The presence of a Total Trainer in our home is an automatic and instant upgrade to a whole host of exercises and workout routines. One upper body exercise that is upgraded when a Total Trainer home gym is in the picture are Around the Worlds, a chest strength training routine credited for solidifying and toning pectoral muscles.
When we picture Around the World workouts, the assumption is that dumbbells are the only fitness tool which can be utilized for their completion. This exercise is excellent for chest work, giving us an alternative method for working the pecs beyond bench press reps. When performing conventional Around the Worlds, we would begin by lying on our back on a weight bench, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Palms would be pointed toward the ceiling and held down next to our thighs. By utilizing a circular motion, the dumbbells are brought together behind our head and then back down again; visualize it is as an attempt to make snow angels while lying on our back. It will look as if we are moving our arms “around the world” as this exercise’s trajectory unfolds.
But we do not need dumbbells to perform the Around the World workout, as our Total Trainer home gym can serve as a highly effective substitute. In fact, owning such a versatile home gym gives vast personalization when it comes to varying the difficulty of Around the World sets. Whereas standard dumbbells do not give much leeway when it comes to switching up the resistance of our lift, Around the Worlds completed on the Total Trainer can be done with up 12 different resistance levels. This should be more than enough, particularly considering the emphasis on the kinetics of the movement as opposed to the total poundage being moved from thigh to head level.
Customization is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the potential of Total Trainers to increase the effectiveness of Around the World lifts. Its Quick Release, 4 Point Pulley System found on the Total Trainer lets you utilize the Twin Handles in place of dumbbells during your Around the World workout, eliminating the inconsistency of motion which can plague this lift’s free weight version. Around the Worlds done on the Total Trainer can be completed with the exactness of form we have come to expect from machine weight work. Doing the free weight, dumbbell version of these lifts carries a higher risk of bad form that will prevent our chest from getting the quality of work it otherwise would.
Set the resistance level on the Total Trainer to a percentage of your body weight you feel confident handling. While lying on the glide board, grab one Twin Handle in each hand. Using the thigh to upper body circular motion, bring the handles from the lower body until they meet behind your head; this particular movement demands effort from your chest that is sure to leave it strengthened. Who knew you could go around the world without even leaving your seat on the Total Trainer glide board?