elite workout library Archives Page 19 of 25

The Do More Push Ups Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 12, 2013

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

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 the circuits and each round.

CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds – 1 minute Handstand Hold
30 seconds – 1 minute High Plank Hold
30 seconds – 1 minute Dip Hold

CIRCUIT #2:
5-10 reps Push Up With Holds
10-20 reps Dips off Bench
20-50ft walks each side Single Arm Overhead Carry

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

NOTES:

Do the hardest variation of each isometric hold that you can. Hold for at least 30 seconds. Take time between the exercises if needed so that you can do your best on each exercise.

For the second circuit, take time between each exercise if needed so that you can get the most out of each move. Don’t slack on any exercise just so you can move more quickly through the circuit. It is better to rest and go to failure on each exercise than to complete the workout quickly.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Handstand Hold – Beginners will want to do a modified handstand, almost like a downward dog. Set up on your hands and knees. Then push your butt up in the air and drive your chest back toward your knees. Try to get your back as flat as possible, driving your butt up. Do not worry if your legs stay straight. The most important part is pressing your chest toward your knees so your back stays flat. To advance, you can put your feet up on a table or chair. However, the hardest variation is walking your feet up the wall and walking your hands back toward the wall. The closer and more parallel to the wall you are the harder the hold. Make sure that on each variation, you draw your shoulder blades down and back and draw your belly button in toward your spine. Squeeze your glutes also to keep your low back safe.

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.

Dip Hold – Beginners can do this from a bench while more advanced exercisers can do this off of dip bars or parallel bars. Press up to the top of the dip with arms straight and shoulder blades drawn down and back. Do not tuck your chin or shrug your shoulders. Really press your chest out and maintain a nice tall posture. Your body should hang straight down if on the parallel bars or you should sit like at the top of the dip off the bench. Hold that position.

Push Up With Holds – Set up on an incline or on your hands and knees (beginner) or hands and toes (advanced). You want your feet together and your hands just outside your chest. Your body should be in a nice straight line. Hold for 5 seconds at the top of the push up with your arms locked out and your belly button pulled in toward your spine. Then lower down to the mid-point of the push up. Your arms should be bent to just about 90 degrees. Hold there 5 seconds. Then lower down so you are just hovering above the ground and hold there 5 seconds before quickly pressing back to the top of the push up. Your body should move as one unit as you lower and it should be in a nice straight line as you hold. Do not let your hips sag or your butt go up in the air. Do not tuck your head toward the ground or shrug your shoulders. Then quickly press back up from the bottom and repeat with a 5 second hold at the top.

Dips off Bench – Place both hands on the bench behind you. Your finger tips should hang over the bench and face you. Stretch your legs out then in front of you. The straighter your legs are and the further your heels are from your butt, the harder the move will be. Bend your elbows and drop your butt toward the ground. Drop so your upper arms are parallel to the ground then press back up. Keep your butt and back right up agains the bench. Do not let your body drift forward. Advanced exercisers may want to place their feet up on a bench as well and even put a weight on their lap.

Single Arm Overhead Carry – Take one kettlebell and place your hand through the handle. Rest the kettlebell on the back of your forearm. Press your hand up toward the ceiling, straightening your arm up by your ear. Do not arch your low back. Keep your core tight and your arm up straight toward the ceiling. Do not lean to either side. Walk 20-50ft holding the kettlebell still overhead and then switch the bell to the other hand. If you don’t have much space, hold it overhead and walk around for at least 15-20 seconds.

The 30-Minute Full Body Sandbag Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 11, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 30 minutes and complete as many rounds of the circuit below as possible.

CIRCUIT:
10-20 reps Sandbag Good-morning
10-20 reps Sandbag Row
20-50ft Sandbag Forward Crawl With Pull

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

NOTES:

Try to rest as little as possible and complete as many rounds of possible. This workout should get your heart rate up because you are moving quickly. Use as heavy a weight as you can without going to failure on any exercise.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Sandbag Good-morning – Hold a sandbag up at your chest with your feet no wider than hip-width apart. Hinge over, keeping your back flat. Your knees should be soft as you hinge over and push your butt back toward the wall behind you. You should feel a nice stretch down your hamstring as you hinge over. Do not let your back round toward the ground. Keep your weight in your heels. Come back up to standing, driving through your heels and squeezing your glutes at the top. Do not let the sandbag sag. Keep it up at your chest as you hinge.

Sandbag Row – Hold a handle in each hand. You can change up your grip (holding parallel or with your palms facing away or toward you). Bend your knees slightly and hinge over with your arms hanging straight down and your back flat. Then row the sandbag up to your chest, driving your elbows straight up toward the ceiling. Do not curl your forearms up toward your chest as you row. Then make sure your back doesn’t round toward the ground as you lower the sandbag back down. Do not use your legs to lift and lower the weight. Keep your core tight and your back still and flat as you row.

Sandbag Forward Crawl With Pull – Set up in the bull dog position on your hands and toes with your knees under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. The sandbag should be between your feet on the ground. Then reach one hand back to grab the sandbag. As you reach back, sit your butt back toward your heels. Then drive your hips forward to help you pull the sandbag forward toward your head. Pull the sandbag up as far as you can. Then crawl forward moving the opposite arm and leg until the sandbag is again between your feet. Then sit back again and pull the sandbag forward. Try to alternate which arm you pull with.

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.