By T. R. Goodman

Get in shape for summer, and the rest of your life, with our 12-week program.

Most people think being “fit” is a function of how much muscle mass and how little body fat they have. What they often don’t realize is that some of the best athletes and bodybuilders in the world — guys with great looking physiques — are walking time bombs. Their training has either neglected certain muscle groups, or it’s been focused on aesthetics for so long, that they’re at risk for serious injury. The resulting damage could be so severe it may threaten their ability to stay in shape over the long haul.

To keep that from happening, we’ve designed a program that will not only help you to build the chest, arms, and abs you want for this summer, but keep them. For as long as you keep training. We’ve divided your workouts up into three, four-week phases. The first workout of Week 1, Phase I, appears on the following pages. The remaining workouts for Phase I can be found exclusively at mensfitness.com/eternalbody. (And they’re absolutely 免费.) Over the next two months, we’ll bring you the remaining phases of the program in the same manner—one workout in the magazine, and the rest on our Web site.

In order to help you achieve long-lasting fitness, the program begins by helping you bring your entire body back into alignment. That’s essential, since your muscles tend to move in ways that cause the least aggravation, regardless of whether that’s the way they were designed to move. Depending on the postures we adopt and any injuries we sustain over the years, some muscles get stronger than others and the body begins to move differently than it’s meant to. If you don’t correct these imbalances, the effectiveness of your training is diminished and you become more prone to injury. In our program, during the first four weeks especially, you’ll even things out, letting the stage for better and faster aesthetic results in the weeks (and years) to come.

The training consists of core work, but not just for the abdominal core you already know. Major joints such as those in the hips and the shoulders can also be considered “cores,” as they too must be stable to prevent injury and provide a foundation for strength. Several of the exercises target the muscles surrounding these joints, and they require slow, deliberate movements and concentration. You’ll notice that you don’t hit your chest directly until Week 4. Since most people spend hours a day behind a desk, at the wheel of a car, or staring at a computer, their shoulders are rounded and their chest muscles are tight. Bench pressing only worsens this problem, so we want you to build up the pulling muscles in your upper back and shoulders to compensate. The makeup work you do for long-neglected areas benefits your athletic potential as well as your look. You’ll be able to hit a golf ball a lot further, pass a basketball much more precisely, or pick up your child much easier when your shoulders are working to their best advantage.

Because you’ll be concentrating on shoring up weaknesses, you’ll have to give up many of the ego-building, big-weight exercises you’re used to (though you will get to hit some of them in this phase, and there will be more in the phases that follow). Believe us, it will be worth it, both by the time you take your shirt off on the beach this summer, and when you take it off 20 summers from now.

DIRECTIONS: BEACH BODY

FREQUENCY: Perform each workout (I, II, III, etc.) once per week, resting at least a day between each session. You’ll complete three workouts per week. Though many of the exercises will be the same, you’ll perform a slightly different workout each session. (Note: The workout that follows — Week 1, Workout 1 — is one of 12 total sessions in Phase I. Visit mensfitness.com/eternalbody for the remainder of the phase.)

HOW TO DO IT: Perform the exercises as straight sets, completing all the prescribed sets for an exercise before moving on.

WEIGHT:Unless otherwise stated, use the heaviest weight that allows you to complete all the prescribed repetitions for each set. For most of these exercises, you’ll need to be conservative. Focus on keeping perfect form and completing each rep without momentum.

 

1. External Rotation on Bench
Hold a light dumbbell or weight plate in your left hand and lie on a bench on your right side. Bend your elbow 90 degrees and allow your arm to rest against your left side, your left hand over your abs [1]. Keeping your elbow against your side, rotate your forearm toward the ceiling [2]. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Complete 12 reps, and then switch arms and repeat.

SETS: 2 REPS: 12 REST: 45 SEC.

 

2. Lying Rotators on Bench
Hold a light dumbbell or weight plate in your left hand and lie on a bench on your right side. Allow your arm to hang down to the floor, so it’s draped over your torso and the back of your hand faces away from you [1]. Leading with the heel of your hand, raise your arm straight up and overhead until it’s perpendicular to the floor [2], and then return to the starting position. That’s one rep.

Complete 12 reps, and then switch arms and repeat.

SETS: 2 REPS: 12 REST: 45 SEC.

 

3. Lying Superman w/ Alternating Arms
Elevate a flat bench with some weight plates or boxes so that when you lie face-down on it, your arms won’t touch the floor. Hold a light dumbbell or weight plate in each hand and lie face-down on the bench. Raise both arms behind you so that they are close to your sides. Now raise one arm straight up in front of you until it’s in line with your torso, but hold the other arm where it is (you should look like Superman flying through the air) [1]. Lower that arm back to your side, and then raise the opposite arm [2]. That’s one rep.

SETS: 2 REPS: 12 REST: 45 SEC.

 

4. Bench Dip
Place your hands behind you on a bench and rest your feet on another bench or box in front of you [1]. Bend your elbows and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel to the floor [2]. Push yourself back up to the starting position. That’s one rep.

DIRECTIONS: BEACH BODY continued...

SETS: 2 REPS: 12 REST: 45 SEC.

 

5. Triceps Pushdown

Attach a rope handle (as shown here) to the top pulley of a cable station. Hold an end of the rope

in each hand, and tuck your elbows tight against your sides (this should put tension on the cable) [1]. Without allowing your elbows to move forward, squeeze your triceps and straighten your arms [2]. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That’s one rep.

SETS: 2 REPS: 10 REST: 45 SEC.

 

6. Bent-Knee Hip Rotation
Lie on your right side and bend your hips and knees 90 degrees [1]. Without moving your hips, rotate your left leg toward the ceiling (it should look somewhat like a dog raising his leg at a fire hydrant) [2]. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Complete 12 reps, and then switch legs and repeat.

SETS: 2 REPS: 12 REST: 45 SEC.

 

7. Rollouts (High Groove)
Lie on your right side with your right leg straight and your left hip and knee bent 90 degrees, suspended over the floor. You can place your left palm on the floor for support [1]. Keeping your right hip bone in contact with the floor, rotate your hips to your right and extend your left hip so that you’re reaching with the left knee, trying to touch it to the floor without losing contact between your right hip bone and the floor [2]. Reverse the motion to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Complete 15 reps, and then switch sides and repeat.

SETS: 2 REPS: 15 REST: 45 SEC.

 

8. Bent-Knee Static Bridge
Get into pushup position, and then bend your elbows 90 degrees so that your forearms are resting on the floor. Bend your knees as well so that they rest on the floor to support you (raise your feet in the air if you want to make the exercise more challenging). Your body should form a straight line. Hold the position for 90 seconds. That’s one set.

SETS: 2 REPS: HOLD FOR 90 SEC. REST: 45 SEC.

 

9. Bent-Knee Static Oblique
Support yourself on your right elbow and forearm and bend your knees 90 degrees and rest them on the floor. Your body should form a straight line. Hold the position for 90 seconds, and then switch sides and repeat. That’s one set.

SETS: 2 REPS: 90 SEC. REST: 45 SEC.

 

Originally published on: May 1, 2008