If you don’t have access to a ton of space or equipment, but you want to add some variety and a little extra challenge to your bodyweight workouts, a pair of sliders is a great tool to have on hand!
They are easy to use at home and take with you when you travel so that you can advance basic bodyweight moves. (And if you have hardwood floors, towels can even work instead!)
They can also reduce impact on moves like burpees while still giving you a killer cardio workout!
Want a core-intensive but low impact burpee variation to use in your cardio workouts?
Then the Slider Mountain Climber Burpee is a great variation to include!
To do the Slider Mountain Climber Burpee, start standing tall with a slider under each foot. Make sure the ball of your foot is about in the middle of the slider for the most control.
Then bend your knees to sink down and place your hands on the ground as you slide your legs back into that high plank position.
With your legs out straight behind you and your hands about outside your chest, perform a push up, dropping your chest to the ground. Do not let your elbows flare way up. Create an arrow shape with your body.
Press back up and then at the top of the push up, tuck one knee in toward your chest. Do not let your hips sag or butt go up in the air. Also, make sure your hands stay outside your chest or below your shoulders.
Straighten your leg back out and perform another push up and then another knee tuck on the other side.
Perform one final push up then slide both feet back in and stand up. Raise your arms up overhead then bend back over and place your hands on the ground to slide your feet back into the high plank position.
To modify this move, you can remove the push ups completely or even eliminate just one or two. You can also go down to your knees for the push ups and come back up to your feet for the mountain climber knee tucks.
Adjust as you need so you can maintain good form and move quickly to get your blood pumping!
Skater Lunges:
Want to work your legs, especially your glutes and inner thighs, with a low impact movement?
Then try these Skater Lunges!
They are a great cardio lunge variation that is a low impact option instead of doing skater hops. Plus they work your inner thighs more!
To do Skater Lunges, stand tall with your feet together and a slider under each foot. Make sure your foot is centered on the slider, with the ball of your foot firmly on the slider for control.
Slide one foot out to the side with that leg staying straight as you hinge to sit your butt back and bend that standing knee to sink into a side lunge.
You can reach the opposite hand down toward the heel of your standing leg (the leg you bend to sink into the lunge). Make sure your weight is more centered on this leg so you don’t end up sliding out into the splits.
Then use your inner thigh to help pull the slider back in and drive back up to standing using the glute of the standing leg.
Move quickly to pop up and then slide out and sink into a lunge on the other side. Again reach the other hand down and back toward your heel to help you hinge properly and really sit back.
You don’t need to reach down and back but it can help if you struggle to hinge correctly and load your glutes.
Move quickly popping back up before sliding into a lunge on that starting side.
Move as quickly as you can while staying in control!
With Low Reverse Lunge Slides, you’ll keep your legs under constant tension so you’ll feel those quads and glutes burn!
To do Low Reverse Lunge Slides, you can place a slider under each foot or simply under the moving leg as you will complete all reps on one side before switching.
Stand tall with your feet together then sink into a little squat and slide your foot back a few inches so you are in a staggered stance holding just above parallel in that squat.
The more mobile you are, the closer to parallel you will sink.
Keeping the foot in front, which would be the foot on the ground if you’re using one slider, firmly planted, slide your other leg back. Do not stand up out of the squat as you slide back.
Simply extend that leg back into a nice reverse lunge position, keeping your front leg bent.
Then slide that leg back forward into the staggered squat stance without standing up.
Move at a controlled pace and slowly extend the leg back out before sliding back in.
Do not stand up until all reps are complete. Beginners may not sink as low or slide back as far in the lunge.
Slider Side to Curtsy Lunge:
This hybrid lunge exercise is a great way to work your entire leg and even improve your hip mobility and stability. You will really target your glutes and your inner thighs too with this Side to Curtsy Lunge variation!
This lunge combo is a great way to challenge your legs without adding weights!
To do the Slider Side to Curtsy Lunge, start standing tall with a slider under each foot. You can also use just one slider under one foot if you plan to complete all reps on one side and want a more stable base.
Then slide one foot out with a straight leg as you bend that other leg to sink down into a side lunge. Hinge at your hips and sit your butt back but do not round your chest toward the ground.
Make sure to sit back in that standing heel. Then drive back up to standing, pulling the slider back in using your inner thigh.
