Low to High Cable Flyes Instructions

Step 1: Set the cable machine handles on the lowest notch  

Step 2: Grab a handle in each hand and step forward a step or two until the cable is tight  

Step 3: With your elbows slightly bent and the palms of your hands facing in and up pull the handles together in the middle of your chest  

Step 4: Hold for a half second and then bring your arms back down. This completes one repetition  

Step 5: Complete 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions 

Looking for more great chest workouts?  Check out our chest workouts exercise library.

Need help getting started?  Our highly trained and certified staff would love to help you reach your goals. Download our free 28 day challenge E-book for an easy to follow workout plan.  

Close Grip Incline Dumbbell Press Instructions

Step 1: Grab a pair of dumbbells in each hand, lie on a bench set to a 45-degree incline

Step 2: Hold a pair of dumbbells at arm’s length above your chest, palms forward

Step 3: Keep your core braced and your elbows close to your body

Step 4: Lower the dumbbells to the sides of your chest

Step 5: Pause, and then push the weights back up to the starting position

Step 6: Complete 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions

The close grip bench press is an upper body exercise that targets the triceps muscles. The secondary muscles involved are your chest and shoulders.  

Some of the benefits of the close grip bench press is it can build strength in the triceps. It may improve elbow extension and it can also reduce stress on the shoulders while benching.

If you are looking for some other great tricep exercises try Tricep Dips, Overhead Cable Extension, Reverse Plank Tricep Dips, Lying Tricep Extension or Cable Rope Triceps Pushdown. 

The tricep is a large muscle on the back of the arm. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It begins just below the socket of the shoulder blade and at two distinct areas of the humerus. One of the tricep's main responsibilities is extending the elbow joint or simply straightening the arm. 

Looking to add more to your chest day workout plan?  Check out our chest workouts exercise library for exercises like vertical press, cable fly variations, and more.

Need help getting started?  Our highly trained and certified staff would love to help you reach your goals. Download our free 28 day challenge E-book for an easy to follow workout plan.  

Incline Dumbbell Flys Instructions

Step 2: Press the dumbbells above you, keeping a slight bend at your elbows with the palms of your hands turned towards you.  

Step 3: As you inhale, continue lowering the arms slowly to your sides until the weights reach your chest level, keeping your arms extended and maintaining the bend at your elbows  

Step 4: As you exhale, reverse the movement and press the dumbbells up to your initial position  

Step 5: Complete 3-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions  

Looking for more great chest workouts?  Check out our chest workouts exercise library.

Need help getting started?  Our highly trained and certified staff would love to help you reach your goals. Download our free 28 day challenge E-book for an easy to follow workout plan.  

Cable Arm stretchers 

Step1: Attach a handle to the very top of a cable machine  

Step 2: Grab the handle and kneel down with one knee onto a mat

Step 3: Keep your arm tucked into your side and pull the handle down to your side  

Step 4: Squeeze your back and stretch all the way forward so your arm is completely straight  

Step 5: Complete 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions on each side  

 Check out our full list of back exercises.

Need help getting started?  Our highly trained and certified staff would love to help you reach your goals.  Click on the link below to request a trainer.  Don't wait, start today!

I hope fitness is a habit for you and you are working out almost every day.  Notice I said almost every day?  Rest days are an important part of your fitness program.

When strength training you are actually creating microscopic tears in your muscles and as they rebuild they get stronger. This happens 24-48 hours after you work that muscle group and is why you shouldn't work the same muscle group with any type of resistance on back to back days.  You can work different muscle groups on different days to help with muscle recovery.  For example, upper body one day and legs the next.  

Rest days are still important even when splitting up days to weight train muscle groups.  Exercise, especially higher intensity workouts, are taxing on your body and deplete your glycogen stores which you use for energy.  In order to keep progressing, and reduce your likelihood of injury, you need to give your body a break once and awhile to repair and re-energize.

How often should you rest?  In general, if you are starting out with a new exercise program or are a beginner exerciser, rest every third day (that is, exercise two consecutive days and rest the third). More experienced exercisers should remain inactive or take an active recovery day once a week.

What does a rest day look like? How inactive you are on your rest day depends on the intensity of your workouts leading up to it. For example, if you are killing it in the gym day in and day out, your rest day should be a day completely off, maybe go for a walk, but no gym or workout video. However, if your workouts have been light to moderate intensity all week, you can take a more active recovery day. That might include playing a sport outside, taking a yoga class, or going for a longer walk.

Build a rest day in your schedule! They allow your muscles to get stronger, replenish your glycogen stores, reduce the risk of overuse injuries, avoid mental burnout and help your body repair itself.