Arm Blaster Challenge - 4 Weeks to Sexy Arms
- Juliette Ries
- Mar 30, 2018
- 10 min read
Hello and welcome to the Arm Blaster Challenge!!!! I am so glad you are here. Let me quickly introduce myself, my name is Juliette and I hold a Bachelors' Degree in Nutrition Science, I am an entrepreneur, stay-at-home mom, nutrition coach, fitness enthusiast, blogger and published author (Find me on Instagram @juliette_wanderluster and @beyoutifulhealth44)! I thrive on helping others achieve health goals, whether they be mental, physical or nutritional and I have a insatiable hunger for learning and growing in all aspects of life.
I kept asking the ladies in my life what they would like personal help with and I got some feedback. They mostly talked about how much they hated their arms and how they've tried everything to tone or lose "the jiggle".
I thought it would be fun to come up with a challenge! It's a 4 week fun challenge and it involves working out every other day (because you need to give your muscles time to recover to grow and build beautiful muscles). Warning: If this is your first time working out or first time in a while your arms will be sore, you will be challenged, but you will feel amazing! Sometimes you just have to work harder to achieve your goals! I've also thought of some fun prizes for those who tag me (@juliette_wanderluster and @beyoutifulhealth44) and post pics of them doing the workout on Instagram with the hashtag #armblasterchallenge. Tag your friends that should be doing this too! So here we go:
First I want you to take measurements or photos of your arms so by the end of the month you can compare and see how much progress you've made.
You'll need some dumbbells, preferably 2 sets, one set you would consider light weight (somewhere between 5 and 8 lbs) and one set of 10 to 15 lbs or whatever weight you find challenging by rep 7 or 8. You'll also need a resistance band (medium resistance).
This challenge is going to start the day after Easter, Monday April 2nd and run until the last day of April, the 30th.
Don't worry about whether or not your form is perfect right now. If this is your first time working out or working out in a while, your form and mind-to-muscle connection is probably going to be a bit sloppy. I know I was in the beginning and am still with certain exercises. But trust me it not only gets easier over time but you'll notice how much better you are at controlling the weight. A lot of these movements utilize core muscles so you might also gain some ab babies after this. Remember to engage your core whenever necessary and to help remove tension from using your back muscles. If anything becomes too painful please lower your weight or stop completely and stretch.
WARM UP
Start every workout with warming up the shoulders, arm and back muscles. Never start a workout "cold". I know you probably won't! hah because in the beginning I used to just get right into it, you know time constraints and whatever, but then I noticed I was getting pains and hurting myself. So I highly HIGHLY recommend you do!
I like to warm up with arm circles and using the resistance band. I will plug a video tutorial of the workouts below so you can see how the warm-ups and exercises are done.
Here is the workout plan:
I highly recommend that you challenge yourself if you want to see results sooner.
Heads Up: I've written all the workouts out for the month here but I have been changing them as I go so please check back every other day. If the "Day" is written in Blue then it is the official workout.
Day 1:
Exercise 1) 8 to 12 bicep curls ~ use your challenging weights 10 to 15 lbs
Exercise 2) 8 to 12 standing shoulder presses ~ use challenging wts
Exercise 3) 8 to 12 overhead triceps extensions ~ use challenging wts
Exercise 4) 8 to 12 (both arms same time) side lateral raises ~ use lighter wts
Exercise 5) 8 to 12 (both arms same time) front raises ~ use lighter wts
Now repeat 2 more times. Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between each exercise.
Day 2
Rest your arms but feel free to do other forms of exercise
Day 3 (video becomes available on 3rd day of challenge)
Warm up/ Stretch. Do exercise 5 after completely finishing exercises 1 thru 4, 3 times. Rest between each exercise for about 30 seconds then move to the next.
Superset
Exercise 1) 8 to 12 resistance band washboard rows
Exercise 2) 8 to 12 tricep dips using a chair or bench
Exercise 3) 8 to 12 resistance band lat pull-downs
Exercise 4) 8 to 12 resistance band bicep curls
Rest 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat 1 through 4.
