A LOT OF guys chase more strength and muscle in the gym, but most guys would be better off training to be athletic. Pro bodybuilders are stacked with muscle, but none of them are going to blow you away with their vertical leap or puma-like agility. On the flipside, you wouldn’t mind looking like Jordan Burroughs—and you better believe that guy can move.
“If you want to move, if you want to be able to play with your kids, if you want to be able to crush it on a playground, basketball, court… you want to have a level of athleticism,” says Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. “You want to have some cardio. You want to basically look the part. You also want to move the part.”
And that’s the crux of Samuel’s workout program: building an athletic body that performs as good as it looks. That means getting stronger, more explosive, and improving your ability to change direction on a dime. You’ll still hit heavy lifts and get a serious pump, but you’ll also jump, swing, and move with explosive power—so you can look, feel, and perform your absolute best.
Your Athleticism Prerequisites
Walk 10,000 Steps Per Day
“IN GENERAL, I want you hitting 10,000 steps per day, which is a very nice floor,” says Samuel. “All of those steps are going to help you recover from those workouts by creating total-body blood flow…and you’re going to burn some calories.”
Eat in a Slight Caloric Surplus
“I want you to eat a little bit of a surplus so you have the energy and can go hard at these workouts,” Samuel says. “Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated…so you don’t cramp up, and think about eating high protein… so you can recover.” You can check out our guide here for more information on how to eat while following this program.
Do Zone 2 and Zone 3 Cardio
“All the power elements you need in the gym will be built into your workout, but in your cardio days, and we’re going to have two: One day where I want you to really make sure you train your cardio system, and another optional day,” says Samuel. “I want you to take those as opportunities to work on your endurance.”
Crucial Components
Do The Warmups and Mobility Drills
IF YOU’RE THE type of guy who views a proper warmup and mobility drills as necessary hurdles between you and your set of bench presses, you need to adjust your mindset for this program.
“The warmups in this program are especially critical because they’re going to set the stage for your power exercises and your ability to be explosive,” says Samuel.” We need to get our joints warm. We need to get our ligaments warm. And that can only happen if you take your time to do the warmup drills.”
Do At Least Two Ramp-Up Sets
In this program, you’re either lifting heavy, moving fast, or performing a complicated movement pattern. If you just jump into a complex set, you’re setting yourself up for a potential injury, or you won’t be primed appropriately to lift as much or as hard as you could.
“I want you to do at least two warmup sets where you’re going a little bit less intensity,” says Samuel. These warmup sets are what Samuel likes to call ramp-up sets, because you should be “ramping up” to your “working weight”. The heavier you plan on lifting, the more warming up you’ll need. Two to three ramp-up sets are enough for most people.
High Quality Reps
Power training requires maximum output, so you can’t do as many reps as you can on a muscle-building or fat loss program. You’re going to find rep counts as low as four, even two. But that’s by design.
“The goal is to make sure that you are doing quality work,” says Samuel. “So I don’t want you just piling up pointless reps, but I want you really attacking and focusing on the quality of every single rep in an athletic workout program.”
Take All Your Rest Time
You must put every ounce of effort you can muster into your reps, so don’t shorten your rest periods, even if you feel recovered. “Remember, this is about quality on every single rep,” Samuel says, “and to max out that quality, you’re going to want that larger rest time.”
How to Progress This Workout
SAMUEL SUGGESTS FOLLOWING this program for four to eight weeks, thinking of each four-week block as essentially “two different two-week sessions.” Here’s how you should approach a month of training on this plan.
Weeks 1-2
Pick weights you can comfortably handle for each exercise and stick with those weights for two weeks. Don’t try to do more reps than what’s prescribed, either. These first two weeks are about acclimating to this six-day split. Come out of the gate too fast, and you’ll burn out.
Weeks 3-4
Now that you have a feel for the exercises, go up in weight, when you can, on your strength days. As you up the weight, you should decrease your reps—not a ton, just by one to three reps per set. The fewer reps you do, the more weight you should be lifting. Keep the weight and reps the same on your power days, but try to move more quickly.
DAY 1:
Lower-Body Power
WARMUP: Do each of the exercises below for 60 seconds.
Spiderman Lunge to Thoracic Rotation
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start in the pushup position, hands directly below your shoulders, abs and glutes tight.
- Step your left leg forward so it’s alongside your left hand and your knee forms a 90-degree angle. Squeeze your right glute as you do this, and hold for a second.
