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The Desk Job Pain Reducer Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 16, 2013

WARM UP
Roll Out:
Hips/Low Back
Chest
Back
Traps
Forearms

WORKOUT

Complete 1 rounds of each of the circuits below. (If you have time or feel really tight, do two rounds of the second circuit.)

CIRCUIT #1:
8-12 reps each side Wrist, Forearm and Bicep Stretch
5-10 reps each side Standing Chest Stretch
5-10 reps each side 3-Way Neck Stretch
5-10 reps each side Standing Quad Stretch and Reach
5-10 reps each side Standing Hamstring Stretch and Reach

CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds – 1 minute Crescent Hold
30 seconds – 1 minute Scapular Hold
30 seconds – 1 minute Warrior III Hold

NOTES:

There is no cool down for this workout. It is basically just meant to stretch out all the muscles that are tight from you sitting hunched over a computer desk all day.

You can even do this workout at work, if you have the space and are dressed in clothes that allow you to move a little.

Also, if you want to save time, you can do the Kneeling Bridge instead of the quad stretch and the chest stretch.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Wrist, Forearm and Bicep Stretch – Stretch one arm straight out in front of you. Point your finger tips down toward the ground. You can do one stretch with your palm facing away and one with your palm facing toward you. Take the other hand and press down on the fingertips, pushing them back toward your body As you press down, you should straighten your arm more so you feel a stretch down your forearm and up into your bicep.

Standing Chest Stretch – Using a door or wall, place one hand back on the wall or doorway and turn away from the hand on the wall or door. You should feel a nice stretch on that side of your chest.

3-Way Neck Stretch – Reach one hand behind your back and then grab that wrist with the other hand. Pull the arm behind your back toward the opposite side. Then lean your head to the side you are pulling to. Do not tense your shoulders and bring them up toward you ears. Relax into the stretch. Then change the direction of your gaze. Look up and hold for a second or two. Then look straight ahead. And then look down. Move your chin as you look and not just your eyes. Changing the direction of where you look, will change exactly which muscles in your necks and upper back that you stretch.

Standing 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.

Crescent Hold – Step one foot forward into a lunge position. Bend the front knee and keep the back leg out straight behind you, driving your back heel down toward the ground. Your front heel will be down while your back heel will be up. Lift your hands up off the ground and reach them back and overhead as you stay in a low lunge. Keep your front heel down as you sit back into the lunge. As you hold the lunge, your back heel will stay up and the back leg will stay straight. Feel a nice stretch down the hip and quad of the back leg. Hold then switch to the other side.

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.

Warrior III Hold – Balance on one leg with the knee slightly bent. Hinge over lifting your back leg toward the wall behind you. Lean your torso over, keeping your back flat and your core tight. Reach your hands overhead in front of you. Hold in this position. Do not let your back round or your other foot touch down. Keep your arms in line with your body. You want a nice straight line from the bottom of your lifted heel to the end of your finger tips. Make sure you do not lock the standing leg out as you hold. Beginners may need to reach back toward their foot instead of out in front of them. Using a wall can also help beginners. Stand with a wall behind you and when you hinge over have the lifted foot lightly touch the wall to help you balance.

The Med Ball Upper Body Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 16, 2013

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

WORKOUT

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

CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds – 1 minute Inverted Row Hold
10-15 reps Inverted Rows
10-20 reps Soccer Throws

CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds – 1 minute High Plank Hold
10-15 reps Push Ups
10-20 reps Chest Pass

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

NOTES:

Use a med ball that is at most 10% of your bodyweight. You want to use a light ball that you can throw quickly and powerfully after doing the strength moves.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Inverted Row Hold – Hold a suspension trainer strap in each hand or do the move off a bar. Walk your feet out so you are leaning back. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Squeeze your core and glutes and press your chest out so there is tension between your shoulder blades. Then row up, keeping your body in a nice straight line. Row until your chest comes up to the handles and hold there. Do not let your hips sag or your body arch as you hold. You can also do a scapular hold against the wall if you don’t have a bar or trainer to do the move off of.

