Working out with a life partner can be a rewarding experience, but what happens if that partner is an IFBB Pro and a bodybuilding icon? Shani Sommerfeld recently shared the experience of taking on an upper body workout with her husband Mike, and proved that quality time with the other half can be accomplished via quality reps.
While Shani is an amateur bodybuilder and experienced coach in her own right, this loving wife illustrated that differing abilities are of no consequence to crushing a couple’s workout. While Mike “The Bad Ass” Sommerfeld is the reigning Arnold U.K. Classic Physique champ, he doesn’t have the monopoly on building muscle, so they both embarked on an upper body routine designed to top the 2026 Olympia.
Mike and Shani Sommerfeld’s Complete Upper Body Workout
- Machine Flyes
- Incline Press Machine
- Lateral Raise Machine
- Single Arm Machine Row
- Rear Delt Machine
- Bicep Curl / Overhead Cable Triceps Extension / Triceps Dips (Tri-set)
Mike Sommerfeld’s Muscle-Building Philosophy: Tension Over Ego
The married couple got started with some machine flyes. “It’s about creating stability before the heavier work begins,” she explained of the pec building movement. They moved on to the incline press next for upper chest and shoulder success. “One thing bodybuilding teaches you quickly: muscles respond to tension, not ego,” Shani explained of there being no requirement to compete with her hench husband.
“The best sets aren’t always the heaviest,” added Shani. “They are the ones that keep the target muscle(s) working throughout the entire rep.” This knowledge is essential, because it can level up any workout. It really is possible to gain more muscle than a heavier lifter, simply by concentrating on proper form.
Lateral raises are a “simple exercise” but are “easy to get wrong” points out Shani as they undertake the third exercise, taxing the lateral deltoids in her middle shoulder. Shani explained that momentum should not drive this movement, or the shoulder is relieved of the work and the necessity to make gains.
“Unilateral training exposes weaknesses fast,” said Shani of the single arm row, meaning that there is nowhere to hide, even for the biggest guys in the gym. “Imbalances are hard to ignore when each side works on its own.”
Utilizing the rear delt machine, Shani shared that developing this area of the body can be the difference between a good physique or a “complete” one. But with all this hard work behind the Sommerfeld’s, the hardest set was saved for last — a tri-set designed to blast the biceps and triceps. “People think training at the highest level is about special exercises… It’s not,” explained Shani in the caption accompanying her IG video. “The difference is in the details. The discipline to execute every rep the same way. The patience to prioritize tension over ego. The consistency to treat every set like it matters. That’s what I notice every time we train together. The exercises aren’t different or extraordinary, but the standard is.”
Now that’s one “Bad Ass” couple!
To follow Shani Sommerfeld on Instagram, click here.
To follow Mike Sommerfeld on Instagram, click here.
