Tuesday - Chest and Shoulders
(Week 13, Gamma Bomb - Free Weights/Cables Only)Exercises
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• bench press
barbell bench press
Prescribed Sets:
Work up in weight here until you miss 10 reps and then you are onto the next one. Machine press is a great first exercise and ideal for going into a hard free weight press. 4 total work sets. These sets are an RPE of 9-10. Pro Tip There are tons of machines out there and they are not created equal. After this exercise if your chest isn’t full of blood you either ar en’t using your chest as the primary mover or it’s a bad machine for your body type.
Working Sets:
4
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• Incline Bench Press
The Incline Bench Press is performed on a bench set to an incline angle, typically between 15 to 30 degrees. Lie back on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Unrack the barbell and lower it to your upper chest, just below the clavicle, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle to your body. Press the barbell back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms but not locking the elbows. Maintain a controlled motion throughout the exercise.
Prescribed Sets:
After the machine press, these incline barbell presses should be flying off your chest. I want sets of 8 here, but pause ev ery single rep 2 inches above your chest before firing the bar up hard and fast. There should be no grinding of reps, speed, speed, and more speed this week. 3 total work sets. These sets are an RPE of 8
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:
Do 4 hard sets of 8 with a squeeze at the contraction. These sets are all RPE of 10. Pro Tip After the machine and barbell pressing it’s easy to get sloppy on these and just ram the weight up with your shoulders and triceps. Lock in mentally and only use your chest. This is the time for hyper focus as your chest should be pretty gassed. Focus hard on the stretch at the bottom too.
Working Sets:
4
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• Push-Up
Perform a push-up by lowering your chest to the floor and pushing back up, engaging chest, triceps, and core.
Prescribed Sets:
If you have access to chains, throw a couple on your back for these, if not no big deal. Keep your chin up, get a deep stretch then press up and squeeze. 4 sets to failure should finish your chest off. These sets are an RPE of 9
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:
Do 3 sets of 15 here. Don’t let your traps and lats do any of the work here. It will be a short range of motion but keep all the tension on the rear delt. This exercise can do wonders for your quarter turns if you nail it. 3 total work sets. These sets are an RPE of 9
Working Sets:
3
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• Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise
To perform the Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise, start by standing upright with a dumbbell in each hand, arms at your sides. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and maintain a slight bend in your elbows. Engage your core and ensure your back is straight. Slowly raise the dumbbells out to the sides until your arms are parallel to the ground, keeping your elbows slightly bent. Hold for a moment at the top of the movement, then lower the weights back to the starting position in a controlled manner. Avoid swinging the weights and focus on using your shoulder muscles to lift.
Prescribed Sets:
I want to keep the blood rushing into those shoulders. To me shoulder training is all about pain tolerance and who can take that burn the longest. Give me 3 sets of 15 but only take 20 sec ond rest breaks. 3 total work sets. These sets are an RPE of 9
Working Sets:
3
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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:
Do 3 sets of 15 here. Don’t let your traps and lats do any of the work here. It will be a short range of motion but keep all the tension on the rear delt. This exercise can do wonders for your quarter turns if you nail it. 3 total work sets. These sets are an RPE of 9
Working Sets:
3