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Muscle-Building 12-Week Workout: Week 8
Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
DAY 2: TWO BODY PARTS PER DAY, INCREASED WEIGHT - 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 8, DAY 2 EXERCISE VIDEO DEMOS

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)
WARMUP
Begin Superset
S Cable Side Rotators Shoulders (rotators) Light 20 each arm 20 each arm 20 each arm N/A N/A
S Stability Ball Push-ups Chest, Triceps, Shoulders (deltoids) N/A 16 16 16 N/A N/A
WORKOUT
Begin Superset
S Dumbbell Lateral to Front Raises Shoulders (front/middle deltoids) Rep Max 15 12 10 10
S Single-Arm Dumbbell Presses Shoulders Rep Max 15 12 12 10
Begin Superset
S Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses Shoulders Rep Max 15 12 12 10
S Dumbbell Lateral Raises Shoulders Rep Max 15 12 12 10
Headstand to Handstand Push-ups Shoulders N/A 15 15 12 12
Begin Superset
S Reverse Flys on Pec Deck Shoulders (rear deltoids) Rep Max 15 12 10 N/A N/A
S Reverse Dumbbell Raises Shouldrs (rear deltoids) Rep Max 15 15 15 N/A N/A
Begin Superset
S Cable Triceps Press-Downs Triceps Rep Max 15 12 12 10
S Cable Triceps Pull-Downs Triceps Rep Max 15 12 12 10
Begin Superset
S Dumbbell Skull Crushers Triceps Rep Max 15 12 10 N/A N/A
S Single-Arm Rope Push-Downs Triceps Rep Max 15 12 10 N/A N/A
S Standing Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks Biceps Rep Max 15 15 15 N/A N/A
Triceps Bench Dips with Feet on Floor Triceps N/A 25 25 25 N/A N/A
Begin Superset
S Flat-Leg Medicine Ball Situps Abdominals, Core 10 lb. Ball 20 20 20 N/A N/A
S Hand to Foot Stability Ball Pass Abdominals, Core 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.
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. Next, 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. For a more difficult version of this exercise, perform the push-ups with your hands on the ball and your feet shoulder-width apart on top of a flat bench. This will crank up the intensity of the 'hands-on' pushup 10 fold. For an even more advanced version of this push-up, place your feet on a stability ball as well and perform the push-ups.
Dumbbell Lateral to Front Raises Stand on the floor with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides with your arms extended downward. Your knees should be slightly bent, and your palms should face in toward your hips. Lift both arms out to the side from the shoulder, keeping your elbows straight as you do so. Though you are lifting from the shoulders, you don’t want to raise your shoulders toward your ears; think instead of feeling your hands rising away from your sides. Continue to raise your arms until the extend straight out to the sides at shoulder level, with your palms facing the floor. From the extended position, bring both arms forward until they extend straight in front of you, still with palms facing down. Throughout this motion, your elbows should stay straight and your arms parallel to the floor; don’t let them droop, or climb toward the ceiling. Hold the forward extended position for one full second, then reverse your arms back to the side extended position, and from there reverse again down to the starting position. At no point in this sequence should you bend your elbows.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Presses 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.
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.
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. Bent-arm variation: After you exhaust your shoulders using the straight-arm form described above, move immediately on to the bent-arm lateral raise. To do the bent-arm lateral raise, bend your arms at a 90-degree angle at the elbow so that your are holding the barbells out in front of you with your palms facing in toward each other, then continue as many reps as possible with same weight.
Headstand to Handstand Push-ups 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 of the exercise. Next, 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. Variations: As you build shoulder strength over time, try these variations to build up closer to the true handstand push-up: First, try lifting 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 of the shoulder push-up, 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. This will put even more weight on your shoulders. 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.
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; a common mistake is to thrust the head and chest forward to try to gain an extra inch of pull. When you reach the fully flexed position, reverse the motion and bring your arms back in front of you to starting position in a slow and controlled manner.
Reverse Dumbbell 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.
