Projects Archive Page 29 of 35 | Redefining Strength

Warm Up For Your Run – Stretch And Loosen Up

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 10, 2013

ROLL OUT
Target your:
Feet
Calves
Shins
IT Bands
Adductors
Quads
Hamstrings
Hips/Glutes/Low Back

DYNAMIC STRETCHES AND LOCOMOTION

You will be moving down and back a 20-50ft length with these stretches.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps World’s Greatest Stretch
10 reps Side to Side Lunge
10 reps Quad Stretch and Reach
10 reps Standing Hamstring Stretch and Reach
10 reps Standing Glute Stretch
Jog/Backpedal
High Knees
Butt Kickers

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

World’s Greatest Stretch – Start in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and feet together. Your body should start in a nice straight line. Step your right foot outside your right hand. Drop the right elbow down into the instep of your right foot. Then rotate open facing your right leg, stretching your right arm up toward the ceiling. Bring the right hand back down to the ground. Then step your other foot forward and stand up. Then step forward with the left foot so it is outside your hand. Drop the left elbow down into the instep of your left foot. Then rotate open facing your left leg, stretching your left arm up toward the ceiling. Bring the left hand back down to the ground. Then step your other foot forward and stand up. Keep alternating sides as you move forward.

Side to Side Lunge – Step laterally and sink into a side lunge, bending the knee and sitting your butt back. Keep the other leg straight as you step to the side. Then move to a side lunge on the other side, staying low as you move across. Then drive off the bent leg and come up to standing. Step out to the side again and move in a low lunge to the other side. Step back up and together. Once you do about 5 stepping out into a lunge on one side, switch to the other side.

Quad Stretch and Reach – Standing on the right foot, grab the left ankle with the left hand. Pull the left heel in to your butt while keeping the leg close to the standing leg and the knee pointing toward the ground. As you stretch the quad, reach the right hand up and back toward the ceiling. You should feel a nice stretch not only down your quad but also across your entire body. This will even open up your chest and lat after sitting all day at a computer. Hold for 1-2 seconds and then step forward and do the stretch on the other side.

Standing Hamstring Stretch and Reach – Standing, cross your left leg over your right leg. Bring the left foot over and across until the big toe is even with the big toe of the right foot. You want your feet even so that your front leg (the left leg) is pressing the back leg (right leg) straight during the stretch. Clasp your hands together and reach up overhead. Get a nice big stretch. Then bend forward, reaching the hands down to the ground. Hold for 1-2 seconds. Then relax and step forward to repeat on the other side. If your hips/glutes are tight, you can also reach toward the instep of the back foot to stretch your IT Band.

Standing Glute Stretch – Stand and lift one leg, bending the knee and grabbing under your ankle and knee. Pull the bent leg into your chest to feel a nice stretch in the outside of your glute. Then step forward and pull the other leg in.

Jog/Backpedal – A nice light run down and then backward back. You aren’t running your fastest. You are just getting your heart rate up.
High Knees – Jogging forward down, try to bring your knees forward up to your chest. Try to do as many high knees as possible almost in place. Don’t worry about moving quickly down the 20-50ft. Instead focus on doing a ton of high knee reps. As you move backward back, continue the high knees even though they may feel awkward.
Butt Kickers – Jogging forward down, try to kick your butt with your heels. Try to kick your butt as many time as you can. Don’t worry about moving forward quickly just try to kick your butt quickly. Even as you move backward, continue to kick your butt.

The Do More Pull Ups Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 10, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete 1-2 rounds of the Isometric circuit. Rest up to 30 seconds between holds if needed. Then complete 3-5 rounds of the second circuit. Rest 1-2 minutes between rounds and 2-3 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds – 1 minute Dead Hang
30 seconds – 1 minute Scapular Hold
30 seconds – 1 minute Pull Up Hold

CIRCUIT #2:
5-15 reps Eccentric Pull Ups
10-15 reps Scapular Band Flyes
10-20 reps Knees to Elbows

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

NOTES:
Beginners may need to start with assisted holds. For the pull up hold and dead hang, beginners may lightly touch their toes on the ground. Only use the ground as much as needed. Make sure to really stretch out and roll your back. If needed, roll and stretch while you rest between rounds.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Dead Hang – Hold on to a pull up bar or suspension trainer and hang from the bar. Your hands can be facing toward you or away from you. As you hang, do not let your shoulders shrug up. Keep your chest pressed out and your core tight. Your legs should hang down toward the ground. Do not tuck your knees up toward your chest.

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.

Pull Up Hold – You can do this as a chin up or pull up. You can do it off a bar, off a peg board and/or off of XT/TRX straps. Whichever you use pull to the top of a pull up or chin up and HOLD. The less stable the appliance, the harder this move will be. Keep your legs straight down toward the ground and your chin above the bar. Keep your chest should be pressed out and your shoulder blades should be down and back. Squeeze your belly button in toward your spine and keep your glutes tight. Hold there until time is up.

