The Amazing Stickie and Good Morning

The Amazing Stickie is a stickler for good form.  She knows that the good morning exercise is very similar to a deadlift, but because of the way the weight is carried it can actually help improve deadlift form.  To do good mornings, Stickie uses a weighted bar.  If no weighted bar is available, a broomstick is a useful tool.

 

Stickie begins standing in good posture with her feet about shoulder width apart.  She holds the bar across her back slightly below the top of her shoulders.  Then she hinges forward at the hips and straightens back up.  The bar helps her to keep her upper spine straight, which keeps her lower back from having to do too much work.

 

Sets of ten are good.

Monday Workout: Short and Different!

End of the month means time for a shorter circuit just to wake up our bodies with something different.  Four rounds!

 

1 min cardio
mountain climbers	30
lunge twist	20
1 leg squat	10
kb swing	30
renegade row	20
chest lift	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Medicine Ball Chest Pass

Today the Amazing Stickie is working with medicine balls again.  This exercise can be done alone or with a partner.  When Stickie does it by herself, she thinks of the part where she goes to fetch the ball as part of the work, but having a friend does make it easier.  Either way, she begins standing in good posture, holding the medicine ball at her chest with her elbows a little out to the side.  Using her arms, she thrusts the ball forward and tosses it away from her.  Sets of 10 are good.

Monday Workout: Compound

We’re all about the compound exercises this week to build our metabolisms and challenge our bodies.  Three rounds.

 

plank jacks	30
lunge to curl	20
Arnold press	10
sumo squat to high pull	30
flies	20
1 leg deadlift	10
leg kicks	30
bench press	20
pretty princess	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Medicine Ball Soccer Throw

The Amazing Stickie loves to play with medicine balls.  Today she’s doing medicine ball soccer throws.  (She’s demonstrating doing it by herself, which means that after each throw, she has to walk and pick up the ball to do the next throw.  She could also do this with a friend and they could toss the ball to each other.)  She begins standing with good posture holding the medicine ball behind her head.  Maintaining good posture, she lifts the ball over her head and tosses it in front of her.  Sets of 10 are good.

Monday Workout: Planes!

We are working in every plane this week: sagittal, frontal, and transverse.  In other words, we’re going back and forth, side to side, and twisting!  This, plus the asymmetric exercises, will help with our balance and core control.  Three rounds.

 

jacks	30
renegade rows	20
pushups	10
overhead curtsy	30
deadlifts	20
1 leg squat	10
side lunge 1 arm row/raise	30
lateral raise	20
brains	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Multiplanar Lunges with Reach

The Amazing Stickie loves making a basic exercise more challenging.  Today she is doing multiplanar lunges with reaches.  What that means is that she takes her basic front lunge, side lunge, and transverse lunge (or curtsy) and adds a reach with her upper body toward the floor.  It makes the movement bigger, which means it’s harder.  Additionally, it shifts the body weight more, making it more of a core challenge to return to the starting position.  She usually does a set of five in each direction.

Monday Workout: Sideways!

Working in the frontal plane (that is, side to side, like we do with squat to leg lift) is goo practice for when life goes sideways on us.  Three rounds.

 

kb alternate arm swing	30
kb hammer curl	20
kb halo	10
squat to leg lift	30
bench press	20
skullcrushers	10
mountain climbers	30
flies	20
V sit press	10

  

The Amazing Stickie and Prisoner Squat

The Amazing Stickie knows that small variations can keep workouts interesting and fresh.  The prisoner squat variation will slightly alter the way she balances as she bends and extends her body.  She loves a balance challenge!  Sets of 10 are good.

Monday Workout: Core and Balance

 

This week we’re working balance and core throughout the workout!  Three rounds.

 

1 arm clean and press	30
1 leg scaption	20
truck driver	10
woodchoppers	30
rows	20
kickbacks	10
step ups	30
curls	20
femur arcs	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Kettlebell Hang, Clean, and Jerk

The Amazing Stickie knows that using kettlebells challenges her in ways that dumbbells don’t because of how the weight shifts in different positions.  Today she is doing the kettlebell hang, clean, and jerk.

She begins holding a kettlebell in one hand.  She squats down, lowering the kettlebell toward the floor.  Then she stands up straight again, lifting the kettlebell to shoulder height.  From there, she lifts the kettlebell overhead.  Then she returns to the start position for the next rep.

Monday Workout: All Kinds of Fun

 

Time for another shorter circuit!  Four rounds full of compound exercises should be fun!

 

1 min cardio
squat to leg lift	30
flies	20
overhead press	10
deadlift to curl	30
renegade row	20
brains	10

 

The Amazing Stickie and Goblet Pour

The Amazing Stickie has amazing-looking arms, of course.  To maintain her beautiful shoulders, she often does goblet pours.

She begins standing with good posture, holding two light weights at shoulder level with the ball parts of the dumbbells pointing up and down.  Then she twists her arms as if the weights were goblets and she wants to empty them on the ground.  She repeats this motion about ten times.

Monday Workout: Weight Bearing

There are a couple of weight bearing exercises on the arms this week, just for fun.  Three rounds.

 

 

kb swings	30
kb twists	20
kb 8s or overyets	10
squat raises	30
bench press	20
spiderman pushup	10
skier jumps	30
flies	20
pretty princesses	10

 

Monday Workout: Challenges

There are a couple of challenges built into this one.  Obviously, burpees are back.  But we’re also adding jumping (if appropriate!) to our squats and recruiting our muscles a little differently with star plank.  Three rounds.

 

woodchoppers	30
rows	20
burpees	10
suitcase swings	30
skullcrushers	20
1 leg deadlift	10
(jump) squats	30
lateral raise	20
star plank	10

Monday Workout: Back

This week, we’re doing a couple of things that work the back of the body.  Three rounds.

 

 

jacks	30
flies	20
bench dips	10
step ups	30
renegade row	20
1 leg squat	10
mountain climbers	30
bench press	20
plank	10

  

Monday Workout: Busy!

This week we’re doing a shorter circuit.  We’ve got plenty of compound exercises to keep us busy and make us strong.  Four rounds.

 

1 min cardio
(lunge) punches	30
rows	20
Arnold press	10
burpees	10
clean and press	20
brains	10

Monday Workout: Swing!

This week we’re doing two kinds of swinging, one with the kettle bell and one with a pair of dumbbells.  Notice how they feel slightly different!  Three rounds.

 

kb alternate arm swing	30
kb bottom up press	20
kb halo	10
split squat pulldown	30
flies	20
pushups	10
suitcase swing	30
bench press	20
pretty princesses	10