Unlock Your Upper Body Strength: 34-Minute Pyramid Stack for Sculpted Arms - ABSOLUTION 2024 DAY 15

Hey, everybody. I'm Amy from BodyFit by Amy. And this is your upper body pyramid stack workout. In this workout, we will use a couple sets of dumbbells to work your entire upper body with some core mixed in in a pyramid stack format. That means we're going to go up 30 seconds at a time, stacking our exercises as we go and then back down. Of course, I'm going to give you lots of different options as we go. So listen to your body and be where you are today. Are you ready? Let's. Let's do it. Let's go ahead and start by warming up our body. You're just going to march or jog, whatever feels good for you. Shake everything out. Try to let go of anything that you're thinking about. Your to do list, any stress or anxiety you might be feeling from the day or the week. Whatever it is, just let it go. Feel that? Be right here with me today. Let's roll those shoulders. So we're going to get a quick warm up, mostly to get our bodies warm and ready to move, but we're also going to get some mobility through that upper body, through that core, through your back and shoulders, right through here. Let's say it one at a time to the back, trying to keep your core and hips square and then just moving through that shoulder. Whatever your range of motion is, that's where you need to be. Let's take it to the other side right here and then to the back. Let's take those arms out, big cross right here. We can do what we often do and add that little side lunge to it. That does kind of open up the hips, also get the blood flowing right through here, big stretch. And then let's reach one up, one down reach or one to the back. One down, right through here. Just like that. I think you're gonna like this workout today. A lot of you told me that you love the pyramid stack, that it feels long in the moment, but it moves really quickly. Let's take it right here, flat back down, and then round it up. The way it works is we can think of our exercises as A, B, C and D. We're going to do that a exercise for 30 seconds, then get 30 seconds of rest the next time through. Let's take those legs out, roll those shoulders. Second time through, we'll do exercise B for 30 seconds, followed directly by exercise A for 30 seconds and then our 30 second rest. Then we keep going up. So we'll go exercise C, B and A, and then we go D C, B and A. Walk those feet in. Let's get our eyes, wise and T's. So I big stretch Y and T, and then we start taking them away. So then we go back down D, C, B, D and C and then just D. So we go up the pyramid and then down. Don't worry. I know I'm throwing a lot of letters at you as we're doing eyes, wise and T's, but essentially, usually it'll come up on your screen. You'll have the stack available there for you. Let's get one more stretching through those shoulders, and it's gonna move quickly. Let's take it right here if you can. You're gonna do that little hinge and then inchworm out. If you want to keep it up top or come down to your knees, you can. But just working through that inchworm, we love it because we warm up through our upper body, but we also get that core. So we're gonna have two full stack stacks. Four exercises is all we need. I'll give you some little variations if you want, but just know we're going to go through them quickly and we're going to be stacking right on top of each other. The longest that you'll go will be those four exercises, but each one is only 30 seconds at a time. Hold it out here if you can, in that high plank. If you need to be on your knees, go for it there. And let's just press back to that down dog. Feel that stretch. Hamstring, shoulders back, back to center with your core. Just a few at your own pace. If that's not right for you, to a child's pose right here. And let's get one more right here. Take it down to your knees. Reach that arm under just a few. Just like that. Reach it through one more each side. And here, walk or roll back onto your feet. Slowly roll it up and let's take it right here. So I'm working with my dumbbells today, and that is mostly just so we can do two hands at a time. Often we do the kettlebell between two hands or an alternating one side, right side, or left side only. But we're gonna keep it with dumbbells today. So most things will keep both dumbbells in our hands. If you need a breather in between, set them down. You can grab it. But remember, when we get to stacking those exercises, we are taking it back to back to back. All right? It's gonna be fun. It's gonna move fast, and you're gonna feel that upper body and that core. All right, so go ahead and grab a medium set of weights. Let me show you everything that we're doing in this stack. Watch me really quick. We're gonna go reverse fly right through here. We're gonna bring it up to a bicep curl. We're going to take it up to a shoulder press, and then we're going to go triceps. So make sure you have a weight that will work for that. Go ahead and grab your weights. We're starting with our reverse fly. Shoulders back, core engage. Let's take it here. Here we go. So your reverse fly, just like it sounds. You're. It's the reverse of the fly that we do with our chest. Now, it's a challenging exercise. If whatever you have is too heavy, bend your elbows a little bit and take it to a wide row. Or you can always alternate one at a time, especially as we get further down into that stack, because we'll come back to this one a lot. So you can alternate. 