Diary Of A Work Out Part II

Today was chest and back and the usual 30 minutes of cardio and 10 to 15 of cool down with abs and stretching. The number of exercises, reps and sets remain constant for upper body. 3 different exercises for each muscle, 3 sets of alternating chest/back, chest/back, chest/back and 15 reps of each exercise. So here we go!

Exercise

Push ups***
Do them on your toes to failure and then drop your knees to the floor to finish 15 reps
Bent over row
Feet slightly wider than shoulder width with knees slightly bent/hold bar with pronated grip (palm down) slightly wider than shoulder width/ bend from hip with upper body parallel to floor/allow bar to hang with arms fully extended. Using upper back retract bar towards chest keeping it close to body. The only movement should be in the elbows as they bend pointing out. Keep upper body parallel to floor.


Dumbbell Flat Bench Chest Press
Lie on a flat bench/grasp dumbbells with a pronated grip/start with arms extended overhead (perpendicular to body)/lower weight by bending elbows and stop when upper arms are parallel to floor (safety tip: don't let upper arms extend past your shoulders)
Seated Machine Row
Tips when on seated row machine: one foot on platform when grabbing handles/back straight, extend arms and pull arms back using lats until elbows are approximately beneath shoulders.

Barbell Flat Bench Chest Press
Use a wide grip on the bar. Lower the weight down bending elbows. The bar should be positioned so that it is slightly below the n***le line (just have a problem writing that word) As in Dumbbell Press do not let upper arms extend past your shoulders
Overhead Pulldown
This is a common machine for gyms. (seat facing toward a wide bar positioned above head) Face bar and grasp using pronated grip with hands positioned 6 or so inches wider than shoulders. Make sure your feet are flat on floor and knees are firm under support pads when seated and lean back slightly. Pull arms down until bar touches clavicle (top of chest).

It's good to mix up free weights and machines so feel free to substitute any of the above chest exercises with one of the chest exercise machines in your gym.

***Definitely substitute a chest exercise machine for the push ups if you're having wrist problems.