WORKOUTS
Muscle-Building 12-Week Workout: Week 2
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DAY 4: STRENGTH AND FORM - PUSH EXERCISES FOR SHOULDERS AND ABDOMINALS
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Week 1 Workouts
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Week 3 Workouts
Week 4 Workouts
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Week 6 Workouts
Week 7 Workouts
Week 8 Workouts
Week 9 Workouts
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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 12 Workouts
| WEEK 2, DAY 4 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 | Cable Side Rotators | Shoulders (rotator cuffs) | Light | 15 each arm | 15 each arm | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| S | Dumbbell Up Rotators | Shoulders (rotator cuffs) | Light | 15 | 15 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
| WORKOUT | |||||||||||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Standing Dumbbell Arnold Presses | Shoulders (front deltoids) | Rep Max | 16 | 12 | 12 | 10 | ||||
| S | Dumbbell Lateral Raises | Shoulders | Rep Max | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | ||||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses | Shoulders (deltoids) | Rep Max | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | ||||
| S | Push-ups | Chest, Triceps | N/A | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | ||||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Dumbbell Reverse Raises | Shoulders (rear deltoids) | Rep Max | 12 | 12 | 12 | N/A | ||||
| S | Reverse Flys on Pec Deck | Shoulders (rear deltoids) | Rep Max | 12 | 12 | 12 | N/A | N/A | |||
| S | Tube Reverse Flys | Shoulders (rear deltoids) | N/A | 12 | 12 | 12 | N/A | N/A | |||
| Begin Superset | |||||||||||
| S | Stability Ball Crunches | Abdominals | N/A | 30 | 30 | 30 | N/A | N/A | |||
| S | BOSU Single-Leg Taps | Abdominals (obliques) | N/A | 15 each side | 15 each side | 15 each side | N/A | N/A | |||
| S | Decline Bench Slow Roll-up Abs | Abdominals (lower) | N/A | 20 | 20 | 20 | N/A | N/A | |||
| EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS IN BRIEF | |
| Exercise | Overview |
| Cable Side Rotators | Stand erect next to a cable system machine with the cable set at stomach level and your body facing perpendicular to the machine. Attach a single-handed grip to the end of the cable. Roll a towel in the armpit of the arm farthest away from the cable system machine, and then grasp the single-handed grip in the hand of that arm. Hold your elbow at a right angle to your body with your arm flat across your stomach. Next, with your elbow held at a right angle and your arm flat against your stomach, slowly move your hand from your stomach towards the outside of your body. Use your upper arm as the pivot point and be sure to keep your forearm at a right angle to your body. Keep your wrist flat throughout the movement. Move your forearm as far out as you can go without compromising your form. Reverse the motion, and slowly bring the your hand back across stomach. After you have completed a set, switch sides and repeat with your other arm. |
| Dumbbell Up Rotators | Stand holding dumbbells in each hand in front of you with your elbows and armpit held at a 90-degree angle. As this is a warm-up exercise, use light weights. Being sure to maintain the 90-degree angle of your elbow and armpit, slowly raise the dumbbells until they are straight up and your forearms and perpendicular to the floor. Reverse the motion and bring the dumbbells back to starting position. |
| Standing Dumbbell Arnold Presses | Stand with your back straight and feet about hip-width apart. Your chest should remain relaxed, and your core should remain tight to keep the focus on your shoulder muscles. Hold the dumbbells in each hand with your palms facing inward at chest level. Do not arch your back. Press the dumbbells straight up and out as you turn the dumbbells so your palms face away from your body when your arms are fully extended. The dumbbells should be shoulder-width apart and your deltoids fully flexed at the top of the movement. Without losing momentum, slowly return the dumbbells 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. Raise both dumbbells up from each side and away from the body, keeping your elbows straight. Continue raising your arms until they are horizontal with your shoulders. Slowly lower the arms back to starting position and repeat. |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses | Sit at a flat bench with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointing forward and dumbbells held at your shoulders with your palms facing inward. Keep your head and back straight, knees slightly bent and the core of your body tight, while relaxing your chest. Next, 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 and the weights are back at shoulder level. |
| Push-ups | Position yourself on the floor in a prone position (face down) with your legs together and extended straight behind you and your arms slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Support yourself on your toes and your hands, with your palms down on the ground. Your arms should be straight but without locked elbows. Your spine should be neutral with no arch. Slowly bend your arms and descend toward the floor. Keep your neck in line with your spine throughout the movement; do not jut your chin out towards the floor at the bottom of the movement. Stop when your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Reverse position and push back up to the starting position. Do not lock your elbows at the top of the movement. |