- Keeping your left hand on the ground, reach your right hand toward the ceiling, continuing to keep your hips square. Your eyes should follow your right hand.
- Reverse the movements back to pushup position, then repeat on the other side.
Cat-Cow
HOW TO DO IT:
- Get in a tabletop position (hands, knees, and feet on the ground), with the shoulders above your wrists. Your knees slightly wider than hip width.
- Round your back as much as possible, while spreading your shoulder blades and bending in your neck as much as possible
- Look up to slowly begin arching your back, taking two to three seconds to create as much spinal extension as possible while squeezing your shoulder blades.
- Continue alternating between extension and flexion, moving for 2 to 3 seconds per each rep.
Trap-Bar Deadlift / Broad Jump
Both the trap-bar deadlift and the broad jump are hip hinge movements. The deadlift lets you load the movement pattern heavily, while the broad jump has you explode forward with that same hip hinge motion. “Even though it is a move where you’re traveling horizontally, [the broad jump] is actually going to help your vertical leap. It’s going to help your sprint stride; It’s going to help just about anything athletic that you’re trying to do,” says Samuel.
SETS AND REPS: 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps for the deadlift and 3 reps for the broad jump
HOW TO DO THE TRAP-BAR DEADLIFT:
- Position yourself inside the trap bar, with your shins aligned with (or just in front of) the center of the bar.
- Push your butt back as far as possible, bend your knees, and reach down to grip the handles. Grip as tightly as possible.
- Keep your head in a neutral position, keeping your gazed fixed at something in front of you. Squeeze your shoulder blades to create tension, and turn the pits of your elbows forward, facing out.
- Make sure your hips are lower than your shoulders, then prepare to initiate the lift.
- Push your feet through the floor to stand straight up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
- To finish the rep, push your butt back as far as you can, then bend your knees to set the weight down.
HOW TO DO THE BROAD JUMP:
- Start standing. Push your butt back slightly, bend your knees, then throw your hands behind your body, and jump as far in front of you as you possibly can.
- Land on both feet, knees bent, without stepping forward.
- That’s 1 rep. Then walk back to the starting line and repeat.
Front-Foot Elevated Reverse Lunge
Running and sprinting are crucial skills to being a formidable athlete, and Samuel likes this lunge because it trains your muscles in a running stride position. “When I drive into the top of that running stride, I am driving and straightening out my glute, and it’s my glute that drives that, and that’s what we’re going to get to work on,” he says. Lift a pair of dumbbells, kettlebells, a barbell—it doesn’t matter.
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps per leg, rest 90 seconds between sides
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start with both feet up on the platform.
- Lift one foot up and off the platform, stepping back behind you into a rear lunge.
- Allow the back knee to come as close to the floor as possible. When it comes to this move, one of the most common mistakes is cutting the depth of your back leg. If you’re stopping the movement at 90 degrees, you’re defeating the purpose of adding the elevation. Drop as low as possible, you should be nearly touching the floor to get that hip stretch this move was intended for.
- Squeeze your glutes and drive at the top. You want to each rep to be powerful, so drive with power. Each rep, think about standing with power as you squeeze your glutes and drive with your hips.
Alternating Cossack Squat / Kettlebell Swing
“Now I just want you to get, one, a little bit of heart rate work, and two, I want you to get into a good pattern of changing directions, because that is something else that is very critical in every single sport we do,” says Samuel. The Cossack squat will bolster your lateral movement while the kettlebell swing builds powerful hip drive. Use as much weight as you can handle for both movements.
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 60 seconds per exercise
HOW TO DO THE COSSACK SQUAT:
- Start with a pair of kettlebells held in a front rack, core tight.
- Step out laterally with your right foot in a wide stance. Bend your right knee, sinking low with most of the weight on your right leg. Keep your chest up and core tight as you do this. Your left leg should be straight.
- Hold for a beat, then power up from that position, straightening both legs.
HOW TO DO THE KETTLEBELL SWING:
- Start standing with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, with the kettlebell on the ground in front of you.
- Push your butt back, then lean over to grip the bell’s handle. Hold on tightly.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades, then shift your arms to turn the pits of your elbows outward. Squeeze your abs to create tension. Keep your eyes on the floor to maintain a neutral spine.
- “Hike” the weight back between your legs, keeping your knees slightly bent. Keep your arms straight.
