LOVINLEAN: How To Mix It Up In The Gym & Perfect Your Shoulder Press

As we filled you in last week , we've teamed up with trainer Sam McGuinness to offer you some expert advice on maximising your workout ahead of the summer season.

Whether you're a total beginner or a gym addict, there'll be something for you as our three Lovin Media Group guinea pigs take on a six-week programme.

You can join them by following their regime (which you'll find here) and each week, they'll be asking Sam all the questions that are running through your mind.

How do I keep my gym routine intense, but fun? What equipment should I definitely use? How do I increase the difficulty of my exercises?

This week, the team focused on dumbbell shoulder presses. 

Using weights can be intimidating but they're such a great way to kick your exercises up a notch. 

Learn from the pros and it won't be long before you see the results...

1. Stand with a dumbbell in each hand.

2. Raise the dumbbells to your shoulders, with your palms facing forward and your elbows pointing out.

*This will be your starting position.

3. Extend one arm to press the dumbbell straight up, keeping your off hand in place.

4. After a brief pause, return the weight to the starting position.

5. Repeat for the opposite side, continue to alternate between arms

The team are over half-way through their training, so what have they learned so far?

"The most important thing we learned from this week is to mix things up in the gym. Going to the gym time and time again can seem pretty repetitive and frustrating, especially when you're not seeing any major changes. It’s important to challenge your body by increasing your weights and mixing up your exercise routine.

"Another tip that Sam filled us in on were drop sets. Drop sets involve doing an exercise with a heavy weight and repeating. Each time you repeat, you decrease your weight so it gets lighter. Sounds easy enough - says you. Well, wait to you try it! It's a great way to test your body and boy does it build a sweat!"

Tips for making the most out of your gym session:

• Continue to slowly increase the weights you're lifting
• Don't be afraid to mix up your gym routine
• Use the equipment - in particular, the battle ropes
• Add in a high intensity workout at least once a week

"Moving into the fourth week of our fitness journey and we’re starting to feel like pros. This week we finally started to see some small changes, but huge improvements. We’re lifting double the amount of weight from day 1 and continuing this increase every week. "

Have the guys inspired you to hit the gym this evening? Let us know in the comments. 

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