Featured Movements
Plate Push-Ups
The push-up is one of the foundational exercise movements. Striving to improve body position and improve range of motion is worth the effort. By doing so, core strength will increase as well as shoulder strength. For the plate push-up, the range of motion is increased compared to a regular push-up by establishing a deficit for your chest to make contact with the floor.
Start in a plank position on your toes, hands just outside shoulders, one hand on the side/middle of a bumper plate. Gently squeeze the core and shoulders locked back, body forming a straight line from head to heal.
Bend elbows at a slight angle out, lowering the shoulders and hips together towards the floor until your chest makes contact.
Extend your arms by pressing through your hands, shoulders and hips now rising together (body still straight) until full arm lockout.
Move your arm connected to the floor to crossover the arm stabilizing on the top of the plate.
Then, move that arm that started on the plate to the floor on the other side of the plate. Repeat the next rep as previously described.
Box Jumps
This movement is fun! To do it takes some mental hurdles to overcome (pun intended), but once achieved, it feels amazing! Performing the box jump trains explosive power, balance, and coordination, making it an excellent tool for general fitness exercise. Here's how to perform the box jump:
Stand several inches away from the widest side of the box with feet underneath hips
Bend knees with hips going back and chest somewhat forward (shown in left pic)
Quickly extend both legs then immediately drive knees up for a forward jump
After feet have cleared the box, land softly on top with flat feet in about a quarter squat (shown in middle pic)
Stand all the way up, squeezing the glutes to ensure full body extension (shown in right pic)
Start out by jumping on a small sturdy box or stack of barbell plates before you try a taller box or edge. Modifying this movement can be done by jumping forward over a low bench as well. If impact movements such as this are not possible due to injury or doctor's orders, stepping up on top of a box or sturdy step stool is another way to scale.
Dumbbell Push Jerk
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged. Hold dumbbells with one head in contact with the shoulder, elbows pointed directly forward, not at an angle.
Keeping torso upright and feet flat to floor, bend the knees forward to dip straight down. This is not a squat but a drop down to start momentum.
QUICKLY extend the legs and open the hips. This will create power to launch the dumbbells off the shoulders. Heels stay on the floor until both legs and hips are extended.
As soon as the legs and hips are extended, punch your hands toward the ceiling AND simultaneously bend the knees to drop under the dumbbells. You should have arm extension while the knees are bent.
To finish the movement, stand up to fully extend the legs. Ears need to be between the extended arms, dumbbells above the shoulders, and heels down.
Bike Machine
Before you start riding the bike, make sure the seat is at the appropriate height for your legs. The seat should be set close to your hips as you are standing next to it. Adjust the seat as needed by loosening and pulling out the round handle underneath the seat to move it up or down. (Make sure you tighten the handle to set it back in.) You can double check by cycling a few rotations to see if your knee is only slightly bent at the bottom of the cycle (as shown in the pic).
When moving the peddles with your feet, push and pull the handles in sync so that the arm movement is assisting the leg movement and vice versa. Sit in an upright position. Do not sit slouched with the shoulders and back rounded forward.
On the machine's screen, there are several things that are displayed. For most work purposes, the meter and calorie measurements are used. The watts display the power output you are creating. You can use the bike for longer, continuous workouts or for shorter interval training.
Running
It’s something that (almost) everybody hates. It is also something many, many people can do with little admission to entry. Dress in some comfortable clothes, grab a great pair of running shoes (as was mentioned in a previous article), find a safe walkway or trail, and start putting one foot in front of the other! Here are some tips on how to run properly:
focus on proper posture by relaxing the shoulders down and back, maintaining more of a "proud chest"
look straight ahead at a distance far from you, not towards the ground or up at the sky
keep your arms at a soft square and hands relaxed (not balled up in a fist or rigid) and allow for front to back movement close along your sides to assist in momentum
stabilize your core and avoid upper body movement or rotation, keeping your torso square to what is directly in front of you
with a slight lean forward from the ankles, drive your knees forward and land mid-foot (rather than on heels)
stay relaxed and make sure you breathe!
Barbell Deadlift
Place your feet (shoe laces) underneath the barbell, standing hip-width apart. Bend down to grab the barbell 1-2 inches outside of the hips with arms extended. Set shoulders back and brace the core to ensure a neutral spine. Hips start below the shoulders (as shown above). Look at an angle ahead of you.
Keeping the arms long, lift the bar by pressing through the feet and moving the knees slightly back. The back angle should not change here with the hips still below the shoulders. Maintain leg contact with the barbell, and the feet stay flat on the floor.
Once the bar moves to the knees, the shoulders are far in front of the barbell, and the knees are just slightly bent. The back angle should still maintain a similar angle compared to when the movement started from the floor. Avoid the shoulders rounding forward!
Still lifting upward, squeeze the legs and open the hips. At the top of the movement, the legs and hips will have full extension and the shoulders will be slightly behind the barbell.
Air Squat
This is the cornerstone of the movement foundation. It expresses so much that you do in everyday life. Sitting, standing, using leg power, utilizing core strength, and more. If anyone would like to get better at moving in life, they would benefit highly from improving the squat. How you perform the movement translates into how well you move in many other areas.
