Full Body Archives Page 10 of 13 | Redefining Strength

Great “Warm Up” For Cyclists

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 12, 2013

FOAM ROLLING

Spend up to 30 seconds on any tight areas. See the video library for all the trigger point techniques to roll out the areas below.

TARGET THESE AREAS:
Calves
Shins
IT Bands
Adductors
Hamstrings
Quads
Glutes/Hips
Upper Back
Chest

ACTIVATION

Complete 2-3 rounds of the circuit below. Do not rest between rounds.

CIRCUIT:
10-15 reps each side Fire Hydrants
10-15 reps Posterior Plank

STRETCHING

Complete 1 round of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps each way 3-Way Ankle Mobility
10 reps each way Forward/Backward Kneeling Hip Circles
10-15 reps each side Scorpions
10-15 reps each side Seated Rotation with Plank Reach
10-15 reps each side Lunge and Reach with Hamstring Stretch

NOTES:

This is a great workout to do before a ride or even on a recovery day.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Fire Hydrants – Place your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Flex your feet. Then raise one leg out to the side, keeping the knee bent to 90 degrees. Lift it as high as you can while keeping your arms straight. Try to not let the foot get higher than the knee or the knee get higher than the foot. Really squeeze the butt cheek as you lift. Hold for a second or two at the top. Lower down and then repeat. Complete all reps on one side before switching.

Posterior Plank -Start seated on the ground with your legs out straight and your hands on the ground behind your butt. Your finger tips should be pointing toward your butt. Drive through your hands and heels and raise your hips up off the ground toward the ceiling. Press your chest up and out as you raise your hips. Keep your legs straight as you bridge up and relax your head back. Your body should be in a nice straight line at the top. Beginners may need to bend their legs a bit to hold the bridge at the top.

3-Way Ankle Mobility – Stand facing a wall. You can put your hands on the wall for balance or support. Have one foot in front. This foot is the one working. Try to drive the knee straight forward over the toe and into the wall. Do not let the heel of the foot come up. Do that 10 times and then take a step out a bit wider and repeat. Then step across in front and repeat 10 more times. Make sure that your toe is always pointing directly toward the wall and that you are keeping the heel down as you drive your knee forward.

Forward/Backward Kneeling Hip Circles – Place your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hips. Keeping your knee bent to about 90 degrees, lift your foot back and then bring your knee up around and forward. Then drop the knee down and around back to the starting point. Make big circles with your hip, going clockwise and then counterclockwise. Keep your arms straight as you circle.

Scorpions – Lie on your belly with your arms out bent to about 90 degrees at shoulder height. Lift one leg up, and with the toe pointed, bend your knee and reach your toe over and behind you. Kick your leg back over your body, trying to touch your toe back behind you. Tap it down then bring that leg back down and then reach the other leg over your back. Alternate reaches, bringing your toe back over your body and toward your head.

Seated Rotation with Plank Reach – Sit on the ground with both legs out straight. Bend your right knee and cross your right foot over your left leg and place it on the ground by your knee. Place your right hand on the ground behind you. Take your left arm and place your left elbow on the right side of your right knee. Press through your left arm and rotate your body to the right, keeping your chest up nice and tall. Do not slouch. Then rotate back around and place your left hand on the ground behind you. Press up into a side plank, driving through your right foot and the side of your left foot. Reach your right hand back and overhead. Then sit back down on the ground and rotate back to the right and repeat the whole stretch. Complete all reps on the right side before switching.

Lunge and Reach with Hamstring Stretch – Start in a high plank position. Step one foot up between your hands. Lift your hands up off the ground and reach them back and overhead as you stay in a low lunge. Feel a nice stretch down the hip and quad of the back leg. Then bring the hands back down to the ground and hike your hips up to straighten your front leg. Feel a stretch down the hamstring of the front leg. Sink back into the lunge and reach up and back overhead again to stretch the hip and quad before repeating the hamstring stretch. Complete all reps on one side before moving back into the plank and switching to the other side.

The Partner Chain Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 12, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of each circuit. One partner will go and then the other. Your rest will be when your partner goes. In between circuits rest up to 2 minutes.

