3 Finishers for your workout

The set or exercise of your workout has the chance to make all the difference in your routine so don't go soft when the time comes! Below are some ways to add some bang to the end of your workouts.

1) Chest Press with plate pyramid

Set up 1 of each of the following 5lb,10lb,25lb,35lb and 45lb next to a flat bench. This works good with a spotter or partner to hand you the plates but it can be done without one as well. Start by pressing the 45lb plate from chest to lockout for 20 reps.Then, immediately grab the 35lb plate and rep out 20. Repeat this with the 25, 10 and 5 lb plates and then go back up the pyramid. When you get to the light plates try and move faster with the reps. If this becomes to easy then try going up and down the pyramid 2x.

2) Chinup isometric hold

Get yourself into the top position of a chinup and hold for as long as possible. Focus on squeezing the biceps as hard as you can. Hang on until you literally cant anymore. Even if you start to fall from the starting position keeping holding on until you have to let go. The time day you try this see if you cant beat your time.

3) Partner pause and press

Put about 50% of your 1 rep max on the flat bench press. Have a spotter be ready behind the bench. Lower the bar to your chest and then start lifting it up. Press it about 2 inches above your chest and then have your spotter put his hand against the bar to stop it. Press against his palm for 10 seconds letting them do the counting. Then press it about 6 inches away from your chest and again have your spotter stop it with their hand. Press against their hand for 10 seconds. To finish totally lockout the bar and hold it there for as long as you can.

H4 Fat Burner- Fearsome foursome routine # 2

After a proper warmup-

* Make sure the weights on the upper and lower body exercises are challenging for the rep scheme written

** You can feel free to replace any exercise with another as long as it matches with the correct movement listed.

A1) Upper body pull-Prone dumbbell row on incline bench ( lie face down on incline bench and row both dumbbells at the same time with your palms facing each other trying to squeeze shoulder blades)-10 reps

A2) Lower body-Sumo squat with dumbbell-10 reps

A3) Conditioning-High knees in place-25 seconds

A4) Core- "V" up-10 reps

Repeat this for 2-4 more rounds depending on your fitness level


B1) Upper body push- Dumbbell bench press -12 reps

B2) Lower body-Rope pull through-10 reps

B3) Conditioning-Mountain climbers-20 seconds

B4) Core-Band chops low to high ( secure the band low and chop upward )-15 reps per side

Repeat this 2-4 more rounds without rest depending on your fitness level


C1) Upper body pull-Pullup with close grip-8 reps

C2) Lower body-Lateral dumbbell lunges-alternating sides for 8 reps per

C3) Conditioning- 4 dot drill ( imagine 4 dots in a square shape on the floor and with your legs together jump to each dot clockwise then counter clockwise-each for 10 each

C4) Core- Bicycle crunch 25 seconds

Repeat this 2-4 more rounds depending on your fitness level

Putting the LABOR in Labor day!

Its Labor day most everyone is off so what better way to spend your day then dominating in the gym. Below is a push and pull workout that you will love. Make it happen!

A1)Incline dumbbell chest press-12 reps ( explosive reps )
SUPER SET
B1) Incline bench dumbbell one arm row-12 reps **
** stand behind the incline bench and rest your left arm on the top of the bench. Perform a row with your right arm, then switch arms.

Do this for 1 round then take 1 minute rest before moving to A2/B2

A2) Decline dumbbell chest press-8 reps ( each rep lower the weight for 4 seconds )
SUPER SET
B2) Straight bar seated row-8 reps ( each rep hold for 5 seconds )

Do this for 1 round then take 1 minute rest before moving to A3/B3

A3) Barbell 1/2 press-12 reps ( lower the bar to just above the chest and then press just 1/2 way up, lower back down to equal one rep )
SUPER SET
B3) T-bar row-12 reps

Do this for 1 round and then take 2-3 minutes rest before starting back at A1/B1

Repeat this whole sequence for 3 total rounds

Get bigger pecs for the beach with this routine...

