The Squat/Press 5 Minute Circuits

The Squat/Press 5 Minute Circuits

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

WORKOUT

Complete 3-5 rounds of the first superset, taking your time while trying to focus on adding weight. Rest as needed. Then rest 1-2 minutes before starting the circuits. For the circuits, set a timer for 5 minutes. Do not rest during the 5 minutes but keep moving as quickly as possible. Rest 1-2 minutes between circuits. Record the rounds, reps and weights used to try to increase next time.

SUPERSET:
8-12 reps per side Balance Lunges
5-15 reps Eccentric Push Ups

CIRCUIT #1:
4-6 reps per side Alternating Front Lunges
4-6 reps per side Single-Arm Landmine Press or Alternating Arm Dumbbell Press
4-6 reps Body Saw

CIRCUIT #2:
5-10 reps Toe Squats
5-10 reps Close Grip Push Ups
3-5 reps per side Sit Thrus

CIRCUIT #3:
5-10 reps Narrow Stance Squats
5-8 reps Knee Tucks
5-8 reps Lean Backs

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

NOTES:

When choosing a rep range, choose to do as many reps as you can without resting or without going to failure so that you can’t move quickly from one exercise to another. It is better to do 5 reps and move quickly then to do 10 reps and have to pause between reps or rest after the exercise.

The quicker you move while challenging yourself, the more you will get out of this workout. You want to add weight but quickly move right from one move to the next!

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Balance Lunges – 
Place your back foot up on a box. Hop your front foot out so you are in a nice wide stance with your back foot up on the box. Then sink down into a lunge, dropping your back knee toward the ground as you bend your front knee to 90 degrees. Really sit back into the lunge. Make sure you aren’t going forward onto your front toe and that your front knee is not going past your toe. You want to sit back to make your glute work. You should also 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 as a split squat. More advanced exercisers, or if you don’t have weights, you may want to do it with your back foot in a suspension trainer. You can also add weight to make the move more challenging.

bulgarian-split-squat
Eccentric Push Ups – To do the Eccentric Focused Push Up, 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 and flex your quads as you flex your feet and drive back through your heels. Then press up to the top of the push up with your arms locked out and your body in a nice straight line. Everything should move together as you press up to the top of the push up. 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, going as slowly as you can or following an outlined slower tempo like a 3 or 5 count. Make sure your body moves as one unit. Touch your chest to the ground and then lift quickly 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. If you only do the worm when you press back while doing this Push Up from your toes, simply reset at the top instead of pushing back up so that you can then lower slowly back down (aka the Eccentric Only variation). Even if you can’t push up with good form, lowering slowly down with good form from the full Push Up position will help you improve your Push Ups.

eccentric-focused-push-up
Alternating Front Lunges – Start standing nice and tall with your feet together. Then step forward with one foot and bend your knees, dropping your back knee down to the ground as you keep your chest up nice and tall. Drop the back knee down as if moving to half kneel on the ground. Bend the front knee to 90 degrees if you can. Make sure to sink straight down and keep your front heel firmly on the ground. Then drive back off the front foot to drive up to standing. Come back to standing nice and tall then lunge forward with the other foot. Hold dumbbells down by your sides or a kettlebell up at your chest to make the move harder.
Single-Arm Landmine Press  –  To do the Single-Arm Landmine Press, grab the barbell in one hand with the Landmine right in front of you. Bring your hand and the barbell to your shoulder. Place the opposite foot of the hand holding the barbell forward and stagger the other one back (you can also stand with your feet together if you want your core to work even harder). Then, keeping your core tight, drive the barbell up and out from your shoulder, pressing the barbell overhead as you extend your arm. Because of the Landmine the barbell and your hand won’t go straight up. You will actually press a bit up and forward. Then return the barbell to your shoulder and repeat, pressing the barbell up until your arm is extended. Make sure that when you press, you do not let your core rotate toward the hand with the barbell. Keep your body square to the Landmine. Complete all reps on one side and then switch. As you fatigue you may use your legs to help press the bar overhead or you can keep it as a strict press. Just make sure you do not rotate as you press. This move is meant to work your core because you are fighting the urge to rotate toward the side pressing. If you don’t have a Landmine, just do Alternating Arm Dumbbell Presses.

