How to get a body like Jennifer Aniston: Upper-body workout

The set-up

• Grip the cable attachment with a neutral grip and sit down on the bench with your upper thighs securely positioned under the padding.
• Sit up as tall as possible (keeping the ribcage tucked), with your arms fully extended above your head but avoid shrugging your shoulders up to your ears.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The movement

• Keeping your torso still, initiate the movement by dropping your shoulder blades down into your back pockets (closing the gap between your armpit and your hips). Think ‘taking the elevator down’ not ‘pinching’ when it comes to the shoulder blades.
• Draw the elbow downwards vertically (not backwards), maintaining the same torso position and high chest throughout.
• You have reached the end of your range-of-motion when your elbows cannot travel any further without your shoulders rotating inwards and upper back rounding.
• Pause for a moment and focus on contracting the lats by squeezing your elbows into your sides.
• Reverse the motion, under control, to return to the start position.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Trainer tips

• Imagine you are taking your shoulder blades up and down like an elevator; allow them to move through their full range-of-motion rather than yanking the bar with your arms.
• Avoid using cable attachments that are narrower than your shoulders as this can restrict your range-of-motion.
• Use lifting straps to avoid grip becoming a limiting factor in the movement.
• Watch how far the weight stack travels on each rep as a reference point for your range-of-motion. If this shortens significantly between the first and last rep, the weight is too heavy.
• The arm muscles will contribute to this movement but they should not be doing all the work. Focus on drawing the weight down using the back only, the arms should simply assist in the movement.

The set-up

• Perform this exercise with your chest supported on a bench. This allows you to maintain a stable position and focus on the movement. Use the closest setting if the bench does not allow you to set it to a 75-degree setting.
• Pick up the dumbbells, straddle the bench and lean into it so that your torso angle matches the bench angle.
• Hold the dumbbells with a neutral grip and let your arms hang just outside of your thighs (to maintain a slight level of tension throughout) with a small bend in your elbows.
• This is the start and end position for each rep.

The movement

• Push the dumbbells out to your sides while keeping your shoulders depressed. Your elbows should travel just in front of your shoulders.
• You have reached the end of your range-of-motion when you cannot lift the dumbbells any higher without your shoulders shrugging upwards.
• Pause for a moment before reversing the motion, under control, to return to the start position.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Trainer tips

• Do not use momentum to ‘swing’ the weight upwards. Keep control of the dumbbells at all times.
• Keep your little finger slightly higher than your thumb throughout the movement to keep maximal tension on your medial deltoid.
• If you cannot pause briefly at the top and bottom of the rep, the load is too heavy.
• Single-joint exercises like the lateral raise require less effort than multi-joint movements but make sure to stick to the prescribed rest period to ensure you can maintain performance.
• This is a complex exercise so start light and only increase the load when you are happy with your technique. Use a mirror to monitor your form.

The set-up

• Choose a handle attachment that matches your shoulder width best, while allowing you to maximally contract the back.
• Maintain a neutral spine position while keeping the chest up.
• Begin each movement by first retracting the shoulder blades.

The movement

• Example: Pull the bar to the sternum or slightly below while you pull your shoulder blades together, return the bar to the starting position as you allow the back to open up and stretch.
• Concentric: The fully shortened position is determined by how far back you can row and squeeze the back without allowing the shoulders to round forward.
• Eccentric: The fully lengthened position is determined by how far you can bring the bar back to its starting position, allowing for minor protraction of the shoulders blades while still maintaining tension in the back.
• Common Errors: As the set becomes progressively more challenging, it’s typical to see extra range of motion being gained by moving from the hips as you swing backward.

Trainer tips

• Using straps can have a greater effect at increasing mind-muscle connection in the back.
• Instead of thinking about pulling the bar with the hands, allow the elbows to lead first as the shoulder blades pinch together and squeeze.

The set-up

• Choose a handle attachment that matches your shoulder width best while allowing you to maximally contract the triceps without allowing the shoulders to round.
• Use a pad for the knees to help soften the pressure.
• Keep the shoulder blades back and down throughout the whole movement.