This routine incorporates the incline press which is great to build a fuller looking chest. If you have shoulder issues you should stay away from this workout since it will be demanding on the shoulder joint. You can use either the incline barbell press or the Hammer strength incline press machine. Start the first set with the most weight possible for 6 reps. The 6th rep should be really difficult if the weight is correct.
1)
Incline barbell press/or Hammer incline strength press machine-1 set at 6 reps
SUPER SET WITH
Flat dumbbell twist press -1 set at 12 reps
*( flat twist press starts off like a traditional press but as you start to press up you want to twist the weight so your palms end up facing your face at the top of the movement. If done right the movement should look like a combo of chest press and chest fly. Make sure to bring the dumbbells together at the top. You will need to use less weight then you would for a regular chest press.
**Rest 90 seconds before doing 1 more set.


2)NOW DROP THE WEIGHT BY ABOUT 2.5-5LBS PER SIDE
Incline barbell press/or Hammer incline strength press machine-1 set at 8 reps
SUPER SET WITH
Flat dumbbell twist press -1 set at 10 reps
**Rest 90 seconds before doing 1 more set.


3) NOW DROP ANOTHER 5 LBS PER SIDE. YOU CAN DROP MORE IF NEED BE.
Incline barbell press/or Hammer incline strength press machine-1 set at 10 reps
SUPER SET WITH
Flat dumbbell twist press -1 set at 8 reps
**Rest 90 seconds before doing 1 more set.


Done. You should have done a total of 6 super set combinations.

6 technique musts if you want to have a big bench

1) Keep your feet wide-This is important to give yourself stability and balance when pressing.

2) Get a strong grip on the bar- You can increase your bench just by increasing your grip strength. Think about leaving an imprint on the bar and squeeze it as hard as you can.This will give you the best control over the bar during the press. Try and grip the bar low in the palm towards the heel of your hand and keep your wrists straight.

3) Squeeze the glutes

4) Keep your shoulder blades tight together and pushed down-Your shoulder blades need to be pulled together and kept extra tight to give you a strong support system during the press.

5) Bring the bar low-Let the bar come low on the chest even with the nipple or just below. Doing this will help recruit more triceps and the powerful front delts.

6) Figure out your strengths and weakness and go from there-Everyone is built different and therefore you need to make adjustments to your lift. Use the guide below when benching to lift the most weight you can.

Long arms – elbows out, wider grip,
Short arms – elbows in, closer grip.

Weak pecs – elbows in, narrower grip
Strong pecs – wider grip, elbows out

Weak front delts – elbows out, wide grip
Strong front delts – narrower grip, elbows close to torso

Weak triceps – elbows out, wider grip
Strong triceps – elbows in, closer grip

Great chest builder

Sometimes when we train the chest we might not work in the incline and decline movements as much as we should so this workout uses both. As always, I would recommend doing this with a spotter. The first set of the incline will be with the most weight you can do for 6 reps and then you will decrease the weight and increase the reps every set after. The decline weight and reps will remain the same throughout.

Incline chest press with barbell-6 reps, 8, 10, 12
SUPER SET WITH
Decline dumbbell press- 12 reps

Take 90 seconds-2 minutes between sets

Pack on muscle with this chest routine

This workout is best done with a partner. You would do one set, then your partner would do their set before moving right into the next exercise. If you are training alone then take about 30 seconds between exercises. This routine is intense

Flat barbell bench press ( 1/2 method )-6 reps with heavy weight
***This is when you rack the weight and drop the bar to the chest, then press it halfway up, then let it drop to the chest before finishing by pressing all the way up. This would be one rep.

SUPERSET WITH

Flat dumbbell chest press-10 reps

SUPERSET WITH

Explosive pushups-12 reps
** If you cannot finish these then move onto a bench to do the pushups or if you must drop to your knees.

Rest 2 minutes and repeat this 2 more rounds.

Pump the pecs with this

Best done with a spotter.

Incline dumbbell chest press-6 reps ( heavy weight )
SUPERSET WITH
Incline barbell chest press-12 reps ( moderate weight )

Rest 90 seconds - 2 min and repeat 2 more times.

Then reverse the set up so it will look like this

Incline barbell chest press-6 reps ( heavy )
SUPERSET WITH
Incline dumbbell chest press-12 reps ( moderate )

Rest 90 seconds - 2 min and repeat 2 more times


Flat barbell bench press 1/2 method ( this is were you press half way up and then bring the bar all the way down and then back up all the way which would equal one rep )- 6-8 reps

Rest 1 min and repeat 2 more times

Get your chest to grow with this!