Inverted Rows – Hold a suspension trainer strap in each hand or do it off a bar. Walk your feet out so you are leaning back. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Squeeze your core and glutes and press your chest out so there is tension between your shoulder blades. Then row up, keeping your body in a nice straight line. Row until your chest comes up to the handles and then lower yourself back down. Don’t let your hips sink as you lower back down. Also, keep your chest pressed out the entire time (do not let your low back arch though). Do not bounce off the bottom of the row. If there is no bar or XT/TRX on which to do rows, do scapular push ups or corner rows.

Soccer Throws – Hold a med ball in both hands, facing a wall. Step back away from the wall enough that you can catch the ball after it hits the wall. Extend your arms up overhead and back. Your elbows should be slightly bent. Then step forward with one foot and throw the ball into the wall, extending your arms forward and down toward the wall as you throw. Catch the ball and step back. Extend the arms back overhead. Then step forward with the other foot and throw again.

High Plank Hold – Set up on your hands and toes (advanced) or hands and knees (beginner). Feet are together and hands are underneath your shoulders. Draw your belly button into your spine and squeeze your quads, glutes and adductors. Your shoulder blades should be down and back and your shoulders shouldn’t be up by your ears. Do not let your upper back round. Keep your head in line with your spine. If you really draw your belly button in and tilt your pelvic forward, your abs should almost instantly start shaking.

Push Ups – Beginners will do either an incline push up with their hands up on a bench or a push up from their knees. Advanced exercisers will do a push up from their hands and toes. For any variation, start by lying on the ground with your legs together. Place your hands outside your chest. Draw your belly button in toward your spine and squeeze your glutes. If doing this move from your toes, you will then press up onto your hands and toes. Your body should move in one straight line. Everything should move together as you press up to the top of the push up with the arms full extended. Do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag toward the ground. Do not tuck your chin. Keep your head in line with your spine. Make sure to keep your core tight so your low back doesn’t arch. Then lower back down, making sure your body moves as one unit. Touch your chest to the ground and then lift right back up. If your body doesn’t move together, if you do the “worm” as you press up or down, regress to your knees or an incline push up.

Chest Pass – Hold the med ball at your chest in both hands and face a wall or your partner. Throw the ball from your chest straight into the wall. Extend your arms out as you throw and step forward. Catch the ball and step back. Then press the ball out and step with the other foot. Move quickly, throwing the ball explosively until all reps are complete.

The Partner Battling Ropes Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 15, 2013

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

WORKOUT

One partner will hold a plank on the end of the rope for 30 seconds while the other partner does their rope drill for 30 seconds. Then they will switch. After both have gone, they will rest 30 seconds and then repeat.

Pick 5-8 of the rope drills below to include. Do 3-5 rounds of each drill. The more drills you pick, the fewer rounds of each you should do.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Rope Drill
30 seconds Plank Hold
30 seconds Rest

ROPE DRILL OPTIONS:
Alternating Arm Waves
Stage Coach
Rainbows
Sidewinders
Side-to-Side Stage Coach
Stage Coach with Backward Lunges
Alternating Waves with Side-to-Side Lunge
Stage Coach with Forward/Backward Hops
Alternating Waves with Side Shuffle
Sidewinders with Forward/Backward Walk
Snakes
Outward Circles

NOTES:

Many of these drills can be done from your feet, knees or even seated. Mix up your positions. For example, you could do a standing Rainbow and then one seated (which is almost like a Russian Twist with the rope).

Mix up the drills that you use!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

For Demos of all these moves, check out this Battling Ropes Video.