Does “improving the squat” also mean being able to increase loads or go heavy? Not necessarily. Especially as you age, the goal most likely present is consistency over setting personal bests. You may discover some personal bests along the way when it comes to load, but the best moments are when you move well and feel great doing it!
One of the beautiful things about the air squat is that you can do it anytime and anywhere with no equipment required. To complete the air squat:
Stand with legs and hips at full extension, heels under shoulders, and toes pointed slightly outward.
Move hips back as knees slightly bend.
Continue to bend knees as hips descend directly down, knees tracking over toes.
Keep feet flat on the floor or ground (heels down), and ensure your back is flat (spine neutral).
Stop moving hips down after they go below the knees. (Having a small box, medicine ball, or step stool as a target may help here.)
Keeping knees in line with toes (not bending inward), stand up by fully extending your legs and hips.
If keeping the spine neutral is difficult, practice improving posture by raising the hands toward the ceiling or by standing in front of a wall with the hands high as you squat.
Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Another full body exercise with pulling as the main force of movement. With the sumo deadlift high pull, you will gain strength using your legs, train power output by a quick opening of the hips, and work your shoulders. Here's how to perform this movement:
Grab a kettlebell with both hands with a wide foot stance (like a sumo wrestler)
Bend your knees and drop your hips until your hips are slightly above your knees, shoulders slightly in front of hands, with a neutral spine (shown in left pic)
While arms are extended, pull the kettlebell off the floor up to your knees with your shoulders and hips rising at the same time
QUICKLY open your hips while arms are still extended, creating momentum (shown in middle pic)
Use the momentum to pull the kettlebell to your chest, elbows high (shown in right pic)
To bring kettlebell back to floor, lengthen your arms first, then bend your knees and lower your hips
Break this movement down by practicing pulling the kettlebell from the floor to your hips first (the deadlift). Then separately, practice doing a strict pull from your hips to your chest. Finally, tie the two parts together with a quick opening of the hips in the middle to create the momentum. This one may take some time to feel out before getting comfortable!
Standing Landmine Press
After placing a barbell in the landmine accessory (near the floor), pick up the bar at the end. Move the bar to the shoulder, and grasp the sleeve of the bar with one hand (see above). The elbow will be pointed down toward the floor with the hand directly in front of the shoulder. Brace the core as part of the foundation of the movement.
Keeping the core tight and the whole body in an upright position, press the bar in an upwards motion. Your hand will come forward at an angle away from your body.
For anyone with limited overhead mobility, this movement is a great upper body press, still activating the shoulders, triceps, lats, and core.
To finish the rep, continue pressing until you have completely extended your arm. Your body should still be in an upright position. Once your arm as made full extension, bend the elbow down to lower the bar back to the shoulder.
Hanging Knee Raises
Jump or step up to grab pull-up bar with hands slightly wider than the shoulders. Once hanging from the bar, pull down on the pull-up bar with your hands and shoulders to activate your lats, and brace your core. This will help control your body from swinging.
Keep the legs close together and point the toes. Then, crunch the stomach while bending the knees until the knees pass above the hips in height. All the while, maintain lat activation by pulling down on the bar with the hands and shoulders.
Lastly, fully extend the legs, keeping the toes pointed. Repeat the described pattern for repetitions.
You can almost eliminate any swinging motion by tapping your feet to a stack of weighted plates or a small box underneath your body at leg extension.
Rowing
Rowing used to be the movement that would frustrate me to no end! “Why am I not good at this? I’m awesome with cardio!” Turns out, the same as becoming more efficient with running, doing well rowing on the machine takes practice and training! Here's how to be efficient on the rowing machine:
After grabbing the handle with both hands (arms straight), sit up tall with shoulders set back to create a "proud chest".
Keeping your arms long, push through your heels to extend your legs (maintaining a "proud chest").
As soon as legs are extended, quickly lean torso back a little, bringing shoulders slightly behind the hips.
Pull handle to middle of the chest by bending elbows back.
After one full pull with the legs and arms, straighten the arms forward while bending the knees to bring handle back to starting position.
Maintain proper breathing by exhaling on the pull back and inhaling when bringing handle back to the front.
Practice to make each full pull one fluid motion.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged. Hold kettlebell with one hand, hanging from the arm. Brace the abdomen with the shoulders back.
Keeping torso straight, slowly hinge over at the hips and simultaneously move the leg (same as the arm holding the kettlebell) back and up.
ICYDK - This exercise is also great for practicing balance as well as strengthening hip flexors and extensors.
Keep hinging over at the hips in order to touch the kettlebell to the floor or a raised target. A stack of weighted plates or a low step stool could be used in case you cannot touch the kettlebell to the floor without flexing your spine.
Once you hit the "bottom" of the movement, slowly stand up by moving the torso up and the raised leg back down at the same rate. Finish at full hip extension.
You can use a dumbbell instead of a kettlebell. Hold the handle at an angle to point the head towards the floor.
Dumbbell Push Press
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged. Hold dumbbells with one head in contact with shoulder, elbows pointed directly forward, not at an angle.
