The Daily Grind

Sample Upper Body Workout

Back, Rear Delts

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest Interval	Trainer Tips
Deadlifts	2	6 5	at least 5 min	If your legs are fatigued, opt for rack pulls instead. Having one underhand and one overhand grip ensures you have great grip strength. Prior to the rep – take a big breath and brace down on your core. You’ll hold that breath as you lift. You can then sneak breathes at the top of the rep or my preference, between reps. Prior to the rep – core tight, flat back, chest up. Keeping your butt down helps keep your chest up and helps get more leg drive. When lifting – drive through your mid foot. Don’t lean too far back or forward. Keep a neutral neck. Don’t tilt your head back excessively, don’t look side to side, and don’t dig your chin into your chest. You don’t have to hyperextend and drive the pelvis forward at the top of the rep. Do not lockout your knees at the top of the rep. Substitute Exercises Deadlifts (Hex Bar) Sumo Deadlifts (Target Back) Rack Pulls T Bar Rows
Barbell Rows (Overhand Grip, Mid Back Focused)	1	12	at least 3 min after previous exercise	We’re trying to target our mid-lower back so let’s pull somewhere between our windpipe and belly button area. Grip the bar roughly shoulder width apart or a bit wider. Keep your torso relatively parallel to the ground. Brace down and engage your core to minimize the arch in your back. Some downward curve is expected at the top of your back because your shoulders are pulling you forward, separating the scapula as your lower the weight. Try not to let the bar rest on the ground between reps. Don’t cheat the rep and generate any swinging momentum. Substitute Exercises Dumbbell Rows (Single Arm, Overhand Grip, Semi-Tandem Stance) Dumbbell Rows (Single Arm, Semi-Tandem Stance) Smith Machine Rows (Overhand Grip, Mid Back Focused) T Bar Rows Cable Rows (Single Arm, Overhand Grip)
Pull-Ups (Assisted)	1	12	at least 3 min after previous exercise	Grip slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Make sure you use a full range of motion. At the top of the rep your chin should be close to level or level with your hands. Your arms can be fully extended at the bottom of the rep as this will maximize the stretch. However, keep your lats engaged and don’t just hang there. Feel the lats engage as you release yourself down. Feel the mid-upper lats work as you pull yourself up. Remain comfortably upright and do not lean back on purpose. Substitute Exercises Pull-Ups Lat Pulldowns Lat Pulldowns (Single Arm, Overhand Grip) Lat Pulldowns (Medium Grip)
Dumbbell Rows (Single Arm, Underhand Grip, Semi-Tandem Stance)	2	12 11	3 min	Spread your feet to stabilize yourself. Your stance width can vary – do what’s comfortable for you! Place your hand not holding the dumbbell on equipment to help stabilize yourself. Use an underhand grip; your palm will point up towards your face. We’re trying to target our lower back here so let’s pull towards our belly button area. Pull your lat back as you pull the dumbbell back. Keep your torso relatively parallel to the ground. Keep a neutral neck; don’t look to the side. Substitute Exercises Cable Rows (Single Arm, Underhand Grip) Plate Loaded Rows (Single Arm, Underhand Grip) Machine Rows (Single Arm, Underhand Grip) Barbell Rows (Underhand Grip) V Bar Rows
Lat Pulldowns (V-Bar)	1	12	at least 3 min after previous exercise	Pull the bar to your chest. Feel the lats engage as you release the weight back up. You should feel a nice tug on the middle and lower lats. Depressing your scapula back (shifting your shoulder blades down to your butt) and pulling the lats down will naturally cause you to lean back slightly. You will shift up and forward slightly as you control the weight back up. If you cannot use the full range of motion because you’re too tall, get on the floor and lock your knees under the bench to keep you stabilized. Do not use your torso or arms to generate any swinging momentum. Substitute Exercises Pull-Ups (Neutral Grip) Pull-Ups (Neutral Grip, Assisted) Pull-Ups (Neutral Grip, Weighted) Lat Pulldowns (Single Arm, Neutral Grip) Lat Pulldowns (Plate Loaded) Lat Pulldowns (Plate Loaded, Underhand Grip) Chin-Ups
Lat Pull-Ins (Overhand Grip, Facing Away from Cables)	1	12/ dropset	at least 3 min after previous exercise	When facing away from the weight stack, the cable pulleys are slightly behind your back to get a bit more stretch on the lats. You can cross your feet or keep them out, whatever is most comfortable and allows you to stabilize. Some gyms have a machine with a seat that has cable pulleys that you can use. Feel the lats engage as you release the weight back up. You should feel a tug on your mid-upper lats. Bring the handles as low as you can comfortably go but not below the windpipe. Keep the handles outside of rib cage (don’t bring handles inside of the shoulders to your chest). Substitute Exercises Pull-Ups (Wide Grip) Pull-Ups (Wide Grip, Assisted) Lat Pulldowns (Wide Grip) Lat Pull-Ins (Neutral Grip, Facing Away from Cables) Lat Pull-Ins (Single Arm, Overhand Grip)
