OK, ladies… this is a call to arms. Just because summer is half over, doesn’t mean we will ease up on our training, right? No, ma’am— we will continue to fight for sculpted arms and shapely shoulders!
So, here’s the plan… we are going to make it HIRT. Our High-Intensity Resistance Training program features supersets and upper body plyometrics to overload the muscle and challenge your conditioning. This muscle-trembling, sweat-dripping program is just what you need to achieve the tight, defined upper body you desire. Keep reading for all the details!
HIGH-INTENSITY ARMS & SHOULDERS
GET IT RIGHT
SMITH MACHINE MILITARY PRESS
Using a bench with an upright back support, begin with the Smith machine bar positioned at your collarbone. Your hands should be wider than shoulder-width, and your elbows and forearms should make a 90-degree angle. Slowly press the weight up until your arms are just short of straight and then bring the weight back to starting position.
Juliana’s Tips: Don’t lock out the elbow in the top position, as this transfers work to the triceps. Protect your lower back by keeping core tight and your back firmly planted against back pad.
BOSU BALL PUSH-UP
Flip the ball over onto its dome. Grip the sides of the platform or place your hands on top of it with your feet stretched out straight behind you. Lower your body by bending elbows and bringing your chest as close to the BOSU ball as possible. Make sure to keep head, torso and legs aligned and tight. Straighten arms to complete rep.
SEATED ALTERNATING DUMBBELL FRONT RAISE
Sit at the edge of a bench holding dumbbells at your sides. Keeping arms just short of straight with your shoulders and traps pressed down, lift one dumbbell forward to slightly above eye level. Lower weight slowly. Alternate arms.
Variation: On the ascent, try lifting your thumb slightly higher than your pinky to increase the front deltoid recruitment.
PRONE INCLINE REAR LATERAL RAISE
Lie face down on a bench set to a 45-degree angle, holding dumbbells in each hand. Let the dumbbells hang straight down on either side of the bench with your palms facing each other. Raise your arms out to your sides until they reach shoulder height, keeping your palms facing the floor. Slowly return to starting position.
Tip: To keep the work in your rear delts, think about keeping the hands wide and lifting the weights straight out to the side. Don’t let the weights shift back behind your shoulders, as this transfers the work to your trapezius muscle.
ONE-ARM CABLE LATERAL RAISE
Set the cable pulley at the lowest setting with a handle attached. Grasp the handle and stand with non-working arm toward the pulley. With a slight bend in your elbow, raise your arm to shoulder height. Lower the weight slowly and repeat.
Tip: It’s easy to quickly release the weight and lose tension in the side delt, so be sure to control the negative by taking two to three seconds to lower the weight.
BARBELL BICEPS CURL
Grasp a straight bar with hands about shoulder-width apart and fully extended. Curl the bar up toward your chest and slowly lower the bar to the starting position.
Tip: For maximum biceps engagement, keep your elbows stationary. Don’t allow them to drift forward or backward.
BARBELL SKULL-CRUSHER
Lie on a flat bench and grasp a barbell at about shoulder-width. Extend a barbell straight up toward the ceiling. (This exercise can also be done using an EZ-Curl bar or dumbbells.) Keeping your elbows stationary and forearms parallel, slowly lower the weight down toward the top of your forehead. Extend the weight back up to the starting position.
Juliana’s Tip: “Make sure your wrists don’t break. Keep them in line with your forearms, or else you might hit yourself in the face with the weight. Yes, I’ve done that.”
SEATED CONCENTRATION CURL
Sit on a flat bench with your legs wide. Hold a dumbbell in one hand and press the elbow of the working arm on the inside of the knee on the same side. Curl the weight up toward your shoulder, keeping your upper arm and elbow stationary. Squeeze the biceps at the top of the movement and slowly lower down to the starting position.
BENCH TRICEPS DIP
With a weight in your lap, sit on a bench with your palms on the edge and fingers hanging off. Extend your feet out in front of you and scoot your butt off of the bench. Slowly lower your body straight down by bending your elbows; stop when your upper arms are about parallel to the floor. Then, push back up and tighten your triceps.
Juliana’s Tip: “The closer your feet are to your body, the easier the exercise will be. Straightening and elevating your legs will be the most challenging. Also, make sure there isn’t too much gap between you and the bench or else you’ll strain your shoulders.”
BOSU FOREARMS-TO-HANDS
Assume the plank position with your forearms positioned on the center of the BOSU. Make sure your core is tight, butt is down and back is flat. Pick up your right hand and place it flat on the BOSU under your right shoulder and press up to a push-up position. Then, press the left hand on the BOSU to complete the position. Lower back down to the starting position by placing the right forearm on the BOSU and then the left.
Note: Perform 10 reps leading with the right arm and then, without rest, complete another 10 reps pressing up with the left arm first. This is one set.
KEEP UP WITH JULIANA
You can keep up all of Juliana’s events and happenings at Twitter (@JulianaDaniell), Facebook (IFBB Bikini Pro Juliana Daniell) and Instagram (JulianaDaniell).
REFERENCE
Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, Little JP, Cochran AJ, Hector AJ, Cashaback JG,
Gibala MJ, Potvin JR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Muscle time under tension during
resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional
synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012 Jan 15;590(Pt 2):351-62. doi:
10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PubMed PMID: 22106173; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC3285070.