Daily Workout- High Rep Training with Shoulders & Abs

February 17, 2012 Workout Routine- High Rep Training with Shoulders/Abs

Muscle Prodigy is committed to helping you with your fitness goals. You need to hit the gym often and hard. However, sometimes it gets overwhelming with what to do in the gym. We're here to break down a structure for you that will include a detailed script of exactly what you should be doing in the gym each day. That's right...every Monday we will post the schedule for the week, meaning that you will have advance notice of exactly what days you should be hitting the gym, which muscle groups you will be training, and which days you have off to give your body adequate rest. Every single morning, we will post the routine of the day, so you know exactly what to do while in the gym.

These routines are exactly what the founders of Muscle Prodigy do, so you know that you are in good hands. We will always stay committed to provide you with tough workouts, but we will never overtrain you like most other programs do. We also show you exactly how to perform the exercises with our before and after pictures and our instructional videos, in which we demonstrate the exercises and walk you through them. Be sure to check back every single day for your structured workout program!

Please check out our Exercise Database to learn how to do any type of workout as well.

Schedule for the Week of February 13, 2012:

Monday: Back/Biceps/Abs
Tuesday: Chest/Triceps/Cardio
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Shoulders/Abs
Saturday: Cardio Only
Sunday: Off

Often times, you see many people in the gym doing reps of 8-12 thinking that those reps are enough to stress the muscles to grow. While this may be true most of the time, you most likely will not see results if you continually do the same amount of reps every single workout session. Think of your body as an active organism that has a tolerance level for anything you do including lifting weights. Your body will get used to doing the same amount of reps each time and it won’t stimulate the muscles to grow properly. While switching around your workout routine may help shock the muscles to new growth, it is often the mundane rep range that will prevent true progress. This week, you are going to focus on doing high reps when you train, even doing up to 50 reps for a set at times. Doing this will inevitably get you stronger and develop more lean muscle mass.

For Friday, February 17, 2012, you will do high-rep training with your shoulders and abs. As your reps decrease, make sure you increase the weight (and vise versa).

Shoulders

1) Military Dumbbell Shoulder Press
20 reps, 40 reps, 50 reps, 20 reps

Sit down on a seat with a back rest with feet sturdily planted on the ground, head looking forward, back straight against the pad but with a slight arch, and abs tight. Kick up the dumbbells with your knees to prevent injury so that each dumbbell is beside your head at ear level. Palms should be facing forward. In one smooth motion, push the dumbbells up until the dumbbells are over your head and arms are locked out. Slowly bring the dumbbells back down to the original position until your arms parallel to the ground.

2) Arnold Press

20 reps, 40 reps, 50 reps, 20 reps

Sit down on a seat with a back rest with feet sturdily planted on the ground, head looking forward, back straight against the pad but with a slight arch, and abs tight. Curl the dumbbells up so the dumbbells are being held by your chest with your arms tucked into your sides. In one smooth motion, push the dumbbells up whilst simultaneously rotating the dumbbells (so palms switch directions 180 degrees) until the dumbbells are over your head and arms are locked out. Slowly bring the dumbbells back down to the original position with the dumbbells in front of your chest and palms facing towards you.

3) Upright Row

3 sets of 20 reps

Stand up with a barbell and feet shoulder-width apart. With the barbell out in front of you (in front of your thighs) and head looking forward, back straight, abs tight, and feet planted, slowly bring the barbell up along your body, as illustrated, using your shoulders while keeping your elbows above your forearms throughout the entire movement. It should be brought up in a linear motion. Hold the barbell up at the top to squeeze the muscle at the top of the movement. Slowly bring the barbell down in a linear movement along your body until your arms are hanging down in front of you again.

4) Bent Over Side Lateral Raise

3 sets of 20 reps

Stand up with a dumbbell in each hand and feet shoulder-width apart, holding the dumbbells out in front of your thighs with arms bent 90 degrees at the elbow (palms should be facing each other). With head looking forward, back straight, body bent over at the waist, abs tight, and feet planted, slowly bring the dumbbell up sideways in an arc-like motion until it is level with your shoulders while keeping your arm bent 90 degrees throughout the motion. Hold them at the top for a brief moment to squeeze your deltoid muscles at the top of the movement. Slowly bring the dumbbells back down in that same arc-like motion until your arms are hanging down in front of your thighs again.

5) Seated Dumbbell Shrug

5 sets of 50 reps

Sit down on a bench, with feet planted on the ground, and a dumbbell in each hand. With the dumbbells in hand and head looking forward, back straight against the pad, abs tight, and feet planted, shrug the dumbbells up using your traps (bring your shoulders and traps up to your ears) keeping your arms fully extended (don't bend your arms). Do not roll your shoulders backward or upward to bring them up either. It should be brought up in a linear motion. Squeeze your traps at the top of the movement. Slowly bring your shoulders down in a linear movement until your arms are hanging down again.

Abs

1) Weighted Rope Crunch
5 sets of 30 reps

Set up a rope at the highest setting. Kneel underneath it so you are curled up with your butt resting upon your heels (feet are flat toes and toes are not curled) and grab it cupping your elbows around your head. Pull the weight down in an arc-like motion pulling with your abs and not your arms until your elbows hit your knees. Hold for a brief moment and squeeze your abs. Return it to the top raising it carefully without overextending yourself.

2) Weighted Decline Twisting Sit-Up

5 sets of 30 reps

Sit down on a decline bench with legs in the given pads to prevent you from falling. Have a buddy hand you a weight (plate or dumbbell). Keep the dumbbell on your chest and in one smooth motion, sit yourself up by using your abs. Keep your head looking forward and don't jerk to get yourself up. Come up to the top where the top is considered before your body is perpendicular to the floor (60 degrees or so) to keep maximum tension (don't sit too far up) by rotating your body towards one side (your elbow should aim to hit your knee). Squeeze your abs at the top. Slowly come back down but do not let your entire back hit the pad. Repeat the rep just before your upper back hits by alternating sudes on each successive repetition.

3) Double Crunch
5 sets of 50 reps

Lie down on the floor on your back, with both hands extended behind your head. Forcefully crunch your body up whilst simultaneously pulling your knees up into your ribcage so that your chest touches your thighs. Hold it there for a brief moment and squeeze the abdominals to maximize blood flow. Slowly come back down to the original position where your arms are fully extended behind your head and your legs extended but not touching the ground (just above).

Be sure to check back every single day for your workout of the day!

Please check out our Exercise Database to learn how to do any type of workout

This is a simplified workout routine that just shows you the number of reps and sets. However, there are many variables that go unaccounted for in this program that we explain fully in our MP45 Program, which will get you more ripped in only 45 days because it hinges on the idea of the type of intensity you must achieve while in the gym. Also, the battle with your physique is won in the kitchen, not just the gym. MP45 includes the most detailed workout program and meal plan for all 45 days, including 300 pages of nutritional and training science depicting exactly why MP45 is so effective. These workouts are very basic ideas of what we do in the gym, which will tremendously help your results, but nutrition is actually responsible for 80% of the way you look. Also, the type of reps you are completing within your set is very important, which is why MP45 is so effective. We explain how to exactly achieve the pump during your workouts and how to completely exhaust your muscle to expedite the process of it recovering to grow back in half the time.