Projects Archive Page 14 of 35 | Redefining Strength

The Jack It Up Cardio Circuit

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 12, 2015

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 30 second intervals of work and 15 second intervals of rest in between each exercise. Move from exercise to exercise, resting the 15 seconds in between and then rest for 1 minute between rounds. Complete 5-8 rounds of the circuit.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Jack Burpees
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Oblique Jacks
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Split Squat Jacks
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Crossover Jacks
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Jack Sit Ups
1 minute Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

NOTES:

Do not rest during the 30 seconds of work. Rest during the 15 seconds and during the 1 minute between rounds, but keep moving the entire 30 seconds even if it means bringing the exercise down a notch.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Jack Burpees – To do the Jack Burpee, start standing with your feet together. Then bend over and place your hands on the ground as you jump your feet back into a high plank position with your feet together. From that high plank position with your feet together, jump your feet out wide. Do not let your butt go up in the air as you jump your feet out. Jump your feet back together then jump your feet into your hands and come up back up to standing. As you lift your hands and come back to standing, perform either a basic Jumping Jack or a Plyo Jumping Jack. If you do the Plyo Jack, you will jump up off the ground as you spread your legs wide and swing your arms up to the side and overhead. To regress the movement, step back into a plank position instead of jumping back. You can also step your feet out to the side and back in when doing the Plank Jack. And at the top, perform a Basic Jumping Jack or even no Jack at all. The quicker you do the movement and the bigger and higher your Plyo Jack is at the top, the harder the move will be.

Oblique Jacks – To do Oblique Jacks, start standing tall and place your hands either behind your head or up just to the sides of your head. Bend your right knee up and out to the side as you crunch your upper body to the side, dropping your right elbow toward your right knee. Then jump and switch, bending your left knee up and out to the side as you crunch your left elbow down toward your left knee. Quickly jump and switch to the other side. Go back and forth between the sides as quickly as you can, crunching your elbow down to your knee as you raise your knee up as high as you can.

Split Squat Jacks – To do the Split Squat Jack, start by stepping one foot back and sinking into a lunge with your arms down by your sides. Then jump up off the ground and, as you do, switch to land in a lunge on the other side. As you jump and switch to a lunge on the other side, swing your arms out to the side and overhead. When you land in the lunge on the other side, your arms should be up overhead. Quickly land and then jump right back up and again switch to a lunge on the first side as you lower your arms back down by your sides. Try to jump from lunge to lunge quickly. Beginners may not be able to sink as low in the lunge or move as quickly. They may also want to perform more of a “skip” to switch from lunge to lunge instead of completely jumping up off the ground.

Crossover Jacks – To do Crossover Jacks, start standing with your feet together and your arms out in front of you at about shoulder height. Then jump your feet out wide to about shoulder-width or wider. As you jump your feet out, swing your arms out to the side at about shoulder height. Then, when you jump your feet back in, cross one in front of the other. When you jump back in, cross your right leg in front of your left as you swing your arms back in front and cross your right arm on top of your left. Jump back out wide and open your arms out to the sides. Keep your arms up at about shoulder height. Then when you jump back in, cross your left leg in front of your right and cross your left arm over your right arm. Jump back out and repeat, crossing your right side back in front. Keep alternating crosses until all reps are complete. Beginners can modify this by stepping instead of jumping.

Jack Sit Ups – To do the Jack Sit Up, start seated on the ground. Then draw your knees into your chest and wrap your arms around your shins as you lean back and lift your feet off the ground so you are balanced on your butt. Then relax open, opening your arms out wide overhead as you straighten your legs out wide. Try to open your legs out wide closer to the ground. The higher up your legs stay, the easier the move will be. You should look like a big X on the ground with arms and legs out and open. Then sit back up, crunching everything back in so that you are balanced on your butt with your arms hugging your shins. Try to keep your feet off the ground the entire time.

The Improve Your Shoulder Stability Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 12, 2015

WARM UP
Roll Out:
Lats
Upper Back/Traps
Chest/Shoulders
Forearms
Stretch:
Wrist Extension
Kneeling Thoracic Extension and Lat Stretch
Quadruped Thoracic Rotation
Lying Chest Stretch and Scorpion
Camel

ACTIVATION

Complete 1 round of the activation exercises below.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps Shoulder Flossing
10 reps each way 3-Way Scapular Band Flyes
10 reps Straight Arm Shoulder Extension

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. It is important that you work on feeling your back engage and make sure that your upper traps don’t take over. Rest as needed between rounds and 1-2 minutes between Circuits. If you need to rest between exercises, you can rest between exercises.

CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds Scapular Wall Hold
10 reps Mini Pull Ups
3-5 reps each side Halos

CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds Dip Hold
10 reps Inverted Rows
5-10 reps per side Plank with Shoulder Taps

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Lats
Upper Back
Traps
Shoulders
Chest
Forearms

NOTES:

Really focus on form and your back working and not your upper traps taking over.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Wrist Extension – To do the Wrist Extension Stretch, kneel on the ground and place your hands down on the ground in front of you, palms down. Turn your fingertips out and back toward your knees. Then rock back, sitting on your heels, keeping the heels of your palms down on the ground as you sit back. Come back out of the stretch then sit back again, stretching down the inside of your forearms.

Kneeling Thoracic Extension and Lat Stretch – 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.

Quadruped Thoracic Rotation – To do the Quadruped Thoracic Rotation, start on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Then reach one hand down your neck and spine. With your hand behind your head, rotate your elbow down under your body toward your opposite knee, sitting your butt back slightly as you tuck. Then rotate the elbow up toward the ceiling as much as you can, opening your chest up toward the ceiling and pushing your hips slightly forward. Feel a nice stretch down your back and even into the outside of your hips. Repeat, rotating your elbow back under before twisting open. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Make sure to really rotate open as much as you can each time.

Lying Chest Stretch and Scorpion – To do the Lying Chest Stretch with Scorpion, lie on your belly with your arms out straight at shoulder height. Bend the elbow of one arm to 90 degrees so that your upper arm is still in line with your shoulder. Then lift the opposite leg up from the bent arm and bend your knee to kick your foot over and behind you as you press your chest open with your straight arm. Kick your leg back over your body, trying to touch your toe back behind you and feel a stretch through your chest and low back. You should feel a nice stretch down the front of the shoulder of the bent arm. Make sure as you reach the leg back over that you relax your head down onto the ground. Hold for a second or two then bend the other arm and kick the other leg back over. Alternate sides, holding for a second or two each way.

Camel – To do the Camel, start kneeling with your knees about hip-width apart and your feet flexed. Sit back on your heels and place your hands on your heels. Then arch your hips up and away, lifting your glutes up off your heels and pressing your chest out. Keep your hands on your heels as you arch away and squeeze your glutes to fully extend your hips. Relax your head back and arch as much as you can, getting a nice stretch down your chest, core, hips and quads. Do not let your shoulders shrug. Also make sure to squeeze your glutes so you don’t just feel this stretch straining your low back. Hold for 1-2 seconds and relax back down. Repeat, arching back up. You can also make this a static stretch by simply holding the pose for 15-20 seconds. If you want to make the stretch more challenging, point your toes and place your hands on your heels instead of flexing your feet (the two bottom photos).

3-Way Scapular Band Flyes –

#1 Straight Scapular Band Fly – To do the Straight Scapular Band Fly, hold the resistance band with your hands about shoulder-width apart. The closer together they are the harder the move will be and the farther apart they are the easier the move will be. Make sure that whatever distance you pick, you can open your arms straight out to the side and feel the correct muscles working. Press your chest out so you are standing nice and tall. Relax your neck and shoulders and engage your back muscles. Do not shrug. Raise your arms up straight in front of you at about shoulder height or right below, holding the band. Keeping your arms straight, pull your arms open and out to the sides, pulling the band open toward your chest. Pinch your shoulder blades down and together as you open and bring the band in to your chest. Do not let your shoulders shrug up as you pull the band. Focus on feeling your back work to pull your arms open. You want to pinch your shoulder blades together as you pull. Hold with your arms open for a second or two and feel your back working. After holding to feel your back working, bring your arms back together so your arms are about shoulder-width apart again and there is no slack in the band. Repeat the fly. Really focus on your back working and not your upper traps or neck. Do not round forward as you do this move or rush through it.
#2 Overhead Scapular Band Fly – To do the Overhead Scapular Band Fly, you will hold the band with your hands about shoulder-width apart like you did for the Straight Scapular Band Fly. Then raise your arms out overhead and slightly in front of you. Keeping your arms straight, pull the band down to your chest by opening your arms straight out to the sides and down. Draw your shoulder blades down and together as you bring the band down. Your arms should stay straight the entire time as you bring the band down to your chest. Really press your chest out and make sure you to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed. Feel your shoulder blades retract down and back and the big muscles of your back working. Move slow and even pause at the bottom to assess and feel the correct muscles working.
#3 Behind-The-Head Scapular Band Fly – The Behind-The-Head Scapular Band Fly is an overhead move in which you pull the band down behind your head. This is a more challenging variation so don’t attempt this one if you can’t feel the other two working the correct muscles. To do this variation, hold the band with your hands about shoulder-width apart and start with your arms up straight overhead. Then pull your arms straight out and down to bring the band down toward the back of your shoulders. Keep your chest pressed out and draw your shoulder blades down and back as you pull the band down. Try not to really jut your head forward as you pull it down behind your head. Pull it behind your head and bring your arms straight out to the side at about shoulder height. Once the band reaches your shoulders, slowly bring it back overhead. Really feel your back working. If you feel your neck or upper traps taking over, regress to the Band Fly you feel the most and then return to this one with a lighter resistance and focus on the correct muscles working.

