By Tim Rigby (copyright IFM Media)
Here’s where you finally get reminded of just how much fun weight training can be. You’ve progressed through a primer workout into a stabilizing workout (in normal times, usually referred to as a “maintenance” workout), but it’s now time to ramp up the intensity and accelerate your gains. In Phase 3, you’re going to use advanced variations of basic exercises, with a heavier volume and shorter rest periods, to induce a calorie burn as you simultaneously build new muscle:
Exercise Sets Reps Rest
FRONT SQUAT 3-5 6-8 1:30 mins.
ROMANIAN DEADLIFT 3 6-8 1:30 mins.
INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS 3 8-10 1:15 mins.
T-BAR ROW 3 8-10 1:15 mins.
INCLINE DUMBBELL CURL 3 10-12 1:00 min.
ONE-ARM REVERSE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN 3 10-12 1:00 min.
RUSSIAN TWIST 3 12-15 30 secs.
Exercise Descriptions
FRONT SQUAT
(1) Set the pins of the rack to a height just lower than your collarbone. (2) Load the racked barbell to your desired weight. (3) Approach the bar and stand immediately adjacent to it. (4) Extend both your arms forward with palms up and underneath the bar. (5) Cross your left hand over to grasp the bar with an overhand grip at the position of your opposite shoulder, and do the same for the other arm. (6) With the bar secure in your hands, step backward two steps. (7) Keep your back straight and head level as you flex through your knees to descend into a squat. (8) Pause for one second when your thighs are parallel to the floor. (9) Explosively extend your legs to press into the floor and raise all the way up to the start.
ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
(1) Load a barbell that’s resting on the floor to your desired weight. (2) Approach the bar and get tight to it such that your feet protrude underneath it. (3) Separate your feet to shoulder width. (4) Stand tall at first, and then hinge forward from your hips while keeping your back straight; your butt will stick out behind you. (5) Bend your knees as you reach straight down with extended arms to the bar. (6) Grasp the bar with both hands using an overhand grip. (7) Raise up by pulling the bar vertically as your back becomes perpendicular to the floor and your pelvis thrusts forward. (8) Hold the bar in the peak position for one second, then using control lower the bar back to the floor.
INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS
(1) Locate an incline bench or set an adjustable bench to an angle of 45 degrees. (2) Select a pair of dumbbells at your desired weight. (3) Pick up one dumbbell in each hand using an overhand grip. (4) Set yourself into position on the bench, facing up, with your back firmly against the pad. (5) Separate your feet squarely on the floor for stability at a width of no more than your shoulders. (6) Draw the weights up to just above your collarbone at a width of about 1.5 times that of your shoulders. (7) When ready, press the weights directly overhead in a vertical plane until your arms are locked out. (8) Pause at this peak position for one second, then lower by flexing your arms to return the weights to the start.
T-BAR ROW
(1) Locate a T-Bar apparatus with platform. (2) Load the bar to your selected resistance. (3) Step onto the platform and stand tall at first. (4) Keeping your back straight, hinge forward from your hips about 30 degrees and bend your knees slightly. (5) Grasp the neutral handles of the bar with both hands; in the neutral position they’ll be parallel the bar. (6) When ready, anchor your body solidly in a fixed position and row the bar in an upward arc using force from your back and biceps. (7) At the peak, your upper arms should have just crossed the plane of your torso. (8) Pause here for a half-second, then lower using control back to the beginning.
INCLINE DUMBBELL CURL
(1) Locate an incline bench or set an adjustable bench to an angle of 45 degrees. (2) Select a pair of dumbbells at your desired weight. (3) Pick up one dumbbell in each hand using an underhand grip. (4) Set yourself into position on the bench, facing up, with your back firmly against the pad. (5) Separate your feet squarely on the floor for stability at a width of no more than your shoulders. (6) Let the weights hang freely in your extended arms at your sides. (7) When ready, curl the weights in an upward arc as high as you can go comfortably. (8) Hold for a half-second at the top position, then using control lower them back to the start.
ONE-ARM REVERSE TRICEPS PRESSDOWN
(1) Load the triceps pressdown cable apparatus to your desired weight. (2) Attach a D-handle to a high cable pulley position. (3) Stand adjacent to the apparatus with back straight and head up. (4) Separate your feet to about shoulder width for stability. (5) Reach up with one arm and grasp the handle with an underhand grip and pull it slightly until the cable becomes taut. (6) Position your elbow in a fixed point at your side. (7) When ready, press the handle downward in a backhanded motion until your arm becomes extended. (8) Hold at the bottom for half a second, then using control allow the handle to return to the start.
RUSSIAN TWIST
(1) Set yourself into position on the floor facing upward, supported by your butt and feet. (2) Sit up with your back straight and your knees bent slightly; your feet will remain flat on the floor. (3) Hinge your torso backward from your hips about 30 degrees. (4) Cross one ankle over the other and float your legs about one foot above the floor. (5) When ready, keeping your body very still, simply twist to one side from your core and draw both your hands over to that side. (6) After peak contraction, reverse the direction and twist over to the other side, and repeat the movement back and forth. (7) Make sure as the set wears on that you don’t drop your legs and/or torso.
