DAY 1: Upper Body Push Workout // FIERCE 2.0

Upper Body Push is Day 1 in Heather Robertson‘s 14 day Fierce 2.0 program. This was a tough upper body workout! I have been doing all Caroline Girvan workouts for the past 12 weeks and feeling pretty strong until I did this workout! Heather’s workouts are definitely different, and harder to lift heavy weights with. Even she was struggling. Though I was very focused on my workout and form, I did notice her dropping to her knees during push ups and changing from two dumbbells to one dumbbell during skull crushers. This workout was definitely a burner and I had to drop to lighter weights several times. This workout hits your chest, triceps and shoulders and it hits them hard! My upper body feels well worked. And of course Heather throws a more metabolic exercise into each circuit to make sure you are burning some extra calories.

This workout has 3 circuits, each containing 4 exercises. Each circuit is done 3 times before moving on to the next circuit. The exercises are all 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 your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Heather previews your next exercise.

Upper Body Push is 43:42 minutes; 50 second intro, 2:25 minute warm up and 3:40 minute stretch (the last 30 seconds of the stretch you hold child’s pose while Heather talks). Equipment: dumbbells and fitness mat. Heather is using 5, 10 and 15 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1:

1. Single arm chest press (alternate arms) (30# DBs first 2 sets, 27.5# DBs 3rd set)
2. Skull crushers (lay on back with knees bent and feet on mat close to glutes, raise hips into bridge and hold isometrically while doing skull crushers) (13# DBs)
3. Push ups (Heather is holding DBs for more push up depth, the DBs are also close to her sides so it is narrow and more of a tricep push up)
4. Push press (holding one DB in each hand at shoulders, lower into squat, when you stand do one double arm overhead shoulder press) (20# DBs first 2 sets, 18# DBs 3rd set)
5. Repeat #1-4 two more times

30 second rest

Circuit 3:

1. Overhead tricep extension (French press) (one 27.5# DB)
2. 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) (9# DBs)
3. Chest flys (20# DBs)
4. Walking plank jack (start in straight arm plank, lower to elbow/forearm plank, raise back to straight arm plank and do one plank jack)
5. Repeat #1-4 two more times

30 second rest

Circuit 2:

1. V-press (lay on back with knees bent and feet on mat, hold one DB in each hand, start with elbows close to sides, push DBs to ceiling while also opening arms into a V) (16.5# DBs)
2. Fist pumps (arms are raised to shoulder level, elbows bent at 90 degrees and held in front of you, palms are facing you, push one arm/DB to ceiling and lower, push other arm/DB to ceiling and lower, push both arms/DBs to ceiling and lower) (13# DBs first set, 12# DBs last 2 sets)
3. Tricep kickbacks (13# DBs)
4. Burpee & press (stand holding a DB in each hand, squat and place DBs on mat, jump feet back to plank, do one push up, jump feet back into DBs, stand and do a double arm overhead press) (20# DBs first set, 18# DBs last 2 sets)
5. Repeat #1-4 two more times

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