Keeping torso upright and feet flat to floor, bend the knees forward to dip straight down. This is not a squat but a dip down to start momentum.
QUICKLY extend the legs and open the hips. This will create power to launch the dumbbells off the shoulders. Heels stay on the floor until both legs and hips extend.
As soon as the legs and hips are extended, punch your hands toward the ceiling to extend the arms. You should finish with ears between the arms, dumbbells above the shoulders, and heels down.
Push-Up
The push-up is one of the foundational exercise movements, and it often gets taken for granted. Striving to improve body position and improve range of motion is worth the effort. By doing so, core strength will increase as well as shoulder strength.
start in a plank position on your toes, body forms a straight line from head to heal, squeezing your core and shoulders locked back
bend elbows at a slight angle out, allowing the shoulders and hips to lower towards the floor together until your arms make a 90 degree angle
extend your arms by pressing through hands, shoulders and hips now rising together (body still straight) until full arm lockout
To modify, it is most beneficial to keep the plank position at an angle higher from the floor. Perform the push-ups by placing hands on the wall, edge of a big wooden box, bench, or sturdy and heavy chair or couch. The closer you have your hands to the floor, the harder it is. Another option is performing the movement with your knees on the floor, using less core engagement in that position.
Dumbbell Hang Clean
Grab the dumbbells, one in each hand. Stand tall with feet underneath the shoulders. Brace your core, and slightly squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Keeping the arms long, bend over at the hips so that the dumbbells are "hanging" between the hips and the knees.
Keeping a neutral spine, QUICKLY stand up and open the hips to create momentum. The dumbbells will move up the body.
With speed, rotate both elbows forward and receive the dumbbell head on top of each shoulder.
Kettlebell Snatch
Stand with kettlebell in between feet and heals underneath the shoulders (and toes may be pointed out slightly). Next, hinge forward at the hips and bend your knees to grab the kettlebell handle with one hand. (It helps to grab the opposite side of the handle.) The arm should be extended and chest at an angle from the floor.
Keeping the arm long, pull the kettlebell from the floor with your legs. Ensure your spine is in a neutral position. When the kettlebell moves past and above your knees, quickly squeeze the butt to open the hips.
Momentum from the floor will assist in the upper body pull. To keep the kettlebell close to the body, next bend the elbow up and out. (From the starting position, it will feel a lot like revving up a lawnmower with the cord.)
Immediately after the elbow up and out pull, punch quickly through the handle to extend the arm and transfer the kettlebell from the front to behind the wrist. (It will take some practice to feel comfortable with the overhead transition where the kettlebell "slides" across the wrist.) Arm, hips, and legs need to be extended to finish the rep. To bring the kettlebell down, bend the elbow up, guide and drop the load, get the arm long, then hinge forward at the hips and bend your knees until the kettlebell hits the floor.
Turkish Get-Up
Lay down on your back with one knee bent up and the same-side arm extended directly above the shoulder, holding the dumbbell or kettlebell. The other arm will lay at an angle from the shoulder on the floor. Brace the core.
Keeping the knee bent with the foot flat on the floor and arm stacked above the shoulder, "roll" onto the elbow with the same-side shoulder directly above it.
Press onto the hand with the arm extended and behind the torso.
You should keep looking up to watch the dumbbell or kettlebell throughout the whole movement.
Balancing on that extended arm and hand, lift hips off the floor, creating a straight line from the head to the knees, similar to a side plank. The torso should face out NOT up.
Keeping both arms extended, and hips up, move the bottom leg with a "swoop" underneath the other leg.
Plant the moving leg with the knee bent and in contact with the floor. This new position should be a lunge, the weight still above the shoulder with the arm extended.
Stand all the way up by pressing through the back foot and opening the hips. The arm is still extended with the weight above the shoulder.
Once you have stood up, perform each step in reverse order to get back to the floor and complete the rep.
If you use a kettlebell, hold the handle so that the "bell" part is touching the top of your wrist.
Practice first with no weight by making a fist as though you are holding an object. Then, add weight as you feel comfortable.
Barbell Push Press
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged. Hold barbell with elbows slightly in front. The barbell ideally should be resting on top of your shoulders as you maintain a full grip.
Keeping torso upright and feet flat to floor, bend the knees forward to dip the hips straight down. This is not a squat but a shallow dip downward to start momentum.
QUICKLY extend the legs and open the hips. This will create power to launch the barbell off the shoulders. Heels stay on the floor until both legs and hips are extended. Move your chin back to avoid interference with a straight bar path.
Immediately after the legs and hips are extended, punch your hands toward the ceiling to extend the arms. You should finish with ears between the arms, barbell above the shoulders, and heels down.
Using the Jump Rope
Jumping with a jump rope has so many benefits. There is developing balance and coordination. There is also the benefit of a moderate impact on the body that stimulates bone density growth. Here is how to use the jump rope:
before reaching for the rope handles, choose a line (imaginary or real) on the floor, stand parallel to it, and lightly jump with both feet over the line laterally, keeping body relaxed and barely kissing heels to the floor before each jump
after jumping without the rope, pick it up and hold one handle in each hand with rope behind the heels
circle arms forward to create momentum to move the rope to the front of the body, then immediately bring elbows at an angle and pointing back
lightly jump over as the rope so it can pass by your feet underneath
flick your wrist to keep momentum going for multiple reps, keeping shoulders relaxed
Devil's Press
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged. Bend over to reach down and grip the dumbbells. To get to the floor, you can pike your legs back (both at the same time) or step back (as shown above).
