WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest
Shoulders/Forearms
ACTIVATION
Complete 2 round of the following circuit.
CIRCUIT:
10 reps per side Plank With Reach Back And Out
10 reps per side Side Plank With Rotational Reach
WORKOUT
Set a timer for 30 second intervals. Move right from one exercise to the next. Complete 4-6 rounds of each circuit. There is no full rest during the rounds just an active resting station. After completing all rounds of a circuit rest 2-3 minutes and then move on to the next circuit.
CIRCUIT #1:
30 seconds Battle Ropes Stage Coach with Get Up Lunge
30 seconds Banana Twists
30 seconds Jump Rope (active rest)
CIRCUIT #2:
30 seconds Battle Ropes Alternating Arms with Side-To-Side Lunge
30 seconds Full Body Crunch
30 seconds Wall Sit (active rest)
CIRCUIT #3:
30 seconds Battle Ropes Rainbows
30 seconds Mountain Climbers
30 seconds Skater Squat Taps (active rest)
COOL DOWN
Stretch and Roll Out:
Calves
Quads
Hamstrings
Adductors
Hips/Glutes
Back/Chest
Shoulders/Forearms
NOTES:
Pick a variation of each exercise that challenges you but allows you to work the entire 30 seconds. Do not rest between exercises. Move quickly from one to the next.
With the active rest, you can work as hard as you want as long as you don’t then need to rest between rounds or exercises. This exercise though is a chance to bring your heart rate down a bit.
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EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Plank With Reach Back And Out – To do the Plank with Reach Back and Out, set up in a Front Plank from your hands and toes with your hands under your shoulders and your feet about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. For this move, you will want your feet wider to create a more stable base. Beginners can do this move from their knees. Then from the Plank position, reach one hand back and across toward the opposite ankle, pushing your butt back and up toward the ceiling as you reach. Then reach back forward and out toward the wall in front of you, dropping your hips back into a nice plank position. Do not drop your hips too low and feel your low back engage. Keep your core tight to protect your low back as you come back into that nice plank position. Reach back and across with the same hand until all reps are complete on that side.
Side Plank With Rotational Reach – To do the Side Plank with Rotational Reach, set up in a Side Plank from your forearms and toes (advanced) or forearms and knees (beginner). Reach your top hand under your armpit as if reaching for the wall behind you. Rotate your chest toward the ground as you keep your hips up. Then rotate back open, reaching your hand up toward the ceiling. Do not let your butt go way up in the air as you rotate or your hips drop toward the ground. Repeat, reaching back under and through then up toward the ceiling.
For all Battle Ropes Moves (Battle Ropes Stage Coach with Get Up Lunge, Battle Ropes Alternating Arms with Side-To-Side Lunge, Battle Ropes Rainbows), click here.
Banana Twists – To do the Banana Twists, start lying on your back with your legs together out straight in front of you and your arms reach overhead on the ground. Then lift up into Banana, pressing your low back into the ground as you crunch your shoulder blades up and lift your legs a few inches up off the ground. Beginners may need to lift their legs up higher to keep their back agains the ground. Then sit up onto your butt, bending your knees as you bring your hands down and together in front of your chest. From this position balanced on your butt, rotate your hands down toward the ground outside one hip and then back up and across your body toward the ground outside the other hip. Bring your hands back center and lie back down into Banana, but do not completely relax out. Then repeat, sitting back up and twisting each way.
Jump Rope – Casual Jump Rope. Let your heart rate come down a bit if needed.
Full Body Crunch – Lie on your back with your legs out straight. You can place your hands behind your head or across your chest. Lift your feet up off the ground and tuck your knees in toward your chest as you crunch your upper body up. Keep a space between your chin and your chest as you lift your shoulder blades up off the ground. Crunch both your lower and upper body together then relax your upper body back down as you kick your legs out straight. Do not touch your heels to the ground until all reps are complete. Beginners may need to keep their feet up higher in the air while more advanced exercisers will kick their legs out close to the ground, keeping them only an inch or two up off the ground. After you kick your legs out, crunch everything back together.
Wall Sit – To do the Wall Sit, you will sit against the wall. Stand with your back to a wall and your feet about hip-width apart. Then sink down into a squat and press your back into the wall behind you. When you sink into the squat, try to get your quads parallel to the ground and make sure your ankles are aligned under your knees. Hold there and drive your back into the wall. You can also do this with a narrow or wide stance if you want to mix it up. If you start to feel this in your low back, try engaging your core with a pelvic tilt. Press your low back toward the wall. To make this move easier, don’t sink as low in the squat or move your feet out just a bit from the wall. Do not let your ankles get too far out in front of your knees though. To make this move harder, hold a weight or even try a Single Leg Wall Sit.
Mountain Climbers – To do the Basic Mountain Climber, set up in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together and legs out straight behind you. Your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels. Brace your abs before you start so that you don’t feel this in your low back or let your hips sag as you run your knees in. Then, maintaining the nice plank position, begin to run your knees in toward your chest. Bring your right knee in toward your chest with your left leg still out straight. Keep your butt down as you run the knee in. Then straighten your right leg back out as you bring your left knee in toward your chest. “Run” your knees in as quickly as possible until all reps are complete. The faster you go, the harder the move will be. Do not let your butt go up in the air or your hips sag as you run your knees in. You can make this harder by placing your feet on sliders, Valslides or towels.
Skater Squat Taps – You can do any of the three Skater Squat Tap/Hold variations below.
Skater Squat Hold – Place your feet no more than a couple of inches apart. Sink down as low as you can, sitting your butt back while keeping your chest up. This squat is very similar to the chair pose in yoga. Do not let your back round and try to sink as low as possible, getting as close to parallel as possible. Hold in that low skater squat.
Skater Squat Hold with Side Touch – Place your feet no more than a couple of inches apart. Sink down as low as you can, sitting your butt back while keeping your chest up. This squat is very similar to the chair pose in yoga. Do not let your back round and try to sink as low as possible, getting as close to parallel as possible. Once you sink down as low as possible with your chest up, you are then going to tap one toe at a time out to the side. You should stay low in the squat and not shift your weight. Keep your weight centered over the standing leg. Straighten the other leg out to tap the toe to the side. Do not let your weight shift as you touch. All your weight is in the standing leg. Alternate toe touches to each side until the time is up.
Skater Squat Hold with Back Touch – Place your feet no more than a couple of inches apart. Sink down as low as you can, sitting your butt back while keeping your chest up. This squat is very similar to the chair pose in yoga. Do not let your back round and try to sink as low as possible, getting as close to parallel as possible. Once you sink down as low as possible with your chest up, you are then going to tap one toe at a time backward. You should stay low in the squat and not shift your weight backwards as you lunge back. Keep your weight centered over the standing leg. Straighten the other leg back and just tap the toe. Do not let your weight shift into the foot touching back as you touch. All your weight is in the standing leg as if you are holding the isometric squat still. Do not come out of the squat as you touch back. Alternate toe touches back until the time is up.
