Intermediate Difficulty with Advanced Modifications provided
intermediate workout

Let’s pump it up! This 35 minute upper body workout is great for both men and women. The routines focuses on your chest, back, shoulders, triceps, and biceps.It’s designed to help you build strength and gain lean muscle using minimal equipment. You’ll need a pair of dumbbells and either a bench, box, or chair.

Warm Up
Shoulder Complex
Bent Over T’s, I’s, Y’s
Punchout

Upper Body Workout at Home

A1: Seated Bent Over Row 3×10
A2: Elevated Chair Dips / Chair Dips 3×10
B1: Straight Arm Reverse Fly 2×12
B2: Two Stage Wall Curls 2×12
B3: Wide Push Ups / from Knees 2×12
C1: Lying Straight Arm Fly 2×12
C2: 2:1 Triceps Extension to Narrow Press 2×12
D1: Dumbbell Front Raise + Shrug 2×12
D2: Dumbbell Curl + Kickback Combo 2×12
D2: Iso Dumbbell Twists 2×15

Cool Down
Waterfall
Rotator Cuff Stretch
Wall Pullover
Chest Opener

Transcript
[Music] what’s up has four tribe it’s your personal trainer coach Kozak and I’m Claudia and this is an upper body strength and muscle building workout this routine requires a bench box or step and then also a pair of dumbbells and the weight that you use will be completely dependent upon your fitness level you can follow along with me for the standard moves and you can follow me for some easier modifications if you’re ready to go let’s pump it up [Music] alright let’s get started by warming up our upper bodies and our shoulders specifically with a shoulder complex so with your shoulders back good posture elbows are in and elbows are at bent at a 90 degree angle let’s go ahead and raise those elbows up to our sides and now let’s pull those hands back reach straight up overhead and then reverse it hold down on the elbows bring the hands back and elbows down in to the side so we’re gonna repeat that same sequence making sure to breathe nice and controlled loosening up those shoulders or rotator cuffs as well as our scapula’s as we move through the sequence this is also a great one to help improve your posture you know if you’re somebody who sits at a desk a lot or spends a lot of time driving it’s a great one to just open up those shoulders and help you regain that posture just moving through this sequence we’re not counting any reps in today’s warm-up just moving at a nice warm-up controlled pace leave plenty of time for the work coming up let’s go through it one more time and five four three two one zero all right shake those shoulders loose whoo all right now let’s warm up our back shoulders and chest we’re gonna do a bent over sequence so feet shoulder-width apart let’s bend over on a 45 degree angle we’re gonna start with the bent over teeth so with our pinkies up we’re gonna bring our straight arms up and out to the side this is gonna loosen up your chest as well as your shoulders and back keep your head in line with your spine nice full range of motion bring the hands all the way down and all the way up and as I said keeping those pinkies up on this one great move here if you suffer from any shoulder impingements helps to loosen up those shoulders keep that back nice and straight yeah we don’t want our head up but I said keep that head and lying with your spine now let’s move into a bent-over Y so we’re gonna bring those thumbs up now and bring the arms up and out into a wide formation so not straight up and not straight out to the side but instead creating a Y formation nice controlled pace here and as we’re going through this hopefully your mobility is improving from wrap to wrap as we’re loosening up and let’s finish up with a I so now bringing those arms straight up overhead and keeping those thumbs up straight up in the air finishing or trying to finish with our biceps by our ears again breathing one into the next here four five four three two one alright love that sequence yeah me too I always feel better after work right now all right let’s move into a punch out neck so we’re gonna loosen up that upper body at the same time get our heart rate up just a little bit here and also improve and I’m sorry increase our overall body temperature bring those hands back to your chin full range of motion I could use a little warming up it is cold in the gym today it is chilly all right lower range of motion sending those arms a little bit of core twist in at the same time warming them up here not much left let’s go last ten seconds let’s go punch punch punch not that stress four five four three two one zero all right I’m feeling warm right I’m good yeah all right let’s do it we’re getting started with a superset we’re gonna go back and forth between two exercises and for these two exercises you’re gonna need that bench chair or box yeah talked about an introduction we’re starting with a seated bent over row so from a seated position I have my two dumbbells we’re both gonna be performing the same move on this one we’re gonna bend over at a 45 degree angle keeping our back straight shoulders are back keeping her head in line with our back we’re gonna perform a full range of motion rope pulling back on those dumbbells all the way up and all the way down we’re gonna do 10 repetitions in total nice and under control all right let’s get it going three two one begin and again the shoulders stay back we don’t want your head up like this while you’re doing it but instead keeping that head and lying with your spine control the way up and control the way down that’s halfway already we’re gonna talk a lot today about time under tension and making