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This No-Fuss Workout Blasts Your Chest and Back, Without Going to the Gym
If your local fitness facility is suddenly
very busy, this dumbbell session means you can still get a huge pump in a socially distanced style. Andrew Tracey Eva-KatalinGetty Images
It feels good to be back in the gym, doesn t it? But with everyone headed back in their droves for a fitness fix- it can seem like kit is hard to come by, especially during peak hours.
All you need for this upper body-building beast of a workout is a pair of dumbbells and a quiet corner.
Get suitably socially distanced, set a timer for 20 minutes and work your way through the following circuit as many times as possible, resting only as necessary to keep your form sharp.
This Calorie-Burning Dumbbell Workout Strengthens Your Chest, Back and Arms For Real Size
Grab your dumbbells this lung-burner utilises the ‘complex’ technique to torch through calories whilst building some seriously functional strength. Andrew Tracey
In this workout, you’re going to be working in an AMRAP (as many reps as possible) format. Set a timer for 20 minutes and work your way around our dumbbell complex as many times as possible, resting as necessary to maintain impeccable form. But moving at a sweaty pace, obviously.
Your ‘score’ is the total number of reps you achieve before the time is up. Keep track of your score and aim to beat it next time for guaranteed progress.
Shape Studio: Lift Society At-Home Strength Circuits Shape 2/19/2021
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Remember this number: eight reps. Why? According to a new study in the
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, aiming for a weight that you can do just eight reps per set gets your strengthening and sculpting done fastest. Basically, what determines the results you get from your lifts is training volume, or the amount of weight you hoist multiplied by the number of reps and sets you do.
In the study, exercisers bench-pressed twice a week with the same training volume: four heavy reps for seven sets, eight moderate reps for four sets, or 12 lighter reps for three sets. All groups firmed their chest muscles equally, but the four- and eight- rep groups got the bigger strength gains with the latter spending half as much time on the bench as the heavy lifters. (Related: The Major Health and Fitness Benefits of Lifting Heavy Weights)