Enter the “cardio gun show.” This EMOM (every minute on the minute) will hike up your heart rate and pump up your arms.
You’ll alternate between two movement: jumping rope and the curl to overhead press.
Jumping rope is a low-impact way to carve your calves, burn fat, and improve your rhythm and coordination. If you don’t have a rope, fake it, or hop, skip, or run in place.
The dumbbell curl to press is a combo exercise that works your entireupper body. Plus, any time you extend your arms overhead, the demand on your core increases.
You’ll change up your grip to prevent boredom and to make sure you get a complete arm workout. Here are your three options.
Option 1: Overhand Curl to Press
This works your forearms (the brachioradialis muscle) more since it limits the amount of assistance you can get from your biceps. After all, you want to muscle up both your lower and upper arms for aesthetics and performance.
The overhand grip also works your deltoids more on the pressing component because you get less assistance from the triceps.
Option 2: Hammer Curl to Press
This neutral, palms-facing grip targets your brachialis, the elbow flexor that lies between your biceps and triceps. When it’s well developed it really adds thickness to your arms.
The hammer-grip also targets your triceps more on the overhead press, and is easier on the shoulders. Feel free to use this option more if you have a history shoulder pain or poor mobility.
Option 3: Rotational Curl to Press
This version involves a rotational component at both the arm and shoulder level.
First, you supinate the wrists (palms come up) as you curl the weight to shoulder level. This will turn your biceps into baseballs because it employs both functions—flexing the elbow and turning the wrist—of the biceps brachii.
Then, you rotate your arms outward and simultaneously press the weights overhead. This is often referred to as an Arnold Press because the Terminator credited this move for his awe-inspiring delts, and it hammers all three heads of your shoulders and really strengthens your rotator cuff.
So here’s how to do the workout: Grab a stopwatch. Perform the exercises in the order shown every minute on the minute (EMOM). Follow the prescriptions for each movement.
If you finish all the reps before the minute is up, rest the remainder of that minute before beginning the next move at the top of the minute.
Minute 1: jump rope, 50 revolutions
Minute 2: dumbbell overhand curl to press, 10 reps
Minute 3: jump rope, 50 revolutions
Minute 4: dumbbell hammer curl to press, 10 reps
Minute 5: jump rope, 50 revolutions
Minute 6: dumbbell rotational curl to press, 10 reps.
That’s 1 round. Do up to 5 total rounds for a 30-minute workout.
For the jump rope work, progress by adding 5 to 10 revolutions per session. Once you can do 100 skips EMOM, progress to doing 50 revolutions on one leg or use a heavier rope.
