Katherine Williford

This session is designed to bring you IDEAL hypertrophic (MUSCLE BUILDING) gains through dedicated CONTRACTIONS.

What the HECK is a contraction?? It’s the squeezing portion of a movement. When you curl, it’s when you squeeze the weight in order to move the weight up. Its when you press, lunge, lift. Contractions are a FOUNDATIONAL element for lifting. 

And they can be IGNORED. In this week, and this program, they won’t be. Each rep must be respected. So go out there and build the mind/muscle connections by SQUEEZING each rep.

🐆🐅

Find a jump rope that feels comfortable and jump in a controlled fashion. Start slow until you feel you can increase the speed.

Jump Rope

Find a resistance band of medium to light resistance, hold out in front of you, push both arms outwards to generate tension on the band, then SLOWLY bring the band behind you. 

Try shrugging you shoulders UP before rotating the band behind you to help warm up the your trapezius muscles. 

Always keep the motion SLOW and CONTROLLED.

Resistance Band Around the Worlds

Keeping your elbows in line with shoulders, externally rotate your arms from the elbow. 

Go slow and steady, and really try to mobilize your shoulders. Focus on the mind muscle connection. 

Keep your shoulder blades tucked down throughout the movement.

Plate External Roto Warmup

Use 2.5lb plates, or DBs if you have to. 

Using a half raise technique (bent at the elbow), isolate your shoulders and raise the plates up. 

Imagine a string attached to your elbows pulling them up. Visualizing yourself as a puppet here actually helps. 

Keeping as isolated as possible will be more effective.

Lateral Raise Warm Up

While seated with your back pressed against the seat back, press from 90 degrees to slightly before lock out. 

Notice the restricted range of motion. This will allow you to focus more completely on squeezing during the movement. 

Make sure to stabilize your shoulders and elbows.

Seated DB Overhead Press

With your bench set at a slightly BELOW 45 degree angle, perform repetitions where you allow your elbows to drop enough so you feel the stretch in your chest/shoulders. 

Really focus on stabilizing your shoulders and elbows. 

Keep the weight light and leave any ego at the door!! 

Notice my range of motion isn’t extreme.

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press

Perform a standard seated shoulder press, but allow your shoulders to adduct, onwards so your elbows point out in front of you. This rotation will help more completely target your medial and anterior delts. 

During the rotation, really focus on SQUEEZING.

Arnold Press

Pretending that there are strings attached to your elbows, raise your arms from the elbow, keeping you shoulder blades tucked. 

ISOLATE your medial delts. 

Pretend you are a puppet, the strings are raising your arms to slightly below shoulder height.

DB Full Lateral Raise

Perform a standard lateral raise, keeping the shoulders isolated. 

Keep your shoulder blades depressed while you raise. 

However, the big difference between these and normal raises is that your arms will be bent at a 90 degree angle from the elbow, allowing the added resistance from TORQUE  to be decreased. 

This will allow you to lift heavier weight than you would normally.

DB Half Raise

Gripping an EZ bar or straight bar cable attachment, REALLY focus on gripping the attachment with INTENTION. 

Grip the bar with a width that feels comfortable, between shoulder width and slightly wider. 

Pull up to your sternum, or slightly below.

Upright Cable Row

Seated on a bench, bend slightly at the waist, and lat your arms hang through below your thighs. 

Pretend strings are attached to your elbows and raise the weights up with arms extended but slightly bent. 

An important point here is to raise your arms with your HANDS rotated inwards, so that your pinky fingers are the first part of your hand to raise up.

Dumbbell Reverse Flys

Week 2 Day 1:
Chest and Shoulders with CONTRACTION Focus

Great workout! Do you happen to have a PDF you could send me with a weight log to keep track of my weight progression?

Tyler Mathena

John Williford

Week 1 Day 1:
Chest with Shoulder and Tricep Accessories

Christian

Week 1 Day 2:
Back with COMPOUND Focus

Week 1 Day 3:
Legs with a COMPOUND Focus

Week 1 Day 4:
Arms

Week 2 Day 2:
Back and Accesories with CONTRACTION Focus

Week 2 Day 3: 
Legs with CONTRACTION Focus

Week 2 Day 4
Arms with CONTRACTION Focus

Week 3 Day 1:
Back and Accessories with TEMPO Focus

What are alternatives for Hammer strength machine chest press? I don’t have the machine.

Week 2 Day 1: Chest and Shoulders with CONTRACTION Focus

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