elite workout library Archives Page 23 of 25

Power Isometric Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 5, 2013

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

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

CIRCUIT #1:
30 sec – 1 min Toe Hold
20-30 Jump Rope Jumps for height

CIRCUIT #2:
30 sec – 1 min Squat Hold
15-20 Squat Jumps

CIRCUIT #3:
30 sec – 1 min High Plank Hold
10-20 Explosive Push Ups

CIRCUIT #4:
30 sec – 1 min Pull Up and Hold
10-15 Medball Soccer Throw

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

NOTES:
Beginners may want to modify some of the jumping moves. For example, instead of jump squats, they may want to do simple BW squats. Also, if you don’t have a med ball or a wall to throw it against, you can do band pullovers. Move quickly to pull the band out, but really control letting the band go back. You can also do simple med ball slams if you just don’t have the wall.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Toe Hold – Stand with your feet only a few inches apart. Then lift up onto your toes. Do not rock to the outside of your feet. Try to get up onto your big toe as much as possible. Hold that position. To make this move harder, do a single leg balance, lifting up onto the ball of only one foot.
Jump Rope Jumps for height – Stand with your feet only a couple of inches apart. Do a slight knee bend, but nowhere near a full squat and jump up as high as you can. Then bend your knees slightly as you land and repeat. Beginners will want to do smaller hops.
Squat Hold – Place your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Sink down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. To make it easier, do not sink as low. Keep your core engaged and your chest up. Do not lean forward too much. Make sure to sit back on your heels when you squat. You should not be on your toes at all. Do not sink below 90 degrees with this move as that actually makes it easier. And do not let your knees collapse inward. If you want to make this move harder, you could hold a weight at chest height. Make sure to keep your core tight and back flat. Beginners may want to start with a wall sit if they can’t sink down very low without their chest falling forward. Sink down as low as you can, but not below having your knees bent to 90 degrees. Press your back into the wall. Drive back off your heels, pressing yourself firmly into the wall and hold.

Squat Jumps – Stand with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Perform a shallow squat and explode as high off the ground as possible, reaching overhead and extending your body. Do not squat too low. If you drop too low in a squat, you will actually reduce your power. Beginners may need to rest between each rep; however, that doesn’t mean landing with your legs straight. You should never land with your legs completely locked. Bend your knees to help you absorb the impact of landing.To make the move harder, jump up and sink right back into the squat to repeat as quickly as possible. Really focus on a soft landing and then exploding quickly into as high a jump as you can.

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.

Explosive Push Ups – Set up on your hands and toes (advanced) or hands and knees (beginner). Beginners may even use an incline. 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. Then drop your chest to the ground, keeping your body in a nice straight line. When you push back up, push hard enough that you come up off the ground. Your core should stay tight as you drive back up. Do not let your hips sink or your butt go up in the air. Land and go right back into a push up. Each time explode as high off the ground as you can.

Pull Up and 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 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.

Med Ball Soccer Throw – 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.

The 15-Minute Cardio Core Destroyer

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 5, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Set timer for 15 minutes. Complete as many rounds of the circuit below as possible, resting only as needed. Record how many rounds and reps you complete.

CIRCUIT:
8-12 reps per side Low to High Band Chops
8-12 reps per side Band Snap Downs
8-12 reps per side Lunge with Chest Press

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

NOTES:
Do not go to failure on any move because that will cause you to need to rest. Stop a few reps short so you can keep moving from exercise to exercise. Rest only as needed because your goal is to do as much work in the 15 minutes as possible.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Low to High Band Chops – Set a band low and set up sideways to the anchor point. Grab the handle and step away from the anchor point until there is not slack in the band. Pivot and bend your knees so the band is outside the knee closest to the anchor point. Keep your chest up as you pivot down. Then, keeping your arms straight, pull the band up and across your body. Stand up and pivot to the other side as you bring the band up and across your body to the outside of your shoulder furthest from the anchor point. Then pivot and squat back down, bringing the band back and across to just outside your knee. Repeat, standing up and pivoting as you take the band from low to high. Complete all reps on one side before switching to the other side. (Bottom photos)

Band Snap Downs – Set a band higher up. Grab the handle and move away from the anchor point facing the band. Grab the band with both hands and pull it down toward one hip. Keep your back flat as you hinge over to pull it outside your hip. Your knees should be slightly bent and you should push your butt back as you lean forward and “snap” the band down toward one hip. Then stand back up and bring it down outside the other hip, hinging over and pushing your butt back. Keep alternating pulls to each hip. Do not let your chest round or your knees lock out.
Lunge with Chest Press – Anchor a band with two handles behind you at about chest height. Go lower if there is no anchor point at chest height. Grab a handle in each hand and face away from the anchor point. Stand with just a slight bit of slack in the band. Bring both hands up to your chest. Then lunge forward on the right side and press out from your chest with your left arm. Press straight out at chest height. Bring your hand back to your chest as you push back off the heel of your front foot to come back up to standing. Then lunge forward on the other side and press out with the other hand. Keep alternating lunges and presses until all reps are complete.

