Workout 52: Chest & Abs
Chest Exercises
1. Flat Bench Press
Caution: In order to protect yourself, it is best to have a spotter help you.
- Start by lying back on a flat bench. Use an overhand grip that is wider than your shoulder-width to lift the bar from the rack. Hold it directly above you with your arms fully extended.
- Inhale and begin lowering the bar toward your chest until your elbow creates a 90° angle.
- After a brief pause, push the bar back to the starting position as you exhale. Focus on using your chest muscles to push up the bar.
- Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in the contracted position at the top of the motion. Hold for a second and then slowly begin lowering the bar.
2. Decline Bench Press
Caution: In order to protect yourself, it is best to have a spotter help you.
- Start by securing your legs under the brace at the bottom of the decline bench and lie down.
- Using an overhand medium-width grip, lift the bar from the rack and hold it straight over your chest with your arms full extended. Your arms should be perpendicular to the ground.
- As you inhale, lower the bar toward your chest until your elbows reach a 90° angle.
- Pause for a second, then use your chest muscles to push the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale. Lock your arms and squeeze your chest in at the contracted position. Hold for a second and then start to lower the bar down slowly.
3. Incline Dumbbell Press
- Lie back on an incline bench with a dumbbell in each hand atop your thighs. The palms of your hands will be facing each other.
- Then, using your thighs to help push the dumbbells up, lift the dumbbells one at a time so that you can hold them at shoulder-width.
- Once you have the dumbbells raised to shoulder-width, rotate your wrists forward so that the palms of your hands are facing away from you. This will be your starting position.
- Be sure to keep full control of the dumbbells at all times. Then, breathe out and push the dumbbells up with your chest.
- Lock your arms at the top, hold for a second, and then start slowly lowering the weight. Note: Ideally, lowering the weights should take about twice as long as raising them.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed number of repetitions.
- When you are done, place the dumbbells back on your thighs and then on the floor. This is the safest manner to release the dumbbells.
4. High To Low Cable Fly
- Move the pulleys to the highest position and select the same resistance for each D-handle.
- Stand between both pulleys with your arms extended out to your sides. Grasp both handles with an overhand grip while keeping your feet aligned with the pulleys.
- Remaining upright and keeping a slight bend in your elbows, pull your arms close together in front of your body.
- After a pause at the peak contraction, return your arms back to the starting position.
Abs Exercises
1. Hanging Leg Lift
- Hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended at arms length in top of you using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position.
- Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Hold for 0.5-1 seconds.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
2. V-Up
- Lie straight on your back with your legs together and your arms together, straight above your head.
- In one motion, raise your legs off the floor while keeping them straight. Also raise your torso and hands to meet your legs in the middle of your body.
- Repeat!
3. Bicycle Crunch
- Lie flat with your lower back pressed to the ground. Place your hands behind your head slightly above your neck. Lift your shoulders into a crunch position.
- Raise yours legs so that your thighs are perpendicular to the ground and your shins parallel to the ground.
- Simultaneously, slowly go through a cycle pedal motion kicking forward with the right leg while pulling in the knee of the left leg.
- Bring your right elbow close to your left knee by crunching to the side. Then crunch to the opposite side as you cycle your legs and bring your left elbow closer to your right knee.
- Alternate sides.
4. Russian Twist
- Lie down on the floor placing your feet either under something that will not move or by having a partner hold them. Your legs should be bent at the knees.
- Elevate your upper body so that it creates an imaginary V-shape with your thighs. Your arms should be fully extended in front of you, perpendicular to your torso and with the hands clasped. This is the starting position.
- Twist your torso to the right side until your arms are parallel with the floor while breathing out.
- Hold the contraction for a second and exhale, moving back to the starting position. Now, move to the opposite side, performing the same techniques you applied to the right side.
- Repeat for 10-20 reps per side.