3, 2, 1. In those 30 seconds in between, like right now, I want you to set down your weight so your hands get a little break. Round two, we're gonna start with a regular bicep curl for 30 seconds, and then we'll go immediately into that reverse flat for 30 seconds. Then we're going to set them down. Now, normally we're doing this with full body or with cardio, and we really need that break. Trust me, you're going to need it more for your arms. But if you want to keep moving for your heart rate, you can do that as well. Bend your knees, grab those weights. Bicep curl. Here we go. Up and in, down and up. So this first round is all standing, and it's all your basic lifts, right? Reverse fly, getting your back and shoulders, bicep curl, obviously, getting your biceps, shoulder press, a lot of upper body push, and then triceps. Right? So it's basically like we're going from low to high Again, if you need to alternate at any point or switch to one dumbbell, you can do that as well. 3, 2, 1. Bend your knees to slow. Set it down. I like to do a little mobility things in between, right. Just to kind of stretch it out. Now we're going to that shoulder press. So we'll have our shoulder press. I'm going to do an Arnold press where I wrap them in so I get a little more chest and shoulders. You do you remember, this is your workout. Be where you are today. So you can do hammer press, regular Press or arnold. Then into that bicep curl, then into that reverse slide. Grab them here. Three exercises starting. Up top. Here we go. Up and out. Bring them in often. For my shoulder press, I will put one foot back just to make sure that I'm not leaning into or arching that back. So if you can be here and feel like you can maintain a nice, strong core, then keep it there. We got 10 seconds. Again, if you need to alternate, alternate here. And breathe. We've got three, two, one. Take it down right here. Bicep curl. Same thing with your biceps. If you need to step it back. And breathe. So when we start to really feel the intensity is when we stack these exercises right. And usually when we're doing this, we're doing full body, so you'll go from a lower to an upper to a core. Feels a little more even. Keeps the heart rate out. But this is gonna be all upper. We'll get some core on the mat. We got five, four, three, two, one. Take it down. Reverse. Yes, you can. Flat back. Squeeze in that back again. If you need to bring it here, take it here. Whatever you need for where you are. If you feel like you get more out of alternating, like, you can have better range of motion, go for it. Squeeze. You can keep them together. Keep them together. Three, two, one. All right, team, so last one, one dumbbell or two. You may need to go with one. We're going triceps overhead, so I'm gonna try to go for. For two. So basically, we're working our way back down. We got tricep overhead. We gotta press. I'm gonna take it now to just a regular shoulder press. We got a curl. I'm gonna switch gears to a hammer curl. And then for that reverse fly, I'm gonna turn my palms forward. You can keep it like we just did, but it's up to you. Starting with those triceps. Top of that pyramid. 3, 2, 1. Here we go. 30 seconds. Elbows in. Bring it down behind your head. Right here. Breathe. And up. Yes, you can. I know. Whoo. Right through here. Burn.5 seconds with those tries. Then down to shoulders. This is gonna really feel it. Three, two, one. Here we go. Four exercises. But then once we get through this four, then we start taking them away. We're back to three, two, and one. Yes. Are you feeling it? I know I am. Again, if you need to alternate, alternate. As long as you have good form. That is what we need. 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. I'm going hammer curl right here. Yes, team. I know that first round, it feels kind of simple, right? You get through the first couple. This is not so bad. Am I even gonna feel my heart rate get up? And then we're really starting to feel that upper body fatigue, right? So muscle endurance as well as strength. We got one more time with that reverse fly coming up in five seconds, I'm gonna turn my palms forward for little different angle. You do what's best for you. In three, two, one. Let's do it. So it looks like this. You don't even have to get super high with it. I would much rather you come up halfway than come up and feel like you have to use your back here. So here. Palms are forward, but I'm still going out wide, right? Can still do one at a time if that's a better option. Squeeze. This is where we really wish this was a row, right? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Set them down, team. Everybody shake it out right here. All right, now we're going back down. Like I said, it feels really long in the moment. It feels like a long circuit. But then when we're done, work our way back down. Half of this workout is done. So here's what we got, team. We got triceps, we got shoulder press. I'm gonna take it to a straight up hammer press. Then we got curls. Then we're taking the curls out of the way. All right? I'm gonna still try triceps with two. We'll see how it goes. Three, two, one. Elbows in. I really want you to focus on form, especially as we get tired because it's all upper body, right? Don't worry. We got core coming down the mat. And breathe. Burn all the way down. It's tempting to just kind of be here, right? We really want to bend in those elbows. Extend it up. 3, 2, 1. Here we go. I'm racking them here. I'm going to go one at a time. Up to you. If you have that strength, you're not feeling that extra pressure in your neck. Take it right through here. Right here? Yes. You can bring it up. Oh, man. I know. I feel it. I told you. That's why I said pick Those medium weights. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Bicep curl. Alternate if you want. Or together. I'm going hammer into regular, then down right through here. Arms are gonna feel it tomorrow, and we're gonna love it. Yes. Breathe. Hand up. Guess what, team? Our second round is all on the mat. That's a little bit of the tricky part about these pyramid stacks is that you kind of have to make sure there are things that you can transition into pretty quickly. Good. And relax. Set them down again. Stretch it out. All right, so we got one more triceps, one more shoulder, and then one more triceps. I'm gonna switch down to one dumbbell. I'm gonna get my heavy, so I'm gonna go a 15 for tries and a 15 for a close press. You do what's best for you. One more try, one more shoulder, and then last one's gonna be triceps. Let's get. Get it done. I got my one dumbbell between two hands. Three, two, one. Here we go. Elbows in. So you got one dumbbell right here. And let me be clear, the reason I'm doing this, yes, my muscles are fatigued, but also I was starting to feel that shoulder pinch a little bit. One bad shoulder, and I was feeling it creep up into my neck. So if you're feeling that, switch it down. Right. No shame. And going go into one weight, it's still challenging, especially in a format like this. Three, two, one. Here we go. Right through here, team. I know. Relax in those shoulders and then press up strong core engage. This is where you're gonna feel that heart rate. Oh, that's me. I know we think, oh, it's all upper body, but I gotta feel that, right? 10 seconds. When you're going heavy, you are. Yes, team. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Set it down. Shake it out. Yes. All right, team, this is it. 30 seconds of triceps. What do you got? Two dumbbells or one? I know you're entire. All of your arms and back, knees, shoulders are feeling it. So give it all you got this. Your last 30 seconds. Then we get a quick breather, and we're taking it down on the mat. All right, team, hang with me. One dumbbell or two? Up to you. I'm gonna hold it this way this time. Here we go. Behind your head. Elbows in. So when people ask me about a grip on these triceps, it's really a personal preference. So sometimes I find it more complicated, comfortable to hold the top of the dumbbell. Sometimes I hold on either side. Oh, burn. They both burn. Right, but you can be there or you can be here. 10 seconds to go. As long as you can have good form. Get it down low. Yes. Three, two, one. Yes. Team, set those weights down. Let's get a little side to side. Right through here. Burn is right. So just get a little cardio, shake up those arms, whatever you need to do. And we're taking it down to the Mat for this next one. How about we grab a sip of water? Yes. Yes. Let's grab some water, team. Cheers. Right, I hope you're feeling it all through that upper body. That is the idea today, that we are getting it done. We're taking it down to the mat. I want you to really think about your core, even when we're just doing upper. What is your core doing? We're going to get that core engaged. We'll have some core specific movements, but also some things that are getting core and upper together. Join me here. We're taking it here, team. So I want you to have those weights close by. I'm gonna make sure that I have my heavy and my medians, my 15s and my tens closed because I want to have the option of both. We are starting. Watch me here as you join me down on the mat. We're starting with our plank row, so you can be in this high plank here, alternating right and left. You can be on your knees here or your knees here. Maybe that's better for you. Then we're flipping it over into a chest press. Then we get a little bicycle crunch and then some tries. Let's go ahead and start right here. Join me here in three, two, one. Here we go. Bring it up strong. Bring it up strong. Now, from this plank position, I want you to really lock up those legs and glutes. Yes. You're going to get a little bit of movement, but I want you to be secure here. Right. Lift up in that core, tighten up those legs, and that weight is coming right up by your side. Breathe. Squeeze. Yes, you can. You're gonna move a little, but we don't want a full rotation. We got 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Now we're gonna flip over on our back, so there's going to be a little bit of a transition between these two. So just be prepared. It's our regular press. Up and in. Then we're gonna flip right over. Yes. It's gonna take a couple seconds to do that, and that's okay. Into our plank row. So join me here. Elbows in, core in tight. Regular press in 3, 2, 1. Here we go. Try to go heavy on this because your back and your core are secure. You're resting your head, neck, and shoulders. Well, some of your shoulders, a lot of your shoulders, your triceps and your chest are working hard. What is your core doing? Really engage. Right? We had it working in that plank. We're going to keep it working in this press. So we got 10 seconds before we flip over and Again, I know it's going to take a few seconds to get from one position to the next, and that's okay. 3, 2, 1. Find that position. Get there when you can. We go row. Row. Yes, you can. Boom. If it feels better for you to have two dumbbells, you can certainly be there. Sometimes people find that to be a better grip, so. Up to you. Three, two, one. Relax. All right, team, so now our next exercise, we're doing a bicycle crunch. So no weights. I want you to have your chest press weights by your side so you can get to them. But we're going slow. Bicycle crunch, slow and controlled. Then we're gonna grab those weights. I'm gonna probably have to sit up to do it. You can do the same. And into our. Then into our plank. So join me here. Bicycle press, plank row, here we go. Slow and controlled. Just your core giving you a little break. If that's not right for you, you can just do a little toe tap, a little march. That might be better. Or just the lower or just the upper. Up to you. I know it's a long time to be on the mat, but how often do we get to truly isolate? Right. 