Do you have access to a gym, but don’t know how to train to achieve your goals or which machine to use? I’ll show you my training schedules!
We start today with a special arm and back workout, to be done in a gym (it doesn’t necessarily have to be a fancy room, I stayed on the basic machines so no one panics if we have not all the equipment: p (If you are too lazy to read what follows, go to the bottom of the page, the workout is summarized in 10 lines!)
A few details first:
- All my sets are 45 seconds ( so if there are 8 or 10 reps, we make them hold for 45 seconds, slowing down the movement fully), and there are 40 seconds of rest between each. (We can go up to 1min, just personally I miss the 40 seconds.)
- To time all of this, I recommend the Seconds app, which generates the perfect timers. (the free version is enough, it’s the one I’m using!)
- If the machines are not arranged in order, no problem, we can possibly alternate certain moves (the idea is nevertheless not to impact on the exact same muscles for 2 exos in a row, just to give the muscle a chance to rest)
- For charging: do not underload, and do not overload either ! You have to be able to do the 8 or 10 reps, but the last 2 are really painful. We do not check, and in general, we choose a load of 70% of its maximum load (roughly the load where you can only do one clean repeat)
- There is NO reason to do weight training like this for more than 1 hour: we are not looking to burn out, but to build muscle. Working on exhausted muscles just increases the rate of injury.
- LET OFF YOUR PHONE. We do the thing thoroughly, we do it quickly (45min or 1h), we do it well, but we do not fanfreluche! We’re not at the gym to chat.
Are we on point? Here we go!
1. WARM-UP: 10 minutes of rower / elliptical
2. Pulldowns – hands outside – 1 set with light load then 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (45sec per set, then 40sec rest)
The idea is to keep your back straight and to contract your shoulders and back throughout the movement. We shoot explosively, without hesitating on the movement, and we hold the machine when it comes up to slow the movement.
3. Shoulders Press (shoulder press) – 1 set with light load then 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (45sec per set, then 40sec rest)
This exo goes particularly well with the previous one (and it is even a combination to be done in a superset, that is to say in a row and without a break, if you can!) We work on complementary muscles. We start at the same pace: we push hard, we hold back very slowly.
4. lats pulldown hands inside – 1 set with light load then 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (45sec per set, then 40sec rest)
The movement is quite similar to Exercise 2, except that you put your hands under the bar to grab it. Keep your arms not too wide, torso straight, tilted slightly back, and pull the bar towards your chest. We hold the bar when it goes up.
5. Seated pull – 1 set with light load then 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (45sec per set, then 40sec rest)
The idea is to keep your back straight, a little stretched back, and bring your elbows behind your body without moving anything else. Your torso is never going to wander forward, you stay tight and straight the entire time.
6. Developed pecs assisted – 1 set with light load then 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (45sec per set, then 40sec of rest)
Again, it’s all about making slow movements (you often see guys doing them at full speed, and that makes about zero sense). With your hands at shoulder height (you are thinking of adjusting the seat) and your feet firmly on the ground, you push the handles back until you have your arms outstretched, and you hold back so that the return is very slow. It might be a bit more painful when you’re just starting out, but it’s really effective (and improves pretty quickly with push-ups: x)
7. Horizontal press converge forward – 1 set with light load then 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (45sec per set, then 40sec rest)
The arms stretched forward, the hands aligned with the shoulders (we adjust the seat if ever) we pull the handles backwards, the arms outstretched but not tense (we can bend the elbow very slightly in order to do not put pressure on it unnecessarily)
One of my favorite exercises for the back of the arms and shoulders and the upper back!
8. Horizontal press converge forward- 1 set with light load then 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (45sec per set, then 40sec rest)
We follow the same rhythm as the previous exercises: explosive on the outward movement, and we fully retain the return.
We’re coming to the end of the session, so if you have to charge a little less for it to pass, we can, eh!
9 Cardio end of session (optional)
20 minutes or more of rowing or elliptical exercise at a steady pace.
and we don’t forget .. 10. stretching!