WORKOUTS
Muscle-Building 12-Week Workout: Week 2
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DAY 2: STRENGTH AND FORM - PULL EXERCISES FOR BACK AND ABDOMINALS
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Week 1 Workouts
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Week 3 Workouts
Week 4 Workouts
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Week 7 Workouts
Week 8 Workouts
Week 9 Workouts
Week 10 Workouts
Week 11 Workouts
Week 11 Workouts
Week 12 Workouts
New! View Other Members Who Are Tracking Their Workout Progress
Muscle-Building Workout Participants Forum
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 11 Workouts
Week 12 Workouts
| WEEK 2, DAY 2 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) |
| Tube Pull-Downs | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | N/A | 20 | 20 | 20 | N/A | N/A | ||||
| WORKOUT | |||||||||||
| Wide-Grip Pull-ups | Back (lats) | Rep Max | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |||||
| Neutral-Grip Pull-ups | Back (lats) | Rep Max | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |||||
| Narrow-Grip Seated Rows | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | Rep Max | 16 | 12 | 12 | 12 | |||||
| Narrow-Grip Pull-Downs | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | N/A | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | |||||
| Standing Dumbbell Rows | Back (lats) | Rep Max | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | |||||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Standing Barbell Rows | Back, Legs | Rep Max | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||||
| S | Tube Rows | Back (lats, traps, rhomboids) | N/A | 20 - 30 | 20 - 30 | 20 - 30 | 20 - 30 | ||||
| Lower Back Extensions | Back (lower) | N/A | 15 | 15 | 10 | 10 | |||||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Hanging Leg Raises | Abdominals (lower) | Rep Max | 20 | 20 | 20 | N/A | N/A | |||
| S | Floor Crunches | Abdominals | Rep Max | 25 | 25 | 25 | N/A | N/A | |||
| S | BOSU Obliques | Abdominals (obliques) | Rep Max | 20 each side | 20 each side | 20 each side | N/A | N/A | |||
| EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS IN BRIEF | |
| Exercise | Overview |
| Tube Pull-Downs | Take one handle of a resistance tube in each hand, with the center point of the tube attached to a fixed point level with your breastbone. Be careful to attach the tube to something that will not move when you pull on it. Stand facing the point of attachment and extend your arms directly forward, with your palms down. Step back until there is significant tension through the tube. Next, keep your arms extended as you pull them straight down and back behind you. Your arms will pass wide of your torso, until they are behind your hips, with your palms facing back. Make sure you keep your grip on the tube handle light throughout this movement. Raise your arms back to the starting position, keeping your arms fully extended throughout. Move immediately into the next pull-down, keeping a steady, fluid, and constant rhythm. |
| 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 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. From the top, reverse position and lower yourself back down to starting position. |
| Neutral-Grip Pull-ups | Position yourself facing the pull-up bars or machine and hold the set of handles parallel to your body. Grip the bars with your knuckles facing your head and your thumbs around the bars. Your palms will be facing in towards each other Your elbows should remain slightly bent. Pull yourself vertically upward while keeping your elbows close to your ribs, retracting your shoulder blades and opening your chest. Your shoulders should stay down, and your entire lower body should remain completely stable and still throughout the motion. At the top of your motion, your head should be above your hands, your chin level with the bars and your neck in line with your spine. Lower yourself slowly to your starting position while keeping the movement in the muscle—do not simply let go or allow your elbows to lock. |
| Narrow-Grip Seated Rows | Sit straddling a flat bench with its short end facing a cable machine and the cable set at a point level with your chest (and not above). Attach a double handle to the cable. Take one handle in each hand with your thumbs on top and palms facing each other, keeping your elbows low and slightly bent. Next, keep your shoulder blades together as you bend your elbows and pull your hands directly back toward your abs. Keep your elbows close to your sides and think of using your pinkie fingers as you draw your elbows back, trying to use your back muscles rather than your biceps. At the limit of your motion, you should feel like you are wrapping your elbows slightly around your back. Extend your arms forward back to the starting position, keeping your thumbs up and your elbows low as your arms come forward. |
| Narrow-Grip Pull-Downs | Seat yourself at a cable station beneath a narrow-grip attachment suspended from the cable. Stabilize yourself using the pads above the knees. Reach up and grip the handles so that the palms are facing each other, with your hands a little less than shoulder-width apart. Pull the handles downward toward the chest, keeping your chin up. As you pull down, keep your shoulders down and broaden your chest. Bring the bar close to your chest, with your elbows at your sides. Pull through the pinky side of your hands to get the bicep muscles involved. Slowly resist the upward motion of the handles, and let your back muscles stretch as you return to the starting position. |
| Standing Dumbbell Rows | Standing as if in mid-stride, lean forward while holding one dumbbell in the hand opposite your forward leg. Keep the palm facing in toward your body, and do not drop your shoulder. Stabilize yourself by resting your free hand on the forward leg. Pull the dumbbell back toward your hip, keeping your elbow close to your body. Bring your elbow as far back as possible, allowing your trunk to twist a little. Squeeze the muscle between your shoulder blades and spine. Reverse direction and return toward the starting position, while keeping your lat muscles contracted and your shoulder stationary. |
