Name: Playbook - Rob Riches - Back, Chest, Traps & Shoulders (Ep 11.6 - Conditioning)
Uploaded: 2021-06-07T18:32:11.777Z
Duration: 45 min
Description: Back, Chest, Traps & Shoulders (Ep 11.6 - Conditioning)

Welcome to workout #17 of the Conditioning part of my Lean Muscle Growth Program. Throughout this 3rd weeks section, you'll be performing a lot of circuits, often with a higher rep range to help improve muscular endurance and conditioning.

Keep rest times short, and select a weight that will challenge you towards the total reps shown per set, aiming to increase the weight (or add a few reps) for following sets.

Each exercise is performed once within a circuit with minimal rest between each one. Then repeat the circuit again, this time, trying to challenge yourself with a heavier weight.

You'll also see there is an abdominal circuit included at the end of the program. This can either be performed at the start or end of this program, or performed separately, usually first thing in the morning before eating when your gut is empty.

Grip a Pull Up bar with an underhand grip a little narrower than shoulder width, and pull yourself up by driving the elbows down as you engage and contract the muscles in the back to lift you. 

Keep your shoulders pulled back, and chest lifted up so as to ensure the emphasis is on the back, not the arms to pull yourself up. Lower yourself back down until your arms are fully stretched and you feel a stretch in your back and shoulders. Start the rep to raise yourself back up by retracting your shoulders and keeping them pulled back while you focus on the back doing all the work.

Try varying your hand placement to a wider grip on the 2nd and 3rd working set, and use dip belt, or dumbbell between your knees for added resistance if needed.

This exercise targets the latissimus dorsi muscle, the broadest muscle in your back, which promotes good postures and spinal stability, and with this variation, focuses a little more on the inner region of the back.

Close Grip Chin Ups

Lay on the bench with your shoulders pulled back, your upper and lower back making contact with the bench, and your knees at a 90-degree angle with both feet flat on the floor. 

Grip the bar with an overhand grip a little wider than shoulder-width and push it up directly over the chest. Take a breath in as you control the bar down towards the center of your chest, keeping your elbows from flaring out, and more angled inwards towards your body.

Stop just short of the bar touching your chest, and as you exhale, drive the bar forcefully. Stop just short of full lock out and squeeze the pecs hard.

In general, the muscles used for bench press are the pecs, anterior, and triceps. Other muscle groups such as the erector spinae, lats, and rotator cuff stabilize the bench press, including decelerating the bar (on the way down) and restrict inefficient movement patterns. Together, the prime movers and the stabilizing muscles are designed to work in collaboration to help produce maximum force

Smith Chest Press

Stand in front of the Smith Machine and grip the barb with an overhand grip slightly-wider than shoulder-width.  Stand upright with feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders pulled back, chest lifted, and the barbell at full-arms length resting just behind you.

Your arms should remain at full length throughout this exercise. Shrug your shoulders up (imagine trying to touch your ears with your shoulders, even though you won't be able to) and pause momentarily at the top while you squeeze your Trap muscles. Then lower the bar back down. (Try not to bend at the elbow as this will reduce the effectiveness of the exercise).

The use of the Smith Machine helps keep the movement through a fixed range of motion, and may also allow you to lean forwards slightly to better engage the Traps.

Behind Back Smith Shrugs

Set a cable pulley to the highest position with a handle attached. Get into a lunge position on the floor a few feet back from the pulley (if your holding the handle with your left hand, your right knee should be bent, with your left leg behind you).

Ensure you're far enough back so that with your (left) arm fully stretched up, there is tension in the cable and the weights aren'r resting. With your shoulders pulled back and down, and your back straight, row the handle down towards the side of your chest, driving the elbow back behind you, and squeezing with your Lat at the bottom of the rep.

Perform all reps in a smooth and controlled manner on one side first, then switch up your kneeling lunge position, and perform with the opposite arm.

Performing this Lat pulldown variation with each arm separately, allows you to focus on building strength and muscle evenly in the back, and eliminates the more dominant side from taking over.