Straight Arm Shoulder Extension – To do the Straight Arm Shoulder Extension, wrap the band around a leg of your desk and hold an end in each hand. Facing the anchor point, step away from the anchor point so there is tension in the band. Stand up nice and tall with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms straight down by your sides. Then, keeping your arms straight, pull back on the band. Stand up nice and tall as you pull back on the band. This won’t be a huge range of motion. Just focus on your back pulling the band back as your arms stay straight. Pinch your shoulder blades down and back as you pull back. Hold for a second or two then relax your arms back forward and repeat. Do not shrug your shoulders as you pull the band back. Also make sure your triceps don’t do all the work. Focus on your back working and maintaining a nice tall posture.

Scapular Wall Hold – To do the Scapular Wall Hold, stand with your back to the wall and your elbows bent in by your side. You can walk your feet out further from the wall to make the move harder, but really focus on feeling it between your shoulder blades no matter how far you walk out. Drive your elbows back into the wall and press your chest out and open toward the ceiling. Only your elbows should touch as you lean back and press your chest out. Draw your shoulder blades down and back and make sure to drive your chest out and open toward the ceiling. Think about driving your elbows back into the wall but also down toward your hips. Do not shrug your shoulders and keep your body in a nice straight line as if holding a plank. Keep your head in line with your spine and do not tuck your chin. Walk your feet back toward the wall to make the move easier or walk them away to make the move harder. Make sure to drive the chest out and draw your shoulder blades down and together as you hold. If you don’t feel the muscles low between your shoulders and even down the sides of your back working and instead feel your neck, walk your feet closer to the wall. You don’t need to be at a huge angle to feel this move working. If you do it correctly, you can even feel it working when standing basically straight against the wall.

Mini Pull Ups – To do the Mini Pull Ups and work on engaging your lats to pull up, hang from the bar with your palms facing away from you (you can also do this with palms facing toward you for a Mini Chin Up). Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart although you can do it with them wider apart or closer together as well. I recommend using whatever grip you use when you do your Pull Ups. Hanging from the bar, press your chest out and pull your shoulder blades down and together. Feel your back engage as you draw your shoulder blades together. Don’t bend your elbows and turn this into a pull up. Just press your chest out and retract your shoulder blades bringing them down and together. Feel your back engage and pull you up toward the bar even though your arms aren’t moving. You should feel your shoulders go down as your chest lifts up. Then relax out and repeat. Remember, you are not bending your elbows to make this movement bigger.

Halos – Stand with your feet not wider than hip-width apart . Grab the kettlebell by the handle with one hand on each side close to where the handle attaches to the bell. Turn the bell upside down and hold it upside down in front of your face. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight as you begin to circle the bell around your head. Point the bottom of the kettlebell backward as you circle it around the side of your head. As you drop it down behind your head, reach the bottom of the kettlebell down between your shoulder blades. Your elbows should point up toward the ceiling. Continue the circle and bring it around the other side and back in front of your face. Then go back the way you just came. Keep alternating directions until all reps are complete. Do not tuck your chin or move your head or core as you circle. Everything should be tight and still. Only the kettlebell is moving. Beginners will do fewer reps and go lighter. You can also use a dumbbell or plate weight.

Dip Hold – To do the Dip Hold, sit on the edge of your chair with your hands down on the chair on each side of your body just outside of your butt. Your fingertips should hang over the edge of the chair. Slide your butt forward and off the chair, keeping your legs out straight in front of you. As you move your butt off the chair, press up to the top of the dip with arms straight down and shoulder blades drawn down and back. Press your chest out and do not tuck your chin or shrug your shoulders. Maintain a nice tall posture. Make sure you don’t press your hips up toward the ceiling as you hold the dip. You should remain in a seated position with your back and butt close to the chair. Hold at the top of the dip. If you start to shrug, relax out of the hold. Beginners may want to walk their feet back in toward the chair and bend their knees to take some strain off their upper body. Advanced exercisers will want to keep their legs out straight in front of them.

Inverted Rows – To do the Basic Inverted Row, you can either use a Suspension Trainer or a Bar. Using a Suspension Trainer, hold a handle in each hand with your palms facing in. Walk your feet forward so that your body is at an incline. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Hang from the straps with your body in a nice straight line and your chest pressed out. Engage your core and glutes and keep your legs straight. You want a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Do not let your low back arch or your hips sag toward the ground. Then drive your elbows down and back to row your chest up to the handles. Keep your body in a nice straight line as you row up and do not bounce off the bottom. Keep your wrists straight as you row up. Also, do not shrug your shoulders. Then lower back down. Do not lose tension at the bottom. Make sure to keep the chest pressed out and your body in a nice straight line. Do not swing to row back up. Make sure to feel your back and arms working to row and not just your arms. Focus on feeling your back pull.