Once both feet are behind you, bend at the elbows to make contact with the floor, chest touching and in between the dumbbells. You do not have to keep the back flat (like a push-up) as you are moving down.
Once your chest has touched the floor, press your shoulders up and move your feet forward (either pike or step up). Lift the dumbbells to above and in between your knees (as shown above). This is where your back should be flat.
Quickly open the hips to extend the legs (creating momentum), and swing both dumbbells to above your head. Your head should be in between your arms with the hips and legs fully extended at the end.
Good Mornings
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged. Place barbell on your traps (not on your neck). You may have the grip as wide as it feels comfortable. Have the elbows pointed directly down. Initiate the movement by slightly bending your knees.
Keeping the torso straight (neutral spine) and feet flat to floor, bend over at the hips. A good cue here is to push your bottom back as far as you can. Do not bend your knees any deeper; keep them just slightly bent.
Continue to bend over until your back is about parallel to the floor. Once again, keep the feet flat to the floor and the knees just slightly bent.
Muscles worked in this movement are the spinal erectors (lower back), glutes, and hamstrings.
Once you've hit the bottom position, move the torso up and the hips forward. Continue to move up until the legs and hips reach full extension.
For beginners, a good rule of thumb is to do the downward portion at a count of 3 and the upward portion at a count of 2.
Single-Leg Squat
Stand in front of a target (box, chair, or bench) with feet underneath the hips to start, brace the core as part of maintaining balance, then lift one leg slightly off the floor. Start by moving the hips back slightly over the target.
Bend the standing leg while keeping the other extended with the free foot off the floor. Continue down until your bottom has reached the target behind you, keeping the chest tall and heel down.
Stand by pushing through the standing foot on the floor and moving the hips forward, still keeping the free foot off the floor. Continue up until the standing leg and hips are at full extension.
You can hold a small weighted plate out in front of your chest (with arms straight) as a counter-balance to assist in standing up.
You can switch legs after all reps on that side are complete or alternate legs to accumulate a total.
Use a smaller (or no target) for your bottom if you can get lower and maintain heel contact with the floor.
As part of circuit training, perform 3 sets of 8-12 on each leg (16-24 total).
Barbell Inverted Row
You will need a barbell resting across 2 level J-hooks set on a rig (as shown above). The starting position needs to have the body straight at an angle, arms fully extended, shoulders back, with the heels on the floor.
The grip is set slightly outside the shoulders. (To emphasize more of the biceps, use an underhand grip.) Squeeze the core, and pull the upper body by bending the elbows.
Keep pulling until your chest hits the barbell. If you cannot quite yet pull that high, step your feet back to reduce the body angle. Where the barbell hits will be lower on the upper body. Or you can move the J-hooks and barbell higher, pull at the modified body angle, and still be able to hit the chest.
Extend the arms (eccentric movement) in a controlled manner, keep the body straight (or flat), and do not "bounce" at the bottom by moving your hips lower to the floor and back up, using the movement as momentum to pull the next rep. Do 3 sets of 8-10 reps as part of circuit training.
Ski-Erg Machine
Grab handles at the very top with both hands, and step back until you are a few inches away from the edge of the platform. (This will allow you room to bend over at the hips as part of the pull.) Stand tall with hands above the head and arms fully extended.
While still standing tall, begin the pull by bending the elbows down until the arms reach almost a 90 degree angle. Don't forget to bend at the elbow this way to begin the movement for every rep!
Keep both elbows bent as you hinge over at the hips and slightly bend your knees. (As you become more accustomed to this part, you will feel how you can use this leg drive to gain a lot of power.)
Finish the pull by extending the arms and continuing to bend the knees. (The whole pull lies somewhere between a good morning and a squat.) After one pull is complete, bring the hips forward to stand up tall and start again with hands above your head and arms fully extended.
Goblet Lunges
Lift kettlebell to your chest, cupping it with the hands, palms facing up. Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged.
Keeping torso upright, step one leg straight forward. (Think feet on railroad tracks, not a tightrope.) Bend the front and back knee in order to go down into the lunge. Make sure the kettlebell stays very close to the chest!
Keep bending both knees until the back knee kisses the floor. The legs should make 90 degree angles at the bottom, and the torso should still be upright.
Once at the bottom, put weight into your front heel and PUSH back in order to stand up. You can either alternate the stepping leg or finish a set with the same leg before switching.
Barbell Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Grab a barbell with both hands with a wide foot stance (like a sumo wrestler). How wide your hands are is a personal preference, but I like to have mine just inside the rough gnarling.
Bend your knees and drop your hips until your hips are slightly above your knees, shoulders slightly in front of hands, with a neutral spine. The barbell should be about mid-shin.
Keeping the arms extended, pull the barbell off the floor up to your knees with your shoulders and hips rising at the same time.
Then, QUICKLY open your hips to stand while arms are still extended, creating momentum.