Single Arm High Cable Pulldown

Set the bench to an incline no steeper than 45 degrees. If you can change the angle of the seat to an incline, this will help keep you better locked into position.

Keep your shoulders pulled back, your upper and lower back making contact with the bench, and your knees at a 90-degree angle with both feet flat on the floor. 

Hold a dumbbell in each hand at the side of your shoulders with palms facing forwards and elbows tucked down under your grip. With your abs pulled in tight, exhale as you drive the dumbbells directly up over your chest, not letting them touch each other at the top.

Squeeze the pecs hard, then lower under control back down to the side of your chest while taking a breath in.

Incline Dumbbell Press

Sit upright on a bench with your hips and lower back firmly pushed in against the back pad. Keep your chest lifted, and shoulders pulled back and down, and hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms hanging straight down at the side of your body.

Keep a slight bend at the elbow at all times and raise the dumbbells out to the side of you, leading with the elbows up to shoulder height.

Your upper arms should remain within the same plane as your body, with your forearms slightly forwards. At the top of the rep, your shoulders, elbow, and wrists should all be at the same height. Lower the arms back down under control without leaning forwards at the waist.

The seated lateral raise version limits momentum (compared to standing), and so is a stricter movement that isolates the middle deltoid more intensely. You may find you need to lower the weight a little with this version so as to be able to fully contract and squeeze the delts at the top of the rep.

Seated Lateral Raise

Lock in a smith machine or Olympic bar on a rack (ensuring it cannot roll forwards and off the hooks), position yourself under it with an overhand grip (shoulder-width apart), arms at full length with your chest directly beneath the bar, and legs stretched out in front of your, with only your heels on the floor.

Your body should form a straight line from your heels, through your hips, and up to the shoulders. (Hips should not be too raised up or sinking down). Keep your chest lifted up, with the shoulders pulled back and down.

Raise your chest up to the bar by driving your elbows down to the floor while you engage your back muscles to assist with the lift. Pause momentarily at the top of the rep and flex the back and shoulders, before slowly lowering yourself back down until arms are fully stretched.

Repeat all reps at a slow and controlled pace, ensuring no momentum or bouncing within any reps.

Inverted Smith Row

Position the cable pulleys to shoulder height with a handle attached to each side. Keep your elbows slightly bent but your arms in a fixed position as you press the cables together directly in front of your chest with arms parallel to the floor.

Squeeze the pecs hard and then lower your arms back out in the same arc-like movement, going as far as you can to feel a deep stretch, but do not let the weights rest/make contact at the bottom of the rep. It's important you keep tension on the chest throughout the full movement.

The chest fly or pectoral fly (abbreviated to pec fly) primarily works the pectoralis major muscles to move the arms horizontally forward. If medially (internally) rotated, it is assisted in this by the anterior (front) head of the deltoideus in transverse flexion.

Mid Cable Fly

Set a bench to an incline of around 45-60 degrees and lay forward facing  down on it, with your head and shoulders just above the top of it (Your legs may be straight behind you as though you're resting against the bench and not quite sat on it).

Holding a dumbbell in each hand, allow your arms to hang at your sides with your grip turned inwards (so both hands are facing each other).

Retract your shoulder blades and raise your arms out to the side (maintaining the same "Hammer" Grip). Your elbows should be slightly bent, and the focus is on driving the back of the upper arm up to the same height as your shoulders, focusing on the squeezing the rear deltoid at the back of the shoulders.

Pause momentarily at the top, then lower the arms back down at a controlled and steady speed.

This exercise allows you to really isolate and focus on the read deltoid head located to the rear of the shoulders.

Incline Bench Rear Delt Raise

This Abdominal circuit will focus on the upper and lower region of the abs, as well as the obliques (the side muscles), and is ideal for beginners just starting out. 

Perform a set of the first exercise, then immediately perform one of the second and third exercise without rest. You can rest for up to 60 seconds after completing all exercises (that's one round) before starting the next round.