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.
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.
Single-Arm Rope Press-Downs Hook a single-handled rope attachment to the highest position on the cable machine (you may also use a double-handled rope attachment if you don't have a single-handed attachment; just tie off the second rope so that it doesn't get in your way). Stand facing the machine and take the rope handle in one hand. Stagger your feet with one in front of the other. Allow your other arm to hang down at your side. Next, keep your body tall and your shoulder blades together as you bring your hand directly down beside you, ending with your hand held at your side near your hip. Your elbow should stay held in toward your sides throughout and your upper arm steady and still; make sure your shoulders don’t end up pushing forward and taking over the work. At the bottom of your motion, squeeze and hold for a moment, twisting your palm slightly in toward your body to get a full flexion of the triceps. Reverse direction and allow your arm to return to the starting position—but don’t let your arm come above a right angle through your elbow. Do a full set with one arm, and then switch the rope handle to the other hand and do another set.
Standing Dumbbell Tricep Kickbacks Stand and bend over at the hips with a dumbbell in each hand. Your back should be flat, your neck in line with your spine, and your knees bent, with feet pointing forward at hip-distance apart. Keeping your elbows high above the line of your back, extend your elbows so that you straighten your arm. Your hands should remain in the same orientation throughout the movement, with palms facing inward. From the extended position, bend your elbows again to return to the starting position. As you do the kickbacks, keep your upper arm still so that your elbows stay high; the entire motion should focus on the extension and flexion at the elbow joint. Be especially careful to keep your back flat by maintaining a stable core.
Triceps Bench Dips with Feet on Floor Sit on the long edge of a flat bench, with your hands at your sides on the bench you're sitting on and your fingers facing your feet. Place your feet on the floor in front of you so your knees are a little more than a right angle. The smaller the angle, the easier the exercise will be. Grip the bench with your fingers and tuck your chin down a bit toward your chest. Engage your arms and lift yourself off the bench so that you are being held up by your hands on one bench and the heels of your feet. Next, lean your upper body forward slightly and slowly lower your butt down so that it goes a little beneath the bench you are sitting on. You should feel the stretch and work in your triceps as you lower diagonally down. When you reach the bottom of the dip, reverse the motion and push your body back up to starting position. When you reach the starting position you have completed one repetition.
Flat-Leg Medicine Ball Sit-ups Lie on your back on the floor with your legs extended and a medicine ball held in both hands above you. Extend your arms toward the ceiling so that your arms are perpendicular to the floor and the medicine ball is directly over your upper chest. Next, engage your abs by bringing your belly button toward your spine. Do not tip your pelvis upward. From that engaged position, begin lifting your shoulders off the floor in a sit-up, taking your arms forward as your upper body rises. Your legs should remain flat. Do not fling your upper body upward, nor grab through your lower back. Instead, think of peeling your shoulders off the floor from your center, and try to feel that the medicine ball is pulling you from above. Come as close as you can to sitting upright, with your arms extended forward and your legs still flat on the floor. From the top of the motion, reverse direction and lower back to the starting position. Control this downward movement using your abs—but make sure you use your lower abs, not just the area up by your rib cage. Be careful that the bottom part of the motion doesn’t happen more quickly than the top part; you want to lower yourself at a continuous pace.
Hand to Foot Stability Ball Pass Lie on the floor on your back. Hold a stability ball between your feet with your legs extended out along the floor and place both arms over your head. Next, raise your legs up over your body as you raise your arms to meet your feet. At the top of your motion, where your hands meet your feet, transfer the ball to your hands. With the ball now in your hands, lower your legs as you lower your arms back to the floor behind your head. Continue to transfer the ball between hands and feet for 20 repetitions (totaling 10 with the feet and 10 with the hands). Breathe regularly throughout the movement; exhale as your legs and arms rise, inhale as you lower them. Your lower back should remain against the mat throughout the exercise.
EXERCISE IMAGES
Photo Credit: Nicolas Smith

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