- Stand straight up, locking your knees, and aggressively squeeze your glutes to perform the swing. Keep your arms loose, like ropes connecting yourself to the kettlebell. Don’t aim for a certain point; allow the momentum to determine how high the bell goes.
- Allow the weight to fall back down, back through your legs.
DAY 2:
Upper-Body Power
WARMUP: Do each of the exercises below for 60 seconds.
Open Book Stretch
- Start by lying on the ground, placing your hips and knees at about a 90-degree angle. Squeeze a yoga block (or similar item) between your knees for support. The additional squeeze will help fire up your lower spine and hips, allowing you to get a stronger thoracic twist from your chest and shoulder area.
- Squeeze your knees and drive your hip into the ground, then begin reaching your arm as far behind you as possible—again, as if you’re opening up the pages of a book.
- Twist with the intention of touching your wrist to the ground behind you (although you may not reach that distance at first). However, go as far as possible as your chest continues opening and stretching before returning to start.
- Go for another rep, again squeezing your chest and shoulders throughout the stretch.
Cat-Cow
- Get in a tabletop position (hands, knees, and feet on the ground), with the shoulders above your wrists. Your knees slightly wider than hip width.
- Round your back as much as possible, while spreading your shoulder blades and bending in your neck as much as possible
- Look up to slowly begin arching your back, taking two to three seconds to create as much spinal extension as possible while squeezing your shoulder blades.
- Continue alternating between extension and flexion, moving for 2 to 3 seconds per each rep.
Dumbbell Row + Dead-Stop Row
You will kick off this slightly more traditional training day with a superset of rows—a staple exercise for building back strength. You’ll do a set of traditional dumbbell rows, then lower the weight all the way to the ground to give your muscles a quick reprieve before pulling the dumbbell as hard as you can.
“What I want you to really focus on on those dead-stop reps is…ripping the dumbbell off the ground with as much speed as possible,” says Samuel. “So think about tightening up your form; think about squeezing your glutes, about squeezing your abs.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps for the dumbbell row and 2 to 4 reps for the dead-stop row
HOW TO DO THE DUMBBELL ROW:
- Stand with your feet at shoulder width apart in front of the bench. Push your butt back and lower your torso down, extending your off arm to rest your palm on the bench. Make sure your shoulders stay above your hips.
- Grab the dumbbell with your working hand. Squeeze your glutes and abs to create full-body tension. Your back should be flat, with your head in a neutral position.
- Squeeze your mid-back muscles to drive your elbow up, rowing the weight. Keep your shoulders level and avoid rotating your lower back.
- Pause for a beat, then lower the weight back down.
HOW TO DO THE DEAD-STOP ROW:
- Stand with your feet at shoulder width apart in front of the bench. Push your butt back and lower your torso down, extending your off arm to rest your palm on the bench. Make sure your shoulders stay above your hips.
- Grab the dumbbell with your working hand, with the weight on the floor. Squeeze your glutes and abs to create full-body tension. Your back should be flat, with your head in a neutral position.
- Squeeze your mid-back muscles to drive your elbow up, rowing the weight. Keep your shoulders level and avoid rotating your lower back.
- Pause for a beat, then lower the weight back down on the floor.
Dumbbell Bench Press + Deload Pushup
After that horizontal row, you need a horizontal push. (Of course.) Go a bit lighter than usual for the dumbbell press so you can focus on speedy reps. The deload push-up will also feel easy, but that’s the point.
“I want it to be much easier, because your emphasis on this push-up is lowering your chest so that it touches the bench and then driving up so forcefully that your hands leave the bench,” Samuel explains.
SETS AND REPS: 4 sets of 6 to 8 reps for the bench press and 4 to 6 reps for the pushup
HOW TO DO THE DUMBBELL BENCH PRESS:
- Start by lying back on the flat bench, driving your shoulders into the pad and squeezing your abs and glutes. Your feet should be flat on the floor.
- Hold the weights at shoulder height.
- Press the weight straight up, keeping your forearms vertical.
- Lower down to your ribcage. Don’t allow your elbows to flare out.
HOW TO DO THE DELOAD PUSHUP:
- Get in pushup position with your hands on a bench or box, slightly wider than shoulder width, abs and glutes tight.
- Bend your elbows and shoulders, lowering your chest to within an inch of the box.
- Press back up explosively, driving your hands off the bench.
- Land with your hands on the box or bench, then repeat.
Chinup + Alternating Dumbbell Snatch
You’ll round out this upper-body day with a vertical pull-push superset that works your back, shoulders, and, above all else, your conditioning. A minute of straight pull-ups is a lot, so it’s fine if you need to drop down for a beat. As for the snatches, “you’re gonna grab a relatively heavy dumbbell, something where you have a little bit of control over it,” says Samuel, “I really want you to explode up.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 60 seconds per exercise
HOW TO DO THE CHINUP:
- Get into a good hanging position, squeezing your shoulders, abs, and glutes to maintain tension.
- Grab the bar with an underhand grip.
- Drive your elbows into your hips to pull yourself up to the bar. Continue until your head is above the bar, pausing briefly at the top.
- Lower back down until your elbows are extended, maintaining control of the position and keeping tension.
HOW TO DO THE ALTERNATING DUMBBELL SNATCH:
- Start with a dumbbell on the ground between your legs, standing with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Sit back and lower yourself down, like a deadlift rep, then grab the weight’s handle with an overhand grip. Hold your off arm out to the side.
- Stand up as powerfully and quickly as you can, pulling the dumbbell off the floor and using the power from your legs—if you’ve generated enough force, you’ll raise your heels off the floor into triple extension. Keep the weight close to your torso.
- As you continue to pull the dumbbell up, explode through your hips to help power it up to shoulder height. Think of pulling the dumbbell toward your chest like you’re zipping up a coat.
- Once the weight is at shoulder height, turn your elbow and punch the dumbbell over head. As the arm is extended, slide your weight beneath your extended arm. Stand staight up, squeezing your glutes.
- Lower the dumbbell down to your shoulder, then to the ground.
DAY 3:
Rest/Mobility/Cardio
WARMUP: Do each of the exercises below for 60 seconds.
Spiderman Lunge to Thoracic Rotation
- Start in the pushup position, hands directly below your shoulders, abs and glutes tight.
- Step your left leg forward so it’s alongside your left hand and your knee forms a 90-degree angle. Squeeze your right glute as you do this, and hold for a second.
- Keeping your left hand on the ground, reach your right hand toward the ceiling, continuing to keep your hips square. Your eyes should follow your right hand.
- Reverse the movements back to pushup position, then repeat on the other side.
Rolling Back Stretch to Supine Twist
- Lie on your back, arms spread wide. Then curl your back off the ground, aiming to touch the ground next to your shoulders with your feet. (Can’t get that far? That’s OK. Go as far as you comfortably can.)
- Roll forward. As you roll forward, shift your right knee to the left side, aiming to touch your knee to the ground.
- Roll backward again, then shift your left knee to the right side.
- Repeat until time is up.
Hip 90-90 Stretch
- Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you, keeping them bent at 90 degrees and your weight on your heels.
- Keeping your legs bent at 90 degrees, rotate your legs to the left until the outside of your thighs are pressed against the ground.
- Place your hands behind you, maintaining a 90-degree bend in your hip, to create more stability.
- Peel your legs off the floor, pivoting on your heels and rotating your thighs up and over to the other side until your legs are again pressed into the floor.
CARDIO: Run/Bike/Ski Erg for 20 minutes doing one of the two options:
OPTION 1: 1 minute hard, 2 minutes relaxed
OPTION 2: Build a move in every 3 minutes, like a cable crunch or hanging leg raise
DAY 4:
Lower-Body Strength
WARMUP: Do each of the exercises below for 60 seconds.
Hip 90-90 Stretch
- Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you, keeping them bent at 90 degrees and your weight on your heels.
- Keeping your legs bent at 90 degrees, rotate your legs to the left until the outside of your thighs are pressed against the ground.
- Place your hands behind you, maintaining a 90-degree bend in your hip, to create more stability.
- Peel your legs off the floor, pivoting on your heels and rotating your thighs up and over to the other side until your legs are again pressed into the floor.
Bounce Hops
- Stand comfortably, feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Begin hopping lightly on both feet, aiming to keep your heels off the ground at all times. The goal isn’t to jump high, it’s to jump quickly and keep jumping, simply creating bounce.
- Do this until time is up.
Romanian Deadlift
Lift dumbbells, load up a barbell—it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’re performing every rep perfectly, lowering the weight slowly to build muscular tension and explosively driving the weight up with glutes, “which are that engine for power,” Samuel says.