Eccentric Pull Ups – Beginners will jump to the top of the pull up/chin up and then lower down as slowly as possible (try for 3-5 seconds). More advanced exercisers will perform a regular pull up/chin up to the top and then again slowly lower down, going as slow as possible. Try not to swing and keep your core tight and legs straight down toward the ceiling. Keep your chest pressed out as you pull up and lower back down.

Scapular Band Flyes – Hold the resistance band with your hands about shoulder-width apart. Arms should be straight out in front of you at about shoulder height or right below. Keeping your arms straight, open your arms out to the side. Pinch your shoulder blades together as you open. Do not let your shoulders shrug up. Then once you open the band to your chest with your arms straight, bring your arms back together so your arms are about shoulder-width apart again and there is no slack in the band. Repeat. (This is the first set of two shown although you can sub in the other two variations.)

Knees to Elbows – Grab the bar as if to do a pull up. With your feet together, hang from the bar. Retract the shoulder blades and pull slightly on the bar. As you pull, tuck your knees in toward your elbows. You will need to pull a little on the bar and can’t just passively hang. Curl your knees up as high as you can. Beginners may not be able to completely reach their elbows. Then lower back down and repeat. You can tap your feet on the ground between each one to still the swinging if you feel it in your low back.

The Sled Quad Killer Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 10, 2013

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 15 minutes for each circuit. Do as many rounds as possible in each 15 minute round. Do not go to failure so that you can keep moving from exercise to exercise.

CIRCUIT #1:
8-12 reps per side Single Leg Squats
20-50ft Reverse Sled Drag

CIRCUIT #2:
8-12 reps per side Balance Lunge
20-50ft Sled Frog Hops

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings

NOTES:

For the reverse sled drags, add as much weight as you can handle. With the frog hops, make them heavy, but not so heavy that you can’t move explosively forward without pausing between jumps.

If you need to rest between rounds at all, stretch out your hips and quads quickly.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Single Leg Squats – Choose a variation of the single leg squat that is right for you. Beginners may use a box step while more advanced lifters may use a doorway, TRX or XT straps for balance. If you can do a full pistol squat or use a plate weight to counter balance you, do that variation. Choose as hard a variation as you can do. To perform the basic single leg squat to bench, you will start by standing on one leg. Hold the other leg straight out in front of you. Lower yourself down until you are sitting on the box or table. Then driving off the heel on the ground, stand back up. Do not lean way forward or touch your raised foot to the ground. If you use a box, the more you allow yourself to sit down, the easier the move will be. The more you just lightly touch the box and come right back up, the harder the move will be. Also the lower the box you use or the lower down you go on any variation, the harder the move will be.

Reverse Sled Drag – Hook a strap and handles up to a sled. Then stand facing the sled with a handle in each hand. Bend your knees and sink into a little squat. Keep your chest up and your back flat with your arms out straight in front of you. Then start walking backward. Stay as low as possible and do not let your back round forward as you walk backwards.

Balance Lunge – Place your back foot up on a table, bench, chair or box. Do not let the chair or bench be too high. Hop your front foot out so you are in a nice wide stance with your back foot up on the box. Then sink down, dropping your back knee toward the ground. Really sit back into the lunge. Make sure you aren’t going forward and that your front knee is not going past your toe. You should 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.

Sled Frog Hops – If your sled has higher handles, use that side. Set your feet about hip-width apart and place your hands on the handles with your arms out straight. Lean your chest forward a bit with your back flat, pressing your arms straight into the sled. Sit your butt back a little then drive your hips forward, sliding the sled forward as you jump. Sink right back down into a little half squat then jump forward again. Try not to pause between hops. Try to move quickly while doing as big of jumps as possible.

Stronger Legs For Cycling

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 9, 2013

WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings

WORKOUT
Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. Rest up to 1 minute between rounds and 1-2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
5-12 reps per side Backward Rotational and Front Cross Lunges
8-12 reps per side Single Leg Glute Bridge Off Box

CIRCUIT #2:
8-15 reps per side Side Lunges
15-20 reps Reverse Hypers

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Feet
Shins
Calves
IT Bands
Hips/Glutes
Groin
Quads
Hamstrings

NOTES: These workouts will help strengthen your glutes for more power when riding and less pain in your hips, low back and knees. Use weights to advance the lunges and use a hold at the top of the glute bridges and hypers to make them harder.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Backward Rotational and Front Cross Lunges – This move is two lunges, one opening back and the other lunging forward and across. One rep is both the open back lunge and the front cross lunge. For the backward lunge, you will lunge toward “5″ on the clock with your right foot. Your right foot, when you step back, will be perpendicular to your left foot, which is pointing toward “12.” Push your butt back and sink into a lunge, bending the right knee while keeping the left leg straight. Do not let the right heel come up. Keep your chest up and sit your butt backward. Driving off your right heel, push back to standing. Make sure that your left toe doesn’t rotate but continues to point toward “12.” Also make sure your left leg does not bend.Once you push back to standing, you are going to take your right foot and step forward and across. Beginners will need to pause between lunges while more advanced exercisers will go right from one to the other. For the front cross lunge, lunge forward and across toward about “10″ on the clock with your right foot. Pivot your right foot so that your feet are perpendicular. Sink down into a lunge, bending both knees. Make sure your right heel stays down as you lunge. Then drive off your right heel to come back to standing and repeat going into the backward rotational lunge. Front load, holding a weight at your chest to advance the move.

