by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 6, 2019 | Blog, Core, Push Ups, Workouts
Want to strengthen and tone your upper body and core, but short on time?
Then Density Sets are the way to go!
With Density Sets you can not only build strength but also burn fat in less time because not only are you lifting, but you are creating a greater training density by performing a higher volume of work in less time!
And by combining hybrid exercises with even more isolated movements, you can not only work more muscles in less time but even target those problem areas, like say those “bat wings” or “bra fat” to help yourself get the best results possible.
So if you’re looking for a great workout to strengthen your upper body and tone your shoulders, triceps and abs, try this Chest, Shoulders and Triceps Density Sets Workout from my Arm Burner Workouts!
The Chest, Shoulders And Tricep Workout:
Set a timer for 15 minutes and complete as many rounds of each circuit as you can in that time. Rest 2 minutes between circuits so you can go hard each 15 minute interval. Record how many rounds you get and the reps you do to beat next time. If you’re getting tired, regress moves to keep moving or even perform fewer reps so that you can limit rest as you will start to burnout areas.
CIRCUIT #1:
4-6 reps Push Ups to Dips*
8-12 reps Front to Side Raises
8-12 reps Fly with Leg Lowers
CIRCUIT #2:
8-12 reps Slider Fly Push Ups*
8-12 reps per side Tricep Push Ups
6-8 reps per side Turkish Hinge
*2 push ups to 2 dips equals one rep.
*If you do a unilateral variation, do 4-6 reps per side.
Love this Upper Body Workout?
Learn More Of My Arm Burner “Secrets” To Help You Sculpt Strong, Sexy Arms And Shoulders!
by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 18, 2018 | Blog, Core, Workouts
We all know we can’t spot reduce by only working our “problem areas,” but that doesn’t mean we can’t and shouldn’t do workouts to focus on those areas of our core that need the most work!
And too often when we do our core workouts, we only focus on our abs.
But your core workouts should include moves to target your inner thighs, obliques and glutes!
AKA those areas we too often forget but would really like to strength and tone!
That is why I wanted to share this 5-Minute Bodyweight Forgotten Core Burner!
It can be used as a quick workout when you are short on time or even as the perfect burnout after your lifting or cardio session!
Try it out today!
And if you want this as a 5-Minute Follow Along Workout, along with 8 more, check out my Bodyweight Burner DVD. Claims yours with FREE SHIPPING TODAY!
The 5-Minute Forgotten Core Burner
Set a timer for 20 seconds intervals and move right from one move to the next in the circuit. Complete 3 rounds through the circuit without resting!
CIRCUIT:
20 seconds Squat Jump Scissors
20 seconds per side Side Plank Adductor Lifts
20 seconds Glute Bridge with March
20 seconds Peek-a-boo
Don’t forget you can get this as a Follow Along Video Workout and let me show you modifications and help keep you motivated!
Exercise Descriptions:
Squat Jump Scissors:
To do Squat Jump Scissors, set up with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Squat down, sinking your butt down as you reach to touch the ground. If you can’t sink low enough, while keeping your heels down, to touch the ground, just reach as low as you can. Do not round over just to touch the ground.
Then as you jump up off the ground, bring your feet together at the top, using your adductors to draw them in. Click your heels then as you land, widen your feet back out so you land with your feet back about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Make sure to sink right back into the squat and not land with your legs straight.
Then quickly repeat exploding back up. Beginners can modify by stepping their feet together as they stand up and then step back out as they sink down.
Side Plank Adductor Lifts:
To do the Side Plank Adductor Raise, set up in a side plank from your forearm and feet. You will want you elbow to be under your shoulder and your feet unstacked with your bottom foot in front and even slightly angled forward. Lift up into the side plank position with your top hand on your hip and your chest not rotated toward the ground. Drive through the sides of your feet and flex your feet to engage even your lower leg.
Holding this position, lift and lower that bottom leg, raising it up a few inches then putting it back down at a controlled pace. Stay up in the side plank the entire time and don’t let your hips sag. Do not place your top hand down to assisted.
If you need to modify, bend that top leg and place the foot flat on the ground behind you OR even regress fully to a side lying adductor lift.
Glute Bridge with March:
To do the Glute Bridge With March, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Your feet should be about hip-width apart and your knees should be in line with your feet and hips. Your feet should be just beyond your fingers when you stretch your arms down by your sides.
Bend your arms to 90 degrees and then drive through your arms, upper back and heels to bridge up. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs to bridge up.
