WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back/Lats
WORKOUT
Perform one round of the isometric circuit below. Hold each exercise for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Rest no more than a minute before starting circuit 2.
CIRCUIT #1:
Toes
Squat Hold
Scapular Hold
High Plank
Glute Bridge
Perform 3-6 rounds of circuit #2. Rest for 15 seconds between each exercise and 1 minute between each round. Beginners may find they need more rest between rounds.
CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds Burpee Sit Thrus
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Lateral Ski Hops
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Push Ups
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Full Body Crunch
COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest
Back/Lats
NOTES:
Do as much work as possible in 30 seconds. Do whatever level of the exercise allows you to keep moving the entire time. You should be challenged but you don’t want to have to rest during the 30 seconds of work.
EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Toes – Stand with your feet only a few inches apart. Then lift up onto your toes. Do not rock to the outside of your feet. Try to get up onto your big toe as much as possible. Hold that position. To make this move harder, do a single leg balance, lifting up onto the ball of only one foot.
Squat Hold – Place your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Sink down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. To make it easier, do not sink as low. Keep your core engaged and your chest up. Do not lean forward too much. Make sure to sit back on your heels when you squat. You should not be on your toes at all. Do not sink below 90 degrees with this move as that actually makes it easier. And do not let your knees collapse inward. If you want to make this move harder, you could hold a weight at chest height. Make sure to keep your core tight and back flat. Beginners may want to start with a wall sit if they can’t sink down very low without their chest falling forward. Sink down as low as you can, but not below having your knees bent to 90 degrees. Press your back into the wall. Drive back off your heels, pressing yourself firmly into the wall and hold.
Scapular Hold – Stand with your back to the wall. Step a couple of inches away and bend your arms to 90 degrees. Keep your elbows in by your sides and drive them back toward the wall. Lean onto your elbows on the wall. Do not let your upper arms or back touch the wall. Relax your head back. Pinch your shoulder blades down and back while keeping your core tight as you lean into the wall. You should feel this move low between your shoulder blades. To advance the move, move your feet a bit further from the wall.
High Plank – Set up on your hands and toes (advanced) or hands and knees (beginner). Feet are together and hands are underneath your shoulders. Draw your belly button into your spine and squeeze your quads, glutes and adductors. Your shoulder blades should be down and back and your shoulders shouldn’t be up by your ears. Do not let your upper back round. Keep your head in line with your spine. If you really draw your belly button in and tilt your pelvic forward, your abs should almost instantly start shaking.
Glute Bridge – Lie on your back. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart. Bring your heels in close enough to your butt that you can touch your heels when you extend your arms down by your sides. Then bend your arms to 90 degrees with only your forearms on the ground. Drive up through your heels, lifting your glutes up as high off the ground as you can. Squeeze your butt and keep your core tight. Do not hyperextend your low back. Also make sure your knees do not fall open and you are not pushing yourself backward. You want to drive straight up. Beginners will want to stick with a two-leg glute bridge while more advanced exercisers will want to progress to a single leg glute bridge.
Burpee Sit Thrus – Start standing with your feet together. Then place your hands on the ground in front of your feet. Jump your feet back so you are in the crawling/bull dog position. Beginners may need to step their feet back instead of jumping them back. Once you are in the bull dog position, you are going to perform a sit thru each way. Kick your left leg under and through as you lift your right hand and replace it with your left leg. Then bring your leg back under into the bull dog position and kick through the other way, rotating open. Once you’ve completed a sit thru on each side, jump your feet back in and stand up. As you stand back up, you are going to jump up off the ground. Beginners may not want to include the jump at the top. After you jump, go right back down and repeat the move.
Lateral Ski Hops – Keep your feet together and squat down. Then with your feet together, jump side to side. Try to jump as far to each side as quickly as possible. Beginners may want to pause in a squat after each jump to balance.
Push Ups – Beginners will do either an incline push up with their hands up on a bench or a push up from their knees. Advanced exercisers will do a push up from their hands and toes. For any variation, start by lying on the ground with your legs together. Place your hands outside your chest. Draw your belly button in toward your spine and squeeze your glutes. If doing this move from your toes, you will then press up onto your hands and toes. Your body should move in one straight line. Everything should move together as you press up to the top of the push up with the arms full extended. Do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag toward the ground. Do not tuck your chin. Keep your head in line with your spine. Make sure to keep your core tight so your low back doesn’t arch. Then lower back down, making sure your body moves as one unit. Touch your chest to the ground and then lift right back up. If your body doesn’t move together, if you do the “worm” as you press up or down, regress to your knees or an incline push up. Move quickly even if that means regressing the move. It is better to do an easier variation and move the entire 30 seconds than to do a harder variation and have to rest during the 30 seconds.
Full Body Crunch – Lie on your back with your legs out straight. You can place your hands behind your head or across your chest. Lift your feet up off the ground and tuck your knees in toward your chest as you crunch your upper body up. Keep a space between your chin and your chest as you lift your shoulder blades up off the ground. Crunch both your lower and upper body together then relax your upper body back down as you kick your legs out straight. Do not touch your heels to the ground until all reps are complete. Beginners may need to keep their feet up higher in the air while more advanced exercisers will kick their legs out close to the ground, keeping them only an inch or two up off the ground. After you kick your legs out, crunch everything back together.