Plank with Shoulder Taps – To do Shoulder Taps, set up in a high plank position from your hands and toes (advanced) or hands and knees (beginner). You want your hands to be under your shoulders but closer together and your feet or knees should be wider apart to provide a more stable base. Bring your feet or knees together as the move becomes easier. Also, by having your hands closer together and more centered under your chest, you will provide yourself with a more stable base. It is very important that you remain stable with this move or you can stress your shoulder. Brace your abs and engage your glutes so that your body is in a nice straight line. Then from this plank position, lift one hand up off the ground, moving it slowly to touch the opposite shoulder. Keep your hips square to the ground and do not rotate. Also, do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag toward the ground. Touch your opposite shoulder than slowly place your hand back down on the ground. You want to move at a very controlled pace. Then lift the other hand and tap your other shoulder. Do not rotate as you lift. Try to keep your body still and simply lift the hand to touch the opposite shoulder.

The 20-Minute Metabolic Blast

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 12, 2015

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 20 second intervals. Complete both exercises back to back with no rest then rest 20 seconds between rounds. Complete 5 rounds of each circuit before moving on to the next. Rest 1-2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds Bull Dog Burpee
20 seconds Forward/Backward Table Top Crawl
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds Side Lunge with Hop
20 seconds Mountain Climbers
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds Circle Shuffle with Sit Thru
20 seconds Plank Skiers
20 seconds Rest

BONUS!:
20 seconds Squat Jacks
20 seconds Push Up Shuffle
20 seconds Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders

NOTES:

Do not rest between exercises. Quickly go right from one to the other, resting 20 seconds between rounds.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Bull Dog Burpee – To do the Bull Dog Burpee, start standing with your feet together. Then squat down and place your hands down on the ground. With your hands down, jump your feet back into the Bull Dog position. Jump your feet back so your knees are an inch off the ground and about under your hips while your hands are about under your shoulders. Then jump your feet back in and outside your hands. Lift your hands and jump up as high as you can before squatting back down and placing your hands back on the ground to jump back into the Bull Dog position.

Forward/Backward Table Top Crawl – To do the Table Top Crawl, set up on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Flex your feet and lift up onto your toes/the balls of your feet. Then take a step forward with your left foot and right hand, keeping your knees close to the ground and your back flat. Make sure to brace your core so that your hips don’t wiggle a lot side to side as you crawl forward. Then step forward with your right foot and left hand. Keep crawling forward, moving the opposite arm and opposite leg together. Take small steps forward so that you don’t get too spread out. You don’t want your hips to start to wiggle and your butt to go up in the air. Also, keep your knees as close to the ground as possible. You can also do the Table Top Crawl backward. Backward may be a bit more challenging and harder on the shoulders. Make sure to keep your steps small, especially when starting out, so that you don’t overload your shoulders and can keep up the contralateral movement. To do the Table Top Crawl backward, step back with the opposite arm and leg. Make sure you don’t get too spread out as you crawl backward. If you reach too far back with your feet and get too stretched out, your going to put a lot of pressure on your shoulders and then you wont’ be able to move fluidly. Keep you steps nice and short and compact to start with and your knees close to the ground. Make sure to brace your core and keep your butt down.

Side Lunge with Hop – To do Side Lunges with Hop, stand tall with your feet together. Step one foot out to the side nice and wide. Bend the knee of the leg you stepped out to the side with, keeping the other leg straight. Sit your butt back and lean over as you sink into the side lunge. Keep your back flat as you sit back. Then drive back up off your outside foot to come back to standing. When you come back to standing, jump up toward the ceiling, reaching up overhead. Then lunge out to the other side before coming back center and jumping toward the ceiling. Keep alternating lunges until all reps are complete. Make sure your heels stay down as you lunge out to the side. You want to make sure to sit your butt back.

Mountain Climbers – To do the Basic Mountain Climber, set up in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together and legs out straight behind you. Your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Brace your abs before you start so that you don’t feel this in your low back or let your hips sag as you run your knees in. Then, maintaining the nice plank position, begin to run your knees in toward your chest. Bring your right knee in toward your chest with your left leg still out straight. Keep your butt down as you run the knee in. Then straighten your right leg back out as you bring your left knee in toward your chest. “Run” your knees in as quickly as possible until all reps are complete. The faster you go, the harder the move will be. Do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag as you run your knees in.

