21 May Home Gym and Functional Trainer week: Back and biceps workout

This week the focus is on Home Gym workout machines and Functional Trainers. Although they have slight differences there are also many similarities. I’ll talk about basic workout tips to help people on both and then offer up my suggestions on how to set up a basic workout program. Today, here are my tips for Workout C (back and biceps).
This is the third of a three-part workout program that if followed will improve your strength and stamina.
Program A will work out the chest and triceps; on the next day do Program B (legs, shoulders); then Program C (back, biceps), followed by a rest day. Then, repeat the cycle.
If you wish, you can add Program D (an all-cardio) day, then take a rest and start over.
Start all workouts with a good warm-up. Do a real light stretch for a few minutes, then walk, jog or ride a bike for 10-15 minutes to get the blood flowing and some warm-up cardio time. At that point, I do a more thorough stretch because my muscles are warmed up nicely.

For program C, the back and biceps take centerstage. Home gyms and functional trainers offer many excellent workout options for the back and bi’s.
After warming up, start with seated cable rows (3 sets of 10) and then move to front lat pulldowns (3 sets of 10) to work the back and lats. One-armed rows can be added for 3 more sets of 10.
Next up, work the biceps with 3 sets of 10 standing curls. Then, do alternating one=armed curls for 3 sets of 10. If you have a preacher bench that can isolate the biceps even more. Another idea for some of these back and biceps sets is to sit on an exercise ball to add a workout for the core as well.
Now that all three programs have been covered get to work. If you alternate working out different body parts with this split routine it should keep your workouts fresh and build strength and muscle over the long run.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your workouts.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com