As you stand up, slide that foot back in and quickly move it back behind you to sink into a curtsy lunge.
Slide the same foot that went out into the side lunge back and across behind your standing leg as you bend that front knee to about 90 degrees.
Sink into a lunge, loading that front glute. Do not rotate open but keep your chest square forward.
Drive through your standing leg and pull the slider back up to stand up tall before repeating the side lunge.
Push Up Wiper:
This killer upper body and core move will target your chest, shoulders, triceps and obliques.
It is a super challenging movement, especially if you perform the wiper at the bottom of the push up. To modify, you can do the push up from your knees then perform the wiper at the top of the push up.
To do the Push Up Wiper, place a foot on each slider so the ball of your foot is about in the middle of the slider for the best control. Set up in the high plank position with your hands outside your chest.
Your body should be in a nice straight line down to your feet with your feet close together.
Perform a push up, dropping your chest to a few inches off the ground. Make sure your body moves as one unit as you lower. Do not let your hips sag or butt go up in the air.
Your upper arms should create an arrow shape with your body. They shouldn’t flare way out and up by your shoulders nor do they have to be against your body unless you want to make the push up harder and more tricep intensive.
As you lower you will slide one leg up and out to the side. You can also wait until at the bottom of the push up to perform the wiper, sweeping one leg out to the side and up toward your shoulder.
Slide it out as far as your mobility and control allow. You can rotate your hips slightly as you slide the leg up.
Sweep the leg back down and press back up. To make it slightly easier, slide the leg back before you press back up. To make it slightly harder and a bit more of a coordination challenge, sweep the leg back as you press up.
After coming back to the high plank position, do another push up and perform a wiper with the other leg.
To make the move a bit easier, do the wiper at the top of the push up and even perform the push up from your knees. You can also remove a push up and do a wiper to each side between push ups.
Slider Plank Circles:
This is a great move to improve your anti-rotational core strength and shoulder stability.
It is one of my favorite moves to include if people want to work on improving their push ups while preventing shoulder, neck and lower back aches and pains.
To do Slider Plank Circles, place a slider under each and with your hands under your chest and below your shoulders. You can place them slightly closer together so that you’ll create more of a tripod position with your feet to help you fight rotation.
Set up at the top of a push up, or in the high plank position, with your feet about shoulder-width apart.
Then slide one hand out in front of you, up and out to the side and then down and back around under your chest. You want to draw a circle up, around, down and back under.
Do not let your hips rotate as you circle. Squeeze your butt, flex your quads and drive back through your heels to help create tension through your entire body.
Keep your shoulders down and back so you aren’t shrugging. Then circle your other hand up around down and back under.
Alternate slow circles as you maintain that nice plank. Make sure to feel around your rib cage working as you pull the slider down, around and back under.
Do not let your shoulders shrug and feel your back engage to support your shoulders as you hold.
To modify, you can do this from your knees or even do taps instead of using the sliders. You can also stay on one side with the slider only under your moving hand. By not alternating it can be easier to fight your body’s desire to rotate.
Slider Sit Thru:
This move is a great way to improve your shoulder stability while also really challenging it so be careful if you’re returning from shoulder injury.
It is also a great move to work your entire core, especially your obliques.
To do the Slider Sit Thru, place a slider under one foot with the ball of your foot in the middle of the slider. Because your foot will rotate onto the side, you may want to put your foot slightly toward the side of the slider you’ll be sliding toward.
Set up in the high plank position with your hands about under your shoulders and your legs out straight behind you about hip-width to shoulder-width apart.
Then slightly tuck the foot on the slider forward as you kick it under and across your body. As you rotate, lift the hand on the side you are kicking toward to open your body up toward the ceiling.
Extend the leg all the way across and through as you rotate open, reaching your hand up. Make sure your hand on the ground is positioned under your shoulder.
The leg of the foot on the ground may bend slightly as you rotate and pivot slightly onto the inside of your foot.
Slide the leg through then pull it back to the starting position as you rotate your body back to face the ground and put your hand back down.
Then repeat, kicking that same leg back across as you rotate open. Move quickly to get your blood pumping, but no so quickly you aren’t fully in control. Just don’t really pause in that plank position more than to fully return to it.
To modify this move, you may take out the slider or even keep both hands down the entire time, performing a smaller reach across with the foot on the slider.
Alternating Slider Tabletop Curls:
If you sit all day hunched over a computer, this is a must-do move.
