Bodyweight Archives Page 2 of 6 | 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 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 Tabata Bodyweight Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 28, 2015

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

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Complete all 8 rounds on one exercise before resting 1-2 minutes and moving on to the next exercise.

#1:
20 seconds Jack Burpees
10 seconds Rest

#2:
20 seconds T Push Ups
10 seconds Rest

#3:
20 seconds Skater Hops
10 seconds Rest

#4:
20 seconds Mountain Climbers
10 seconds Rest

#5:
20 seconds Butterfly Sit Ups
10 seconds Rest

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

NOTES:

Pick a variation of each move and a pace that forces you to work hard, but allows you to keep moving the entire 20 seconds each and every work interval. Do not rest longer than 10 seconds. Rest longer between exercises if needed or even do 3 or 4 instead of all 5.

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, jump your feet out wide then back together. Then jump your feet into your hands and come up to standing. At the top, perform either a basic jumping jack or a plyometric jumping jack, leaving the ground as you spread your legs and swing your arms up to the side and overhead. Like with most burpee variations, to regress the movement, step back instead of jumping back. And instead of jumping your feet out wide in the plank position, step your feet out to the side and back in. 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 jumping jack is at the top, the harder the move will be.

T Push Ups – Set up in a regular push up position from your hands and knees (beginner) or hands and toes (advanced). Your hands should be outside your shoulders and your legs should be together. Your body should be in a nice straight line. Squeeze your glutes and draw your belly button in toward your spine. Do not let your hips sag or go up toward the ceiling and don’t tuck your head. Once at the top of a push up, do a push up and then when you push back up to the top, rotate open balancing on one hand as if you are doing a side plank. Hold and then rotate back to a push up position. Do another push up and rotate to the other side. Keep your body in a nice straight line as you do a push up and make sure to really rotate open into a side plank.

Skater Hops – To do Skater Hops, start standing to one side of the space you have to use. This is a lateral hop so make sure you have space to jump to one side. Starting to the right, shift your weight so that you are standing on your right foot. Sink down into a little squat and swing your arms down in front of you and out to the right. Then explode up off the right leg and jump to the side, landing on your left leg. Keep your chest facing straight ahead as you jump and land. As you land on that left leg, sink into a slight squat, pushing your butt back so that you load your glute to help you jump back laterally to the right. Use your arms to not only help you balance but also help propel you further when you jump. Let them swing toward whichever side you are jumping to. 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 the other foot down if you need to for balance. Beginners may need to go slower and not jump as far to each side. While this is a cardio move, you also want to use it to work on your balance. Beginners will want to hold for a second on each leg and balance. As you advance, do not pause on either side of the jump to balance. You want to jump as far to each side as you can as quickly as possible!

Butterfly Sit Ups – To do Butterfly Sit Ups, sit on the ground and place the bottoms of your feet together. Bend your knees into the Butterfly stretch, letting your knees fall open as you bring your heels in toward your crotch. Keeping your knees open and feet together, lie back on the ground. Then sit back up and come back up to the seated position. The more you swing your arms, the easier the move will be. Also the closer in your feet are to your body, the harder the move will be (this will also be based a bit on flexibility as well).

The Upper Body Bodyweight Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Jun 15, 2015

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

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. Try not to rest between exercises, but rest up to 1 minute between rounds. Rest 1-2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds Handstand Hold
10 reps Fly to Push Up
10-15 reps per side Sprinter Sit Ups

CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds Scapular Wall Hold
15 reps Inverted Rows or Scapular Wall Rows
10-15 reps Superman

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

NOTES:
Complete the hold then move right into the next two exercises. Rest only between rounds.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Handstand Hold – The most basic Handstand Hold is very similar to the downward dog. Start on your hands and knees. Then push back and up, raising your hips up toward the ceiling as you straighten your arms and press your chest back toward your legs. Focus on getting your back flat and a nice straight line from the heels of your hands up to your tailbone. You want your arms to be in line with your torso (aka biceps by the ears). Push your butt back and up. Do not worry about keeping your legs straight like in downward dog. Also, do not walk your feet in toward your hands. Push your butt up and create a nice straight line with your back. To advance that basic hold, place your feet up on a table. Walk your hands in toward the table and press your butt up in the air. You want to straighten your arms so your head is hanging down between your hands straight down toward the ground. Create a nice straight line from your palms up to your tailbone. Do not worry about straightening your legs. The higher the box, the harder the move. To do a Full Assisted Handstand, you can walk your feet up a wall. The closer to the wall you get, the harder the move will be. From there, you can move into a full handstand. No matter which variation you are currently able to do, you are going to create stability and strength throughout your core by doing Handstand Holds!

Fly to Push Up – To do the Beginner Fly to Push Up, set up in a push up position with one hand on a Valslide and the other hand on the ground. You can do this from your knees to make it easier or from your toes to make it harder. Then slide the hand on the slider out to the side and perform a push up. As you push up, slide the hand on the slider back in toward your hand on the ground. Repeat, completing all reps on one side before switching.

If the single slider Fly to Push Up is too much, this move can be done by just stepping the hand out to the side on the ground or even on an incline. To advance the Fly to Push Up, you will use two sliders. Again this variation can be done from your knees (easier) or toes (harder). Start at the top of a push up and then slide one hand out to the side and perform a push up. Push up and slide the hand back into the starting position. Even though this is a wider push up, don’t let your elbows flare way out by your ears. Slide the other hand out on the slider and perform a push up. Keep alternating sides until all reps are complete.