Dumbbell Rear Delt Flies (Incline Bench, Neutral Grip)	1	12	at least 2 min after previous exercise	Position the bench at roughly a 30-45° angle. Gently place your chest on the bench; avoid hitting your windpipe when lowering yourself. Position your feet in a manner that allows you to maintain balance and divert some of the load to your feet rather than rest all of the weight into your chest on the pad. The neutral grip variant means your thumbs will face the wall in front of you and your palms will face inward. Think about initiating each rep with your shoulder blades and rear delts rather than simply cranking your arms back. As you pull the weight back, retract your scapula like you’re squeezing a pencil in between your shoulder blades. Don’t swing your torso back to generate momentum. Retracting your shoulder blades will naturally take you backwards a bit as you lift the weight. Control the weight as you release it back down – don’t let gravity steal your gains! Keep a slight bend in your arms throughout the set.
Dumbbell Rear Delt Flies (Incline Bench, Overhand Grip)	1	12	at least 2 min after previous exercise	Position the bench at roughly a 30-45° angle. Gently place your chest on the bench; avoid hitting your windpipe when lowering yourself. Position your feet in a manner that allows you to maintain balance and divert some of the load to your feet rather than rest all of the weight into your chest on the pad. Use an overhand grip so your pinkies will be facing laterally (outwards) throughout the set. Think about initiating each rep with your shoulder blades and rear delts rather than simply cranking your arms back. As you pull the weight back, retract your scapula like you’re squeezing a pencil in between your shoulder blades. Don’t swing your torso back to generate momentum. Retracting your shoulder blades will naturally take you backwards a bit as you lift the weight. Control the weight as you release it back down – don’t let gravity steal your gains! Keep a slight bend in your arms throughout the set.
Face Pulls (Dumbbell)	1	12	at least 2 min after previous exercise	Brace your core and drop your butt back to bend over. Try to get your torso parallel with the ground. Keep your core engaged to minimize any arch in your lower back. Pull the dumbbells towards your face. Pull your elbows back towards the ceiling as you pull the dumbbells back. Try to retract your scapula as you pull (bring your shoulder blades back as you pull). This will help focus your attention on your rear delts. Don’t cheat the rep and generate any swinging momentum. Control the weight as you release it back down – don’t let gravity steal your gains! Substitute Exercises Face Pulls (Barbell) Face Pulls (Cable Handles, Seated) Face Pulls (Cable Handles) Face Pulls (Incline Bench, Dumbbell) Goalposts Goalposts (Overhead Pull)
Goalposts (High Pull)	1	12/ dropset	at least 2 min after previous exercise	Engage your core to help stabilize yourself as you pull the weight and keep yourself upright. Have a relatively wide stance so you can maintain balance when you pull the weight. Position the cable overhead at its highest level or close the its highest level. Pull the rope to your face and as you pull, drive your rear delts backwards and flair your elbows out like a goalpost. Keep the ropes separated as best you can as you pull back. Think about initiating each rep with your mid back and rear delts rather than simply cranking your arms back. Pull back until your arms are roughly in line with your ear. You can use a ½ second pause at the end of each pull to ensure you’re in total control of the weight when you make the goalpost formation. Control the weight as you release it back down – don’t let gravity steal your gains! Substitute Exercise Face Pulls (Cable Handles) Face Pulls (Cable Handles, Seated) Goalposts (Pec Dec) Goalposts Machine Rear Delt Flies (Overhand Grip, Forward Lean) Machine Rear Delt Flies (Overhand Grip)
Lower Back Extensions (Holding Weight)	2	14 13/ dropset	2 min	You want to position yourself so your waistline is at or slightly above the top of the pad. Allow yourself to bend over and maximize the depth of this movement when you get low. Having a slower tempo and a half second pause at the top can increase the rigor of this exercise and ensures you control each movement better. You can extend back until your lower back feels it has been sufficiently worked or extend back all the way to form a straight line from your ankles to your neck. Do not hyperextend back to the point where you’re no longer in a straight line from your ankles to your neck. To perform a dropset on the last set, simply drop the weight you were holding and perform bodyweight only lower back extensions. Substitute Exercises Lower Back Extensions Lower Back Extensions (Machine) Lower Back Extensions (GHD Machine, Holding Weight) Good Mornings (Barbell) Good Mornings (Hack Squat Machine)

