35MIN Upper Body Strength // Day 17: HR12WEEK 5.0

35 Min Upper Body Strength is Day 17 in Heather Robertson‘s HR12Week 5.0 program.

Though this upper body workout does hit everything in some fashion, the main focus is the shoulders. In the intro Heather says the last circuit works the chest and back but the delts are a shoulder muscle. Your back is only worked as an ancillary muscle in this workout and even as that it doesn’t get a lot of work. However, my shoulders did get lots of nice work in this workout!

This is a circuit based workout. There are 3 circuits and each circuit is done twice. 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.

35 Min Upper Body Strength is 33:55 minutes; 25 second intro, 4:40 minute warm up and 3:35 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a fitness mat. Heather recommends weights from 5 to 15 pounds. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1:

1. Alternating 90 degree lateral raise (bent arm side raise) (11# DBs)
2. Alternating front raise (straight arm front raise with palms facing floor) (11# DBs)
3. Rainbow raise (straight arm front raise w/palms facing each other and slightly turned out when DBs are at thighs, as you raise DBs, arc them rainbow fashion so that at top of raise you arc DBs towards each other) (8# DBs)
4. Partial lateral raise (straight arm side raise, hold DBs/arms isometrically at top of raise (with arms at T) and do small pulses) (5# DBs)
5. Repeat #1-4

30 second rest

Circuit 2:

1. Single tricep extension (single arm overhead French press) (one 13# DB)
2. Repeat #1 on other arm
3. Hammer curls (20# DBs)
4. Bicep burn out (fast alternating bicep curls with light DBs) (5# DBs)
5. Repeat #1-5

30 second rest

Circuit 3:

1. T-push ups (holding a DB in each hand, do one push up then rotate into side plank and raise top arm/DB to ceiling, alternate sides with a push up between each side) (11# DBs)
2. Walking plank (alternate straight arm plank with forearm plank)
3. Bent over read delt fly (8# DBs)
4. Partial rear delt fly (same as #3 but hold isometrically at top of fly and do small pulses) (5# DBs)
5. Repeat #1-4

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