Circle Shuffle with Sit Thru – To do the Circle Shuffle, Sprawl, Sit Thru, it is good to have a reference point or object to circle around. To start shuffling, bend your knees with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Move laterally, shuffling around the cone/object. Make full circles, half circles and even quarter circles, moving both ways. Mix it up. Circle around the cone/object both ways. While circling mix in a sprawl and sit thru occasionally. To do the Sprawl and Sit Thru at points while shuffling, drop down to the ground on your hands and the balls of your feet. Your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Then rotate open toward the right, lifting your right hand and kicking your left leg under and through toward where your right hand was. You should be almost sitting with your left hand down to support you. Then bring the left leg back through so you are back in the starting position on your hands and the balls of your feet. Next rotate to the left and kick your right leg through and forward as you lift your left hand. Once you’ve done a sit thru to each side, stand back up and begin shuffling again. Again change direction quickly and don’t just simply shuffle in a full circle. Mix in the Sprawl to Sit Thru every so often to force yourself to work on getting down and up off the ground quickly.

Plank Skiers – To do Plank Skiers, start in the plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your legs together. Your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Then, with your legs together, jump your feet in toward your right elbow, rotating so that your knees come outside your elbow. Jump back into the plank position with your feet back center and your body in a nice straight line. Then jump your feet back in, but this time toward your opposite elbow. Rotate to bring your knees toward the outside of your elbow. Jump your feet back out center. Do not let your body shift backward as you perform the hops and jump back out. Try to keep your chest over your hands instead of letting your hands get way up by your head. Keep alternating hops toward each elbow.

Squat Jacks – To do the Squat Jack, start standing with your feet together. Reach your hands up overhead. Then sit your butt back and squat down with your feet together, like you are doing chair pose. Get as low as you can, sitting back in your heels. Reach your arms straight up overhead. Then staying low in the squat, jump your feet out wide, about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. As you jump out, also bring your hands down and in between your legs to reach for the ground. Do not stand up out of the squat as you jump your feet out wide. Try to touch your hands to the ground as you keep your butt down in the squat. Even try to squat lower as you jump your feet out wide. Then jump your feet back together and bring your hands back overhead. Stay low in the squat the entire time and move quickly. Try to squat lower as you jump your feet out wide. Beginners may need to stand up as they bring their feet together and only squat as they jump their feet out.

Push Up Shuffle – To do the Push Up Shuffle, place a kettlebell on its side with the handle facing away from you or you can also use a med ball or any object that won’t move on you. Give yourself a little platform up from the ground that you can “shuffle” over. Set up at the top of a Push Up from your knees or toes with one hand on the kettlebell and the other hand on the ground. Make sure your hands are under your shoulders and outside your chest. Don’t let your hands get way up by your head. Perform a push up, dropping your chest as close to the ground as you can. Make sure your body moves as one unit as you lower down and press back up to the top. Then step your hand off the kettlebell and on to the ground on the opposite side of the kettlebell. Step the hand from the ground up onto the kettebell so that you have “shuffled” over the kettlebell. Perform another push up and then shuffle back. Beginners will need to move slowly and do this from their knees while more advanced exercisers can make the shuffle more explosive and “jump” to shuffle their hands over instead of stepping one hand on as they step the other hand off.

The Squat/Press 5 Minute Circuits

by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 18, 2015

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Shoulders/Traps
Back/Lats

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of the first superset, taking your time while trying to focus on adding weight. Rest as needed. Then rest 1-2 minutes before starting the circuits. For the circuits, set a timer for 5 minutes. Do not rest during the 5 minutes but keep moving as quickly as possible. Rest 1-2 minutes between circuits. Record the rounds, reps and weights used to try to increase next time.

SUPERSET:
8-12 reps per side Balance Lunges
5-15 reps Eccentric Push Ups

CIRCUIT #1:
4-6 reps per side Alternating Front Lunges
4-6 reps per side Single-Arm Landmine Press or Alternating Arm Dumbbell Press
4-6 reps Body Saw

CIRCUIT #2:
5-10 reps Toe Squats
5-10 reps Close Grip Push Ups
3-5 reps per side Sit Thrus

CIRCUIT #3:
5-10 reps Narrow Stance Squats
5-8 reps Knee Tucks
5-8 reps Lean Backs

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Chest/Shoulders/Traps
Back/Lats

NOTES:

When choosing a rep range, choose to do as many reps as you can without resting or without going to failure so that you can’t move quickly from one exercise to another. It is better to do 5 reps and move quickly then to do 10 reps and have to pause between reps or rest after the exercise.