| Standing Barbell Rows | Stand in a modified squat position, with your body bent at the knees and hips and your back flat. Your shoulders should be directly over your knees or only slightly in front them, and your upper body should be at an angle slightly less than 45 degrees. Hold a barbell in front of your body using an overhand grip, with your palms facing you and your hands shoulder-width apart. Lift the barbell up to your sternum by bringing your elbows back and your shoulder blades together for each rep. Keep your lower back and abs stable and engaged so that you maintain your back’s normal arch. At the top of your range of motion, your elbows will be behind you and your shoulder blades contracted. From this position, lower the barbell back to the starting position, keeping your back flat throughout. |
| Tube Rows | Take one handle of a resistance tube in each hand, with the center point of the tube attached to a fixed point level with your waist. Be careful to attach the tube to something that will not move when you pull on it. Stand facing the point of attachment and extend your arms directly forward, with your palms down. Step back until there is significant tension through the tube. If you do not have access to tubes, use a cable machine instead. Next, begin to bend your elbows and pull them straight back as you simultaneously rotate your palms to face each other and scoop your pinkies back toward your body. Continue to bend your elbows and pull them back until they pass close to your rib cage and fold behind your back; your palms will be close to your chest, with your shoulder blades flexed together. Lower your arms back to the starting position, allowing your elbows to open as they come forward, and rotating your hands back over to be palms down. Move immediately into the next tube row, keeping a steady, fluid, and constant rhythm. |
| Lower Back Extensions | Lie face downward on the back extension machine. Your feet should be flat on the footrests and the leg rolls should brace the middle of your calves. Hold yourself flat so that your back is in a straight line with your legs. Place your hands on top of your head, with your elbows out to the sides. Next, bend at the hips and lower your upper body toward the floor. Continue to lower yourself until your body is almost at a 90-degree angle. Raise yourself slowly back to the starting position. Your hips should remain in contact with the bench at all times. Do not arch your back at the top of the movement. |
| Hanging Leg Raises | Position yourself in the hanging leg raise machine with your hands holding the grips and your forearms resting on the padded arm rests. Keep your lower back against the back rest and keep your chin down toward your chest. Allow your legs to hang down with heels together, knees soft, and toes turned out. Use your lower abdominal muscles to lift your legs straight up in front of you. Keep lifting until your legs are parallel to the floor and your body is piked at a 90-degree angle. Do not swing your legs or use your lower back to lift. Lower your legs back to the starting position. As you descend, keep your pelvis tucked under to keep the focus on your lower abs. Don't allow your legs to fall so low that you lose the flex in your stomach and have to use your lower back muscles. Start with straight leg lifts. If they become too difficult for you, switch to tuck-straight leg lifts, in which you bend your knees on the lift up, and straighten your legs on the way back down. If that becomes too hard as well, bend your knees in on both the lift up and the descent. |
| Floor Crunches | Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent so that your feet are resting lightly on the floor and your knees are folded toward the ceiling. Keep your pelvis in a neutral position. Bend your elbows straight out to the side as you place your fingertips just behind your ears; this will help you balance and will stabilize your head. From the starting position, engage your abdominal muscles, squeezing downward just below your belly button. As you squeeze downward, be careful not to tilt your pelvis upward or dig your feet into the floor. This abdominal squeeze should bring your shoulders just slightly off the floor and generate a slight curve through your center. Keeping your feet light on the floor, use that abdominal contraction to bring your upper body up toward your knees in a rolling motion, until your shoulders come fully off the floor. Keep your neck neutral, so that your chin stays off your chest—you should have room to fit your balled fist between your chin and your chest. Hold for a moment at the top of your lift, and then lower back to the starting position. |
| BOSU Obliques | Lie on your side on a BOSU ball with the ball under your rib cage to just above your hip and your shoulders beyond the ball. Bend your elbows and put your hands lightly behind your head, so that your bottom elbow gently rests on the floor and your top elbow extends toward the ceiling. Put your legs in a scissor position for balance, with your bottom leg slightly forward and your top leg back. Turn the toe of your top leg upward slightly, so that you have a stable balance through the back leg. Next, perform an oblique crunch. Take your top elbow toward your top hip by contracting the muscles just above your top hip. Keep facing sideways through this movement—try not to rotate your shoulders toward the ceiling, as this will redirect the effort away from your obliques. Try not to use your legs for leverage, only for balance. Lower yourself back to the starting position, being sure to let your top side stretch at the bottom of your motion before repeating the crunch. |
| EXERCISE IMAGES |
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Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith