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start by getting the weight into place. If you’re using a heavy load, you can load the bar onto a rack just below hip-level, grab the weight using an pronated (overhand) grip, then stand holding the bar. You can also use standard deadlift form to lift the bar—stand with your feet at about shoulder-width close to the bar, push your butt back and hinge forward to grab the bar with an overhand grip, then push your feet through the floor to stand straight up.
- Organize your body by squeezing your shoulder blades, abs, and glutes. Turn on your lats by “breaking the bar”—turn your armpits forward while gripping the barbell hard.
- Push your butt back, then hinge at the hips to lower your torso and “glide” the bar down your thighs. Keep your spine and neck in a neutral position by looking at the ground.
- Lower down until you feel tension in your hamstrings.
- Pause for a count, then squeeze your glutes to stand back up to the starting position. Continue squeezing the glutes to bring your hips into extension to finish the rep.
Bulgarian Split Squat
Next is the Bulgarian split squat, also called a rear-foot-elevated split squat, to blast your front thighs. “We wanna build quad muscle, because our quads are also, from an athleticism standpoint, what is going to help decelerate,” says Samuel.
To emphasize your quads, Samuel wants you to elevate the heel of your front foot on either a wedge or a weight plate. This lets you achieve greater knee flexion for more quad recruitment. Go lighter than usual. Elevating your heel makes this exercise feel harder.
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start on the floor in front of the bench (or whatever stable platform you have on hand).
- Place one foot up onto the bench, then get into a position where your front foot is planted on the floor with a vertical shin (in relation to the ground). Your thigh should be parallel to the ground, forming a 90 degree angle at the knee.
- Grab the weights off the floor.
- Tighten your core and drive your ribcage in. Keep your neck neutral, looking straight ahead. Squeeze your shoulder blades to create tension.
- Stand up, hinging forward slightly to avoid overextending your back.
- Lower yourself down, working to keep your shin in that vertical position. Don’t allow your back knee to hit the ground; stop an inch from the floor if you can.
- Squeeze your glutes hard to keep your knee in the proper position, then press your front foot off the floor to drive up.
Curtsy Walking Lunge
Being athletic isn’t just about being powerful—it’s about being coordinated and stable as you move. Samuel programmed the walking lunge to help you train your muscles in motion, which, when it comes to being athletic, is a more functional variation than a stationary lunge.
“Work across [10 to 15 yards], ideally holding weights in a front rack position,” says Samule. “But if that’s too hard, don’t be afraid just to hold the dumbbells at your sides. And during week one, don’t be afraid to ditch the dumbbells entirely.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 15 yards
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start standing with kettlebells held in the front rack position.
- Lift your right leg, rotate your torso to the right, and crossover-step your right leg behind your left as far as is comfortable. Lower into a lunge.
- Power out of that curtsy lunge to step forward.
Half-Kneeling Windmill
Samuel likes the half-kneeling windmill because it trains the core through rotational movement, which is how the core works while running, throwing, or swinging. You’ll also build some shoulder stability, as you balance a kettlebell directly overhead with your arm locked out. Stronger shoulders will potentially protect you from injuries down the line.
“Take your time on these half-kneeling windmill reps,” says Samuel. “Work through two to three sets of six. Trust me, it’ll be enough.”
SETS AND REPS: 2 to 3 sets of 6 reps (each side)
HOW TO DO IT:
- Getting into a half-kneeling stance holding a kettlebell, with your legs positioned wider than you would for other exercises.
- Raise or clean the kettlebell to your shoulder, then press it overhead. Avoid arching your back; work on keeping your ribcage nice and tight. Once overhead, make sure to keep your eyes focused on the kettlebell throughout the movement.
- Slightly push your glutes back; as you’re doing this, your chest will begin rotating to that side. Squeeze your shoulder blades tight, and lower your opposite elbow to the ground. If reaching your elbow is too difficult, try just touching your hand to the ground instead.
- Power out of the bottom position to return to the start. Squeeze your glutes at the top.
DAY 5:
Upper-Body Strength
WARMUP: Do two sets of 60 seconds.
Open Book Stretch
- Start by lying on the ground, placing your hips and knees at about a 90-degree angle. Squeeze a yoga block (or similar item) between your knees for support. The additional squeeze will help fire up your lower spine and hips, allowing you to get a stronger thoracic twist from your chest and shoulder area.
- Squeeze your knees and drive your hip into the ground, then begin reaching your arm as far behind you as possible—again, as if you’re opening up the pages of a book.
- Twist with the intention of touching your wrist to the ground behind you (although you may not reach that distance at first). However, go as far as possible as your chest continues opening and stretching before returning to start.
- Go for another rep, again squeezing your chest and shoulders throughout the stretch.
Cable Row + Incline Alternating Bench Press
You’ll kick off this workout with a traditional back-chest superset: cable rows and bench presses. Aesthetically, the rows will thicken your back; athletically, you’ll have more pulling power on the field or mats. The incline alternating bench press builds chest muscle and strength, but pressing one dumbbell at a time (alternating) trains your core stability.
“There are two ways you can do the cable rows,” says Samuel. “We can keep our spine completely rigid or..if you are a little bit more advanced in the gym, try to stretch yourself out, roll your torso forward, and then pull back. We’re getting a lot more range of motion that way.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 10 reps for the cable row, 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps for the bench press
HOW TO DO THE CABLE ROW:
- Take a seat on the machine with your feet planted, a little wider than shoulder width. Drive the heels, and squeeze the glutes. Grab onto the cable handle.
- Sit up tall with a slight bend through the knees. Tighten up the abs and low back to maintain a perpendicular angle to the floor with your torso.
- Roll the shoulders back and down. Squeeze them together as you row, thinking about pinching a pencil in between them. As you do this, pull the handle back towards you, landing right above your belly button.
- Pause here for a moment before returning the handle, still squeezing the shoulder blades. Once you’ve returned the weight to the stack, then allow the shoulder blades to relax, without pulling the torso forward.
HOW TO DO THE INCLINE ALTERNATING BENCH PRESS:
- Sit on the incline bench set to a 45 to 60 degree angle holding a set of dumbbells. Drive your feet into the floor, drive your glutes into the seat, squeeze your abs, and drive your shoulders into the back pad.
- Raise the dumbbells to your shoulders. If the weight is too heavy, use your knees to kick the bell up. Your forearms should be perpendicular to the floor.
- Press the weight straight up, keeping your upper arms perpendicular to the ground.
- Once the weight is up, drive your shoulders down to create tension. Shift the angle of your arms by turning your hands slightly in.
- Lower the weight back down toward your chest as your chest flexibility allows, at least until your elbows are below your shoulders.
Dumbbell Push Press + Lat Pulldown
Now you’re on to vertical pushing and pulling work. The push press is as much a power exercise as a strength movement, requiring you to drive with your legs to “pop” the weight overhead. Lat pulldowns are more of a traditional exercise, increasing your lat strength and width, but sometimes you don’t need more than that.
Regarding the push press, Samuel says: “Try to be as powerful as you can. When you’re on the way down, take your time—of a three- to four-second eccentric.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps for the push press, 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps for the lat pulldown
HOW TO DO THE PUSH PRESS:
- Start in a standard military press position, holding dumbbells in both hands at shoulder height.
- Then dip your hips and knees slightly and explode upwards, even possibly rising onto your toes.
- Use that upward energy to help propel the weight overhead. Make sure you keep your abs and glutes tight as you do this.
- Lower the weight down under control.
HOW TO DO THE LAT PULLDOWN:
- Set seat at a comfortable height. Grab the handle with your hands at about shoulder-width.
- Focus on keeping your feet planted into the ground, core tight, and maintain a tight grip on the bar.
- Lean back slightly—do not arch your back for this—then, squeezing your shoulder blades, drive them down as you pull. Remember to drive your elbows down as well as you pull the bar to the top of your chest.
- Hold momentarily at the bottom, then return to start position under control.
Cable Fly + Pushup + Drop-Catch Plank Row
The last superset forges pushing power and back hypertrophy. Now, you’ll flip the script and get pump work for your chest muscles while working on deceleration of your lats with the drop-catch plank row.
“The thing I haven’t had you do is have to slow something down, and you get to work that on the drop catch plank row,” says Samuel. “I don’t need you going heavy on these, but I do need you moving fast to catch that dumbbell before it hits the ground.”
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps for the flys, 3 sets of max reps for the pushups, 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps (each side) for the row
HOW TO DO THE CABLE FLY:
- Start by sitting the cable machine so the the handles are just above your shoulders. Grab the handles loosely in the middle of your palm.
- Stand with one foot slightly in front of the other on the same track. Squeeze your shoulder blades, abs, and glutes to create tension.
- Squeeze your chest to bring your arms in together, driving your elbows in and scooping your pinkies to the ceiling to drive your palms upward.
- Pause at the top to emphasize the squeeze; do not cross your hands over.
- Return your arms back under control, then squeeze your shoulder blades in the starting position.
HOW TO DO THE PUSHUP:
- Start in a high plank position, with your palms flat on the floor, stacked directly below your shoulders.
- Squeeze your shoulders, glutes, and core to create full-body tension. Your spine should form a straight line, keeping your eyes on the floor to maintain a neutral spine.
- Bend your elbows to descend to the floor, stopping with your chest just above the ground. Your elbows should be at a 45 degree angle relative to the torso.
- Press back up off the floor, raising up to the top position with your elbows fully extended.
HOW TO DO THE DROP-CATCH PLANK ROW:
- Set up in single-arm plank position, your right elbow on a bench or box, a dumbbell held in your left hand. Squeeze your abs and glutes, creating a straight line from heels through shoulders.
- Row the dumbbell to your hip; hold for a second.
- Release the dumbbell from your hand, so it begins to drop swiftly. Reach down and catch it quickly, before it hits the ground, then row up again. Do this all without shifting your hips and shoulders; you’ll need to flex abs and glutes hard to insure that doesn’t happen.
Hanging Leg Lift
The last movement of this workout is a simple, straightforward ab exercise. Just lift your legs up and down, with control, to contract your abs. You’ll build stronger abs. “So you’re gonna drive your knees up, and then think of two to three seconds down,” instructs Samuel.
SETS AND REPS: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps
HOW TO DO IT:
- Start by grasping the bar tightly, with your palms over the bar instead of holding on with your fingers. Don’t jump up and adjust your hands; if you need, step up from a box to make sure you get a good grip.
- Lift your legs off the floor and pull your shoulders down, squeezing to engage your upper back. Turn the pits of your elbows forward to activate your lats. Squeeze your abs and glutes. Your legs should be slightly in front of your torso.
- Bend your knees slightly, then curl your legs up. Think about showing your butt to someone standing in front of you.
- Lower back down to the starting position.
DAY 6 (OPTIONAL):
Rest/Cardio/Mobility
WARMUP: Do each of the exercises below for 60 seconds.
Spiderman Lunge to Thoracic Rotation:
- Start in the pushup position, hands directly below your shoulders, abs and glutes tight.
- Step your left leg forward so it’s alongside your left hand and your knee forms a 90-degree angle. Squeeze your right glute as you do this, and hold for a second.
- Keeping your left hand on the ground, reach your right hand toward the ceiling, continuing to keep your hips square. Your eyes should follow your right hand.
- Reverse the movements back to pushup position, then repeat on the other side.
Rolling Back Stretch to Supine Twist:
- Lie on your back, arms spread wide. Then curl your back off the ground, aiming to touch the ground next to your shoulders with your feet. (Can’t get that far? That’s OK. Go as far as you comfortably can.)
- Roll forward. As you roll forward, shift your right knee to the left side, aiming to touch your knee to the ground.
- Roll backward again, then shift your left knee to the right side.
- Repeat until time is up.
Hip 90-90 Stretch:
- Sit on the ground with your legs extended in front of you, keeping them bent at 90 degrees and your weight on your heels.
- Keeping your legs bent at 90 degrees, rotate your legs to the left until the outside of your thighs are pressed against the ground.
- Place your hands behind you, maintaining a 90-degree bend in your hip, to create more stability.
- Peel your legs off the floor, pivoting on your heels and rotating your thighs up and over to the other side until your legs are again pressed into the floor.
CARDIO:
OPTION 1: Run/Bike/Ski Erg for 20 minutes, 1 minute hard, 2 minutes relaxed
OPTION 2: Sprints, 10 rounds of 10 seconds hard, 1 minute rest
Check out all of the videos in our Ultimate Athlete program, available exclusively for MH MVP subscribers, here.
Andrew Gutman, NASM-CPT is a journalist with a decade of experience covering fitness and nutrition. His work has been published in Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Muscle & Fitness, and Gear Patrol. Outside of writing, Andrew trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, helps coach his gym’s kickboxing team, and enjoys reading and cooking.