These Workouts Will Only Work If You Do.

Longer Rest = Challenge Yourself Every Set.

What should you do during the longer rest intervals?

Stretch muscle groups you are not training.

Additionally, we advise stretching post workout, every workout, for at least 5 minutes.

Key Terminology

Warm Up

It is recommended you perform a small cardio warm up for roughly 5-10 minutes. This should be low intensity like walking or the elliptical machine. The goals are to elevate your heart rate, body temperature, and get blood flowing to your muscles.

Then, perform mobility work and movement specific warm up exercises. For example, if hack squats are listed first, do some bodyweight squats and leg swings to loosen your hips and a set or 2 of hack squats using lighter weight before you attempt the reps listed for the workout. Our goals for this portion of the warm up are to improve your mobility, prime your stability muscles that will assist during the lifts, and practice your movement coordination. Only after your muscles are warmed up, movements feel comfortable, and you’ve attempted lighter weight exercises should you begin the workout.

All sets listed in the workout plan are working sets meaning you should already be warmed up and each set, you should challenge yourself. Once you’re warmed up after the first exercise, you don’t need to do light weight warm ups before the other exercises; you’re already rocking and rolling. However, if you’re unfamiliar with how to do a particular exercise and you’ve never done it before, please do at least 1 set with lighter weight to gain familiarity with the movement.

Do not perform static stretches with the muscles you’re about to train during your warm up (don’t hold leg stretches as this can reduce performance). If you stretch your legs, glutes, or calves, make sure your muscles are moving as they stretch (dynamic stretching). My personal favorite stretch for leg days is to lower to a deep squat stance and slowly rock back and forth. You can perform some dynamic stretches throughout your workout if you feel your body is still a little tight. You can also perform some static stretches with the muscles you’re not training between the longer rest intervals if you’re up for it. You can stretch muscles of the upper body during the longer rest intervals but again, only if you’re up for it. Make sure your primary focus is a high quality leg workout.

How heavy should you lift?

Perform all sets besides the sets that say “/dropset” within 1-3 reps of failure. This means if 4 sets are listed and the 4th set has “/dropset” at the end, take the first 3 sets to almost failure (maybe you could squeeze out between 1-3 more reps) and the 4th set to muscular failure. We want you to keep between 1-3 reps in reserve if the set does not have “dropset” at the end. Therefore, if you think you could squeeze out 4 more reps, then increase the weight! If you’re failing at rep 9 and the set demanded you do 12 reps, then lower the weight. The vast majority of your sets will be to almost failure.

Example

Bench Press (Barbell)

Listed Reps = 12, 10

Set 1 perform 12 reps; maybe 13-15 would be true failure. Remember, keep 1-3 reps left in the tank. Pick a weight where you think you could do 13-15 reps.