Holding this bridge, lift one foot up off the ground, bringing your knee in toward your chest as if marching. Do not let your hips sag as you lift the leg.
Move slowly to lift the leg then lower back down and switch, bringing the other knee in toward your chest.
Do not let your hips sag as you march. Also, do not let your low back take over. Keep your abs engaged and really focus on making the glute of the leg that is down work to keep your hips up.
You may not want to lift your leg as high if you struggle to maintain the bridge. Doing a smaller march means that each side has to work independently for shorter, which can make the move a bit easier.
Peek-a-boo:
To do the Peek-A-Boo, lie on your back and stretch your straight legs up toward the ceiling. Reach your hands back overhead if you want then let your legs open up to the sides as if moving to do the splits.
As your legs open up, crunch up and reach your hands through your legs. Crunch your shoulder blades up off the ground.
Lower back down and bring your legs back together. Keep your legs as straight as you can the entire time. Repeat crunching back up as you open your legs back up.
Beginners can bend their knees or leave out the upper body crunch and just perform the leg portion.
by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 31, 2018 | Blog, Butt, Core, Pain Relief, Warm Up, Workouts
If you want to stay injury free, it isn’t enough to just rest and then return to your normal routine.
You’ve got to CORRECT the problem that caused the pain to occur aka address the movement distortions, compensations and imbalances that lead to the overload.
And in the case of our lower backs, this is generally tight hip flexors, an immobile spine, overstretched hamstrings and weak abs and glutes.
This is why you need a 3 step approach to improving your movement patterns as well as your mobility and stability so you can prevent the pain from reoccurring – you need to Foam Roll, Stretch and Activation, not only as rehab or prehab but also as part of your WARM UP to your runs, rides or lifts.
If you’re ready to get those glutes and abs activated as you improve your spinal and hip mobility to prevent lower back and even hip and knee pain, check out my RStoration program!
The Prevent Lower Back Pain Workout
FOAM ROLLING:
Complete 1 round through the series, holding on any tight spots you find instead of rolling quickly back and forth. If something isn’t tight, you don’t need to roll it. But if something is tight, don’t hesitate to spend an extra 10-15 seconds on that area.
CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Peanut Foam Rolling
30 seconds per side Psoas Foam Rolling
30 seconds per side Adductor Foam Rolling
30 seconds per side TFL/Glute Foam Rolling
STRETCHING:
Complete 1 round through this series, spending more time on any tight areas. You can do these for about 20-40 seconds per move or side or up to 10 reps per side. Your focus is on improving your range of motion over the reps or time.
CIRCUIT:
4-6 reps per side Child’s Pose with Reaches
5-10 reps per side Active Foam Roller Star Stretch
10 reps per side Half Kneeling Hip and Quad Stretch
5-10 reps per side World’s Greatest Stretch
ACTIVATION:
Complete 2-4 rounds of each triset, resting up to 30 seconds between rounds if needed. Rest up to 1 minute between trisets as needed. If you are doing this as part of a warm up, 1-2 rounds of each is more than enough.
TRISET #1:
20 seconds Vomiting Cat
20 seconds Glute Bridge with Rocks
20 seconds Swimmers
TRISET #2:
20 seconds Thoracic Bridge with Sit Thru
20 seconds Bulldog Shoulder Taps
20 seconds Frog Bridge
With the stretching and rolling, focus on your areas of tightness even skipping areas that aren’t tight especially if you are short on time!
by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 4, 2018 | Blog, Bodyweight, Core, Exercises
GASP! Maybe there is something to this LOWER AB thing!
Fitness elitists will get really mad if you utter the term “lower abs.”
Because technically there is no lower ab muscle.
Technically it is all the same muscle the rectus abdominis that we are usually targeting with our core work, especially if we want six pack abs.
(I’ve had to turn away when another trainer tries to lecture me on using the term lower abs to secretly roll my eyes. I guess I could lecture them back…but why?)
Anyway…
All those “lower ab moves” we used to use started to get written off as simply hip flexor exercises since most of those moves done for lower abs include leg lower type movements.
And yes…your hip flexors DO work during those leg lowers.
But I just couldn’t fully accept that they had no impact on the “lower abs.”
My “lower ab” definition was best when doing more leg lower movements after learning the pelvic tilt and after doing hanging abs.
I felt the lower ab region really WORKING during those moves and I’m always extra conscious when testing movements to feel WHERE is activating.
