WORKOUTS
Strong and Lean 12-Week Workout: Week 9
 |
DAY 3: STRENGTH TRAINING - DYNAMIC PULL MOVEMENTS WITH WEIGHTS
New! Track Your Workout Progress with Before and After Pics
New! View Other Members Who Are Tracking Their Workout Progress
Strong and Lean Workout Participants Forum
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
New! View Other Members Who Are Tracking Their Workout Progress
Strong and Lean Workout Participants Forum
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 9, 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 Cable Handle High, Alternate Swim Strokes, Wide Pull-Down, and Squat | Legs, Back | 10 full sets each side | Light | ||
| WORKOUT SEQUENCE 1 | |||||
| SET 1 | |||||
| Stability Ball Seated Alternate Cable Rows | Back | 12 each arm | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Power Stability Ball Lower Back Extensions with Pelvic Thrust | Back (lower), Legs, Core | 14 | N/A | ||
| Speed Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls and High-Speed Squats | Biceps, Legs | 3 sets of 10 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Hold Single Arm Plank | Core, Shoulders | 30 seconds each arm | N/A | ||
| Smith Machine Inverted Palms-Down Pull-ups with Release/Re-Catch at Top | Back, Core | 12 | N/A | ||
| SET 2 | |||||
| Stability Ball Seated Alternate Cable Rows | Back | 12 each arm | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Power Stability Ball Lower Back Extensions with Pelvic Thrust | Back (lower), Legs, Core | 14 | N/A | ||
| Speed Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls and High-Speed Squats | Biceps, Legs | 3 sets of 10 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Hold Single Arm Plank | Core, Shoulders | 30 seconds each arm | N/A | ||
| Smith Machine Inverted Palms-Down Pull-ups with Release/Re-Catch at Top | Back, Core | 12 | N/A | ||
| WORKOUT SEQUENCE 2 | |||||
| Exercise | Muscles | Reps (Goal) | Weight (Goal) | Reps (Actual) | Weight (Actual) |
| SET 1 | |||||
| Gravitron Speed Wide-Grip Pull-ups | Back | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Speed Full Situps | Abdominals | 20 | N/A | ||
| Speed Cable Cross-Backs | Shoulders (deltoids, traps) | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Speed Leg Swings | Abdominals | 20 | N/A | ||
| Speed Dumbbell Hammer Curls | Biceps | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Power Cable Ski Poles | Back (lats), Shoulders (deltoids) | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Speed Stability Ball Knee Tucks | Abdominals (lower) | 20 | N/A | ||
| SET 2 | |||||
| Gravitron Speed Wide-Grip Pull-ups | Back | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Speed Full Situps | Abdominals | 20 | N/A | ||
| Speed Cable Cross-Backs | Shoulders (deltoids, traps) | 12 | Rep Max | ||
| Speed Leg Swings | Abdominals | 20 | N/A | ||
| Speed Dumbbell Hammer Curls | Biceps | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Power Cable Ski Poles | Back (lats), Shoulders (deltoids) | 12 | 75% Rep Max | ||
| Speed Stability Ball Knee Tucks | Abdominals (lower) | 20 | 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 Cable Handle High, Alternate Swim Strokes, Wide Pull-Down, and Squat | Attach a single handle to the high setting on a cable machine. Stand facing the machine with your feet hip-width apart and grasp the handle in your right hand, with palm facing downward. Bend your knees slightly and press your hips back in a power stance, keeping your back flat. Bring your right arm straight down in a swim stroke or ski-pole motion, keeping your elbow straight and your palm downward. Bring the arm down until it is in line with your back and slightly behind your right hip. Next, allow your arm to return to the starting position, following the same trajectory so that the movement comes entirely from your shoulder. Again from the starting position, bend your right elbow and bring it back and to the side, until your hand and the cable are next to your shoulder, keeping your palm facing front as if you are doing a wide pull-down. Open your elbow and return your arm to the starting position, and then sit into a deep squat, bending your hips and pressing them back behind you as you sit deep into your heels. Keep your back flat, and your arm extended with the palm still down. Repeat the entire sequence for a total of 10 repetitions on the right side, and then switch the handle to the left hand and repeat for another 10 reps. |
| Stability Ball Seated Alternate Cable Rows | Attach a double handle to a cable machine at the waist-high setting. Sit on a stability ball facing the machine and take one handle in each hand, with your palms facing each other. Your feet will be flat on the floor and your arms extended straight in front of you. From the starting position, pull both handles simultaneously toward your chest by bending your elbows and keeping your hands together. Keep your elbows low as you pull, so that your hands come straight back. As your hands come toward you, pull them toward the right side of your abs, until your hands touch just below your right ribs (see Photos 2 and 3). Bring your arms back to the starting position by straightening them in front of you, and repeat the row, this time pulling your hands toward the left side of your abs. Continue to row to alternate sides until you have done 12 rows on each side, or 24 total. |