Exercise 5) Plank position 20 seconds on 10 seconds off, repeat for 4 minutes.
Day 4
Rest
Day 5
Warm up and stretch! I did this 1st superset yesterday with my 15 lb weights and it was HARD! That is a good thing. You want change? You have to fight some battles. Just don't hurt yourself.
Superset
Exercise 1) 8 to 12 shoulder press (laying on back) ~ challenging wt
Exercise 2) 8 to 12 triceps press (laying on back) ~ challenging wt
Superset
Exercise 3) 8 to 12 bent over rows ~ challenging wt
Exercise 4) 8 to 12 tricep kickbacks ~ light weight
Superset
Exercise 5) 8 to 12 washboard rows ~ challenging wt
Exercise 6) 8 to 12 standing chest flys ~ resistance band
Do exercises 1 and 2 as a superset, meaning do them back to back, rest 30 seconds then repeat for a total of 3 sets (You might have to rest a bit between the shoulder press and tricep press if you are using heavy weights. Just make sure you are utilizing that rest period between the sets on these guys). Do the same with exercises 3 and 4, and then 5 and 6. Rest 1 to 2 minutes between supersets.
Day 6
Rest
Day 7
Warm up/ Stretch
Exercise 1) 8 to 12 Arnold press/bicep curl combo ~ challenging wt (at least 7 or 8 reps) or light wt (12 to 14 reps)
Superset
Exercise 2) Bent over reverse fly ~ light wt
Exercise 3) Lap pull-down ~ resistance band or as shown in video, leaning forward with light weights
3 sets/ 8 to 12 reps
Superset
Exercise 4) single arm overhead lat pull-down ~ resistance band
Exercise 5) single arm lateral raise ~ light wt
3 sets/ 8 to 12 reps
Exercise 5) 8 to 12 front raises ~ light wt
3 sets
Day 8
Rest
Well done ladies! You have completed a full week of upper body workout. See with the arm challenge we aren't just working on the arms, we're targeting the core, shoulders, triceps and back as well as other muscles you probably didn't even realize you have! Please let me know how you're doing and if you're struggling with staying on track or with a certain workout. I love helping you figure things out. Email me at beyoutifulhealth44@gmail, reach me on instagram @juliette_wanderluster or on my Facebook page BeyoutifulHealth. See you tomorrow with a brand new video and workout!
Day 9
Warm up/Stretch
Exercise 1: 8 to 12 reps Seated shoulder press ~ challenging wt
Exercise 2: 8 to 12 reps Seated upright row ~ challenging wt
Exercise 3: 8 to 12 reps Standing front raises ~ light wt
Exercise 4: 8 to 12 reps Tricep extension ~ challenging wt
Exercise 5: 8 to 12 reps Alternating shoulder presses (laying down) ~ challenging wt
Repeat 2 more times for total of 3 sets. I did my first set with rest in between but then did my 2nd set with little to no rest between exercises.
Day 10
Rest
Day 11
Warm up/Stretch
Exercise 1: 1 minute Plank up/downs
Superset (repeat 2x)
Exercise 2: 8 - 12 ea. Single arm lat pulls ~ resistance band
Exercise 3: 8 - 12 Lat pulls ~ resistance band
Superset (repeat 2x)
Exercise 4: 8 - 12 Bicep curls ~ resistance band
Exercise 5: 8 - 12 ea. Single arm uppercut ~ resistance band
Exercise 6: 15 pushups (you can do it!)
Exercise 7: Plank burn out ~hold for as long as possible (rest to recovery, about 30 seconds) then repeat 2 more times
Day 12
Rest
Day 13
(refer to the first workout video for visual instructions)
Warm up/ stretch Exercise 1) 8 to 12 bicep curls ~ use your challenging weights 10 to 15 lbs Exercise 2) 8 to 12 standing shoulder presses ~ use challenging wts Exercise 3) 8 to 12 overhead triceps extensions ~ use challenging wts Exercise 4) 8 to 12 (each side) side lateral raises single arm~ use lighter wts Exercise 5) 8 to 12 (both arms) side lateral raises ~ use lighter wts Repeat 3 times. 30 seconds to 1 minute between each exercise and 2 minutes between each set.
Day 14
Rest
Day 15
Stretch/ Warm Up
I am super excited about this one because it's different than any of the other ones we've been doing. It's going to go as follows: 40 seconds on to 20 seconds off (rest). And then go straight into the next exercise. Feel free to do another complete set of all 9 exercises if you have the time and feel good about it.
Exercise 1: Arm circles
Exercise 2: Crab walks
Exercise 3: Plank walks
Exercise 4: Walkouts to shoulder taps
Exercise 5: Reverse plank
Exercise 6: Plank rotation
Exercise 7: Tricep dips
Exercise 8: Plank with single arm raise
Exercise 9: Tricep lean backs
Exercise 10: Overhead tricep extension 3 x 8 to 12 reps
Exercise 11: Tricep kickbacks 3 x 8 to 12 reps
Day 16
Rest
Day 17
Warm Up/stretch
Exercise 1: Arnold press to bicep curl combo ~ 8 -12 reps medium to challenging t
Exercise 2: Side lateral raises ~ 8 - 12 reps both arms light wt.
Exercise 3: Single arm lateral raises ~ 8 -12 reps ea. arm light wt.
Exercise 4: Washboard rows ~ 8 - 12 reps challenging wt.
Exercise 5: Bent over rows ~ 8 - 12 reps challenging wt.
Exercise 6: Steering wheels ~ 14 reps ea. way challenging wt.
Repeat 2x. Rest 15 to 30 seconds between each exercise. Then rest 1 to 2 minutes before starting another set.
Day 18
Rest
Day 19
Warm up/ Stretch
Superset:
Exercise 1: Lateral delt pulls ~ resistance band x8 reps
Exercise 2: Bent over Lateral pulls (straight arm ~ resistance band x8 reps
Exercise 3: Single arm press ~ resistance band x15 reps ea. arm
Exercise 4: Both arms press ~ x15 reps
Exercise 5: Bicep curls ~ resistance band x15 reps
Exercise 6: Overhead press with dumbbell ~ challenging wt x8-12 reps
Exercise 7: Around the World ~ light to medium wt 8-12 reps
Repeat exercises 3 thru 7 for 3 total rounds
Finisher
Exercise 8: Front raises ~ resistance band x15 reps or to burnout (repeat until fatigued)
Day 20
Rest
Day 21
Warm up/ Stretch
Complete 2 sets of exercises 1 - 3
Exercise 1: 8 - 12 reps front raises using 1 dumbbell both hands ~ challenging wt
Exercise 2: 8 - 12 reps front raise variation, hold one dumbbell @ 90* while performing 3 reps of raises with other arm ~ light wt
Exercise 3: 8 - 12 reps front raises using dumbbells from sides of hips ~ light to medium wt
Complete 2 sets of exercises 4 - 5
Exercise 4: 8 - 12 bicep curls with dumbbells and resistance band ~ light wt
Exercise 5: 15 reps tricep dips
Complete 2 sets of exercises 6 - 7
Exercise 6: 15 reps resistance band tricep extensions
Exercise 7: 15 reps chest cross-overs with resistance band
Finisher: Bicep curl variation (curl from side body and curl from front body). Perform 1 time.
This is a dropset, you will need at least 3 sets of weights varying from heavy to light.
Starting with your heaviest weights perform 8 reps. Drop your weight down and perform 10 reps. Drop weight down perform 12 reps. And if you have another set of dumbbells that are even lighter then perform 14 reps.
That will complete your workout!! Congratulations you did awesome!!
Day 22
Rest Day
Day 23
In this workout we will be doing 2 SUPERSETS. Perform each superset 4 times. Each exercise within the supersets should be performed 8 to 10 times with no rest in between except for once you completed a superset, then rest for 90 seconds and move onto another set.
