A Week to Peak: Episode 6

The premise of this series is simple — a week’s worth of workouts.

Perhaps you’ve got a big vacation coming up in roughly seven days and want to get in a great week of training before you relax (and look your best in a bikini). Or maybe your current program is just growing stale and you need something new to reignite your training spark.

These Week to Peak routines can get you there. Choose one that looks appealing and that matches your goals and accommodates your available equipment. The workouts are challenging and fun, and they are suitable for most intermediate and advanced athletes.

Enjoy!

Episode 6: Shock Treatment — High-Rep Bodypart Split

Talk about intensity. For each of six days, you’ll focus on a particular muscle group or groups and will perform three exercises using super-high reps to incite change and development.

For legs, abs and calves, you’ll do 100 reps for the first move, 50 for the second and two sets of 25 for the third. For all other muscle groups, you’ll do 60 reps for the first move, 40 for the second and two sets of 25 for the third. If you’re doing the math, that comes to 200 and 150 reps per bodypart per workout, respectively.

These massive 100- and 60-rep blocks aren’t necessarily intended to be done nonstop, but you do want to complete them as quickly as possible using proper form to maximize intensity. And yes, they should be tough, so don’t go too light.

The 50- and 40-rep blocks can either be done as one nonstop set or in a manner similar to the 100- and 60-rep sets. Again, challenge yourself with a decent amount of weight, but not so much that it takes you hours to wrap things up.

Each of the last two sets of 25 should be done nonstop. These are your finishers for each bodypart, so make them count.

If you’re not used to high-rep training, you will be sore. But don’t fear — that’s just a sign that you’re challenging your body and encouraging change. You can add in some steady-state or high-intensity interval training cardio this week if you like, getting up to four workouts in, total.

Workout Snapshot

Workout Schedule

Day 1: Legs

Complete all reps of one move before going to the next. Rest only as needed.

Note

• If you’re a beast and 100 bodyweight squats aren’t sufficiently challenging, add a modest amount of resistance such as a light dumbbell or two, a weight plate or a resistance band.

Substitutions

• If you don’t have a leg press or if it’s busy, you can trade it out for dumbbell lunges or dumbbell step-ups.
• The leg curls can be done with either a stability ball or a machine. You also can trade them out for hip thrusts or Romanian deadlifts.

Day 2: Chest

Complete all reps of one move before going to the next. Rest only as needed.

Substitutions

• Trade the incline dumbbell press for an incline machine press, incline barbell press or feet-elevated push-ups.
• Push-ups can be swapped out for a flat-bench dumbbell/barbell press or a machine press.
• The cable crossover can be swapped out for dumbbell or machine flyes.

Day 3: Back

Complete all reps of one move before going to the next. Rest only as needed

Substitutions

• The seated cable row can be swapped out for a resistance-band row.
• Trade lat pulldowns for resistance-band pulldowns or assisted pull-ups using either a machine or a band.
• Instead of bent-over dumbbell rows, try bodyweight inverted rows, resistance-band bent-over rows or barbell bent-over rows.

Day 4: Shoulders

Complete all reps of one move before going to the next. Rest only as needed.

Substitutions

• The dumbbell shoulder press can be swapped out for a barbell, machine or resistance-band shoulder press.
• Sub a resistance band or machine for the dumbbells in a lateral raise.
• The upright row can be done with a barbell, dumbbells, a resistance band or a Smith machine.

Day 5: Biceps + Triceps

Complete all reps of one move before going to the next. Rest only as needed.

Biceps

Substitutions

• Barbell curls can be swapped out for dumbbell or resistance-band curls.
• Trade your incline dumbbell curls for behind-the-back resistance-band curls.
• The preacher curl can be done with a barbell, dumbbells or resistance bands, or it can be subbed by a hammer curl.

Triceps

Substitutions

• Cable pressdowns can be swapped out for resistance-band pressdowns or barbell/dumbbell lying triceps extensions (skullcrushers).
• Trade bench dips for machine-assisted dips.
• Instead of a dumbbell kickback, try a resistance-band kickback or a dumbbell/resistance-band overhead extension.

Day 6: Abs + Calves

Complete all reps of one move before going to the next. Rest only as needed.

Abs

Substitutions

• Trade sit-ups for crunches.
• Swap the reverse crunch for a hanging knee/leg raise, a lying leg raise or V-up.
• Instead of the cable oblique crunch, try a resistance-band oblique crunch, a side crunch or a bicycle crunch.

Calves

Substitutions

• Standing calf raises can be done with a machine, while holding a dumbbell or with bodyweight only.
• Calf jumps can be done with bodyweight only or holding light dumbbells.
• Tuck jumps can be swapped with box jumps or jump rope (two sets for one minute each).

Day 7: Rest