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.
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.
Side-to-side 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. Slam the ropes to one side of your hip. Move quickly, making small fast waves. Don’t worry about big slams. Then bring the rope back and across to the other hip. Keep the stage coach waves moving side to side. 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.
Stage Coach with Alternating Backwards Lunges – 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, lunge backward. Move quickly, making small fast waves. Your arms will move faster than you lunge. Don’t worry about big slams. Keep your chest up and shoulders back as you create the waves and lunge backward alternating legs. Don’t round forward. As you advance, step forward closer to the anchor so there is more slack in the rope. Also, lunge more quickly.
Alternating Waves with Side-to-Side Lunge – Set your feet nice and wide so that you can go side lunge to side lunge without moving your feet. Hold an end of the rope in each hand. Start with alternating waves and then sink down into a side lunge on one side, bending that knee. Then stay low and move across to a lunge on the other side while keeping the alternating waves going. Do not round your back forward. Keep your chest up nice and tall and your heels down as you create the waves and move side to side.
Stage Coach Forward/Backward Hops – 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. Start creating the waves with both arms moving together. As you create the waves, hop forward from foot to foot. Once you go forward a few hops, hop from foot to foot backwards. Keep both arms moving together as you hop. Each hop is one rep.
Alternating Waves with Side Shuffle – 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. As you alternate the waves, begin to move laterally with your feet. Shuffle a few feet one way then shuffle back as you keep your arms moving to create the alternating waves.
Sidewinders with Forward/Backward Walk – 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. As you create the waves, step forward. You will first step forward and slightly to the side with your right foot and then your left all the while creating waves. Once you move forward a few feet, step backward. Keeping moving forward and backward while creating waves and keeping your core tight and chest up.
Battling Rope Snakes – 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. With your arms relaxed and slightly bent and you feet about hip-width apart, pull the ropes together and then pull them apart. The movement is almost like a chest fly with your arms hanging down. Move quickly creating “snakes” with the ropes on the ground. You can even use your legs to move quickly, squatting just a very little bit and then straightening your legs as you create the waves. Do not round your back. Keep your back flat even if you hinge over just a little.
Battling Ropes Outward Circles – 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. With your arms slightly bent, you are going to bend your knees slightly and then start to pull the ropes upward and outward. As you pull them up and out, stand back up. As you pull the rope down and around, squat a little back down and then explode back up as you pull the ropes back up and around. Use your legs to move quickly with the outward circles, pulling down around and then back up and in.

The 15-Minute Battling Ropes Tsunami Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 15, 2013

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

WORKOUT
Complete 5 rounds of each circuit. Work for 20 seconds, rest for 40 seconds.

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds Basic Tsunami Wave
40 seconds of Rest

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds Sidewinder Tsunami Wave
40 seconds of Rest

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds Rainbow Tsunami Wave
40 seconds of Rest

COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Hips/Glutes
Back
Lats
Chest
Shoulders

NOTES:
To do any variation of the Tsunami waves in this workout, tie a 50ft (1.5 inch or 2 inch) rope to a pole. You want to just tie one end to an anchor point without losing too much of the length of the rope.

Beginners should definitely use a 1.5 inch rope while more advanced exercisers may want to try a 2 inch rope. However, if you just have an 1.5 inch rope, you can simply step in and keep more slack in the rope to make the moves harder.

Work as hard as you can for the 20 seconds and recovery in the 40 seconds so you an do the exact same amount of work the next round. Beginners may need to do fewer rounds of each circuit and rest longer, making this workout potentially a bit longer than 15 minutes.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Basic Tsunami Wave – Attach the end of a 50ft rope to an anchor point without losing too much of the length of the rope. Holding the rope in both hands, squat down just a little with your arms straight down. As you quickly jump up, pull your arms up toward the ceiling. Then snap your arms back down as you land. Small quick hops with a slight hinge as you raise and lower your arms to create quick small waves. You aren’t trying to jump high off the ground. You are just hopping an inch off the ground and stomping your feet right back down to help you generate more power and not just depend on your arms. Everything should move quickly together.