The 15-Minute Leg Destroyer

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 5, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Set timer for 15 minutes. Complete as many rounds of the circuit below as possible, resting only as needed. Record how many rounds and reps you complete.

CIRCUIT:
8-12 reps per side Split Squats
10-20 reps Squat Jacks
5-10 reps per side Sit Thrus

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

NOTES:

Do not go to failure on any move because that will cause you to need to rest. Stop a few reps short so you can keep moving from exercise to exercise. Rest only as needed because your goal is to do as much work in the 15 minutes as possible.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Split Squats – Step one foot forward into a wide lunge stance. Keeping your chest up nice and tall, bend your knees as if you are kneeling onto the ground. Keep your front heel down and drive through that heel to come back to standing. Do not step your feet back together once you stand back up. Keep the wide stance, sinking down and standing back up on that side until all reps are completed. Then step back and step the other foot forward. Hold dumbbells in each hand to make the move harder.

Squat Jacks – Squat jacks are a variation of the basic jumping jack. Start with your hands by your side and your feet together. Then squat down with your feet together. Get as low as you can. Then jump your feet out to between about hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Stay low in the squat even as you jump out. As you jump out, also bring your hands up and together overhead. When you jump back in, bring your hands back down to your sides. Stay low in the squat the entire time.

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.

Battling Ropes Conditioning Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete one 5-minute round of each of the five circuits. Complete as many rounds of the exercises as possible, resting only as needed during the 5 minutes. Rest 1-3 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
5-8 reps per side Stage Coach with Alternating Backwards Lunges
3-5 reps each side Circle Crawls
5-8 reps per side Alternating Leg V-up

CIRCUIT #2:
4-6 reps 6ft Side Shuffle
10-20 reps Sidewinders
4-8 reps each side Sit Thrus

CIRCUIT #3:
5-8 reps per side Alternating Waves with Side-to-Side Lunge
10-20 reps per side Mt. Climbers
10-15 reps Snow Angels

CIRCUIT #4:
5-10 reps per side Lateral Hurdle Hops
10-20 reps Rainbows
5-10 reps per side Plank Reach Back and Out

CIRCUIT #5:
10-20 reps Stage Coach Forward/Backward Hops
5-10 reps each side Plank with Reach Thru
10-15 reps Glute Bridge to Sit Up

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

NOTES:

Do not go to failure on any exercise so you can keep moving quickly. You want to get as much work done in the 5 minutes as possible; therefore, you want to rest as little as possible.

Stop short of being completely fatigued on each exercise so you can keep moving!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

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.
Circle Crawls – Set up on your hands and knees. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and toes. Your knees should be under your hips and your hands should be under your shoulders. Pretend their is a string attaching your belly button to the ground. You may even want to put something on the ground under your belly button to keep you centered. Then begin to circle over that spot. Do one full circle one direction then switch and do a complete circle the other way. To move in a circle, you will take a step with the opposite hand and leg. Make sure to move both your hands and feet. You do not just want to move your feet and circle around your hands! Beginners may need to do a baby crawl on their hands and knees to start.

Alternating Leg V-Up – Lie flat on your back with your legs out straight in front of you. Beginners will rest the leg not being raised up on the ground while advanced exercisers will keep both feet off the ground at all times. Lift one leg up toward the ceiling. Crunch the upper body up and reach the opposite arm up toward the toes of the raised leg. Then lower that leg and lower your upper body down. Raise the other leg and the opposite arm to touch it as you crunch up. Keep alternating sides.

Side Shuffle – Set up two cones about 6ft apart. Face one direction with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Take a step laterally with one foot and then step the other foot the same way. Shuffle sideways from cone to cone, keeping your chest up.

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 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.
Mt. 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.

