Upper Body Workout - Couplets

Hey everyone,

For our upper body workout, we decided to incorporate couplets.  A couplet is simply two exercises which are super-setted (i.e. performed back-to-back).  We find that this works best when the exercises target opposing muscle groups (e.g. a pushing exercise for chest or shoulders, then a pulling exercise for back).

For this upper body workout, we did 3 sets of couplets, with 3 sets in each.  Thus, we did a total of 18 sets.  Here are the exercises we performed:

• Parallel grip pullups (Tannys - bodyweight; Alex - 106lbs)
• Jungle Gym atomic pushups

• Alternating kettlebell rows (Tannys - 16kg; Alex - 48kg/106lbs)
• Handstand pushups

Note - these are performed together (as couplets), but are shown below as separate videos

• Kettlebell presses (Tannys - 16kg; Alex - 40kg)
• Underhand chinups (Tannys - band-assisted; Alex - bodyweight)

 Note - these are performed together (as couplets), but are shown below as separate videos

This couplet-based workout was quite enjoyable.  It's a bit different from traditional circuit training - almost a hybrid between circuit training and traditional 'bodybuilding' training where you focus on one exercise at a time.  You can substitute in any number of exercises, or even condense or lengthen this workout (by varying the number of couplets or sets) to suit your fitness capacity and goals.  Give it a try!

- Tannys & Alex