Single Leg Glute Bridges Off Box – Beginners should do a single leg bridge from the ground or even a two leg bridge if they can’t get their hips up as high with the single leg bridge. Intermediate exercisers may want to do a two leg glute bridge with their heels up on the box. The single leg glute bridge off the box is an advanced progression. To do the glute bridge off the box, place your heels on the box. Your butt should be right against the box. Bend your arms to 90 degrees with just your upper arm on the ground. Lift one leg up and point the toe toward the ceiling. Do not bend that leg or use it to help you bridge up. Drive through the heel on the box and press your hips up as high as you can. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight as you bridge up. Hold for a second or two and then lower down. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Side Lunges – Lunging with the right foot, step the right foot out toward “3″ on the clock. As you lunge out to the side, you are going to bend the right knee and sit your butt back. Keep your left leg straight. Both toes should be pointing straight ahead. Keep your right heel down as you sink into the lunge. Push your butt back and keep your chest up. Then drive back up to standing and repeat on the same side. Add weight to make the move more challenging.

Reverse Hypers – Lie face down on a table, bench or box. Make sure your hips are right at the edge. Hold on to something in front of you if you want. Keep your upper body relaxed. Squeeze your legs together and point your toes out. Lift your legs to basically parallel to the ground, keeping your legs straight. Do not hyperextend your back and lift way higher than parallel. You do not want to feel this in your low back. Hold for 2-5 seconds and then lower down. Keep your core tight and really squeeze your glutes as you lift.

Suspension Trainer Interval Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 8, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete 5-10 rounds of the circuit below. Complete 10 reps of each exercise then rest for 10 seconds between exercises. After each round, rest for 1-2 minutes.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps each side Alternating Single Leg Lunge
10 seconds Rest
10 reps Row to Rotational Press
10 seconds Rest
10 reps Decline Push Ups
10 seconds Rest
10 reps Oblique Knee Tuck
10 seconds Rest
10 reps each side Hamstring Sprinters

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

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Alternating Single Leg Lunge – To do the Single Leg Lunge, hold a strap in each hand and step back so that there is tension in the straps. Then stand on one foot and bend the other knee bringing your foot up toward your butt. You want to drop the knee of the back leg down to the ground without touching your foot down. Sit your butt back and hinge over, dropping that back knee down to the ground. You want to make sure you are sitting back and driving through that standing heel. Do not rock forward and come up onto your toes. Also, make sure you don’t “swing” back on the straps. You want that knee to be over your ankle/foot. Touch your knee down then drive through your heel to come back up to standing. Squeeze your glutes at the top. Use the suspension trainer to help you balance and get back up, but do not turn this into an upper body exercise. Use your arms only as needed! Alternate sides until all reps are complete. Beginners may not be able to go all the way down and touch their knee to the ground. Start with the range of motion you can control while feeling your glutes work. Advanced exercisers may want to slow down the tempo to make this move harder or even hold only one suspension trainer strap.

Row to Rotational Press – To do the 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.

Decline Push Ups – The Decline Suspension Trainer Push Up is a more challenging push up variation. To make it more challenging, you will raise your feet up higher and put your body at a bigger incline. To make the move easier, you will lower the foot straps down closer toward the ground so that your feet are in line with your body. This move is very core intensive so beginners may want to start with a push up from the ground first. To do the Decline Suspension Trainer 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. Instead do the Incline Suspension Trainer Push Up if this is too advanced.

Oblique Knee Tuck – Place your feet in the suspension trainer straps and your hands on the ground under your shoulders. Your body should be in a nice straight line. Then pull your feet in toward your body, tucking your knees in toward your chest. As you tuck, bring them slightly to one side. After you tuck your knees in, you will straighten your legs straight back out. Do not let your hips sag as you straighten back out or your butt go up in the air. Make sure that as you straighten back out you move back center. Keep your body in a nice straight line. Repeat, tucking your knees in to the other side and then driving them back out to the center. Beginners may do mountain climbers in the straps or even from the ground.

Hamstring Sprinters – Lie on your back with your heels in the straps and your legs out straight. Squeeze your glutes and drive through your upper back and heels to raise up into a straight leg glute bridge. Then bring one knee in toward your chest as you keep your hips up and your body in a straight line. Shoot that leg back out straight and bring in the other knee. Keep alternating legs, bring one knee at a time into your chest as if running. Move quickly while keeping your hips up. Do not let your hips sag down toward the ground. Beginners may need to start with either a glute bridge or the Hamstring Sprinters from towels on the ground.