The movement

• Example: Press the rope down by fully flexing the triceps until the elbows are locked out and the arms straight, bring the rope back to its starting position without allowing the elbows to travel forward on the way up.
• Concentric: The fully-shortened position is determined by how much you can extend the elbows without allowing the shoulders to round forward and/or traps to elevate.
• Eccentric:The fully-lengthened position is determined by how far you can flex the elbows without allowing the elbows to travel forward.
• Common Mistakes: As the set progressively gets more challenging its typical to see cheating by swinging the weight back into the body.
• It’s also common to see mechanical breakdown occur as the traps elevate and shoulders round forward without allowing for the elbows to fully extend.

Trainer tips

• Start light and work your way up, most people have never experienced the fully-shortened position of the triceps so it’s typically very weak.
• Instead of thinking ‘extend the elbows back’, think about actively pulling your chest up as you flex your triceps until your arms are straight and in alignment with the torso.

The set-up

• Set the fest behind the knees and keep good contact with the floor
• Actively engage your hips and abs to maintain a solid structure
• Keep your shoulder blades down and tucked and the chest high throughout the whole movement

The movement

• Example: Bring the dumbbells to the shoulders as you keep your elbows pointed towards the ceiling, after fully stretching the triceps, flex the triceps to bring the weights back over the body.
• Concentric: The fully-shortened position is determined by how much you can extend the elbows without allowing the shoulders to round forward and/or the chest caving at the top.
• Eccentric: The fully-lengthened position is determined by how far you can flex the elbows without allowing the elbows to travel back.
• Common Mistakes: Allowing the elbows to flare out as you press. Another big mistake is not keeping tension on the triceps on the way down and just bending at the joint, which causes serious elbow pain.

Trainer tips

• Start light and do it right! If you’re breaking position, drop the weight! The biggest mistakes we see here deals with load selection.

The set-up

• Set up an EZ curl bar and grab the grip width that feels the most comfortable on the forearms and wrists
• Actively engage the biceps from the bottom of the movement by pulling the bar just a little bit to create tension.
• Keep your chest upright and your abs locked in.

The movement

• Example: Curl the weight up until the biceps are fully flexed, bring the weight back down the starting position.
• Concentric: The fully-shortened position is determined by how far you can flex the biceps without allowing for the elbows to travel forward.
• Eccentric: The fully-lengthened position is determined by how far you can extend the elbows while maintaining tension in the biceps and preventing the shoulders from rounding forward.
• Common Mistakes: Swinging the weight up and breaking the initial set-up.
• Allowing the weight to drop down without maintaining any tension during the eccentric component.
• Finding leverage at the top of the movement, letting the biceps rest, and allowing for the biceps to relax at the very bottom (keep tension the whole way through!).

Trainer tips

• Practice fully contracting your biceps without any weight before starting the exercise, if you don’t feel your biceps expand and contract, there’s no way you’ll get it right with weight in your hand.
• Relax the forearms and hands when you flex the biceps, many times people squeeze their hands too hard, losing focus on the biceps and instead burning out the forearm.

The set-up

• Set a bench underneath a chin-up bar to allow for a ‘cheated’ concentric rep.
• Jump up to the top and focus on getting your shoulder blades pulled back and down, contracting your lats as hard as you can.
• Focus on maintaining tension in the lats as you actively allow gravity to bring you down.

The movement

• Example: Jump up to the top, skipping the concentric component, while at the top depress the shoulder blades and transfer the tension to the lats, keep the tension in the lats as you slowly push yourself away from the bar.
• Concentric: The fully-shortened position is determined by how far you can go up while keeping the chest high, and shoulders back and down.
• Eccentric: The fully-lengthened position is determined by how far you can stretch the lats while maintaining tension.
• Common Mistakes: Cheating your way to the top only to be using your arms, which defeats the purpose of trying to cheat the concentric to focus on doing at least one position of the movement right.

