Apple Watch for nurses: strength training around 12-hour shifts

Legs, hips and back

Trap Bar Deadlift

Quads, Glutes

Lifting from the floor with a straight back and the load at your sides: the same pattern as picking a heavy box up off the floor. It leads the first day off.

How to do it

1. Step inside the trap bar with the handles beside your feet.
2. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and grip the handles.
3. Flatten your back, take the slack out, and stand up by pushing the floor away.
4. Lower the bar under control to the floor and reset your back before the next rep.

Cues

• Push the floor away
• Flat back
• Slack out before you pull

Common mistakes

• Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first.
• Rounding the back as the weight climbs: drop to a weight where the flat back holds on every rep.

Swap for: Barbell Deadlift, Romanian Deadlift, Kettlebell Deadlift

Upper chest and shoulders

Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

The press of day A. Dumbbells let each arm work on its own.

How to do it

1. Set the backrest to about 30 to 45 degrees and sit with the dumbbells on your thighs.
2. Lean back and bring the weights to the outside of your shoulders as your back meets the pad.
3. Squeeze your shoulder blades back and keep your hips on the seat.
4. Press up and slightly in until your arms are straight over your upper chest.
5. Lower under control until your elbows are just below the bench line.

Cues

• Low incline, not a shoulder press
• Wrists stacked over elbows
• Touch the stretch, then press

Common mistakes

• Setting the bench steeper than about 45 degrees: the front delts take over. Drop it a notch if you mostly feel your shoulders.
• Lifting your hips off the seat to finish a rep: that turns it back into a flat press.

Swap for: Single-Arm Incline Dumbbell Press, Incline Dumbbell Squeeze Press, Incline Barbell Bench Press

Lats

Lat Pulldown

Lats

The vertical pull of day A, and an easy one to load light on a tired day.

How to do it

1. Set the thigh pad so your legs are locked under it, then stand up and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders, palms forward.
2. Sit down with your arms fully stretched overhead and lean back only slightly.
3. Pull the bar to your upper chest by driving your elbows down toward your hips.
4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your shoulders lift toward your ears, then pull again.

Cues

• Elbows to your back pockets
• Bar to the top of the chest
• Let the stack lift you at the top

Common mistakes

• Leaning far back and rowing the bar to your stomach: stay nearly upright so it remains a vertical pull.
• Stopping with the arms still bent at the top: the stretch overhead is half of what makes the pulldown work.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown, Single-Arm Lat Pulldown

Core, anti-rotation

Pallof Press

Abs

Trains your trunk to resist twisting, the job it does when you reach and turn with weight in your hands.

How to do it

1. Set a cable at chest height, stand side-on to it and grip the handle two-handed at your chest.
2. Step away until the cable pulls, feet hip-width.
3. Press the handle straight out, hold for two seconds without turning, then bring it back.

Cues

• Hands on the midline
• Don't turn
• Hold it out

Common mistakes

• Standing too close, so the cable barely pulls: step out until you have to brace to stay square.
• Letting the arms drift toward the stack: keep the handle on your midline the whole rep.

Swap for: Cable Woodchop, Landmine Twist

Quads and glutes

Leg Press

Quads, Glutes

Heavy legs with your back supported, on day B.

How to do it

1. Sit in the machine with your whole back against the pad and your feet hip-width on the platform.
2. Release the safety handles and bend your knees, bringing the platform toward you under control.
3. Lower until your knees are bent to about 90 degrees or a little deeper, without your lower back curling off the pad.
4. Press the platform away until your legs are nearly straight, and repeat.

Cues

• Lower back stays on the pad
• Whole foot pushes
• Stop just short of locking out

Common mistakes

• Going so deep that your hips roll up off the seat: stop where your back stays flat.
• Snapping the knees straight at the top: keep a soft bend.

Swap for: 45-Degree Leg Press, Hack Squat, Barbell Back Squat

Upper back

Chest-Supported Row

Upper Back, Lats

Rows with the chest pad taking the strain off your lower back, which has done enough on shift.

How to do it

1. Set the seat so the handles are at chest height and rest your chest on the pad.
2. Pull the handles back until your elbows pass your torso.
3. Let the handles return until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward.

Cues

• Chest stays on the pad
• Squeeze, then reach

Common mistakes

• Lifting your chest off the pad to move more weight: the pad is there so your back can rest.

Swap for: Machine Row, Seated Cable Row, Incline Dumbbell Row

Shoulders

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Shoulders

Overhead strength for day B.

How to do it

1. Set a bench upright or one notch back from vertical, sit with your feet flat, and rest a dumbbell on each thigh.
2. Kick one knee up at a time to bring the dumbbells to shoulder height, then set your back against the pad.
3. Turn your elbows slightly forward so they sit a little in front of your torso, palms facing forward or angled in.
4. Drive both weights overhead on a slight inward arc until your elbows are straight, keeping your ribs down and your back on the pad.
5. Lower slowly until the dumbbells are around ear height or a bit below, then press again.

Cues

• Ribs down, back on the pad
• Elbows a little forward
• Press up and slightly in

Common mistakes

• Arching your lower back off the pad to finish reps: that turns it into an incline press, so lighten the weight and keep your ribs stacked over your hips.
• Flaring the elbows straight out at shoulder height: bring them a little forward so the shoulder joint stays comfortable at the bottom.
• Stopping each rep well above your ears: lower to around ear height so the delts work through a full range.

Swap for: Machine Shoulder Press, Arnold Press, Landmine Press

Lower back and glutes

Back Extension

Lower Back

Builds the back extensors and glutes with your bodyweight on a back extension bench. Last on day B, at an easy effort.

