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Trainer Kaitlin Review: Upper Body Burn
Upper Body Burn is a fun, effective and fairly challenging upper body workout that targets the arms, chest and back. I really liked this routine and the even though it is just under 50 minutes, I found the time flew by. The link to this video is HERE.
This blog post is another review to highlight a new me to YouTube trainer whose workouts I have been experimenting with over the past few weeks. Kaitlin is an American Personal Trainer with over 140 free videos on her YouTube channel. She offers a wide range of different workouts, including Hiit, low impact, bodyweight only, dumbbell strength workouts (lower, upper or total body), kickboxing, mobility and core workouts. She also has a 6 Day Challenge, both with and without weights, if you are looking for a more structured program. All of her videos are done voiceover live with no music. Her idea being that she would rather you play your own music, which you like, rather than either having to put up with her taste in music or playing “awful royalty free music”. Initially, I thought this might be an issue for me, as I don’t like playing my own music while working out (as it is complicated technology-wise as my TV is connected to our sound system). However, most of the time I actually don’t notice there isn’t any music, as she talks you through the workout and has quite a funny personality (I think I would describe her as a little kooky!) She’s very real and will tell you when she is feeling the work etc so it’s definitely not as polished as some of the other workouts, from Caroline or Heather etc, but she has her own charm and I have enjoyed several of her routines. The workouts also tend to be a little different to the norm and so it works your muscles in different ways. I also think some of her mobility stuff is interesting too and a nice way to open up the body a little more. I have included a link to her YouTube channel HERE.
This workout is the 45 minute version of “Upper Body Burn”, as there is also a shorter 25 Minute version on the channel too and is split into two parts. The first part consists of the foundation or basic moves, using heavier weights, and the second part consists of more combination moves using lighter weights. This provides a really nice variety to the routine and challenges the muscles in different ways.
The first section is made up of three supersets of two exercises. Each of the two exercises are performed for 10 reps and are then repeated, one more time, before moving onto the next superset. There is no timer for these exercises, Kaitlin just counts 10 reps, at a controlled pace, so you can really heavy up here, if you want to. Kaitlin used adjustable dumbbells for this section and used 10 to 15 pounds, as she mentioned she is recovering from an injury. I used heavier but would increase further next time. The moves are all very traditional strength exercises, such as, bench press or pullovers and target all of the major muscle groups once.
The second section consists of a series of trisets of three exercises that are then repeated again before moving on to the next triset. These exercises are timed in 45 second intervals with 15 seconds rest in between each exercise. As mentioned, these are more compound moves and often combine two different moves together, such as, bicep curls with bent arm lateral raises or are done at a faster pace. Kaitlin used 5 and 8 pounds only for this part. I did go heavier on some but sometimes the lighter weights were more appropriate, given the nature of the moves. I found that these exercises generally targeted the smaller muscle groups more effectively and I felt a nice burn on several of the moves.
As mentioned, the workout is done voiceover without any music so you can add your own if you prefer. Kaitlin demonstrates each move before you do it and there is also a preview box, which appears on the left of the screen, before you start each exercise showing the move again. For the second part of the workout, there is also a countdown timer on the right hand side of the screen - counting down both the work and rest periods. At the end of the routine, Kaitlin then gives you a nice long stretch to lengthen out those hard working muscles.
Overall, an excellent upper body workout that with the right weights will challenge those muscles well.
Some of my other favourite workouts from her channel include (all of the routines below are clickable and will take you directly to the relevant YouTube video):
25 Min No Repeat Upper Body Strength (29:46 mins)
Day 3 Glute Focused Leg Day Dbs (40:35 mins)
Day 3 No Equipment Leg Day (41:47 mins)
Day 4 Arms & Abs Dbs (37:31 mins)
Back & Abs Dbs (42:46 mins)
Lengthen, Strengthen & Mobilise (50:35 mins)
No Repeat 45 Min Total Body Strength Workout (54:24 mins) – Vertical Loading
The Workout
Upper Body Burn is a pure strength upper body workout using heavier and lighter dumbbells. The routine consists of three supersets of two exercises, each performed for 10 reps and then repeated, plus four trisets of three exercises, performed for 45 seconds on and 15 seconds rest, that are also repeated.
What You Need to Know
(Rating scale – 1= lowest & 5 = highest).
The Moves
Upper Body Burn is 49:49 minutes long. The workout starts with a quick intro from Kaitlin, about the workout and the weights she will be using, before you move into a 5:30 minute warm-up. I have listed below the weights used by Kaitlin, where she mentioned them, and if not I have just listed the weights I used.
Supersets - Basic Lifts (heavier dumbbells) – each exercise is performed for 10 reps
Bicep Curls – two 13# Dbs (I used 20’s)
Tricep kickbacks – I used two 12# Dbs
Repeat above moves
Bent over rows – I used two 20# Dbs
Bench press – I used two 22# Dbs & a step
Repeat above moves
Pullovers – I used one 30# Db & a step
Lateral raises – I used two 10# Dbs
Repeat above moves
Trisets (lighter dumbbells) – each exercise is performed for 45 seconds with 15 seconds rest.
Bicep curl & bent arm lateral raises – two 8# Dbs (I used 12’s)
W curls – two 8# Dbs (I used 12’s)
Alternating tricep kickbacks (fast) – two 5# Dbs (I used 8’s)
Repeat above moves
Side lunge 1 arm fly (leaning other arm on thigh) – one 5# Db (I used 1x 8)
Side lunge 1 arm fly (other side) – one 5# Db (I used 1x 8)
Upright row (in slight hinge) – two 8# Dbs (I used 15’s)
Repeat above moves
Squeeze curl (1 Db held between both hands & squeeze hard as you curl Db up & down) – one 8# Db (I used 1x 12)
Alternating 1 arm cross curl – two 5# Dbs (I used 10’s)
Overhead tricep extensions (kneeling or standing) – two 5# Dbs (I used 12’s)
Repeat above moves
1 Arm lifted lateral curl & press (1 arm held out to side at 90 degrees w/ palm facing towards head; open arm out to parallel; bring back in & do overhead press) – one 5# Db (I used 1x 8)
1 Arm lifted lateral curl & press (other side) – one 5# Db (I used 1x 8)
Rear delt flys – two 5# Dbs (I used 10’s)
Repeat above moves
The workout ends with a 5 minute cool down and stretch.
Take Action
Try it today! Check out Trainer Kaitlin’s YouTube channel HERE.
If you liked this workout, check out my review of Sydney Cummings: 50 Min Upper Body Sculpt – HERE.
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