Trainer tips

• Use straps to prevent the arms from fatiguing too quickly
• If you have a hard time getting the lats positioned at the top, have someone spot you from the mid back and hold you at the top until you can get your lats in the right position and tense.

The set-up

• Set the Swiss ball on your lower back, allowing for the hips to sit slightly off it.
• Press your feet against a wall or lock them down to gain extra support and stability.
• Engage the abs by actively bracing (push your lower back into the ball as you posteriorly tilt your pelvis).

The movement

• Example: Crunch the abs until the ab wall is fully contracted, while maintaining tension, allowing for the abs to stretch as you go back to the starting position.
• Concentric: The fully-shortened position is determined by how close you can bring the bottom of the ribs to the top of the pelvis without allowing the hips to move.
• Eccentric: The fully-lengthened position is determined by how far you can pull the bottom of the ribs away from the pelvis without allowing for the lower back to move.
• Common Mistakes: Not shortening the ab wall and instead using the hip flexors to do the movement.

Trainer tips

• If stability is your problem and you are rolling all over the place, practice bracing first by regressing to a Swiss ball plank or anchor your feet down better to give more support throughout the movement.

The set-up

• Lie face up on a bench with your knees tucked all the way into your chest.
• Hold onto the head of the bench with both hands.

The movement

• Engage your abdominal muscles and curl your lower back off the bench. Visualise closing the gap between the bottom of your ribcage and your pelvis.
• You have reached the end of your range-of-motion when you cannot move any further without rolling up onto your upper back.
• Pause for a moment and breath out in a long stream as if blowing up a balloon to achieve an extra contraction in the abdominals.
• Reverse the motion, under control, to return to the start position.
• Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Trainer tips

• If you cannot feel an intense sensation in your abs, you are likely using momentum and other muscles, like the hip flexors, to swing upwards. Try slowing down the movement until you can feel it.
• If you are unable to perform the exercise effectively flat, try a slight decline with your head at the bottom to allow gravity to help you.
• Once you are able to complete the movement flat, you can progress the exercise to a slight incline with the head at the top of the bench.

The set-up

• Lie on the floor and lift your legs to a 75-90-degree angle (the closer the legs are to parallel the harder the exercise).
• Engage the abs by actively bracing (push your lower back into the floor as you posteriorly tilt your pelvis).
• Find the most challenging position for the abs by lowering the legs without allowing for the lower back to come off the floor.

The movement

• Example: Reach up and touch your toes without allowing the lower back to come off the floor, return back to the floor while maintaining tension in the abs.
• Concentric: The fully-shortened position is determined by how close you can bring the bottom of the ribs to the top of the pelvis without allowing the hips to move.
• Eccentric: The fully-lengthened position is determined by how far you can pull the bottom of the ribs away from the pelvis without allowing for the lower back to move.
• Common Mistakes: Using too much momentum off the floor and trying to ‘actually’ touch your toes versus working with the muscle and your active range of motion.

Trainer tips

• The exercise is a slight misnomer, you won’t actually touch your toes. So focus on contracting and shortening the ab wall to get you as close as you can.
• If the lower back hurts or fatigues first, roll a yoga mat up and place it underneath your natural arch to give extra support, a core pad works better if you have one.

The set-up 

• Lie down on your back with your arms stretched out overhead and your legs straight and together, toes pointed.

The movement

• Brace your core and lift your arms and legs off the floor.
• Focus on pressing your lower back into the ground while squeezing your entire abdominal wall.
• Shoulders should be slightly lifted and your ribs are tucked in you are aiming for a banana shape.

Trainer tips

• Focus on keeping your brace as tight as possible.
• This exercise can be regressed by keeping the arms alongside the body or bending the knees and flexing the hip so that there is a 90-degree angle at both the hips and knee.
• This exercise can be progressed by adding weight to the ankles or hands for added resistance.  Another popular movement for progressing this exercise is to remain in a dish position and slowly rock backwards and forwards whilst maintaining a tight brace.
• Remember to breathe.