03 Press the bar directly upwards until your arms are straight.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Ideally you will be able to support your upper back against an upright bench on this movement. The best ‘tip’ here is that if you do not have the shoulder/upper chest flexibility to do this exercise in a picture-perfect fashion then switch to seated dumbbell presses.
SEATED CABLE ROPE ROW
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Sit on the machine with a slight bend in your knees, holding a double cable rope attached to the low pulley cable with an overhand grip.
02 Ensure that there is tension in the cable before you begin.
03 Pull the handle into your navel, keeping your chest up, and squeeze your shoulderblades together.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Don’t make the mistake of starting each pull from the arms; instead always drive the elbows back as if there’s an annoying trainer standing right behind you and you want to elbow him in his soft parts (head or nether regions, but not his abs of steel).
SEATED CALF RAISE
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Sit on the machine with the pads on your quads and toes on the platform.
02 Release the safety catch and go up on to your tiptoes, keeping your chest up.
03 Slowly return to the start, ensuring your heels go below the platform for a full range of motion.
+
NICK'S TIP
Make sure you get the best possible range of motion by actively contracting your tibialis anterior (the muscle on the front of your shin) at the bottom of the movement.
SEATED DUMBBELL SHOULDER PRESS
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Sit on an upright bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with palms facing forward.
02 Keep your feet flat on the floor, core braced, back against the bench and head looking forward.
03 Press the weights up directly overhead until your arms are straight.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Don’t just push the weight straight up. Instead think about contracting your deltoid muscles by keeping the elbows back and in line with the torso and ever so slightly arcing the weight up.
SEATED LATERAL RAISE
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Sit on an upright bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides with palms facing together.
02 Keep your feet flat on the floor, core braced, back against the bench and head looking forward.
03 Lift the weights up and out to the side, keeping a slight bend in your elbows.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Leave your ego at the door with this exercise. If it doesn’t burn your medial (side) deltoids then go lighter until you can use the right muscular contraction to get the weight up. It is not about heaving, it is all about contracting.
SEATED OVERHAND CABLE ROW
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Sit on the machine with a slight bend in your knees, holding a bar attached to the low pulley cable with an overhand grip.
02 Ensure that there is tension in the cable before you begin.
03 Pull the handle into your navel, keeping your chest up, and squeeze your shoulderblades together.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Explode on the positive part of the rep, so that you are pulling the weight into your stomach as hard as possible. Your goal should be to make the weight on the end of the cable bounce as the bar reaches your navel.
SEATED SCOTT PRESS
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Sit on an upright bench holding a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with palms facing towards you.
02 Keep your feet flat on the floor, core braced, back against the bench and head looking forward.
03 Lift the weights up and out to the side, rotating your wrists so that your palms face away from you when your arms are extended.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
This is an exercise where form takes extra precedence over weight. I want you to think about arcing your elbows back and up with your deltoid muscles rather than pressing the weight and using the triceps.
STANDING BARBELL SHOULDER PRESS
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 With your feet hip-width apart, hold a bar on your upper chest with a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip.
02 Keep your chest upright and your core muscles braced.
03 Press the bar directly upwards until your arms are straight.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
For all standing upper-body exercises you can adopt a ‘split stance’ whereby pressure is taken off any lower back hyperextension by placing one leg anything from 2 to 20 inches in front of the rear foot.
SHOULDER-WIDTH PULL-UP
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Hold the bar with an overhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart.
02 Start from a dead hang with your arms fully extended.
03 Pull yourself up so your chin goes over the bar by squeezing your lats.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Full range of motion means all the way up and all the way down. Most gym rats need reminding of this.
SHOULDER-WIDTH CHIN-UP
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Hold the bar with an underhand grip with your hands shoulder-width apart.
02 Start from a dead hang with your arms fully extended.
03 Pull yourself up so your chin goes over the bar by squeezing your lats.
04 Slowly return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Chin-ups should be called ‘chest-ups’. Rather than the usual ‘curl your chin over the bar’ movement I prefer to see a ‘chest to the bar’ intention. You’ll develop a lot more muscle and strength this way.
SINGLE-LEG CALF RAISE
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Stand tall on one leg on a raised platform.
02 Go up onto your tiptoes.
03 Slowly return to the start, ensuring your heels go below the platform for a full range of motion.
STANDING CALF RAISE
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Stand tall on a raised platform.
02 Go up onto your tiptoes.
03 Slowly return to the start, ensuring your heels go below the platform for a full range of motion.
+
NICK'S TIP
Try these raises holding a dumbbell.
I don’t mind some very small knee bend in this movement but do resist the urge to roll your feet – keep the weight on the ball of your foot.
