Arms and Abs Circuit Workout

Happy Happy Wednesday friends!  Today is our last day of school with students and teachers get to check out tomorrow so that means SUMMER is on my mind.  When I think about Summer Time and Fitness I know many of you (myself included) are looking to tone up your arms and abs for bikini and tank top season.  I wrote this circuit workout a few weeks ago and have been doing it once a week on my upper body day.  It takes me about 40 minutes to get through the entire workout which is completing each circuit three times.  While I don’t sweat a ton when doing upper body strengthening exercises, I know I’m working hard because my heart rate is elevated and I’m challenging myself when it comes to the weights.  For each exercise I use either 8 or 10 pound dumbbells.  If you’re new to lifting upper body you might want to try 5 pounds.  I love this workout because by the end you’ve done a few exercises for back, chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, and abs.  Remember almost EVERY exercise is working your abs.  You should always be engaging them even when doing an upper or lower body movement.  Below the workout you will find a brief description and picture of each exercise and a few variations and modifications.  Time to get Summer Strong!

Chest Press:  I like doing single arm chest presses because it really focuses on that one side of your chest.  You could also do chest presses on a step or bench.

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Bent Over Row:  Make sure to squeeze and pinch together the muscles in your back each time you row.

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Push-Up:  There are so many different push-up variations be sure to choose the one that’s most challenging for you.  I usually do plyo push-ups, where I jump my arms and legs out like a jumping jack when I go down and them jump them back in on the way back up from the push-up.  It’s super challenging, give it a try!

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Reverse Fly: I like using a resistance band for this exercise, but if you don’t have a band dumbbells work great too.  Again make sure you’re squeezing the muscles in your back each time.

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Plank Jack to Shoulder Press:  I do four plank jacks then get up and do a bicep curl into a shoulder press and do four shoulder presses then go back down.  Do whatever works for you.  The plank jacks really engage your abs and shoulders.

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Mountain Climbers:  Remember you must ‘climb’ with the right and left leg for one rep.

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Lateral Raise:  With this exercise I usually need to drop my weight and sometimes just do one arm at a time.

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V-Crunches:  Make sure to keep your lower back on the ground.  For a challenge hold the upper ‘V’ for 3-5 seconds each rep.

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Tricep Dips:  I usually do these on a bench, the floor works fine too!  Make sure to keep your elbows in near your body so you’re actually working your triceps.

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Concentration Curl:  I do these in a squat position, one aren at a time.  You could also sit on a bench or stability ball.  The key is just to isolate the bicep by placing your elbow on your inner thigh.  Then you’re only using your bicep to lift the weight.

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Tricep Kickbacks:  Make sure to keep a neutral spine, head, neck, shoulders, back all in line.  When pushing the weights back do a small hold when your elbows are extended.

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Reverse Crunches:  When moving your booty up and down really engage your lower abdominal muscles and go up and down smooth with control.

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After I complete this workout it’s Shakeology time!  I love having a shake after a workout.  Usually it’s almond milk, vanilla Shakeology, strawberries, pineapple, and ice.  YUM!

Don’t forget to tag me in a photo of a sweaty selfie if you give this workout a try!  I would love to see your pics of FB or Instagram.

What are your favorite Upper Body strength training exercises?

How do you refuel after a workout?