3, 2, 1. Do whatever you need to do. Get set up for that press. Here we go. If you want a little variety, turn those palms in at the top. Up to you. Something a little different. I try not to do too many variations in these pyramid stacks. So you can just go right into what, you know, what you just did. Core is engaged. Up and in, down and out. Yes. Three, two, one. Turn it over. Plank, row or row from your knees. What you got, team? Last 30. We got one more after this. Of our four, then we work our way back down. And you know what to do. Your body knows what to do. So we can move a little quicker, putting this one last, because it tends to get our heart rates up a little bit more while we work our back, while we work our core. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. All right, team, so here is what we got. We did that overhead triceps. We're getting lots of tries today. I'm going two lighter dumbbells. You can go one heavier. But we're here. We're going triceps. Take them up. If that is not right for you, you can do a close grip press. But we've got our tries. Then we're gonna set these down carefully. We're gonna come into our bicycle, then we're gonna grab those weights. We gotta press. We gotta plank row. All right. I know it's a Lot. Watch your weights beside you. Take your time to transition. Let's do it. Tricep and up. Notice how our last one is our triceps. That's intentional. We all want to work the back of the arms, but I want you to think about what is your core doing? Tuck that pelvis, engage that core. Lift up on that pelvic floor. 30 seconds in three, in two, in one. Set those down carefully. Bicycle slow. Slow again. No need to rush the transition. I know the idea is that we stack those 30 seconds at a time, but I really want you to take your time getting into it. And even if you end up with only 20 seconds or 15, I want it to be good form, good range of motion. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Whatever you need to do to get into that press again. If you want to turn those palms in at the top, you got it a little different. And then we got one more plank row. You're feeling the need for more core and you have good control with those weights. You can bring your feet up into that tabletop. Just an option, but not at the expense of your form. Upper. 3, 2, 1. Get yourself in position for that very last plank row. Here we go. Boom. Yes, team, here. Bring it up all the way through. This is the last time with this row. Yes. 3, 2, 1. And relax. All right, team, get set. We've got our triceps, we got our bicycle, we got our chest press. You can stay on your back the entire time. Forget about that row. Heart rate's getting up there a little. I hope. Hope you are feeling the same. Let's work our way back down. I'm gonna start lighter with my tries. Have those heavies close by for my chest press. Bicycle in between. Three, two, one. Here we go. We're bending at the elbows, bringing those weights down by the ears. You may want to bring your shoulders back just a tad. If you're feeling out here, bring them here. If you want a variation, turn those palms up at the top up to you. Just something a little different. Right. I have a feeling this is what you guys are going to tell me you're going to feel after this workout. On tomorrow, triceps. Because unless we're in a. Sometimes we're in a full body workout, we have to get them in other ways, but it's nice to isolate them. Right? Set them down right here. Slow bicycle if you want. Hold. 3, 2, 1. Switch. Deep core. Open up the chest as you rotate. That's going to give you that stretch, cuz I know we feel those Tries. Right. We're going to get set in just a minute for our very last press. In 3, 2, 1. Grab those weights, get set. Here we go. You can tournament at the top or just keep it regular. Press up to you. Strong core again. If you want to have tabletop, you can. As long as you can keep that good form, good range of motion. And here. Up and in. This is it, team. Breathe. Boom. And relax. All right, team, we got it. One more. Two more times through triceps, bicycle and just your tries. I want everybody to get a big stretch through here. Bring those knees in, stretch those arms over. Get ready for tries. If you need to do like we did with the overhead, take it to one heavy dumbbell between two guys. Try for two triceps and bicycle. 