Because guess what? Doing the right moves even without feeling the correct muscles working is going to do NOTHING except put you at risk for injury!
So feeling my “lower abs” working led me to include hanging abs and the posterior pelvic tilt in my Killer Core program.
If you feel the muscles activating, and have clients agree with those finding and feel their “lower abs” like never before, SOMETHING is going on.
So that led me to hours of pouring over studies trying to see if I could figure out what I, and my clients, were feeling.
Were we simply mistaking this feeling in our “lower abs” for our psoas working?
That’s when I found studies showing that different ab exercises DID, in fact, activate portions of the URA and LRA (upper and lower rectus abdominis) to different extents. (Study 1)
Which frankly makes sense considering we’ve shown, and even more widely accept, that exercises activate upper or lower pec fibers differently and even upper and lower glute max fibers differently.
Another interesting results I found in a study was that POSTERIOR PELVIC TILT actually had HIGHER LRA for groups that learned to perform it correctly and were even more active AKA all of us who’ve trained a lot and are looking for that true engagement! (Study 2)
This also made me realize how important it was to correctly teach the posterior pelvic tilt progression – a progression we often skip to jump right to the hardest leg lower move.
Ever feel your lower back taking over during leg lowers? Ever put your hands behind your lower back to correct this?
Well this is just putting a bandaid on the problem. This is why we end up only working our hips and quads, and maybe even lower backs, with these moves.
It’s why we DON’T work our lower abs to the extent these moves can work them.
When you want to work your lower abs, you need to focus on what is working. REGRESS the posterior pelvic tilt progression to maybe a single leg lower or bent knee march or even just a simple HOLD.
But regress until you can properly feel your abs working and then slowly progress!
Ok so maybe you’re now thinking “I buy the whole activating different aspects of the muscles, BUT leg raise movements are STILL hip flexor moves….”
Well guess what!?!
Hanging Leg Raises actually have the highest mean AND peak activation of the rectus abdominis! (Oh and this article not only confirms that but also the existence of differences in activation between the Upper and Lower RA!)
I would say it looks like my abs are working pretty hard here…as well as some other important muscles of my core!
So for you that are non-believers adamantly against any leg raise type movement who annoyingly try to correct anyone who even utters the words Lower Abs, just be open to the differences in activation!
And also realize that part of what makes a difference is what you force your body to feel working and how you even cue and coach the moves. Just like the double leg lowers…You sometimes need to regress to progress.
It may mean starting with a Hanging Pelvic Tilt to learn how to engage the abs to then help assist in the Hanging Leg Raises. Or it may be doing a bent knee raise to start. But the key is being conscious of what is working as you utilize these moves!
I almost feel like this adamant “there are no lower abs” makes us cut off our noses to spite our faces.
Why miss out on moves that can only HELP!?!
Don’t miss out on using these moves because the term we use is referring to a region of a muscle not a separate muscle.
Hanging Leg Raises, Pelvic Tilt…oh and even the Body Saw (a study also showed a longer lever plank like the Body Saw was great for the core!) are KILLER ab moves you NEED to be including!
Let’s not miss chances to get the results we want when we can FEEL something working!
It’s also another reason to THINK about what you actually feel working and constantly assess your recruitment patterns!
So take some time today and test out those moves!
Ready to work not only your LOWER ABS but your entire core?
Ready to implement some Hanging Abs, Pelvic Tilt and even long lever planks into your routine?
Start the 30-Day Killer Core Challenge! All you need is your own bodyweight and a bar!
by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 30, 2018 | Blog, Butt, Core, Exercises, Mini Band, Pain Relief, Runner's
It isn’t always about making an exercise harder to get results. Sometimes it is about doing the same, but different.
What that means is that you are doing the same basic movement but with different positioning, for instance doing something seated vs. standing.
This change in positioning is a great way to challenge our body especially with moves that aren’t necessarily meant to be done with heavy loads.
It is also great to improve our mind-body connection to muscles that we may struggle to activate, and muscles with fibers that are actually worked by slightly different movements or when our body is in slightly different positions.
All of this especially applies to exercises for our GLUTE MEDIUS!
Strengthening this muscle can not only prevent and alleviate low back, hip, knee and even ankle pain by improving our stability, but it can also help our glute maximus function better.
This means we can only only build sexy glutes when we work this muscle but also prevent injury and run faster and lift more!
So if you want to strengthen your glute medius, and even the upper fibers of your glute maximus, try these 6 Abduction Exercises to work your glutes from every angle!