Remember to actively engage your abdominals during each exercise, and  focus on your breathing pattern so that you really feel your abs working and contracting on each and every rep.

Sit on top of the Swiss Ball, and walk your legs forwards until you're about 2/3rds on the ball, with your lower back making the most contact.
Ensure your feet are flat on the floor and knees bent. (Your thighs should be parallel with the floor). 

Place your hands either side of your temples (or cross them across your chest), and lean back to your upper back is on top of the ball. Keeping your upper abs engaged, crunch forwards as you exhale, raising your shoulders off the ball. Your hips shouldn't move from their position on the ball.

Pause momentarily at the top of the rep and squeeze the abs hard. Inhale as you lower back to the start position under control. There should be no bounce at the top of bottom of the rep.

This variation of the crunch focuses on the upper region of the abs, but with greater stability since you're using the Swiss Ball instead of the floor or a decline bench.

Swiss Ball Crunch

By placing your elbows on the pads and supporting your body in an upright position with your legs hanging freely below you, it's less effort than performing these with your arms overhead holding on to a chin up bar, and allows the legs to be raised up and down freely.

Engaging your abs, raise your legs up towards your chest, bending at the knee to keep them as close to your body as possible. As you raise the knees up past your waist, you should be able to flex the lower abs hard and start to curl the hips away from the back pad. (This is the whole point of this exercise - to target and engage the lower abs).

Try to pause momentarily at the top of the rep before controlling the legs back to the starting position where they are fully extended below you. 

Continue to  engage the abs and exhale on every rep.

Supported Elbow Raises

Using a lightweight pole (a broom stick is ideal, or an aerobics bar. Not an olympic bar as they are too heavy), place it across your upper back like you would if you were going to squat with it.

Sit upright at the end of a bench, with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent at 90 degrees, and torso upright with shoulders pulled back and chest lifted. 

Lightly grasping the pole with an overhand grip and your elbows next to you, engage the abs and exhale as you rotate you twist the bar to one side, rotating only your upper body with it, and keeping the hips from turning. Rotate as far as you can without using momentum, until you feel your sides (Oblique muscles) fully activated. 

Repeat the same movement to the other side, and continue rotating back and forth in a smooth and controlled manner.

The oblique muscles are involved when the upper body (trunk) rotates left and right, and it is also these that give the lower 'V' shape of the abdomen.

Seated Bar Twists

Abs Circuit - Stage 11

Back, Chest, Traps & Shoulders (Ep 11.6 - Conditioning)

It was very clear instructions and the video was very helpful

MilosLuffy

Donald Lozon

Back & Forearms (Ep 1.1 - Strength)

I felt like it had some repeating shoulder exercise, but overall good

Liked the Ab workout in the end 

Especially the hanging Ab- great for chest stretch

Thomas Anthony 

Richard

Shoulders & Chest (Ep 1.3 - Strength)

I enjoyed this workout I did not have access to dumbbells for my level so I swapped out the calf dumbbell lifts for the hip abduction. Did not have access to standing calf raises machine so swapped for seated calf raises machine. Over all good directions.

Sunil Deep

Adam

Quads & Calves (Ep 1.2 - Strength)

Very challenging and clear directions. The videos were helpful.

Andrés Giordano

Traps & Hamstrings (Ep 1.4 - Strength)

Matt

Biceps & Triceps (Ep 1.5 - Strength)

Francisco

Bünyamin

Cardio (Rest Day - Week 1)

Victor

Amadou Sow

Back & Forearms (Ep 2.1 Strength)

I could not get a smith machine so I opted for walking lunges instead if you run into the same problem I recommend walking lunges or in place lunges using dumbbells or weighted straight bar

Quads & Calves (Ep 2.2 - Strength)

The video was incorrect for the chest press first exercise

It was great. The workout video for the smith machine shoulder press is the wrong one though. It’s a leg press video. Other than that I love it

Ryan Baker

Shoulders & Chest (Ep 2.3 - Strength)

I felt like it did not include enough trap exercises.

Back, Chest, Traps & Shoulders (Ep 11.6 - Conditioning)

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