30 seconds. And 30 seconds. Let's do it here. And up again. If you want a little rotation at the top, turning your palms to the ceiling. What I'm not doing is moving forward through my shoulders. I'm here. I'm here. Yes, you can. Boom. Oh, man. Usually we're looking forward to that mat work, but today it's burning. Yes, you can. 3, 2, 1. Set them down slow. Bicycle. You can hold if you want for three. Count and switch. You can even push that elbow into the inside of the knee. Push against each other. Feel that? Yes, team. Boom. Five, four. Hug those knees in, team. Whatever you need to do to stretch, stretch your back. One more triceps. One dumbbell or two? I'm going for it. I'm gonna aim for two. If I need to alternate, I will. Bending here, extending here. Who needs 30 seconds? Let's go ahead. Come up, core. Engage. Just your tries. Last 30, right here. In three, two, one. Here we go. Bend and either straight up or right through here. Yes, team. And up. Boom. 15 seconds. Yes. You can make them good again if you need to switch to 1. I know it's a little tricky, but feel free. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Up onto to your feet, team. Set those weights to the side. Oh, man. Big stretch. I know, I know. Team. Arms. Shake it out. Guess what? We're gonna do a little bonus circuit, but it's all cardio mobility to release that upper body. We're done with our weights. Let's shake it out. Let's get a bit of little bit of movement. So make sure your weights are out of the way where you're not going to step in them. All right, team, so just a quick, quick cardio mobility. We're just gonna set our timer for three minutes. That's all we need just to shake it out and you decide. If you want a little more cardio, you can pick up your pace. If you want a little bit more mobility, think of it as a stretch. But that's all we got, team, three minutes on the clock. Don't worry about what we're doing. Just move with me. We're gonna start just crossing those arms of the step. Here we go. Here, in and out. Yes. So just a little heart rate. You know, I love to end on a high note, but I feel like our arms are pretty tired. So we can be done with the weights, right? Here we go. Let's go up. Right through here. Three minutes is all we need, team. And again, if you want more cardio, you can take it here. It's up to you. Here. Yes. Let's reach it across like we do in our warm up. Yes, you can. If you want more cardio, take it here. If you want more mobility, take it here. Shake out through the arms, through the back. Yes. Take it over your head. Boom. Yes, you can. Team, one minute down. Let's keep it going. Let's do a little rainbow skater. Take it over. Over. Here's your mobility. Take it here. And again. Just more move. We're less concerned. We wanted great form. We want great form all the time, right? But this is more about movement, about letting it go, about releasing that tension from those heavy weights that we were just lifting. Right through here. Tap behind, reach behind. Open up the chest. Palms are down, or palms are up to the back, but thumbs are pointing back on the inside. Right through here again. If you want a little more, little hop up to you. Flip those hands. Take them up, take them up, take them up. Yes. Here we go. Right through here, team. Let's take it. Knees. Bring it up. Open it up. Yes. One more minute, then we are cooling it down. This is our cool down, right? But we're gonna get more of a stretch. Get a stretch, right? Just like our warm up. Stretch those arms. Stretch the back. Yes. Right through here. Hamstring curls. Cross them in front. Cross the arms in front. Open up the chest. Flex the foot. Yes, team, bring it up here. Here again. If you want to pick up your pace or add a little jump, you can. But this is all about mobility. Let's finish it out right here. Big stretch, big stretch. Little tap for 10 seconds. Yes, you can breathe for 3, 2, 1. And relax. Yes, team. How's that for just a little? A little bonus? Let's take our hands up at the top. I debated about doing a Crazy bonus move to end with our hearts pumping on a snatch or some chops. But again, when we're isolating that upper body. I love stre splits like this. But the reason I do a lot of full body is it can get kind of exhausting, right? Or it can get a lot on one set of muscles. That's why I like to split it up. Half of the month we do more full body, the other half we do some splits. Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from you. What do you prefer? Do you like separating out upper and lower? Do you like mixing the upper and the core? Lower in the core, adding in some cardio. Reach those hands to the front. How do you feel? Or do you prefer full body? I know sometimes we just want to get it all in and the full body gives us. Gives us a way to rest muscle groups while we work other muscles. Take it right here. So I really love both. We can really get lots of benefits from both. But I love hearing from you. So let me know in the comments. Leave me a comment. Let me know how you're feeling after this workout. Maybe come back and let me know how you're feeling tomorrow. If you have some of that tricep soreness as I think we might have, let's go flat back down and round it up just a couple times on your own. And of course, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven't already. Let's reach more people. Let's get more people moving and feeling good and moving in a way that works for them. Stretch those arms, stretch your back. And of course, check out all the links in the description below. If you're not here already, join us in the Bodyfit Athletic Club. And of course, if you want to work with me one on one, check out Body Fit Elite. Thank you so much for being here today. Make sure you get some more stretching on your own. That is what my stretching videos are for. And also make sure you're getting it throughout your day and throughout your week. Let's get one big deep breath in and out. You did it. That was your upper body Pyramid stack workout. Great job, everybody.