Working out with a life partner can be a rewarding experience, but what if that partner is an IFBB Pro and bodybuilding icon? Shani Sommerfeld recently shared her upper-body workout experience with husband Mike, proving that quality time with your other half can be accomplished through quality reps.
While Shani is an avid bodybuilder and a seasoned trainer, this loving woman has shown that different abilities don’t matter when it comes to a couple’s workout. While Mike “The Bad Ass” Sommerfeld is the reigning Arnold UK Classic Physique champion, he doesn’t have a monopoly on building muscle, so the two have embarked on an upper-body routine that’s primed for the 2026 Olympics.
Mike and Shani Sommerfeld’s full upper body workout
- The car flies
- Incline Press Machine
- Side Lift Machine
- Row of single arm machine
- Rear delt car
- Cable Extension Bicep Curl/Triceps Dips
Mike Sommerfeld’s muscle building philosophy: tension over ego
The married couple started with a few car flies. “It’s about building stability before the heavy work starts,” he says of the pec-building move. They switched to the incline press for upper chest and shoulder success. “One thing bodybuilding teaches you quickly: muscles respond to intensity, not ego,” Shani explained, adding that there was no requirement to compete with her own husband.
“The best sets aren’t always the heaviest,” added Shani. “They’re the ones that work the target muscles throughout the rep.” This knowledge is important because it can enhance any exercise. You can actually gain more muscle by focusing on proper form than by lifting heavier weights.
The lateral raise is a “simple exercise,” but “it’s easy to get it wrong,” Shani says of the third exercise. taxing the lateral deltoids on his middle shoulder. Shani explained that momentum should not drive this movement, otherwise the shoulder is free from work and the need to make a profit.
“One-sided training exposes weaknesses quickly,” Shani said of the solo row, meaning there’s nowhere to hide, even for the biggest guys in the gym. “When each side works independently, inequality is difficult.”
Using the rear delt machine, Shani shared that developing this area of the body can be the difference between a good or “perfect” physique. But with all that hard work behind Sommerfeld, the hardest set was saved for last—a tri-set designed to blast biceps and triceps. “People think high-level training is about specific exercises… It’s not,” Shani explained in the caption accompanying the IG video. “The difference is in the details. Discipline to perform every rep the same. Patience to prioritize tension over tension. Consistency is key in approaching each set. This is something I notice every time we train together. The exercises are not different or unusual, but standard.”
Now that’s a pair of Bad Ass!
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