Welcome to week 2 of the SELF New Year’s Challenge, and get ready for a complete upper-body and arms workout! We’re going to jump right in with a twist to begin your second upper-body strength day: supersets.
Supersets are a popular strength-training modality that allow you to get more work done in less time than you would if you did straight sets—where you’d do your work period, rest, do another set, rest again, and so on. With supersets, you pair two exercises together with minimal rest between, and then rest longer after both are done.
You can design superset exercises a few different ways. You can work opposing muscle groups (like your chest and back, or your biceps and triceps). This is a great method for large compound exercises (think rows and push-ups, as in the workout below) where you’re really going for strength, since while you’re working one muscle group, the other gets a chance to rest. So you’ll be able to go into your second exercise in the superset feeling pretty fresh.
You can also do superset moves that work the same muscle group rather than opposing ones. This is called a compound set, and an example would be a chest press and a chest fly. Compound sets fatigue the same muscle group, without letting it rest and recharge, so you likely wouldn’t be able to lift as much weight as you normally would if you did those exercises separately.
Today’s supersets will pair your back and chest and different parts of your shoulder area. Now that you’re in the second week of this challenge, we’ve added in specific moves that work your rear deltoids, the small muscles in the back of your shoulder. This muscle is often neglected, but it’s super important not only for your posture—it helps you draw your shoulders back and prevent hunching over—but also to help stabilize your shoulders so you can lift safely.
In this upper-body dumbbell workout, and in all the ones that follow throughout the remainder of the challenge, your first superset will be one that’s really focused on strength: These will be the ones that work big, opposing muscle groups. Your second superset will include some smaller muscle groups.
Then, you’ll conclude this superset strength workout with an optional finisher of an isolation move—a biceps exercise to really target your arms.
Keep scrolling for the details on how to do today’s upper-body and arms workout. And when you’re done? You may want to set aside some time for these great upper-body stretches, which can remedy some of that soreness you can feel after a workout in a hard-to-hit spot. Arm workouts, such as tricep workouts, can be especially grueling, particularly at the beginning of your exercise journey (or a challenge like this one!)—but the key to entering your comfort zone is diving right in and then taking proper care of your body when the work is done.
The workout below is for day 8 of the SELF New Year’s Challenge. Check out the full four-week workout program right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails for this challenge, you can do that here. (edited)
WORKOUT DIRECTIONS
Aim for 8–12 reps per exercise. Rest up to 30 seconds between exercises. At the end of the round, rest 60–90 seconds. Complete 2–4 rounds total. Repeat for Superset 2.
EXERCISES
Superset 1
- Single-Arm Bent-Over Row
- Incline Push-Up
Superset 2
- Lateral Raise
- Quadruped Single-Arm Rear-Delt Raise
BONUS MOVE
After your last circuit, try the bonus move for 60 seconds.
- Wide-Grip Biceps Curl
-
Pinterest
Katie Thompson1 Single-Arm Bent-Over Row
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a weight in your right hand with your arm at your side. (You can stagger your stance if you feel more comfortable that way.) This is the starting position.
- With your core engaged, hinge forward at the hips, pushing your butt back, and bend your knees, making sure you don’t round your shoulders. (Your hip mobility and hamstring flexibility will dictate how far you can bend over.)
- Gaze at the ground a few inches in front of your feet to keep your neck in a comfortable position.
- Pull the weight up toward your chest, keeping your elbows hugged close to your body, and squeeze your shoulder blade for two seconds at the top of the movement. Your elbow should go past your back as you bring the weight toward your chest.
- Slowly lower the weight by extending your arms toward the floor. That’s 1 rep.
- Once your reps are complete, switch sides and repeat.
-
Pinterest
Katie Thompson2 Incline Push-Up
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a sturdy low box, a chair, or a table and assume a high plank position with your feet, knees, hips, and shoulders in a straight line. Brace your core and keep your elbows tucked in close to the sides of your torso. This is the starting position.
- Bend your elbows and pull the shoulder blades together to lower your chest to the box.
- Press through your palms to straighten the arms back to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
-
Pinterest
Katie Thompson3 Lateral Raise
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand, arms resting along the front of your legs, palms facing your legs. This is the starting position.
- Think about bringing the weights as far away from each other as possible and raise the weights out to your sides to shoulder level.
- Lower them back to the starting position. This is 1 rep.
-
Pinterest
Katie Thompson4 Quadruped Single-Arm Rear-Delt Raise
- On a mat, start in an all-fours position with your knees underneath your hips and palms underneath your shoulders. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand.
- Raise your right arm to the side, feeling the work in the back of your shoulder. Brace your core, keep your back straight, and try not to twist to the side.
- Lower your dumbbell back to the ground. That’s 1 rep.
- Complete all your reps on one side, then switch sides.
-
Pinterest
Katie Thompson5 Wide-Grip Biceps Curl
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand, and hold your arms wide at your sides with your elbows pushing in toward your ribs, palms facing up.
- Perform a wide-grip biceps curl by bending at the elbows.
- Extend your arms to lower the weight back down. This is 1 rep.
Styling, Rika Watanabe. Hair, Avery Golson at See Management. Makeup, Ayaka Nihei. On Gail Barranda Rivas (GIF 1): Sports Bra; Fabletics. Leggings; Bandier. Sneakers; Puma. On Lanoa Curry (GIFs 2, 4, and 5): Sports Bra and Leggings; Fabletics. Sneakers; Stella McCartney. On Heather Boddy (GIF 3): Sports Bra and Leggings; Bandier. Sneakers; APL.
Leave feedback about this