CIRCUIT #1:
20-50ft Chain Sprint
1 Chain length Front Plank Pulls

CIRCUIT #2:
20-50ft Chain Sprint
1 Chain length Lateral Plank Pulls

CIRCUIT #3:
20-50ft Chain Sprint
1 Chain length Backward Plank Pulls

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

NOTES:

In this workout, you will sprint with the chain behind you. It will then be stretched out along the ground. When you do the plank pulls, you will pull it into a pile on that side so that when your partner sprints, they will drag it back out on the ground. Battling ropes can also be used if the chain is too heavy or you simply don’t have one. Beginners may also need more rest and might not be ready to go right after their partner finishes. Rest more if needed. You do not want to rest once you’ve begun the round.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Chain Sprint – Hold the chain behind you or strap it on around your waist or to a harness. Sprint, driving with the opposite arm and leg. Keep your head in line with your body as you sprint and don’t round forward. Sprint all the way down, letting the chain stretch out behind you.
Front Plank Pulls – Set up in a high front plank over the chain so that you can reach forward to grab the chain. Beginners will do this from their knees while advanced exercisers will do the plank from their toes. If you are doing this from your toes, set your feet about hip-width apart. Then reach forward and grab the chain and pull it down toward your chest. You can either sit back toward your heels as you pull or you can maintain a strict plank for an anti-rotational pull variation. Once you pull down to your chest, reach up again with the same hand and pull again until you’ve pulled the chain all the way in. Alternate arms each round.

Lateral Plank Pulls -Set up in a high plank position with the chain going across you so you can pull it laterally. You can be in a plank position from your hands and knees (beginner) or hands and toes (advanced). Place your feet about hip-width apart. Reach under and across your body to grab the chain. Then pull it across, sitting back into the side you are pulling toward. Use your glutes to powerfully pull the chain under and through. You can also mix it up and do an anti-rotational pull where you stay in a strict plank as you pull across instead of sitting back as you pull. Pull until the chain has been totally pulled back in. Alternate sides each round.

Backward Plank Pulls – Set up in a high front plank over the chain with your feet toward the stretched out chain. Beginners will do this from their knees while advanced exercisers will do the plank from their toes. Set your feet or knees about hip-width apart over the chain. Sit your butt back toward your heels as you reach your hand back and through your legs to grab the chain. Then drive your hips forward as you pull the chain up toward your head. Once you pull as far as you can, sit back again and reach through with the same hand. Switch sides after each round. Pull the entire chain in until it is in a pile in front of your head.

The Full Body Plyo Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 12, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Complete as many rounds as possible in that time.

CIRCUIT:
5-10 reps each side Alternating Side Lunge and Hop
5-10 reps each side Explosive Push Up Shuffle
5-10 reps each side Single Leg Deadlift Hop
5-10 reps Bobcats

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

NOTES:

Do not go to failure on any exercise so that you can move quickly from one exercise to another.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Alternating Side Lunge and 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, keeping the other leg straight. Sit your butt back and hinge forward slightly, keeping your back flat. Then drive back up off your outside heel 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.

Explosive Push Up Shuffle – Place a kettlebell (or med ball) on its side with the handle facing away from you. Set up in a push up position from your knees or toes. Place one hand on the bell and the other hand on the ground. Perform a push up, dropping your chest close to the ground. Then quickly push back up and as you do jump your body over the bell, placing the other hand on top of the bell as you place the other hand on the ground. Perform another push up and then explosively shuffle back over. One rep is a push up on one side and then the other. Beginners will take out the push up and just explosively shuffle over the kettlebell or med ball or may want to simply shuffle over instead of “jumping” to shuffle over.

Single Leg Deadlift Hop – Stand on one leg with the knee soft. Hinge over, pushing your butt back and leaning your chest toward the ground. Swing the leg off the ground back toward the wall behind you. Keep your back flat as you hinge over. Hinge over quickly, bending the standing leg just a little. Then quickly drive back up to standing, bringing your chest up nice and tall. As you drive up, explode up off the ground and drive the back leg forward, bringing the knee up. Then land back on the same leg and hinge back over before jumping back up. As you hinge over and drive up, you may want to swing your arms as if running with the opposite arm and leg working together.