sure we’re controlling both ends of the move and that is very true for this one nine and last one right here and ten good okay we can actually set your dumbbells to the side for the next one is we’re gonna use our body weight so again we’re gonna need that chair bench or box or whatever you have we’re gonna show you a couple different variations on this one we’re moving into a chair dip now I’m gonna perform this move with my feet elevated and this is gonna be the most difficult variation and I’m actually going to be performing the chair dip with my feet on the ground there’s a couple of variations here too you can either do it this way with your legs extended or at a 90 degree angle our hands are on the bench we’re gonna lower bodies until they get to a 90 degree arm start to our elbows get to a 90 degree angle and then extend back up all right ready let’s do it ten repetitions in total all the way up all the way down you decide which variation is right for you nice full range of motion and maybe you start with the harder variation you need to move to an easier one or maybe you start with an easier one and you’re feeling good by the end and you move to a hard one three more we encourage you to make this routine work for you excellent last one right here and zero good okay so that’s the end of the first round of the superset we’re doing this three times in total so one down two more to go all right so we’re moving on to that back to that seated bent over row we’re gonna need our dumbbells in our chair set up keeping the pace up here sitting down home back on those elbows and three two one begin again nice full range of motion and this we’re alternating a push and a pulling exercise so while our back muscles are resting our chest muscles are working and vice-versa it’s a great technique to help you keep the pace up nice full range of motion pulling back on those elbows like you have a string attached to them on every rep don’t pull back on the hands but you would pull them back on the elbows last one right here all right all right feeling good already so really good dumbbells off to the side right back into those chair dips again you decide which variation is appropriate for you ten repetitions here we go back muscles are resting and this one our chest triceps and shoulders are working together and begin inhale on the way down exhale on the way up that’s a good tip controlling that breathing and again controlling both ends of the move that means on the way down and on the way up and if you feel yourself starting to do shorter half reps we’re not going down until those elbows get to a 90 then we recommend you switch to an easier version two more nice almost there last one zero all right two down of each we got one more to go feeling I’m feeling strong I don’t know about you guys yeah we’re jumping right into this with these two moves okay grab in those dumbbells and again if you need to mix up your weight change up your weight whether it’s heavier lighter feel free to do so anytime definitely okay been over 45-degree angle pull back on those elbows last one of these last one let’s hit it pull them back on those elbows yeah every time good posture keep those shoulders retracted squeeze in those back muscles on every rep this one’s working our lats our biceps forearms even lower back a little bit just to hold and maintain this position excellent work three more last three of these full range of motion get them all the way up there last one right here make it count boom don’t cross those off the list keeping this pace up whoo moving on to those chair dips back to these chair dips all right back is resting chest shoulders triceps are working let’s do it and three two one begin full range of motion and again if you start with the heart or an easier variation you need to mix it up we encourage you to do so that’s gonna be the key throughout today’s workout halfway is modifying it to meet your needs come on let’s go pushing it right here what did you come here for focusing on it last one who would burn so good excellent all right next up we’re gonna do a try set so we have three exercises we’re going to do two sets of all three getting started with a straight arm reverse fly and I’m gonna warn you straight ahead that you’re probably not gonna need that much weight for this one definitely not I’m going as low as I could go on the weight scale to adjust your weight accordingly we’re bending over at a 45 degree angle or arms are straight palms are facing in we’re keeping those arms straight we’re gonna bring the arms up till parallel to the ground squeeze the middle of our back and return twelve repetitions in total let’s get it going together and begin squeeze the middle of your back on every rep again nice and under control on these not about not a race we don’t want to allow momentum to take over and also we want to make sure we’re controlling the descent or the lowering phase of this move don’t just allow the dumbbells to flop back down at the bottom and I said really control them every rap won’t you squeeze the middle of your back like I have my finger right in the middle of your back and trying to squeeze my finger we have two more that was ten so working those upper back muscles as well as your rhomboids last one last one make a count boom alright next we’re moving into is a bicep move I’m going to go a little bit heavier for this one if you want to use the same weight if you only have one set of dumbbells that’s okay as well so we’re gonna grab