SUPERSET A (4 Sets)
Exercise 1: 8 - 10 reps Seated Arnold Press
Exercise 2: 8 - 10 reps Seated Shoulder Press (neutral grip)
Exercise 3: 8 - 10 reps Seated Side Lateral Raises
Exercise 4: 8 - 10 repsSeated Static Hold (10 secs on, 5 secs off, 3x)
Rest 90 secs. Repeat.
SUPERSET B (4 sets)
Exercise 1: 8 - 10 reps RB Single Arm Pulldown
Exercise 2: 8 - 10 reps RB Overhead Pulldown
Exercise 3: 8 - 10 reps RB Overhead Pulldown (separate arms) This one is optional
Exercise 4: 8 - 10 reps RB Chest Butterflies
Rest 90 secs. Repeat.
Day 24
Rest day
Day 25
Superset A: Lay on the floor and perform this superset with little to no rest in between exercises, but rest 90 secs between sets.
Exercise 1: 8 - 10 reps shoulder press (handlebar grip) ~ challenging wt
Exercise 2: 8 - 10 reps shoulder press (neutral grip) ~ challenging wt
Exercise 3: 8 - 10 reps renegades with push-ups ~ challenging wt
Superset B:
Exercise 4: 8 - 10 reps curl to press (neutral grip) ~medium wt
Exercise 5: 8 - 10 chicken wings ~ medium wt
Exercise 6: 8 - 10 bicep curl ~ challenging wt
Repeat total of 3 times. No rest in between exercises. 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
Day 26
Rest
Day 27
Today I'm having you do an intensive warm up.
Warm up: 15 large arm circles (front and back), 15 small arm circles (front and back), 16 hand clap rotations (stand with hands extended out, palms together, keeping left hand in place rotate right hand and core towards the right, extending right hand as far back as possible then returning it to front and switching with the left hand to perform same rotation but towards the left - 8 each way) 10 arm raises (palms facing back when down and facing forward when up, start with arms down by your sides, fingertips facing the ground, raise arms out in front of you and up towards the ceiling), 10 side arm raises (arms down, palms facing your thighs down, raise up as high as you can, like bird wings). These are great warm-ups and conditioning for specific muscle groups. Also teaches your mind to focus more on those muscles so that when you perform an exercise you have a better mind to muscle connection.
Superset A (perform 3x, no rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute between sets)
Exercise 1: 8 - 10 Dumbbell front raises ~ light wt
Exercise 2: 8 - 10 Dumbbell side lateral raises ~ light wt
Exercise 3: 8 - 10 Dumbbell delt front presses ~ light wt
Superset B (perform 3x, no rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute between sets)
Exercise 4: 5 - 8 Downward dog push-ups
Exercise 5: 10 Plank to side arm rotations (5 each way)
Exercise 6: 10 Plank to opposite toe touch (5 each side)
Day 28
Rest
Day 29
Warm up
Superset A (Perform 3 sets. No rest between exercises. 1 minute rest between sets)
Exercise 1: 12x single arm dumbbell reverse bent over flies ~ medium wt
Exercise 2: 12x double arm seated dumbbell reverse flies ~ medium wt
Exercise 3: 12x bent over rows neutral grip ~ challenging wt
Exercise 4: 12x bent over rows regular grip ~ challenging wt
Superset B (Perform 3 sets. No rest between exercises. 1 minute rest between sets)
Exercise 1: 12x single arm bent over row with kickback ~ medium wt
Exercise 2: 12x seated single arm bicep curl ~ challenging wt
Exercise 3: 12x seated single arm presses ~ challenging wt
And you are done with the challenge ladies!!!!Congratulations! You stuck with it and finished. I am so proud of you and glad you did this with me. Nothing is better than doing something together. Let me know if you have progress pics you'd like to share!
Day 30
Rest
**workouts will be posted on days workout is to be done so check back! If you'd like, send me your email or direct message it to me on Instagram (@juliette_wanderluster) and I will send you the workouts through your email so you won't miss any!