20 DAYS ARMS AND LEGS

Do a full range of motion. Keep the lower back in a neutral position by assuming a posterior pelvic tilt. This will ensure that your hips are neither too high or too low, allowing your proper target point (the chest) to reach the ground first. Make sure to keep your neck as neutral as possible throughout the movement! Hand placement - laying face down on the ground, simply reach your arms overhead and then slide them down until your elbows are at about 45-60�. From here, slide your hands down to about shoulder height and press your body up. Make sure your hands are rotated outwards, to about 2 o�clock. Unshrug your shoulders - keep your shoulder blades back and down throughout. Unshrug the shoulders at the top of the movement and keep them unshrug - do not clench the scapulae when you are at the bottom. Imagine bringing your bicep forward. Instead of going straight up and down, you want to push your body at an angle, similar to what you would do with a bench press. By slightly pivoting off your toes, you will be able to descend forward and then push yourself up and back. This will also allow you to keep your elbows stacked over your wrists, which is key for proper pushup mechanics. Go slow and controlled - 2 seconds on the way down and 2 seconds on the way up.

Start in a squat position with your knees bent, back straight, and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Lower your hands to the floor in front of you so they�re just inside your feet. With your weight on your hands, kick your feet back so you�re on your hands and toes, and in a pushup position. Keeping your body straight from head to heels, do one pushup. Remember not to let your back sag or to stick your butt in the air. Do a frog kick by jumping your feet back to their starting position. Stand and reach your arms over your head. Jump quickly into the air so you land back where you started. As soon as you land with knees bent, get into a squat position and do another repetition.

Grab a chinup bar using an underhand grip with your hands placed 6 to 8 inches apart. Hang at arm's length�also known as a dead hang�pointing your legs slightly in front of you to form a wide C. Now press your thighs together and brace your abs; your body should remain rigid for the entire movement.

Using a pronated grip, grasp the pull bar with a wider than shoulder width grip. Take a deep breath, squeeze your glutes and brace your abs. Depress the shoulder blades and then drive the elbows straight down to the floor while activating the lats. Pull your chin towards the bar until the lats are fully contracted, then slowly lower yourself back to the start position and repeat for the assigned number of repetitions.
To decrease bicep involvement, use a false (thumbless grip). Try to keep a neutral head position (looking straight ahead or slightly up) as hyperextending the neck can lead to compensations throughout the spine. If the bar is high enough, keep the legs straight and in front of the body in a hollow body position. Avoid falling into overextension of the lumbar spine by squeezing your glutes and bracing your abs. The pullup is completed when the lats are fully flexed, don�t continue pulling and compensate with the pecs. When this occurs, the elbows will flare up behind the body, the shoulder will round forward, and you�ll begin to feel pressure in the front of your shoulders. A lifter�s segment length will determine whether or not they can actually get their chin over the bar, it�s not an absolute for everyone. Lower to almost full extension of the elbow but avoid locking out completely as this can place excessive strain on the ligamentous structures within the elbow and shoulder. If you can�t complete a single bodyweight pullup, start with slow negatives (add weight when these can be accomplished under control) or flexed arm hangs in the top position. Ditch the straps and kips, neither one is necessary or recommended.

The grip should be shoulder-width apart. Elbows should be under bar. Torso should be erect. Move the bar off the rack. Keep your chest up. Push the bar up to full elbow extension. As soon as the bar passes the head � �pull the head through� � so that the bar is being locked out directly over the ears. Keep elbow pointing out to the side until arms are fully extended. Do not forcefully lock out the elbow. Lower the bar slowly and under control to shoulder level. Do not jerk or bounce at the bottom.

Attach the middle of your lastics on the top hook. Stand facing the wall and grab the handles with an underhand grip. Your posture should be tall with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin. Evenly distribute your weight and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable position. IMPORTANT: IN ORDER TO HIT THAT MEDIAL HEAD, TURN YOUR SHOULDERS OUT. Pre-tension your shoulders, hips, and core. Your ribs should be down and your pelvis should be slightly tucked. All repetitions should begin from this starting position. While maintaining your alignment, squeeze your triceps to begin straightening your elbows. Finish the movement by squeezing your triceps while maintaining a slight bend in your elbows. Movement should only occur at your elbows. Slowly bend your elbows to return to the starting position.

You want to remember to take care of the shoulders in this exercise. Keep your thumb higher than your pinky. No �pouring the pitcher.� Work on that good contraction at the top, and lower the dumbbell back under tension. Don�t use momentum and take it all the way until you can�t perform another rep with good form.

Attach the middle of your lastics on the top hook. Stand facing the wall and grab the handles with an underhand grip. Your posture should be tall with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin. Evenly distribute your weight and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable position. IMPORTANT: IN ORDER TO HIT THAT LATERAL HEAD, INVERT YOUR SHOULDERS INWARDS. Pre-tension your shoulders, hips, and core. Your ribs should be down and your pelvis should be slightly tucked. All repetitions should begin from this starting position. While maintaining your alignment, squeeze your triceps to begin straightening your elbows. Finish the movement by squeezing your triceps while maintaining a slight bend in your elbows. Movement should only occur at your elbows. Slowly bend your elbows to return to the starting position.

