Intense upper back and chest workout

I'm sorry that I'm a day behind! I usually try and get my blogs out the same day as the workout, but I got busy yesterday and didnt' get a chance to work on it. Yesterday's workout was super intense! I didn't even attempt to wash my hair today because my arms won't go over my head. Those are the best kinds of workouts though I think! Here is what we did...

10 minute warm-up on treadmill
     - Pace: 3.0  Incline: 6.0
     - Tomorrow I am going to amp it up a little and set my pace at 3.5 and the incline at 6.5

T-bar rows
     - 2 warm up sets followed by 3 sets of 10-12 reps
     - Don't forget the dumbbell row you can do in place of the t-bar row. The dumbbell row is probably going to be a little more comfortable for those of you girls that the Lord blessed in the chest area!

Push ups
     - 5 sets of max reps
     - I am still doing the girl push ups. I am up to 18-20 a set. Just do whatever you feel comfortable with for now. We are really just focusing on the upper back during this workout and the girl style of push ups still gives your muscles the full effect as a regular push up.

Pull downs
     - 1 set of Tabata
     - Tabata is high intensity interval training. For this particular exercise we did pull downs for 20 seconds and rested for 10. We did that 8 times. By the fourth set you will be feeling the burn! It only lasts 4 minutes, but trust me, it is a very long 4 minutes!

Rear shoulder fly
     - 3 sets 10-12 reps
     - I hate this exercise! My shoulders are weak so I typically hate any shoulder exercise.

     - Move the arms all the way in. You rest your chest against the pad with your arms out in front of you grasping the handles. You then open your arms up like you are opening up for a big hug and then bring them back together again. It's kinda hard for me to explain so if you go to the gym and you are unsure how to use the machine just ask someone.

Flat press machine
     - 3 sets of 15
     - This machine can be found in almost any gym. I like it because it is simple to use, and if I feel uncomfortable with the weight I don't have to worry about hurting myself.

Notes from Courtney: We are going to try and incorporate Tabata into almost every workout from here on out. One or two exercises a workout will be done this way. It is awesome because not only do you get your strength training in, but you also get in your cardio. When you feel like you are going to die just keep going. At the end of that 4 minutes you'll be glad you didn't stop. Keep up the good work!