Back
- Inverted Row
- 4 sets x 15 reps
- Set barbell waist high, lay underneath and grasp bar, pull yourself up until chests touches.
- Heavy Pulldown
- Bentover Row
- 5 sets: 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 reps
- Reverse Cable Flye
- Pull-up
- 60 total, as quickly as possible.
- Try not to kip/swing until failure sets in.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Arms
- Dip
- 5 sets x 10 reps
- Increase weight each set as necessary.
- Barbell Skull Crusher + Triceps Push-up
- 5 sets: 8, 6, 6, 6, 4 reps
- Immediately follow each set of skull crushers with 10 reps of triceps push-ups.
- Dumbbell Triceps Extension
- 4 sets x 8 reps
- Laying on the floor, extend dumbbells up by straightening your arms. Bend at the elbow and lower the weights until arm reaches 90 degrees. Pause and extend the weights back up using only your triceps muscles.
- Keep hands, elbows and shoulders in-line throughout. (Don't let elbows bow out to the sides)
- Banded Barbell Curl
- 5 sets: 8, 6, 6, 6, 4 reps
- Loop band over ends of barbell, load weight plates. Standing on center of band, curl barbell up.
- Seated Curl + Chin-up
- 4 sets: 6 + 10 reps
- Perform 6 reps seated dumbbell curls followed by 10 chin-ups (palms facing in).
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Merry Christmas
Chest
- Push-up
- 3 sets: 25x narrow, 25x regular, 25x wide
- Bench Press
- 5 sets: 12, 2, 5, 5, 5 reps
- Use moderate weight for set of 12, heavy for 2, scale down slightly for sets of 5.
- Incline Press
- 5 sets: 12, 2, 5, 5, 5 reps
- Same as above.
- Wide Dumbbell Press + Cable Crossover
- 4 sets: 12 reps + 25 reps
- Perform 12 dumbbell presses lowering the weight wider than usual, then perform 25 cable crossover flyes.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Back
- Manmaker
- 3 rounds
- With 3 different dumbbell pairs (20lb, 30 and 40 work well) perform given number of manmakers starting with lightest weight.
- Round 1: Perform 3 reps with each weight
- Round 2: Perform 2 reps with each
- Round 3: Perform 3 reps with lightest, 2 with middle, 1 heavy
- Close-grip Corner Row
- 4 sets: 12, 10, 8, 6
- Place end of barbell in corner, load other end with weight, attach close-grip handle to weighted end with webbing/chain/rope. With chest up and maintaining a neutral spine, pull handle up to xiphoid area.
- Bentover Row
- 4 sets: 12, 10, 8, 6
- If you have access to 2 barbells, this can be performed alternately with corner row.
- Pulldown
- Close-grip Pull-up
- 4 sets x 10 reps
- Attach close-grip handle to pull-up bar with webbing/etc. and pull yourself up as high as possible trying to touch your chest to the handle. Use a kip or jumping pull-up motion if necessary.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Arms
- Battle Ropes (Hoses)
- 2 rounds: 50 swings each arm
- If no ropes/hoses: Combat Burpee x 20 total ("combat" = regular burpee + jump high and tuck knees to chest).
- Unstable Barbell Curl
- 5 sets x 6 reps
- Hang dumbbells from both ends of barbell with webbing/rope/chain. Start with light dumbbells and add additional weight plates as needed.
- Unstable Triceps Bench
- 4 sets x 10 reps
- Same set-up as curls, but as you perform bench presses, use a shoulder-width grip and keep elbows from bowing out to sides.
- Standing Dumbbell Dropset
- 4 rounds: 6 + 6 reps
- Perform 6 reps of standing dumbbell curls, drop to 2/3 the weight and perform 6 more.
- Rope Extension + Kickback
- 4 rounds: 8 + 8 each arm
- Perform 8 reps of triceps rope extensions followed by 8 reps dumbbell kickbacks on each arm.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Chest
- Explosive Push-up
- 3 sets x 15 reps
- Perform a push-up, exploding up from the down position, lifting your hands from the ground.
- Wide-grip Banded Bench
- 5 sets: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4
- Load plates and loop band over ends, under bench. With hands wide on bar, perform presses lowering the bar as close to chest as flexibility will allow.
- Incline Dumbbell Press w/ Iso Hold
- 4 sets x 8 reps
- While holding one dumbbell at full extension, perform reps with opposite arm. Switch and perform reps with other arm while holding first working arm at extension.
- Floor Press
- 4 sets x 8 reps
- Set barbell at knee height, lay underneath and perform presses by lowering the weight down until upper arms touch the floor.
- Pause at bottom of rep (with upper arms touching floor) keeping chest engaged throughout, then explode weight back up to full extension.
- Stability Ball Push-up
- 4 sets x 15 reps
- With feet balanced on a stability ball, perform push-ups as usual keeping body rigid.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Back
- C2B Pull-up Ladder
- 1 round: 1, 2, 3...10
- Perform 1 rep, then 2, then 3 all the way up to 10 reps. Keep rest to a minimum throughout.
