Your Strength Training Program

Your Strength Training Program

Workout 1

For this workout, you'll need:

* a chair or bench

* push-up bar grips to relieve your wrists during press-ups (optional)

Wall press-ups

Pointers: Don't force it

Where you'll feel it: In the joints (shoulders, elbows, wrists) and muscles (pecs)

Sets and reps: Three sets of 15 reps, with 30 seconds of recovery between sets.

Press-ups

Pointers: Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, press your elbows out as you lower down, and go all the way until you can "kiss" the ground, keeping your head aligned with your spine.

Where you'll feel it: In the muscles in the center and lower part of your pecs, the front of your shoulders and your triceps

Sets and reps: Three sets of 10 press-ups, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of recovery between sets

Raised press-ups

Pointers: Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, press your elbows out as you lower down, and go all the way until you can touch your nose to the ground, keeping your head aligned with your spine.


Where you'll feel it: In the muscles in the upper part of your pecs, the front of your shoulders and your triceps


Sets and reps: Three sets of 10 press-ups, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of recovery between sets

Chair lunges

Pointers: Cross your hands over your chest, look straight ahead, and knee and hip on the chair in alignment, and mount only using your leg on the chair, raising your free leg as high as possible

Where you'll feel it: In the quad and hamstring, glute and calf of the leg on the chair

Sets and reps: Three sets of 20 press-ups, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of recovery between sets.

Leg lifts

Pointers: Keep your hands under your bum, head raised, legs straight

Where you'll feel it: Lower belly

Sets and reps: 100 reps with short breaks (10 seconds)

Sit-ups

Pointers: Cross your hands over your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the floor

Where you'll feel it: Upper belly

Sets and reps: 100 reps with short breaks (10 seconds)

Workout 2

* a bench

* a bar rack

* a bar

* discs to load on the bar

Bench press

Pointers: Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, point your elbows out as you lower down and round your chest

Where you'll feel it: In the muscles in the center and lower part of your pecs, the front of your shoulders and your triceps

Sets and reps: Three sets of 10 to 12 reps, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of recovery between sets

Deadlift

Pointers: Keep your upper body straight, look straight ahead of you, push your bum back and contract your trapezius muscles, keeping your shoulders down

Where you'll feel it: Lower back, glutes and hamstrings

Sets and reps: Three sets of 12 to 15 reps, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of recovery between sets

Squats

Pointers: Look straight ahead of you, feet shoulder width apart, toes pointing slightly outwards, and press your bum back as you lower down, keeping your upper body straight. Drop your hips below knee level and allow your knees to move slightly forward as you lower down.

Where you'll feel it: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves

Sets and reps: Three sets of 20 reps, with 90 seconds to 2 minutes of recovery between sets

Leg lifts

Pointers: Keep your hands under your bum, head raised, legs straight

Where you'll feel it: Lower belly

Sets and reps: 100 reps with short breaks (10 seconds)

Sit-ups

Pointers: Cross your hands over your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the floor


Where you'll feel it: Upper belly


Sets and reps: 100 reps with short breaks (10 seconds)

Workout 3

* a bench

* a bar rack

* a bar

* discs to load on the bar

Bench press

Pointers: Keeping your legs straight, raise them as high as possible and maintain a consistent pace so you don't swing. Lower down quickly but with control to work your core.

Where you'll feel it: Middle abs

Sets and reps: Three sets of 20 reps

Crunches

Pointers: Cross your hands over your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the floor

Where you'll feel it: Upper belly

Sets and reps: 100 reps with short breaks (10 seconds)

Pull-ups

Pointers: Place your hands wider than shoulder width apart, raise yourself until you can touch your chin to the bar, pull your elbows back, and keep your shoulder blades down.

Where you'll feel it: In the lower position, a deep stretch in the shoulder blades; in the upper position, in the latissimus dorsi.

Sets and reps: Three sets of 10 to 15 reps

Dumbbell rows

Pointers: Keep your back straight, shoulders higher than your hips, and look ahead of you. Stretch your back deeply during the lower phase of the exercise and contract your back as you come up, keeping your shoulders back. Bring the dumbbells forward as you lower down and towards your hips as you come up.

Where you'll feel it: A stretch in the back during the lower phase, and in the latissimus dorsi during the upper phase along with engagement of the obliques

Sets and reps: Three sets of 12 reps

Bench press

Pointers: Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, point your elbows out as you lower down and round your chest

Where you'll feel it: In the muscles in the center and lower part of your pecs, the front of your shoulders and your triceps

Sets and reps: Three sets of 10 to 12 reps

Incline bench press

Pointers: Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder width apart, point your elbows out as you lower down and round your chest

Where you'll feel it: In the muscles in the upper part of your pecs, the front of your shoulders and your triceps

Sets and reps: Three sets of 10 to 12 reps

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