Why It’s Her Fave: “Using battle ropes between regular lifts allows you to fatigue your muscles while giving you a calorie-busting workout. I combine back and shoulder movements with arms for a complete upper-body routine. Using battle ropes also targets all of those muscles at once.”
How To Do It: Hold ends of battle rope at arm’s length in front of you. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent. Brace core and explosively raise and lower alternate arms. Continue for 30 seconds.
Barbara’s Arm Workout
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Seated Shoulder Press
3
8-10
Straight-bar Row
3
8-10
Skull Crusher
3
10-12
Alternating Dumbbell Curl
3
8-10
*Do 30 seconds of battle-rope waves between each exercise.
CrossFit Champion and Prime Nutrition Athlete Brittany Fried
Sculpting Secret: Cable Supersets
Why It’s Her Fave: “I superset some arm exercises on the cable machine to save time and up the burn. Cables put the muscle under constant tension throughout the move.”
How To Do It: Hold a straight bar on a low cable pulley with an underhand grip, elbows close to sides. Curl bar toward shoulders; lower and repeat for reps. Next, face a high pulley with a rope and grasp one end in each hand. Keeping upper arms still, straighten arms downward; repeat.
Brittany’s Arm Workout
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Lateral Raise
3-4
15-20
Front Raise
3-4
15-20
Barbell Press
3-4
15-20
Dumbbell Curl
3-4
15-20
Skull Crusher
2-3
15-20
Cable Curl
4*
15-20
Rope Pressdown
3
15-20
*On the fourth set of cable curls, perform a dropset.
Sculpting Secret: Superset 21s with Skull Crushers
Why It’s Her Fave: “With 21s you vary three different ranges of motion in one biceps exercise. Superset that with a triceps movement like skull crushers and you’ve got one very challenging combination.”
How To Do It:
21s:
• Hold a weight in each hand, arms in front of thighs and palms up. Curl weight up until elbows are bent 90 degrees. Lower to start; do 7 reps total.
• After final rep, bend elbows 90 degrees and curl weight toward shoulders. Lower back to 90 degrees and repeat; do 7 reps.
• After final rep, lower weights back to start. Complete 7 more reps doing the full range of motion for a total of 21 reps.
Skull Crushers:
• Lie faceup on a flat bench holding weights in each hand, arms extended above shoulders.
• Slowly bend elbows, lowering weights toward head. Press back to start and repeat. Do 12 reps.