Sidewinder Tsunami Wave – Attach the end of a 50ft rope to an anchor point without losing too much of the length of the rope. Keep more slack in the rope than you would with other battling ropes moves. Relax your arms, holding the rope in both hands, and stand with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees slightly and hinge slightly forward. Do not let your back round. Keep your chest up nice and tall. Then sweep your arms to the right, rotating through your core and pivoting your back foot. 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 rope should make snake-like waves on the ground and swish side to side.

Rainbow Tsunami Wave – Attach the end of a 50ft rope to an anchor point without losing too much of the length of the rope. Pull the rope out straight then take a step or two in. Hold the rope with both hands with the handle facing up. Bring your hands and the rope down outside your right hip and pivot your left leg. Then pull the rope up and 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 shoulders than back down to your right hip. The rainbow is created as you arch from one hip up to your shoulders and back down to the other 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.

Using The Eccentric Back And Butt Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 14, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. The goal of this workout is to slow down the tempo of your reps. Rest up to a minute and a half between rounds and up to 2 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
8-15 reps per side 5 Count Single Leg Deadlift
5-15 reps 5 Count Pull Up

CIRCUIT #2:
10-20 reps per side 5 Count SB Get Up Bridge
10-20 reps 5 Count Cobra

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

NOTES:

Air on the side of taking more rest instead of having to rest during an exercise or rush through the rep because you are fatigued.

Keep the slow tempo of your reps even if that means you have to do fewer reps than normal or lighter weight than normal.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

5 Count Single Leg Deadlift – For this move, you can hold dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand. You can also hold a single bell to make the move easier. Beginners should start with bodyweight. Use a weight that challenges you, but remember you may need to go lighter to start since you are slowing down the tempo. 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. Take 5 seconds to hinge over. Pretend you are driving the heel of that 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. Remember to lower down for a 5 count. To stand back up, drive through the heel of your standing leg and squeeze your glute at the top. Come up quickly. Try not to tap the other foot down at all or at least not till you are fulling standing. Then slowly lower back down, taking 5 seconds to hinge over. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other leg.

5 Count Pull Up – Hang from the bar with your palms facing away (you may also sub in chin ups or a neutral grip pull up). Press your chest out and draw your shoulder blades down and back. Then pull your chin up above the bar. Once your chin reaches above the bar, take 5 seconds to lower back down. Go as slowly as you can to straighten your arms. Do not kip or swing to pull back up quickly. Then again take 5 seconds to lower back down. Beginners may want to do an assisted pull up (band, machine or feet) or a jumping pull up. To do a jumping pull up, hang from the bar with your feet on the ground. Then use your legs and jump your chin up above the bar. Once at the top of the pull up, slowly lower down for a 5 count. Then jump right back up to the top of the pull up.

5 Count SB Get Up Bridge – Starting on your right side, sit on the ground with your left hand right behind you on the ground and your left leg out straight. Your right arm will be wrapped over a sandbag on your shoulder (beginners may start with no weight) and your right knee will be bent with your right foot flat on the ground. Do not bring your right foot in too close to your butt. Driving through your right foot, left heel and left hand, raise your hips up toward the ceiling. Keep your core tight and bridge up as high as you can. Try to get your body into a nice straight line. Squeeze your glutes and make sure your right heel stays down. Try not to press too much off of your left hand or you will push yourself forward and put more strain on your shoulder and less on your glutes. Hold for a second at the top and then take 5 second to lower back down to the ground. Only advanced exercisers who can maintain that slow pace should add weight. If weight is used for the bridge, hold a sandbag on your shoulder. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

5 Count Cobra – Lie face down on the ground with your arms down by your sides and your legs straight out. Your palms should be facing up. Then lift your chest up as high off the ground as you can, pinching your shoulder blades down and back. Keep your head in line with your spine as you lift. Squeeze your glutes so you don’t feel this straining your low back. Hold for a second at the top, keeping your chest as high off the ground as possible, then slower lower down, counting to 5. More advanced exercisers may want to hold light weights in their hands. Do not let your shoulders shrug. Make sure that you move slowly controlling your decent.