Projects Archive Page 34 of 35 | Redefining Strength

Battling Ropes Interval Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Perform 3-6 rounds of each exercise. Rest for 1-2 and a half minutes between rounds (1 minute advanced, 2 and a half minutes beginner).

CIRCUIT #1:
1 minute Stage Coach

CIRCUIT #2:
1 minute Sidewinders

CIRCUIT #3:
1 minute Alternating Arms Waves

CIRCUIT #4:
1 minute Rainbows

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

NOTES:

Go as fast as you can for the entire minute. Beginners may need to start with 30 seconds if they haven’t used the ropes much.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Stage Coach – Loop the rope around an anchor and hold one side in each hand. Pull the rope out straight then take a step or two in. Hold the rope with the handles facing up. Your arms should be bent slightly and your feet should be about hip-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and then as you stand back up, pull up on the ropes with your arms. Then as you slam the rope back down, squat back down just a little. Move quickly, making small fast waves. Don’t worry about big slams. Keep your chest up and shoulders back as you create the waves. Don’t round forward or keep your legs locked out. Create as many waves as possible. As you advance, step forward closer to the anchor so there is more slack in the rope. (Alternating Arms Top, Stage Coach Bottom)

Sidewinders – Loop the rope around an anchor and hold one side in each hand. Keep more slack in the rope than you would with other battling ropes moves. Relax your arms and stand with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Then sweep your arms to the right, rotating through your core even pivoting a little up onto your left toes. Then quickly sweep your arms to the left. Sweep back and forth. Keep your arms more relaxed and only slightly bent. Use your core to push and pull from side to side. You shouldn’t do huge rotations. Your arms and the rope should stay out in front of you. The ropes should make snake-like waves on the ground and swish side to side. They should not move up and down off the ground.

Alternating Arms Waves – Loop the rope around an anchor and hold one side in each hand. Pull the rope out straight then take a step or two in. Your arms can be straight or bent depending on which is more comfortable. Your feet should be about hip-width apart. You can be more in a squat or your legs can be straighter. Don’t be afraid to use your legs as you create waves and either move up and down with them together or slightly step one foot at a time. To create the waves, lift one arm up as you pull the rope down with the other. Then switch pulling one up and the other down. Alternate as quickly as possible using the legs as needed.
Rainbows – Loop the rope around an anchor and hold one side in each hand. Pull the rope out straight then take a step or two in. Hold the rope with the handles facing up. Keep your hands pretty close together. Rotate the handles outside your right hip and pivot your left leg. Then pull the rope up and then over toward your left hip. Pivot your right leg as you bring the rope to your left hip. Then arch back up bringing the rope up toward your shoulder than back down to your right hip. Keep pivoting and rotating the rope from hip to hip, arching up toward your shoulders as you bring the rope from one hip to another.

Full Body Cardio Parfait

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2013

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

WORKOUT
With this workout, you will end up completing 10 rounds. Each round you will start over at the top of the list, adding a new exercise each round until you complete all 10 exercises on the tenth round.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps Cherry Bombs
20 reps Skater Hops
10 reps Rainbow Slams
20 reps each side Mountain Climbers
10 reps Ski Jacks
20 reps each side Russian Twist with Med Ball
10 reps Med Ball Slams
20 reps Alternating Forward Lunges
10 reps Plank Jacks
20 reps Wall Ball

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

NOTES:

You may need to use a lighter med ball for throws and a heavier one for slams but you can use the same for both as long as you choose a weight that allows you to maintain good form while still challenging you.

Complete the workout as quickly as possible while maintaining good form. Rest only when needed. Record your time and try to beat it next time!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Cherry Bombs – Sit on your butt and draw your knees into your chest. Wrap your arms around your shins and lift your feet off the ground. Then open your arms and lie back, straightening your legs out wide and let your body open toward the ground. You should almost look like a big X on the ground with arms and legs out and open. Then come back to seated and draw your knees back in. Your feet should stay off the ground the entire time.

Skater Hops – Start to one side of the space you have to use. You are going to jump lateral, hopping from one foot to the other while trying to move as quickly and cover as much distance as possible. If you start to the right, you are going to push off your right leg and push yourself laterally as far as you can. When you land, you will land on your left leg. Keep your chest facing straight ahead. As you land, sink into a variation of the skater lunge. Then push off your left leg and jump back right, landing on your right foot. Try not to touch the other foot down when you land. Only touch if you need to. Beginners may need to go slower and not jump as far. As you advance, do not pause on either side of the jump to balance. Also, make sure you are jumping as far as quickly as possible.