| Power Stability Ball Lower Back Extensions with Pelvic Thrust | Lie face down on a stability ball with your chest on the ball and your feet on the floor behind you, with your weight on your toes. Bend your knees so that you are squatting behind the ball even as you are lying on it with your chest. Your hips should be level with your shoulders, and your thighs in a vertical line. Put your hands behind your head with your elbows out to the side. Note: If you need more stability to do this exercise, place the soles of your feet against a wall. Next, dig your toes into the floor for stability as you lift your shoulders up and forward off the ball. As your chest rises, press your hips into the ball, pinning it in place, until your chest and shoulders are upright even as your lower body is holding the ball in a very low squat. Lower your body back to the starting position, until the ball is once again under your chest. |
| Speed Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls and High-Speed Squats | Stand upright with feet about hip-width apart and dumbbells held in each hand at your sides with your palms facing away from you. Do a full bicep curl with one arm, keeping your elbow bent as you bring your hand up toward your shoulder. As you begin lowering that arm from the top of your curl, start curling with the other arm, such that the hands pass each other at the midpoint of the curls, one going up and the other going down. Curl as quickly as you can for a set of 10 alternate curls, ending with your hands held up at the top of the curl motion with palms facing inward. Move directly into a set of speed squats: As quickly as you can without compromising your form, do a set of 10 squats, keeping your back flat and pressing your hips back behind you as you sit as deep as possible. As you descend, keep the majority of your weight back on your heels while still applying pressure through the balls of your feet. After your 10 speed squats, return to the starting position, and repeat the sequence of 10 alternate curls and 10 squats for two more sets, so that you have done three sets of 10 of each. Each set should be done quickly, but only as quickly as you can manage without sacrificing good form. |
| Hold Single Arm Plank | Take up a push-up, or plank, position on the floor: face down with your weight on your hands and toes, hands under your shoulders, and back and hips flat. Stabilize your core and engage your butt muscles to ensure proper form. The closer your feet are together the more difficult the exercise; to make it easier, take your feet wide. Take your left hand off the floor and hold it lightly along your side while maintaining the plank position, with your shoulders and hips parallel to the floor. Continue to engage your core, keep your hips square, and do not tilt. Hold this position for 30 seconds. Bring your left hand back to the floor and switch sides, bringing your right arm up and holding it along your side as you maintain your plank position for another 30 seconds. |
| Smith Machine Inverted Palms-Down Pull-ups with Release/Re-Catch at Top | Set the Smith machine bar so that it is on the fourth, fifth, or sixth height setting (the bar height will be below your chest height and above your belly button), depending on your individual height relative to the Smith machine. With your feet on the floor in a wide stance in front of the Smith machine, position your upper body underneath the bar of the Smith machine, holding the bar a little wider than shoulder-width apart with your palms facing down. Hang from the bar with your arms extended fully, and allow only the heels of your feet to touch the floor. Keep your body straight and your core engaged-don't let your butt sag down. Next, lift your upper body up quickly and forcefully until your chest almost touches the bar. At the top of the motion, use the power of your pull-up to float your body a bit as you quickly release the bar and then re-catch it as you drop back down. Lower yourself down until you are back at the starting position. |
| Gravitron Speed Wide-Grip Pull-ups | Stand on the platform of a Gravitron machine and hold on to the grips at the top with your hands wide (about six to eight inches more than shoulder-width apart on each side) 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. Next, lift yourself up with a quick yet smooth and controlled motion until your head fully clears the Gravitron's grips and your shoulders are almost touching the grip bars. Keep your posture tall, shoulder blades retracted, and chest up in order to keep the work in your lats throughout. From the top, reverse position and lower yourself back down to starting position with a quick but smooth and controlled motion. |
| Speed Full Situps | Lie flat on a floor mat with your legs straight out in front of you, flat on the floor with your knees straight. Place your arms over your head flat on the floor behind you, palms facing up. Lift your arms quickly over your head in an arc and then follow with power and speed with your upper body. Be sure to tuck your chin hard to your chest throughout the movement to prevent neck injury. Your arms will help propel your body through this movement. Touch your fingers to your toes, or as close to your toes as you can get, then reverse the movement and, again keeping your chin tucked, quickly drop back down to starting position. Throughout the entire set, focus on controlled power and speed. As your upper abs get stronger, try the full situp with your fingers interlaced behind your head and your elbows starting out flat against the mat. As you lift up, be careful to keep your elbows out and your chin tucked without pulling up on your neck. This variation will put more pressure on the upper abs to do the heavy lifting. |
| Speed Cable Cross-Backs | Set both arms of a cable machine at the high setting, without any attachments on the cables. Stand facing the machine with your feet hip-width apart and cross the cables by taking the end of each cable in the opposite hand—the left cable in your right hand and the right cable in your left hand. Your arms should extend straight toward the machine, at shoulder level, with your palms facing downward. Your knees should be soft, legs stable, chest high, and shoulder blades retracted throughout this exercise. Pull both arms diagonally down in a wide arc at a 45-degree angle to your body, keeping your arms extended as you pull. Pull as quickly and as powerfully as you can while maintaining form and control. At the bottom of your motion, your hands will be at your sides at hip level and slightly behind you. Allow your arms to return to the starting position, following the same arc as before, and keeping your hands wide as they rise and come forward. Don't let your hands come all the way together at the top; keep them shoulder-width apart to maintain tension on the cables between repetitions. |
| Speed Leg Swings | Lie flat on a floor mat with your hands straight out to your sides and your palms facing down. Lift your legs up off the floor so that your hips are at a right angle, and your knees as are straight as possible. The straighter your knees are, the tougher the exercise will be. Next, lower your legs with controlled speed down to the right and towards the floor, being sure to hold your legs in the same position (90-degree-angled hips, 90-degree-angled knees) as you move. Your upper body should remain motionless; focus on pivoting your legs and hips using your abdominal muscles and core. When your legs have touched the floor at right, reverse the motion and bring them back up to starting position quickly but with control. Without pausing, move through starting position and lower your legs down to your left. When you have lowered your legs to both sides you have completed two repetitions. |
| Speed Dumbbell Hammer Curls | Stand upright with your feet about hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with your palms facing inward. Stabilize your shoulder blades and squeeze your upper arms tightly against your rib cage so that your shoulders are motionless throughout the entire movement. Next, lift the dumbbells up together in a hammer bicep curl, keeping the palms facing in and the upper arms tight at your sides. Try to lift with speed and control all the way through the arc of the lift. From the top of the lift, reverse and return the dumbbells in a fast but controlled manner to the starting position. If you find the speed dumbbell hammer curls easy, try performing them while standing on one leg. This will add a significant balance challenge to the exercise. |
| Power Cable Ski Poles | Attach a single handle to each arm of a double-arm cable machine on the high setting. Stand facing the machine and grasp one handle in each hand, with your palms facing the floor. With your feet hip-width apart, bend at the hip and sit into a half squat. Your arms should extend upward toward the machine such that they are a little below forming a straight line with your back. Use a powerful single motion to pull both arms straight down and back while keeping your chest forward, as though propelling yourself with ski poles. Your arms should be extended through this motion, with your hands staying palms down. Pull back far enough that your hands come behind your hips at the bottom of your motion. Next, raise your arms back to the starting position, maintaining the palms-down orientation of your hands and the straightness through your elbow. Single-arm variation: If you don't have access to a double-arm cable machine, do the exercise on a single-arm machine. Do a full set with one arm, and then switch and repeat with the other arm. |
| Speed Stability Ball Knee Tucks | Position yourself in a decline push-up position with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart on the floor and your shins and shoelaces resting on top of the stability ball. Your legs should be straight, your spine should be neutral, and your toes pointed. Next, bend your knees in towards your chest in a fast yet controlled manner. The ball will follow. Once your knees are almost touching your chest, pause, and then reverse direction and extend your legs back to the starting push-up position. Keep you toes pointed throughout the exercise. Move in both directions as fast as you can go while maintaining form and control. |
| EXERCISE IMAGES |
 |
Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith
