The 4-Week Fitness Plan to Increase Strength: Day 8

Welcome to Day 8 of the four-week fitness plan to increase strength! In just four short weeks, you’ll be on your way to a stronger, fitter you. This strength and mobility program shows you where to begin as well as how to make progressions. Best of all: The workouts can be done from your living room. You need a few small pieces of equipment, but other than that, just keep bringing your commitment to taking your health and fitness habits to a new level.

Over the course of four weeks, this program will guide you through three workouts per week; at the end of the fourth week, you should be rewarded with impressive strength and mobility gains. No matter what “performance” means to you, moving better and with more strength is the bedrock of successful performance. Additionally, better movement supported by necessary strength helps to keep nagging or debilitating injuries at bay.

Day 8 focuses on the upper body, including the chest, arms and back — all very important areas for both daily activity and posture. On the days you don’t have a workout scheduled, you can always add a 15–30-minute walk, bike ride or run/walk once, twice or even three times a week. This is totally optional, of course.

Progressions will be made from one week to the next for each exercise, making the baseline exercise more challenging and/or adjusting the sets and reps. Workout duration in this program will typically be between 15–45 minutes, depending on the day, week and pace that is comfortable for you.

The plan progresses in volume of work and difficulty of exercise from week to week.

What You Will Need for the Entire Plan:

• 1 resistance band/tubing with handles and door anchor (resistance level based on what you can use with perfect form)
• 1 pair of workout sliders
• 1 mini band (resistance level based on what you can use with perfect form)
• 1 set of dumbbells,* likely between 15–40 pounds (weight based on what you can use with perfect form).

*It is possible to modify the small number of dumbbell exercises in this program if access to dumbbells isn’t realistic.

How to Follow

Each workout has four exercises and is organized in an “A” set and a “B” set. Begin with the “A” set and alternate between “A1” and “A2” for the designated sets and reps. Once the “A” set is completed, move to the “B” set and complete in the same fashion.

Day 8

Day 8 focuses on your upper body. This workout will target your chest, back and arms. You will gain shoulder mobility, strength and even better posture with the exercises in this workout.

Bench Push-Up Plyo

Band Single-Arm Row with Squat Stance

Doorway Stretch

Band Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Pulldown