our dumbbells two of them and make our way on over to a wall we’re gonna do a two-stage wall curl so with our back flat up against the wall it’s gonna put our upper arms flat against the wall palms are facing forward now here’s the two-stage part we’re going to curl till those elbows get to a 90 pause and then finish the curl and then all the way back down that’s one doing 12 in total three two one begin up pause it at 90 and then finish and we’re again we’re controlling the way up as well as the way down this one’s really working that time under tension yes it’s about the weight but it’s also really about that time under tension and controlling the weight excellent and the reason why we’re up against the wall on this one is because it really takes away our ability to use momentum and just swing our arms so many times we’re performing curls our bicep moves momentum really takes over but it’s hard to let momentum interfere when you’re up against the wall like this making sure to breathe not holding your breath excellent and we’re breathing in on the easiest part of the move so it’s gonna be the lowering phase breathing in as we lower and then breathing out exhaling as we curl up two more we’re almost there biceps are burning iron tars are burning two last one fighting with you right here let’s go has fit tried and 1200 good shake those dumbbells down oh not much a relief coming though we’re gonna move to the floor and we’re moving into a wide grip pushup so for this one we’re gonna have our hands wider than a traditional pushup and our fingers pointed out I’m gonna be up on my feet for this one and I’m gonna be down on my knees you decide which variation is right for you we’re gonna lower our body until the elbows reach a 90-degree angle and then press off the palms back up again it’s 12 repetitions doing it together come on let’s go three two one begin so on this one as our back and biceps are resting our chest triceps and shoulders are working together inhale on the way down and you’re in exhale as you exert and push up exactly and the reason for the wide grip or the whole wide hand positioning on this one is it places more emphasis on your chest and hits it from a little different angle than a traditional push-up would just a way to mix it up anytime you can mix it up it can help you overcome and blast through those plateaus breathing in on the way down three more exhaling on the way up you got it half a try two more almost there pushing right to the end last one make it count boom there it is excellent okay so that’s one time through this try set one more one more to go so one more man I’m using that light weight again we’ll take it out straight arm flies straight on reverse flyes bending over at a 45 arms are straight and let’s begin twelve repetitions in total again we’re controlling the way up and the way down and if you’re having trouble with the weight on this one you drop it or I mean even a couple water bottle soup cans will do the trick on this one it is a hard move it doesn’t look like much but when done right it was challenging that’s true excellent come on keep grinding through it right here one right into the next controlling that descent that lowering phase boy here we are here we are last one and zero all right let’s work those biceps next all right I’m gonna drop the weight a little too heavy the first time around and that’s it make adjusting the workout to meet your needs that’s right okay here we go up against the wall shoulders are back upper arms are up against the wall two-stage wall curl well let’s get at it up pause finish that curl and control the descent and that’s it right here as this workout progresses and continues to get tougher it’s gonna be up to you to remind yourself why you press that play button today what it is it made you start this workout and that’s gotta be your driver your motivator to get you through to the end because it is gonna be tough and when times get tough you got to have a reason or a purpose for being cool feeling good that’s the halfway point pushing through that burn fighting through it right here come on let’s go every repetition is getting you just that much closer to your goal getting that upper arm glued to the wall we are burning to two more right there with you let’s go come on finish strong it has to drive finish strong Oh last one let’s go let’s go let’s go boom oh there it is ah no more of those No check those off your list but you do have some wide push-ups that’s true she speaks the truth let’s hit the floor everybody but you can do it you’ve already done it once that’s it those who believe they can and those who believe they can’t are both right which one are you right now let’s do it fingers pointed out I’m up on my feet down on my knees and we are beginning 12 reps in total ideally you’re coming down into those elbows get to a 90-degree angle and then you’re pressing right back up inhale exhale all the way up that’s it focus on that breathing focus on that motivator go on to your happy place thinking about anything other than how bad it’s burning halfway let’s go think about how great you’re gonna feel when this workouts all done think about what would happen if you stopped working out and never exercised again one right into the next come on two more that’s it finish strong has to drive let’s do it last one and 12 excellent we’re going to need two dumbbells for our next superset and we’re headed to the floor so we’re starting with a lying straight arm fly going down