The quicker you move while challenging yourself, the more you will get out of this workout. You want to add weight but quickly move right from one move to the next!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Balance Lunges – Place your back foot up on a box. Hop your front foot out so you are in a nice wide stance with your back foot up on the box. Then sink down into a lunge, dropping your back knee toward the ground as you bend your front knee to 90 degrees. Really sit back into the lunge. Make sure you aren’t going forward onto your front toe and that your front knee is not going past your toe. You want to sit back to make your glute work. You should also feel a nice stretch in the front of the leg that is back when doing this move. Beginners may want to use a super low box or do the move from the ground as a split squat. More advanced exercisers, or if you don’t have weights, you may want to do it with your back foot in a suspension trainer. You can also add weight to make the move more challenging.

Eccentric Push Ups – To do the Eccentric Focused Push Up, 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 and flex your quads as you flex your feet and drive back through your heels. Then press up to the top of the push up with your arms locked out and your body in a nice straight line. Everything should move together as you press up to the top of the push up. 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, going as slowly as you can or following an outlined slower tempo like a 3 or 5 count. Make sure your body moves as one unit. Touch your chest to the ground and then lift quickly 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. If you only do the worm when you press back while doing this Push Up from your toes, simply reset at the top instead of pushing back up so that you can then lower slowly back down (aka the Eccentric Only variation). Even if you can’t push up with good form, lowering slowly down with good form from the full Push Up position will help you improve your Push Ups.

Alternating Front Lunges – Start standing nice and tall with your feet together. Then step forward with one foot and bend your knees, dropping your back knee down to the ground as you keep your chest up nice and tall. Drop the back knee down as if moving to half kneel on the ground. Bend the front knee to 90 degrees if you can. Make sure to sink straight down and keep your front heel firmly on the ground. Then drive back off the front foot to drive up to standing. Come back to standing nice and tall then lunge forward with the other foot. Hold dumbbells down by your sides or a kettlebell up at your chest to make the move harder.
Single-Arm Landmine Press – To do the Single-Arm Landmine Press, grab the barbell in one hand with the Landmine right in front of you. Bring your hand and the barbell to your shoulder. Place the opposite foot of the hand holding the barbell forward and stagger the other one back (you can also stand with your feet together if you want your core to work even harder). Then, keeping your core tight, drive the barbell up and out from your shoulder, pressing the barbell overhead as you extend your arm. Because of the Landmine the barbell and your hand won’t go straight up. You will actually press a bit up and forward. Then return the barbell to your shoulder and repeat, pressing the barbell up until your arm is extended. Make sure that when you press, you do not let your core rotate toward the hand with the barbell. Keep your body square to the Landmine. Complete all reps on one side and then switch. As you fatigue you may use your legs to help press the bar overhead or you can keep it as a strict press. Just make sure you do not rotate as you press. This move is meant to work your core because you are fighting the urge to rotate toward the side pressing. If you don’t have a Landmine, just do Alternating Arm Dumbbell Presses.

Body Saw – To do the Basic Body Saw, set up in a Plank position from your forearms and toes with your feet close together. Your forearms should be right under your shoulders and your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Then begin to walk your feet backward, taking small steps. Keep your body in a nice straight line and don’t let your hips sag toward the ground. Lengthen through your triceps and lats as you walk back. Walk back as far as you can while keeping your core engaged. Then walk your feet back forward until you are back in the Forearm Front Plank. Do not let your butt go up in the air as you walk your feet back in. Repeat, walking your feet back out. Only walk out as far as you can without your low back engaging. If your low back feels this move, don’t walk out as far. Start with only a few steps. To advance the Body Saw, you can place towels or sliders (Valslides) under your feet. This reduces the traction and makes the move harder.

Toe Squats – To do the Toe Squat, set up with your feet wider than shoulder-width and toes slightly turned out. Then press up as high as you can onto your toes. Keeping your chest up and heels up off the ground, squat down as low as you can. Sit your butt down and back while staying balanced and then come back up to standing. Try not to touch your heels down between reps. Sink as low as you can and move in a slow and controlled fashion.

Close Grip Push Ups – To do Close Grip Push Ups, place your hands no wider than right outside your chest as you set up in the high plank position with your feet together and your body in a nice straight line. The closer your hands are together (aka the closer to a Diamond Push Up you get), the harder the move will be and the more your triceps will be forced to work. Then keeping your body in a nice straight line, lower your chest down to the ground. Your body should move as one unit to lower down without your butt going up in the air or your hips sagging. Also, make sure to keep your elbows and arms in by your side as you lower. Do not let them flare out at all or you will not force your triceps to work as hard. Lower your chest as close to the ground as possible then press back up. Make sure your body moves as one unit and your arms don’t flare out. Often with Close-Grip Push Ups, people will start to press back up and end up arching their backs because their hips stay down and their triceps aren’t strong enough. If you can’t press back up with your core staying engaged and your body in a nice straight line, you may need to regress the movement to an Incline Close-Grip Push Up or a Knee Close-Grip Push Up. Once you’ve pressed back up, repeat, lowering down with your arms in by your sides. To make the move more challenging, perform a Diamond Push Up.

