Welcome to Week 1 Day 2 of our 4 Week Workout Program.

This is our second day of our training routine, and it’s the perfect day to shape our back and arms! Make sure you mentally prepare prior to going to the gym, so that you’re ready to go as soon as you walk in through those doors.

I like to go to the gym early in the morning, as I find that I’m more mental focused and energized first thing in the morning. I also prefer to workout when my stomach hasn’t had much food in the day, because otherwise, I feel heavy and tend to get a bit nauseous from all the movement.

Here is what my morning routine looks like prior to the gym:

1. Wake up and drink 45 ounces of room-temperature filtered water.
2. Coconut oil pull for 20 minutes and brush my teeth.
3. Make myself my go-to protein smoothie.
4. Wear my favorite gym clothes, brush my teeth, grab my gym essentials (Yeti water bottle, wireless headphones & apple watch) & head out!

I’ve gone to the same gym for about 3 years now, and throughout that time, I’ve been able to identify what time of day it is the least busy. That time happens to be in the morning, so mornings truly do work great for me.

I highly suggest you figure out when your optimal working out time is, and commit to going to the gym at that same time every day. It will make for a better routine, and it’ll be easier for you to make it a strong habit.

Today we’re going to be doing:

• Bent Over Barbell Row
• Bent Over Dumbbell Row
• Seated Cable Row
• Rope Straight Arm Pulldown
• Barbell Curl
• EZ Bar Preacher Curl
• Dumbbell Bicep Curl
• Optional: Tabata (aka HIIT cardio)

Below you can find the number of sets and each exercise’s description.

BENT OVER BARBELL ROW

2 warm-up sets, 4 sets of 12 reps
30 seconds of active rest in between sets

1. Holding a barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing down), bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward, by bending at the waist, while keeping the back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Tip: Make sure that you keep your head up; the barbell should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position.
2. Now, while keeping the torso stationary, breathe out and lift the barbell to you. Keep the elbows close to the body and only use the forearms to hold the weight. At the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a brief pause.
3. Then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

BENT OVER DUMBBELL ROW

3 sets of 12 reps
30 seconds of active rest in between sets

1. With a dumbbell in each hand (palms facing your torso), bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward by bending at the waist; as you bend make sure to keep your back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Tip: Make sure that you keep your head up; the weights should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position.
2. While keeping the torso stationary, lift the dumbbells to your side (as you breathe out), keeping the elbows close to the body (do not exert any force with the forearm other than holding the weights). On the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a second.
3. Slowly lower the weight again to the starting position as you inhale.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

SEATED CABLE ROW

3 sets of 12 reps
30 seconds of active rest in between sets

1. For this exercise you will need access to a low pulley row machine with a V-bar. Note: The V-bar will enable you to have a neutral grip where the palms of your hands face each other. To get into the starting position, first sit down on the machine and place your feet on the front platform or crossbar provided making sure that your knees are slightly bent and not locked.
2. Lean over as you keep the natural alignment of your back and grab the V-bar handles.
3. With your arms extended pull back until your torso is at a 90-degree angle from your legs. Your back should be slightly arched and your chest should be sticking out. You should be feeling a nice stretch on your lats as you hold the bar in front of you. This is the starting position of the exercise.
4. Keeping the torso stationary, pull the handles back towards your torso while keeping the arms close to it until you touch the abdominals. Breathe out as you perform that movement. At that point you should be squeezing your back muscles hard. Hold that contraction for a second and slowly go back to the original position while breathing in.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

ROPE STRAIGHT-ARM PULLDOWN

4 sets of 12 reps
30 seconds of active rest in between sets

1. Attach a rope to a high pulley and make your weight selection. Stand a couple feet back from the pulley with your feet staggered and take the rope with both hands. Lean forward from the hip, keeping your back straight, with your arms extended up in front of you. This will be your starting position.
2. Keeping your arms straight, extend the shoulder to pull the rope down to your thighs.
3. Pause at the bottom of the motion, squeezing your lats.
4. Return to the starting position without allowing the weight to fully rest on the stack.

BABRBELL CURL

3 sets of 12 reps
30 seconds of active rest in between sets

1. Stand up with your torso upright while holding a barbell at a shoulder-width grip. The palm of your hands should be facing forward and the elbows should be close to the torso. This will be your starting position.
2. While holding the upper arms stationary, curl the weights forward while contracting the biceps as you breathe out. Tip: Only your forearms should move.
3. Continue the movement until your biceps are fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a second and squeeze the biceps hard.
4. Slowly begin to bring the bar back to starting position as your breathe in.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

EZ-BAR PREACHER CURL

3 sets of 12 reps
30 seconds of active rest in between sets

1. To perform this movement you will need a preacher bench and an E-Z bar. Grab the E-Z curl bar at the close inner handle. The palm of your hands should be facing forward and they should be slightly tilted inwards due to the shape of the bar.
2. With the upper arms positioned against the preacher bench pad and the chest against it, hold the E-Z Curl Bar at shoulder length. This will be your starting position.
3. As you breathe in, slowly lower the bar until your upper arm is extended and the biceps is fully stretched.
4. As you exhale, use the biceps to curl the weight up until your biceps is fully contracted and the bar is at shoulder height. Squeeze the biceps hard and hold this position for a second.
5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

DUMBBELL BICEP CURL

3 sets of 12 reps
30 seconds of active rest in between sets

1. Stand up straight with a dumbbell in each hand at arm’s length. Keep your elbows close to your torso and rotate the palms of your hands until they are facing forward. This will be your starting position.
2. Now, keeping the upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weights while contracting your biceps. Continue to raise the weights until your biceps are fully contracted and the dumbbells are at shoulder level. Hold the contracted position for a brief pause as you squeeze your biceps.
3. Then, inhale and slowly begin to lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.
4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

OPTIONAL (but recommended)

4 minutes of Tabata to finish it off strong.

 

IMPORTANT: You’ll notice that I recommend doing a quick 30 second active rest in between each of the sets. This is to keep your heart rate up at all times. I recommend switch up your active rest movements with every exercise you do, just to keep it from getting monotonous and to allow for different muscles to be worked. Some of my favorite active rest movements include: kettle bell swings, air squats, lunges, jumps and running in place. Get creative, but try to not use the muscle groups you are actually using on your lifting exercises, so that those are ready to go when the 30 seconds are up.

 

PIN ME

Other Workouts You’ll Love:

• 4 Week Workout Program
• Tabata Training
• 7 Exercises to Get Killer Abs That Will Make You Proud

Disclaimer: I am a certified personal trainer, however, since I won’t be there with you physically to check on proper form and weight selection, do these workouts at your own risk. You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program to determine if it is right for your needs..