Start by standing with feet shoulder width apart and holding two dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing toward each other. Raise both dumbbells, ending with arms extended overhead and then slowly return to start position. This exercise allows you to get your elbows out in front of your body into that scapular plane so you can press overhead more safely without risking impingement of the shoulder. It also allows you to effectively overload the shoulders with dumbbells, but keep in mind that you�ll be able to make smaller jumps in weight with dumbbells than you would with a barbell.

Attach the handle to a low pulley. Stand sideways next to the machine, reach across your body and grab the cable handle. The side you are going to work should be facing away from the pulley. You can hold on to the upright (supported) or simply stand away from the upright and place your non working hand on your hip or let it hang by your side. Using only the strength of your deltoid (no swinging or heaving the weight up), raise your arm out to the side until it is parallel to the ground. Keep a slight bend in your elbow and keep your palm facing down. Hold for a split second at the top of the movement to get a peak contraction. Lower the weight under control so your deltoids are still resisting the load through the eccentric part of the movement. You can adjust your body position and how close you stand to the cable machine so you feel the most tension on the deltoid through the entire range of motion.

Set up for the dumbbell tricep kickback by grabbing a flat bench and sitting a dumbbell on the left-hand side at one end. Position yourself on the left side of the bench with your right knee and right hand resting on the bench. Using a neutral grip, pick up the dumbbell with your left hand. Keep your back straight and look forward. Tuck your left upper arm close to your torso and bend at the elbow, forming a 90-degree angle with your upper arm and forearm. This is the starting position. Moving only at the elbow, raise the dumbbell behind you until your arm is fully extended. Pause, and then lower the dumbbell back to the starting position. Repeat this movement for desired reps and then repeat using your right arm. Keep your head up and your eyes facing forwards, as this will keep your back straight. Focus on moving the weight with your triceps, keeping control of the weight as you slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position. Keep your body as still as possible, moving only your forearms.

Anchor: Secure the band(s) to the door with the door anchor at waist height. Attach both ends of the band to one handle and grip the handle with the hand of your working arm. Stand 3 to 4 feet away from the door with your non-active arm closest to the door. Keep your head straight, chest up and stomach tight. Position your active upper arm to be perpendicular to the floor. Your lower active arm should be parallel with the floor, across and tight to your body. Rotate your arm out (in an arc against the resistance), until it cannot rotate any further. Return to the starting position (controlling the resistance). Repeat. Try to keep the elbow of your active arm tight to your side throughout the entire movement, do not let it flare out.

Anchor: Secure the band(s) to the door with the door anchor at waist height. Attach both end of the band to one handle and grip the handle with one hand. Stand 3 to 4 feet away from the door with your active arm closest to the door. Keep your head straight, chest up and stomach tight. Position your active upper arm to be perpendicular with the floor. Your active lower arm should be parallel with the floor, and pointed away from your body at a 45 degree angle. Rotate your arm in (in an arc against the resistance), until your hand touches your chest. Return to the starting position (controlling the resistance). Repeat. Keep the elbow of your active arm tight to your side throughout the entire movement, do not let it flare out.

Anchor: Not required. Attach a handle to each end of the band(s). Stand on the band(s) hips width apart. Now grip a handle in each hand and stand up straight with your back straight, head straight, chest up, and stomach tight. Your arms should be straight with palms facing your thighs, on top of your thighs Raise your arms up, until your hands are at eye level. Keep your hands 6 inches apart as you raise your arms.

This move will maximize the use of your triceps. Essentially what you're trying to do is a tricep pushdown with a straight bar, except you don't have a tricep pushdown machine or a straight bar. All I'm trying to do is extend through the elbows.

Position a cable at the lowest position possible and attach a single handle. Reach across your body and grab the handle with a neutral grip. Keep the elbow slightly bent and pull the handle across your body and raise laterally. Slowly lower the handle back to the starting position under control. TIPS: If you want to keep more tension through the side delts, use a slightly slower eccentric than normal and keep some slack in the cable instead of allowing the weight stack to touch. Allow the arms to move freely but don�t lock out the elbows. If you encounter pain within the shoulder while performing the movement, consider implement one of the following tweaks: Tilt your pinkies slightly higher than your thumbs. Imagine you�re pouring out a cup of water. Allow the arm to rotate during the movement so that the thumb is pointing up a peak contraction. This will put the shoulder in a more externally rotated position and potentially open up the shoulder joint to allow for a bit more movement. Keep the abs braced and don�t arch the back at the top of the movement. Don�t jut your head forward during the movement - this is about stimulation for a small muscle group. Focus during the movement and don�t rely on momentum. Allow the arm to move freely but don�t lock out the elbows.

Lie on the floor in a prone (facedown) position, with your legs straight and your arms bended at the elbows. As you lift up your feet off the ground as well as your shoulders by activating the back muscles and glutes, slowly extend your arms in front of you, then pull them back and relax. This is one rep. This exercise is good for the inner shoulder muscles and is done as a counter for the push-ups.

Walk the feet towards the hands. Keep all the weight on your toes while doing these. At the top position when you've pushed overhead, shrug the shoulders up to complete each rep. This will ensure you are doing a full range of motion, so you will build strength, flexibility and size. Get the head in front of the hands. The further you lean forward during dynamic pressing exercises, the more the shoulders are going to work.

Perform a chin-up and slowly lower down in the position where the most tension falls on your biceps. Stay as much as you can, then lower down to dead hang and pull yourself up again to chin-up. Repeat.