It will open up your chest and hips while activating your entire backside. It will work your hamstrings, glutes, back and arms as well as your abs even!
To do Alternating Slider Tabletop Curls, place a slider under each foot and sit on the ground with your heels on the sliders and hands behind you on the ground. Turn your hands out or back as you place your hands on the ground behind your butt.
Bend your knees and bring your heels back close to you so you can bridge up into a tabletop bridge. Squeeze your glutes as you lift your butt up and press your chest out.
You can perform a posterior pelvic tilt to help engage your abs as you hold this tabletop position and even slightly tuck your chin to look out beyond your knees.
The slowly extend one leg out before using your hamstring to pull your heel on the slider back in. Then extend the other leg out, pulling the heel back in again with your hamstring.
As you pull the slider back in, really even think about driving the slider down into the ground to help work your hamstring more.
Do not let your hips drop toward the ground as you extend. You want to keep your abs and butt engaged the entire time as you slowly alternate sides.
Slider Prone Snow Angels:
Because we spend so much time hunched over, it is key we include moves to work our back and even improve our scapular mobility and spinal extension.
One great move to include as activation to help you do just that is the Slider Prone Snow Angels. It is one of my favorite moves to include during warm up or even as “active rest” during a core or upper body series!
To do Slider Prone Snow Angels, place a hand on each slider and lie face down on the ground with your body in a nice straight line and your hands reaching overhead on the ground.
Keeping your arms straight, sweep your arms out and down toward your sides, lifting your chest up off the ground as you sweep you arms all the way down and back toward your hips.
Squeeze your butt and lift your chest up as much as possible, lifting it higher as your arms sweep all the way down.
Then lower back down as you sweep your arms back overhead.
Lift and lower as you slide your arms down and out to the sides and back overhead.
Move slowly and even pause for a second at the top to hold and feel your entire upper back and even the backs of your shoulders working.
Make sure you don’t just feel your lower back arching or your neck straining.
Slider Body Saw:
This is a VERY challenging core move that will work your triceps, lats, pec minor, abs and quads. You will feel your entire core shaking and working to protect your lower back.
Because of the extended plank position, your abs have to work hard to protect your lower back. If you aren’t yet ready for this move, you will feel your lower back taking over and working, which means you need to regress.
If this is the case, walk back instead of sliding back or limit range of motion to start. You don’t want your lower back compensating or you won’t get the full benefit!
To do the Slider Body Saw, set up in a plank position on your forearms with your feet on the sliders. Elbows should be under your shoulders and your feet should be together or no wider than hip-width apart.
With your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels, slide your feet back and lengthen through your arms. As you slide back you should extend your body down to your elbows, shifting your shoulders back behind your elbows. Do not let your hips sag as you slide back. You are extending your triceps as you slide back.
Then, using your lats and core, pull your feet back in to the plank position. When you come back into the plank position, do not let your butt go up in the air. Make sure your hips don’t sag either.
Then slide back out, lengthening your body out as much as you can. Again do not let your low back take over. Make sure that you also aren’t simply sliding forward and then back to the start but are actually sliding back and lengthening through your arms.
Ab Extension:
Work your lats, abs and even your glutes with this great move! You’ll feel all around your rib cage working and even your arms too!
Like the body saw though, be careful that your lower back doesn’t take over. And if you have shoulder issues, watch how far you extend out to start!
To do Slider Ab Extensions, place a slider under each hand and set up as if you’re doing a push up from your knees.
You want to have your hands under your shoulders and your body in a nice straight line from your head to your knees. Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes.
Slide both hands out as far as you can, lowering your body toward the ground. Extend out, if you can, until you’re hovering just above the ground.
Then pull the sliders back under your shoulders without bending your arms as your body moves back into the plank position. By sliding your hands back under, pulling with your back to bring your hands back in, your body will move back into the plank position.
Do not sit your butt back or let your lower back engage as you extend out or pull your hands back in. You want to brace your abs and keep your body in a nice straight line the entire time.
Once back in that knee plank position, repeat the slide back out. Do not let your hips sag, lower back arch or butt go up in the air. Also, make sure you don’t sit your butt back to help pull your arms back in. You only “rise up” because your hands come back under your shoulders.
Beginners may not slide out as far or they may extend one hand, then the other, then pull one in at a time.
