Full Upper Body Workout With Some Cool Exercises

First Workout of 2012

With many people starting their New Year’s resolutions tomorrow (because they’re nursing a hangover today), I wanted to put my first workout of the new year up and show you how we do it at Diesel.

Today’s session started with a LONG warm-up and a ton of jumps.  We did a full body warm-up which includes upper back and hip mobility, as well as, activation of the posterior chain.  Specifically, we loosened up the hips in all planes of movement and worked on thoracic extension and rotation (key to improving scapular positioning and function).

We moved on to jumps and did standing box jumps and  box jumps with approach.  We did all of this in the gymnastics area of our gym and the jumps were done on a spring floor – which is awesome for me.  It is not as strenuous and the landing and absorption is dissipated into the floor.

The First 2012 Upper Body Workout

The workout went really well after how thorough the warm-up ending up being.  We did the following:

1)  Speed Bench, 8×3

2A)  Dumbbell Bench, 4×8-10 reps, no rest

2B)  Chain Tricep Extensions, 4×8-12 reps, 90 sec rest

3A)  Snatch Grip Bent Over Rows, 3×10 reps, no rest

3B)  Heavy Dumbbell Shrugs, 3×12 reps, 90 sec rest

4)  Chain Farmers Walks, 4 x 80 yard trips *

*  This variation was awesome because it is a COMBO of farmers walks and sled dragging.  You get the weight in your hand as with a farmers walk, and the chains dragged on the floor providing resistance to your forward movement, as in a sled drag.