| Dumbbell Reverse Raises | With a dumbbell in each hand, sit straddling an incline bench facing the elevated end. Adjust the incline so that, when your chest is resting on the bench, your upper body is bent forward at a 45-degree angle. Your knees should be bent and your toes resting on the floor behind you for balance. Extend your arms toward the floor with palms facing each other. Next, angle your hands slightly by bringing your thumbs up toward your wrists, so that you lift with your pinky as you raise your arms. Keep your back flat as you raise both arms straight out to the side, until they are parallel with the floor. Your elbows should be soft as you do this—avoid locking the joint. Be careful not to “shrug” your shoulders by raising them up toward your ears; instead, raise your arms using the back of the shoulder. From the top of your lift, maintain the same angles through wrist, elbow, and back as you lower your arms back to the starting position. For added intensity, do the flat bench or standing variations of this exercise, covered in the full exercise overview. |
| Reverse Flys on Pec Deck | Stand or sit facing a rear pec deck machine or a reversible pec deck machine. Adjust the seat, or, if you're standing, spread your legs apart enough so that your arms are parallel to the floor with slightly bent elbows when you reach out and grasp handles of the pec deck. Keep your abdominals on the backboard and sit completely upright with good posture so that your chest is not hunched forward onto pad and your head and neck are in line with your spine. Next, with your arms slightly bent, use your rear deltoid and middle/lower traps to move your arms outward and backward in a reverse fly motion. Move your arms and the handles back until your elbows are even with the plane of your back, while keeping your arms slightly bent. Be careful to keep your core engaged and in the same position throughout. When you reach the fully flexed position, reverse the motion and slowly bring your arms back to starting position. |
| Tube Reverse Flys | 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 belly button. 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 facing each other. Step back until there is significant tension through the tube and stand with your feet staggered, one in front of the other, for balance. Next, keep your back flat as you bring both arms straight out to the side, keeping them parallel with the floor, until they are extended directly sideways. Your elbows and wrists should be soft as you do this—avoid locking the joints. Try not to squeeze your shoulder blades together; instead, focus on using the muscles on the back of your shoulders. Maintain the same angles through wrist, elbow, and back as you reverse direction and bring your arms back to the starting position. |
| Stability Ball Crunches | Sit on a stability ball with your feet on the floor in front of you hip-width apart. Lie back on the stability ball so that your body is supported between the top of your buttocks and your shoulder blades, your abdominals are centered right at the top of the ball, and your head is hanging off the other side of the ball. Place your hands behind your head in standard crunch position, with your elbows back and relaxed. Engage your core muscles and roll your upper body up until your shoulder blades are off stability ball and your upper body just breaks the plane of being flat. Use your hands to gently support your head, but do not pull up with your arms. Reverse the motion and, with your core engaged, lower yourself back to starting position. |
| BOSU Single-Leg Taps | Lie on your back on a BOSU ball with the ball between your shoulder blades and hips. Extend your right arm above your head, with your palm facing the ceiling. Extend your left arm to the side and rest your hand on the floor for balance. Your left leg should be extended with your heel lightly on the floor; bend your right knee and put your right foot flat on the floor, shifted slightly toward the midline of your body as this is your balancing foot. Next, squeeze through your obliques as you bring your right arm up toward the ceiling, while simultaneously lifting your left leg straight up to vertical as well. Both arm and leg should remain straight throughout. Try to touch your left foot with your right hand at the top of your lift. Keep the contraction through your abs as you reverse direction and lower your arm and leg back to the starting position. Repeat for a full set on one side before switching sides, now bringing your left arm up to meet your extended right leg. |
| Decline Bench Slow Roll-up Abs | Lie on your back on a decline bench with your head toward the low end and your legs hooked under the stabilizing bars. Bend your elbows out to the side and place your hands behind your head, lightly supporting rather than pulling. Next, tuck your chin to your chest and lift your upper body, peeling yourself off the bench in a rolling motion. Be careful not to jerk yourself upward—try to locate your lifting motion in your lower abdominals, below your belly button. This motion should be slow and fluid. Try to keep your hands behind your head, but if that is too difficult, you can modify by bringing your arms overhead and using them for leverage by bringing them up and forward as you lift. Continue to lift until you have come all the way upright and beyond, bringing your upper body toward your knees at the top of your lift. From the top of the motion, reverse direction and slowly lower your body back to the starting position, again keeping your chin tucked down, and controlling your lowering motion through your lower abs. |
| EXERCISE IMAGES |
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Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith
