middle traps) | 10 pairs | Rep Max | ||
| WORKOUT SEQUENCE 2 | |||||
| Exercise | Muscles | Reps (Goal) | Weight (Goal) | Reps (Actual) | Weight (Actual) |
| SET 1 | |||||
| One-Arm Neutral-Grip Pull-ups on Gravitron | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | 12 each arm | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Power Tucks on Floor | Abdominals | 20 | N/A | ||
| Wide-Grip Pull-ups on Gravitron with Slow Negatives | Back (lats) | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Real Hanging Alternate Twisting Knee Tucks | Abdominals, Grip | 20 | N/A | ||
| SET 2 | |||||
| One-Arm Neutral-Grip Pull-ups on Gravitron | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | 10 each arm | Rep Max | ||
| Power Tucks on Floor | Abdominals | 20 | N/A | ||
| Wide-Grip Pull-ups on Gravitron with Slow Negatives | Back (lats) | 10 | Rep Max | ||
| Real Hanging Alternate Twisting Knee Tucks | Abdominals, Grip | 20 | N/A | ||
| WORKOUT SEQUENCE 3 | |||||
| Exercise | Muscles | Reps (Goal) | Weight (Goal) | Reps (Actual) | Weight (Actual) |
| SET 1 | |||||
| Standing Barbell Curl Drop Set Leaning on Wall | Biceps | Max out for 3 drops | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Single-Arm Dumbbell Squats | Legs | 12 each side | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Flat Bench Rope Curl Drop Set | Biceps | Max out for 3 drops | 75% Rep Max | ||
| On Side V Toe Tap Obliques | Abdominals (obliques) | 20 each side | N/A | ||
| SET 2 | |||||
| Standing Barbell Curl Drop Set Leaning on Wall | Biceps | Max out for 3 drops | Rep Max | ||
| Single-Arm Dumbbell Squats | Legs | 10 each side | Rep Max | ||
| Flat Bench Rope Curl Drop Set | Biceps | Max out for 3 drops | Rep Max | ||
| On Side V Toe Tap Obliques | Abdominals (obliques) | 20 each side | N/A | ||
| EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS IN BRIEF | |
| Exercise | Overview |
| Cable Side Rotators | With a towel rolled in your armpit, use the cable system set at your stomach level or a stretchy tube attached to a pole or doorway. Hold your elbow at a right angle and slowly move your hand from across your stomach towards the outside of your body, then bring hand back to stomach and repeat. |
| Single Dumbbell Full Swing Shoulder Circles | Stand with feet roughly shoulder-distance apart. Take a light dumbbell in one hand, holding the dumbbell by the end cap. Keeping your arm straight, lift the arm holding the weight until it held out at shoulder level and begin moving the weight in a large forward circle, using the shoulder as the pivot point. Do 10 large forward circles, and then reverse the movement and do 10 large backwards circles. Next, switch the weight to the other arm and repeat. |
| Lean Barbell Single Side Rows | Hold an Olympic barbell with one end on the floor and the other in your right hand, holding just below the stack plate holder. The barbell will be on your right. You may wedge the low end of the barbell against a machine or wall to stabilize it. Take your right leg back to a slight lunge position and incline your upper body forward 45 degrees, keeping your back flat and your neck and head in line with your back. Bend your elbow and pull the end of the barbell up and back in a row, keeping your chest and upper body flat towards the floor, your spine and lower back flat, and your neck in line with your spine. Next, lower the bar back to the starting position and repeat for the number of reps specified. Switch sides and repeat on your other side. Widen your stance for more stability as you increase the weight and difficulty of this exercise. |
| Landmines | Wedge one end of an Olympic barbell against a wall, machine, or in the hole of a large weight plate lying on the ground for stability, and pick up the other end. Stand with the barbell perpendicular to your body, holding the elevated end in front of you at shoulder level with both hands just below the plate stack holder. Your right hand should be above your left, and your feet should be about shoulder-width apart. Next, bring the end of the barbell over to your right side, until it is at the level of your right knee. Your shoulders will turn and your weight pivot off of your left foot as your left knee drops toward the floor to accommodate your twisting motion. Your arms should be nearly straight, with the elbow soft. From the depth of the twist, swing your end of the barbell up and over your head to the opposite side, while the other end stays on the floor. Try to keep a consistent arc, so that the barbell ends up on your left side by your knee. Repeat the overhead swing in alternating directions until you have completed 10 swings, and then reverse your hands, putting your left hand in the top position, and do another 10 landmines. |
| Smith Machine Single Palm-up Interveted Pull-ups | Set a bar on a Smith machine at a height midway between your chest and your belly button. Stand facing the bar with your feet shoulder-width apart, and grab the bar with both hands, with your palms facing upward and your elbows bent. Walk your feet under the bar and pull your chest up toward it until you are suspended underneath the bar, with your feet on the floor and your chest near the bar. Drop your left hand to your side, so that you are holding onto the bar with one hand only. Next, straighten your arm to lower your body away from the bar, until your arm is nearly straight. Keep your feet on the floor, your body flat, and your chest parallel to the bar throughout. From the lowered position, pull yourself back up to the bar by bending your elbow again. Do a full set of reps with your right hand, and then switch and do a full set of reps with your left hand. |
| Standing Dumbbell Alternate Reverse Flys and Swim Flicks | Stand upright with feet hip-width apart and with dumbbells held in each hand. Keeping your back flat and your abdominals engaged, bend forward at the hips, lowering your chest to a 45-degree angle from vertical. Bend your knees slightly, keeping your weight in your heels. Your palms should be facing each other, with your hands below your shoulders and your arms slightly bent. Lift your right arm straight out to the side in a reverse fly press, and then lower it back to the starting position. Immediately follow the reverse fly with a swim flick by lifting your right arm straight back and up behind you. Lift as high as you can while keeping your arm extended; your arm should be higher than the level of your back. Alternate reverse flys and swim flicks with the right arm for a full set, and then switch and repeat with your left arm. |
| One-Arm Neutral Pull-ups on Gravitron | Stand on the platform of a Gravitron machine, holding one of the pull-up handgrips in your left hand, with your palm facing inward in a neutral position. Grip the wrist of your left hand with your right hand, or, if you really need the balance assistance, rest your other hand lightly on one of the lower handgrips for balance. Bend your left elbow and pull yourself upward in a one-armed pull-up. Your chest should stay lifted and square to the machine, and your shoulder blades should press together as you lift. From the top of the lift, lower yourself back to the starting position, using your right arm for balance only if necessary. Do a full set of reps with one arm, and then switch and repeat with the other arm. |
| Power Tucks on Floor | Lie on your back on the floor with your arms extended overhead and your legs stretched out straight. Use a single swift motion to bend your knees and bring them to your chest as you bring your arms up overhead to meet your legs. As your legs and arms come together, tuck your chin toward your knees and grasp around your shins with your arms. Your shoulders and hips should both be off the floor. Hold the tuck for a moment, and then let go of your legs, straightening and lowering them back to the starting position as you bring your arms back overhead and lower your shoulders back to the floor. Stop your lowering motion just above the floor, such that your feet and arms hover a few inches in the air. |
| Wide-Grip Pull-ups on Gravitron with Slow Negatives | Stand on the platform of a Gravitron machine and hold on to the grips at the top with your hands wide and your palms facing away from you. Step off of the platform and onto the foot rests, allowing your body weight to bring you down until your arms are fully extended. Lift yourself up until your head fully clears the Gravitron's grips and your shoulders are almost touching the grip bars. Next, reverse position and lower yourself very slowly back down to starting position, counting a full five seconds as you descend. If you are strong enough to do these pull-ups without the Gravitron machine, do them on a regular pull-up bar instead. |
| Real Hanging Alternate Twisting Knee Tucks | Grasp an overhead hanging bar with both hands at least shoulder-width apart, using whatever handgrip you prefer (for instance, either palms facing forward, or palms facing you). Bend your knees up toward your chest, and keeping your knees bent, swing your feet to the left and then back to center. As your legs return to center, lower your legs back to the starting position. Next, bend your knees up toward your chest again and swing your feet up and out to your right side. Continue to alternate sides, keeping your knees bent and tucked throughout. |
| Standing Barbell Curl Drop Set Leaning on Wall | Stack a barbell with a heavy amount weight that you think you curl for six repetitions while maintaining proper form, but not much more. Holding the barbell with an underhand grip about shoulder-width apart, lean back against a wall so that your head, hips, and shoulder blades are against the wall. Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart, with your knees slightly bent. Curl the bar up toward your chest. Focus on using your biceps muscles to curl the bar. When you have brought the bar up so that you fully flex the bicep (while keeping your wrists straight), reverse the motion and bring the bar slowly back down to the starting position. Do the maximum number of reps you can, and then reduce the weight on the barbell to a slightly lighter weight and repeat the steps above until you max out. Finally, reduce the weight a second time and again do the maximum number of curls you can. |
| Single-Arm Dumbbell Squats | Stand upright with feet shoulder-width apart and with a dumbbell in your left hand. Your arm should hang down at your side, with your hand just ahead of your hip and your palm facing inward. Sit into a deep squat: Bend your knees and press your hips further back and down, keeping your weight in your heels and your back flat. Push your chest out very slightly in front of you to counterbalance the weight on your heels. As you descend, allow the dumbbell to descend with you until it touches the floor. Next, reverse motion and drive up through your heels to return to the starting position. Complete a full set of reps on one side, and then switch to the other side and repeat. To increase the difficulty of this exercise, you may hold the single dumbbell up at your shoulder as you do the squats. |
| Flat Bench Rope Curl Drop Set | Fix the cable on a cable machine at medium height, and set it for slightly more weight than you would ordinarily curl. Hook a double-ended rope attachment to the end of the cable. Place a flat bench in front of the cable machine. Lie back on the bench with your feet toward the cable machine. Hold one rope handle in each hand, with your arms extended toward the machine and your palms facing each other. Next, bend your elbows and bring your hands up toward your shoulders in a hammer curl. From the top of your motion, when your elbow is fully bent, slowly lower your hands back to the starting position. Repeat the curls as many times as you can, until you would not be able to do another curl while keeping correct form. Next, drop the weight to a slightly lighter weight, pick up the handles again, and repeat the same exercise of hammer curls, again curling until you reach the point of fatigue. Finally, drop the weight a second time and do a third set to fatigue. |
| On Side V-Toe Tap Obliques | Lie on the floor on your left side, with your legs straight and together, and your hips folded at a 20-degree angle. Drop your shoulder back so that your chest and hips are open to the ceiling. Allow your shoulders to come back to the right, such that your right shoulder is on or just above the floor, even as from the waist down you are lying on your left hip. Let your left arm stretch out on the floor in front of you, with your palm facing down, and extend your right arm overhead on the floor. Begin by bringing your right leg straight up in the air as you bring your right arm up overhead to meet it. Bring both of your shoulders up off the floor as you lift. At the top of your lift, your right hand and right foot should momentarily touch. Use your left arm as a base arm for balance support by keeping pressure on it throughout the movement. Repeat several times as a warm-up. When you feel ready, do the same exercise lifting both legs on each repetition, keeping your feet together, and touching your right foot with your right hand at the top of your lift. Do 20 of the toe tap obliques lying on your left side. Next, roll over and repeat the set on your right side, starting first with a few single-leg lifts before moving into a set of 20 double-leg lifts. |
| EXERCISE IMAGES |
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Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith
