Here is a workout which targets the Back muscles and, the upper part of the shoulders behind your neck, the Trapezius Muscles.  For this workout we will start with the back, and then finish off with Traps.

The Back is one of the largest muscles we have and thus it’s essential to hit it from a lot of different angles with a wide array of exercises.  The exercise selection will depend on which parts of YOUR back need more development than the rest.  For instance, some people may require more width on their back and others may already be wide enough, but want to work on the thickness and density of their back muscles.

By knowing what you want to achieve you can choose the right exercises to target the specific areas you want to build up.

In the following workout we will start with exercises focusing on widening the back, and then as we go on we will get to exercises which will help with adding some thickness to the back.

It is very easy when training your back to just go through the motions on each rep, and to allow other muscle groups such as the biceps and shoulders to do the work.  You really need to focus on using your back to pull the weight and on squeezing your back with each rep to get the maximum results out of your workout.  And always try to avoid slouching your back over in any exercise, maintain a slight arch in your lower back throughout.

This workout can be done by pretty much anyone, male or female who has a bit of experience in the gym.  For the beginners, you can also do it, just maybe scale back on two or three of the exercises or decrease the amount of sets you do per exercise.  The rep ranges are all between 6 and 20, so nothing too heavy, but you need to choose a weight which will suit you.  Do not try to go too heavy too quickly.  Make sure to use proper form and FULL range of motion in all exercises.  If your range suffers then reduce the weight!

Download a printable workout log of the Back And Traps Workout here:

• Editable Word Document: WOW BACK AND TRAPS
• Pdf Document: WOW BACK AND TRAPS

Back & Traps Workout

5 minutes cycling/walking on an incline to warm up.

Exercise 1:

• Wide grip pull ups

Sets: 4
Reps: 10, 10, 10, 10

Exercise 2:

• Wide Lat Pull Downs (Palms facing each other)

Sets: 3
Reps: 15, 12, 10
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 3:

• Wide Lat Pull Downs Behind Neck

Sets: 3
Reps: 15, 12, 10
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 4:

• Shoulder Width Pull Downs Palms Facing You

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 5:

• Seated Machine Rows

Sets: 5
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 6:

• One arm dumbbell rows

Sets: 4
Reps:  12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 7:

• Bent over barbell rows with an underhand grip

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Superset with

Exercise 7.1:

• Dumbbell Pullovers

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

What is a superset?  A superset is where you perform two exercises back to back, one after the other taking no rest in between them.

Exercise 8:

• Dead lifts

Sets: 5
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

When training the traps, and performing shrugs, be sure to pull the weight up AND BACKWARDS pushing your shoulders back while you do it.  Do not just shrug it up and down or round wards.

Exercise 1:

• Barbell Shrugs

Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 2:

• Dumbbell Shrugs

Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Superset with

Exercise 2.1:

• Seated Machine Reverse Flyes (Palms facing down)

Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Related Images:

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This workout should not take you more than an hour and 15 minutes or so, just remember to keep your rest periods relatively short, about 45 seconds to 1 minute and 15 seconds.

When training the chest muscles, I find that by really tensing and squeezing the chest on each rep, helps to keep focus and tension on the chest, and allows more work to be done primarily by the chest.

When training abs, many people try to rush through the exercises and just ‘go through the motions.’  For example when doing traditional sit ups, people tend to move up and down in a very quick fashion trying to get it done as quickly as possible without truly working the abdominals.

I really think with abdominal exercises, a more slow, controlled movement, allowing you to feel the abs contract at the top, bottom and in the middle of each movement is best.  Be sure to exhale as you contract the abs.

BUT I also believe that the fast paced exercises can also play a role, but only every now and then.  Rather have a few exercises where you use proper control, and then one or two exercises where you just bust it out and try to do the exercise relatively quickly, because trust me, you will still feel the burn.

This workout can be done by pretty much anyone, male or female who has a bit of experience in the gym.  For the beginners, you can also do it, just maybe scale back on two or three of the exercises or decrease the amount of sets you do per exercise.  The rep ranges are all between 6 and 20, so nothing too heavy, but you need to choose a weight which will suit you.  Do not try to go too heavy too quickly.  Make sure to use proper form and FULL range of motion in all exercises.  If your range suffers then reduce the weight!

Download a printable workout log of the Chest and Abs Workout here:

• Editable Word Document: WOW Chest And Abs
• Pdf Document: WOW Chest And Abs

Chest and Abs Workout

Exercise 1:

• Incline barbell chest press

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 2: 

• Flat (bench) cable chest press (using the cable machine)

Sets: 5
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 3:

• Flat (bench) dumbbell flyes

Sets: 4
Reps: 20, 15, 12, 10
Increasing weight each set.