How to do it

1. Hook your heels under the footpads of a 45-degree back extension bench and set the thigh pad just below your hip bones.
2. Cross your arms over your chest and lower your upper body toward the floor, bending at the hips with a flat back.
3. Squeeze your glutes and raise your torso until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
4. Pause for a second, then lower under control and repeat.

Cues

• Hinge at the hips
• Straight line at the top
• Slow on the way down

Common mistakes

• Arching past the straight line at the top: stop when your body is in line.
• Setting the pad too high so it blocks the hinge: lower it until your hips can fold over it.

Swap for: Superman, 45-Degree Back Extension, Band Good Morning

Chest, machine

Machine Chest Press

Chest

Opens the pre-shift session. Nothing to balance, quick to set.

How to do it

1. Raise or lower the seat until the handles line up with the middle of your chest, then sit with your back on the pad.
2. Take the handles with straight wrists and your shoulder blades pressed back.
3. Push forward until your arms are nearly straight.
4. Return slowly until your hands are level with your chest, then press again.

Cues

• Handles at mid-chest
• Back stays on the pad
• Slow on the way back

Common mistakes

• Seat too high, so your shoulders take over: lower it until the handles meet your mid-chest.
• Stopping the handles short of your chest: let them come all the way back each rep.

Swap for: Flat Dumbbell Press, Incline Push-Up, Dumbbell Floor Press

Mid back, cable

Seated Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

The pull before a shift. Sit tall and pull to your stomach.

How to do it

1. Sit at the cable row with your feet on the platform and knees slightly bent, holding a close-grip handle with your arms straight.
2. Sit tall with your chest up and let the cable pull your shoulder blades forward a little.
3. Row the handle to your lower ribs, driving your elbows back past your torso.
4. Return it under control until your arms are straight and your shoulders reach forward, then repeat.

Cues

• Sit tall, no rocking
• Handle to the belly button
• Shoulders reach at the front

Common mistakes

• Rocking back and forth to move the stack: your torso should stay close to upright throughout.
• Shrugging the handle up toward your neck: pull your shoulders down before the elbows bend.

Swap for: Chest-Supported Row, Single-Arm Cable Row, Barbell Row

Rear shoulders and upper back

Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Light and high reps, to finish the pre-shift session without tiring you for the night.

How to do it

1. Set the pulley at or just above head height and attach a rope. Grab it with your thumbs pointing back toward you.
2. Step back until your arms are straight and the stack lifts, then stagger your feet or sit on a bench so you can lean back slightly without swaying.
3. Pull the middle of the rope toward your forehead by driving your elbows out and back, keeping them at shoulder height or higher.
4. As the rope reaches your face, pull the ends apart and rotate your hands back until your fists sit beside your ears, like a double-biceps pose.
5. Hold that position for a beat, then let your arms straighten under control until your shoulder blades slide forward again.

Cues

• Elbows high, hands finish behind them
• Pull the rope apart, not just back
• Reach forward at the start of every rep

Common mistakes

• Loading it like a row and leaning back to move the stack: drop the weight until you can hold the end position for a second without your torso rocking.
• Letting the elbows drop below your shoulders: the pull turns into a row and your lats and biceps take the work. Raise the pulley or lighten the load.
• Stopping when the rope touches your face: the outward rotation at the end is what the face pull adds, so finish with your fists beside your ears.

Quads and glutes, at home

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

One dumbbell held at your chest. Leads the home session.

How to do it

1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell vertically against your chest.
2. Sit down between your knees, elbows inside them at the bottom.
3. Stand up tall.

Cues

• Elbows nudge the knees out at the bottom
• Chest stays up behind the weight

Common mistakes

• Letting the weight pull you forward: hold it tight to your chest and sit between your heels.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Barbell Back Squat

Upper back, at home

One-Arm Dumbbell Row

Lats, Upper Back

The home pull, one arm at a time with a hand on a chair or bed.

How to do it

1. Put one hand and the same-side knee on a bench, or your hand on a chair seat with both feet on the floor, so your back is flat.
2. Hold a dumbbell in the other hand with your arm hanging straight.
3. Pull your elbow back toward your hip until the dumbbell reaches your ribs.
4. Lower it until your arm is straight again, finish all reps, then switch sides.

Cues

• Elbow to your hip
• Back flat as a table
• Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

• Twisting your chest open to lift the dumbbell higher: keep both shoulders level.
• Shrugging the shoulder up toward your ear: pull the elbow back, not the shoulder up.

Swap for: Band Bent-Over Row, Dumbbell Bent-Over Row, Seated Cable Row

Chest and triceps, at home

Push-Up

Chest

The home press. Hands on a counter if full push-ups are too hard yet.

How to do it

1. Set your hands slightly wider than your shoulders with your body straight from head to heels.
2. Lower until your chest nearly touches the floor, elbows at about 45 degrees.
3. Press back up to straight arms.

Cues

• One straight line
• Elbows angled back

Common mistakes

• Flaring the elbows straight out: tuck them toward your ribs.

Swap for: Kneeling Push-Up, Incline Push-Up, Push-Up Plus

Core control

Dead Bug

Abs

On your back on the floor, last in the home session.

How to do it

1. Lie face up, arms pointing up and knees bent at right angles over your hips.
2. Press your lower back into the floor.
3. Reach one arm overhead and the opposite leg out long, both hovering above the floor.
4. Bring them back and repeat with the other pair.

Cues

• Back glued down
• Breathe out as you reach
• Opposite arm and leg

Common mistakes

• Letting the back arch when the leg goes long: reach less far.
• Going fast: each rep should take about three seconds.

Swap for: Plank, Alternating Leg Raise