Use the momentum to pull the barbell up to your chest, elbows high to keep the bar close to your body.
To bring barbell back to the starting position, lengthen your arms first, then hinge over your hips, and bend your knees.
Break this movement down by practicing pulling the barbell from the floor to your hips first (the deadlift). Then separately, practice doing a strict pull from your hips to your chest. Finally, tie the two parts together with a quick opening of the hips in the middle to create the momentum.
Front Squat
With a barbell resting on the rig (as shown), grab it with both hands slightly outside of the shoulders. Bring your body underneath it and rotate the elbows forward to make a "shelf"on your shoulders for the bar to rest on. You do not need to have a full grip on the bar at this point in order to keep the elbows pointing forward. Once you feel the bar directly on top of your shoulders, stand up and step back to make room for the movement.
Before you begin, make sure you can stabilize the load on top of your body by standing tall with your heels underneath your shoulders and toes pointed out at a very small angle. Next, initiate the front squat by pushing the butt back slightly, keeping the elbows pointing forward and triceps parallel to the floor.
Bend at the knees while your bottom stays behind your feet. Your knees should bend in the direction of your toes out at an angle. Your feet should remain flat on the floor. With the weight front-loaded, your elbows may feel a pull down as you squat. Fight to keep them up! Squat until your hips are below your knees or until you reach a target (such as a med ball or wooden box).
Stand up by pushing down through your feet, and straighten your legs by moving the hips forward. Keep the elbows up! The movement is complete once you have stood all the way up with the legs and hips fully extended.
Seated Pull-Ups
Set a barbell across J-Hooks on a rig as shown above. The bar should be high enough where you can extend the arms while your bottom is in contact with the floor. Pull down on the barbell through your shoulder blades, pressing the shoulders down. Have your knees bent and feet lay flat on the floor for leverage.
Using your feet only as neccessary for assistance, bend the elbows down as you pull your upper body directly up, keeping the shoulders almost directly over the hips. Do not lean back with the upper body at an angle.
Continue to pull until your chin is above the bar. Descend with the shoulders still above the hips until your bottom makes contact again with the floor and arms are extended.
You can alternate arms every rep or use the same arm for multiple reps. If the starting position from the floor is extremely hard to get to or maintain, modify with these steps. Place the weight on a sturdy bench or chair. Grab the weight and have the arm extended to "hang" the kettlebell from the knees, rather than from the floor. Ensure the spine is in a neutral position (think shoulders back, proud chest). Start the pull from the knees and continue with the rest of the movement as described above.
Rope Pulls
Stand tall next to the rope with both hands gripping it near the head. The rope can be placed either to the side of the body or in between your legs.
Keeping the hips high and in line with the shoulders and knees (as the knees are bent), move hand over hand climbing down the rope. The climb is harder the more straight your legs are.
Climb down until your hips and shoulders touch the floor. (At this point, your hands may still be grabbing the rope higher than your body.)
Once the hips and shoulders have touched the ground, climb up the rope hand over hand, once again with hips high in line with the shoulders and knees. Stop once you get to the starting position.
Dumbbell Thruster
Stand with heels underneath the shoulders and toes pointed out slightly. Hold the dumbbells to support one head on each shoulder. Elbows will be bent and facing forward. Brace the core.
Keeping elbows up, squat with the dumbbells in place. The target is to get hips below parallel (below the knees). Use a box or medicine ball to squat to, if needed.
Coming out of the squat, squeeze the legs and quickly open the hips. With the core braced, the power created will transfer energy to launch the dumbbells off the shoulders. (The force may bring your body up on your toes briefly.)
Once the hips are completely open, press both dumbbells up to the overhead position, with the head in between the arms. When the rep is complete, lower the dumbbells to the shoulders before attempting the next rep.
Farmer's Carry
Start by bending the knees to grab the handle of the kettlebell and brace the core to lift the weight. Keep the arm long and chest up while holding the load. Do NOT grip the handle super tight, only enough to have a secure grip. Short, choppy steps forward work well here. Keep standing up tall and resist the weight bending the torso sideways.
Bench Dips
Sitting on the bench or sturdy chair, place your palms on top of the seat with the fingers around the edge.
Then, move your bottom to the outside of the seat, legs out and torso upright. Your legs can be either fully stretched out, bent at 90 degrees (shown above), or somewhere in between. The more the legs are stretched out, the harder it is.
Keeping the torso upright and close to the seat, bend both elbows backward. Keep bending until your triceps are parallel to the floor (about a 90 degree angle, shown above) or slightly lower.
Once you've hit the "bottom" of the movement, extend both arms until fully straight and back to the original position. After several repetitions, you should feel the burn in your triceps!
Ball Slams
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, legs and hips extended, core engaged. The slam ball will be in between your feet. (A medicine ball can also be used.)
Bend forward at the hips and bend the knees to grab the ball slightly underneath. Squeeze your shoulders back slightly and brace your core to keep a neutral spine.
Lift the ball by quickly extending the legs and hips then immediately move the elbows upward to bring the ball overhead.
Once overhead, slam the ball towards the floor with forceful arms and slightly bending the knees. Repeat the movement once the ball has hit the floor.