T Sit Up:
Work your abs, hips, arms and upper back with this sit up variation that will also work to improve your posture!
It’s a great way to advance the basic sit up and target different areas than you may normally work!
To do the T Sit Up, place a slider under each hand and lie on your back with your arms out straight from your body at about shoulder height. Your legs should be out straight in front of you although you can slightly bend your knees if it helps you to drive your heels into the ground and keep your legs from lifting up as you sit up.
Then sit up, pressing your lower back into the ground as your round up. By slightly rounding your spine as you sit up, you can better use your abs over just depending on your hip flexors.
As you sit up, pull the sliders in toward your butt, keeping your arms straight.
Sit up tall at the top, making sure your shoulders aren’t shrugged. You want to have pulled your hands in toward your butt and have pinched your shoulder blades together to help bring your hands in.
Then slowly round your back to lower yourself back down. You can even think about lowering one vertebrae at a time if that helps to start.
As you lower down, extend your arms back out straight at shoulder height. Do not bend your arms as you sit up or lower down.
Repeat, sitting back up.
Creating A Workout:
To create a workout using these moves, you can choose to use all 12 or even just select 4-6 for a great circuit workout. Intervals are a great option with these moves although they can also be done for reps based on your goals.
For a great interval workout design using these, select 4-6 moves based on what you want to work that day and set a timer for 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. Move from one exercise to the next, resting only the 15 seconds between moves. Complete 4-6 rounds through the circuit of moves. Beginners may rest an extra 30 seconds between rounds if needed.
Need a great travel workout kit so you can get in a challenging workout wherever you go? Check out my TriSlides and Booty Band Bundle!
You don’t need fancy equipment or to spend hours at the gym working out to get results.
When you’re short on time, all you need is your own bodyweight and 10 minutes.
In that time you can get in a killer workout to strengthen your ENTIRE core – everything down your frontside AND your backside.
And while this workout is called the Backside Burner it targets more than just your back, hamstrings and butt. It will also work your abs, serratus anterior, obliques, quads and shoulders!
Complete 3 rounds of each circuit, moving right from one exercise to the next. After you finish the first circuit, perform 40 seconds of active rest before moving on to the second circuit. Beginners can fully rest between circuits instead of performing the active rest. Click on each exercise below to see a video demonstration and more information!
(PLEASE NOTE….this is of course a discussion about “healthy” overall alcohol intake and a “healthy” relationship to drinking so if discussing alcohol is a trigger, please ignore this post and know I will love you for doing so.)
I get asked if I drink it…
YES.
Beer?…meh. Wine?…meh. Craft cocktails and margaritas?
Hells to the YEAH!
I also get asked about how it fits into the macro cycling program and a healthy lifestyle in general.
I’ll tell you right now…
NO alcohol is healthy.
Now don’t go trying to defend the health benefits of your wine…Cause that just really isn’t all that it’s touted to be.
First off, most of us DO NOT actually get those supposed benefits.
And secondly, most of us aren’t really consuming wine for it’s health benefits in the EXTREMELY moderate amounts it should be consumed.
Basically studies showed the healthiest amount of alcohol was ZERO.
Sorry to break it to you, but as I jokingly say all of the time – Alcohol is a toxin.
Drink it knowing this.
But that doesn’t mean there can’t be a reason to ENJOY alcohol.
I would argue the only real “benefit” of alcohol is that you ENJOY it and life is meant to be enjoyed.
And that by relaxing, and enjoying a couple of drinks with friends, you can lower stress levels, which may, in the end, do much more to benefit your overall health than a few drinks will do to negatively impact it.
Because STRESS does play a major role in our overall health. Much more of one than we give it credit for.
So if alcohol is a part of your lifestyle, it doesn’t have to be eliminated.
But how do you TRACK alcohol if you’re counting macros?
I do tell clients though that when they are starting out with tracking their macros to keep it to their “cheat day” or at least 1-2 set days.
Logging alcohol is an interesting thing.
While beer and wine will register a few carbs, alcohol will register as calories but not really a macro since it’s…well…it’s own macro.
So if you’re trying to track and log, you can count it as either a fat or carb, whichever you have more of with the ratio you are using.
You will then divide the calories in your alcohol by 4 for carbs or 9 for fat to get the grams of each you would have consumed. (No you can’t count it as protein :-P)
If you can, I do recommend counting it as a fat because alcohol suppresses fat oxidation.
