By Darren Floro-Bryant
You’ve made it past the first few weeks of the new year. You’ve gotten up for the workouts and organized your life to fit in a workout and stay on track – so now, you’re ready to switch it up to keep the momentum going! Because no matter how experienced you are, it is always smart to try new things that keep you motivated and engaged.
To get you started on your journey to getting “beach body” ready, I showed you a great workout with moves that were not complicated (issue 01/01.02.19, pages 32 & 34). I used an approach of utilizing higher reps (100’s), so everyone regardless of fitness level can use a weight they knew they could handle to complete the repetitions.
The workout I am going to outline here will have exercises more traditional in nature to encourage muscle strength and growth and target more specific parts of your body. This time we start with chest and triceps.
Proper Form and Safety
Keep the core engaged, and your feet firmly planted on the floor for stability. Pull the shoulders back and down, do not shrug the shoulders up. Maintain a loose grip to avoid overstressing the forearms throughout the movement. Proper form will help reduce the potential for injury; it will also help increase positive results.
Get PRO Help
If you are new in the gym, this might be the perfect time to enlist the help of a personal trainer. They will be able to ensure you are doing the exercises safely and with proper form to help prevent injury. In addition, they’ll be able to provide adjustments or modifications to an exercise to work around any limitations. A personal trainer can also provide the motivation you need to achieve your goals. If finances are a concern, many personal trainers offer rates for package deals or small group sessions.
Chest and Triceps
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
4 sets – Rest 45 seconds to 1 minute between sets.
Increase the weight for every set which will automatically decrease reps too.
Set 1 -10 Reps
Set 2 – 10 Reps
Set 3 – 8 Reps
Set 4 – 6 Reps
45 Degree Incline Bench Dumbbell Press
4 sets – Rest 45 seconds to 1 minute between sets.
Increase the weight for every set.
Set 1 -10 Reps
Set 2 – 10 Reps
Set 3 – 8 Reps
Set 4 – 6 Reps
Flat Bench Barbell Press
4 sets – Rest 30 seconds to 45 seconds between sets.
Keep the weight the same for every set, but the weight should be heavy enough so that the sets are completed close to failure or fatigue.
Set 1 -10 Reps
Set 2 – 10 Reps
Set 3 – 10 Reps
Set 4 – 10 Reps
Flat Bench EZ Curl Bar Skull Crushers (French Press)
4 sets – Rest 45 seconds to 1 minute between sets.
Increase the weight for every set.
Set 1 -10 Reps
Set 2 – 10 Reps
Set 3 – 8 Reps
Set4 – 6 Reps
60 Degree Incline Bench Dumbbell Parallel “Grip” Press
Superset with Bent-Over Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks
4 sets – Rest 30 seconds to 45 seconds between sets.
Keep the weight the same for every set, but the weight should be heavy enough so that the sets are completed close to failure or fatigue. (Note: for parallel grip, keep palms facing in toward each other)
Set 1 -10 Reps
Set 2 – 10 Reps
Set 3 – 10 Reps
Set 4 – 10 Reps
Cable Rope Triceps Extensions
4 sets – Each set is a strict 30 seconds in length followed by a strict 30-second rest.
Counting the number of repetitions is not necessary for these sets as they are timed sets. The weight chosen should be challenging for each set, to the point of complete fatigue, especially for the 4th set.