This routine is designed to do with a partner. Once each person does the exercise move on to the next and so on.

Dumbbell bench press-heavy weight to failure ( 1 set @ 6-8 reps should be your aim )
AFTER BOTH OF YOU COMPLETE THIS MOVE ON
Incline Hammer strength machine press or incline barbell press-1 set @ 10 reps
AFTER BOTH OF YOU COMPLETE THIS MOVE ON
Dumbbell bench press-drop the weight by about 30lbs from the weight you used to start with ( 1 set @ failure )

Rest 3 minutes then repeat this 2 more times. Go Dominate!

New Year, New You!- 3 routines to try

The New Year is here yet again, and it is time for you to get back on track and start dominating again! Below I have given you different routines that I would not recommend for the beginner. If you are starting back into working out for the first time in a long time this new year then these workouts are not for you at this point in time. If you just need a jolt of freshness and new energy in the form of a badass workout then these are for you.

Workout # 1-For the guy who wants a bigger chest and back

PUSH AND PULL COMBO

Dumbbell chest press-1@ 6 reps ( heavy weight )

DROPSET INTO

Dumbbell chest press-1@ 20 reps ( use 50% lighter weight than you did for 6 reps )

Rest 2 min and repeat 2-3 more times

Incline barbell bench press-1@ 10 reps

Rest 1 min and repeat 4-5 more times

One arm dumbbell row-1@ 10 reps ( pause the weight on the ground for 1 second before driving up)

SUPERSET

Seated cable row-1@ 10 reps

Rest 90 seconds and repeat 2-3 more times

Straight arm pulldowns-1@ 12 reps

DROPSET INTO

Straight arm pulldowns-1@ Failure ( use 20-30lbs less than you did for 12 reps )

Rest 90 seconds and repeat 2-3 more times

Seated cable row-1@ 5 reps ( pause for 3 seconds and hold on each rep trying to squeeze your shoulder blades)

Rest 1 min and repeat 2-3 more times

Done.

____________________________________________________

Workout # 2- For the individual who is looking to trim up

Metabolic calorie burner

A1)Pullups ( use assisted machine if needed )-8 reps

SUPERSET

A2)Lateral step ups with dumbbells -15 reps each leg

Do 2 rounds without resting. After 2 rounds go right into the below combo.

B1) Standing barbell shoulder press-8 reps

SUPERSET

B2) Deadlift-8 reps

Do 2 rounds without rest. After 2 rounds Rest for 2 minutes and then start all over again with the A combo for 2 rounds and then going right into the B combo for 2 rounds before you are done.

C1) Decline dumbbell row-12 reps each

http://www.youtube.com/user/H4training#p/u/7/DxiJGMnyzKw

SUPERSET

C2) Alternating reverse lunges ( focus on speed....no weight needed)-15 reps each leg

Do 2 rounds without rest. After 2 rounds move onto the below combo.

D1) Dips-8 reps

SUPERSET

D2) Lateral band chops-15 reps each side

http://www.youtube.com/user/H4training#p/u/18/RX-_yvo7Ez8

Do 2 rounds without rest. After 2 rounds rest for 2 minutes before starting back over with the C combo for 2 rounds and then back to the D combo for 2.

Finish with:

Bike- 30 seconds full speed ( fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) and then go slow ( "rest" ) for 30 seconds.....repeat this 4 times.

After finishing the bike do:

Ball slams- 15 reps as hard as you can! Rest 30 seconds between sets...do 3 sets

Done.

_____________________________________________________

Workout # 3- For the ladies looking to lean and firm the legs

Leg sculptor workouts

Leg circuit NK style-http://www.youtube.com/user/H4training#p/u/19/w12FIe_cLaI

Leg circuit for the butt-http://www.youtube.com/user/H4training#p/u/4/4EWjX7IvZRc

Glute medius work ( butt, hips )-http://www.youtube.com/user/H4training#p/u/1/5nAm-VuFl58

Enjoy! Go Dominate.