Peanut butter and jelly, Zendaya and Tom Holland, and… Pilates and weight training. What do all of these mixes have in common? They go together so well. Strength training is great for making your bigger muscles stronger, while Pilates works on your stabilizing and accessory muscles to make you stronger all over.
This workout is led by Tara Bethune Nike trainer and Pilates instructor, and Marcus Martinez CSCS, a fitness trainer and kettlebell expert. It’s a mix of Pilates and strength training for the upper body. Coach Tara says that you’ll use Pilates to get your muscles ready for the bigger lifts that come later in the workout.
Keep reading for a workout guide and tips for success, or just hit play to watch the workout video. Now watch hybrid upper body Play video Video poster Back to the Playlist Play, Playlist Forward, and Mute Closed Captions Go Fullscreen Unmute UNMUTE Time 30 minutes | Equipment: Light to heavy dumbbells | Good for Upper body.
Workout Structure
The first part of this workout is a warm-up, and then there are four focused blocks. To get your back ready for the core work that is coming up, you will start with thoracic rotations.
Coach Tara says to think about getting taller, keeping your legs on the ground, and isolating your upper body for the best results as you twist.
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Block One Push Movements
Block one focuses on push movements, starting with scapular push ups to wake up your shoulders and posture muscles so you can lift heavier weights later.
If you tend to hyperextend keep your elbows slightly bent. To keep your spine straight keep your neck long and your eyes just past your fingertips.
Pull Block
Next is the pull block where swan-to-superman moves your shoulders forward and backward to warm up your back. This move gets you ready for the strength work that will follow in your mid and lower-back.
Pilates Shoulder Primer
The Pilates shoulder primer then helps you move by rotating your shoulders both inside and outside. Coach Tara says to use light weights, like two to five pounds, because the small, repetitive movements will really work your muscles.
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Biceps Work
To work your biceps do alternating curls at the end of the block. Don’t swing your arms; instead, focus on the tension to really build muscle.
Final Core Finisher
Finally, the workout ends with a tough finisher exercises that work the obliques and core followed by burnout push-ups to finish things off completely.
Advice for Success
Pick weights that are really hard for you in the set rep ranges so you can take longer breaks. Coach Marcus says that if you finish a set and still feel like you could do five more reps, you should go heavier.
Have a few sets of dumbbells on hand: heavier ones for big lifts and lighter ones for accessory work during the workout.
A lot of blocks repeat twice, so push harder in the second round to get the most out of it.
Coach Tara says to sync your breath with your movement by breathing out and in with each rep.
Feel free to change things. Moves like the assisted one arm push-up are hard, but Marcus and Tara always show you how to make them easier so you can keep getting better.