TRICEPS DIP
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Grip parallel bars, keeping your body upright and your core braced.
02 With your elbows pointing straight back, lower your body down slowly as deep as you can.
03 Press back up powerfully to return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Keep your upper body upright in order to best hit the triceps and really try to explode on the positive portion of the rep. You may not be able to actually move out of the hole all that fast, but as long as the intention is there you will recruit more triceps muscle fibres. By this stage you don’t need me to also remind you that bouncing out of the bottom position i
s a very bad thing, do you?
WALKING DUMBBELL LUNGES
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Stand tall with chest up in front of a long, clear pathway, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing.
02 Keeping your core braced, take a big step forward and lunge down until both knees are bent at 90°.
03 Push off from your back foot and lunge forward with that leg, and repeat.
+
NICK'S TIP
If you find yourself ‘caving in’ as you stand up then take a metaphorical step back and start this exercise with just bodyweight.
WEIGHTED TRICEPS DIP
Tap here for a video demonstration and commentary.
01 Grip parallel bars, keeping your body upright and your core braced.
02 Secure a dumbbell between your feet, or use a weight plate attached to a belt.
03 With your elbows pointing straight back, lower your body down slowly as deep as you can.
04 Press back up powerfully to return to the start.
+
NICK'S TIP
Your range should be deep enough so that you can hold a piece of paper in the fold of your elbow joint at the lowest possible part of the movement.
FOLLOWING THE PROGRAMME
YOU’RE READY TO START AND WILL NOW NEED TO CREATE YOUR OWN SPECIALLY TAILORED WORKOUT PROGRAMME BY COMBINING SPECIALISATION AND FOUNDATION WORKOUTS.
To recap, Specialisation Workouts allow you to focus on a specific area (arms, back, chest, delts, quads) over a three-week period and should be done in conjunction with the corresponding Foundation Workouts (two per week). Specialisation Workouts are numbered A to F or A to E and Foundation Workouts are numbered 1 to 36. In any week, your Foundation Workout should not cover the same area as your Specialisation Workout, so you will need to choose only two of the three Foundation Workouts each week to complement your Specialisation Workout. You will drop the Foundation Workout that works the same area as the Specialisation Workout; e.g. if you choose the Arms Specialisation then drop the Arms and Delts Foundation Workout for those three weeks.
At the end of the three weeks you must choose a different Specialisation area for the next three weeks – you should never work on the same Specialisation area in consecutive three-week periods.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF DELTS AND CHEST ARE YOUR ONLY PRIORITIES YOU COULD FOLLOW THIS WORKOUT SPECIALISATION STRATEGY:
WEEKS 1–3 ARMS SPECIALISATION
Chest and Back, Legs Foundation Workouts A to F
+
Arms Specialisation Workouts 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8
(Arms and Delts dropped from the Foundation Workouts)
WEEKS 4–6 BACK SPECIALISATION
Legs, Arms and Delts Foundation Workouts A to E
+
Back Specialisation Workouts 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18
(Chest and Back dropped from the Foundation Workouts)
WEEKS 7–9 CHEST SPECIALISATION
Legs, Arms and Delts Foundation Workouts A to E
+
Chest Specialisation Workouts 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27
(Chest and Back dropped from the Foundation Workouts)
WEEKS 10–12 DELTS SPECIALISATION
Chest and Back, Legs Foundation Workouts A to E
+
Delts Specialisation Workouts 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35
(Arms and Delts dropped from the Foundation Workouts)
* * *
GET ON THE GRID
Use the grid here to help you create your own workout routine. The grid shows all the various combinations of Specialisation and Foundation Workouts for weeks 1 to 12, with each row showing a workout session and each column showing the Specialisation area. You will only ever do one of the columns on the grid at any one time, so if you are specialising on arms, then you would only need to follow the workouts in the Arms column for three weeks. If you think of the plan as working in four lots of three-week bursts, then you will work down a column for three weeks and you will then need to change to another Specialisation area/column for the next 3 weeks. You can go back to the first Specialisation area after a three-week break.
The arms, back, chest and delts workout Specialisation strategy used in the example above is also shown in the annotated grid outlines on the following pages.
WEEKS 1-3
ARMS SPECIALISATION
Choose a Specialisation area and then work down that column for three weeks, alternating Specialisation and Foundation Workouts as indicated. In this case you will combine the Arms Specialisation with Chest and Back and Legs Foundation Workouts.
WEEKS 4-6
BACK SPECIALISATION
Choose a Specialisation area and then work down that column for three weeks, alternating Specialisation and Foundation Workouts as indicated. In this case you will combine the Back Specialisation with Legs and Arms and Delts Foundation Workouts.