onto our backs we’re gonna extend those dumbbells straight up overhead with our arms straight palms facing in now we’re gonna lower those dumbbells keeping those arms straight nice and under control don’t bounce them off the floor and then raise the dumbbells straight back up and squeeze our chest 12 repetitions in total doing it together you know the drill 3 2 1 and begin nice and under control all the way down and all the way up I’m not going to take a lot of weight on this one again focusing keeping those arms straight and also keep those dumbbells in line with your chest don’t allow them to hover over your face or your head and in doing so it would allow your shoulders to take over but we really want your chat to be a primary mover on this one yes your shoulders are going to be involved as well inhaling on the way down and you’re going to exhale on the movement up that’s it we don’t want you to relax or to rest at the bottom either so while you are tapping the ground with those dumbbells don’t actually set the dumbbells down or take a moment to rest again it’s all about that time under tension I really want those muscles to do the work we don’t want momentum to take over or your ligaments and tendons to do the work but again making those muscles work here eight that’s a nice and under control much easier to just bounce those dumbbells off the floor but we are resisting that temptation you got it not many left last two that’s right breathing in inhaling on the way down and exhaling as we come together and squeeze that chest up at the top last one right here make an account and squeeze good job okay keeping those dumbbells up we’re gonna move right into the next one no break now we’re gonna do a two-in-one exercise on the way down we’re gonna only bend at the elbows keeping the palms facing in we’re gonna do a tricep extension when you get to the bottom bring those elbows to the floor and we’re gonna press up in an arrow press so it’s two and one on the way down that negative move is gonna be a negative tricep extension roll the dumbbells over and then press straight up doing 12 all together well count this one is to what confidence – yeah sorry I didn’t officially say to begin there my bad everybody that’s three nice and control on the way down good and the point of this two-in-one move is you want to try to use a weight that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to do twelve repetitions on the way up and the way down and that’s why you got to do the narrow press on the way up so we’re just focusing on that negative overloading that negative portion on the tricep extension on that lowering phase this is the halfway point on that tricep extension really trying to keep that keep your elbows pointed up straight in the sky only bending at the elbows really emphasizing that and it’ll help us to isolate our triceps on this movement good under control another move here would be a lot easier just to let the dumbbells flop up and down we’re staying under control two more almost there fighting through it together right there with us we tried good good good last one and zero okay keep those dumbbells up or now letting them go yet that’s one down one to go we’re headed right back into those straight arm flies begin yes by the end of this superset your chest and shoulders are gonna be on fire that’s alright that’s how we know it’s working twelve straight arm flies coming straight at you let’s do it fighting together wrap by red reminding yourself what it is it made you press that play button something got you moving today you’re working towards something whether you’re trying to gain muscle improve your strength or just get better your life and day to day activities whatever it is staying focused on it what is your why what’s your reason for being here today halfway point six more recognizing that every repetition is getting you just that much closer to your goals squeezing your chest up at the top excellent work almost there fighting to the end of this one I’m not gonna stop when it hurts we’re gonna stop when we’re done three more that’s it only three more that’s it you got it you got it nice and under control don’t pick up the pace I know it’s tempting to do so and here’s your last one coming up here it is here it is last one and squeeze that chest on the way up okay here we are back into the tricep extension and narrow press and begin only bend at those elbows on the way down roll them over and press that’s one down 11 to go finish this superset strong you got it right here never said it’d be easy but it will be worth it think about how good you’re gonna feel when this workout is all done every repetition getting us just that much closer come on house for trial what do you got right here making a count and exceed our own expectations today just ain’t under control on the way down man my tricep sir lighten up on fire that’s your halfway point II only have six more to go burn so good come on last six right here stay tough everybody stay tough right there with you this is it finishing this superset you’ve made it this far do not quit now bite into the end three more that’s it only three more you got this that’s nothing three reps now two reps oh come on let’s go stop trying to make people laugh here it is whatever it takes to get your mind off those surprises come on here it is last one oh shit zero one job alright we’re coming back up onto our feet for the next one we’re moving into another try set so we have three exercises and again