Workout Basics and Warm Up
To plan your workouts think about doing something focused 3-6 times a week and taking 1-3 days of what’s called active rest (clean house, walk the golf course, go for a hike, take the dog for a long walk, do squats throughout the day – link it to every time you go to the bathroom for example.
This movement is important for recovery and allows your body to do something active for fun, wellness, blood flow to the sore spots from your focused workout, etc. This keeps the body oriented toward energy flow and movement.
Making sure to get a weekend workout in is a great way to make sure your active rest days are not consecutive. Consecutive days off can make it harder to return to your focused workouts on Monday.
Make sure to warm up. Spend 5-10minutes doing easy movement, stretching, and allow the muscles you are going to work to “wake up”. Work to include all the big joints and major muscle groups. It’s a great time to get your music right, your shoes tightened or loosened, or make sure you hair is out of your way. By fixing these things now, you are more likely to stay focused on the work portion.
When you complete the round, give yourself a pat on the back, a fist pump, something that celebrates your accomplishment. This is a big deal for helping habits stick, and helps you be realistic about all the hard work you are doing.
If you are unclear about a movement, look it up (Check out my YouTube Tutorials Here). There are lots of resources online that allow you to make sure you have good form. Always work up to adding weight or making a movement less stable. Good form comes first.
Workout Warm Up Movements – Do 10 to each side
- Arm Circles
- Elbows Jabs (up and back) with core rotations – pay attention to pulling the bellybutton toward the spine and allowing movement through the torso without straining the spine.
- Diagonal Front Arm Raise with Unweighted Squat – knees over ankles & butt back, like you are using a porta-potty at a music festival and determined not to touch any surfaces or soil yourself 🙂
Body Weight Set 1 – repeat the list 3 times for 30 seconds each movement
- 180 Jump Squats
- Froward / Backward Jumps
- Leg Overs
- Lateral Walking Pushups
Machine Set 1 – 1 minute as fast as you can
Treadmill Hill Climb – set incline at level high enough to maintain your target heart rate at 60-70%
Body Weight Set 2 – Repeat the list 3 times for 30 seconds each movement
- Power Burpees
- Plank Clocks to each side
- Jumping Lunges
- Side Plank Drops
- Lateral Shuffle
- 1 Leg 4 Square Hops
Machine Set 2 – 1 minute as fast as you can
Cross Trainer / Elliptical – Set level to maintain 60-70% target heart rate
Body Weight Set 3 – Repeat the list 3 times for 30 seconds each movement
- Oblique Crunch Right Side
- Center Sit Ups
- Oblique Crunch Left Side
- Boat Pose 30 Second Hold
- Quadruped Knee to Opposite Elbow – Alternate sides
Finish Strong
YOU DID IT!! Now that you have finished the “work” portion, it is time for flexibility training. Spend some time stretching all the muscles you worked – in this workout, it’s full body so give all your major muscles a good stretch. Then grab a good post workout snack. Together these get your muscles ready for tomorrow’s movement and make sure you are ready to meet your goals.
Words of Caution …
Please make sure to follow your body. Do not push through pain. Discomfort/Challenge are different than pain. We want to challenge ourselves we do not want to hurt ourselves. Find the level that is right for you and move at that level. Make sure to choose weight and stances that support your body style – if you have to use the wall to do your push ups do that, if you need a chair or a bench use those. Make sure you are doing what you need to do for your body type and current personal level of fitness.
As always have fun living in your body today!
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