Upper Body Strength is Day 21 in Heather Robertson‘s 12 Week 4.0 program. This is soldi and thorough upper body strength workout. Heather hits every muscle group in your upper body and you even get core work with several of the exercises and some metabolic exercises to get your heart pumping and burn some extra calories. During the intro at the beginning of the workout, Heather encourages you to lift heavier weights.
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.
Upper Body Strength is 39:34 minutes; 1:10 minute intro, 3:45 minute warm up and 3:20 minute stretch. Equipment: light, medium and heavy dumbbells and a fitness mat. The weights listed below are what I used.
Circuit 1:
- Press & twist (stand holding a DB in each hand at shoulders, do alternating single arm shoulder press, each time you push one DB overhead, twist torso to side) (20# DBs)
- Upright row (15# DBs)
- Rocket push up (start in plank with hands holding DBs, do one push up, at top of push up when in plank again, push glutes back toward heels keeping knees elevated off mat)
- Renegade row (alternate arms) (30# DBs)
- Ski swing (stand with legs close together holding a DB in each hand, bend knees and hinge forward slightly while swinging DBs down and past hips, swing DBs overhead when standing upright again) (15# DBs)
- Repeat #1-5
30 second rest
Circuit 2:
- Bent over row (double arm bent over row) (30# DBs)
- Curl & press (do a single arm bicep curl into an single arm overhead press into a single arm overhead tricep extension) (one 14# DB)
- Repeat #2 on other arm
- Alternating curls (alternating supination curls, hands face thighs and when you curl, rotate DB so palm faces ceiling) (20# DBs)
- Inchworm push up (stand at end of mat, hinge forward and walk hands out to plank, do one push up, walk hands back to feet, stand and reach arms overhead)
- Repeat #1-5
30 second rest
Circuit 3:
- Skull crush & press (lay on back holding a DB in each hand, arms are close to sides, palms facing each other, push DBs to ceiling, do one skull crusher then lower arms back to start) (15# DBs)
- Side plank & raise (in side elbow plank, hold one DB in top hand, arm is extended straight in front of you w/ DB just above mat, lift DB to ceiling then lower back to start) (one 9# DB)
- Repeat #2 on other arm
- Fly combo (do one bent over rear delt fly the straighten and so one bent arm lateral raise) (9# DBs)
- Weighted jack (hold one DB in both hands, jack the legs while pushing DB overhead; low impact option: alternate tapping legs out to sides) (one 10# DB)
- Repeat #1-5
For more info on Heather Robertson’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.