Super Set With

Exercise 3.1:

• Flat dumbbell chest press

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 12, 10, 10
Increasing weight every second set.

What is a super set?  A super set is where you perform one exercise straight after another.

Exercise 4:

• Decline barbell bench press

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 5:

• Standing cable crossovers

Sets: 2
Reps: 20, 15
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 1:

• Hanging leg raises

Sets: 4
Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10

Super Set With

Exercise 1.1:

• Decline bench sit ups with weight

Sets: 4
Reps: 25, 20, 15, 10

Exercise 2:  

• Incline bench lying leg raises with hip thrust

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 12, 10, 10

Exercise 3:

• Crunches (Extending and straightening legs after each rep)

Sets: 4
Reps: 20, 20, 15, 15

Super Set With

Exercise 3.1:

• Bicycle kicks

Sets: 4
Reps: 25, 25, 20, 20

Related Images:

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We start off with shoulders and then move onto the triceps and biceps, where we super set the bicep and triceps exercises.

 What is a super set?  A super set is where you perform one exercise straight after another.

This workout can be done by pretty much anyone, male or female who has a bit of experience in the gym.  For the beginners, you can also do it, just maybe scale back on two or three of the exercises or decrease the amount of sets you do per exercise.  The rep ranges are all between 6 and 15, so nothing too heavy, but you need to choose a weight which will suit you.  Do not try to go too heavy too quickly.

Download a printable workout log of the Shoulders and Arms Workout here:

• Editable Word Document: WOW Shoulders and Arms
• Pdf Document: WOW Shoulders and Arms

Shoulders and Arms Workout

Exercise 1:

• Shoulder press machine

Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 2:

• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder press

Sets: 3
Reps: 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 3:

• Standing barbell behind the neck press

Sets: 3
Reps: 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Superset with

Exercise 3.1:

• Standing front lateral raises with weight plates

• Keeping the plates parallel to the floor when you bring them up)

Sets: 3
Reps: 10, 10, 10
Keeping the same weight.

Exercise 4:

• Standing side dumbbell lateral raises keeping your palms facing you

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 5:

• Partial* front raises – front raises using an ez bar on an incline bench

Sets: 3
Reps: 7 for each partial, 7 full range
Increasing weight each set.

*Partial reps are when you do the bottom half of the movement of an exercise, then the top half, and then the full movement.  For example take bicep curls.  First you would curl the weight up half way, up to the bottom of your chest for say seven reps, then you would curl from the bottom of your chest to your chin for another seven reps, and then lastly you would do the full curling movement from the bottom all the way up to your chin for the last seven reps.

Exercise 6:

• Seated side lateral machine

Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Super set with

Exercise 6.1:

• Front dumbbell raises

• Twisting your wrists upwards, so that your palms are facing upwards at the top at the raise

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 1:

• Tricep dips

Sets: 4
Reps: 12, 12, 12, 12
Body weight.

Superset with

Exercise 1.1:

• Standing ez bar bicep curls

Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight

Exercise 2: 

• Lying down ez bar skull crushers.

• (Keeping your elbows over your head and pushing backwards rather than upwards)

Sets: 4
Reps: 15, 12, 10, 8
Increasing weight each set.

Superset with

Exercise 2.1:

• Standing dumbbell bicep curls.

• (Alternate each arm and then curl both arms up.  That counts as one rep)

Sets: 4
Reps: 8, 8, 6, 4
Increasing weight.

Exercise 3:

• Standing tricep rope push downs

Sets: 3. The third set is a drop set.  Drop to half of the weight you are using.
Reps: 12, 10, [8, 12]
Increasing weight each set.

Superset with

Exercise 3.1:

• Standing hammer rope curls

• The third set is a drop set.  Drop to half of the weight you are using.

Sets: 3.
Reps: 12, 10, [8, 12]
Increasing weight each set.

A drop set is where you perform an exercise with a certain weight for a number of reps, and then drop the weight to a lighter weight and perform a few more reps to really exhaust the muscle.  You can drop the weight more than once if you want.

Exercise 4: 

• One hand triceps press down

Sets: 2
Reps: 12, 10
Increasing weight each set.

Exercise 4.1:

• One hand bicep concentration curl on the cable machine or using a dumbbell

Sets: 2
Reps: 12, 10
Increasing weight each set.

Related Images:

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