Day 27 is the last strength day of the program and the most demanding version of the format. A circuit of six, 2 minutes rest, five rounds: 10 3-count split lunges, 10 3-count calf raises with a 3-count calf raise hold, 10 3-count bent over raises with a 3-count arm extended hold, 10 3-count renegade rows, max 3-count push-ups and a 10-count push-up hold. Two exercises now carry a hold at the end of their set instead of one - the calf raises as on Day 23, and now the bent over raises, where the last rep is followed by three counts with the arms held out at shoulder height.
The bent over raise is the same movement the hypertrophy days call a bent over lateral raise: hinged forward with a flat back, lifting the dumbbells out to the sides. Adding a three-count hold at the top of it is the hardest small thing on this card, because the rear shoulder is a muscle with almost no leverage and no way to cheat a static position. That is three holds in one round when you count the push-up hold at the end, on top of forty slow repetitions. The strength days have not added a single rep since Day 3 - what they have added is exactly this: more work packed into the same numbers.
Split lunges take three counts down with a fixed stance. Calf raises finish with the heels held high for three counts. In the bent over raise, keep the back flat and the knees soft, lift to shoulder height and hold the arms there for three counts at the end of the set without letting the chest rise. Renegade rows keep the hips square and the feet wide. Push-ups run to max with a three-count descent, and the round closes with 10 counts in the top position.
Forty slow reps and three separate holds per round - the strength days finish exactly as heavy as they were built to.
Make it Harder: Extend the arm hold to a 10-count at the end of each round.
Make it Easier: Cut the renegade rows to 5 reps; both holds stay exactly as printed.
