Split Day #4 - Triceps & Shoulders

Welcome back, or for those that are new, thank you for joining!

Today the blog is moving to split day four in my current gym split: triceps and shoulders! By the end of this workout, you will be STRUGGLING to pick up your bag leaving the gym... and that's exactly how it's supposed to be.

I start this day with dynamic stretching that is very similar to my back and biceps day. I focus on lots of shoulder mobility and full range of motion. This usually includes windmills, arm circles, etc.

After this, I move into my first compound shoulder movement, the barbell overhead standing press. This movement is pretty basic; however, I also like to make sure that the bar is getting pressed slightly behind my head to get more top-of-shoulder focus. Like always, three sets for this with 45 pounds (just the bar), 55 pounds, and finally 60 pounds. This is for 6, 5, and 5 reps.

Next, I move onto a superset dumbbell shoulder combo. In this the three exercises I focus on are front shoulder raises, diagonal raises, and lateral raises. I do three sets, all with 10 or 12.5 pounds (each hand) for 8, 6, and 6 reps (each arm). Make sure in your supersets to not break long between exercises; instead, take longer breaks between sets.

This set officially completes our shoulder exercises, so now we move onto triceps.

My goal with triceps is to have them defined but not large; because of this, I tend to focus on lower weight with higher reps.

I start with an overhead triceps press with a single dumbbell. I use 20 pounds for this, three sets at 8 reps each set. During this, it is important to focus on slow and controlled movements to get full range in your triceps.

Finally, I end this muscle group with dumbbell triceps kickbacks. I bend over at the waist slightly for this movement to truly isolate the triceps. I use 12.5 pounds in each hand.

Starting with my arms bent 90 degrees forward, kick them back, squeezing and holding with your triceps when fully extended behind your back. Then, slowly release back to the starting position.

Like always, this day ends with an ab circuit. This includes 45-pound plate standing 'around the worlds', 45-pound plate overhead alternating marches, and finally 25-pound plate fully extended V-ups. As always, you can sub these exercises for the circuit but be sure to use weight!

Thanks for following along! Be on the lookout for the final day of my current split coming out next week!