Day 8: Chest & Shoulders (Dumbbell Strength Workout) / HR12WEEK 4.0

Chest & Shoulders is Day 8 in Heather Robertson‘s 12 Week 4.0 program. This was an intense upper body strength workout. It gets metabolic, too. Heather adds in a more intense exercise at the end of each circuit to spike your heart rate but even without those bonus exercises your heart rate gets elevated from getting up and down off the mat as well some of the other exercises like kettlebell swings. Overall an intense work that I definitely felt in my chest and shoulders.

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 your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Heather previews the next exercise. At the bottom of the screen during the preview, there is a small graphic with a weight recommendation–light, medium or heavy.

Chest & Shoulders is 36:18 minutes; 25 second intro, 3:35 minute warm up and 4 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a fitness mat. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1:

1. Chest press (done with hips raised in bridge) (barbell @ 73 pounds)
2. Lateral flys (double arm side raise, elbows are slightly bent) (9# DBs)
3. Chest flys (25# DBs)
4. Walking push ups (do one push up, walk hands out to side and do another push up, walk hands back to center and do a push up, walk hands out to other side and do a push up)
5. Repeat #1-4
6. Shadow boxing (holding light DBs) (5# DBs)

30 second rest

Circuit 2:

1. T-raise (hold one DB in each hand, arms are at sides with palms facing thighs, do a straight arm front raise w/ palms facing each other, once arms are at shoulder level, open arms out to sides in a T then lower arms to sides w/ palms facing forward, reverse the motion raising arms back to sides in a T, bringing arms in front of you then lowering them back to start) (8# DBs)
2. Neutral chest press (lay on mat with legs raised and knees bent at 90 degrees, arms are open wide but more in a wide V, do alternating single arm chest presses) (30# DBs)
3. Single arm snatch (stand with legs wide, hold one DB in one hand, hinge forward lowering DB deadlift style, as you stand, pull DB up upright row fashion until you get to shoulder level then flip elbow so weight of DB is in palm and do an overhead press) (one 16.5# DB)
4. Repeat #3 on other arm
5. Repeat #1-4
6. Walking plank (alternate elbow plank with straight arm plank)

30 second rest

Circuit 3:

1. Front swing (double arm kettlebell swing holding one DB by bar with both hands) (one 30# DB)
2. Arnold press (20# DBs)
3. Lay down push up (start in straight arm plank, lower body to mat keeping body straight from heels to head, raise arms and legs in superman, place hands under shoulders and toes on floor and push body back up into plank, again keeping body straight from heels to head)
4. Upright row (15# DBs)
5. Repeat #1-4
6. Burpee press (start standing with a DB in each hand, squat and place DBs on mat, jump feet back to plank, do one push up, jump feet back into hands, stand and do an overhead press) (15# DBs)

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