Day 8 opens the second week with lunges in two directions. The circuit runs 24 split lunges alternating legs, 24 side lunges alternating legs, 12 curls into shoulder press, 12 chest rows and 6 bent over raises, 2 minutes rest, 3, 4 or 5 rounds for your level. Forty-eight lunges before the arms get a turn.
Split lunges keep the dumbbells at the sides, as on Day 5. Side lunges are drawn with the dumbbells held at the shoulders: from a wide stance, bend one knee and sit the hips back over that foot while the other leg stays straight, then push back to center and go the other way. The two together work the legs front to back and then side to side, and the inner thighs and outer hips get a load they never see in a forward lunge. The curl into shoulder press is two exercises welded into one rep - curl the dumbbells to the shoulders, press them overhead, lower to the shoulders, lower to the sides - and the card ends with bent over raises, drawn hinged forward with the dumbbells hanging below the chest and lifted out to the sides. Six of those is enough; the rear shoulders are small and easily overworked.
Keep the torso tall in split lunges and the back knee travelling straight down. In side lunges, the bending knee tracks over the toes and the straight leg's foot stays flat on the floor. On the curl into press, finish the curl fully before the press starts - no throwing the weight from halfway. Bent over raises are a small, controlled lift with a slight bend in the elbows; if you have to swing to get the dumbbells up, they are too heavy for this move.
Two directions of lunge and three ways to lift: week two starts loud.
Make it Harder: Hold the bottom of every side lunge for a two-count before pushing back to center.
Make it Easier: Do the side lunges without dumbbells and keep the weights for the rest.
