Welcome back to another session from BT23 Fitness, in this months issue we will be doing an upper body session, the majority of the session will be bodyweight exercises, some equipment will be necessary, so if you have it then great, if not i will offer solutions around the exercise.
We have 5 exercises they will target the arms, back, shoulders, chest and core, you’ll complete 3 sets of 10 reps on each exercise, allowing 30 secs to 1 min rest between sets and a small transition between exercises of 2 minutes maximum.
*Key note, if you feel you can progress the exercises then just hold the exercise for a few seconds when the muscle is under tension and slowly work through the movement back to the point of rest.
So in summery:
- 5 exercises
- 3 sets of 10 reps
- 30 secs to 1 min rest between sets
- no longer than 2 mins between exercises
Equipment needed: 2 dumbbells ( whatever weight you have or feel is adequate)
Alternative Equipment: large resistance band, 2 water bottles
Wide grip press up (Chest): Setting the hands up a little wider than shoulder width apart in a plank position start to lower yourself down leading with the chest and keeping the core activated, hold at the bottom before pushing through the palms on the way up. alternative set up would be to start from a kneeling position as shown in the picture on the right.
Bent over rows (Back): start by bending the knees and hinging the hips backwards, bring the chest as parallel to the ground as possible, this is our starting position. from here keep the shoulders back and arms straight along the legs, keep the elbows tight to your side as you bring back the arms into your hips, hold at the top and squeeze the back before lowering back down into the starting position. If you are using a resistance band for this exercise only lower the band down to the point where the tension comes out of the band before raising it back up again
Dips: using a bench, sofa or any flat surface, set the hands shoulder width apart on the edge. keep your back close to the edge of the bench and slowly lower yourself down by bending the arms behind you making sure not to shrug the shoulders.hold at the bottom before driving yourself back up to the top. keeping the legs straight makes the exercise more difficult if you need some assistance bend the legs and use the legs a little to help push yourself back up.
Forward raises: Standing straight keep the core engaged. holding the weights in front of the legs keep the arms straight and lift them straight in front of the chest, hold before lowering back down in front of the leg, if you are using a resistance band for this exercise only lower the band down to the point where the tension comes out of the band before raising it back up again
jack knife:laying on your back keep the legs straight out and hands straight behind the head, from this position lift the legs and arms to meet in the middle above the hips squeezing the core at the top. as you lower back down try and keep the heels and shoulders just off the ground before raising up into the next rep.
