Tuesday - Chest, Shoulders
(Week 5, Gamma Bomb - Free Weights/Cables Only)Exercises
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• bench press
barbell bench press
Prescribed Sets:
I want to use the bands again to see how you do the 2nd week with them. You should feel the contractions even harder this week. Stick to doing tough sets of 8. Remember to explode against the band! Do 4 total work sets
Working Sets:
4
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• Incline Barbell Press
Begin by setting an incline bench to approximately 30-45 degrees. Lie back on the bench with your feet flat on the floor and grip the barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your upper chest, keeping your elbows at about a 75-85 degree angle relative to your torso. Press the barbell upward until your arms are fully extended, ensuring control throughout the movement. Keep your back flat against the bench and avoid arching excessively. Maintain a steady breathing pattern, inhaling on the descent and exhaling on the press. Focus on squeezing the upper chest and shoulders during the lift, and keep the movement smooth and controlled.
Prescribed Sets:
This week I want you to change this up and use a lower incline, like a 10% incline. I do this by moving a utility bench into the squat rack (making friends) and setting up there. I want sets of 6 until you get to a weight you can barely do. I am pretty sure you are going to surprise yourself this week on these. We count this as 3 sets.
Working Sets:
3
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• Flat Dumbbell Press
Lie flat on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand, held at chest level with palms facing forward. Keep your feet flat on the ground and engage your core. Press the dumbbells upward until your arms are fully extended, ensuring the weights stay in line with your chest. Lower the dumbbells slowly back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout. Keep your elbows at about a 75-degree angle during the movement to reduce shoulder strain. Maintain a neutral spine and avoid arching your back excessively.
Prescribed Sets:
Grab a weight you can do for probably 20. I want you knock out the 20, rest for a minute and knock out as many reps as you can, rest for another minute and knock out as many reps as you can. Continue like this for a total of 5 sets. The pump should be nasty now!
Working Sets:
5
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• Cable Fly
Perform a fly movement with cables to isolate the chest muscles.
Prescribed Sets:
On these I want a nice stretch and then bring your hands together and flex hard for sets of 8. Don’t sleep on the contraction, squeeze hard, and don’t forget to get a nice stretch to open everything up. Do 4 sets to failure.
Working Sets:
4
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• Dumbbell Bent Over Lateral Raise
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your torso. Hinge at the hips, keeping your back flat and core engaged, until your torso is nearly parallel to the ground. Keep a slight bend in your elbows and lift the dumbbells outward and upward to shoulder height, squeezing your rear deltoids. Lower the weights slowly back to the starting position. Maintain a controlled movement throughout, avoiding swinging or using momentum.
Prescribed Sets:
I want you to do 3 sets of 20, and on the last rep of each set, I want you to do an iso hold. I would prefer a partner to apply slight pressure to make this even harder if possible. Shoot for 15 seconds every time.
Working Sets:
3
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• Barbell Incline Bench Press
Begin by setting an adjustable bench to an incline angle of about 30 to 45 degrees. Lie back on the bench with your feet flat on the floor and grip the barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Unrack the barbell and lower it slowly towards your upper chest, keeping your elbows at about a 45-degree angle relative to your torso. Press the barbell upward, extending your arms fully without locking your elbows, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions. Maintain a controlled movement, keep your back flat against the bench, and avoid arching excessively to ensure proper form and safety.
Prescribed Sets:
This is another really solid press that I enjoy. Set the bench up so that its almost but not quite straight up. Find a weight that is a tough 8, and do 3 sets with it.
Working Sets:
3
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• Cable Lateral Raise
Use a cable to perform a lateral raise, targeting the side deltoids.
Prescribed Sets:
Finish with 3 sets of 10 on these. Go back to back. Do one arm, then the other, and then back until you are done!
Working Sets:
3