Hello there lovelies!

How are you today? Anything fun planned for this weekend? I’ll be getting a workout in, doing a bit of cooking, meeting up with a couple of friends, and enjoying the last couple of days of freedom before starting my new job. In comparison to other weekends it should be pretty low-key, and I’m more than ok with that! If a workout is on the cards for you too, I’ve got just the thing for you this morning….

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Work It Out

Last week I introduced this month’s new fitness feature, the Sexy Strong September Challenge. A lot of you jumped in and said that you’d like to participate, and I hope that the first workout went well. I’d love to hear your feedback throughout the series, so feel free to comment or shoot me a message using the contact form above to tell me how you’re doing. Here comes the second routine!

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Sexy Strong September Challenge Workout Part 2: Chest and Back

As you can see already, the main focus of this week’s workout is your chest and back. Our chest muscles often dominate, especially when we do hours of work at a desk. As we become tired, our back muscles weaken and shoulders roll inwards, causing the less-than-attractive slouchy posture. Guilty? I know I am sometimes! To combat the slouch, this workout is going to incorporate both chest AND back moves, with special emphasis on keeping the back muscles under tension for longer periods. In the Tempo column, I’ve noted the speeds at which to perform each exercise in each superset. Most (but not all) of the back exercises are meant to be held longer, which will challenge your muscles more and ideally, lead to better posture.

Like last week, perform each group as a superset, doing one exercise immediately after the other. Take 60s rest, then do your next set. Perform 4 sets of each group, then move to the next. Be sure to use weights heavy enough to make your last reps very challenging!  Oh, and don’t forget the push-ups at the end!!! Ready? Let’s go!

Sexy Strong September Challenge 2

Click here to print the PDF.

All of the above exercises are described in the PDF, but let me know if you need further breakdowns in the comments section below and I’ll be happy to help. When you’ve finished, be sure to stretch out those working muscles. One of my favourites for the chest is the door frame stretch, which looks like this:

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Pushing against the doorframe with one or both hands and forearms helps to stretch and elongate the large muscles in the chest, which have just been contracting over and over again with all of those chest presses and flyes. Hold the stretch for about 30s on each side. Your bod will thank you later!

Turn It Up

This week’s featured tune is another one from one of my favourite American Idols, Carrie Underwood. I loved Good Girl, the title track off of her latest album, and this one, Blown Away, is just as good. There are several remixes floating around out there, but so far this is the best one I’ve come across.

Have A Read

Alright, speaking of yoga, that’s where I’m off to this morning! Before you head off, tell me…

  • If you’re a long-time American Idol watcher, who was your favourite contestant?
  • What’s on your workout playlist these days?
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