Work your back and your chest in the final part of the summer body blitz.
Work your back and your chest in the final part of the summer body blitz.
Stand with a weight in one hand, feet split and knees bent. Bend forward at the hips as close to horizontal as you can with a straight back. Focus on a point 1m in front of your feet. Hang the weight below your shoulder, arm fully extended, and slowly draw it up to your lower ribs. Pause, then slowly lower.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 15 each arm
A chin-up – hanging from a horizontal bar and pulling yourself up until your chin passes the bar – is one of the simplest but most challenging exercises. To make it more achievable, get a friend to spot you, try an assisted chin-up machine at the gym or hook a power band onto a bar.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6 to 10
Stand with feet hip-width apart, abs braced and a weight or bar in both hands. Bend forward at the hips and lower the bar down your thighs to just off the ground, pause, then raise back up. Keep your gaze forward and your butt out. At the top, push your hips forward and contract your glutes.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 15
Place your hands on the ground, shoulder-width apart, fingers forward. Walk your hands forward until our body is in a straight line from head to toe. Focus on a point in front of your hands and lower until your chest is just off the ground, elbows out to the sides. Pause, rise with control and stop short of locking your arms. If it is too hard, try it on your knees or with your hands on a bench.
Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 15
Amy Mckendrick, 33, from Sydney, does strength training and circuits four times a week.
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Find out more about Damien Kelly.