Projects Archive Page 23 of 35 | Redefining Strength

The 30-Minute Landmine Cardio Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 21, 2014

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

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 20 second intervals. Work on one exercise for 20 seconds then switch to the second exercise (or side if the move is unilateral) then rest 20 seconds before repeating the circuit. Complete 5 rounds of each circuit then rest for 1-2 minutes before moving on to the next circuit. This workout with a quick warm up and cool down shouldn’t take you longer than 30 minutes!

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds (Right) Lunge to Press
20 seconds (Left) Lunge to Press
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds Landmine Burpee
20 seconds Ab Twists
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds (Right) Rotational Deadlift Press
20 seconds (Left) Rotational Deadlift Press
20 seconds Rest

CIRCUIT #4:
20 seconds (Right) Standing Knees
20 seconds (Left) Standing Knees
20 seconds Rest

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

NOTES:

Adjust weight as needed. You want to start light and make sure that even as you add weight you can move quickly and really work the entire 20 seconds. Remember to rest only 20 seconds after the two exercises and then 1-2 minutes after all five rounds are completed.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Lunge to Press – Grab the barbell in one hand and face the Landmine. Bring your hand up to your shoulder. Then lunge back on the side holding the barbell. Keep your chest up as you lunge back and make sure to sit back into that front heel. Do not go up onto your front toe. As you come back up to standing, drive through that front heel and press the barbell up overhead. Fully extend your arm. Then bring the barbell back down to your shoulder and repeat, lunging back again on the same side. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Keep your chest up tall and your abs braced through the entire movement. Do not lean toward the side holding the barbell. Because your legs will also be helping you press if move straight from the lunge to the press, you may find you can also use a bit more weight.

Landmine Burpee – Hold the barbell in both hands at chest height. Stand with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Press the barbell quickly overhead. Then squat down and lower the barbell down to the ground. Place the barbell on the ground and then place your hands on the ground besides the barbell. Jump your feet back so that you are in the high plank position. Then jump your feet back in about shoulder-width apart so that you are in a squat. Pick up the barbell while in the squat and bring it up to your chest. Stand back up and press the barbell overhead to repeat the burpee. Make sure to use your legs as you pick up and lower the barbell to the ground. You don’t want to use only your back to lift especially as you add weight!

Ab Twists – Hold the barbell in both hands at shoulder height with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Press the bar overhead. Keeping your arms straight and your shoulders down (do not shrug), lower the bar down toward one hip, pivoting your back foot as you lower the bar. Then, pivot back forward, bringing the bar back up center. Then drop the bar down toward the other hip, pivoting the back foot as you rotate. When the bar is lighter you can move very slowly and work on stability. Make sure that you still pivot your back foot to keep your hip, knee and ankle in proper alignment. As the bar gets heavier (and if you want to make this move more explosive), you will want to get your legs and hips more involved and really “pop” the bar up off your hip to drive it to the other hip. You will pivot hard to use the legs to twist the bar from hip to hip. With both moves, make sure to brace your abs as if preparing to be punched to protect your low back during the movement.

Rotational Deadlift Press – Stand at the end of the barbell facing the barbell, sideways to the Landmine anchor. Grab toward the very end of the barbell with an overhead grip and almost at the end of the barbell with an underhand grip. Your hands on the barbell should be about shoulder-width apart. Stand facing the barbell with your feet about shoulder-width apart. They may even be a bit wider. Hinge over like with a deadlift, bending your knees and sinking your butt while keeping your chest up and arms straight. Make sure your heels stay on the ground as you sink your butt. With your arms straight down holding the bar, pull up just slightly so there is tension on the bar before you lift. Your arms will be inside your legs and your shins should be right up against the bar. Then quickly stand up out of the deadlift and as you do, rotate toward the Landmine attachment and press the bar across and overhead. Your back foot, the foot closest to the end of the barbell, should pivot as you rotate and press across. Then bring the bar back down and sink back into a deadlift. Do not just lean over to bring the barbell back down to the ground. Sink your butt back down to drop the bar back down. Move slowly back down then explosively to bring the weight back up and across. Use your legs to power your press up and across. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Make sure you are using your legs to lift the barbell and not your back. Keep your abs braced and a nice tall posture through the movement. You want to power the deadlift and even the rotational press with your glutes not your low back.