Rainbow Slams – Grab a med ball. Pivot your back foot, raise your hands overhead and slam the ball down to one side of your body. Squat a little as you throw and pick it up. When you pick it back up, pivot and rotate to slam the ball down on the other side of your body. You are basically creating an arch or “rainbow” over your head by slamming it from overhead on each side.

Mountain Climbers – Set up in a high plank from your hands and toes. Bring your right knee in toward your chest. Then drive the foot back out and bring your left knee in toward your chest. As you bring each knee in, you will just lightly tap the toe of that leg on the ground. Do not put weight on that front leg. Go as fast as you can, alternating knee drives. Mountain Climbers should look like you are “running” with your hands on the ground. Beginners may need to go slowly to start or even put their hands up on a low table or bar to perform incline mountain climbers. Advanced exercisers will want to “run” as quickly as possible or even add sliders or a towel under their feet.

Ski Jacks – These are a variation of the basic jumping jack. Stand with your feet together and your arms by your side. Then jump one foot backward a bit and raise that arm overhead as you swing the other arm back. Jump and switch the other arm up and the other foot back. It sort of looks like you are cross country skiing. One rep is both sides.

Russian Twist with Med Ball – Balance on your butt with your knees bent and feet off the ground. Hinge back a little with your upper body, maintaining a nice tall posture. Hold a med ball in both hands. Rotate your upper body and arms from side to side, touching the ball to the ground by each hip. Keep your feet off the ground the entire time and move as quickly as possible.

Med Ball Slams – Hold a med ball in both hands. Reach up and overhead, straightening your arms up and back. Then slam the ball straight down between your legs. Squat as you throw it down and pick it up. Repeat quickly.

Alternating Forward Lunges – Stand with your feet together. Step one foot forward and sink down as if you are going to kneel on the ground. Your back heel will come up as you sink down. Bend your back knee as close to the ground as possible. Make sure your front heel stays on the ground. Even though you are lunging forward, when you sink down, you want your weight to be centered and not continue to move forward. Then come back up and drive back to standing by pushing off your front heel. Keep your torso up nice and tall. Do not lean forward. Then lunge forward on the other side. Beginners may not want to lunge as low. Advanced exercisers may want to add a little weight by holding dumbbells at their side. They can also hold the med ball at their chest to add weight.
Plank Jacks – Start in the top of a push up. Your hands should be under your shoulders and you should be on your toes with your feet together. Squeeze your glutes and draw your belly button in toward your spine. Then jump your feet out as wide as you can. Quickly jump them back in. Repeat jumping them in and out as quickly as possible until all reps are complete.

Wall Ball – Hold a med ball in both hands at your chest. Squat down with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. As you explode up, press the ball from your chest throwing it as high up as you can. You can throw it up against a wall if you want to. Do not squat too low. When you explode up, don’t be afraid to jump off the ground. You can either catch the ball when it comes down or you can pick it up off the ground. When you catch it, go right back into a squat and repeat.

Bodyweight Cardio Parfait

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2013

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

WORKOUT

With this workout, you will end up completing 10 rounds. Each round you will start over at the top of the list, adding a new exercise each round until you complete all 10 exercises on the tenth round.

CIRCUIT:
5 reps Super Crunches
10 reps each side Split Squat Jumps
5 reps each side Sit Thrus
10 reps Burpees
5 reps each side Ski Hops
10 reps each side Plank Hip Dips
5 reps 180 Squat Jumps
10 reps Gorilla Crawl
5 reps each side Rocking Chair Abs
10 reps Tuck Jumps

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

NOTES:

This is a great workout to do at home since it requires no equipment. You can even do it when you travel since not much space is required.

Make sure you move as quickly as possible. Rest only when absolutely necessary. There are no breaks built into this workout so if you need rest, you can take it as needed. Just remember your goal is to do it as quickly as possible with good form. Challenge yourself to also do the hardest variations you can. Record your time and try to beat it next time!

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EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Super Crunches – Lie on your back with your legs out straight. Crunch your upper body up as you draw your knees in. Come up so that you are sitting on your butt. Reach your hands to outside one knee. Then lie back down. Then crunch up and reach through your knees. Lie back down. Then crunch up and reach outside the other knee. Those 3 crunches equal one rep.

Split Squat Jumps – Step one foot backward into a lunge. Sink into a deep lunge, bending both knees as if kneeling down to the ground. Then jump up and as you jump, switch into a lunge on the other side. Sink down into the lunge on the other side once you land and then explode back up and while jumping switch back into a lunge on the first side. Beginners may need to do quick step back lunges instead of jumping to switch. The lower you go in the lunge and the quicker you jump and switch, the harder the move will be.