Bobcats – Perform 5-10 reps then rest and let your partner or the rest of your group go before repeating. If alone, give yourself about 20 seconds before repeating. The goal of bobcats is to get everything to move together. Choose the variation you can do quickly and with precision. To set up for bobcats, lift up onto your hands and toes with your knees bent and under your hips and your hands under your shoulders. Beginners will then quickly bend their elbows and drop their knees to the ground as if they are trying to explode up off the ground. The next level is donkey kicks, jumping the feet up and down on the ground. When that feels easy, stay on your hands and toes and next just lift and jump the hands together. To advance this move further, you will actually lift everything up off the ground and land with hands and feet hitting together. Bend your elbows and drop your knees to the ground, then explode up off the ground and quickly come back down. You don’t want your hands or feet to hit before the other. You want everything to hit quickly together. Move as fast as possible. The goal is to get your core moving quickly together. Choose the level you can not only do well but do quickly.

The Towel Cardio Workout

by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 12, 2013

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

WORKOUT

Complete 5-8 rounds of the circuit below. Rest 1-3 minutes between rounds. Try to start the next round as soon as you are recovered enough to do the same amount of work you did the round before.

CIRCUIT:
30 seconds Towel Taz
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Lunge Run
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Fly to Push Up
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Mt. Climbers
15 seconds Rest
30 seconds Glute Bridge to Curl
1-3 minutes Rest

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

NOTES:

Do as many reps as you can in the 30 seconds. Do not stop moving during those 30 seconds even if it means regressing the exercise. Rest as much as needed between the rounds so that you are truly ready to work.

Most of the Towel Moves are shown with sliders which can also be used if you have them.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Towel Taz – Grab a bath towel,moving blanket, fleece blanket or whatever you have on hand. The bigger and heavier the towel, the harder the move will be. Grab a corner of the towel in each and and start shaking the towel as powerfully and as quickly as you can up and down while moving quickly around from side to side, in a circle, forwards, backwards and every which way. Move quickly, taking only a few steps in each direction as you shake the towel. Keep your chest up and do not round your back. You can shake the towel up and down and in and out. The quicker you move, the harder the move will be.

Lunge Run – Place a towel under each foot and step one foot forward. Sink down into a lunge, bending both knees. Pop up out of the lunge and slide the front foot back and the other foot forward. Sink down and then pop back up and switch stances again. It is almost like you are doing split squat jumps but without the jump. Keep alternating lunges until all reps are complete.
Fly to Push Up – This can be done from the knees or the toes. Start at the top of your push up with one hand on the towel. Then slide the hand out to the side and perform a push up. After the push up, 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. Beginners can do this without the towel and just step the hand out, do a push up and then step the hand back in. Intermediates may use the towel and slide out, do a push up and then slide back in. Advanced may put a towel on both hands and slide one out, do a push up, then slide it back in. Once they slide that hand back in, slide the other out and do a push up then slide that one back in. Keep alternating flyes until all reps are complete if you do the advanced variation. All push up to fly variations can be done from the knees or the toes.

Mt. Climbers – Set up in a high plank from your hands and toes with a towel under each foot. Bring your right knee in toward your chest, sliding your foot in. Then slide the foot back out and bring your left knee in toward your chest. 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 not be able to use the towels. They may also need to go slower or even put their hands up on a low table or bar to perform incline mountain climbers.

Glute Bridge to Curl – Beginners may need to start with a single leg bridge and curl while more advanced exercisers may do the two-leg bridge and curl. A beginner may want to start with the towel under only one foot and slide out one leg at a time. To perform the two leg curl, place both feet on a towel about hip width apart. Start in the bridge position and slide your feet out. Keep your hips off the ground and your glutes engaged as you slide out. Then curl the heels back in, bringing the hips up again into a glute bridge. Do not let the hips sag toward the ground as you slide out or come back in.

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.