You can advance the movement further by sliding both hands out to the side as you lower into the push up and then pull them back in as you come back up out of the push up. You will perform the fly as you perform the push up instead of sliding out, doing a push up and sliding back in. With all the different variations, do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag toward the ground as you do the push up. Also make sure not to shrug or let your elbows flare up by your ears. You want to create more of an arrow position (->) with your arms and upper body than a “T” as you do the push up.

Sprinter Sit Ups – Lie on your back and raise both legs straight out off the ground. Beginners may keep one leg on the ground. Crunch your upper body up so that you are sitting on your sit bones and then bring one knee into your chest. Lie back down and straighten both legs back out. Then bring the other knee into the chest as you crunch back up. Keep alternating, trying to keep both legs off the ground when you straighten back out. Do not let your chest cave when you crunch up. Keep your back flat as you crunch up and bring one knee in.

Scapular Wall Hold –To do the Scapular Wall Hold, stand about six inches from the wall. With your back to the wall and your elbows bent in by your side, drive your chest out and your elbows back. Then lean back against the wall on your elbows. Only your elbows should touch as you lean back. Draw your shoulder blades down and back and make sure to drive your chest out and open toward the ceiling. 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.

Inverted Row/Scapular Wall Row/Corner Row – Stand in a corner with your back relaxing against the walls and your feet about six inches from the corner. (You can also do this just off the wall like demonstrated above if you don’t have a useable corner.) Place an elbow against each wall with your elbows bent. With your body in a nice straight line, drive off the wall with your elbows, pressing your chest out and pinching your shoulder blades down and back. Relax back into the corner, keeping your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Do not arch your low back as you press out. Also, make sure not to shrug your shoulders. The further from the corner that you walk your feet out, the harder the Corner Row will be. If you have a suspension trainer, you can do Inverted Rows instead.

Superman – Lie face down on the ground with your arms out straight overhead on the ground and your legs out straight behind you. Everything should be relaxed and your neck should be in a neutral position. Then squeeze your glutes, back and shoulders to raise your chest and legs up off the ground. Try to get your chest up as high as possible as well as your quads. Keep your neck in a neutral position. Hold up off the ground for a second then lower back down and repeat the lift. Keep your arms and legs straight as you lift but do not lock them out. Do not bend your knees to try to get your quads higher up off the ground. Make sure to really squeeze your glutes as you lift so your low back doesn’t do all the work. And also make sure not to shrug as you lift your upper body up.

The Unilateral Booty Burner Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Jun 4, 2015

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

WORKOUT

Complete 2-4 rounds of each superset. Do not rest between exercises. Do both on one side then switch sides. Each side will rest while the other completes both moves. Then rest 1-2 minutes between supersets. Make sure you push so that the moves burn and your flutes are pumped.

SUPERSET #1:
15 reps per side each way Side Balance Circles FWD/BWD
20 reps per side Side Balance Leg Lifts

SUPERSET #2:
20 reps per side Straight Leg Kickbacks
15 reps per side 3-Way Leg Circles

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

NOTES:

It’s very important that you push through the burn and complete both moves back to back. It is better to rest longer between rounds than to rest between the exercises although you get the best pump if you can push a little through the burn.

Make sure to complete a full range of motion and not rush too much as you fatigue.

This burner can also be shortened into a Warm Up or even a “Burn Out” after a leg day. Although it is a great in-between heavy leg lifts workout as well if you really want to build your butt!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Side Balance Circles FWD/BWD – Start on one knee with your other leg straight out to the side. Then place your hand down to the outside of your knee so you are a side balance position almost like a Side Plank. Then lift the straight leg up to about parallel to the ground and begin to circle the leg from the hip. Make as big of circles as possible. Complete all circles forward then go backward. Make sure to keep the leg up and feel the outside of your glute and hip working.

Side Balance Leg Lifts – Set up in the Side Balance position. Then lift your straight leg up to parallel to the ground and lower back down. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Straight Leg Kickbacks – To do the Straight Leg Kickback, set up on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet. Then kick one leg back, driving your heel straight back into the wall behind you. Squeeze the glute as you lift the leg and drive the heel toward the wall behind you. Make sure to keep your arms straight as you kick back and your abs engaged. Don’t arch your low back just to try to kick your leg back higher. Try to get your quad to about parallel to the ground. Also make sure to keep your hips square to the ground. Do not rotate open as you kick back. The height of the kickback doesn’t matter as long as you feel your hips extend and your glutes engage. You do not want to feel this move in your low back. Hold for a second or two at the top and really contract your glutes before lowering back down. Don’t rush the movement. The slower you go and the longer you hold, the harder the move will be. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

3-Way Leg Circles – Start on your hands and knees like with the Fire Hydrant. Flex your feet. You will then kick one leg back like with the Donkey Kick. Hold here for a second. Make sure to keep your arms straight and squeeze your glutes. Then, without lowering the leg day, bring the leg up to the side into the Fire Hydrant position. Keep your foot flexed and knee bent to 90 degrees. Without touching the knee down, drive the knee forward towards your elbow. Feel your abs engage as you hold. Lower yourself back down and repeat on the same side starting with the Donkey Kick.