Standing Knees – Stand facing the Landmine with the barbell in both hands. Press the barbell up overhead and move back behind the barbell. Set up in a staggered stance with one leg straight back. Then pull the weight down and toward the side of the foot that is staggered back. As you pull the weight down, bring that knee up and in toward your chest. Pull the weight and drive the knee toward each other. Crunch slightly as you bring the two together. Then quickly press back overhead and put the knee back down, driving the foot back into the staggered stance. Again, quickly pull the weight down and drive the knee up. Move quickly and explosively. Complete all reps on one side before switching. If you find you can’t bring the knee close to the bar, you may be in too close to the barbell and need to set up a little more behind it. Start light as this move will challenge your balance more than you realize. Keep your abs braced the entire time so that you don’t feel this move in your low back.

Chest and Back Suspension Trainer Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 13, 2014

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Wrists/Forearms
Chest
Shoulders
Back
Lats

WORKOUT
Complete 3-5 rounds of each of the following supersets. Rest about 30 seconds between rounds of the superset and up to 1 minute between supersets.

SUPERSET #1:
8-15 reps Inverted Row
8-15 reps Back Fly

SUPERSET #2:
8-15 reps Decline Push Up
8-15 reps Plank Climbers

SUPERSET #3:
8-15 reps Row to Rotational Press
8-15 reps Ab Roll Out

SUPERSET #4:
8-15 reps Chest Flyes
8-15 reps Tricep Extensions

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Wrists/Forearms
Chest
Shoulders
Back
Lats

NOTES:
Exercisers of all levels should be able to do these moves with the suspension trainer. No weights should be needed. Make sure to do a rep range that challenges you. Do not just stop at 8 reps because that is the minimum. Choose a variation of each exercise that challenges you.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Inverted Row – Hold a suspension trainer strap in each hand. There are three basic grips you can use – palms facing your head, palms facing your feet or palms facing in toward each other. Walk your feet forward toward the anchor point so that you are leaning back. The further forward you walk your feet and the closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Do not sacrifice form though to get lower. If you can’t row all the way up or your body doesn’t stay in a nice straight line, walk your feet back and make the move easier. Then starting at the bottom of the row with your arms out straight, squeeze your core and glutes and press your chest out so there is tension between your shoulder blades. Make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders and that your body is in a nice straight line from your feet to your head. Then row up, keeping your body in that nice straight line. Drive your elbows down and back as you row up to make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders. Row until your chest comes up to the handles and then lower yourself back down. Do not curl your wrists to row all the way up. Keep your wrists in a nice straight line. Also, do not let your back arch in order to get your chest to the handles. Then lower back down until your arms are straight. As you lower back down, don’t let your hips sink toward the ground or your low back arch. Also, keep your chest pressed out the entire time. Make sure you don’t round your thoracic spine at the bottom, but instead keep tension between your shoulder blades at all times. Move in a controlled fashion. You can change up the tempo of the movement to make it easier or harder; however, make sure you are in control of the movement the entire time and not bouncing off the bottom of the row to get back up. Make sure you row low and don’t shrug your shoulders at any point. This is a great movement to activate the big muscles of our back and help alleviate neck, shoulder and upper back pain if it is done correctly. If you shrug your shoulders when you row, you will not activate the big muscles of your back.

Back Fly – Hold a strap in each hand, facing the anchor point of the trainer. Walk your feet forward toward the anchor point. You will not want to walk them in as far as you do with the Inverted Row. Keeping your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels, open your arms out to the side. You may open them slightly out and down to make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders. Keep your elbows soft, but do not bend your arms as you open to the side. Do not turn this into a row. Pull yourself up so your arms are even with your body and then lower back down, bringing your hands back together. Keep your body in a nice straight line as you row. Do not arch your back to help yourself get all the way up. If you can’t fly your arms all the way open, walk your feet back so you are more vertical instead of horizontal. Do not let your hips sag or arch as you perform the fly. Squeeze your glutes and keep your abs engaged. Make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders as you open. Keep your chest pressed out as you perform the fly. Move slowly and don’t bounce off the bottom. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades down and together as you perform the Back Fly. If you feel this too much in your neck and upper traps, you may want to try the Scapular Band Fly first to learn how to engage your lower traps. (This post has some other great back exercises as well!)

Decline Push Up – Place your feet in the straps and walk your hands out so that you are in a plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a nice straight line. Squeeze your glutes and quads and draw your belly button in toward your spine. Keep your feet together and your body in a nice straight line as you lower your chest down toward the ground. Do not let your elbows flare out toward your shoulders. You want to create an arrow shape with your arms and body as you lower down. Then press back up, making sure your body moves together as one unit. Do not let your hips sag or your butt rise up toward the ceiling. To make the move harder, make the suspension straps shorter so that the push up is even more of a decline push up. You can also walk your hands forward and pull the suspension trainers straps forward so that when you do the push up, the straps are trying to pull you backward. This Decline Suspension Trainer Push Up is an advanced move to begin with. Do not attempt this if you can’t easily complete a perfect push up from your toes on the ground.