we’re doing two sets of each two sets so grabbing our two dumbbells we’re gonna move into a dumbbell front raise plus shrug combination move here feet are shoulder-width apart palms are at our side facing in we’re gonna raise those dumbbells up and at the same time we’re gonna twist like work pouring out a glass of return back to your side and then dumbbell shrug bringing your shoulders to your ears so two-for-one there we’re doing 12 repetitions not gonna take a lot of weight on this one all right let’s begin so coming up and then we’re pouring out our glass of water tumbles back to the side and shrug repeat 12 repetitions in total you got a little combo move here this shrug is gonna work your traps and this front raise is gonna work your anterior deltoids which is your in front of your shoulders making sure to breathe and again staying under control both moves here that’s a halfway point already really easy to just use momentum and use it momentum to flop those dumbbells up but we’re staying under control especially on the way back down excellent one right in the next year adjusting your weight as you do more Oh aren’t so good here well finishing strong zero good okay we got to move for our arms next another combo move here all right I’m gonna use the same weight for this one we’re gonna do a combo dumbbell curl plus tricep kickbacks or bellever on a 45 degree angle let’s pull those elbows up until they’re parallel to our bodies and they’re just gonna stay there the whole time now we’re gonna perform a curl bringing our pinkies in and then we’re gonna extend at the elbow pinkies out performing a tricep extension and return so that’s 12 repetitions on this one let’s get it going and Dumbo’s up elbows up curl pinkies in and pinkies out that’s one repetition pinkies in pinkies out pinkies in pinkies out this one’s working our biceps and our triceps at the same time again we’re trying our best to eliminate any swinging or momentum and keeping those elbows up whole move good concentrate on those pinkies we’re ready on number eight that’s it come on one reading the next here arms are on fire two more so we know it’s working last one and zero good okay one last one in this tricep we are burning out those arms yes we are my goodness okay I’m moving into a dumbbell isometric twist so let’s get those elbows at a 90 degree angle palms are facing up elbows are locked into our side we’re gonna twist those palms so they’re facing down and then back that’s one rep we’re doing that 12 times 15 times I’m sorry 15 times whoo sorry guys wishful thinking I guess 15 it is 15 times okay let’s do it palms are facing up and heading up again twist them down and up that’s one good under control and you are going to need to go to your happy place on this one because it is gonna burn you got to be stronger than that burn pushing past it this one’s working our biceps as well as our forearms and grip Oh working together on this one good this is number nine it is more than halfway done two thirds of the way hey kit come on let’s go up one into the next right here fight and pass that burn stronger than that two more here we are last round and zero oh goodness gracious bicep pump going now I’m gonna shake it out I think I’m gonna lower my weight for this next roll around I want to make sure I’m using proper form that’s true so if you need to do so feel free otherwise we’re getting right back into that dumbbell front raise and twist left drugged shoulders are back and last set last set of these let’s do it palms facing one another pour out that glass of water return and shrug and repeat excellent job one into the next year pouring out that glass of water on every rep and while it’s not required that’s why we do recommend having a couple pairs of dumbbells available at different weights just in case you need to mix it up you see today I’m using these power block dumbbells half way and they help help me to just have more variations to choose from we do have the link available in the video description for them one in the next right here right and through that barn it’s the last set of these come on and you have two more that’s it almost there we’re right there with you have a try last one let’s go twist it shrug it out nice work oh that was it okay good thank you goodness okay moving on to a dumbbell curl plus kickback and Ted the burn I’m starting to take over my goodness I know I had to snap out of it actually I’m gonna go up and wait a little bit for my curls bending over at a 45 degree angle elbows are up and let’s do 12 pinkies in and then pinkies out on that tricep kickback excellent wire every muscle groups getting hit and this upper-body workout today very efficient workout there’s a lot of compound moves here get multiple muscles at the same time six six more come on make an account right here everybody what did you come here for stronger than that burn right here so all about that mental toughness your arms are telling you don’t have anything left but they’re lying to you last one right here no bone hair it is see how fast that goes let’s test that mental toughness let’s see if this last one goes fast mind over matter right here you’re in control palms are up elbows are in 15 times finish strong let’s begin twist and back good this is it right here think about how good you’re gonna feel when this workout is all done don’t quit don’t give up I don’t hit that pause button working all the way to the end right here come on finish strong finishing strong get those elbows