CHEST AND BACK : Part 1 (Intermediate/Advanced)

CHEST AND BACK, Part 1: Beginner | Intermediate/Advanced

INTERMEDIATE

Do the six intermediate/advanced exercises, shown here, for 4 weeks.
  • WEEKS 1 & 2: 2 sets of 10–12
  • WEEKS 3 & 4: 2 or 3 sets of 8–10

ADVANCED

Do the six intermediate/advanced exercises, shown here, for 4 weeks.
  • WEEKS 1 & 2: 2 sets of 6–8, after a thorough warmup with lighter weights
  • WEEKS 3 & 4: 2 or 3 sets of 4–6, after warmup

Swiss-Ball Pushup
  1. Get into pushup position your hands set slightly wider than and in line with your shoulders but instead of placing your feet on the floor, rest your shins on a Swiss ball.
  2. With your arms straight and your back flat, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
  3. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.
  4. Pause, then push yourself back up to the starting position.


Alternating Decline Dumbbell Press


  1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and lie on your back on a decline bench.
  2. Hold the dumbbells just outside your shoulders, with your arms bent and your palms facing forward.
  3. Push one dumbbell up and slightly toward your head so that when your arm is extended, the dumbbell is above your chin.
  4. As you lower the dumbbell back to your chest, repeat the movement with your other arm.
  5. Alternate until you finish the set.
  6. Alternate the arm you start with on each set.

Low-to-High Cable Fly


  1. Attach two stirrup handles to the low cables of a cable-crossover station.
  2. Grab the left handle with your left hand and the right handle with your right, and stand upright in a staggered stance in the middle of the station, with your arms outstretched but slightly bent.
  3. Pull the handles up and together without changing the angle of your elbows, until the handles are even with your eyes.
  4. Pause, then return to the starting position.

Snatch-Grip Bent-Over Row


  1. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip that’s as wide as comfortably possible. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Bend at your hips, lowering your torso about 45 degrees, and let the bar hang straight down from your shoulders.
  2. Pull the bar up to your torso, pause, then slowly lower it.

Towel Pulldown


  1. Drape a towel over each handgrip of a lat-pulldown bar. Sit on the bench and grab the ends of each towel so that your palms are facing each other.
  2. Moving only your arms, pull the bar down below your chin by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  3. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

Seated Rear Lateral Raise


  1. Grab a pair of dumbbells and sit at the end of a bench. Keep your back flat and your elbows slightly bent, and lean forward at the waist as far as you can. Let the dumbbells hang at arm’s length, with your thumbs turned toward each other.
  2. Slowly raise the dumbbells as high as you can without changing the angle of your elbows.
  3. Pause, then lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.