130 | MF | APRIL

PERSONAL TRAINER MF 04.2013

The goal is body recomposition — building as much muscle as possible while burning fat. Some exercises will be done heavy and others for high reps to hit both ends of the muscle-building spectrum, and rest periods will be short to encourage calorie burning. Your heart will get a good workout from the fast pace of your weight training, so there’s no need to do cardio.

TIME NEEDED:

60 minutes

FREQUENCY: Perform each workout (Day I, II, III and IV) once a week, resting for at least a day between each training session.

HOW TO DO IT: Perform the paired exercises (marked “a” and “b”) as alternating sets, so you’ll complete one set of “a”, rest as directed, then one set of “b” and repeat until all sets are completed. The remaining exercises are done as straight sets.

HOW IT WORKS

DIRECTIONS

> Lower your arm carefully to the floor so your triceps touch down — not your elbow. Keep your forearm vertical.

500Number of

calories an 82kg bloke burns in 60 minutes of

intense strength training.

3Single-arm Floor Press (Shown above)

Sets: 4 Reps: 12 (each

arm) Rest: 30 seconds

> Hold a dumbbell in one hand and lie on your back on the floor. Tuck your elbow to your sideand turn your palm so it faces inward — your triceps should rest on the floor. Press the weight over your sternum.

2One-arm Dumbbell RowSets: 4 Reps: 12 (each

side) Rest: 30 seconds

> Rest one hand and one knee on a bench and hold a dumbbell with the other hand, arm extended but not resting on the floor. Row the weight to your ribs.

4Chest- Supported Dumbbell RowSets: 4 Reps: 12

Rest: 30 seconds

> Set an adjustable bench to a 45-degree incline and lie on it face-down with a dumbbell in each hand (palms facing each other). Squeeze your shoulder blades together and row the weights to your ribs.

1Dumbbell Bench PressSets: 3 Reps: 6–8

Rest: 60 seconds

> Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lie back on a flat bench with the weights at shoulder level. Press the dumbbells over your chest with speed.

DAY ONE

CHEST & BACK

132 | MF | APRIL

PERSONAL TRAINER MF 04.2013

> If you train in a gym that frowns on the noise of deadlifting, place a yoga mat under the plates. It will muffle the sound when you return the bar to the floor, as well as protect the floor from damage.

1Sumo Deadlift (left)

Sets: 3 Reps: 6–8

Rest: 60 seconds

> Stand with feet double-shoulder-width apart and toes turned out 45 degrees. Bend your hips back, reach down and grasp the bar with hands inside your knees. Drive through your heels to extend your hips and pull the bar up until you’re standing tall.

2Dumbbell Front Squat (below)

Sets: 4 Reps: 20

Rest: 30 seconds

> Hold dumbbells at shoulder level and stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your hips back and squat down as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back. Drive through your heels to come up.

3V-up CrunchSets: 4 Reps: As many as possible

Rest: 30 seconds

> Lie on your back on the floor and extend your arms over your head and your legs in front of you. Crunch your torso upward while simultaneously raising your legs so your body formsa V shape.

4Calf RaiseSets: 4 Reps: 20

Rest: 30 seconds

> Use a standing calf-raise machine or stand on a block or step and hold a dumbbell in onehand while the other balances you. Lower your heels until you feel a deep stretch in your calves and then drive the balls of your feet into the platform to raise your heels.

DAY TWO

LEGS & CORE

The number of centimetres wide the dip bars should be for Gironda Dips (which target the chest more than the triceps or deltoids), according to the late US bodybuilding coach Vince Gironda (1917-1997).

81

> Don’t let your heels come off the floor. If they do, sit back more as you squat.

134 | MF | APRIL

PERSONAL TRAINER MF 04.2013

1Bulgarian Split SquatSets: 3 Reps: 10 (each leg) Rest: 60 seconds

> Stand lunge length in front of a bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Rest the top of one foot on the bench behind you. Lower your body until your rear knee nearly touches the floor, then drive your heel into the floor to come back up. Complete all your reps on that side and then switch legs and repeat.

2aSingle-leg Swiss Ball Leg CurlSets: 3 Reps: As many as possible (each leg) Rest: None

> Lie on your back and rest your heels on a Swiss ball. Drive the heel of one foot into the ball to raise your butt of the floor. Raise the opposite leg in the air. Keeping your hips elevated, bend the knee of the working leg as in a leg curl.

2bSingle-leg Glute BridgeSets: 3 Reps: As many as possible (each leg) Rest: 30 seconds

> Lie on your back and bend one knee 90 degrees. Plant that foot on the floor and extend the other leg away from you. Keeping your core braced, drive your heel into the floor and raise your hips until your body forms a straight line. Complete your reps on that side and then switch sides.

DAY FOUR

DAY THREE

LEGS & CORE

SHOULDERS & ARMS

> The cross-body hammer curl trains the brachialis — a cylinder of muscle that separates the biceps and triceps. The bigger it is, the bigger your arms look.

> Cross-body Hammer Curl (see below)

> These can be done with a dumbbell or cable if a medicine ball isn’t available.

3aPlankSets: 3 Reps: Hold for as long as possible Rest: None

> Get into push-up position and then bend your elbows to rest your forearms on the floor. Brace your abs and hold your body in a straight line for at least a minute.

3bMedicine Ball Woodchop (left)Sets: 3 Reps: 20 (each side) Rest: 30 seconds

> Hold a medicine ball with both hands and stand with feet staggered, left foot in front. Extend your arms to the outside of your left knee. Explosively swing your arms diagonally over your right shoulder as if you were reversing the path of a woodchop with an axe. Complete your reps on that side and then switch sides.

1Chin-upSets: 3 Reps: 6–8 Rest: 60 seconds

> Hang from a chin-up bar with palms facing you. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.

2Gironda DipSets: 4 Reps: As many as possible Rest: 30 seconds

> Use V-shaped dip bars. Place a hand on each bar and suspend yourself so your hands are wide; and point your elbows outwards, not behind you. Tuck your chin to your chest and lower your body to feel a deep stretch in your chest and then press up.

3High PullSets: 4 Reps: 12 Rest: 30 seconds

> Hold the bar in front of your thighs, hands outside shoulder width. Bend your hips and lower the bar to just above your knees. Explosively extend your hips and pull the bar up to mid-chest.

4aEZ-bar SkullcrusherSets: 4 Reps: 12 Rest: 0 seconds

> Hold an EZ-curl bar with a shoulder-width grip and lie back on a flat bench. Press the bar over your chest and then bend your elbows until the bar nearly touches your forehead. Extend your elbows to press the weight back up.

4bCross-body Hammer CurlSets: 4 Reps: 12 (each arm) Rest: 30 seconds

> Hold a dumbbell in each hand with arms at your sides. Curl the left-hand dumbbell across your body so it ends up under your right shoulder. Your palm should be facing, and kept close to, your chest. Complete your reps on that side and then switch sides and repeat.