6 Abduction Exercises
These 6 moves will work your glutes when you’re lying down, seated, standing, planking and even quadruped!
Include a variety of these as part of your warm up before your runs or lifts, as part of your lifting workout on your glute or leg days or even as a burnout after to really target those glutes for faster results!
Lying Jacks:
If you want to work on your hip extension and abduction aka really work your glute medius and your glute maximus at the same time, you want to use the Lying Jacks!
To do Lying Jacks, place a mini band right below your knees and lie face down on a bench with your hips right on the edge of the bench. To make the move easier, place the mini band above your knees. To make it harder, move it down toward your ankles.
Then engage your glutes to lift your legs up to about parallel to the ground with your legs together. Press your hips down into the bench and make sure that you don’t hyperextend your lower back. Better to have your hips slightly flexed and legs below parallel then to arch your back just to keep your legs up higher.
Holding this position, press your legs open against the band and feel the outside of your glutes working. Then in a controlled fashion, bring your legs back together. You can change the range of motion, bringing them all the way back together or pulsing at the end range of motion for even more of a pump.
If you feel your hips trying to engage you can rotate your toes slightly in or even try squeezing your butt to raise your legs up a bit as you press open.
3-Way Seated Mini Band Abductions:
Work your glutes from three different angles to really create a pump and burn so you can strengthen the entire muscle and really establish that mind-body connection with the 3-Way Seated Mini Band Abductions!
To do 3-Way Seated Mini Band Abductions, place the mini band right below your knees and sit on a bench. Start by sitting toward the front of the bench so you can lean back and put your hands on the bench behind you. Place your feet about hip-width apart.
Then press your knees open against the band as you lean back. Your feet may rock open but focus on using your glutes to press the band open with your knees. Do not let your knees cave in as you come back to the starting position. Complete all reps then move to sit up nice and tall.
Sitting nice and tall repeat, pressing out with your knees so you feel your glutes working. After completing all reps, lean forward and repeat the movement. You can hold on the bench outside your legs to lean forward or just lean over even lightly resting your arms on your legs.
Complete all reps in each of the 3 positions. Make sure you’re really focused on pressing your knees out to feel your glutes while controlling the band back in. To reduce tension, you can start with a lighter band or put your feet slightly closer together, but make sure there is tension on the band even in that starting position.
Fire Hydrants:
This may be a very basic abduction move that we see all over the place, but that is because it is a MUST-DO move! The fire hydrant strengthens your glutes but also your abs!
To do Bent-Knee Fire Hydrants, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Keeping your arms straight and your feet flexed, raise your right leg out to the side with the knee bent to 90 degrees.
As you raise your leg out to the side, you want to keep your ankle in line with your knee and not let your foot get above your knee or your knee go up above your foot. You want to try to raise your lower leg parallel to the ground when you lift your leg out to the side.
You should feel the outside of your hip and glute working to lift the leg to the side. Don’t simply lean away to get your leg up higher. Keep your core tight and lift from the hip using your glute. Hold at the top then lower back down.
Make sure to hold for 1-2 seconds. Do not rush through the lift or simply swing the leg up. Make sure you do not bend your arms to get your leg up higher. Squeeze your butt and make sure you feel it activate.
Range of motion isn’t important as long as you feel your glute working. You may even feel this in the leg you are kneeling on because your glute is working to stabilize. Complete all reps on one side before switching.
You could also do a straight-leg variation to increase the challenge!
Mini Band Alternating Side Steps:
Get your blood pumping a bit and work your glute medius with this Alternating Side Step move! This is a great move to do especially if you plan to do any balancing or hinging movements during your workout!
To do Mini Band Alternating Side Steps, place a mini band right below your knees. To advance the exercise, place the mini band toward your ankles or to modify place the mini band above your knees.
Stand with your feet a few inches apart so there is just a little bit of tension on the band. Push your butt back slightly and soften your knees so you are in a slightly hinged position. Then step one foot out to the side. Step the other foot toward it without fully stepping together and losing tension on the band.
Then step that foot back out and bring the other back to the starting position. Keep alternating steps back and forth, staying in that slightly hinged position as you go. Do not step so wide your knees cave in. Make sure you can really press out against the band.
Mini Band Side Plank Leg Raises:
Work your obliques and your glutes with this move that is perfect if you want to improve your core stability! Beginners can even get great results by doing this without a band to start!