Sit Thrus – To do the Sit Thru, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet and press up onto your hands and toes. Rotate open toward the right and kick your left leg under and through toward where your right hand is. As you bring your left leg forward and through, lift your right hand. You want to rotate all the way through with your left leg out straight so that you are almost sitting with your left hand down to support you. You want to “sit through.” Then bring the left leg back through so you are back in the starting position. Next rotate to the left and kick your right leg through and forward as you lift your left hand. Move as quickly as you can back and forth. Beginners may need to move slowly or even start in a more spread out position with their legs out straight instead of their knees under their hips.

Narrow Stance Squats – To do the Narrow Stance Squat, place your feet hip-width apart or closer. Squat down, sitting your butt back and down. Then drive back up to standing and squeeze your glutes. Do not round forward or come forward onto your toes. Repeat, squatting as low as you can.

Knee Tucks – To do the Knee Tucks, place your toes in the foot straps and set up in a plank from your hands with your hands under your shoulders. Engage your abs so that your hips don’t sag or your butt doesn’t go up in the air. Then pull your knees in toward your chest. Tuck them in as far as you can and then straighten your legs back out. Your back may round as you tuck, but try not to let your butt go way up in the air. And when you straighten back out, don’t let your hips sag. Keep your legs and abs engaged to keep a nice straight line from your head to your toes while you are in that plank position. Repeat, tucking your knees back in toward your chest. You can also do these on sliders if you don’t have a Suspension Trainer.

Lean Backs – To do Lean Backs, start kneeling on the ground with your knees about hip-width apart. Flex your feet and kneel nice and tall. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs. You can then cross your hands over your chest or reach them out in front of you. Engaging your core and driving down through the balls of your flexed feet, lean back. Do not arch your back as you lean back but simply move from your knees. Go back as far as you can with your body in a nice straight line. Then come back forward. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs the entire time. Feel your quads really working to control your lean back. Do not sit back on your heels as you go back. Come back up to kneeling nice and tall and repeat. You can make this move more challenging by holding a weight in at your chest or even in your straight arms out in front of you. Do not rush the Lean Back, but instead move in a slow and controlled fashion.

The Anti-Rotational Core Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Sep 11, 2015

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads/Groin
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders/Traps

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. Rest as needed. Do not rush the movements but take your time to really use your core to stabilize.

CIRCUIT #1:
8-12 reps Unilaterally-Loaded Deadlift
8-12 reps per side Anti-Rotational Single-Arm Inverted Row
6-12 reps per side Renegade Rows

CIRCUIT #2:
8-12 reps per side Single Leg Squat
8-12 reps per side Anti-Rotational Single-Arm Press
8-12 reps per side Stability Press

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Quads/Groin
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest/Shoulders/Traps

NOTES:

Do not rush through these movements. Take your time to really focus on core stability. Record reps, weights and variations so you can improve upon them over time!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Unilaterally-Loaded Deadlift – To do the Unilaterally-Loaded Deadlift, you can hold a dumbbell, kettlebell or even a sandbag. Hold the weight in one hand and hold it at your side like a briefcase. With the weight by your side, stand nice and tall with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Then, hinge over at the hips as you sit your butt back and lean forward. Bend your knees as you hinge and lower the weight down to the ground. Keep your chest pressed out and your back flat as you hinge over. Drop the sandbag to the ground without allowing your body to rotate or lean. Hinge straight back and don’t shift to one side. Your Deadlift should look like you are holding weights in both hands. Really sit your butt back as you hinge and keep the abs engaged. Then drive straight back up to standing and squeeze your glutes at the top. Repeat, holding the weight on the same side. Again, do not let your back round as you lower down or let yourself lean or rotate. Once you’ve completed all reps on one side, switch the weight to the other hand. Start light so you can get proper form and make sure that you don’t shift or rotate. You should really feel your core working to keep your body in alignment.

Anti-Rotational Single-Arm Inverted Row – To do the Anti-Rotational Single-Arm Inverted Row, a Suspension Trainer works best. Grab one handle of the trainer in one hand and place the other hand across your chest. You can also reach the free arm up as if holding a strap if that will help remind you to keep your shoulders square. Set up with your body in a nice straight line, squeezing your quads, glutes and core and pressing your chest out. Make sure to relax your shoulder down and back and not shrug up. Walk your feet forward to an appropriate incline. The closer to parallel you are to the ground, the harder the move will be. Make sure that you choose an incline that allows you to row with proper form and feel your back working. You do not want your shoulder to shrug. Square up your body and then row up. Do not let the side not holding the strap rotate toward the strap as you row up or the shoulder of the arm not holding a strap to drop open. You want to row up as if you are pulling with both arms. That means your body shouldn’t close toward the strap or your shoulder shouldn’t open toward the ground. Drive your elbow down and back as you row up and row your chest all the way up to the handle. Do not shrug your shoulder as you row. Then lower back down. Do not let your back round or your body open up toward the ground as you lower. Repeat rowing back up, making sure that you don’t bounce off the bottom or rotate as you repeat.

