Fierce 14 Day 8: Chest & Shoulders // Strength Workout

Chest & Shoulders // Strength Workout is Day 8 in Heather Robertson‘s Fierce 14 program. This was a tough upper body workout for me. I am not sure what to attribute it to but I did not feel strong at all this morning. I had to keep dropping to lighter dumbbells. But it definitely challenged me! I was working very hard and my upper body was burning. Even Heather dropped to her knees during the push up circuit (circuit 3)! Since this workout is only 38:30 minutes, I used one of Caroline Girvan‘s tough tricep workouts as a finisher (20 Minute Tricep Workout). I struggled through that one, too! My arms are fried now. Washing my hair then combing it this morning (it is very long and curly so a rat’s nest after washing it) was actually very fatiguing on my already weary arms!

This workout contains 5 circuits. Each circuit has 3 exercises. You repeat each circuit before moving on to the next one. The exercises are done interval style: 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of recovery. There is a timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen counting down the intervals and recoveries. During the recovery Heather previews the next exercise.

Chest & Shoulders // Strength Workout is 38:34 minutes; 3:30 minute warm up and 2:45 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and fitness mat. Heather is using 5, 10 and 15 pound dumbbells.

Circuit 1:

1. Chest press (lay on back, knees bent and feet on floor, hips are lifted into bridge and held there isometrically throughout interval) (22.5# DBs first time, 20# DBs second time)
2. Triple press (lay on back on mat, knees bent and feet in floor, press one arm/DB to ceiling, press other arm/DB to ceiling then lower both arms/DBs at the same time) (22.5# DBs first time, 20# DBs second time)
3. V press (still laying on back with knees bent and feet on floor, start with DBs held close to ribs, when up pushing them to ceiling, also open arms into a V) (16.5# DBs)
4. Repeat #1-3

30 second rest

Circuit 2:

1. Shoulder press (arms in goalpost) (18# DBs first time, 16.5# DBs second time)
2. Fist pumps (arms are raised to shoulder level, elbows bent at 90 degrees and held in front of you, palms are facing you, alternate pushing arm/DB up to ceiling) (16.5# DBs first time, 15# DBs second time)
3. Arnold combo (I am not sure what the “combo” is–Heather is doing a standard Arnold press) (16.5# DBs first time, 15# DBs second time)
4. Repeat #1-3

30 second rest

Circuit 3:

1. Lay down push up (alternate one push up with one superman)
2. T-push ups (one push up then rotate into side plank, reaching top arm to ceiling, alternate sides with one push up between each side plank)
3. Traveling push up (do one push up then walk hands out to side of body and do one push up, walk hands back to start and do one push up, repeat this series walking hands out to other side of body
4. Repeat #1-3

30 second rest

Circuit 4:

1. Around the world (with palms facing forward and hands in front of thighs, keeping arms straight, raise DBs out to sides then overhead, lower DBs out to sides and back in front of thighs) (7# DBs)
2. Front raise & dip (straight arm front raise with palms facing each other, at top of raise pause while rotating wrists so palms of hands face floor, return hands to facing each other and lower arms/DBs) (7# DBs first time, 5# DBs second time)
3. L-raises (one arm does a straight arm front raise while the other arm is doing a straight arm side raise at the same time, alternate arms) (7# DBs first time, 5# DBs second time)
4. Repeat #1-3

30 second rest

Circuit 5:

1. Single arm flys (lay on back with legs raised and knees bent at 90 degrees, in this position do a single arm chest fly, alternate arms) (18# DBs first time, 16.5# DBs second time)
2. Chest flys (lay on back, knees bent and feet on floor, do a double arm chest fly) (18# DbB first time, 16.5# DBs second time)
3. Fly & press (lay on back, knees bent and feet on floor, hips are lifted into bridge and held there isometrically throughout interval, do a narrow/tricep press, at top of press open arms out into chest fly, close arms and complete the narrow chest press by lowering DBs) (16.5# DBs first time, 15# DBs second time)
4. Repeat #1-3

For more info on Heather Robertson’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.