42 Min Upper Body Strength is Day 57 in Heather Robertson‘s HR12Week 5.0 program.
This is a tough and thorough upper body strength workout. It is full of compound moves that work multiple upper body muscle groups. For the first circuit you will work the shoulders and biceps. The second circuit the focus is back, chest and triceps but you are still working the shoulders and biceps since they assist in the compound moves. Plus you are also getting some core work. Heather says that, like Day 56, you are aiming for 8-10 reps, and like Day 56, that was the reps I managed for any straight set (like Around the World), but because there were so many compound moves, you will not manage that many reps for some of the exercises (renegade row + push up for example).
This is a circuit based workout. There are 2 circuits and each circuit is repeated 4 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.
42 Min Upper Body Strength is 41:56 minutes; 25 second intro, 4:40 minute warm up and 3:45 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and exercise mat. Heather recommends light to medium dumbbells (5 to 25 pounds). The weights listed below are what I used.
Circuit 1:
- Around the world (with palms facing forward and hands in front of thighs, keeping arms straight, raise DBs out to sides then overhead, lower DBs out to sides and back in front of thighs) (8# DBs)
- Curl & press (hammer curl into overhead shoulder press) (20# DBs first 2 sets, 18# DBs last 2 sets)
- Hammer curl & hold (hold one DB in each hand, elbows are bent at 90 degrees with arms close to sides and palms facing each other, lower one DB then return it to 90 degrees (hammer curl), alternate arms) (16.5# DBs first 2 sets, 15# DBs last 2 sets)
- Bicep burn out (fast alternating bicep curls using light DBs) (5# DBs)
- Repeat #1-4 three more times
30 second rest
Circuit 2:
- Skull crushers (lay on back, arms extended to ceiling, keeping arms straight and stationary from shoulder to elbow, bend elbow lowering DBs to frame head) (15# DBs)
- Pullover & press (legs are raised and bent at 90 degrees, they remain in this position entire interval while upper body holds one DB in both hands over chest, keeping arms close to sides push DB to ceiling then do a pullover) (one 30# DB)
- Push up & row (renegade row, once each arm + one push up) (30# DBs)
- Bear plank & reach (hold bear pose isometrically (on hands and toes w/ knees bent at 90 degrees and knees hovering a few inches off the mat), extend one arm straight in front of you, alternate arms)
- Repeat #1-4 three 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.