landmine-one-arm-press
Body Saw –  To do the Basic Body Saw, set up in a Plank position from your forearms and toes with your feet close together. Your forearms should be right under your shoulders and your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Then begin to walk your feet backward, taking small steps. Keep your body in a nice straight line and don’t let your hips sag toward the ground. Lengthen through your triceps and lats as you walk back. Walk back as far as you can while keeping your core engaged. Then walk your feet back forward until you are back in the Forearm Front Plank. Do not let your butt go up in the air as you walk your feet back in. Repeat, walking your feet back out. Only walk out as far as you can without your low back engaging. If your low back feels this move, don’t walk out as far. Start with only a few steps. To advance the Body Saw, you can place towels or sliders (Valslides) under your feet. This reduces the traction and makes the move harder.

body-saw
Toe Squats – To do the Toe Squat, set up with your feet wider than shoulder-width and toes slightly turned out. Then press up as high as you can onto your toes. Keeping your chest up and heels up off the ground, squat down as low as you can. Sit your butt down and back while staying balanced and then come back up to standing. Try not to touch your heels down between reps. Sink as low as you can and move in a slow and controlled fashion.

toe-squat
Close Grip Push Ups – To do Close Grip Push Ups, place your hands no wider than right outside your chest as you set up in the high plank position with your feet together and your body in a nice straight line. The closer your hands are together (aka the closer to a Diamond Push Up you get), the harder the move will be and the more your triceps will be forced to work. Then keeping your body in a nice straight line, lower your chest down to the ground. Your body should move as one unit to lower down without your butt going up in the air or your hips sagging. Also, make sure to keep your elbows and arms in by your side as you lower. Do not let them flare out at all or you will not force your triceps to work as hard. Lower your chest as close to the ground as possible then press back up. Make sure your body moves as one unit and your arms don’t flare out. Often with Close-Grip Push Ups, people will start to press back up and end up arching their backs because their hips stay down and their triceps aren’t strong enough. If you can’t press back up with your core staying engaged and your body in a nice straight line, you may need to regress the movement to an Incline Close-Grip Push Up or a Knee Close-Grip Push Up. Once you’ve pressed back up, repeat, lowering down with your arms in by your sides. To make the move more challenging, perform a Diamond Push Up.

diamond-push up
Sit Thrus – To do the Sit Thru, start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet and press up onto your hands and toes. Rotate open toward the right and kick 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 want to rotate all the way through with your left leg out straight so that you are almost sitting with your left hand down to support you. You want to “sit through.” 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 instead of their knees under their hips.

sit-thrus
Narrow Stance Squats – To do the Narrow Stance Squat, place your feet hip-width apart or closer. Squat down, sitting your butt back and down. Then drive back up to standing and squeeze your glutes. Do not round forward or come forward onto your toes. Repeat, squatting as low as you can.

close-stance-squat
Knee Tucks – To do the Knee Tucks, place your toes in the foot straps and set up in a plank from your hands with your hands under your shoulders. Engage your abs so that your hips don’t sag or your butt doesn’t go up in the air. Then pull your knees in toward your chest. Tuck them in as far as you can and then straighten your legs back out. Your back may round as you tuck, but try not to let your butt go way up in the air. And when you straighten back out, don’t let your hips sag. Keep your legs and abs engaged to keep a nice straight line from your head to your toes while you are in that plank position. Repeat, tucking your knees back in toward your chest. You can also do these on sliders if you don’t have a Suspension Trainer.

suspension-trainer-knee-tucks
Lean Backs – To do Lean Backs, start kneeling on the ground with your knees about hip-width apart. Flex your feet and kneel nice and tall. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs. You can then cross your hands over your chest or reach them out in front of you. Engaging your core and driving down through the balls of your flexed feet, lean back. Do not arch your back as you lean back but simply move from your knees. Go back as far as you can with your body in a nice straight line. Then come back forward. Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs the entire time. Feel your quads really working to control your lean back. Do not sit back on your heels as you go back. Come back up to kneeling nice and tall and repeat. You can make this move more challenging by holding a weight in at your chest or even in your straight arms out in front of you. Do not rush the Lean Back, but instead move in a slow and controlled fashion.

unconventional-core-exercise