Plank Climbers – Place your toes in the straps and set up in a high plank position from your hands. Your hands should be under your shoulders and your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your toes. The farther out you set up in the plank from the straps hanging straight down, the harder the move will be because the trainer will work to pull you back. Then, engaging your quads, glutes and abs to keep your body in a nice straight line, lower down onto one forearm and then the other. Once in a plank position from your forearms, climb back up one hand at a time, placing your hand where your elbow was. Keep your core engaged and wiggle your hips as little as possible as you climb up and down. Make sure that both hands lead the climb up and down. You can alternate which hand leads each rep or you can switch after a certain number of reps.

Row to Rotational Press – Hold a strap in each hand and walk your feet forward so that your body is at an appropriate incline. The closer to parallel to the ground you are, the harder the move will be. Start at more of an incline than you would for the Inverted Row because of the press portion of this movement. Once you are set at an appropriate incline, place your arms outstretched in front of you with your hands together. Then row your hands in toward your chest, driving your elbows down and back. Do not shrug your shoulders as you row. Once you’ve brought your chest up to your hands, rotate and press your hands out to the right. Then bring them back to the center of your chest and lower back down, straightening your arms out in front of you. Make sure to keep your shoulders down the entire time. Do not let them shrug up by your ears. You want to make the big muscles of your back work. Throughout the entire movement, keep your body in a straight line. Do not let your hips sag toward the ground or your low back arch as your row and press. Alternate presses, rowing up and pressing to the right and then the left. As you fatigue, do not bounce or swing to get up. If you need to make the movement easier as you fatigue, walk your feet back so that you are more vertical.

Ab Roll Out – Kneel on the ground behind the trainer with a hand on each handle. Extend your arms straight out in front of you at about chest height. Then, keeping your core tight, begin to reach your hands up toward the ceiling, leaning forward as you do. Keep your body in a nice straight line as you lean forward and extend your arms up overhead. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs so that you don’t feel the move in your low back. Reach up as far as you can and then, pulling your arms back down with your lats, lower your arms back down in front of you, bringing your body back up. Do not let your butt sit back first as you come back up. You want your body to move as one unit driven by your lats pulling your arms back down to push your body back to the starting position. Repeat, reaching up as far as you can each and every time. Do not let your low back arch. Engage your abs and glutes to keep your low back safe!

Chest Flyes – Stand facing away from the suspension trainer anchor point with a hand in each strap. Hold the straps so that your palms are facing each other. Walk your feet back so your body is at an incline. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Set up with your arms out in front of you in line with your shoulders and your feet together. Your elbows may be slightly bent. Then, keeping your body in a nice straight line, let your arms open up to the sides as you lower your body down forward. Your arms may bend a little as you open them up; however, you don’t want to turn this into a press. Do not let your arms flare up above your shoulders as you open them. Drop your chest in between your open arms. Then, keeping your body in a nice straight line, pull your arms back together and move back to the top of the fly. As you pull your hands back together and return to the top of the fly, do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag down toward the ground. You want your body to move in a nice straight line. Only open your arms out as wide as you can control. If you can’t maintain a straight line with your body or you can’t open your arms up very far, regress the movement by walking your feet forward so you are more vertical instead of parallel to the ground.

Tricep Extensions – Stand facing away from the suspension trainer anchor point with a hand in each strap and your palms facing away from you (so thumbs next to each other). Walk your feet back so your body is at an incline. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Remember this isn’t a big muscle group working so don’t go too low to start. Set up with your arms out straight in front of you in line with your shoulders and your feet together. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and that you aren’t shrugging them up by your ears. Then, keeping your body in a nice straight line and your upper arms in line with your shoulders, curl the backs of your hands toward your forehead. Do not let your hips sag down toward the ground or your butt go back as you curl your hands back. Then, once you’ve brought your hands to your forehead, press your hands back out until your arms are fully extended again at shoulder height. As you press your hands back out, you will press your body away. Curl and press away in a slow and control manner. Make sure to press your arms straight back out. Do not let them go out to the sides. Also, you should not feel this move in your low back. Keep your core engaged and make sure your feel your triceps working.

The Valslide 30/15 Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 8, 2014

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

LOCOMOTION

Set a timer for 5 minutes. Working at about 75% of your maximum effort, jog, backpedal, side shuffle, carioca or do high knees or butt kickers…You can even crawl but move around to really get your blood pumping.

