Working out with a spouse can be a rewarding experience, but what if that partner is an IFBB Pro and bodybuilding icon? Shani Somerfeld recently shared her experience doing an upper body workout with her husband Mike, proving that quality time with your other half can be accomplished through quality reps.
While Shani is an amateur bodybuilder and experienced coach in her own right, this lovely wife shows that different abilities don’t matter when it comes to crushing 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 of them started an upper body routine designed to stay on top at the 2026 Olympia.
Mike and Shani Sommerfeld’s Complete Upper Body Workout
- the machine flies
- Incline Press Machine
- side lift machine
- single arm machine row
- rear delt machine
- Bicep Curls / Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions / Triceps Dips (Tri-Set)
Mike Sommerfeld’s Muscle-Building Philosophy: Stress Over Ego
The married couple started off with some machine flies. “It’s about creating stability before the heavy work starts,” he said of the PEC construction movement. For upper chest and shoulder success they next move on to the Incline Press. “One thing bodybuilding teaches you right away: Muscles respond to stress, not ego,” Shani explained, adding that there’s no need to compete with her stoic husband.
“The best sets aren’t always the heaviest,” Shani said. “They are what recruit the target muscles throughout the rep.” This knowledge is essential, as it can make any workout better. By focusing on proper form, it is actually possible to gain more muscle than someone lifting heavy weights.
The lateral raise is a “simple exercise” but “it’s easy to get wrong” explains Shani as he performs the third exercise, taxing the lateral deltoids in his middle shoulder. Shani explained that momentum should not drive this momentum, otherwise the shoulder will be relieved from the work and need to make profits.
“Unilateral training quickly exposes weaknesses, meaning there’s no place to hide in the gym even for the biggest guys,” says Shani of the Single Arm Row. “It’s hard to ignore the imbalance when each side acts on its own.”
Using the Rear Delt Machine, Shani shares that developing this area of the body can be the difference between a good body or a “perfect” body. But with so much hard work behind Sommerfeld, the hardest set was saved for last — a tri-set designed to strengthen the biceps and triceps. “People think training at the highest levels is about specialized exercises… it’s not,” Shani explained in the caption of his 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 of treating every set this way is what matters. That’s what I notice every time we train together. The exercises aren’t different or extraordinary, but standard.”
Now that’s a “bad ass” couple!
To follow Shani Sommerfeld on Instagram, Click here.
To follow Mike Sommerfeld on Instagram, Click here.
