What’s On Your Spring Body Checklist? Muscles √ Get Ripped √

Spring is finally somewhat here in NYC, which means the annual unveiling of NYCers’ “tank-eist” wardrobes is beginning. As we transition from coats and sweaters to t-shirts and tanks, JKF Fitness & Health has got your back to make sure your body is ready.

 

While I normally like to approach fitness/working out from a health and feeling good direction, I have to admit, I like having “viewable” muscles – loosely defined as those viewed through the sense of sight versus the sense of touch. Thus, muscle-building workouts have to stay in a heavy rotation in my fitness routine.

What are these “muscle building” workouts you ask? Well I can tell you from studies, anecdotal trials and observations that it comes down to sets, reps and exercise variation.

Here’s the breakdown of my go-to muscle increasing lifting routine:

•A warm-up set of 20 reps (light weight, 50 to 60% of a 1 rep max)

•4 “working sets” of 8 – 12 reps (sets can increase in weight or slowly decrease to ensure rep amount)

•Body part focus (3 to 5 exercises for each major muscle group – chest, legs, back, shoulders, arms)

•Alternating Exercise Method - machine, barbell, dumbbell/iso-lateral

•One or two functional movements

Here's an example for Chest:

Barbell Bench Press – Dumbbell Incline Bench Press – Cable Chest Press – Forward/Backward walking Push-ups (example of a functional movement).

I also tend to throw in 5 to 10 minutes of cardio before and after lifting.

And there you have it, a bigger and more ripped physique brought to you by the science of exercise physiology. To have your own customized routine created, checkout out our program design purchasing options. Have a question about anything in this piece? Ask it in the comments below or through our contact form.

And remember folks . . .