This 15-Minute Bodyweight 'Giant Set' Workout Will Score You a Huge Upper-body Pump
Andrew Tracey
·3-min read
This 15-Minute Bodyweight 'Giant Set' Workout Will Score You a Huge Upper-body Pump
It can be easy to let your fitness goals fall by the wayside on those days when you just can’t make it to the gym, but if you’ve found these unscheduled off days are happening a little too often, what you probably need is handy set of ‘do-anywhere’ workouts that you can keep in your back pocket for emergencies. And on that count, we’ve got you.
This 15-minute giant set workout requires just your bodyweight, and a box, bench or chair, but will target your chest, shoulders and triceps for muscle growth, while also boosting your work capacity and all-round fitness.
After a thorough warm-up set a countdown timer for 15 minutes and get to work, working through the reps of each movement in a circuit fashion, resting only as necessary to keep your form sharp and tempo controlled.
Each giant set consists of 20 reps, and your goal is to work through as many high-quality rounds as possible — making a note of your total ‘score’ — and aiming to beat this on subsequent attempts.
The reps are deliberately low, meaning the first few rounds may feel easy, but this will allow you to keep moving with minimal rest, accumulating muscle-building fatigue and coaxing more total work out of your chest, shoulders and triceps.
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1. Pike Press-up x 2
Assume a strong press-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart. Walk your hands backwards towards your feet until your hips are almost above your shoulders (A). Lower slowly towards the ground by bending at the elbow (B). Pause as your nose makes contact before explosively pushing back up.
If you can, elevate your feet on a bench or box (as picture below) to unlock more shoulder strength. If this feels too tough right now, use it as a goal to work towards on your journey of bodyweight mastery.
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2. Press-up x 4
Assume a strong plank position, hands stacked directly below elbows and shoulders (A). Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest to the floor (B). Keep your upper arms from flaring as you push back up explosively to a straight arm position. Repeat.
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3. Hands Elevated Press-up x 6
Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a bench or box, assuming a strong plank position (A), bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest to the bench and pause here (B). Keep your upper arms from flaring out as you push back up explosively to a straight arm position. Repeat. Raise or lower the box height to decrease or increase the difficulty, respectively.
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4. Bench/Box Dip x 8
Sit on the edge of a box or bench, with your legs outstretched. With your hands next to your hips, support your weight with your arms as you shift off the edge of the box (A). Flex at the elbows to lower your body until you feel a stretch across your chest (B). Straighten your arms explosively to push back up. Elevate your feet to increase the difficulty.
It’s the fast, efficient workout that’s a brilliant way to get fit if time is tight. Lots of people will have tried high-intensity interval training (HIIT) – a workout made up of short, intense bursts of movement like sprints, burpees and ski jumps, followed by a rest.
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