So alcohol can fit into a balanced lifestyle even while you’re tracking to get a specific result.
I will tell you though that if you want FASTER RESULTS, eliminating alcohol, if even just for a time, can be key.
Let’s face it…most of us get a few drinks in us and want some not so healthy treats!
Plus, even if you avoid overindulging, alcohol can also negatively impact the benefits you see from your training done PRIOR TO drinking by inhibiting protein synthesis and lipolysis (or fat loss).
Not to mention it usually makes for a crappier training session the next day (hehe this picture below cracks me up)!
And dudes…you have it worse as drinking negatively impacts your testosterone levels too!
Plus, it can perpetuate and create inflammation, which can not only make you feel aches and pains more but be detrimental to your workouts AND your recovery!
So, while I’m sure this sounded negative, my overall feeling is that you can find a balance and that alcohol doesn’t have to be something you eliminate.
Just go in with your eyes wide open when you do decide to indulge.
Find that lifestyle balance that helps you eat according to your goals!
And all too often the point of pain is NOT where the problem is.
That is why, when you have aches and pains, especially nagging ones that you can’t seem to get rid of, you need to start searching further away from the point of pain.
Often the first “rehab” exercises we start to include focus on shoulder mobility and strengthening of those muscles around the joint.
And this is a great place to start!
But what if, despite you doing all of the proper rehab work, things just aren’t fully getting better?
Or what if you continue to suffer from flare ups that don’t seem to be triggered by any specific upper body exercises that you can identify?
What if the actual culprit of your shoulder pain is an issue at your lumbo-pelvic-hip complex?
That’s right…what if that lower back pain or anterior pelvic tilt or SI joint issue you’ve been having is CONNECTED to your shoulder pain?!
What if your lower back, hips and shoulders have a shared “enemy”?
And what if that shared “enemy” is your LATS or the Latissimus Dorsi!
Because BOTH of these areas are affected by that one muscle.
YUP!
While we often just think of our lats as a big back muscle, playing a role in our upper body functioning, they can also affect our SI joint via their attachment to the thoracolumbar fascia and even affect the alignment of our pelvis!
So while it may seem crazy, working to correct imbalances at your hip complex could help relax tight and overactive lats and help you alleviate your shoulder aches and pains!
(BONUS…lat tightness and overactivity may be perpetuating your hip, lower back and SI joint pain so relaxing and stretching that muscle will only help!)
So how exactly are the lats a common enemy of both your hip complex AND your shoulders and what can you do to start correcting the problem?
The Lat Connection:
Ok…your lats aren’t really your enemy…
It’s almost the case of you “blame the messenger”…or the messenger becoming more involved than they should be!
Because our lats are really a bridge between our upper and lower body.
They play a role in stabilizing our shoulders, scapulae (shoulder blades), lumbar spine, sacroiliac joint (SI joint through the thoracolumbar fascia) as well as our pelvis.
The lats have a far reaching impact and affect a TON of structures and movements!
They are a bridge that can perpetuate distortions and compensations from one hemisphere to the other.
They can become tight and overactive due to other muscular imbalances and weaknesses and then lead to aches and pains in the other region.
And for this reason they can be a common “enemy” of both our upper body and lumbo-pelvic-hip complex and SI joint.
Of course the real “enemy” is our rounded-shoulder, flexed posture created by sitting hunched over our technology for 9 hours a day.
A posture that leads to muscles, like the lats becoming tight and overactive, and muscles, like our glutes, becoming underactive.
Underactive glutes can lead to anterior pelvic tilt, hip hikes (if one side is underactive especially) and tight, overactive lats that perpetuate the pain and create upper body dysfunction as well.
Lat tightness can itself create a hip hike on the same side as the tight lat and anterior pelvic tilt and SI joint issues as well.
Both the glute and lat need to work together to protect us and make sure we have the proper mobility and stability.
If these muscles aren’t working well together, this distortion can show up as upper body, specifically even, shoulder aches and pains.
And the lats also can have a DIRECT impact on our shoulder health.
Tight lats can contribute to internally rotated shoulders, or that rounded shoulder posture, as well as restricted shoulder flexion aka your ability to reach overhead.
Ever wonder why you struggle to get your arms overhead to press and end up arching your lower back to compensate?
