TRUE Workout: Upper Body Burnout
A strong upper body plays an important role in maintaining your overall health and strength. Not only does a strong upper body help with your posture, it also helps with your speed and stability. This is especially important for runners, who need these benefits in order to run faster and more efficiently.
Exercise Goals
The upper body burnout workout will hit every muscle group in the upper body. You will gain strength from the first 3 movements
performed, and the next 4 movements will work on your conditioning as well as muscular endurance.
Tips Before The Workout
First of all, make sure you complete a proper warm up before diving into this workout. That may consist of some cardio, stretching, or foam rolling. When you get to the first machine, be sure to allow yourself about 3-4 warm up sets. The weight for these sets should be gradually increased to help you find the right weight you will use for the work sets. For example:
- 20lbs x8
- 30lbs x8
- 40lbs x8
- 50lbs x8
This example set was challenging, so this will be your first of 3 work sets.
To adjust this workout for your skill level, there are a few things to consider:
- For a Beginner, use a weight that is moderately challenging but enables you to keep perfect form with every rep.
- For an Intermediate user, use a weight that is challenging to complete all your sets.
- For an Advanced user, use a weight that is very challenging to complete the first set, rest around 3-4 minutes and complete it again at the same weight. This will help maximize strength adaptations.
Proper Forms To Remember For This Workout
- Fuse-1100 Lat Pulldown: Start with fully extended arms. When you initiate the pulldown, try to squeeze your scapula down towards your butt. End with the bar just below your chin, with vertical forearms. Return the bar to the fully extended arm position. Keep your knees on the pad during the whole set.
- If your commercial gym does not have the FUSE-1100 Lat pulldown machine, you can easily use the SD1002 lat row machine to achieve the same results.
- FUSE-0900 Chest Press: When you start to push, make sure your elbows are below your shoulders and your shoulder blades are pinched back together and stay that way. The handles should be below your shoulders to make this possible. Press out till your arms are fully extended keeping neutral wrists and return to the starting position.
- Composite Full Body Press: Starting in a crouched position, push with your legs and your hands (pictured left). At the ending position, your legs and arms will be fully extended. Hold this ending position for a 5 count and really try to squeeze the handles away from you.
- FUSE-1000 Pec Fly: At the start set, push the handles up so they are just behind your shoulders. During the movement keep your elbows slightly bent with your elbows slightly below shoulder level.
- FUSE-1200 Seated Row: Keep your back very straight, do not let your chest sink in and your back curve. When you pull the weight back, let your elbows come back around a 45 degree angle and focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together till the handles are even with your chest.
- FUSE-0600 Biceps Curl: When setting up, be sure your armpits are firmly into the top of the arm rest and your upper arm is flat on the rest. Once set up, keep a big chest and flat back when you curl the handles toward you. Squeeze them up till you cannot move the handles any more.
- FUSE-1500 Triceps Pushdown: If you have wider shoulders, move the handles to the out position. For narrow shoulders, move the handles to the in position. In the starting position try to get your upper arm parallel to the floor and at the extended position your whole arm should be vertical to the floor.
The Workout
Final Thoughts
Always focus on your form with each movement and rep. Make each set somewhat challenging, but not to the point where your form begins to fail. Log the weights used and simply repeat this workout in a week or so to see how much better you have gotten. If you happen to get sore from this workout, make sure you stay active, eat enough healthy foods, and get enough rest. All of these factors will help you recover faster.