WEEKS 7-9
CHEST SPECIALISATION
Choose a Specialisation area and then work down that column for three weeks, alternating Specialisation and Foundation Workouts as indicated. In this case you will combine the Chest Specialisation with Legs and Arms and Delts Foundation Workouts.
WEEKS 10-12
DELTS SPECIALISATION
Choose a Specialisation area and then work down that column for three weeks, alternating Specialisation and Foundation Workouts as indicated. In this case you will combine the Delts Specialisation with Chest and Back and Legs Foundation Workouts.
12-WEEK WORKOUT GRID
• Choose a Specialisation muscle group to focus on for 3 weeks
• Follow Workouts A–F (or A–E for some muscle groups) along with the corresponding Foundation Workout
• Change the Specialisation muscle group every 3 weeks to avoid working the same muscle group in consecutive 3-week periods
NOW CHANGE YOUR WORKOUTS TO FOCUS ON A DIFFERENT SPECIALISATION MUSCLE GROUP FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS
NOW CHANGE YOUR WORKOUTS TO FOCUS ON A DIFFERENT SPECIALISATION MUSCLE GROUP FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS
NOW CHANGE YOUR WORKOUTS TO FOCUS ON A DIFFERENT SPECIALISATION MUSCLE GROUP FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS
THE WORKOUTS
You will find detailed step-by-step guides to all the exercises in the Foundation and Specialisation Workouts in the previous section
FOUNDATION WORKOUT: WEEK ONE*
*Choose two workouts to complement your Specialisation Workouts
• Your Foundation Workout should not cover the same area as your Specialisation Workout
• Over 12 weeks, follow Foundation Workouts 1–36 choosing 2 workouts each week to complement your chosen Specialisation Workout (see here)
• For weeks 1–3, choose your Specialisation Workout and corresponding Foundation Workouts from Workouts 1–9
• Change your Specialisation and corresponding Foundation Workouts every 3 weeks
WORKOUT 1
CHEST & BACK - NOT to be done with Chest or Back Specialisations
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Dumbbell neck press 10 10 4010 90sec
1B Incline reverse dumbbell row 10 10 4010 90sec
2A Cable face pull 2 12 3011 75sec
2B Incline gym ball plank 2 30 2010 60sec
WORKOUT 2
LEGS - NOT to be done with Quads Specialisation
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Machine squat 10 10 4010 90sec
1B Lying hamstring curl 10 8 4010 90sec
2A Seated calf raise 2 15 3011 0sec
2B Standing calf raise 2 15 2010 90sec
WORKOUT 3
ARMS & DELTS - NOT to be done with Arms or Delts Specialisations
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Triceps dip 10 10 4010 90sec
1B 45° dumbbell curl 10 10 4010 90sec
2A Dumbbell upright row 10 10 3010 60sec
2B Dumbbell wrist curl 5 15 2010 60sec
FOUNDATION WORKOUT: WEEK TWO*
*Choose t
wo workouts to complement your Specialisation Workouts
WORKOUT 4
CHEST & BACK - NOT to be done with Chest or Back Specialisations
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Dumbbell neck press 10 10 4010 90sec
1B Incline reverse dumbbell row 10 10 4010 90sec
2A Cable face pull 3 12 3011 75sec
2B Incline gym ball plank 3 20 2010 60sec
WORKOUT 5
LEGS - NOT to be done with Quads Specialisation
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Machine squat 10 10 4010 90sec
1B Lying hamstring curl 10 8 4010 90sec
2A Seated calf raise 3 15 3011 0sec
2B Standing calf raise 3 15 2010 90sec
WORKOUT 6
ARMS & DELTS - NOT to be done with Arms or Delts Specialisations
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Triceps dip 10 10 4010 90sec
1B 45° dumbbell curl 10 10 4010 90sec
2A Dumbbell upright row 10 10 3010 60sec
2B Dumbbell wrist curl 5 15 2010 60sec
FOUNDATION WORKOUT: WEEK THREE*
*Choose two workouts to complement your Specialisation Workouts
WORKOUT 7
CHEST & BACK - NOT to be done with Chest or Back Specialisations
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Dumbbell neck press 10 10 4010 90sec
1B Incline reverse dumbbell row 10 10 4010 90sec
2A Cable face pull 4 12 3011 45sec
2B Incline gym ball plank 4 20 3010 45sec
WORKOUT 8
LEGS - NOT to be done with Quads Specialisation
Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
1A Machine squat 10 10 4010 90sec
Your Ultimate Body Transformation Plan Page 8