bent at a 90 almost there ten times more testing their mental toughness right here come on prove to yourself how tough you are right here right now this is it come on two more and last one let’s get it ah set those dumbbells down my arms are feeling like jello huh I’m gonna feel this huh at about 3:00 in the morning and I try to roll over and it’s gonna kick in all right we’re gonna move into a cool-down next the purpose of the cooldown is just to allow our heart rate to come down slowly and at the same time gain a little added flexibility and mobility work first we’re gonna do is gonna be a waterfall really work those biceps wrists forearms today this is gonna help them out so sort that elbow in and then let’s pull those fingertips back and at the same time we’re gonna pull up or bring that elbow up nice and slow and waterfall all the way down pull back on those fingers feeling that stress really nice on the biceps right yeah yeah I suppose after all those curls and forearm – and your wrist forearm biceps all feeling it they all got a lot of working today we’re just gonna hold for 5 4 3 2 1 0 shake that arm out let’s move on to the other arm next again pulling back on those fingers slowly bringing them down while at the same time pulling up on bringing up on that elbow and breathe there it is and then any of these static stretches were getting to about 85 90 percent of what we’re capable of want to feel a good stretch but we don’t want to feel any pain and just pull them back nice big deep breaths here when that heart rate come back down yeah strength training really can increase your heart rate yeah you don’t have to jump around to get your heart rate up you’ll have to go for a jog that’s for sure and three two one relax excellent alright next we’re gonna move into a rotator cuff stretch so I’m gonna take my hand and place it behind my lower back and I’m actually gonna place mine on my right hip you just I what’s right for you now I’m gonna reach and grab behind my elbow and gently pull it forward but if you can’t quite reach your elbow you can also grab your tricep and pull it forward just overall great stretch for our rotator cuffs you know each one of us has our own set of unique obstacles that we’re working to overcome we recently heard from a member of the has fit tribe named Greg who was telling us about how he was diagnosed with arthritis at a young age but how strength training has really helped him to alleviate pain and slow down the symptoms go ahead and switch sides and we really want to know what obstacles it is that you’re facing and what you’re doing to overcome them leave it in the comments section below let’s motivate and inspire one another that’s it let’s build one another up and push past those obstacles together that’s right gently pulling forward on that elbow four three two one zero I shake them loose all right let’s head over to the law for our next stretch we’re going to do a wall pullover so I want you to put your lower back middle back upper back shoulders all flat on the wall as well as your head so get into that position now palms facing inward we’re gonna raise those arms straight up overhead pull them overhead stretch those shoulders and then lower them so this is an active stretch we’re just going through this full dynamic range of motion here trying to keep our backs flush to the wall as best as we can and this one is going to test your flexibility for sure this is a great one again to improve that posture and we spend so much time hunched over looking at her phone sitting down I really need to be constantly working on bringing those shoulders back loosening every thing up this is a great one to do that you might not be able to come all the way up and touch the wall behind you and that’s okay do the best you can every time you repeat this stretch you’ll get just a little bit better at it or you may be better at we are than it and that’s great too we definitely still have room to improve nice slow deep breaths here just repeating this one four five four three two one zero good all right let’s finish up with one last one we’re gonna do a chest opener open up that chest okay so let’s go ahead and interlace or interlock those fingers behind our back we’re gonna pull your shoulders back and at the same time push your chest forward now if you want a little extra stretch you can bend over and bring those arms up overhead as you’re doing it or you can just stay up in the upright position you decide which one you prefer but just pulling back on those arms beyond that big stretch in your chest again another great one to open you up and help improve that posture just a static stretch on this one so we’re just holding and let’s do this one four five four three two one zero relax up nice and slow and shake those arms out you made it that’s it one more high five boom high five to you out there thank you so much for working out with us and pushing it through right to the very end we’d ask you please support our mission of keeping these great workouts free you can do so by downloading our free app it’s available for both iOS and Android you can also stop by our store pick up a t-shirt some has fit gear or my book stay fit for life don’t forget to give this video a big thumbs up and hit that red subscribe button so that you never miss another brand new workout from has fit again thank you so much for working out with us today it’s been our privilege I’m coach Kozak and I’m Claudia and we will see you at your next workout