40 Min Upper Body Strength Supersets is Day 7 in Heather Robertson‘s HR12Week 5.0 program.
This workout is an arm and shoulder burner! You do one exercise with medium to heavy weights paired with a second exercise using light dumbbells (or just bodyweight for the final superset). You do each superset 3 times and by that third time my muscles were burning! Your chest and triceps get a bit of work, too, but the the main focus is biceps and shoulders.
There are 5 supersets and each superset is done 3 times. 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.
40 Min Upper Body Strength Supersets is 39:58 minutes; 30 second intro, 4:40 minute warm up and 3:45 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a fitness mat. Heather recommends light to medium dumbbells (5 to 15 pounds). The weights listed below are what I used.
- Alternating 90 degree lateral raise (side raise with elbows bent at 90 degrees) (10# DBs)
- Partial lateral raises (lift slightly bent arms to side into a lateral raise, keep them raised isometrically while doing pulses) (5# DBs)
- Repeat #1 & 2 two more times
- Alternating rotational curl (arms start at sides, palms facing side of thighs, curl DB hammer style, rotating wrist so palm faces ceiling at top or curl, alternate arms) (20# DBs)
- Bicep burn out (fast alternating bicep curls w/ light DBs) (5# DBs)
- Repeat #4 & 5 two more times
- Rear delt fly (hinged forward at waist) (8# DBs)
- Partial rear delt fly (keep arms/DBs raised at top of fly and pulse) (5# DBs)
- Repeat #7 & 8 two more times
- 30 second rest
- Alternating front raise (arms are straight w/ palms facing floor) (10# DBs)
- Rainbow raise (DBs start at side, one end against thigh with other end open on a diagonal, raise arms/DBs up and out to shoulder level bringing ends of DBs together in front of chest as if drawing a rainbow or half circle) (7# DBs)
- Repeat #11 & 12 two more times
- T push ups (do one push up then rotate into side plank, raising one arm/DB to ceiling, alternate arms with one push up between each side plank, Heather is doing narrow/tricep push ups) (10# DBs)
- Walking plank (alternate one elbow plank with one straight arm plank)
- Repeat #14 & 15 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.