Sit Thrus – Start on your hands and knees. Flex your feet and press up onto your hands and toes with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. You will then rotate open toward the right and bring 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 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. 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.

Burpees – Start standing with your feet together. Then place your hands on the ground in front of your feet. Jump your feet back so you are in the high plank position. Beginners may need to step their feet back instead of jumping them back. Advanced lifters will then do a push up, dropping their chests to the ground. If you can’t move quickly while including the push up or you can’t do a full push up, you will simply jump your feet back then jump them back in with no push up in between. If you do include the push up, once you press back up, jump your feet back up to your hands. As you stand back up, you are going to jump up off the ground. Beginners may not want to include the jump at the top. After you jump, go right back down and repeat the move.

Skater Hops -To do Skater Hops, make sure you have enough space to hop side to side. To set up, start standing to one side of the space you have to use. If you start to the right side of the space, you will start standing on your right leg. Shift your weight so that you are standing on your right foot as you sink down into a little squat and swing your arms down in front of you and out to the right. As you sink and swing your arms out to the right, you will load your glute so that you can then explode up off the right leg and jump toward the left and land on your left leg. Keep your chest facing straight ahead as you jump and land. Swing your arms slightly up and across your body to help you power the jump. As you land on your left leg, sink right back into a squat, pushing your butt back so that you load your glute to help you jump back to the right. Your arms should also swing out to the left to help you not only balance, but also power the jump back. Then push off your left leg and jump back right, landing on your right foot and sinking back into the slight squat. Try not to touch the other foot down when you land. Only touch the other foot down if you need to for balance. Beginners may need to go slower and not jump as far to each side. It is important that you also work on your balance and don’t simply rush through the movement if you can’t stabilize on each side. If you can balance, try to move as quickly as possible and cover as much ground as possible to really make your legs work.

Plank Hip Dips – Start on your forearms and either your knees (beginner) or toes (advanced). Your elbows should be under your shoulders as you press up into a straight line from your shoulders to your knees or toes. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight with your belly button drawn in toward your spine. Do not let your hips sag or go up toward the ceiling. Then you are going to rotate your hips side to side. Drop your hips first toward the right and then to the left, try to touch the ground on each side. Do not let your arms come off the ground. Even as you rotate, don’t let your hips sag or go up in the air toward the ceiling. Alternate hip touches until all reps are complete.

180 Squat Jumps – One rep of the 180 Degree Rotational Squat Jumps is actually two squat jumps. You will start facing forward with your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Squat down and then as you jump up, rotate all the way around so you are facing the opposite direction. As you land go right back into a squat to load for the next jump. Do not land with your legs straight even if you are a beginner. Beginners may not be able to go right back into the squat, which is ok. Everyone will squat though before jumping back to the front. When you land, squat down and jump again all the way back around. Then load again and jump back front. Remember one rep is jumping 180 then back again. So 5 reps is really 10 jumps.

Gorilla Crawl – Crouch down on the ground with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on the ground between your knees. Squat down as low as you can. Do not worry about whether or not your heels are touching the ground. Then reach your hands forward and place them on the ground in front of you. Hop your feet up and outside your hands. Reach again and then hop your feet forward. Repeat as quickly as possible.

Rocking Chair Abs – Start kneeling on one knee, squeezing your glute to press your hips forward. Then roll onto your back and switch the leg crossed underneath so that when you roll back up you can come to a kneeling position on the other side. Use your arms for momentum only if needed. Less arm swing makes the move tougher.

Tuck Jumps – Stand with your feet together. As you jump up, tuck your knees in toward your chest. Then shoot your legs back out to land softly on the ground. You are not squatting with this jump, simply tucking your knees.

The Sandbag Glute Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between rounds and 1-2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
8-12 reps per side Zercher Side Lunge
8-12 reps per side Single Leg Glute Bridge Off Box

CIRCUIT #2:
8-12 reps per side Single Leg Deadlift
15-20 reps Reverse Hypers

CONDITIONING
Perform 3-5 rounds of the conditioning below. The exercise should be performed for 20 seconds with 40 seconds to 1 minute of rest between rounds.

20 seconds Pivoting Squat

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Hamstrings
Groin
Hips/Glutes
Back

NOTES:

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Zercher Side Lunge – Start standing with the sandbag up at your chest. Do not let the sandbag sink or you elbows drop toward the ground. Keep the sandbag up under your chin. Then step out to the side with one foot. Keep both feet pointing straight ahead as you sink down into the leg that stepped out. Sit your butt back as you bend the knee of the leg that stepped out. Keep the other leg straight as you sink into the side lunge. Make sure both heels stay down as you lunge. Do not lean forward too much. Keep your chest up and back flat. Then driving off the heel that stepped out, come back to standing. You should be able to drive right back up to standing without bending the other leg. If you can’t drive right back up to standing, the weight is too heavy or you lunged out too far. Beginners may want to start with just bodyweight and not lunge out as far. Alternate lunges to each side until all reps are complete.
Single Leg Glute Bridge 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.