- Perform chest-to-bar (C2B) pull-ups if capable or for as long as you can.
- Heavy Seated Row
- Incline Bench Reverse Flye
- 5 sets x 8 reps
- Set bench at moderate incline, grab a pair of dumbbells and lay face down on bench. Perform reverse flyes by raising weights to sides while pinching shoulder blades together.
- May be done in alternate sets with rows.
- Ring Row Ladder
- 1 round: 10, 9, 8...1
- Set rings at waist height, lay underneath and pull yourself up until chest is at ring level. Perform 10, then 9, then 8 down to 1 keeping rest to a minimum between sets.
- Elevate feet on a box/bench to increase difficulty.
- If no rings: perform inverted row for 4 sets x 20 reps.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Arms
- Explosive Curl
- 3 sets x 15 reps
- Load barbell with light weight, curl up explosively allowing the bar to leave your hands, catch bar on the way down and lower slowly.
- Dumbbell Skull Crusher
- 4 sets x 8 reps
- Use a pair of dumbbells in place of bar. Keep elbows in line as much as possible.
- Barbell Curl
- Concentration Curl
- 4 sets x 10 reps each arm
- Seated holding a dumbbell, press elbow into inner thigh and perform curls focusing all effort on biceps.
- Triceps Extension with V-bar
- Triceps Push-ups
- 4 sets x 15 reps
- Can be perform alternately with Extensions.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Chest
- Ring Push-ups
- 3 sets x 15 reps
- Set rings 2" from floor, perform push-ups as usual.
- Incline Unstable Bench
- 5 sets: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps
- Hang 50lb dumbbells from each end of barbell using webbing/chain/etc. Load additional plates as necessary. Perform incline bench keeping control of weight.
- This will tax your stabilizer muscles so start relatively light and add weight as necessary.
- Negative Bench
- 5 sets x 5 reps (5 count)
- Perform bench press lowering weight down to chest on 5 count, then explode back up to starting position. If you have a partner, use heavier weight which will require assistance of positive (upward movement) on later reps.
- Cable Crossover
- 5 sets x 8 reps
- Can be completed by alternating with negative bench.
- Dumbbell Bench Dropset
- 2 rounds: 8 reps x 4 weights
- Perform 8 presses with heavy dumbbell, drop and perform 8 more with slightly lighter weight, continue 2 more times (total of 24 reps using 4 different dumbbell pairs).
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Back
- Warm-up
- 150m legless, underhand row (palms up)
- Time in seconds = number of Good Mornings
- For Good Mornings: stand erect with unloaded barbell across traps, keep legs straight but don't lock knees. Bend at waist keeping back straight, pause when you feel tension in hamstrings, slowly move back to standing position.
- If no rower: 40 total GMs
- Deadlift
- 8 sets: 10, 8, 6, 4, 4, 6, 8, 10
- Increase weight each set going down, decrease weight each set coming back up.
- USE PROPER FORM - EVERY REP.
- Weighted Pull-up
- Dumbbell Row + Reverse Flye Superset
- 4 sets x 10 reps + 10 reps
- Perform two-handed bentover rows, drop weight, perform reverse flyes.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Arms
- Chin-up/Push-up Ladder
- 10 sets: 1/2, 2/4, 3/6, 4/8... 10/20
- Perform 1 chin-up followed by 2 triceps push-ups (either diamond or hands along sides pushing elbows back). Perform 2 chin-ups followed by 4 push-ups...
- Continue pattern up to 10 chin-ups followed by 20 push-ups.
- EZ-bar Curl Banded/Unbanded
- 5 sets: 5 reps + 5 reps
- Load curl bar, loop band over both ends and stand on the center. Perform 5 reps, remove band and perform 5 more.
- Skull Crusher Banded/Unbanded
- 5 sets: 5 reps + 5 reps
- Same as above.
- Barbell Curl/Dip Ladder
- 10 sets: 20/10, 18/9, 16/8... 2/1
- Load barbell with light weight, perform 20 curls followed by 10 dips.
- Continue pattern in opposite direction as 1st exercise down to 2 curls/1 dip.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
Chest
- Hand-release Push-ups
- Bench Press Banded/Unbanded
- 5 sets: 4 reps banded + 4 reps unbanded
- Load bar, loop band over one end, under bench, over other end. Perform 4 reps nearing failure by 4th, rack weight and remove band, perform 4 more.
- Use band with good resistance (blue band for NWFD).
- Incline Bench
- Wide Dumbbell Press + Wide Push-ups
- 5 sets x 8 reps + 16 reps
- Perform dumbbell press lowering the weights wider than usual, pause, press back to full extension.
- With minimal rest, perform wide grip push-ups.
Niko Countouriotis
Fireman