Stationary Forward Lunges
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged.
Keeping torso upright, step one leg straight forward. (Think feet on railroad tracks, not a tightrope.) Bend the front and back knee in order to go down into the lunge.
Keep bending both knees until the back knee kisses the floor. The legs should make 90 degree angles at the bottom, and the torso should still be upright.
Once at the bottom, put weight into your front heel and PUSH back in order to stand up. You can either alternate the stepping leg or finish a set with the same leg before switching.
If leg strength or balance makes standing up difficult, use a pole, box, sturdy bench or chair to push/pull with your upper body a bit or to support you. Only use these tools as much as necessary, not as a crutch. You can also reduce the range of motion and not bend your knee to the floor.
Renegade Rows
Plank rows are a little sneaky on how much core and shoulder strength they take to do them well, to keep the upper body from swaying and to get adequate range of motion bending the elbow.
Take a look below on how to perform the plank row:
pick one or a set of dumbbells and place on the floor, about shoulder-width apart if you are using two dumbbells
form a plank position with one hand holding the dumbbell and the other hand on the floor shoulder-width apart or both hands holding a dumbbell if using two, feet are also close to shoulder-width apart (shown in left pic)
while keeping torso square to the floor, bend elbow up (holding the dumbbell) against the body and finishing past the back, squeezing the shoulder blade (shown in right pic)
extend arm to place dumbbell on the floor, underneath the shoulder
repeat with the same arm if using one dumbbell or alternate arms if using two dumbbells
You can also not utilize any dumbbells. They can be challenging without any load as well!
Goblet Squat
The air squat is the cornerstone of the movement foundation. It expresses so much that you do in everyday life. Sitting, standing, using leg power, utilizing core strength, and more. The goblet squat is an expression of the air squat with load placed in front. The load can also be helpful and act as a counterweight for a better torso position, a "taller" upper body position rather than being extremely hinged over the legs.
To complete the goblet squat:
pick up a dumbbell or kettlebell, place the "head" or "bell" in both hands (forming a "cup"), and hold close to your chest
stand with legs and hips at full extension, heels under shoulders, toes pointed slightly outward (shown in left pic)
with your core braced, move hips back as knees bend slightly
continue to bend knees as hips descend directly down, knees tracking over toes
keep feet flat on the floor or ground (heels down) and ensure back is flat (spine neutral)
stop moving hips down after they go below knees or until moving further forces the chest to come forward significantly or the back to round forward (Having a small box, medicine ball, or step stool as a target may help here.)
keeping knees in line with toes (not bending inward), stand up by fully extending your legs and hips
Double Unders
The Double Under variation of the jump rope skills takes time to achieve, let alone master! Adding on one more rope rotation under the feet during the jump, it’s worth practicing to learn skill, balance, and coordination. Just make sure you are proficient with performing single jumps with the rope first! Here is how to practice double unders (as a beginner):
before reaching for the rope handles, choose a line (imaginary or real) on the floor, stand with your feet straddling the line, and jump a bit higher than you normally would with both feet for 10 reps, keeping the body relaxed and pretending like you are trying to "float" in the air
next, do the same set of movements, this time "clapping" your hands on top of your thighs twice at the top of each jump to practice the rhythm of flicking the rope
after jumping without the rope, pick it up and lightly jump over the rope for a couple of reps as single jumps and flick your wrist to keep momentum going, keeping shoulders relaxed
finally, now that momentum is created, to perform the double unders, flick the wrist hard at the top of the jump to rotate the rope twice under your feet
If you become severely frustrated while practicing this skill, don't do anything rash! Just calmly and gently set the rope down and walk away. 😆 Double unders do take time to achieve, but they are fun once you get the hang of them!
Hand Release Push-Up
The push-up is one of the foundational exercise movements. Striving to improve body position and improve range of motion is worth the effort. By doing so, core strength will increase as well as shoulder strength. For the hand release push-up, the range of motion is increased compared to a regular push-up by allowing your chest to completely make contact with the floor.
Start in a plank position on your toes, hands just outside shoulders, core squeezed and shoulders locked back, body forming a straight line from head to heal.
Bend elbows at a slight angle out, allowing the shoulders and hips to lower together towards the floor until your chest hits the bottom.
Release your hands off the floor, also keeping your thighs off the floor.
Bring your hands back to the original position and extend your arms by pressing through your hands, shoulders and hips now rising together (body still straight) until full arm lockout.
To modify, perform the movement with your knees on the floor, using less core engagement in that position. You still get the most benefit to keep the plank position at an angle higher from the floor. For that modification, perform the push-ups by placing hands on the wall, edge of a big wooden box, bench, or sturdy and heavy chair or couch, just don't release your hands!
V-Ups
Start with your body flat to the floor on your back, legs zipped together, hands above your head. Then, lift your feet off the floor before moving your arms and shoulders up. Your body will create a shallow "bowl" position (shown above) with the small of your back in contact with the floor.
The hardest part is this one: moving your legs and straight arms towards each other at the same time to meet somewhere in the middle. Your feet will be higher than your head as your hands touch your toes (shown above). Then, move your legs and arms to the original position.
