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 Overview
In today’s workout you are going to complete a set of super slow movements. These should be 10 second concentric (shortening phase of the muscle movement) movement and 10 second eccentric (lengthen phase of the movement) movements. It helps to count out loud.
This takes a lot of concentration and focus. If you lose track just pick up where you thought you left off. Pay close attention to form. Super slow sets are a great way to notice how different areas and systems of the body are connected. This internal awareness and learning help with things like negative self talk, emotional regulation, and perseverance for daily life experiences.
The 2nd portion of today’s workout is speed work. Using the information you learned about your body in the slow sets perform the exercises as fast as you can with good form for time.
The movements can be weighted or not depending on your ability to maintain your form.
Lower Body Slow Set
- Squat with Super Slow Diagonal Arm Lift
- Squat with Super Slow Toe Lift
- Lunge with Super Slow Kick Through
Upper Body Slow Set
- Push Ups
- Frontal Raise
- Rear Flys
- Lateral Raise
- Triple Threat – Bicep Curl to Over Head Press to Tricep Over Head Press
Speed Work
Pay attention to form. It is easy to hurt yourself when you are going fast. Pay attention to the form you practiced in the super slow sets and apply that learning to speed work here. Do each exercise for 1 minute and work to complete as many repetitions as you can.
Lower Body Speed Set
- Squat with Diagonal Arm Lift
- Squat with Toe Lift
- Lunge with Kick Through – 1 min each leg
Upper Body Speed Set
- Push Ups
- Frontal Raise
- Rear Flys
- Triple Threat – Lateral Raise Bicep Curl to Over Head Press to Tricep Over Head Press – do not throw your back to make the movement happen. Remember to use good form and recruit the strength from the muscles being worked.
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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