BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, CSCS
You’ve done goblet squats and deadlifts and rows before. And yes you need these moves to build muscle. But what happens when you get . . . bored with them?
Sure, you could battle through and keep doing them anyway (I’ve done that many a time). But sometimes, a changeup is exactly what you need to reinvigorate your training. And the right changeups can set you up to crush classic lifts even better after a few weeks of working.
That’s exactly what you’re doing in this month’s workout program, which sets you up to build full-body muscle, while getting away from basic exercises. The four moves in this workout have long been exercises that I go to when I need a change, and they challenge our basic functions (pulling, pulling, bending at our hips and bending our knees) in new ways.
Attack this workout three days a week. And whenever you need to get away from classic squats or presses or rows after this, integrate these as changeup moves.
DIRECTIONS: Warm up with 1 minute each of plank, reverse lunges, and jumping jacks, then do the exercises in order. Track your weights in each session. Every other week for up to six weeks, aim to increase the weight on each move by 5 pounds.
PULSE REVERSE LUNGE
Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side. You’re spending extra time with your quads and glutes in stretched positions, which will lead to lower-body gains, especially if you push to lift heavy with your SMRTFT bells.
PAUSED ROMANIAN DEADLIFT
Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps, and think of this as an exploration of your RDL form. The pause will challenge your core, and give you a chance to feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings.
POWER DUMBBELL ROW
This is your key back-builder in this routine, and since you get a brief “rest” between each rep, you’ll be able to load this up aggressively. Think of ripping the dumbbell of the ground every rep. Do 3 sets of 6 to 8.
SINGLE-ARM INCLINE PAUSED PRESS
Do 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps per side. You’ll get an underrated ab challenge from this, in addition to blasting chest and triceps.