Snow Angels – Start seated on your butt with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Advanced exercisers will then lift their feet off the ground while beginners will keep their feet on the ground. Hinge back and reach your arms overhead. Keeping your arms pretty straight arch them down toward the ground as if creating a snow angel. Then sweep them back up, remaining balanced on your butt. Do not round forward. Stay up nice and tall. Keep sweeping your arms until all reps are complete.
Lateral Hurdle Hops – Start with your feet together standing nice and tall. You can place a hurdle on the ground or something else to jump over. Beginners may not want to use anything. Set up sideways to the hurdle. Keeping your feet close together, squat down a little and then jump sideways over the hurdle, landing in a shallow squat. Try to go right back into a hop back over. Beginners may need to pause after every jump. Do not land with legs locked out.
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.
Plank Reach Back and Out – This move is done from the hands and either your knees (beginner) or toes (advanced). To do this move from your knee, set up in the top of a push up with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a nice straight line down to your knees. Then sit back on your heels into a “child’s pose” position, reaching one hand back between your legs. Move forward back to the top of the push up as you reach the hand from between your legs out toward the wall beyond your head. You may even extend your hips more toward the ground. Just make sure to keep your abs engaged so that you don’t feel the extension out in your low back. Complete all reps on that side before switching to the other arm.

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.
Plank with Reach Thru – Set up in the high plank position on your hands and knees (beginner) or toes (advanced). Then reach one hand under your armpit and toward the far wall. You don’t just want to reach under your armpit to pat yourself on the back. Make sure your hips stay down as you reach through. Then pivot open, rotating into a side plank. You will reach the hand that reached under your armpit up toward the ceiling while rotating onto the sides of your feet or knees. Then reach the hand back down and under the armpit. Move back into a high plank position. Complete all reps on that side before switching and reaching the other way.

Glute Bridge to Sit Up – Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart. Bridge up, lifting your hips as high as possible while driving through your heels. Lower your hips back down and let your feet move a little away from your butt. Then sit up, keeping your torso up nice and tall and your feet on the ground. Once you sit all the way up, lie back down, bring your feet back in and then bridge back up.

Battling Ropes Speed and Agility Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 4, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Perform 3-5 rounds of each circuit. Do not rest between exercises. Take 30 seconds to 2 minutes of rest between rounds. Rest 2-3 minutes between circuits.

CIRCUIT #1:
20 seconds Circle Shuffle
20 seconds Rope Slams
20 seconds Heavy Bear Hug Carry

CIRCUIT #2:
20 seconds X Cone Drill
20 seconds Rope Figure 8s
20 seconds Glute Bridge with Reach Overhead

CIRCUIT #3:
20 seconds Sprint with Down Up
20 seconds Side-to-side Stage Coach
20 seconds Rainbow Medball Slams

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

NOTES:

Set a timer for 20 seconds with 5-8 seconds to transition from exercise to exercise. Do not give yourself time to rest only time to get set so you can work for the full 20 seconds.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Circle Shuffle – Set up a cone or something to shuffle around. Set your feet about shoulder-width apart and squat down a little. Face the cone. Make circles around the by side shuffling. Some circles should be full circles. Others may be half or even quarter circles. Mix it up, shuffling back and forth.
Rope Slams – 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 and squat down. Do not squat too low. Then explode up, pulling up on the ropes with your arms. Then slam the rope back down, squatting back down as you land. Make big waves and use your legs like you would if you were performing a jump squat. Right after you slam the rope down, jump back up and pull the rope right back up into another slam.
Heavy Bear Hug Carry – Turn the sandbag the long way and hug it in the middle, squeezing it tight in toward your chest. You can also use a heavy bag or any other bag. Keeping your chest up and the sandbag hugged tight, start to walk around. Squeeze your butt and pull your belly button in toward your spine as you walk. Do not lean back.
X Cone Drill – Set up four cones no more than 8 ft apart. Start in the center. Sprint forwards, back pedal back, shuffle to each of the side cones. Mix up the directions you move in. Always sprint forward though and back pedal back. Shuffle only to the side cones. Keep moving though but not in a consistent pattern.
Rope Figure 8s – 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. Pull the rope down and toward the right. Then pull it up and around on the right and back to the center. Then pull it down and across to the left. Pull it up on the left and then back to center. Draw a figure eight with the rope, using your legs to help you create the figure 8. Move quickly using your core to power your moves.
Glute Bridge with Reach Overhead – To do this move, set up in a glute bridge. Drive through your heels and get your hips up as high as you can. Keeping your core and glutes tight, reach one arm across your body and overhead as if you are reaching for something over your shoulder and behind you. You will bridge up onto one shoulder, keeping your hips up. Come back to center, lower the hips down and then bridge back up and reach across and back over the other shoulder. Repeat alternating sides and rotating the core while in the glute bridge.
Sprint with Down Up – Set cones between 20 and 30ft apart. Drop to the ground so that you are belly down and then get up and sprint to the cone. When you reach the cone, drop down again and then sprint back. You can modify this move by not going all the way down and instead just lower yourself into a high plank position or you can completely skip the down-up.
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.
Rainbow Med Ball 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.