Renegade Rows – To do the Renegade Row, you will need two weights. Set them on the ground under your shoulders. If you place your hands and the weights closer together, it will make the movement easier and help you balance. Then set up in a high plank position with each hand on a weight. Beginners may need to do this from their knees while more advanced exercisers will do this on their toes. If you are doing this on your toes, set your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. You can also widen out your knees if doing this from your knees. A wider stance will make the move easier by providing you with a more stable base. In the plank position, engage your core and squeeze your glutes so that your body is in a nice straight line. Then row one weight up toward your chest, driving your elbow down and back. You want to drive it back toward the ceiling, but also down toward your hip. As you row up, fight your body’s urge to rotate. Keep your hips and chest square to the ground. Row the weight all the way up to your chest just below your pec. Keep your core tight and squeeze your glutes. Do not let your butt go up toward the ceiling or your hips sag. After rowing the weight up to your chest, lower the weight back down and then row up on the other side. Keep alternating until all reps are complete. Keep your core braced and fight the rotation as you alternate rows. Do not rush the movement.

Single Leg Squat – To do the Single Leg Squat to bench, choose a bench that is as low as possible. The lower the bench, the harder the move. Stand in front of the bench and lift one leg out in front of you. Then sit back and squat to the bench. The more you completely sit and reset on the bench, the easier the move will be, especially if you lift your standing leg and then stomp it back into the ground. If you just barely touch and go, you may find that the move is harder. Also, the more you swing your arms, the more momentum you will have to help you stand back up. Make sure to keep the heel of the standing leg down as you squat and drive back up to standing.

Another great Single Leg Squat variation to do if you need a little assistance is the Suspension Trainer Single Leg Squat.

Anti-Rotational Single-Arm Press – To do the Standing Anti-Rotational Single-Arm Press with a resistance band, anchor the band behind you at about chest height. Hold one handle in one hand and step away from the anchor point so that there is tension in the band when your hand is in at your chest. You can stand in a staggered stance or with both feet even. Standing with your feet even will make the move more challenging and force your core to work harder to stabilize. If you stand with your feet even, the wider apart your feet are, the more stable your base will be. To challenge your core further, stand with your feet even and close together. Then with your hand up at your chest and your shoulder relaxed down and back, press your arm straight out from your chest. Do not rotate as you press and do not let the shoulder shrug or the hand press up and out. You want to press straight out from the chest, keeping your chest pressed out and your shoulders down. Then once you press all the way out without letting your core rotate, bring the hand back. You want your body to move as if you were pressing both hands, aka with your chest and hips staying square instead of rotating. Complete all reps on one side before switching. You can place the hand that isn’t working across your chest, by your side or on your hip. Do whichever helps you fight the urge to rotate.

Stability Press – To do the Stability Press, you can use a resistance band or cable. If you are using a band, anchor the band and then hold one handle in both hands. Turn to the side so you are sideways to the anchor point and step away from the anchor point so that there is tension in the band. You want to make sure there is tension or the move won’t be challenging. Stand with your feet no more than shoulder-width apart. The closer your feet are together, the harder the move will be. Choose a stance though that challenges you while allowing you to maintain good form and not lean away. As you become stronger, bring your feet closer together and then even try a heavier band or walk further from the anchor point. Bring your hands into the center of your chest and squeeze your glutes while you brace your abs. Standing up nice and tall with your chest pressed out, slowly push the band straight out from the center of your chest until your arms are straight out. It should be a struggle to press the arms straight out because the band is trying to rotate you back toward the anchor point. Your core should have to work to stabilize and press straight out from your chest. Do not let your arms rotate open and go back toward the anchor. You want to press straight out from the center of your chest without shrugging your shoulders. Maintain a nice tall posture with your shoulder blades drawn down and back and your core engaged. Make sure you also don’t lean away. Then slowly bring your arms back in and repeat. Move slowly to really have to fight the band. If you move too quickly, you won’t get as much out of the move and you’ll probably get sloppy and let yourself rotate toward the anchor point or even shift open and push away. Also, if you allow your stance to rotate open or if you lean away, it will make the movement easier and won’t force that inside side (the side closest to the anchor point) to really work to stabilize. Complete all reps on one side before turning and facing the other way to work the other side. Really consciously engage your glutes before starting to press.