To do Mini Band Side Plank Leg Raises, place the mini band right below your knees, or to modify, right above your knees. Set up in a side plank from your forearm with your elbow under your shoulder and your feet stacked. You can drop your bottom knee to the ground if you need to modify. Lift up into the side plank and flex your feet.
Then, keeping your bottom hip up, hold in that side plank position as you lift and lower the top leg. Control the lift and lower so that the band isn’t controlling you and making you lower quickly. Don’t dip your hip just to kick up higher or really rotate your top toe open. Hold as you feel your glutes working to lift and lower that top leg.
Beginners can also modify by placing their elbow up on an incline or even by removing the mini band altogether!
Side Balance With Forward/Backward Taps:
This move helps build hip stability and core strength. It can also be good to help you slowly improve your hip mobility. And not only will you feel the glute on top working to lift the leg, but you’ll also feel your glute working on your balancing leg to help stabilize!
To do the Side Balance Forward/Backward Taps, set up in the Side Balance position with one knee down and your hand out to the side next to it. You are setting up almost as if you are doing a side plank with the knee in closer. Straighten your other leg out to the side so you aren’t rotated toward the ground.
Keeping your top hand up, lift your straight leg up to parallel to the ground and then kick it slightly back behind you before lowering it down. Touch the ground behind you.
Then lift your leg back up and kick it back forward, tapping your toe down in front of you. You want to almost create a triangle or arch, lifting up center to tap down behind and in front of yourself. Complete all reps on one side before switching.
Really pause at the top and feel the outside of your hip and glute working to lift. Complete a full range of motion, moving slowly. Try to keep your body from really wiggling around as you lift forward and backward.
Ready to work your glutes from every angle to prevent injury and build strong, sexy glutes that help you run faster and lift more?
Learn more about my Glute Camp!
–> What are the Glute Camp Cards!?
by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 25, 2018 | Blog, Core, Workouts
To get in a killer core workout, you don’t need weights or fancy equipment. You don’t need to do a ton of crunches either.
You can get killer results by working your core with BODYWEIGHT unilateral leg moves, hanging abs, planks and bridges.
These moves not only work your abs but EVERYTHING between your shoulders and your knees to help you build functional core strength.
And an added bonus is that by using these more compound moves, especially followed by a more isolated activation series, you can really target that stubborn belly fat and burn more calories during your workout than you would if you spent all your time on crunches and sit ups!
So if you’re ready to get a killer strong, lean core, try this workout below from my 30-Day Killer Core Challenge!
The Bodyweight Core And Leg Workout
ACTIVATION
Complete 2 rounds of the following exercises:
CIRCUIT:
10-15 reps or 30 seconds Pelvic Tilt Progression
30 seconds each side Side Planks
15-20 reps Basic Glute Bridge
15-20 reps Table Top Bridge
WORKOUT
Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. Rest only as needed between exercises and up to 2 minutes between rounds if needed. Pick a variation of each move and a rep range that challenges you. Don’t simply do the fewest reps or the most reps. Figure out what challenges you, but allows you to maintain proper form. Rest up to 2 minutes between circuits. Complete all rounds of one circuit before moving on to the next circuit.
CIRCUIT #1:
10-15 reps per side Single Leg Squats
10-15 reps Hanging Pelvic Tilt
10-15 reps per side Plank Hip Dips
CIRCUIT #2:
10-15 reps per side Balance Lunges
10-15 reps Hanging Knee Circles
15-20 reps Glute Bridge Of Box
NOTES
Beginners may need to start with fewer reps and modifications for the exercises. They may also need more rest and complete fewer rounds. Advanced exercisers should do more reps, more rounds and rest less.
For the Single Leg Squats, use the lowest bench possible or use a doorway. Force your legs to do the work.
For the Balance Lunges, you can add weight if you choose, use a higher box or slow down the lower down to a 5 count to make the move harder. Beginners can start with both feet on the ground for a split squat.
For the Hanging Knee Circles, you can also do Hanging Knee Tuck to Twist. And with either you can add in a Pull Up.
Do not add in a Pull Up with the Hanging Pelvic Tilt.
For the Glute Bridge Of Box, beginners will want a lower box than more advanced exercisers. Advanced exercisers may also want to do a Single Leg Glute Bridge Of Box. If you do the Single Leg Variation, try 8-12 reps per side with 15 reps at max.
Learn more about the 3-part process to build a strong core that not only prevents injury but looks amazing!