Tight lats may be part of the problem.
Tight, overactive lats can restrict proper shoulder mobility, negatively impact your shoulder stability, and even impact your scapular mobility as well (and this may be holding you back too from achieving that first full pull up not to mention a culprit of shoulder, upper back and even neck pain!)
Basically, you need to address lat tightness, both tightness of both lats and even an imbalance between the two, and then further investigate if there are distortions at your hip complex or SI joint or actually in your upper body, that may be perpetuating the tightness!
Below are three moves to help you get started making sure this “bridge” is functioning well!
3 Moves To Try Today To Improve Your Shoulder Health:
These 3 moves will start addressing lat tightness and overactivity while also working to engage them in a productive way to help alleviate and prevent shoulder aches and pains.
These are perfect moves to include as a restorative session after a long day at work or as part of your warm up for you upper body, or potentially even LOWER BODY, lifting session.
Lat Foam Rolling:
This is a great move to start relaxing tight lats, and even its partner in crime the teres major (which assists the lat with shoulder internal rotation, adduction and extension).
To roll out your lats a roller is best although you can use a foam ball or even a tennis ball.
Start by lying on your side with a roller under one armpit. Extend the arm on the side with the roller up above the roller. Then rock forward and backward on the roller, rotating your chest toward the ground and then up toward the ceiling as you roll on the roller so it hits toward your ribs and then toward your back.
Hold on any tight spots you find then move it lower down the side of your back. Hold on any tight spots as you go and make sure to rock forward and backward as you make your way down your side.
As you work down your side, you will want to rotate slightly more toward your back, even bringing the roller to hit under your shoulder blade.
Work all the way from your armpit to about the end of your rib cage.
Be careful when rolling lower down your back into your low back. You do not want to arch over the roller and hyperextend your low back.
Kneeling Thoracic Extension And Lat Stretch:
This is a must-do stretch if you want to stretch your lats across the expanse of the muscle while also stretching your triceps and working on your shoulder flexion and thoracic extension.
Basically, it’s a multipurpose stretch we HAVE to include if we have a desk job!
To do the Kneeling Thoracic Extension and Lat Stretch, place your elbows up on a bench about shoulder-width apart and kneel on the ground in front of the bench. Make sure you are back far enough that you have room to lean forward and over and drop your head between your elbows.
Then with your elbows on the bench, relax your chest and head over, sitting your butt back just slightly. Press your chest toward the ground and feel a nice stretch down your triceps and lats as well as through your thoracic spine. Try to extend your back as much as possible as you press your chest toward the ground.
You can either hold here and breathe to stretch deeper or you can come out of the stretch and then relax back into it and try to get further with each rep. If you’re using this as part of your warm up, perform reps instead of holding.
Just make sure you don’t simply ARCH your lower back to compensate which won’t help you stretch those lats!
Holding a dowel or towel between your hands to pull out on and to hold with your palms facing you (to put your shoulders into external rotation) can also be an added bonus to stretch everything out and improve your posture!
Straight Arm Shoulder Extensions:
This move will strengthen your lats as you work to improve your posture and your scapular mobility.
It’s also a great move to strengthen your posterior deltoid or the back of your shoulder.
If you sit all day, this is a great move to get your back working while working on a nice tall posture and wide shoulders…the opposite basically of how we sit all day!
To do the Straight-Arm Shoulder Extension, anchor a resistance band below chest height and hold one end in each hand. You can grab with a neutral grip or even palms facing up to put your shoulder into external rotation.
Set up facing the anchor point but far enough away that there is tension in the band when your arms are down straight and your hands are in front of you. Stand up nice and tall with your feet about hip-width apart. Make sure you aren’t shrugging your shoulders and that your chest is pressed out. Think wide shoulders. Even feel the muscles between your shoulder blades already starting to engage before you even extend your arms back.
Keeping your arms straight and chest pressed out, pull back on the band, extending your shoulders as you pull your hands back toward your hips.
Feel your back and the backs of your shoulders extending your shoulder to pull the band back. You may even feel the back of your arm a little, but you shouldn’t feel your neck or upper traps at all.
Do not shrug as you pull back or jerk the band back and lean forward in an attempt to perform a bigger range of motion. Make sure your shoulders don’t just tilt forward to pull the band back further.
