If you're pressed for time, I've got a GREAT time-efficient training technique for you here today...

Antagonistic Mechanical Drop Sets

And yeah, believe me, it SOUNDS way more confusing than it actually is...so let's begin...

First off, if you're not familiar with them, Mechanical Drop Sets are a great way to increase the intensity and workload on bodyweight exercises.

Essentially, it means starting from the most challenging version of an exercise (with the worst mechanical advantage), going through a series of sets where you perform variations of that exercise that have better mechanical advantage.

It's very simple once you get the idea of it and is a VERY effective training method.

THIS version is going to also add in antagonistic training to the drop set, which will help you get more reps on each exercise and maximize training volume.

In addition, because you'll be cycling through a variety of exercises for upper body pushing and pulling, you'll targeting every major muscle group and almost every angle for WORKING those major muscle groups in one extended set.

A key point before I get to the demo...you don't need to be able to do ALL of these variations that I'm doing to make this work. Just start with the hardest one that YOU can do and work down from there.

Each exercise is done for as many reps as possible (AMRAP), moving from one exercise to the next as quickly as possible with minimal rest (only the time required to get set up for the next exercise).

This entire circuit took me 6 minutes to finish.

Exercise 1 - Wide Grip Pull-Ups

This version is the most challenging pull-up/chin-up variation, so we start with that.

Exercise 2 - Modified Handstand Push-Ups

If you can do regular handstand push-ups against the wall, that will work, too. I opted to do this version so it would be easier to film all in one place!

The modification for this one is simple...just set a bar to about face height in the rack, set your hands on the ground, then reach up and back with one foot, hook it over the bar, then get the other one over. I recommend using a bar pad for cushioning.

Then walk your hands in a bit so your body is a bit more vertical.

When you do the exercise, you can actually spot yourself using your legs.

Exercise #3 - Close Grip Chin-Ups

Use a close, underhand grip for chins here. This exercise has better leverage than the wide grip pull-up, so we do this second.

Exercise #4 - Pike Handstand Push-Ups

To perform this one, you'll need a bench or chair. Set your hands on the floor, a few feet from the bench, then set your feet on top. Your body should be bent at the waist in a pike position. Ideally, you want the upper body to be vertical and the hips bent 90 degrees. I obviously missed that mark a bit, but even then it still works the shoulders very effectively!

Exercise #5 - Upside Down Bodyweight Rows

This is a unique exercise that is essentially a full bodyweight rowing movement.

Take an overhand grip, a little outside shoulder width, then get your feet up onto the rack. You'll have to maneuver your feet under the bar to get into position.

Once your legs are under, then you just row your body upwards until your hamstrings hit the bar. If you have access to rings or a neutral grip bar setup, feel free to use that instead as you'll get a fully range of motion and won't have to squeeze your legs under the bag.

The concept is the same. Just get yourself into this position and row your body up.

Exercise #6 - Feet-Elevated Push-Ups

For this one, just set your feet up on a bench for elevation. This will target the upper chest, in addition to shoulders and triceps.

Exercise #7 - Low-Bar Close Grip Supinated Inverted Rows

Next, I lowered the rails in the rack to set the bar in a lower position. Take a close, underhand grip (a.k.a. supinated) on the bar then perform a bodyweight Inverted Row.

Exercise #8 - Regular Push-Ups

Hands and feet on the floor...just "normal" push-ups here.

Exercise #9 - High-Bar Wide-Grip Pronated Inverted Row

The higher bar position reduces the bodyweight resistance during the exercise, making it the easiest upper body pulling movement. Take a wide, overhand grip on the bar to target the upper back.

Exercise #10 - Hands-Elevated Bench Push-Ups

This is the easiest upper body push exercise. Just set your hands on the bench and perform push-ups on it.

 

You've Just Finished an Antagonistic Mechanical Drop Set for the Upper Body!

As you can see, this is a great way to target just about every major muscle group in your upper body in a very time-efficient manner.

You can do just one round through as a standalone upper body workout, or you can rest 2 minutes then repeat. I did 4 total rounds of this and that was plenty. After 4 rounds, strength and endurance will fade out quite a bit and you won't get nearly as many reps on each movement.

And as I mentioned above, you don't need to start with the exercises I did...just start with the hardest variations that YOU can do!

I've also posted the video of this method to my YouTube channel here. This will give you a much better idea of how it's done.