WORKOUT

Perform 3-6 rounds of the circuit below. Work for 30 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds between each exercise. Rest 1 minute between each round. Beginners may find they need more rest between rounds or perform fewer rounds.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Oblique Knee Tuck Burpees
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Jumps For Height
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Fly To Push Up
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Plank Wipers
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Glute Bridge and Curl
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Crawling
1 minute Rest

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. You want to go all out without going to failure before the 30 seconds is up.

To get Valslides, click here.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Oblique Knee Tuck Burpees – Check out these 10 Burpee Variations for a video demonstration of the Oblique Knee Tuck Burpee. If you have other equipment or would like to vary it up a bit, try one of the other variations as well!

Jumps For Height – To do Jumps for Height, stand with your feet between hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Sit your butt back and hinge over slightly, reaching your arms back and down by your hips. Then explode up off the ground, reaching your arms overhead and fully extending your hips. Then as you land, swing your arms back and bend your knees to sit your butt back into your starting position. Do not squat too low. If you drop too low in a squat, you will actually reduce your power. You want to hinge at the hips and slightly bend your knees. This is a hip extension movement so you want to load your glutes so they can powerfully propel you up as high as possible. You will also want to use your arms to help propel you up. Make sure that when you land, you land with soft knees. You should never land with your legs completely locked. Bend your knees to help you absorb the impact of landing. Remember, to make the move harder, jump up and sink right back into the hinge to repeat as quickly as possible. Really focus on a soft landing and then exploding quickly into as high a jump as you can.

For Fly to Push Up, Plank Wipers, Glute Bridge and Curl and Crawling – For demonstrations and descriptions of these moves, see this Valslide video.

The 15-Minute Travel Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 1, 2014

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

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 15 minutes and complete as many rounds of the circuit below as possible. Rest only as needed.

CIRCUIT:
8-15 reps per side Valslide Reverse Lunge
5-15 reps Lateral Push Up Walk
10-20 reps Band Pull Through
8-15 reps per side Plank Wipers

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

NOTES:

Complete as many reps as possible in the 15 minutes. Do not go to failure on any exercise so that you can keep moving. Make sure to challenge yourself though and do the hardest variation of each move as possible.

This workout is based on having the Total ValGym. Click here to get your Total ValGym.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

For all the exercises in this workout, check out these 30 Travel Exercises.

The Squat/Push Pyramid

by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 26, 2014

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

WORKOUT

Start with one rep of each exercise in the circuit. After you do one rep of each exercise, you will do two reps of each exercise. Then three reps. You will go all the way up to 10 reps of each exercise then back down to one rep of each exercise. Rest as needed, but try to complete the pyramid as quickly as possible, using weights that challenge you the entire time. Move from one exercise to the next trying to only rest when needed between rounds. Remember, you are adding a rep each round until you hit 10 reps of each exercise and then you are going back down to 1 rep of each move.

CIRCUIT:
KB Front Squat
Dips
Balance Lunges
TFW Sit Up

COOL DOWN

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

NOTES:

You may find that you need to adjust weight as you go up in repetitions or even down in reps. Beginners will want to start lighter since this is a high volume workout.

Make sure you challenge yourself with weight instead of just cruising through and completing the workout as quickly as possible.

Rest only as needed.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

KB Front Squat – To do the Goblet KB Front Squat, take one kettlebell and turn it upside down, holding it on the bell. Set your feet between hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Keep the kettlebell in at your chest. Draw your belly button in toward your spine. Sit your butt back and keep your weight in your heels as you squat down. Keep your chest up and don’t let your back round forward. Sink your butt down as low as you can, keeping your heels on the ground. Then, driving through your heels, come back to standing. Do not lean or rock forward as you stand up. Come all the way up and squeeze your glutes at the top then sink back down. You may also do a double racked kettlebell front squat to make the weight heavier if you don’t have a single bell heavy enough. You can do front squat with a barbell or sandbag instead if no kettlebell is available.

Dips – Check out these Dip Variations. Everyone from the beginner to the advanced lifter will be able to do at least one variation. Make sure to pick a variation that challenges you, but allows you to maintain proper form.

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.

TFW Sit Up – To do the TFW Sit Up, lie on your back on the ground with your legs out straight in front of you. Bring your hands up under your chin. Then from lying on the ground, come up to a seated position, bringing your knees in as you sit up. As you come to a tucked seated position, grab your shins with your hands. Then lie back down, straightening your legs out in front of you. Sit back up and bring your knees back in, grabbing your shins. Lie back down and repeat.