This six-week, three-days-a-week routine centers around free-weight compound (or multijoint) exercises that recruit more total muscle with each rep. This will help you burn calories while simultaneously tightening and shaping your musculature in all the right places. This program consists of two different workouts, both of which work the whole body. Complete three workouts every week. Some weeks you’ll do Workout 1 twice and Workout 2 once; the next week you’ll do Workout 1 once and Workout 2 twice. Rest 1–2 minutes between circuits.
“Most gym-goers looking to add strength and increase muscle tone can benefit from this type of intermediate programming,” says Chere Lucett, an Arizona-based certified personal trainer and performance enhancement specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) who designed this program. “And since it’s a circuit, you’ll be in the gym for 45–60 minutes, max.”
Begin each workout with a five-minute warm-up (stationary bicycle or a brisk walk on the treadmill are good options). From there you’ll dive straight into the iron, performing three sets of 6–10 slow, controlled reps on each exercise, circuit-style. Remember, your 10 reps should be challenging. Vary your exercises from week to week to alter the muscular emphasis. You’ll finish by working your core with three sets of 10 on three separate exercises — exercise-ball crunches, exercise-ball Russian twists and weighted exercise-ball crunches.
Intro To Intermediate Workout 1
Introduction To Intermediate Level Workout I
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Warmup
–
5 Mins
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
3
6-10
Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
3
6-10
Standing Overhead Dumbbell Press
3
6-10
Standing Dumbbell Curl
3
6-10
Lying Triceps Extension
3
6-10
Dumbbell Squat
3
6-10
Perform 20-30 minutes of high intensity cardio 2-3 times a week.
Intro To Intermediate Workout 2
Introduction To Intermediate Level Workout 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Warmup
5 Mins.
Incline Dumbbell Press
3
6-10
Front Pulldown
3
6-10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
3
6-10
Seated Dumbbell Curl
3
6-10
Dumbbell Kickback
3
6-10
Dumbbell Step Up
3
6-10
Perform 20-30 minutes of high intensity cardio 2-3 times a week.
1 of 10
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STANDING OVERHEAD DUMBBELL PRESS
Targets: Shoulders; back, triceps secondarily
Start: Press the weights upward in an arc until they’re overhead. Stop just short of the dumbbells touching and return to the start position along the same arc.
2 of 10
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BENT-OVER DUMBBELL ROW
Targets: Back; rear delts secondarily
Start: Stand next to a bench and lean forward at the waist, placing your inside hand and knee on the bench for support. Grasp a dumbbell in your outside hand with a neutral grip and fully extend your arm toward the floor. Keep your low back slightly arched, chin down and head neutral.
Movement: Pull the weight toward your hip, making sure to keep your elbow close to your body throughout the movement. Squeeze your back hard at the top and slowly return to the start position.
3 of 10
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STANDING DUMBBELL CURL
Targets: Biceps
Start: Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides with a palms-up (supinated) grip, your thumbs wrapped around the handles.
Movement: Curl the weights up as high as possible without allowing your elbows to drift forward from your sides. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top before returning to the start position
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DUMBBELL SQUAT
Targets: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes
Start: Stand holding a pair of dumbbells at shoulder level, hands neutral. Your eyes should be forward, knees slightly bent, lower back in a slight arch.
Movement: Push your glutes and hips back while simultaneously bending your knees, as if you were going to sit in a chair. Maintaining the arch in your lower back, lower to a point where your thighs are parallel to the floor, then reverse the motion by pressing through your heels to return to the start position.
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IvanRiver
DUMBBELL KICKBACK
Targets: Triceps
Start: Stand next to a bench and lean forward at the waist, placing your inside hand and knee on the bench for support. Grasp a dumbbell in your outside hand with a neutral grip and bring your upper arm next to your body, parallel to the floor.
Movement: Keeping your upper arm in place, straighten your elbow and hold the contraction for a second, then return to the start position.
6 of 10
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Incline Dumbbell Press
Targets: Chest, Triceps, Shoulders
Start: Stand next to a bench and lean forward at the waist, placing your inside hand and knee on the bench for support. Grasp a dumbbell in your outside hand with a neutral grip and bring your upper arm next to your body, parallel to the floor.
Movement: Keeping your upper arm in place, straighten your elbow and hold the contraction for a second, then return to the start position.
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Front Pulldown
Targets: Deltoids,Lats
Start: Stand next to a bench and lean forward at the waist, placing your inside hand and knee on the bench for support. Grasp a dumbbell in your outside hand with a neutral grip and bring your upper arm next to your body, parallel to the floor.
Movement: Keeping your upper arm in place, straighten your elbow and hold the contraction for a second, then return to the start position.
8 of 10
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Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Targets: Shoulders, Lats
Start: Stand next to a bench and lean forward at the waist, placing your inside hand and knee on the bench for support. Grasp a dumbbell in your outside hand with a neutral grip and bring your upper arm next to your body, parallel to the floor.
Movement: Keeping your upper arm in place, straighten your elbow and hold the contraction for a second, then return to the start position.
9 of 10
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Dumbbell Step Up
Targets: Legs
Start: Stand in front of pylobox or any raised surface. Dumbbells should be at your side.
Movement: Step up onto the pylobox. Step down from pylobox.
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Jasminko Ibrakovic
Dumbbell Press
Targets: Triceps
Start: Lying down on a bench with dumbells resting on shoulders. Feet should be planted firmly to the ground.
Movement: Starting in the negative position. Riase the dumbbells directly above your chest. Slowly lower the dumbbells and repeat.
