Monday Workout: Sneaky

It’s the end of the month and I’m feeling sneaky.  So we have squat pop ups this week, which are like the bottom half of a burpee.  Four rounds.

 

1 min cardio
woodchoppers	30
flies	20
squat pop up	10
opposite knees	30
bench press	20
plank saw	10

 

Monday Workout: Balance Lots of Ways

We’re working balance in a variety of ways this week.  Obviously, the single leg work works on it, but the skier jumps and the dumbbell pullovers with bridge also recruit what we need when we have to balance.  Three rounds.

 

tap backs	30
1 leg deadlift	20
1 leg squat	10
squat raise	30
gorilla row	20
curls	10
skier jump	30
db pullover with bridge	20
brains	10

Fresh: Strength 2

Another approach to freshening our weight workouts is to adjust the variables.  These include the number of reps, the number of sets, and the intensity (or what weight we use as a percentage of our single rep maximum).

Captain Obvious would like a word here.  We don’t want to increase all the variables at once.  If we choose, for example, to do a lot more reps, we’re going to need to choose lighter weights.  We need to be fresh-minded (yes, I just made that word up), paying attention to our bodies as we work to know when we have had enough.

 

Again, we don’t have to switch all the variables for all our workouts.  Making one a week or one a month different can be plenty to keep our bodies entertained and growing.

Fresh: Strength 1

When it comes to strength training, freshness can be a challenging concept.  Strength training is one of those things that thrives on habit and routine.  The trick is to make change part of the routine.  In fact, without a certain amount of freshness, our strength training can’t get best results because our bodies develop in response to the stresses we put on them.  If we’re always doing the same things the same way, we stop growing.

One easy way to freshen things up in the weight room (ok:  not just by cleaning it, although I am 100% in favor of cleanliness and fresh air in the weight room) is to try a new exercise.  If finding a new exercise seems like a lot of work, make it even simpler and try a variation on an exercise already in your repertoire (e.g., swap the regular squats for jump squats, sumo squats, prisoner squats, goblet squats, or any of the other million different kinds).

 

Another approach is to combine exercises into compound movements.  This is where we do things like lunge-to-curl or push presses.  Not only does this give us a new take on the component parts, but it also works more of our bodies at once, which is just efficient!

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Deceptive!

Farmer carry is one of those deceptive exercises.  We’re just walking around with weights; how hard can it be?  When I deep clean the studio, I do a LOT of farmer carries and let me say:  it is not easy.  Use the heaviest weights you can manage.  Three rounds.

 

db circles	30
skullcrushers	20
shoulder tap pushups	10
squat to leg lift/ticktock	30
flies	20
lateral raises	10
farmer carry	30
bench press	20
pretty princesses	10

 

Monday Workout: They Get Easier

Yes, we are doing burpees this week.  They never get easier if we never do them.  Three rounds.

 

woodchoppers	30
good mornings/deadlifts	20
burpees	10
db kicks	30
Bulgarian split squat	20
hip rotations	10
1 arm clean & press	30
rows	20
plank to pike	10

 

Monday Workout: Customize!

This is one of those workouts that we can customize based on how much we want to push ourselves.  If we want to go easier, we can (obviously) use lighter weights and we can do regular/modified jacks in place of the plank jacks.  If we want to go hard, we choose the heavier kettle bell, heavier weights generally, and maybe we add weights and/or reverse lunges to our step ups.  Three rounds.

 

kb alt arm swings	30
kb hammer curls	20
kb halo	10
plank jacks	30
bench press	20
Arnold press	10
step up	30
flies	20
side banana

Monday Workout: Mix

We’ve got a good mix of stuff for the end of the month.  Try for four rounds.

 

1 min cardio
plank jacks	30
gorilla row	20
pushups	10
skater jump/curtsy	30
flies	20
windscreen wipers	10

 

Love Month: Love your muscles strong

Another way we can love our bodies is to love our muscles strong.  Yes, I realize that this means weight work, but again, love isn’t always nice even while it is being kind.

A digression that is sort of relevant:  when I was in high school or thereabouts, my dad was sure I would not survive on my own because I couldn’t open jars myself.  My days as a 90-pound weakling are behind me now.  I can even open jars for other people.  Strength training for the win!  Also tasty jam!

 

We all know that strength is practical.  Not only do we have to open jars, we also have to carry groceries, lift kids, move the furniture around, schlepp the laundry, and so on.  Doing those same tasks will build skill and ability, but we get their faster with strength training.

 

As I mentioned last week, strength training is good for our bones.  It also helps us maintain a healthy body mass distribution:  more lean tissue is good for us!

 

Need more reasons?  It’s good for posture, it makes us look better, and it increases our sense of personal power.

 

Sometimes love looks like barbells.

Monday Workout: Slow then not

We start slow on this one and then we get a bit more intense and complicated with our compound exercises.  Three rounds.

 

opposite knees	30
good morning/deadlift	20
1 leg db pass	10
squat raise	30
(lunge to) curl to overhead press	20
truck driver	10
db circles	30
kickbacks	20
toe reaches	10

Love Month: 6

Jumping is great for both cardio fitness and bone strength.  Here are six things to try:

 

1.     jacks (regular, plyojacks, plank jacks)

2.     burpees

3.     box jumps or depth jumps (jumping on or off a fitness box)

4.     jump squats

5.     jump lunges

6.     lateral hops (extra fun with a BOSU

Love Month: Love your bones strong

Most of us probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about our skeletons, but another way we can love ourselves is to keep those bones strong.  There are a couple of good ways to do this.

One is to eat right, including plenty of calcium.  Y’all know what to do there, right?

 

Another is to work with weights.  Those dumbbells do more than make our muscles strong!  Bones increase strength in response to stresses like lifting weights.

 

Choosing the right cardio can also help.  Bones get stronger in response to impact with the ground.  That means that swimming, while great for cardio, has less of an effect on strengthening bones than walking.  Exercises that include jumping (jacks, jump lunges, jump squats, box jumps, burpees, etc.) help with this, too.

 

Go play.

Monday Workout: Strong Arms

I am in the mood for arm and core strength, so we have exercises that work all the way around the arms, some upper body weight-bearing, and various core challenges.  Three rounds.

 

squat to leg lift/ticktock	30
bench press	20
bench dips	10
woodchoppers	30
flies	20
renegade rows	10
1 arm clean and press	30
curls	20
butterfly crunch	10

 

Monday Workout: Impact and Balance

We’re working on impact and balance today.  If jumping is not your thing, sub regular squats and side lunges for the jumping kind.  Three rounds.

 

(jump) squats	30
rows	20
round lunges	10
kb swings	30
kb twist	20
kb 8s	10
lateral bound	30
kickbacks	20
plank up down	10