Set 2 perform 10 reps; maybe 11-13 would be true failure. Pick a weight where you think you could do 11-13 reps. You might need to increase the weight from last set because fewer reps are listed.

Incline Bench Press (Barbell)

Listed Reps = 8, 6

Set 1 perform 8 reps; maybe 9-11 would be true failure. Pick a weight where you think you could do 9-11 reps.

Set 2 perform 6 reps; maybe 7-9 would be true failure. Pick a weight where you think you could do 7-9 reps. You might need to increase the weight from last set because fewer reps are listed.

Chest Flies (Machine)

Listed reps = 12, 10/dropset

Set 1 perform 12 reps; maybe 13-15 would be true failure. Pick a weight where you think you could do 13-15 reps.

Set 2 is the last set and /dropset is listed. Take this to true muscular failure. Strive for at least 10 reps, then when you reach failure, perform a dropset. A dropset means you after you reach failure with good form, immediately reduce the weight by roughly half and crank out more reps to failure again!

If the “/dropset” is added after a set, that set demands a dropset. If a dropset is listed, it’s used only on the last set. If 3 sets are listed, never do a dropset after sets 1 or 2.

Dropset

Immediately lower the weight by about 30-50% after reaching muscular failure and continue doing more reps at the lighter weight. There is NO stop in between meaning go to failure at the heavier weight, reduce the weight as quickly as possible, and go to failure again with the lighter weight.

Example

Let’s say you’re using 200 pounds on the last set of calf raises. The last set has 8 reps listed (you think you will hit failure around 8 reps using 200 pounds). After you go to failure, immediately lower the weight to anywhere between 140-100 pounds. It doesn’t have to be precise, and often times the first weight that catches your eye when you look at the weight stack is what you’ll choose. Let’s say you picked 100 pounds. Right after you switch from 200 pounds to 100 pounds, immediately start cranking out reps at 100 pounds and go to failure again. Warning – ouchies will occur.

AMRAP

As many reps as possible; take this set to failure. If two sets are listed with “AMRAP”, then take them both to failure. AMRAP sets are used frequently on ab exercises. Note that you shouldn’t be doing more than 25-30 reps. If you’re doing more than 25-30 reps, then find a way to make the exercise more challenging by increasing the time under tension and control of each rep, squeezing harder, or adding weight. Always be in control of your movements.

Form

Always control the weight over the full range of motion and never sacrifice form to lift heavier. If you’re doing a set and can no longer maintain good form with strict control of the weight you’re using, the set is over.

Listen To Your Body

Don’t feel obligated to do every set in the workout if your body is fatigued. Strive for high quality work and when the quality drops, move onto the next exercise. We don’t know your mood, what your day has been like, if you’re in a calorie surplus or deficit, your general activity level, and whether or not your gym crush is in the gym; all of these factors influence your training volume.

If 5 sets are listed for a specific exercise and you’re completely drained after 3 or 4 sets and can no longer maintain the weight you’re using or use the heavier weight with good form, then move onto the next exercise. Let’s stimulate, not obliterate our muscles.

On the contrary, if you’re feeling amazing and want to add one extra set to a specific group of exercises, go right ahead. However, please don’t add more than 1-2 sets total for the entire workout. If you want more work, amplify your focused aggression and lift heavier. Make each set count rather than add more sets. Quality trumps quantity. Don’t add excessive volume and cause unnecessarily high muscle damage. Your muscles grow better when damage is lower [1]. The protein you eat goes toward building new muscle rather than repairing your current damaged muscle.

Listen to your body. You know yourself the best. Let’s work smart and hard to achieve our goals.

Rep Tempo

Unless the tempo is specified, lift at a natural speed where you’re in total control of each movement. Never purposely slow things down too much or speed things up by swinging the weight in an uncontrolled manner.

Exercise Order

Try to stick to the exercise order. If someone is on a machine or piece of equipment you need, ask to work in. In the gym we all have one goal – get better. I’m sure they’ll understand and share your appetite for success.

References

Damas, F., Libardi, C. A., & Ugrinowitsch, C. (2018). The development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis. European journal of applied physiology, 118(3), 485-500.