One way to modify this movement is by bending your knees towards your chest rather than keeping them straight (shown above). The starting position remains the same.
Another way to modify is by doing knee raises on the floor. Lay flat on your back in front of something you can hold behind your head, legs zipped together. Start by raising your feet off the floor, then bend your knees past your hips (shown above). Straighten your legs to return to original position.
What seems so simple can actually create quite the challenge! For the dumbbell box step-over, it depends on the loading you choose!
Here are some tips on how to do it:
The loading you choose should be challenging without overwhelming your legs. If you really struggle to lift your knees and step on the box with both feet, reduce the weight.
You do not need to stand to full leg extension on top of the box. It may be easier to keep the knees bent to "stay low" close to the box.
If you can, avoid doing a complete 180 degree turn on the floor in between reps. Stand lateral to the box and step the outside foot on top of the box. (Your legs will be crossed.) Then, step the other foot on top of the box close to the other side. Next, bring the first foot down to the floor with the second foot coming down last. And repeat.
If you do stand all the way up at the top, don't let your hips stay behind you. Work to move them forward and be underneath you.
Dumbbell Deadlifts
Using the dumbbells this week as well, the deadlift is great for strengthening the core and posterior chain (includes back, glutes, and hamstrings). And with the dumbbells, there is an opportunity to lift some load off the floor with less risk of injury. Here is how to do this movement:
With dumbbells on the floor slightly wider than your hips, stand between them and bend down to grab the dumbbell handles and angle them so the front head is touching the floor, with a neutral spine (shown in left pic)
Keeping a neutral spine, lift by pressing through your feet with the dumbbells right alongside your legs (shown in middle pic)
Completely extend your legs and open up your hips (shown in right pic)
If touching the dumbbells to the floor is impossible without rounding the back, you can scale this movement by placing the dumbbells on raised platforms such as small step stools or (if you have any) stacked barbell plates. Then, proceed to perform the movement the same as instructed above.
Pull-Ups
The pull-up. The movement almost every woman that comes into the gym wants to have and seems to come so easy for most men. Oftentimes for anyone, it requires patience to develop strength in the upper body and practice body positions. Here's how to perform this movement:
Choose a pull-up bar that allows your body to hang at full extension without your feet touching the floor
Grab the pull-up bar with both hands positioned slightly further out than shoulder-width
While arms are fully extended, brace your core and activate your lats by pressing down on your shoulder blades, squeezing down (shown in left pic)
Bend both elbows down in the direction of your pants pockets (shown in middle pic)
Continue to pull down until your chin clears and is completely over the bar (shown in right pic)
Extend the arms back to full extension
Ensure your core is braced and lats are once again engaged before attempting another repetition
You can modify this movement with ring rows. You can also jump off a box or stack of plates or use a band like a small spring hanging from the pull-up bar (both shown below).
Ring Rows
This is a sneaky movement. Simple to complete but not always easy to do! The strict shoulder pull requires much more effort after several reps. This is also a great modification for almost any workout that involves pull-ups! Here's how to perform the ring row:
Adjust a set of rings to hang at about your hip height
Grab one ring in each hand
Gently extend your arms (trust fall!) to allow your body to go closer to the floor (shown in left pic)
Before you begin, make your body one straight line by squeezing your legs, bottom, and core
Pull towards the rings, keeping your feet on the floor with your body still straight (shown in middle pic)
Keep pulling until your chest makes contact with the rings (shown in right pic)
Extend your arms to go back to the starting point, still keeping body straight
Modifying this movement can be done by walking your feet back to create more of an angle when you pull. The closer you are to the floor when you start, the harder it becomes!
Wall Balls
Either you love them or hate them! A full body movement to quickly raise your heart rate, get a good sweat, and feel the burn! Here's how to perform the box jump:
Hold med ball in both hands with straight arms out in front of chest and move forward until the ball makes contact with the wall (this will be the distance you stand away from the wall or target)
Stand with heels underneath hips, toes pointed slightly out, and hold the ball in front of chin with elbows pointed down (shown in left pic)
Squat gazing up at the target, descending until your hips pass below your knees (shown in middle pic)
Accelerate up to stand and squeeze the butt
Release the ball while guiding it to move at an angle when it hits the target (shown in right pic)
Wait to catch the ball and place it back in the original position before moving into the next repetition
Modifying this movement can be done by performing bear hug squats (by wrapping arms around the ball), jumping air squats, starting with a very lightweight medicine ball, or starting with a lower target.
Kettlebell Swings
This movement can be deceiving. It looks fairly simple to do, but it is challenging to keep moving after several repetitions. It will get your heart rate going! Take a look at how to complete a kettlebell swing:
While holding the kettlebell with both hands (elbows slightly bent), drive hips back as you bend your knees to create torque
QUICKLY extend your legs (think squeeze up!) to create momentum and allow the force to swing the kettlebell up
Ride the momentum and only guide the kettlebell with your arms to pause it above your head (kettlebell pointed up and head in between arms)
The pause at the top should only be a split second before allowing gravity to pull the kettlebell swing down (keep torso upright)
Guide the kettlebell to come directly in between legs above the knees and then (without pausing momentum) drive hips back as you bend your knees to repeat the cycle and continue into the next swing
If you have a shoulder injury that prevents overhead movement, or you are just learning how to swing, modify by swinging to eye level instead of overhead.
