The workout below is for 6 Weeks to Stronger, SELF’s new six-week workout plan geared toward building serious strength. Check out the full program right here for the rest of your workouts and more important info!
Welcome, our four-time-a-weekers! We’re so excited that you’ll be joining us for Six Weeks to Stronger, and know you’re going to love what’s coming next.
For your program, the workouts will be split between upper-body and lower-body ones, all of which will be packed with compound exercises that’ll really encourage you to progress with them over time (plus some accessory moves to round it all out). You’ll have two upper-body and two lower-body days. This will allow you to put in some really targeted work for each muscle group. You’ll want to space your workouts out so you’re not hitting the same muscles any more frequently than every 48 hours, so try to stick to the order we’re suggesting. (For more general info about the program, make sure to check out our primer here.)
You’ll start with your first upper-body day, and the overhead press will be your main move, the one for which we’ll really challenge you to choose a weight you can go heavy with. That’s because we’re keeping the rep range relatively low (and the rest period higher), which will allow you to lift more than you would if you had to eke out 10+ reps. And more of a breather between sets ensures that your muscles will be ready to do it all over again. This will be a straight set, meaning you’ll finish all your sets of this exercise before moving on to the next.
Then you’ll follow that up with a superset that will have you alternating between moves that work the backside of your upper body (the bench-supported row, which hits your largest back muscle, and the rear delt fly, which targets the small muscles on the back of your shoulders) and the front side (the chess press, which smokes your pecs and also challenges the front of your shoulders). The rep range will be a little higher here (and the rest period a tad longer), but it’s still right in the range to help you build strength and muscle. Finally, you’ll end with two moves that zero in on your abs—your obliques and deep core muscles in particular.
Grab your equipment—take a look at what you need below—and get ready to crush your first workout of the week!
The Workout
What you need: Dumbbells (or a barbell if you prefer) and a weight bench. You may also want an exercise mat for comfort.
Exercises
Straight Set:
Circuit:
- Bench-Supported Single-Arm Row
- Chest Press
- Rear Delt Fly
Superset:
- Bicycle Crunch
- Plank With Leg Raise
Directions
- For Straight Set, complete 5 to 8 reps. Rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Complete 4 sets total.
- For Circuit, complete 8 to12 reps of the first exercise; rest for 60 to 90 seconds before going on to the second exercise. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds before going to the third exercise. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds after all three are done, and then repeat from the top. Complete this circuit 3 times total.
- For the Superset complete 12 to 15 reps of the first exercise. Rest for 30 to 60 seconds before going on to the second exercise. Rest 30 to 60 seconds, and then repeat from the top. Complete this superset 3 times total.
