Workout of the week: 15-min upper body workout

ALL LEVELS / upper body workout / 15 minutes

Equipment: Dumbbells, lat pull-down machine, incline chest press machine & gym bench

An upper body workout unlocks a realm of benefits far beyond the mirror. From enhancing your posture and fortifying your heart and bones to warding off potential injuries, your upper body is fundamental for your overall health. Last but not least, let’s not fool ourselves — looking irresistible with sculpted upper body muscles is a pretty good reason to include these workouts in your fitness routine.

Start reaping all these benefits by trying this upper body workout. It consists of 5 exercises, to perform for 40 seconds with 20 seconds to rest. You must complete 3 rounds with no rest between them: the 20-second period between exercises is enough. In total, this workout will take you exactly 15 minutes to complete.

Push-row combo
Lat pull-down
Incline chest press
Dips
Russian sit-ups

When you’re ready, let’s do this!

WORKOUT SETUP

5 exercises
40 seconds on, 20 seconds off
3 rounds
No rest between rounds
15 minutes total
Equipment: Dumbbells, lat pull-down machine, incline chest press machine & gym bench

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

3 rounds

1 – PUSH-ROW COMBO

40 sec on, 20 sec off

Grab a pair of dumbbells and set your body up.
Your hands and feet should be more than shoulder-width apart.
Now lower your body until your chest is parallel to your hands.
Push up with power and row one dumbbell at a time up to your chest.
Slowly return to the starting position until you have reached the desired rep range.

2 – LAT PULL-DOWN

40 sec on, 20 sec off

Adjust the pad on your legs to reduce the movement.
Grasp the bar above your head with a wide grip. Keep looking forward with your torso upright.
Engage your shoulder blades, and then pull the bar down in front of you – upper chest level.
Squeeze your lats at the bottom of the move and avoid leaning back too much to facilitate the movement.
Slowly return up and repeat.

3 – INCLINE CHEST PRESS

40 sec on, 20 sec off

Lean back and press your feet actively into the floor.
Find a symmetrical grip that lets your forearms stand almost parallel to the floor in the starting position.
Engage your core and press forward and up with as much as possible.
Make sure your back stays in contact with the cushion behind you.
Repeat.

4 – DIPS

40 sec on, 20 sec off

Sit on the edge of the gym bench. Grasp the edge of it, pointing your fingers to your feet. Make sure your legs are extended, with your heels touching the floors.
With your palms, press to lift your body and slide forward, clearing the edge of the bench.
Now lower yourself until your elbows are bent.
Slowly push yourself back up to the starting position.
Repeat.

5 – RUSSIAN SIT-UPS

40 sec on, 20 sec off

Start in a supine position, with your legs bent and your feet on the floor hip-width apart.
Grab a dumbbell with both hands horizontally, stretching your arms. That’s your starting position.
Engage the core and perform a full sit-up, bringing your arms overhead.
Return to the starting position, with your core engaged all the time, and repeat.