Burpee
The burpee is the movement most of us love to hate! There are actually several different variations of this movement. The one that I would like to show you is one of the most efficient. Here is how to complete the burpee:
Start standing up with hips at full extension
Pike your feet back as you bring your hands to the floor and collapse, ensuring your thighs and chest have made contact
Pike your feet up underneath your hips
Release your hands off the floor
Finish by jumping and raising your hands above your head, ensuring full leg and hip extension
You can modify by stepping back and up again one foot at a time. There is also no need to make the burpee "strict" by doing a push-up on the floor. Why make it harder than it needs to be? 😉 If laying your stomach on the floor is not an option for you, modify by doing a push-up on a box then stand to jump and raise your hands above your head.
Dumbbell Snatch
Pulling from the floor to punching overhead, this “one fluid motion” movement is the real deal! It is also easy to learn and practice with a dumbbell. One can start at a light load and work their way up to heavier loads as desired. You will not feel short-changed performing this movement in your next workout! Here's how to do it:
place the dumbbell in between your feet which should be about shoulder-width apart
hinge at your hips then bend your knees to grab the dumbbell with one hand (shown in the left picture)
before you start, ensure a tight core and straight back by sucking in your stomach and locking your shoulders back
keeping your arm (that is holding the dumbbell) straight, lift the dumbbell by straightening your legs and quickly opening your hips
at full leg extension, bend and drive the elbow up to keep the dumbbell close to your torso (think "reving up a lawn mower", shown in the center picture)
at the point where the elbow can no longer move upward (after finding momentum), "punch" the hand up toward the ceiling and receive the dumbbell directly over the same shoulder (shown in the right picture)
the rep is complete at full leg, hip, and arm extension overhead
bend the elbow and place dumbbell in original position
repeat movement holding the dumbbell with the other hand
Once you have the movement down using both arms, you can practice "cycling" reps by switching hands as you bring the dumbbell down without needing to pause at the floor. Got questions? Just let me know by email (jenn@417training.com) or direct message on Facebook!
ABMAT Sit-Up
The sit-up movement is great for training core engagement and core strength. Using an ABMAT has its added benefits as a support for the spine in its natural curve and allowing the body to move through both trunk extension and flexion. It is highly recommended to buy an ABMAT (with little cost) to add to your gym equipment inventory! Here is how you perform the sit-up:
if using the AMBAT, sit slightly in front of it (not on top of it) with the thicker end facing your rear
the movement starts laying down on the floor (over the ABMAT) and hands above the head
try keeping legs in a "butterfly" position with the bottoms of feet touching together and knees out wide; otherwise, have feet planted on the floor with knees pointed up towards ceiling
initiate movement by moving hands and shoulders off the floor and use momentum
engage the core by crunching and then quickly sitting up
keep moving torso forward until shoulders pass the hips to ensure full range of motion
try not to round the shoulders forward at the top of the movement (sitting up)
Modify this movement by crunching until the shoulders lift off the floor. As an athlete gets more core strength, their capacity to fully sit up will progress and be realized.
Dumbbell Strict Shoulder Press
Dumbbells are specifically great for learning proper mechanics for overhead movements without the stiffness of a barbell. To complete the dumbbell strict press (after you have picked up the dumbbells):
stand with legs underneath your hips
squeeze your legs and your stomach in to avoid a forward flare in your rib cage
move head of the dumbbell on top of each shoulder, elbows pointed directly forward (not bend out to the side) and knuckles pointed straight up
push both dumbbells directly above your head to full arm extension
at extension, your body should feel like a straight line with your head in between your arms
bend the elbows forward and bring the dumbbells back to the shoulders to repeat reps
Stand with feet underneath hips, legs and hips extended, core engaged. Place barbell on your traps (not on your neck). You may have the grip as wide as it feels comfortable. Have the elbows pointed directly down. Initiate the movement by slightly bending your knees.
Keeping the torso straight (neutral spine) and feet flat to floor, bend over at the hips. A good cue here is to push your bottom back as far as you can. Do not bend your knees any deeper; keep them just slightly bent.
Continue to bend over until your back is about parallel to the floor. Once again, keep the feet flat to the floor and the knees just slightly bent.
Muscles worked in this movement are the spinal erectors (lower back), glutes, and hamstrings.
Once you've hit the bottom position, move the torso up and the hips forward. Continue to move up until the legs and hips reach full extension.
For beginners, a good rule of thumb is to do the downward portion at a count of 3 and the upward portion at a count of 2.
With dumbbells on the floor slightly wider than your hips, stand between them and bend down to grab the dumbbell handles. Angle them so the front head only is touching the floor.
Brace your core and slightly squeeze your shoulder blades together. Keeping a neutral spine, lift by pressing through your feet with the dumbbells right alongside your legs.
QUICKLY extend your legs and open up your hips to generate acceleration and move the dumbbells up along your torso.
With speed, rotate both elbows forward and receive one dumbbell head on top of each shoulder.