Build Muscle With This Low-Weight Upper Body Workout

This subtraction-set workout from trainer Jeremy Scott, creator of the Men’s Health Action Hero Jacked fitness series, is a great way to mix up any workout—and help you push your muscles to work hard even if the weights you have available aren’t all that heavy.

Here’s how the routine works: Perform 20 reps of each exercise in the circuit back-to-back-to-back, rest for 60 to 90 seconds, and then repeat, but this time for 18 reps. Each time you repeat the circuit, subtract 2 reps from your sets, hitting 16 reps, 14 reps, 12 reps, and so on until you reach zero and the end of your workout. It’s all about volume.

By the end of the routine, you’ll have done 10 sets of all three exercises, and your muscles will be completely wiped. Just make sure to keep your form consistent throughout the workout—it won’t be easy.

For the first exercise, dumbbell alternate curls, perform one traditional, supinated curl, then go straight into a hammer curl. One pair equals one rep.

While your biceps will do the brunt of the work here, to keep good form, and get the most out of the exercise, keep your glutes and core engaged. Stand tall, focusing on not leaning back with each rep. Your elbows should be the only body part to move.

When performing the second exercise, kneeling single-arm presses, your positioning is even more of a challenge. Focus on squeezing your glutes and core as tight as possible. The offset load you’ll use here will require additional work from your obliques. Keep your torso vertical as if a string is pulling the crown of your head straight toward the ceiling.

Lastly, Scott performs T-pushups, flowing from a pushup to a T-spine rotation with his upper body in a straight, vertical line from hand to hand. If you have shoulder problems, or feel any discomfort with this move, opt for traditional pushups instead.