2 min read
GETTING A PUMP doesn’t need to take all day.
If you have a set of light dumbbells (and the drive to focus in on intense work), all you need is a few minutes to blow up your biceps muscles. If you’re a busy dad with responsibilities, that’s especially important since those few minutes might be all you have. It pays to know how to make the most of them.
That efficiency is the driving principle behind Cory Gregory’s Dad Bod Shred workout program, now available for Men’s Health MVP Premium members. Gregory, a 46-year-old father of three, understands the sometimes unpredictable nature of parenthood—and how to design a fitness program that you can stick to even while you focus on your family’s needs.
Gregory didn’t just create the format to this workout out of whole cloth; he based the series on a classic, brutal lifting protocol called German Volume Training. The bedrock of GVT is in the set structure: 10 sets of 10 reps. But Gregory adds a twist here to make the pump more economical—since you’d usually be taking on big compound movement with challenging loads, GVT requires you to rest between 60 to 90 seconds between exercise.
Here, you’re doing curls, an isolation exercise, with light weight. Since there’s less strain, Gregory wants you to cut the rest periods way down. You’ll break for only 10 seconds before you need to start the next set. You might find the first set or two fly by, but you’ll be hard-pressed to finish off your 10th one easily. You’ll finish 100 reps—and you’ll be shocked at just how fast you finish and how pumped your arms feel, too.
The Dad Bod Shred GVT With a Twist Biceps Blast
How to Do It: Grab a pair of light to moderate weight dumbbells (you should have no problem curling for reps). Perform 10 biceps curls. Rest for 10 seconds. Immediately proceed into a second set of 10 curls. Continue in this pattern until you have completed 10 sets of curls.
You can use this workout structure for any exercise, according to Gregory. Just make sure that you keep the load light so you can work with perfect form for all 10 sets, no matter what you’re doing.
Want more workouts like this to help you build the body you want, even when you have other responsibilities? Check out the entire Dad Bod Shred program by becoming an MH MVP Premium member.