Single Leg Deadlift – For this move you can hold a sandbag in a couple of different ways. Beginners will want to hold the sandbag in both hands in front of them while more advanced exercisers may want to do a suitcase single leg deadlift, holding the sandbag in the opposite hand from the standing leg. The suitcase deadlift will force you to use your core more to prevent rotation. Whichever you do, use a weight that challenges you. Stand on one foot with the knee of that standing leg slightly bent. Hinge over at your hips, sweeping the other leg back toward the wall behind you. Pretend you are driving the heel of the lifted foot straight into the wall behind you. Lean forward with your upper body as you hinge forward, keeping the back nice and flat. Make sure that as you hinge, you are sitting into the heel of your standing leg. Do not lean forward and come up onto your toes. To stand back up, drive through the heel of your standing leg and squeeze your glute at the top. Try not to tap the other foot down at all or at least not till you are fulling standing. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other leg.Beginners may also use a slider to help guide them and help them maintain balance. Place the slider under the leg to be “lifted.” But instead of lifting the leg off the ground, as you hinge over, you are going to slide the leg back on the slider. Keep your back flat and your standing leg bent. To stand back up, slide the slider back in as your torso comes back up.

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.

Pivoting Squat – Hold the sandbag on the handles with your palms facing each other. Set your feet about shoulder-width apart, maybe a little bit wider. Pivot to the left, bringing the sandbag outside your knee. When you pivot, you are going to come up on the back toe (the right toe in this case) and bend both knees. You will then swing the sandbag up and around the front and pivot to the right. Bring the sandbag outside your right knee as you pivot your left toe so that you are lunging to the right. Move as quickly as possible pivoting from side to side. Beginners may want to “place” the sandbag on each side instead of swinging it to give them more control.

The Full Body Kettlebell Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of the circuits below. Rest 30 seconds to 1 minute between rounds and 1-2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
8-15 reps Goblet Squat
8-12 reps per side Single Arm Kettlebell Chest Presses

CIRCUIT #2:
8-15 reps per side Bulgarian Split Squat
8-15 reps per side Renegade Row

CONDITIONING
Complete 3-5 rounds of the exercise below.
30 seconds on, 30 seconds – 1 minute off
Farmer’s Walk

NOTES:

This workout involves a couple anti-rotational moves – the chest presses and the renegade rows. Keep your core tight on both and fight your body’s urge to rotate. Advanced exercisers will want to go heavy on these lifts and may even work down toward their five rep max. Beginners will want to stick with lighter reps in the higher rep range.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Goblet Squat – Take one kettlebell and turn it upside down, holding it on the bell. Set your feet between hip-width and 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.

Single Arm Kettlebell Chest Presses – Beginners may lie on their backs on a bench while more advanced lifters will want to hold a glute bridge with only their upper back on the bench. Slide your hand through the handle and rest the kettlebell on the back of your forearm. With your back on the bench (and in either a glute bridge or complete on the bench), press the kettlebell up toward the ceiling. When your arm is straight, lower the weight back down toward your chest. Do not let your elbow flare way out. Once you bring the kettlebell down to your chest, press back up. Do not let your body rotate as you press. Keep your core tight and your glutes engaged. Complete all reps on one side before switching. If you do not have a bench, you may do this move on the ground.

Bulgarian Split Squat – 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.

Renegade Row – For this move you will need two kettlebells. Set them on the ground just outside your chest. Set up in a high plank position with each hand on a kettlebell handle. 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. A wider stance will make the move easier by making it easier to balance. Once in the plank, row one kettlebell up toward your chest, driving your elbow up toward the ceiling. Row the bell all the way up to your chest just below your pec. Keep your core tight and squeeze your glutes. Do not let your hips go up toward the ceiling or rotate to the side. 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.

Farmer’s Walk – Hold heavy kettlebells in each hand. Do not let them rest on your legs. Hold them just off your thighs. Walk around for 30 seconds, maintaining perfect posture. You want to use weights that challenge you and make you want to drop them just before the time is out. Do not let your head jut forward or your shoulders round. Do not let the weights rest on your legs. Keep your core tight and glutes engaged as you walk with your shoulders down and back and your head up.