Workout 29: Chest & Shoulders
Chest Exercises
1. Push-Up
- Position yourself face-down on the ground and place your hands shoulder width apart. Keeping your back as straight as possible, push your body off the ground, through your hands.
- Inhale as you lower yourself downward, until your chest nearly touches the ground.
- Exhale and press your upper body back up to the starting position while squeezing your chest, arms, and abdominal muscles.
2. Incline Dumbbell Fly
- Pick up the dumbbells and grip them so that so your palms are facing inward. Lie back on an incline bench angled at about 30 degrees, and rest the dumbbells on your hip crease.
- Press the dumbbells out and over you so that your arms are fully extended. Rotate your wrists so that your palms are facing each other.
- Slightly retract your shoulder blades, unlock your elbows, and slowly lower the dumbbells laterally to create a wide arc while maintaining the angle at your elbow. You should feel stretch in your chest.
- Once the dumbbells reach your chest level, reverse the movement while trying not to let the dumbbells touch.
3. Flat Bench Dumbbell Fly
- Pick up the dumbbells, one in each hand, with your palms facing inward. Sit down on a flat bench and rest the dumbbells on your thighs.
- Before lying down, lift the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder-width keeping your palms facing each other. To get into position, lie back and keep the dumbbells close to your chest.
- When you’re ready, press the dumbbells out and above you so that your arms are fully extended.
- Slightly retract your shoulder blades, unlock your elbows, and slowly lower the dumbbells laterally to create a wide arc while maintaining the angle at your elbow. You should feel stretch in your chest.
- Once the dumbbells reach your chest level, reverse the movement while trying not to let the dumbbells touch.
4. Cable Fly
- Find a cable tower and set both pulleys at shoulder-height.
- Grab the handles, and bring the two handles together by contracting the chest, as if you were hugging a tree. Keep your arms very slightly bent, without further bending your elbow as you bring your arms together. Your arms should not bend as you do the movement, but they should be very slightly bent throughout.
- Slowly reverse the movement back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Shoulder Exercises
1. Arnold Dumbbell Press
- Sit on the military press bench, or any utility bench that has a back support, and hold two dumbbells in front of you at about upper-chest level. Your palms should be facing your body with your elbows bent and tucked in.
- Next, in the middle of the movement, raise the dumbbells as you rotate your palms until they are facing forward.
- Continue raising the dumbbells until your arms are fully extended above you.
- After a pause at the top, begin to lower the dumbbells, rotating your palms towards you.
2. Reverse Fly
- On the reverse fly machine (which sometimes doubles as a chest fly machine), adjust the handles so that they are fully facing the rear (closest together). Adjust the seat height to make the handles at your shoulder-level. Sit on the seat with your chest against the pad and grasp the handles with your palms facing inwards.
- Pull your hands out to your sides and back as far as possible. This should make a semicircular motion where you should feel a stretch in your shoulders.
- Pause at the back of the movement, and slowly return the weight to the starting position.
3. Wide Grip Smith Machine Upright Row
- Set the bar on the smith machine to a height that is around the middle of your thighs. Grab the bar with both hands, wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Lift the barbell up and fully extend your arms so that your arms are straight but you’re holding the weighted bar.
- Use your side shoulders to lift the bar.. The bar should be close to the body as you move it up. Continue to lift it until it nearly touches your chin. Drive your elbows up towards the ceiling to ensure you’re using your shoulder.
- Slowly lower the bar back down slowly to the starting position.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
4. Lateral Dumbbell Raise
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and dumbbells aligned with your feet at arm's length. Make sure your palms are facing inward towards your sides.
- Keep your torso stationary and raise the dumbbells to your side with a slight bend at your elbow. Lift your arms until they are slightly parallel to the ground, or around shoulder-level, and pause for a second at the top.
- Slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.