An upper body and core workout for women: lat pulldown, incline dumbbell press, seated cable row, lateral raise and dead bug. Day 2 of the 4-day Glutes and Legs Plan for Women.
Common questions about this workout day: structure, substitutions, and progression.
Two reasons. A stronger back and shoulders make the big lower-body lifts easier: you hold the bar in a Romanian deadlift and keep your chest up in a split squat with your upper body. And a plan that skips half the body for 8 weeks leaves you weaker there when you come back to it.
The upper days are shorter and lighter on purpose, 15 sets each, so most of your recovery still goes to your legs and glutes. Across Day 2 and Day 4 you do as many pulling sets as pressing sets.
Most shoulder pinching in lateral raises comes from going too heavy or lifting too high. Try:
Muscle burn on top of the shoulder is the goal. A sharp pinch at the front of the shoulder means stop, lighten the weight and shorten the range; see a physio if it keeps happening.
Swap like for like and keep the sets and reps:
Keep two pulls and one press in the session, plus the core exercise at the end.