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.
The Workout
This workout focuses on using a BOSU ball. This creates extra challenge for the core of the body and builds proprioception. In unstable surface workouts, we lower weight and speed to focus on form and function while adding the challenge of stability. Using the BOSU you can choose to use the ball side up – easier modification or ball side down/flat side up – advanced modification.
If you do not have one, think about making the surface you are connecting with unstable. A pillow, blanket, air pad, etc can help create the sense of balance. However, make sure is not something that will hurt you – i.e. get tangled in the blanket and fall over or twist an ankle on a surface that is too unstable. Test it out and go slow.
Overload the movements using Dumbbells, medicine balls, rubber tubing, or just use body weight. Start lower than you think you’ll need and increase weight / equipment as needed. Remember as you become more tired, balance becomes more difficult. You may need to increase weight and then decrease before the end of the set. Perfectly fine, just make sure you are continuing to challenge yourself.
Complete each set 2 x through, move through the next set 2x, etc.
If you would like create a pyramid workout. Once you have finished all sets with increasing weight each set – you may choose to go through another round this time with just body weight to finish off proprioception training. Or go the opposite. Start with no weight, and increase each set. Note of caution on this option: the more tired you are the more difficult lifting extra weight becomes and balance becomes more difficult.
Set 1
- Squats
- Bent Over High Rows
- Push Up – kneeling or full body with hands on the BOSU
Set 2
- Stationary Lunge – Rt foot on top of BOSU
- Bent Over Left Arm Low Row – right foot still on BOSU
- Chest Flys – lay with scapula on the BOSU – modify with butt on the floor or up level by keeping hips off the floor and shoulders to hips in flat line (would look like you could balance a cup of water on your navel)
Set 3
- Cherry Pickers – Left leg
- Bent Over Right Arm Low Row – left foot still on BOSU
- Cherry Picker – Right Leg
- Bent Reverse Flys – both feet on BOSU
Set 4
- Curtsy Lunge – Right Leg, up level by not allowing left foot to touch, keep it floating throughout the movement.
- Lateral Shoulder Raise
- Curtsy Lunge – Left Leg, up level by not allowing right foot to touch, keep it floating throughout the movement.
- Bicep Curl
Set 5
- Figure Four Squat Right Leg
- Tricep Overhead Press
- Figure Four Squat Left Leg
Set 6
- Russian Twists – butt on the floor, low back supported by BOSU or uplevel by placing butt on the BOSU
- 30 Second Full Body Plank Hold – hands on BOSU
- Full Sit ups – butt on floor or up level with butt on BOSU
- 30 Second Full Body Plank Hold – Feet on BOSU
- Supermans – belly on BOSU, feet and arms can touch the floor or up level by floating them throughout the movement.
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!
Twitter
Facebook
Linkedin
