Workout 07: 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.
- 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.
- 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 laying down, lift the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder width keeping your palms facing each other. To get into position, lay 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.
5. Cable Fly
- Place the pulleys on a high position above your head and select the same resistance for each side’s handle.
- Stand between both pulleys and move one foot slightly forward. With an overhand grip, pull your arms together in front of you. Your torso should be leaning slightly forward from your waist.
- With a slight bend in your elbows, extend your arms into a wide arc until you feel a stretch in your chest. Your arms and torso should remain stationary.
- Using the same arc of motion, return your arms back to the starting position.
- Hold for a second at the starting position and repeat the movement.
Ab Exercises
- 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.
- Lie on your back with your arms and legs stretched out into an “X” position.
- In one movement, bring one arm straight up across your body while simultaneously lifting your opposing leg and lifting your head.
- Attempt to touch one arm to your opposite ankle, or try to come as close as you can.
- Alternate sides.
3. Table Top Elbow to Knee Crunch
- Get in a tabletop position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Hold your body up off the floor in this position. Hold a light dumbbell in your right hand.
- From this position, extend your right arm out in front of you and extend your left leg straight out behind you.
- Next, crunch your abs by bringing your right elbow to meet your left knee in the middle of your body.
- Extend them again and repeat.
- Make sure to finish one side before switching hands and doing the other side.
- 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!