This won’t be a huge movement. Just focus on your back pulling the band back as your arms stay straight. Pinch your shoulder blades together as you pull back.
Hold for a second or two then relax your arms back forward and repeat.
Make sure you maintain a nice tall posture as you pull the band back. You must focus and think about your back working as you do the movement. Do not just go through the motions!
BONUS:
So a BONUS! move seemed appropriate since a potential culprit perpetuating lat tightness is weak glutes!
And because often ONE SIDE can become tight, it is key we have a unilateral glute activation move to address that!
The 80/20 Glute Bridge:
This move is a great way to isolate each side even if you’re not yet ready for the full single leg glute bridge, which is a very advanced bridge variation!
Plus, because of the band, this bridge will get your glute medius engaged and firing, which, in turn, will help your glute maximus fire better. WIN WIN!
To do the 80/20 Glute Bridge, place a mini band right below your knees and lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Then slide one leg out and away a bit from your butt and lift your toes. This foot should be about at the instep to toe of your other foot. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and drive your upper arms into the ground. Posteriorly tilt your pelvis if needed then bridge up.
When you bridge up, you will be driving primarily off the foot flat on the ground, using the other foot for assistance so you can make sure to feel your glutes driving the move. Make sure your hips, knees and ankles all stay in line as you bridge up and lower down. Do not let your knees cave in with the band. Press out against the band the entire time.
Lower down and repeat the bridge on that side until all reps are complete. Then switch and move the other foot out, driving only through the heel so you can focus on bridging with your other side. This variation can help you make sure you can properly perform a more unilateral bridge!
Now…Are you ready to build a bulletproof body?
Get A Full-Body Program To Address All Your Mobility And Strength Needs:
I don’t care what your dietary preference is…Protein is key if you want to lose fat and build lean muscle.
(By dietary preference I mean Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten-Free…)
While you can lose weight by simply cutting calories to some extent that doesn’t guarantee you that lean, cut look we’re usually striving for when we’re trying to lose weight.
To get that lean look, you need to make sure to increase your protein intake while in a calorie deficit.
And for my non-meat eating friends?
It can be a bit more challenging, which is why I wanted to share one of the Vegetarian recipes from my 4-Week Macro Cycling Accelerator.
In a large nonstick, skillet, add half the garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add crumbled tempeh.
Cook for about 7 minutes; only stir 1-2 times (the goal is to attain browning). Add 2 tablespoons coconut aminos and Sriracha, stir to evenly mix.
Cook for another 7 minutes, again, don’t stir too much. Once browned well, set aside.
While tempeh is cooking prepare glaze.
In a small sauce pan, heat honey, 1 teaspoon of coconut aminos and the other half of the garlic and ginger over medium heat. Honey should bubble and boil. Let cook for 1 minute.
Let cool slightly then add sesame oil.
To prepare each wrap, add a bit of carrot, scoop of tempeh mixture to a piece of lettuce and top with a drizzle of glaze. ENJOY!
Often when we think about getting in a killer cardio workout, we eliminate as much rest as possible and put in longer work intervals.
But guess what happens when you rest less?
Your power, speed, quickness, intensity all DROP.
If you don’t have as much time to recover, while you may be going “all out” every round, your output will still dip.
So sometimes including a bit MORE rest can allow you to actually work HARDER during the intervals of work and keep your output higher throughout the entire workout.
While I love workouts that shorten rest, giving you half or even just a quarter of the time you worked to recover, there is also something to be said for workouts that allow you to rest equal to the time you worked.
That equal work to rest setup allows you to go harder each and every work interval so your intensity stays higher throughout!
You may even find you include extra rest between rounds to keep your intensity higher!
But if you’re looking for a great cardio killer that gives you a bit of extra rest so you can get even MORE out of the session, try this 30/30 Bodyweight Cardio Workout.
WORKOUT: Set a timer for 30 second intervals. You will work for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. Go through the circuit, resting 30 seconds between moves. Do not rest extra between rounds although beginners can rest 1 minute if needed between rounds. Complete 3-6 rounds. If you are short on time, just complete 3 rounds.
DO NOT SHORTEN REST. Get in more reps during the intervals of work. Intensify variations. But do not shorten rest to make things harder. If it doesn’t feel hard, you need to push yourself harder during those work intervals! You should feel like you NEED the rest to fully recover whether from your muscles burning or your heart rate elevating.
