Muscle & Fitness UK – July 2019

COVER STORY

8 MUSCLE & FITNESS/JULY 2019

With summer well underway, we’re all
chasing that last minute trick to help us
get lean and poolside-ready without
having to put in months of cardio and
dieting.
Whilst you may think that a steep drop
in calories and jumping on the treadmill
for an extra hour here and there will

deliver instant results, (it won’t – at least

not immediately), there is another

solution that will get your arms and abs

looking much better in just a few

workouts.

In this article, I want to share not only a

great shoulder and abdominal routine of

mine, but more importantly, the

techniques and principles I use that

result in greater muscular conditioning,

tie-ins, and hardness. Whether you’re

heading out to the beach, or just want to

look great shirtless, then give this routine

a try right before going out and you’ll

have everyone asking you about your

workout programme!

BE THE STAR OF YOUR OWN STAGE

WITH ROB’S SUMMER SHRED WORKOUT

EXERCISE #1 – SEATED ROTATIONAL OVERHEAD PRESSES

We start this programme with seated dumbbell presses with
a full rotation (also referred to as Arnold Presses). This is a
great dynamic shoulder warm-up that focuses on a press and
rotation within the same movement. In a seated position,
start with a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing you
at shoulder-height. Ensuring you’re sat firmly back into the
bench or seat, keep the abdominals engaged as you push
the dumbbells upwards, whilst externally rotating the wrists
outwards (so the palms are facing in front of you). It’s one
complete movement, not a push then a rotate. Think of this
as a corkscrew motion as you exhale. Your arms shouldn’t
be fully locked out at the top, but you should be consciously
squeezing the deltoid muscles in the shoulder for a split
second before reversing the movement back down to the

starting position – just a little slower than the upwards

movement.

My tip here is to keep the movement controlled and not go

too fast. I find it to be much more effective to use a lesser

weight than you may be used to, and chase the burn, rather

than try to go too heavy and burn out too soon.

Perform 2 warm-up sets of 15 reps, using 40-60%

of your usual overhead press weight, then 2-3 sets

of 12 reps at around 70% of typical weight pressed,

allowing for no longer than 60 seconds between each

set. Only increase the weights if you’re able to complete

the 12 reps.